The Weekend Lens | Stories Without Photos
I've been on a hiatus from my camera for the last couple of weeks. I think it's a post December Daily® break. There's always an ebb and a flow to this kind of stuff.
Here's some of the stories from this weekend that I might have captured with my camera:
Caring for Simon who woke up with a 102 temp on Saturday morning and stayed in bed all weekend. He's one of those kids who is barely ever sick so it's painfully obvious when he is actually sick. Fighting off my own sore throat - had to cancel dinner with friends which was a bummer and something we were all looking forward to but it goes with the sick-kid territory.
Browsing through Clean Slate: A Cookbook And Guide, the January issue of Country Living magazine, and the February issue of Living (there's a step-by-step for pho in there that I might attempt this year or I might just keep visiting the local place that I love because man that is not a simple process).
Taking down the Christmas tree and decor. Love the twinkle lights and am looking for a couple ways to keep those going. This should actually say "starting to take down" because I started but didn't finish.
Thinking about the classroom content for the next Story Theme: gatherings. In addition to stories about gathering together I'm thinking about gatherings as a design technique and the ways in which we gather our stories. Excited to share all that with subscribers later this week. Just a few days left to pick up the Firsts kit if you were interested in that one.
Speaking of gathering, I gathered up a bunch of stuff for Goodwill again. I'm in that tackle every room, closet, drawer mode. And then the question comes up again, how do we acquire so much stuff when it really doesn't feel like I'm buying stuff all the time? No current plans to get rid of any of those shoes in the top photo though - old school Nikes, Sperry Topsiders (my favorite) and good-old Jack Purcells.
Sending Anna over to stay the night with Aaron and his daughter since Simon was sick. She was so happy to go since she was bummed that we were missing our friend get-together.
Listening to those same two girls as they played over here on Sunday afternoon and early evening.
Watching a couple movies on Saturday night: The Book Of Life and Begin Again. Loved both.
Shopping for groceries on Sunday morning.
Hanging out with Paolo on Sunday afternoon in my kitchen as he made his way home after a week at shoe-making school in Ashland.
Building a fire in the fireplace on Sunday and keeping it going most of the day.
Hope you have a great week!
Great post Ali. I occasionally write a little note in my PL about the pictures I could have taken, but chose to experience fully and uninterrupted instead. Also, with Gatherings made me think of Collections, but that might worth a future kit too. Add it to your cool word list to turn into kits.
That's definitely a part of this theme too :).
this is a great idea to document a story of a photo that could have been taken. I do find at times that trying to capture a picture to tell the story gets in the way of the story itself!
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I am still working on my December Daily now things have calmed down since the holidays. I am enjoying the process of documenting our Christmas. Since I could not work on it during the holidays, i journaled in a Word document to document each day so it would be easier to complete once the holiday was over. I could not believe how many fun things we did over the holidays. Looking back, I am so glad I did this. So I am journaling more to remember everyday memories as they happen. I loved getting my first DD kit this year. I love all of the elements and having so much fun working with them. Thanks Ali for sharing this wonderful process with us.
Love reading that.
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Aside from Simon being sick, sounds like you had a pleasant, laid back weekend. I love those kinds of weekends. By the way, I bought my 2 y/o daughter those stripped Sperry's with the pink bottoms! I can't wait until her feet are big enough to fit them :) --Desiree
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Begin Again was one of my favorites movies from 2014. The soundtrack is really good too. Hope Simon feels better soon.
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Ali, thanks for this. I was so sad this week, because my granddaughter came over (impromtu) to use my "crafty stuff" to finish up her Senior Project notebook. Never entered my mind to take any pictures of such a special moment. I was in the moment...thanks for sharing the idea of just journaling. You are AWESOME!!
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Sick kids must have been a theme this week as my two little ones had a stomach bug. I was grateful that they took turns, and also took the opportunity to focus on my OLW 2015 : Delight
I chose to delight in my ability to care for them , their need for my care, movies and snuggling. I know one day my boys will be grown up and independent, so I'm delighting in the now- sick or not! Thanks for sharing your weekend!
Carolly...you are the first person I've seen with the same OLW word...delight! Have been collecting ideas, writing things down, etc. I have been with our daughter in North Carolina since mid-November (we live in Oregon) to help her recover from major knee surgery. I didn't anticipate that I would be gone this long, so did not bring appropriate crafting supplies. I too am choosing to find the "Delight" in being with my daughter and savoring this special time together.
Love this perspective.
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I'm finishing up two last things for my WITL, a 6x8 layout (put a couple in my album to tell a bigger story) plus my title page. Excited to begin my "December Stories", my (very) abbreviated December Daily. I wrote things down in a notebook too. Thanks for sharing your neat around here type post. Michelle t
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Thanks for this - needed the reminder to capture those stories that I didn't think to get photos of. Clearing out must be in the air - every area of my house is being attacked too!
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There is something about a new year that makes me want to purge my house too. I've done my dresser and bureau and this weekend I tackled most of the kitchen. I need to get to that dreaded Tupperware drawer (okay, it's 2 drawers) and then my closet. There is nothing like a good purge to keep you from impulse buying at Target!
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My photos have been sparse as well...I definitelt attribute it to the photo taking craziness of December! But, for me, I'm cutting back on the quantity of photos in order to help me FOCUS (my one little word). Sometimes too many photos distract me and make it hard for me to move forward.
Sorry about sick Simon...we've been trying to keep all the nasty bugs out of our house but have all been feeling off the past week. Hoping it's just adjusting back to "normal" schedules. Fingers crossed.
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Hi Ali. Hope you got my email via studio calico re how amazing the DD kit was, and my thanks for all your work in creating it and the pages. I expect you saw that National Geographic Magazine had Firsts as its theme for the January 2015 edition. It made for some interesting reading. Gatherings sounds fun too. Can't wait.
I totally didn't see that was National Geographic's theme for Jan 2015 - going to check that out ;). Thank you!
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Shoe making school? He certain has an interesting life!!!
Yep!
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Gather is my OLW for 2015 so I look forward to next months kit. And I took am looking at the many a aspects of gather - people of course , but also information, memories, supplies, ideas, adventures and general evaluating of things before proceeding.
Yep :). We do a lot of gathering in our lives - love that it is your word this year.
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hello, ali - very excited to have just signed up for the story stamp! i am wondering if you have an idea how long the waiting list is at this point? i enjoyed this blog post, reminding me that i don't need nor want photos of everything...our stories are there either way.
Hi - my understanding is that if you are signing up now you will get the next stamp set (available on the 15th) - gatherings. I will clarify that for sure.
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I know what you mean about the twinkle lights. I may be the only person alive still holding onto a fake Ficus tree, but it stands tall and proud in my den, all 7 feet of it, and has twinkle lights woven through the branches and leaves all year long. :-) It doesn't look Christmas-y, just twinkly and gorgeous and I turn it on almost every night. Makes me smile.
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