friday i'm in love (& a day late)

so much out there to fall in love with...
where to start?!

Ok seriously...how have i never found these before
Elise Gets Crafty::  podcasts
i love them...i started at the beginning of season one
totally loving them!

go omnomnomnomify...you will be so happy you did.

this is always one of my recurring resolutions
GET UP EARLIER
i always try to convince myself
that i would be
so much happier
if i would just
get
up
earlier....
but so far...i haven't listened to myself.
but this was a great article nonetheless!

and...still on topic of resolutions...
a 40 hour work week in 16.7 hours...
i'm in!

february is cinnamon heart month
at the big orange house in the middle of the street!

this.  oh, this.  this made me so insanely happy.  love her.

friday i'm in love

this time with a list
and no links...
slapdash and quick and dirty...
well, not...dirty...heh.

post it notes
colored pens
cold diet coke in a can
bright yellow canola fields
geese flying overhead
flocks of tiny birds flying in formation
the smell of permanent markers
making someone laugh
trees
marshmallow bananas
lists
wonton soup
ice cream in a waffle cone
miniature toys
dollhouses
windmills
seaglass
swings
singing in the car
watching thunderstorms (but only if i'm in a car)
a good book to get lost in
retro vintage advertising
green life saver suckers
board games
blogs/inspiration/pinterest
free time to myself

friday i'm in love...

in point form:

• a coffee date tomorrow
• less-than-freezing temps
• the idea of slow cooker apple cinnamon oatmeal
• both kids home for supper tonight
• the dog sleeping tucked in behind me on the computer chair
• mom phoned and said she liked the vine i made for her birthday "your father laughed and laughed and laughed"
• blackberries and sunflower seeds in my salad
• sunshine
• this blog post...especially the advice from her father
• a shirt dress that has been in my closet for months cause i never knew what to wear with it...paired with leggings and boots today...made me feel happy...
• amazing...so amazing...breathtaking
• finding tons and tons of yoga inspiration on Pinterest
• and speaking of Pinterest...oh...i NEEEEEED these.
• a sweet, sweet comment left by one of my favorite bloggers....thank you bridget!  xo
  
  
  
  
  
  and i am really not sure what is going on in these photos...except that i think they are funny...:)

Happy last day of January...we're getting there!

friday i'm in love....

a random list::

• red delicious apples
• winter fog and melting snow
• good news from my boy...no longer needs a modified class
• good news from my girl...thinking about going back to school for hair stylist
• fridays
• orange creamsicles
• perfectly ripe blackberries
• working hard at finding balance in my life
• pugsley's snores
• fleece lined leggings
• pink and purple rubber boots
• my new erasable colored pens
• this song
• S is back to the gym and loving it...
• loved this book
• big fluffy blankets
• the tweet my girl sent me
  

friday i'm in love...

~  with a day spent with just my boy...and lunch with both my boys
    (the only sad thing was that my girl couldn't come)...

~  shopping at Micheal's where many wedding photo props were purchased
~  a red dress and bare feet

~  strawberries with just bit of sugar and a drop of milk
~  sitting on the deck and finding a bit of a breeze, talking with S

~  forecast of good weather for tomorrow's wedding

~  two brides happy with their engagement photos :)
~  seeing old friends today

friday i'm in love....

• with pb&j on an english muffin
• with salads full of sliced strawberries and ripe blackberries and thin asiago cheese
• with the smell of rain on the night air through a window screen
• lemon scented pinesol and pledge reminding me of my parent's house
• giggles and shared videos with 17
• listening to 13 chatter about minecraft and grad dances and summer sleepovers
• the anticipation of a commitment free weekend still ahead of me...
• these guys...always, always these guys...

friday i'm in love...with friday

date nights with the cutest boy in the world...
sharing hickory chips and spicy ranch dressing
and holding hands
while the guy at the next table
accidentally
sets his menu on fire...

looking forward to a kid free night
and a house to ourselves
to do what we want
where we want
:)

sunshine and a good hair day

thick black tights and tall black boots

deep red lipstick and pale white skin

happy friday...
xo

friday i'm in love...

warm wind and rain...pelting against the windows
warm house, good book, hot chocolate
soft couch, cinnamon candles

corn chowder for supper

still with the damien rice,
still obsessing over delicate
still getting chills each time i hear the first chords
of blowers daughter ...


Eleven putting on his "gaming" clothes
and telling us about how other people
just wear random clothes to play video games
but that he prefers to put on his specific gaming clothes.

the fact that Eleven's new favorite word
is whatnot.
he adds it to almost every sentence, somehow...

a new sense of calm,
of treaty
of tentative peace...
i'm not sure how long it will last
but i will take her hugs
and sporadic stories of dances
and teachers and b movies
while i can get them...

friday i'm love....

~with the kids having a no school day...which means
no lunches and early morning panic mode for me...

~with the warm temperatures we are having but the cool
wind accompanying it

~with this new show...it kills me...kills me.

~with accidentally wearing bright blue shoes with a pink
skirt and being told by random people that i can "pull it off",
that they didn't think twice about it, they thought i was just
be "eclectic" and "artistic"....heehee

~with the smell of woodsmoke in the air and how ten went
around last night trying to inhale "halloween"...

friday i'm in love...

it feels wrong to be doing a friday i'm in love
when so many people have had their lives torn apart...

but it's at times like these
that i think it's important to be grateful...
to hold on a little tighter...
to make those connections last just a few seconds longer...
to be aware of your life.

so...today's friday i'm in love...

*finally getting a new-to-me vehicle and hoping that
it's not a lemon...{and loving that i have a cd player again
in the car...i have driving 45 minutes to work and back
in silence for the past month...just me and my thoughts.}

*a weekend with nothing planned...this is very much needed.

*the new greys anatomy last night...i still love that show.

*cuddling on the couch last night with S and the kids...
nachos and dip and cold diet coke for supper...
laid back sweetness.

december views {5}

i missed friday i'm in love
but feels compelled to share today::

*this movie...oh...how i loved this movie...so creative
*and speaking of movies...i adore this girl...and he was awesome
*i love this show
*slow cooker suppers
*after eight hot chocolate in a big mug
*apples that have bruises in the shape of apples...


more december viewers

day six...in which i drew for my supper...

100 ideas by keri smith::number four:
Draw your dinner.

well.

i drew my dinner.
and you will notice
there is no photo
of my drawing.

it's hard to be inspired
by mcdonalds....
:O)
but i did do it
and i'm glad that i did...

and also
today is
friday i'm in love...
and today...being the first
friday of nablopomo
i think i will share some of
the blogs i love...
and know that you will love them, too...

this cute as a button photographer...
you will love the photos...you will love the blog...
so talented!

this fabulous mix of female photographers on etsy...
you have to check this out...so much to see!

how can you not love a name like tatertots and jello...
and the blog is just as cute!

and brand new to me...but i know
that it will become an old favorite...

so go.
check them out.
tell them i said hi!
and that i'll be by later
with hot chocolate and
warm cinnamon loaf...
mmmmm...

happy friday.

friday i'm in love....

with fudgesticks...

with carving pumpkins last night
and how they look on our front step...

with this tv show...though i was
unhappy that this week
was a rerun...

the last song on greys last night...
{i beleive it was this...}

with the sun finally finding us again...


with this perfect little treasure
that i happened upon
at a local antique store...
i was so excited,
i'm sure the shopkeeper
thought i was few bolts short...

and finally, the most exciting...

with signing the papers
to get the money
to start building my
new studio
{i can barely type that...
it just doesn't seem real...}

thanksgiving and gratitude on a friday i'm in love...

it is thanksgiving weekend in Canada
so i felt it was only appropriate to make
my friday i'm in love list
a list of gratitude...

so...in no particular order...what i'm thankful for:

my husband...my kids...my family...my parents...the boys...the wives... the neices and nephews...friends...old and new...
support...i am so lucky for all the support that i get from everyone... no one ever tells me don't try that...you'll regret it...and my husband is always my biggest cheerleader...
our house...our life...we are healthy...happy...safe...
the photography stuff...i am loving this new side of life...
having a driver's license and all the doors it has opened up...
the whole blogging experience, which constantly gives me inspiration and support...
words...music...movies...freedom of speech...inspiration
frothy, creamy hot chocolate...falling leaves...smell of woodsmoke...
email and internet connections...my computer....
good books...
feeling loved...marriage...lasting this long...
yoga...stopping to breathe...remembering to let go...allowing myself to let go...
my 39th year...goals...plans...expectations...putting it out into the universe....wondering what form it will come back in...
growth...learning...moving forward...blue skies...rainbows... sandglass and heart shaped rocks...taking chances...putting myself out there...moving beyond the comfort zone...
being brave.

friday i'm in love....

and things are coming around...
i'm feeling better...some of the issues
i talked about earlier are starting to
fade {but not gone...sadly}

but i have to start digging myself
out of this hole that i have let myself
get too comfortable in....

so.

friday i'm in love...
~with the feeling of finally starting to get
caught up again...on photos, on email, on
housework, on drs appts and bills...

~with this movie...

~with what we had for supper last night...

~with letting go and accepting that everything
not only does not have to be perfect
all the time, but it is most like NOT going to
be perfect all the time...let go. let go. let go.
{and that it is OK to let go...}

friday i'm in love....

~with my new fall routine involving
journalling every morning, yoga
and music in the background...

~with freshly made lemon meringue pie

~with 14's happiness of having made showband!!

~with listening to Q podcasts in the morning while
i catch up on editing photos...

~with the fact that from the window where i sit
i can see the "fort" that 9 fashioned out of a ladder,
a patio chair, a screen door and lots of branches...

and unrelated...but needs to be said...
i'm scared about tomorrow.
i signed up for a creative writing workshop...
all by myself...45 minutes away...
and now...
well...
now i'm second guessing.

happy friday!!

friday i'm in love...

with life...
with love...
with yoga...
with routine...
with fall...
with capturing weddings...
with planning props...
with the overwhelming support on
my facebook fan page (arlene giddings photography
if you want to check it out...)
with hope...
with planning ahead...
with lists...
with daring...
with warm chocolate cookies straight out of the oven...

what are you loving right now...
this second...

friday i'm in love...

it has been a long time since i have done
a friday i'm in love....

with:

:: wedding photography...i love the intensity,
the emotion, the possibility, being part of such
a special day...

:: the first season of the office...i rented it
the other night and loved it...so funny.

:: strawberries with milk and sugar

:: new stamps and a new area to create...
sunny and all mine...

:: the promise of fall...crunchy leaves, apple
picking, riot of color...

friday i'm in love...{links!}

sometimes i am just smitten with what other people
can do, create, imagine, design, pull forth....
here are a few of the things that
have been blowing my mind recently:

~i stumbled across this blog and found this amazing
giveaway in which everyone wins (!!) and it has
been extended until june 10...how great is that!
i totally love the dandelions and want the swirly tree
and would put polka dots on my new computer
and bubbles in my bathroom....sigh...gorgeous!!


~i have always been a faithful reader
of this talented uber-cool sweetie
and she recently brought this to my attention...
how exciting is this!!
i LOVE real mail...love, love, love...check it out...
there is still time to sign up!

~and wow...this just blew my mind...and unfortunately,
i didn't write down whose blog i saw this on yesterday...
but i will add it if my memory gets jogged...
but this artist blows.my.mind. this is awesome
and imaginative and whimsical and wow.
it makes me gush. seriously. amazing.

~and so cute...how could anyone not adore this?
so tiny, so sweet, that little dress...sigh.

have i totally linked you all out yet?
happy friday!!

friday i'm in love...

~with working with these photos of my neices and nephews
at a recent b'day party...so much fun!!



~with my new much faster prettier monster of a computer...
and with the fact that i set it up ALL BY MYSELF...
which i have never done before...
i was a pretty proud geek.

~with crisp cucumber sandwiches and cold pepsi
on a dark rainy day
with the new jim cuddy cd playing in the background

~with taking chances and being open to opportunities...
photographing race cars this morning with my brother...
so much fun and so out of my usual subjects...

~with this girls awesome blog...
which i know is not new, but new to me...
and already, i heart her...
so down to earth and talented!