Ahhh...one year ago was my last blog post. Wow. Total blog failure. I don't know why I'm so bad at this. I really DO want to immortalize our memories, I promise. Sadly, I think I'm just lazy.
And, speaking of lazy, I don't really make resolutions either. This drives my husband crazy. He thinks the new year is a great time to recreate, and to improve upon yourself and one's aspirations. Meh. I just think it's one more thing to keep track of. However, in spite of all of my resolution skepticism, I did make one this year. Connecting.
I made this resolution primarily in honor of my little 6-year-old boy. He started kindergarten this year, and everyone tells me that this is the year that he'll start drifting apart from me. Which is hard to believe, because in my mind he has already drifted. He is totally a daddy's boy, and unless I'm bribing him with a chocolate chip cookie, he really wants nothing to do with me. Truth is, it's really painful for me. I really want nothing more than to have that mother/son bond that so many people talk about, but I'd be kidding myself if I said we had that. We don't. I'm determined though, and I don't think it's too late, so I'm making connecting with him my resolution for this year. I want in instill love, self-confidence (although he is oozing with this already), values, and self-worth in him. I want to be that fun parent that he looks up to and wants to hang out with. Wish me luck, he's not an easy study.
But why stop there? While my son is my top priority, I realized that I'm not-so-great (read = lazy) at connecting with friends and family either. I'm inspired by a dear friend of mine who makes everyone around her a top priority. These last few years have been really tough on her, but yet she still finds the time to make everyone in her life feel loved and special. If I could be just a little bit like her, I would feel successful. So, starting today (or yesterday as the case may be...) I am going to focus on connecting. Really connecting with those around me. My hope with this is that my son and I are able to get closer and close the gap that has grown between us and that I can show my friends and family how much I care about them and what they mean to me. Oh yeah, and maybe I'll make this blog a little more of a priority as well. I think I can I think I can...I know I can I know I can.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Monday, January 2, 2012
Where was I?
Wow, this last week has really been a crazy one. Lots of fun spending time with family and friends, but needless to say it's put me behind on finishing my photo challenge. Not to mention, some of the prompts this past week were quite challenging and it took me awhile to get the images that I wanted. In an effort not to bore all 2 of my readers with multiple posts...I'm going to summarize the last week of the project in this blog post. Here goes...stick with me.
Day #23 "Life is Sweet"
This post would have been much better for me at the beginning of the month. When we made cookies. Adorable cookies, adorned by sweet 5 year old hands. Made and decorated with love. But I have a sweet tooth and 2 kids, so those cookies didn't stand a chance of lasting until day 23. Lucky for me Zachary went to the store with me and begged me to bake these. The thing about baking with a 5 year old, it doesn't matter if you bake them from scratch or cheat and bake them from a package...it's always a good time, and the excitement when they are pulled out of the oven is priceless.
Day #24 " Enchantment
This photo took me forever to decide what to do. The direction was to "Muse on all the ways you can visually translate some sense of awe and wonder during this time of magic. Allow yourself to get swept off of your feet and look at the world around you with the eyes of a child." This could really be almost anything! I feel like I constantly experience the childlike wonder of the season through my kids, everyday they find something else to be excited about and everyday I see something new and different through their eyes. It was really hard to decide which direction to take this. And then on Christmas day, Alexis made the decision for me. We were at Noel's dad house for Christmas and she was in absolute awe over these nutcrackers. There were nutcrackers all over the house, and she pointed out and examined each and every one of them, but she particularly fancied these. It was the way she looked at them, and moved them around, and studied them; I knew she was enchanted.
Day #24 "This magic moment"
Another one that was almost impossible. Sounds easy enough, right? I mean how hard can it be to get a great shot on Christmas morning with two little ones. Or on Christmas day with 4 more children around sharing in the magic? The answer: hard. The kids are almost TOO excited. I couldn't capture anything!This prompt actually ended up being the last one I completed. I finally opened my mind and thought about choosing a day other than Christmas day. After all, there are plenty of magic moments this season, right? Ultimately, I ended up choosing this photo:
Day #27 "A Breath of Fresh Air"
Today we were encouraged to get outdoors and shoot one of Mother Nature's gifts. I took this picture of a tree we have in our backyard. This poor little tree took quite a beating a couple of years ago during a bad snow storm, but it still keeps on growing. It has beautiful little leaves, and even in the cold winter it seems to show new growth and livelihood. It's a good little tree.
Day #29 "A Toast!"
Well, duh. It's no secret that I like my wine. Today was just a matter of figuring out a creative way to capture it. The prompt today said "raise a glass (of whatever your magic elixir might be), sing a song, give yourself a hug, anything to celebrate you and where you've been." Although the photo doesn't really demonstrate all of the above, when I took it I was thinking about what a tough year 2011 has been. I've had some friends and family go through some tough times, and honestly I was thinking that I really hope that 2012 brings much health and happiness to those that I love.
I tried to get creative as well, and I love the way that the photo is in black and white, with the exception of the wine itself. (Thank you Big Lens.)
Day #30 "Now, there is no looking back!"
This is another one that didn't come to me until the day after the prompt. The challenge of this day was to visually translate the idea of moving forward. Although I didn't quite do that, I really liked this image. I loved the way Zachary was looking over his shoulder. It was like he was saying "see you later...I'm off to bigger and better." Which is what I felt about this past year, and this photo summed it up.
It really summed up how I was feeling at the moment. I was happy to be surrounded by my family, happy that my kids were running around outside, and happy that we were beginning a new year and a fresh new start. Happy New Year everyone. And thank you for coming along with me on this 31 day journey.
Day #23 "Life is Sweet"
This post would have been much better for me at the beginning of the month. When we made cookies. Adorable cookies, adorned by sweet 5 year old hands. Made and decorated with love. But I have a sweet tooth and 2 kids, so those cookies didn't stand a chance of lasting until day 23. Lucky for me Zachary went to the store with me and begged me to bake these. The thing about baking with a 5 year old, it doesn't matter if you bake them from scratch or cheat and bake them from a package...it's always a good time, and the excitement when they are pulled out of the oven is priceless.
Day #24 " Enchantment
This photo took me forever to decide what to do. The direction was to "Muse on all the ways you can visually translate some sense of awe and wonder during this time of magic. Allow yourself to get swept off of your feet and look at the world around you with the eyes of a child." This could really be almost anything! I feel like I constantly experience the childlike wonder of the season through my kids, everyday they find something else to be excited about and everyday I see something new and different through their eyes. It was really hard to decide which direction to take this. And then on Christmas day, Alexis made the decision for me. We were at Noel's dad house for Christmas and she was in absolute awe over these nutcrackers. There were nutcrackers all over the house, and she pointed out and examined each and every one of them, but she particularly fancied these. It was the way she looked at them, and moved them around, and studied them; I knew she was enchanted.
Day #24 "This magic moment"
Another one that was almost impossible. Sounds easy enough, right? I mean how hard can it be to get a great shot on Christmas morning with two little ones. Or on Christmas day with 4 more children around sharing in the magic? The answer: hard. The kids are almost TOO excited. I couldn't capture anything!This prompt actually ended up being the last one I completed. I finally opened my mind and thought about choosing a day other than Christmas day. After all, there are plenty of magic moments this season, right? Ultimately, I ended up choosing this photo:
Ok, and I may have edited it a bit. So technically I cheated a little...but I really wanted to showcase his little face and his quirky little smile. This was taken the night of his winter preschool concert. He was so excited for this concert. He talked about it for weeks. He took pride in his outfit, pride in his singing, and pride in standing up with his class. Even when some of the kids got antsy (it was a long concert if you're 5) and started misbehaving, he stood tall and sang his little heart out. I could not have been prouder. This was my magic moment.
Day #26 "The Day After"
This day was busy (and messy!), we drove home from Centralia, unpacked and put away all our toys, and took down all of the decorations. I'm not much for letting the Christmas decor linger. It's been up for a month by the time the big day rolls around and I'm ready for it to go as soon as the day is over. This tree isn't even my tree - it's my mother-in-laws - but I took it because it symbolizes the day after for me. The day after is all about taking down the decorations and storing them away for another year. (Not to mention, she had a really pretty tree this year.)
Day #27 "A Breath of Fresh Air"
Today we were encouraged to get outdoors and shoot one of Mother Nature's gifts. I took this picture of a tree we have in our backyard. This poor little tree took quite a beating a couple of years ago during a bad snow storm, but it still keeps on growing. It has beautiful little leaves, and even in the cold winter it seems to show new growth and livelihood. It's a good little tree.
Day #28: "Through the Looking Glass"
Ok, so this is another day where I may or may not have cheated. The instructions today were to "find something, anything, that changes the way things look today. Shoot through your water glass, a window or even through something that's not quite as clear as you'd like it to be. Just see what happens." I actually took this picture a few years ago and I've always loved it. But I've never really had a use for it. Thank you Picture the Holiday's. I now have this photo's purpose. I took this 2 years ago when we had a big snow storm. Zach and Noel were outside throwing snowballs at me in the window. (Yeah, I was the smart one staying inside making the hot chocolate.) This photo was a total accident. I was trying to take a photo of Zach, but the camera focused on the snow drip on the window instead of him, and I immediately loved it. Hope you enjoy it too.
Day #29 "A Toast!"
Well, duh. It's no secret that I like my wine. Today was just a matter of figuring out a creative way to capture it. The prompt today said "raise a glass (of whatever your magic elixir might be), sing a song, give yourself a hug, anything to celebrate you and where you've been." Although the photo doesn't really demonstrate all of the above, when I took it I was thinking about what a tough year 2011 has been. I've had some friends and family go through some tough times, and honestly I was thinking that I really hope that 2012 brings much health and happiness to those that I love.
I tried to get creative as well, and I love the way that the photo is in black and white, with the exception of the wine itself. (Thank you Big Lens.)
Day #30 "Now, there is no looking back!"
This is another one that didn't come to me until the day after the prompt. The challenge of this day was to visually translate the idea of moving forward. Although I didn't quite do that, I really liked this image. I loved the way Zachary was looking over his shoulder. It was like he was saying "see you later...I'm off to bigger and better." Which is what I felt about this past year, and this photo summed it up.
Day #31: "Gather Your Thoughts"
Finally, the final day. Although it was a lot of work and stretched my creative brain, I will really miss these daily prompts. I'll admit, they were the first thing I looked for in my email each morning. I definitely look forward to doing something like this again, and I'm glad I decided to blog each day (err...about each day), I think that it it something I'll be really proud to look back on.
The final prompt actually encouraged us to photograph images that we had captured over the last month to remind us of what we had created. To take a photo of a photo or of photographs. While I like this idea, I thought I had a better one.
The image I chose was taken on New Year's Eve at my parents house. My entire family was together to celebrate the season and to spend some time with my sister and her family. (Who were in town from Chicago.) We were outside, it was a gorgeous day, unseasonably nice for this time of year, and I looked up and saw a beautiful image of the sky and this tree.
It really summed up how I was feeling at the moment. I was happy to be surrounded by my family, happy that my kids were running around outside, and happy that we were beginning a new year and a fresh new start. Happy New Year everyone. And thank you for coming along with me on this 31 day journey.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Days 21 and 22
Day 21 was titled "Attitude Adjustment" and the concept behind it was to capture something that shows a side of yourself that might be last on the list of to-do's. So, something sassy, or fun, or something with attitude. When I checked out what others were posting there were a lot of fun shots of people acting silly, pictures of high-heels, tall boots, etc. While I love this idea, I went about it differently. It's true that my "sassy" side has long been put away. Heels and boots in my closet are all but forgotten, begging for the day when I'll put them back on again. But I like this side of me...and it seems like the only attitude "adjusting" I've needed lately is one to get me in the spirit of the season.
I've had a hard time with it this year, and there are a lot of things that I should be doing with my kids that I just haven't been in the mood for this year. Baking more cookies, building gingerbread houses, Christmas crafts, and gift wrapping. The thought of doing all of these things with a 5 and a 2 year old is just daunting. And messy. I need to strap on my patience and get over the mess because who knows what tomorrow might bring, and my kids deserve to have all of the fun this season has to offer. Therefore, I chose this picture. These 2 little snow angels are a reminder of what the holiday season is all about. And they give me all the attitude adjusting I need.
By the way, I cheated in every sense of the word with this photo. I shot it with my iPhone and used this app called "Big Lens" (photo buffs - check it out!) and with this app, you can adjust the color, the aperture, and the lighting AFTER you take the picture. Making picture taking as easy as pie. Hardly what this photo challenge is about, and hardly teaching me anything about photography. But the app is so cool, I couldn't help myself. I and bet you would have never known...if I hadn't just told you. :)
Day 22 was titled "You're getting sleepy" and the idea was to capture rest. (And to hopefully get a little rest while we we're at it.) Rest is something hard to come by, especially at the holidays. It's funny because before I was a mom, I always laughed at those moms who said they stayed in shape by "chasing the kids around all day." And while I still don't think it's an accurate measure of "staying in shape", I get it. From the moment my feet swing over the side of the bed in the morning til the time the munchkins drift off to dream land, I do not sit down. All day. Not once. My husband doesn't understand why it is so hard for me to get up in the morning. Truth is I've never been a morning person - pre or post kids - but knowing that the minute I get up will mean another 12+ hours until I get to sit down again is exhausting. I just need those few extra minutes to get in the game.
Today I chose this photo. It's not of me...but I think it captures rest at it's finest. I've actually had this photo for awhile, and from the moment I took it, it became one of my favorites. What I wouldn't give to lay down in the sunlight and close my eyes for just a minute.
I've had a hard time with it this year, and there are a lot of things that I should be doing with my kids that I just haven't been in the mood for this year. Baking more cookies, building gingerbread houses, Christmas crafts, and gift wrapping. The thought of doing all of these things with a 5 and a 2 year old is just daunting. And messy. I need to strap on my patience and get over the mess because who knows what tomorrow might bring, and my kids deserve to have all of the fun this season has to offer. Therefore, I chose this picture. These 2 little snow angels are a reminder of what the holiday season is all about. And they give me all the attitude adjusting I need.
By the way, I cheated in every sense of the word with this photo. I shot it with my iPhone and used this app called "Big Lens" (photo buffs - check it out!) and with this app, you can adjust the color, the aperture, and the lighting AFTER you take the picture. Making picture taking as easy as pie. Hardly what this photo challenge is about, and hardly teaching me anything about photography. But the app is so cool, I couldn't help myself. I and bet you would have never known...if I hadn't just told you. :)
Day 22 was titled "You're getting sleepy" and the idea was to capture rest. (And to hopefully get a little rest while we we're at it.) Rest is something hard to come by, especially at the holidays. It's funny because before I was a mom, I always laughed at those moms who said they stayed in shape by "chasing the kids around all day." And while I still don't think it's an accurate measure of "staying in shape", I get it. From the moment my feet swing over the side of the bed in the morning til the time the munchkins drift off to dream land, I do not sit down. All day. Not once. My husband doesn't understand why it is so hard for me to get up in the morning. Truth is I've never been a morning person - pre or post kids - but knowing that the minute I get up will mean another 12+ hours until I get to sit down again is exhausting. I just need those few extra minutes to get in the game.
Today I chose this photo. It's not of me...but I think it captures rest at it's finest. I've actually had this photo for awhile, and from the moment I took it, it became one of my favorites. What I wouldn't give to lay down in the sunlight and close my eyes for just a minute.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Recharge, Making a List, and Wrapped with Love
Day #18 was all about recharging and taking some time for a little self-love and down time. I have a hard time recharging. There is always something that needs to be done. Not just time of year, but constantly. There is always laundry to be folded, a bathroom to clean, or errands to run. And this time of year it gets even busier. The one thing that I love to do, but I don't take enough time to do it is reading. It seems that I only let myself read when everything else on my to-do list has been crossed off. Which, as you can imagine, is hardly ever. I find it stressful to sit with a book when I look around and see so much around me that needs to be done. However, when I take the time to read and relax, it really does recharge my battery and I remember how much I love the quiet relaxation. Today I snapped this picture. It's just a few of the books on my shelf waiting to be read. There are many more where these come from.
Day 19 was "Making a List." I make lists for everything. I often have several lists going at one time. However, none of my lists would have been interesting enough for this project, so I chose this list. It was created last year by Zachary and I think his sweet little handwriting is adorable and it really reminds me of the magic of the season. He didn't make a list this year, so I'll hold on to this one forever.
Day 20 was "Wrapped with Love." I actually spent a few hours last night wrapping presents. (Which, is my least favorite part of the Holiday. I really really really dislike wrapping the gifts.) While I was wrapping, I snapped this photo with my iPhone, and I really loved it. I think I'll try using the iPhone for the few remaining days and see what I come up with. This gift is for my niece Maya, and it was definitely wrapped with love. Can't wait to see her this Christmas!
Day 19 was "Making a List." I make lists for everything. I often have several lists going at one time. However, none of my lists would have been interesting enough for this project, so I chose this list. It was created last year by Zachary and I think his sweet little handwriting is adorable and it really reminds me of the magic of the season. He didn't make a list this year, so I'll hold on to this one forever.
Day 20 was "Wrapped with Love." I actually spent a few hours last night wrapping presents. (Which, is my least favorite part of the Holiday. I really really really dislike wrapping the gifts.) While I was wrapping, I snapped this photo with my iPhone, and I really loved it. I think I'll try using the iPhone for the few remaining days and see what I come up with. This gift is for my niece Maya, and it was definitely wrapped with love. Can't wait to see her this Christmas!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Season of lights
Seems like I'm always playing catch up after the weekend. You would think that I would be able to keep caught up over the weekend, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Therefore, I'm a couple of days behind on my photo project - again.
Friday's prompt was "Season of Lights" and this one actually took me until today to get the photo I wanted to use. I had taken a few photos at the Bellevue Botanical garden a few weeks ago, but none of them turned out to my liking. Alexis and I were shopping today and we happened across this tree. She pointed it out actually, by wanting to play with all of the decorations. I took one look at the lights and knew (or hoped!) I had the perfect lights for this project.
It's actually kind of hard to see the exact colors of the lights...but I really like that aspect. You can see the colors reflected in the tree and the decorations, and I think it gives the photo a really warm glow. Hope you like it too.
Friday's prompt was "Season of Lights" and this one actually took me until today to get the photo I wanted to use. I had taken a few photos at the Bellevue Botanical garden a few weeks ago, but none of them turned out to my liking. Alexis and I were shopping today and we happened across this tree. She pointed it out actually, by wanting to play with all of the decorations. I took one look at the lights and knew (or hoped!) I had the perfect lights for this project.
It's actually kind of hard to see the exact colors of the lights...but I really like that aspect. You can see the colors reflected in the tree and the decorations, and I think it gives the photo a really warm glow. Hope you like it too.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Gifts
Today's topic was "Got Gifts?" Tis the season for giving...the idea today was twofold, first take a photo of something that we would want to put on a gift tag, and then create the gift tag. Frankly, this was too much effort for me today considering my day consisted of preschool, gymboree, making treats for the school cafe, karate, and a winter concert. I'm actually surprised that I got any photos taken today at all. (And I got a run in! No idea how this happened...)
Instead of thinking about something I would want to put on a gift tag, I chose to take a photo of the first gift I got this season. A votive candle holder made by Zach in preschool. He was so proud of it. He brought it home from school all wrapped up and put it under the tree. Only to ask me to open it about 2 minutes later. I think it will be my favorite gift this year.
Instead of thinking about something I would want to put on a gift tag, I chose to take a photo of the first gift I got this season. A votive candle holder made by Zach in preschool. He was so proud of it. He brought it home from school all wrapped up and put it under the tree. Only to ask me to open it about 2 minutes later. I think it will be my favorite gift this year.
Sincerely Yours
Today's topic is an easy one for me. The title is "Sincerely Yours" and the idea is to slow down a little today and appreciate all the hand written epistles we come across. Whether they are to us, or from us, revel in the delight of letters and cards. Signed, sealed and/or delivered, capture sentiments crafted with love.
My friend Alli has been making cards for years, and I am lucky enough to be a recipient of those cards on occasion. Her cards are gorgeous, thoughtful, and full of the tiniest of details that are perfectly crafted for those receiving them. I've been telling her for years that she needs to sell her cards, but I speculate that with each one she makes she has a specific friend in mind and therefore selling them might not have the meaning that it does when she crafts them individually. I'm not even sure that she knows that I still have each and every card she's ever made me. But I do. I have them all in a special box, and I would never dream of getting rid of a single one. (Even the year she said it was her "ugliest Christmas card ever" and begged us to trash them.)
This last year was the hardest year of her life, as she fought with everything she had against melanoma. Through it all she still made cards. I think it probably helped her, to have that one thing that was special to her and that she could continue doing through all the sickness and treatments. Ironically, in a year where she needed the most care, she was still taking time out of her life to send cards and notes to those she loved. That is her...always putting others first. Knowing that she brings a smile to someones face, brings a smile to hers as well.
I hope she knows how much these cards mean to me. I took a million shots, but here is the photo I chose to use today:
My friend Alli has been making cards for years, and I am lucky enough to be a recipient of those cards on occasion. Her cards are gorgeous, thoughtful, and full of the tiniest of details that are perfectly crafted for those receiving them. I've been telling her for years that she needs to sell her cards, but I speculate that with each one she makes she has a specific friend in mind and therefore selling them might not have the meaning that it does when she crafts them individually. I'm not even sure that she knows that I still have each and every card she's ever made me. But I do. I have them all in a special box, and I would never dream of getting rid of a single one. (Even the year she said it was her "ugliest Christmas card ever" and begged us to trash them.)
This last year was the hardest year of her life, as she fought with everything she had against melanoma. Through it all she still made cards. I think it probably helped her, to have that one thing that was special to her and that she could continue doing through all the sickness and treatments. Ironically, in a year where she needed the most care, she was still taking time out of her life to send cards and notes to those she loved. That is her...always putting others first. Knowing that she brings a smile to someones face, brings a smile to hers as well.
I hope she knows how much these cards mean to me. I took a million shots, but here is the photo I chose to use today:
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