a date with myself.

My Friday night: drinking white wine, making enchiladas, painting my nails, catching up on blog-reading, starting laundry, and watching movies with my kitties in bed.

Why yes, I do enjoy my exhilarating weekends. (I may even go to bed early!)


(Also: three previous Friday posts!)

newly impassioned souls.

These here are my desires

And I won't give them up to you this time around

And so, I’ll be found with my stake stuck in this ground

Marking the territory of this newly impassioned soul.

   -Mumford and Sons

a hope for better weather.

I'm having a vision: warm sunny mornings, eating breakfast outside and sipping tea and listening to the birds and not wearing any shoes and thinking and creating and planning and breathing.

In the sun, and in the warmth.

Maybe next week.

the last of winter.

Fallen trees. Dripping sap. A red barn.

An invitation from a neighbor, knowing I might like to come by and photograph the sights before the logs get taken away.

spending 40 hours a week with small children: at least they're cute.

(you know, when they're not screaming and biting)

a dapple of my weekend

1. Saturday morning crepes.
2. Lots and lots of lemon water.
3. A heart cast in the sun.
4. Lazy Sunday morning kitty.
5. Experimenting with timers and self-portraits.
6. Being among trees.
7. Bright Northampton colors.
8. Northampton rooftop.

Hope your weekends were hopeful and bright and restorative. Feeling a bit introspective and quiet lately, so I may be away from this space for a bit. (Or perhaps just posting with photos.)

Here's to the start of a magical week :)

working my way

This recent post from the Shutter Sisters has reaffirmed my thoughts lately about self. Have a look, if you're interested.

I'd like to explore photography a bit more now--I feel as though I've hit a stagnant spot and my creative bones just aren't being used. I see so many inspiring artists and photos out there and it's sometimes difficult to remain inspired and not wander over the line into envious. 

 I want to explore angles and subjects and self portraits and processing. I think creativity needs room to breathe, space to roam around, permission to grow. I think I need to dedicate more time to creating and doing what makes me happy.

I think that may be the hardest part about starting, though.

"home" comforts

Two years ago, I graduated from college. I moved back home, tried to make a semblance of a plan, and reassured myself that it wouldn't be permanent.

It's two years later.

And it's taken me a bit longer than I hoped for to come up with a plan. It's difficult to explain. I wasn't ready to move out of my parents' house, to decide where I wanted to live and find a job and feel good about it. I'm still not.

But I'm getting closer. So much closer. One year ago, I don't think I would have survived if I had moved out on my own. Today, I could do it, and keep my mental well-being. But it's not quite ready yet. We're getting there.

In the meantime, I'm living in my teeny tiny bedroom in my parents' home (and I mean really teeny tiny). And I've learned the importance of making this bedroom mine. I'd rather have a kitchen and living room and bathroom all to myself too, but in the meantime, I'm finding small ways to create a space filled with love and positivity and comfort:

Lots of green plants. Awhile ago I felt inspired for living things and stocked up.

Mini Tibetan prayer flags strung over my desk.

Sticky notes strewn about, as reminders.

My Valentines Day heart garland (I think it's a year-round decoration).

My Mary Oliver quote on canvas, watercolored.

A (fake) candle and stones ornamenting my desk.

And one more little note to myself :)

Some days all I want to do is sit in my room by myself in silence and think of more ways I can make it my own. It's rather fun!

a dapple of my weekend

Sometimes good weekends are proven by the lack of photos.

I bowled Friday night and drank far too much beer*, had a Mexican lunch date on Saturday with my mother and aunt, went to a local holistic health fair, celebrated UConn's win with friends Saturday night at Plan B, grocery shopped my little heart out Sunday in preparation for this week's spring detox cleanse, and then ended the weekend with grilling and a movie night (yes, it's still far too cold here to grill, we found out).

Weekends like this, though, that are whirlwind and exhausting and leave you feeling unprepared for the week come Sunday night, are so much better when you feel complete with how you spent your time. This is a skill I'm slowly learning.

*Bowling is one of those things I think hate, then decide to give one more chance, only to realize I really do hate it.

bummer.

Just as soon as I got so excited for 100 followers and posted a giveaway in celebration (and even got up to 102!),

I dropped down to 99.

Such is life.