The words of Martin Luther King Jr.

 “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” 

 “No person has the right to rain on your dreams.” 

 “The time is always right to do the right thing.” 

 “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” 

“Without love, there is no reason to know anyone, for love will in the end connect us to our neighbors, our children and our hearts.” 

“Be The Peace You Wish To See In The World!”

-Martin Luther King Jr. 

And just in case you want to be reminded...

Double Digits...

 It's hard to grasp the fact that this little guy is turning 10 in a couple of weeks, hard to grasp and a little scary...

The birthday party prep has begun.

"Lost time is never found again." 

-Ben Franklin

Pinterest...

I'm not going to lie.  Seeing some of my things pinned on Pinterest gets me giddy, even if it is all Minecraft and Star Wars stuff.  That green creeper gives me more hits on my blog than anything else.

 Are you on Pinterest?

 There is so much inspiration and creativity on there that sometimes it makes my head hurt.

 Here are my boards.

Pinterest honestly helps me to keep some of the clutter out of my head.  Instead of trying to store all the things I want to do in my brain, I can store it on my virtual bulletin board on Pinterest.  If I'm planning a party, I look on Pinterest and pin ideas. If I'm looking for a recipe for something, I look on Pinterest. By the way, you can also install a Pin It button and pin anything and everything right from the web.

 Typically I don't just go on to browse.  If I did, I'm sure I could spend many hours in front of the computer pinning.

 Here is the link to Pinterest if you want to check it out.  Happy Pinning!

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.” — Albert Einstein

Unposed moments...

I was looking for something yesterday and came across this photo of my two memeres.  I actually posted it last year, but now it has so much more meaning.  It's been 7 months since one of my memere's left this Earth; sometimes it seems like longer.  When I stop and think that this photo was taken less than one year ago, it's hard to believe.  So much can change.  I'm so grateful that this moment, although brief, was captured. I'm also grateful that I just found it, because I had not remembered it. This is the beauty of taking pictures, especially those that are not posed. Of course looking at the photo doesn't bring back the moment, but it evokes an emotional response. I can look at it with fond memories and a smile and I can "hear" my memeres' distinct voices and laughs.     

  

I'm a planner by nature.  I'm not really into flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to doing anything.  But, photography is different. I prefer photographing the "unposed" moments.  To me, those moments are more accurate pictures of life and what it's all about. 

Those moments often end up to be the "sweetest". 

Those of us with Type A personalities may find it difficult to go with the flow and take it one day at a time.

But, we are forced to discover that life is made up of beautiful, unposed moments and  sometimes we cannot even see the beauty in them until they have passed us by.  

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”

Aaron Siskind

It's a new year, a new day...

It's already been two weeks since the start of 2014, holy moly, 2014!!!  Remember when we stocked up on toilet paper and went into a frenzy at the end of 1999?  It's been 14 years since then.  Time goes crazy fast.  

I don't know about you, but I find the beginning of a New Year to be a bit stressful, with the pressure to come up with a meaningful resolution, or a "word" to focus on throughout the year.  Being diagnosed with the Big C on New Year's Eve two years ago also adds to the dislike. 

I've never been big on making resolutions and this year is no different.  I typically do not make any formal pledges to work on anything...I know, lame! Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of areas I could work on, but I don't vow to resolve them as the new year starts.  It's too much pressure.  I go more for making mental notes of goals I'd like to accomplish and I prefer to go after things on a day to day basis.  So many resolutions are made and broken before the month is over.  Why do we need a new year to motivate us? Let's resolve to improve every day instead.

As we pulled into the YMCA parking lot last week for Little Miss' swim lessons, I said, "Wow, it's crowded here tonight!"

To which she responded with, "It's probably because it's a new year and everyone made a resolution."   

I have no idea where she came up with that, but I chuckled and told her she was probably right. 

Of course a New Year represents a new beginning and a fresh start, but I prefer not to jump on the bandwagon of unkept promises and resolutions. Going after things in smaller chunks works better for me; it's more of a gradual process and transformation as compared to instant changes we pledge to make at the stroke of midnight. 

I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.

J. B. Priestley

All photos taken at Lasalette

Weather...

On the day I took these pictures, a little over a week ago, there were wind chills below zero.  

Today it was 50 degrees and all the snow has melted.  Just goes to show you how quickly things can change, especially in New England.

Weather is a great metaphor for life — sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella. ~Terri Guillemets

Routine...

Happy New Year!  It's been awhile.  After a few days of a somewhat typical routine, I feel like maybe I can get back into the swing of things and get myself back to blogging.  It's good for me.  For today, Here are some of my recent phone pictures, most from the holidays.  Enjoy!

 1. my gifts 2. glittery ornaments 3. curls

4. tag making 5. gift wrapping 6. Zart, the elf

7. gift for me 8, 9. gingerbread house building

 1. house decor 2. letter to Santa 3. gifts for birthparents

4. bags for the homeless 5. old bulb makeovers 6. one of my favorites

7. cupcake liner trees 8. handmade by memere 9. reminiscing 

 1, 2, 3. more handmade goodness

4. from a former student 5. ornament to support adoption 6. teacher gifts

7. snow 8. more snow 9. friends

 1. barbie doll cirque 2. lights 3. sugar

4. gift giving 5. best presents under the tree 6. traditions

7. decorations 8. no schedule 9. gingerbread people

1. my craftiness started long ago 2. we were cute 3. child labor

4. lasalette 5. old fashioned fun 6. friends

7. before the clean up 8. my personal hairdresser 9. after the clean up

I've also been having some fun with the new Flipagram App.  

Check out my video here.

If you're on Instagram, find abetterdream and follow me. 

Happy Weekend to you all!

The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.

Mike Murdock