for Japan

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sakura, In Full Bloom
© Jessica Nichols, Sweet Eventide Photography

This special edition image has been given to pingg as part of their Japan Disaster Relief collection and I have also listed it in my shop to raise money for Japan. Proceeds from Etsy sales of this image will be donated to the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California and Save the Children.

My heart continues to go out to the beautiful people and animals of Japan. 

Thank you for your support!

I Needed Some Pretty

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I normally do not consume network news, it is a choice I made in 2000. But I broke my own rule after reading and reading and reading about the devastation in Japan. Words feel empty, typed into a blog post, from the safety and comfort of my intact home. It is in times like these that I make myself find some pretty.

my backyard plum tree, captured this weekend

It is not that the pretty makes the ugly go away. But it is a like a tiny band-aid for my heart. When I am overwhelmed with sadness, and bursting with empathy for those affected by natural disasters such as this, I think it is okay to soothe my heart ache with a little moment of prettiness. 

I will defer to Poet Laureate Charles Simic, his words are much more eloquent than mine:  "Inside my empty bottle I was constructing a lighthouse while all the others were making ships." I suppose my backyard plum tree is my lighthouse.

Pause for Photography: Kelli Jane Photography

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You know the story, you're on Flickr, surfing favorites and then wham! You fall in love with a new photostream. I immediately contacted Kelli Jane for permission to blog some of her amazing Polaroids. Lucky for us, she said yes! :)





All photographs © Kelli Jane

Kelli's collection of work is wonderful, but I am very drawn to her Polaroid photography. She really understand what subjects are perfect for the medium: the quiet stillness of the everyday.

This is just a sprinkling of my favorite images from Kelli. You can find more of Kelli on her blog, website, Twitter and Facebook. She has inspired me to invest in a new pack of film for my beloved and neglected SX-70.

Ranunculus

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I am at the market, shopping for my family. I am studying labels, studying the countries of origin, trying not to break the budget, trying not to buy stuff I won't use, trying to have some treats, but not too many, trying to have healthy snacks, trying to meal plan in my head, trying to reach things that are high, so high for Miss Five Feet One, trying to do it all at once with a thousand other things on my mind and items on my to-do list. I'm going up and down the aisles, trying not to forget anything. And then, there they were.


all images © Jessica Nichols, Sweet Eventide Photography



It is such a small thing, really. 
To buy flowers for oneself.

And yet, so very big.

Visiting Grandma

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On our way to and from Portland, we stopped at Jeff's grandma's house for a visit. Grandma T. is an amazing quilter, Spinner fan and all-around fun lady to be around. She offered us Chardonnay, homemade cookies, muffins made with homegrown blueberries, delicious lasagna and frozen homegrown strawberry jam among other things.




From where I was sitting during the game, I could see her coat rack by the front door and I felt so very happy that every hook was full. I can't tell you how nice it is to spend time with a grandma, I have missed mine in a deep way for over 8 years now. 

This post is dedicated to grandmas everywhere!

Party Planning with Sweet Paul Magazine

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Last night, my husband was busy and I had some rare pure surfing time online. Lucky for me, the newest issue of Sweet Paul was released yesterday. Also lucky for me? The Noodle's 8th birthday is a mere two months and 5 days away. It's as if Paul put out his first kids magazine just for me. Thanks Paul!



My son has been crushing on strawberries for years now. In fact, last weekend I found him a strawberry hooded towel, and last night after his bath, he made up a song & dance routine about how he is a little strawberry and "Mommy says I'm the juiciest strawberry in the field!"



Okay, come on! I know straws are bad, so bad, but come on! I cannot resist these. There is no way on earth I can resist them. And Shop Sweet Lulu? After finding this shop in the mag, I tweeted, I faint with glee. As if having a sister-in-law we call Lulu isn't enough to make me click over, the entire shop calls to me and reminds me of my other little blog that got ditched so long ago (over time management issues, not over a lack of love for the topic). Anyway! Back to the present...



This is pure little boy. There is no way my son will celebrate his 8th birthday without traktatiebootjes. Jurianne advises, The little boats sail out to celebrate weddings, new babies, new jobs, birthdays, anniversaries or sometimes even as treasure ships (with money or candies). Before you start folding, give your little boat its own name and write a personal wish or message along the railing." Um, okay! Will do!


Finally, instead of cake, I think I can convince influence show him these homemade pop tarts (spied on Pinterest where I hopped after devouring Sweet Paul).





So, in conclusion, for now, there is no party theme exactly. But lots of delicious, darling elements. Have you checked out Sweet Paul yet? Share a favorite find with me in the comments. :)

Monday Morning: Big Sky and 50 Ways to Cope with Stress

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First of all, good morning! I'm back! We had a very interesting road trip. It was the longest family road trip we have ever taken.



Big Sky seen in very northern California
taken with Instagram



We spent the night in Ashland on the way to and from Portland, which was a very wise choice. Most of the time I don't really feel 40 but my back sure tells me I am after 5 hours in a car.

Ashland, by the way?
 Could it be any more darling?
I have a new favorite haunt in Oregon now.

Second of all, I think this little ad blurb thing is an excellent (not perfect) way to start a Monday morning, especially after a week off of work and school. We got home Saturday evening and I worked from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. preparing for the upcoming week. I think my hard work will pay off and plus, I hosted my MIL for dinner to thank her for taking care of Bubba for us while we were gone. 




If you want, or need, some more advice, check out my Good Reminders pinboard on my Pinterest.

How have you all been?! 

A Getaway

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Hello friends and happy Friday! I'm going to be going radio-silent next week because the Noodle is off school for winter break (aka ski week) also known as, we're going to have a little family getaway to...



Green Bridge © Misha Ashton, $30


...the ever-beautiful city of Portland. We'll play in the snow, visit the Noodle's great-grandma along the way and visit our fun cousins too. Mama may take a trip to Urban Waxx for some overdue pampering. While I'm gone, Portland's Mrs. French will surely keep you company in her new beautiful home for Bliss. 

Don't worry, I'm packing my camera and I will return with prettiness. 
A little grey has never scared me!

More Pink

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We went to the mountains recently in search of the white stuff. There wasn't much snow to be found, but I found plenty of pink in the sky.





So these pink sky images are pretty much as far as I go for Valentine's Day. For some reason this year, all the tweeting/FBing/blogging about DIY/buy/buy/buy for today got me down. (And I mostly get handmade marketing thrown at me, not Hallmark). I am not against love! Far from it, but why such a fuss for this one day? The Noodle couldn't believe people have to work on Valentine's Day. Even in 2nd grade, Valentine's Day is a huge deal. I have a big heart full of love. I am simply not inspired by Feb. 14th.

How do you feel about today?

Scene Around Home: Morning

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Good morning, I am so out of the habit of blogging but I thought I'd try to share a little glimpse of my morning with you today. It is so very windy here that I had to rescue my fern from my front porch. It looked too good next to my open Anthropologie catalog so I snapped a pic.


I wish I could sit in that chair and linger over blogs and coffee for a few hours. Sadly, I have to get to work. If you leave me a link to your latest blog post in the comments, I will come visit you tonight!

Scene Around Home: Deer

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I shot these images about a month ago over our back fence. One of the greatest things about the house we have been living in for 1.5 years now are the deer. Our whole family loves them. Well, maybe not the dog. I don't even mind one bit when they eat more plums than me in the summertime.

We will miss the deer, among many other things, when it is time to move from this house. If only we knew when the move would happen. It will be some time between April and June. There are lots of questions right now and not nearly enough answers. That means that our nerves? They are quite frayed around here, especially our little Noodle's nerves. So most of my energy is at home, and not in blogland. It won't last forever and I am trying to pop in whenever I can to say hi.

Pause for Photography: Laurence Philomene

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I needed, desperately needed, a few minutes of inspiration this morning. I went straight to Pinterest and searched photography. It worked like a charm because I found my way to Recordis Photography which led me to Laurence Philomène and an image in her Flickr that perfectly suits me for the entire month of January so far.


Please click on the image because on its Flickr page, there are two more images that complete the series. I think her work is phenomenal. Now I don't have to tell you why I've hardly been blogging or doing anything that fills my creative cup. I've been exhausted from the sheer weight of the daily routine lately.


Miss you all!