Enough.



I am thankful for a little house that is just enough.  We fill it, we make the best of it, we make it dirty then clean again; every square inch gets used.

Adventure is Out There.



Now that the girls are in school, Hudson and I have started a new routine.  Instead of just going to the park by our house, we visit parks around the city- anything with a nature trail.

Parks and paths are virtually empty at 8 a.m. on weekdays.  It's quiet and cool and the animals are out and about.  We spot dragonflies, butterflies, crickets, birds, fish and turtles, spiders and their webs.   

Last week we were walking near a pond and Hudson said, "Look!!!  A frog!"  I looked and looked where he was pointing and didn't see anything.  I was about to say a dismissive, "That's cool, Buddy."  Meaning, "Whatever, maybe you see it, maybe you think you do."  And then I saw it.  A huge frog the size of a bread plate, camouflaged on the muddy bank.  So I said "Wow!  You're right!"  And Hudson said, "Yep!  Now I have the Eagle Eye!"

(Grace has an incredible eye for visual detail- she doesn't miss anything in a room.  She notices everything, and any change from "normal." So, if someone's missing a shoe, a book, a ball or a sock, we always use the "Eagle Eye"; Grace.  If she doesn't immediately know where said article is, she'll find it in less than 5 minutes. So Hudson was thrilled he could spot something with his own "Eagle Eye," which is to say, my son is adorable.)

It was a fantastic frog, and it let Hudson sneak really, really close before making a lightning fast leap into the water.

Later that day we ran into an especially bold squirrel.  Hudson tries to get close to squirrels but they always run away.  This one just hopped up on a branch to get a better look at Hudson from above.  Hudson got right under the branch, super-quiet, and started talking to the squirrel, and making kissing noises at it, like how we talk to our bird. 

After a minute or so, the squirrel- interest piqued, ears perked and tail twitching- started to talk back.  Not a chirping or clicking like you hear in movies- more of a mumbling jumble of sounds, almost like humming. They talked back and forth, the squirrel and Hudson, for several minutes until a couple walked by with their dog and the squirrel was off.  I don't think Hudson will ever forget it.  He left assuming he and the squirrel were now "best buddies."

Adventure is out there!

Fall Class Dates {Sioux Falls Photography Classes}

I will be partnering with the Museum of Visual Materials once again this fall.  We are offering two popular photography classes that will help you take your camera and your creativity to the next level. 

These classes are perfect for everyday photographers- no previous experience is required.  Many of my students have been surprised at how much information they gain from just one class; and all of the information is condensed in a take home packet for reference as you go.

Classes are small, with no more than 10 participants at a time.  They're also fun, laid-back, and hands-on.  I am passionate about teaching others how to create technically and creatively excellent photographs in camera, without relying on the aid of post-processing or expensive equipment.

The DSLR class is appropriate for anyone who owns a DSLR or hopes to purchase one.  We will, in just one class, cover everything you need to know in order to move from Auto Mode, through the priority modes and right into Manual- with a ton of other information to boot.  You will walk out of this class armed with more knowledge than 90% of the people who own a DSLR.  I promise.  Also, that statistic is made up.  You get the idea.

DSLR classes will be held September 26 and October 29.

Technical skill is just one side of the coin.  A technically perfect exposure can be very dull to behold if not coupled with visual method.  The Basic Photography class covers the rules of composition and also creative techniques that will inspire you and stretch your creativity to new levels. This class is visual, expressive, and also quite practical.  It's perfect for anyone with a camera.  We'll spend the hour discussing how to turn an everyday snapshot into a true photograph before you click the shutter.

Basic Photography classes will be held September 19 and October 17.

All classes are held from 7 to 8:30 PM.

Each class is designed to provide a wealth of information in just one session.  Content does not overlap between the DSLR and Basics courses.  All classes are held at the Museum of Visual Materials located in Downtown Sioux Falls at 500 N. Main.  Class size is limited and pre-registration is required.  The class fee, $25, is due at the time of the session.  Contact Jessica at the MoVM to register by calling 605.271.9500.  Feel free to contact me with any general questions you might have.

I'm looking forward to these sessions- and I hope to see you there!

Late Summer Lake



Just Blu.



Not only is our parakeet a sweetheart, he's also a very lovely singer.  It's a tough call in a pet store; choosing a good-natured bird who hopefully will be nice company and sociable without being obnoxious, needy, and loud.

Blu's partial to violins (he listens to a lot of MPR) and also to whistling.  The kids would love for him to start talking.  I know that's fun but honestly a talking parakeet can be really annoying to listen to on repeat (for people like me whose ears can't tune anything out.) 

He loves "The Whistling Caruso" so much that I've started leaving it on repeat for him while he's exercising in the school room. 

First Day 2012.



Grace, 3rd

Patience, 2nd

Lily, 1st

First Day 2011

Back to School.



The first day of school is a bittersweet yo-yo.

But I've made a bouquet in honor of my favorite Nora Ephron movie, I'm letting Hudson take me to Target, and we're expecting good things this year.

So Long, Summer.

We've washed the beach towels, we've packed the school supplies.

One last weekend fling at the farm and then we begin a new year on Monday.

It's been such a delight to savor a summer with my children, re-living all the things that made summers great before I had to grow up.  It's better the second time.

I spent long cool mornings reading with a pot of french press at my side while the kids slept as long as they'd like.  Every morning it was assumed we'd be at the park with the dogs by 8:30 for an hour on the bike path for me, and an hour of playing hard for them.

We spent our days doing all kinds of summer randomness and I barely took pictures of any of it.  There were bugs and games and experiments.  Lots of paint, and lots of "Hey you guys!!  Come look at this!!!"  We did a lot of nothing, which was everything.

Hot afternoons were stretched out at the water park, and I got to be both the mom who didn't mind getting her hair wet with the kids and the mom who devoured fiction books poolside, in uninterrupted peace.  If you have small children and aren't "there" yet, you will get there. It's every bit as awesome as you think it will be.

It's bittersweet to see it go, but we are all excited to begin a new chapter. All good things must come to an end.

So, so long, summer.  We got dirty, we got sweaty, we filled our minds with great books, we played with friends, we ate food from our garden.  We savored a long warm season of everything awesome under the sun.

Simplify.

Every once in a while I get an itch to go shopping and get something new.  It only happens a few times a year (I don't like to shop) and I recognize that 9 times in 10, what I really need to do is clean out my closet, or clean and re-organize some part of my house- whichever is tempting me to roam.  The answer is usually that I need to simplify, not multiply.  I always feel better when I do, I appreciate what I have more, and then if I do run into something awesome sometime, there's a place for it.

Last week I woke up and decided I was a little tired of my kitchen as-is.  So spur of the moment, I drug everything off of the counter/cabinets (I just reorganized the insides of the cabinets earlier this summer, for the same reason).  When you get the itch, you just have to surrender to it.  It's like working out.  You're always glad you did it once you're there.

It took a whole day, and some of the stuff that was waaaay up high was super dirty, but I felt so much better when it was done.  I didn't realize how much it had been irritating me. 

I got rid of a boat-load of stuff I didn't need anymore.  Mostly it was things people had given me that I felt obliged to keep.

While I worked in the kitchen I had Grace and Patie clean out the bench at our table.  For years the kids had it filled with table activities- puzzles, crayons, etc. that they could use while I was making dinner and needed to keep an eye on them.  They're older now and we've fallen out of that habit. 

So,  I told them to sort it, clean it up, and find a place for it all in their school room.  Grace loves to organize and tidy things up, Patience loves to take things apart and put them back together- and they both love finding those "lost" things that inevitably pop up when you super-clean.  They make a great team.  Lily and Hudson love being left to their own devices all day.  Win-win.

Now I am using it for easy-access to candles, napkins- entertaining stuff. I'd been wanting to get to this for a long time. 

My kitchen is spruced up and way cleaner, I feel better, and I didn't buy anything.  In fact, I have a lot less, and it feels great.

Out of Place.



According to my family's tradition, we eat ebelskivers every Christmas.  They are time consuming, even with multiple pans, but simple and worth it.  Once a year.

Last week while buying something else on Amazon, this book popped up as a suggestion.  It had good reviews, and was inexpensive enough, so I fell victim to Amazon's sly tactics and added it to my cart.  I also recently found another ebelskiver pan at an antique store for just $12.  By the way, if you're making these, one of these makes the whole process so. much. quicker.

Then I had to try it out, just once, even though it felt so very, very wrong to break out an ebelskiver pan in July.  I made the cinnamon/caramel recipe, and while they were way too sweet for me, the recipe held up well and the kids loved them.  So later I made a batch with the basic batter for dinner (with sausages, of course), which worked great. 

Hudson kept remarking that it was "so weird" that we were having them and it wasn't Christmas.  I agreed.  Hands down, these are winter food and it felt all kinds of wrong to eat them while watching the opening of the Olympic games- but they were good, there are lots of recipes to experiment with, and winter is coming soon enough. 

Until then, back to summer food, swimming, reading, playing hard, and barely ever blogging any of it.