snow angel

we had a huge snowfall come our way. buckets and buckets of snow fell the whole day and created a very beautiful white blanket that covered the town. the whole place looked magical! i couldn't help but go out and take pictures of my Angel in it. well, i had nobody else to model for me so i told her i'd treat her to something if she would do a photo shoot with me. i grabbed a few props and we ventured out, but first it took an hour to shovel our car out of the driveway.

 i am not a fan of snow but it does create beautiful scenery and i get inspired by beautiful scenery! i found these pretty pine trees a few blocks away from my house that line up along a church.  i love it when they are sprinkled with snow! my Angel was a good trooper to hang in the snow for a bit while took her picture but don't worry, i kept my heater running so we could pop in and out of the car for warmth!

mesmerized by spring

i am in love with spring!

my heart skips a beat when i am in the midst of blooming trees and flowers.

when i go for a walk they stop me in my tracks and pull me in for a closer look,

their beauty is mesmerising!

how can one get any work done around here? 

windows

i had a little obsession with windows.

i was curious how they brought in the light and what was beyond them.

heritage walk :: temples

so, i am going out of order here on this time line of our trip. but not too far off the line.

one morning some of us got up extra early for a heritage walk. 

i was one of those who did. and i never did regret not getting those few more hours of sleep.

our first stop on our heritage walk was this temple (it kills me that i can't remember the name of it). we had to first take off our shoes to enter. 

the lovely guide we had didn't want to give us facts when taking us through the temple 

but rather tell stories of the the history behind it.

the stories are all beautifully carved onto these temple structures that were bursting with color.

it was all so fascinating,

and a great opportunity to learn about the Indian culture!

it's the holidays and finals

it's been a busy few weeks. the semester is coming to an end with finals and all. i have 3 finals in the next two days. hopefully i can share more here when it's all over. i've done a bit of crafting and baking and i love attending the advent service at church.  seems like there are lots of holiday parties and we or my children have been to one for the last 5 days. i hope you are enjoying the season of our Lord and Savior! i will return soon!

waiting for him to come home

it was finally that time to pick up david from the airport. we are always excited for his arrival day. but then there were delays and lots of waiting that we didn't expect.

we were not prepared to sit in an airport for what seemed like an eternity so luckily i did have my camera on me for one of my kids to entertain themselves with. this is what we look like waiting at the airport. i had to buy a book otherwise i'd go crazy just sitting there. 

my poor kids went a bit crazy but i happened to have two quarters for them to use on a game each. that all took about 10 minutes! i think i took a small nap too.

all photos taken by Angel Alexander

thankful thursday november

 

this week i am thankful for the colors of this season,

the red and yellow trees seem magical to a girl who grew up in the desert. 

i seriously get excited every time i pass one by. it never gets old!

these colors are slowly slipping away as the winds have brought us snow producing clouds and temperatures.  i am very thankful that the snow has come later this year too.

i am thankful that my husband did the grocery shopping this week.

also, for late night throwing with my classmates and the laughter we share!

 

treasures

every fall season when i am out walking
i find myself picking up little treasures like these.
i stash them away in my pockets until i return home and file them into
the pages of  heavy books to flatten them out.
i love how they come out all crisp and soft. i also love
examining their shape and color. they are so pretty and inspiring!
who knows,
i may just stick them into a garden journal or use them for thanksgiving  decorations!

garden failure

   

i tried growing some tomatoes this summer in pots rather than in the ground because i thought it would be easier to take care of, but it just didn't pan out the way i had imagined. these pesky bugs kept chomping away at my pot garden every day. 

guess i'll give gardening another try next summer. one of these years i'll get it right.

nablopomo

i am going to try and participate in nablopomo ( national blog posting month) this year. i've got to try and post something everyday this month! hopefully i can keep up. 

i missed the first day so i am already behind!

 

making progress

We are learning how to make cylinders in ceramics class. This is what my cylinders look like on my first week learning. They are so uneven and deformed. Not an easy project!

  And this is what my cylinders look like this week. Much improved! They are not so uneven and starting to take shape. But now I need to figure out how to make them taller.We have to get them to about 8in. tall. So far I am at the 4-5 in. mark. I know it sounds like a small amount but getting it up even one inch is really hard. I will definitely be practicing in the studio all weekend!

around here

Sorry for the silence here lately. I have a crazy life right now. There's lots to do around here and so little time. It is tiring trying to keep up with it all.

 I am taking 2 classes at the moment and they are kicking my butt! Three classes when comes October. One of the classes I am taking is ceramics. No, these are not the bowls I have made with my hands but I can't wait till I can make bowls as flawless as these. These were the ones from this project. We started out hand building the first few weeks of class and now we are starting to throw on the wheel. I love the learning process so far. My professor said that we'll sometimes get frustrated and want to scream as we practice. I really hope I never get to that point! So far I feel it is therapeutic.

Around Here
The weather is changing rapidly. I don't remember September being so cold. There's definitely winter air floating around our town.

I guess it's not cold enough to scare away the spiders. I have spotted lots of webs lately. These things are everywhere! On my cupboards, in just about every corner of my house, on telephone wires and in our shoes. In the mornings when I get back home from dropping the kids off at school I'll spot one with the morning sun shining down on it. Nobody was home so I quickly took a shot. They are beautifully structured and yet very delicate, a fine masterpiece. I just don't want to encounter the homeowner when I am around!

Around Here
On top of all the other stuff in our life we have a film shoot happening here at our house every Saturday. The whole crew arrives here at 9am sharp! That means no sleeping in for us. So you see it is a busy life.

hoover dam

We are homebound! We had such a fun summer in AZ with family. Time to get back on a regular schedule and do some school shopping. My kids first day of school starts 5 days after we get back. Waking up for school is gonna be rough with the whole time change. We are 3 hours off. So while we are going to bed in AZ at 3am, it's like going to bed at 6am back home. Hopefull traveling will help set us back on the right path.

Before we leave and head back home I'd like to share one more beautiful place that was part of our summer travels. The Hoover Dam! We made a quick stop here on our way to Vegas. Isn't it great? It was so hot that day and we were dripping in sweat after our long walk from the parking lot to the middle of the bridge you walk over to take in such a view. It was well worth the sweat!

Can't wait to get back home and get ready for school!