I had been having a rough few months. The stress of my grandfather’s failing health and death. Regular life chaos and work. The return of the school year. Sending my oldest two back to school, which has always made my heart break from sadness and the beginning of homeschool work for my youngest two, which has its own amount of work and struggles.
On a regular grocery shopping trip, I stopped to smell the roses while passing by. I always try to stop and smell the roses. They are so beautiful and they smell so lovely. It’s a brief moment of joy in my day.
A day later, Nate ran some errands alone. I went to open the door for him since he had his arms full. He asked if I could please grab something from the trunk. I immediately went out to help and paused when my eyes caught sight of a beautiful bouquet of red roses.
I couldn’t help but laugh with joy as I hugged my flowers to my chest and took a deep breath of its fragrant perfume. Nate knew just the way to make me feel better.
I enjoyed trimming my stems and leaves and arranging my flowers perfectly in my favorite vase. Princess enjoyed smelling several of the flowers herself and happily played at my side as I worked. Once my bouquet was just so, I cleaned the table well so that it was worthy of the beauty that graced it.
For the next week, I enjoyed gazing fondly at my roses as I washed the dishes or helped the children with their homework. I stopped often to smell them, enjoying the butterfly soft caress of the petals on the tip of my nose and my lips.
It wasn’t just the beauty of my lovely roses that warmed my heart. It was the thought and love behind them. Nate saw the joy that stopping to smell the roses brought me in the store. He remembered it and took the effort to surprise me with some. A grand gesture in a melancholy week.
As for love, it isn’t always big grand gestures and flowers that make love so sweet. It is the little things, like helping carry in groceries, cooking dinner together, helping with homework, a hug, a kiss, and time well spent together. Love makes life worth living. Sometimes a rose is a great reminder of that.
52 Project, Week 31: Love
Previous Week: glitter
Next Week: silhouette
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Check out my video with my roses:
What does love mean to you?
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Summer is such a brief time in Minnesota. It’s a few short months of sunshine, warmth, and greenery. We can temporarily shed our many layers and don clothing that exposes our skin. We wear sandals and flip-flops or even luxuriate in wearing nothing at all and going barefoot. We can spend a considerable amount of time outside without fear of frostbite.
June, July, August, and September. These months we welcome weather anywhere from the 20’s to the 100’s. June and September are prone to the occasional frost and even a chance of snow. Yet most often, weather in the 50’s and 60’s makes these months the fairest of the year. July and August you are most likely to find the weather in the 70’s and 80’s with an occasional few days in the 90’s or higher.
The rest of the year, all bets are off for how cold it can be. It could be warm in the 40’s or it could drop to -60. Usually, it is cloudy and dark. On average, we spend those 8 months indoors, hiding from below freezing temperatures, bundling up to hide skin and protect from frostbite It can be beautiful. There are a lot of fun winter sports. Overall though, most activities are inside where it is warm.
This is why summer is so often looked forward to. We try to soak up every minute of fresh air, sunlight, vitamin D and outdoor activities that we can. In that time, the world erupts in color.
The most prominent color to be found is green. Beautiful, bright, vibrant, rich green. Carpets of green grass, fields of green crops, and mountains of green trees.
Trees in the summertime are the happiest of my childhood memories. Climbing up in their strong, rough branches to heights not reached anywhere else by a small child. Hiding behind the cover of leaves from the sun and from people. Feasting on its fruits. Using imagination for endless hours of fun. Sometimes just lying below and gazing up adoringly at my friend, the tree. I can’t think of anything happier in my memories than of the time I spent in the trees.
As an adult, trees still fill me with love, admiration, and wonder. These gentle giants do so much for us. They give us oxygen, shade, protection from wind, wood for our fires and to build our homes, fruits to feast upon, and beauty to behold. They give a boring landscape character. They fill me with wonder at the majesty of our God.
When I look at trees, I can see the wonder of creation. Trees clean our air and give us oxygen. They have the ability to draw water up to heights that man has been unable to replicate and or even understand. They convert sunlight into energy! Their leaves are mathematical works of art. Each one is different and unique. The bark, leaves, pine needles and even the shape of the branches are as varied as the people on this planet. Each tree seems to have it’s own personality and temperament.
I can’t imagine living in an area void of trees, I love them so much. Trees give me joy. Trees fill me with hope for the future. Knowing that a tree I plant will likely outlive me fills me with awe. When I find a large and old tree, I wonder who has seen and loved this tree. What stories could this tree tell?
What are your favorite tree memories? What is your favorite thing about summer trees?
Check out our summer trees video!
Previous Week: water
Next Week: glitter
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I love pumpkins. I love their shape, their color, their smell. I love the season in which they’re harvested, autumn. I love their twirly vines and big green leaves. I love the way they taste, and I love using them in cooking. I also love to use them for decorating. Pumpkins are awesome.
I’m sure the other squashes are a bit jealous of pumpkins. I mean, pumpkins are pretty popular. I do love acorn, butternut and spaghetti squash too, but they don’t have the visual appeal of a pumpkin, for me at least.
Maybe it’s because I was obsessed with fairy tales as a child. I used to pretend I was Lisserella while I was doing my chores. I pretended my blankets and old shirts that I used for dress up would turn into a ball gown and the squirrels in our yard would whisk me away in a pumpkin to some faraway castle where I could fall in love with a prince. I remember making my brother dance around to classical music played on my parent’s record player. I definitely had a big imagination.
Now that I’m an adult, I know that fairy tales don’t exist. Real life doesn’t have fairy Godmothers who can whip up a beautiful gown and a lovely carriage. There aren’t any beautiful balls where women in skirts and men in suits swirl around the room anymore. There is no Prince waiting to fall in love and live happily ever after. Reality can be a bit harsh.
There is something better than a fairy Godmother though. Jehovah God can and will do things more wonderful than dresses and pumpkins and coachmen. After all, he created the entire earth, all of the plants and animals. Jesus set a wonderful example of the quality of God’s love, which is better than any prince in a fairy tale.
Despite the fact that life isn’t a fairy tale, my love for pumpkins hasn’t waned. I love getting a fresh white pumpkin for my entryway table every autumn. I adore the tiny white and orange striped pumpkins for my center wall. I love baking my pumpkins and creating muffins, cheesecakes, and beverages. For me, that is so much sweeter than a carriage.
What is your favorite color of pumpkin? White, orange, blue, green or somewhere in between?
I love the color green! It’s thrilling when the sun warms the earth in spring and everything seems to pop with green overnight. The world comes alive with energy and excitement.
When I see garden centers set up outside local stores, I feel like a kid in a candy store. I always want to stop and peer into their shady depths to see what treasures lie within. I fall in love with all of the things growing around me. Usually, choosing just one thing is difficult. During the end of the season sales, I end up splurging on a variety of plants, trying new things that have caught my eye.
A few years ago, an asparagus fern was one of these purchases. I knew nothing about it other than the fact that it was a cute little fern. I put it in a pot and it survived my brown thumb days.
My little fern has grown up quite tall and is beautiful. I’ve learned a few things through experience. Asparagus ferns have thorns like roses and must be navigated carefully. It loves to be watered and will start to die if it dries out. If part of it dies, all of the soft feathery “leaves” turn into a million sharp needles. Out of personal safety, I opt to always take especially good care in watering it frequently.
I have had great fun photographing all of my plants this year. One of my favorite all-green images is my asparagus fern. It might be an acquired taste to love, but I truly adore my plant. It’s got a feisty personality and I have a soft spot for feisty things.
Do you have an asparagus fern you love? What is your favorite green thing?
When I was researching the area for things to do, I saw Norberg Trail as one of the highlights. It looked breathtakingly beautiful. With the rain and our busy schedule, we didn’t get the chance to check it out. On our last night there, I decided that I would wake up early the next morning and head out alone.
I woke up and hit snooze once or twice. Half of me wanted to say forget it and sleep in. The other half knew I’d be mad at myself later for being lazy. So I rolled out of bed, packed up and drove to the bathrooms for a shower. Then I set out for my hike!
I felt a bit excited about going alone, as though this was a secret adventure. Part of me felt guilty for leaving everyone behind, but they all wanted to sleep in any way. I felt nervous anticipation as I pulled into the parking spot. Would it be as beautiful as I had hoped? I do have a tendency to romanticize destinations.
Thankfully, it was as peaceful and lovely as I had imagined. Walking the short trail to the lake was relatively easy. There were rocks embedded in the ground to navigate, but it wasn’t as bad as Kawishiwi Falls. The view of the lake through the pines was delightful. The fresh air invigorated my senses. I was ready for a good hike around the lake.
Before I left, I checked out the map on the sign and I knew there was a loop around the lake. Down near the water, I could see a trail going off to the right. I knew there was another trail further up near the parking lot, but I thought it was the one that led to the other lakes. I set off to the right since it seemed to be a clear beaten path.
Everywhere around me was the wonder of creation. It was hard to resist stopping frequently and photographing the lovely ferns, trees, moss, mushrooms, and plants. I noticed that there were a lot of mosquitos, so I tried to keep moving.
Every so often, there was a fallen tree across the path. At a few spots, the path was impassable and had to be trekked around. It seemed that many had done so before. I wondered if some of the damage was from recent storms, but on further inspection, it appeared that they were all felled by beaver.
As I got further along the trail, it became more difficult to find the path on some of the roundabout excursions. I didn’t want to disturb any plants or animals, so I tried to be careful where I stepped. I had once been attacked by a swarm of bees as a child when a friend stepped on a ground hive. The emergency room doctor told me that I would most likely be allergic to bees after that since I had around 40 stings all over my body. Stepping on a hive alone in the middle of the woods was not an appealing idea of a way to start my day.
There came several times where I couldn’t find the trail. I didn’t know if I had gone off completely or if it was so wild that it was simply difficult to see the path. Perhaps others had given up and returned the way they had come? I found it hard to believe that everyone had given up and not continued along. Periodically I found a trail again, much to my relief, but the majority of it was off-road.
I was swarmed by mosquitoes and I didn’t want to stop for long anywhere. I kept my hood up on my sweatshirt to protect my head and neck despite the rising temperature. I kept forging forward, stopping only at completely impassable spots. I backtracked often, climbed deeper into the woods many times and went up and down steep hills. I often contemplated giving up and going back, but I’m not a quitter. I think I also held hope that at some point it would get easier.
I did eventually get on the trail again near the very end. It was wide and looked extremely easy to hike on. Later, while reviewing the map, I found that the trail I went on was not mapped. The trail I thought led to the other lakes was the main trail. It made a very wide loop around the lake, far from the water, which is why I didn’t stumble on it till the very end.
The lake wasn’t very large, but the path I took was not easy, so it took a considerable amount of time. My entire journey was a little over an hour and a half but it felt much longer. I thought I had been out there for at least three hours. I estimate the other trail might take someone 30-45 minutes. By the time I got back to the van, I was relieved. I was proud of myself for waking up early to exercise and for continuing around the whole lake. I went on an adventure and survived. The quote “Get Lost In the Woods” has a whole new meaning.
Even though I got lost and eaten alive by mosquitos, I don’t regret my journey. Staying on the trail might have been easier, faster and with a lot fewer mosquitos, but the images I got while going off trail are some of my favorite from the trip. I got to see nature in its wild state. I found beauty that I probably would not have seen, had I gone the other way.
After arriving back at the campsite, we packed up to head home. Poor Cat was having anxiety attacks because she was afraid everything wouldn’t fit. I had her walk away, but she hid just around the corner and came running back when we tried to put stuff in. Cat is an excellent organizer. When I go shopping, she makes everything nice, neat and perfect in the cart. It drives her crazy when everything is out of order.
I had OCD as a child, so I understand the anxiety that having something out of place causes. I remember having to wash and rinse my glass a certain amount of times. It used to drive my Dad crazy, maybe because I was wasting water. As an adult, I get that. As someone with OCD, I HAD to do it or I felt anxiety creeping up on me, making me feel like the world would end.
Years later, my Dad told me- You know, the glass washing thing you used to do is not a bad idea, it helps cool the glass down so the water is nice and cold when you drink it. I don’t know if he was just being nice, but it meant the world to me that he was trying to understand and connect.
Once I developed allergies to the entire world, OCD began to creep back in my life. I remember a day when my Mom asked me for a box of tissues and I almost didn’t let her have it because then I would have an uneven number of tissue boxes.
Later that night, as I replayed the event over and over in my head (Yaaay anxiety), I was trying to figure out why I was acting so crazy. I mean, it was tissues. Not sharing was selfish. I didn’t really care about the tissues. I love my Mom and I enjoy giving her things. I couldn’t have an uneven number of tissue boxes though. Yes, I admit I was a bit slow to come to the realization that the OCD might be back.
Now that I know what my food allergies are, the OCD isn’t as bad. I would say it’s almost non-existent most days. Although a messy house always makes me feel freaked out. I’m not saying my house is spotless, it’s usually a mess. There is a tipping scale that makes me freak out though. If the kitchen is messy, I can’t breathe. The kitchen must be clean.
When I have a large amount of exposure to allergens close together, also known as a full bucket, the OCD comes creeping or slamming back. Bad exposure makes the volume of OCD turn up high. I clean and clean and clean. Although it’s nice to get some cleaning done, the panic that happens in my head is never fun. I’m always thankful to get back to normal after an allergy flush or detox.
Anyway, back to camping! We got everything into the van and Cat managed the rest of the time packing with her outward OCD volume turned down. I’m sure inside it was still high, but I’m proud of her for gaining control.
On the way home, we stopped at a thrift store in Cloquet. Cat got some anime(manga? Or anime? I can never get those two straight.) and Cupcake got another book. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. Nate drove the first half and I drove the remainder. We unpacked and enjoyed the rest of our day in the comfort that only home can bring.
5 Week Workout Challenge: Week 5, Day 1
Schaar’s Bluff
After getting sick, we missed week 5 of our workout challenge. Rather than give up, I thought it would be best to try again. I’m using the old proverb, “If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.” I don’t like to give up. I’m the type of person who will tackle a goal over and over until it’s accomplished.
We set up a playdate with some friends at Schaar’s Bluff. It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect, there were a few fluffy clouds in the sky and a mild breeze to cool us off. We enjoyed exploring the trails and seeing the wildlife.
We walked to the park to let the kids play for a little while. I think my favorite part about play dates is having another adult to talk to, for a little while. Being surrounded by children 24/7, it can get lonely. Usually, when Nate gets home he’s too tired to do much else except sleep.
I know that someday the time when my children are little and dependent on me will pass. Someday, I’ll miss these days terribly. Having a teenager, I already know how fast little ones can grow. So I’m soaking up as much time with my children as I can. Someday, I’ll have the rest of my life for adult talk.
Lately, Nate has been watching The Great British Baking Show. While I was on my walk, he was inspired to bake. He decided to make me a gift of a gluten free, corn free, chocolate cake.
While the cake was cooling, we made a trip to visit my Grandfather. He was doing amazingly well! Talking, wide awake and joking around. It made me so happy to see him so well!
After visiting Grandpa, we made a trip to Gander Mountain. They’re all closing and having sales as a result. We got some lures for fishing and a few new work shirts for Nate. Princess was especially fond of all of the lures. She picked out so many we had to put two-thirds back! She is really excited to try fishing!
After dinner, we gave our cake a try. It was so beautiful, I couldn’t wait to eat it. Before I even sat down, I took a bite and immediately turned around to hide my puckered lips. Nate asked me how it was. I think I gave him an “Mmmmm!” as I gulped down some water.
I waited for Nate to take a bite of his own before commenting. I laughed as he grimaced. He told me he thought he forgot the sugar. It wasn’t horrible, but the cocoa powder was really bitter without any sweetener. I can’t help but laugh at the memory. It was so sweet of him to make a cake.
Has a goal ever gotten away from you? Did you pick back up and continue?
When I think of the word “simplicity” I think of nature. Nature is an incredibly complex system, but being outside, in the woods, is where I feel peace and quiet. When I am outside, surrounded by God’s creation, life seems simple, and less stressful.
I marvel at the diversity and beauty of all of the things growing and living in the woods. I like to stop and capture some of my favorite finds. Mostly, I photograph flowers. I also really love finding mushrooms and different types of moss.
Trees have always held a special place in my heart. There’s so much to love about them. They are the lungs of the Earth, cleaning our air. Some even look like lungs! They give shade on a hot summer day. Their leaves are beautiful and ever-changing. Watching them grow from buds in the spring, to big leaves in the summer and seeing the brilliance when they lose their green in autumn is a marvel to behold. Pine needles create a soft carpet underfoot when they shed or give a bit of color to a landscape in the winter. Even the bark of trees is a unique style for each tree.
When I came across this leaf in the woods, I was instantly stopped by its brilliance. The green popped out on the dark path. It was decorated with either drops of rain from the recent storm or morning dew.
Editing the image, I could imagine it as a large print on my wall. The image itself didn’t need editing as it was already beautiful, just as it was. However, I do take all of my images RAW, so I had to make a few adjustments before converting it to JPEG, as I do all of my images.
I hope you enjoy my leaf in its simple splendor! If you were to capture something simple this week, what would you choose?
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My favorite color is purple. It has been for as long as I can remember. I’ve had rotating secondary favorite colors as well. Pink, black, blue, green, deep turquoise blue, aqua blue. I love jewel-toned colors, bright colors, earthy colors. I love cream and brown in combination with any of my favorite colors.
Funnily enough, I also have a color that I extremely dislike, yellow. I’m not a fan. Yellow is one of those colors that make me grimace. Strange right? You’d think a color that seems sunshiney would be likable.
Now, I’m not going to go crazy and banish all yellow from my life. I just won’t go out of my way to purchase or create something yellow. Plus, yellow isn’t always awful, some flowers look lovely with a touch of yellow in their centers. Sunflowers are incredibly beautiful and they are very yellow. Yellow leaves in combination with reds, greens, and oranges in the fall are also pleasing to the eye.
When I was very young, I loved rainbows. My whole room was done in the Rainbow Bright theme. Color, and lots of it, was wonderful. So although I love purple as my favorite color, truly, I love a wide range of the whole rainbow. My house is filled with color. My wardrobe is organized by rainbow in my closet. Yes, I wear almost every color, except yellow!
Despite my love of a variety of colors, I always seem to pick purple flowers for my garden. When the garden center is having a sale, I can’t be as picky with what I end up with. By the time the sales roll around, most of the flowers have fallen off. This ends up being exciting for me, seeing what colors will bloom when my plants are nursed back to health.
This year I got a fantastic find with a lovely purple datura. I managed to get a large amount of purple alyssum, some more pastel, some a rich, darker purple. I also got pinkish purple petunias and dark purple salvia. Everything else was a surprise color.
It always amazes me how many different shades there are of one color. I love seeing all of the beautiful variations in flowers. I have only seen a small fraction of the flowers in the entire world! I would love to see them all! I can only imagine the joy that God had in making them. I feel so thankful that he created this beauty for us to enjoy.
What is your favorite color? Join us in the photography challenge! We’d love to see your images!
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I had an image in my head for the jewelry photography project. It was one of those projects where you need two people. I knew that a tripod would be difficult to get the angle I wanted and also to get myself into place if I were to do a self-portrait with a remote. Cat was sweet enough to help me.
My children don’t really wear jewelry, so it seemed practical that I use myself, since I enjoy wearing it on a regular basis. I’m not as comfortable in front of the camera as I am behind it, but I’m really pleased with the way the images turned out. My daughter is really becoming a great photographer.
I love wearing jewelry, I always have. I remember wearing beaded bracelets as a little girl, I even still have my favorite rainbow star beaded bracelet.
When I was about 4, I begged my Mom to get my ears pierced. She and my Grandmother brought me to a mall jewelry store in Minneapolis. They messed up my left ear and had to re-pierce it twice. Because of that, I will only bring my children to a professional piercer at a tattoo shop.
Unfortunately, I’m allergic to nickel. This means that I can only wear high-quality jewelry. I enjoy high-quality jewelry over cheap jewelry, so I’m not complaining about the upgrades. The downside is that chains and earrings are a bit more expensive to replace. I also can’t get jewelry on a whim if I find something cute at a craft show or on vacation.
I don’t own a lot of jewelry. I love necklaces for their convenience. Simple, elegant pieces make me happy. My Mom buys me a beautiful new necklace from Kay jewelry every year. I wear one almost every day.
I have a few bracelets. Funnily enough, I never grew out of my love for beaded bracelets. The bracelets I wear most often are plastic children’s bracelets. I have a favorite fluorite bracelet I got while on vacation on the north shore last year. I also couldn’t resist the bracelet I’m wearing in the images below. It is silver with stars. I got one for my daughter Cat and myself.
It was a beautiful day, so Cat and I decided to walk down to the river for our project. I love to spend alone time with each of my children. I try to give them each a little bit of alone time once a month. This breaks down to a once a week Mother/Child date with one of my children.
Looking for a location, I didn’t really see any place that jumped out at me as THE spot. As we started walking home, I thought we might take a different route and keep looking for a good location. In one spot, we found a cute painted rock that someone had left.
The spot I found was actually a place that might not appear to the naked eye as a great location. To me, it was perfect. If you look at the image below, you might see why some might rule it out. It’s in a parking lot without a lot of great visual appeal in the background. However, I loved the tall grasses bordering the parking lot. I knew that with the right angle, it would be exactly what I was looking for, and it was.
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The spring trees challenge was a lot of fun to photograph. After choosing to photograph the same spot of trees for the winter, spring, summer and autumn challenge, I already knew where one of my locations was. As my main image for the challenge, I’m choosing some beautiful crab apple blossoms.
I’m always amazed at how fast the trees turn green. In what feels like a few days, the trees go from bare branches to tops full of leaves. Catching that moment when the trees are softly budding with baby leaves is a race against time. As soon as the surrounding hills took on a soft subtle green, I knew it was time to head out and start shooting.
All of the kids came with for this challenge. It was a lovely, warm Sunday, with a scattered sprinkling of rain showers throughout the day. After our meeting at the Kingdom Hall, we stopped by home to pick up our cameras. We took the scenic route to the park and enjoyed the lovely views of our changing world.
Mr. Awesome and Cupcake chose to wait in the car, but Princess hopped out with Cat and me. Princess is my little shadow, she follows me everywhere.
Cat’s Spring Trees
The following Sunday was a clear, warm, sunny day. We met some friends at the park for a walk. In just one week you could really see the difference in the trees. In the picture of the children below, the kids are walking toward the back of the trees from the previous week.
On our walk, we saw a kayaker in the river. We went down to our favorite spot where the children were able to wade and splash in the water. It was a beautiful, spring day.
