The Weekend Lens

Weekends are a favorite time of mine to take pictures.

It's something about the pace. Something about having the camera easily accessible. Something about keeping my eyes open while still being present in the moments of the day.

Saturday was slow and calm. Low on technology and high on family time.

After breakfast lego time.

A lot of playing happens at this table. I also love that the plate holding both a waffle and a pancake made it into the shot. Weekend mornings usually include at least one of those - this is the first time Chris has made both at the same time.

Anna's getting into playing with the legos too. Day by day she's less inclined to just rip the heads off the "guys" as she calls them. This weekend she spent a bunch of time playing with a car and a bus - Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter was her "guy" of choice to drive both the car and the bus.

We didn't end up embarking on any stop animation filming this weekend.

Hello lovely texture.

A self-portrait right before heading out on my first-ever 5-mile run. It was awesome.

Stories.

A personal favorite. They were singing "I have a little pony his name is Macaroni."

On Sunday morning I went outside to hang a bird feeder we got on Saturday. I looked down and saw this single bloom.

And then I started to look around a bit to see what was actually happening in our yard. Since this is our first winter in this house I'm even more excited to see what might be coming.

It's been three weeks since I've had a cup of coffee. Crazy.

I stopped just because it didn't sound good anymore. I anticipate I'll have it again but right now I'm not missing it.

Chris brought some loose leaf tea back with him from China and I've been either drinking that or having hot water with lemon in the morning (which I really love the most).

Wishing you a wonderful week. We're heading to the Capitol today for Opening Day of the legislature and later on we'll be watching the Oregon Ducks in the BCS Championship college football game.

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60 thoughts

  1. Lacey says…
    01/10/2011

    Yes! The big game is finally here!! SO nervous and EXCITED! GO DUCKS!!! WTD! :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Melissa says…
    01/10/2011

    I love that your kids are often being creative with Legos. And, of course, Ginny is a great choice to drive the car and the bus!

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. Freda says…
    01/10/2011

    You so remind me of myself and family many years ago. It's been lovely to drop by (via Mama Craft) - and I hope to come back again. I like the word Light for 2011. Think mine might be Peace. Every Blessing

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. bettyann says…
    01/10/2011

    Ali, thank you for sharing your sweet family with us..take care..congrats on the 5 mile run..

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. Kate Burroughs says…
    01/10/2011

    Love your photos. So sweet with the children interacting. GO DUCKS!!!!
    Aloha, Kate

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. sue says…
    01/10/2011

    One kind word can warm three winter months.
    Japanese proverb

    This nice quote was on my church bulletin this week. Thought you might like it for the one word project.

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. Denise says…
    01/10/2011

    I'm doing a Hipstamatic 365 this year with the iPod Touch I received for Christmas. Sooo much fun, and easy, too...since it's lighter to carry around and I always have it with me!

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. MaryAnn says…
    01/10/2011

    Go Ducks!!from California !! anychance you could post photos of Eugene today :-) we miss it up there and from what we've heard it's practically a state holiday up there today....would love to see a glimpse of the city's spirit

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      01/10/2011

      Hi MaryAnn - we spent most of the light hours today up in Salem for the opening of the legislative session so no photos around town today. There were lots of people wearing green + yellow even in Salem! People are definitely very excited around here.

  9. Mary Sara P. says…
    01/10/2011

    Great pictures - love the one with Simon and Anna singing. You take such great self-portrait shots. How do you do it? The ones I attempt to take never turn out.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      01/10/2011

      Practice :). I think the more you take the better they seem to get. Often I'll take one and then check it to see if the light is better if I move over a bit - there's a lot of trial and error and a lot of shots I don't like ;).

  10. Ami says…
    01/10/2011

    Ali, I gave up coffee other than the ocasional Sunday @ Starbucks, for tea a few years ago. We are fortunate to have a Teavana store in Bellevue Square, but they do have a web site. The teas are just awesome. My favorite is Zingerber Ginger Coconut with Matte Vanna and/or Cocoa Praline Tart w/Cocoa Java Matte. They have such a wonderful collection. You might try them out and just see. Especially if you are on the eastside at any time.

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Carrie Wohlt says…
    01/10/2011

    I love your blog Ali, I came upon your blog through reading the "young house love" blog. I love you pictures, what canon digital camera do you use? I am looking at getting a new canon in 2011...as well as taking the one little word class. My word is "puppy" we got a new puppy in 2011.

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. Wendy says…
    01/10/2011

    Ali, thanks for sharing...I love the tales of Ana and the lego's. My daughter is 3 and she is still in "rip their heads off" mode!
    Hugs!

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Tiffany says…
    01/10/2011

    I love all of the pics you have with the awesome Hanna jammies - I just love them too.

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Angie Blom says…
    01/10/2011

    Wow it is funny to see blooms in January... We have tons of snow here in Toronto . I love taking photos on the weekend .. This weekend it was snow photo after snow photo!! Loved it! Ha I remember my daughter doing the same thing with my sons lego guys! Memories!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. ale says…
    01/10/2011

    simon seems to be such an amazing big brother - anna is a very lucky little girl!

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Angela DiGiovanni | life * poetry * art says…
    01/10/2011

    I started drinking an herbal 'coffee' which is chuck full of good flavor, nutritious, and roasted just like coffee. I love it! Here's a link: http://www.teeccino.com.

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Deb Crofutt says…
    01/11/2011

    I love how Simon is teaching Anna, she is so lucky!

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Karin Podolski says…
    01/11/2011

    Thanks for not posting any stop animation yet! I was thinking about you guys (high achievers) last weekend as I helped my 7 year old put together the GATEWAY to ATLANTIS and saying to myself - hmmmm, I can't even find the right pieces, let alone THINK about stop-animation!

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Kirsten H says…
    01/11/2011

    I need more weekend photography to happen. Thanks for that.

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. Barb in AK says…
    01/11/2011

    So glad to see you still have some of your Christmas decorations up :-) I love relaxing weekends, too.

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Anna Aspnes says…
    01/11/2011

    Congrats on the 5 miler Ali. You'll be knocking out 10 before you know it :) I'm a tea girl myself, but enjoy a cup of coffee first thing in the morning :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. Jill says…
    01/12/2011

    love how you captured the feeling of your family throughout the weekend!

    I also love hot water with lemon. When I order it at restaurants, I'm always surprised when they bring it in a glass - makes me giggle!

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. Chris says…
    01/12/2011

    Ali, do you ever use a point-n-shoot camera or is it always a DSLR (not sure of acronym...one of those big, fancy cameras)? I'm looking for a new point-n-shoot that gives me more range and I thought I would see if you had a suggestion.

    Thanks.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      01/12/2011

      I do use a smaller camera from time to time. We have a little Canon Powershot that has been great - the smaller cameras have really stepped up in quality. I don't know much about any other specific models but the Powershot line has been just fine.

  24. Diana Willis says…
    01/12/2011

    Hi Ali,

    Happy New Year!! It has been awhile since talking to you but I wanted to share with you that peppermint tea is fabulous, soothing and so calming. Just the right thing to start and or end your day with and thanks for sharing your weekend photos.

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. Vicki says…
    01/14/2011

    I love looking at the photos on your blog. They inspire me to take better photos. I'm sure you've been asked this question a million times but what camera do you have? Thanks.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      01/16/2011

      Hi! I use a Canon 5D. You can read more about the equipment I use here: http://aliedwards.com/about-ali/faq

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