Of Life's Treasures

Welcome Tuesday! I feel pretty energetic today and that is probably good because I have a full agenda. Just the usual Summer projects that I won't allow myself to remove from my to-do list until they are completely finished. Today I wanted to take time to appreciate some of my favorite things: Photography, Poetry, Pottery, and Vintage Buttons. Somewhat random selection, but worthy conversation topics. I am getting very anxious for Fall. I love to take pictures! I have a double-sided photo screen that I like to freshen with the season change. It holds up to thirty 8x10's but I think this time I am going to shoot some black and white of the kids and put up 5x7 prints with the old school black photo corners on black background and give it that old fashion look. I just need the kids together for one hour! It is always amazing what can evolve from a drive in the country to take pictures. Even in my own yard there are things that inspire me. I am always hopeful for "that one picture" that I can do something special with. Last year I shot Kristin's senior pictures and they turned out nice. I ended up doing one of Kristin's friends also and this year I am doing another sitting for a close friend. I like the challenge and the landscape at the University is so plush and ideal. It offers good contrasting textures that work real well in portraits. It can be an expensive hobby but it is fun to capture a little time that we can reflect on. Poetry is a big deal to me. I love to write. I have always kept journals for the kids from the time I was pregnant with them, but they aren't very poetic. They are filled with little anecdotes and quips of advice. I like to write poetry because it moves me to be more connected with my surroundings. It is much like photography in trying to capture the most meaningful detail. I actually had my first poem accepted and published last year in a local press who puts out a book twice a year called Hardpan. It is very difficult to get published but my one acceptance has triggered a little more inspiration to keep submitting. I just need to take the time to organize my needs with their wants. I have been toying with the idea of writing a book but haven't quite made that mental commitment yet. I have started piecing together a recipe book though that I haven't taken too seriously yet. It is a breakfast collection of sorts for different occasions and a brief history of the style in which it originates. It is fun to work on but who knows where that will ever go. We'll see. Another thing I have recently gotten into is pottery. I just completed a pottery class and it was fun albeit a little disappointing. The class was primarily learning to work with clay. Learning the feel and how it holds its shape. We never got around to using the pottery wheel which is why I took the class to begin with, but it was still fun and I did learn something. Our projects were assigned so I couldn't create from my own ideas. I really want to experience the pottery wheel because I think I could really get into that and I have space for one if I really developed an interest. I ended up making a bowl, a rabbit statue, a car, and a model of my house as completed projects in my class. For those of you who have seen them I would like to remind you of Proverbs 31:26! I will probably be giving those as white elephant gifts in the upcoming holiday gift exchange! Last but not least is vintage buttons. I began collecting vintage buttons years ago when certain buttons held a memory for me. It began with buttons from my grandmother's dresses and my mother's old clothes and slowly I found myself shopping for them in antique stores. If buttons could tell stories I am sure my collection would be buzzing with excitement. It isn't an expensive hobby and they add color to any room when displayed in antique bottles or pretty containers. Of course I have used a fair portion of them in craft projects but mostly I just like to take them out from time to time and remember where they came from. The kids and I have layed on the floor with the buttons spread out and gone through them one by one looking at the detail of craftmanship and the distinctive uniqueness of some of them and so anything that spawns quality time like that is certainly worthy of collecting. Well I had better get actively participating in this day before the heat settles in and I don't have a choice in the matter. Thanks for joining me and I wish for you a moment to close your eyes and reflect on some small thing that you hold dear in your heart. A button, a thimble, a seashell...whatever it is that connects you with sentiment. I would dearly love to hear about what that might be and why. Feel free to share if you would like.