{patience}

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Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
{Ralph Waldo Emerson}

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{courage and growth}

There are big {huge!} changes happening in my life right now...I won't share all the details but I am putting my word for the year {listen} into practice...I am listening to myself for once instead of everyone else. I have taken the courageous {although, I'm still scared!} leap to grow up and become who I really am. I am moving towards the expectations and goals that *I* have for myself instead of the expectations of others that I have felt that I had to live up to and create my life around. 

All of this change has been stressful, sometimes hearbreaking, confusing, liberating, and cleasing all at once...basically I'm living a day-by-day and minute-by-minute existence right now. This has allowed me to live "in the moment" for once and actually be present in my own life. Big things are happening and I'm believing and trusting that it's all for the good! 

{reverie}

Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind.

{Henry Wadsworth Longfellow}

{double birthdays}

Two of our kiddos have their birthdays a week apart...they were big birthdays this year as well!

Hailey turned 5, or "a whole hand" as we say around here:)

Jake turned 10, or "double digits" and is now officially a "big kid".

My, how they grow up so quickly!

{new art in the works}

I have started a new piece of art. It is a gift for a friend and it is very different from what I normally do. 

Assuming I am successful, this little guy will be a crested crane, the national bird of the Republic of Uganda.

I am excited to start filling in the details and watch this guy come to life....

{snapshots of spring}

Spring is my favorite time of the year! I have tried to slow down enough to notice all of the changes happening and to take in their beauty.

These are the rain-kissed blossoms on my blueberry bushes.

The beautiful display gardens at Roozengaarde tulip farm.

My lilac bushes...

and my sun-shiney daffodils...

beautiful snowy white blossoms at our local Mc Donald's...

and more tulips everywhere I turn!

I hope you are taking the time to slow down and enjoy Spring!

{Photoshoots in the tulips}

April was a super busy month for me and May is proving to be as well!

I did manage to do 2 family photo shoots at Roozengaarde tulip display gardens. All of these photos are courtesy of them.

Here are some of the highlights from The D. Family...this whole family is so photogenic and little Miss R. was in such a good mood that this shoot was a breeze:)

And here are some highlights from The R. Family...Little Man here is 3 mos. old and he's such a cutie pie! He cooperated very well and Mom and Dad were very sweet. I'm so happy with how these turned out!

I just *love* the tulip festival here in Skagit County. I am already looking forward to next year!

{the tulips are coming!}

Last weekend I grabbed all of my camera-babies and headed to the tulip fields to see what had bloomed. There were a few early bloomers and the Daffodils were up so I was able to get some great shots.

Don't you just love Spring?!

Next weekend the tulips should be in full bloom so stay tuned:)

{rule-free}

It's been awhile since I've updated. I've been pretty busy lately and most of my computer time is used moving and re-vamping my website right now. I can't wait to have it completed so that I can work on some of my other goals that I have for myself and my art this year.

So, one of the things that I was busy with was a 2-week class called, Rule Free Photography by the fabulous Vivienne McMaster. She is super fun and such an encouragement for you to just have FUN with your photography. {If you ever have a chance to take one of her classes, do it!}

Here are a few of the pics that I did for the class...

These first 2 were taken not looking through the viewfinder. It was fun to see some of the shots that my camera found without too much help from me:)

These 3 were "3 second compositions". I already pretty much compose a shot in my mind before I even aim my camera so I did find this exercise challenging. Instead, I made myself just not over think things.

This was a shot from the "blurry" exercise. It was fun and I can see it's place but between US it made me woozy looking through everyone's photos for this task! Not sure I'll be doing this much in the future...

These 2 were taken of objects that I wouldn't normally photograph. I basically looked for awesome shapes, lines, and textures instead of an interesting subject.

I'm glad that I took the class! I found myself using some of the prompts just today and I hope to take another of Vivienne's classes in the future!

{a prayer in spring}

OH, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orcahrd white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill. 

{Robert Frost}

{free spring wallpapers}

We had a little break in the rain today so I took advantage of the little bit of sun and headed out with my camera. I visited a local tulip farm to peek in on the tulips. They aren't quite up yet, but I did find some crocus and a few early-blooming daffodils.

I am getting so excited for Spring and decided to size these and offer them as free desktop wallpapers.

Simply click on the one you want, it will then open into a new window as a larger size. Right-click on the photo and save it to your computer. You can then navigate your settings and set it as your desktop wallpaper.

I hope you enjoy them:)

{after a rainfall}

In my garden, after a rainfall, you can faintly, yes, hear the breaking of new blooms.                                                                      

{Truman Capote}

{shooting for the moon}

Shoot for the moon - if you miss you'll end up in the stars.
{Artie Shaw}

I spent a bit of time painting with encaustics this week. I have a growing collection of art and am continuing to learn and grow. My goal is to create a {somewhat} cohesive body of work so that I can start approaching local galleries. It still seems sort of silly for me to think of myself as "good enough" to be in a gallery - hence the reason for the above quote. Right now I am shooting for the moon so-to-speak, but I will be content to land somewhere among the stars...

P.s. Did you see the full moon this week? It was beautiful here in NW Washington!

{little bliss list 3/16}

I am participating in the weekly Little Bliss List over on Liv Lane's blog.

Liv's mission is to provide us a chance to celebrate the little things that bring us hope and happiness during our week. By sharing those little things, it helps others to see those small gifts in their lives as well!

 {No. 1} Last weekend we took the whole crew to see The Lorax. I work nights, so it's a treat for me to be able to actually go WITH the family to the theater!
{i won't mention that i fell asleep 1/3 into it...lol!}

{No. 2} I'm not much of a "coffee" girl, but the weather has been COLD and RAINY and WINDY here in Washington. Hubby introduced me to mocha breves and they've helped me endure the weather this week at work:)

{No. 3} Speaking of weather...I am enjoying my cheerful polka-dotted umbrella that helps me weather the storms. 

{i have also been daydreaming of warmer climates this week! a girl can only take so much rain, you know?!}

{No. 4} My Grammy went back home to Texas on Sunday:( But before she left, she spent some time with my 4 year old "flower-bombing" my front yard:) They make me smile every time I come or go.

and finally...

{No. 5} I spent some time with The Mister at the bowling alley this week. {we actually met at this very place 18 years ago!} After many years of working hard at his career and raising little kidlets, he's taken it up again. I am so happy to see him taking time for himself and doing something that he truly enjoys!

So, that's my list! 

I hope your week was just as bliss-full!