it's the simple things in life that make us happy ...

spending a wonderful thanksgiving & birthday with some of my favourite people ...

hubby gave me hours of quality viewing ...

& you can really never have enough ...

how badly do i want this ... 

finally got our first snow!!

"i think i'll take a moment ... celebrate my age ...

"... the ending of an era & the turning of a page ...  

now it's time to focus in on where i go from here ... 

lord have mercy on my next thirty years!"

1. i've fallen in love ...

2. ... & out of love ...

3. ... & married the man who balances me out!

4. i travelled around the states when i was 21 ... explored & discovered & drank!

5. i've said goodbyes & cried & life hasn't stopped.

6. I discovered my love for photography ...

7. ... i got my degree ...

8. ... & i've found myself through my work.

9. I made friends ...

10. ... i lost friends ...

11. & now i am lucky enough to say i have some of the most amazing people in my life. 

12. I played rugby.

13. I ran from everything ...

14. ... i stopped running ...

15. ... & now i run simple because i love the feeling it gives me.

16. I know what it feels to be sad ...

17. ... & i know how it feels to laugh & love & be happy.

18. I discovered my faith.

19. I had short hair & long hair & now i have bangs.

20. I became a military wife.

21. I've lived overseas & made my "home" around the world.

22. I've read under the covers with a torch after lights out ...

23. ... & fallen in love with Jane Austin & thrillers & history.

24. I got tattoos. 

25. I played the piano.

26. I've watched the sun rise & set.

27. I've become the person i was meant to be.

28. I grew up with family who loves me ...

29. ... I know all my grandparents ...

30. ... & in 5 months they will know their great-grandson & i will start a family of my own!

You know i totally believe Tim McGraw got it right!

step one ...

So i have this sudden desire to create amazing landscapes ... maybe it's the snow or my recent post about Jennifer Squires Ross but i want to create some landscapes to be proud of. Well this evening i finally got to see snow (more than just a dusting) & so i took a walk with my camera & tripod in an attempt to get something vaguely pretty. Landscape has never been my forte & night time photography something  have no clue about. So anyways what i really need is help ... photographers who's work i can study, books to read, websites or just suggestions, hints & a how to guide for dummy's beginners! 

To all those who celebrated thanksgiving i hope you had a fabulous day & to everyone have a wonderful weekend. 

my weekend in portraits ...

Sometimes i have a great weekend in which i get to share what i love with others ... three gorgeous & totally different shoots in which i got to meet some wonderful (& not to mention incredible cute) people! This is one those things in which i can say i am thankful for tomorrow! 

if you wish to view more of the images from these shoots & others click here ... 

around the world with fPOE ... this week it's London, Canada

First of all i want to say how much i love writing these posts ... i get to look at the amazing work of a group of incredible talented women from around the world & then share with you. It's about as good as it gets! But anyways back on track this week we're heading back to North America but it's London, Ontario, Canada & the stunning imagery of Jennifer Squires Ross. & really i'm not sure where to begin. I've never been good at landscapes, i want to take a class & learn from someone who understands them & as i sit here looking at Jennifer's work it makes me want to jump on a plane & have her show me how a professional does it. I'm in love with the peace & quiet, the stunning beauty & the simplicity of her photography. 

Jennifer produces the kind of images that you would hang on any wall in your home, that make me thin of "zen" & i'm really not a zen person. They're so calming & tranquil, places i just want to wander around on a lazy sunday, escape to with my camera through out the seasons & explore so i can come to understand them in the way that Jennifer does. It's as if she becomes part of the landscape around her, never taking anything with her but leaving a part of herself behind in her work. The skill that goes into creating suck pictures blows my tiny little impatient mind, she achieves everything i wish i could & in a way that seems effortless. Yes i know i'm gushing here a little but landscape photography of this skill is something i have never mastered but i've always dreamt of, & maybe it's something i never will understand but i would at least like to try (so some tips would be nice here ... pretty please in the spirit of almost christmas). 

I've also noticed that it doesn't matter what the subject Jennifer can produce that tranquility in the curves of a flower ...

... a lonesome lifeguards chair ...

... & yes i am in love with all things snow right now!

As with every week you can purchase all the images you see in the blog post on etsy, as well as viewing more of Jennifer's work on flickr, her blog, & her website. & i have no clue where we're heading next week but i'm really really hoping for some snow!!

it's the simple things in life that make us happy ...

dreaming of snow ... 

a great weekend of photo shoots ... 

i fell in love with this coat ...

contemplating a facebook giveaway just not sure what to do ... but this giveaway is still running ... 

feeling the little dude tickling my belly as i write this! 

picture perfect ...

you know that place you could go back to again ... & again ... & again ... well Lake Constance, at the foot of the alps & bordering Germany, Austria & Switzerland is that place!

you see i see ...

week twenty one: water

week twenty-two: hats

week twenty-three: shoes

week twenty-four: transportation

around the world with fPOE ... this week it's Sydney, Australia

So i must admit in this little around the world trip we've been on we haven't managed to leave the US a whole lot ... not that am really complaining because well we've seen some amazing work but only a couple of trips outside the states to Manchester, England, & Ottawa, Canada ... so this week it's wonderful that we get to head to the southern hemisphere & Sydney, Australia to check out the extreme prettyness (is that a word or did i just spell it wrong) of Serinissima. She titles her page "where dreams & reflections merge" & it couldn't be more appropriate. I see so much dream inspire work at the moment, images that remind me of fairy tales, happy endings & narnia & the work we see here is most definately in this category but there's a twist. 

When i look at Alena's work i feel as if i viewing it through a sleepy haze or a fog ... a mirage or a figment of an over active imagination. It has a very surreal quality to it in that you can't quite what you're seeing. It makes it appear totally calming, almost hypnotic in it's effect on you the viewer. & it leaves you wanting more, What happens next, is there something around the corner (because you totally know there is something around the corner). Like that initial tumble down the rabbits hole or walking out the waldrobe for the first time. I feel like a child seeing something new & wonderous & not being able to take it all in. & the muted tones through out her images that are far from being dull simple add to this feeling. Maybe i just stepped into (or out of) a painting?

i don't even like coffee but this one i want to indulge in ... 

& winter appears just around the corner ... 

& now i really do wish for snow!

As usual all of the images in this post are for sale over on etsy ... & you can check out more work on Alena's flickr & blog!

it's the simple things in life that make us happy ...

being a day late with this post so i could include some things ...

a great giveaway (not that i'm biased) ...

buying something for the nursery ... 

loving this book (thanks to miss andrea for getting me to try it again) ... 

it's a boy!!

through the keyhole ...

So about a month ago i was asked to write a guest blog for the wonderful Heather of Gathering Spriggs but here’s the thing, I'm not a writer i take pictures, i like to think they’re pretty but that’s about it. So when Heather asked me if i would be interested in writing a guest post of course i said yes, did a little whoop whoop dance & then freaked a little as i had absolutely no clue what to write & a total brain fart going on. I wanted to go out & shoot something new & wonderful but the changes of seasons & icky weather has left me uninspired. But there was another idea i’ve been working on, something i’ve thought about for a while to do with my home a chance to explore the things i love i guess & get to know me a little more. In the end though my friend's departure to California provided me with a different kind of  inspiration & i wrote a different blog for Gathering Spriggs deciding that this one would be kept for my own.

I can look at Gathering Spriggs & similar blogs for hours, staring in wonder at the amazing homes on display & gradually watch my skin turn a rather bright shade of green as i wish my house could look the same. So please don’t judge as i show you around my world but listen as i explain a few things to you: 

1. I’m a military wife currently living in Germany, this has been our home for the past 3 years & in 12 months time we will be packing up to move somewhere new. Right now i have no clue where (it could literally be anywhere in the world), all i know is uncle Sam will decide & then show up to pack my life into boxes & unpack it at the other end. 
2. As a military wife moving every 3 to 4 years i worry about investing in too much so my home is a mixture of ikea & the rest. The rest because one day i want to be able to pass down the wonderful items i’ve collected over the years to my grand kids & so on, & Ikea because it’s functional, it’s cheap, & if it breaks in one of the many moves it doesn’t cost a whole lot to replace. 
3. Every time we move i throw out some of the furniture i don’t like, the functional stuff that i wish i could turn into something special but unfortunately my brain doesn’t work that way. So slowly I'm turning our house into a home although sometimes i think it won’t officially become a home until my husband retires & we settle somewhere i can choose the colours on the walls. 
4. Somewhere along the way i’ve become a collector. I can’t think of any other way of describing it but it’s like things call out to me & i have to buy them over & over. My newest “collection” is old school alarm clocks, but my husband would argue why someone would need so many bowls!

So you look at my home & you learn everything you could ever need to know about me ... the things i love, the places i’ve been & really what makes me tick (oh yeah & there’s some hubby thrown in there for good measure). & i wanted to be able to share that with you because i love looking inside people’s home & discovering the things that make them who they are. 

In England there was this tv show called “Through the Keyhole” where they would explore the home of a famous person & get clues on who the person was based on what was seen, & try & figure out who it was. Well i guess this is my version of “Through the Keyhole” except you already know the answer ... this is my home!

Fall ...

This is the first year i've actually gotten out & appreciated the colours of fall ... it's not that i don't love fall, i do it's just it's the end of summer & the days are getting shorter & well you know how it goes. By the time you get over your post summer blues at least over here i feel like i've missed the falling leaves & everything that goes with. So off i headed down to a lake close to where we live in search of inspiration ... & instead i got clouds & the threat of rain (oh & duck poop on my jeans). I was disappointed so the next day i threw (not literally of course) the camera in the car with the hope of blue skies (a given since i had to work that day). & yes there they were & on leaving work i got to head back to said lake & have some fun with my new lenses. I think it was worth it!

on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month ...

92 years ago  today the armistice was signed, signaling the end to war on the western front. Today we remember the men & women who have sacrificed everything for freedom & hope. 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
      Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.

                                       - John McCrae, May 3rd 1915

overwhelming pretty ...

This stunning selection of images was put together by the ever fabulous {...a place for twiggs} & being that it was so incredible pretty i wanted to share. 

1. ★ flower, 2. Y a ti, ¿cómo te mira el otoño?, 3. Lo mejor de la vida son sus ilusiones!, 4. Today's word of the day is 'ethereal', 5. Untitled, 6. Ros, 7. Untitled, 8. "Donde hay un sueño, hay un camino" , 9. My dream

ps. mine is the middle picture! 

it's the simple things in life that make us happy ...

doing some major christmas shopping ...

so much cute baby stuff on etsy like this ... & this ... & this ... 

i know it's wrong but i totally want to read this ... 

making tacos for dinner ...

no work tomorrow & spending some time with the girls! 

Mrs Z's Designs ...

So i was asked last minute to help out a friend & photograph some of the gorgeous designs of one Mrs Z. Perfect for well anyone with an ounce of style (i'm a jeans & t-shirt kind girl but as you can see here Nelou my wonderful model is well stunning & has more style in her little finger than i have in my entire body)... & you know Christmas is just round the corner! Anyways back to the fabulous Mrs Z ... she is a fellow military wife & designs & crochets hats, cowls, mittens, tote bags & diaper hats, & the quality is exceptional. To view more of her work you can check out her website or her facebook. 

KSS Maternity ...

So i admit that i have done a little shopping ... now i'm into the 2nd trimester i feel a little more comfortable about the whole being pregnant thing. But with this has come the knowledge that i can no longer comfortable wear my jeans (proof there is a bump but still the female in me was sad at this happening) so to commiserate/celebrate i went & bought myself some super cute shirts from this gorgeous shop on etsy. I am so excited especially being the t-shirt junkie that i am. 

The shirts are designed especially with the bump in mind ... a little extra room all around to allow for your growing body & extra length at the bottom so not only does it cover your belly but it hides the hair band currently being used in place of my jeans button.

I can't wait for my shirts to arrive & i should also say that having conversed with Sarah of KSS Maternity,  she is super wonderful. I had one of my many pregnancy related first time Mum stupid questions & she was helpful & kind & all the rest which is one of those things that makes the shopping experience on etsy that little bit more special. Oh & right now they have an offer going ... buy 4 shirts get 1 free ... it was a no brainer for me. 

around the world with fPOE ... this week it's Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

So i know it's been a few weeks ... everything got a little crazy in my world & in the end i just decided with leave coming up to take a wee break. So whilst i'm back from my travels i figure it's time we head off somewhere new. So far we've checked out the fabulous work of FPoE artists Mary Vican, Mandy Bryant, Elle Moss, Myan Photography & Diane Miller (phew that's a lot of artists) ... across the US to England, back to the US & now we're off to Ottawa, Canada to check out the stunning photography of Caitlin Brookes & The Paper Butterfly. Now i've been known to capture the occasional butterfly picture, & i am learning to love nature more & more but this girl has it down to a fine art. Seriously Caitlin manages to photograph this stunning insects & much of natures finest in a story book, magical, dream like way oh & i adore her name "the paper butterfly". 

Oh & did i mention macro quality of this skill takes not only great skill but an imense patience that shows in her love & portrayal of the subject matter. When I look at Caitlin's work, it's like i'm drawn into this fairy tale world, like Alice when she fell down the hole. A land that so often passes us by since it's so small & inconsequential to our world but here it is the focus of everything fragile & delicate & beautiful. & the tones Caitlin uses in her work simple add to the magical quality of it. Even when she shifts to a black & white the subject matter be it insects, birds, animals flowers or whatever aspect of nature she chooses to focus on keeps that mythical quality. Like we're stepping into her own private land of Narnia. 

From the dragonfly shown in all it's glory ... 

... to tiny buds sitting in rows along a branch ... 

... Nature in Caitlin's hands comes alive. 

As usual all the images you see here are for sale on etsy, but you can also check out her work on her stunning blog & of course her flickr site. 

it's the simple things in life that make us happy ...

my first blog post in what feels like forever ... 

having a wonderful vacation with the family ...

getting my house back after the family leaves ... 

i read this ... & this ... & this ... 

the bump is growing!