Looking Up

Things have been looking up around here... at least I've been looking up.  How could I not, with skies like this??

I see a sky-diving bunny, what do you see?

 I don't know what weather patterns (besides insane heat) have contributed to such gorgeous clouds in the sky lately, but the skies have been incredible to look at every day!

The clouds have been massive, voluminous, fluffy, pure white entities you wish you could jump into.

...it's the stuff that daydreams are made of...

My kids call them Toy Story clouds (like the ones on the wall in Andy's room).  And speaking of kids, they are keeping me worn, I tell you!  If you are a work at home mom and juggling motherhood and keeping on target with running your own business, while maintaining sanity, please share your secrets.  I'd love to feel like I'm doing things right at least one day a week.  Xp (that is me looking pooped)

But I feel positive.  Being a mom is the toughest job, ever.  Ever ever.  But it's one I wouldn't trade for the world, and would probably do all over again if I could (don't ask me that on a bad day though).  And I can't help but think that..

...if parenting didn't feel like the toughest job in the world, then I must not be doing it right.

So I am celebrating today!  I'm celebrating the fact that my back is in knots, my hair is a mess, and I'm still in my pajamas on a Friday afternoon, still trying to enjoy my morning coffee (one sip at a time).  It is Friday, right?

And I'm celebrating my kids..and motherhood... stressful moments and all!  All the craziness just makes the calm moments that much sweeter. 

 I hope you'll find something to celebrate today too.  *cheers!*  :)  Here's to a lovely weekend!

PS.  These sky photos were taken with my phone camera and posted via Instagram. If you instagram, you can see more of my daily photos at "envedesigns"...please come and say hi! :)

Photo A Day Challenge - Days 13 through 16

Day 13 :: something I found

Two 4-leaf clovers I found while on a walk through the forest with my husband.

Day 14 :: how I feel today ...HUGE

At 39 weeks preggo, one may mistaken me for a snow-capped mountain top.

 

 Day 15 :: sunset

the calm after the storm

 Day 16 :: flower

these are the first peonies I've ever tried to grow!

Countdown to baby: 4 days!

Photo A Day Challenge - Day 12 :: stairs

 

Another one I had a little fun with. :)

Baby count down: 1 week (or less)

Photo A Day Challenge - Day 11 :: where you ate breakfast

I swear that I did not eat cheerios out of a giant mixing bowl...

But baby's gotta eat!  

9 days (or less) until baby's arrival!

Photo A Day Challenge - Day 10 :: cold

ice water - my drink of choice here in preggo land

Only 10 more days until we meet this little lady!

(last week's sonogram - at 38 weeks)

If you don't see me for a little while, you'll certainly know why.  :)

Photo A Day Challenge - Day 9 :: younger you

 

This is one of only 2 pictures that I have of myself as a baby.  And now my kids have about a million photos of themselves as babies.  Gotta love the luxury of digital photography!  What's your preference, digital or film?

Photo A Day Challenge - Day 8 :: inside your wallet

Photo A Day Challenge - Day 7 :: shadow

 

I'm really having a great time with this photo challenge, searching for unexpected objects to photograph--things I would bypass every day without even a second glance.  

Here's to unexpected beauty and rediscovering your everyday surroundings!

Photo A Day Challenge - Day 6 :: lunch

Had a picnic lunch on the lawn to soak up some sun with my mom and the kiddos.

Have a Happy Easter weekend, everyone!  :)

Photo A Day Challenge - Day 5 :: tiny

 

Cheers! *clinky clinky*

Photo A Day Challenge - Day 4 :: someone who makes you happy

Two someones who make me happy.  :)  Who's your happy someone?

Photo A Day Challenge - Day 3 :: Mail

Yesterday, we received the best kind of mail... a brown paper-wrapped package filled with mystery goodies, this one arriving from my hubby's Babcia in New Jersey.  I'm guessing it's something for the new baby.  :)

Is there anything good in your mail today?

Photo A Day Challenge - Day 2 :: Color

 

The sun does some fun things to our walls in the early morning.  What does this look like to you?  

Photo A Day Challenge - DAY 1 :: Your Reflection

 

Just for kicks, I've decided to join my first photo a day challenge ever!  Thanks to June Shin, I found Fat Mum Slim's Photo A Day Challenge for April.  Today's day 1 and the theme is "your reflection".  So here's mine. :)

Here's a look at all the themes for April.  For more details, visit Fat Mum Slim. 

Let me know if you're joining in on the fun.  :)  Happy April everyone! 

Finding Extra {in the} Ordinary :: my latest distraction

Guess what, people?  I finally stepped into the future and am now a new proud owner of a smart phone!  I know, I know.. I'm a little fashionably late to the party, but I'm here at last.  It is already proving to be quite a distraction for me because now, with all the cool photo enhancement apps out there, I can satiate my desire to be artsy fartsy amateur photographer whenever I want!  *happy happy dance* 

This photo was taken over the weekend while hanging out at the playground.  I just love how the late afternoon sunlight casts that gorgeous glow, and how miraculously, my daughter stood still for a millisecond at just the right angle, and I just happened to have the camera ready.  This was definitely a rare moment because I have such a hard time photographing her.  I just added a little bokeh effect and a cool border with the pixlromatic app, and voila!  I'm having so much fun with this thing.. so beware, there may be an influx of photos on this blog, and for no reason at all.  You'll tell me if I'm going overboard, right?  I trust that you will.  ;)

Be back soon.

Finding Extra (in the) Ordinary :: A Little Luck

I found this four-leaf clover on the side of our house, next to the garden.  I hope it brings a little luck to our garden.  Hubs worked really hard building 2 big raised beds and we've only filled one.  Looking for some free time in the next couple weeks to work on the second.  It's our first official family garden and so far, so good!  We've had a ton of rain lately so it is thriving!  I'll have to post pics of it sometime. 

In my lifetime, I'd say I've found close to about 25 four leaf clovers.  Is this typical for you too?  Not sure if it is or isn't, but my husband says I'm good at zeroing in on them for some reason.. something about pattern recognition.  I think it's because when I see a clover patch, I do a quick scan to see if there are any.  I don't think many people do that, so therefore, my odds of finding the four leaf kind are a bit higher than normal, just because I'm actively looking.

How many four leaf clovers have you found???

Finding Extra (in the) Ordinary :: Silhouettes

I took the first photo during a sunset sometime in the spring.  It's of a little bird nest in a tree in our front yard.  I didn't even mean to do a silhouette photo, but I love happy accidents!

This was taken recently on one of our days at the park.  Jax and Kaili were playing at the top of a hill, with the playground in the background.  The rope pyramid thing you see is only the tippy top of it.  At one point, there were so many kids swarming this thing, it made me so nervous watching them.. it's  high up and so unsteady because it's all made of rope (except the pole in the center).  Crazy how perspectives change as you get older.  If I was 10, I'd be trying to swan dive off the top with no second thought to safety.  Now that I think of it though, the rope is in some ways much safer than the steel and splintered wood jungle gyms we played on as kids, where the bottoms were lined with sand, gravel, or concrete.  And I did flips off of those and I'm ok, I think.  Anyway, what was I talking about?...  ;)

After the playground, we went for a walk along a trail and I noticed a single little bird perched on this Tim Burton-esque looking tree in the middle of a field.  The branches looked like a hand desperately reaching for the sun.  I had to capture the image somehow and I don't think I did it justice at all.  I think I need a better lens, not to mention some photography lessons.

So how have your summer ventures been so far?

Finding Extra (in the) Ordinary :: Fun with Bubbles!

One of my favorite things to do when the weather warms up in the springtime is play with bubbles.  They're just so much fun and the kids love it too.  :)  I always try to take pictures, but bubbles are so hard to photograph!  This time around, I think I got a few good ones.  I love how colorful they are against the sunset!  Completely serendipitous.  And have I mentioned how much I love my camera's auto setting?  I'll say it again!  I love this camera and its auto mode!  All I did was point and click.  No skills required on my part.

The kids had such a great time chasing the little elusive orbs around the deck.  Jax was trying to pop them with his head and his mouth.. so entertaining, that little dude!  And of course Kaili followed suit and did what big brother was doing.  Gotta love this age.  They're just so much fun to watch.  :)

Love this shot because it looks like Jax is juggling the bubbles!

And here's Kaili balancing a bubble on her little finger!

 

And this last one is a picture I took a couple years ago when we were still living in Boston.  I just love it for so many reasons.  :)

What's your favorite springtime activity?

Hope you're all enjoying spring!