wood poster. straw. laundry.

Do you remember this wood poster I made in June? Well, it was time for a change. So I changed it. Give me a few months and I am sure I’ll change it again.

Too much brown was happening on that wall…I needed more white. I just painted the front side of the wood, draped a vintage tablecloth over it and added a poorly stitched hankie. I think it is probably too small in front of my fake fireplace, but oh well. It breaks up the brown.

How about some Ashley randomness?

I took my nephew’s senior pictures last night. I have a nephew that is a senior….(and a niece that is a college grad). One of the first memories I have of him was when he was about seven. Chris was training for a backpacking trip in China. I went over to his parent’s house to find Chris with his hiking backpack on…with his nephew in it. Pretty sure he wouldn’t fit in a backpack anymore. I’m not sure if a senior guy wants to be featured on his aunt’s blog (especially after she tells the world he fit in his uncles backpack), so the pic is blurry. Maybe I’ll ask if I can share a few….

I found this picture on my computer….forgot I took it. One day while unloading the dishwasher I found one of the strangest happenings. A straw literally melted together from the inside. It was nuts.. I just kept looking it over – and even took a picture to document that it truly happened. Have you ever seen anything like this happen?

And then about an hour later, the light bulb went off. I had washed a hot glue stick. To be honest, I am surprised it didn’t happen years ago.

The other night I was with a group of friends. One mentioned that after dropping by my house, she went home and happily told her husband I had laundry laying out in the living room. A few others chimed in about the difference in knowing me in ‘real’ life verses this blog…as in they know I’m not perfect. I will say, my heart sank a little with the reference that my blog can make me appear perfect.  As much as I try to be real and honest…and not give off an idea of a peachy perfect life, I guess sometimes that can come across. I do love life and love those around me. Life is not perfect, but I am thankful for that.

However, it made me think about what in my blog gives off an idea of perfection. I began to look at the pictures I share on my blog – like the one of the glue gun above. What you see is a glue gun. What you can’t really make out are the dishes in the sink, the leftover lunch on the table and the homework piled on the floor.

When I pick up my camera it is a way for me to block out the stuff that weighs me down and celebrate the little joys in my life. I don’t intentionally avoid posting pics of dirty dishes because I want people to think my house is perfectly clean. I don’t post pictures of dirty dishes because I just don’t take pictures of them. The days can be long and overwhelming when all I can see is the stuff that needs to be done…I don’t need a picture of my dirty floor to remind me to sweep it. I do need pictures of the little joys surrounding me to help me celebrate and recognize them.

When I pick up my camera, I see the sweet part of life. My camera allows me to focus, even if just for a moment, not on the laundry but on the beauty near the laundry.

My little one reading…my camera helps me to really see the beauty of this moment.

The reality is that sweet little one will no longer sleep by herself in her room. We’ve had to move her mattress into the boys room….which is sweet in its own way.

As I was capturing her reading a book, my camera lets me focus on her delicate little features and block out all around me that is screaming to be done.

My camera helps me to block out – just for a moment – the piles of books her brothers did not pick up.

So, I get it….  I need photography in my day to day life. I need the gift of being able to cover my face, look through a lens and see the beautiful without thought to the messy surrounding it. So, next time you see a picture of my house and think that it is always pulled together…just remember, it is a normal house with 4 little kids. I’m just trying to see the beauty and not allow the weight of the messy to overwhelm me.

I’ll probably never share a picture of my laundry…there is something weird about posting pictures of that for me. If feels way to personal for the world wide web. However, I will share a picture of my laundry chair.

What? You’ve never seen this chair before? We’ve had it for 2 years…in the living room. What? It doesn’t make blog appearances because it has a continual flow of laundry on it waiting to be folded. If you ever do see it on this blog, then you know I’m on top of laundry. If you don’t see it again for a long time, well you can just assume if you dropped by my house you’d see it full of clothes waiting to be sorted and folded.