Walk With Me

[building architecture] I'll be honest, it's too cold to go exploring for a good building and I really don't feel like doing it with 3 kids in tow. So, I'm not going to take a picture today. However, I know of someone who takes photographs of architecture for her job and for enjoyment. My sister is an Architectural Historian with the 106 group (based out of St. Paul, MN but expanding to other metropolitan areas). http://www.106group.com/about-us/our-story/ I enjoy looking through her pictures and learning about the various projects she's working on to preserve historical buildings. Check out some of her stuff here: http://heckyespres.blogspot.com/?view=classic

[a feeling] I had to ponder a bit on this one and then realized today I'm feeling content. I've had a hard time feeling content lately. Well, longer than lately. Rachel is almost 2, but some days I feel like I still haven't recovered. I was so exhausted before she even arrived that afterward was even worse. On top of that we dove head first into starting Jon's process serving business and he started doing home inspections (in addition to his full time job) so my days turned into 12+ hour days by myself with the kiddos. Now, I'm not trying to complain, and I continuously remind myself of the blessing of being able to stay at home with my girls. I'm just stating that this has been my reality and needless to say I've been tired, which then leads to a whole host of other feelings and contentment was not one of them. But the other day I think I finally kicked myself in the butt and decided to stop being so hard on myself and to stop feeling so guilty for feelin

[unique] We bought an oak table not long after we moved into our house. One of those gigantic, self storing leaf things from Slumberland. While it was nice, the crack in the middle led to spilled milk all over the stored leaves. One of the chairs did not last long and the finish was not what I had hoped. We took care of this table, trust me. We hated that part of the top already had a small scratch. I truly believe they just don't make things like they used to. So, I started researching. I wanted a table that was simply functional. Especially with young kids. Something that didn't cost an arm and a leg. The more I looked, the more I realized how possible it was to just make my own. Based on other farmhouse style tables, I designed my own to fit our needs. Knowing this was my first attempt at a big project, I simply used pine knowing that it would ding and scratch a lot worse than oak. However, it was all about functionality. Jon's dad helped me build our table last May and

I'm reviving a little blog in an attempt to work on a Photo-a-Day project. While I keep busy around the house and I have things like teaching piano and water aerobics to give me a little bit of a life outside of raising kids, I found I needed a challenge. I realize photography is kind of a fad right now, but I have found great enjoyment in taking photos. I feel it allows me to be creative and for me, it brings me into the moment with my girls. Some may say that you focus more on taking the picture than being in the moment with your kids, but I find quite the opposite to be true for me. While the Olympus was a nice camera, it was an older model and way above my head. I enjoy photography, but I just don't have the time to decipher cameras made for professional photographers. So, we downsized to a Canon with simpler features that I can actually understand as I'm learning to take better photos. I'm hoping this is something I will stick to in order to continue to challenge m

[ground level] This is why I love taking pictures. I am reminded that it's more about the beauty in the imperfections than it is about being or having something perfect. I was actually lying on my back, in the snow pointing the camera up the hill toward Rachel. Even though her face is blurry, I just love everything about her expression and those chubby little cheeks! I also like how the sun reflected in the background. Again, not perfect but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[rise] I'm trying to get caught up and this is the best photo I could find for this theme. Another test with macro. The way this leaf was floating on the water makes it looks as if it's rising up into the air. This was in our "sidewalk swimming pool" and the girls were jumping all around me in the water. That I managed to get such a still, fairly clear shot is a pretty amazing feat.

[green] I'm not very Irish so St. Patrick's Day goes unnoticed around here. So, for green I chose to test the Macro feature. We're attempting to start some vegetables from seed this year. I will admit that this particular cucumber plant did not survive. I'm trying to find that balance of keeping it moist without drowning it and maintaining a good temperature in our basement. The girls helped me plant 1 round and we started a little too early as things sprouted up way faster than anticipated in our makeshift greenhouse. So, we are trying another round and hoping these will make it to warmer weather in a container garden outside this summer. If all goes well, we'll have cucumber, zucchini, tomatoes, peas, and some herbs.

[happy] These girls bring me more joy than I have ever known. They are also the source of frustration and worry, but that's what you sign up for as a Mom. And all that not-so-good stuff washes away when you pause to remember the beauty and innocence of being a child and let it bring joy to you as an adult.(Yes, Bethany has bread bags inside her boots. We don't have rain boots and I thought this would help as we walked around the block. Then, we hit the swimming pool in front of our house...)