this year in bits. in parts. 2-7 | 365

my whole life is built on bits and in parts. sections of one another.
moments strung like pearls on a string.

xoxo

2 | 52 . 1 | 365

I am plunging in on the 10th day (though not making this a ten on ten). 365.

(and week 2 of 52)

I was trying to find a theme as my boys are very fickle when it comes to being in front of the camera.  It couldn't just be about them. SO I thought maybe I would focus just on b+w photography.

However, as I was taking these photos this morning I realized that focusing on composition, using light and shadow, to convey mood and emotion is perhaps even more important to me.

What creative projects are you working on?

xoxo

friday | fodder+folly | favorites

follies of the week:                                                     
-facebook                                                                    
-facebook
-facebook
-canon customer service
-facebook

fodder for the soul:
-rising early
-listening to the traffic and pretending its the wind
-watching the sunset
-laughing with my oldest
-gratitude for the warranty on my big camera

provender for the days ahead:
-an oldest who turns 15
-starting my +365 project tomorrow
-embracing imperfections
-picking up my big camera from canon customer service
(after much needed repairs)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

xoxo

quiet. early. and morning.

it is quiet. early. and morning.

 i love it.

the heater just clicked on.

the dogs are curled up.

the dark still cradles the coast.

as much as i can loathe the darkest days of winter, where nothing feels right and your body feels off, there is something soft and sweet about the light that pours from the january sky. from the first light through dusk, it has a muted yellow to it that brushes my skin sweetly, softly, like the eyelashes of a baby.

xoxo

on a +365.photography or otherwise.

Diving into a spectacular project seems like the most exciting and thrilling thing maybe day 1.

Then comes the reality.

What special projects do you have for the New Year? What do you think will help you live into them? 

1 | 52

my youngest, bright and blurred.
the imprint of a snow angel on a hillside:
                      a gift to the snow encrusted mountain side from my middle.
my boys, my loves.

xoxo

Devil's Punch Bowl | +365

Living in Los Angeles, but having spent the majority of our lives elsewhere, we often long to see real seasons. That aspect has been rough. However, the week of Christmas tide brought rains and colder weather, desperately needed for our parched lands. But the mountains taunted us as we could see snow upon their peaks so the day after the New Year, we stuffed ourselves into our station wagon (and I say stuffed because my oldest is now 6ft -182.88cm) and set out to a mountain trail that we hoped would provide a bit of a winter scene and a needed respite from the city (and also to avoid all the Los Angelenos heading to the ski resorts). 

The Devils's Punch Bowl, as it is called, did not disappoint. It was gorgeous. An hour and a half from Los Angeles, this gem of a park is within the the Angeles National Forest on the northern slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains, near Pearblossom, California. We did the whole hike, all 7.4mi. (11.91km). It was long, but our three billy-goats (a.k.a. my three boys) rocked it, despite the cold and the ice we encountered. My middle and youngest made snow angels (until they got too cold) and even my oldest,felt the tug of nature's childish ways as we spied him writing his name several times in the snow. 

Then, at the end, when we were punch drunk tired and spent, we met two beautiful owls who seemed to make everything feel blessed and perfect. They live at the park's nature center.  Both were raised by humans, so they could not be returned to the wild. It was getting dark and my fingers were close to frozen so none of my photos of this sweet barn owl, named Ruth, came out perfect, but I love her sweet majestic beauty. And one thing I have learned in the past year is that sometimes "technically" flawed photos are just as beautiful as clean crisp ones, so I have included her here as well.  

And finally, can I start (and finish) a 365 project? Or even a 52 week one? I guess I won't ever know unless I try. xoxo

a few faves of 2014

In 2014 I did some stuff. I took A LOT of photos. Here is just a random sampling of some of my favorite things. 

I also crashed both my laptop and my husband's laptop multiple times (I now have two external hard drives). I was at 25 births.

And I met some amazing, amazing, amazing people.  xoxo

hello january!

Ha! I was dreaming of getting up early and carving out a time to write/create on this early New Year's morn.  However, yesterday I wrecked my blog's template -in my lame attempt to improve upon the design -as the saying goes, pride goeth before the fall.

Now 24 frantic hours later, I realize I have ignored the coming of this new month in this new year and have instead whittled away my time trying to figure out how to get the blog up and running so I wasn't embarrassed about the state of affairs over here.

Little lessons learned.

Lets call upon this new year with glad tidings. I am looking forward to some sort of 365 project (because I have nothing else going on) or 52 project. Something consistent.  In 2013, I had over 245 blog entries, in 2014, I had 16. I want to use the excuse that I have been busy -and I have been, very busy (and I am proud of the fledging photog and doula business I have started); but I also have allowed myself to become distracted and a bit off course when it comes to me carving out time to journal and to blog. 

Is anyone else out there righting their sails and setting course for a new year/new promises/new dreams?  I am toasting all of you this New Years Day. xoxo