Wordless Wednesday ~ Spring Photo Safari

Star Magnolia


Saucer Magnolia


Unsure what this is...Lily of the Valley?


Redbud trunk


Daffodils


A heavenly smell...winter daphne


Squirrel on a bench

Ta-Da Friday ~ March 7, 2008

Busy and reasonably productive week here creatively speaking.

Last Saturday was lovely, sunshine and warm temps. We fed our garden fever (you do feed a fever, right?) by going to a garden trade show, a plant nursery, and the Botanic Gardens in Ft. Worth. The Gardens stroll turned into a fun photo safari with The Pilot Guy and I snatching the camera out of each other's hands.

I stripped a porch swing to prep for a new paint job. Power sanders are fun.

The big creative fun was photographing the snow on Thursday. Just under five lovely inches of pure white fun.

Here are a few more photos from the day...


View from the front door...

Bunny tracks on the front porch

We were supposed to be at a baseball tournament yesterday. I guess this guy didn't get the word.


I finished piecing my lap quilt. I'll post photos tomorrow or next week.

What creative fun did you have this week? Tell about it in the comments. Feel free to link to a photo in your own blog.

Wordless Wednesday~Almost Spring

When the sun no longer touches the bed in the afternoons, it is almost spring. Rascal is taking advantage of every sliver left.

Snapshots

Jen at The Cottage Nest http://www.thecottagenest.blogspot.com/ passed along a challenge to post a photo of ourselves. She did an admirable job of photoing herself and also of describing herself in an frank and funny way.

I thought it curious that I chose this week to post not one, but two photos of myself here. The one in my profile was taken in Gemunden, Germany at the Bible camp where we occasionally cook. The wooden bench is an almost sacred place to me. When I'm there I enjoy the sunshine from this bench and usually spend time praying for my family, specifically my sisters-in-law. I love speaking their names to the Father in that wonderful German air. Very cool for a west Texas girl.

The second was the group of my sisters-in-law at a much loved niece's wedding in Sept. 2006 featured in the previous post.

But the photo, or at least one, doesn't quite capture me. Just like with you, it would take a collage of images. Horses, dogs, flowers, my boys, my husband, extended family, my love for canyon country and for the sights of Paris, my passion for both chocolate and Stargate SG1, my obsession with books, reading and writing them, my love of visual arts, and my total loathing of anything resembling housecleaning would have have a place in the collage. The center and the framework of the piece would be God.

What would be in yours? That might be a terrific project for after the holidays. A collage of images of who I am.

When my mother died, we pulled a bunch of photos together. Some lovely friends with a video production company put them to music for her funeral. I love that we chose images from her childhood and throughout the rest of her life. Lots of funny hairdos and eyeglasses, but lots and lots of brilliant smiles. Too brief, but deeply moving. A snapshot of a life.

In my days as a professional photographer I heard a theory of why we don't like photos of ourselves. Since we see ourselves in mirrors (and backwards because of it) photos look 'off' to us.

True or not, its something to think about as you brush your teeth in the mornings.

Fun!

Every year my sisters in law and I give each other small personal gifts for Christmas. The items are usually not expensive, but rather sweet, personal, and often home-made. In the last few years, I've gotten in the habit of buying something rather than making it. Usually, I kick myself later.

I love these women, my sisters. To make this photo more poignant, one of our sisters has gone to be with the Lord since last Christmas. The empty space she leaves in my heart is immense.

This year, I decided I wanted to do something special for them. They deserve something I've created, don't you think? I've had the idea of making notecards out of my flower photos for a long while. Today, I did it. Designed what I wanted, uploaded the photos, and typed in text. Then, I punched order.

Yippee!

Okay, so technically, I'm not *making* these with my own two hands. But I did create the images and put everything together. That's creativity. I'll add some pretty ribbon to wrap them in....or maybe I'll wrap them in raffia in keeping with the natural theme. Next year, I'll learn to do hand-made cards to which to attach the photos.

Back in my days as a professional photographer, an order like this would have taken weeks to complete. And Oh, the expense! Ka-ching.

I'm LIKING the digital age. I'll post photos as soon as I have my greedy little hands on the cards.

My creative soul got fed a treat today. Now feed yours. Go do something visual and artsy today. Even if it is coloring with crayons or markers or playing with holiday ribbon.

Have some fun!