Let this be your year

Honoring room to breathe this Christmas season sounds awesome.

Right?

The day after Thanksgiving is a tradition. My girls are photographed by me. These photographs are then used for our Christmas card. In the years past, I've learned by Thanksgiving the cotton's picked for the year. Since cotton's been on my list of backdrops. We planned beforehand this year.

Can you believe it?

We planned.

The girls dressed in their cute comfy outfits hopping in the car. The camera sat on the charger. I bagged it in my black camera bag. In the driver seat, my bottom plops.

My husband mentioned the week before he saw cotton. I drove my car opposite from what he suggest. My mind knew where cotton would be. Forty-five minutes later, I pose the idea to my daughter, "call your dad". After the spill, "I told you where cotton would be." I turned in the first driveway. Both ways, I glanced a clear view. In the opposite direction, we head seeing cotton in no time.

I turned downhill a dusty road in front of "the best" cotton field. Giggling how the people across the street may run us off for playing in their cotton. Dust covered our toes as everyone slide out. The wind pushed hair in one's lip gloss and across their eyes. My trained daughters mandarin around cotton stems posing.

This year after Thanksgiving was relaxing. The Sunday after, I edited the picked pictures creating our Christmas card. Days later the Fed Ex carrier pulled in our driveway. My memory pondered, "what could he be delivering?" The carrier drove away. A box laid outside my garage. I opened the garage. My body leaned forward grabbing the box. The return address revealed where from the package shipped. I remembered.

Christmas.

Cards.

The only holding tradition of my family's is taking the girls picture and creating a Christmas card.

The girls are older now. This tradition might not always carry. A different season brings different things. Growing in a direction with being okay with seasons changing is awesome.

If you have not created a Christmas card for your family, let this year be yours to breathe. Be the change. Cards don't have to be created. There are things through the year we as the Murphy's don't do: beach trip at the end of school year, long trips during spring break, go to all the home college football games, etc. If I am honest, seeing or hearing those things can cause a raunchy feeling in my soul. I don't mean to, but it happens.

Please, if this year isn't yours, let it be.

Relax.

Enjoy.

Be free from the enslaved fast pace craziness. There is no bylaw saying, "You must send Christmas cards to be valued, be in the loop, or to have it together".  Rest in His goodness.

Kiss the cards goodbye.

Set a new trend.

Sabbath.

My presence will go with you and I will give you rest. Exodus 33:14

What I recently made

September is a busy birthday month for my family and friends.

My mother n laws is just a few days ahead of mine, which were both last week. 

The kids tell me so often how much she loves frogs. 

So I got to creating! 

Meet, Give a Ribbit!

When I was in junior high, high school and college, I collected frogs myself. I'd even spend hours on my front porch taking as many pictures possible aiming for just the perfect one. This was back in the film days. So needless to say I ended up with a lot of unwanted pictures. Which then makes me think back to when people first were going digital. I was photographing weddings at the time enjoying my film camera. For a solid year, I fought myself in the mind set on there's no reason to go digital I am fine. Although, there's a few things I miss about the film world digital out weighs it by a long, long shot! 

 

My love of frogs gave me the inspiration to create this guy. Isn't this little guy the cutest little thing you've every seen. My oldest daughter tried to take it from me when I finished creating him. Starting out with a 10x10 gallery wrap, which is my most favorite size to work on and gallery wrap is my most favorite type of canvas to create on, I pasted scrape pages as the background. Once dry, I smeared a few hints of light green paint on the edges. Bubble wrap was used to make a touch of white spots. This was carried on over to the edges of the canvas where I worked some dark brown in as well. I always tried to create a paint pattern on the edges of the canvas that will coordinate with the background. As I type this, I realize the side of the canvas was not captured, maybe next time!

On to creating the frog himself, I pulled some pillow stuff I hand on hand out. Several years ago, I made window seat cushions and have a few bags of stuffing left over. It's one of many things I've kept in my supple closet making for lots of great creations. Forming what looked like a frog to me after glancing over a clipart of a frog, I glued the painted green stuffing to the canvas. Making his eyes, mouth, dots, front feet, back legs and stomach piece everything came together so nicely. I was truly happy with his out come. 

Hope he brings a JOYFUL ribbit to his new home!

Do you collect frogs?

Do you miss film photography?

Style

Today marks a week since I met with my editor!

Red marks by the dozens, I absolutely love
her out reach, her thoughts on the project as a whole...

On that afternoon when I picked my oldest daughter up
she was so excited, wanting to see what the editor said,
immediately she questions all the red marks,
mom do all the red marks bother you,
are you kidding me,
English teachers always had hay days with my school papers.
This was always so hard on me.
I knew back then my love for writing,
but it just wasn't in a grammatically correct manner...
so I was always overlooked!

What I did begin to struggle with when I got home setting down,
thinking about the marks, the book as a whole,
my confidence I once had was no where to be found,
in fact I shot an email to my editor,
thanking her for everything, but there's just no way
I can follow through with the book!

My mind begin to swim like crazy, trying to find the answer
to help the crazy feelings,
feelings of no book in print!

This is when blogs like :

Commonly misused words...

Past tense...

Sentence fragments...


begin to surface, that's my mind swimming, working, researching,
finding answers...me talking, me writing to myself...

Last night, I helped my daughter study for a vocabulary test.

One of the words was style, the definition,
is the manner in which a writer addresses a matter,
revealing the writer's personality or 'voice.'
It is the result of the choices the writer makes in
syntactical structures, diction, and figures of thought.

More self talk, self write...

Stream of consciousness

Prose

Using Sentence Fragments Effectively

So did I answer myself...

Answer, stay true to who I am, unique writing and all...

Now I have to get busy editing the wedding pictures
I am in the middle of, then off to making corrections
my editor left for me on my book...

Do you struggle writing, losing your confidence...?

Great Grandparents House

This is my daddy's side of the family,
that's me in the pink shorts, front row,
arms cross, I remember this day perfectly!


Every other Sunday we would travel
about an hour from my childhood home,
give or take, to my great grandparents...

Lots of memories...

So this week, mother and I,
along with my kids, set out to find
this old house.

Mother warned me the night before,
when we were finalizing plans to drive out,
the house might not be there anymore.

What? your just now telling me this, we have
talked about doing this for months now. I never dreamed
it wouldn't be there...

We find the road, after passing it,
turn around, start down it,
in that moment... I knew this was the
street.

So I hop out of the truck
get my camera ready, the first two
pictures are what you see when you
start down the road, look at the moss,
hanging from the trees, as a child I loved that stuff!




So we round the corner,
there it was...

I couldn't believe it, it was still standing...
I felt like alittle kid again, who lost something
special and found it!


The other side view, see to the right of the picture
a tree, that looks broke off, weeds are something
growing in the top of it, well that's the tree
we are all standing in front of in the old picture
at the top of this blog, it's broke off!



After looking and viewing, the kids asking
hundreds of questions, I was worried if someone lived
in there they might come flying out with a gun or something,
so we would drive off and come back, taking more pictures.

Mother already said if she saw someone, she was to
talk to them, even if it was from across the street.
But we were done, I turn the vehicle around.

I spot a lady, sure enough it was the lady across the street,
walking out, as we are about to drive off, leaving, ending our trip!

Mother jumps out before I can even stop the truck...
the lady was so nice, she owns the old house, uses it for
storage, we talked about old times, it's been at least twenty years,
the lady knew all about my family, mother teared up,
it was kinda sad, it was good times with my daddy!

Remember back in the spring I shared pictures of trees
I talked about my grandmother driving me to the county,
this was the house...

p.s. the lady told us Katrina blew the tree in half...
p.s.s. mother has moss now in her trees, just like in the trees here
it's not the same...

Spring Break 2009!

I finally made it back to share the details of our week, sorry to leave you hanging with just the pictures. Thanks for the comments already received,on the pictures!

MONDAY-Shopped for material for my oldest daughters school project, a parachute to be drop over Germany with Dios es Amos (God is Love) hand writing on the side, yes I had to sew the parachute. This project earned her an extra 100 in the class, so two great things at once, she got a good grade and someone else will learn they are loved. We also went shopping for flowers for the cemetery, my youngest daughter has never been to my daddy's grave and always ask about it, so what a beautiful time of year to go. When I told her we would go one day when they are out of school she ask me, "can we dig his bones up" she is five!

TUESDAY-We arrive to our scheduled hair appointments, with my mother, for the girls. All ate lunch together at a local sand which shop. Then drove to the cemetery. Monday it rained, so we were not sure if it would carry on into Tuesday, I had visioned the kids having their pictures made with rain boots and umbrellas. The sun was perfectly out when we got there but I was determined to still get those photos. I meant to bring a shovel!





they tried to bring home a baby fish and a baby turtle...momma said NO! :(

WEDNESDAY-My oldest daughter went to work with her aunt, so my and the youngest had alittle time to ourselves. We ran a few errands, in return I took her to the park and a quick stop at the local ice cream shop. There we saw the manager, she is always busting with friendliness, always remembers my family. A break appeared between customers, she begin telling me about the first time school fundraisers she put together, showing me the fundraiser packets. Again busting with excitement, she expressed how she hopes to be in corporate office one day. I look her firmly in the eyes telling her you will be, keep up the great work. Guys workers like this will make it to the top no doubt. The same goes for us in our daily lives! I didn't have time to explain to her just what I meant, she did ask about my position in a company, then the break was over. In all of the history of my life, I have worked hard to be where I am, on top! My oldest daughter came home, went to spend the night with a friend. The youngest hung out on the back porch and gazed into the eyes of the dozens of caterpillars she found. Of course I broke out the camera, when she finally came inside she told me, "I heard God talking to me" a five year old now, that's amazing! I ask what did he say but she couldn't really tell me other than she heard his voice in her head.






THURSDAY-Was quit, after lunch we picked up the oldest, drove to a schedule orto appointment.

FRIDAY-Cleaned, groceries, cooked and had family night!

So you have it, our week...I remember several years back a dentist I worked for,at the time,son said to him something about not going on a big trip for spring break, like all of his friends. Of course he had the good old father son talk with him about all the stuff he does for him through out the year and so on...

Our spring break is a prefect example even the littlest things done can be a good time, they might think different, but my point is you don't have to leave town, state or the country! I showed them meaningful things that we are usually to busy to just sit back and enjoy.

Featured Couple of 2009

I am truly honored
to share with you
my "Featured Couple of 2009"

A couple zesting for a full life ahead!

We met on a Saturday
for their scheduled engagement session.

This was my first time to meet Josh.
It was obvious from the beginning of the shoot
he adores Laurie.

Laurie and I met
at her cousins Greek wedding
in May of 2006 ...a true blast!

Me and cousin go way back...SHhhh
I will not tell...if you do not tell...stories!

In a calm manner
Laurie called me the day before
the session. We talked about the "what if's" of mother nature.

Thanks to the Mississippi weather
earlier in the week we were
surround by temps in the middle 70's.
Now we were facing windy temps in the low 40's.

Another call the next morning...

They proudly show up
at their scheduled time
dressed in coordinating outfits...to die for!
with a change of another coordinating outfit.

When we talked about
how they meet
I was truly digging this couple.

Laurie insisted their love story was not exciting.

I beg to differ.

I love to see blossoming couples,
to me that is enough of a love story.
And this couple is defiantly blossoming,
both have degrees with a planned career ahead.

Their three year relationship
began playing a game of washers with mutual friends.
Away from champing the game of washers,
Laurie is sure never to go hungry...
with Josh's cooking!

Most other times they can be caught
snuggled up watching a movie or a favorite sport
with their three dogs.

I can't wait until your early June wedding...
to meet the rest of the wedding party and your family!
Laurie is going to be a beautiful bride...

Thanks to the both of you, you rock!

ashley :)

p.s. By midnight there was less than an inch of snow
on the ground!

Trees

Remembering as far back as a child can.
Jumping in the long backseat of my grandmother's
old blue 1970's Lincoln Continental.

She would drive as far as Utica.
While still in Hinds County it felt so far away to me.
Stuck with car sickness, crayons a jumping, books a flying.

Her ageing hands grip
the big blue round stirring wheel.
Only taking one hand off at a time.
Her long pointer finger taps the window
next to her.

Her gentle soul speaks, look at the beautiful trees.

I didn't think much of it then.
Now as an adult, now she is gone,
spring is one of my favorite times of year.

Enjoy these pictures above photographed last week in February.

This week is March.
These trees don't look the same!
It's amazing how fast blooming takes place.