Monday, January 31, 2011

Sunday, January 30, 2011

2011 30/365 Hey humans, let me in!

Hey humans, let me in!
Hey humans, let me in!
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011
So, I've mentioned the fact that we have received a monumental amount of snow.
And, I've mentioned the piles are so high they are obscuring 
the view out of our windows.

Yesterday morning, Paul and I were scrambling around capturing the amazing sun and the column of light rising from it.

2011-01-29 Do you see it?  Isn't that amazing?
We've been told the air quality was not good do to particulates in the atmosphere.  Maybe that has something to do with the scene, I'm not sure.

We came back inside and got settled back into waking up mode when all of a sudden a figure appeared at the top of our living room window.

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Karma!

She wanted to be let back inside and can now stand on the pile of snow 
at the window to tell us instead of waiting at the front door.  
It was a pretty funny scene.  
And of course, the poor dog is staring at us as we again scrambled 
to get our cameras and capture the moment before letting her in.

All this snow is making us all a bit silly!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

2011 29/365 Hogs and Sligs

Hogs and Sligs
Hogs and Sligs
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011

I like to put something reflective of the season on the table in 
our front hall for the family and visitors to see upon entering our home.
I found these cute blocks for $2.50 in the cheapie section at Target.
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I thought they would be especially cute and fun for Valentine's Day.
I arrange them carefully so they convey messages of sweetness and love.
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Later, I often find them rearranged...
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into wonderful, silly messages of sweetness and love.

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Hogs and Sligs to you, this Valentine's season! 
Er, I mean, Hugs and Kisses!
XOXO

 PS: I've added a new feature to the blog.  You can now subscribe and receive updates in your email inbox.  Find the box on the upper right side of the page, under the kooky picture of me taking pictures.  Enter your email address, follow the directions, and viola!

Friday, January 28, 2011

2011 28/365 Sun up

Sun up
Sun up
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011
 Morning!
Happy Friday!

I've added a feature to the blog.  
You can now subscribe to My Midlife Creativities and have 
new posts delivered to your e-mail inbox.
On the right hand side bar, up at the top, there is a box 
under the kooky photo of me taking photos,
just enter your email address there 
and follow the directions that pop up.
Viola!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

2011 27/365 Disappearing

Disappearing
Disappearing
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011
More snow.
What can I say?
As I type, Paul is on the roof of our house sending down snow onto the already amazingly high piles around the house.  I have the creepy feeling of being buried alive as each shovelful further obscures the view out our windows.

It really is beautiful.  
Not the buried alive, but the scene outside.
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Although it's becoming monotonous.
Here's a sight we are very familiar with:
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 In my mind, Paul has always been able to leap tall buildings in a single bound and bend steel with his bare hands.  After all these weeks of incessant shoveling thousands of pounds of snow...well, he might just be able to do it for real!
Superman just walked in the house saying, "This is out of control!"
And, then informed me that he's lost his keys out there somewhere.
He's not worried though, he'll find them in the spring.
Spring!
Sigh.

The highways are closed to truckers, the elderly cannot open their front doors, the kids (and spouses who teach) are home again from school, 
and the Governor is saying, "stay home, stay home!"
I'm on the verge of hysterical laughter from the lack of routine and schedule.

But, the sun is shining and well, I'm choosing to let the crazy chaos of it 
all just make me smile.  It is, after all, Winter in Connecticut!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

2011 26/365 Frozen leftover

Frozen leftover
Frozen leftover
I was fiddling around with some of this month's photos thinking 
I might have some note cards printed up on Moo.com.  
I learned about Moo from a recent post that Tara Leaver, another CED 2011 participant, shared on her beautiful blog, Aquamarine
(She's a mixed media artist...check her out!)
As I reviewed my photos, I came across this one which 
hadn't yet made it to the blog.
I like it too much to let it pass, so here it is today.
I took it the day after "The Big Ice Storm."
A frozen leftover, served up special for y'all!
xoxo

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

2011 25/365 Acrylics

Acrylics
Acrylics
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011 


I had some quiet and space in my day yesterday and I dug out my paints to play.

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 It was dirty work!  
Luckily, my hands are waterproof and 
I was able to get most of the paint off my camera and tripod.
2011-01-24   
~my painting~ 



I also chose 11 words for 2011.
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I doodled with them.


Fullscreen capture 1242011 14933 PM.bmp  
And, I created a wordle, which is serious fun.  
If you've never tried it, head on over to Wordle.net and give it a go.

I'm enjoying focusing on these 11 words...not sure where this will lead...but I'm a happy journeyer.

Monday, January 24, 2011

2011 24/365 Frigid

Frigid
Frigid
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011
Sub-zero temperatures today in Connecticut.
Brrrr.
I have some quiet and space in my day today. 
I may paint.  
I was inspired yesterday by fellow CED 2011 participant, Debbie, at Yoga in the Snow.  
Click here to see her post about bringing a "beginner's mind" to painting.  
I may also catch up on some reading under the electric blanket.
~I will resist the pull of the computer, that stealer of time.~
And, I am intrigued with the idea of choosing 11 words for 2011, 
so I may work on that today.  
I'm picking out a simple recipe for dinner, and will be doing the usual sprucing-up-the-place chores so when my family returns home it feels cozy, warm, homey, welcoming, and full of love.  
~I will resist the urge to move furniture.~ 
I may finish my paper chain of hearts for the living room mantle, the one Annie and I made the night we lost power is so pretty! I'm looking so forward to the luxury of this quiet day filled 
with simple tasks and the expanse of time.  
I am going to savor each moment!

I hope you have a wonderful day, too!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

2011 23/365 Moon School and I'm a photographer!

Moon School and I'm a photographer! 
(Be sure to scroll down past the photo)
Moon School and I'm a photographer!
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011
We were sitting for friends' kids last night.  
The moon rise (for which I've been waiting) begins and is spectacular.  
My whole family starts yelling for me to get outside to take pictures.  
Annie hands me my tripod.  Paul is yelling, "Go! Go!"  
Emma is urging me to "Hurry up!"  
I'm grabbing my coat and camera and the visiting children are wondering *what is going on* 
when Annie turns to them and says...
"My mom is a photographer."  
{Be still my heart}  
It was a bit like being the velveteen rabbit in the moment 
he was told he was REAL.

The moon two nights ago was also spectacular and
I tried to capture the scene.  However, no matter what I did the shots all looked like this:
2011-01-22
Needless to say, it was incredibly frustrating.  
Remember, I'm standing out on my deck in 
42 degrees below zero winter weather.
I shared my dilemma with Paul, whining "the moon looks so beautiful and when I take the photo it turns into a blob."  Paul fiddled with my camera's settings and took a couple of decent shots.  I tried a few, but they were coming out blurry and I was feeling punky and it was time to stop.

The next morning, I asked Paul to explain to me the settings.  He, naturally, thought this was a trap (the kind that starts with smiles and ends with tears).  You see, historically, I do not react well to being taught things by my (admittedly) brilliant husband.  However, as I seem to be transforming in all sorts of ways, we both gave it a try.  Blessed man, a gifted teacher, even provided me with visual aids, sketched on the Wall Street Journal he would just like 30-uninterrupted-minutes-to-read-is -that-too-much-to-ask (but he rarely asks):

DSCF3227
I was a real trooper during the lesson~all smiles, no tears.  Now, we were awaiting the moon's rise (having looked up the time and checked the weather).  So it was pretty exciting when it finally began.  And, with my newly acquired knowledge I was able to take these:
2011-01-23
 Pretty cool, huh?
I'm trying to remember what I learned.  I'm pretty sure I've already forgotten it.  Which means I need lots more time to hear it all again and to practice and fool with it and hear it all again and to practice and fool with it.  Process and progress.  I'm cool with that.  I'm ready for it.  It's all part of being a photographer!  And, as Annie said...

Saturday, January 22, 2011

2011 22/365 Happy Castaway Village

Happy Castaway Village
Happy Castaway Village
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011
"Award-winning gingerbread houses cast out into the snow!" 
"Child's creative work placed in the yard as snack food for squirrels."
I walked past this Happy Castaway Village on the way to work this week.
The sun was hitting it just right, 
turning the houses from stale and dusty household clutter to magic again.

Friday, January 21, 2011

2011 21/365 Last night's moon

Last night's moon
Last night's moon
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011
We were treated to the moon rise during dinner last night.
I love this photo of it behind the trees.

Annie has created a blog and kicked it off with a gorgeous photo she took before school yesterday.  Check her out here: All The Seasons of Life.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

2011 19/365 Lights out

Lights out
Lights out
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011
By early evening yesterday our trees looked like this:
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So it was no big surprise when a couple of hours later we lost power.  
It was fantastic!  
DSCF3061 The hours before bedtime were spent 
crafting, creating, reading, and snuggling by the fire.
DSCF3074 (This is just as much a blessed side-effect of the kids' schools being closed and the unbelievably wonderful ensuing LACK OF HOMEWORK as it is a reaction to the power going out.  Without homework, our evenings look very much the same, only with lights and heat on and maybe a board game, a movie, or the Wii.)

I played around taking photos in the candlelight and shadows.
DSCF3066 I discovered that the self-consciousness I had last year about setting up pictures and shooting in front of Paul had dissolved.  I was even able to take some advice and direction from him without shouting "get your own blog!"  (Big time progress for me)!  This is a good thing because he's a very good photographer.  Part of my learning process seems to be lots of time to mess around with something on my own (365+ days in this case) and without expert advice until suddenly I'm ready to learn more.  Paul helped me achieve what I was going for in this photo below:
DSCF3085
Later we donned winter hats and all paired up to snuggle 
under the bed covers for warmth and rest.
It was such a beautiful night!

Less awesome was waking up several hours later to a house suddenly filled with light when the power was (thankfully) restored, but somehow that made the time spent before bed even more special.

Update: Due to spotty internet service and Paul's 
unceasing shoveling and picking away at the unrelenting snow and ice, 
the release of "Sled-pocalypse: the Movie" has been delayed another day.
From the previews, I can tell you, it's worth the wait!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

2011 18/365 Sled-pocalypse, Follow the Path!

Sled-pocalypse, Follow the Path!
Sled-pocalypse, Follow the Path!
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011
 We had some crazy in our breakfast yesterday morning 
DSCF3047
and opened up the farm hill to friends for sledding.  
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Pictured is the sign Emma made to direct folks around back to the slopes.  
5364457749_20b0d255e3_o Much enjoyable insanity ensued and I'm still smiling this morning remembering the squeals and shouts, bumps and jumps, cheers and belly laughs, 
and thankfully the  lack of tears.  
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  Paul's video is in production and I hope to have it to share tomorrow.
Today, we are getting more snow and some sleet and ice for variety.  
What a winter!
(I just read this post to Emma who informed me we are in a La Nina winter, which means lots of precipitation and if it's cold...lots of snow!)

Monday, January 17, 2011

2011 17/365 Morning Bliss

Morning Bliss
Morning Bliss
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011
I'm almost nearing the end of a really good book.  I was up before dawn reading in the sweet early morning silence of my sleeping house.  Warmed by my blanket and made human again by my hot coffee, what could be better?
 And then... 
DSCF3044

...the view from my spot on the couch...
DSCF3042

...the view from the deck.

I cannot resist the call of these breathtaking morning skies.  They draw me to step outside in the deep morning chill.  Today the icy deck cracked with my footsteps, amplified by the morning stillness.  It looked as though steam was rising from the mountain and then I heard the birds singing, promising Spring.
Back inside, my children rose, one at a time, to join me under my warm blanket, 
in turn sharing her night's dream.  
2011-01-17
Now the pink has left the sky, my coffee's gone cold, and the sleepy silence is losing ground to the games being played in the back room.  
Another day begins.
I am thankful for the gift of those quiet and fleeting morning moments 
before the hustle and bustle of our day's adventures.





Sunday, January 16, 2011

2011 16/365 Christmas Time Again

Christmas Time Again
Christmas Time Again
Flickr Project 365/ Creative Every Day 2011
There was a joyful gathering here at our house yesterday.  
My parents and brother, my uncle and cousins, and my cousins' kids came together for a Christmas celebration.  In today's photo you see 
Paul shoveling paths for the fearless band of sledders.  
DSCF2985
The fearless band of sledders.

Much fun was also had at Fort Shaggyhill!  
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It was a magnet for the big boys, too!
DSCF2993 They couldn't wait to scramble through the tunnels.
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Later, presents were exchanged and a joyful noise filled the house...
2011-01-16

...it's still humming today as we finally bring the season to a close, 
taking down the tree, and putting away the decorations. 
I think some happy memories were made!