I’ve been having fun taking pictures at VBS this week. Tomorrow though, I don’t have to be there, so I plan on dropping Fuller off and then taking off.
I’m a bit giddy about the time and how to spend it. The floor is open, please tell me what I should do with two hours by myself.
I have a rare quiet morning to myself, I almost don’t know exactly where to go from here. I could sit and fold laundry. I could quietly watch TV and sip my coffee. I could empty the dishwasher and put the chicken in the marinade.
Instead I find myself praying, being still, and contemplating the upcoming morning. Our church has VBS this week and while I was there yesterday taking pictures, today I participate by helping by leading a craft.
I have to admit I was harboring selfish thoughts of dropping my son off all week and leaving for five glorious mornings of “me time.” But volunteers were few, kids were plenty, and I said, “Ok, I’ll do the boat craft one morning.” Except I figured, if I’m going to do one, why not two, so I will be doing it today and Thursday.
The energy of the kids yesterday was fun to be around. It was hot and I was looking through my viewfinder for most of it, so I didn’t really catch the thrill. I was just happy to be near it.
My heart bubbled over with joy though that Fuller remembered the story of Jesus saying, “Follow me!” so I sit here and pray for the kids this morning, for the teachers, and for myself. I pray our hearts will bubble over with joy to hear the story of Jesus and the early days of his ministry, knowing it was His gift that gives me such a wonderful life now and in eternity.
I got behind on posting my book reports for keeping up with my New Year’s Resolution of reading one book a month. But! I am happy to say I have been keeping the resolution, having read one book in March and two books in April.
My book for March was Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon
I enjoyed the book and look forward to more by Jan Karon
In April I managed to read two books. The first is Tao of Fertility, which I already reviewed and was well received. The second book was Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
Jennifer Weiner’s first book was Good in Bed
I was excited to learn Certain Girls was the follow up to Good in Bed, picking up the story of Cannie Shapiro thirteen years later. Her daughter, Joy, is struggling with adolescence and is a second voice in the telling of their story.
The plot is a lot of teen angst, with some parallels from the first book. I found the dual voices to move the story along at a good pace. The ending was a real tear jerker, so if you decide to pick it up (and I think you might like it, even if you didn’t read Good in Bed) don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I have a book I am working on for May, so I might be able to get that review up sometime in June. But, I am up for suggestions on what else I should read in the future. My mom, sisters, and I usually read the same book during the summer and are currently looking for something. A Place Called Canterbury
Anyone else have any suggestions?
Technorati Tags: book review, Jan Karon, Jennifer Weiner, Dudley Clendinen, summer reading
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Your Slogan Should Be |
 Alli. What’s the Worst that Can Happen? |
I found this slogan generator at New York Chica and thought I would try it out. My slogan: “What’s the Worst that Can Happen?”
I’ve been dealing with fear issues lately. At Mom’s Group when we journal and write out our prayer cards, one of my continual confessions is about fear. And yesterday I had a rather panicky afternoon after a phone call with my husband, where old fears were brought to the surface to plague me for a while.
Maybe I need to adopt this slogan to help me move away from areas where I am fearful. Because really, what is the worst that can happen?
Every morning I love checking my google reader and usually check out what the Shutter Sisters are up to. I find inspiration from the photos as well as the words.
Yesterday’s post was especially inspiring since we are leaving tomorrow to travel to The Lake for the weekend. If you check out my flickr, I have 14 sets in my Lake Martin collection (I made it this morning). And of course I will be adding more pictures to the collection in the coming months.
But, I want to make sure I get something different. I have been internally pouting over the fact that I will not have a coveted DSLR camera this summer and trying to keep the romance alive with my Canon Powershot
But think of this as a challenge for you to do something different…a different perspective of a great memory that you can look back on and relish. The colors of the area, the locals, your children’s hands and feet constructing, or searching for that most perfect shell. The way the sunlight glowed at sunset in the face of your loved one, or, the first cup of coffee in the morning, wrapped in a blanket, watching the sunrise.
There are changes at The Lake since last summer- the kids are bigger and the water is higher. I’m sure I’ll be able to find the different perspective I’ll have to capture.
Technorati Tags: digital photography, Shutter Sisters, Canon Powershot S3, DSLR
Just a quick update:
Today has been the busiest day. I am thrilled that I have all day tomorrow to focus on my house and getting ready for Friday’s car trip to The Lake for the weekend.
I let a lot of things go last month when I was down and out. And now it is catching up to me, in the form of dust bunnies, clutter, and piles of clothing I need to sort before swapping out the seasonal stuff.
I know “to do” lists are never finished, but they sure help me stay focused. Tomorrow’s list is about two pages long, so I better stay focused. And if I don’t, then I guess when we get back on Tuesday, I will have three pages of “to do” to complete.
The summer I was ten, my parents scheduled my sisters and I in several summer programs. Tennis was one of them, because it was my sport of choice and it was just a continuation of my lessons with some extra group activities thrown in. And then there was the photography class.
I liked the photography class because it was in an air conditioned building (as opposed to the sun scorched tennis courts). I honestly don’t remember much about the classes that would be of use to me today. I remember we had one camera on a tripod and everyone lined up to take pictures of one person, then we would switch out and a new person would sit in front of the camera and the rest of us would file by and press the shutter button. Did we learn about aperture or shutter speed? Did we learn about focus, depth of field, or ISO?
Got me! I don’t remember those technicalities. I think this class was simply on the magic of the darkroom, where the negatives were transformed into images on Kodak paper. I remember the smell of the chemicals, the giggling over the darkness (we were 10!) and trying to tell if we were doing it right.
Of the ten or so I still have, the picture above is my favorite. It reminds me of my goofiness, that everything doesn’t come out perfect, and we have choices in the direction our art takes us. Today I use Picnik and photoshop to “develop” my pictures and sometimes I still giggle, as if I was ten and in that darkroom again.
For more other best shots, visit Tracey’s blog and look over the comments.
Technorati Tags: kodak, best shot Monday
A few weeks ago I was given a list of books from HarperCollins to pick from and review on my blog. I could have passed on the list, but I saw the title Tao of Fertility
The book arrived and I started reading it with a kind of hard heart, not really wanting to open my heart to the subject matter at hand. With our background of infertility, I wasn’t ready to read a “to do list” of things I wasn’t really used to. And as is the formula for infertility books, I wasn’t really ready to read the happy success stories of infertile couples. Or maybe I was just hormotional.
Since I was just reading the book to review, not to make major life changes, I dug in.
Dr. Daoshing Ni (Dr. Dao) practices traditional Chinese medicine and has earned renown as an expert in fertility. He comes from generations of Taoists, the basis for his methods in traditional Chinese medicine. His approach to fertility isn’t just clinical, but also deals with the mind and soul.
The beginning of the book was enlightening just in the area of Chinese medicine, a topic I never really looked into. I knew what acupuncture was, but never had it really explained. I read about herbs, acupuncture, exercise, and just preparing your self for a journey into wellness. And it made me want to take the fifty steps out my back door to see the Chinese Medicine doctor in the building behind my house.
(Yes, there is a young man who practices Chinese Medicine in the building behind my house. I keep wondering if this book was pointing me toward something.)
Section two goes more in depth with discussing a plan for fertility; include diet changes and self acupressure. It was well laid out and I feel like I could take ownership of this direction for fertility. One of the biggest pluses for this book is the real idea that I could do something to take charge of my fertility. In section one, Dr. Dao mentions how in China, patients have their own medical records, and patients are partners with their doctors. I have never really felt like a partner with any of my doctors.
I was inspired by the third section. It discussed specific fertility problems and focused on case studies of women who had them. Dr. Dao explained his method of assistance, and the women added their voices to the experience. I was really impressed with how Dr. Dao’s Chinese Medicine worked hand in hand with the Western medicine.
When we were dealing with the emotional rollercoaster of trying to get pregnant, I had to throw all fertility books out. They were all driving me crazy, giving me the same information in different sentences and paragraphs, but never really helping me.
My heart was hard when I started reading the book, but my heart was softened by the last page. I really believe I read something different, and I could take a more active role in trying to achieve a healthy pregnancy. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to find more answers to fertility questions.
You can learn more about Dr. Dao and the Tao of Fertilty at the Tao of Wellness website.
Technorati Tags: Dr. Dao, Daoshing Ni, traditional Chinese medicine, fertility, Tao of Fertility
On May day Fuller decided he was Batman, which for some reason translated to him wearing a red cape. We had to head out to take some pictures, so I let him wear the cape. He got a lot of comments, and the various bus drivers thought he was cute. And of course, I took a lot of pictures.
Yesterday was Mother’s Day and even though I have been blessed and thrilled to be a mom, I admit I haven’t been feeling as super as my kid looks. My monthly depression (the one that comes in the days following ovulation and usually lifts during my period, leaving me to believe it is a hormone induced depression) coincided with the day devoted to me. Unlike other excuses for self-centered celebration, I didn’t really communicate how I wanted to celebrate.
When Damon realized he forgot the holiday, he felt badly. He obviously doesn’t watch enough television.
Sarcasm aside, I’m not upset that he didn’t remember. I usually tell him exactly what I want and how to celebrate. I just wasn’t that into it this year, so he’s really off the hook. DO NOT GIVE DAMON GRIEF, got it?
He did make it up though: making lunch and sending me out for ice cream with Fuller (which I think should be our family Mother’s Day tradition). And this morning he renewed my Flickr Pro account. Except he won’t know about it until he reads this blog post or checks the bank account.
But non-super Mother’s Day celebrations aren’t all I’m talking about. This hormone-induced depression needs to be addressed. I spend about two weeks a month feeling disconnected, several days on and off crying, and just being generally pissy. And every month it seems to get a little bit worse.
Well over a year ago my counselor suggested I try some natural remedies and my response to that was to quit my job. Now that I’m happily ensconced in the stay-at-home role, I’m looking at the herbal remedies section of the pharmacy with more interest. I know it isn’t the complete answer, but it is a start. And, it looks like I am about to enter into a real-life relationship with someone who struggles in a similar manner (not just someone I met on the internet!), so know I am taking this seriously.
I’m not super (and sometimes I feel worthless) but I am thankful for my husband, son, parents, and the relationships God has put in my life. I might not wear a cape, but there are plenty of others out there who lift me up.
(Sidenote: I find writing a lot easier than talking, especially about the topics of depression, infertility, and weight loss. If you know me face to face, I have to admit, I don’t really want to talk to you about this. So please, don’t. If I want to talk about it, I will bring it up.)
Technorati Tags: depression, infertility, best shot Monday, Mother’s Day
Since Spring was so late in arriving (and honestly I wonder if she will duck out for a minute and ask Winter to babysit) it is difficult for me to think Summer will be here next month. I feel like the weather we are enjoying today should have been here back in March and April.
But the Summer months will be here soon, bringing summer holidays- Memorial Day, Fourth of July being the two big ones for us. We plan on traveling (of course), and attending a wedding on July 5th.
Right now, even though we keep talking about the plans for the future, I am trying to enjoy the now at home. I want the weather to stay nice and not turn oppressive. I keep the windows and doors open for cool breezes, I step out to warm in the sun. I relax and take walks, play in the water tub with Fuller. I even jumped on a trampoline tonight.
The lazy days of Summer are almost here, but I’m chillaxing with Spring right now.
