Month in Photos - February 2012

February Favorites

Practice using scissors

Playing guitar with Daddy

Biking to the river

Seed butter and Banana Lunch

Valentine's Day Playdate

Hail Storm

Mural Painting at Art Class

1st Lollipop!

It's wonderful that there are still so many 1st experiences to encounter with Beansprout.  We tend to keep him away from sugar as much as we can, so he was pretty pleased to have his first lollipop given to him by a friend in his art class!  We both marvelled at the crazy hail storm later in the month.  The hail looked like dot ice cream and lasted for quite awhile.  Beansprout and I had fun building mini snowmen on top of his sandbox.  Notice the crocuses!?!  I'm thrilled to see signs of Spring turning up everywhere.  It's so nice to be able to get outside more!

Thoughtful Thursday

Today is the day, your mountain is waiting.  So . . . get on your way!

                                                                                    -Dr. Seuss

(Almost) Daily Walk to View of Fraser River with Mt. Baker 

February Photo Challenge Week 3

My computer decided to bonk.  Remember the old days of dial-up speed?  That's pretty much what I was dealing with, that and "not responding" messages.  I forget how much easier things are now as far as speed and efficiency go.  Having only just bought it December, I was pretty frustrated to say the least.  I'm finding that even with all the other technology in my life, I'm pretty tied to my laptop.  Good news is I bought this laptop at Costco, which has a 90-day return policy - yea!!!  We took it back over the weekend and purchased a similar one for less money, so I'm back in business.

Week Three in Gray

Day 15: Music

Day 16: Your handwriting

Day 17: A memory

Day 18: Music

Day 19: Looking down

Day 20: Itsy-bitsy

Day 21: Architecture

Though I haven't been accomplishing many other photography tasks, I've managed to keep up with the February Photo Challenge on Facebook.  I'm still learning little tricks with iPhonography - an extra challenge within a challenge - I love that my phone is always around, lightweight, and that with the fabulous apps I'm able to turn an ordinary shot into something cool.  This week I was able to photograph my (second) favorite subject - TOYS!  I guess you can all guess who takes spot #1 :)  I've photographed these little trucks before - a gift from our friend, T., who made a special effort to get them for Beansprout while in Toronto.  I just love itsy-bitsy!

Have you taken on any challenges this month?  What are your thoughts on camera photography?  Hope you have a great start to the week - thanks for reading!

Thoughtful Thursday

"Let the rain kiss you. 

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. 

Let the rain sing you a lullaby."  

-- Langston Hughes

Playing in the rain

Thoughtful Thursday

"Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, 

and sings the tune without words, and doesn't stop at all."

                                                    -- Emily Dickinson

February Photo Challenge: Week 2

I love photo challenges for their ability to motivate me to use my camera everyday!  This week I found myself taking even more pictures than usual and I've been experimenting with the hipstamtic app.  I bought a couple of add-on packs and have really enjoyed the effects.  I'm still getting the hang of putting all of the elements together well, but practice makes perfect, so they say.  Have you ever photographed a stranger?  Did you ask permission first?  Has anyone every ask to photograph you?  I felt intrusive even on the road!

Week Two

Day 8: Hands

Day 9: Junk Drawer

Day 10: Stranger

Day 11: Something Red

Day 12: Shadows

Day 13: Makes me laugh

Day 14: Heart

Celebrating Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day!  It can be schmaltzy and highly overrated at times, but I ignore that it's a created, "Hallmark" holiday and embrace the opportunity to celebrate the relationships in my life.  Knowing that Matt generally hates the hype of these occasions, I try to do something low-key to remind him how happy I am we found each other and then I focus on doing little things for my friends (and family.)  Here's how I tackled spreading a little love this year:

Red Valentines (February Photo Challenge)
1-4

1-3. Co-constructed different valentines for the grandparents and sent them off (way too late!)

4. Made valentines for the nephews and sent them off (way too late!)


5. Pulled together a Cupcake Party Package (inspired by ashleyannphotography.com) for a friend and her two boys.  I had sent one of these back home at Halloween, and thought it'd be fun to try it again.

6. Printed signs that I keep seeing in the blogosphere and hung them around the house for Hubby to find.

from Eighteen25

from Simple As That

via Pinterest

7. Printed this flyer from Kind Over Matter and taped them all around the high school where I teach.

from Kind Over Matter

8. Had a Valentine's playdate.  The kids made contact paper hearts and Beansprout gave out "You're Super Cool" Valentines with sunglasses attached.

Contact Paper Heart

You`re Super Cool Valentine

9. Made Friendship Tea gifts for good friends at work.  (More on this soon!)

10. Intended to write Love Letter of Friendship for close friends,who are far away.  May still accomplish this (way too late!)

So that's my way of bringing a little happiness to February!  Sometimes my ideas are bigger than I can manage, hence sending some things way too late, but it felt good getting those xoxoxoxo decorated envelopes in the mail and it made me smile to bring a Cupcake Party to my friend!

How do you celebrate Valentine's Day?  Any traditions you follow or boycott?

Last Year Today . . .

Train Table February 2011

Beansprout is sprouting independence.  Today he was running around the whole house laughing and giggling with his friends, having a grand time and barely needing anything from me.  This evening in the book store he meandered to different parts of the store on his own, comfortable with a safe distance knowing we were within reach.  It's funny how it feels so sudden, when it's actually been coming on for some time.  I remember looking at moms of older kids at the park last spring and thinking that would be me this spring and now that the moment has come I'm feeling oh so nostalgic.  So I decided to take a peek at what he was up to this time last year.  It's so fun to compare!  (And extra convenient that I actually took a picture of him on February 10th last year!)  The train table is now covered in tracks and bridges and I've put away those puzzles with the pegs to make more room for the "big boy" puzzles he loves completing now.  Even his hair is different!  Looking back, I'm reminded that the small moments get away from me quickly and I'm even more grateful that I keep challenging myself to capture them along the way.

Thoughtful Thursday

"That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up."

                                                                 -- Walt Disney

February Photo Challenge: Week 1

I was so happy to see February 1st roll around!  I hate to wish away any days, but I have to admit that I seriously struggle with January.  I think the combination of a lull after the holiday season and the cold absence of light leave me feeling less than my best.  Since moving to Beautiful British Columbia, February is the light at the end of the tunnel.  I also find that having something to focus my mind on helps tremendously!  Besides preparing a few things for Valentine's Day this year, I'm thrilled to be a part of the February Photo Challenge on Facebook.  My friend posted that she was participating, and I knew it was the perfect remedy for my winter blues.  Here's the first week along with a photo describing each day's challenge.  I decided doing the photos with instagram was the surest way to make sure I captured a photo everyday!

Week One

Day 1: Self portrait 

Day 2: View from your window

Day 3: Passion

Day 4: Something you ate

Day 5: Words

Day 6: Looking up

Day 7: Friendship

I have especially enjoyed seeing the way others in the group interpret and document the prompts.  Hope you enjoy my interpretations - I'm looking forward to sharing again next week!

Do any of you struggle with winter?  How do you keep your spirits up?

Pinterest-inspired Parking Garage

bhoomplay.wordpress.com

kinderpendent.blogspot.com

Beansprout loves playing with cars and cars paired with ramps?  well, that just makes his day!  I found a few ideas for garages out of cardboard and pinned them on Pinterest until I could get to making one for him.  I love them both -- the details on the one from bhoomplay's blog make me think it might last a little bit longer and who can resist the signage!?!  The many ramps of the garage from kinderpendent and the fact that this one was made with the help of the kiddos from cardboard scraps really caught my eye.

I decided to try for a combo of the two.  Hubby says I went a little overboard, but it was so fun.  Why didn't I have a child sooner - he's the perfect excuse to get out the glue gun, paints, and sticker paper!  

Park here!

Free parking!

I'm happy to say it has been a hit.  I don't know if he plays with it as much as other parking garages he's seen at friends' houses, but he has tried all sizes of cars and it has definitely been a part of the daily play circuit since I finished it.  Now Matt and I are pretty hooked on cardboard toys - we're already hoarding some cardboard in the garage, so hopefully we'll have some new projects in the works soon

Have you been doing any building?  Crafting?  Thanks for reading!

Thoughtful Thursday

"Photography to me is capturing a moment which is passing, and which is true."

                                                                               - Jacques-Henri Lartique

Month in Photos - January 2012

January favorites

"Driving" at KinderCafe

Shoveling with Dad.

Enjoying a bit of sun with Mom.

Art class!

Hiding in the fridge.

Building our first snowman!

Practicing sledding on our new zipfy!
Splashing in the rain with new pirate boots.

A few years ago, before I started this blog, I kept a basic blog for family members to highlight our monthly happenings as a new family of three.  I typically wrote a little blurb to explain what Beansprout was up to and how we were enjoying parenthood so much.  When I saw Rebecca Cooper's Month in Photos link-up, I knew it was the perfect way to get back to that simple way of recording what our family has been up to each month.  I'm trying to plan ahead this year and edit the pictures for our family photo book each month instead of putting it off and never getting to it.  I envision this monthly collage as either the intro to each section of our yearly book or as a "Year in Review" section.  I'm also thinking a monthly look at my instagrams will be a nice way to capture even more of our favorite moments.  I don't have Photoshop, so I wasn't able to take advantage of Rebecca's generous template, and since I'm still mourning the fact that Picnik will shut down in April, I've decided to try my collages in Picasa.  This makes the layout a little more basic, but still produces a nice product.

Have I mentioned that I`m thrilled that January is over?  Phew.  More on that later . . .

Thoughtful Thursday

When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season, I'll know I'm growing old.

                                                                            --Lady Bird Johnson

Thoughtful Thursday

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."

                                                                  -- Emilie Buchwald

Reading with Daddy

Thoughtful Thursday

So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.

                                                                - T. S. Eliot

January Sun.

Organizing Paper

I am always revamping and tweaking my organizational systems.  As I wonder why that's the case, I realize the only ones that stick are the ones that work.  There is a lot of  paper clutter in my house and I can never find the system that sticks.  In order that I don't forget things, I have to keep many papers within easy reach, but then I suddenly find that the counter is piled with bills, letters, recipe clippings, you name it!


When we moved into this house 6 years ago, I tore out a bit inspiration for the office and never used it - a wall of clipboards. It's one of those ideas that always keeps coming back to me, so I finally decided to try it in our kitchen.  To tame the paper that needed more immediate attention, I had the perfect unused space on the wall that divides the kitchen and the living room.  The only issue was the fact that this wall can be seen from most angles in our open-concept living area.  I didn't want bills and random papers creating a un-sightly mess.  It finally occurred to me that I could make the clipboards work!  I found different papers I liked that had a similar color scheme and mod podged them to the back of the clipboards.  Now I can clip the papers on the front side and simply flip the clipboard over so no one has to see all the papers.  I added sticker letters to indicate what goes where and have created some calm where there was chaos.  So far, I love this solution!  The papers are off of my counter, I've added a bit of pattern to my kitchen, and it has the clean look I was going for.  Phew.  Now onto the closets . . .

Does January turn you into a mad organizer?

Christmas Wrap-Up

I'm starting to see Valentine's Day stuff everywhere, so I thought I'd better finish up my thoughts on Christmas.  It's hard to give it up - the lights, the decorations, the activity - but I have officially put everything away for the season and have been tidying the whole house.

The last thing I do before putting the boxes in storage is write in my "Christmas Memories" book.  This book chronicles 20 years of Christmases, asking what we did, who we saw, what we ate, what gifts we received, and what special memories we want to remember!  The last page of each year has a space for a favorite holiday photo or card.  It's shocking to admit that we're half way through!  It has been such a joy to be able to look back and see what we did and how we felt over the years.  I've learned that we like to keep things low-key, love making special food for the holiday, and that my friend Becky gives the best cards (hers are in our book twice already!)  I remember Ali Edwards writing that it was the journaling in her scrapbooks that she loved the most, so I think this book will be a treasure for our family.

Do you have any traditions for putting away for the season?  How are you feeling about it all being over?

Overwhelmed with Photos

Sunshine = happy boy

It's that time of year - the time you realize you should have been on top of all of your photos all. year. long.  Well, I'm the Queen of Procrastination.  Remember when I mentioned that I have issues completing projects?  I have been stewing over here thinking about how I'm still working on the scrapbook of Beansprout's First 19 months.  A book that was supposed to be his First year, and then his First 15 months, and then I realized I would have to have it end with a calendar year in order to get back on track somehow.  I'm still not on track, of course.  It's an A-Z book, and I'm only on G, H, I.  Sigh.  

Tracking Photos

It's a lot of work documenting our lives.  So many questions to be answered: Where do you store your photos?  How do you organize them?  What do you want to do with them?  Not to mention keeping on top of actually snapping the photos!  I'm determined to make a digital photo album of 2011.  I think I may even let MyPublisher fit it altogether for me and figure it out from there.  I decided this only this evening and feeling a slight sense of relief was sent back 1000 paces when I realized that the new camera I got in January of 2011 had the wrong date.  Yes, that's right.  I set the date to 2010!  I have an entire year's worth of pictures with the wrong year on them.  OoPs.  How I went the whole year not realizing this horrible mistake is beyond me.  At this point, I will have to carry on with my plans to do something with the photos and maybe I'll slowly change the dates over.  Maybe.  When I complete the photo book, I will be sure to share.  I love that feeling when a book is complete and you know it's on its way to bringing you simple joy.

How do you approach documenting your life?  What do you do with your photos in this digital age?  Any favorites as far as photo books go?  I would love to hear you handle the enormity of it all.

Thoughtful Thursday

A Basketful!

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

                                                                               - Charles Dickens