wordLess Wednesday

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Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Stairs/Steps

After walking N and his friend’s to school this morning in the snow, I decided to warm up and share my cup of coffee with my WordPress Reader. Several entries down, I discovered a photo challenge that seems like fun over on Cee’s Photography. The feature this week is stairs or steps. While perusing my archive of memories, I found a few photos to share.

Stairs can lead us to some thing unknown and amazing like the blue stairs in the observatory that, at the top, rewarded us with beautiful mountains as far as the eye could see. N especially loved the rock stairs on our hike on the Alum Cave Trail in the Smoky Mountains. And wouldn’t you LoVe to have the “artistic” stairs some where in your home, preferably with a slide right next to them. FUN!!

Apr 15

IphoneOgraphy Challenge: B&W

I enjoy photography. I enjoy taking photos and admiring and being inspired by other photographers’ work. I enjoy flexing my creative muscle. When I discovered the IphoneOgraphy Challenge on Lens and Pens by Sally, I decided to give it a try. This week’s theme is black and white, so…

You are a REFLECTION OF the company you keep,

Using my iphone 5, I took the photo with the Afterlight App. Within this app, I changed the photo to B&W using the Ceal filter and added a border. I then used the Snapseed App to add drama and to change the center focus.

Do you often use your iphone to take photos? What are your favorite iphone photography apps? Please share.

Apr 12

#makesmesmile (4)

Hello BeAuTiFuL day! Time again for another Friday Instagram photo dump of the lil’ things that put a smile on my face this week. If you ever want to participate, feel free to post a photo of something little that made you smile this week and leave your link in the comments section.

A hand painted bday card from a neighbor #makesmesmile

My new BiRdHoUsE #makesmesmile

Chai Tea Latte and the West Elm catalog #makesmesmile

Polish cookies made and delivered by a new friend #makesmesmile

Watching N trying to figure out a toy I played with as a kid #makesmesmile

I hope you have many things over the weekend that just make you smile. Get out your camera and document the every day things that bring you joy. Sometimes, it is the little things…

Apr 11

Daring Spring

Under the snow blossoms a daring spring. ~Terri Guillemets

I took this photo last spring at my parents’ home in SC. Do you have signs of the promise of spring in your yard?

Apr 10

AdVeNtUrE Time last year (#2)

Adventures with my family make me happy. Memories of these adventures make me smile. So, I decided to start a new series each month called “AdVeNtUrE Time last year…” I will load this post with pictures/memories of my family’s adventure this time last year. Hope you enjoy this second post in this series.

In April 2012, my family and I went camping in the Pisgah National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains in the western part of NC. We enjoyed some hiking, fly fishing, bouldering, and just playing in the river.

Hiking our first trail

Hiking the yellow blazed trail

A huge rock face that we encountered on our hike

It was Peregrine Falcon mating season, so access was restricted in some parts.

One lonely flower

N bouldering. We hiked two different trails looking for a bouldering field.

Enjoying some fly fishing on our 2nd day

Can’t wait to share another “AdVeNtUre Time last year” post. To reminisce just makes me smile. Sometimes, it is the little things.

Apr 5

#makesmesmile (3)

It is that time again. Today’s Friday Instagram dump is extra special because ItIsMyBirthday! These are some of the little things that made me smile this week.

My new candle that smells amazing!

New art created by N and added to the Art Wall

Homemade Bday card created by N

A beautiful Bday present from a Beautiful Friend

Brett Dennen playing on the radio

I thought I would also share this photo because it is featured today on the blog Inside My Glitching Mind. It was taken on a hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail at Carver’s Gap.

I hope you have many things over the weekend that just make you smile. Get out you camera and document the every day things that bring you joy. I plan on smiling and laughing and enjoying everything about this day.

Apr 2

St. Augustine, FL

One of my photos is featured on the Toemail blog today. It is a photo of my hubs and N walking along the beach in St. Augustine early one evening. Grandma and Grandpa live in FL. When we lived in NC, we would hook up our camper and make a leisurely drive taking a couple of days. St. Augustine was always one of our favorite places to stop and camp. I thought I would post that featured photo here today, along with other St. Augustine memories.

I hope you get a chance to visit one day. Do you have a little place that you return to time and time again? Where is it? Please share.

Apr 1

Breaking Up with Routine

RoUtInE…I always tell myself that I thrive when my life revolves around routine. My son was on Spring Break last week, and we enjoyed everything BUT routine. We broke up with routine and loved it! I think that you have to be submersed in routine from time to time to appreciate the moments when it doesn’t hold you hostage. One way we broke with routine was to go to Winter Park skiing for 2 days!

Winter Park, CO

Thursday’s skiing was definitely “spring skiing” with the sun beaming down and the warmth coursing through our bodies.

Loving skiing in CO

I am fairly new to skiing. I am sure seeing my skis flailing through the air as I head towards the snow covered ground does not remind anyone of gracefulness. On one of my falls, this was my view. So to take it all in, I sat there, took off my gloves, reached for my phone, and clicked the button. All the while, my hubs and N were waiting on me at the bottom.

Falling in Beauty

Maybe next time, I will invest in one of these.

When the lifts closed on that first day, we rode the cabriolet back to our home for the night, changed out of our winter gear, revisited the cabriolet and landed in a Belgium restaurant in Winter Park Village called Cheeky Monk.

Cheeky Monk

I enjoyed what seemed like a cauldron of mussels and a Blonde Beer. It was such a nice way to end such a nice day!

Mussels and a Cold Beer

The next day brought a few snow showers and a few more clouds, but a lot more great memories. What a treat that my little guy gets to learn to ski at a young age. Never has my age been so prevalent in my head as when I see him “fearless” flying down the mountain, making quick S turns, skiing through the trees, and making small jumps. Oh, to be fearless again. Oh, and the hubs…fearless and an amazing skier.

Contemplating the JUMP

Going for the JUMP

I walked around a portion of that day just taking in the scenery that is not the slopes.

I welcomed the break up with routine. I look forward to summer break even more!

Do you thrive in routine? Do you occasionally like to tell routine to take a hike? What do you like to do when routine is not holding you hostage? Please share the little things that you enjoy and that make you smile.

Mar 30

#makesmesmile (2)

It is that time when I do an Instagram dump of the little things that made me smile during the week. If you want to follow me from day to day, my username is simplylifestuff.