The Gift of Giving

This Christmas I was able to give a special gift when I was asked to make Photo Art Tiles for a friend.  She had some pictures of her parents and wonderful old documents from their honeymoon in Italy from the early 1950's.  Her parents are gone now, and she wanted to find a way to share the old photos and documents from their journey with her family.  I layered the old stamps, passports and even love letters on the photos.  In the one photo of the two of them, the left half is a letter from her Dad to her Mom in English and on the right in Italian--so lovely.  I could feel their new love in these photos and they became even more special with all the mementos from their honeymoon travels.  I was so honored to create these pieces for her family.  I hope they bring back wonderful memories of her parents as they started their happy life together.  Merry Christmas dear friend. . .I thank you for allowing me to give you such a gift.

Filling in the blank

For years, I have said to myself, "As soon as ___ is finished, I will get myself organized."  The problem is that there is always something different to fill in the blank.  My latest ____was to "focus on my Blog once the kids were in school."  Good in theory, but I am teaching again and volunteering is taking more time than I thought.  Enough complaining, I just need to carve out time!  I had a wonderful busy summer.  Lots of photo walks in Chautauqua (CHQ) with a great friend.  Found some really cool ephemera (old papers) and am working on combining the two.  I am extremely thankful for the support of the CHQ community--two fantastic art shows this summer.  I am also in the latest issue of Artful Blogging by Stampington and Co.--so honored!  So, it's time to get going.  My goal--blog once a week and stop making _____ excuses:)  Here are a few of my photos from summer.

Summer Mornings

Nothing beats sitting on the porch enjoying a lazy Sunday.  I am so thankful for these moments!

One door closes . . .another opens

Well the graduation dust has settled here and I have a moment to pause and reflect on this important milestone.  Of course, there were all the wonderful traditions of a graduation--the ceremony, the caps and gowns, the parties, but as I reflect my emotions are mixed.  We had two graduations--one from high school and one from junior high. We said goodbye to schools, friends and much of our familiar routine.  No school bus will stop at our house.  No more knee socks and plaid skirts.  I will have one less smiling (or grumpy) face at our table in the fall.  My house will be quieter . . .a lot quieter.  Even though these changes are part of life (and really a good thing), it is hard to say goodbye.  I think we are ready.  Life has presented our family with many changes and whether we were ready or not--we did just fine.  We let go of car seats and high chairs, swings and bikes, crayons and cartoons.  We moved on to all things digital, cars, dances and loud music.  Time outs in a bedroom were not required, but requested.  Life moved forward and I am not sure we paused long enough to realize how much it was changing.

As I put together photos for graduation books, I just kept asking myself--how did this go so quickly?  It seemed like just yesterday, I had three babies.  I wish I had savored each milestone just a little more.  Birthdays, first steps, swimming with floaties, bike rides--I am so thankful that I have the pictures to remember most of it.  I am sad that I don't remember others. . . the last bouquet of dandelions. . . the last time I pushed my kids on a swing.  So many doors of their childhood have closed.  I wish I was more aware when they were closing, so I could have held on to that moment.  So while this graduation season has caused me to reflect, it has also caused me to be to make sure I embrace those milestone moments.  I made sure that I captured this last bus ride.  I waited for that last glimpse of yellow, I took the photo, but most of all I savored the moment.  As we go forward, these graduations have reminded me to pause and enjoy each and every milestone.  Off to the next open door. . .

Graduation Countdown

As I sort through my son's photos of the last 18 years, I still find it hard to believe that we are here--High School Graduation.  Because it is such a milestone, we all remember our own graduation and it sure doesn't seem like that long ago.  He will remember this moment always, but I hope he remembers so much more.  The photos are reminders of his happy life and the special times we had as a family.  I hope these memories and experiences are enough.  He is ready to move on and I am ready to watch him fly out of our nest. My prayer is that the lessons he has learned give him flight!  Congratulations to my sweet boy--time to fly.  xo Mom

Happy Sunday!

(see full image)

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward - Spanish Proverb

(see full image)

Fields of Gold

Happy Mother's Day!

(see full image)

Sent from my iPhone

Winning the Lottery

Do you ever play the game--"If I won the lottery, I would . . ."  It's fun to dream about
what you would do if you didn't have a financial care in the world.  Of course this is
not the reality for me or for just about everyone I know.  But I do ask myself this question,
because, financial freedom should not keep you (at least in some way) from your dreams.  I spent
many years doing things I needed to do and not the things I wanted to do.  After searching,
I do believe I found the right balance--I teach, I create art, I am my house manager and I volunteer in our community. When I was honest about who I am and what I wanted, the decision was clear.  I may not have won a lottery, but I feel like I won so much more. . .I have the answer to the question.

SPRING JOY

 One of the benefits of four seasons is watching and appreciating the constant changes of nature.  After a long winter, the signs of spring are everywhere.  Spirits are raised and people are smiling as we bask in the warmth and bright colors of spring.  One of my first trips is to a local nursery where a wonderful woman named Joy, greets me with a big spring welcome.  I am always so happy to see her and all the beautiful blossoms that have sprouted the past few months.  For most, this seasonal activity is normal, but for me it is also a special connection to a precious memory.   This was one of the first places my Mom and I would go in the spring, and now that she is gone, I feel her smiling down on me when I am there.  I feel her presence, remember our visits and am reminded that she is always with me in spirit (especially when I select the flowers and promise I will water them).  Spring is our reminder that life goes on and will bloom again.   So thank you spring, thank you Joy and thank you Mom for reminding me to appreciate the beauty of the season.