Wildflowers {Part II}...

{I am currently on a week long computer hiatus! But I have prepared some picture only posts throughout my break...because I have way too many pictures!!! Enjoy!}

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

- William Blake, Auguries of Innocence

Wildflowers {Part I}...

{I am currently on a week long computer hiatus! But I have prepared some picture only posts throughout my break...because I have way too many pictures!!! Enjoy!}

You belong among the wildflowers,
You belong somewhere close to me.
Far away from your trouble and worries
You belong somewhere you feel free.
- Tom Petty, Wildflowers

I wish a very Happy First Day of Summer to you all!!!

30 Things I Vow To Do This Summer...

I can hardly believe that 1) it is June already and 2) that Rayne's very last day as a  Kindergartner is tomorrow. It's just like life to serve up a big 'ole helping of change right when you start to get comfy. You know {or perhaps you don't} the way I feel about setting intentions so as not to let opportunities pass you by. So I thought since I'm way behind on my 30 Lists and since my mind is all but mush due to all the writing I've been doing for Boot Camp, that I would pop out a List of 30 summer intentions.

30 Things I Vow To Do This Summer

1. Get outside...even though it's hot...even though it's really stinking hot
2. Eat lots of popsicles
3. Swim in our big pool...a lot...to make it worth all the time and money we put into it each year
4. Go hiking
5. Sleep in our tent...all together...even if it's in our back yard
6. Go to Maine
7. Meet some online friends in person
8. Go out for ice cream
9. Wear sunscreen
10. Swim in a lake
11. Swim in the ocean
12. Find sea glass
13. Not watch too closely as the baby-ness just seems to be falling off of Maya 
14. Go out to eat with only my husband
15. Eat crabs
16. Go strawberry picking
17. Read books
18. Play with my children
19. Spend more time off the computer than on
20. Eat outside
21. Begin taking more portraits
22. Will make sure I'm in more pictures
23. Go to the farmer's market
24. Grill as often as possible
25. Invite friends over for dinner
26. Ride a ferris wheel
27. Dry laundry on the line
28. Relax
29. Enjoy having my babies home
30. Kiss, hug, relish, snuggle, read to, play with, teach, encourage, inspire, and love my children

In other news, I am getting so pumped for Creativity Boot Camp! I'd love to have an entire day to just sit and re-work some of the posts...but that's just not in the cards and it'll be great as it is...I hope!

I'm trying not to get overly emotional about Rayne's last day of Kindergarten...but well, let's face it, it's me and I will! But she is excited and ready and we have a whole big summer to look forward to!

Tomorrow, I will finally get to spill the beans about a very exciting venture! Please do stop back!

And, last but not least, all of the images in this post were processed using Jessica Paige's new set of One Willow presets for Lightroom. She has just released The Fairytale Collection and oh-my-goodness...they are amazing!

June Soap Notes & GIVE-AWAY!!!

I can hardly believe that summer is upon us. As I age, I can feel the dramatic passing
of time in an almost palpable way. It seems that almost as soon as I say that
we should do {insert any idea here} this summer, it’s all over and time for
school and schedules to begin again. Since I have yet to find a way to slow the
passage of time, I’m taking extra measures to mindfully enter summer and
therefore not let it pass before my eyes.

I believe in the immeasurable power of setting intentions: stating purposes, plans, and hopes in an effort to drive actions towards goals. For instance, if I wake and blindly enter my day as just one like the rest, it most likely will be just like the ones that have come before. But if I wake and
take a few moments to assess what my hopes and visions for that day are, my actions and efforts will be geared towards those specific wishes and therefore I’ll have a better chance at a fulfilling day. I propose that we set those same kinds of intentions for our summer so that we have the best chance of living it fully. {If it’s not summer where you live, these same principles can be applied to any given season or span of time}

I would like to clarify here that by ~intentions~ I do not mean ~expectations~. Due to the unpredictable nature of life, expecting anything often leads to disappointment, then to judgment. These intentions need to be semi-general in nature, flexible in delivery, and more about ethereal outcomes. For example, stating that you’d like to have beautiful landscaping by the end of the summer is an expectation that you’ll have lots of time and resources to devote to working
outside. Then, if after all your hard work, your landscaping doesn’t live up to your visions, you may feel disappointed and unhappy with yourself. However, if your intentions were to spend enjoyable time working in your garden and to plant some things that you’ll be able to take
pleasure in for years to come, most likely you’ll make gardening a priority in your life and you’ll enjoy the relaxed state in which you can work because there’s no added expectation of perfection or completion in the end. Since the true goal of your intention was doing something that brings you joy, you’ll have achieved your goals and you’ll feel good about your efforts.

Do I have you deep in thought over your hearts true and pure desires for summer? Good! Here are my personal intentions:

To enjoy the freshness and vitality of
the season

To encourage my children to cherish
the simple treasures all around us

To fill my body and our house with goodness
and wholesomeness

To fully utilize the freedom of the
season

To teach my children as much as I can

So there they are; pretty general and non-specific yet meaningful enough to guide my actions. I have ideas and wishes for how I’d like to accomplish these goals but they might change and they are not as important as my reasons for doing them. Now it’s your turn: Get ready, set your intentions, and go forth!

All righty; as you’ve come to expect, it’s GIVE-AWAY TIME!!!! Up for grabs this month are some handmade goodies to help you savor the season: a bar of our new Apricot Pear Soap, a set of four Summer Harvest Postcards, & the handmade bookmark featured at the top of this page. All you have to do to enter is comment on this post {or email me} and tell me one of your intentions for summer. I will announce the winner on June 30^th.