the august break, seventeen

the august break, seventeen, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

a tale of two

i am a bit of a fan of supporting artists that i *know*, either in real life or through a friend who knows a friend who knows a friend.

about five months ago, through another photographer's blog, i found the work of michelle wilson, a photographer writing and illustrating ( with her own photographic works ) a book.
*a tale of two* is the story of two sisters...

which plays pretty close to my heart right now.

well, i received my book today:), after a few impatient weeks.
michelle, who i do not know in real life, is hysterical. she produced little videos all along the way of the production of her book, keeping her supporters in the loop. her last video was of her adventure mailing out the books, so i knew it was coming!

and the book? it is beautiful and creative.
there were only 500 printed, and the pages feel wonderful and the images are just unique. it is a pleasure to read.

here are a few links for the book and about the journey that brought it to fruition.

noneofitistruth.com/tale-of-two

www.indiegogo.com/A-Tale-of-Two

i always find it fascinating when people find the way ( or ways ) to bring their passions from the idea stage to reality. and this book is a pretty fab example of this.

it now has a little place of honour in my library if you would like to stop by for a read:).

august break, eleven

august break, eleven, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

so, i dragonboated on this day.

i wasn't planning on it.

five minutes after i took this, i found myself being frantically tutored in paddle handling ( well, i was frantic), wearing a life jacket and being loaded into a very impressive looking boat.

i am not a natural at anything on water. or anything athletic, really. but honestly? i did not even have the time to think about it. sometimes you just have to roll with the moment. right. okay.

all i could think about is how i was going to ruin the chances for any victory for my boat mates.

you see, my friends are super athletes...like mega triathlete, marathon loving, black toe sporting, should be in nike commercial worthy sportinistas. they are awesome. and place first in their age groups. and run in places like boston and new york and overnight through the mountains of new hampshire to raise their hands triumphantly in the ocean...i am the thing that does not belong in this group.

and yet, there i was.
no pressure.

just follow the paddle in front of you. just follow the paddle in front of you. just follow the...DAMN!
i almost did not ruin it for them:(.

we came in second...the longest 45 or so seconds of my life!

and thanks to the earth shattering thunder and lightening storm that immediately followed my historic debut, the team finished in second place as the races were canceled due to weather. the first non third place finish in three years!

historic indeed:)

the august break

the august break, eight

the august break, eight, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

i was telling a good friend today about how at the end of every august, that i can look back and see clearly where my priorities were for that month, through the photos i have taken.

but that usually how it takes the full month to see what that is.

and that often i am unclear on what i have really been experiencing until i see the 30 days together, as a cohesive interpretation of my month.

this month? it is crystal clear to me now. today.

it is about the children and the relationships i have because of these kids ( including mine).
and how this year, this month, this day, how these connections make me happy and whole.

the august break, nine

a loss was experienced today, within my circle. the kind of loss that shakes you to the core. 

these faces i photograph are precious. and need to be loved and appreciated every single day. because we are blessed to have them.

and sometimes, even in loss, we are blessed to have had them for any time at all.

how i spent my saturday...

 

le clothing swap

what is that you ask?

it was friends, free clothes, cupcakes, wine, prizes...

how does that sound?

flashback to years ago, when i would say "man, we should just get together and share clothes" to a few close friends. garbage bags would be exchanged and that was the end of it.

then, a few less years ago, some friends and i actually managed to get together and swap clothing...there may have been a little more drinking than swapping going on but the entertainment value was priceless ( jen? kelty? lisa? any of you remember that;)??).

then fewer years ago i met marci - of suzieswapper fame - who traded clothing for free on a large scale! our friendship was instantaneous:).

finally. most recently, i came across a party article espousing the benefits of an official clothing swap - clean closets, environmentally responsible living, frugalocity- well, who am i to stand in the way of the betterment of society - i was sold!

i wrote up an online invite, asking moms and daughters to join in. 

having a teen...well, you quickly realize that all this clothing buying is an expensive endeavour. they grow...they have their own tastes...they *neeeeeeeeeeeeed* it.

i figured this was a terrific way to have fun with moms and their girls and clean house and see good clothes passed on to the next generation of fashionistas.

 i held my breathe when i sent the invites...

i was not sure if everyone would respond as enthusiastically to the idea as i hoped they would.

but then the yeses started rolling in.

and i got to planning.

the rules were easy - for every piece of clothing you brought, you could take another. 

want more than you brought?

great!

drop 5$ per extra piece donation in the jar for holly's charity of choice - the *DO IT FOR DARON* foundation and enjoy!

if you wanted to bring home your left over pieces, you could, everything else would be donated to a woman's charity. 

oh! and fill out a ticket per piece of clothing brought for a chance to win super cool doorprizes donated by 

Kiss Naturals!

 of course, cupcakes and wine were involved as well.

easy peasy. 

then sit and wait for the doorbell to ring.

(i had a crack team of organizers working hard behind the scenes - thank you mom and nicki and holly, punchmakers and cupcake icers extraordinaire)

and ring it did! 

a half hour into the party and the clothing racks were crammed with super finds!

actually, every available surface was covered in retail heaven... 

lululemon sweats, paige jeans, j crew dresses with tags still on, hollister shorts and tees and hoodies, banana republic blouses, the perfect pair of red jeans.

 and the hats went fast. 

and the purses.

a purse was the very first item swooped up - by marci, the queen of swappers, actually ( it was my sister's!).

the selection was huge. 

 we had three change rooms in full busy rotation the whole time, with much discussion and suggestioning going on. 

all available  fashionistas were truly helpful with their advice and experience.

did i mention that between several of us, we had over 65 years of retail experience at work?

oh yeah, it was something else.

girls looked GOOD!

and the energy never fizzled...

when an ottawa friend arrived a bit late, laden down with baskets filled with j crew, BR and CM goodness, i swear whispers of "fresh meat" could be heard rippling through the crowd...

the baskets were opened and the excitement continued!

and then...it was over.

cupcakes were sampled 

prizes were won

wine was drunk

recycled bags left in happy hands and my first annual mother and daughter clothing swap ended.

a total success.

in the few days since the swap, i have had many more people show an interest...and yes, there will be another.

i am still working on a plan - perhaps a smaller, seasonal one in the fall?

 in time to share winter jackets, boots, cords?

funky mittens? scarves? 

oh yeah...

apple cider and pie, perhaps?