Thought Process

Just trying to get by

Hi all,
This is last week of school for my kidlets...Thursday is last day.
All the strain and stress and battles seem to get worse over summer though..As a stay at home mom,I am home with them yr round..It doesn't seem to matter what i do though,parks outings and sprinklers and chalks and crafts I do all i can but nothing makes them happy.

I have no car and no license so outings involving a car are out, but we can bus sometimes.

At any rate,I am bracing myself..

My oldest broke my heart last night,attitude,pushing and shoving me and screaming,I just about want to throw in the towel(on good days) on bad I want to throw myself in along with it LOL!
 She is not into anything thank gods,and she doesn't smoke or drink,but cares not for her family or who she hurts or affects..It breaks my spirit to continually try and give and be,but all i get is shoved away emotionally and physically.

At any rate I am hoping for some great pic opportunity this coming Canada Day(July 1st) I will share of course with all of you.
The weather is expected to be BRUTALLY hot here for the next few days thank the heavens i have central air huh? ;-)Birthdays are almost done for the yr(kind of) My oldest is the last one she turns 17 next month,then the baby turns 7 in Nov.

I have the house stocked with Cosco goodies,crafts and groceries and so on..SO the 1st week should go smoothly..(i hope)

A very happy belated Father's day to all of you gentlemen blessed enough to have someone call you daddy,and to everyone else a happy 1st day of summer(yesterday) may your summer be as warm and full as your hearts,

Natalie

I'm back!

SO sorry for the long delay! I forgot my user name and password(set up by my manager not me so it was the websites name not mine and URGH so confusing lol!)
I'm back now though..I am sorely computer illiterate so bare with me lol!

How have you all been?  Here is good Spring is in full bloom here,I know you all have it in march but here's May and it is LOVELY! We had our 4 days straight of rain last week and now everything is green and lush and breathtaking! Although the temps are remaining low and lots of wind,rare for this time of yr..Usually temps are parallel to you guys by now.

I have birthdays every month now until July(from march) and then a small break until Nov when my youngest has his.
School is out in 3 more weeks(God help me LOL!)Then it is summer and camp for some(only day camp)
I have been busy with picture taking again..See some recent work on my site..As well the pictures on display at the Brunswick will have a full rotation turnaround..ALL new pics in the next week or so.

I hope you enjoy the new work,I am working on more as well as a new poem floating around my head trying to come together for a few days now lol!

Have a wonderful week all!

Blessings,

Natalie

March break and inquiries

Hi all!

Happy St.Patrick's Day to those of you lucky irish ;-)

I am home all this week with my kidlets,it is march break.

We are having fun,so far we have been doing crafts,baking and playing street hockey.We also went to Fulton's Pancake house on Monday,with my parents..It is a sugarbush and a restaurant with 45 acres of land and sleigh rides and face painting..The kids had a blast and I was able to get some nice pics in the sleigh with the kids.

I uploaded 10 to an album on here but may have to ask my manager where they are as I am quite illiterate on computers lol!

See the pics in the album on the right(the thumbnail marked March 16th)

I will also gave the link(below) to Fulton's for those of you wanting to see more.

http://www.fultons.ca/

I have also been asked about the location of my pictures. ALL of my pictures,that i have made in my career or personally..Have been done in or around Ottawa where i live.(Fulton's is 45 minutes outside of Ottawa)

As I am a stay at home mom of 6 kids and have no vehicle,I do not travel for my work(as yet) and have never left my city(or surrounding area) to take pictures..

The last time i was away from my city limits was 18 yrs ago before my 1st was born.

I used to travel quite a bit and miss it terribly.My parents are both dutch so we'd go to Holland every yr to see family..But when the grands passed we no longer went,despite all my cousins and aunts and uncles still there.

I have also travelled to the states many many times,as a youth,and child with my folks.My parents are avid mountain climbers so we'd visit Vermont and New Hamshire regularily.

Tho again i have not left my country or province,or city for that matter since before my kids were born.

That will change however in April.As I have been hired to do the Lancaster Spring Art walk in Lancaster PA.I am the photographer for the event. I am very excited(and nervous) I can hardly wait!

I hope you all are enjoying the 1st warm hugs of spring where you live,it is arriving here as well..It is a beautiful feeling and one I look forward to each yr.

I have also added 3 new poems to my poetry section of the site.

Enjoy and Spring blessings to you all!

Warm weather blessings

Welcome to Spring! Well sorta.Here in Canuck land we will not see spring smile on our cold  weary bones until middle of April(that is when it will likely stay warm) Here it is VERY warm today..Rain and above zero temps..But then a flash freeze came and that was the end of the honeymoon..

 

We played host to the Prez of the beautiful United States of America this week..It was a beautiful and exciting day..He loved us and we in return him..He was VERY well received and all his changes and policies and he himself,we were SO anxious to welcome..It was a great day indeed not just as a nation but as a continent,that holds two very close yet different in some ways countries..

We share so many beautiful things our land and our landmarks and our people that work and or live in both countries..We were was so blessed to see the man himself on Canadian soil..It was a great moment i will never forget.

I am slowly getting ready for my trip to the states in April,more mentally then physically..I have NEVER in all my(or their) lives left my children..As a stay at home mom  this is excruciating for me,and damned near paralyzing and terrifying..Time will tell for certain if I do it for sure..I am on for now,but if i need to back out cause of the kids i can and will.The benefits of having my manager my best friend ;-)

I am being teased by this warm weather and am cautiously looking towards the horizon,waiting on bigger brighter longer and warmer days..

I am very philosophical this evening so i will end this here and wish you all a warm and beautiful weekend,before i write a novel he,he!

I look forward to the same myself.

 

Blessings.

natalie

Happy Valentines Day all!

Hi all,and happy cupid day.. I am very much looking forward to spring..It had been mild and VERY rainy here lately.Now it is back to bitterly cold and the ground is all ice,BUT the sun is as bright as a midsummer day and SO warm!

I am feeling very overwhelmed and exhausted lately..Really the dead battery syndrome i suppose,so i will be happy to see spring and all the wild life coming cack to life and all the energy returning to the air and the earth.

I need regenerating badly!

I had a fun 3 days,my manager was here from states and we had a blast..We went to this awesome shop down town that is a personal fave of mine for some 10 yrs now..it is SO recharging that place the smells and the sounds and all really make for an incredible high when i go there..We both felt VERY good afterwards and very calmed and recharged.

Then for lunch we went to an incredibly fantastic restaurant for LUNCH! OMG it was awesome the energy and the atmosphere and the food WOW! It was a greek outdoor cafe/buffet style place you serve yourself and the stations are so diverse..Japanese and chinese and Thai and greek and italian and french and so on..It was SO cool! I want to go back as soon as possible and I think my manager wants to buy it,LMAO he was really impressed and since he owns a cafe he had stars in his eyes ;-)

On a side note I got a new camera and cannot wait to go and and take more pics!

I have taken some that jason has,I will get him to update them here..It is a great feeling not taking pics with a camera held together with duct tape LMAO(don't laugh it's actually true(sadly)

 

Well have a great V-Day all!

 

Nat

Thoughts,in the cold.

It's the end of the week, officially.Which for most people means work tomorrow.

With me I work every day(more on weekends he,he!) a stay at home mom never stops working. I have baking to do today for snacks tomorrow,and other odds and ends.  Likely another run to the store in -22C weather.  It makes for a cold but invigorating,walk..I do some of my best thinking on these walks..Alone with only the snow and my ipod, the world rushing by, the crunching of ice beneath my feet.

But I think today, I will go out and explore the neighborhood.  I feel an inspiration coming on,all that sun  and snow and well, I'll be darned if i'm not feeling in high spirits this weekend.

You know those days you are brimming with excitement and the shakes and jitters like christmas morning, but no rhyme or reason why? That's me the past few days.

The moon was MASSIVE in the sky early yesterday evening,I could not capture it on film though.  I do not have the right equipment, tripod for steady hands and so on.

So I admired it, visually, and that was enough. I sincerely hope that some time soon I can write again, I have not written poetry in almost 4 months. I used to write 2/3 a week.

It's all good though I feel great, diet is going well and my confidence and creativity is high.

This is a good day to be thankful and to seize the day..

Carpe Diem

have a great week all,

nat

I sold my 1st gallery piece!!!

WHOOHOO!  I have only been on display at the Brunswick hotel since  Mon/Tues and have already sold a piece! I am OVERWHELMED and excited and a little teary eyed and emotional..

I have sold works before this,at my managers cafe.Post cards and stationary and some small items,such as calenders..But not a gallery piece before..

THIS is awesome! This is where I want to be,in my career,my goal and my ultimate dream is to be displayed in galleries all over the world. Gallery pieces are my passion and my love.

To be recognized and appreciated for my big pieces, is SUCH an honour I cannot tell you.

It is the happiest career moment of my life, and I truely hope it is the beginning of a  beautiful and successful year.

 

Blessings and light all,

 

Nat 

Snow and prayers

Hello all!

It is a blustery stormy day here in E.Ontario. There are weather warnings galore and it was a real treat getting kids on bus I tell you lol!

There is expected to be 25 cm here when all is said and done..

That is ok, we are hardy folk up here ;-)

I am in good sprits today.Despite a hard run the beginning of the month.I am on my diet again and doing splendidly,I am losing steadily and not cheating or swaying at all.I am not even tempted anymore.

My photography is really exciting me  as it is a challenge and I have great high hopes for this yr.

My gallery is up at the Brunswick hotel and that is REALLY exciting,I've never done or seen anything like this before..(Course i cannot see it being that it is US and I am in Canada) but I get updates and pics from my manager so it helps.

Speaking of which,my manager has an Aunt that is doing extremly poorly.She does not have much time left.His mothers sister, Aunt Mary.

So I'd like to take this time to pray for her,to have a comfortable final hrs and a peaceful passing.

To the family I pray for comfort and strength at this difficult and painful time.

May you be surrounded by the healing and love that loving your Aunt gave you.

Have a good week all,and feel free to leave comments on these blogs so i can get feedback or just to say "hi" I'd love to hear from you all!

Blessings,

nat

Snowy grocery run ;-)

Hello all!

I came home from a regular grocery run this aft.In BEAUTIFUL flurries.I felt like a fairytale princess, despite the ugly shopping cart I dragged behind me.

My eye lashes and hair were decorated with the lightest and fluffiest flurries the size of quarters!

The sky was just alive and the atmosphere outside was surreal.

I decided then and there to dump my cart in the entrance, grab my camera and return outside right away..

I was not disappointed.I took some of my most challenging and beautiful shots ever.I was SO pleased with how they turned out and am very awestruck by the nod nature gave me today.

It was a humbling experience,and a challenging one..For I could never come close to capturing the magic and intensity of the day..It was simply in a word "surreal"

I have added a few pics,I hope you like them as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Blessings,

nat

 

 

Holidays are rough, and school is BLISS lol

Happy New Year All!,

I am sorry I have been away so long..My puter crashed,and i now have a new one but it is slower then the last one..

Unfortunately I am computer illiterate so I cannot fix it..I can however throw it out the window(insert evil cackle here lol!)

I had a nice enough Christmas,it was rather uneventful,I'd have liked more family moments but that cannot be helped.The week leading up to Christmas was the worst I have ever had and the most stressful of my life,I am glad it is over.

We went to my parents house as always,and that was nice.. The pictures below are of all my kids at my folks house on Christmas.

My New Year's day was an awful one it was a summery of all the yr in one day,it was just awful I spent almost all day fighting tears and when the kids were not looking, sobbing.

The kids and the day were horrible.

School starts Monday I think they are as happy as I am lol!

On the plus side I was able to count all my blessings at the end of the day,and I always count my kids twice. They may make me crazy some days but at least they are here to make me nuts and healthy enough to do so!

 

I have some pictures I will attempt to add.

Otherwise i will leave you all with many blessings and warmest wishes for the new yr.

May you be blessed and healthy but above all,always loved!

Nat

Sean and Adam(the youngest 2) 

Faith with my parents dog "Andy"

  Austin(my oldest boy)

 

  Marijke (my oldest child)

Gabriella my 2nd oldest