The BIG day and parenthetical mayhem

With wedding number one (two more left to go) now under my belt, I am more than ready for a little break.

Note to self: Taking wedding pictures is UBER stressful.  Who knew?  Take a bunch of pictures of pretty people, in pretty clothes, at a pretty venue... and you have stress (hello stress!) with a capitol S. My constant thought was: What if something malfunctions on the camera?  What if I miss the glory shot? What if every single picture is blurry? What if....it rains? What if..the cake melts?  What if ...I fall flat on my face and break something and have to be rushed to the Emergency Room?  (Seriously, these thoughts kept me up at night.)

Alas, thanks to a handy modern invention called the Image Stabilization Lens and all my peeps  (thank you!thank you!!thank you!!!) who loaned me their precious photo taking devices (six in all) and Photoshop, to correct lighting issues, my first gig as a Wedding Photographer (sounds so professional doesn't it?) went over without a hitch.   I have successfully captured lovely wedding memories for my little brother (Congrats ya little twerp!) and his new bride (I love you Kayla!). 


( I didn't fall flat on my face and have to be rushed to the E.R but I did almost break my leg stumbling in a gopher hole. Thank you uncoordinated-self.)

*insert sigh of relief*

While the cute couple is off enjoying sun, surf and sand, I am editing and packaging up the wedding photo montage.  Number of photo's taken: 1,322.  That folks, is a lot of pictures to sort through. I will be a busy girl for a while.

For now, here is a (teeny-tiny) sneak peek.

 

Summer Solstice

In celebration of the longest day of the year, I am sharing a picture of sunshine, as sunshine has been fleeting here in the Pac.N.W.   This is a shot of my favourite backyard tree, bathed in evening sunlight.  This is a Fringe Tree; it's scent is amazing and its ethereal beauty is a standout in the garden. (Also, Fringe Trees are in vogue right now. Who knew?)

I would highly recommend this beauty to all my gardening friends. I also highly recommend sunshine, it is good for the soul.


Have a lovely first day of Summer!

Falling in love

I am so in love with Autumn!  It is my all-time favourite time of year.  The light, the brilliant colors and yes even the fog, all act as a balm for my summer frazzled soul.

My computer/interweb woes still abound but at least I can gaze out my window and clamp eyes on the gorgeous colors of fall; dreaming all the while of all the great blogs I will write... one day.

Not a techy:: Part 568

Still working out some bugs. I hope this picture will suffice till I can get things running smoothly.


I hope you are all able to stay relatively cool during this crazy heat wave.


~K

Bowl of sunshine

Just enjoying the sun streaming in through the windows.

Have a great weekend!

What is that??

Besides being butt-crack-cold here, it is amazingly bright and beautiful. The days dawn has brought us a gorgeous blue sky. This is such a shocking occurrence that my kids actually asked "What is that?" when the light poured through the living room windows.

What are they saying?

Really folks, living in the dark Northwest is starting to take its toll.

Peeking out...

The sun has poked its bright head out here in our neck of the woods. And while the children jumped (ha!) at the chance to play in the sun, (in shorts and tanks, no less) I took the opportunity to snap some photos.


This is Fidget and HeadLong enjoying a romp on the tramp.




Hopping that you have a sunny weekend. ;<)

Maketh thee heart swell

Yesterday was a lazy day spent learning a new knitting pattern.

My darling Fern has taken this new task very seriously. She is knitting a basket weave scarf. I am so proud of her. She is a knitting fool. Just look at those fingers fly. Look at that game face. Oh, she is not a baby knitter any more.



O! Just look at those stitches! *sigh* My knitty heart is going to explode with the sweetness of it all!

For my Momma

I have such a wonderful mom. Just so ya know.

My mother made the sweetest pair of matchy, matchy, Sunny Day Dresses. She made them in Fern's favourite color, blue.

My mother has been begging me to do a photo shoot of Fern and Fidget in their new Sunny Day Dresses. So, being the good and obedient child I am, I took the girls out and pranced them around the farm for a mini photo shoot. The girls did a good job of obliging me. When I would say turn, they would smirk at each other and spin really fast. When I would ask them to tip their face this way or that, the little twerps would turn completely around.....some peoples kids, eh? I did get a few good pictures of the two of them, despite the insolence.


Here is just a peek at the girls in their finery.

Hey, look! They like each other. At least for a minute.

Sweet.

As we were moving on the next spot, I caught this tender moment. Fidget reached up and grabbed Fern's hand as they walked away from me. This made my heart melt.

Aren't the dresses just the most adorable?? Yes, I know that girls are cute too...

Well, there you go mom. I hope that you like my pictures. The girls and I are very grateful for the beautiful gift of the Sunny Day Dresses. Thank you.

I love you!

Farm Girl Friday

The. SUN. Is. SHINING! The sun IS shining!



This morning I was awakened by streams of light breaking through my window and spashing softly across my face. My first thought was "Get the camera!" I flung back the covers and jumped into some sembalence of clothes and headed for the great outdoors. I spent the next hours lost in the soft morning light, photographing my farmstead flora. Here is just a peek at what is growing.

The first red strawberry in the patch.

Figs.

Wild rose.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful sun filled weekend!

Farm Fresh

So the sun decided to shine yesterday and I was so smart as to make a commitment to spend the day inside. SEWING. After begging for sunshine for weeks, can you imagine! I am NOT bitter, not in the slightest. :)



I spent the day sewing with, and for my girls. I thought that, at some point (HA!) the sun'll come out (TOOmorRrOW! whoa, channeling Annie there for a sec) and the temperature will rise (like, this very minute) so, why not make some (boy, I am so brilliant) sun dresses?




First we chose the music................... A little, Fiona Apple to help us get into a groovy mood.

Next we dug through the bins, and bins, and yes, more bins, for the perfect fabric.

(notice the sun streaming through my window, how wonderfully it illuminates the bins?)

Then we fluffed them in the dryer, but they still were too wrinkly, so...........

(doesn't the sun do wonders for my heap of fabric?)

I set my minion to work with the iron.

(Oh look, there, yes it is more sunshine)

Because my minion did such a good job ironing all the fabric, I let her pick out the fixin's for her dress.

She chose this cute pillowcase. YES, that's right I said pillowcase. I made my minion a dress from one of the zillions of pillowcases I have in my secret stash.

(isn't the sun shining beautifully in my back yard?)

She is very proud of her new swimsuit cover-up.

I felt this particular pillowcase has, well, the look of a pillowcase (minus the big greasy head print, of course). So for my next dress making adventure, I am going to attempt to make one from a vintage pillowcase and add some more foo-fa-rah and see if that will help make the pillowcase look less pillow-casey. Since I have only slightly less than a bazillion (this is no lie) vintage pillowcases, I am going to be making lots (well maybe, if the rain keeps up) more of these little cutie pies (mmm, did someone say PIE!). BUT, I am going to save this project for a rainy day.

(I spent a SUNNY day inside, with children, sewing things, I might have gone a little nuts, O.K.! )

Keep your eyes peeled (HERE) for my tutorial on how to turn a pair of short-alls into a super cute, overall dress.

Thoughts for a Thursday

This picture of the lilacs falling out over our road is not one of my better pictures, but I really like it. It serves as a reminder that even when I am walking in the shadows, there are sunny spots along the way, with many beautiful sights to take in, while that brilliant sunny spot waits just ahead for me. It is my "Light at the end of the tunnel" and "stop and smell the roses" all rolled into one.

I am sure that everyone gets bogged down with 'stuff' every once-in-a-while, and when we are right smack dab in the middle of our 'stuff', it can be hard to see the light out ahead. There will be things that smack you in the face and irritate you and bring much frustration, much like this lilac has done to me. Then sometimes there will be things that fall into your path and bloom. Some days I get such a heavy feeling from this weight I carry called, Fibromyalgia. There are days that just moving around is painful. Simple tasks are beyond me. This is a big part of my 'stuff'. Some days I fight with God, asking him the ever brilliant and so childish, "WHY"? Who am I to complain, really? This lot sucks but I don't have cancer. I haven't lost my spouse or a child. Who am I to complain.

I have been reading a wonderful book by Jerusha Clark; Every Thought Captive.

The book is about "battling toxic beliefs". What a concept, eh? I had never thought that I, (oh so high and mighty like) little 'ole me, would have such a thing as toxic beliefs or thoughts. Well I was enlightened. In her book, Jerusha opens the door to 10 toxic belief's we woman suffer with; Self image, worry and feeling overwhelmed, to name a few. The feelings of overwhelm, are the worst for me. Just doing simple thing is very difficult for me on my bad days. Switching my perspective and being able to see my pity party feelings as toxic and depressing to my system, has been a great help.

I am cleaning out the rooms of my inner house. Bringing in the Lilac Scented cleaner, I am scrubbing down the walls. Removing all of the grimy finger prints of doubt. Sweeping out all of the wrong images of myself, I have stored for far too long. I am dusting off the humor I have kept locked away. I am washing the windows of their years of water spots, nose prints, and fly poop, so that I might see more clearly. Every day I move closer to that bright and sunny spot.

Aren't Band-aid's wonderful. They offer comfort when placed on the scrapes of little children, blood or no. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Normally, they are always there when you need them. They keep bad germs from getting into our weak and broken selves. They keep the good stuff from seeping out.

There are days I dream of a giant colorful Band-aid that would hide all my hurts. One I could slap on for those days when 'stuff' is just more than I can bear. A nice big padded one to protect me from the branches that keep slapping me in the face.

This silly little rainbow Band-aid reminded me that God promised the sun will shine again. HE is like that little Band-aid; wrapped around me, keeping the good stuff safe and keeping the bad germs out, protecting me from the branches in my path.

I shuffle through my daily struggles, dreaming of perfect pictures, rainbow Band-aids and little spots of sunshine.

Sunshine, blue skies.....

Oh, glory bee. The sun is shining! It is the most bright and sunny day we have had, well for days!

I have a bee in my bonnet to get outside and work the earth. Squish the wet dirt between my toes. Feel the sun on my face.

This bee is going to carry me right out the front door. Yard apron, check. Clippers, gloves, and muck boots, check. Sun hat, check.

Well I'm flying now..........chat with you later.

Joy Rush

My farm sweet friend found this great blog, So, the thing is, that challenges us all to take a minute and reflect on those little joys in our life. Thank you Barb, for inspiring such a lovely list.


Here is just a small sampling of mine.

For me there is nothing like finding the first blossoms of spring. When the apples bloom I am assured that God has yet again, brought forth new life.

There is no greater joy than lying on my back in the sand, watching the kids blow bubbles; the peaceful feeling of watching the bubbles drift up to heaven, the children laughing and giddy.

Everything about this makes me happy. Cakes made from scratch, fresh strawberries sprinkled with sugar, real whipped cream made in my new KitchenAid, all lovingly served on my brown transferware.

Blue skies.

Snow ball fights in June.

Watching my kids work hard on their studies. Teaching them myself, is an amazing gift. It brings a smile to my face every time I see my twelve year old crack open his High School Biology book. Seeing his wonder and excitement brings me a great big joy rush.

Building Sandcastles at the beach. Could life get any more perfect? I love to watch the kids rush for water to fill the moat, returning to find the last bucketful has disappeared. The sadness in their faces, when the waves wash their masterpiece out to sea, replaced with the hope of Sandcastles to come; pure heaven.




What is your joy rush?

"It's a sunny day out"

The sun decided to come out and play today. It was still quite nippy out but the kids and I got out anyway. We went out for some early dinner. Miri and the grills met us there and we had a wonderful afternoon of food and fun. The grills made a fort and the boys rough-housed in the yard.

My favourite part was finding the perfect living room in an old Country Living. I poured over the spread for close to an hour, scheming on how I could make it mine. Of course if my darling husband saw the 10 different prints employed throughout the photo's he would run screaming in the opposite direction. There is always hope right??

I am stealing the daily blogging idea from my friends Miri and Misty. I just hope I don't run out of things to say.......HahaHa!