St. John, US Virgin Islands

 

My idea of paradise…

Driving on the left and sharing the road with donkeys, goats, iguanas, and an occasional bull.  

Reading on a balcony with roosters crowing below.

Admiring tropical flowers.

Relaxing in the shade of a sea grape tree with the ocean breeze in my face, captivated by the ocean’s beauty.

Snorkeling, lots of snorkeling.

Watching sea turtles eat and purple sea fans sway with the ocean currents.

Searching for colorful sea glass and the perfect round stone.

Hiking to beautiful places.

 

Exploring sugar plantation ruins.

Spending time with my family.

Coming home after a safe and fun trip.

I have missed being here in my little creative space.  I forgot how much I love playing with photographs on my computer, although iphone apps are a great substitute when I don’t have a computer close by. 

Today I am sharing some of my vacation finds with Kim Klassen’s Friday Finds, my first image is textured with kk_0603 and the boat image is textured with kk_totalgrunge.

I hope you are savoring the last days of summer.  Summer always ends too soon…  

Thank you so much for stopping by!!

Have a great weekend!!

Michelle

 

For The Love Of Books

‘You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.’  -  Paul Sweeney

‘Reading is dreaming with open eyes.’  -  Yoyo

‘Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.’  -  Dr. Suess

‘Some books you read.  Some books you enjoy.  But some books just swallow you up heart and soul.’  -  Joanne Harris

I love books.  

My love of reading started with Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie.  It was like opening a time portal and escaping into another world.  I still love historical fiction, Midwife of Venice being the last one I enjoyed.  If I am in the mood for magic, The Night Circus or A Discovery of Witches wiil do the trick.  A good cookbook doesn’t just have recipes but also food for the eyes,  The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and  The Oh She Glows Cookbook have precisely that.  Of course I have read a few photography books, The Art of the Photograph and Shooting with Soul being the latest.  

So many books, so little time….

Today I am joining Kim Klassen’s Texture Tuesday.  My images are textured with Kim’s textures sonnet overlay and dollard soft and gentle. 

I am taking a summer blog break in July while spending time with my family.  I will be posting again the beginning of August, hopefully with some good stories and photographs to share.  

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Have a great summer!!

Michelle

Letting Go...

‘All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.’ – Henry Ellis

I have 16 GB of storage free on my laptop.  Really.  I save a lot.  I have a hard time letting go…

My computer isn’t the only place I save a lot.  I keep ticket stubs, passes and little mementos from trips.  I have purple eyes shadow from years past; just in case I am in a purple mood.  I have a guide book to Bora Bora that is 20 years old.  I have a pasta maker, punch bowl and popcorn popper, none of which have been used in years. 

I really am not a hoarder.  I like a neat and tidy house.  Just don’t look in my closets, there is some cleaning that needs to be done. 

I keep stuff just in case. Maybe I will need one someday and I wouldn’t want to pay for another one.  Right? 

My computer issue has shown me I can’t hold on to it all. I have started going through my computer, deleting what I really don't need.  I am also going through my closets, giving away things I don’t use.   I think when I have less ‘stuff’ I appreciate all I do have even more…

Today I am joining Kim Klassen’s Friday Finds.  My finds are these little flowers and the realization it is okay to let go, donate and toss when necessary.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Have a great weekend!

Michelle

 

Focusing On What Matters

‘Life is so much brighter when we focus on what really matters.’

My house is a mess.  I have laundry and suitcases that need to be put away.   I have weeds that need pulling.  I have no food for dinner.  My car smells like a skunk.  But today I am going to the pool with my daughter.  

I try to be super mom, have a clean house, healthy dinner, neat yard …  all in the same day.  I am driving myself crazy thinking if I was good mom/wife I could do it all.  

Today I am taking off my cape.  I am letting go of being a super mom and I will realize I am a better mom when I am not stressed out about being a better mom.     

The summer slips by so quickly every year.  I am going to enjoy spending time with my daughter today.  And I am not once going to think about the work I ‘should’ be doing, or at least try not to. 

Today I am joining Kim Klassen’s Texture Tuesday and also the Be Still class.  In Day 4 of the Be Still class, Kim challenges us to play with depth of field.  I staggered the bottles and used f-stop 3.2 to have different areas in focus.  It was fun to experiment.  My images were textured with Kim’s texture 0511.  
 

Thank you so much for stopping by!!

Have a great week and remember to enjoy the summer!

Michelle

 

Beauty At My Feet

‘Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.’ – Confucius

‘Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.’ – Franz Kafka

I looked out the window to see if the rain had stopped.  What I saw was beautiful.  The storm had blown some flowers out of my catalpa tree.  The flowers were spread across the rain soaked grass begging to be photographed.  I was supposed to be packing for a wedding in South Carolina, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the catalpa flowers.   I grabbed my iphone and headed out the door.

Somehow I ended up taking a picture of my feet among the flowers, which lead to a flower heart.  I sent the picture to my sister and we decided to take pictures of our feet every day.  Easy for me to start, I was going out of town and there is always new and beautiful things to discover when traveling. 

When I am out of town my senses are heightened; the new sights, smells and tastes make me notice my surroundings.  The challenge would be when I returned home.  At home I run around like a crazy person and my surroundings blend into the background of my busy life.  I don’t always notice the beauty I live in everyday.  I want to change that.  I want to recognize the beauty that surrounds me every day while running errands or doing laundry.  My ‘feet’ pictures are helping me do just that, keeping my mind on the lookout for beauty, and what I look for I tend to find…  

My ‘feet’ photos are not all pretty, but they reflect beauty in some way.  After being away for a week, my comfy pajamas and colorful throw rug looked like heaven.  My daughter’s parakeet loves feet, which doesn’t make a good photo from above, but it warms my heart.  

Whether I keep it up or not, we will see… but for right now remembering I need to take my ‘feet’ picture does open my eyes to the beauty around me, and the beauty literally at my feet. 

Today I am linking up with Kim Klassen’s FridayFinds.  My Finds are all the beauty at my feet.  My images were all taken with my iphone and my heart photo is textured with the Kim Klassen texture sybil.     

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Have a great weekend!!

Michelle