needed

I really needed today's outing with the girls. We spent the entire day together, sans friends .. and I realized we don't do that near enough. Other then the normal days at home (which we have plenty of), we really do need to get out and start enjoying the ocean breeze, the sun and all the wonders that come with living by the ocean side. I haven't been feeling 100% the past couple days .. with abit of a cold kinda hanging around, and I know I'm short tempered and impatient and I'm blaming my mood on not feeling tip top .. but I also found that perching myself up on a log, letting the breeze tossle my hair about, watching the small waves crashing against some other drift wood, and watching quietly how the girls explored and then came to show me their finds. Sometimes .. that's the best medicine.
I need a little r&r adult time this evening to put the cherry on top of the day.

tis the season

Lately, all that consumes the girls minds are when their next playdate will be. Hailey has become a phone addict on top of all this, and hardly a day goes by that a nearby friend isn't over playing with Alissa until dinner time. I guess tis the season or maybe the phase in life where their social'ness is more important then anything else.
I had grand plans of getting out to a beach today, to enjoy the sunshine, but both girls really just wanted to stick close to home with friends over. So, that's what happened. I'm not about to push my point since tomorrow's another day. We can hit the beach or a walking trail then and enjoy some time just the three of us. I think I'll grab a bottle of water and my book and find abit of sunshine to scare some of this white off me. :)

(J, hope you're enjoying some quiet solitude today .. I miss you terribly!)

lets reminisce

Since I was taking a photo of this for my graduating class facebook group, I thought I'd share it here too. I bet you can't find me!
I was just a baby .. 18 years younger, and it kinda freaks me out that in two years it'll be 20 years since I graduated. Where does the time go?
(you can click on the photo to make it larger, if you need to .. but don't blame me if you go blind after you DO find me. UGH!)

TGIF .. aka date night

Mmm, I do love me our date nights! On the movie agenda this week is none other then some oldie but goodies. I'm not usually one for watching movies over and over again .. even despite my poor memory .. but this series needs a second watch. I can't wait to laugh with you, J. :)

ooo lala

Since I'm on a photography kick today .. check this baby out! *drool* I've fallen madly in love with Canon when I got my first one about four years ago and since have upgraded to my beauty S3IS, which was obviously very similar to the S1IS, with the added feature of taking still shots during a video. I dreamed of the Rebel but realistically, without a video option, it wasn't worth it for me. But now it does and .. oh. my!!!

But in all reality I don't need bigger .. I do love my camera .. it isn't huge, but it's big enough that in its case, makes for the size of a small purse, meaning it's just one more thing for me to pack along. And what would be more practical would be a smaller camera I could tuck into my purse so I have one with me at all times. This pretty little thing looks just about right! A girl can certainly dream!

And no .. Canon isn't paying me to be their devoted clientele.

angles

Sometimes when one is out taking photos of inanimate objects .. (or any subject really), you have to think about the angle. What do I have to do, to make my photo turn out the way I see it in my head? Sometimes that's never possible no matter how much you try. Sometimes it means making yourself look like a fool by sitting in the middle of a field flowers.

and sometimes it means laying down in that same field of flowers, to get the upward angle. I don't even want to know what my neighbours thought if they happened to peek out their window yesterday afternoon. But these photos are of the exact same dandelion .. I just took them at two different angles. The top one makes it look so small and lost in the surrounding grass.

And this one .. it looks magnificent and tall. I'm pleased the sun worked in my favour for a change.
So there you have it, my little lesson for you today. :)

Oh, and the poor dandelion met its demise shortly after I took these. The yard maintenance people mowed. :(

it's humpday

even the squirrels need a little lovin'. ;)

wordless wednesday

Alissa resting after an afternoon play in the school playground.

it's birthday season

Suddenly I'm finding myself thrown into party planning mode. I realized in less then three weeks, it's Alissa's birthday! And Hailey's is ten days later. How did May go by so quickly? Hailey's turning 10, and she's known for awhile what she wanted to do. So that's not a big deal. But it was Miss Indecisive that has her birthday first and needed to come up with what she wanted. And it couldn't just be anything .. because trust me .. she can dream BIG! It had to fit into my budget. Last night she was all about making sure there were water balloons and a pinata. This morning, she wanted it to be a dance theme. I did some online research and found some great ideas I can tweak to fit Alissa's style. I love lists, so you can be sure I'm figuring it all out on paper first. And up first will be the invites. :)
I'm actually rather excited about it.

clouded

The afternoon cooled off quite quickly as we played at the park after school. The temps aren't cool, but the breeze that brought in the clouds made short sleeves almost to chilly. Since the sun's not shining and beckoning the girls to play outside after dinner, it's going to make bedtime that much easier. They're both bathed and smelling all clean, and with fresh clean sheets to crawl into .. I think they'll have a really good restful sleep. My bed is calling me too, promising rest and a night of dreams. I just started the third book of the Twilight series, so between the book and a very familiar and heart stopping voice .. my evening will be complete. Good night!

more additions

Our chalk city has grown the whole length of the parkinglot now, and I'm glad it hasn't rained because we've used up ALOT of chalk to make it a fun little place for my scootin' girls. Alissa added a ski hill the other day when working on the city with her friend, V .. and yesterday after talking about our big upcoming summer trip .. the girls thought it important to add an airport to the city. In less then two months we'll be taking off on that plane headed to Toronto to see J, hopefully it's not as flimsy as the chalk one tho. hah!

Happy Happy Joy Joy

I got the most perfect surprise phone call this afternoon. It put a permanent smile on my face and because I'm so happy happy, I thought I'd post this little diddy for those of you that remember this show from years gone by. I know one of you does. ;) We've talked about it.

I'm enjoying my cuppa java, music and knowing that I only have to get through one more night before I get my guy all to myself again.
The sun's shining and I have an entire day to do as I please. I may need to get out to scratch my photography itch. And tonight I'll be heading out with friends to celebrate two of their birthdays. I may need to take a nap later on, so I can stay awake. But then who am I kidding .. with this group of girls, I'm one of the younger ones. :) I should be able to keep up with them!

Here's a little song for my love. :) I miss you!

Lucky_eyeduo03.MP3 - Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Callait (covered by fateye_slim)

poetry

After writing that poem a couple days ago, I started thinking about how long it's been since I wrote any poetry. It's been a long time! Back in grade 10 English, we had a unit on haiku's and the different styles of poetry. We all had to try our hand at writing and the better ones were submitted to be included in the year book that year, and I had two of mine selected. I thought I'd share them here with you all.

The Egg
Cool, smooth
Pristine white shell
A perfect oval
Nestled in my palm.

Then, CRACK!
The stringy, clear,
Gelatinous mucus
Encases the glistening
Yellow face
That forlornly stares
Up at me
From the pan

Minutes later
The cruel flame
Has congealed, solidified,
Scorched, and charred
The poor thing
Into one egg
Sunny-side up.

and then there was this one ...

Mirrors
Two brown eyes
Filled with pain
Stare at me.
Their deep colour camouflages
The questions
That beg for answers.
A knock on the door
Brings me back to
Reality.

Two brown eyes
Filled with pain
Blink-
Wiping out emotions
They might reveal.
Turning around,
A smile forms
On my lips.
I open the door
Leaving the truthful
Mirror behind.

building a city

If ever there is a time I enjoy acting like a child .. it is at the beach, making sandcastles .. or playing with sidewalk chalk. Riding a scooter up and down the length of the parking lot is only so fun, but making roads and a 'city' of sorts, is so much more fun for the girls. So here we have an icecream shop, a gas station, school, an apartment building, the SPCA, McDonalds and a shopping center at the very end. ( you can't see everything, but trust me when I say the roads lead somewhere)
It was something we all worked on, and came up with ideas for .. and when it was all done .. the girls had fun scooting through their city, making purchases and letting their imagination fly. This is what makes for the perfect after dinner evening spent outdoors.

SUNshine!

There must be a really good reason why my grandma wanted me named Sunshine, when I was born. I can't imagine it had anything to do with my smile, or powerful lungs, or chubby little arms and legs. Maybe she knew something about me from an early start. Maybe she knew I'd feed off the energy the sunshine gives me when the sun decides to shine. I can tell you, I am in much better spirits when the rays pour down on me. The clouds in my head have moved over and allowed the warmth of the sun to energize me and lift my moods. I am happy, am loved and love, and that seems to be the most important things right now.
And all I can say is .. thank goodness my parents chose the name they did for me. Sunshine is far to hippyish for the kind of person I have turned into.

what if the world could feel what i feel
would it then, know who i am
i've feared the world .. it is to much to bare

inside i am weak and afraid
i'm loud and i cry
yet there is nobody to hear me, no voice

i struggle through life and all that
it holds for me, yet i am only human
and that is what makes me, me

have i earned happiness and pleasure
having loved, lost and loved again
will that make me stronger

i have not learned how to accept the
worlds greatest challenge.
to know i'm worthy of your love and you, mine

~rachel lee

distracted

I'm supposed to be submerging myself into my studies .. yet my mind won't allow me to. Maybe if I had some breakfast, or another cup of coffee, or cleaned my contacts so I could actually see, or if the rain stopped and let the sun that shone this morning, thru again.
I found this artist while searching music this past weekend. Nearly every song of his that I've listened to, touches me .. has a hidden message .. makes me want to put them all on repeat.

This one is for the special guy in my life. xoxo

Id Be Lying - Greg Laswell

I think as an adult, if you go a day without learning something .. it makes life almost pointless.

not so wordLESS wednesday

Someone defaced this poor sign, and because of that, I was 'forced' to take a photo to prove it. It happened last week, and I forgot to check if it's still like that as of today. This road is one of the main busy roads in the city .. so good thing you have to be pretty close to actually see it. I found it funny. Funny enough to take a photo. Funny enough to take a photo with ME in it! And nope, I never condone defacing public property. It's wrong in so many ways.

afternoon catch-up

"It's raining, it's pouring and Rachel's getting comfy in her jammies."
I'm back from picking up the girls, and although it's fairly warm out, I still just want to get into my jammies and climb under a blanket. It's days like this that leave you not really wanting to do too much. Not to mention .. my tummy's not feeling 100%. :(

taken

For nearly a year, I've been using this name on the internet as my alter ego. I love it so much I happened to name my 'would be' photography business this. And on Sunday, I discovered someone else in town loves the name too. It's a bead store, but still! Actually, I like the font they used for their sign. I didn't get a chance to take a peek inside, but next time I'm in the area, I will for sure!

So we're back to overcast days. I guess as long as it's during the week, and the weekend gets hotter and sunny, then it's all okay with me. It still sucks having to walk in the rain .. although it's a warm spring rain versus the cold windy winter rains that fall. I am now looking out into lush and green vegetation along the river, and it makes for a private seclusion from the retirement townhouses across the way. The birds also set up shop in the trees and the chirping is always such a pleasant way to start my morning. It's hard to believe it's already into the second half of May. Another month and school will be in the last few days before breaking for the summer. The girls will be caught up in the excitement of their birthdays, and I hope to be that much further along in my own course. I'm anticipating July SOOOO much, I can't even begin to describe how much and why.

ear candy for a holiday monday

This Love - Johnta Austin

Empire Day Parade

We had ourselves a nice afternoon out and it all started by taking the city transit bus with my friend, Darla, and her kids .. down town to watch the parade. For us, taking the city bus is a little adventure all in its own because we rarely do it, so the girls sure do enjoy it.

(somehow Kira and Alissa always find a pole to hang from .. god help us!)

(Darla and I )

(Kira and Hailey)

Darla daycares an 18 month old cutie boy, and she had to get him home so his parents could pick him up at 3pm, so we all took the bus back home again, re-energized and then I drove (she had her hubby drive them) back down to the seawall to hang out at the waters edge and take in some more sun. Of course my camera batteries barely held on through the parade, so I left it at home to recharge, so no pictures of the fun we had afterwards. I think we'll all sleep well after so much sun and freshair!

enjoying life

I have never been one to enjoy an overly busy schedule, and thus have kept our life pretty low key. I'm sure my girls would benefit greatly from being involved in any extra curricular activity possible .. keeping us running from school to activity ever day of the week .. but I'm just not that kind of person. I don't think I'm keeping them from participating in to much .. but I also happen to think that just everyday play is what molds and forms a child's imagination and gives them the exercise they need. They do love their swimming lessons (which reminds me I need to look into that), and Hailey's feeling like she'd like to get back into karate again (she'll have to wait until at least September since they only accept newcomers in Sept and Jan).

I was talking with another busy body Mom a few weeks back and she was 'complaining' about how busy her two children keep her. They both are on baseball teams, both have swimming lessons and the daughter is in girl guides. That keeps them busy 6 days a week with all that.

I'm not saying that some families thrive on a busy life like that .. but it's not for me, and I'm happy my girls love hanging out at the playground after school to get their stimulation .. and I'm also happy that we have the time to do that. If I found myself 'complaining' about how busy my children's lives had made it for me, I think it would be time to drop an activity or two. Isn't enjoying the laid back days of your childhood supposed to be what it's all about?

And on that note .. I also like to keep our weekends fairly open so we can kinda go with the flow should someone spontaneously call up and plan something with us. We like our lazy slow mornings, with no worries of places to be at some ungodly early morning hour. I don't know if I should think of myself as lazy, or just one that likes to keep a low key, mellow, relaxful swing to our life.

So this LONG weekend .. our only plans are to go downtown to watch the parade with our friends .. and we're even taking the city transit! Woohoo! ;) And Monday Hailey has a playdate all afternoon. And somewhere in there, we'd like to go swimming. The girls are anxious to wear their new suits!

For those of you that are taking the long weekend to go camping .. you're braver then I, and to those that are building big roaring bonfires .. make it big and worthy of coming home to tell your girl about. ;) , and for those of you participating in your town activities .. enjoy!

*in the photo .. my girls are in brown tops, with my friend, D's, children and another little guy.

nature at its best

This little ladybug has found the most perfect place to lay her eggs and mind them until they hatch. Actually, I don't know enough about ladybugs to know if they actually take care of their eggs until they've become little ones .. but we thought she was really pretty. And Hailey decided she needed to be left right where we found her .. untouched. The little crevice in this tree that's located at the far end of the school field, made for a perfect sanctuary for the eggs.

jet plane .. err jet crash?

So those of you that know me well, know that I like to sing. It's become a little closet thrill for me, and although I'm no where near being good, I love singing regardless. I thought I'd share this with you all as I run and hide under my bed until you're finished listening.

hump-ity hump hump

This picture made me smile .. smile really big! Don't ask me why. Perhaps because I have a filthy FILTHY mind.

worded wednesday

Since I can't stay within the guidelines of wordLESS wednesday .. I'm not even going to try calling it that anymore. :P How's that for being a rebel!

I haven't been taking alot of photos as of late, so I'm using one from the beginning of last month when it was still so very cool by the waters edge. Actually, who am I kidding. The breeze off the water is still quite cool even now as we're nearing the middle of May.

I like the abstract'ness of shadows, and have noticed how I lean towards taking them of myself everytime I'm out and the sun's shining. What can I say .. it makes the perfect self portrait .. so very forgiving! :) Of course it would be better if the sun was lower in the sky .. but I can't be so picky.

91%

Another test done! Woohoo! Now I'm on to the next unit .. anatomy! This should be fun, and interesting!

new ear candy

I have to admit .. American Idol does turn out some great artists, even if they aren't the final winners (which is actually better in the long run because they don't have to conform to the AI genre, rules and regs). Jordin Sparks came out with a new one, and although the words don't pertain to my current life .. the tune is hot! I may like 'girlie' music at times, but this I swear is really good!

Battlefield - Jordin Sparks