Coming Soon...!

ten little fingers,

ten little toes,

two little eyes,

one little nose!

but boy or girl,

nobody knows!

P.S.: for the record, that's how it's going to be till the baby is born! Due November 2018!

Photography Goals

"The sooner we become more intentional about communicating through our photography, the more powerful and clear our results will be"

- Mitchell Kanashkevich in Natural Light - Mastering a Photographer's Most Powerful Tool

Out and About with Papa

This past winter and spring has been somewhat Hubby-less as he has had a couple of extra jobs he could only work at late in the evenings or on Saturdays. Therefore, it was with joy and excitement that Bia and I headed out with him last Thursday for a day together in the countryside/mountains. He had a small job to complete in a beautiful part of the country, so after he had finished we had the rest of the day to spend together among grass, rivers and hills.

Experiencing flowers for the first time! She also loved walking barefoot on the grass. I got to make her very first daisy chain! 

"That mountain over there is... (insert mountain's name)"

What a joy it was to go out once more among the beauty of creation with those whom I love best!

Hubby should finish the extra jobs soon, hopefully before the summer ends, so I am looking forward to more outings with him and Baby! ♥

Cherries

My parents-in-law have a very healthy, fruitful cherry tree. I had no idea how very fruitful a healthy cherry tree can be till one Saturday about a month ago my husband packed us off to my in-laws and spent the morning picking cherries. As my dad said later when I told him about it, "if the cherry tree is good, you can get bored of cherries!" I honestly don't know how many kilos Hubby picked in one morning - and the tree still had plenty left!

Needless to say, I spent the following week in the kitchen, choosing the best, fattest, juiciest cherries for cherry preserves and halving and stoning the rest for cherry jam.

I learnt last year that if you pick cherries, pick 'em with the stem attached. They will last longer and won't spoil.

Nine large jars of preserved cherries. Eat them cold during the summer or warm them up for a cozy winter snack!

I had to ask Hubby to pick some more the following week so that I could bake a cherry pie for him as an anniversary gift. He didn't know, of course, he just knew he had to pick some more because I'd used all of the cherries for preserves and jam.

Last winter we finished up all of the jams and preserves I'd done the previous couple of years, so this summer I have to get enough jam and preserves ready for another couple of years! Cherry jam and preserves, check.

I Am Not Alone

Running errands and talking on the phone,

I am pleasantly reminded that I am not alone.

Little tiny hands, a precious rounded knee

pushing and twisting that no one can see.

Oh sweet child kicking up your heels,

it is our little secret that only I can feel.

I look forward to your birth,

when I can kiss your skin,

but for now I will just smile,

as I feel you play within.

- Author Unknown

Introducing Alistair and Tristan

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I decided it was high time for a new pet. We had been long talking about getting a pet rat (influenced by my sister, who already had one and recommended it as the best option), and due to my birthday coming soon I asked my husband to get me one for me as a birthday gift.

Then, after much reading and research, we decided two rats would be better than one as they are very sociable animals, and two rats give about as much work as one. It follows that Alistair and Tristan came to be part of our pet family.

In their case, a picture is worth a thousand words. I'm so glad we got them! They are so sweet, loving, funny, and endlessly curious and adventurous. They never cease to surprise!

Tristan... he is white with grey patches.

Alistair. He is white with a black head and patches.

They enjoy being on my shoulders. Alistair was almost falling
asleep there... and Tristan was curious about the flash.

Part of the awesome cage the hubby included in the gift...

I'll keep you updated. I take plenty of pictures and videos of them as we play or they sleep or explore... What an adventure!

Thought on Two Verses in Luke 11

"And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

"But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it."

Luke 11:27-28 

"The spiritual link formed by the Word is more intimate and enduring than any link formed in the flesh."

F. B. Hole, New Testament Commentary on Luke chapter 11 

1st of March

Hidden away in my study at home, buried underneath skirt designs, discarded patterns and an occasional rolling cotton reel, the moment I leave for afternoon classes feels like emerging from a deep, narrow cave into an exulting victory of colour.

It is the 1st of March, and the streets of Romania are celebrating the arrival of Spring.

During the last several days Bucharest has gradually shown the signs of change, and flowers had become popular, but as suddenly as a firework explodes at the end of one bright trail in the sky, so has the city burst into one enormous artificial garden, and they dominate the space. Wherever I look there is the shadow of a flower.

Being in a closed space doesn’t make a difference. Once inside the subway station the invasion follows me here. Mixed perfumes reach me as they take over the atmosphere. Women, young and old, wait for the train to arrive, and walk, talk and sit with a posy in their hands. They hold tulips, roses, and hyacinths, and I even see a solitary, proud orchid among the crowd of common flowers. Some are held upright, others upside down. Some are in transparent wrapping, with tiny hearts decorating it. Others are inside a small, decorative bag or in a pretty wicker basket. The subway stops with a screeching of brakes, and I walk into the coach. The world may have advanced technologically, but today flowers have taken over.

An old lady sits in front of me in the swaying coach and in her dry, shriveled hand she holds a fresh, red rose. I watch her and am impressed by the contrast. However, what does it matter that its holder is wrinkled and wasted with age? The flower she is holding will remain pure and unblemished for the day and will give her a small pleasure in her tired life.

I emerge downtown and again the transformation shocks me. The boulevard has become populated by street vendors offering home grown flowers, and corners are crammed with baskets carrying blossoms of every sort and kind. Those who are fortunate enough as to have their own shops stock their display windows with bizarre arrangements to attract clients. It is a riot for the senses.

I rebel against walking inside the building, wanting more of the rich feast that is unfolding before my eyes. The colours and the smells, the feeling of being among fresh and young blooms, the promise of Spring they bring, all call to me and tempt me to stay longer in this unusual occurrence. I know that tomorrow all this will be over.

Ultimately my spirit submits once more to work and a closed door behind me. After all, I have the comfort of memory.