Embrace Life

things we do | the august break 2013

You may have noticed things have slowed down here at Embrace Life. That has been unintentional but greatly enjoyed - except for the moments I abruptly realize I've forgotten the blog and frantically try to come up with something brilliant to share - with varying degrees of success.

I've decided to take a break.

Susannah Conway has organized The August Break 2013 and I'll be participating. It is a photography challenge and I haven't done one in a while.

My break will be full: in August I'll be taking oodles of photos, hosting the ONElittleWORD blog hop, helping with lots of moving (my sister and her family back to Toronto, my cousin's son to Hamilton, ON, my daughter's friend to Vermont and my daughter to Kingston, ON), continuing with my Hello Monday practice, ordering books for the start of school, participating in the Deepak & Oprah Meditation, taking our annual holiday to Cape Cod, reading plenty of books, writing in a moleskine journal and not worrying about how it looks, updating the kids uniforms - new shirts, shoes and pants - for school and getting my calendar organized - after all, September is the new January, right?

Essentially, I will spend August just being. Still and open. Relaxing, regrouping and deciding on the things I want to shed and those things I want to keep moving forward.

Enjoy the month ahead - I know I will!

hello monday | 78

flowers found in my neighbour's garden

hello joy. real, unquestionable, whole-hearted, joy. i earned a hard-won gift last week and i'm still in a state of bliss.

hello photography give-away. if you haven't checked it out, let me know your favourite and you might win a print! Deadline is this Wednesday at noon!

hello artist's way. i've collected a crazy number of books on writing and creative flow. then it dawned on me that i didn't have the original, quintessential tome on the subject. i do now and find myself immersed in week one!

hello sleep. i am exhausted. i've been keyed-up for so long i never realized what a toll it was taking on me. now i can barely keep my eyes open. so i'm giving into it: early to bed, naps during the day, sleeping in. listening to my body and giving it what it needs.

hello golf. caden is off with a buddy to golf in toronto this week. i love that he enjoys the sport. definitely going to have to consider bring the clubs on future holiday choices.

hello steak. my kids laugh at me, but i made the best steak of my life last week. this new process does not include the bbq. my life has been radically altered!

hello kitchen disasters. on the other hand - thank goodness i'm not preparing food for gordon ramsey. he'd have tossed me. other than the steak all other foodie experiments were a big fat fail!

hello spoiler updates. it just wouldn't be summer if i didn't get regular morning updates on what's happening on big brother. 

hello playoffs . it has just occurred to me that i will miss baseball at the end of the season. i don't know that i've been able to say that in the last couple of years. testament to a couple of great teams!

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

 

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

photography | the (unexpected) big project & giveaway

I never intended to have a big photography project this summer but, like things often do, one thing leads to another.

A few weeks back, I had a request via 500px to purchase one of my photos:

Fun! Now, how do I do that?

Then it started. If I'm going to sell one photo, why not sell all of my favourites?

I purged 25,000+ photos from my regular iPhoto library. It left me with 30,000+ photos and digital files. Then I discovered another iPhoto library which ended up having 5,000+ photos purged and left me with 18,000 photos and digital files. I know that is still a crap-load of images! Another purge will happen, but I'm happy to have deleted over 30,000 images in less than a week. Certainly I have to address my digital files and prune, prune, prune!

It was a huge chore - filled with delightful surprises - and I'm glad it's done.

All of my favourite images, all 260 of them, are available for purchase. So far, the favourites are: Daisies, Hoar Frost, Velvet Ropes, Pink Bouquet and Garlic.

Can I ask a favour? I'm curious to what photos are the most appealing. If you have some free time and want a break from Facebook or Pinterest, can you head over to my gallery and click on the photos you like? I have all manner of photos and there is no rhyme or reason to them! I'm curious to know which are the most appealing to a wide variety of tastes and I'd appreciate your help.

Leave a comment here, too! Let me know your favourite photo and I'll do a draw and whoever gets chosen will get an 8 x 10 print of their choice delivered directly to them. I'll pick a name at 12Noon (Eastern) on Wednesday, July 31st - that gives everyone a week :)

I appreciate your help!

hello monday | 77

my morning walk along the lake

hello baseball. after a brief (but all to long for caden's liking) mid-season break, baseball starts again this week! yay :)

hello new reading material. the 100-year-old man who climbed out the window and disappeared has just been taken out of the pile and opened. here's hoping i like it.

hello evening swims. the kids have been enjoying their evening swims over at the local club. it is so relaxing to sit and watch them have fun and never have to worry about pool chemistry or vacuuming! having a lifeguard on duty is a welcome perk, too.

hello day camps. caden is back to appleby college for video game design camp and chloé will be volunteering wherever she's put this week.

hello amazing race canada. years ago chloé played hockey with the daughter of hal and joanne - the television fitness icons - featured on the show. so fun to watch - we're rooting for them!

hello dentist. all of my mercury fillings are being removed and replaced. it's a long process, but it'll be done soon. good thing i like my dentist!

hello paint. we haven't been in this home long but it appears it's already time to change things up. claire wants to paint her room. looks like this is the week to do it.

hello canadian open. held here in oakville this week, up at glen abbey, traffic is going to be a nightmare. good thing everything we need is within blocks of our home! we don't even have to get in the truck until everyone leaves town. we'll all be watching on tv :)

hello right foot. after weeks of therapy, the pain has lessened to the point where i can walk on it regularly. i'm hoping to get in at least 8,000 steps each day this week. by the time we make it to our holiday at the beach i hope to work it up to 10,000 steps.

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

 

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

real right now | heat + humidity

I haven't been absent on purpose. I find the "dog days" of summer arrived early this year and it has sapped me of all my strength! I woke up this morning surprised to realize it is Thursday. The temperatures have been in the mid-30s and feels in the mid-40s. Not ideal.

• Chloé was delivered to OELC in Orillia for her week of Athletics. She was nervous but I think she'll be fabulous and make some wonderful friends. I hope she's not melting!
• I went for a long walk and talk with a friend on Monday.
• I got Cole all packed up and shipped out to his almost-month in Northern British Columbia where he, the lone Canadian, and 11 kids will be clearing trails and volunteering in a cannery while absorbing the culture of people indigineous to the area.
• Claire came home (finally) from her felt-like-forever-away trip to Ottawa with friends. She is desperately allergic to just about everything she was exposed to but managed to come home in one piece. Kinda.
• I went for a lovely lunch with a friend on Tuesday and caught up on all of her most recent entrepreneurial adventures. She's amazing.
• Another lunch was enjoyed with another friend on Wednesday. I love being with someone so like me and so not like me all in the same breath. Looking forward to many, many lunches in the years ahead.
• Love my osteopath and my foot is remarkably better - and so is my hip! I look forward to our appointments.
• Today takes me off to the dentist for a few hours. Not my favourite place to be, but I enjoy my dentist and the ladies at her practice. I'm looking forward to hearing their happy chatter and insights while all of my mercury fillings are removed and replaced.
• Caden, not to be forgotten, has a week off of baseball and is not happy about it. The irony of this break is that it has fallen on a dry week in a season of rain-outs. He's learning a ton at volleyball camp as that is his winter sport of choice now that he's not at a rink.
• Claire woke me at 1:30AM to let me know that the JT & Jay-Z concert last night in Toronto was fantastic. She had such a great time and very much enjoyed her grad gift from her Grampy.
• I cleared out THOUSANDS of photos and uploaded my favourites to 500px. I even set up a store!
• I'm enjoying having the British Open playing on TSN in the background. Golf is such a great game. I plan to imagine myself transported to the windy and overcast days forecast for Muirfield Golf Links in Scotland!
• Tomorrow will be spent figuring out my next big project. I think paint will be involved - the wall kind, not the canvas kind.

So, I've cranked up the AC and playing catch up on line!

What have you been up to lately?

hello monday | 76

from the vault: claire, summer 2011

hello heat. high heat + high humidity = slowing down and enjoying the shade.

hello daughter. claire is (finally) coming back from her visit to our nation's capital and region. i wonder how long she'll stay home?

hello leadership centre. i dropped chloé off for her first visit to oelc. i have no doubt she'll have a blast and plenty of stories to share upon her return!

hello volleyball camp. caden is back to appleby college to start a new camp experience. this week it's volleyball.

hello packing. cole is off to british columbia and alaska. every time we think we have everything ready to pack we realize something has been forgotten or misplaced!

hello oakville club. lovely place and we're enjoying it immensely.

hello photo purge. phase one went well. now onto the unexpected phase two. glad to find 25,000 "misplaced" images!

hello british open. if i can't visit scotland this summer, this is the next best thing!

hello baby watch. the anxious updates have to stop! it's a baby and will arrive on its own time.

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

 

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

things we do | read (aka collect books)

Last week I was asked about the oodles of books I've collected to read this summer. The reality is they are to be read through Christmas and beyond because I don't know that I could get through them in a mere few weeks!

This recent curation started with a few events: the summer reading list that came out for my kids and then a creative writing course I signed up to explore, then there was the influence of Brain Pickings, Hay House, Danielle LaPorte, Susannah Conway and conversations with my friends and I was overwhelmed with the need to read.

YOUNG ADULT READING

Mandatory Summer Reading:

THE GLASS CASTLE Jeannette Walls (Claire)

IN COLD BLOOD Trueman Capote (Cole)

LORD OF THE FLIES William Golding (Chloé)

THE OUTSIDERS S. E. Hinton (Caden)

Hopeful-Mama's List of Summer Reading for her children:

ELEANOR & PARK Rainbow Rowell

LOVE IS A MIX TAPE Rob Sheffield

THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO Patrick Ness

THE ASK AND THE ANSWER Patrick Ness

MONSTERS OF MEN Patrick Ness

THE SUMMER PRINCE Alaya Dawn Johnson

HIS FAIR ASSASSIN: GRAVE MERCY Robin LaFevers

HIS FAIR ASSASSIN: DARK TRIUMPH Robin LaFevers

CODE NAME VERITY Elizabeth Wein

THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER Megan Shepherd

MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH Bethany Griffin

DANCE OF THE RED DEATH Bethany Griffin

Pre-ordered:

THE UNIDENTIFIED REDHEAD Alice Clayton

THE REDHEAD REVEALED Alice Clayton

THE READHEAD PLAYS HER HAND Alice Clayton

I love that my kids enjoy reading. For every book on the list that has a counterpart on Audible, I order that version so Caden can read and listen at the same time. This has proven to be very good strategy for him. He is no longer frustrated and his attention is held through more than a few pages at a time. The list includes a good mix of girl-focused and boy-focused fiction. Like me, the kids read anything.

FICTION - AKA, IT'S TIME TO START READING MORE OF WHAT I WANT TO WRITE!

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED Jonas Jonasson

SKYLIGHT CONFESSIONS Alice Hoffman

A BEAUTIFUL TRUTH Colin McAdam

THE FEVER TREE Jennifer McVeigh

THE AGE OF MIRACLES Karen Thompson Walker

VALLEY OF THE DOLLS Jacqueline Susann

SUMMER AT TIFFANY Marjorie Hart

THE ROSIE PROJECT Graeme Simsion

THE AVIATOR'S WIFE Melanie Benjamin

HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON Crockett Johnson

I want to write fiction. I have many stories inside just waiting to be told. I've spent a great deal of time trying to supress those stories and for a while I succeeded. They were lost to me. It's time to be quiet and not "busy" to simply dwell in that creative space again. The best way to write what you want is to read what you want to write. There are thousands upon thousands of great books and I hope to spend a great portion of my life reading them! And re-reading the really good ones. Suggestions are always welcome :)

INSPIRATION & LIFE LESSONS - NON FICTION

ON BECOMING FEARLESS ... IN LOVE, WORK AND LIFE Arianna Huffington

SOULSPACE: TRANSFORM YOUR HOME, TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE Xorin Balbes

STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST Austin Kleon

DO MORE GREAT WORK Michael Bungay Stanier

SHIFT HAPPENS: HOW TO LIVE AN INSPIRED LIFE ... STARTING RIGHT NOW Robert Holden

LOVEABILITY: KNOWING HOW TO LOVE AND BE LOVED Robert Holden

THE FIRST 20 HOURS: HOW TO LEARN ANYTHING Josh Kauffman

FOCUS ON THE GOOD STUFF: THE ART OF APPRECIATION Mike Robbins

BE YOURSELF, EVERYONE ELSE IS ALREADY TAKEN: TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE WITH THE POWER OF AUTHENTICITY Mike Robbins

ZEN UNDER FIRE: HOW I FOUND PEACE IN THE MIDST OF WAR Marianne Elliott

THINK: STRAIGHT TALK FOR WOMEN TO STAY SMART IN A DUMBED DOWN WORLD Lisa Bloom

MANAGE YOUR DAY-TO-DAY: BUILD YOUR ROUTINE, FIND YOUR FOCUS & SHARPEN YOUR CREATIVE MIND Jocelyn K. Glei, Editor

MAKING IDEAS HAPPEN: OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES BETWEEN VISION & REALITY Scott Belsky 

This is where I've been for the past couple of years - finding inspiration through the life lessons learned and shared by others. When I wasn't strong enough to take care of myself, I depended on the strength of others to provide me with hope and inspiration. I've grown a lot and now I read to have those feelings of independance, authenticity and growth reinforced.

WRITING & CREATIVE INSTRUCTION

THE NOTEBOOKS; INTERVIEWS AND NEW FICTION FROM CONTEMPORARY WRITERS Michelle Berry & Natalee Capel, Editors

WRITING LIFE: CELEBRATED CANADIAN AND INTERNATIONAL AUTHORS ON WRITING AND LIFE Constance Rooke, Editor

WRITERS GYM: EXERCISES AND TRAINING TIPS FOR WRITERS Eliza Clark

WRITING BEGINS WITH BREATH: EMBODYING YOUR AUTHENTIC VOICE Laraine Herring

344 QUESTIONS: THE CREATIVE PERSON'S DO-IT-YOURSELF GUIDE TO INSIGHT, SURVIVAL, AND ARTISTIC FULFILLMENT Stefan G. Butcher

BIRD BY BIRD: SOME INSTRUCTIONS ON WRITING AND LIFE Anne Lamott

WRITING FICTION: A GUIDE TO NARRATIVE CRAFT Janet Burroway

IMAGINATIVE WRITING: THE ELEMENT OF CRAFT Janet Burroway

NAMING THE WORLD: AND OTHER EXERCISES FOR THE CREATIVE WRITER Bret Anthony Johnston

COURAGE AND CRAFT: WRITING YOUR LIFE STORY Barbara Abercrombie

WRITING FOR MY LIFE ... RECLAIMING THE LOST PIECES OF ME: A POETIC JOURNEY Nancy Levin

THE WAR OF ART: BREAK THROUGH Stephen Pressfield

TURNING PRO: TAP YOUR INNER POWER AND CREATE YOUR LIFE'S WORK Stephen Pressfield

THE WRITING LIFE Annie Dillard

WHY WE WRITE: 20 ACCLAIMED AUTHORS ON HOW AND WHY THEY DO WHAT THEY DO Meredith Maran, Editor

Of course, in addition to the above, I have shelves lined with books all through my home. I have no doubt I've forgotten more than I've remembered with all of the brilliance - and drivel - I've read over the years, but it's all good! I'm looking forward to learning new things and challenging myself to new opportunities. Oh, if only my English-major -self had been as enthusiastic as my middle-aged-writer-wannabe-self has turned into being.

Though the stacks are uneven, I'm looking forward to absorbing all of those words and stories and emotions and plots and highs and lows.

I expect my posting here on the blog to be somewhat uneven as I focus my energy on this little endeavor. BUT imagine how much better - creative and articulate - my efforts will be once I'm in a state of inspired flow?

Me? I'm looking forward to finding out!

Project | iPhoto Purge

You know when a little project takes on a life of it's own? That's exactly what happened when I planned on finding a few photos to upload to my 500px account. I was thrilled to have someone want to order a photo and figured I'd set up a shop. Not one to do things half-assed, I thought I'd just upload all of my favourite photos and make a go of this little idea. Simple, right? Nope.

All of my "flags" had been corrupted over time by flagging photos to mail out to friends, to include in Project Life, to chose over another similar photo. What a mess!

Well, I had a lazy afternoon, why not clean it up? Easy. Then I realized - I had over 57,000 photos in my iPhoto. (Within that includes all of my digital files, so for pure photos, I'm not exactly sure what the number is as digi elements do make up a lot of that number.) I needed a full week of lazy afternoons and I've managed to get myself caught up to July 2012.

I have learned a few things about myself in the last little while:

1. I will not organize c.r.a.p. A purge must always preceed organizing.
2. A purge always needs specific criteria to follow.
3. The delete button is my best tool.

Since the computer-in-the-dumpster mishap of 2011*, I am not as attached to photos as I once was and probably purge way more than anyone else would. As a scrapbooker/album maker/memory curator, I'm sure that seems to be counterintuitive, but it works.

My criteria was simple:

1. Team or group photos that do not include my kid(s) get purged.
2. Of those photos only one or two of the very top best from the event are kept.
3. If there is a number of similar photos, pick the top one and delete the rest.
4. Any "everyday" photos for Project Life that have already been developed and put in the album that hold no meaning outside of their everyday-ness get zapped.
5. Delete, delete, delete.

One thing that surprised me is how awful so many of my photos were! Truly horrible. I'm a SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) photographer and always prided myself on having a good "eye". Holy smokes. What a disappointment I am to myself. Purging became far easier once that realization was made. I also learned A LOT about what I was doing wrong and what I need to fix in the future. Though, it does look like I have been improving over time.

Another surprise? The realization I have two children who are complete pains in the butt when it comes to taking photos! Grr. Same two. Every time.

While I was in iPhoto I did manage to do some minimal "organizing":

1. Flagged any photo worth selling.
2. Moved to "Special Family Photos" file any special family photo or particularly good shot of people, places or things that mean something special to us.
3. Minimized the files containing any digital scrapbooking file.

I stopped at the July 2012 mark because that is where my analogue Project Life stops for 2012. Once I have that project completed, I'll zap anything that is not meaningful outside of the context of the album.

The end result, so far? I purged 22,000+ images from my iPhoto and now have little more than 30,000 images and digital files left. I know that sounds like a ton, but once I get 2012 cleared out, I think it'll be far more manageable. I'll be able to file and organize what's left. I'll be happy to have my iPhoto in alignment with the rest of my life: if it isn't loved or useful, it's gone.

A few of my "special photos" found:

Way back when Caden was in T-Ball he refused to hit the ball until the plate was perfectly cleaned of all dirt. Everyone patiently waited for him to finish and then smack the ball :) JUNE 2005

It was an Orange and Black summer when I enrolled Chloé and Caden onto two different teams to play ball. (Easier for the league - not easier for me. Live and learn!) Chloé loved the chance to play against her brother's team. Caden? I don't know that he was equally delighted. JULY 2006

Chloé is always so focused - and when she is, like all of my kids, the tongue comes out. I have no idea what she was doing, but love that I captured a moment so typical of Chloé! FEBRUARY 2008

It was a Game Boy Christmas in our house! DECEMBER 2003

Joy? Cole in Cape Cod. He cracks me up! AUGUST 2004

Do you think they would pose nicely? Nope. But this is exactly what they were like when together - like a bunch of puppies. JULY 2009

Can this girl ever pitch! Wow. It's always such a surprise to everyone. She's so happy and girly getting up to the mound. Then she turns into a fierce competitor. Love it! JUNE 2009

Spirit Day at school is always met with great enthusiasm. Claire's house was Walker which has light blue as it's colour and Cole's house is Powell's in yellow. Goofs! SEPTEMBER 2011

One of my most favourite family photos in one of our most favourite places on earth. JUNE 2008

So, now I have about 100 photos I feel comfortable uploading to my 500px account. There is always room for improvement and I hope to upload better and better photos as time goes on. With what I have, I can now spend the rest of the week making a virtual storefront and, fingers crossed, sell a photo or two!

I'm glad this project is almost completed. At least I'm a lot farther ahead than I was a week ago!

*My overly-enthusiastic son, Cole, took an "old laptop" and tossed it with the dumpster load of c.r.a.p. when the kids and I moved in 2011. I was devastated but only for long enough to know that the photos might be gone, but the memories are in my head and heart forever.

hello monday | 75

happy :: transitions

hello son #1. he was home for about 15 seconds upon his return from camp. then 15 seconds upon his return from visiting hanne. maybe he'll hang around a bit this week upon his return from ottawa? maybe?

hello time. a bit of restructuring is happening to give me space to just be.

hello performance swimming. caden is starting week two at this camp. he says he's learning a lot - the proof will be the first week of practice with the school swim team! he's loving it, and you're always better at things you are passionate about. good lessons being learned, and not all in the pool.

hello story. i really enjoy learning at big picture classes. sometimes i don't keep up, but i learn a lot in the process. ali edwards' newest class starts today. i'm excited to get started!

hello medical tests. i never thought they would end! all these tests are time consuming and time sensitive. hopefully they contain the answers i need.

hello project life. i was a bit behind but have caught up. i've even started converting the first few weeks of the year into the digital format so i can simply have a book bound rather than transferring prints to an album. this is going to work.

hello iphoto. purged! last week i zapped 25,000+ photos. organized? well, that's another project all together.

hello desire map. wow. my cdf's: trust. connect. align. grace.

hello new process. i used to write massive lists of everything-under-the-sun-that-had-to-get-done. and then, to kick myself further, added on a couple of impossibles at the end. now? five do-able chores are recorded first thing every morning. by the end of the day a managable number of things are completed and i am neither overwhelmed or berating myself for my inadequacies.

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

4 Simple Goals | July 2013

My 4 Simple Goals, July 2013:

After the whirlwind of June it's  kind of nice to spend lazy days with no studying and evenings at the ballpark with no mind concerned about the late endings! We could do with some more sun, but I'm okay with the overcast and dry days!

1. CLUB. We joined a local club and haven't been to visit since picking up the membership package. It's time to gather the youngers and the bathing suits and go! The olders are welcome, but have oodles of other things to do :)
2. ADJUST. Better. I have to let go of "my plan" for the summer and just go with the flow. Amazing how one event can very logically create another event that was wholly unexpected when "my plan" was originally put together. It's all good, just not expected. It's also not about me, so I shouldn't let it bug me! Right?
3. READ. I have ordered so many good books. STACKS of them. Now I have to read them!
4. MENU. It's time to change things up. I just got my allergy tests back and most foods I've been avoiding can be added back in! 

REWARD*: The truck is in desperate need of a good cleaning inside. Time for the 6-month detailing - by a professional, not me :)

*I recognize that meeting the goals is reward in itself. This is a reward beyond that - a small tangible token.

What about you? Do you have a few activity-oriented goals you'd like to meet? If so and you participate, let me know! I'd love to see what you have planned.

In August 2010, Elsie Flannigan posted a simple and doable challenge. I've been doing it - off and on - ever since!

A Day In The Life | June 2013

I've had the Ali Edwards' Day in the Life templates and the coordinating photo collage templates since they came out and I've wanted to do this project for months now. It is much like my 12 of 12 practice, but more flexible as there is no limit to the number of photos. Kind of liberating that way :) Something clicked last Thursday and I remembered my camera - all day long!

Before the day started, I thought it was going to be hard to fill. As it turns out, even my lazy days, with three out of four kids (Cole was still away at OELC camp) can be pretty full. Life is good and gets better every day.

Do you participate in this #dayinthelife project?

places we go | grail springs lady faire

Last week I left to go to Bancroft, Ontario (about 300km NE) with a plan to stay overnight and visit Grail Springs to attend the Lady Faire. The theme this year, their fifth, was The Colours of Woman. Colour is my thing, so off I went to explore this new aspect of my woo-hoo experience.

I arrived just in time.

Though the weather was volatile, with high humidity and huge thunderstorms rolling through, the setting is just lovely and calm.

The vendors had some interesting ware to sell and I couldn't resist picking up a few things. Perfect for my research!

THIS had to be captured for Claire - pop tab version of chain mail. Just amazing.

The gardens were spectacular - even after the rain came though.

I was nervous leaving home in the morning. I'm always tense leaving the kids, even when all the arrangements have been made for their care. Between my anxiety and the horses - I'm very allergic - I left to head home by mid-afternoon. I missed a speaker I wanted to hear, but hope to hear her at another event - maybe - someday!

I don't know that I learned anything particularly earth shatteringly new to me, but I did keep my heart and mind open to new things. And there was plenty of energy to absorb. One thing is for sure, as an introvert there are times being surrounded by a group of extroverts can be overwhelming!

What I did discover is so simple: driving is my meditation. My brain is calm and almost thought-free, except for paying attention to the traffic around me and the general rules of the road. Six hours behind the wheel was truly restorative, except when driving through the massive thunderstorms between Bradford and Peterborough! Yowza!

Will I go back? Yes. With a dose of Benadryl, a functioning power inverter for the truck (to keep my iPhone charged) and a friend.

hello monday | 74

love the dandelions up north. they're ginormous!

hello canada day. no muss. no fuss. just a day when everything is closed.

hello omm writer. i find there are too many distractions when i sit down to write my morning pages. this is the perfect solution!

hello howtofascinate.com. so far, everyone who has taken the test it's been 100% accurate. tried it again this week on an unsuspecting bobby. amazing!

hello photo purchases. someone asked to purchase from my 500px account. ding. ding. ding. i think it's time to do something about it. on the list for this week.

hello course selections. all done. claire's year one classes are chosen and they look amazing! it looks like a brilliant year ahead :)

hello oelc. so glad cole had a great time again this year. only two more trips back this summer, with chloé - for athletics and academics.

hello concert. the season has begun. claire was off with friends. no doubt this was simply the first of many this summer.

hello spontaneity. trying to venture out of my comfort zone. just a little bit. the kids have earned my trust so it's time to let them spread their wings a bit. fingers crossed!

hello forecast. i am ever so grateful for the cooler temperatures, but would really appreciate some more sunshine!

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

ONE little WORD | July Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the sixth installment of the 2013 One Little Word Blog Hop! We've reached the midway point and I'm looking forward to the observations made by all of our participants this month,they are all so talented and enthusiastic about their OLW journey. As always, I wonder how everyone approached their assignment forJune.

JUNE 2013 | MID-YEAR REFLECTIONS

We were asked to participate in a simple one-page sheet of reflections.

IN ONE WORD YOUR EXPERIENCE SO FAR HAS BEEN:

Consistent

WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU MOST SO FAR THIS YEAR?

That my word "open" from last year is still hanging on - and it is workng well with "nourish", my word this year.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF RELATED TO YOUR WORD?

I have fully incorporated it into my daily decisions - heart, mind and soul nourishment.

THREE THINGS YOU'VE ENJOYED ABOUT THIS WORD (WHAT'S BEEN GOOD, CHANGES MADE FOR THE BETTER, POSITIVE OBSERVATIONS):

1. It keeps me on a positive trajectory

2. It influences good health and self-care choices

3. It has me consider my life and surroundings in the abstract

THREE CHALLENGES YOU'VE FACED RELATED TO YOUR WORD (WHAT'S BEEN DIFFICULT, WHAT'S BEEN TOUGHER THAN YOU EXPECTED):

1. It is not a dynamic choice which has been an adjustment

2. I have not connected as well as in the past with "focus","do" and "open".

3. Being clear that "nourish" does not mean "nurture"

THREE THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH BY THE END OF THE YEAR:

1. Continue to make nourishment a positive daily habit, with no consciousness of the word

2. Complete my book outline

3. Build a business plan

ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO DOCUMENT AT THIS POINT IN TIME?

I'm already thinking ahead for a word to guide me in 2014. Weird. It feels too early, especially since "open" from 2012 hasn't quite left yet! I'm going with it. So far, my next word is evolving, and totally out of my comfort zone - TRUST :) There are a couple of others that are starting to resonate: shift, align, authentic, honour. You can see where I'm going with this!

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Thanks so much for being here!

I'm looking forward to seeing what all the other ladies on the hop - sheduled to go live at 6AM Eastern - have to share:

Next up is: Michelle: http://www.table-for-five.com/

Below is the full list of participants. In case you get "lost" you can always come back here and find your way again:

Lee: http://thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife << YOU ARE HERE

Michelle: http://www.table-for-five.com/ << YOU ARE GOING HERE

Margareta: http://www.paperpilekitten.com

Cheri: http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Missus Wookie: http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com

Amy: http://lemonandraspberry.com

Melanie: http://mellybirddesigns.wordpress.com

Naomi: www.poeticaperture.com

Lisa: http://backtoallen.com/category/challenges/one-little-word/

Veronica: http://www.veronicanorris.typepad.com/

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How do you see your word in your life?

If you like what you see us doing, it's not too late to join in! After going through the hop, if you are interested, head on over and join the One Little Word journey with us!

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2013 One Little Word Hop FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL | MAY | JUNE |