2009::in pictures

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the poems.

i've been loving them lately. simple ones like haiku and cinquain. counting syllables. tasting sounds.

(and, i know. i've become quite a tease about this quilting project. it's almost done, i promise.)

i am the proud possessor...

of the coolest lunch box ever. picnic, anyone?

close-ups.

today, i've been sitting.

sitting with the light - soft sunshine and candlelight. sitting with words. with what is real. sitting with fabric and colors...and with good Christmas coffee.

oh. and i did a little stacking, too.

she's our Christmas dog.

she came just in time for Christmas, that first year. she left on Christmas eve. and her last comforting blanket was a Christmas sweater.

(she brought much joy on all her Christmases, including this one. i hope yours is filled with joy, as well!)

views::wrist strap and self portrait

{the camera strap - my sewing project of this morning - is quite largely inspired by these beautiful longer ones}

hi. :)

i hadn't thought i would be here at home this morning, getting to talk to you! i thought i would be in a crowded van with my family on our way up (the even more crowded) interstate 95. i planned to tell you so last night - that i would be missing in (blog) action for a few days. but, here i am. it's the right place to be.

would you all pray for my mom? she's on her way right now to have an MRI done. we're not sure what will come after that, but God knows, and we trust Him to hold that unknown.

since we already had "our" Christmas - within our immediate family, that is, we're looking forward to a few quiet, cozy days snuggling up close together. while we wait, and rest. and, quite frankly, i think those are the best kind of days. i plan to make lots of good memories. *smile*

for right now, i'm off to a little quiet sewing. for me. (there is quite a lot to be said for having *all* the Christmas prep done early!)

any guesses?

raindrop reflections.

{photo taken by diana}

i saw the stars tonight.

shining soft from a
bed of blue - glowing in sleep
'round clear crescent light.

morning light.

inside::layers of quilts and flannel.
outside::lacings of crystal and cold.

it's hard to say goodbye.

on the page.

support.

This currently holds a spot as my favorite stretch. I do it when I've done all of my normal poses, once my breathing has settled into a steady rhythm of strength. That's when I crouch down and press my fingertips and palms into the sticky mat so that they can support my whole body. Hovering over my hands, I feel that slow strong rhythm built into the support of a rooted balance and stability. It only lasts a few seconds, but it makes me smile every time.

.words :: listening, and waiting.

i have some words that need to be said out loud. not necessarily for you. but for me. i need to hear myself say these things, i think, even though i'm not entirely sure what some of them are. i can feel them, waiting. waiting to be given a voice. so, will you listen? even though we're doing this december views thing, which is kind of all about the photos. see, i even have one (above) to prove my point. the nice thing about december views, though, is that there are no rules. (it says so in the explanation.) words, therefore, still count. i'm glad for that, and for you who so kindly listen. thanks for that. really.

something i've been thinking about in the past few days is a word for 2010. just one word. something that embodies my hopes and prayers for the year and anticipates the next steps in my journey. it's kind of like a goal, but better. it's an incentive, an inspiration.

i never had an official word for 2009. i had some ideas, but i never narrowed it down. as i've been contemplating words in these recent days, i didn't recall the exact ones i had put in my wordle, but i did look over my year. what struck me from the past twelve months was release. (inconsequently, this isn't one of the words i brainstormed a year ago.)

release, in the sense that a bird is loosed from its cage. released to fly freely. this time last year, i really didn't realize quite the extent to which i was bound by darkness (although i was beginning to). i suppose that ignorance was actually part of my prison. but now (thank God!) my soul is free. released to the fullness of my identity in Him. released to express that identity freely and openly, without fear.

release also came in the sense of learning to let go. because i'm someone who holds on by nature. with a death grip. and while holding in is all well and good, sometimes we just have to let go. and feel the release. that happened this year, too, in many ways.

so that was 2009. i don't know about 2010. it will be a busy year, full of new classes and (maybe, hopefully!) a trip to canada, and a brother (most probably!) joining me at college, and a crazy fall semester of practicum (the precursor to student teaching). 2010 definitely needs a word full of purpose, and i'm not yet sure what word that is. a few seeds of thought are beginning to swell, but they haven't quite sprouted. soon. they'll come soon. wait with me, would you?

many hands make light work.

there was an {exceptionally} stunning sky.

me & my mom.

 

modeling hats. being pampered. drinking frappachinos. having an all-around awesome time. (thanks mom! you're the best.)

in which people appear. (along with some "cinnamon sugar.")

 

 

 

more december views.

 

 

my afternoon: a little crafting. a clean house. a scrumptious dinner (one lovely to prepare, as well). and a twinkling room.

now, for some leisurely reading.

Unphotographed.

The knock of a police officer on our door immediately upon our arrival home from church - apparently he was alerted by a motion sensor on our alarm system. Nothing like sunglasses and badges to liven up an afternoon. (All is well - we think a door must have moved when the heat came on.)

Passing a beeping countdown between our circled seats in the livingroom after lunch and trying to be the team to guess words the fastest. (Mom and Dad beat Michael and I. Again. It was close. Again.)

Washing dishes by hand because our new water heater has confused the delicate temperment of our dishwasher - and rendered it disfunctional. There's something about the slowness of cleaning each dish that is comforting.

And reacquainting my fingers and the piano keys with the help of glowing Christmas tree lights and friendly carol books. (I think they've missed each other - the fingers and the keys.)

No photos today. But there are still moments which are frozen in time.

Resettling.

As I worked in my room this evening I tried to think of how to describe my actions. I didn't clean my room (although I did dust and vacuum), nor did I organize  (although I did sort through various school papers and craft supplies and put them in their respective places) or decorate it (although I did carefully place some festooning touches).Instead, I performed strategic changes in the make-up of my room: I moved my wooden gardener's box from my bedside to my desk. The crate full of creative-works-in-progress now resides on the bottom shelf of my bookshelf instead of a corner of the floor. My most current project now makes its home in said gardener's box on my desk, along with my current book (and a few other things). I put away some things that I won't be using in the near future, and got out a few that have been in hibernation. In short, I re-situated my room so that it perfectly fits the life I am living right now, this very moment, day, and month. Even shorter (the description I eventually arrived at as the most perfect for my actions tonight), I resettled my room.

I must say, it's very cozy. Also, I may have to put the top on my Christmas candle; it has released its scent quite effectively without being burned! 

R&R.

This business of Christmas break is hard work, don't you know. (Also, I'm talking [or writing, if you prefer to be technical] like the characters in my current book...)

habit forming.

 

both the pom-pom making and the running - they're addictive. in the best way possible. *grin*

feathers and fluff.

my view of the world.

thinking about this daily december thing. mostly, i'm inspired by the "views" part of it. i missed my camera a bit in november. also - this, this, and this (they build on each other) make me want to craft pom poms. those flowers in the vase and on the gift wrapping nearly send me into hyperventilation. (yes. i also occasionally enjoy exaggeration. *ahem*)

anyway...happy first day of december!