Photo Friday: Bliss List #2

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Naomi

Today I’m participating again in Liv Lane’s Follow Your Bliss bloghop. Liv writes, “Every Friday, I will share a list of the bliss in my midst, reflecting on moments over the past week where I’ve caught myself in a sense of wonder, contentment, and true joy. It’s like a gratitude list, but rather than just being thankful for the things I have…I want to be thankful for the way I feel – even if it’s fleeting – and celebrate whatever brought me to that bliss.” Feel free to join us!

This is a box of 30 quotations meant to "spark some fun, let yourself go, worry less, jump for joy, celebrate life, and be happy." Dosage: as needed.

Here’s where I found bliss over the past couple of weeks:

My daughter and I went to the beach to collect shells.
I loved just connecting with nature for a few minutes before…
… we ended up at a shell shop so she could abandon all sense of time while digging around the bins of amazing textures and shapes and I could take more pictures!

This next one is completely unrelated to all the images above, but it was most blissful to watch my 3-year-old try painting her nails. She did a pretty good job. How did she get this big?

Attending a parent education night to learn more about the music program we are in. Such fun learning about all the different ways music helps kids learn, develop, and connect with others.
MOST BLISSFUL was spending some time by myself with my iPhone macro lens. Did you see yesterday’s photo post? I still can’t believe that tiny lens can take those stunning images!

Where did you find bliss this week?

Happy weekend everyone!

Posted in Mindfulness, Photo Friday, Photography | Tagged Blog hop, Follow Your Bliss, Liv Lane, Photography | 14 Comments

iPhone macro lens (or, the best $20 ever spent)

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Naomi

iPhone macro lens from Photojojo.com (seen here with wide angle lens attached)

I finally got a few minutes to pry off the case that I’ve had my iPhone in for years and try out my new iPhone macro lens (New case with bigger lens opening coming soon). I am giddy to share these with you. I can hardly believe the images myself… most of them are SOOC – no sharpening, contrast work, or anything besides a little cropping here and there. I know! I am blown away. Now I just have to figure out how to stabilize the phone more because every tiny wobble makes a huge impact. Do they make iPhone tripods???

Let me know what you think!

Snapdragons backlit by morning sun

Look at those tiny fuzzies!

Backyard rose

Rose detail – SOOC!

Tiny leaves on rose bush

Hybiscus

Hybiscus detail

Hybiscus anthers and pollen sacs (had to look that up!)

Hybiscus bud

Dandelion seed head

Bracts under seed head (aka after a little wind)

Stalking my own house

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Naomi

I park two houses down and casually stroll over to my house, trying to look like someone who does this all the time. As I get closer and closer, I try to avoid windows so as not to be seen from inside. I creep over to the first kitchen window and duck down, listening for sounds from inside. (Huh, the lawn guys forgot to pull these weeds hiding back here.) I don’t hear anything inside so I move on to the next window. I have to put my hand up to get rid of the glare and I worry they’ve seen me. Still don’t see or hear anything. Sigh.

No, nothing to worry about folks. I’ve just left my daughter with a new babysitter and the goodbye was not the best. She usually tells me not to go but the hysterical crying and clinging for dear life made me question everything. So I am hoping to see them playing together and my daughter happy so I can go on with my errands.

I decide to leave and trust that they are fine. The babysitter is probably not spanking at my daughter or abducting her to Spain. I leave and call the sitter’s phone number, but it must be in her purse because she doesn’t answer. Thirty minutes later and two more unanswered phone calls and I’m pretty sure something’s wrong. I go back home.

As I enter, I hear laughter coming from the playroom. They are completely fine and happy, playing bingo together. My daughter doesn’t come running to me. They are surprised to see me.

I mention that I tried calling and the babysitter is confused. She goes over to our dining room table and picks up one of my daughter’s pretend phones, a discarded cell phone from at least 5 years ago. “Did you call on this? I didn’t hear it ring.” Lol. Turns out she thought I was calling our home phone (we don’t have one) AND I don’t have her cell phone number. I was calling her home number and clearly, she was not home!

Is this normal? Remember yesterday’s post about looking for some time to myself? It seems so difficult to achieve! But we will try again and this time, I’m not going home early.

Posted in Home, Motherhood | Tagged new babysitter, separation anxiety | 8 Comments

Staying true to your path

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Naomi

I’m guessing the reason I like this quotation is that I have been frustrated lately. I am turning to more and more creative projects that look so fun (probably because I’m bored), but I don’t have the time to devote to them at this point in my motherhood journey. I’ve gotten some great encouragement from other parents lately that these early years are indeed precious and fleeting, which I recognize, but in the middle of this crazy time, it’s been very difficult for me to appreciate it as much as I probably should. I fully take in my daughter’s adorableness and growth and am constantly writing down funny things that come out of her mouth, etc. I chose “mindfulness” as my word of the year because I sincerely want to enjoy each moment. BUT, I miss “me time” so much. I’m sure I’m not alone in this.

I probably require more time to myself than the average person, something I took into account before getting pregnant. I know enough about myself to recognize that my daughter will be an “only” because I can’t handle the stimulation of more people in our house, more demands on my body and my time. Having another person with me all day is a challenge, let alone the little hummingbird of a person that is my sweet girl. I’m an introvert with what seems most of the time to be an extravert-type job.

“Stress is what happens when you want to do two things at the same time.” ~ Seth Godin

So I’m trying to fit in the projects where possible, sneak in quiet reading time where I can, and otherwise enjoy all the activity. “Life is a journey” reminds me that this part is just as important as all the others. “See the setbacks as giant leaps forward” teaches me that this too is a necessary growth experience. It’s so true that I “can’t see the bigger picture at the moment” and I have to accept that.

I want “to be present” and “mindful” and appreciate all the gifts that encompass my life. I am determined to get better at finding a quiet contentment with the way things are, no matter how they are.

Do any of you struggle with this?

Posted in Creativity, Mindfulness, Motherhood, Quotations | Tagged children, Extraversion and introversion, Motherhood, Personality type, time | 8 Comments

Picture Inspiration: Weeks 41 – 50

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Naomi

Picture Inspiration: 52 Weeks of Photocentric Creativity and Community

How have I gotten so behind AGAIN??? Here are ten weeks of prompts, which means I’m fully caught up now. I am determined to complete this class – that’s right folks, only 2 weeks to go! I seriously need to be done with this. Who has the time???

Week 41: Picture Plenty - turn your lens to abundance (Thanksgiving prompt)

Week 42: The Picture Within - Take a picture of a picture - saw these light panels in a hotel

Week 43: Connecting Color - Look for repeating color

Week 44: Don't Forget - Capture something that you want to remember always (my daughter pretending to read Nancy Drew)

Week 44: Don't Forget - Love this one too!

Week 45: Full Circle - Circle as symbol of continual flow (New Year's prompt)

Week 46: Say Something Sweet

Week 46: Say Something Sweet #2 - matching nail polish!

Week 47: Inside Looking Out - Windows as a creative muse - this is from an airplane window

Week 48: Winter Light

Week 49: Recuperation

Week 50: For the love of cameras - my new iPhone macro lens!

Week 50: For the love of cameras

Picture Inspiration is a companion space to the Picture Series classes and consists of weekly photocentric prompts, challenges and projects. It’s a virtual coffee shop – a place to gather, chat, share photos, glean insights, ask questions, and get inspired. Through connection and creativity, we are delving deeper into what it means to use photography to reveal the magic in our everyday lives.

Posted in Creativity, Photography | Tagged Big Picture Classes, Photography, Picture Inspiration, tracey clark | 10 Comments

Photo Friday: city of rocks

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Naomi

Yesterday I got to photograph the coolest thing! It must have begun as a few people making these impromptu rock sculptures in one area of the Galveston seawall and word spread and now it’s an entire city of rocks. Amazing that nobody knocks them all over.