by Sarah | Dec 7, 2010 | All About Me, Photography
I stole my hubby’s SD card out of his phone so that I could goof off w/ my Droid’s camera apps (which I sort of had been dying to do). So I took a few goofy shots while playing with the retro cam…
Totally Goofy
*I look as sick as I felt at the time I took this photo (say hello to strep), but I still really like it for some strange reason.
It’s in the eyes
*I love that in this pic my eyes look almost as big as Angel’s (they aren’t, but they look it :D).
Silly ME
*I loved this one enough to make it my new site photo & twitter avatar.
**** Head on over to check out who else is flipping out:
by Sarah | Dec 6, 2010 | All About Me
December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)
If I’m to be cmpletely honest, I don’t think I did, or do, this enough. It’s something I need to work on.
But occasionally the wonder snuck in and took hold despite my lack of cultivation.
My kids are a wonderful source of wonder. All three of them manage to either give me a new way to look at something, or cause that sense of wonder themselves. From the way they look at the world – to the way they surprise me with their capabilities and actions.
Beyond that, I’m reaching the point where my camera has started to become such a part of me, that it helps me look at the world in a different way. Even when I don’t have it with me, I find myself looking for shots, and seeing everything in a different light.
My favorite time of year for having a sense of wonder, though…is right now. The holidays. The first snowfall, the way the tree looks lit up, the decorations, the sense of pure joy in every part of the season. It’s definitely a wondrous time of year – and I hope next year I can learn to carry it with me much longer.
December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)
I let go of the only person I had to let go of. We lost my gramma this year. Suddenly, without much warning, she went to be with grampa.
We miss her still. Our loss is still affecting us.
Letting go is never easy. Whether the loss happens quick and unexpected – or over a period of time.
This loss has been even more difficult for me, it seems. I’ve lived away from Buffalo for so long, and I’m still not there. It’s like nothing in my every day changed…so when it hits again, it’s like a fresh wound.
So maybe I fool myself to say I’ve let go…
Just like with my grampa, I may never truly let go.
December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)
This one is easy. The last thing I made was a pair of gloves. It’s the thing I’m making right now. It’s something I’ll be making for another week or so. Of course, I’ll also be making cookies (in fact, literally I’ll be baking some today)…and pettiskirts and dresses.
I always need more time to make things – another 10 hours in the day would be GREAT so that I could get some of these things done that I absolutely must.
Sometimes having Crafter’s ADD is a bad, bad thing…
by Sarah | Nov 30, 2010 | All About Me
I mentioned it early in the month. I had agreed to participate in NaBloPoMo.
I’m glad I managed it. I wish to heaven that every single post had been quality. I admit whole-heartedly that a few days were junk.
What I got out of it – the happiness that I have managed to consistently post. After almost a year where I couldn’t seem to come up with one post a week, barely two a month – it feels good to be posting with some consistency again.
I’m not the type of person that can likely post something EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I can definitely manage several a week and be content with that. I would like to post every day, but I don’t like posting drivel.
When life gets the better of me, and it will happen, I won’t panic about not getting a post in THAT.DAY. But I will try to soon.
There were several posts I made this month that I am proud of, and I’m going to link them now 🙂
*I loved my Weekly Winners back at the first of the month.
*I Am Real
*Angel made my heart swell with love and showed me that there is never enough.
*I expressed my guilt and fear over Brandon’s condition.
*I flashed back to my past while trying to treasure the now.
*And finally I got waxing (haiku) poetic over Christmas decorations.
All in all, a crazy month, happiness, sadness, tears and laughter all mixed in. My son broke his arm, and then had a positive CF test. My Riley had her IEP plan set for school and has shown us both progression and regression, stirring hope and fear and leaving us just as confused, it not more so, than when this month started. Angel tricked us into thinking everything was hunky dorey before scaring the pants off of us by having alarmingly low lung functions.
But then there was Thanksgiving, and wonderful blogger parties, and preparing for Christmas, baking, knitting and decorating.
I’m glad I did NaBlo and while I’m not crazy enough to try to commit to it for December again (during Christmas?)…but I need to learn how to say no. So I’m only committing to posting regularly – at least 4 days a week. So it’s regular, but I will not burn out.
I expect to commit to another NaBlo month in the coming year…but for now I’m going to enjoy the month and regularly blogging again.
Thanks for visiting so much and pushing my numbers up to surprising levels! It’s been a wonderful month and I hope you keep coming back!!
by Sarah | Nov 26, 2010 | All About Me, Writing
A couple of weeks ago when I asked you to ask me questions – my father in law piped up on facebook to ask me to answer how I came to love writing.
The answer is rooted in a long ago memory and a love of books.
I rarely remember nightmares. Maybe for a day or two, but so few actually stick with me.
For all of my 30+ years, I remember my very first nightmare.
I was still in a crib when I had it. I think I was two and a half at most. I woke up screaming.
Because in my dream I had torn my favorite book. Bongo.
I still remember the nightmare. I still remember the horror I felt over seeing my favorite book shredded in my crib. I treasured that book.
My dad to this day jokes that I was reading the Reader’s Digest cover to cover when I was three. He wasn’t far off, and it was about that age that I stole my first set of Little House books from my brother’s bookshelf (why in heaven he had them, I have no idea).
Eventually in middle school I got to the teenage angsty poetry phase which morphed into a stunning enjoyment of my English classes and writing. I loved the challenge of taking an assignment and doing something outside of the box. Then a college Creative Writing Course and then nothing.
For quite a few years I didn’t write.
A few years ago I wrote a story just for fun. I got some encouragement and eventually turned into something almost sell-able. Almost, because I’m still learning.
But I’m loving learning. Writing. Creating. Watching my characters come alive on the page. For about six months out of the year writing is what I spend a lot of time on. Sometimes to my husband’s chagrin because I’m up until all hours being driven by my characters to tell their story.
It’s exciting.
Reading. Writing.
Finding other worlds to live in. The past, the future, an alternate universe. An escape from the normal of everyday. The sometimes good, sometimes bad, always REAL world we live in.
by Sarah | Nov 23, 2010 | All About Me
This is my vacation day from NaBlo. So this is my official post today. Will be back tomorrow.
by Sarah | Nov 22, 2010 | All About Family, All About Me
To this day there are times when my Mom says, “I wish I had let you see more how much we struggled.” Money-wise she says we struggled. Money was tight, times were hard.
We never saw it.
Our summers were spent at the beach at my Nana’s cottage. Swimming in Lake Erie, playing on our exceedingly large inner tube (I still miss bouncing on that thing). We spent weekends there in the winter, too. Walking across the thick ice, playing in feet of snow.
Our Christmas’s were always happy and our Christmas lists were filled.
Every holiday was filled with family. Thanksgiving our house was overflowing. Piles of coats on my parents’ bed. The kitchen so full of people my mom would say ‘never again’ every year…and every year we’d do it again. The long table filled with people, the kids table right next to it. Christmas at my aunts house, so full the heater wasn’t needed for all the bodies and good cheer in there.
Dinner was always on the table. I didn’t always like it, but there it was.
I had dance, the bro had hockey.
Life was good.
I always look back on my childhood with a smile.
Were there troubles? Sure. I remember them. I remember bad times too…
But the good times outweighed the bad.
********
Written using MamaKat’s prompt #164 “What made your childhood bearable? Write about it.” My childhood was more than bearable…so there you have it 😀
