2011 365/365 Back Lit

Pretty green flowers back lit by the Christmas candle light on the sill of the window above my kitchen sink ~ caught my eye yesterday.

Good-bye to 2011.  What a year.  I'm done with you, my friend.  Done.  I welcome the haze time often brings -- the way it will soften the memories of this year, back light the dark and scary times and highlight the beauty.  Bring on 2012 - I've been waiting for you and the promise of a fresh start.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 364/365 Jumping by the Light of the Moon

Very cool!

And, great fun!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 363/365 Hibernation

Just exhausted!  My jammies and slippers felt very good last night.  I'm ready for some deep hibernation.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 362/365 Supercalafragalisticexpialadocious

this week!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 361/365 Stretch!

This photo, one of the series used for our trampoline set up stop motion video, makes me smile.  All of us stretched out like that.  We accidentally assembled the frame upside down and had to flip it over.  It was quite a comical undertaking, made possible by the fact that (for some strange reason unknown to me) we have a rope hanging from a tree in the front yard.  Paul (who, during this project was known as "He Who Shall Not Swing Mallet") in his neck brace was able to attach the rope so brother Eric and I could lower the frame -- well, anyway, it was pretty funny and I'm so happy to have caught this moment (Annie actually released the shutter on this one).

Here's the video:

Trampoline set-up stop action from Paul Bogush on Vimeo.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 360/365 Good Karma!

Such a pretty girl, our Karma! 

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 359/365 For Santa

Merry Christmas!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 358/365 Baking in the Kitchen and Cartwheels on the Deck

Great way to spend Christmas Eve day!

Cartwheeling and baking!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 357/365 Solstice

Bring the light!

Shot at Old Sturbridge Village, Candle Light Christmas

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 356/365 Bridge Through the Window, Bridgeport Hospital

Paul's surgery went very well yesterday!  Blessings!  Happiness!  Bringing him home soon ~ it will be tough for a bit, as he recuperates, but yipee!  The scary part is over.

Sky Bridge, shot from my breakfast table inside Bridgeport Hospital's main entrance.  Fairy lights and shadows from the trees inside can be seen reflected in the glass. 

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 355/365 Something Ordinary, Something Normal

Paul is having this done today:

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF)
This procedure removes a diseased disc (discectomy) through the front (anterior) of the neck (cervical). After the disc is removed, the spine must be stabilized. This is accomplished using a cervical plate and screws (instrumentation) and fusion (bone graft). Fusion is similar to glue that hardens over time to create a solid construct, which stabilizes the spine.

Since this blog is all about me, me, me...I can say his surgery is a little stressful for moi.  I have issues when it comes to medical procedures such as surgeries. 

Anyway...I'm sure it will be fine and all that jazz.  In the meantime, the hustle and bustle that is the week before Christmas for a mom in suburban paradise roars on and the impending surgery is happening with or without me liking it, so I find myself trying to control things and make some order out of chaos.  I've cleaned closets, cabinets and drawers at home and at work.  I'm organizing and work, work, working.  Tonight, I was comforted by the ordinary and normal act of chopping a salad for dinner, thinking about how Paul really exemplifies being "the rock" of our family.  He's our glue.  Our center and the girls and I, his satellites.  Anyway...chop, chop, chop.

Just keeping grounded in something ordinary, something normal.  It's a pretty salad, eh?  Yummy too, with chicken, Parmesan and dressing.

Breathe in, breathe out.  It will all be OK.  It will.  And, let's hope for less surgery in 2012.  Dad, Mom, and Husband.  That's quite enough for me!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 354/365 Joy

Each year there are folks who receive photos of our girls for Christmas.  Often we give a copy of their school photos.  This year we decided to use a candid photo of both girls together.  I wrapped them all in brown paper that I stamped the other day.

Here they are all stacked up.

The photos were fun to take and edit too.  These were the two finalists:

Each person is actually getting both photos -- some have photo one in front and some have photo two in front -- the other is tucked behind.  It was just too hard to choose!

We of course, can't have a photo shoot without it turning into silliness!  This photo, while not making the "gift cut" is actually my favorite and I put it up on my desk at work.

I hope you are having time for quiet moments and some silly times this season.  Joy - it does a body good!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 353/365 Instead

All along the process of bringing about the preschool, we examined and assessed its feasibility.  We decided that for now, it makes most sense to keep our spaces dedicated to the folks who live here -- we really have just enough for us.   And, when considered with other factors, on the shelf goes that (wonderful and amazing) preschool idea.

Never a dull moment in this house of dreamers!  The decision to keep our playroom dedicated to our children was followed by a spurt of creativity in what would have been the indoor classroom.  (I stamped some fun wrapping paper too!)

So, we are back to normal (ha!) around here and looking forward to many more craft-ernoons together!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 352/365 Blue Christmas

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 351/365 Christmas Past

These lights are on my Mimi's ceramic Christmas tree...one of my all-time favorite treasures.  A little melancholy today...missing folks...

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 350/365 Iced Berries

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 349/365 Morning Pile

One day the sheep may have this added to their space, for now it's just a pile, made magical by the morning light on the ice encrusted scene.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 348/365 Wrap and Stamp

Been crafting with Annie this week.  So nice!

We got the idea for this at Whip Up.  It was great fun!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 345/365 Brisk

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 336/365 Hey Buddy!

One of the recent visitors to my (soon to be) preschool's bird watching station.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 329/365 Nature's Own Dali

Cool!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 322/365 Shifting Focus

My daily photography practice has given way to a daily practice of walking -- the early morning moments I would spend editing and posting photos are now spent outside greeting the day on foot.  My eye is forever seeing photos as I go though - all that daily photography has made it so I notice details that make the whole walk experience rewarding.

In addition to the daily practice of a morning walk, all of my spare moments have been consumed by my next big thing...that "coming soon" change that I mentioned several posts back:  The Preschool at Shaggyhill Farm, LLC.  Oh, yeah.  It's coming!  A nurturing, developmentally-appropriate, play based, part-time preschool.  I'm so stinking excited I could burst!  Beginning Spring 2012, I plan to begin offering a Friday morning program for children ages 3 and 4 here in my home at the farm, followed by more programs in the Fall.

I'm so thrilled and nearly all of my creative energy is focused on this endeavor right now as I go through the tedious (but necessary) steps in becoming licensed and the fun parts of planning the program (oh, and keeping the doubts at bay!).  Of course, photography is part of it all ~ although I will most likely round out this 365 project by posting once a week.

So much big fun heading this way!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 311/365 Snow Grid

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 310/365 Frosty Textures

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 309/365 Sunday Blessing

A photo taken with my camera:

A photo I took without my camera:  The sun light, right now, as it's touching and illuminating the untethered wisps of Annie's ponytail into spun gold; and how it is kissing her sleepy nose and shimmering on her sweet cheeks as she, curled on the couch, dives into reading her new book. Blessed way to start the day.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 308/365 October Snow

Remarkable for us to have snow and foliage!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 307/365 October Snow

It really was beautiful!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 306/365 October Snow

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 305/365 Breakfast, anyone?

No power=creative food prep - and YUMMY!
Waffles, french fries, and homemade breadsticks on the wood stove and nachos heated with a propane torch.  Good eats and good times!  Thank you, Paul for keeping us warm and fed!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 304/365 Single Leaf in a Remarkable Scene

Do you see that single orange leaf in the midst of our snow-encrusted side yard?

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 303/365 Boo!

My favorite stick figure and vampiress ~ in the midst of all the snow and such, we were able to trick or treat in Auntie's neighborhood.  Boo!

Some towns postponed Halloween until this weekend due to snow, debris, downed power lines and a lack of lights making for a very scary situation - and not the fun kind!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 302/365 Another Sort of Pumpkin on the Deck

We had to bring those misty morning pumpkins in off the deck to make room for 14 inches of snow.   That snow and the morning sun drew another sort of pumpkin outside.  This is the beginning of what was an amazing and strange week.  We were without power for 5 days, getting it back last night (November 3), but others are still without and I wish them all the best as they wait it out.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!

2011 301/365 Misty Morning Pumpkins

Right now there is a half foot of snow on the deck railing, but earlier this week it looked like this:

Thanks for visiting my blog today. You might like to subscribe to my midlife creativities by email. You'll be sent a confirmation email, so check your inbox and be sure to respond so you'll receive updates. I pretty promise never to sell or spam your address!