Thursday, January 12, 2017

My Daily Joys

The month of January seems to be clipping along at such a fast pace so my challenge of taking a picture a day of something that brings me joy has helped slow it down a little.

I can look back at my photos and just remember the moment it was taken.

I would like to share the last couple of days with you, if you follow along on Instagram then I apologize as you will have already seen these.

Day 5:


My baby girl, well she is 7 but she'll always be my baby.  She is maturing right before our very eyes and it is amazing but it also breaks my heart just a little.  I love having conversations with her and enjoying her sense of humor and love of sweets.

Day 6:


We had a little snow this past week and enjoyed about 8 inches of the powdery stuff.  I love seeing it when it is fresh and untouched...it is so serene.

Day 7:


Since it was a little chilly the kids wanted hot cocoa and you can't have that without a little whip cream.  It is really satisfying to whip the heavy cream by hand and watch it all come together.  In a day and age where there is a tool/appliance for every little thing it is rewarding to get back to basics.

Day 8: 


Watching my boys play games together.  They are 5 years apart and I love listening to them discuss why one hand was better than the other while playing Texas Hold Em.

Day 9: 


I have a basket full of all sorts of yarn.  My daughter asked if we could make a blanket out of it and I think it is coming together pretty nicely.  She picks out the color order and I crochet away.  Like the whip cream I love being crafty and making something useful.

Day 10:


I had plenty of time to read while snowed in and luckily had this wonderful book from the library.  Maman's Homesick Pie is memoir written by Donia Bijan that chronicles like with her Iranian family and the delicious recipes that her mother made for her.  She does a magnificent job of pulling you into her story that you just don't want to put the book down...unless it is to go to the kitchen and make one of the recipes included.

Day 11:


It's important to take a moment and slow down.  Do I had a delicious cup of hot tea with milk and a slice of homemade banana bread.  It was a terrific treat before bed and allowed me to sit peacefully and savor the day.

Several of my photos were related to slowing down, which given the recent weather was a necessity.

What do you do to slow down and reflect?

Do you wish you could create more time for yourself to sit and be still?



Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Happy 2017 A New Year and a New Challenege

Happy New Year to you all...hopefully your holidays were merry and bright.

I had a wonderful time taking some time off and spending it at home with my family...no travel hustle and bustle...just fun around the house (and a little work...after all the garden won't get ready by itself).

The last of my cards were sent off for December and I'm a little sad to see them end, true though I could keep it up but I also want to give plenty of attention to this month's challenge:

Take a Photo a Day that Brings Me Joy

I am keeping account of my pictures through Instragram should you want to follow me here.

Day 1 I took a photo of my oldest, he's 14 and well sometimes doesn't like to cooperate, however this photo captures him succinctly.  He loves grabbing a coffee with me and SOMETIMES checking his phone.


Day 2 was a photo of a recently purchased book on homesteading and a beautiful moleskin notebook I got from one my favorite bloggers, Lisa.  I wanted to take notes of some goals that I have for this coming year...one of which is to build my own compost bin (YEAH for power tools).


Day 3 is my running shoes.  I haven't run in about a year and yesterday I dusted them off and went for a very quick 2 mile run.  It was a bit chilly but to feel the pavement under my feet and the wind rushing by my ears was exhilarating.  I didn't realize how much I missed this activity and I forgot how strong I feel after a run #strongbodiesaresexy


Day 4 is a shout out to my local library.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE going to the library.  The smell of the books the tactile pleasure of turning the pages just makes me happy.  There is nothing so satisfying as coming out with an armful of books.


What I like about this challenge is that each day I observe my surroundings a little more closely and spend a little more time looking inwards and trying to select something each day that brings a smile to my face and to not pick something that seems easy...but something that is more representative of who I am.

I know a couple of friends are doing photography related challenges that are going to span the year...it excites me to see what they shoot each day and hopefully they will make it through all 365 days.  If you want to see some really beautiful photography check out JVL Studios (she is one of my friends doing the 365 challenge).

So have you ever done something like this?  

If so how did it turn out?  Were you happy/surprised with the results?  Did you keep it up for the entire time you originally set out to (be it 1 week/month/year)?