I think He just did.
This virus has forced us to literally drop everything we were doing and everything we were all planning in just a matter of days. It has thrown some into panic and others into outrage. We are all waiting for the punchline. Like this is a joke right?! It is like a really bad meme and we are living right in the middle of it.
It's a huge inconvenience.
OR
Is it a blessing?
We are being given the opportunity here to stop and breathe (albeit on our own because breathing near others may be cause for catching Corona, lol). How many times are we given this chance? And I don't mean like during the holidays or spring break. During those times we are still rushing around buying gifts, planning parties, packing for a trip, wrapping up our work projects so we can pick up and leave.
Now, everything has stopped. Everything has been cancelled. We can literally. do. nothing.
If we are healthy we need to count our blessings, we need to keep those who are sick in our thoughts and prayers, we need to reach out and offer help to those who may need it. If we are sick we need to take care of ourselves and get better.
You know what is safe right now? Nature. Nature is safe. Go outside with your family and breathe the fresh air and feel the sun on your face. Listen to your thoughts.
This time will pass and we will be back to the grind and the craziness.
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ˈfrēdəm/
noun
-
the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
It's only taken 7 months to post my pictures from last year's trip to Granny's in Ireland. Better late than never.
As I went through all my images I noticed an overall theme: freedom. There's a palpable feeling of freedom in most of the images whether in relation to my children or in relation to the world around them. There are no confines during our stay with Granny. There are no digital devices. There aren't any other kids for them to play with so they are forced to play with each other. I don't drive when we are there so there is no racing around like we do in New York. The farm and the surrounding area is so vast ... there is so much to explore. And you know what? I never hear "Im bored."
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Isn't that magical? Something that exists because of light and absence of it all at the same time.
Shadows are powerful and can tell more of a story than the actual subject casting the shadow. The darkness of that space draws you in.. It's human nature to try and find something where nothing exists or where we think nothing exists. The unknown is the attraction...the mystery, the curiosity. We are always in search of something...in search of feeling...in search of understanding...sometimes you can find these things in the darkness more easily than in any bright spot surrounding it.
The darkness is not a bad thing or bad place, regardless of how we regard it as the opposite of its' brighter, more trustworthy counterpart: light. It's just dark. We can get lost in that darkness; getting lost in search of something. Sometimes you have to get lost in order to be found.
The possibilities are endless staring into the abyss that is the darkness of a shadow. Something is there. The next time you see a shadow, just look. What do you see? What do you feel? What do you find?
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I photograph people. I am not a landscape photographer. I absolutely love to document the surrounding lands in a beautiful location. There are photographers I admire who can photograph the landscape and make the land come alive. You can literally feel the landscape and its' emotion through their photograph as if it were a person. It leaves me in awe and makes me feel a connection with the area they are documenting. Landscape photography is an art all on its' own. I often feel I fall short in this area of photography.
Then I discovered the landscape presets and brushes from the Sleeklens called Through the Woods. Now! Only Now do I feel I have found my tool to create my landscape vision! Just Wow.
Up until now I have been using presets that I would use to edit photos of children and families. Well, you just cannot mold the true essence of landscape with those presets.
Will you get close? Sure.
I know there are those out there that are saying to themselves right now, "It's not the presets or editing process that create the perfect landscape photo! It's the composition and the use of light!" Well, of course! However to create the final piece of art these presets by the SleekLens certainly helped ME in creating my final vision.
Here are some of the landscape photos I have taken in the last few months. Some of them are from my trip to Ireland and some are the Long Island sound. Two very, very different landscapes. I think you will see that the Through the Woods landscape presets are an amazing tool to have in your tool box!
Then go try them out for yourself : https://sleeklens.com/product/landscape-lightroom-presets/ and https://sleeklens.com/product-category/lightroom-presets (These presets are also available for Photoshop users...I use Lightroom).
View from a hill in West Cork Ireland
Before RAW Image:
After: cropped and edited with Heavenly Warmth
The Point West Cork Ireland
Before RAW Image:
After: Edited with Calm Sunset
The Cliffs of Moher
Before RAW image:
After: Edited with High Dynamic Range
Cliff of Moher 2
Before RAW image:
After: Edited with The Real Teal
New York Waterscape
Before NY Waterscape Raw:
After: Edited with Pressed in Time
Farmland in Ireland
Before RAW image:
After: Edited with Color Pop
After version 2: Edited with Love Me Tender + Clarity
After version 3: Edited with pressed in time
I hope this helps you! Now, Im off to photograph some awesome landscapes!!
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I think I am an optimist. If something isn't right, I figure it out, look for the positive aspects and move on. You can cry over the "spilt milk", which will help and is perfectly acceptable, but at the end of the day, it's still your "spilt milk". The tears don't make it go away. So cry, mourn what isn't (or what is) but accept it and move forward.
As I watched my daughter weave in and out of the weeping branches of this tree, I had these thoughts. She dodged, weaved and pretended she was lost. In the small gaps of clearance between the hanging branches she smiled and laughed. As she approached clusters of twisted branches she carefully maneuvered through them, parting them ever so carefully. It felt so much like life. I just clicked away even when I didn't have a clear view of her....again, so much like life. Things will rarely be clear to us. Oftentimes it won't be until very much later that we understand the reasons why things happened as they did.
Acceptance...
The great writer Pete Hamill says it best here: "The wanderer in Manhattan must go forth with a certain innocence, because New York is best seen with innocent eyes. It doesn't matter if you are younger or old. Reading our rich history makes the experience more layered, but it is not a substitute for walking the streets themselves. For old-timer or newcomer, it is essential to absorb the city as it is now in order to shape your own nostalgias. That's why I always urge the newcomer to surrender to the city's magic... Listen to its music and its legends. Gaze at its ruins and monuments. Walk its sidewalks and run fingers upon the stone and bricks and steel of our right-angled streets."”
I have made a really great friend in the photography community. Her name is Colleen Putman. She's the talent that is Colleen Putman Photography. She is just lovely and my kind of person: kind, patient, fun and open to anything! My kids call her "Mommy's friend who lives in the city"....they are crazy about her! We just recently went out on a second excursion with her in the city. It was amazing...Top of the Rock, Lego Store, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Times Square. A lot of laughs, a little origami and good conversation were had in between destinations!! Thank you for an amazing day Colleen and we can't wait to meet up with you again really soon!!!
The start of our journey, waiting for the train...
It was bone chilling cold....
Waiting in Grand Central for Colleen.
A little lost heart...
You spend a lot of time looking up when you are New York City.
The viewing machines used to be where people looked to see the view, now they catch a glimpse of themselves at the top of the Rock. The viewing machines look confused....
Photo bomber....
Colleen is an "origami master"! She taught us how to make these!
Atlas, a man with a lot one his shoulders...
Church World vs. Corporate World
Stain Glass Light
Lego man in St. Patrick's...
Times Square shenanigans...
Mixed messages....
The ride home...
I got caught on camera...his pic is on Instagram...
This blog is part of a a blog circle! Please be sure to click through to see my neighbor, the amazing Nicki Bosch Photography, to see how she spent her 30 minutes this month. Knock here.
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lots and lots of pictures...
and then you can make your lemonade.
30 Minutes in the Life : A Tale Of Two Walls
“The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.”
~John Ruskin
The two walls in this post are on the same street in New Rochelle, NY on opposite side of the street from each other. Of course, I went to this street because of the colored side but my favorite images are from the brick wall side of the street. It's like anything in life. We go with the intention of liking something in particular and end up falling in love with something that is the complete opposite. I guess the trick is in allowing yourself the prerogative to change your mind.
On one side...
The colored wall in monochrome...just for giggles...
I love the juxtaposition of nature in the city.
And on the other side of the street...
My favorite below... All her color adds some life to the brick wall....maybe it was the color I loved all along...or it's the best of both world's.
Back to the car...
This post is part of a blog circle which means you get to see the amazing art of so many photographers!! The next in line is Stacey Markel Photography. Click below to see her awesome 30 minutes!!
http://
Thank you for stopping by!!!
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My "30 minutes" this month is more like a full day!! It couldn't be helped! When your day involves hanging out in the world's greatest city (just my opinion) with an amazing photographer more than 30 minutes is going to be captured!! I had the unbelievable pleasure of meeting Colleen Putman of Colleen Putman Photography!! She is even sweeter in person than I ever could have imagined.
My kids keep asking me when we will see her again!! My daughter asked me yesterday, "Mommy, when will we see your friend who is the really good photographer and lives in the city again?" I think it's fair to say that this day will go day in their books as one of the "best days of their life".
I included even the out of focus and mistake images in here as well because I guess it just makes the day seem more real. My kids moved a mile a minute exploring the city and I didn't want to stop them too often to get the most perfect shot. I wanted it to have an "on the move" feel. We cannot wait to hang with Colleen again!!!
Without further adieu, my "30 Minutes"...
Please head on to my neighbor in this fabulous blog circle, the wonderful and talented....Stacey Markel Photography!!!
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My littlest is in pre-school. Next year she will be a full time kindergartener, which in this day and age means full-time student. More cerebral time and less imagination time. Sad, but a sign of the times. Anyway, a few weeks ago she came home with a recipe for play-dough. Her school was asking parents to make some play-dough with their children and donate it to the school. The recipe lay on my kitchen counter.....for many, many days. I moved it from counter to counter and back again as it got in my way. A week went by, the ingredients of a few night's dinner started to gather on the paper and coffee stained the edges. I knew if I put it in "the pile" it would get lost and we would never make the play-dough. I wanted to make the play-dough with my daughter but more importantly I felt I "needed" to make the play-dough with her; Needed, for memories' sake.
So the day came....I set out one morning, it was my goal for the day. We went food shopping for the ingredients. When we returned home, play-dough making commenced. We have a very small galley kitchen. "I will not care about the mess," I vowed to myself.
And with my trusty canon close at hand, I documented our time together. I wanted this moment documented for us. I have vague recollections of time doing such things with my Mom. Nothing documented. Life can change in the very blink of an eye....and faster than you can ever imagine. This is more than just making play-dough for a pre-school classroom. So much more.
Our secret ingredient....purple glitter. Because, well, what doesn't pair well with purple glitter!!
and while it cooled....
M + C = Mommy and Caroline...
There is an amazing documentary photographer, Dawn Blomquist. What she captures through her work is true documentary and real. I so wish she could have documented this for me so that I can be in these images as well. She's is Seattle and aI'm in New York. So, distance being it's inconvenient self, my daughter will just have to settle for my hands that made it into some of the images. If you don't know Dawn's work, please click here.
Thank you for stopping by!!
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~John Donne
I have gone through my archives and have found that I process very few images in monochrome during the Fall months. I guess it seems a shame to be surrounded by such rich color and not try to harness it, preserve it in some way.
Just a few images from our quick jaunt outdoors today....
"October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.”
~George Cooper
I love Fall! Everything about it: the arrival of the crisp air, the changing leaves that brighten the sky even on a cloudy day, cozy sweaters, sprinkling cinnamon into coffee and trips to the orchards with my kids.
So, what better way to document some fall memories than at Outhouse Orchards in North Salem, New York. Fall always takes me back home. I grew up just a few minutes from this orchard.
30 minutes at Outhouse Orchards...
Fun commences with the corn maze...
And a pose at the beginning of the corn maze (just in case I lose one as we make our way through....just kidding!)
And, THEY'RE OFF...
The maze is in the shape of a soldier standing on an apple. To help you on your way through the maze there are little military facts which also marks where you are in the maze (whew, thank God, otherwise we'd still be there!)...
Fallen Corn...
Walk This Way...
Or That Way...
Almost as tall as the corn stalk...
She thinks she's found a way we haven't been...
We made it out!
Corn Maze Victory Dance...
Some more fun at the end of the maze...
In the Pumpkin Patch
This could be my last year getting him to do this....
My 'Lil punkin...
Shadow on a pumpkin...just cuz'
A little apple cider refreshment back at the car AND, luckily for my kids, I had some cowboy hats in the trunk of the car...how'd they get there (LOL!)...
Until next year! Thank you Outhouse Orchards for a great time!!
Please head on over to my neighbor, Amanda Voelker, to see how she spent 30 Minutes of her life this month! Knock, here.
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"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." ~Vincent VanGogh
Welcome to the 30 Minutes in the Life blog circle for September. Be sure to click on through to my neighbor at the bottom of this post.
This is 30 Minutes on a Thursday afternoon with my daughter; a bucket of water; a cow; and a toy motorcycle that gets tossed to the side early on.
I started out this day searching to capture a single moment for my 365 project. Before I knew it, I was sitting there for 30 Minutes just talking with my daughter and clicking away as we chatted.
After a short while I decided to give my daughter a break from the camera. I looked around me for something else to capture. In the flower basket behind (containing remnants of flowers that died months ago) I found 3 perfectly pink flowers...blooming. Mind you, I have to watered this basket in over a month...like I said, they died....and I saw no hope of resuscitating life into it again. The only water it has had is the one day of rain we had last week.
When I downloaded the images and flipped through them I saw my 30 Minutes int he Life post and the story line : God gives us everything we need to make it through. We just need to be willing to see. My daughter is my second child. I often feel so guilty and worry that she gets the short end of the stick. Maybe the flowers were a sign from God that she's going to be okay..that she will "bloom" just fine. (it's ironic that the color of the flowers matches the color of her skirt).
So, a series of small happenings led me to a great thing; a sigh of relief that God will take care of everything.
Or maybe, the flowers are just resilient flowers and God has nothing to do with and there is no real connection there at all. I don't believe this though. What do you think?
cow on a motorcycle...
kissing cows...
can cows swim?
laughing cow....
drips...
drops...
Thank you for visiting my 30 Minutes this month and I hope you enjoyed it! This is a blog circle so be to knock on my neighbor's door, Joni Burtt Photography, to see how she spent her 30 Minutes. Knock here.
]]>For moment I could see my husband's father doing the same with him. It was a timeless moment. I could see the excitement in my son's face and the pride in my husband's face. My daughter got up into the tractor as well. But it just wasn't the same pride; happiness but not the same pride. This is a story of fathers and sons. This was an important moment in their relationship; not one they will easily forget.
My husband is not fond of the camera and yet, he's looking right at the camera in these moments. I was shocked at the time and am still shocked as I look at these images now.
Before we were married I remember watching my husband's brother do the same with his own boys. Now they are all grown. They go of to school but when they return home they help take care of the farm. I'm always amazed by their work ethic and have never once heard them complain, even when they head out to farm in the Irish drizzle. It's not easy work and not quickly finished.
When I think of Ireland I think of a love for the land...a love for farming. No matter the size of the land...there's a pride. My husband hasn't lived in Ireland if over 20 years and yet when he's home he works the land and the farm along his brother and his son's as if he never left. The farm is like family. The farm holds the blood and sweat of the generations of father's and son's who came years and years before.
Notice how in the next three images Dad's hand gets looser on the steering wheel....
Glowing pride. My husband's Dad is present in this image. His father died in the days just before meeting our son, his namesake. This is a monuments moment in my book.
"There is more to life than increasing its speed." ~Mahatma Ghandi
Stop and "smell the roses" (or look at leaves)....you'd be amazed at what you might find....
My weekly rewind:
The Daily Frame | 201 of 365:
"The mind is what it thinks. To make it true, think true." ~Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Daily Frame | 200 of 365:
“There's nothing sillier in the world than a teacher telling you don't do it after you already did it.”
― Frank McCourt
Picture this: Back to school picnic grades 2 - 5.....silly string for sale. I say no more....
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"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." ~Vince Lombardi
Wild goose chase....
The Daily Frame 198 of 365:
True friends NEVER EVER miss a beat.
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“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.”
~Albert Einstein
He dons a cape while riding his scooter...he must have wanted me to take pictures....I love his imagination...and it will get him everywhere! Keep moving kid...don't let anything or anyone get in your way!
The Daily Frame | 196 of 365:
"Play At Your Own Risk" Really?
We met one of my son's great friends today and played (at our own risk, mind you) for HOURS! They had such a fun time together running, using their imaginations...being 7 year olds (and my daughter being a 4 year old). Good old fashioned, unstructured fun. As they played we talked about how much pressure these kids experience in school, how the cuuriculum is pushing them into places their brains are just not yet ready for...developmentally inappropriate. I think in a lot of ways this "Play At Your Own Risk" sign should be outside of schools these days and say "Learn At Your Own Risk". I feel as bad for the teachers as I do the children....
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Rain....after about two months....it has rained. Never thought we'd be so happy to see a rainy day!
Please stop by my neighbor, Colleen Putnam, to see how she spent her week! Knock here!!
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"In my better sense of mind, I know that I'm far from alone and far from the worst, and the earth keeps spinning. Everything keeps moving, with or without me." ~Phil Anselmo
So with that quote and image in mind I am leaving you with my images for the last two weeks. Life is moving at warp speed!!
Hope...
First Day of Preschool....for George too!
The walk to school....
Running around outside in Pj's before bedtime....
Falls butterfly....
Just her...
"Waffling" (waffle + swing) : Verb
(breakfast on the swings)
A beautiful porcelain doll handed down to me, that will be handed down to her....
Window light....photographer humor.
Note to self: when she says she's hungry get her food the first time she asks.....she went into the fridge to get something herself....knocked over the opened can of olives...
Rolling in the grass....
two souls...one heart
She turns 4 (a week early)....
Shadows Sharing...
That wraps up my last two weeks...I added a few extra images in here and there. I hope you enjoyed your stay on my page!! I hope to see you again real soon!
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“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Trees. I love trees. I always have. Not just because they are beautiful in nature but because they tell stories. I love stories; stories that make you think and reflect. Trees with exposed roots, with grand leafy spreads; even the bare and diseased trees that no longer flower tell us something. There are a lot of trees where we live. I think we take them for granted....like we do anything that is in great supply.
My 'littlest' loves to jump up and grab at the leaves of a big tree in our backyard. She's 4. When she was 2, I would watch her reach up on tip-toe trying to reach those leaves. Much to the tree's dismay (or maybe it likes the attention), she can now take a running leap and reach the leaves. When all the leaves fall in Autumn we really miss it's grand presence. It's a big tree and when it's bare, a gaping hole in the landscape is all that remains until Spring.
This tree has lots of exposed roots, that spread out all around the tree for several feet. Of course, I know trees have roots; I just never realized how far they wandered out. I guess these roots are a lot like our own roots. They spread out in all sorts of directions....some roots we understand, we know where they go and where they come from. Understanding where we are from helps us to know which direction we should go and which directions we should avoid. Sometimes, our roots leave us "stumped" (pardon the pun); we don't know what to do or where to go. So we lay down roots of our own and we hope the roots we plant will help guide generations to come.
The images and thoughts were inspired by a photographer that I really admire. Like me, she's a storyteller and a documenter of life. Her words and images resonate with my soul. She recently published a blog post that led me to capture my images. After I wrote my words, I read hers and realized that even our words share a common thread. Please click here to see her blog.
Thank you for stopping by!
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Welcome to 30 Minutes in my Life!!!
This month I recorded 30 minutes of our time sheep shearing while visiting Granny in Ireland. My brother-in-law and his sons take on this process. This August, my husband and kids helped out as well. It's not easy. It is sweat and blood type of work; on the part of the humans and the sheep. The sheep are a skittish type animal to begin with, then try and capture one in a small pen packed with other sheep...quite a feat.
The sheep are dosed (medicine to keep them healthy), shorn, their tag is recorded in a book, the wool is packed in bags. Lambs aren't shorn, I have one included in here (he's the cute fella marked with a capital "D" for Dwyer). This helps other farmers recognize the sheep when they roam away from their herd. The other sheep will be marked once their wool starts to grow back.
So we head down to the shed ....
Just outside the sheep shearing has begun...
The capture...
The Dose...
Sheep #772
Recording who's been shorn...noting the yellow tag on each sheep's ear.
Shed Shenanigans...
Farm knees...
D for Dwyer...
"One for my master and one for my dame and one for the little boy that lives down the lane..."
This concludes 30 minutes in my life this August! Please head on over to my neighbor, Amanda Voelker Photography, to see how she spent 30 Minutes in her month! Knock here.
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It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.” – Paul Caponigro
Welcome to the Daily Frame! Here's my week in reverse!! Thank you for stopping by!
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"To see a world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand
and eternity in an hour."
~William Blake
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I had nothing for this day...then I looked at this one...it looks like the sun is shining up at her from the sand.....
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“Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today?” ~Mary Manin Morrissey
*you will notice this is the same outfit she wore yesterday...she also slept in it...picking my battles...
The Daily Frame | 179 of 365:
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
~Anais Nin
The Daily Frame | 178 of 365:
"Other than a dimple in a cute little chin,
What’s more adorable than a toothless grin?"
~Azu "Betty" Espezia
The Daily Frame | 177 of 365:
"Every tooth in a man’s head is more valuable than a diamond." ~Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, 1605
Upon losing his first top tooth today while on a merry go round at a country fair....the second one came out tonite.....I bet you can't guess what tomorrows photo will be!
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Isn't there a quote that goes something like, "When a woman changes her hair style, watch out for big changes!" ?
Well, she starts pre-school in September so that warrants a new hair do....
Unscripted
adjective
- 1.said or delivered without a prepared script; impromptu
Welcome to the blog circle of Life Unscripted. Since I take my camera with me everywhere and it's mostly to capture my kids. It's safe to say that everything I photograph is unscripted. I very rarely pose them for photos. My favorite way to shoot is to let them do their thing and I'm just ready to capture their lives. These are going to be their photographs one day. I want them to be able to show their spouses, children, friends, whoever really, what they were like as children. I want these photos to remind them who they were growing up. I want these photos to answer questions they may have. Because as much as I want to remember everything, it's just not possible. My children ask me questions about my childhood....many, too many, questions I can't answer. I ask my siblings and we all remember different things. So my kids have photographs.....lots and lots of photographs. I can't guarantee they will have answers to everything in life, what parent can? But I can guarantee that they will have answered questions about their childhood....
My August Life {Unscripted}....
Did I like the water as a kid? Yes.
Did I like getting dirty? Did you let me get dirty? Yes and Yes.
Did we ever stop to smell the roses (or examine a lady bug on the car window)? Yes.
Did you let us get the grossest ice cream choice from The Ice Cream Truck and choose the yuckiest toppings at the frozen yogurt shop? Yes.
(the following shots needed to be in color...)
Did we ever go camping? Did we like it? Yes and Yes.
Did we like amusement park rides? one of you did (the slow rides). one of you didn't.
the only ride your sister liked...
What was it like when I lost a tooth? you were relieved, your cousin was excited and your sister was a little grossed out.
One other question all these images answers is, "Who did we spend most of our time with as kids?" Your cousins; your favorite people in the whole world.
These are just some of the questions that will be answered...but there are so many more.
This completes my August installment of Life {Unscripted}. Please knock on the door of my neighbor, Natalie Wiseman Wheeler, to see her Life {Unscripted}!! Knock here.
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Welcome to my weekly rewind!! Here's a peek into what my week looked like!!
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"Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in while, or the light won't come in." ~Alan Alda
The Daily Frame | 174 of 365
Makin' Mama Proud...
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Heat Wave....
The Daily Frame | 172 of 365:
No words for these.....
The Daily Frame | 171 of 365:
"The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature."
Off to a great start, she is.
The Daily Frame | 170 of 365:
“Sometimes, when we want something so badly, we fear failure more than we fear being without that thing.”
~Matthew J. Kirby
upon conquering his fear.....
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“To cultivate a garden is to walk with God.”
~Christian Nevell Bovee
Lots for this day!
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"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." ~William Shakespeare
Thank you for stopping by!! Click through to my neighbor in this Daily Frame Blog Circle:
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Long Time...No Post! And there has been a good and bad reasons! But you don't want to hear about that!! Without further adieu, here's my weekly rewind!!
The Daily Frame 167 of 365:
"Life is not meant to be easy, my child; but take courage: it can be delightful." ~George Bernard Shaw
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Happiness is...
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“In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans; in one aspect of You are found all the aspects of existence.”
~Kahlil Gibran
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“While fame impedes and constricts, obscurity wraps about a man like a mist; obscurity is dark, ample, and free; obscurity lets the mind take its way unimpeded. Over the obscure man is poured the merciful suffusion of darkness. None knows where he goes or comes. He may seek the truth and speak it; he alone is free; he alone is truthful, he alone is at peace.”
~Virginia Woolf
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“The seeker after truth should be humbler than the dust. The world crushes the dust under its feet, but the seeker after truth should so humble himself that even the dust could crush him. Only then, and not till then, will he have a glimpse of truth.” ~Mahatma Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments With Truth
The Little Dust Dancer...
The Daily Frame 162 of 365:
"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe." ~Gail Devers quotes
Please click through to see how my neighbor, Colleen Putnam, spent her week!! Thank you for stopping by!! Click here.
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Welcome to The Daily Frame blog circle!! Only one more full week of school left for my oldest and then Summer can begin for us!!
Here's my weekly rewind......
The Daily Frame 162 of 365:
“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.' "~The Velveteen Rabbit
Sometimes I swear he is real. I mean I know to her he is but he's starting to seem real to me too......
The Daily Frame | 161 of 365:
"Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it."
~Bruce Lee
She makes "this" face. It's unique to her. She'll ask a question with this face on. It's part of her personality. I am so glad I've captured it; now I can remember it forever.
The Daily Frame | 160 of 365:
“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.”
~Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
after the rain.
flawed in many ways but I still loved it....
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Summer fun.
The Daily Frame | 158 of 365:
"Summer-sault"
The Daily Frame | 157 of 365:
"The world is yours!" ~Sprite can
He turned 7 on Friday. The world is most definitely yours my son!! Happy Birthday! (ps: he wasn't drinking the soda....I just loved the quote on the side...appropriate for his day).
Today (Saturday) was his party with his friends from school -- 18 boys at a lake with water guns! Needless to say fun was had!
I'd have to agree. I love dandelions and I love these white clovers. In regards to dandelions, how many flowers can you pick, blow on their seeds and make a wish from? And these clovers! Have you ever looked at them up close? There is quite a lot of detail there. A thin band of pink along the bottom and pretty white stems reaching upward surrounding a green center.
No, Im not going to continue on a "botanous" rant (a made-up word that I hope doesn't mean something else! Root word being botany).
I'm sure the analogy has been made many times before between the human race and flowers and weeds. It's cliche,I'm sure, to focus on but it was my thought for the day. In life there are a lot of folks who are beautiful inside and out, those who are beautiful on the outside but not so nice on the inside, the ordinary folk who are nice and those that aren't.
So before writing anyone off or just making a judgement...
You have to take the time to know them, know their past, know their dreams, know their fears. In the process you might be pleasantly surprised just how wonderful they are.
Welcome to my weekly rewind!! I am so glad you are here and all the best for a safe and fun weekend ahead!!
Here's my week in reverse...
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"When Life hands you lemons...."
take a picture wink emoticon
*inspired by Melina Nastazia Photography's Red Peppers image!
The Daily Frame | 155 of 365:
"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." - James A. Baldwin
taken with Lensbaby, which she calls my "baby lens".... she was NOT prompted to do this...her camera interpretation....
The Daily Frame | 154 of 365:
A really big leaf...hangin with George...running through the grass... a good day all in all....
A bunch here...I couldn't decide between black and white or a rich VSCO color?!
The Daily Frame | 152 of 365:
As parents we hold their hands from the minute they are born marveling at how tiny they are, we watch as their hands wrap around our fingers for security, we clip the finger nails and clean the dirt from underneath after a hard days play, hold hands to keep them calm when they are scared or nervous, when crossing the street as well. We high five those hands when they do a good job and bandaid them when they get a cut. Parents are "hand holders". It's just what we do; it's instinctual.
A week away from turning seven. I'm feeling a change from both of us. Me needing to let go a little bit more and him letting go a little more easily. Im finding 7 a harder birthday to get through than the earlier birthdays. So for you this image is maybe a bit vague and boring but for me I am left with a lump in my throat....
"These times they are a changin"
The Daily Frame | 150 of 365:
“Do you know how there are moments when the world moves so slowly you can feel your bones shifting, your mind tumbling? When you think that no matter what happens to you for the rest of your life, you will remember every last detail of that one minute forever?”
~Jodi Picoult, Nineteen Minutes
Thank you for stopping by my weekly rewind!! I hope to be back into the blog circle next week!!
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The Daily Frame | 148 of 365:
A photo of a photo. The little girl in the front in my Mom. Without any words or even a date on the back, this photo tells me so much about my Mom: she went to the beach with her family, she was adorable and looks like my little girl, this may be the early years because my Nana had 10 kids. This image also tells me that there was another photographer in the family; in the sense that he or she saw the importance of capturing this moment.
Print your photos! They are your history. What will your images tell future generations? ALOT!
The Daily Frame | 147 of 365:
Early morning editing. 4:30am. My essentials PS, LR and Irish coffee mug (I bet you thought I was going to say Irish coffee! Only if you want multiple heads!@*#$)
Photography is my life and when I look back in years to come this photo will bring back a flood of memories. The early morning quiet time, the joy on the faces smiling back at me from my computer, the sleepy heads that would wake up and join me for a cuddle on the commuter chair before "starting" our day.
The Daily Frame | 146 of 365:
"Take a bite out of the sweet side of life!"
*inspired by Chrissy Ray Photography's watermelon image!!
The Daily Frame | 145 of 365:
"The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."
~Christopher McCandless
I think this is where children have it right and where adults can stand to learn from.
The sympathetic friend. She skinned her knees so George needed bandaids too...apparently he fell off his red scooter (she was that specific)....
The Daily Frame | 143 of 365:
“Yours is the light by which my spirit's born: - you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.”
― E.E. Cummings
The Daily Frame | 142 of 365:
“I want to caution you against the idea that balance has to be a routine that looks the same week in and week out.”
― Kevin Thoman
However, if the same routine makes you feel balanced then so be it. Waiting for her brother at the bus stop...the same 3 days a week.
Well, thank you for enjoying my weekly rewind. I was having some technical issues yesterday so I'm nit in on the blog circle with my daily framers. So here's a link to Colleen Putnam Photography...the circle begins with her...Enjoy their lovely images!!
Welcome to my May installment of Life {Unscripted}.
After picking up my son at school one day, I noticed my daughter playing in a small square sized plot of grass right outside the school. It hadn't been mowed in awhile so the grass was really tall. I took advantage of her playing in the field to grab a bunch (ton) of images. It's amazing how 5 minutes in a small field can yield so many different emotions: discovery, relaxation and joy just to name a few.
I have also chosen to edit these differently than I edit any of my images ... unscripted editing, if you will. (For the photographers reading this, these were all processed with the popular VSCO presets (C-Tri-x+3 ++) in case you were wondering.)
Without further adieu...
Thank you for stopping by! Now head on to the wonderfully talented Stacey Anne Muniz to see some unscripted moments from her!!
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Welcome to my weekly photo rewind!! Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
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"My country tis of thee
sweet land of liberty
of thee I sing
Land where my father's died
Land of the pilgrim's pride
from every mountainside
Let Freedom Ring..."
The Daily Frame | 140 of 365:
"Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive."
~Elbert Hubbard
The Daily Frame | 139 of 365:
"In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful." ~Abram L. Urban
Tend to your dreams as a gardener does his flowers.....
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My beauty's silly face and the mundane.
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"Little friends may prove great friends." ~Aesop (c.620-560 BC)
...and ones that prove themselves to be those we can't live without.
The black and white image is right as she threw him into the tree....the color image is after he was up there too long and she needed him back.....
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Zoom!!
The Daily Frame | 135 of 365:
she·nan·i·gans -
silly or high-spirited behavior; mischief.
Thank you for revisiting my week with me! Swing by my neighbor, Amanda Voelker Photography, to see how she spent her week!!
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During our growing up, he was the leader in the neighborhood Fourth of July Day Parade. He'd walk out front and all the neighborhood kids on their red-white-and-blue decorated bikes would follow closely behind around the block singing "It's a Grand old Flag" and other such patriotic tunes. When the military representatives would sit outside the local grocery store looking for a donation in exchange for the little flower we always stopped...the very small price we paid for our freedom, these men had given so much more.
My son was the first grandchild. He and my Dad were very close. Since my Dad wasn't in the best of health, my son and I spent a lot of time visiting his VA doctors and the VA hospital with him. His last weeks were spent in a VA Hospital. They took very good care of him. We now have another reason to be so thankful to this country. They cared for my Dad and my kids' "Pa".
When he died there were military representatives at the graveyard. It was a very powerful and emotional moment as they folded the flag above the casket and handed it to my brother. I had never experienced this military tradition and it's a moment I will never forget. He would have been standing extra tall that day, bursting with pride.
So I am proud to say that if you ask my children what Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Veteran's Day mean they will not tell you the beginning of Summer, Fireworks or a day off school.
I did not ask him to put his hand on his heart...he did that all on his own...
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A very random day out with my kids. It was during the week. My son had been home with a stomach bug the day before and his school required him to stay home one more day. He was fine to go but rules are rules; besides I like having both my kids home so we went on a little road trip to a park in Danbury, Connecticut.
For the photography set that may read this, the challenge for me was to shoot everything at f1.4. I always play it more safe at f3.5. Well, 30 minutes at the park at f1.4 and the aperture has been there since!
Once f1.4, f3.5 goes out the door? Has a nice ring to it....
Please head on to my neighbor the fabulous Hayley Hay Photography to see how she spent 30 minutes this month!
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“I walked over to the hill where we used to go and sled. There were a lot of little kids there. I watched them flying. Doing jumps and having races. And I thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn't.” ~Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Without actually setting out to do it, I feel like there is a theme running through these images. A theme of growing up. We cannot stop them from growing up and our parents couldn't stop us either. It's inevitable. We can just give them the tools and the love they need to grow up on the right path. My son turns 7 in June. When did that happen?! He is so excited, all kids are, for their birthday. I keep telling him he can have a birthday if he promises to stay little...stay 6. He smirks. He held my hand as we crossed a parking lot yesterday. I asked him if he would still hold my hand when he was 18. He said yes; I'm holding him to it.
My week:
The Daily Frame | 134 of 365:
"Your parents leave you too soon and your kids and spouse come along late, but your siblings know you when you are in your most inchoate form." - Jeffrey Kluger
The Daily Frame | 133 of 365:
Zoom!
You can go as fast as you want on the scooter BUT please slow down on the growing up thing ... 3 weeks till you're 7
The Daily Frame | 132 of 365:
"Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in." ~Alan Alda
thoughts at the top of the playground slide...
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“God is in the details.”
~Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
The Daily Frame | 130 of 365:
"The love of a mother is the veil of a softer light between the heart and the heavenly Father."
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The Daily Frame | 129 0f 365:
“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.”
~Thomas Carlyle
On learning to swim...
The Daily Frame | 128 of 365:
"Progress lies not in enhancing what is but in advancing toward what will be." ~Khalil Gibran
His teachers wondered how they would all make it through the year after just the beginning 3 months of school. He is very bright....He is ADHD. Kids with ADHD struggle more with themselves than anything going on around them. It's like living without any internal "brake" system. Not one teacher or doctor can understand how he is able to learn and process what he needs to in a classroom setting. But he does and he has succeeded!
A great end of year conference with a wonderful group of people at his school I call "Team Michael". Onwards and upwards! He has made it with soaring reviews.
Working on his surprise reward for all his hard work.....
I hope you enjoyed my week! Now head on over to my neighbor, Colleen Putnam Photography, to see how she spent her week!
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1. a long, narrow mark or band.
If you don't know what I mean....or you just think I'm plain crazy (half-true!), visit the local playground. Look at all the lines. They are everywhere. Curved lines, straight lines, diagonal lines, lines leading to other lines. I especially like it when my little is among those lines. Placing a human figure among those lines, strengthens their appearance.
And then there is the occasional Police Line (you'll have to scroll down to get this...)
Just my observation for today!
Welcome to my week!!
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"He ain't heavy...he's my brother." ~song lyric by The Hollies 1969
This is just an extra image I took between #126 and #127 that I love. At the end of the year I want to turn this project into a memory album for my children. I am trying really hard to keep it to one photo a day...BUT some days (some weeks) it's just too hard....
The Daily Frame | 126 of 365:
child: "Mommy, how long will it take for my wishes to come true?"
mother: Sometimes it can take a lifetime.
child: "That's a long time to wait."
mother: "Don't wait my child."
child: "What do you mean? I don't understand."
mother: "Sometimes if you want that wish to come true, you have to make your wish come true."
~author unknown
The Daily Frame | 125 of 365:
“May Light always surround you;
Hope kindle and rebound you.
May your Hurts turn to Healing;
Your Heart embrace Feeling.
May Wounds become Wisdom;
Every Kindness a Prism.
May Laughter infect you;
Your Passion resurrect you.
May Goodness inspire
your Deepest Desires.
Through all that you Reach For,
May your arms Never Tire.”
― D. Simone
'Somethings' to wish for.
The Daily Frame | 124 of 365:
"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." ~Coco Chanel
The Sundress.
The Daily Frame | 123 of 365:
“She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
"Winter is dead.”
― A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young
Lake season has begun!
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Touch the earth.
The Daily Frame | 121 of 365:
I couldn't choose just one....I have this fear of forgetting memories or of them forgetting as they grow older. I hope they they don't remember me as the mommy who always had the camera but the mommy who wanted to preserve childhood for them....
"Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories. Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart." ~Thomas Fuller
That's a wrap my friends! Now head on to Colleen Putnam Photography and see how she spent her week!!
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It's May....WooHoo!!
The Daily Frame | 120 of 365:
“What men call the shadow of the body is not the shadow of the body, but is the body of the soul.”
― Oscar Wilde, A House of Pomegranates
The Daily Frame | 119 of 365:
His sister brought his lovey to school yesterday at pick-up time. We always go to the school playground after pick up. I watched him stuff his lovey in his bag before anyone could see it. He hesitated then pulled him out agin and stuffed him in his shirt and ran to the empty side of the playground. I started to tell him to leave it in his back pack...then I stopped myself. A change. It's part of growing up, especially for a boy...the fear of being made fun of for playing with a stuffed animal. It left me with a lump in my throat but at the same time I was proud of him for putting what he really wanted over what other boys on the playground would say or think. Someday his lovey will be in placed in his memory box, for him to pull out and reminisce about. Until then...
The Daily Frame | 118 of 365:
“All in the eye of the beholder - Some of the most destructive forces in the world (Fire & Water), can also have the power of beauty.”
― Martin R. Lemieux
This needs a little explanation. They were playing together, laughing having a great time. Then his shoe fell off as they were tumbling down a hill. She picked it up and ran to the nearest fence and threw it over. My littlest devil. So things turned quickly from laughter and giggly to tears (well, for him.) I think she thought she was clever....she knows his buttons and when to push them. She went with me to pick up the shoe on the other side of the fence. Maybe she was asserting her power in the situation. I will never know.
They are fire and water, yin and yang. But they are siblings and they love each other....and if you are lucky, Sibling love is one of God's most beautiful forms of love.
The Daily Frame | 117 of 365:
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
She follows him everywhere he goes BUT she follows in her own unique way...
The Daily Frame | 116 of 365:
“You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.”
― Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon
The Daily Frame | 115 of 365:
“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.”
~Og Mandino
The Daily Frame | 114 of 365:
“The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard.” ~William Hazlitt, Selected Essays, 1778-1830
My Daily Frame blog circle neighbor is.....drum roll please! Colleen Putnam Photography check out how she spent her week here!!! I would love to walk NY City streets with her someday and see it the way she does. She has this amazing ability to capture street moments and scenes like no other. I think she needs to publish a book of her images. She is amazing!!!
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“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.”
~Samuel Johnson
The only thing my kids want to do on the first warm day in Spring is go to the beach...our favorite spot, Sherwood Island in Connecticut. It's what we have always done....the weather turns warm and we pack up and go, bright and early. However this year, I just didn't make any plans for the first 75 degree day. I was just going to let them play all day, in the apartment, outside at the playground, riding bikes....just an easy go-no where kind of day.
At 11:00 my kids asked if we can go to the beach. I think they were wondering why I hadn't suggested it earlier. In the back of my mind, I was thinking "oh, it is so late in the day to go now...I have nothing ready..."
I turned off the voice in my head and said, "okay, let's go!" I think I said yes to everything for the rest of that day.
I am so glad I followed their lead.
Here's 30 minutes of our time at the beach....
The perfect ending to the day and to my everyday!
Next up in this 30 Minute in the Life blog circle is the wonderfully talented Polina Bulman. Please click through to see how she spent 30 minutes of her life this month!
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"Art is in the eye of the beholder." ~Unknown
Welcome to my weekly rewind!!
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“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't
own it, but you can use it. You can't keep
it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it
you can never get it back.”
~Harvey MacKay
The Daily Frame | 112 of 365:
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.
A girl should be two things- classy and fabulous.
A girl should be two things- what and who she wants.
In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.
Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”
~Coco Chanel
"Accessorize" wisely.
The Daily Frame | 111 of 365:
“And I have one of those very loud, stupid laughs. I mean if I ever sat behind myself in a movie or something, I'd probably lean over and tell myself to please shut up.” ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
This is so me. She gets her laughter from me. We both laugh hard, easily and very loud!
The Daily Frame | 110 of 365:
"In a profound sense every man has two halves to his being; he is not one person so much as two persons trying to act in unison. I believe that in the heart of each human being there is something which I can only describe as a "child of darkness" who is equal and complementary to the more obvious "child of light." ~Laurens van der Post
The Daily Frame | 109 of 365:
"Good friends are hard to find,
harder to leave
impossible to forget."
They met this Fall at the bus stop. He's moving next week. It will be impossible for them to forget each other.
The Daily Frame | 108 of 365:
“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is thereby a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.”
~Ansel Adams
My life in its' entirety.
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"It's not the size of the obstacle. It's the size of the will!" ~Me
Please move on down the road to the next fab photog in the Daily Frame blog circle, the one and only, Amanda Voelker, to see what she's been up to this week!!
Thank you for stopping by!! Until Next Week!!
"I believe in process. I believe in four seasons. I believe that winter's tough but spring's coming. I believe there is a growing season. And I think that you realize, that in life, you grow. You get better." ~Steve Southerland
Welcome Welcome Welcome to The Daily Frame blog circle!!!
Here's my weekly rewind...
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“How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers." ~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta
The Daily Frame | 105 of 365:
Inquisitive Eyes.
"I keep six honest serving-men,
They taught me all I knew;
Their names are What and Why and When
and How and Where and Who."
~Rudyard Kipling
The Daily Frame | 104 of 365:
“I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt
The Daily Frame | 103 of 365:
Girl meets Swan.
The Daily Frame | 102 of 365:
“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”~Shel Silverstein
The Daily Frame | 101 of 365:
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
So I've seen this panning technique done a few times over the past weeks and I've been dying to try it out. Yesterday I bought a used scooter for the kids and thought this would be a great way to practice the panning. Boy is this technique hard!!! I think out of 50 shots I got 5 good ones....LoL!!
Thank you to all you photogs out there who have shared their images using panning and for the inspiration to give it a try!!
So here's the "new" old scooter and one of the 5 shots that came out okay!!!
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“My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents and I lay them both at his feet.” ~Mahatma Gandhi
So flawed...so beautiful...
Thank you for revisting my week with me! Now head on to my blog circle neighbor!! The fabulous Colleen Putnam Photography!
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“It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view.” ~George Eliot, Middlemarch
Wow, ending the week on 99!! It's funny, when I look back at my week in pictures I find that I tried to look at things very differently; kind of leaving the viewer with the reins of the story they want the image to tell versus me telling a story with the images.
Anywho, here's my weekly rewind...
The Daily Frame | 99 of 365:
“I'm afraid of losing my obscurity. Genuineness only thrives in the dark. Like celery.”
~Aldous Huxley quotes
The Daily Frame | 98 of 365:
6 and a half.
He's always correcting me when someone asks his age. and I tell them "he's 6". "Mom, I'm not 6! I'm 6 and a half.
Stay little my boy.
Don't grow any more.
Stay where you still want cuddles with Mom.
Stay where it's still okay to sleep with your loveys.
Stay where you will still hold my hand crossing the street.
Stay where you will still run back to me for a hug and kiss before getting on the bus in the morning.
Stay where I can still carry you in from the car when you fall asleep.
Stay right where you are, between 6 and 7.
The Daily Frame | 97 of 365:
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." ~Mark Twain
The Daily Frame | 96 of 365:
"It's like I'm looking through my eyes, through your eyes, looking back at me, with my eyes, looking back at you."
~Unknown quotes
The Daily Frame | 95 of 365
"Bunnies are cuddly - the large and the small! But I like chocolate ones, The best of them all." — Author Unknown
Egg hunt contenders...3rd one to the right, got the most eggs!
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"It gives one a sudden start in going down a barren, stony street, to see upon a narrow strip of grass, just within the iron fence, the radiant dandelion, shining in the grass, like a spark dropped from the sun” ~Henry Ward Beecher quotes
The Daily Frame | 93 of 365:
"All you need is LOVE and lots of ice cream!"
do you see the "love"?!
First ice cream from the ice cream truck of the season!
Please continue to click through the Daily Frame blog circle! My lovely and talented neighbor is Colleen Putnam Photography
Go see what she was up to this week!!
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“I can hardly wait for tomorrow, it means a new life for me each and every day.” ~Stanley Kunitz
It's the end of the first week in April and we had our first really warm day yesterday - 61 degrees!! WooHoo!! Warmer and greener days are ahead as spring makes its most awaited journey to our front door!!
Here's my weekly rewind!!
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“It is the easiest thing in the world for a man to look as if he had a great secret in him.” ~Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
The Daily Frame | 91 of 365:
"Balance is not something you find, It's something you create." ~Jana Kingsford
The Daily Frame | 90 of 365:
"Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul." ~Wassily Kandinsky
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Lensbaby Sweet 50
“There is more to a boy than what his mother sees. There is more to a boy then what his father dreams. Inside every boy lies a heart that beats. And sometimes it screams, refusing to take defeat. And sometimes his father's dreams aren't big enough, and sometimes his mother's vision isn't long enough. And sometimes the boy has to dream his own dreams and break through the clouds with his own sunbeams.”
~Ben Behuni
The Daily Frame | 88 of 365:
“Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”
~Scott Adams quotes (American Cartoonist, b.1957)
The Daily Frame | 87 of 365:
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." ~Maimonides
Attempting to teach my eldest to make his breakfast. He loves toasted raisin bread so we are starting with that.
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“Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it -- namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.” ~Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Thank you for stopping by!! Knock on my neighbor's door, Deanna Sackett in The Daily Frame blog circle and see what she was up to this week!!
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Welcome to 30 minutes in the life, mine, this March.
This particular installment includes lots of firsts for the start of this Spring season: bubbles, starbucks, swings, seesaw, sandbox, stairs, an old styrofoam container and grasshoppers.
Hmmmm...Which part of that list is most intriguing? The fact that almost every word in the list begins with an "s" or grasshoppers?
The first bubbles of the season...always eventful and never tiring!
My Starbucks and her bubbles....
First swings of the season too...
Sandbox...
kicking and smashing an old styrofoam container...playing with trash is a form of recycling. Isn't it?
a rest on the steps...
Cheesy smile on the stairs...
Seesaw...
Grasshopper Bike Racks...
"Go forth young grasshopper...and leap...well...like a grasshopper!"
and riding a grasshopper...
Thank you for stopping by and spending time with my 30 Minutes this month! I hope you found it as eventful as I did!
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Always seeing something, never seeing nothing, being photographer” ~Walter De Mulder
Welcome to the Daily Frame for this week! So glad you are here! Here's my week in reverse!!
The Daily Frame | 85 of 365:
"The imagination imitates. It is the critical spirit that creates."
~Oscar Wilde
We "spotted" Spring.
The Daily Frame | 84 of 365:
"A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man’s mind can get both provocation and privacy." ~Edward P. Morgan
The Daily Frame | 83 of 365:
"A chain is as strong as its' weakest link."
I don't know who the quote author is but this is something my grandfather said to me years and years ago...it has stayed with me ever since. I had live with them for a few weeks at the beginning of the school year when I was in 4th or 5th grade. My Nana had taken me out to to buy some new school clothes and accessories. I had picked put this really cute silver chain type belt with a pretty silver flower on the front. I was so excited! I remember exactly where I stood in their big house when I showed it to my grandfather and he said to me "A chain is as strong as its' weakest link." At the time, I thought, "ok.....I have no idea what that means but I'm glad you like my new belt??" I kinda felt the wind taken from my sails....LOL.... Anyway, I understand the quote now. Funny how some things no matter how small, stick with you.
The Daily Frame | 82 of 365:
“There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.” ~Bram Stoker, Dracula
Ok, I know what you are thinking...oh no, look out...more swing shots from this one....how original. Right? I thought the same but then I looked closer and saw that the frame is almost sliced in half on a diagonal with light on one side and dark on the other; she is right there in the middle of it all swinging out of the dark of winter and into the light of spring.
The Daily Frame | 81 of 365:
"Memory is a way of holding on to
the things you love,
the things you are
and the things you never want to lose." ~Kevin Arnold
The Daily Frame | 80 of 365:
"No Act Of Kindness Is Too Small. The Gift Of Kindness May Start As A Small Ripple That Over Time Can Turn Into A Tidal Wave Affecting The Lives Of Many." ~Author Unknown
The Daily Frame | 79 of 365:
"Weather is a great metaphor for life -- sometime's it's good, sometime's it's bad and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella." ~Terri Guillemets
Snow on the first day of Spring....
Thank you for revisiting my week with me! I hope you enjoyed it! Click thru to my talented Daily Frame neighbor, Colleen Putnam Photography!!
See you next week!!
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Happy Happy Spring!!! Welcome to my Life {Unscripted} for March.
If you've made it to me you were just visiting my friend Chrissy Ray of Chrissy Ray Photography out in Arizona. She is so talented, right?!
So I gave in to the craze...broke down and bought a Lens Baby {Composer Pro Sweet 50}. I'm in love!
So for this month's blog, I decided to pair two unscripted things together: The Lensbaby + a child with a bottle of bubbles; both of these will most always equal sweet, {unscripted} results.
Here are my findings:
Then I blew bubbles and she ran after them. It's really hard to blow bubbles and take take a photo at the same time without getting bubble juice all over your camera...{unscripted} I tell ya...{unscripted}!
Thank you for stopping by this month. Please head on to my fabulously talented {unscripted} neighbor in this blog circle, Natalie Wiseman Wheeler of Act Naturally Photography !
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Spring arrives and we are due for a snow storm!! I hope your week was as good as mine...it went a little something like this...
The Daily Frame | 78 of 365:
"Isn't it good just to be alive on a day like this? I pity the people who aren't born yet for missing it." ~L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, 1908
The Daily Frame | 77 of 365:
"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."~Charles Dickens
The Daily Frame | 76 of 365:
"Life is too important to be taken seriously." ~Oscar Wilde
There you have it, as quoted by an Irish writer and poet.
The Daily Frame | 75 of 365:
“Jump and let's build our wings on the way down”
~Ray Bradbury
The Daily Frame | 74 of 365:
"We look to the older generations for wisdom and truth, yet I think it is he who is just starting out on his journey who will teach us so much more." ~Me
The Daily Frame | 73 of 365:
“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.” ~Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad
The Daily Frame | 72 of 365:
"Don't let someone dim your light, simply because it is shining in their eyes." ~Author Unknown
Onward we go to the next photographer in the Daily Frame blog Circle....
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"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade." ~Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
This is one of one of my favorite quotes and this was the first week where there were days that actually felt this way. Bring on Spring Mother Nature!!
Without further adieu.....
The Daily Frame | 71 of 365:
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar." ~Helen Keller
I feel like is she had wings here, she'd just take off!
The Daily Frame | 70 of 365:
“Why is it that when one man builds a wall, the next man immediately needs to know what's on the other side?”
~ George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
I did assure her that Elsa was NOT down there....
This a part of a castle that was built in 1879.....amazing!
The Daily Frame | 69 of 365:
“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
I'd like to add to Mr. Emerson's quote and say that sometimes the worst critic is yourself and the hardest one to ignore.
The Daily Frame | 68 of 365:
Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"
Today really felt like Spring was around the corner. Although I'm sure we have a ways to go before all that snow melts. But for today, we threw off our coats and ran....
The Daily Frame | 67 of 365:
"In our togetherness, great castles are built." ~Irish Proverb
The Daily Frame | 66 of 365:
"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation." ~Herman Melville
The Daily Frame | 65 of 365:
"Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray." ~Rumi
Love me some Rumi!
That concludes my second week in March. Please click through to my talented neighbor, and see how her week went!!
Thank you for stopping by!!
]]>I saw her out in the field from Granny's kitchen window. It all started here. I had nothing else to do, so I just went out after her and clicked away. I am so glad I did.
"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow." ~Proverb
Welcome Welcome Welcome!! Only two more days until daylight savings...WooHoo!! I think we can all use a few extra moments of daylight these days!!
Anyway, here's my week in rewind!
The Daily Frame | 64 of 365:
"Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open." ~John Barrymore
The Daily Frame | 63 of 365:“In the depth a light will grow,
"A silver shine no shadows know,
Like wings unfolding in the sky,
That circle 'round a gleaming eye,
Turning darkness all away,
Even depths will know their day,
For every shadow has its end,
In light!
Life will return again!”
~Robert Fanney
The Daily Frame | 62 of 365:
"Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall."
~Ray Bradbury
The Daily Frame | 61 of 365:
"Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
She has to know that if she does stuff like this I'm gonna take a picture!
The Daily Frame | 60 of 365:
"By three methods may we learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
Second, by imitation, which is easiest;
Third, by experience, which is bitterest."
~Confucius
First.
The Daily Frame | 59 of 365:
“The Universe has as many different centers as there are living beings in it.” ~Alexander Solzhenitsyn
The beach in winter. It was as cold as it looks.
I know it's not good to center your subject but the straight lines of the horizon and the snow line paired with the straight line of the ends of her hair and end of her coat worked for me. Somehow it's interesting...to me, anyway.
The Daily Frame | 58 of 365:
“For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it.” ~Ivan Panin quotes (Russian mathematician 1855-1942)
A day at the beauty salon...she was long overdue for a haircut. I think it is so important to teach kids not only the importance of taking care of oneself but also the joy of it as well. I think George enjoyed it as well!
Head on to the next photographer in the circle, Colleen Putnam Photography of NYC!! She's fabulous folks. Click on through to see her magic:http://blog.colleenputman.com/the-daily-frame-week-9
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"A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.” ~Graham Greene, The End of the Affair
Bring it on March, the month of spring!! Here's my week in reverse! Enjoy!!
The Daily Frame | 57 of 365:
"Lenses or 'windows' are placed between the subject and the camera, between the object and the viewer, and between the viewer and the artist. How do these filter and distort the image? What effects occur when there are multiple 'windows'? What happens when there are none?" ~Peter Ciccariello
The Daily Frame | 56 of 365:
"Sweets to the Sweet." ~ William Shakespeare
It was a cake pop kind of day.
The Daily Frame | 55 of 365:
"I’ve said it before, and by gosh, I’ll say it again — don’t be afraid to toot your own horn.” ~Emlyn Chand
I guess this goes along with the quote "if you don't believe in yourself no one else will." The trick to real self-promotion though is to do it unapologetically....
The Daily Frame | 54 of 365:
“Is life not a thousand times too short for us to bore ourselves?”
~Friedrich Nietzsche
I'm not sure playing a 52 card pick up is what Nietzsche had in mind when he said this but this is what we did today....
The Daily Frame | 53 of 365:
"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." ~Thomas Jefferson
It's all about the hat....I think it fits her personality so well...
The Daily Frame | 52 of 365:
"There is no must in Art because Art is free." ~W. Kandinsky
I learned this early on and pass on to them as well. She is my artist.
The Daily Frame | 51 of 365:
"The thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in somebody else's cloud. Somebody who may not look like you; may not call God the same name you call God - if they call God at all. You may not dance their dances or speak their language. But be a blessing to somebody. That's what I think."
~Maya Angelou
How I was raised. How I live my life. How I raise my children.
Well, said Ms. Angelou. Well said.
Roll on into March with the next stop in this blog circle, the fabulous Colleen Putnam of Colleen Putman Photography | NYC
http://blog.colleenputman.com/
Thank you for stopping by!!
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-
said or delivered without a prepared script; impromptu.
Greetings, Salutations and Welcome!!!
Welcome to the February blog circle of Life {Unscripted}. If you've made it to me then you were just at the fabulous blog of Kristin of Kristin B Photography http://www.kristinb.ca/life-unscripted-blog-circle-volume-6/. I have to note, Kristin B and I are 2,028 miles from each other and yet we have both recorded a similar unscripted moment. See if you can figure out which image!!
Anyway here are some moments from my unscripted month...
A screen shot from the opening of one of the clone war episodes that my son is obsessed with on netflix....you can imagine he was thrilled when I kept restarting the episode to get this shot....well, it is a good message!
We spent a lot of time out in the snow...
Exploring...
and exploring with friends in tow...
A little snow angel action...
taking a moment...
swing napping...the newest trend in playgrounds...
After a while when you are surrounded by vast whiteness, you start looking elsewhere for images...anything, anywhere that strikes interest...
Parking garages...
Stairwells from the parking garage (we lead exciting lives, can't you tell?!)
Bath time in the middle of the day....
From behind...
And through...
Anywhere there is bright light...
From below...PJ legs...
Undercover...
Shadows...
Reflections
Shadows AND reflections at the same time....
Even buried in the snow, nature will throw something pretty your way to marvel at...
You know you've been indoors too long when Mom says, sure go ahead to:
blowing milk bubbles...
Drawing on yourself (well it does say heart Mom!)....
Throwing sequence in the air...
Playing 52 card pick up...
Spiking your hair and spraying it orange....
However at the end of the day (or month if you will), no matter how unorganized or unscripted you are, all you need is....
February portrait of my boy...
February portrait of my girl...
Thank you for staying a while!!
Please move on to the next fabulous photographer, AnnMarie Denis of One33 Photography:
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Greetings, salutations and welcome to the February blog circle installment of 30 Minutes in the Life! I am so glad you stopped by!!
On this particular day it felt like Spring in February.....it was 28 degrees!!! I know, crazy to say 28 degrees and Spring in the same sentence but it has been so unbelievably cold. We've seen temperatures in the single digits for several days in a row with snow showers in between the cold days.
We are ready for Spring.
Here we are enjoying 30 minutes in the fresh "Spring" 28 degree day at the Valhalla Damn. We even dusted off the tricycle for a spin!
I see a little Spring in her step....
We found a melted snowman.....
Chillaxin'
The thinker.
Sometimes to get through the winter you need a little change in perspective to keep you going.....
A Shadow and a Reflection....
right side up.....
and upside down...
The 9/11 Memorial at the park. We always take a walk by when we are here. Each time we talk about what happened that terrible day. All still such an unknown concept for them. My eldest asks the same questions and I answer the same each time. It's like his mind is trying to understand. I tell him I don't even understand. His innocence protects him for now but it isn't long now until his mind will grasp at the horror.
When there isn't any snow the large metal Spire-like sculpture is surround by a wall of names of the folks that died that day. The inside of the spire has a little walk way lined with lights, that shine up through the spire at night. It's a beautiful place for loved ones to come visit and for people like us to come and pay our respects and just remember. I think that's the most important thing we can do, remember.
On a side note, I felt a bit disrespectful taking pictures of the memorial so I stole a few quick shots. It's quite beautiful in person...these images don't do it justice.
My Tricycle rider....
She was too cute in color not to share....
My two crazies...that I love more than my own life.
He's throwing snow at me eventhough it looks like it may have backfired and it ended up on him instead......
Well, that's just one of my fun filled 30 minutes this month!!
Now, head on to the next fabulous photog in this circle, Kelly Tyack of 4 Fishes Photo, to see how she spent 30 minutes of her month: http://4fishesphotos.com/2015/02/23//
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“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
Greetings and Salutations! Welcome to the end of the third week in February! Each week that goes by brings us closer to warmer weather (-17 degrees with wind chill here today). So I hope you are sitting somewhere warm and sunny while you enjoy The Daily Frame blog circle. Without further adieu here my week in rewind....
The Daily Frame | 50 of 365:
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
~Khalil Gibran
The Daily Frame | 49 of 365:
"When you change the way you look at things,
the things you look at change."
The Daily Frame | 48 of 365:
"Big takes care of little." ~M & T O'Neill
Great friends of ours used to say this to their son when playing with our much younger son. It has always stayed with me because big should take care of little....it's just that simple.
The Daily Frame | 47 of 365:
"Life should not only be lived,
It should be celebrated." ~Osho
Yesterday's early birthday lunch for Mom.
The Daily Frame | 46 of 365:
"You’ll learn, as you get older, that rules are made to be broken. Be bold enough to live life on your terms, and never, ever apologize for it. Go against the grain, refuse to conform, take the road less traveled instead of the well-beaten path. Laugh in the face of adversity, and leap before you look. Dance as though EVERYBODY is watching. March to the beat of your own drummer. And stubbornly refuse to fit in.” ~Mandy Hale
A new haircut from our Irish barber in the Bronx. She asked if she could spike his hair in front. I said, "Sure, why not." She asked if he could have spray. Again I said "Sure, why not." (LOL! I didn' t know it was color spray!)
Moments later. my little boy was transformed. I kinda love it!
He's a loving kid that has a rebellious side and loves to laugh more than anything in this world.
It's Westchester County meets Northern Ireland IRA ruffian. I prefer the ruffian. heart emoticon
The Daily Frame | 45 of 365 {sorry it's a long one}:
"COMES THE DAWN"
After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
And company doesn’t mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts
And presents aren’t promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,
And you learn to build all your roads on today,
Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans,
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure...
That you really are strong,
And you really do have worth.
And you learn and learn...
With every goodbye you learn.
~Veronica A. Shoffstall
This is for all the broken hearted on Valentine's Day. It's so easy to get caught up in all the lovey dove mushy stuff when you are in love that it's easy to forget that not everyone has a heart so overflowing with joy on a day like today.
When my heart was first broken, my mom gave me this poem. (That was a really long time ago.) I am sure there is a copy of it all folded up at the bottom on my memory box. This image I took today isn't the best image I've ever taken or even original but when I saw it on the screen I immediately remembered the line "So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers." I had forgotten that is was a part of this poem. When I googled the line, this poem came up.
It's amazing that in the mere seconds that I looked at this image, so many emotions came rushing over me. One of them being that it is inevitable that some day, the hearts of my children will be broken. And I will rummage through the depths of my memory box and give them this poem as my Mom did so many years ago. So is it the happiest Valentine's Day message? No. But it's for all those who are hurting out there today. I hope this brings you some solace.
The Daily Frame | 43 of 365:
"She loves you yeah yeah yeah
All you need is love..."
~The Beatles
Please click through to the next stop n the circle, Colleen Putnam of Colleen Putman Photography | NYC http://blog.colleenputman.com/
Thanks for stopping by!
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"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." ~Helen Keller
Happy Friday the 13th and Happy Valentine's Day (tomorrow). That's kind of an irony that one falls before the other, isn't it? Well, maybe not entirely.
Anyway, here's my weekly rewind in photos....
The Daily Frame | 43 of 365
"Objects in mirror are closer than they appear."
Yes they are...much, much closer.
The Daily Frame | 42 of 365:
"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
~Carl Sagan
Just recently into drinking something other than water, he discovered this morning the wonder of blowing bubbles into a tall glass of chocolate milk. He screamed from the other room, "Mom, come quick..{bubble, bubble bubble}...so cool....{bubble, bubble bubble}.....wow!...{bubble, bubble bubble}...it looks like brain coral!{bubble, bubble bubble}...Hurry!"
Yes, folks he said brain coral and if that doesn't turn you off chocolate milk, I don't know what will!
The Daily Frame | 41 of 365
"Pardon the mess, my children are making memories." ~author unknown
The couch seat is missing. It's a wall to a blanket fort. A well-loved couch that has been moved numerous times to make room for play. Apparently the frame hanging above the couch hasn't been moved...oh well! They won't remember how organized and tidy their home was growing but they will remember it "was their" home.
The Daily Frame | 40 of 365
"Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children." ~William Makepeace Thackeray
The Daily Frame | 39 of 365:
“Love was a feeling completely bound up with color, like thousands of rainbows superimposed one on top of the other.” ~Paulo Coelho
The Daily Frame | 38 of 365:
“Here's to many more firsts and many more great memories.”
~Christine Feehan, Water Bound
First time snowboarding for my son. He's my thinker, my imaginative one. He hasn't really liked any sport he's tried until now, snowboarding!
My daughter with her Uncle Brendan.
That's my boy, front left with the instructor...
The Daily Frame | 37 of 365
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ~Oscar Wilde
I hope they enjoy reading books over and over because I don't think these shelves can hold much more!
I hope everyone has a fabulous Friday the 13th and Valentine's Day (tomorrow). Please hop on over to the next photog extraordinare, Colleen Putman Photography of New York City (LOVE HER WORK!), http://blog.colleenputman.com/
"Every second brings a new beginning. Every hour holds a new promise. Every night our dreams bring hope. Every day is what you choose to make it."
It's hard to stay inspired in the winter months. However I don't want to wish away the days ahead waiting for Spring. So we find new things around us to keep us going and the keep the days enjoyable. That's what this week was all about. Hope you enjoy reliving my first week of February!
The Daily Frame | 36 of 365
“All of us need to be in touch with a mysterious, tantalizing source of inspiration that teases our sense of wonder and goads us on to life’s next adventure.” ~Rob Brezsny
The Daily Frame | 35 of 365:
"Following the rules leaves a completed checklist. Following your heart achieves a completed you." ~Ray Davis
The Daily Frame | 34 of 365
"Oh! where do fairies hide their heads,
When snow lies on the hills,
When frost has spoiled their mossy beds,
And crystallized their rills?"
~Thomas Haynes Bayly
(There are many images from this moment. They are in a separate blog. After you go thru this blog circle, I'd love for you to swing back through and check them out!)
The Daily Frame | 33 of 365:
"There is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a son that transcends all other affection of the heart." ~Washington Irving
The Daily Frame | 32 of 365:
“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'
'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.
'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'
'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'
'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”
~Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
George has "become".
The Daily Frame | 31 of 365
“We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are.” ~Bill Watterson
A night out! The kids wanted to try on our ensembles. My little girl wanted to know if Mommy and Daddy were going to get "maaaweed"....I guess we better get dressed up and go out more often!
The Daily Frame | 30 of 365:
"Beautiful soup, so rich and green
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful soup!
Beautiful soup! Who cares for fish
Game, or any other dish?
Who would not give all else for two
Pennyworth of beautiful soup?"
~Lewis Carroll, ‘Alice in Wonderland’
And this dainty certainly stoops for soup....
smile emoticon
This concludes the first week in February!
Thank you for reliving it with me! Please move on to the next photog extraordinary, Colleen Putnam of NYC, with this link: http://blog.colleenputman.com/
To say I take a lot of picture is an understatement. And many times it's multiple images of a particular moment. Then I have the challenge of picking just one or two from the lot that I want to share. Sometimes it's impossible. Which brings me to this blog post.
My daughter was looking for a certain toy in the "everything" toy bucket. It's a compilation of, well, "everything" toy related. The good bits of broken toys that can be used for other things, the random crayon and hair-tie, various little people figures, a lego minifigure here and there. And on this particular day, a make-up puff from a kids make-up kit was found.
When you shake the puff, little glittery powder puffs out. Combine that with the pretty afternoon light that was streaming into her room and well you have a photographer's dream ingredients for an interesting image. The light hit the glittery powder and 11 pictures later......
Some have little flaws, like blurred motion and blown highlights, but I couldn't get myself to delete them. There's something about her expression in each of them that drew me in...much like a fairy would if you happened upon one.
Thank you for stopping by!
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"For last months words belong to last month's language and next month's words await another voice." ~T.S. Eliot
Welcome Daily Frame followers!
I can't believe January is over. At the same time January felt like it would never end. Bring it on February!
Without further adieu, my weekly rewind...
The Daily Frame | 23 of 365:
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” ~Maya
The Daily Frame | 24 of 365:
“Sometimes I feel like if you just watch things, just sit still and let the world exist in front of you - sometimes I swear that just for a second time freezes and the world pauses in its tilt. Just for a second. And if you somehow found a way to live in that second, then you would live forever.” ~Lauren Oliver, Pandemonium
And that's when I click the shutter, so that I can live forever in that second. This is how I will remember you; playing, lost in your world of your creations, with your greatest talent (as you tell me) - your imagination.
The Daily Frame | 25 of 365:
"Looking out the window,
I see you looking in.
You are the sunshine,
That fills my soul.”
~Giorge Leed
I couldn't believe I caught her reflection.......
The Daily Frame | 26 of 365
“The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?” ~Pablo Picasso
Picture this: Supermarket during the start of the Blizzard of 2015. A row (several rows of people) and their shopping carts FULL of TONS of food and stuff for the approaching "apocalypse". And then you have my shopping cart: also TONS of food, a three year old and two really big balloons (one for each kid). I insisted to those around me that the balloonswere an absolute essential for the blizzard. They didn't believe me.
Anyway, she was cited to give the balloon to her brother. So we had to bring it with us to pick him up at the bus. Again, I looked crazy.
The Daily Frame | 27 of 365:
"We have all heard that no two snowflakes are alike. Each snowflake takes the perfect form for the maximum efficiency and effectiveness for its journey. And while the universal force of gravity gives them a shared destination, the expansive space in the air gives each snowflake the opportunity to take their own path. They are on the same journey, but each takes a different path..." ~Steve Maraboli
Much like children...I'm glad they have each other on their journey even though they make take different paths.
The Daily Frame | 28 of 365:
“You cannot climb uphill with downhill thoughts.”~author unknown
The Daily Frame | 29 of 365:
"Be crazy.
Be Stupid.
Be Silly.
Be Weird.
Be Whatever.
Because life is too short to be anything but HAPPY." ~quotesempire.com
Thank you for visiting! I look forward to spending February with you! Move on to the next spectacular photographer in the circle (I LOVE her work!), Karen Hunt of Karen Hunt Photography http://karenhuntphotography.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-daily-frame-january-22nd-28th.html
Until next time...
Happy New Year 2015!! Welcome to our January Life {Unscripted}!! I can't believe it's been a full month since we met last!!
If you've made it here you must have just visited Natalie Wiseman Wheeler (our fearless leader) of Act Naturally Photography at http://actnaturallyphotography.com/2015/01/27/45081/
Here's my monthly Rewind...
We started our year with a fresh start...
We played hide ...
and seek...
We tried out an abandoned skateboard and we weren't impressed......
Rush Hour Traffic was tough going...
A few of our favorite things..."cwitters"
...baby and george...
The smallest apples we have ever seen......
Dinner at my aunt's house. Her home is like something straight out of Traditional Home Magazine. So this is what Parent Magazine would look like if they teamed up with Traditional Home Magazine...
Motts Totts juice box and a waterford vase of fresh tulips bathed in glorious sunlight...
Reflections in the antique dining room table...
Mommy had a playdate with a favorite photographer (Nicki Bosch Photography; If you don't know her you should go check her out!). We played photo shoot in her beautiful home with one of my littles...
January portrait of my girl...
January portrait of my boy...
And until we meet again!! Swing on over to the January blog of the fabulous (and dear friend) Chrissy Ray of Chrissy Ray Photography http://www.chrissyrayphotography.com/blog/2015/1/life-unscripted---january
Thank you for stopping by!
"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood. ~Fred Rogers
I love playgrounds. Especially as a photographer. A playground for a child is pure distraction which means lots of genuine smiles!
I am a serial playground Mom. I guess, most parents are. We have marathon playground days where we start at one; move on to the next; have some lunch; hit up another playground. We are usually the only playground visitors in the winter, although sometimes those visits are short lived.
We call this playground "the boat park". The playground equipment are designed like boats and lighthouses. This park is also right next to the sound.....so on a winter day it is colder here than most places by many degrees....
Here is 30 minutes we spent at "the boat park".........
Walking the plank...confidently
And cautiously (with a smile)....
We don't know what this structure is supposed to be . It sits at the end of the plank that you walk on from the boat. They were pretending to be stuck in the arms of an octopus.
It also serves as nice framing tool for a cute portrait....
And this one is the "that's enough pictures" getaway.....
We think this is like a rescue boat that hangs off the side of a boat. It spins around unevenly like it's on rough seas.
Until we meet again, I leave you with a little swing action and a smile....
Please head on to the talented photographer, Hayley Hay of Hayley Hay Photography in Lausanne, Switzerland
http://
to see how she spent 30 minutes in her life this month. Hayley Hay is a fabulous photographer. I follow her work on a daily basis and am wowed every.single.time! You are in for a treat!
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"To me, there are three things we should all do everyday. We should do this everyday of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh everyday. Number two is think. You spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotion moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think and you cry; that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something really special." ~Jim Valvano
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome! Lots of laughter, lots of thought and lots of emotional moments (not necessary all tears of happiness or joy but tears and emotion nonetheless)took place this week!
Thank you for stopping by a revisiting my week with me!! I am so happy you are here!! Here's my week in reverse.....
{22} 365:
“Through the blur, I wondered if I was alone or if other parents felt the same way I did - that everything involving our children was painful in some way. The emotions, whether they were joy, sorrow, love or pride, were so deep and sharp that in the end they left you raw, exposed and yes, in pain. The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represented just that - a parent's heart bared, beating forever outside its chest.”
~Debra Ginsberg
There is so much grey area in parenting. To push them forward when they protest or give in. Why do we push them forward and why do we give in. There's a right answer for each of those questions I ask myself on a daily (momentary) basis.
{21} 365
{20} 365
The Daily Frame | 20 of 365
"Enjoy every moment you have. Because in life, there are no rewinds, only flashbacks." ~Anmol Andore
One of the harshest truths of life. You can only relive those moments in halves or bits.
{19} 365:
"Sometimes you will never know the value of something, until it becomes a memory." ~Dr. Seuss
I just wanted to play with some light that was coming into the bedroom so I asked him to sit in the middle of the bed and I grabbed a photo book of our trip to Ireland for him to look at. I thought that I was going to have to move quickly, as I usually have to when he's involved in a photo I'm taking. But he looked at the photos and flipped through the book. His reaction wasn't what I expected. There are a couple pics for today so you can see how his reaction grew into even more interest and appreciation of the millions of memories I captured on our trip.
{18} 365:
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." ~John Wooden
My brother is an amazing artist. He's never taken an art class in his life. He draws a single squiggle line, sees something and draws it. He has numerous art pads full of sketches and drawings. I am photographing his art today. So I decided to have some fun with it too. This is my "art" next to his.
{17} 365
"My soul is full of whispered song, my blindness is my sight; The shadows that I feared so long are full of light and life." ~Alice Cary
Oh dimly lit rooms of winter days, I will embrace and conquer you!
{16} 365
“Childhood memories were like airplane luggage; no matter how far you were traveling or how long you needed them to last, you were only ever allowed two bags. And while those bags might hold a few hazy recollections—a diner with a jukebox at the table, being pushed on a swing set, the way it felt to be picked up and spun around—it didn’t seem enough to last a whole lifetime.” ~Jennifer E. Smith
We grew up in a condominium. We had a garage, which held everything except our car The rafters above held Christmas and other holiday bins. My Dad's countless tools lined the ground along the walls; a steamfitters helmet we all took turns wearing at some point, the weird plumbing tubes you could never figure out and numerous hard hats. A bike for each of us always leaned one against the next. All the neighborhood kids gathered around our messy garage for the summer lemonade stands. When my Dad was home you could always find him in the garage with his cigarettes, puttering around or looking for something to fix something else. I can still smell that garage. On the odd weekend Id spend hours organizing the garage....tools here, bikes and toys here, holiday decorations there. We lived in that condo for 18 years. When my Mom died, we moved. All our things were moved from that garage too and you know, to this day we are still looking for things that probably got thrown out and remain only in the recesses of our memories. This is what I thought, all of this, when I saw this image. Her standing in our garage..it is new to us and empty. The Christmas bins are in the back and now my husbands tools will be housed there. We park our car there too. I wonder what role this garage will play in her memories. Perhaps she'll just remember this is where Mom took pictures when she wanted really nice light. Maybe it will be "Just" a garage.
This concludes week 3! Thank you for revisiting my week with me!
Please move on in the circle to the next photographer extraordinaire, Jasmine Keath Photography | Melbourne, Australia
https://
"The bad news is time flies, the good news is you're the pilot."
Welcome to Week 2 of The Daily Frame.....two weeks done 50 more to go!! Here's my week in reverse.....
{15} 365
"Man's best support is a very dear Friend."~Cicero
...or 2 or 3 dear friends.
We've loved gymnastics class without Mommy, for weeks...now we cry going.....soooooo the "Georges" are her support to be brave.
{14} 365
"We have, as human beings, a storytelling problem. We're a bit too quick to come up with explanations for things we don't really have an explanation for." ~Malcolm Gladwell
Inspiration is slim these days. Must be the cold and drear. I saw the hearts in this bannister and told them to stand behind each heart; my two hearts: one light and one heavy. I can't explain his look .... He cried to not go to school today, we were already at the bus. I said "ok" after much thought. He seemed relieved. This was after the fact and his face still feels heavy.
So somethings don't have explanations, creative slumps or a heavy soul. Sometimes things are just that way and hopefully for a short time.
{13} 365
“Once again...welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring.” ~Bram Stoker, Dracula
We walk to the bus in our co-op community, all garden style buildings. In the spring and Fall it's a nice little walk. But in the winter...the walk feels very loooong! Each building has an entrance hall, which has been become quite a convenience in the wetter and colder weather. So on those days we go to the same hallway, sit on the bottom step and wait for the bus. We are very grateful for the warm, dry spot to wait.
{12} 365
“What we do see depends mainly on what we look for. ... In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.” ~John Lubbock
I've been in a little creative rut and I find that if I look at the same thing in a different way or from a different perspective I find that spark I've been searching for
{11} 365
“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”
~Khalil Gibran
{10} 365
"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is."~YODA, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Thank you for revisiting my week with me! I hope you'll be back next week! Please click the link to visit the fabulous Karen Hunt Photography: http://
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“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” ~Heraclitus
The Daily Frame is a weekly blog circle where a group of photographers record their journey through their 365 Photography Project (one photo a day for a year).
This is not my first 365 project. It is however the first one I am blogging and the first one where I am being held accountable by a group of other fabulous photographers to complete this project.
There is a link at the end of every installment that will take you to the next talented photographer in the circle.
Welcome to week one of The Daily Frame!
The Daily Frame : January 1 through January 8, 2015
8 {365}
The Daily Frame | 8 of 365 : "Not the day only, but all things have their morning." ~French Proverb
Even Curious George......her favorite "person"....
7 {365}
"Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children." ~Khalil Gibran
Two of her strongest qualities shown in these two images: compassion and the ability to feel and express pure joy.
6 {365}
"There is a place in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.” ~Elizabeth Lawrence
...and a place where it's okay to take your boots off in public, revealing bare feet in 30 degree weather and enjoy a cake pop.
Today, I chose to photograph the moment instead of using it as a teaching moment....
5 {365}
“Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile. Smile at each other......” ~Mother Teresa
Well I think this balloon is more laughing at me than smiling. She stood in CVS with the balloon and looked at me....I said "No, We don't need a balloon! Please put it back!" ....Balloon 1, Mommy 0
The day I gave in....
4 {365}
"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
~A. A. Milne
You are my babies, even when you have grow old...you will always be my babies. And this is how I will remember you forever and ever.
3 {365}
“Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.
This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Son: "Mom, you always take photos in front of this window in the morning."
Me: "Yes, I know."
2{365}
"Together is a wonderful place to be."
I couldn't choose just one....
1{365}
“Begin with that most terrifying of all things, a clean slate. Then look, every day, at the choices you are making, and when you ask yourself why you are making them, find this answer: For Me. For Me.” – Anna Quindlen
I have a hard time taking just one photo a day. Which makes it hard to narrow it down. Here are those I didn't choose but are still treasured and worth a share. Sit back and enjoy!
Thank you for stopping by!
After the slideshow please click through the the next stop on the blog circle, to one of my favorite photographers, Jen Fredette of Mountain Pearl Photography: http://www.mountainpearlphotos.com/blog/2015/1/6/the-daily-frame-week-1
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