Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts

Friday, May 20, 2016

Spring Reflections!


While parking my car on a side road in a small, New England city, I caught sight of some pretty pink blooms!
I have to say that I enjoy a tree-lined city sidewalk...
And even more so when the blooms are reflected in the mirrored glass of an office building!


Double the bloomin' magic!


Not that our friendly buzzing bees were the least bit interested in the reflected blooms...only the real thing for them.



Joining James for

Monday, May 9, 2016

Good. Random. Fun. {Weeks 18 & 19}


The past two weeks have been full.
FULL of GOOD!
The New England weather has gone from frosty to rainy.
It's been a bit dreary, but extremely conducive to finishing up all the unpacking.
Cause that's an inside job.
And, drum roll please....it is finished!


For me, the 'bestest' of all the GOOD is that friends have journeyed north.
They have come.
Come to scrap. And to chat.
I'm elated.
And so very grateful to them and for this delicious new space we get to share!


Some came bearing gifts...
Gifts are always GOOD!
Especially when the giver knows exactly what you'd love
and delights me with our first bird feeder!


In the RANDOM department,
the road in front of our house was paved last week.
Signs went up days after we moved in,
and we feared the worst...
a long, drawn out street repair that drags on through the summer.
Bun no!
In less than two weeks the project was completed
and we now have a brand new road in front of our brand new house!


I'll bore you with a few more ball park pics.
Because going to a ball game is SO. MUCH. FUN!
Especially when the weather is perfect.
And they win.
AND you are being treated to the cushiest box seats
{suite and food included}
in all of the park!
The view of the field was outstanding and
the company was great.


Our son was able to join us for the game
and serenaded me during the traditional singing of  "Sweet Caroline."
It's a Boston thing.
The whole ball park ~ we all sing this silly song together before the bottom of the 8th.
It's a Boston thing.


To top it all off,
Mother's Day was wonderful.
We had our first family celebration in the new abode.
One daughter, one son-in-law, one pup, one son...
a chat with a grandma and an uncle...
and, as always, LOTS of laughter!




Joining Tamar for

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Backyard Beauty


And to add to the whole we-own-a-house excitement,
said house has a flowering tree in the back yard.
Color me delighted!


The pink blooms have lured some sweet song birds to visit our humble abode...
and many enjoy hanging around with us!


Yesterday a dear friend brought me a bird feeder as a house warming gift!!
Watch out little birdies, you're about to get spoiled!





Joining Kim and Kat

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Frosty Morn





It appears that winter is not finished with us quite yet.....






Linking up with Kim and Kat

Friday, April 22, 2016

Spring Reflections are Pudde-wonderful


While waiting for blooms,
I'll take the rain, sunshine and puddles
as a sure sign that
greener days are soon to follow!


"spring....when the world is mud-lucious...and puddle-wonderful"
e.e. cummings



Joining James for

Monday, April 11, 2016

Good. Random. Fun. {Week 15}

We are settling in.
I can't find the words to tell you how good it feels!
I settle by doing things like hanging a pretty wreath.
My husband settles in by caulking the tub and shower.
Mars.
Venus.
It's pretty humerous to watch us prioritize what needs to get done next!!


I have a flowering tree!
"Mars" washed allllll the windows this weekend.
And I, "Venus" took plenty of random pics through those windows of my flowering tree.


We had the grandpuppy for the weekend, which was loads of fun!
He didn't get out much,
but enjoyed all the sunshine in the main room and laid around quite patiently
while we got lots more done in the new abode!





Joining Tamar for some

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Where, O Where Art Thou Dear Spring?


While I do enjoy a moody, foggy day...

and I LOVE a still, glassy pond that catches crisp reflections....

the folks 'round here are wondering when Spring is going to start to strut her stuff!!?!




Sharing with
Kat for her Writer's Workshop
and James for Weekend Reflections

Monday, March 28, 2016

Good Random Fun {Week 13}

Well folks.
This is IT.
This is the week.
IF all goes as planned,
we'll have keys in 
THREE DAYS!

If I had to choose just ONE thing that I've loved about living where I am now,
it would be the discovery of this place.
This pond.
This sanctuary.
I'm grateful that we're only moving about a half an hour north of here,
and that I will still be working right around the corner from these sights...
It won't be quite the same,
but this place has become a part of me.
I'm sure I'll be back to visit.
Often!

{Here are a few iPhone shots I got this weekend. Sigh}













Joining Tamar for

Thursday, March 24, 2016

green


and from the
seemingly
lifeless limbs
bits of green
shatter
the winter gray
giving birth
to a new
season




Joining Kim and Kat

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Turn, Turn, Turn


"To every thing, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season, turn, turn, turn.
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to gain, a time to lose.
A time to rend, a time to sew.
A time for love, a time for hate.
A time for peace...I swear it's not too late."
Lyrics inspired by Ecclesiastes, sung by The Byrds



A time to gain, a time to lose. Really? Even where weight is concerned? Hmmm...interesting thought. Very interesting thought. One that I can't imagine the author had in mind, but one that I seem to be pondering nonetheless. Think about it. Our society is obsessed with 'before and after' photos. This obsession seems to suggest demand that we get our acts together, choose a solution to our given problem, achieve success and then never look back, shrink back or falter ever again. Though I understand the idea behind the 'before and after' and understand the need to get/stay motivated when facing challenges, I've decided that I'm only ever going to call photos "during" photos. 

For example...here I am during this stage of my life. And here I am (a few months/years later) during this other stage of my life. Because when you get right down to it...life is one gigantic "during"!! As long as we are alive, we're in the 'during' stage. The wold keeps turning, seasons come and go, and, if we're lucky, we get to live through the ups and downs that come with many voyages around the sun. And, for my purposes here today, many ups and downs where the ol' scale is concerned. As I get older, I'm learning that I don't want to look back at old photos that feature my rounder self, and discount that person. Or chalk her up to "the before" gal. That would literally place most of my children's growing up years in the "to be ashamed of" category. And that just doesn't work for me. I loved those years! And my children sure as heck loved the rounder me....so I'm learning to love that me too. Even though I might not have been good at the self-love and acceptance thing back in the day, I am determined to give myself that gift retroactively!

If you've visited here much, you know that I adore the 'in between' seasons. Those times when mother nature is gently leading us from one season to the next. Take the simple branch in the photo I'm sharing today. I see a dried flower ~ a flower that faded two seasons ago and somehow hung on during the winter ~ sharing a branch with the new growth of spring! I find great peace and comfort as I study this one simple branch. Before and after existing together. Showing us "during" ... and asking us to accept each stage, each turn of season. Asking us to find the beauty in this one day, this one in-between moment.

What about you? What helps you to endure the 'during'?
What gives you the courage to love and be kind to yourself through all of life's stages?



Sharing today's post with
Kathy for
and with the commutity that is


Monday, March 21, 2016

Good Random Fun {Weeks 11 & 12}

Here's a quick glimpse of the non-packing related things that have been going on in my neck of the woods.


I am no longer leaving work in the dark.
This is good. Very, very good!


I held my last scrapbooking workshop at my old house.
So. Many. Emotions.
I texted my daughter and told her I felt like I was in a Series Ending episode,
and that the lights were going to go off just as I set my keys on the counter.
In her wisdom she encouraged me with the words:
Not Series Ending....Season Ending.
Right she is!
I'm embracing the endings,
and the new beginnings!
This, too, is good.
Spring is such a great time to move because that sense of new beginnings is all around us!



Speaking of spring...
This week begins with a random, mid-march snow storm!
Just in time to confuse the buds and blooms!


One of the most fun bits about sorting and packing is all the random treasures I discover.
This week I found a report my husband wrote copyrighted in 1974
and one of my daughters favorite reads from her childhood days in France.


It's also nice to note that amidst all the stress and work of moving,
we are surrounded by good friends who've drug us out of the house and insisted we have some fun!


And yesterday my sweet Max
{aka best grandpuppy ever}
came over to see me.
Because I needed one last cuddle with him in this house.
And he {apparently} needed one last look at all the goings on outside grandma's house.


We're getting there folks.
I'm about 80% packed with 10 days left before we sign.
Keep sending all your prayers, good thoughts and positive vibes out into the universe for us!
If you follow me on instagram
{@scrapbookmom17}
you'll know the moment we've got those keys in our hands!!



Joining Tamar for
Good Random Fun
and
Judith for
Mosaic Monday

Thursday, February 25, 2016

New-itis?


When I was a young teen, my mom used to tease me about having a disease known {only to her} as new-itis. She'd laugh at how fast I had to wear or use anything that I bought. If it was new clothes, I'd surely wear the outfit the very first chance I'd get. If it was a new record {yes, you read that right} I'd play it over and over and over from the minute I brought it home. For some reason this amused her greatly!

These days I'm all about old stuff. About gently used clothes. About memorabilia, photos and objects that carry meaning ~ that have sentimental value. About re-purposing and sharing and creatively gifting things that are precious to me. Even as we get ready to move, I'm excited because all my 'same-old' furniture will take on a new life as it finds a new home! And though we might choose to replace a few things, I'm guessing that, for the most part, we'll continue to enjoy our old favorites. And that's just fine by me.

It's a great time of the year to be sorting through, trimming down and packing up. If all goes as planned, we will be moving just as spring begins to strut her stuff. And as much as I might enjoy things that are older, I have to say there's nothing like the feeling of starting fresh.

Be it a new day, a new season. a new path ... or a new home ... Each opportunity to begin, to renew, to refresh fills my "old" heart with wonder-full new JOY!!



Joining Kim for
and Kat for her

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Loving Every Second of Spring!


The outdoors.
The GREEN that has taken over the paths at my pond.
Every hint of new life.
It means a lot to me....


Every where I turn there is fresh beauty ~
as a photographer it's hard to know which branch to choose!


Nestled in the green,
I discover that it's really the season of babies...
and whether they are snuggling down to rest,


or in motion,


they are what I'm looking at
whenever I possibly can!

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Six Word Friday ~ Lock


Nestled together atop a neighborhood wall,
in a sea of soft color,
hues of purple, white and pink
caught my eye. Held my attention.
Lens locked, manual focus macro ready...
the camera easily led me from
flower bed, to bloom...to bud.














My Memory Art six word fridays
Please join in the Friday fun!
Caption a photo, share a poem
or tell a story. Just remember,
only six words in each line!