Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread - Proverbs 30:8
Showing posts with label bww. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bww. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Black and White Wednesday - the mountain

Wy'east
(also known as Mt. Hood)


On clear days I can see this mountain when I'm driving around town or out on a walk. After seven years of living here, it still takes my breath away. I hope I never take its presence for granted. 



 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday 

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Black and White Wednesday ~ Smith Rock

Last week while on vacation we spent an afternoon at one of my favorite places in Oregon - Smith Rock State Park. It's so hard to capture the beauty of this place, but I try every time I'm there. Today I have converted some of my shots into black and white, but I'll post these in color tomorrow.

In case you aren't familiar with this spot, it's a rock climber's heaven. There are climbing routes all along these rock walls and it's fun to look up and see people who resemble spider man climbing up the rock. There are also several different trails and hikes - some along the Crooked River, some over the big rocks and some  along the rim. 

On this particular day I ended up hiking over 7 miles and doing one climb. It was fun and thankfully not too hot!







 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday 

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Black and White Wednesday

Our praying mantis egg sac hatched this week, and I thought it would be fun to edit these photos in black and white. I think this is our fourth or fifth year of hatching these babies and it's one of my favorite traditions.






 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday 

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Black and White Wednesday ~ Statues and Sculptures

On a recent outing I came across the most beautiful outdoor seating area. I'm not really sure what to call it because we were several stories high in the city, and on the grounds of a medical complex. It was a place of beauty and respite for those who were weary with the  heaviness that often comes with illness and disease. There were several statues and sculptures and we enjoyed looking at them.









 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday 

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

My Girls

I'm with them every day so I don't really notice that they are growing up, but then I step back and see them like this and wonder...."where did my little girls go?"  I love this first photo because the younger one is looking at the photos she's just taken on her ipod and the older one is getting ready to steal her hat (or at least try to!)









 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday 

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Black and White Wednesday ~ The Tree


In one of Portlands' many parks stands this tree....actually, I'm pretty sure it's more than one tree that grew into this one big, beautiful monstrosity. We call it the "portal" and every time we visit this park, we all walk through it. You can't walk by it without taking notice how big and grand it is. We were lucky enough to spend a little time in this park over the weekend, and once again I stared in awe and wonder at this beautiful tree.





 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday 

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Black and White Wednesday ~ Macro

I take most of my macro photos using my iphone and olloclip macro lens, 
but this morning I got out my macro lens for my dslr and 
played around a bit with some blooms in my garden.


Enjoy









 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday 

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Black and White Wednesday ~ Fiddleheads

I love watching the fiddleheads uncurl. We went for a short walk through the forest this week and I couldn't get enough of these beauties. I kept stopping to take photos and my family kept telling me they all looked the same. Clearly they don't...




I created this for instagram... 
nature's fiddleheads and the actual head of a fiddle (also called a scroll).










 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday 

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Black and White Wednesday ~ Webs

I went outside this morning looking for ladybugs (my daughters released about 100 last night), and I ran across this gorgeous web covered in dew.








 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Black and White Wednesday ~ the Cross

It's a slow week of thoughtful reflection for me...contemplating what it means to call myself a Christian and how such a claim should permeate every area of my life.


I'm grateful for the body that was broken and the blood that was shed for each of us, and I rejoice in the new life available to all who believe.


I'm also grateful for the example Jesus set for us - one of giving thanks and humbling ourselves to serve each other. I love weeks like these - where we can be more intentional about what we read and which Scriptures we meditate on. Even the music I'm listening to is being chosen carefully.






 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Black and White Wednesday ~ Arches

Delicate Arch

Corona Arch

Mesa Arch

Broken Arch

North Window



I'll be sharing many more images of Arches National Park in color tomorrow!




 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Black and White Wednesday ~ Spark Joy


I started off this year by re-reading Marie Kondo's best selling book, The Magic Art of Tidying Up. Now I'm just finishing up her second book, Spark Joy. I'm a bit of an organizing, tidying, decluttering junkie so I'v enjoyed these books and the inspiration they offer. I particularly like the idea of keeping only the things that spark joy.


One thing that is currently sparking joy in my life right now - all the blossoms and blooms that are appearing in the neighborhood. I don't have any of these trees in my yard, but there are a few in the empty lot next to me, so I've foraged some branches and brought them inside to enjoy.


What is sparking joy in your life right now?



 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Giving Thanks




Today I'm grateful for...

a new niece born early this week

my dad's successful surgery

spring blooms

an original composition and performance by my girls

sunshine

running without hip pain

a final letter from Luis in El Salvador






 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Black and White Wednesday ~ Power Hour

A couple weeks ago I mentioned I had stumbled across a new idea that had the power to revolutionize my days. Now that it's been a couple weeks and I'm still finding value from this little idea, I want to share it with you. 

It's called my daily power hour....

The idea is to spend 20 minutes on three different things you want to do each day - totaling in one hour of time. I decided to determine what three things I would regret NOT doing each day. I don't usually go to bed each night wishing I'd spent a few more minutes cleaning or doing laundry. But I do often climb into bed mad at myself for not practicing my violin, exercising or reading.



first 20 minutes....violin practice




next 20 minutes...exercise
Usually I spend this time doing whatever comes to mind - squats, pushups, physical therapy exercises, kettle ball swings, sit ups, more squats, more pushups. If I have extra time in the day I'll go for a run, but this 20 minutes is reserved for the exercises I don't normally take time to do.




final 20 minutes....reading
This is my reward for completing the first two segments! 


My only rule is that I can't look at my phone during the hour. I've tried separating the segments and not doing them one after another, but it's not as successful, nor does it give me the same energizing feeling.

We've even tried this a bit with school when we are running short on time...we'll do violin for 20 minutes, math for 20 minutes and read aloud for 20 minutes (those are my three priorities each day).

I'm curious to know how you would spend your power hour if you had one...




 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Black and White Wednesday ~ City Sightings


Do you know what I love? I love NOT being busy. The only reason we get busy is because we over-extend ourselves. One thing I've learned lately is that I have complete control of my schedule (and you have control of your schedule. Sure, it might mean saying "no" to many things - even good things. But we all have that option.

There is so much freedom in saying "no". 


Being busy overwhelms me, and not in a good way. I know my limits, and how I respond (negatively) to too much activity. I need downtime - daily (sometimes even more than once a day). Because I know this about myself, saying "no" has become easier.

I'm an introverted introvert. I need time alone to reflect and recharge. Don't get me wrong...I love being with people (heck, I homeschool my kids!), but in order to remain sane, I need a lot of time at home. I don't do well when I'm constantly on the go. Some of you are extroverted extroverts and thrive on more activity - it's important to know your limits.



This past weekend we took a walk through our city. It was sunny and warm and we saw some cool things we'd never seen before. I was glad I had my camera along!





 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Black and White Wednesday


This week, the thoughts swirling around my head have to do with priorities. If you asked me what my priorities are I would probably include playing my violin daily and exercise. Yet I rarely get to those things these days. Why? Because I don't prioritize them.

The only way to truly determine your true priorities is to track your time. If I were honest in how I spend my time, it would probably show that checking my email and instagram accounts are my priorities.

Once a week I'm making an effort to get out and go walking with my camera in hand. (these photos are from my most recent walk). Why? Because searching for and capturing beauty is important to me - it nurtures me.

So does playing my violin. Just yesterday I ran across a new idea that I'm putting into practice this week. If I remember, I'll share more about it and my experience with it. It worked wonderfully today, but I'd like to give it more than one day before I sing its praises.







 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Black and White Wednesday


"To attain knowledge, add things everyday.
To attain wisdom, subtract things everyday."
~ Lao-tzu


I've been subtracting things from my life recently, not only physically by decluttering but also by saying "no" to being busy. I don't do well when I try to fly by the seat of my pants. I need time to prepare, time to work, time to reflect and time to play. 

Right now each and every thing that demands my time and attention is getting scrutinized. If it's not going to push me closer toward my goal, it gets ignored. Only the essential things remain.



 Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Black and White Wednesday



I'm reading the book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown right now. In the first few pages he states that an essentialist will pare down their life to only the essentials, and that by doing so you are living a life by design, not  by default.

That simple phrase has been at the front of my mind since the words first entered my mind.

It's true, isn't it? If we don't design our lives, we'll default to living out whatever comes our way.

In just the few days since I began reading the book, I've been able to eliminate some things that were not contributing to the life I'm trying to lead right now. If I pour myself into everything, I won't do anything well or to the greatest extent I could. But if I pour myself into one thing, I'll get there faster and better and more fully.

Less but better. That's another phrase that keeps coming up.






Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Music



"Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman."
~ Ludwig van Beethoven


Linking up with  Black and White Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday