Day 75

"April Showers....."

It looks like we're in for a few days of rain. I actually don't mind rainy days - I get a lot accomplished indoors during those days. All this rain is sure making my yard "green". It's so nice to see the leaves on the trees, the grass getting greaner and the last signs of winter going away. I had a busy day around home today so didn't have much time to concentrate on Day 75.....I noticed how my apple tree right outside my family room is starting to get leaves on it and thought it would make a pretty picture. An even prettier picture will be when it has all the apple blossoms on it. This will have to do for now.....

Here is Day 75....I promise to get more creative tomorrow!

JL

Day 74

"Dylan & Me"

My house has been hit by the flue bug this week....Dylan missed a day of school, Kris came home early from work and Jackson has just not been himself! I have been trying to convince myself that I feel "fine", but the reality is....I've been fighting off the flu myself!

Tonight I laid down before supper just to rest my busy mind and Dylan asked if I needed a hug....absolutely! I captured a picture of me and him tonight for Day 74. It's nothing fabulous, but any picture of my children and me is pretty special to me.

Here is Day 74.....

Day 73

"Sisters"

A few years ago my sister gave me the Tenth Anniversary Edition of SISTERS. It's a book featuring famous and non-famous sets of sisters with a story about their relationship and beautiful photos to go with each story. I love the book! I had given it to her years before and secretly wished she'd buy me the same copy back. She did! What I love most about the book is what she wrote on the cover.....I keep this book on my desk, along with other books I use for inspiration.

I have always wanted to take photos like Sharon J. Wohlmuth (the Photojournalist who wrote this book) and I hope to come close when I do my "Sister's Special" in June. I just posted information about this on my blog.

My Day 73 is my inspiration for my Sister's Special - the book "Sisters", but the biggest inspiration of all for wanting to capture special pictures of the bond between Sisters is my sister herself......thanks Leslie!

Here is Day 73....

Sisters Special

If you know me...you know that my little sister means the world to me. She and I are more than just sisters, we're best friends. A few years back she gave me a "Sisters" book. I was looking through it the other day and thought that a Sisters Photo Session would be pretty cool. In honour of her, I'm hosting a Sisters Special for the month of June. Details as follows:

$50.00

Mini Session - 30 minutes

Open to Sisters Only (and Sister-In-Laws - because I have a couple awesome sister-in-laws too)

20-25 high resolution images on CD, fully edited

No age limits - we're sisters for LIFE!

Please email me at jodilee@memoriesbyme.ca to sign up for this special. Limited number of sessions available!

"Having a Sister is like having a little bit of childhood....Forever"

Day 72

"The Most Beautiful Flowers in the World.....to me"

So, today has been a long day and it's only 3:00 p.m. My middle son Dylan woke up with the stomach flu so I've been home with a sick kid all day. Poor guy, he's trying so hard to feel better because it's his first baseball practice tonight and he does not want to miss it. I've been trying to get some laundry done, get the house tidied up and work on some photography work I need to get done....but my priority has been with Dylan. Jackson had to miss his Literacy class today because we had to stay home, so he was angry about that. What a day!

Anyhow, I was in the midst of getting myself organized and Jack came in with a handfull of dandilions! So sweet.....this is my first bouquet of the year....and since taking these pictures, he's come in with about ten more handfulls! He thinks he's pretty special bringing his Mom flowers he picked all by himself!

When you're a Mom having a bit of a rough day....these little handfuls of dandilions certainly seem like "the most beautiful flowers in the world". Thanks Jackie!!

Here is Day 72 (posting it early because who knows what the day will bring and this is one thing I can mark off my ever-growing to do list!).....

Day 71

"All About Jackson"

So, as I mentioned last week, I enrolled my youngest son Jackson in a Literacy Program at the Portage la Prairie Library. We meet every Tuesday afternoon and we read books, do crafts and basically have lots of fun with our kids learning to read. The project this week was to make a photo book all about your child. I left this to the last day because I have been so busy editing Mother's Day pictures that I didn't really have time to do a bunch of pictures of Jackson for his book. It has lines such as "Jackson has one tummy, Jackson has one nose, Jackson has two brothers, etc. and there needed to be pictures to go along with each sentence.

Realizing his literacy class is tomorrow I figured I better get on this little project! He was so excited to have his picture taken and be the "star" of his own book (like he isn't the star around here everyday?! LOL)....I decided to use these pictures of Jack for my Project 365, thus killing two birds with one stone.

So, here is Day 71......starring the one and only - JACKSON!

Day 70

"Childhood Memories"

I took the boys home (Grandview) this weekend to take in my Uncle Brian's farm sale as well as celebrate my Grandpa's 88th birthday. We spent the weekend outside on my Uncle's farm and my kids had so much fun playing around the machinery, running through the fields, and basically getting dirty on Friday & Saturday. Watching them play amongst all the farm equipment brought back so many memories of my childhood.

I grew up on a farm....my Dad farmed, my Uncles farmed and my Grandpa farmed. I never knew men did anything but farm! My memories are not of watching movies, playing video games, etc. My memories are doing what my kids did this weekend - running around on the farm and getting dirty. I have very fond memories of my family working on the farm. My older brother and I used to go out in the grain trucks and take part in Harvest. I never had to "work" on the farm....my older brother took care of that. But, I'd often go along for the ride. He and I used to drive around in the old red grain truck. I remember playing in the grain in the back of that grain truck with him....when it was full of grain! Man was that itchy. Anyhow, I got to wondering where that grain truck ended up. My Uncle Randy informed me it was at his place (which used to be my Grandpa's) behind the old duggout.

On my way back to Oakville today, I took my kids over to my Grandpa's old place and found that grain truck. I told them all about how Lance & I used to drive around in that old thing. They thought it was pretty "cool". The old "LLoyd Maxwell & Sons" sign was still on the truck. It's pretty rusty, but I thought it would make for a cool photo so I took a few pictures.

I am so grateful for the childhood I was fortunate enough to have. I am even more grateful that my kids, through the remaining farms in my family, are still able to experience some of the memories I had when I was a kid.

Here is Day 70......

Day 69

"Happy Birthday Grandpa!"

My Grandpa turned 88 on Thursday, but we had his party on Saturday at my Uncle Brian's farm. It was a celebration for Grandpa's 88th birthday and a retirement party for my Uncle as he has recently retired from farming. My kids had a blast playing with their cousins and exploring my Uncle's farmyard. They arrived clean, but left covered in dirt & dust from head to toe!

My Grandpa does not like getting his picture taken, in fact when he sees me coming he usually puts his hand up in front of his face to block my shot! I had to sneak around to take a few photos of him on his birthday. He is 88 years "young"....still curls all winter, golfs all summer, attends all the hockey games in town,drives, lives on his own, etc. He does so well for his age. You would honestly never believe he is 88! We are very lucky that we still have our Grandpa in our lives....and I'm very lucky my boys have a Great Grandpa!

Happy Birthday Grandpa! So thankful we could celebrate it with you on Saturday.

Here is Day 69......

Day 68

"A Day at the Auction"

So, I took the kids out of school a bit early today and high-tailed it to Grandview to be at my Uncle Brian's Farm Auction. He has decided to retire from farming this year so an auction was in order. It's hard to believe he won't be farming anymore....it's been his life for almost 40 years. My Dad is his older brother and I guess I always assumed my Dad would retire before my Uncle, but my Dad doesn't seem to be ready to call it quits yet. I didn't get to the auction until 4:30 p.m. so I missed a lot of it, but I hung around for a few hours afterwards to visit with my cousins and see some old familiar faces. Auctions in small towns are more than just "an auction", they are a social gathering and a good time is usually had by all!

I packed up my five (yes I said FIVE - I brought my nephews with me too) boys and we came back to the cabin tonight. It's been a bit of a fun, but wild night!!

Here is Day 68....just a few pictures from the auction.

Day 67

"Blossom by blossom....spring is here"

What an absolutely beautiful day today! I finished up a Mother's Day session this morning and then called it a day on the laptop. Jackson had Nursery School so I did a few errands, but when we got home we just stayed outside until after supper. It is hard to believe that it is April 22nd (HAPPY 88th BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!)....it just feels like the end of June. As I sat there enjoying the sun and watching the boys play, it kind of struck me that some of the trees are just starting to get leaves. It's hard to believe that it can be that warm and beautiful out, with no leaves on the trees.

Since taking up photography I find that I notice details in things that I never would have noticed five years ago. I wandered around my yard and just took a few quick shots of the "start of spring".

I hope you were all able to enjoy some of this beautiful weather also! Now, after a much needed break, I must get back to finishing up my Mother's Day sessions!

Here is Day 67!

Day 66

"One of those Days.....where I'm grateful for my kids".

Well, today was just "one of those days" for me. I didn't sleep well last night, so I was extra tired this morning when it was time to get the munchkins off to school. I spent a lot of the day editing pictures from my Mother's Day sessions on the weekend and was having "pangs of guilt" as I was not paying very much attention to Jackson. I kept hearing that quote "the work will wait while you show the child the rainbow; but the rainbow won't wait while you do the work". Today I failed at "showing my child the rainbow"....I was too busy working. It just seemed that everything that could go wrong, did go wrong....just little things and it's not even like I'm complaining....it simply was "one of those days". Danny ended up with the stomach flu tonight so that just topped the evening off.

I got all the boys settled and did my nightly routine of making lunches, putting out their clothes and tidying up. When I went to sign Dylan's journal I found a little note that brought an instant smile to my face! Every once in awhile he writes these little notes to his Dad or me in his journal and I treasure them. Dylan - this little message couldn't have come on a better day. I love you too buddy.

Here is Day 66 - nothing fancy..... and for those of you without kids, you may even think it's kind of a silly picture; but to me - it's a masterpiece.

Day 65

"Sweet"

Well, other than editing pictures around the clock, I didn't get a whole lot accomplished today. Jackson had his first Literacy Program at the library and we had so much fun. I've never been able to do that sort of thing with the other two boys because I always had a baby at home when they were in pre-school so it never worked out. I have to say - kudos to Marilyn Maryniuk and Emily Wall for running this program. They are awesome with the kids and really make it a fun, enjoyable learning experience for them. I'm looking forward to next week already. And guess what the first project is? A book about Jackson which must include pictures! YAY....another excuse to take pictures of Jack!

After the program at the library we zipped over to the Dollar Store before the boys would be home from school. I told Jackson he could pick out two things for himself and one of the two items was this giant lolly pop! I predict a trip to the dentist very soon! LOL....

I snapped this cute picture of him hiding on me behind his lollypop and did some cool colour adjustments and came up with this. Thought it was kind of cute for Day 65!

Here it is.....

Mother's Day Special - Results!

I had a lot of fun over the weekend meeting some great Moms and their beautiful children. I am still working on editing a lot of the pictures but thought I'd share a few of the many with you!

Day 64

"Timeless Toys"

We were at my Mom's a few months ago and Jackson took a liking to this old Fisher Price lunch box that I had when I was a kid. My Mom said he could take it home with him, seeing as it was mine (I swear my Mom has never thrown out any of our old toys - they're all still there!). Ever since then I often find this little lunch kit (which Jack calls his treasure box) full of his little toys. I'm amazed by how much he plays with it. He has all kinds of new, high tech toys....but he continues to play with this old "timeless toy". I love this little lunch kit, I actually remember playing with it when I was little. It had a little thermos at one time (for some reason I think it was shaped like grainery (?), but I left milk in it and it went sour and my Mom had to throw it out. The things we remember, eh?

Anyhow, I was busy with organizing my Mother's Day sessions and all the other duties I have as a Mom of three boys so I didn't have much of an opportunity to do anything creative today. Instead I just snapped a cute picture of one of my favourite toys from days gone by....in the hands of my littlest guy.

Here is Day 64....

Day 63

"Think Pink for a Cure"

Well, what a weekend I had! The hubby packed up the boys and headed to the cabin and I stayed back and accomplished my "Mother's Day Special" weekend. I took pictures of countless Moms with their kids and had a great time meeting new people and capturing images for these great Moms. I am grateful for all of those who participated and I'm happy to report that the whole weekend ran smoothly. Everyone was great, arriving on time and ready to go. I am still amazed at how many images one can capture in thirty minutes.

As I mentioned in Day 62, $5 from every session booked in 2010 is going to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. In honour of this, the first picture each Mom had to take with her kids was in front of my "Think Pink for a Cure" background! Some of the boys gave me a funny look, but I promised them I'd convert their pictures into Black &White for them! LOL!

Here are just a sample of the many people I met over the weekend. I think you all know what I'll be doing all week - EDITING!

Thank you again to all you great Moms - it was truly a pleasure meeting you.

Here is Day 63.....now for the first time in years, I'm actually going to bed before midnight! ;)

Day 62

Well, this has been a whirlwind day full of pictures! I have been busy sorting through my Mother's Day sessions and remembered that I hadn't got around to doing a Project 365! Luckily I remembered I snapped a picture of my Breast Cancer Awareness material I received to hand out to my "Moms" today after their photo shoot. For the year 2010 I am donating $5 from every session to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. I had someone comment to me that this was a good marketing tool when they saw it posted on my blog. I must say, this certainly is not a marketing tool for me. I am doing this in memory of both my Grandmothers.

Breast Cancer stole my Grandma Maxwell from me when I was 19 years old. She fought a courageous battle, and I will never say she lost it, for she fought this disease for 19 years and never once did I hear her complain. Breast Cancer also stole my Grandma Mulligan from all of us. We never were able to meet her as she passed away a few months before my older brother was born. I often wonder how our lives would be different had she lived.

So, in the sprit of Motherhood.....and in celebration of my Mother's Day Sessions weekend I commend all of you "Moms" out there for doing the hardest job on the planet....and that is raising our kids!

Here is Day 62! Wear your pink ribbon with pride! :)

Day 61

"A Mother Holds Her Children's Hands for a Little While, but Their Hearts Forever."

Today was a bit of a busy day. I started it off taking pictures of Jen & her three adorable daughters. They are such good little girls, and so easy to take pictures of. I loved the way this one turned out. So simple and natural....just a Mom with her kids, going for a walk. When I take pictures of people with their children, I often get them to just "go for a walk". It is an easy shot, with great results.

I'm sure some of you thought I'd be posting pictures of my new wheels that we picked up today in Winnipeg, but I didn't really have time and nobody around here seemed "in the mood" to pose! I have a full weekend of work ahead of me with my Mother's Day Special tomorrow and Sunday, looking forward to meeting some new people and taking some fun pictures!

Have a great weekend everyone.....the weather is going to be great.....take your kids for a walk!

Here is Day 61....

Day 60

"Last Day in the Dodge - Yee Haw"

So, my new wheels are ready for pick on Friday which meant today was my last day having to drive the Ol' Dodge (or what I have renamed it to - Uncle Jesse). I have to say, I don't mind driving it around the country roads.....feels kind of natural, but when I pull into Oakville, something is just not right! For some reason the theme song to the Dukes of Hazard just keeps running through my head. I'm sure there are a few that mistake the Ol Dodge for Uncle Jesse's truck, I just hope they think it looks like Daisy Duke is driving it, not Uncle Jesse! LOL!

I was driving home from taking Jack to Nursery School and thought the country roads in the mirror looked kind of cool so I snapped a quick picture. I thought it turned out kind of cool.

Here is Day 60.....

"just a good ol boy, never meaning no harm.....sing along everyone"

Day 59

"The Earth Laughs in Flowers"

I headed into Winnipeg this evening to do a quick little retail therapy. I was in Costco strolling around and I noticed how beautiful the flowers were. I very rarely buy flowers for myself, but I'm going to start. Last week I bought some tulips and set them on my desk and I was surprised at how good it made me feel to bring my coffee to my desk each morning and have beautiful flowers to look at. When I saw these flowers at Costco I figured, why not. Buy something frivolous that gives me joy! And it only cost $10.99 - hey, it could have been a new pair of shoes....and trust me......they would be much more costly!

I encourage each of you who follow my little project to go buy yourself some flowers.....I guarantee you that they will brighten your day! ;)

Here is Day 59 ....

Day 58

"The Only Time Jackson Isn't Talking"

This picture was actually taken at 12:30 a.m. today. I am glad I took it when I did because I had a very un-inspiring day. The weather is gloomy and cold (which kind of matches my mood today). I didn't really feel like looking for the "perfect picture" for my Project 365 and then I remembered I took this picture of Jack last night. Perfect!

I don't really have anything witty to say....other than this is the only time that my Jack isn't talking his head off! He certainly is a chatterbox....and my Mom tells me I was the same way when I was a kid. I guess payback is sweet!

I loved this quote I found.....just perfect and oh so true.

Here is Day 58......

Day 57

"My Boys"

The whole reason I started loving photography was because of my boys. I honestly can tell you if I had never had my kids, I never would have picked up a camera. They are truly my inspiration for any of the work I've done. I want better lenses, better cameras, better software simply because of them. Don't get me wrong, I love capturing images for other people, but my favourite pictures are of my own kids. I have the most fun taking pictures of my boys - I am obsessed with capturing all the moments of their lives (like you can't tell that already! LOL) I'm grateful for them and their patience with me while I use them as guinea pigs to try out new props and lenses. Thanx boys! ;)

The boys came home from school today and I had this idea of taking their picture behind this old window frame I found on my treasure hunt. With a simple promise of McDonald's (their Dad is away on business for a couple days), I had three happy little guys posing for me on the grass. I certainly can't say they are always willing participants, but for the most part they are pretty good.

So, here's Day 57....and now I'm off to McDonald's with my boys!

PS - they are pretty cute if I do say so myself!

Day 56

"Treasure Hunt"

I had a very productive day around here. I finished up two batches of editing pictures, cleaned my house and did a lot of yard work. After supper I felt like just doing something fun with the boys so I told them we were going on a treasure hunt. All three of them jumped on their bikes and we headed down the road.

I've always noticed this old yard site across the field from my place, but it's hard to access in the summer because there is no lane to it and I don't want to trudge through my neighbours fields to get to it. It would also be a nightmare in a month or two to go in there due to woodticks! (I detest woodticks). Anyhow, we went on a little adventure and trekked into this old yard site. I was so excited with what I found....an old house, old car and several outbuildings. I had no idea there were that many vintage buildings in there as it's surrounded by a lot of trees. The kids were over the moon with all the "treasures' that were there.

Kris joined us as well with the Dodge and thankfully gave us all a ride home....the boys were too tired to ride their bikes back after exploring for an hour around this cool place.

Here is Day 56....All my boys enjoying Mom's Treasure Hunt! (pretty sure Kris thought I was nuts hauling back old pieces of broken boards and wooden crates!)

Day 55

"Future Photog"

Well, what a day! Lisa and her three adorable boys met me at Fort La Reine Museum on Saturday afternoon. We had planned to a do a fun Mom & Me session with her kids. We had it all - the balloons, the bubbles, flowers, the hats.....but what we weren't expecting was the WIND! We tried to hide from the wind, but no matter where we went....these gale force winds would find us. Lisa's eyes started watering, the boys were getting blown all over the museum and we just couldn't complete the session. Having said that, we did manage to capture some great images! We are going to try again in May.....thanks Lisa, Reilly, Noah & Liam....even though it was a completely chaotic shoot...it was still lots of fun!

Here is little Liam trying out my old antique camera. I brought along my flat hat and an old family camera I keep on my desk at home. I figured since we were at the museum, we should throw a bit of "vintage" into the shoot. Isn't he cute....

Here is Day 55!

Day 54

"Friday Night Fun"

I spent the day cleaning my garage, tidying up the yard and finishing up the "spring cleaning". Needless to say, I didn't have a moment to take a picture of anything throughout the day. At about 7:00 p.m. it dawned on me that I had yet to take a picture for Project 365. I grabbed my camera and went out and shot a few pictures of the boys doing what they do every evening - playing hockey and jumping on the trampoline. I love that the weather has warmed up and they have moved their hockey from the basement to the grass! Much quieter in the house!

Here is Day 54.....my favourite view in "my world" - my boys.

Upcoming Specials

I have just emailed out the updated schedule for those of your participating in my Mother's Day Special on April 17th & 18th. I feel bad that I had to say no to some of you, but I could only fit in so many sessions in two days. Please note for next time you must email your interest to jodilee@memoriesbyme.ca Posting interest on my Facebook Fan Page will not confirm an appointment! I had to go by first-come, first-served for the Mother's Day Special. I plan to host another one in the Fall as well so watch for my post for this!

I am also thinking of doing a "Sisters Mini Session" and a "Grandparents Mini Session". Please watch my Blog & Facebook page for these announcements.

Thanks for all your support, and once again, I apologize for those I could not fit into my Mother's Day Special.

Have a great weekend everyone!
JL

Sir Ian

A few pictures from my tiny, mini-session with Sir. Ian!!

Miss. Marae

Here are a few pictures from my 2-year session with Miss. Marae yesterday. What a doll!!!

Day 53

"Miss Moo"

Well, it wasn't hard to pick a picture for Day 53. I had the absolute pleasure of taking pictures of little Miss. Moo (aka Marae) this morning. Her Mom is one of my dearest friends so I can't really call this session "work".

Marae is two years old, and to me, this is the absolute toughest age to photograph. They are too young to be reasoned with, they are too old to sit still and they either love you or hate you! Luckily - Marae loves me! Having said that, this session took place on her terms. We had to take little breaks to let her do her thing and we also had Care Bears rockin' on the DVD player to lure her into my little studio. Her favourite food is dill pickles (yes, I said dill pickles) so her Mom brought along a jar of dill pickes so when we needed a wardrobe change....we'd bribe her with the pickles. Hilarious!

I had countless pictures to choose from, but in the end I picked this one because it is simply FUN! And a photo session with a little girl this cute should be nothing but FUN!

Here is Day 53.....starring Miss. Moo!

Jack's New Wheels

So, Jack finally got his own bike! He's been attempting to ride his brothers hand-me-downs for awhile, but with flat tires, crooked handle-bars, etc. it was not all that easy! His Dad surprised him by picking him up early from work and taking him to buy his very own bike. He lit right up....he even got a new helmet!

When he got home, he and his brothers headed out to the road and gave it a spin. His overly-protective brothers would not let go of handle-bars for fear he'd fall! After some convincing and Jack yelling 'let go', they let him go on his own. He needed a push every once in a while, but he's mastered it. My baby can ride a bike....not sure how I'm supposed to feel about that? Happy or sad? Regardless....here are a few pics of the "big ride"!

Day 52

"Little Boys are God's Way of Telling You that Your House is Too Clean"

I am desperately trying to "spring clean" this week, but it's not going as planned. I did manage to get quite a bit done yesterday, but today is another story. For some reason, Jackson only goes outside to play if I'm out there. Once I'm out, he plays....but if I'm not....he is inside constantly asking me "if he can go outside and play!" Do you sense my wit's end?!?!

Anyhow, today I was in the middle of re-organizing their rooms when I finally thought "what the heck"....might as well go outside with Jack. Of course, I don't go anywhere without my camera so I captured some cute shots of Jack playing around. Because I actually hope to continue on with my Spring Cleaning I'm posting this as my Day 52 so I can mark one more thing off my to-do list for the day.

Here is Day 52.....

Vintage!

Here are a few images I took while on my Treasure Hunt with Jackson yesterday. I felt like a kid again exploring old yard sites and run-down old homes.