Wednesday Wisdom

We moved over the weekend. It's been a whirlwind, really. 

Tuesday (last week) I flew to Austin

for a photography workshop (my first!)

and arrived home late Thursday night.

Friday I spent 10 hours at work and headed home at 9pm 

to ready my gear for a wedding on Saturday

in Cross Lake, Minnesota (three hours north).

I shot a wedding all day Saturday, and came home early Sunday morning

to a full trailer and empty boxes 

needing to be filled, packed, loaded.

Monday, I went to work.

The commute?

Fifteen minutes.

I have an hour and half of extra time now.

Every.

Single.

Day.

Time I used to spend driving.

Time that I can now spend with my darling daughters.

And DRL, too.

Time

dear, loyal, amazing friends,

that I can spend updating this blog. 

I miss it.

Writing.

I miss this blog.

I miss telling my stories.

Even if they're not any good.

So hopefully February will find me full of new material.

Also: Remember that you can keep up with me 

and all my photography adventures

over here.

xo

a

(special thanks to Kelsea for the photo)

Thursday Randomness

Because it's Thursday

(my favorite day of the week)

I thought I'd share this random story with you.

My first class at North Hennepin Community College

(where I earned my AAS degree - with a 4.0 baby!)

was Physical Geography.

I can't, for the life of me, remember the instructor's name.

The class began at 7:50

in the morning!

which was, to date, the dumbest collegiate scheduling decision

I have ever made.

But I digress.

One morning, as we discussed the layers of the atmosphere,

I raised my hand and asked the instructor,
"At what level are you able to see the stars?"

The class erupted in laughter.

My instructor snortled, ever so slightly, as well.

My smartass self got annoyed.

Really, really annoyed.

Jackasses. 

They were laughing at me.

Ugh.

The teacher replied, 

"You can see the stars from the ground. At night."

The class laughed louder.

At this point I was about ready to punch said instructor in the face

with my chair,

but being the wielder of wit that I am,

I casually responded to her retort with the following,

"Obviously. I am neither blind, nor an idiot. My question was in regard to daytime. At what level of the atmosphere does the refraction of light stop, thus making it possible to see space?" 

The teacher looked at me - her face blank.

A deadpan stare.

Deer, meet headlights. 

"I'm not sure?" she said.

And on we went with our lesson.

Did I mention I graduated (junior) college with a 4.0?

Apparently I was smarter than some of the educators.

If I may be so bold.

The moral of this story:

There's no such thing as a stupid question,

only stupid people. 

Cheers!

A

The Decemberist

Seeing as how I basically skipped the month of December
as it pertains to blogging
I am going to blog
December
in January.

Stella's Birthday.
Festivus.
The Holidays.
The new year and all that I have planned.
Resolutions.

You know.
The usual.

Stay tuned friends.

xox
Athena

be bright.

Wishing you all the best this holiday season.
Love.
Cheer.
Merriment.
Fighting over toys.
Temper tantrums.
That uncomfortably full feeling.
Pie.
Wine.
Awkward silences.
Sweet potato passing.
Dinner roll throwing.
Laughter.

from the family Pelton,
with lots of love,
Merry Christmas.

It's a Festivus Miracle!

....that I posted.

I know that I'm awful at updating, and I know I'm a broken record about being awful at updating.
But here's the thing:
We moved home.
Hooray!
With that move came a two hour roundtrip commute to my job.
Seasonal Affect Disorder.
No snow for Christmas.
More photo jobs (the most recent can be found here).
Stuff.

Stuff that runs my time-in-the-day clock dry.
Before bedtime.
Every
single
night.

I think about writing.
I have a list, actually, of things I need to share.
Sewing projects,
Photographs,
stories.

And no time to share them.

I'm sorry friends. I hope my schedule gets lighter
and soon
so that I can get back to my old habits.

So that I can continue to share
all the worthless drivel and irreverence that brings you here
loyally
every
single
day.

I do promise you the annual "Airing of the Grievances" on Friday.
Maybe even Thursday,
since there may be an ode to a certain wee one
whose birth I will be celebrating.

While hoisting my Festivus pole.

And since no post is complete without a photo,
here is some snow.

Since mother nature won't send us any,
I've asked Elena to throw some your way.
Enjoy:

Cheers,
friends.

Love you.
Mean it.
A

NaBloPoMo

It's here.
Starts today.

I'm debating whether I have the cajones to participate this year.
The time.
The material.

The interest.

(That's your cue...
tap tap...
this thing on???)

Cheers,
A

Wednesday Wisdom

Should I mention how much

I completely suck

at consistently blogging?

No?

Why? 

Because you already know how awful I am at it?

Oh, right,

you probably do.

Since you come here 

to read and all.

Only to find lack of new material.

Sorry.

Life has been insanity lately.

Welcome insanity,

but insanity nonetheless. 

Work. 

The actual one with the paycheck and health insurance and 401(k).

Photography.

The one I actually want to be doing full-time

but lacks the (steady) paycheck, 

the (company supported) health insurance,

and (employer matched) 401(k).

I'm planning an Owl party for a little girl who is about to turn four.

If you know me, 

(which, I mean seriously, by this point, dear readers, you know me better than I know myself)

you know that I'm DIYing the crap out of the party. 

Yay Time Suck!

But it is going to be well worth it.

I hope.

If you want to keep up with the photography happenings,

check me out here.

If you want to keep up with my snark, 

friend me on facebook or follow me on twitter. 

I think I need another Rant Zone post.

I can feel it brewing.

Also, I'd like to hear from you.

You know,

in the comments section

as to what you're missing on TFP.

Photos?

Regularity?

Does my blog need a healthy course of Activia?

Humor?

Snark?

Pointless pontificating rants?

Or,

keep silent,

dear readers,

if you must.

I will consult the Magic 8 Ball for answers and hope the reply isn't hazy.

Happy Wednesday!

Cheers,

A

PostScript: Happy First Day Overdue to my super pregnant best ever friend Nadia, and Happy First Day of Life to my dear friends John and Terri's little girl, Lily. Babies are awesomesauce. 

Wednesday Wisdom

I had a family photo session on Labor Day at one of my favorite locations in Osceola.
A photo preview will be up on my photography site shortly.
Or right now, depending on when you're reading this.
Ah, the wonders of technology.

I've been sewing a lot lately.
To show for it I have a finished quilt,
another one in the process,
a gift for my bff's soon-to-birthed baby boy,
and a Festivus dress for Elena.

I've been knitting, too.
I'm working on a cowl (that I'll likely never finish because it's hat season),
and a baby blanket for an upcoming newborn session
(see above comment about a bff's soon-to-be-birthed baby boy)
as well as a hat (for said session. Man, I'm a great bff....)
I also have some hat orders that have come in
that I have to get crackin' on.
Oh, and one for Faith for being so amazing with grammar.
Or an apron.
I can't decide.
Neither can she.
Turns out we're perfect for each other.

But I digress.

I don't have any photos to show of my craftiness.
Please keep your disgruntled disdain to yourselves thankyouverymuch.
Photos are coming.
Promise.

I made a half dozen felt flower headbands over the holiday weekend.
The girls hate wearing them.
Super.

I painted my nails dark grey.
Essie's new fall grey.
I love it.

I'm addicted to Spotted Cow beer.
Thanks to Anda, and my trip to Madison in July.
I want it on tap,
but I'll settle for it in a bottle.

Lucinda has been on vacation for two weeks.
We've barely talked in that time
and I miss her like crazy.
I feel bad for being glad that her vacation is up today.....
Sorry, Luc.

College football started over the weekend and I bet on Georgia
even though I knew Boise State was going to win.
Good thing I didn't bet anything of any real value...
Sorry, Noel (aka, my brother).

I found myself missing Texas the other day.
Was sort of weird.
But not.
We'd have stayed if some of you would have been there with us....

That's the news for now.
What I can remember of it anyway.

Cheers,
A

One Year Later

I wrote the following post a year ago (tomorrow).
It's still all completely true.

Except the part about the shoes,
they're not so new anymore.

Obviously.

But the part about hats?
Completely, wholly, fully, without-a-doubt true.
I mean it.

......
09/03/2010

Because this is my blog.

Because it's Friday.

Because it's a three-day weekend.

I thought I'd share my favorite things with you

dear readers.

*{new} Spectator Shoes.

*Deep Red Nail Polish.

*Ecco Domani Pinot Noir

*80 degree weather.

*My MacBook.

*Mac's iPhoto Booth.

*Messy Hair. Especially when used to disguise short hair attempting to go long.

*Yoga.

*Uninterrupted sleep.

*The hum of my sewing machine.

Wait! Wait just a minute.
What did that say?
The one about sleep?
What was that one?

Un-in-terrup-ted?
What's that mean?

*The promise of crisp fall weather.

*The return of knitting season.

*Hat orders.

Seriously. I LOVE hat orders. You should place one.
F'real.

I'll make you a kickass hat.

Promise.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Oh, and go check out my first ever quilting tutorial.

Cheers,
A

Tomorrow...

Or at some point this week, 

there will be a grammar quiz on this here blog.

You're.

Your.

It's.

Its.

Commonly misspelled words.

Affect.

Effect.

Use of hyperbole.

How to correctly spell tomorrow.

The usual offenders.

My big peeves.

I'll announce the particulars on the day of the quiz,

but the prize is going to be big.

It's not a hat.

Or an apron.

Or anything handmade for that matter.

It's way better....

Study up, friends!

Cheers,

A

Going Home

I haven't been very good about blogging lately.
Or  taking pictures,
returning phone calls,
emails,
or text messages.

I've been...

...otherwise engaged.

Packing.
Cleaning.
Loading.
Driving.
Unloading.
Cleaning.
Unpacking.
Organizing.

Life-ing.

We are here: Minnesconsin.
The move went well,
uneventful.
Easy.
We have officially traded 2400 square feet of house for a 15x24 foot studio in my mother's basement.
In the name of family.
Friends.
Dream chasing.
Life-starting.

Crazy as it is,
crazy as it sounds,
it's exactly right.
The refrigerator across the room from my bed,
the shoe rack next to my flat screen tv,
my laptop set up on a child size play table.
Comfortable.

It's not forever,
it's for right now.
And no matter what "they" say,
you can go home again.

You can always
go home.

Cheers,
A

Unusual Circumstance

Four short days from the big move.
My mind is a whirlwind.
Excitement. Sorrow. Fear. Apprehension. Joy.

I feel like there is so much still undone here in Texas...
but so much more to do back home.

It's a strange circumstance, really.
But a welcome one.
.....

One cannot discover new oceans 
unless they have the courage 
to lose sight of the shore.
                                    ~Gide
.....

We're embarking on familiar,
yet uncharted,
waters, the girls, DRL, and I.

As terrified as I am for what lies ahead
given the uncertainty and the risk
I'm horridly excited. Giddy, almost.

And the girls?
Can. Not. Wait to be back in Minnesconsin.

I'm kind of right there with them.

Cheers,
A

Big Plans

If any of you wonder what I do on the weekends,
allow me to put your minds
at ease.

Yarn.
Fabric.
Kids.
Camera.
Coffee.

Lather
rinse
repeat.

Cheers,
A

Laugh, Out Loud.

Lately I've been laughing.  A lot.  Out loud, even.  Or, as some would say, "lol"ing.
Yes.
Me!
Such numerous lolcasions have caused some to wonder if something has gone wrong.
A few extra screws knocked loose, perhaps.
But no.
Nothing is out of the ordinary.
What has happened, I fear
is a gross misunderstanding of my discernible distaste for the use of LOL.
Allow me to rectify the situation with the following:
I am okay with the use of LOL.
When the user does, in fact, laugh.
Out loud.

Meaning, just in case this needs further clarification,
that when someone
even myself,
finds something humorous enough to cause one to make an audible noise
like a laugh, or a cackle, or a giggle,
it is perfectly acceptable to type "lol."
Because,
as it indicates,
you did just Laugh.  Out loud.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
A

Gratitude

I thought I should take a moment to let each and every one of you know just how amazed I am that you choose to come to this blog and read the trite, trivial, facetious things I write.

It means the world to me.

Cheers,

A

Priority Mail

I've mentioned before that I like to craft, right?
I've also mentioned that I'm a top-rate blog stalker?
Okay, not really.
I mean kind of.

Maybe just a little.

I feel it necessary to mention that I only blog stalk people who I think are fabulous.
And who I think I could actually be friends with if ever given the chance to meet in person, properly introduce myself, and woo said stalkee with my real-life awkward charm.

Exhibit A: Jasmine Star.

Me and Jasmine? We're practically the same person.
Minus the whole dropped-out-of-law-school-to-become-a-world-renowned-international-wedding-photographer thing.
But I digress...
The other day she had mentioned her love of all things stationery,
and being the crafter
and blog-stalker giver that I am
I emailed her that I would be sending her some hand sewn blank notecards.
But she'd have to send me her address.

Then I promised I was totally sane and I have two kids and okay fine I go a little nuts sometimes but I mean who doesn't and don't worry I won't pull a Selena or anything like that I just want to send you something nice because I pledged to "Pay it Forward" in 2011 by sending handmade items to five people (who volunteered to receive them) but I don't care I want to send moooooooore.  *deep breath*

So she replied to my email,
kindly as ever,
and let me know that I am her "favorite stalkerish friend"
and gave me her address.

So I sent her these:

But I didn't stop there.
I kept sewing.
Because I like making things.

Even more, I like surprises.
Especially ones I manage to keep....

Which leads me to a story about my dear friend, Anda, and a funny little thing I like to call
Serendipity.
I decided to make her a little journal.
A place to write her dreams.
Wishes.
Gripes.
Somewhere to play a game of M-A-S-H with a girlfriend.
Or tic-tac-toe.
As it happens, the day I finished the moleskine, I read the following on Twitter:

anda_marie Anda Marie 

I bought these three awesome notebooks a few months ago. I guess they were so awesome I totally misplaced them. Story of my life.

31 May

I almost peed my pants.
But I did a kegel and took a breath.
Then I readied my thumbs and almost tweeted her back, "Not to worry, friend. Check your mail in a few days."

But I didn't.
I set those thumbs down and took twelve paces backwards.
Counted to seven.
Threw some air punches, just for good measure....

And quickly went to the post office to mail her gift.

I designed it to mirror the look of her blog.
Her amazing re-brand.
The launch of which caused her night sweats and stomach knots and oodles of worry.
Silly, I know, as it's basically complete amazeness.
I don't know that I did her vision justice,
but I sure tried.

I do love how the little hearts turned out....

I had two moleskines left, so I decided to make one for Gladys.
She had been under the weather for a few days.
Then Adele, her favorite, had to cancel the SFO leg of her tour,
leaving Glady with tickets to a non-existent show.
Since I couldn't console her with an actual cupcake,
her second favorite,
I sent her one:

If I could have fit myself into that envelope
I would be in 'Frisco right now.
Sitting in a pool of dreamy light,
or on the dock of the bay,
and standing next to Gladys to see who's taller
only to find out we're exactly even.
Except she's totally prettier. And younger.
And less jiggly.

....

I was so inspired by the use of the Heather Ross fabric on Gladys' notebook,
I made another for my greedy little self:

The spools?!?  Of thread?!? The soft colors!?!? Purple?!?!
Swoooon!

But I think I might need to gift it to someone.
Or maybe have a give away?
Or maybe sell it?

Turns out that being a greedy little wench just doesn't suit me.
I can't bring myself to keep something that could bring joy to someone else.

But how much would one sell such an item for?
Certainly it wouldn't fetch a first born.
Or a sixpence.
Maybe two bits?
Does anyone know the actual value of two bits?

Anyone?
Anyone?
Bueller....?

Maybe I ought to just give it away....

Cheers,
A

Spicy Tuna.

I love sushi.
I eat it alone.

I sip my tea.

I take a photo.
Maybe two.

I get full.
Really
Extremely
Uncomfortably
Full.

Then I eat more.

The end.

Cheers,
A

Silence

You tell me that silence is nearer to peace
than poems
but if for my gift I brought you silence
(for I know silence)
you would say,
"This is not silence,
this is another
poem,"
and you would hand it back to me.

~Leonard Cohen


I'm headed to Abbey del Sol
with a couple of my girlfriends
for the weekend.

So I won't be blogging,
tweeting,
facebooking,
emailing
for a few days.

I'm going off the grid...

going to be
silent
for awhile.

And I'm looking forward to it.

Cheers,
A

Now Playing

My taste in music is like the weather in Minnesconsin.
Varied.
Unpredictable.
One day I'm listening Bruno Mars and Cee Lo Green and P!NK
and the next I'm all about Muse, the Bravery and Mumford and Sons.
Or Ani and Madonna and Florence+The Machine.
Or Bjork, Radiohead and Outkast.

I like {almost} everything.

But there are some artists
some songs
that I will always carry with me.

Songs that make me roll my car windows down,
turn the speakers up to 11
and sing.
At the top of my lungs.

And then hit "replay."

~Sunshine, Atmosphere

~Dog Days Are Over, Florence+The Machine

~Uprising, Muse

~Both Hands, Ani DiFranco

~Let's Get Incredible, Lifter Puller

~Black Dog, Led Zeppelin

~99 Red Balloons, Nena

~Swim Until You Can't See Land, Frightened Rabbit

~Mrs. Potters Lullaby, Counting Crows

~Gimmie Sympathy, Metric

~Zero, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

~My Only Offer, Mates of State

~Wanted, Dead or Alive, Bon Jovi

~Ours, The Bravery

~Awake My Soul, Mumford and Sons

~Smile, Lily Allen

~Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrison

~September, Earth, Wind and Fire

~F.U., Cee Lo

~Big Time Sensuality, Bjork

~Mr Brightside, The Killers

~Positive Jam, The Hold Steady

~Revelry, Kings of Leon

~Viva La Vida, Coldplay

~The Greatest Man I Never Knew, Reba McEntire

~The Rhythm Of Love, Plain White T's

I'm pretty sure I could go on forever.
And ever.
And ever, ever.

So this will be my list today.

Right now.

Volume 1 of the soundtrack to my life.

And since no blog post is complete without a photo:

Meet Honey.
(My friend Melissa's dog)

I encourage you to head over to iTunes
and give a listen to some of these songs
that you may not know.

Then suggest your favorites in the comments.
Share your music with me.

And the rest of you dear,
sweet,
encouraging,
loyal
readers.

You are the pages of my book, you know.
Each and every one of you.

Help me write the score...

Cheers,
A

Hiatus

Lately I've been feeling a little
lost
creatively.

I havent' really photographed much in a couple weeks.
I haven't crafted much of anything.
And my blogs have been
a little
lackluster.

I feel I'm Jackson Browne. 

That I'm running on empty.
(Runnin' on.....runnin'bliiiiiiiind. Runnin' into the sun but I'm runnin' behind...)

I might take a brief hiatus.
I'm not saying I won't post anymore,
just maybe not as often. 

I fear I've run out of interesting things to say.

But I'm open to suggestion.....

Cheers,
A