Misty Mawn

thank you

"at times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.  each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. "  ~albert schweitzer

"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." Kahlil Gibran

  

thank you all so very much for your words, stories, and condolences.  it means so much to me and helped take away some of the sadness that has been clinging to my heart these past few days. 

loss is such a scary thing.  it leaves me feeling so very vulnerable, scared, and grateful at the same time.   i never would have guessed that riley would die so suddenly and after only nine short years.  we brought him home exactly nine years ago last weekend. already it has been a week since he left us and i still keep waiting for him to come into the room, wagging his tail, happy as always.   he was such a great part of our family and gave us nine wonderful years that i will cherish for as long as i live.   

about twelve years ago, during a very quiet time of my life where i spent most of my days alone, working as a potter in a dark basement apartment studio,  i had this list of things i dreamed about having in my life to make it "better'.    the first thing on the list was a dog, then friends, then a computer, and lastly, a house.   i wanted a dog so very badly and i know i drove my husband crazy about it.   we agreed that once we had a house of our own we would get a dog.  over two years later we found a house we loved and signed on it, the next day i found out i was pregnant.   i remember after all the excitement of our news calmed down saying "we are still getting a dog"!   it only took us two shelters to find the most perfect dog, he was the only one not barking in the whole jam packed shelter.  i remember taking him in the little room with us to check him out, he was so nervous he peed all over the place, and walked as low to the ground as he could, trying to make himself invisible.  he was scared and excited and had been abused before he came to the shelter.  we took him home with us and named him riley.  sometime during the first night with us he went around the whole downstairs of the house and gathered and collected everything he could, and put it in his new bed, when we woke up we found shoes, a pair of my tights, and other things all where he was sleeping, it was the sweetest thing.  there are so many memories like these that i have of him, so many sweet and cherished moments that i truly hope to never forget.   in some strange comforting way i look forward to having his ashes with us, i plan on taking him on walks with us now and again, leaving little bits of him where he liked to walk. 

we have already talked about getting another dog, maybe in the new year, but i have to admit i am worried how it will be, worried about getting attached, worried about finding the right dog... then again i do believe in fate and hope that the right dog will find us when the time is right.  

 take care and hold all those you love close. 

{ thank you, jennifer, for being here during this time.}

riley

 

Riley Lucas Mawn

2000 - 2009

we had a very sad day in our house yesterday, we lost our much beloved riley.  he unexpectedly died after getting sick the night before. our hearts are so very heavy with such a loss, i still cannot believe it and keep looking for him everywhere and wishing so much that i could have him back even for just an hour.  he will be greatly missed and remembered for being the most lovable dog with a huge heart and silly personality.  i am truly thankful for having him in our lives for the past nine years. 

you are here

 

she spent all of her spare moments on that shore, searching.

i wanted to paint something completely different, but this is what unfolded... while listening to a little Paul Mcartney & a lot of John Lennon.  

Happy Thanksgiving!  xo

there is much to be thankful for and i am so very, very thankful. 

i went searching for the perfect thanksgiving poem & instead i found this...

Things to do in the Belly of the Whale 

by Dan Albergotti

measure the walls.  count the ribs.  notch the long days.

  look up for blue sky through the spout.  make small fires with the broken hulls of fishing boats.  practice smoke signals. call old friends, and listen for echoes of distant voices. organize your calendar. dream of the beach.  look each way for the dim glow of light.  work on your reports.  review each of your life's ten million choices.  endure moments of self loathing.  find the evidence of those before you.  destroy it.   try to be very quiet, and listen for the sound of gears and moving water.  listen for the sound of your heart.  be thankful that you are here.   swallowed with all hope, where you can rest and wait.  be nostalgic.  think of all the things you did and could have done.  remember treading water in the center of the still night sea, your toes pointing again and again 

down, down into the black depths.

november rain or shine

...a few photos from yesterday, my walk in the rain in search of poke berries for my son's class. they are dying fabric using onion skins, poke berries, tea bags, & walnut husks today... i can't wait to hear all about it and feel inspired to give it a try here at home... in my free time (yes, i am laughing... free time?  one day i will make free time to do so. i bring all this on myself, i know).    and a few self portraits.... i have decided to go back to my natural hair color, hence the scarf.  

my days have been full, many hours spent working on my online workshop that i am truly enjoying.  yesterday morning it was pouring rain again, i sat here writing emails & editing videos, but i kept looking out into the rain, it was calling me to come out, so i grabbed a few layers of rain protection, my camera, & dog and we headed out on a mission to find these gorgeous berries.   i came home sopping wet with only a handful of berries, but felt fully satisfied.  it was invigorating to be in the rain, walking, taking in all the scents stirred up by the rain.  and today?  the sun is back, soon i will head out for a walk to replenish.

  

thank you for your comments on my "home" video... i am loving the whole process of making videos and just know this is going to be another passion i keep for long time.   i have been recording my children singing/talking/arguing the past few weeks and want to pull the audio part into my videos, too,  along with mixing in other clips & songs. it feels so much like my artwork and all the layers involved.  i found this amazing app on my iphone that makes vintage movies... it is TOO cool.  here is a 5 second clip of my furry children.  

...and here are a few more pages from my "sketchbook" project.  i find the work i am creating there very odd and yet very enjoyable to watch what comes to the surface of the page.  it's a very freeing project, i love that about it!    i am going to take part in another of their projects,  this time a writing project, called "the Fiction Project", i am looking forward to it so much, since writing is something i don't feel i am good at or do enough of.  writing mixed with art... perfect!  then there is 'the Self Portrait project'... O, how can i stop myself? 

this week i have been listening to the art: 21 shows on pbs while working in the studio, these shows are so inspiring. 

 and a shout out:   Stephanie Lee has an online writing/journaling class being offered that sounds really wonderful.    and   LK has monthly Photo Journaling classes that are awesome!  hope you check them out if you haven't already!

have a great weekend! 

farewell, rain

after many days of pouring rain the sun finally came out today. 

this is how we celebrated... 

have you heard?  the band 'the album leaf'   so pretty.  

love, peace, & silliness

"it is a happy talent to know how to play"   - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

it was 81 degrees here today, a summer day in November, how strange.  of course i loved it and spent most of the day outside playing and working.  

and i  L O V E  my new polaroid camera...the instax mini by fuji & the cute little mini photos it takes.  i love tucking these mini polaroids in places for others to find.  my kids love it, too...it's magical watching the image appear.  they both took turns taking photos today & i loved watching them enjoying it.   {thank you jennifer for telling me about it} 

for those of you taking my online workshop... if you haven't been to the site yet please take a minute to visit.   i have started uploading posts about this & that. and again, if you haven't received an email from me & have signed up... please let me know.  thank you.

ps....   check this photo booth out!  very cool! 

{ fall } ing into place

only the first week of november and i am already noticing signs of winter here & there.     brrrr.     

i am also noticing my many moods & just  how easy it is to make up a story in my head & believe it completely.  it's amusing to me how surprised i am when it turns out not to be true.   made up stories that make me question too much,  stories that sit on my shoulder and poke in my ear, pull my hair, and grind their teeth.   i don't know why i let them get there in the first place.   i am trying more and more not to let these stories consume me, but sometimes they put up a fight, even the miniscule ones.   it doesn't help that the melancholy of the season is settling into my body, slowing my thoughts down just enough that they start to mix with each other and sometimes get distorted.  i think i need to be more faithful about taking care to not let these things happen.  that is why art is very important for me, as well as reading, & long walks in nature, it's these things that are so powerful that they keep me from getting too caught up in what isn't true and focusing on what matters.    all that mixed in with lots of time with my family & friends and i should be good to go.  

i really do appreciate most of what this time of year brings, with time to reflect, slow down a little,  and be very, very grateful for every single extra warm day we get until winter arrives with it's drab hues and burly overcoat.  

yesterday in the mail i received a box from my dear friend john, we had talked on the phone last week and he was telling me about this book he loved and thought i would enjoy, so he sent it off to me.  (don't you just love it so much when a friend loves something so much and wants to share it with you, too...i sure do)  i tore into the box, put on the water for a pot of white earl grey tea  and pulled the kids next to me with their art journals & started reading.  already i love this book.  it's been too long since i have been into reading, mostly because i have been too lazy busy, but i am going to change that, i am!  i also started reading the principles of uncertainty, at first i wasn't sure about this book, but a few pages in & i love it & all of the quirky illustrations on each page.  

okay, off to put on some loud music & make art!  have a great weekend!  

yes, i changed my background yet again.. and banner, too... surprise.   there is no use in trying to help myself... it's a bad addiction. 

happy november

so far november has started off as beautiful as ever with temperatures in the 70's here.  where the earth's floor has been gently covered with a blanket of orange & yellow leaves.     each and every time i look or go outside i am reminded again why this season is so spectacular.  but i don't like that it is so dark come five o'clock, that is going to take awhile to get used to.

 

another page in my sketchbook...

if you have signed up for my online workshop & have not received an email from me, please, please email me & let me know.  I have sent out all the confirmation emails and haven't heard back from a few of you.  thanks!!!  

   

hope you all had a great halloween!  thanks for the well wishes for my girl...they worked, she was back on her feet for a little while today, long enough to dress up, yay!  :) 

picking flowers

 

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  ~Albert Camus

and that alone is reason enough to me to fall so madly in love with this season.

thank you to all of you that have signed up & taken interest in my online workshop.  i cannot even express how excited & grateful i am.  this is going to be so much fun, i just know it!   i can't wait to start!  

Happy Halloween!!! 

 hopefully i shall be back soon with photos of  carved pumpkins & two smiling - candy overloaded children.  my girl has the flu ( & so does much of her school)  we are praying she feels all better very soon. take care & happy treating! 

late journal pages, big birthdays, & finally....

  

 

 

i had no idea there was a theme assigned to each sketchbook/journal when i signed up for the project ( i am sure if i would have read the instructions i might have seen that, alas...) so after a few others mentioned their themes i looked to find my theme... can you guess it before i tell you?    i started working on a few pages with the theme in mind, but i already can tell i won't be very good at sticking to it the whole way through.  elephant in the room is my theme.   i am really loving this project, i took my journal with me last week when we traveled back home to celebrate two birthdays, but i didn't even open the journal... like always, i take with me more books & journals than one needs in a month, let alone a few days, and like always, they stay right in the bag i pack them in until i get home & unpack them. lots of catching up to do.     

the main reason we went back home was to celebrate my mom's birthday, she turned 50 this year!    happy birthday mom!    it was the most beautiful ride up to Pennsylvania ever, we left early morning so we would get there with enough daylight to spend with my mom & dad.    it was a perfect day for playing outside, so we took a walk into the woods that i grew up playing in, there i snagged this precious photo of my mom & children that i will forever keep tucked in my heart.  later we celebrated more with a few friends & family and called it a very good day!
 

two days later someone else turned six years old.  sigh   while back home we went to the theater to see 'where the wild things are' and i couldn't help but be reminded of my own son when watching max.    i laughed out loud when seeing his bedroom with the fort, pictures,  & the toilet paper roll stashes, looks familiar... and my son likes to collect & revamp tp rolls, too (maybe we will have to make these  ;)   but max seemed much older, i cannot even imagine my little boy to be that big...and yet here he is... growing up so fast.

  

and the beat goes on...  already mid week & i still have another halloween costume to make (pippi longstocking is ready to go ;)  and a late birthday/halloween party to prepare for and who knows, maybe even some art. 

i am loving scarlett johansson's voice... here & here, mixed in with the loud, pouring rain that is coming down outside tonight.  

update:  my online workshop is full ( i set a max to ensure that i will be able to keep up with emails, everyone's progress, & posted work,  not to mention life)  thank you all so very much for signing up.  if you have signed up and have not received a confirmation email from me please let me know.  thank you... my heart is so full tonight & i am so very much looking forward to these upcoming weeks.   i am still working through my inbox & hope to answer as many emails tonight as i can.  thank you.  xo

 this beautiful collection of Poetic self portraits combined in one book has just been released, please check it out here.    I cannot wait to see it in person.  Helenina has put so much of her heart & soul into it.    All proceeds of this book will go to a charity that helps children in Nepal.  

 

i am so excited to have joined in on this project... can't wait to get started in my new journal that just arrived!  i think you still have time if you want to join in, too.

 

guess what we adopted today?  my son spotted it on the floor at the grocery store & we couldn't just leave it there.   can't wait to see what kind of jack-o'-lantern it turns into and neither can they!   have you seen these silly pumpkin faces from angry chicken's blog?  i know what we will be doing during our afternoon hour tomorrow! 

  

my boy & i are feeling so much better today, thank you.  it feels so good to feel better!  i even made it off the sofa & into the woods for a little fresh air & play, i took along my two favorite playmates.  the skies were so blue and the leaves, gasp!   so breathtaking!  i love this time of year so very much.  

thank you for those interested in my online workshop.  

a tiny bit about it...  it's called Painting Layers.  it will be a four week class starting sometime mid November.  we will cover backgrounds, collage, & face painting... all in one class.  there will be a video each week, assignments, step by step photos with written instruction, a flickr group to post your work...and more!   i will be sure to post all the details once i get everything pulled together.  i can't wait, i am really excited to be offering this class here!  

~

loving this song..over & over & over again.  

i found my dreams but the moon took me away... 

i saw how my heart had fallen on your path

  singing a song

 ~ rumi

where did the weekend go?   my little boy & i have been under the weather for a few days, but i think the fog is lifting... tomorrow is a new day, here's to hoping it's full of sunshine & fresh air  because i am really craving some!

while i didn't get much of anything accomplished this weekend i have been thinking about teaching an online workshop coming this november... as soon as i get back on my feet i will post more details.

~ be well

slow groovin'

  

i don't know why it's always difficult for me to jump right back into my life after being away.  even when i come home feeling renewed & ready to create it still takes time to find my groove.  every single time i come home i feel this need to rearrange my studio and sometimes the rest of the house.   this has been going on since i could move furniture,  if you are like me and are a 're-arranger', then you get it, if you aren't...well, i can't explain, it's just something i feel compelled to do.    whatever the reason, once everything is moved around, rearranged, and settled down  i feel inspired and ready to make art.  it's like creating a new space to start fresh.    so my studio is now in my foyer,  :)  which is perfect, since it is brighter and warmer in our foyer than it was in my studio. 

on my studio table is this journal that i made as a class sample for  the   be present retreat,    light & shadows, a four day retreat that will be held on the beautiful Oregon coast in february of next year, i will be teaching a workshop along with liz & darlene.   during the retreat each student and instructor will be exploring the theme of light & shadow through art, photography, poetry, meditation, yoga, and video... how amazing does that sound?  i am so very much looking forward to this retreat.  i will be instructing my students how to create their own hand painted journal like this one that i have been working in and will continue to work in for many months to come. there are still a few more spots open if anyone wants to join us, we would love it if you did. 

 

the last of the wild phlox

sigh.   sweet child of mine

spreading milkweed seeds

working on her first novel, as her editor hovers

 

i want this smile tattooed on my heart

daddy love

 

breathtaking view after a good climb 

leaf gazing

kissed by the morning sunlight

finally, i have loaded 2 folders on the sidebar from my classes at Valley Ridge & Art & Soul, so much amazing artwork!  if i missed your work and you would like it to be added please, please let me know.   

i am still playing catchup from being away, i just can't seem to keep focus on anything for too long, nor have i been very productive.  been feeling very moody & much like the weather, one day i am very sunny & warm and then the next cool & dreary with a hint of sharpness, which is fine, really...it's no different than any other time, i just feel very aware of it lately.   the good thing is that i have been in sync with the weather and that helps.   yesterday we took a hike in the mountains,  all of the leaves were glowing & the sky was a brilliant shade of blue, it was just what we all needed!   getting outside is always the best remedy!     today?   i had a few cups of tea, worked on an article,  enjoyed our afternoon hour (everyday, after school,  for at least one whole hour,  we stack up pillows & blankets wherever the sun is coming in and sip tea or hot cocoa while we read, write, draw or talk...  no television, no toys, no computer, no music)  and that's about it. 

 tomorrow i hope to be more productive. 

loving this live version of skinny love, bon iver

this angus & julia video, wasted

& this live version mykonos, fleet foxes

'art is a deliberate recreation of a new and special reality that grows from your response to life, it cannot be copied, it must be created.'  ~ unknown

12 days

just a week ago i was in portland, teaching at art & soul and a week before that i was just outside of madison,  teaching at valley ridge.  i was gone for 12 whole days, seven airplane rides & many hours spent here & there, with beloved old friends and dear new ones.    just like that i am back home again with the ones i love so very much,  like always, i did not want to leave.   and as always i came home feeling so grateful for the time away, and so happy to be home. 

i love this photo of katie & me, with the big goofy glasses that i couldn't pass up at the madison thrift store.  i found them right after beth & i said "see you soon" to jennifer,  for 50 cents i grabbed them, knowing they would be perfect for my kids dress up collection at home, little did i know they would be the perfect accessory in portland for an impromptu dance/dress up party...  i look at this photo now and it makes me smile, somehow we went from sitting around the table talking,  to making crazy silly videos, dressing up, dancing, and painting our faces with acrylic paint... all without any wine involved, now that says it all!  (either we are just plain silly or we know how to have fun! and why not? i am finding that life really is about these moments!) 

my whole time away was made up of memorable moments like this, some more serious than others, from getting a night with heather at beth's cottage, to getting lost on the back roads to madison on our way to this magical place, to a long morning walk with kathy, from playing in madison with beth & jennifer, to my first afternoon in portland with jen & katie, and getting mehandi on our arms to celebrate katie's birthday, and to making a hilarious video with stephanie to this song, to sharing conversation &  laughter with lk & judy... and and and... there is much more,  and i haven't even mentioned the whole reason for going... my students & classes.  i taught seven days worth of classes while i was gone and i loved every single second of it.  i love my students, and i love walking into a classroom and seeing many familiar faces and new faces as well.  i really do love teaching and all that it brings.  so often i question myself, if this is what i should be doing, if it's what i want to continue to do and even though next year i won't be teaching as much there is no way i am ready to stop.  someone told me she heard i was going to stop teaching,  noooo, no...  as long as i can i will keep on sharing what i love.    i have armfuls of photos to crop & share of my students & their work, i am thinking of making a video of all these photos or a folder here so i can share it all...   i want to create a blog for just my students, too... some of you i mentioned this to.  

....back to that girl in the goofy glasses, it's so wild to think just a few  years ago she was so  terrified to get on a plane, speak in front of people, or leave the comforts of home all by herself... and although i still feel that way every single time before i go i am always so grateful when i return, filled to the brim with goodness,  the reward truly is the journey.  and my heart sings that old familiar tune...  something like the theme song to the 'golden girls'  ~ thank you for being a friend, traveled down the road and back again...  

now that i am home i plan on showing up here more often...  :) 

today i am listening to this song, i love it, thank you stephanie.  i can't wait until our next session.  :D

thank you  thank you thank you thank you  

that it was!  

Happy Birthday dear Katie 

me / jen

saturday afternoon at the tea house

thank you stephanie, for capturing these moments with your camera  

stopping to take a photo in the window's reflection

afternoon sunlight

the perfect cup

 

my favorite demo piece from class

stephanie

a gift from maryann, thank you.

 

street singer, all i can hear when i see this photo... 'oh when the saints go marchin' in' 

katie & jen

 

lk

Valley Ridge

it's true, valley ridge really is heaven on earth, well at least i think so!  i really love it at  valley ridge art studio in rural wisconsin.  i love the peaceful landscape, waking up to the morning fog, my beautiful students... each and every single one of you, my new & old friends i get to see there, the art that just pours out of everyone, oh, the amazing food & drinks, the hoots of the owls & the cries of the coyotes right after the sky turns black, and  i love how recharged i feel after teaching there, most of all i love the way Bill & Kathy make everyone feel like they are right at home. 

 i had a wonderful six days in Wisconsin, i am forever grateful & changed.  a warm & most sincere thank you to Bill & Kathy & to my students, who feel so much more like friends by the time the workshop is over than they do students.  thank you.   i have many, many more photos & thoughts to sort out & share here...but they will have to wait just a bit, as i gotta travel on..... 

i got to spend an extra day in Madison before flying out, how lucky i was to share my day with these two very dear friends that i never would have found if not for valley ridge.  thank you, what a fun day it was!   and thank you beth for adopting me for two days and making my time in Wisconsin even grander! 

"we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." ~ winston churchill

tea parties, packing, art, & sweet plums...

this post has been sitting on the shelf for almost a week, photos waiting for me to add some relevant words so i can post it, perhaps maybe even add a song, a quote, a poem. ... what else?   i seem to be having trouble keeping everything in focus lately...

this post feels a little like packing...  do i need to add this?  what goes well with this?   do i have enough, too much, what did i forget?  is it too heavy? how will i ever fit it all in?  will i have to pay extra... yikes.   ;)   maybe it's because that is just what is on my mind.  soon, very soon i will be packing and heading out to teach again.... i cannot wait to be there, teach, connect with old & new friends, experience new things,  & then get back here with my family, to soak up the autumn days ahead.  

"fill your life with as many moments & experiences of joy and passion as you humanly can.  start with one experience and build on it"  ~Marcia Wieder

love this iron & wine cover , esp the doves in the background.

   i LOVE this site so much,  SO much inspiration here.

& how about one of my favorite poems...kind of goes nicely with the last painting  ;) 

This is just to say william carlos williams

I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold

   

a bit sulky

okay, maybe not sulky, but i like the way the word sounds when i say it.

feeling quiet, listening to wqln.org, i love that i can listen to my favorite radio station from back home & listening to Billy Collins & loving animated poetry.

thank you for stopping by, wishing you a peaceful weekend. 

 

rainy day hues

first, 

...a morning walk 

 

then,

...& cozy up, doing what i love.  

 i was surprised to hear the sound of rain this morning when i woke, even though they had been calling for rain for the past two days, and for the next four, i hope they are right.  i love mornings like this, when the fog is so thick you can't even find where the mountains end and the sky begins. but already the fog has started to lift, the sun is trying to stretch through the clouds, such indecisive weather, perfectly matches my mood.  

last night on our walk the smell of autumn was so present,  how i love the smell, but it made me feel anxious and sad, i'm not ready.  lately i am so aware of time and how nothing seems to stay still for long, the only things that seem to stay still are those things in photos, thank god for my camera.  yesterday my daughter asked me, "can you go just one day without your camera?" i laughed, saying of course i can and i do, but i really don't like to... it's my only way of keeping things the same.  

don't get me wrong, i do like change.  i just don't like it to come before i am ready. 

  ... i wonder just how many photos i can store on this computer.  ;)

check them out:  I love what Beth & her friends have been up to, & Liz has a sweet new home, & Graciel is rocking out the week!

surrounded

what started out as a little magical place has turned into an amazing realization that all it takes to make something grow is a seed, an idea.... and from there anything can happen, maybe even more than you imagined.     remember this from not too long ago?  well, one beloved little fairy house has turned into a little enchanted forest. the fairies must have liked the house and told other fairies about it, because there are new houses to see every time we visit.  when my friend jennifer came to visit last weekend the fairyland forest was on the "must see" list... when we got there she was the one that spotted a house that we didn't even notice on the way in, perhaps the fairies were there while we were walking?  

this makes me think of Ruth Gendler's book that i just received in the mail this week (thank you Ruth),   "notes on the need for beauty"   where she speaks of beauty in its oh so many forms.  how many different ways there are to see beauty and how much beauty we don't see and how we need each other to see the beauty within ourselves.   i am loving this book and the sparks it is igniting.   i truly believe we all need to take time to see, feel, and surround our lives with more beauty.  

 

" ...walking in a familiar place with a new friend, walking in a new place with an old friend, walking with young children (is it because they are so close to the ground that they are willing to stop, explore, sniff out so much more than the rest of us? ) i am always surprised by what we say to each other and see together."  ~ ruth gendler

found beauty on our walk today...

thank you for your comments on my last post about adjusting to my children being back to school.    thank you    i think it will only take me about nine more months to feel fully adjusted...just in time for summer.  :)  

i love, love, love this song. 

sp + a day in photos

this was yesterday.  coming home to such a quiet house after dropping both of my children off at school sucks!  this week of adjusting has been tougher than the first week.  i think it is now soaking in that the days of having a preschooler, toddler, baby are behind me and i feel a sense of a kind of loneliness here that hasn't been in my life in a very long time.  i am trying not to wallow in it, but rather recognize it, understand it, and turn it into gratitude for what was and what now is.  and i realize just how important it is to have a handful of healthy distractions, joys, & things i love to keep me balanced.   

after i got home i grabbed my camera and took photos of things around the house that captured my attention, first my sadness, slowly i could feel is ease up a bit... feeling a little more playful, i then went for another take, this time with the straw hat, i love how it blurred...   (when sadness creeps in go for the straw hat, it's harder to take myself seriously when i am wearing a straw hat :)   -   then i found the enticing bowl of scuppernongs,  (i love these so much)   -   the morning sunlight hitting our bed so beautifully  -  that our caterpillar had found a perfect spot to go into a J, getting ready for the next stages of it's life   - then rye-rye, giving me that look, such a sweetheart  - and my collection of vintage books and leftover spines, all so beautiful.   after my walk around the house it was time to get lost in my studio for a few hours with found company,  then a break for a perfect cup of earl grey tea & some lunch, then it was time for my children to come home and play!   i love this idea...a day in photographs, maybe it's something i will keep doing.  instead of sp wednesday, maybe a day in photos each wednesday?  what does a day in your life look like?  

today it's much the same,  but less heavy, no straw hat & the caterpillar is now tucked away in its chrysalis.  change can be beautiful.  

"the ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully have been kindness, beauty, & truth.  ~ albert einstein

inspiration:  have you seen this? (thank you erin).   or this? 

a weekend in photos

{a huge thank you to my part time photographer, 

jennifer    aka dj j-dawg} ;) 

randomness...

my mom opened an etsy shop, hope you will check it out. 

  i love this version of come together so freakin' much!  & then there is this little bobby mcferrin piece of genius! 

i just discovered this site & love it!  yum! i made this friday night, perfect with corn on the cob. 

wishing you a happy week!