from the dock

behind the scenes

2012-02-09T09:50:00.004-05:00

behind the scenes, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

once in awhile i get to take photos for real.

and it is always a blast.

what do i mean by *for real*?

well...where the final product ends up in a magazine or on a website or on someone's walls.

dabble, issue 6, february/march 2012

my most recent adventure involved janet villenueve and joy zaczyk, the moggit girls, and their feature in this month's dabble magazine, where they are also known as

The Quick Tip Chix.

You can find the article here:)

dabble

milo - dabble, issue 6, february/march 2012

and yes, milo did get included...who can resist a puppy?

not the art director at dabble we found out!

this is my second assignment for joy and janet and what i find most interesting is how these shoots are put together. 

now, i am sure not all photo shoots run quite as smoothly as this one, as janet and joy are ridiculously organized and naturally good at what they do, but the amount of detail work is insane. 

it is, ultimately, the details that make the room interesting. the books on the shelf...the fluff of the comforter...the tone of the pillow...the fold of the blanket...the placement of the flowers ( which in this case was supervised by janet's mom, on site for maternal touch detail )...tiny elements that fall into place to create a room you just need to fall into.

now, this is not to say that this happens without a ton of work. 

cuz it don't. 

by the time i show up with my cameras (and a puppy?), janet and joy have placed, replaced, worked, reworked, bought, unbought, ironed, unironed, added and taken away a plethora of *things* you, the viewer will never see.

their job is to make you feel a room. 

i can tell you all about how soft those white sheets under the double comforter were ( yes, because i was caressing them the whole shoot ) but if you do not feel it when you look at the photo? then all that work is wasted.

dabble, issue 6, february/march 2012

one of my favourite photos from the day is the top image from this post. the mirror shot with the ironing board, the socks on the floor ( there for the benefit of the puppy ), the camera lenses on the board, the second camera with it's strap hanging down ( i have learned the value of always having a second camera now) and the opened, half drunk cup of coffee. 

total imperfection in front of the perfection of the dressed bed. 

and the puppy.

the puppy was never supposed to be part of the scene. 

i had gotten milo three days before this job and as there was a bit of travel involved, i could not leave him at home. 

joy and janet were seduced quickly by his little puppy ways and next thing i knew, they had him on the bed, luxuriating on the comforter, like a king. 

he was a little spoiled. 

not just by the girls but also by janet's family who stopped by. i actually thought that perhaps her brother was not going to let me take milo home;).

after the shoot, and some wonderful lunch that included homemade croutons ( sooooo good...that janet knows how to craft a caesar salad, let me tell you), i went home and processed the images.

i had not intended on including the shots of milo, they were taken for fun and for my ongoing chronicle of my life through pictures...but they were too cute not to share with joy and janet. 

well, they were also included in the set that went to the art director at dabble...who decided that yep, indeed the puppy needed to be in the article...so voila! milo got his big break. 

see why i love doing this?

and there was even more puppy goodness...dabble was fabulous in including a plug for the animal rescue, animatch, in the article and that kind of publicity is always welcome.

and janet's brother? the one who had a hard time not dropping the puppy into his pocket and taking him home? 

he ended up adopting a rescue dog from up north through animatch. 

how cool is that? 

enjoy the magazine - it is a canadian product, with much canadian talent.  

and thanks to janet and joy for inviting me to play!

and a nod to justin who dos the best bts posts.

lake

2012-02-01T13:31:00.002-05:00

lake, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

just a photo for today.

Baby A is really now NotsoBabyA

2012-01-26T16:11:00.002-05:00

Baby A has a big boy room now, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

he is a big boy, in a big room that is slowly but surely coming together.

he is toilet trained. yep. it happened.

i am a little scared to let go of those pull ups...

but as i learned this week, there is nothing a bottle of water and a tim horton's bag can not take care of.

you really do not want to know more.
trust me.

the room is all about the cars.
everything is all about the cars.
it has to be genetic.
i know a grandpa looking down from somewhere that would be thrilled with this.
and encouraging him.

i had been planning on photographing the kids in their new rooms since we moved in...but it is 6 months in and this is the first room that is near being finished. but i am working on it. verrryyy sloowwwwllyyy.

each kid wants a room with their own stamp on it. especially important it seems with the move and setting up new roots. i am not hiring anyone...hell...i am not even painting...we are just collecting and creating. decorating on the cheap.

i mean...it will be buried under clothes in a matter of minutes anyways, right?

(jake, i AM talking to you...)

allergies suck

2012-01-24T20:50:00.002-05:00

allergies suck, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

we are still trying to find a balance that allows him to lead as normal a little kid life as possible...but we find ourselves still saying no to most of the things kids get to take for granted.

the egg allergy is still there. and even though he is supposed to be able to tolerate egg in baked goods...he can not always.
christmas parties were a bitch this year.

mc cain cakes? deep and delicious? nope. bad.
( a serious one off food choice that really made him sick)

kernels popcorn? nope. bad.

we really should not be feeding him that crap anyways.
so testing him on a real egg? forget it.

i am still fearful of egg white in icings or someone giving him a meringue.
that is what the epipen is for...but what if?

and then this week.

while we were away on vacation, his skin cleared up.
he normally spends a lot of time being itchy and a little scaley.
but that week?
not a hive to be found in all of the dominican republic.

we were being really careful, so he had a great diet of fruit and veggies and meat...and ice cream. lots of ice cream. for some reason, not even ice cream ( the milk protein ) was affecting him. he came home with skin smoother than we have seen it in years.

and then BANG!

back to hives, hives, hives. even with no egg and no dairy and no soy.

it is really discouraging when you can not figure it out.
the school was even concerned...they were worried they were doing something wrong.

and then i realized what it was.

peanut butter.

at 12 months old, after his first allergy test, we were told no eggs and no peanuts until his next round of testing at 24 months old.
at 24 months old we were told no eggs but peanuts were good to go...there was no remaining allergy threat.

well...he may not be dangerously allergic to peanuts but damn if that is not what triggered this round of reactions. i introduced peanut butter to him this week. something safe. for him.

well, that was shortlived. while it may not cause a life threatening reaction, the day to day discomfort it is causing him has just knocked it back off the *safe to eat* list.

and of course he loved it.

but he understands.

and now he has a cute little allergy bracelet to help others understand it too.
because if we as his parents still manage to mess it up, then how can we expect others to get it right without a little help?

and that medic alert bracelet? you can find it here:
Lauren's Hope

seriously. do we not all want to do this when we hit the beach aftersnow and cold?

2012-01-13T14:01:00.002-05:00

seriously. do we not all want to do this when we hit the beach after snow and cold?, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

and while on the above beach i was thinking about how i have been neglectful of this little blog over the holidays.

and a funny thing hit me. the realization that i certainly do not have a lack of things that i want to share about...i am just tired.

tiredtiredtired

even with the break on the beach.

so obviously this has to change:).

too tired to take pictures and write?

ridiculous.

so, i will be shaking off these winter lazies and returning to the fray of the things i love to do. with a puppy on my lap.
although he is almost too big for my lap now.
already.
because things change fast.

which is exactly why i was thinking about the blog on the beach.

so hi:)

what are you getting back to? anything exciting? or interestingly boring?

happy happy snow snow

2011-12-23T16:45:00.003-05:00

Happy happy snow snow, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

it will be a white christmas after all:)

merry merry to everyone celebrating christmas!

chappy chanukah to everyone celebrating the eight nights of wild fun:)

we get to do both, as do many of our friends - so lots of fun and lots of busy and lots of food these days!

and happy happy time with your friends and family to everyone else celebrating what you celebrate.
or do not celebrate.

may the joy of the season make your days bright:).

and i hope to hell you can avoid malls for the next two days...

apparently i am lacking in a little christmas spirit this year

2011-12-17T12:48:00.002-05:00

to real tree or not..., originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

it started off well...m went to china and i lugged our fake tree up and out of the basement and set it up in our lovely library all by myself. i thought it would look great in the window, all twinkly and stuff.

i got a wreath on the door, some garlands strung and the nutcrackers out.

and that is where it stopped.

somehow between the garlands and the nutcrackers i got all grinchy.

i went to prepare the house for a hockey christmas party and realized that all my christmas paraphenalia and beloved ornaments were still in storage...far enough away for me not to be able to get them.

and somehow that sucked the christmas spirit right out of me.

i love real trees, i love the smell, i love the mess, i love the feeling it infuses a home at christmas with.

i seem to just have a problem with christmas.

so. here we are, the 17th of december without a real tree.

of course the fake tree is lovely. but it is ornamentless. as would be the real tree if we were to get one.

but relatively puppy proof. that is a good thing.

because i am a little over digging through storage units in the freezing cold. i am kind of over unpacking anything right now. i just want it to be.

hell, for all i know, this year i will find unwrapping gifts to be a chore. perhaps we can just use the boxes and paper left over from the move in an effort to regain some sort of environmental balance in our home.?

there was a lot of paper. so much guilt.

about the guilt.

my i don't *wannas* are being loudly criticized in my head by the *how can you nots*?

what about aunt nicki's raunchy ornaments ( santa hangs his mistletoe WHERE???)?

what about my yearly christmas ball photo with alex?

what about dog's sniffing around the bottom of the tree ( and occasionally retiring a tree skirt;)...yes, charlie, i am talking about you:)) looking for nature?

what about our chief ornament?

what about adding a hudson ornament to the tree this year?

what about tradition?

oy.

i wish someone would make the decision for me...

( cue the dramatic pause and a ringing doorbell )

well look at that.

m left under the premise of scoping out a gift for someone in the family and came home sporting a big old tree.

a real one.

with sap.

and hopefully no squirrels.

who would have guessed that the not so christian one in the family would be the one with all the spirit?

i should have known:)

so a real tree it is.

but before he brought the tree into the house, m made me promise to find some christmas spirit and be nice.

which is weird, because i would have pegged him for wanting naughty instead;).

Woof. Bite. Snore.

2011-12-16T15:29:00.002-05:00

Woof. Bite. Snore., originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

Little puppies make for busy days.

milo odin

2011-12-09T22:19:00.004-05:00

sleepy puppy, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

and he is this calm.

most of the time.

but mark is convinced that is because i have yet to let him out of my arms...

the puppy with no name

2011-12-05T07:48:00.004-05:00

puppy with no name, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

joined our family on saturday morning.

he does have name from the animal rescue, the terrific Animatch, which is *Jingles*...but everyone voted to find him a new one, that is chosen by the family:).

( animatch is a non profit animal rescue group. if you are looking for a new dog, they have wonderful dogs available, not only puppies, please check here first..these dogs deserve good homes and the animatch team does a very good job in finding the right home for the right dog ).

except we can not decide on a name.

everyone has favourites...elvis, elwood, badu, stink eye ( and reddit agrees! ), monty, bowie...but not one that has clicked quite yet.

by the end of today he will have his name. i swear.

until then he is *pupppppyyyyyyyy* and he seems quite content with that.

he is an australian shepherd and lab mix, one of a litter of ten beauties. there was such a mix of colours and eye combinations in that gang, i had never seen anything like it!

we let him choose us and we certainly have a sweet little guy.

sushi is not so convinced yet. as much as she has been forlorn without hudson for the last 9 months...she has not completely embraced her little brother yet. she is a little suspicious of this biting machine.

and the eye.

what can we say...you either love it or find it creepy:).

it is really easy to find him in the dark once he opens his eyes...it is like a beacon.

maybe that is kind of creepy.

in any case, if you are looking for me? i will be in the backyard in furry slippers saying "go pee".

because that is what puppies do.

all the time.

off to discover my inner dog whisperer...

and all i feel is black and white

2011-11-15T15:16:00.002-05:00

stand tall, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

i was speaking with someone not so long ago and i told them that for every colour photo i have, i have the photo in black and white.

they said they did it as well.

i wonder why? it is not like choosing to make a photo monochrome is easier ( it actually takes me more time to get it right ).

usually? it just feels better to me. more authentic for what i see in the photo.

however, inevitably, my regular crew prefers colour. yep. does not matter how effective i think a shot is in black and white, when i show it to someone in the house the response is "that's nice. do you have it in colour?"

and of course i do.

maybe i should look at it like for every black and white photo i have, i have a colour version.

i think that it comes down to the colour distracting me . i covet the skill of photographers who are able to imbue their photos with magical colours that capture a timeless feel...

but i do not seem to be able to do the same.

i know *how* to do it, it just does not feel right with my photos.

and so black and white it is. kind of like my wardrobe. except if i was processing according to my closet, there would be hits of pink.
so thank me now for not doing that.

because the whole selective colour thing? really not my taste.

and so? black and white it is.

the colour shots will be in the christmas card;)

three

2011-11-06T17:11:00.005-05:00

Untitled, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

this beautiful little face has been what i have been looking at more often than not over the last few weeks.

after a second bout of illness picked up at his daycare, which was never a good fit for him, we pulled our youngest out.

so now i find myself trying to balance settling in to our new home with the suddenly GINORMOUS needs of a three year old.

terrible twos did not happen for us, really. but the tempestuous threes are hitting pretty hard.

volatile is not over describing his personality right now. he swings from gleeful highs to treacherous lows that have been known to involve long minutes of screaming until he tires himself right out. minutes and minutes and minutes and minutes. like an hour of minutes. and always right under a window. i am sure our new neighbours love us.

i am not new to this motherhood game. i am beginning to wonder if my age now versus twelve and nine years ago is playing a role in my lack of ability to roll with the tantrums. i used to roll with the punches ( metaphorical of course ) so much better. even find humour in them. now? not so much.

i find myself wanting to give in to whatever the demand of the moment is just to reclaim some sense of...quiet in my day.

but i fear what that will lead to the next time. because there will be a next time. and one after that...right? 300 more days of three...

will someone promise me that four is easier? i have forgotten what comes next in the din that is motherhood over here right now.

and anyone who tells me one more time, little kids, little problems? big kids, big problems.

nuh uh.
ain't true.

i have big kids, you can rationalize with them. or at least threaten effectively. there is no bargaining with a three year old. not in this house. not today.

dabbling in something new...

2011-10-29T14:10:00.007-04:00

dabbling in something new..., originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

earlier this month i got to do something new and exciting ( for me )...i had the opportunity to take some photos for a magazine article.
my friends janet and joy are known as the moggit girls in the design blogging world, chronicling the fugly aspect of design;).

they have also, through their irrepressible charm and hard work, had the chance to become friendly with nate berkus and appear on his show as well as on the OWN (oprah winfrey network ).

most recently, they are also playing the role of the "quick pick chix" for dabble magazine, a canadian online magazine, headed by kimberly seldon and a group of very savvy design, travel and food types.

and this is where i came in:).

taken by janet's magic iphone

janet and joy needed a few photos of a wintery table setting for their upcoming column...and i was happy to oblige.

seeing how a scene is set for a magazine article was enlightening! i walked in their home and was greeted with old quebec city in the kitchen and christmas in the living room ( they were also being photographed by another publicaton the same day!)

the table looked sumptuous and wintery, the cranberry juice was flowing ( there may have been wine as well;)) and the cheese plate was ready to be served.
again.
and again.
and again.
and again.
and again.

that middle shot?
my favourite:).

and the one where we realized that we would likely no longer be eating the cheese so wonderfully displayed on it, as it took me long enough to get it right:). the girls were non plussed, being video pros and accustomed to retakes and were enthusiastic to oblige!
i was determined to get the right amount of happy blur...

in the final edit, their article ended up covering pages 31-33 in the most recent issue of dabble...
a little more than i thought and a very welcome surprise!

so, thank you girls for the fun, the cheese ( pre shoot ) and the experience.
and congrats on your continued success...looking forward to what comes next!

many of the photos that appear here did not appear in the article.
like my happy blur one.
but i needed to include the dog.
i mean, really?
look at him.

I over reacted

2011-10-25T20:47:00.000-04:00

Well, that is what you told your kid. Who told my kid.

You know, the new kid your kid was mean texting?

You know, your kid I tried to speak to you about nicely? Four times? The emails you finally responded to only because I cc'd my husband on them?

The kid I was trying to have stop bothering my kid since they are in the same class and sports team?
The kid my daughter just wanted so badly to be friends with.

But you are wrong.
I did not over react.

You under parented.

You had all the tools and information in your hands to create a moment in time where you could impact your kid...and you blew it.
Instead of helping your child, because that is what they are at 12, become a better person, you sluffed off the responsibility you acquired when you became a parent.

You took the easy "it is not my kid...I have no time for this...girls will be girls...all girls are bitches, expect it..." route and now you have taught your daughter that being mean is okay.
Just don't do it to this kid again, because her mom over reacts.

But I think you have the wrong choice of words going on.

You meant "parents", right?
As in "Don't do it again to that kid because her mom parents properly".

You meant as in "she gives her kid the tools to respond appropriately to inappropriate behavior"?

You meant as in "she helps her kid develop the backbone and self assuredness to stand up and not be a bystander even when it results in the "clique" then turning against her"?

You meant as in "she makes sure her kid trusts her enough to share the embarrassing cruelty kids can dish out, without the fear of being told to suck it up"?

You meant as in "she does not protect her kid from the sad stories of what happens to kids who hide the pain"?

Oh, yeah,

You betcha.

I over reacted.

But in my world?
I call it parenting.

And while I over react, according to you through your daughter to my daughter...
You under parent.

A lot. And often.

So, while my kid has moved on and decided to accept your daughter's apology ( which you did not require, in your sparsely worded response to my images of your daughter's words captured on a phone...but rather one she offered up in a brilliant flash of maturity), you remain the same.

Or worse.

Because today, four weeks after the first text, you have now forbidden our kids to work together on a project they were excited about. With your girl letting my girl know by a note passed in class. Because you are "mad" at my kid "for what she did".

And once again tonight I am parenting my kid through the mis-steps of your under parenting.

And thinking about how awesome it would be if you just did the same.
Because our girls?
They learn from watching us.
And how we react.
And parent.

And right now, one of us is over reacting.

the making of a photo taking

2011-10-19T10:23:00.002-04:00

the making of a photo taking, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

aka: my 3 year old can take as good a picture as i can.

maybe better.

so, with the move and all the transitions that have been gong on over here, i have not had a solid chance to chronicle things how i like.

now, while my kids probably feel this is a good thing...i am left feeling kind of empty. too much action, not enough substance going on. these days seem to be whipping by with no one being particularly thrilled about anything.

the most vocal of all of us is likely the three year old. he is free to yell and scream and kick and announce that he does not like his new school..."it is a bad school mommy. mean teachers. too many teachers. too many kids".

and he may well be right.

but sorry dude...change happens. and with it comes bumps and unhappy moments hopefully mixed in with good times and new experiences.

but for the moment, it is all about distraction...hopefully allowing comfort and acceptance to set in soon.

moments before these photos, this little man was tantruming inside. loudly. like i am sure my neighbours are thrilled we are living here, since he has taken to screaming...um...hourly. about everything.

and nothing.

i was trying to take a photo, a selfish one, admittedly, for my own uses ( sanity?), and he was having none of it.

so, in a brief flash of good mommy-ing, i offered him control.

the remote.

i already had the camera set up on the tripod for another shot ( which totally sucked, btw...i so need inspiration...), so when i handed over the remote? he was off and running.

although i do believe he was pretending to shoot my camera with it.

and what happened?

glee.

and smiles.

and a relief from the incessant unhappy that seems to plague this little man right now.

hmmmm. a little control made for a little happy.

which reminded me that maybe a whole world of overwhelming is what is making this guy so uncomfortable in his universe right now.

maybe all of us.

and maybe a little handing over of control, and letting him feel large and in charge in this time of change is exactly what he needs.

because that smile? we need more of that here right now.

6 P.M.

2011-10-10T19:13:00.001-04:00

6 P.M., originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.quiet fish

the last photo of my 10 hours of photos on thanksgiving day.

i did this little project last year on thanksgiving and on christmas, thanks to an idea from andrea tompkins of @missfish twitter fame;) who blogs at a peek inside the fishbowl .

the photos are not life changing in any way...but at the same time, i have no doubt that they will trigger the memories of this year, the first thanksgiving in this home...a flooded pond, the notable absence of my oldest ( who did not wish to be part of the afternoon...it happens. he happily rejoined us for turkey, refreshed and fun again. teens. what can you do with them?), and apparently the BEST turkey ever.

even though it was not a real turkey, no matter what the boys tell you.

last year's thanksgiving photos chronicled our voyage home from toronto after a terrific visit with my sister and her family. this year, we while were not together, they are no less in our thoughts.

the house was much emptier without the sounds of big family;).

next year? it will be loud again.

happy thanksgiving:).

9 am

10 am

11 am

12 pm

1 pm

2 pm

3 pm

4 pm

5 pm

quietfish

be thankful

2011-10-08T13:54:00.003-04:00

eeeeeeeeeek

2011-10-02T22:06:00.000-04:00

so i disappear into a week of hell and come back, press a button...and my blog is different???

cool.

i can deal.

because really? after the week i have just been through?

a new look to the blog is of very little consequence.
and i kind of think the photos look prettier.

but the prettiest photos this week?

right here:)

the faces of some pretty awesome girls.

and i totally apologize for swiping them off your facebook pages ( take that up with zuckerman;)).

BUT

i have dealt with a whole lot of useless ugly this week.

and i am very happy to be surrounded by people who remind me daily of how awesome life is and how wonderful people can be.

"nicki's knockers" ran for the cure today and, despite the shivering, made it look easy:).
my sister nicki's group of friends burst through their original goal...and then through their second goal, raising over 4100$ in funds for cancer.

i can't even put into words how awed i am by her strength and attitude.

and then there is wendy...now cancer free and looking forward to a life, wonderful and changed. she shares much of her journey...it is pretty incredible ( and her photos? fabulous).

she is this years *bloggers helping bloggers* recipient.
the stupid reality? cancer is expensive, aside from everything else it is.
i do not think this group could have chosen a more deserving woman to represent courage, strength and the power of being positive in the face of great, great challenges.

oh...and if you want to see boobies...go here:)

these women just make me smile.

girls for the cure ( fight like a girl;))

2011-09-22T23:14:00.002-04:00

hmmm. i guess they better get used to this., originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

we participated in the 16th annual *girls for the cure* walk in montreal today.

the 6 independent girls' schools ( villa maria, miss edgar's and miss cramps, queen of angels, the study, sacred heart and trafalgar ) have been walking and raising money for women's cancers for 16 years. over a million dollars has been raised in that time.

today, the villa raised over 44,000$, with all 6 schools raising over 110,000$ for the event:).

obviously, this year had a deeper meaning for holly and i, but what a fabulous event for everyone involved.

the monies raised go to st. mary's hospital, which in turn directs it where needed for women's cancers.
they have even established a scholarship for girls, rewarding philanthropic teens with big ideas and big hearts.

and the first photo?
this is part of miss h's new class of friends...there were some lost souls on another bus who missed the jump shot...that's okay. there will likely be more...
great group of girls

a sea of yellow tees, dancing girls and positivity atop mont royal.
it was something special.

inspiration

2011-09-14T19:50:00.003-04:00

sitgrtriptych, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

i have been whinging to myself, quietly, for a while now about not feeling inspired.

inspired to do what, i am not sure...but i have had a general nagging feeling that happens to me sometimes, usually when i am overwhelmed and playing catch up with life.

(that may or may not describe right now)

my way of relaxing is taking photos, immersing myself in something that is not me. even if it is a photo of me ( a serious non issue of late ) and i have not had a whole lot of that quality of time lately.
OBVIOUSLY.

worse? i have not even had time to properly appreciate the beauty that others see around me.
hell, some of my favourite people have taken to sharing their work again and i missed their re entry completely. that does not sit right with me.

i have a fabulous community of photographers who i interact with daily.
they range from pros, making careers out of their love of photography ( because it does always start with that simple love ) to newbies who have just picked up a camera.
every day i learn something new from this gang of phodos...photographers. the diversity of my group of friends has allowed me to learn so much in a positive way.

sharing is caring:)

in this vast network of friends i have developed, is a hardcore group of women photographers i adore. their styles are vastly different ( which makes sense as every one's vision is different ) but every one of them inspires me.

their use of light.
the tones of their photo.
their ability to capture emotion in a gaze.
the talent of choosing the perfect word to accompany their image.
seeing lines where others see...nothing.
making the simple fantastic.

so, all this is weighing on me last night when these three photos above lined up in our small group pool of photos last night

and then i smiled.

instead of the shadow of ineffectiveness that has been plaguing me for weeks now...months maybe? i felt refreshed. that three images, seemingly disconnected, could just seem to *be* so well with each other was the perfect antidote to my case of the photo blues.

i took the liberty of making a triptych of the three shots, not changing one bit of processing from the originals as posted, not quite sure what the other girls would think...

well, they liked it.

so, thank you amanda and jen for making my little barred owl such a happy little bird, sandwiched between two lovely ladies:). thanks for endowing him with a little bit of special. now, you may not be able to link to jen's stream...i am not sure if any of it is public or not. if you can not see it, be assured that it is wonderful...she just creates for herself.

which is kind of cool in itself. maybe that is what i have to get back to. i had a lot of fun way back when i did not care what anyone thought about anything i photographed.

perhaps that is the trick...

apples and art studio tour 2011, september 24th and 25th.

2011-09-10T08:39:00.006-04:00

national, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

this is a shot from the general store at the lost villages museum.
this is THE cash register they use to ring up sales today:).

did i mention i have an exhibition type thing in a bit?
yeah.
not really ready quite yet, but getting there:).

it is time again for the *apples and art studio tour*, september 24th and 25th.

a map pour vous -
apples and art studio tour map

you can visit artists in their studios and grouped together in local art friendly spots around the cornwall area.

a weekend of talking phodo...i mean photo.
i love this weekend.

i am hanging out in the lost villages museum again, likely the same spot as last year.

still organizing what I am doing but going to try and make a hands on option for people.

i will also be continuing to raise funds for famine relief in africa, in some small part that weekend.

give by angela auclair | Make Your Own Book

there will also be a limited selection of specially chosen prints available for purchase that weekend for the fundraiser.
to date, we have raised 1300$ to help with the famine relief.

shaping up to be a pretty terrific weekend - mark it on your claendars. it runs the two days ( and you need it if you plan to visit every site! ) but otherwise, you have lots of time to discover new artists and perhaps start your own art collection...

docked

2011-09-07T13:15:00.003-04:00

dock landing, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

but landlocked for the moment;)

what i mean is, we are in, but everything from school schedules to homework to little ones wanting to be back in their *empty house* is insane so all the fun stuff i love to do is temporarily on hold while we...adapt:)

hopefully in another couple of days, things will adopt some sense of normalcy.

right?

that is a possibility?

anyone?

happy birthday to me

2011-09-02T08:21:00.002-04:00

happy birthday to me, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

i have a cake.
new boots.
a sister who is totally rocking chemo with her sense of humour and strength.
a new home.
kids who will hopefully not hate me soon for uprooting them.
and making them get up at 5:45 everyday to go to schools they are not convinced of yet.

yep.

going to be a good year:).

back to unpacking.

(for the record, my camera is perched precariously on a packing box full of toys. my good clothes are still missing. and i need a hose for my dryer in a bad way.)

Sushi from the pond:)

2011-08-31T20:31:00.001-04:00

Sushi from the pond:), originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

last day of my photo a day for the month of august.

with mah pooch, enjoying the day with friends:)

put aside packing for a few hours did me a world of good.

They have real teeter totters here!

2011-08-27T14:58:00.001-04:00

They have real teeter totters here!, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

real ones. that you can hurt yourself on. that ontario apparently deemd to dangerous for their parks.

move update: there is a ton of packing paper and even more boxes in our home.

and while i should be unpacking, i am making cupcakes. because there is a street party.

with a margarita bar.

bonjour quebec!
and thank you for the welcome party;)