52 Photos Project / Week Ten / The Blue Hour

This week our photo prompt was taking a picture during "The Blue Hour".  That magical time when light takes on a blue hue from dusk to dawn.   The time right before the sun comes up or right after the sun goes down.  They sky changes into amazing shades of blue.  This one was hard for me and being a new photography baby, I was trying to find just the right setting with my camera.  My daughter n law Heather was helping me as well.  I had the opportunity to stay in Corolla with Heather and her mom this weekend, so it seemed like the perfect time to find a photo.  I tried the pool, flowers, landscape, my camera was giving me a fit.  Then I concentrated on their little shed on the property and there was my photo!

Seeing blue in Corolla, OBX

Of course with all of Bella's prompts, I try to apply the prompt to my life and really think about how I can write something about the prompt and see how it applies to my life.  Thinking of
blue makes me think of moods and how I feel at times.

(I know I am taking it way deeper, but that is how I do things!)


When I think of the color blue I think of the calm waters, beautiful skies, retreat,
nourishment, peace, the color of my eyes and painting with my watercolors.
When I think of what makes me blue I think of:
uncertainty
 my weight
finances
other people's attitudes
unforgiveness
weariness
draining work days
never enough time
restlessness
not being able to figure it all out

When I am blue it usually means that things are getting harder for me to walk through.  This photo was a hard one for me and I put these thoughts together.  I have such a long way to go with my photography and being able to understand settings, etc; but I sure do have the willingness and the desire to press on!  I love my new camera and it is teaching me a thing or two!  As far as when life is causing me to be blue, I am learning to take it one little step at a time, one moment and one thought at a time and trusting in God's grace and understanding. 

Yoga and the Outer Banks

Early Sunday Morning . . . the view never grows old!

This weekend I was able to sneak away to my favorite place, and hopefully, my home when we retire, the Outer Banks.  It is a place that I always feel welcome, peaceful and I love going to.  I decided that I was going to treat myself to a yoga class at Michelle Madden Smith's studio, Outer Banks Yoga and Pilates and I was not disappointed, I never am!  I took a class entitled Tai Yoga Latte, with Julia Daniel and it was a mixture of yoga, tai chi and pilates.  It has been over a year since I had taken that particular class and I forgot just how wonderful it was!  It was the beginning of a wonderful day for me.  I love taking my hot yoga classes at home, but when I come to Michelle's studio, it is like a breath of fresh air for your heart!

Looking upward from my mat . . . happy lanterns everywhere!

I have known Michelle for a long time and met her just by coming into her yoga studio many years ago.   Her yoga studio is a place that you immediately feel an overwhelming sense of peace and love.  We became friends over the years and every time I came into the OBX, I would try to see her or at least take a class in her studio.  She is so beautiful inside and out;  you are a lucky person if you get to have Michelle in your life!  She co-facilitated a yoga retreat in Hatteras many years ago that I was able to attend, and that retreat opened up a whole new yoga world for me.  Last fall I attended Squam by the Sea and Michelle was ever present.  This year she will be organizing the wonderful new Serendiptity Art Retreat, October 19-23, 2011, where there will be art, yoga and the sea! I encourage you to visit her retreat website and see the fabulous line up she has in store for those who are lucky enough to attend, it will be an amazing experience.

After taking a relaxing yoga class, I headed down to Corolla, NC to visit my daughter n law and her mother for some girl time.  Even brought my lace knitting for a little time of fellowship and relaxation. Patti and Rick Dietrich own the most incredible bagel shop in the OBX, called Lighthouse Bagels, if you ever have the chance to visit beautiful Corolla, make sure you stop in there, you will not be disappointed! You have to experience the French toast bagel just once in your life!  Rick and his son Ryan get up in the wee hours of the morning to start the bagels from scratch, by the time the store is open for breakfast, there is a line out the door!  My son also has a side business there creating smoothies from scratch and fabulous gelattos!  Family owned enterprises are the best!

Time away is always a good thing, my husband met me down there on Monday and we spent a day exploring for homes and watching and observing the area.  Of course we had time to relax on the beautiful beach.  The waves weren't there for my hubby to surf the waves but we did enjoy just being at the ocean and taking in all of it's beauty.   I asked myself, is this how it is on a Monday when I should be working?  I will take this anyday.  We had a beautiful dinner at one of my favorite restaurants and then we had to begin our journey home.  For me the Outer Banks is only an hour and a half away, so I can go whenever I get the chance and I do.  How wonderful two days away was for me.  I know I speak of getting away a lot, I think it is important to refresh the mind, body and spirit whenever we get the chance.  Grab renewal whenever you can and in any form that takes place.  Could be in your own hot bathtub with candles and soft music, doing something out of the ordinary for yourself.  When you are healthy and living in balance, those around you will benefit from all you have to offer them, I truly believe that.

Good thing the sign told me which way to go!

My yoga practice has taught me to savor the moment, to live mindfully and still my heart.  Whenever I put my feet onto my mat, I am amazed at how wonderful and invigorated I feel after my practice.  I only wish that I had discovered it when I was in my twenties and thirties.  No regrets they say . . . I have found it now and have been actively practicing the perfect amount of time meant for my life.  I am healthier, happier and in the best shape that I can be.  Whether I am practicing in 100 degree heat or the gentleness of another studio, yoga means the world to me, it has changed my life and my health.  I speak of yoga often and I will continue to do so, it is truly life changing.

My sticker for my Prius . . . and a little self reflection 

See you at the yoga studio!
Donna Lee

52 Photos Project / Week Nine / One Word

I am open to all that is surrounding me

The photo prompt for this week was to find one word that describes you.  It could be found anywhere

or we could create the word ourselves.  This was a bit of a challenge for me, I couldn't find

the perfect word to describe where I am in my life right at this very moment.  Turning 54 this summer, 

contemplating a life change as my husband retires

Then . . .

I found this sign Open

of course I loved the Sun with glasses, since I am an Optician

but the word Open spoke to my heart.

That is exactly where I am in my life right now, searching and Open

to what lies ahead!  So I share my heart thoughts with you!

I am Open to:

new horizons

new thoughts

what lies ahead

reaching new heights

learning new things

seeing what the future has in store

listening to my heart prompts

growing in different ways

trying something new

to loving more

to taking baby steps

to finding myself

deepening my art practice

to slowing down my thoughts

to possibilities.

Slowing down the pace

Peacefulness in the Garden

This weekend my husband and I traveled to Williamston, North Carolina to spend time with my n-laws and celebrate Father's Day.  I have been blessed in this life with two dads, my own who has now passed on and my husband's father.  I have been a lucky girl in life!  Every time we arrive in North Carolina, an overwhelming sense of peace and rest comes over me!  Life is always so full of demands and excuses are made as to why we can't travel to North Carolina; yet when we make the time to go, we love the time that is spent there.  It made me think about what I wanted to blog about this week!  Slowing ourselves down to a quieter pace of living, something that sounds easy, yet is not an easy thing to accomplish.

My n-laws live in a very quiet town, filled with beautiful farms and landscapes.  My father-n-law grew up there (and ironically so did my mommy).  When he retired, he always wanted to return there and so they did.  They have made a beautiful and peaceful life down there!   It never fails, when I go there and just slow down, I almost become lethargic! When you allow your body and mind to just slow down it is amazing the feeling of tiredness that comes over you.  I am so used to being home and running a quick load of laundry, painting a quick part of something I am working on, checking an email or blog, the phone rings, running off to work, etc, etc, etc.  Down there I had no distractions, just time to visit with my parents, rest, walk outside and slow myself down.

My parents have beautiful hydrangeas growing in abundance in their backyard, so incredible.  I was able to take the time to photograph them, thinking they would become a watercolor someday . . . and I stress someday!  I have been taking a photography course by Vivienne McMaster, You are your own Muse, and she has taught me to look for different opportunities to take a self portrait . . . I found one in the hydrangeas!!

Finding Peace in the Hydrangeas

My mother and I found time to play with paints.  I love to be creative with her.  She paints amazing acrylic paintings and has been wanting to learn watercolors, so I brought some of my paints down, we took over the kitchen table and painted on a Saturday afternoon. Playing, painting, talking and laughing!  It truly was a special time.  I always cherish the creative times I have with Jimmy's mom.  I had brought watercolor postcards with me and in that whole time, I only created one.  I enjoyed the time of drawing a flower and painting it, one by one.  That was a lesson I learned that day, it didn't matter how long it took me to complete just one little postcard, it was about slowing myself down enough to enjoy the process.  The end result was a beautiful postcard and when I returned home I added a top coat of Mod Podge sparkle!  It really was fun!  If I were home, I would have never taken that much time to create just one little postcard.  Now which lucky friend of mine will receive it in the mail???  That isn't that what art is all about, slowing yourself down enough to actually enjoy the moment of creating.

Flower Power!

I know that my weekend was a gift to me.  Special time with family is hard to measure.  I was able to see the beauty in the little things.  Attending church in a small town was a gift, painting with my mom, cards till almost midnight, reading in the quiet, resting, seeing the beauty in nature, spending time loving my n-laws.   Our lives are truly what me make of them. We choose to be busy or we choose to slow down and enjoy a slower pace. It feels as though I have written on this subject before, in a different way.  Perhaps it keeps recurring in my thoughts for a reason!  I carry that with me this week and my Monday begins at Gilbert Eyecare!  I am thankful for learning that lesson, yes, over and over again; but especially today, the beginning of a new week.  I wish you peace, I wish you all good things to come your way this week.

Donna Lee

http://viviennemcmaster.com/

52 Photos Project / Week Eight / Outside the window

My studio view

This week was a fun photo project.  I took all kinds of views from the windows of my home and I had a hard time deciding exactly which one I wanted to choose; until this one kept speaking to me.
It is a view outside my studio window . . .
First the things that are hanging inside my window
looking at me everyday
are things that give me joy
and they are significant to me,
gifts from friends
or bought by me!
I especially love my gold ornament
I purchased from my friend and artist
Stephey Baker of Marked by the Muse
It is simply radiant!
I knew exactly where I would hang it!

As I look outside my studio I see a very
large Bay Tree that I planted over
fifteen years ago!  I had tried to grow
several plants
and had terrible luck
until a patient of mine, Dr. Hubbard
brought me a tiny sprig and said to me
"Donna, you won't have trouble growing mine!"
He was right!  Every time I look out that
window,  I remember him.
 The tree is hearty, beautiful and still growing.
Just how I want my life to be!

This window has a special place
in my heart because
 my studio used to be the bedroom of my two
wonderful and amazing boys.
I made it MY room when they were grown
(all mommies want a room of their own)
so my creative space is filled with precious energy.
I even remember those wonderful Christmas Eve nights
when we would look out that window for Santa Claus!
Time passes so quickly
especially as I post today, June 15th
My baby boy Drew's 28th birthday!!

So yes this window has quite significance to me
and the view from here is truly blessed!

Donna Lee

Letting go and moving forward

My weaving loom and friend of 25 years!

Last weekend I let go of my largest weaving loom! I had committed to sell her in December to a very precious and longtime friend.  The only stipulation was that I needed to hold it for a little while because they were building an addition to their house and didn't know where to store it.  That was fine with me and then the time came for my friend Leslie and her husband to come and take the loom to her new home!  Leslie and I share a love of fibers in knitting, especially socks, Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and now she has wanted to begin her own journey in weaving!  I am so excited for her and my weaving had taken a turn to slowing down.  I knew I no longer needed two looms since I wasn't doing production weaving anymore.  I knew it was perfect timing in my life to let the loom go, and what comfort it is to know your precious weaving tool was going to a new home where she would be loved and not be sitting still anymore.  In my mind and heart I knew it was a good thing and I was ready to let go;  what I wasn't ready for was the emotions of letting go that came along with it!  This has been an interesting process for me this past week and I thought it would be a good post to write about.  

Transition and transformation, letting go of one thing and making room for something else isn't an easy thing to do!  I was reminded of that this week while having breakfast with a friend of mind.  She was right, I was letting go of a part of myself, a way of life I identified with for so long and I am making room for a new journey in my life.  Letting go is a hard thing to do, in my case, thinking of myself as just a fiber artist.  I have become so much more than that.  My artistic life has deepened into different avenues and I am even happier!  I have enjoyed the process of exploring new artistic adventures.  I am in love with collage work!!

My smaller loom that remains
There will always be threads in my life!

I had to think about all this for awhile and I came up with this.  I have not been weaving as actively for quite awhile now.  In fact I would pass the room by and see an empty loom sitting there, it seemed such a waste to me.  I have been drawn to my painting and collage work more.  It is what excites me when I go into my studio; it is what I want to create when I am there.  I will still have my small loom to create when I want to, of course, I couldn't completely give up something after all this time!  I have my spinning wheel when I want to spin for socks (which too needs to be used again!) and then there is my art table . . . full of brushes, paints, stencils, canvases, tools, glitter and inspiration, calling to me.

How lucky I am to have a room of my own, filled with all the creative toys that I have.  When I enter, who knows what I will create.  I know that I am in love with collage work, and I am now developing my own style.  It has been a combination of learning techniques from so many wonderful teachers.  I have learned to take a little of this and a little of that, put it together and use it for my own art work.  That is why they call it individuality!  So I leave you with my latest creation . . . Imagine.  It was quite a freeing experience to create this one for the fun of it after creating twelve pieces for the store that is selling my work.  It was inspired by Beth Nichols of Do What you Love for Life . . . I ask you today . . . What are you imagining for yourself today?

Imagine ... Doing what you love

52 Photos Project / Week Seven / A Heart

52 Photos Project

Come have fun with us!

You will grow as a photographer

This weeks prompt was a heart

I immediately thought of the heart I made while in Wyoming

the sun was shining, we were watching the moose resting.

I gathered the rocks

I picked the wild flowers

it was a truly beautiful day.

I had an alter moment and

the thoughts I had then 

were thinking of things my heart loved.

So I thought of what my heart belonged to!

My heart belongs to:

my husband of 33 years

my precious family

my artwork

my God

my friends

my own true self

my writing

The heart is such a beautiful thing

it represents so many things in so many different ways

I ask you

Where does your heart lie?

Sending you my heart!

My Thimble List!

My Thimble List in life

I know we have all heard of the "Bucket List", I have seen the movie and yes made my very own private bucket list of things I hope to accomplish in my life. Sometimes those goals and dreams are hard to attain, yet we keep moving toward them.  I know for me, sincerely, getting to Sundance in Utah was on mine, and I did make that happen recently, as you know.  There is a deep sense of satisfaction within when we actually do what we say we are going to do!  

I have been following Jennifer Louden as long as I can remember, she is the author of so many books and she inspires us all.  I love her inspirational website and emails.  Just this weekend, I was trying to decide what my topic for my blog would be and I was struggling.  I always ponder the subject during the week, write my blog on the weekend, when I have the time to devote to it, re-read it Sunday night and I always try to post on Monday mornings, that routine works for me!  I have grown a lot since beginning my blog last year, and I find that the words flow more freely when I have a routine in there somewhere!

Out of nowhere comes this wonderful email from Jennifer talking about her "Thimble List" and the more I read it, the more I knew I had my topic for my blog this week.  What an incredible idea she had, creating a list of those very small ways to savor life!  Here is a small description from her article, if you get the chance please visit her site and read the whole article!  

"I define savoring as mindfulness + gratitude = touching your essential goodness"

"If the bucket list is life writ large, then the thimble list is life writ intimate"

So here is my thimble list:

The sound of birds singing in my backyard

Having a private tea party

Time spent in devotions

Painting in my studio

Buying Fresh flowers for me

Time with my yoga practice

Watching my kids live their lives
Starting a brand new book

A kiss from my husband

Lunching with a girlfriend
Knitting needles in my hand

I don't want to make my list very long, that is why we savor those very special things. I am sure I could go on and on with the things I want to savor in this lifetime.   I hope that you will think about it and come up with your very own thimble list!  I cherish you and I cherish the friendship that we share together.  Life is so beautiful and it is truly a gift every day we wake up! Always make it special!

Savoring beauty in nature!

52 Photos Project / Week Six / A Memory

Wonderful times in the Outer Banks!

This week's photo prompt was so easy for me . . . when I think of a memory I always go directly back to our yearly vacations in the Outer Banks.  Ever since my son Curt was one year old (he is going to be 31 this summer and Drew will be 28 this month!) we would go to the Outer Banks for a week.  Many times over the years we always went with my husband's family and we shared the expenses of the cottage.  As our families continued to grow, so did our cottages!  Our beach weeks were filled with love and laughter, meals together, games at night, all the grandchildren climbing Jockey's Ridge with their granddaddy at sunset and bonding as a family unit.  All of the children are adults now and they still speak of our summers together in the OBX.  This photo was taken on the sand dune and I remember it like it was yesterday!!  I guess I could have found a picture of just the beach, or a sand dune or the sun shining over the ocean, but including my children in it struck my heart!   It is a constant reminder of the sweetness in my life.  We still love going to the Outer Banks, and my husband and I hope to retire there and truly make it our home.  I can't wait for that time.

What wonderful times when your children are small and need you for everything. Our children grow up so fast, at least I know mine did!  They still need mom and dad, but in a very different way. It felt good to go back and find this photo.  Having a reminder of a very special time in my life is a good thing.   Thanks Bella for bringing a wonderful memory back to the front of my thoughts!  I am enjoying being a part of this 52 Photo Project!

My Creative Holiday

I have been enjoying my three day weekend.  I told myself all week before that it was going to be a weekend of rest, creativity and reconnection to my art and my studio space, to my yoga practice and to myself.   I was not disappointed.  Since returning from our wonderful Yellowstone vacation, and then re-entry into the workplace, I found myself just yearning to be quiet and take it moment by moment. Not wanting the clock, the television, or my work schedule and duties to dictate me.  I had put a lot of thought into having three beautiful days off and wanted to just soak it all in. 


It first started with a wonderful Hot Yoga session, it had been several weeks since I had stepped onto my yoga mat, MY LOSS, trust me!  Yoga makes me feel good about myself, I feel healthier, centered and well grounded.  Not to mention the physical and mental benefits it offers.  The moment I walked into the studio where I practice, I felt as if I were home and I was!  I asked myself why had I let other things get in the way of my practice (that is a blog entry in itself!)

I spent time catching up with a precious friend, gardening and working in my backyard, reading, napping, resting and purposely slowing myself down.  While reading the new issue of Somerset Studio, there was a wonderful article by Nancy Bales entitled "Creating Calm",  she spoke right to my heart.  She asked the question if you ever wondered how the art we create is a reflection of who we are and what we are experiencing at the moment.  It sure made me pause and think about my own art journey.  Inspiration is everywhere, if you just take the time to see it.  I was able to write my blog and take my time, work on my e-course You are your own Muse - I had to take a self portrait of myself!  I was playing with my new camera and decided to photograph the blooms on my pomegranate tree . . . thought I would share a photo.  Aren't the colors luscious? From that a beautiful fruit will grow this summer.  I always love my Eucalyptus tree . . . this is the perfect time of year for it.

Right outside my window!

From my Eucalyptus tree

While in the studio, I spent a lot of time catching up in my journal and beginning a series of small collage works for a local gift shop in Virginia Beach.  When I get to my studio, everything is right in the world!  Paint, gel medium, papers and canvases,  pencils and inks, candlelight and incense (of course), creative music mix on the ipod, (Love Michael Franks)  life is genuinely great!  I was even able to catch up on my art journal, I was way behind in it!

I know that when I have time to devote to the things I love the most, I am at my happiest!  I am sure we can all say that in some form or another.  I was so grateful to have the time this past weekend to play, and no matter how old we are . . . yes me at 53 . . . we all need time to come out and play.  I love being home and going from one thing to another, whatever my heart is leading me to at the moment. 

I recognize when I am given those life chances to just embrace and I cherish them.  Hope you will too!!

I wish you love

I wish you peace and joy

I wish you all good things!

Donna Lee