Sunday, September 30, 2012

Autumn


"There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on,
and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings,
as now in October."
Nathaniel Hawthorne




and  then, she {snapped}


Please join me on Friday 10/5
for Six Word Fridays.
We're linking up right here on my blog
and this week's word is
COMFORT.
{click on the tab at the top for details!}

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Here's to Good Friends...



We have a little autumn tradition...
Grab some good friends, and head to Parkers.
It's a barn-turned-restaurant in the woods of Southern New Hampshire.
Yum.
It was a must do today because a good friend and his daughter were in town...
So we laughed and told stories...shared hugs
and watched the little girls play.

 There was plenty of Yellow
as the leaves are really starting to turn.

 The big trees are Getting Ready to show off...
giving us hints of the bold colors that are coming.

 The reds and oranges are brighter than bright!

We found Teeny Tiny critters crawling in the woods...
much to the delight of the two little ones.

Times like these are all about Connections.
Renewing them.
Building them.
Rejoicing in them!


Joining Tabitha for Sunday Citar
and
Joining Ashley for Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Please join me on Friday 10/5
for Six Word Fridays.
We're linking up right here on my blog
and this week's word is
COMFORT.
{click on the tab at the top for details!}

Friday, September 28, 2012

It's Just What We Do



Come. Wander this field with me.
We'll talk and laugh...share secrets
of the heart as easily as
we tell tales of daily life.
The early autumn leaves rustle in 
the wind, and we lament the 
passing of time and pose questions
about what lies ahead. Just two
friends, doing what friends do...walking
side by side through the fields
and the seasons of our lives.


My Memory Art

Please join us and share your six words!


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Glimmer


The breeze beckoned me. She teased me as I stood at my sink scrubbing the grimy oven racks. She invited herself right into my kitchen, tenderly kissing my cheeks and playing with the untethered wisps of my hair.  “Remember what you promised yourself yesterday? That long walk? You were going to bring that fancy camera of yours with you and take the time to spoil yourself. Remember?”

Of course I remember, I countered…to no one in particular. To the breeze. To myself. I glanced at the clock on the oven and started to calculate how much time I could allow myself for this walk without ignoring the to do list that was running on a loop in my mind. Ok, I bargained. I’ll finish cleaning the oven, and then give myself an hour…

As I was calculating, a glimmer of light caught my eye. Turning back towards the breeze, I lost sight of the clock and fixed my gaze on the tree covered hillside that stretches beyond our back yard. Another glimmer. A flicker. The sun had partnered with the breeze and they were putting on quite a show. As the leaves surrendered gracefully to the gentle wind, the sunlight caught them from every angle. They fluttered and sparkled as they danced for me. “Look at us! Do you think you can capture this with your lens?”

Just do it. Just go. You’ll feel better after you walk. You did make a date with your camera. Your to-do list deadlines are self imposed. Let them go

Water off. Sneakers on. I grabbed my camera and took off towards the pond.

Less than ten minutes later I was watching a small red maple leaf float across the water. The shutter clicked. A duck floated by, along with a yellow leaf. Click. Click. Yes. This is good. But I better keep moving. I started up the hill unaware that a blue heron had just landed in the top of a tree and was waiting there to pose for me. How exhilarating! The right lens and perfect timing. I clicked away, lingering for at least thirty minutes with my winged subject. In spite of this great gift, that list was still nagging at me, telling me to hurry on. I heard its “tsk-tsk” as I turned down the path and autumn's new face appeared all around me, begging for her turn in front of the lens. Which leaves? Which fading plants? Focus up towards the sky or out towards the water? There just weren't enough hours to capture it all.

And then, there it was. Another glimmer of light. More subtle, more divine than the one that had pulled my eyes from the clock back in the kitchen. A small pine, tucked in the woods, with a beam of sunlight caressing the end of a bough. Follow the light. Just the whisper of a notion that swept through my mind like a tornado, carrying with it every last barrier.

I yielded.

And spent the rest of a perfect autumn afternoon following the light around my pond.







This piece was written for a Bigger Picture Blogs Writing Circle, where a group of writers convene online, respond to a prompt, and share their words to receive collective praise and constructive advice. 
You can find out more about them HERE.
And we're sharing our Simple Moments at Corinne's today.


Please join me tomorrow
for Six Word Fridays.
We're linking up right here on my blog
and this week's word is
WANDER.
{click on the tab at the top for details!}


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Tangled Web


Too early for Halloween?
Yes, I know.
I just loved this shot in black and white.


Black and White Wednesday

Monday, September 24, 2012

Joy


I will never forget walking through the dining room and into the kitchen of Claude Monet's home in Giverny, France. Every nook and cranny painted sunshine yellow. I'd never seen anything like it. Or imagined anything like it. Brighter than the yellow was the blue of the kitchen tile....It was fanciful. Fun. And I wanted to move in.

It didn't take more than a few minutes for me to be filled with joy. A joy that my serious, understated and "beige" self rarely experienced. An inside out kinda joy. A caught me off guard and took me over kind of joy. The pure loveliness of it took hold of me and has never let go.

I had the honor - the pleasure - of visiting Giverny several times when I lived in France. I treasured each visit, and hope I get to return again some time. Until then, I'll just rejoice whenever nature herself surprises me with her yellows and blues. And I'll take lots of photos when she wraps them up and gives them both to me at once!







Giverny Photo Credit

Please join me on Friday
for Six Word Fridays.
We're linking up right here on my blog
and this week's word is
WANDER.
{click on the tab at the top for details!}

Sunday, September 23, 2012

The Beautiful Blue Heron


My Sunday walk around Horn Pond started normally enough.
I parked and walked right to the edge of the pond.
There a few ducks (as usual) swimming around
and a couple of bright red maple leaves floating on the water.
Suddenly the big Blue Heron flew right in front of me!
I'd never seen him so close to the edge of the lot.
He set down and waded around the edge of the pond.


  Isn't he pretty?
I followed him until I couldn't see him any more, then took off walking.
As I got to the top of the first hill under the trees,
an elderly couple were stopped and staring up.
The woman said she'd seen the heron fly up to the top of the trees.
What?
I'd seen him fly before, but never up into the trees.
Sure enough, there he was.
Sunning.
Stunning.
Posing for me!
Such a gift!
These are almost straight out of the camera.
I cropped a bit, and removed some of the leaves that were distracting.
Enjoy!









So excited to "show off" these shots!
and  then, she {snapped}

Please join me on Friday
for Six Word Fridays.
We're linking up right here on my blog
and this week's word is
WANDER.
{click on the tab at the top for details!}

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Home

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough,
and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast,
a house into a home,
a stranger into a friend."
Melody Beattie

My week has been full of crafting. 
Wreath making, framing, card making....
I'm loving it!
These "leftovers" are lying on my dining room table...waiting to find their place.
{shot with a little bokeh in the background}

I cracked open my scrapbooks and found a few pages that are frame worthy.
I've been gathering prints, decorating mattes and frames to get something ready for my bedroom.
Don't you love the burlap behind the prints?! 
Thanks to #PROJECTdecor
(check it out on Instagram or HERE)
I was inspired to try this by @becky_stevens.
Thanks!!

One thing I've done as I'm fussing with my decor,
is to group objects of like color.
It's been great to take what I already have and, just by rearranging it, make our space more beautiful.
I love neutrals. So I feel bad saying this....
but here is an ordinary color grouping.

We are renters, not owners.
This stove was purchased in 1989. No joke. We got a copy of the owner's manual with our lease.
Three of the four burners work. And I have been known to complain about it.
However....in true makeover spirit...
I scrubbbbbbbeeed it clean, bought shiny new burner pans...
and am pretending that I've fallen in love with it!
{and, no....my pots were not purchased in 1989...at least I don't think they were!}


My workshop space is also getting lots of attention.
All my displays are getting updated.
Don't you love the graveyard fence with the friendly ghost?
Would be great for a Halloween layout!

I truly love devoting time to my home. 
Stay tuned for more completed projects this week!


Sharing a quote and some #PROJECTdecor love
with Tabitha
And enjoying Scavenger Hunt fun 
with Ashley

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Come on In















Today I prettied up my doors.
Proud to say I crafted the
loveliness myself! Recycled a wooden basket...
{free find at the swap tent}
...filled it with berries and blooms.

Then, for the side door, I
took some burlap, wrapped a wreath...
another flower, a few more berries...
{my version of a pinterest find}
...and voila! I am welcoming fall!

So I'll fix cider, and heat
up some apple pie...and wish
that all my friends who visit
me here could just swing on
by and knock on my door.


My Memory Art

Our word this week is: Knock
{Knock if off? Don't knock it? A knock on your door...}
Please join us!


Comfort


Last night, as we arrived at the soccer field, the sky was on fire.
Bold, magnificent color surrounded the field in every direction.
The air was crisp ~ fall chill with no hint of lingering summer warmth.
I'd gone just to sit there.
Because my son had a game.
Because I'm a mom...and I want him to feel my presence. My support.
Truth is, I hadn't felt great for two days, I was tired, and didn't really want to leave my comfy chair.
And he's twenty-two, and understanding...he really wouldn't have minded if I wasn't there.
But I went. Just to be there.
{it is his last ever soccer season, after all}
I mean, from the field he can't tell if I'm grouchy and blah and there in "body" only.

As we walked up to the field, and I saw the sky....
I knew in that moment that I needed to be there....far more than he needed me to be.
Because in that sky was a sigh.
And comfort.
And in the air was refreshment.

The ills of the day and the apathy in my spirit melted away.
A small sliver of gratitude carved its way into my heart
as the crescent moon appeared in the darkening sky.
And that felt good.



Joining my friends to share this simple moment
at Brook's Place today!

Please join me tomorrow
for Six Word Fridays.
We're linking up right here on my blog
and this week's word is
KNOCK.
{click on the tab at the top for details!}


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Shine


Sweet girl.
Just a little coloring on a sunny, Sunday morning.


Black and White Wednesday

Please join me this week for Six Word Fridays.
We're linking up right here on my blog
and this week's word is
KNOCK.
{click on the tab at the top for details!}

Monday, September 17, 2012

Fan Club




Jer's youngest fans pushed him around a little and
put a smile on his face after a tough game.
Thanks Mackall kids!




and  then, she {snapped}

Please join me on Friday for Six Word Fridays.
We're linking up right here on my blog
and this week's word is
KNOCK.
{click on the tab at the top for details!}