*sigh*

I've been secretly hoarding these photos from a session with a friend and her absolutely perfectly beautiful baby boy for a few weeks! I love them so much and he honestly is the most amazing little boy. He was a dream from start to finish and I'm already thinking ahead to the fun we'll have at his 6 month shoot in the summer! I told you! He's a total dreamboat! Hearts will be breaking all over in about 15 years time! He is also the bump belonging to the other bridesmaid at my sister's wedding in October which you can see here if you fancy a nosey. Well worth a look!

The north coast by iPhone

I had such a good time playing with my favourite gadget when we were on the north coast a few weeks ago. Lots of Hipstamatic action going on. I love the dramatic effect of the film filters on these shots. The weekend consisted of a lot of chilling out, eating out, bowling, watching Rango, and going to the Giant's Causeway. Again! Sometimes living here seems just plain dull. Other times the beauty of the place takes your breath away.

today's random thoughts

Life has been busier than usual this past couple of weeks. It's been a mixture of good and bad, want to's and have to's and I have photos galore that I hope to share on another occasion. For now, however, I just wanted to share a few things that have been on my mind over the past few days.:: Firstly I really want to thank everyone who bought a print from my Etsy shop in support of Comic Relief. I know the donation of £45 that I was able to make was a humble one, but after watching the show 2 weeks ago I am fully convinced that people I will never meet will benefit from it in a way I will never understand. And all because you liked my pictures enough to buy one. So thank you! You have no idea what those little emails telling me of a purchase did to cheer my heart.:: I have also finally accepted that I am a sucker for cheeky boys. See below!:: It's been hard not to notice the vast number of origami cranes that have been created and photographed in support of those suffering in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami. The internet, and photography websites in particular, have been awash with them. And they are so pretty, especially in the midst of all the bad news. So I felt it would be plain rude of me not to have a go at creating one myself. One of my favourite blogs not only showed some particularly pretty ones but also linked to a video on YouTube showing how to make them. So good was the video that I managed to create this. Just one. For now! Patrick is keen to give it a go tomorrow!Looking at the flickr pool of all these cranes there is such a feeling of  hope and a real belief that there is more good in the world than bad.:: However, living as I do in Northern Ireland it can be hard to truly believe that at times. Just this afternoon a young PSNI officer died when a car bomb exploded as he got into his car. He was 25. He had only just completed his training. It seems so pointless. So stupid. Such a waste of a life intended for the good of the people in this country. It has made me very sad. But I will dig deep and stick to my beliefs that good will overcome.It seems a rather sombre note on which to end a post but that is, indeed, what I am going to do. I solemnly promise to return more swiftly than I did this time and to bring you happier news and thoughts.

All things green

Ok, I might have exaggerated slightly with that title, but things were looking decidedly green in our house on this fine St Patrick's morning. The boys had to wear something green to school (which is kind of hard when their uniform is green to start with!) but we have added Mario and Star Wars t-shirts on top of the rest for good measure. Patrick - who loves today because of his name - also insisted on a shamrock on his face. I wouldn't be known for my face painting skills so if it's colourful butterflies you're after I'm probably not your girl, but if it's single colour, 3-leafed plants you need, just pop on over!They 're also wearing wellies in an ec0 green fashion to raise money for the Woodland Trust, so it's all good over our way this morning!Whatever you're up to this St Patrick's day I hope you have fun. And if you're at a loss for something to do there are still a few days to buy yourself a print over in my Etsy shop before Red Nose Day on Friday. All profits from sales until midnight on Saturday 20th March are going directly to Comic Relief. Which means you can enjoy all the televised hilarity on Friday night guilt free knowing you've already done your bit :)

rugby, red noses and a really good offer!

Well it's all gone a bit haywire. I had great plans for making things, going places and generally being a fun, active mum.And then we got sick! So the above was put on hold for another weekend and in place of fun stuff came blankets, hot water bottles, basins and a lot of cuddles. So I thought I'd share a few photos from the days prior to sickness (because no matter how much you may love us I'm pretty sure you don't want to see pictures of sick kids and parents!)Patrick played in a rugby match last Saturday, and it was really the week that their players were transformed into a wee team. Such a joy to watch them put into practice what they've learned in training, although passing is still a bit of an issue, and I do think they should have a special room for mums to watch from so we don't panic when the large child from the opposition brings our son down with a crash and 4 other players on top of him! Really, I'm not sure how much I love a game that requires protective headgear at age 7!!Conor is trailed along to these events on a weekly basis and it would be fair to say that he isn't a firm supporter of his brother's efforts yet. So the DS is the way forward at match time. Yay for Santa and modern technology! He is pretty darn cute when he isn't complaining though, don't you think?This past week we have also been getting ready for some Comic Relief fun. The boys are big fans of the red noses and this year we have also acquired a couple of the official t-shirts - helped along by the fact that they feature a skull and crossbones and in the opinion of the small people in this house that makes them really cool. Who am I to argue? Getting them to pose for a photo to show off their red noses, however, does not count as really cool. What's that, you don't believe me?They did concede in the end and gave me a few to work with!The reason for all this posing was ultimately for something other than gratifying a mum with a camera. For once! After watching the BBC programmes the past few weeks about the slum outside Nairobi in Kenya I honestly felt that I had to do something to help, no matter how small. The abject poverty that such a large proportion of our world lives in is beyond shocking. For days I had complained about the dust on our floors from the work that's being done in our gardens - those programmes did a pretty good job at giving me some perspective. But what could a girl like me do? I don't run or do anything vaguely physical that anyone in their right mind would sponsor me to do. I don't make things fast enough or knit well enough to dare ask anyone for money for my creations. I only bake for birthdays or when the bananas have arrived at a state of mush that means they are destined for banana bread. But what I can do is use a camera. So photographs it is!Which leads me to announce my special offer in my Etsy shop.I know some of you have come across this on my Facebook page and have already generously bought prints (thank you very much!) But for those of you who haven't, for this week, until midnight on Saturday 20th March, all profits from the sales of my prints will be donated to Comic Relief. Could it be that you are looking for a pretty print for a frame you bought a while ago? Are you looking for something different as a present for Mother's Day? Would you just like to do something to help people who are so desperately in need? If yes is your answer to any of these questions then please pop over to my shop, have a look and maybe, if you feel so inclined, pop a print in your basket knowing that your money is going somewhere it is really needed. If you've missed all the links through this rather lengthy paragraph you can easily get to my shop by clicking on the tab at the top of this page that says SHOP. Please let your friends know as well, either by linking to the blog or sharing the link on Facebook (which you can get to via the other tab at the top of this page!) I would love to be able to post next week and share an amazing total with you!For now, though, I'm off to check on the one sickie remaining (Daddy) and prepare myself for another afternoon of boys shouting at rugby! I hope you all have a lovely Sunday :)

jump for joy!

The past few days here have had a definite hint of spring about them. It's been warm enough to go out for a while with just a sweatshirt and no coat; there are bright green buds appearing on the naked branches of trees and shrubs; the sun has been out for more than 2 minutes at a time; and I've found myself beginning to think about what it would be like to sit on a bench outside and have a cup of tea. Delightful ponderings, I can tell you! And all this thinking about spring and a bit of warmth in the air reminded me that I have a couple of weddings from last summer that I never got around to sharing on the blog. So I shall share one with you now!The bride from this session is the cousin of my very best friend in the world, and their family is a pretty special family. The bride's family traipsed from Toronto to Bangor for the wedding and I was the most privileged girl in the world to get to do their photography, with some much appreciated assistance from my very talented friend, Mr M. I was initially highly intimidated at the prospect because the groom is also a photographer of the utmost talent (seriously, you have to check out his work!) But all nerves faded the moment I met him and saw how totally loved up the pair of them were and that they were game for anything! They had a website called 'Jump for Joy' to share the news of their engagement and their wedding plans, which explains a lot of the shots. Shall I stop wittering and show you? Ok then!Just looking at these images again makes me want to jump for joy! Seriously the best time I've ever had shooting a wedding. Makes me want to do more! Anyone in need of a wedding photographer?!! Click below to see a slideshow of the whole wedding.

a pretty normal day

We've been off for half term this past week (I'm pretending my day at work on Wednesday didn't actually happen!) and if truth be told it's been a pretty low key holiday. The weather has been pretty poor, and since our garden is a building site in progress anyway, the boys have barely been able to get outside for any fun. So we've gone down the line of pottering, Lego, reading, Dsi or Wii, more pottering, some making, a bit of playing with friends and a whole lot more pottering. And it's been lovely. I'm trying not to get sucked into thinking that spring is never coming (even thought it actually feels that way) and so I forced myself to get the camera out for a bit of documentation of our day yesterday. It's fun to look back at your pictures at the end of the day, when you've got some distance from the bickering and squabbling and tearing your hair out at the fact that no one ever seems to listen, and see just what your day was actually like. This is how ours looked...There was a pretty intense battle involving daddy's old soldiers and about 300 marbles; an unexpected gift of some pretty knitted tops from my sister; a bit of self-portraiture; some work starting in our garden; pancakes for lunch; lovely coffee with the Stronges; a few purchases of Lego and not a single bit of reading that magazine; a bit of chasing; much ninja action; a whole lot of bubbles and some underwater swimming in the bath. Not a bad day all in all!I wonder if your days look anything like mine. If you're a picture taker, why not link up to your pictures via the comments? That way I could reassure myself that I'm not the only mum who spends half the day in the world of Lego!

super cute baby alert!

Last week I had the pleasure to photograph one very cute baby indeed. And his big brother, who has grown tremendously since I photographed him at 2 weeks old! The session was such fun - it's always a real privilege to go back to a family I've worked with before and share their joy at a new addition, and this family in particular are just so relaxed and easy to work with. Look at how cute they are....*sigh*Thank you Haslam family for letting me barge in on your Saturday morning and do what I love to do.

Right now...

Just a few random thoughts about life right now :Watching :: Lark Rise to Candleford, Silent Witness, The Pacific, Grey's Anatomy. I don't watch TV at all during the day, but in these seemingly interminable evenings I've found that it's hard to beat a good drama. You can see I'm covering the full gamut of genres here, from gentle period drama and medical drama to hard hitting crime drama and outright shocking war drama! Variety, they say, is the spice of life.Listening :: to not very much it must be said. Michael is always giving off at me for turning the radio down or off. It seems I have a particularly low noise threshold at the minute, and what with two rowdy boys in the house I can't take much more! The one sound I can't quite turn off is the noise in my head, those thoughts and whispers that persist throughout the day. So I'm listening to those quite carefully right now. They might have something important to say and I wouldn't want to miss it!Wondering :: where time is going. Why Liverpool matches are always on on a Sunday afternoon. If we'll manage a weekend on the north coast anytime soon. When I'll be able to sit outside with a cup of tea and the sun on my face. When our garden will be in any fit state to sit out in!Thinking :: about creating. The thoughts I shared in my last post are still very much on my mind and I suspect they will be for a while to come. For now I'm thinking about creating some new prints for my Etsy shop, a few layouts for myself, and maybe even dabbling in something completely different just for the heck of it! Creating the kind of artful life I dream of most days.Reading :: at least 3 different books at once, and considering a 4th! The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs is nothing more than a fluffy read to pass an enjoyable half hour before lights out - as an English teacher I should probably know better, but after another look at a book of planes with Conor I'm really not up for much more! Kelly Rae Roberts' Taking Flight is a book I wish I'd read a year or two ago, but better late than never. She has such a way of making you believe you can do anything - I'm honestly beginning to think she's right! The book I'm considering adding to the list is How to Talk so Kids Will Listen, and Listen so Kids Will Talk - let's just say we've entered a phase of communication difficulty!Hoping :: that this week in school will unfold without incident and that I arrive at half term relatively unscathed. The weeks since Christmas haven't been easy with all the evenings and late afternoons for parent consultations.Planning :: a healthier eating pattern. It would seem that portion sizes have somewhat increased and have been supplemented with copious amounts of chocolate and other nonsense, whilst exercise has been shunned for weeks at a time. No one is looking forward to the initial pain of withdrawal, but it's a point of no return! I shall update you with progress on this as and when there is success to share.Dreaming :: of a study which is finally complete, with my pictures hung and the shelf I've been meaning to put up, actually up and functioning. I'm making that this week's priority.Finishing :: my antibiotic, although my voice is still decidedly croaky and the dreaded cough lurks on. Who knew how little fun laryngitis was?Sharing :: a few photos from a walk we took to the beach at the start of January. Patrick wore his new Liverpool top and was absolutely frozen. Conor just wanted to throw stones. And we all nearly keeled over laughing at Michael riding down our hill on Conor's tiny bike! You can't beat those belly laughs!Now enough about me, what's life like for you right now? You can share in the comments below or leave a link to your own blog - I do so love to idle a few minutes away following the links of readers like you!!

Time

I've never been any good at setting resolutions for the new year and sticking to them. It's just too much guilt for me to handle when I inevitably break the promise I made to myself within a matter of days - that is not good for the soul! But for the past number of years, inspired by Ali Edwards, I have chosen a word to take with me through the year. Often the word just presents itself and makes sense to me at the time, and in the past when this has happened I've been amazed at how the word I chose has impacted on my life and the choices I've made in that year. In previous years I've chosen enjoy, simplify, create, and family, and those words still resonate loud and clear in my heart and my daily life. This year the word I've chosen is time.Time is something I think about a lot at the moment. I often feel like I don't have enough time to do what I have to or want to do. I feel like time with the boys is precious because it's going so quickly. I feel like I waste a lot of the time I do have doing things that don't add to my life in any meaningful way (I understand that cleaning the house and laundry are meaningful to a degree, but seriously, how much time do I want to spend on those chores?!) In other ways I feel like I'm reclaiming some of my time now that the boys are older and able to do more for themselves. And right now I feel like it is time for me to do something for me. I don't know what that's going to be, although I have a few ideas floating around in my ever busy mind. I sense that there are opportunities out there for me, just waiting for the right time and for me to be ready for them. Perhaps now is the right time and I just need the courage to grasp those opportunities when they come my way! I don't know, but I do know that time is precious, and that I'm going to do my best to use mine wisely this year.And it goes without saying that this little blog will be witness to time spent in numerous ways in 2011 :)