the mad scientists

I got the dreaded question yesterday that every mother hates to hear, "I'm bored. What can I do, I've got nothing to do?" My mind usually goes straight to some type of job around the house, but the first thing out of my mouth was, why don't you crack out your science box and make some concoctions.

Bella's face in this cracks me up. They were not to sure what to expect by mixing the two.

they even got a wee bit carried away.

I guess sometimes they just need a little nudge because my suggestion went a long way. Can't believe how long they played with it and then ended up moving onto other things when they were done. Dreaded bored thwarted.

Have a good one :)

what i learned from my Oregon trip

Disclaimer: so sorry for the length of this post and the many photos, but it was so hard to decide...







Oregon is beautiful. Gorgeous is probably more fitting. I learned that the first time I went, but was reminded again of the magnificence that is Oregon. I wonder if the Oregonians know and appreciate how beautiful it is?







You can't wait too long to eat at Mother's Bistro, definitely worth the wait. Thank you so much Marcey for suggesting it.







The iphone is a life saver when out of town, love the GPS, though it didn't help us find a movie theater that was literally right under our nose. We actually flipped a u-turn in the parking lot. I know, don't even say it.





Waffles coated in sugar and butter topped with lemon panna cotta, peaches, berries, and whipped cream is the best afternoon snack...ever. Though I'm quite certain the nutella and banana version or the one with caramel, nuts, and ice-cream would have been equally fabulous.

Sunday is probably the wrong day to visit the Tillamook Cheese visitor center. The line for ice-cream was about 100 people deep...no lies.

There is always second changes to see Lighthouses...and I thought I'd never get back to it. There was one Adam and I missed during our lighthouse tour of '06. Crazy that I was finally able to cross Cape Meres off my must see list. Totally worth it.









The Oregon coast is the perfect get away when it's a steamy 90 degrees at home. A high of 60 had me giving thanks for the break. I think I may not have as hard a time as I anticipated welcoming in the fall. Loved wearing sweaters.



When a friend asks you if you'd like to get out of town for a few days...you go. We laughed, people watched, had meaningful conversations, and enjoyed ourselves immensely if I do say so myself. Thank you Amy. I had a fabulous time. Oh, and never forget to check your self portraits before moving on or you could end up wearing a hat. Check this.

the coast provides one fantastic light show.









Photography brings me so much happiness & pleasure. I could think of nothing better than walking around finding picture after picture.

[photo by amyw]

Like I said in an earlier post time away definitely gives me a deeper appreciation for my life. I am grateful for the moments of quiet, the moments to reflect, the moments of laughter, the moments to remember all is well...

xxox

amy



**************************************************************************

P.S. Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is the 12th and you know what that means...another month of 12of12. Crazy to think this is the last mouth of the summer. Happy shooting and remember it's never to late to begin.

Miscellany

**I'm playing catch up today after spending a great weekend away, actually I should say, I should be playing catch up. I've been busy taking kids to music lessons and school registration that I haven't had the time to catch up like I ought to. Luckily though, Adam did a lot of it over the weekend (what a gem, right?) so it won't be overwhelming once I get after it tomorrow.


[adam took this with my phone]

**Well there was one thing I did get caught up on...being with my girls. It was an utter delight to see my girls this morning. I got in at 10:30p last night so I was unable to be with them when I got home and was anxious to get my arms around them today. I didn't have to wait too long as they each made their way into my bedroom when they woke up to say hello and cuddle up next to me. I have decided these moments have been my most favorite from the summer and will be the ones I miss when they're back in school.

**School. So hard for me to believe school starts in less than two weeks. Like I said we had registration today to sign up for SEP conferences and volunteer times throughout the year. I'm hoping to be at the school one day a week to help in all the classrooms. Hard to imagine they will be at the same school with the same drop off/pick up times...first time in 7 years.

**I've had my computer at the shop getting windows 7 put on it since last tuesday. I took it in then thinking I would be able to pick it up when I got home, but it turns out they haven't even started on it. UGH! They did say they were super busy when I dropped it off, but come on, a week. The joys of technology.

**I've uploaded and am in the process of looking through my photos from the weekend. Had hoped to have a post this evening, but spent the night playing go fish, jenga, & the 50 states. A wise choice if I do say so myself...I'm learning.

**I'm grateful to be feeling so recharged and happy right now. What a blessing it is.

missing

I think one of the best parts of being away is that it gives you a chance to miss your family. Sometimes you don't appreciate them as much as you could because you're with them everyday, all day. I don't think it's intentional, rather I think that's just how we humans are. It's easier to take thing for granted when you have them all the time. If you've read my blog for any amount of time you'll know I think about it a lot, appreciating my family, but even so, leaving & coming back gives me a different perspective I can't get when I'm around everyday. Being away helps remind me of what I really want, what's important & helps give me the motivation to be better & try harder when I get back.

It's good to get away from the everyday.
It's good to miss & I do miss my four.

xxox
Amy

Sent from my iPhone
(p.s. Have you ever used your email to post on your blog? It's pretty handy when you're out of town.)

pesky growth

This made me chuckle...

"I finally got to exactly where I wanted to be, she said, so why won't all these growth experiences go away & leave me alone." -storypeople

new look

"...and there ladies glasses because i'm not a child anymore."

This is was the first thing she told her dad as she showed off her new look to him. I'm not sure I've seen this girl this excited in so long, and rightly so...new glasses, a new look, is a big deal. It's not only that, she was long over due for a new pair of glasses having out grown them in more ways than one.

I was determined this time around to have more of an opinion, but was plesantly surprised to see she liked what I liked. Kind of a shocker considering we seem to have completely different styles. The challenge came when we realized she had moved up and no longer fit into the kids glasses. Apparently they don't make, as they put it, "tweener" glasses so we had to move onto ladies, which as you can see from her earlier commment, she was thrilled about. However, it did make choosing a more difficult task. Many of the cuter pairs just look way too big. Considering what she had to work with I thought she did a great job narrowing it down and even chose the less expensive pair without realizing it.

So without further ado, here's her new look... All set and ready for the fifth grade.

oh the possibilities...

Adam has me thinking about my studio. I go in stages where I talk about it, a lot, and drive him crazy with the possibilities, but as it turns out he gets excited about the possibilities as well...

I'm going to Portland this weekend with my friend Amy. It was a last minute thing, but am so welcoming this little break from the normal to discover Portland...again. Anyway, since I'm leaving Adam has fully come clean that he had plans to turn my studio upside down while I was away. While I admire his desire to surprise me I'm grateful he brought it up and gave me the chance to talk about what I'd love to do with the room. With limited budget it just really boils down to using what I've got, rearranging and decluttering.

Obviously it's a room to work in and there will be some clutter, but right now there's so much stuff I just don't use any more or stuff that I've moved on from that it's not functioning the way I want. Also, my style has change a lot in the last few years and I want my studio to reflect where I'm at now.

So it looks like I've got myself a big project on my hands...a project I am excited to tackle. This is what it looks like now. I literally just stepped away from my computer and took these photos with my phone.





I have a few idea, a few things I'd like to try. I know I want to paint the closet doors black and maybe paint the room. I know on one of the walls I've thought about doing floor to ceiling b&w photos. I saw it in Elle Decor Magazine and fell in love with it. I don't know that I have a great wall for it in my studio, but I may try. If not I may do wallpaper on one wall instead.

Just thinking about the possibilities gets me itching to start right now. Changing things around always helps to motivate me so I'm hoping this project of mine will be just the thing I need to get me in my studio again and working.

**Does changing things/rearranging furniture in your home help you get inspired?

on the other end...

Remember how I talked about getting a prepaid line for our home phone, well I finally bought it and am in the process of switching phone numbers etc... and that's where my story begins.

I was looking everywhere for this phone. It's small, but no one has used it so I couldn't for the life of me figure out where I put it. I kept calling it and walking around the house listening for a ring, but nothing. Mid search a little voice in my head said, Megan may know where it is. She was eyeing it a few days before and even asked if it was for her. So I called Robyn's (she was at her house) to get some answers, but no one picked up so I went on searching. About the tenth time I called, right when I was ready to give up figuring it was turned off and lost, I suddenly heard the ring on the other end stop and the phone clicked. Someone had picked up the phone.

There was a long pause and then a giggle. It was then that I knew...there is a reason we mothers have instincts.

I said, "Megan is that you?"
I heard, "Megan it's your mom."

Pause

Megan: "Hi, Mom."
Me: "What are you doing?"
Megan: "I'm playing."
Me: "No, what are you doing with the phone?"
Megan: "Oh that, i don't know."

She had packed her bag to spend the night with her cousins and for reasons, still unknown to me, she packed the phone as well. Only Megan would decide that was a good idea. Oh dear. I think we may be in some trouble.

here are just a few photos from the other night...

last week in photos

bbq in the canyon with some friends...


Because everyone took a load we only had to make one trip, of course it didn't come without some complaining.


mmm...some of the most delicious cookies in town. Love their identity too. Check them out.


I've always wanted to get glasses as an accessory. What do you think?


Waiting for Despicable Me to begin...and the popcorn.


The view of downtown from my kitchen window at sundown. It was one of the first times I didn't mind washing dishes. (Yes, I actually took this from inside from my kitchen window.)


While doing some shopping with the girls I couldn't resist the flower bed.

snippets from this morning in my bed

One minute I was lying in bed in the quiet trying to not wake up and then next I had three little girls next to me. These are the pieces I heard...



"What if this was the only bed in the house? That would be really squishy for dad." -megan

"Megan you smell like Marigold." -tess (Marigold is our friends dog)

"Don't bite me." -tess
"Than get your fingers away from my mouth." -megan

"I see a bunny rabbit on the ceiling...sorry that was random." -bella (she was referring to the texture on the ceiling.)

"What are you doing?" -me
"Enjoying your bed." -megan

"It's all your fault!" -tess

"Mommy, I'm stuck on you." -megan

"Stop! I'm trying to lay in peace." -bella

"Come on Tess let's do our jobs. I'm doing the dishwasher." -bella

"I'd rather play than work." -tess

"I'm so tired I feel like I can't even get up." -megan

"Sorry I didn't know." -tess
"Ya yuh did." -megan

"UGH!" - tess

"I want my own grapefruit." -megan

"What are we doing today?" -megan

weighted days

I've watched a family in my neighborhood in the last four years go through some of life's biggest changes. Once they were a young family of five and one by one the boys have grown, gone on missions, come home and gotten married, and created a home for their new families. I've watched the parents go from a house full of teenage boys to an empty nest.

I can so easily, frighteningly so, see my future as I watch them transition from one life into the next. Adam and I, the girls, we are on this path and there is no turning back. We will one day get to this place and I'm grateful that I won't have to get there anytime before I am ready...I hope.

Watching them though, it does make me so queenly aware of the passing of time. In the book Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert talks about the Balinese concept of "rubber time". She says, "One day to [a Balinese] isn't necessarily composed of twenty-four hours; sometimes it's longer, sometimes it's shorter, depending on the spiritual and emotional nature of that day." And this is my favorite part, "sometimes you count the days, sometimes you weigh them."

When I read it, it made all kinds of sense to me. Yes, of course. Time shouldn't be measured in hours, weeks, and years. Time should be measured by moments and experiences.



This evening, remembering what it was like to be smashed onto the couch, sweating under the blanket, getting battered by Megan's flailing legs, the way Tess and Megan called for Bella because they didn't want to read the book without her, hearing the laughter from my three girls as Adam read and entertained them the way he does has stay with me long after the moment has passed. Yes this moment was quick, but it was full of weight and the emotion allows it to linger on, and in that sense, it appears to move through time slower.

I love where we're at right now...every piece, every part. If I could reach out and stop time, just for a bit I would, but I can't, so I go with what I know...I can never get enough of these moments. They sustain me and keep me whole, and I didn't understand til now it's because these experiences are full of weight and meaning. There bigger spots on our time line and are what tie the other pieces of our life together to make our complete story. I believe it's that completeness that will help me be ready when the transitions come because I'll know I was there, I was present, and I have the memories to remind me and help keep me moving forward.

xxox,
amy