I am so thrilled with all of the questions I have received as a result of this post. As of this moment, I have received 22 questions! Keep them coming, this has been a lot of fun.
My original intent was to publish them all, on May 1st, with my answers, but that is turning into a very long post and I'm afraid it would be too much of a good thing. So, here are a few of the first questions, and my answers:
Question #1 (9:58AM 26 April 2009)
You
have been so kind to share with me self-affirmation style blogs that I
totally enjoy daily. What are your favorite blogs that you "feel" are
spiritually uplifting for yourself?
Sherri on Lemons2Lemonade blog
Sherri,
you are so sweet. I keep running into blogs that are so much more,
creatively, your thing than my thing. I still have to get to the point
where I can get messy. Years ago I used to love paint and glue and
since surviving 8 straight years of diapers, mess and other forms of
goo, I’ve really abandoned my love of mess – but I am trying to get it
back!
I like
honest blogs. Blogs where those blogging are true to themselves and
clear to the reader. I find it funny when I’m fully “out there” and
“honest” I receive comments that run along the lines of “wow, I can’t
believe you owned up to that”. I also like blogs that challenge me. Not
in a bitchy way but in an engaging “this is my idea, what is yours?”
kind of way.
I
am not a fan of blogs by those who are caught up in their own artistic,
inaccessible, talking-to-themselves kind of way. Artists who are trying
to be eccentric - as opposed to artists who are, authentically,
eccentric. You know the kind “you’re not part of the crowd if you don’t
get me” kind of artist. I’m all about art, but I’m more about
accessibility.
As
a result of your question, I have updated the blogroll on the side to
include the 25 most affirming and uplifting blogs I read – daily.
Question #2 (7:49PM 26 April 2009)
Do
you have a secret side to your personality or, is there something about
you (a like or dislike) that people would be surprised to find out
about?
Dena on theLINARstudio blog
Hey
Dena, thanks for your question. I suppose those who know me in person
know that I have no ‘secret’ side of anything. Tact is not my greatest
strength! I like to be liked, but I will not compromise myself to be
liked.
I am a positive and resilient person by nature and on my
blogs I tend to err on the side of positive, not that I don’t
acknowledge the negative – I just don’t dwell there, not even in the
“real world”. I have my down days, but eventually realize they're a waste of time and move on. Always onward!
What
you can’t “see” on a blog: I have a temper, a terrible tornado of a
temper, it takes a lot to make me blow, but when I do, take cover. It’s
pretty terrible. I do all I can to keep a lid on but every once in a
while I’ll lose it. I have no doubt most of my outbursts are based on
my keen sense of right and wrong. I continue to see the world in black
and white with very little grey. I have little patience for those who
dwell in grey. I don’t often have a statement, opinion or emotion with
an asterisk. An asterisk is grey.
I hope that is the kind of answer you were looking for with your question.
Question #3 (8:27PM 26 April 2009)
As
a mum of four how do you keep track of all the kids, their activities,
and getting them where they need to be......especially when they all
need to be someplace at the same time? That was always the challenge at
our house.
Becky on Lemons2Lemonade blog
Thanks for the question, Becky.
Logistics
are always a challenge around here. I always thought I’d be one of
those mums with perfectly behaved, perfectly dressed and perfectly
everything children – after all, I’d lived a lot of life before I had
my kids, I knew something or two about order, control and perfect. Boy,
was I wrong. Four kids in five years removes all sense of order and
control! So we are fluid. I am not spontaneous, ever, but I am all
about being flexible.
One rule: NEVER CAR POOL. I did that once
and I realized that someone else has their own priorities and it is not
you or where your kid needs to be.
In
order to keep everything on track I address all projects immediately.
99% of projects are planned with only the execution left for the
deadline. From Lunch Lady orders to camp plans to bills to hockey
registration to scrapbook retreats. I do all of the big parts of every
project up front. Some of the fussier details can wait until later. Anything
I do for fun or for myself is as a reward for a job well done. That
does not mean I avoid laundry, I just know my threshold for being
overwhelmed and I don’t go there any more.
Everything
is in my Blackberry: added as soon as the information comes in. I am
from a family of planners, I know by the end of one event the date for
the next event. Louis and I sit down over coffee every morning and we
coordinate the daily logistics. If he can help, great: if not, someone
– an “older” someone, gets to sit a bit longer waiting for me to pick
them up. That’s okay. They all know how to pick up a book. We
have also run into some conflicts which results in some choices being
made but now with Claire and Cole old enough to babysit, or left alone,
things are far more relaxed.
No doubt way more of an answer than you wanted, but there you have it.
Questions #4, #5 and #6 (10:10PM 26 April 2009)
1. Aren't you a professional photographer? How long have you been in the photography business?
2. You take such incredible photographs ~ how do you do it?
3.
You have four amazing kids & create such wonderful scrapbook
pages~how do you juggle the time between keeping up with family, chores
& hobby?
HollyM on Lemons2Lemonade blog
I
am happy to answer any of your multitudes of questions, Holly! Thanks
for these three (if you ever have any more you can ask me on my
Facebook page, or send a question – or ten – to leecurrie at cogeco dot
ca).
1. I am not
a professional photographer. I am not in the business of taking
pictures, just in the joy of it. I have played with the idea of going
pro; but, I think I’m sticking with my amateur status! I got my first
camera when I was 12 and it has been my favourite hobby ever since. I
have learned not to turn something you love into your "job", you'll
start to resent your hobby!
2.
Thank you. And thank you more for not asking about what equipment I
use! (That always seems so insulting - like it was the equipment that
took the photo.) The only thing I can tell you is to bend your knees. Get on level or below your subject. You’ll be amazed at how much better your photos will look. Have your kids look at the lens, not at you. Then, start reading about light. Oh, and take LOTS of photos!
Almost all of my photos are SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) – sheer lack
of time to fiddle with them once taken! I’m coming to the conclusion
that the luxury of postproduction is for those with plenty of time on
their hands! Though, there are a few things I’d love to learn with
Photoshop Elements.
3.
Thanks for that, Holly. I think my kids are amazing. Very different
from each other, each special, thanks for noticing! They are my reason
for being. As for scrapbooking, it’s simple. I am manic. Truly. I
scrapbook as a reward (as mentioned in my response to Becky, above) and
tend to do more than a few pages at a time. I am familiar with my
developed photos, and often take photos based on how the “finished
layout” may look, so I can finish a page in less than an hour.
Thanks Sherry, Dena, Becky and Holly for my first questions! I hope the answers are what you were looking for, if not, send along a note and I'll be more clear
