Week 8: Cabin Fever

{ Project 52 Week 8: Cabin Fever }

Last fall when the weather was cooling and winter was inevitable I decided to take in the succulent plants that I had on my deck. I planted them in this little galvanized planter and placed it on my kitchen window sill. I spend a lot of time with my kitchen window sill. All day, from morning coffee to afternoon snacks for my preschooler to evening dinner and dishes, my window sill is always there keeping me company. And bringing a little bit of summer inside has helped combat the dreadful cabin fever that makes me long for summertime. 

Also on my kitchen window sill this week is what remained from my valentine's flowers. I'm savoring every bit of them before they fade away. Additionally...as if having cabin fever this time of year isn't bad enough, the stomach flu came to visit my family this week too. You never want to answer the door when the stomach flu comes knocking, but you don't have a choice.  Before you know it, it wiggles it's way in and makes itself right at home. Mean ol' stomach flu, you are not welcome here...leave and take cabin fever with you!

Week 7: True Love

{ Project 52 Week 7: True Love }

Aside from my beloved family and friends, my true love is, flowers...blooms of every kind! From bright and colorful to soft and pastel. From frilly and fluffy to simple and sweet. From lilies and roses to daisies and goldenrod, I simply love all of them.

This beautiful lily was a valentine's gift from my husband. I woke up on valentine's morning to a sweet bouquet of colorful lilies, in shades of orange, pink and yellow. They are so lovely and just make me smile. I guess I was really longing to take photos of flowers too because I somehow managed to take about 86 photos of this little bouquet.

And I'll let you in on a little secret, believe it or not, the lush-looking green background is a green t-shirt that belongs to one of my sons. A fun way to make it seem that the lily is blooming in the warmth of mid summer instead in the depths of this dreary winter.

Week 6: Drink Up...Coconut Cocoa

{ Project 52 Week 6: Drink Up }

This weeks theme is Drink Up and I'm choosing to feature one of my favorite warm drinks this winter {Coconut Cocoa}. The perfect drink for this frigid February weather. With a subtle coconut flavor, it's very creamy, chocolatey and indulgent and only 3 ingredients. So simple to mix up on a Saturday afternoon or anytime for that matter. I'll share my *approximated* recipe because when I make it, I kind of just throw it together. You know, a splash of this, a sprinkle of that. So if you try this recipe you may need to alter it to your liking.

Coconut Cocoa  

1 cup Coconut Milk 

1 tablespoon Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 

1 tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup 

Blend all 3 ingredients in a blender, I use a Magic Bullet. Blending makes it frothy and luscious...yum! After blending well, warm in a small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until desired tempurature. Or you can warm in a coffee mug in the microwave. Makes one serving.

That's it. Simple, right? If you love coconut and chocolate, you must try it!

Week 5: Shadows

{ Project 52 Week 5: Shadows }

Turns out I'm not very good at looking for shadows. I'm usually looking for light, glimmer and fine detail. I realize that when you find light you also find shadows, but for some reason I don't always see the shadow, only the light. I have to force myself to see the shadows. The other night I looked out the window before going to bed and I made myself look for shadows. As I saw the shadow of two snowmen that we built in the front yard it made my heart skip a beat, it spooked me! I guess shadows scare me a little...ha ha...well especially at night. But this project has been a fun eye opener for me. I'm learning to see something I haven't focused on before.

When the sun finally came out this week I was able to snap this shot of the shadow cast by my garden fence on the snowless frozen ground in the morning sunshine.

Week 4: Self Portrait

{ Project 52 Week 4: Self Portrait }

Well here it is, my flaky self portrait. Not exactly a dream theme for this gal who turned one year older last week. Why is it when you have a birthday in your presence you look in the mirror and notice more wrinkles, more gray hairs and more sagging skin? It's just not fair! And then to top it off, a self portrait...oh no! But if you're at all like me and not crazy about having your photo taken, you should read this wonderful post on why you should put yourself in front of the camera from time to time.

This hat and my mom are actually the star of the show though!

I love this hat!!! I'd been admiring similar hats on Etsy and came close to buying one for myself last winter. When I mentioned it to my mom recently she whipped up this hat in the matter of a few hours one afternoon and surprised me with it for my birthday last week. I was beyond thrilled! And what makes this hat even more adorable is that the flower is held on with a button and she made two flowers so I can swap them out! Along with this gray flower in the photo, she made one in the same color as the hat {khaki}. Isn't that the best idea! My mom is so talented and creative. She knits, crochets, quilts, sews, scrapbooks, you name it, she's an amazingly artistic and clever person! I tell her she should open an Etsy shop of her own to sell her beautiful creations. I think she'd be a great success!

Week 3: I Dreamed A Dream

{ Project 52 Week 3: I Dreamed A Dream }

While watching the movie Tangled with my sons this week for the first time I was inspired by the message of {following your dreams}. Perfect timing! 

I couldn't wait for the bright-eyed Rapunzel to fulfill her dream of seeing the floating lights that appeared in the sky every year on her birthday. At last free from the tower, she wasn't going to let anything get in her way. She was feisty yet vulnerable. Once Rapunzel knew she would reach her dream she struggled, in one moment she worried that the floating lights might not be everything she'd dreamed, then the next moment she asked, what if they were everything she'd dreamed, then what next? I loved Flynn's comforting response, "That's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream." 

So here's to achieving dreams and then finding new ones! 

The branches above, covered in a wintery mix of ice and sparkles, remind me of the beautiful and magical lights in the floating lanterns scene when Rapunzel finally accomplished her dream. 

Hello Monday!

Hello feeling refreshed after some alone time over the weekend.

Hello feeling caught up after some serious organizing.

Hello starting our week with no school for the boys for 2 days.

Hello passing our time with a movie at the theater, arts & crafts and lots of playtime.

Hello confusing MN winter weather, one moment it's bitter cold, the next it's snowing the next it's sunny and melting away.

These photos were taken last winter on a little family ice fishing getaway at my in-laws cabin. 

The frost was covering all the front porch windows. It was so pretty!

{ linking up with the lovely Lisa Leonard for Hello Monday }

Week 2: Made With Love

{ Project 52 Week 2: Made With Love }

My youngest son loves loves loves when I sit down and play with him. Most of the time we play games, puzzles, "guys" and lately lots of legos. He's so happy when I join in and build masterpieces right along with him. 

This is a cozy little house I "made with love" for him this week.

I love the constructing part of playing with legos, my son loves the pretending part. We build houses and cars and then our lego guys go visit each other. Our creations usually only stay intact for a short time though, because let's face it, it's so much more fun to demolish something, isn't it!!! Especially when you're preschool age! It's usually some wacky lego guy driving one of his lego cars that loses control and crashes or some mean old lego monster that stomps down onto our little lego homes. But that's totally ok. It just gives me a reason to come up with another {always color coordinated} lego work of art. So much fun!

Hello Monday!

Hello extra early morning for an extra early appointment.

Hello yummy mocha after the extra early morning.

Hello near record breaking high temps in MN early this week.

Hello sun with melting snow and ice.

Hello reality when frigid temps arrive in MN later this week.

Hello hats and mittens and scarfs.

{ linking up with the lovely Lisa Leonard for Hello Monday }

Week 1: Resolution - So Much Hope Inside

{ Project 52 Week 1: Resolution }

I'm kicking off the new year with 2 new projects. First, I'm thrilled with the opportunity to participate in a fun project called Project 52 created by Life with My 3 Boybarians. It's a weekly photo challenge with an assigned theme each week. 

{ This weeks theme: Resolution }

My resolution and hope for the new year is to stop hiding in my shell. 

I'm going to shed the protective exterior and frumpy-ness. 

I'm going to open my mind and achieve new ambitions. 

I'm going to feel the sun on my shoulders. 

I'm going to reach the hope inside.

In combination with Project 52, I've decided to challenge myself with a personal project. It's an exciting idea I've tossed around for a bit called: A Year In Lyrics. Words inspire me. For years I've said that my favorite book is the Thesaurus. Boring and weird, I know, but that's me! My thought is that lyrics, whether a chorus or a fleeting phrase, make an impression on our spirit. Sometimes bringing feelings to life that we couldn't ourselves find the words to express. Thus, I plan to feature photos randomly throughout the year inspired by lyrics that touch me. Possibly combining A Year In Lyrics with Project 52 from time to time, like I did this week. I hope that I can find it within myself to contribute to both of these projects all year and not flake out and give up. I'm going to do my best...here's to hoping anyway!

{ A Year In Lyrics: So Much Hope Inside - from 'She's a Butterfly' by Martina McBride }

Hello Twenty Twelve!

Hello twenty twelve! 

Hello fresh new year. 

Hello winter {finally arriving to MN}. 

 Hello setting goals and accomplishing them. 

Hello bright beginnings. 

Hello to feeling energized. 

Cheers to a year full of possibilities!

I'm ready!!!

{So excited to be linking up for the first time with the lovely Lisa Leonard for Hello Monday.}

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving!

"For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!"
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thankful for flowers. 

As fall settles in flowers far and near turn to seed. Absence makes the heart grow fonder through the long seasons of fall and winter. Bringing happiness once the buds appear again in the spring and summer. This is a 'bright lights' cosmo seed-head bursting like a star in the fall air.

Thankful for nature's bounty.

This is our one and only lonely pumpkin that survived. Out of 9-12 pumpkin vines we only got 2 pumpkins and one of them fell prey to a hungry deer. What's the secret to getting a bountiful crop of pumpkins??? I'd love to know! Nonetheless, we were happy to have this adorable little cutie. I'm excited to grow this variety again next year and hope for a few more survivors.

Thankful for vivid color.

The colors of fall are so warm and comforting. These ornamental grasses in my garden which are bright green in the summer, turn amazing shades of gold, amber and rust in the fall.

Thankful for pretty things.

I'm not sure what kind of tree this is, some kind of crab apple, maybe? In the spring it blooms pink and mauve. In the summer these red fruits plump. They resemble cherries. In the fall and winter they are such a pretty contrast to it's grey branches.

Thankful for little details.

These bright red oak leaves look so beautiful backlit by the afternoon sunlight revealing the tiny detail in the leaves.

Thankful for the glittering sun.

The morning sun beams off the melting frost on these wild grasses. A reminder that winter is on our doorstep.

May your Thanksgiving be overflowing with warmth and joy!!!
Yours Truly,
Brooke

The Final Glow of Summer

taken:
day ninety four
09.22.2011

Day 94...the last day of summer...the end of a project. A personal challenge I met with enthusiasm. My vision was to feature a photo a day for each day of the 94 days of summer. I was yearning to ignite my creative imagination and hoping that I could capture something inspirational. I was rewarded with success and the feeling of accomplishment. I learned lessons along the way that I'll treasure for a lifetime. I learned that taking chances and making myself vulnerable as an artist can only make me stronger. Another lesson I learned was how important it is to follow a dream. Even if it means facing a fear.

Day 1 started with the glow of a willow branch basking in raindrops and the evening sun. I thought it only appropriate to end summer the way it began; with a glistenting willow branch. This one, on the last day of summer, beams in the morning sun, touched by dewdrops. Soon it'll surrender to cool air. Frost and snow will touch the tips of the willow branch lending itself to a cold winter. Summer, I'll miss you. Your warm weather, vivid colors and long days will be out of reach until next year when we meet again...

Blushing Bloomer

taken:
day ninety three
09.21.2011

This blushing pink sedum is a late season bloomer bringing splendor to the vanishing summer garden. It's one of summer's last pastels before a harsh change blankets the outdoors with frosty mornings and a brisk chill.