Being Different



June 8, 2011.
Beach Boys:  It's been crazy hot here.  Since the Tree Guys were working in the backyard, our kiddie pool was off limits.  Instead of being trapped indoors, I called a few of the mommies from the school, and we made a spur of the moment play date at the local beach.  The boys loved it, and so did the mommies.

77/365

June 9, 2011.

Textured Peonies: I cut these pretties from my garden.  Usually, when I  bring peonies indoors, I get a house full of ants.  I googled what to do about this, and found a tip: fill a bucket of cool water, and swish the blooms around in the water.  Washing the ants away.  Great tip! Not one ant made his way into my house.  When I edited the image, I added a texture.  This is my first time trying a texture on one of my photographs and I'm not sure if I love the results...what do you think?  Does the texture add to the image or take away from it?

 

78/365

June 10, 2011.
Choose Wisely:  Paper, Rock, Scissors.  However you make your decisions realize that they are yours.  Take responsibility for your decisions.  Be proud of them.  Where you are in life, who you are right now, is the sum of your choices. 

79/365

June 11, 2011.
Where Ever You Go Today, Believe This:  Because I know how tough it is to be a teen aged girl, I wrote this message on The Kid's mirror.  So that her day would begin with love, and whatever storms may come her way today, she can hold this message in her heart.

80/365

June 12, 2011.
Stormy Lines of Miscommunication:  I went for a walk today to clear my head.  Sometimes the best intentions can be misinterpreted.  Sometimes the love you give is not able to be received.  (taken with my iPhone, still struggling with resolution -like everything else in life, it's a learning curve for sure)

81/365

June 13, 2011.
Au revoir:  There he goes.  Off to Quebec with the grade eight trip.  For the next four days, I will race every time I hear the phone ring in case it's him.  I will worry that he's okay.  I will think about how much he has grown up in the last few years, and my heart will fill with pride.  For the next four days, our house will feel a little empty and we will all miss him terribly.  Have fun buddy, xo. 

82/365

June 14, 2011.
I'm Stumped:  I wanted to take this picture of Charlie standing on the huge tree stump in the back yard.  I loved the contrast between his little feet and the huge stump.  But I don't know what I want to title it, or say about this picture besides, I'm Stumped.

83/365

June 15, 2011.
Oh, so Different:  The whole week has been different.  The view from our backyard being so dramatically altered, out of the blue field trip to the beach, attempting new ideas with my photography, and of course Josh being away.  It really hit me when I passed by my daughters room. I noticed Charlie and Kenzie playing with her old doll house.  Wow, things sure are different around here....

84/365

The below collage of the Full Moon and Lunar eclipse was taken over two days.  June 14th and 15th.  Photographing the moon has always been difficult for me, but I think I totally rocked these.  Not part of my 365 project, but I just had to share!

Full moon/lunar eclipse - June 13 & 14,  2011

Not Inspired

A 365 project is the commitment to take a picture a day for a year.  It inspires you to see your life in a new way.  The only problem is, some days -some weeks life goes by so fast it's hard to find inspiration for taking pictures.  That was the kind of week I had. Here is what I did manage to capture...

June 2, 2011.
Retro Glass: I came across these retro glasses while packing up Gramma's apartment.  Can't you just imagine a swinging seventies party?  The cheese fondue bubbling away, ladies sipping their sherries and the men drinking beer out of stubby beer bottles.  Kind of brings a smile to my face.

71/365


June 3, 2011.
Lego Maniac:  Remember the commercial from the 80's?  "Jack, Jack, he's a Lego maniac,"   My middle son could be called a Lego maniac.  He has loved these little bricks for a long time now. Even though he's reached his teen years, I don't see it stopping any time soon. I love his commitment to something he loves and that he is going to continue to be himself, regardless of what is "cool." 

72/365


June 4, 2011.
Leaving The Nest:  My pictures, not my kids.  I delivered my first set of pictures to a real client today.  My pictures out in the world.  I was happy, proud and a little sad all at the same time.


73/365


June 5, 2011.
Instant Suit:  We went suit shopping for my son's grade 8 graduation.  I used my new iPhone to take a picture of the suits on display and used the instagram app to edit the picture.  Obviously, I need to figure out what I've done wrong, as the picture quality wasn't what I hoped for.  A learning curve for sure.  On the plus side, J. looked so handsome in his suit, and I can't wait to see him all dressed up on grad night.


74/365

 June 6, 2011.
Timber: The dead, ugly poplar trees in my backyard are coming down! 

75/365

June 7, 2011.
I'm Cereal:  Sorry.  I just can't help myself.  I love puns.  Like when we were suit shopping, and I wanted to find something "suit"able.  Cheesey, I know.

76/365

May 27 - June 1


May 27, 2011.
A Taste of Summer: It's not quite corn season here in Ontario, but we had our first taste.   I find it funny to watch how people eat a cob of corn.  Some go side to side, like a typewriter, others rotate the cob and eat in circles and some bite into the cob randomly.  How do you eat your corn?

65/365


 May 28, 2011.
Gentlemen, Start Your Engines: We took the boys to the back field to race their remote control cars.  Getting there was a soggy, muddy trek.  The baseball diamond seemed drier so we headed there.  We made the boys promise to not drive into the mud puddles.  "Opps, I didn't mean to."  "Accident!" Needless to say, the boys cars came home caked in mud. 

66/365

May 29, 2011.
Gnomeo and Julliet: It was a busy Sunday, trying to catch up on well, life.  Errands to run, chores to get done. It was the kind of Sunday where you run around all day with the hope that you will feel ready and able to tackle the week ahead.  After dinner, we decided to chill out with a movie, Gnomeo and Julliet.  To commemorate the movie, I grabbed a quick snap shot of one of my garden gnomes. And yes, I have an embarrassing number of these guys.

67/365

May 30, 2011.
Baby Toes: I had a quick visit with my friend, her new grandson and her daughter. My friends daughter is young, a teen mom.  A tough kid with a heart of gold, but as a mom, she looked vulnerable and unsure of herself.  I wanted so badly to tell her, that none of us know what we are doing at first, that all of us are scared sh**less when we bring our baby home. I wanted her to know that just when she figures it out, her son will grow and change, have different needs and present her with new challenges.  And she will always feel a little scared, because being a mom means that your heart is no longer yours alone.  That as a mom you will do anything, brave anything for what is best for your child - and sometimes that is scary, so scary that it takes your breath away.  And that doesn't change regardless of how old they are or how old you are.  I wanted to tell her all of this.  But I kept my mouth shut, because like all moms, she will figure this out. 

68/365


May 31, 2011.
Dreams:  I was on the back deck, trying to get a picture of a very aggressive carpenter bee when a flock of pigeons flew over head.  When I went to edit the picture, the saying "allow your dreams to take flight" popped into my head.  How often do we have dreams that sit on the shelf, for fear that if we allow our hopes to fly, they will either fail or fly away on us - vanishing into thin air?  What happened to the child inside of all of us that believed that anything was possible? Who would you be if you believed in your dreams?

69/365

June 1, 2011.
Pool Boy: The Little Man loves the water.  Today we made a special trip to the dollar store so he could buy goggles.  I made him spend his own money. I was trying to explain that he had enough for his goggles, a snorkel and a Spiderman car but that it would take three of his twonies, he replied, "You mean if I buy all of this, I will waste my money?"
Funny how when it's my money it is not a waste, but when it's his money, spending it on his stuff, it's a waste.

70/365