too many thoughts

today my mother would have been 72.  i don't know really how she would have reacted to being that age, except for being grateful to have reached it.  she would have loved a party with the family, hugs from her grandchildren and being surrounded by people that love her.  and my mother, for all of her follibles, was well loved by most that knew her.  and i miss her.  i miss her a bunch.  and i feel like every time i say that in this place, that i need to acknowledge all of you that are missing someone.  so i stop and say a short prayer for them too.  but as the saying goes, life really is too short to live with regrets.  so today i celebrate all that she was.  she was an elvis loving, margarita drinking, silver-haired, laughing, historical romance reading, hug-dispensing, pepsi (not-coke) loving, creative woman.  so - happy birthday mom - hope you celebrate with all that you love that are with you. 

*********************************************************************************
for some reason, a collaborative book of some sort between my blogging buddies.  for some reason today it just popped in my head.  maybe i've been reading too many cookbooks by patricia yearwood or blogs or something but...it is just nagging me.  i'm not talking about one of those fancy blurb books that costs so much money - unless you all felt that way.  but i'm thinking like everyone take a couple of pages - type recipes, tips, add photographs, drawings, jokes, quotes, whatever...a hodgepodge of advice.  and then let's put it all together in a giant sandwich of something.  we can share it via a pdf or something.  my brain hasn't gotten that far.

also...for those of you that participated in lens.us.together.  we have come to the end of our year together - do we want to continue...let it go into that good place or what?  if you are interested, have suggestions or what.  let us know.  or maybe that's where our pages can go....onto that blog.  just a thought about it anyway.

*********************************************************************************
today on my ipod - harvest moon (neil young), i shall be released (bob dylan), bring it on home to me (sam cook), good (better than ezra), anna begins (counting crows), send it up (vertical horizon), slow dancing in a burning room (john mayer), where are you going (dave matthews band), i fall to pieces (patsy cline), sugar magnolia (grateful dead)

we like projects

dani, beth and i decided we would like a little project to last us through the year. nothing too strenous - like a 365 project...honestly, those get too boring too fast and i've seen some people totally burn out on them. so, we decided on a weekly project. we're looking for at least nine other photographers to work with us on the project. it could expand up to 52 photographers, if we have enough interest.

our thoughts are....we would like to submit one shot each week to the project with one person picking the theme of the week. if we have 4 photographers - they would be responsible for one month a quarter, 6 photographers then, two months a year and so on. so...is anyone else in?

now...before you get your excuses in - all levels of photography would be accepted with all manners of cameras and a variety of processing styles. the only limits would be placed by the person naming the theme that week.

i'll close registration on september 1st to give everyone time to consider their participation. (i do hope you'll join us.)

it's monday - do you know where {fill in the blank}

just a few shots from the past week. variations on a theme if you will. as i've said, when shooting something, i sometimes take a few dozen of the subject until i get a few that i like . . . i think sometimes i need to get rid of the 'out takes' but then sometimes i revisit them.

and that has me thinking about how much i visit out takes in life - the moments that didn't work so well. i do that a lot at times. you know in a movie, they're often the funniest part - but too often they're that wiffle bat to the groin from america's home video kind of funny sometimes. where it's funny while watching later but not so funny while it is happening.

i opened one of my old journals and the quote reads, 'periods of tranquality are seldom prolific of creative achievement. mankind has to be stirred up. - alfred north whitehead' and then i paused and thought if that's true? do we need irritation and chaos to be creative? i don't know if i agree with that.

the weekend was good...fairly quiet but one of those goods that are just that - good. i had the pug herd so, they are very active and adorable.

update: this is the progess on my quilting project. today our assigned task was to cut the squares and figure a layout. i made some alterations to the suggested lay out (just because i like to make things difficult for myself, right?) and cut some 2x2's in addition to 4x4's. and i have started stitching. i am liking the organic feel to this project so far with the handstitching. i'm embellishing random squares as the mood strikes me. i can definitely see me doing more of these as pillows - maybe a full size in the future if i can find a decent used machine at a good price.

new projects

tomorrow i go where i haven't gone in quite a while . . . a needle project. *nervous laugh* i have friends that quilt and have fancy sewing machines. did i confess yet that my mom's best friend 'rescued' my ninth grade home ec fashion show entry so i didn't embarrass myself? yeah. she did. i'm hopeless with sewing machines. oh yes, i was the cross stitch demon back in the day - until i burned myself out. and i needle pointed a pillow while mom was sick - haven't been able to pick it back up. and when i was very young, my grandmother taught me how to embroider on pillow cases and table runners (oh to have those back).

oops - sorry, i'm giving myself a pep talk. i'm joining modern day pioneers' quilting project tomorrow. i know dani is joining in too - any other takers?

because i don't have a machine, she has suggested that i use felt to make handstitching a bit easier. i've picked brown and two shades of blue (to go in my bedroom). keep your fingers crossed for me. i promise to document my progress as i go along.

also, i joined another project - artful penpals. this project, headed by shelagh to bring back the art of letter writing. i mailed off my letter to sara (my penpal) yesterday! shelagh also has a bright and fun etsy shop if you want to check her out.

i feel all crafty today.