Words are powerful 151/365

I watched an interview of Maya Angelou by Oprah Winfrey a few days ago. There were several interesting things talked about but one small snippet grabbed me and had me rewinding a few times. Dr. Angelou said words are things. She talked about how you can put words together to make people want to go to war and then put more together to make them long for peace.Words are important. They are what you take to God. Words have nuances and are powerful.

This interview and her comment regarding the power of words have me thinking about the verses in the Bible  that tell us we are to encourage one another and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11) and in Hebrews 3:13 that we are to encourage one another daily.

The power of words. I'll be turning this thought over and over in my mind for days to come.

A day at the pool 150/365

Our summer's are spent at the pool. Swimmer girls swims and then stays to coach the little kids who participate in the rec league while I assume the role of chauffeur. Back and forth several times a day I drive to the pool. Although she's exhausted by the end of the day, she loves it. And I think it's so cute to watch her talk to a group of 20+ little people.

At the end of practice, all the coaches took the time to copy each child's races on their arm or leg with a Sharpie marker for the meet tonight. While each parent has a master sheet that lists each child's race, it's always best to have them written on the child so there is no doubt. Once the meet starts, it moves fairly quickly and that IS NOT the time to be trying to figure it all out. Missing a race is not fun for anyone.

After everyone was appropriately marked, swimmer girl got her directions for tonight and home she came to a giant bowl of sesame noodles wih chicken (one of her favorite lunches).

 
As I stood snapping away, this sweet boy sat there taking it all in. Not a peep, only a wink and a smile. He had me at the first smile. I couldn't get enough of those sweet toes.

Trying to figure it out 149/365

Bless her heart (as they say here in the south), she was as patient as she could be for as long as she could. I was doing a garage session (just like Kate T. Parker showed me in her CM Breakout) but I don't have the metering down for skin tones when half is in the light and half in the shadows yet. I would take a few then stop to look and rethink settings. After taking a few more and repeating the peek and tweak thing, she began to get antsy but she stayed and let me finish.

I love this girl.

Me. Today. Truth. 148/365

I am often accused of being childish.  I prefer to interpret that as child-like.  I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things.  I tend to exaggerate and fantasize and embellish.  I still listen to instinctual urges.  I play with leaves.  I skip down the street and run against the wind.  I never water my garden without soaking myself.  It has been after such times of joy that I have achieved my greatest creativity and produced my best work. 

~Leo F. Buscaglia~

Friendship 147/365

You know it's a good friendship when you ask for the blower and they give it to you so you can blow the leaves away from their back porch. No questions asked, no judgements made.

Time with friends 146/365

When you find a family that you click with, hold onto them and cherish the time you can spend together.

Riding the back roads 145/365

When you take time to travel the back roads instead of whizzing down the highway, you have an opportunity to experience the beauty around you. As we wound around the bends, there were old barns, fields of flowers, herds of mooing cows, and the wonderful smell of honeysuckle.

Wherever I go 144/365

there he is. I was taking photo of new blooms in the garden and he was hanging out, lying right next to my hip. As I changed my position to sitting with my legs in front of me, he climbed into my lap. While he does like to be close, he is not one to usually climb into my lap. He parked it there and stayed until I asked him to move.

I am learning to choose my words wisely 143/365

Have you ever had your mouth engage before your brain? Yep. It's never good. Being more selective about the conversations I decide to participate in helps too. As I learn to listen more, it's interesting the things I hear.

Finding beauty in my front yard 142/365

One of my regular locations 141/365

I try to plan meals and make my shopping list from the decided upon meals so I can reduce my visits to the grocery store. Try as I might, it never fails that I forget something. This time it was scallions, a block of sharp cheddar cheese, and bacon.

I won't tell you what I came home with {wink, wink}. Let's just say $79 later I was back in my car.

Outside looking in 140/365

Sometimes I like to walk around the backyard at night because there's a different feeling to everything. The chirping of crickets playing off the shadows make for a soothing background. When you hear your kids laughter coming from the open windows, all seems right with the world.

When someone tells me no... 139/365

it doesn't mean I can't do it, it simply means I can't do it with them. ~ Karen E. Quinones Miller

Get out the boat, it's raining again 138/365

Here comes the weekend 137/365

Something to think about today 136/365

I came across a writing not long ago and it stuck with me. My mind comes back to it again and again.

In 1954 Jiddu Krishnamurti wrote something that’s equally true and relevant today …

There is an art of listening. To be able really to listen, one should abandon or put aside all prejudices, preformulations and daily activities. When you are in a receptive state of mind, things can be easily understood; you are listening when your real attention is given to something. But unfortunately most of us listen through a screen of resistance. We are screened with prejudices, whether religious or spiritual, psychological or scientific; or with our daily worries, desires and fears. And with these for a screen, we listen. Therefore, we listen really to our own noise, to our own sound, not to what is being said. It is extremely difficult to put aside our training, our prejudices, our inclination, our resistance, and, reaching beyond the verbal expression, to listen so that we understand instantaneously. That is going to be one of our difficulties.

How do I listen? 

Delicacy 135/365

When you take a moment to alter your perspective, you'll always be surprised at what you see.

This flower was the size of a baby aspirin but when I got down to eye level with my Olloclip, it took up the frame. Even though it's not as crisp as it would be if I took it with my Nikon, I love the colors.

Finals just around the corner 134/365

Taking a break from grading papers, I looked out the window and this is what I saw. Can anything be sweeter?

My dog Jake 133/365

Happy Mother's Day 132/365

Meals fixed by my girls, a mani/pedi from my youngest, and an afternoon filled with old movies turned this day into a relaxing respite from the norm.

An evening with a friend 131/365

We spent the evening sharing, laughing, and drinking a new wine until almost midnight.

It was exactly what we both needed.

Today was truly uneventful 130/365

Once I picked up swimmer girl from early morning practice, I had no where to go and not much to do. I did spent the day in my sweats adding programs to my new laptop and I tried a new recipe, Fiesta Chicken. There are just a few things left to do with my new machine and the chicken was a huge hit.

Fiesta Chicken

4 chicken breasts (or thighs cause that's what I had on hand)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
6 TBSP Taco seasoning
1 cup cracker crumbs (I used Ritz)
1 cup Mexi-cheese

Place yogurt in one bowl. Crush crackers and add taco seaoning and cheese in a seperate bowl. Mix. Dredge chicken in yogurt then in cracker mixture. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 for 45-55 minutes.

I served it with steamed rice and broccoli and they licked their plate clean.

Always look for the light 129/365

All the photographers I've been studying say to follow the light. Once you find it, use it. Use it to create the shot you have in your mind. Manipulate your settings, on whatever camera you have, so your product is what you intend.

When I asked my girl to come to the bonus room so I could play with the light, this was not the shot I had in my mind. I wanted to work on tack sharp eyes with great catchlight. While I took a moment to think about settings, she flopped back, kicked up her feet, and continued eating her oatmeal. That's when I saw it. The sunlight streaming in the window made a perfect rectangle that framed one side of the loveseat and the shadows made by the mullions are perfect.

So today, I worked the light to my advantage and that makes me happy.

Perfection is highly overrated 127/365

As a child, perfection was the locomotive that drove my train. Adding years and gaining wisdom, I realize it's not all it's cracked up to be. The stress I created for myself over the smallest of things was so unnecessary. Life is meant to be lived, mistakes need to be made, and lessons need to be learned. How else do you grow as a person?

I'm not one who lives with regret; however, there are a few things I wish I could go back and do. Things I was afraid I'd fail at, thinking people would laugh at my foibles. Experiences I walked away from out of fear. Hobbies I never attempted because I thought I'd never be 'good' at them so I never started them.

My imperfection is perfect. It's taken me years to get right here, but I'm happy with my quirks and if you don't like them, you can hit the bricks.

Just about everything... 128/365

...tastes better with a sprinkle of sugar.

They're always hungry 126/365

And I hate to cook. It's not exactly a match made in paradise, but we make it work. I do try to make sure they get a good, hot dinner every night but, for breakfast and lunch, they're on their own.

Come on. Don't judge me. They're not toddlers.

And I think teenagers should know how to fend for themselves. Yeah, I'm helping develop a life skill that they'll thank me for. One day.

It's not like the cupboards are empty. We always have plenty to eat. Preparing it is the problem.

Today, I'm thankful for hearty left-overs and good light coming in the window so I could play with my Olloclip and a fork.

It's cold and rainy today 125/365

It's a black and white kind of day 124/365

Foretelling 123/365

I hope you live a life you're proud of.
And if you find that you are not,
I hope you have the strength
to start all over again.

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

The power of pink 122/365

I'm always amazed at what I see when I look up close. Until I stuck my Olloclip macro lens into the center of this Impatiens, I would not have guessed there was a tiny zucchini looking thing in there. Even though I'm not digging the pink color, I can't pull my eyes away from the perfectly formed green pod.
Take a moment today to change your perspective. Look closely or from underneath. Get down on the ground (especially if you have kids or pets) to see what they see. Get up, up high enough to look down at your everyday life. I promise you, you won't be sorry.

My, how green your eyes are.121/365