It's official:

finally!  The FIRST photograph of all five members in our nest!

talia + grandma... two lovely ladies in my life.

"we're the GIRLS side!" - Azriel.

Always our little clown.

Well it's about time.  Our newest addition is almost 4months old... and we finally managed to get a 'family shot' of us all together.  Which also means that I got to do a bit of updating with the blog here ----------> new family picture/new header.  Wheeeee.

Hope this week is treating you well out there?  Our crew is just getting over a crazy bout of head colds that kindly plagued us for the holiday weekend.

Nothing like being sick to make you appreciate when you're healthy.

I think that's a metaphor for life...

I'll save the profundities for another post.  This one's just a quick share of all the cuteness going on in this nest, I'm a blessed wife/mama/daughter!

Have a beauty day friends,

Mel ;o)

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*P.S: If you're new here, and are unaware of that little camera trick to illuminate people in front of a bright window... I blogged about it HERE*

 

 

in pictures....

a weekend in pictures.

a getaway.

a family reunion.

sunscreen and sand and squint lines.

coffee and conversations and chocolates.

reading and relaxing and robots.

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Overall, a happy mother's day weekend.

Though coming home from a getaway with kids is a bit exhausting... we almost need a holiday from the holiday... you know what I'm saying?

Hope your weekend was a loverly one friends!

Mel ;o)

Give a girl a camera...

Here she is ~ our little budding photographer.

She snaps a quick candid of her family.

Captures all the golden leaves falling around her.

Stalks the boys in her life.

And like any good blogger.. takes about twenty pictures of her feet.

snap.happy!

 Hello lovelies!

Today I get to pretend I'm one of those 'fancy' bloggers with all the beautiful photographs of their beautiful family... and we laugh into the sunset with nary a hair out of place.

Well, at least it could seem like that thanks to the wonderful photos taken by my friend Kiki - who happens to be a talented photographer as well!

So here's a brief slideshow of photos from our Mom's recent birthday family get together:

 Ack!!  Can you believe how big and handsome our lil' pudgy baby got?!  Hudson seems to have grown up in these photos right before our eyes.  And, yes, I was just as blonde as a child.. but it soon darkened to mousey brown.  Maybe our next child will score some of daddy Ben's darker features...

 Our sweet little tempest, Azriel was not quite delighted to 'pose' or act particularly happy about having her picture taken that day.  Lucky for her she's still cute. ;o)

 My mom & dad... a terribly sweet duo that seem to keep getting better with age, with God's grace to praise for it!  Happy 60th mama!

 The original five.  My older sis & bro tucked in here too.. now you can see you scored the 'stumpy' gene, forever their 'little' sister.

 Annnnnd here we are.. now you can see my growing gut too!  Too bad we didn't get Hudson in this frame... I admit I had already caved and attempted to 'bribe' Azriel with a sucker to just play nice for a few more pictures...

Yeah... there's a real big smile for you.  Who's the sucker now, mama?

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A brief photo shoot, but lots of beautiful memories thanks to Kiki.  If you're a local, you should call her up for your next function - she's loverly!

(Oh, and if you missed it.. she also made this hilarious animated GIF that perfectly captures the deep well of affection I have for my man... seen here!)

So thankful for family,

Mel ;o)

shiny happy people.

swooooooon.

 Thanks to my friend Kiki for this darling shot.  We recently had her join in on my mama's 60th birthday fun to photograph the family (more to come here I'm sure).

She sent me this shot early though, and... I LOVE it.

Because, it shows my main man, my love, my heart... and he's even smiling!

Now that's my happiness right there.

Have a beautiful weekend friends.

Mel ;o)

here + there.

sailboats + sunspots.

simpler days + pioneer ways.

little cuties + little chapels.

summer blue eyes.

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A few shots from our recent outing with friends to a Pioneer Village this past weekend.

I was hoping to throw in some other shots here too.. beauty sunsets of late, steeping tea, boring daily tid-bits... but yeah, my flash drive got all grumpy!

I believe it was about this time last week I was moaning on about that wretched heat wave.

Well, today I enjoyed a warm pair of socks, many delicious layers of clothing and a hot tea in my hand to welcome this refreshing cool snap of breezy goodness!  What's happening in your area this week?

Most days this summer we're still trying to find little adventures.

Parks, road trips, visiting friends.

Still working part-time too!

This wee blog feels rather neglected, but I'm ok with that for now.

Nothing 'personal' of course.... you guys rock!

For those of you who still check in and journey with us, I'm delighted to have you here.

I hope to feel a bit more *creative* again soon - and miss it's presence in my life/blog.

Lastly, I skipped Monday Mamalogues this week - for those who want to link up - I WILL be doing it this coming Monday... with a bit of wild news to share too.

Stay tuned friends. 

Happy days to you and yours,

Mel ;o)

here + there.

birds of a feather.

beach baby.

day-dreamer daughter.

laundry + leaf holder.

splashing toes.

picking a painting.

summer solstice

aahhhhhhdorable.

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So here's another week, another peek at the moments that filled our nest.

Yes, the summer solstice ushered in a sticky humid heatwave to these parts.

Many a hissy fit has been had (even by the kids too)!  Did you know that one of the first places to start sweating on me is my nose..?!  If that place is a-glistening, my temper gets a-bristling.

Yeah, I'm not a real *heat* lover.

So, it's been lots of hiding in the shade, or kiddie pools, or beaches around here.

In other news, the cafe art show ended up being a fun success, so wooo!  I told Azriel she could pick out a favourite from the 'leftovers' for the kids room.  She grabbed the one right under her nose saying "pink and brown is my favourite, so I want this one".  Cutie.

Oh, and guess what?  Today after work yesterdat... I got to see our big boy take his first real steps!!

He's been free-standing a lot lately - with much applause.  Now he's a junkie for the ovations.. so he waddled across the room last night and delighted us all!  It only took him 16 months to get off his cute bottom!

Oh, he also loves to haul himself up into the brown chair there.. and sit like a king surveying his domain.  The cats have some cute competition for the throne now.

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What's happening in your corner of the world this week?

Have a beauty day,

mel ;o)

[M.M.22] double blessing.

Welcome back to Monday Mamalogues:

'linking up to share the beauty and breakdowns of motherhood'.

Our computer has been running slower than molasses lately,

my husband thinks it may have something to do with the 8 gazillion photos/videos I have crammed in here...  hmmm..  maybe so smarty-pants.

So in an effort to sort/shuffle/ween the pile I went perusing down memory lane.

Instead of a cleaner computer 'picture file'... I made a collage! 

It's always so bittersweet looking back.

Seeing these two and how they are growing.

I really hope they savour the unique bond they have as they grow up.

Sure they'll wrestle, tease and taunt.

But they'll also comfort, support and embrace each other.

This week I had my first glimpse of that sweet moment... when the older sister was having a dramatic *meltdown* about her toy being stolen by little brother, he pushed the toy aside, crawled over to her and stroked (then whacked) her hair and clapped to make her stop crying.

She snuffled, looked up at him, heaved a sigh, and then dragged him in for a big hug (choker hold style).

Sure, it's like watching a miniature Of Mice and Men: where even in their attempts to show affection, they abuse each other... but it's still adorable.

Maybe that's why I'm always so eager to capture a picture of these two... a double exposure of blessing to look back on.

A full computer of memory overload.

A full heart of memories too!

Maybe I should get my act together and create another one of those online scrapbooks!

How do you organize your memories?!

mama Mel ;o)

pair//spective.

Ok guys, here's the post I was referring to yesterday.   I'm super excited to bring you this new Pair//Spective *series* with my friend/photographer Kiki!

A couple weeks ago we went on a photo-shoot adventure to an abandoned barn.
The drive took longer than I envisioned.. and though the country road seemed to stretch on for an eternity.. we finally came upon the dilapidated barn, in that perfect 'golden hour' of evening.

We quickly started snapping shots,
Kiki was weighed down with a multitude of various manual/polaroid cameras..
I just had my digital Canon PowerShot (and of course my battery died while we're there.. gah!).

We still managed some happy results, and decided this could be the perfect start to a 'diptych' styled collaboration we had been discussing in the past.

Here's the fusion of our two perspectives:

Distant view of the barn.

My Canon digital on the left  ~ Kiki's polaroid 104 land camera on the right.

 I love how illuminated my shot is in contrast to the striking silhouette that Kiki captured.

Long grasses. My digital on left ~ Kiki's Pentax SP1000 on right.

I think I only caught one blade of grass in focus, but I love the soft diffused light in Kiki's shot.

Close up of barn. My shot on the left (bones on the window sill) ~ Kiki's shot on the right.

There was a large (cow?) bone on the sill, and a remnant of a jaw bone.. after cautiously approaching it like a scaredy-cat (fearing some squatter would jump out at me) I summoned my inner Indiana Jones and snatched them as souvenirs.

Poor Kiki still has them in her car, as I keep forgetting to get them.

Captured portraits.  My shot of Kiki on left ~ her shot of me on the right.

It's fun that neither of us knew the other was taking a picture here, we're so sneaky.
Let's all agree that Kiki's commitment to 'old school' manual cameras and 'real' film show a depth of crispness and creamy light that digital cameras fail at conveying.
I really am glad she's got that perspective to share here.
You can also hop over to her blog today to see her side of the story...(oh, and the pictures are beautifully BIGGER there too)!

So there you have it, the first edition of our new pair//spective posts.
Hope you enjoyed it!

snap-happy,
Mel ;o)

finding friends...

So here's a fun story:

Almost a year and a half ago... some of you sweet readers found me through elycia's blog.

(A bunch of us bloggers had met up for a delightful *art/tea party*).

One person who left me a comment said she was living in England.. but would soon be moving allll the way over here to Canada... to Ontario.. to a little country town near my home city!

What a small world, indeed.

This is the hilarity of the Internet.

Meeting lovely souls across the world... and then connecting in person!

I told her we should meet, I could welcome her to this new land with a muffins basket (ok, banana choc.chip bread) and we should attend a craft show together.

So, we did.

Then coffee dates followed.

Baking adventures.

Photography outings.

We actually 'clicked' (that pun is for you, pal).

(Annnnd.. LAN parties... ok, no, not really).

This is actually a shot of our very recent 'creative collaboration' called pair//spective, a new series starting tomorrow on our blogs!  Theme: one subject matter (photo shoot/sketching/creative expression etc) and two interpretations/perspectives on it.

 And if you think our top buns look cute here.. check out this gorgeous banner she made for our series:

So now you know a bit of the fun background on Kiki and I.

An international internet connection... transforming into a real life friendship in this wee city.

She's a swell gal, and talented photographer, who I enjoy getting to know better with each new adventure!  Hop on over and give her some love.

Annnnd, stay tuned for tomorrow friends, it's going to have you seeing double the fun.

*Have you made 'real life' connections with online friends?*

Mel ;o)

the "skyscapes" art show:

Skyscape Miniatures - (*cropped* photo by Camera Kiki).

Setting up the show ~ here's the lovely Kiki lending a hand.

While the shop is closed, the art goes up.

Measuring my marks.. math+mama=maddening! (photo by Camera Kiki).

Further proof that artists are.. nutters! (photo by Camera Kiki).

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 So there you have it friends.

For those of you out of city/province/country who wanted a sneak peek of my art installation... this was the 'behind-the-scenes' set up of the show.

Thanks to sweet Kiki for snapping these shots (with more seen here) while helping me hang the multitude of miniatures!  Her eye for measuring saved me the mental nightmare of having the pieces tossed helter-skelter across the wall.  It was good fun!

For those of you who are 'local' and have already expressed your delight in the show, 

thank you!

If you would like to come out and see the works still, we'll be hosting a mid-show RECEPTION this coming Monday June 3rd at Black Honey Desserts (on Hunter St.).

I'll be there from 4-6 PM... so you can grab a coffee/treat... and a PAINTING on your way home from work!

I'd love to see you there, friends.

Thanks so much for all your encouragement and support over the years.

Painting is still one of my biggest joys... and I will never tire of chasing the skies with a paintbrush.

Creatively yours,

Mel ;o)