Our Year of Photos: week 52 *The End!*

Me

Moa

 

Yippee!  Here is our last pair of photos for 2012, for "Our Year of Photos" project.  I'd actually shot some snowy trees too (one of my favorite things, as you know, is when we surprised eachother with similar photos!), but I was so excited to see all my childhood handmade ornaments on my mom's Christmas tree last week that it compelled me to send Moa one last holiday shot.  And it's still nice to see two shots of "trees."  Isn't Moa's a total winter wonderland?

 

So, Moa and I have talked, and we will definitely continue a weekly project together in 2013!  Yay!  I really missed working with her the year we took off, the year the babe was born.  We are working on some little changes we want to make, but we'll be sharing our week with you again.  Thanks for checking in with us this year, and thank you Moa for all your inspiration and beautiful images of your lovely world!  I look forward to them every Monday, so so much!

 

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!  See you next year!  xoxo

Our Year of Photos: week 51

Me

Moa

I'm a little a lot late getting these up, as we usually post them on Mondays and it's Friday, but this week has felt pretty weird having Christmas in the beginning of the week and being out of town since last Saturday.  It's so nice to be back home now.  I could go on and on about it being a strange Christmas.  Lots of people sick with all kinds of junk.  The babe was a crazy person in church Christmas eve, giving me tons of mom guilt that I didn't have him prepared to behave.  Once again I forgot to get any good photos of him opening presents, which isn't realistic anyhow, since that would require him "opening" presents, which he doesn't yet do.  But that's all how it goes, right?  No one ever has that perfect holiday that we all imagine in our heads.  We have to just choose to see what was good and laugh at what wasn't so good.

My photo last week was of part of the envelope and the cool stamp from Moa's Christmas card, and she gave us a glimpse of her tree and presents.  Festive goodness everywhere. 

We have one last pair of photos to post for the YEAR in a few days.  One last pair.  I can't believe it.  Awhile ago we discussed continuing into next year.  So, usually I'd be bummed that we were ending soon, but there will be fun things to look forward to right around the corner.  Just what I like, the anticipation of things to come.

White Snow * Bright Snow

White Snow, Bright Snow

by Alvin Tresselt

 

Softly, gently in the secret night,

Down from the north came the quiet white.

Drifting, sifting, silent flight.

Softly, gently, in the secret night.

*

White snow, bright now, smooth and deep.

Light snow, night snow, quiet as sleep.

Down, down, without a sound;

Down, down, to the frozen ground.

*

Covering roads and hiding fences,

Sifting in cracks and filling up trenches.

Millions of snowflakes, tiny and light,

Softly, gently, in the secret night.

Wishing you a white Christmas and a bright New Year!

You can find the book that includes the poem above here.  I pretty much love it, don't you?  Our first big snow came just like that, and continued to fall as we introduced the babe to it the next day.  

I hope I never forget that day and those moments.  Love.

 

Our Year of Photos: week 50

Me

Moa

 

I want to dedicate the photos from last week to the beautiful children from CT that the world lost and to their brave teachers.  You will never be forgotten.

Our Year of Photos: week 49

Me

 

Moa

I shot my photo in front of a window with a fresh snowy view.  Moa's window itself was worthy of being captured this week.  How fantastic is that frost?  Just gorgeous I say.

Our Year of Photos: week 48

 Me

Moa

Our Year of Photos: week 47

 Me

Moa

Let the holiday celebrating begin!  I love when, completely by coincidence, we come up with the same subject.  Makes me feel like we live next door to each other and not so far away.

recently...

My main creative endeavour for the last 19+ months has been the babe.  I'm just not a big things multi-tasker, so my photography work has sloooooowed down to a creep.  But over the past year, in no small part thanks to the project with dear Moa, I've been able to find weekly inspiration and have kept shooting.  No longer are they morning-long shoots with afternoon-long editing sessions, but each week I'm reminded of my second love, the one that will be waiting once the babe grows older, and I sneak in some shots and give my camera a bit of one-on-one time.

With my attention mostly devoted to other things, I still like to bust out the prints, the scalloped tablecloth, and the business cards for one local show-- the Nokomis Urban Craft Fair.  It's in my hood.  Friends and neighbors come visit.  The last two years the babe has made an appearance.  I feel a tiny bit like I'm still apart of things.  I always leave with a smile that lasts for days.

This year, I put together a little calendar, and by little I mean 3.5 x 5 inches, so not minute, but you know, a size that gets me going, cause I always want ONE more calendar around the house.  Many of the photos are from my half of the project with Moa and some were shot in the year after my last calendar.  Each one reminds me of a quiet moment from the last while.

During the show I met Sarah from i like you. i like you is "the cheerleader of locally made goods" and if you don't believe me, you can read their mention in Minnesota Monthly. ; )  Sarah and Jessica, thought my little calendar was swell, and I'm honored that they are currently selling them in their shop.  I seriously get warm fuzzies knowing my calendar is there.

So, I guess, this post is a thank you.  A thank you to the creative universe that gives me the opportunity to do all these little things that keep the dust off my camera while I'm mostly busy with the babe.
 

{click to enlarge}

Thank you, i like you!

(i like you image property of i like you)

Our Year of Photos: week 46

Me

Moa

Our Year of Photos: week 45

 Me

 

Moa

Big things happened last week.  I think I'll celebrate with some of Moa's yummy varma kyssar tea, which translated means "warm kisses."  =)

Our Year of Photos: week 44

 Me

Moa

Our Year of Photos: week 43

 Me

Moa

Our Year of Photos: week 42

 Me

Moa

18 months and then some...

The babe, and yes, I still call him my baby, could run from one side of the coffee table to the other all day, tossing toys to the other side or pulling all the cushions off the couch.  It's like it's his "job."  Everyone says it, but I really do wonder what he's thinking.  It can be his little secret though, that's just fine with me.

Our Year of Photos: week 41

Me

Moa

Our Year of Photos: week 40

Me

Moa

Our Year of Photos: week 39

Me

Moa

Our Year of Photos: week 38

Me

Moa

Fall colored flowers from a garden and a bouquet sum up last week beautifully.  The calendar says it's officially autumn, and I agree.  The itch to cook, bake, and sew has kicked in and has been hard to deny.  Even so, I can't believe that this will be the last week of September already!  Some trees have turned, but not many.  I think that's about to change.  We are hoping to get to an orchard in the next week or two.  I've been wondering if I dare attempt to make a quilt.  My bag of tulip bulbs to plant is getting heavier and heavier.  Everyday the babe seems more and more like a big kid.  We have officially gotten him off the paci and we are working on the bottle.  He hasn't used one for a few days.  I shed some tears over all this, and how it means he's not a little baby anymore.  That went so fast.

Fall and the baby stage.  They are both too short in my opinion.

Our Year of Photos: week 37

 Me

 Moa

Our Year of Photos: week 36

Me

Moa

Our Year of Photos: week 35

 Me

 

Moa

In August

Thinking of a special little girl this week.

Saw the sunshine through the cosmos petals for another year.

Made preserved lemons from The Sprouted Kitchen and can't wait to use them.

Managed to forget to water 3 little bushes during this heat wave.  They sit in their pots all crispy now and I'm kicking myself for once again buying something before I know when I'll be able to plant it.  Durrr.  "Stop. Doing. That. Shanon."  Of course, they aren't dead, but they sure aren't happy.  It's so not good gardening karma.

Afternoon at the Museum

Went to the Rembrandt exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art recently.  

Was too chicken to take any photos in there, but I'm figuring I probably couldn't anyhow.  Getting tackled by security would have been oh so fun, but why interrupt the good time of everyone else?

Did a super cheesy thing and bought the hubs a wooden shoe bottle cap opener.  He is Dutch after all.

There is just that kind of soul that could get lost in a museum all afternoon.  

My soul is one of those...