morning light / evening light

L - iphone / T - Nikon

I'm loving the cool mornings and warm afternoons that we've been having here lately. Low 40s, high 60s - perfect. Looks like it's going to last into the weekend too. I'll be heading up to NC to spend some time with my cousin and his wife. We plan to take the horses right outside their home, head out the trail on a ride to the creek, and paint out in the woods - doesn't that sound delightful? / my room has become my solace- that along with the porch. i pretty much have this side of the house to myself, which is wonderful because these are the rooms with the most beautiful sunlight. as of now, my room is clean and crisp. but my body is tired today and i think it's coming through my eyes. i went to a fantastic concert last night, a group called 'brand new'. i cannot even begin to explain the feeling of being surrounded by people, impassioned by the same words that you are, swaying to the same rhythm you are, screaming the same lyrics you're screaming. i haven't been to a show that exciting in a long time.

humble/ fancy

block print card by young Leslye and a handcrafted German sheep

This weekend has been filled with many activities - from a quite evening at home looking through old photographs and old handmade Christmas cards, attending a magnificent performance of traditional Chinese dance "Chinese New Year Spectacular" with some friends at our new Cobb Performing Arts Center, shopping at the crowded mall searching for the perfect gifts, wrapping presents together and then watching the movie "The Fall" (if you haven't seen it I recommend it). While looking through my childhood photos and cards I remembered the simpler times we enjoyed when we made our own cards and ornaments and made many of our gifts; we enjoyed staying home and baking together and putting together puzzles; sitting, warm, by a fire listening to my mom read a Christmas story. I don't remember there being a lot of t.v. watching and frantic Christmas shopping or the desire to always be on the go (of course, that's a child's recollection). It seems it was a slower paced life back then - at least that's the way I see it now in comparison. I'd like to slow down and enjoy the simple things like we did when I was a child.  / today was somewhat stressful for me - i have a hard time knowing what to get people, especially when they give no hints (mom!), and that makes me stressed. but mom and i did end up finding a few things that we think people will like and then we wrapped presents together. i like wrapping things so that even the most ordinary looks special. remember playing the white elephant gift exchange game when you wrap the gift to look all big and fancy when what's inside is usually just a silly little gimmick? we play the white elephant every year in our family but we give nice gifts. i've been to many a party where this game is played and i've gotten some really crazy stuff - sometimes funny, sometimes embarrassing, and every once in a while you get something you actually like. have you played this game?

The above is one of the handmade cards from my younger years. Inside the card I included this poem (I don't remember where I got it):

Animals knew Him
In His first sleep,
Donkey and cow,
The wool-soft sheep.

The humblest beasts
Gave Him their heat,
And shared the straw
Beneath their feet.

Creatures were kind
In that cold place.
They gave Him warmth.
He gives us grace.