Sunday, February 26, 2017

More Birthday and More Wetlands



The last of the birthdays for the Hamlin Holiday season - Zac's.






Zac was so amused by the drawings on the outside of his gift, he took a picture of it to share right away! : )

Good work Orion!









Orion's card, below, was a hit!

Oh, and pandas are real.






For the inside of the package, Maebelle, Orion and myself each drew a portion of an owl. Orion drew the owl body and scene around it, which is what Zac is looking at below. Orion's was sketched in pencil and included a mouse in the owl's claw and evergreen trees in the background.

Maebelle drew the middle, which was half of one wing spread out. Hers was very colorful and geometric. This is where we attached the actual gift.

I drew the end of the wing that Maebelle had begun. Mine was a colored pencil drawing that was intended to be somewhat lifelike. Don't know if I accomplished that with my limited drawing skills, but it worked.






It was really fun to create the owl book-thing that held the gift. The actual gift, which was just as fun to obtain, was the stained glass owl feather.






We had it made for Zac by #thenishglass, a local glass artist here in the Lawrence area. Zac had admired some of his work at a local boutique. However once I got there to make a purchase, they were no longer carrying consignment work.






The lovely woman at the store that day told me who the artist was and I reached out to him directly. He was so great to work with. And he did a FABULOUS job! If you ever need unique stained glass piece for a reasonable price, check him out: #thenishglass.






Maebelle found a gift for Zac in addition to what we did for him as a family.






A nice tiger's eye pendulum.






Aaaaaannnnddd, here's the feather!






And our dirty screen. : )









Oh, this sweet, sweet boy.









The green of this plant is so beautifully vivid.






It came from my Grandma and Grandpa's house. And now sits on our back porch (when it's not 30 degrees out) on a cute little bistro set we have from them.






One of the most comfy spots in our house now:






Back to the wetlands.









Every weekend.






We found a new spot to begin our wetland journeys. This path provides a grassy, treed walk, with little to no wind, as opposed to the open watery walks we had been taking.












I could stay in this place forever. You can hear the water bubbling from the below spot.

It's just so magical.






Peace


Sunday, February 19, 2017

Over the Winter


Well, hello there, sweet puppy!






Maebelle took this one:






She's getting pretty good!









This is the night of Maebelle's birthday. 






11, people. Can you believe that? 11?!?






She got a new phone, which was much needed. And she was SUPER excited about it!






Oh...my...









The light in winter is so much more fun than summer...






So sparkly.






These were taken back in December.






At the Wetlands. Do you use the Wetlands? 






We love them! Definitely get lots of exercise and much needed fresh air out there. Helps relieve the stresses of life.






Up next is New Year's Eve at the Anderson's. Chocolate fondu. Yum!!!






And check out this beauty my sweet, sweet husband found for me. It's amethyst dipped in copper. So LOVELY!






Not the best light for it or for spoons below, but it is what it is. And it was a wonderful night!






Orion's birthday evening is next. He loved the card Zac chose for him.






And apparently Zac was pleased that he liked it. : )






Two digits! Both kids!

Time is going so quickly. This (and other recent happenings) are a reminder that I (we, really) need to enjoy and get the most out of every moment. EVERY moment!






Maebelle received these cute little Paperwhites for her birthday from my mom.

I love that my mom has enjoyed giving us flowers and plants to me for the last 10-15 years, but for Maebelle, just the last couple of years. I hope it continues!






The Amaryllis she gave me for Christmas is blooming now and it's a real treat. Bright red blooms with a white stripe. I should take some pictures of it!






Lastly, look how tall this puppy is. It's unbelievable! He's significantly taller than Maebelle!

So funny to see him all stretched out like this. : )






Peace

Pumpkin Patch!






Oh my, she is growing up so quickly! I love every new stage she enters, even as she inches closer to the same height as me. : )









Lovely grass stuff.









The Pumpkin Patch pictures and blog is always one of my favorites. I love the experience, the light, the colors, the time of year.






Ahhh, a kid's life...









I'm so lucky to get to witness these kids' lives.






He tried to get one pumpkin and got the whole plant!















One of my favorites of this set:






I love that they are both in one picture (doesn't happen too often).

I love that they are facing opposite directions.

I love that they are both looking down at their pumpkins.

I love the sun, it's so warm and bright (and I'm really missing it right now.)

I love the vibrance of both the green leaves and the orange of Orion's triangles.

I love it all.









Portrait of the three of us.





















I don't often take a picture of myself that's actually in focus, so when I get one, I must use it!






Carving time!






Awww...












I sure do love the glowy sunlight on our back porch.












Waiting around, watching it all. : )






Finished products!