A Little Weekend Reading

A Viking Pinch

I took this picture last weekend at the Children and Youth Festival here in Vejle. It was a funny out of no where moment and I didn't want to spoil it by being obvious with my camera. I basically shot this from my hip as we walked by and hoped for the best. I thought I'd gotten away with it until I downloaded it on to our computer and saw that very cheeky chap in the burnt orange cap staring right at me. Busted! Judging from his grin, I'm pretty sure he thought it was funny, too. 

Here are a few other things making me smile this week...

Bringing new meaning to a tempest in a tea cup

This spell out anything shelving may just might be the perfect bookcase.

How to cut back on your {kid's}clutter.

This blackout poem is beautiful.

All the photographs in this book were taken using an iPhone.

I love a good cupcake. So who do you think would take the cake in the France vs. US World Cupcake Cup matchup?

I've never scrapbooked, but this new app looks amazing! I can't wait until it comes out for the iPhone!

Did you know that Finland sends all expectant mothers a maternity package full of baby clothes and other useful things for the new little one? Amazing!

Thanks for reading my blog this week!

I hope you have an amazing weekend where ever you are!

See you on Monday!

A Little Cupcake Shop

This morning I met the lovely Jacque of The Coziness Project for some coffee, cupcakes, and catching up at the tiny but adorable Den Lille Kagebutik. The day was beautiful, the company delightful, and the cupcakes and coffee yummy. 

Just look at that sky!

Thanks for a lovely day out, Jacque! 

Words of Wisdom from Pinterest

When I was in high school, I found a little hardcover blank book with a metallic mosaic owl on the cover à la Klimt. I loved that little owl. He looked so wise and shiny and brave. He looked like he would guard a secret, even though I didn't use its pages for such things. Instead he watched over a collection on quotes and sayings. Some of them were famous, some less so, and some were the occasional and incredibly profound insight only a fellow teenager could provide. I'd flip through the pages when I needed some encouragement or perspective or inspiration for an opening line for a paper. That little book went with me to college and then graduate school and now I don't know where it is. I hope its lost in the depths of my childhood room just waiting for me to find it again. 

I still like to collect quotes and sayings, only now I pin them on to a Pinterest board instead of writing them down a blank notebook. I still like looking at them when I'm down. They are like little pep talks from the universe, don't you agree? I love how the right one seems to come along just when you need it. Like...

{via My Blue Canoe}

{via Vinyl Crafts on etsy}

{via polyvore}

{via tumbler}

{originally from etsy, the page has been taken down. 

If you know who this belongs to, please let me know.}

Do you have any favorite quotes or words to live by?

Happy Monday, all! I hope that you've had a wonderful weekend. We enjoyed a lovely, sunny, warm weekend, which totally made up for last week when The Boy was away on business, The Babe, sensing a disturbance in The Force, was extra clingy, and I, as a consequence, was exhausted and uninspired. Until Friday. Friday The Boy returned in the wee hours of the morning and all was right with the world again. I went for an amazing walk around town all by myself. I took lots of pictures. I was inspired and excited. It was awesome. In fact, it was so awesome that I think I will take a just me and my camera walk every Friday. 

Happy First Day of Fall!

Can you believe how fast 2011 is flying by? Neither can I.

Where I grew up, the summers are unbearably hot and humid, the air so thick with moisture it's more like swimming than walking. September marks the first glimmer of hope for relief and (hopefully) by this time the temperatures are starting to fall into the slightly more bearable 80's. This summer in Denmark has been cool. There have been very few days that I've gone without a jacket so this first day of fall kind of snuck up on me. I've been dreaming of it for a while, though. It is one of my favorite seasons, after all. Here are some of my favorite things and images that I've curated from Pinterest.

   

{via tumbler }

 {Philadelphia in the fall via tumbler}

 {smores at a bonfire via Backyard Bride}

 {a warm sweater and cozy scarf via Hannah and Landon}

 {pumpkin spice pancakes via Annie's Eats}

{a perfect fall outfit via Refinery 29}

 {apple cider, my favorite fall drink, via Our Best Bites}

{a fall kiss via Lindsey Orton Photography}

You can check out more of my favorite fall things on my Fall Pinterest board.

One Red Balloon

I do so love Saturday mornings. We don't sleep 'til 9 or 10 anymore. We don't move around the house, drinking our coffee and getting ready to face the world at the slowest pace imaginable. We don't venture out for a cozy lunch at a favorite pub or cafe. Not anymore. Not since we two became we three. The Babe is kind enough to toddle into our room at 6:30 or so and snuggle down with us for an hour so it isn't so bad, I suppose. Once we're up, we're into a routine. I still make the coffee but now I also make breakfast to go with it while The Boy tries to occupy The Babe. And sometimes, while breakfast is in the oven, I get to practice my photography skillz. Yes, with a "z". I'm still learning. Maybe one day I will be able to graduate from "skillz" to "skills". A girl can dream.

I know enough about photography now to know that there are tons of things technically wrong with these pictures. I know enough to know that I still have A LOT to learn. But I love the way they make me feel when I look at them. I love seeing the joy and wonder and concentration in my little boy's face as he chases down that balloon. I love seeing the love for our child just beam from my husband in the last two photos. Most of all, I love that I was able to capture it, in all its technical imperfections, and I will be able to keep it forever.

The last two years photography has become increasingly important to me as a way to document our life, to share our world, to put into pictures the things that are too difficult to put into words. For the first time in a long time - maybe ever - feel like I am on a path. I don't really know where it's going to take me, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to enjoy the journey. 

As always, I welcome your thoughts about my work. 

 I'm very thankful for any advice or comments you care to give. 

Rediscovered Pictures

Happy Monday! I hope you had a fantastic weekend! Our weekend was OK, nothing spectacular - just lazy rainy days playing and napping and then playing some more. I went through the camera on my phone and found some pictures from the last few weeks that I snapped and wanted to share. I hope you don't mind. They're awfully Babe-tastic. 

 The Babe was all tuckered out after his first day of school. 

 This is what happens when you let a toddler help make 

Saturday morning blueberry muffins. 

 We found this kitty outside our apartment. It was raining and cold out so we invited him in to get warm. He belongs to someone in out apartment complex, so we couldn't keep him.  Too bad. The Babe and the kitty seem to share an affection for Mater. They would have gotten along famously.   :-(

 We rediscovered peekaboo with his baby blanket.

The weather around here last week was bananas. Huge clouds would roll in. There would be rain. There would be wind. And then they would roll out again, leaving behind sunshine and blue skies. The rain was annoying, but after the rain it was beautiful. 

Weekend Reading

Hare Tokidoki Haru  via Middle Child Complex

The nerd in me is totally geeking out over these adorable Storm Trooper pics.

Emma Case's surprise wedding.

An apple a day is not enough. 

I'm really looking forward to this new show about being new parents.

You have to check out this apartment in Sweden. The bathroom sink is totally awesome.

This will definitely be under the tree for The Babe this Christmas.

Really great rules for a good life.

Thanks for reading this week!

Have a great weekend!

The Very First First Day of School

I wanted to get so many more pictures of my little guy on this huge milestone of a day. Time got away from me, though, (as you can see from the not so awesome ponytail) and The Babe was not very cooperative. He stuck close to me all day long and he's been like glue ever since. The transition from all Mommie all the time to a long stretch without her is tough on him. It's a big change and change is hard and sometimes not so nice.* I know he has fun when he's there, though. It's just the leaving part that's hard.

* Thank you, Pink Martini, for putting this so eloquently.

The Big Bang Reveal

This is me in July. 

I had not had a haircut in 10 months in this picture. I was inspired by the gorgeous, sophisticated yet bohemian women of Paris and I wanted to try something I haven't had since grade school... bangs. I hated the way they looked on me then, but in retrospect that might have something to do with the fact that my mom was cutting my hair. Now my mom has many fine qualities. Hairstylist is not one of them. (Sorry, Mom. I love you!) She did one style and it was blunt. It was a look, but not mine. About 10 years ago I finally settled into a style I liked and have had pretty much the same hair (with slight variations) ever since. Bangs were a big deal for me. I walked into my appointment super nervous. I took deep breaths during the bang cutting part. But when she was done, I walked out feeling confident and sexy and...sassy. Funny how a good new haircut can do that for a gal, isn't it? 

Now, I have a theory about new haircuts: It takes about two weeks to get to know them. Every time I've ever walked out of a salon and thought "Wow, I love this cut" it's taken me a while to figure out just how the heck the stylist managed to get my hair to do what she/he got it to do. It's almost as if my hair is angry with me for cutting it and is not cooperating in protest. Eventually it settles down and we become friends again. Or we call a truce, at least. Unless it's raining, then all bets are off and I just end up wearing a hat. Well, it's been raining almost everyday since I got my new do and yesterday was the first time I was able to snap a halfway decent pic. So without further ado here is the new (and hopefully you'll agree) and improved me.

Ta da!

The first thing The Boy said was "Did you get it colored?" It does seem darker, but that's because all my blond highlights were sacrificed. He likes the bangs, though. A lot. 

The Little Retro Car That Could

I don't often daydream about driving, but when I do, I dream of zipping through the countryside on a warm sunny day all Grace Kelly like in this. 

{ a Nissan Figaro found in London }

Isn't she just the cutest? And I even like the color.

Two Year Old Portraits

The Babe is a pretty squirmy little guy. He's not much of one for holding still or posing (I guess he gets that from me). I am learning to take photographs on the go, to look for the briefest of openings to grab a halfway decent shot with whatever camera I have available (usually my iPhone, god bless that little contraption). Sometimes I think "Oh, this is a great set up. I will come back and shoot this with the nicer camera in better light." But that hardly ever happens. The Babe has a been there/done that attitude when it comes to Mommie practicing her photography skillz on him. He'll do it once. Maybe twice. But after that, never again. And he's not very good at taking direction. So much for a life on the stage I guess. 

There is a very special bench that sits next to the bus terminal/train station where we like to watch the buses and trains come and go. The Babe will shout "Bus!" as they come in and "Bye bus!" with a wave as they go out. He will point and say "Ch(oo) ch(oo)" when the trains arrive. (He attacks the ch's with gusto. The oo's in his choo choo are implied, not pronounced.) He is enthralled by these modes of transportation. I am sure that he has forgotten that once upon a time we rode them everyday. We never take the bus anywhere, our town is so small, and we rarely take the train anymore. So we sit by the station and watch them all go by instead. 

all taken with my iPhone

I really hope my work continues to evolve in this direction. 

I went back with The Boy to take "official" portraits with the good camera. He was going to baby wrangle so I could concentrate on the shots. The Babe was not interested. I think that the look on The Boy's face pretty much says it all. Oh, well. The best laid plans....

Instead he ran around. I chased him. The Boy made sure we all stayed a safe distance away from the traffic. I discovered that my little point and shoot really is much to slow for this kind of work. I'm hoping to graduate to a DSLR in the future.

a rare and brief moment of stillness topped off with a goofy grin

I love this picture The Boy and our Babe on the train station platform.

It goes well with this one taken on the train to Canterbury.

The Babe loves to kick the soccer ball around.

He's pretty good at it, too.

Wow. I can't believe I have a two year old. Just...WOW!