This Great Life

I've always loved photography and it's been a hobby of mine for a many years. I never thought about it as a career. In high school it wasn't a career that was talked about and my high school didn't have any photography courses. I was exposed to photography around the end of my post secondary education, I'd say around 2001. In the last few years I've really embraced it as a way to express myself, to share how I see the world. My subjects have always been about travel, landscapes, and nature. 

During this stay-home state where I am only leaving the house for groceries, I've tried my hand at still life photography. I'm still learning about placement, lighting and editing, but here are a few still life photographs I've taken so far.

I find I really love this process of taking items, placing them in a particular way and capturing them in a photograph to tell a story.

Well, we're all at home now, quarantined for the time being. I hope you are all keeping well, and being safe by regularly washing your hands and practicing social distancing. While also being kind to each other. 

I know being at home for a long period of time will make you a little stir crazy, well me anyway! A weekend is a lot easier to manage, however a long stretch of days is definitely absolutely more difficult to manage, especially when you have children to entertain. So I thought I would share some activity ideas in this post.

Activities for kids:

Schedule time for exercise every day. This can be whatever you want – a dance party, YouTube videos for yoga routines, cardio routines.

Set up a tent in the backyard or basement for a “camp out”. If you don't have a tent, use bed sheets to make a tent or fort.

Drawing with chalk on the garage floor or on the driveway.

Pull out the old gaming systems (Wii, Nintendo) and play old games.

Building something with all the empty Amazon shipping boxes.

Schedule a virtual play date with their friends. Zoom.us is free and allows limited video meetings and there's no download required.

Assign a theme for each day, like Halloween costume day, pajama day, rock star day, wearing only 1 colour for the day, tea party day, superhero day.

If you (the parent) are working from home, create a schedule so that your kids are doing independent play or activities during this same time. Then take breaks at the same time as your kids, so you can have family play time and family meals.

So for the adults, if you don't have the ability to work from home, and you don't want to spend 24/7 watching Netflix, here are some ideas for you:

Cleaning. This is a big one because there's always something to clean, am I right? Cleaning out the closet, garage, basement, under the stairs. This might be a good time to gather items to donate.

Catching up on reading. I'm sure the public libraries are closed where you are, as they are where I live. So if you have a collection of books (as I do) then perhaps re-reading a book you love. Or listen to audio books.

Catch up on your blog writing! ;) or journalling.

Try new recipes.

Schedule exercise every day. Some options are going for a walk, jogging, bicycling – when doing any activities outside be sure to keep a 6 feet distance from other people. Watching YouTube videos for yoga, pilates, cardio. Having a dance party.

Start a bullet journal. If you have a lot of projects on the go, or love being organized and use a planner, check out a bullet journal. You can find tons of info and page layouts on YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Organize old photos.

Do some small DIY projects or repairs needed at home. (If you absolutely need to go to the hardware store, I would recommend going on the same day you are going to get groceries, pharmacy, visiting the doctor. Or even better, make a list and ask someone else to get what you need).

Get online and visit some educational sites, so you can still keep your brains working and entertained. Most museums now are offering virtual tours and information.

I hope this post helps you with ideas during this very strange time in our lives, or at least it helps to generate more ideas. Please add your ideas in the comments.

What's better than a quiet weekend at home? Nothin' that I can think of.

I love spending winter weekends at home. It's a chance to reboot and a time to let your mind take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

My quiet weekends at home include waking up a bit later than usual, lingering in my bed before putting my bare feet on the cold floor. I think I literally embrace my cup of coffee. I have a nice warm breakfast. Yes, I do clean a bit, because a tidy space makes me feel calm. I spend the rest of the day planning future projects, reading, taking leisurely walks with my dog for a bit of fresh air, and cooking dinner and or baking something. I find cooking and baking quite therapeutic.

That's what quiet weekends are for me, enjoying the simple everyday things and being present and in the moment.

I used to think they were super-duper positive people, with high self-confidence and no bad days. Then I learned that staying motivated is a frequent habit. And some people master staying motivated on a daily basis. So I'm working on this – making motivational reminders a daily habit.  

I've downloaded a few motivational video recordings from YouTube onto my cell phone. This way I can listen anytime, while I'm preparing and cooking dinner, cleaning, folding laundry. So far my favourite motivational speakers are Dr. Myles Munroe, Les Brown, Tony Robbins, Eric Thomas, Steve Harvey and Gary Vaynerchuk. I've also been listening to non-fiction audio books while in the car driving, everywhere.

Listening to these speakers and having their messages with me has definitely worked and helps me stay motivated. Apart of me feels like they've become my friends, my supportive circle of friends. I believe that's another way people stay motivated – they surround themselves with like-minded people, people who are also pursuing their dreams.

There are of course other ways people stay motivated, but this one has been effective for me.

How do you stay motivated? Feel fee to share in the comments.  

I think I have a case of the Winter Blues. The weather this year has been up and down, with snowy weekends that have kept me at home shovelling snow multiple times a day. I do walk my dog but our walks are not as long because of the bitter cold. Plus there hasn't been sun shining which definately affects one's energy level.

So feeling a little cabin feverish I decided I would head out to a park. Yes it was freezing cold because of the lake and yes it was kind of icy to walk around, but it wasn't so bad. The sharply chilled air was refreshing, like when drinking ice cold water and feeling it move down your throat and down your chest. I was lucky on this day that the sun was out. This day out helped me quite a bit, being outside in a new environment and enjoying the natural scenery, I felt more renewed.

If you're feeling the Winter Blues here are some tips that may help you:

▪️Head out to a local park.

▪️Play in your backyard, with your kids or dog (if you have one)

▪️Walk the park trails in your neighbourhood.

▪️Check out your local parks & recreation department for free attractions (like a petting zoo that's opened all year round, or a free hill for skiing, snowboarding or tobaganning, or free ice skating rinks)

▪️Plan a trip to the museum, art gallery or another attraction

▪️Go to the movies

▪️Think about joining a league for the winter like bowling, curling, indoor soccer, or any other activity. This will give you something to look forward to every week.

▪️Consider taking a vacation, either somewhere hot or a weekend away. Being in a new and different environment is a sure-fire way to cheer you up.

▪️Learn a new winter sport with a friend, like snowboarding or ice skating. This can keep you motivated to get outside, and you can motivate each other.

▪️Sign up for a class through your community center, like photography, cooking, cake decorating, yoga, a fitness class. This is another weekly activity that you can look forward to.

I also saw Santa, he was patiently waiting to take pictures with some kiddos. I remember when photos with Santa at the mall was him and an old armchair. But now there's an actual set with a fireplace, Christmas tree and all the trimmings. It's now an elaborate and inviting experience. How fun. Happy Holidays!

I fell in love once. It was that love-at-first-sight-I'll-never-forget-you kind of love. The kind of love that you often think about and promise to keep in touch. The kind of love where you feel at home and excited to learn everything at the same time. The kind of love that keeps you on your toes and smiling like an idiot all day long. The kind of love that you vow to see again one day because you know it's meant to be. Perhaps in another lifetime.

Boston, my love, I will see you again.

I visited the Toronto Christmas Market. I had heard great things but had never gone. Once I got there, I realized what all the fuss was about. It's very beautiful. It's like a small cottage-y town tucked in the distillery district, with handmade vendors in cute little huts. Christmas lights everywhere and hot chocolate vendors at every corner. It's almost like an entrance-way to Santa's village.

Winter has arrived early in southwestern Ontario. Actually no. Snow has arrived. I still consider it to be Fall. The ground is covered with heavy dense snow, the air is super frigid, and my car doors keep freezing. But there's still leaves on the trees, some yellow, some red, some brown. All frozen. It's quite a sight, betwixt Fall and Winter.

The geese are certainly confused. And of course, no one is ready for snow. We’re all wearing fall coats and riding boots one day, then hats, scarves, gloves and parkas the next. And we’re all scrambling for our snow scrapers for our cars, while holding the rake with one hand and the shovel with the other. How’s Global Warming treating you? 

I have a thing with doors. I think it's the imagining what's behind the door that gets me. An entrance-way into another experience, another world. The anticipation that increases when you approach the door, then put your hand out to open the door, and the wave of excitement while you step over the threshold into a new space. Into a new world. 

Autumn is in full swing over here! The colours are so vibrant. Yellows, reds and oranges, oh my! There's a brisk breeze but the sun is out and shining so the walks are still enjoyable. I don't mind being wrapped in a scarf and wearing socks. Or warming my hands on a cup of something pumpkin spiced or cinnamon-y. Or making tons of hearty soup in the crockpot that fills the house with the smell of goodness. It's all so cozy and perfect. Fall is definitely my favourite season.  

I love black and white photographs. I especially love nature in black and white. Here are a few of my recent nature photos, in black and white.