A.musing.mama! 1.6

The magnitude of chaos that occurs in the nano-second that you're on the phone for...

...is a fact proven daily, here.

It's a wonder that I ever *risk* answering the phone at all.

a musing mama,

Mel ;o)

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You can catch up on previous comics here!

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)

here + there.

pajamas + puddles.

screens + squeals.

woods + walks.

forget-me-nots + forgotten places.

amazing archways.

lovely lilacs.

...just me.

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Another week... another peek outside our nest.

As mentioned last week, we were house-sitting for our annual 'stay.cation' at the in-laws.

It's always a lovely retreat for our family.

Nestled in their home where silence is bliss.. and nature fills their backyard.

We even get to have an extra room for all the kids ~ wonder of wonders!

That last 'portrait' was to compare to this shot from almost a year ago (ugh, that bleach head).

I know this post is usually on a wednesday.. but we're switching things up a bit this week!

 I'm at work all day today, so hopefully I'll remember it's only tuesday...

hope you're having a great day there, friends!

Do you have a yearly 'getaway' location.. or, stay-cation with your crew?

Mel ;o)

[M.M.19] Savouring these sweet seconds.

Welcome back to Monday Mamalogues:

linking up to share the beauty and breakdowns of motherhood.

Ok, so this week I just have to gush a bit more about this guy.

Our chunk of Hudson is now entering his 16th month... and lately he seems so long (which we say since he's still a crawler, maybe if he walked we would say he seems so tall!).  Now when I go to nurse him it feels like I need to drape him across my lap.. and the couch!

So, that's weird.

It's just been hitting me lately, he's not my little bundle of baby pudge anymore.

I'm missing that stage already.

I'm also freaking Ben out with murmurings of: "how about just one more baby....?!"

Although we both still feel exhausted from this guy's terrible sleep habits.

(Side-note: when your baby cries during the night.. you always want to have the adoption agency on speed dial.  But when you see that sweet cherub fall asleep in your arms you suddenly want to hold them forever!  Parenting, it's bi-polar).

I keep reminiscing about how adorable they were as babies.

I keep wondering what characters they are going to grow in to.

I keep trying to savour the moment I'm in right now with them...  

Looking back, looking ahead, looking here.

Do you find yourself caught in this constant state of flux as well?

As for right now, I love how he beams a big toothy grin at me every time I see him.

How he squeals when his Dad or sister *chase* him.

How he goes wide eyed and "OOOoooooohs" at every truck driving past.

How he can undo the bolt under our dining table (despite how tightly we screw it back on).

 These little moments, I don't want to forget.

What do you want to remember right now with your kids?

Feel free to link up today!

mama Mel ;o)

A.musing.mama! 1.5

The saturday morning comic is back again (life had been a bit hectic lately...!).

You can catch up on the past series of sketches here if you'd like.

So yeah, this week's comic is fairly true.

Ever notice how 'us' young parents are zealously convinced that we've got this 'parenting thing' all figured out - and for our own parents to even suggest advice is enraging.. irritating?  Or was that just me?  Maybe we/I'm too eager to prove that I'm a big girl now.. and can figure this raising kids assignment out without any help from them, thanks very much. 

But yeah, it's pretty dumb, and prideful of me.

Considering how well they raised me... after all, c'mon I'm practically *amazing*.... I should really be taking notes from them!

It's a wonderful, amazing, helpful gift to have Grandparents in your kid's lives.

I'm super grateful that they're in our corner... and the kids are crazy about them too.

(Like, literally every morning Azriel wakes up and says "are we going to see Grandma and Grandpa today?" repeat every five minutes allllllllll day!).

So yeah, Grandparents for the win!

And, thanks to my parents for enduring all my notes/schedules/rules/hints and other patronising behaviour towards them as I try to ensure they're equipped to 'care' for our kids.

Silly mama,

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)