May-flowers and Pilgrims

April Showers brought May Flowers and Pilgrims.  

Okay, there were no pilgrims, but I did find a Plymouth Rock paperweight when I was going through my mom's things! I actually found a number of paperweights.  Does anyone really use those anymore? Mom always had them on her desk--or in later years, her counter top, to hold down/flatten/secure the postage stamps on letters she was preparing to mail. Like some people collect shot glasses or playing cards from their vacations as souvenirs, my mother would purchase a paperweight to commemorate a special trip.

In and around sorting, cleaning, donating, shredding, hauling boxes to the auction house, and unearthing treasures that would trigger memories and/or produce some tears, May was filled with running my daughter to her various theater and music activities. I did, however, squeeze a couple bike rides in with my dad, help with a graduation party or two...and...oh, yeah...my sister got married!!

  

I am especially proud of a couple shots I captured right in my own back yard after an all day rain...

To recap the past 90 days, I guess this blog has become a monthly update; I have lost interest (or basically just don't make the time) in the Instagram app; but I continue to make two daily posts to the Facebook Scripture Picture Moments page I created in April.

As long as I keep taking photos and challenging myself to focus on the finding the image that sparks joy, I am keeping the passion alive. 

Scripture Picture Moments by Deb - A Tribute to my Mom

On April 20, as we were driving to Colorado, I came up with an idea for a Facebook page. This new page would not only utilize my love of photography, but it would also continue a mission my mom began with her daily Facebook posting.


About:  "My mom shared scripture on her Facebook page everyday.  It is my intent to continue what she started using my own photos and creating this page in her memory."


The name of the page is Scripture Picture Moments by Deb under the page category of "Just For Fun."

As of April 30, I have 108 "likes."  Most of those likes occurred within the first four days!!

On my personal Facebook page, I have been posting a Bible verse first thing in the morning like my mom had done.  I update the Scripture Picture page twice a day with what I like to call picture uppers. I try to space out the posts updating the page around 1 p.m. and again at 7 p.m.

As a testimonial for my new page, here are some of the comments I have received so far:

"What a great idea!  I can't think of a more perfect way to honor your mom's memory."

"These are just beautiful!  You have so many talents, and you use those gifts to serve the Lord!"

"Love the idea and inspiration."

I even had a friend request that I create a picture using one of his favorite verses.


Lately, I had been praying about how best to use my gifts to serve the Lord.  This page seems like a good way to start, and I feel like my mom would approve.  She always encouraged and supported my photography endeavors quite frequently requesting that I make my pictures into note cards that she could send letters on to friends to show off my skills.

Whenever possible, I will attempt to take new pictures everyday to use.  However, I may also reach into my archives of favorite photos to create the daily image inspirations for this page.  

And, now, without further delay, here are some samples from my page...

  

  

March--ing ...Onward and Upward

I downloaded the Instagram app on my phone recently...anything for the betterment of the craft, right?

       ...Like I have time for something additional to check and post to throughout the day.

Although, you can link your Instagram to your Facebook, I am trying a different approach.  Afterall, why have both if you are just going to post the same pictures to both social media sites...it's usually the same people following you on both anyway.  Redundant much?

I've opted to make my Instagram page completely separate and different from any posts I make on Facebook.  Not only that, but I am sticking to strictly black and white images with my Instagram posts...here's my home page thumbnails so far...

It's kinda fun...we'll see how long it lasts.

Guess I can add engagement photos to my portfolio as well.  Had the opportunity to take pictures for a fun-loving couple this month.  Got some pretty cute shots if I do say so myself.

Where Did February Go? Part Two

Tomorrow is the last day of February.  Granted, February is the shortest month...but, seriously!  Where did the month go??!!

February 2015 - A fleeting reverie lost in time never to be recovered.

I downloaded the Day One journal App to help electronically record my days.  I also wrote the old-fashioned way with a pen in my hardbound paper-filled journal.  I guess I could look back at all those entries to see where the month went.  I'm sure I spent the majority of my days drinking coffee, chauffeuring my daughter to her various activities, working at my part-time seasonal job, and playing Candy Soda Crush...that candy won't crush itself, you know.

"...What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."  James 4:14 NIV

I do recall there were some pretty spectacular sunsets that graced the horizon during this second month of the year.

I also had the privilege of spending a few precious hours with a wonderful friend who I had not seen for quite a long time.  We enjoyed lattes and a repast in a quaint little diner in Owatonna while catching up on our busy lives.  We also discovered a true "gem" that we enjoyed photographing. Although the images do not do it justice, here are a few attempts I made at capturing what can only be described as majestic beauty.

The unique building pictured above--originally the National Farmer's Bank (currently Wells Fargo)--is considered "a jewel box of the prairie;"one of the premier pieces of Prairie School Architecture in America.  This historical building built from 1906-1908 is located in Owatonna, Minnesota, and  is the most famous of all Louis Sullivan's banks featuring gold leaf arches, murals, stained-glass windows, and decorative art designs.  It was commemorated on a US postage stamp in 1981.

So long, February.

Where Did February Go? Part One

Snow followed by cold followed by snow, followed by more cold.  That pretty much sums up most of February.  Cars, geese, and deer alike are not moving very quickly in this deep freeze.  

Some of my favorite memes that are circulating include the following:

• Who Made Elsa Mad?
• Just Keep Shoveling. Just Keep Shoveling.
• Tell us what you've done with the grass, snowman?!
• Dear Winter:  I think it's time we broke up.  I can't put up with your icy disposition any longer.
• 40 Days with lows below zero...but it's supposed to be in the teens next week.  So I got that going for me, which is nice. 

And now for some of my own memes--I call them mines.  LOL! 

I thought I had the blues, but just had the setting on my camera wrong for the snow picture, so I guess it's just cabin fever after all.

The dry air is a shock to the system.  

My skin has had enough abuse.  Winter is not all that it's cracked up to be.

I'm currently buying lotion in bulk.  I had it delivered on a pallet last week.

My electric bill surpassed my grocery budget, so I unplugged my freezer, and threw everything outside.


At least the bugs are gone! :)

January Shots

"The New Year lies before you like a spotless track of snow.  Be careful how you tread it, for every mark will show."

 My daughter's art teacher is an absolute gem!  She has allowed the creative genius in my talented girl to emerge and take flight.  

Goofing around at the coffee house one day, my daughter had the giggles and my constant snapping of pictures just fueled her silliness.  I'm sure it didn't have anything to do with the fresh caffeine running through her veins...LOL!

The winter clouds and reflecting glow of lights from town made a perfectly eerie backdrop for the trees and silhouette of this castle formation.  

"Hello...is this 2-0-1-5?"

MILESTONES AND OUT WITH THE OLD...
Yesterday marked two months since my mom's passing.  With the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's encompassing those two months and all the requirements and gatherings involved with said holidays, the time flew by!  I survived not too much worse for the wear.  

I did shed quite a few tears and had some down times--not surprisingly during food prep events, as mom loved food--traditional holiday dishes especially--and was always so appreciative when I would cook or bake for her.  I found myself feeling inadequate with each dessert I attempted--second guessing whether or not I was preparing it correctly without her experienced eye assisting in the process.  

I admit I had a couple of spectacular meltdowns during the making of her fudge and her butterscotch pecan cookies as she would always assess the done-ness for me and make yummy noises during the first sampling, and it was heart wrenching for me that she wasn't here to do that.

If it weren't for the constant reminders I get from Mom, I would probably plunge into a deep depression.  The appearance of a purple butterfly in the most unlikely places keeps me going and gives me hope and peace that she is in a better place, and we will be together again one day.

Slowly, I am working on the arduous task of "going through things" at Mom's house.  

It has been harder to part with the "things" than I thought it would be.  I have been thinking about how I found her that Sunday morning two months ago and thinking about ways I could have prevented that moment. And "things" like clothing she wore or books she had on her shelf seemed like all I had left of her.  

After reading Glenn Beck's book, "The Christmas Sweater," I came to realize that instead of thinking about things, I needed to be remembering feelings I had when Mom and I were together.  I need to hold on to the feelings and not the "things."

This week, a purple butterfly was nestled in and amongst a drawer of dishtowels and potholders--a drawer I had not ventured to the bottom of, I might add, since unpacking Mom's kitchen 4 years ago so had no recollection that the dainty lace creature with the black chenille stem body was tucked inside.  

A beautiful journal completely blank and ready to be filled with all the thoughts I have been purging here in this blog was another recent find.  The 240-lined pages of the journal include two purple butterflies on each page.

IN WITH THE NEW...
At precisely 12:00 AM January 1, 2015, I posted the following on Mom's Facebook page:

"RING, RING!  Hello?  Is this 2-0-1-5?  Yes, it is!  HAPPY NEW YEAR! to you in heaven, Mom!  Missing you.  Love you."

A ritual passed down from mom's mom to me was to call each other at the stroke of the new year to inquire if the correct number had been reached by stating the new year's numbers one at a time.  The other ritual was to step outside on the porch with a pot or pan and wooden spoon and literally ring in the new year with a loud drumming beat to wake up the neighbors if they hadn't made it to midnight.  I'm happy to report that my kids took care of carrying on that noisy tradition.

My daughter has been painting her emotions while I blog mine.  Her latest creation entitled "Always" is a woman sitting in a cemetery who has recently lost someone.  The woman falls asleep and begins to dream.  In the dream, the one that she's lost comes to her and the woman says to the loved one, "I miss you, why aren't you here?"  The the loved one replies, "I am always here...I am always with you."

I am looking forward to the new year and recording all the blessings and opportunities in my new journal.  I can't wait to see where the next purple butterfly will appear; and while I know I will have times of sadness, I am so very thankful for the years I shared with my mom and continue to know that she is always with me wherever I go.