Hello, May...

It's going to be a good month! Can you ever just feel it sometimes? Already, the second day in, and I can feel a shift in the atmosphere. Good, positive things are coming...I just know.

Do you ever have one of those days where you realize how closely your reality resembles your wildest dreams? Today, as I sit here at my computer, my girls toddling about me...inside and outside...I'm having the deepest feelings of happiness and contentment. I'm realizing how there is absolutely nowhere else I'd rather be {physically or metaphorically}.

I'm working diligently on getting my prints in the shop today. I cannot tell you the feeling of accomplishment as I placed my items the "Art" category. I have wanted to sell something in that category for as long as I can remember. From a time when I was sure that "artist" meant "painter" or "illustrator" or something else that I did not possess the skills for. There were so many years that I resigned myself to suppressing my creative desires because I did not match my own description of "artist".

It wasn't until this big world opened up for me and I fell in love with my camera that I began to see things in a different light; that I began to explore all of the possibilities that lay in front of me. Artist is not a job; it's not a category on an aptitude test that implies some specific skill set. Artist is a way of life. To be an artist is to be able to look at this world, see something magical in it, and then be able to share that with the world.

Today, I accomplished a long time goal...I began selling my art. It feels huge...so monumental. It was a goal that seemed too huge to even work towards at one time, and then a goal that felt to intimidating to tackle. Persistence and patience have won today...as have I.

And the fact that all this has happened amidst my being home to raise my children and watch them grow...well, words cannot even begin to describe my gratitude for my blessings! Five years ago, I was working full time in a stressful, non-family friendly work environment. I missed my daughter, I hated my job, I came home crying nearly every day...but saw no other solution. On faith, I left that job and began waitressing only to realize shortly thereafter that we were expecting our second child. I didn't see how it would be possible to support two children when we were barely getting by on Brent's meager salary and my minimal waitressing shifts. But I had faith...strong faith...that everything was meant to be...that God would provide. I was open and listened. And a waitressing job, an in-home daycare, a soap business, and some changes in Brent's work situation later...here I am realizing my wildest dreams!

I didn't even really come here today to spill all of that and get so mushy...but once I started writing, I knew that it was important to look at everything that brought me to this point. I don't want to go all "if you can dream it, you can do it" on you, but I do want to say that if something is on your heart, I'm a firm believer that everything will all come together eventually to make that happen. Life may not always go down the roads you plan, but ultimately, you will always end up where you were intended to go.

So, May is starting off really great, yes?

Realities & Blessings...

Hello & Happy Friday!!!! What?, you ask. Two R&B's in one week? Yes, I know...it's invigorating. Well, not really. But after today we'll be back on schedule and that, my friends, is invigorating.

So, without further ado...

Reality: I officially spent the bulk of my week cleaning up dog messes. The big dog came around quite quickly, but the little one had a rough time shaking that nasty bug. He's 11 yrs. old and he has chronic allergies which makes everything hit him just a little harder.

Blessing: The biggest blessing is that it's OVER! He is finally eating and everything seems to be working properly. The bonus blessing is that any residual guilt I may have been harboring over not bringing anything to the financial table has completely vanished. I am now 100% convinced that I more than earn my keep around here!

Reality: I've been in a creative slump for about three weeks now. I've been dispassionate about photography, editing, & writing...all the things that typically bring me so much joy and fulfilment. Although I know full well that this is all just a part of the creative process, I'm really getting frustrated and grumpy over it none-the-less.
Blessing: It's right about the time that you're coming out of these creative slumps that you realize you've been in one. And I'm happy to report that I do see some signs that I'm rounding the creative corner. {YAAAYYY!!!} Also, my time spent in the underbelly of the creative flow reminded me that I owe you a post on the creative cycle. A while back I posted the first in a two part series on Fostering Creativity and I neglected to post the second. So, I think {hopefully} I'm going to do a video blog on the topic because I have a lot to say and I never get the time to type that much {with both of my hands}. So that will be exciting! Also, my creative slump allowed me a big opportunity to plug away at some of the boring less creative tasks involved with opening up my print shop! So I'm hoping to get that up and running next week!

Reality: Due to all the busy-ness, lack of sleep, and overall unpleasantness going on around here this past week, I re-fueled and pepped up with raunchy, calorically overloaded, sugar coated foods...and lots of them.  I really think that after spending the weekend at my brother's {who happens to make the BEST chicken enchiladas...of which I ate plenty to cover servings for all of us!} and stuffing my face with junk this week that I have easily gained a minimum of five to seven pounds. The part that really bothers me is that I feel like I've spent a week eating nothing but junk: sluggish, bloated, blah!
Blessing: I found solace and a much needed sugar rush in more than one bag of chocolate covered pretzels and a pack of EL Fudge cookies. And, you know what, at the end of the day when you're juggling three kids and two sick dogs, you need to get your jollies wherever you can! And if some weeks that's a bag of marshmallows, then so be it!

Alright... I am ready to leave this week behind me and head on into better days! Did you like the inclusion of all the "dog"wood pictures...get it? I'm trying to re-associate the word dog with nicer images! I'd love it if you joined in on the R&B fun...if you do, please link back here and leave your link in the comments!

I'm very excited about some things I have planned for next week. In honor of my print shop opening up, next week will be full of fun and creativity and maybe even a giveaway!

Have a great weekend, everyone!!!

Realities & Blessings {& Spring Blossoms}...

Here we are again for another week's worth of Realities & Blessings...it's my little way of looking back on the week's challenges and putting them in a positive light. I love how it helps my enter the weekend with a fresh perspective.

This week, I thought I'd share some images of my favorite pieces of Spring with you...buds & blossoms!

Reality: Nap times in this house are currently in a state of unrest {pun very much intended}. We had been feeling that Rayne was ready to give up her afternoon nap. But Layla, who is not ready to give hers up, is very much sure she is. Not only are my kiddos tired and a bit crazy, but changes in schedule are often difficult for me and upseting to our normal flow.
Blessing: They infamous 'they' are always saying that change is good. Where I say that the jury may still be out on that one, it is good to assess patterns and make changes where necessary. This shift in Rayne's schedule will allow me to spend a little more time with her and it will give her some opportunities to unwind alone...without the 'entertainment' of Layla. We will all soon find our new normals and get back into a new predictable flow.

Reality: Layla is turning four...FOUR...tomorrow. You know how I feel about birthdays and my sweet babies getting older. And if you don't know...I happen to dislike the whole aging process greatly when it comes to the kids.
Blessing: Layla really is turning into a good little girl...a fun, funny, beautiful little girl. She is definitely not a baby any more and I really love the little lady she is turning out to be!

Reality: As a part of my constant need to learn more and more about the art and skill of photography, I started shooting in RAW...it doesn't compress the files, as it does with jpegs, and as a result, you gain more editing control. This has not only come with a whole new learning curve, but also a whole new set of things I must learn and adjustments I must make because these files are much bigger and behave differently than traditional image files. It has been yet another uncomfortable, uncertain, and frustrating growth period which also resulted in the loss of some very loved magnolia image files.
Blessing: I can shoot in RAW!!!!! Great hardships reap great rewards. I really do love the editing options that this format allows. I have now figured out most of the logistics of what needs to happen. I have re-assessed my photo storage options and come up with what I feel are inherently better solutions. And, I went back to the park and re-took those magnolia images that I loved and lost.

Reality: I have been having a very hard time lately keeping up with life's responsibilities. I feel overwhelmed and unorganized while at the same time feeling very lazy. I have Spring fever in a bad way and all I really want to do is play outside and take pictures.
Blessing: My primary job in life is to take care of my children. And lucky for me, all they want to do is play outside. Sooooo...I have a really good excuse reason for falling behind in my other duties. Unfortunately, this has also made me a bad blog friend as of late...and for that I do apologize! I hope my Spring fever cools off a bit soon and I can resume normal functioning levels...probably!

So, there you have it, another week's worth of Realities & Blessings. I am super excited that so many of you have decided to join in! Please link back here and feel free to leave your link in the comments of this post!

I will see you tomorrow for another of my 30 Lists; 30 Things I Love About Layla...the birthday gal! Aaannnddd...you'll get to see a bunch of the photos from her session last Friday!

Happy Friday, dear friends!

30 Things I Did Last Week While I Wasn't Blogging {List 3 of 30}

Wow...it feels like I haven't shared things going on in my life for quite some time. It's funny, you get on a blogging roll and your online life and your offline life seem to mesh and blend. Then you take a week off and they can feel so disconnected. Then, it's hard to know how to jump back in...do I pick up where I left off or do I just start from here. Well, I decided that I needed to somehow fill you in on what our life has looked liked around here and all the things we've been up to...you know, without devoting a week's worth of posts to detailing every moment. So....

30 Things I Did Last Week While I Wasn't Blogging

1. Realized I am way behind on my 30 lists
2. Spent a lot of time outside

    3.   Resumed our fair weather after dinner walking habit

    4.    Took Layla's four year portraits {they went awesome!}

    5.   Made my Easy-Peasy Quiche with bacon, cheese, tomatos, onions, and green peppers...twice!

        {delicious!

    6.   Colored eggs

    7.   Hid Eggs

    8.   Found Eggs

    9.   Did a little stint for the Easter Bunny

    10. Finally decided to start selling some of my prints {but also decided that I will take my time setting up shop and not let it be something else that stresses me out!}

    11.  Re-did my website to align with my passions and current goal of selling prints and perhaps looking towards future goals of something bigger

    12.  Ordered 'Raising Happiness' and can't wait to start reading!

    13.  Survived a nasty Spring cold that traveled through the house

    14.  Wiped Maya's nose nearly 2 million times {and counting}

    15.  Had a couple of nights where Brent and I got literally 2 hrs. of total sleep in 30 minute increments

    16.  Had a couple of great night's sleeps with the windows open, cieling fan overhead, snuggled between my babe and my baby

    17.  Counted jelly beans

    18.  Ate jelly beans

    19.  Saw bees mating {it's kind of freaky...but a good sign, none-the-less!}

    20.  Watched the buds on the trees turn to flowers, and now to leaves

    21.  Saw lots of family

    22.  Spent lots of good, quality moments with my girls

    23.  Had plenty of bad, shameful moments getting frustrated with the girls

    24.  Painted my toenails

    25.  Began my traditional 'nothing but flip-flops' portion of the year

    26.  Began my traditional 'nothing but flowy skirts' portion of the year

    27.  Took a ton of pictures

    28.  Started shooting in RAW {don't worry if you don't know what that is...}

    29.  Ate homemade, baked macaroni and cheese...twice {oh-so-yummy!}

    30.  Totally enjoyed a lot of much needed offline time!

So, there you have it! A quick summary of what you missed from my totally un-exciting life while I wasn't boring you with all the details last week. I really felt like there was a lot I wanted to mention and, hey, I did need to bang out one of those 30 Lists here! I will actually have another one for the birthday girl on Saturday!

So, I hope that you're all enjoying Spring and having a great week! I will be back tomorrow with Realities & Blessings!

What Spring Looks Like to Us...

As promised, a post chock full of pictures...and not much else. I think these images do a great job of telling the stories that my words could not.

Life has been good. Really good!

Happy Spring...

Happy 1st Day of Spring to all of you! I have many pictures to share from the past couple of days. We have spent so much time outside just enjoying the beautiful weather. So perhaps tomorrow will be a big day of just photos. Till then...

Welcoming Spring...

After four straight days of rain and gloom, we are finally seeing some sun and warm weather again. We want to make good and sure that Spring doesn't think she is not wanted. So we have been out enjoying her, complimenting her, investigating her, and basking in her.

Most importantly, we've been looking for some concrete proof that she is here to stay. Layla refers to this as "hunting for buds." And when that girl has a mission, she does what she sets out to do!

And so we found what we were looking for...and then some!

Mmmm...I think we can go ahead and fall in love with her now. It doesn't appear that she is going anywhere!

The freshness of new life is so uplifting, is it not?

How are you welcoming Spring where you live?

I'm very excited about some fresh and exciting things coming here to this space as well in the next couple of weeks. I do very much promise to honor the prior promise I made about posting the second part of the Fostering Creativity series. However, I need a free evening to do all the typing and all of my recent evenings have been tied up filling orders for my shop liquidation. {thank you everyone who has helped me clear out my shop...there is not much left!} So that will be coming up sometime in the future, along with an artist interview and a giveaway or two. Also, a few of you have asked about how to achieve those lovely bokeh pictures from my last post so I will try to post some sort of tutorial or tips or something about that as well! But for now, we are just going to soak up some more of this sunshine and I hope you are doing the same!