Dreaming Of Spring

'No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.'  -  Hal Borland

Dreaming of Spring...

Dirt under my fingernails.

Bare feet.   

The screen door slamming. 

Watching the color green pop up in the woods.

The smell of tomato vines, basil and freshly dug dirt.

Feeling grass between my toes.

The sun warming my skin.

Woodpeckers loudly pecking for insects.

Flip flops flopping.

Birds chirping a happy morning song.

The smell of fresh rain.

Lawnmowers running.

Sitting with a good book and a tall glass of iced tea on my back porch.

Hummingbirds visiting.

The wonderful smell and cheerful color of spring flowers.

What are your dreams of spring?

 

Today I am joining Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday and the class Be Still.  My image was processed in Lightroom using Kim's preset organic.  

 

Thank you so much for stopping by!!

Have a great week!!

Michelle

Texture Tuesday

February is always our worst month for winter weather.   Last week the kids were off several days because of  extremely cold temperatures or snow covered roads.   Friday was another day off school for Megan, my daughter.  Since it was too cold to go outside in the snow we decided to make origami.  I saw on Sylvia's lovely blog Cosiness a link on how to make origami love birds (you can visit her blog here).  Sylvia's love birds were so pretty and Megan loves birds, so I thought it would be a fun activity.  We did have a lot of fun making the love birds and I also made the banner above.  Megan googled origami and our love birds then had samurai hats to wear... as well as everyone else in the house. 

The sky was clear and blue yesterday which means cold temperatures to come.  Sure enough it was -9° F actual temperature when Megan went to the bus stop this morning.  They couldn't have a 2 hour delay because they are starting their standardized testing today.  I asked if she had enough No. 2 lead pencils for the test, she said she didn't need them.  She needed to bring her ear 'buds' instead  because they are taking the test on a computer.  How things change...

Today I am joining Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday and the class Be Still.  The assignment in Be Still was to ... add a little hanging something.  I added a banner I created on Megan's snow day and also the texture sybil.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

Have a great week and stay warm!

Michelle

Lavender And A Spoon

'As Rosemary is to the Spirit, so Lavender is to the Soul.'  -  unknown

'Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder.  Keep rosemary by your garden gate.  Add pepper to your mash potatoes.  Plant roses and lavender for luck.  Fall in love whenever you can.' 

-  Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

'I love lavender-both the color and the smell.  And the sound (be quiet so you can hear it). 

-  Jarod Kintz, Whenever You're Gone, I'm Here For You

I am sure I have mentioned it before... I love lavender. 

I just came across the quote from Jarod Kintz.  It made me smile.  I don't believe I have ever heard a sound from one of my lavender plants, and I have spend a lot of time with them.  When it gets warm again I will have to listen closer...

I feel like I moved slightly south.  Our winter weather in SW Ohio hasn't been so bad 'yet' this year.  Yes it is cold, but we only got a dusting of snow with the last storm.  We were suppose to get more but the temperature was too warm so it rained, and rained.  The kids were very disappointed, they were hoping for a snow day.   I am not complaining.

Today I am joining Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday and the class Be Still 52.  The assignment for Be Still 52 was 'spoons', I used one of my flea market favorites.  I started processing my images in Lightroom with Kim's preset dreamlike, with a few changes, and added Kim's texture wednesday in PS Elements. 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Have a great week!!

Michelle

Honeybell Oranges

While visiting family in Florida a few years ago, I was introduced to the honeybell orange.  It is juicy, messy, not easy to eat, but tastes wonderful.  They are not the prettiest oranges, but they are my favorite tasting oranges.   

The honeybell is not available year round, which makes it a special treat.  I was pleasantly surprised to find some honeybell oranges in our local grocery store Sunday.  They bring a bit of sunshine to my day and remind me of family.

Today I am joining Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday and the class Be Still 52.  My images were textured with Kim's textures cecile and dollard_softandgentle.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Have a great week!!

Michelle

 

Hanging Amaranthus

‘It is of the small joys and little pleasures that the greatest of our days are built.’ 

- Mary Anne Radmacher

‘See beauty in the familiar.’ - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

There was only one bunch.  I asked the owner if she had any more of this droopy greenish flower.  Like an adult correcting a child who just called a giraffe a horse, she slowly told me, hanging amaranthus.  I repeated just as slowly, hanging amaranthus.  I went home giddy with excitement.

I thought one of my big bottles would work great, it is 22 inches tall.  As I was gathering the rest of the props and thinking how pretty the hanging amaranthus is, I realized how easy it is to appreciate beauty of the exotic or different.  While the beauty of the hanging amaranthus is undeniable, there is also beauty around me everyday just waiting to be noticed.  That's when I grabbed my iphone to look at some of the pictures I took this week.

The sunrise.

Blue sky!!  A sight not always seen during Ohio winters

Light shining in my window.  The light was coming through the window just right to get the perfect glare on my iphone.  I bent down to moved my husband's shoes (bottom right) so I could get a 'better' picture.  When I stood back up, the sun moved.  The glare wasn't there anymore, showing me I need take time to appreciate beauty right when I see it.

These images were taken for the Be Still 52 assignment to create a scene and change the backdrop.  I ended up using a set up that is very similar to the one Kim has in the class video.  On the left image, I used a white board with white fabric hanging over it.  The right image has the tan painted wall as a backdrop.  I tried a black backdrop and it looked terrible.  I used Kim's preset dreamlike on both images, no texture on the set.  I found it interesting how the images have a slightly different color cast to them with just the background being changed.  I am not sure which I like better...

Today I am joining Kim Klassen's Friday Finds and the Be Still 52 class.  I used Kim's Lightroom preset dreamlike  as a starting point and textured the top image with Kim's texture flow.  My sunrise, blue sky and umbrella images were taken with my iphone and processed in Camera+.  My Finds this week are beautiful flowers and seeing the beauty all around me.

 

Thank you for stopping by!!

Have a great weekend!!

Michelle

One Word

'Laugh at yourself, but don't ever aim your doubt at yourself.  Be bold.  When you embark for strange places, don't leave any of yourself safely on shore.  Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory.'  

 -  Alan Alda

'Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.' 

-  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

'Freedom lies in being bold.'

-  Robert Frost

'Put a grain of boldness into everything you do."

 -  Baltasar Gracian

If you were to choose one word to guide you through the year, what would it be?

I chose 'bold'.

bold /bōld/

1. (of a person, action, or idea) showing an ability to take risks; confident and courageous.

Definition courtesy of Google

There is no part of me that is bold... at all.  I asked my daughter if she thought I was bold, she said,"Uhh...no."  I usually play it safe, do what is expected of me.  I am not one to rock the boat.  

This year I want to step outside my comfort zone in life and art.  I don't want to worry about criticism or live for praise.  I want to rock the boat, even if it is just a little bit.  I want to be bold.

Today I am joining Kim Klassen's Tuesday Texture and the class BeStill 52.  My images were textured with Kim's textures 0212 and 0603.  The assignment for Be Still 52 was to hang a bottle and take a picture of it.  

Thank you so much for spending some time with me!

Have a great week!

Michelle