My boys will have a special guest at school today. My father will sit with them on stage, as their elementary school honors Veterans at an all-school assembly. Their grandfather served in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1969, stationed with the 27th Surgical Hospital in Chu Lai on the South China Sea. {A world away from our little rock.} My dad brought along a scrapbook filled with pictures taken during his tour of duty. As we looked through it and listened to the stories, I had a deep appreciation of the moment. You could see it on my son’s face. He was taking in every word, every picture, and storing them away. There is a deeper, personal understanding of war, history and service. It really is a precious gift.
My dad is a very humble man. He certainly is not one to boast. In his mind, he simply served in the military just as his father and brothers did before him. He deserves to be honored and it is certain that I will be beaming with pride when my oldest son introduces his grandfather as his distinguished Veteran.
Oh, hello November. The days quickly grow colder and shorter as we enter good ole’ November. That means plenty of time indoors with family and friends. Warm meals, roaring fires, and an extra cup of coffee in the afternoon are in order. How about a little inspiration for the eleventh month of year?
Early this month I shared that our pumpkin patch tradition was ending. Our most loved farm was closed for business. I left it up to the boys if they wanted to visit a new farm this year. I am pleased as punch that they decided it was a must-do for our family. The day was crisp, the pumpkins were plentiful, and Jubilee Farm was charming. The hay maze and warm apple cider were great, but the high point was launching a pumpkin from a {home-built} medieval trebuchet! What boy doesn’t love being part of smashing a pumpkin to smithereens?
New memories created. Life doesn’t get much better.
Pictures like this one make a trip to the pumpkin patch essential – in this mom’s honest opinion!
Weeks ago I pinned an image of matte gray nails. The gray was classic, but the matte finish was unconventional. I was totally into it! A short time later I came across Essie ‘Matte About You Finisher’. It instantly transforms nail color {any shade} from high-gloss to matte in seconds. Done! Those nails were mine. I already had Essie ‘Chincilly’, the perfect shade of gray. I simply painted my nails with one base coat and two coats of gray. Then painted one thin layer of the matte finisher and it magically erased the shine from the nail polish and I was left with matte gray nails. Too fun.
Equals LOVE! Reese Witherspoon started film production on Wild last week. Oh. My. Goodness. The film adaptation of the book by Cheryl Strayed is headed to the big screen. When I read this book earlier this year {read post here}, I could not put it down. I told all of my friends to read it. It is a testament to the human spirit and our ability to overcome.
Now it is going to be a movie and I am more than excited to hear Cheryl Strayed is an integral part of the filming. She wrote on her Facebook page last week, “I spent the past couple of days on location in beautiful central Oregon with the WILD film cast and crew watching as they transform not only my book but an era of my life into a movie. It’s an extraordinary experience to see Reese Witherspoon dressed in the clothes I wore on the trail, her hair the same style and color and cut as mine then, with my beloved/loathed Monster on her back packed just the way I packed it. I’m humbled and awed and so excited for you to see the movie! Here’s a shot of me on set.”
Oh, this makes me want to see it even more!!
Have you read the book? What did you think? Will you see this movie?
Call it my latest visual obsession, but I can not get enough of stacked wood! I was first taken by the idea of stacking wood rounds {or split wood} in a fireplace. It is genius for a non-working fireplace or one you don’t use regularly. I love that it adds a natural element to a room. The mismatched shapes of the wood make it just plain awesome. How about wood stacked next the fireplace-floor to ceiling? Again, genius. Storing wood, actually used to build a fire, and using it as part of the room’s decor. The possibilities are seemingly endless. Wood stacked under consoles. Wood stacked under benches. Wood stacked under open counters. Yes, yes, and yes!
We have a wood burning fireplace in our bedroom. Oh, I know…how romantic. And yep, we have never used it. The little wheels in my head are spinning. If I can pull out the hideously ugly insert, you better believe that stacked wood rounds are taking its place.
A year ago I was determined to move my big girl camera {a Nikon DSLR} off of the AUTO setting. I wanted to learn to shoot in manual mode. Last October I took a one day workshop with Elise Liptack of Elise Marie Photography. She is an excellent instructor and in just a few hours I had a good understanding of the exposure triangle, rule of thirds, composition, and shooting pictures with natural light. It included informative classroom instruction and time to practice shooting, with plenty of opportunity to ask questions. I moved my camera off AUTO and I haven’t looked back. {Plus, I got to spend the day with Elise! I loved her so much that I asked her to take my pictures when I re-designed my blog.} Elise is offering her Beginning Photography Workshop on Saturday, November 16, 2013. If you live in the greater Puget Sound Area, sign up. You will love it!
Once I started shooting in manual, I had a million questions. I decided to enroll in Karen Russell’s The Photography Workshop. It is a comprehensive [online] photography class. In 9 weeks you learn about composition, exposure triangle, white balance, light. The list goes on and on. You can read a complete description of the workshop on her website. The perks include extensive lessons [in PDF format] you are able to save or print, personal photo critiques from Karen, access to the forum for two years, and message boards to chat with fellow students. I certainly am no pro, but my photos are improving and I now have a great reference resource. If you own a DSLR and are the main photographer for your family, you will not be sorry! The workshops fill up extremely fast and registration for the next workshop [January – March 2014] opens this Tuesday, October 15th [9am PST]. Yes, that is tomorrow.
If you didn’t already get it, I highly recommend going to a workshop or enrolling in a class to improve your photography. Think of it as a gift to yourself.
Yes, I know. I am painfully aware that it is NOT picnic season. I thought of waiting to post about this latest find, but I just couldn’t. I just found the What is It? melamine paper bowls in the gift department at Nordstrom [of all places] for 50% off. Too good to pass up! I had been looking to replace my Target kiddie melamine bowls. Don’t get me wrong, they served us well. It was just time for something a little more grown up! These babies are dishwasher safe and too cute for words. They are truly exact replicas of the classic paper bowls. I will keep them in a low drawer, so the boys can easily get to them, year round.
You probably won’t be running out to purchase summer party goodies [unless you can find them on sale like I did], but it is worth a “pin”. There is always next year!!
I am not sure why, but stadium blankets just popped into my head this week. I guess it is probably the chilly mornings and evenings that are here to stay. The best fall day is clear and sunny with a bit of a bite. It means you can cuddle up in a blanket while watching a game from the sidelines. {If it rains, that just ruins my perfect picture of autumn bliss.} I suppose you could by a new one, but the vintage stadium blankets are just too awesome to pass up. Perfectly worn and soft. You might be lucky enough to have one stored in a closet. {Stop reading right now and go look!} My parents have one in the trunk of their car that I may try to steal then next time I see them. A Google search quickly led me to an entire page of vintage blankets on eBay. I especially loved the one with red, blue and yellow! Can’t get this fall staple off my mind, so I may have to bid.
Stay warm and cozy this weekend.
{Images all found on Pinterest. See them all on my fall into fall board.}
I picked up the novel, Me Before You, to read on the plane. I actually slept the entire way to Chicago {motion sickness pills and a double Bloody Mary are a wicked combo..FYI}, so I didn’t start it until I got home. Once I read the first chapter I was hooked and could not put it down. Without giving too much away, it is a story about an aimless woman who takes a job as a care giver to handsome man bound to a wheelchair. However, don’t be fooled. The typical romance novel gets tipped on its head. And in a good way. I love how Jojo Moyes crafts her story. I truly did not want this book to end. As I was reading I kept thinking, “This would make an AWESOME movie.” I was thrilled to read that MGM has bought the rights and that Jennifer Lawrence is being considered for the lead. Uh, perfect casting if that actually happens.
While life is moving at warp speed- give yourself a minute, create space and find time to read.
