A Spring in my Step

Oh, the ways and wonders of having time off. I took this week off from work. My first full week of vacation in two years. I am calling it my “mental health” week. With work being so busy this month, Spring Break with the little girls undertow (while working), and ALL THE MASTER planning of the exhibit starting in April; as in photography show, prints, frames, reception committee, and the utter exhausting task of picking photos. It has been absolutely chaotic. But it is all done…..almost. And I am soooooo excited!

If you are local, please let me know and I will send you our invitation. There will be wine and cheese (with no whining or cheesing allowed – heh) and LOTS of fabulous photos from over thirty different artists all belonging to a group I started with five others gals one year ago called, Chics Who Click. We are honored to have grown to over 240 members in one year. And now to be exhibiting in the rooftop gallery of the Arlington Museum of Art? Well…it is a dream come true and a blessing as well.

So yes, I have been gone. And no, not for good.

And look, I had a make-over of my blog. I loves it! (if you are on mobile, please do click to PC view).

I am springing here and there, and of course, I have my camera in hand.

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month. -Henry Van Dyke

Spring in North Texas does not last very long. I have to enjoy it as much as I possibly can. I am guessing I have about two more weeks, and that is only because we had a freak cold spell. Which is long gone now. We are having this amazing 70-degree weather with blue, blue skies. Yeah. Like I said, it won’t last much longer.

My week has been fabulous.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter holiday.

What does love look like?

Is it red like a rose?

Crafted like home-made coaster?

Does it fly through the air on heart wings?

Or is it wrapped in disguise as a piece of fine chocolate?

Maybe…..

But I don’t think that is what love looks like at all.

Love can’t be seen……it can only be felt.

Did you feel the love today?

We sure did. The Valentine’s fairy visited our house. The sweet little thing left behind…poems, thoughts, heart bokeh, and this enormous cache of goodies for the girls.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

***I hope to get back to more regular blogging soon. Life is so crazy….I’ll fill you in on all the major happenings soon. Yes. MAJOR happenings.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Love

Love…

Sweetly delicate and maddeningly tempting.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Need more love? Visit the folks who love a challenge at The Daily Post at WordPress.

The Little Things

This week I have been anxious – chew my nails, fidget my feet – kind of anxious. Life changes so fast. The weeks are flying by…

Am I taking it all in? Do I spend too much of my time worrying about – all the things – I might be missing or not getting done?

I want to shout, “SLOW DOWN!”

But I know that wouldn’t help….life is happening….whether I have time for it or not.

So, I take a deep breath. And I notice…..the little things.

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become part of the silence.”
– Robert Lynd

There is no over thinking. No time. Just the quiet rustle of feathers and flights.

I find when I look around in wonder, even the weeds have a fascination for me.

Pretty weeds in the heart of winter, who would have thought?

Thine eyes are springs in whose serene And silent waters heaven is seen. Their lashes are the herbs that look On their young figures in the brook. -William C Bryant

When I stop obsessing over time management and busyness, many things become apparently clear.

The sky, the moon, the colors and designs. So many more miracles in the ebb and flow, if we just stop and listen, and let life happen as it should.

There is no stress in nature. No worries. No clock. No calendar.

It just is….and it’s perfect that way.

Don’t miss the little things. Because you might find…….they are not so little after all.

All the things that truly matter beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace arise from beyond the mind. -Eckhart Tolle

These photos were taken by a park near my house while hiking with the family. I did use some Photoshop filters for a painted effect on a few. I am experimenting with art. Some of my work will be on display at the Arlington Museum in April. I have been trying to see what I like, and what might be wall-worthy. Any, and all input is greatly appreciated.

The Cold of Winter

Don’t knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation if it didn’t change once in a while. ~Kin Hubbard

Yes, it’s still winter.

It will be still be winter tomorrow, and the next day. No matter how many sunny and 70-degree days happen to tease us come our way…..

It’s still winter.

And it’s still cold.

A blast of ice and snow hit the metroplex yesterday morning. It surprised me awake at 6am when my husband says those magical words we don’t often hear in Texas, “It’s snowing outside.”

Which means….I jerk awake, and jump out of bed, because I don’t want to miss it before it is gone. Plus, I might get some more snow pictures for my collection.

And I will admit, the snowfall itself is pretty weak, but the sleet…..THE ICE…..it is fierce. Thankfully, it doesn’t last too long. AND, it is not below freezing. Right at freezing, but not below.

Still…..I feel pretty bad for all the commuters. Iced overpasses are a real nightmare. And not many can drive across them, they more or less, skate and crash. Or go super slow and get stuck. It is quite the dance on sleety mornings. Trust me, I have done my time. Almost twenty years of commuting across the city. It is not pretty.

But the white crystals are pretty, at least, I like to admire them when I don’t have to commute. I have a new appreciation for the freezing rain and I view it through my lens.

I took photos in the ice and snow….before it melted away by noon.

And it DID melt, but not before I got my Project 52 photo. It’s a mini-snowfall for the mini-theme this week (and look there are mini-berries too). Lots of great entries this week on Flickr Ellenburg Photography Group for Project 52. Stop by or join in on the fun any time.

That is our week so far.

How is yours?