Inspiration . . . .

There is a woman I have encountered on the web who has affected my life dramatically. I have NEVER met her, I have never spoken to her, and I have never seen her in person. Her name is Ali Edwards, ans she is a scrapbooking queen! Her inspiration is life; just normal, everyday life. One of her quotes is, “Capture Life. Create Art.” So simple, yet so profound.

Because of her blog and watching her put such emphasis on her everyday life and it’s treasures, I am inspired to just capture life. My life. My girls’ lives. Aaron’s life. Our lives. I am going to capture it and make art out of it. It maynot be famous or world-renouned art, but it WILL be treasured.

Ali also has a blog called “What Is Your Happiness Today?”, filled with quotes and sayings about happiness. About finding happiness amongst the simplist things. No matter how bad someone is feeling, there is always some little bit of happiness that they experienced every day. I started keeping a written journal to keep track of one simple thing every day that made me happy. When I have the opportunity, I am going to take a photo to go along with my written happiness.

(image courtesy Ali Edwards Web Site)

My happiness today was Harley & Reagan coming home from a rafting trip with their dad. Filthy, covered in bug bites, sunburned, and hyper. the expressions on their little faces as they told me all about their adventures was priceless. My happiness is having a wonderful husband that holds onto me as tightly as I hold onto him.

Today my happiness is simple ~ loving and being loved unconditionally.

Swimming Fun!

Harley enjoying our new pool:

And Reagan . . .

I hope your summer days are relaxed and refreshing!

Butterflies

Sisters

The girls were sitting on this log waiting for me to take their picture (I was going to have them turn towards me & look over their left shoulders) when I caught this moment. Truly one of my favorite images ever.

If you can’t read it, the quote says:

Is solace anywhere more comforting than in the arms of a sister?

~ Alice Walker

Brown Eyed Girl

I have only one brown-eyed girl, and she is my silent treasure. Harley is the quietest, mildest child, and she wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s caring, considerate, and very conscious of others’ feelings, but she is a trickster too. She loves to laugh and to make others laugh. She is truly an “old soul” and a kindered spirit. I caught this image of her earlier today, and it just speaks volumes to me.

When I first opened it, I noticed her little smirk ~ like I’d almost caught her doing something mischevious. Then I noticed her eyes looking straight at me, like she was trying to see deep into my soul. She is becoming the ever-confident beautiful girl I have always hoped she would be. I am so proud of her.

She’s my tenderhearted angel.

And thou shalt in thy daughter see,
This picture, once, resembled thee.

~ Ambrose Philips

A Favorite

This image was taken on the “fly” during a hike we took while camping Memorial Day Weekend. I love this image ~ it says so much.

More From the Garden

Last ones . . .

How Does My Garden Grow?

I got this idea from my friend, Crindalyn ~ she took pictures of her garden flowers, so I’m doing the same thing (sorry for copying!).

Time Wasting Away

I can’t figure out what’s been going on since last week when I found those Butterfly Lillies, but I haven’t been able to make it back to dig some up. I will get there, though, I am determined! I don’t care what Father Time thinks, I can fool him!

I did manage to take Harley & Reagan on a picnic Monday in the mountains above Heppner because I had jury duty again. It looked like it was going to be a great day, but it ended up raining quite a bit. We ate lunch in the car (that was fun, trying to make sandwiches in the front seat) and drove a lot. The girls did manage to find some treasures, and we had a blast, so that’s all that matters.

Butterfly Lillies!

One of my most favorite things when I was growing up was living at Lily White (WMFS) in the Eagle Cap Mountains. It was a ritual every Spring when the Butterfly Lillies came out that my sister, Erika, and I would wander through the meadows picking them for the tables in the dining hall. I have never seen them anywhere else until now.

I had Grand Jury Duty in Heppner on Tuesday, and it was grueling. I really needed some time to unwind afterwards, so I took the backroads home. I was just driving along going around a corner when a field of these gorgeous flowers appeared! I am so excited! I overexposed these pictures a bit so I can’t wait to get out there and take better ones. I think I might even try to dig some up to bring home for my garden here.