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As November comes to a close I realize I have so many things to to be grateful for both small and large. For one thing I am grateful I was actually able to finish this project!!! I took a break at photo 20 and didn’t think I would ever catch up. But tonight I buckled down, uploaded and edited, and completed my 30 days.  The pictures aren’t one each day, but they certainly are a real expression of my grateful thoughts this month. I truly appreciate the shutter sisters for making “gratitude” their word for November. Reflecting on this one word each day this month could not have come at a better time. It’s truly been a form of therapy and made me step back and realize how much love, joy, and happiness surrounds me during a time that can feel so dark. With the holidays right around the corner I am carrying grateful heart and hope for what’s to come.

Recently my friend and fellow blogger curiousillusion introduced me to the website NaBloPoMo. The acronym stands for National Blog Posting Month and the website encourages bloggers to participate in a month long daily blog fest.  Last month was my month for reflecting on gratitude and being thankful for the joys I have in life.  Heading in to December NaBloPoMo has announced their theme today and it’s all about giving back.  Doing Mitzvah. What is a Mitzvah? Here is the dictionary.com definition:

mitzvah. -[Seph. -vawt; Ashk. -vohs] Show IPA , English. -vahs. Hebrew.
1. any of the collection of 613 commandments or precepts in the Bible and additional ones of rabbinic origin that relate chiefly to the religious and moral conduct of Jews.
2. any good or praiseworthy deed.

This month my goal is to perform a daily mitzvah and share it here each day this month. It can be as large as giving back to the local community or as small as saying a kind word to a person in need of some compassion.

Today’s mitzvah? Committing myself to this month long daily blogging challenge and giving my loyal readers the gift of a post (and a picture) a day for the entire month of December. 

(not sure if that’s a mitvah or an annoyance but just go with me on this one! hopefully you won’t all be sick of me by the end of this month…)

Is anyone else out there getting into the spirit of giving? What is your mitzvah for the day? the week? the month?

I want to hear it!

NaBloPoMo Daily Mitzvah: Today I got home from work in an overall cranky mood. It was not pretty. It’s rainy, gross, and I got home later than expected.  Fortunately, The Calmer was waiting with open arms and hugs galore.  All I wanted to do was collapse on the couch and do nothing. I am sure you all know the feeling.  But, as I’m putting my things away I notice my cat Vincent sneaking over to the dish where his laser pointer toy resides. This kitty LOVES laser pointers. And when he wants to play he let’s you know.

*jingle jingle*

As his paw reaches into the dish.

I take one look and sigh.

*jingle jingle*

Most cranky tired days I would’ve just walked away. Sat on the couch and relaxed.  I would’ve waited for him to get bored. He usually won’t obsess over the laser toy too long and if we don’t  play he’ll move along to something else.

Today, instead of moving on I walked over and picked up the toy. And we played for a solid 15 minutes. Cat #2 Ebony even joined in on the fun. I am sure I made them both the happiest cats in the whole world today, just because I took 15 minutes out of my tired, cranky day and spent some quality time playing lasers .

And amazingly I am now no longer tired or cranky! That’s the power of mitzvah.

Now onto the important topic at hand….

I know it’s been awhile since I posted one of my holiday gift ideas. And time is quickly running out! How are you all doing with your holiday shopping? Are you done yet? I am happy to report that my shopping is almost complete.  But for those of you still looking for suggestions I’ve got a great one today!

One of my biggest accessory obsessions is handbags.  Just ask The Calmer. He’ll tell you, I have waaay to many. If I even utter the word handbag he goes from calm to concerned instantaneously. So it was no surprise that the moment I purchased my dslr back in June that I would go immediately out and find the perfect bag to carry it around in. It actually took a few weeks but I finally found exactly what I was looking for.

This is the Milly bag from Wicked Stitch Designs. Custom designed by me and made by the talented Alida, founder of Wicked Stitch Designs.  My Milly bag is one of the smallest of her soft camera bags. For now it suits my needs. The bag has a clickable clasp on the front and opens up to one large pocket to hold my camera and two smaller pockets for accessories. I am easily able to carrly my dslr, a backup lens, and accessories (back up memory card, remote, memolio sample books, etc…). There is also an open back pocket where I can throw my keys, cell phone or whatever else I need to carry on the go. Many days this bag serves as my camera case and purse. It’s so stylish and versatile, I love it!

The best thing about the bags at Wicked Stitch Designs are the number of options for customization. From large bags to small, rugged to soft, padded or zippered you can have it all! AND, you get to pick your fabric color from the Wicked Stitch site and fabric patter from Equilter.com. The options are endless!

On my wish list now is this more rugged and padded bag from her etsy shop.

Click here to see the coveted wish list bag.

I love the pattern and it’s even ready to ship (…so if anyone is looking for a gift idea *hint hint*)

Go now and check Wicked Stitch Designs out.  You won’t be disappointed.  But, If you’re hoping to get one of these fantastic bags for the holidays you better hurry! All custom orders must be placed on the website by this Friday December 4th in order to have your bag arrive in time for Christmas.

Happy shopping!

NaBloPoMo Daily Mitzvah: Today I sent an e-card from Hallmark.com to my sister just to say hi.  We live far apart and don’t get to talk that often so I just wanted to send her a little something to brighten her day and let her know I’m thinking about her.

Sara is my sister. 7 years younger than I am and a senior in college this year. I must admit I’m a bit jealous. I miss my college days more than anything!  Sara is totally loving life right now. And, she has plans for next year after the big graduation which is a sigh of relief for her (and the rest of my family I am sure!).  Planning out her life after graduation was a true cause for celebration. So while visiting my family for Thanksgiving I took her out for her own private senior session. And we had a blast!

Since we had time to shoot over multiple days and in multiple locations we were able to do a lot of experimentation. I don’t think she realizes how much I learned about my camera, shooting in manual, and thinking creatively just from this one opportunity.  And I must say I am personally quite pleased with the results. I hope she is too!

When my sister graduates in May she’ll be leaving college with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology (just like her big sis, awwwww). But her true love is golf. And man is she good. Real good. She’s been playing since she was basically old enough to hold a golf club. It’s been amazing to see her grow her craft throughout the years and take off with it. I hope she realizes how proud we all are of her for having such drive, determination and passion.

Watch out Tiger Woods, here comes Sara Hurwitch!

NaBloPoMo Daily Mitzvah: Today a friend emailed me a family photo that they were hoping to use on their upcoming Christmas cards for this year. The photo was great except for one large sunlight spot unfortunately placed on top of her mother’s head.  She asked if I had any suggestions for fixing the sun spot. After a little playing by me in Photoshop the sun spot was virtually elimated. (Hooray for the powers of the clone tool and healing brush!) I emailed the edit back to her and she was ecstatic! Not a big mitzvah today, but one of those warm fuzzy moments that make you feel like you helped.

Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow but a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day.

~Indian Proverb~

happiness is…

saturday am yoga

lazy days

mid afternoon naps

snuggly cats

holiday music

and…

the first snow of the season

What makes you happy on a lazy, snowy, wintry day?

NaBloPoMo Daily Mitzvah: As you can see winter has officially arrived in Virginia. It’s been a truly lazy day in our home. This afternoon The Calmer wanted to go out in the wintry goodness and shovel it from our driveway.  The only problem? The shovel was in our garage’s storage closet. The closet was being blocked by a huge armchair we are trying to sell. The chair was blocked in by The Calmer’s car. The Calmer’s car was blocked by my car, out in the driveway, slowly accumulating more and more snow. At first I *sighed* and said the driveway didn’t need to really be cleared, I was determined to be lazy all day!  However the spirit of mitzvah took hold so I bundled up, put on my uggs, gloves, coat, and hat so I could go out in the snow to wipe away the snow and move my car for my Calmer. And now our driveway is clean and clear too!

This month’s One Word Project theme over at Shutter Sisters is “wish”.  During a lovely Saturday evening with my Calmer of relaxing, listening to holiday music,  and getting cards ready to mail I had a spark of inspiration hit. This photo is the outcome. I have a lot of wishes this holiday.

What do you wish for this holiday season?

As you think, so you are.

As you dream, so you become.

As you create your wishes, so they create you.

~Wendy Garrett~

NaBloPoMo Daily Mitzvah: Tonight I will be hosting a family dinner. My parents and The Calmer’s parents will be coming over to our home for the evening. We are fortunate that our families get along so well and we can host joint affairs every once an awhile. Tonight’s menu? Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic rolls, salad, green beans, and spice cake for dessert. My mouth in watering in anticipation.

For those of you who have stumbled upon my little section of cyberspace, welcome. Please excuse the dust, this is still a work in progress. But, I am really glad you’re here.

My purpose?

Entertain. Inspire. Share. Photograph.

My story?

In March 2009 I decided to pick up my Kodak Z650 point and shoot camera for the first time in months and start taking pictures. My goal? Take at least 1 photo a day and upload them for a year in the hopes that I could learn a little more about myself and photography. Little did I realize this was a passion in the making for me. The pictures began to consume my hours, my days, my life. I’d sit at work planning my photo shoot of the day. When the photos were done and processed I’d upload to flickr, facebook, twitter. I wanted an audience! I joined photography groups online, read photography blogs, did google searches and soaked in as much information as I could to improve my beginner skills.

I was a sponge.

I learned.

I grew.

About two months into my photo a day project I hit a wall. My little point and shoot camera was not enough anymore. It had limitations. I needed a fancy DSLR. I wanted better depth of field, larger zoom, more control! I started saving. and saving. and saving.  All the while I continued taking pictures with my Z650 and tried to hone in on my Photoshop editing skills instead of the technical ones.

Then in May 2009, about 3 months into my project, life took an interesting turn. My husband Brendan (who I will refer to from now on as “The Calmer” because he is the peaceful force in our home) and I got the exciting news that we were expecting our first child. We were ecstatic, and it made my desire for that DSLR even more important. I needed a fabulous camera to take fabulous family photos. As an early baby gift, my parents shockingly generously bought me my DSLR, a gorgeous Nikon D90.  At the same time, my morning sickness took full swing and I could barely function at my day job let alone take pictures.  The morning sickness whisked away my passion to photograph.

I dropped the photo a day project that same month.

I figured my passion would return once the baby arrived.

No worries.

Until September.

In September, after multiple abnormal ultrasounds we lost our baby, a girl, at 20weeks pregnant. It’s a long heartbreaking story and I won’t go into the details. We didn’t get to know her for long but we knew she was beautiful. Her name was Bella. Bella Rose. And it’s because of her that I have my passion back. After her passing I needed something to keep me going. Keep me alive. Keep me strong. I picked my D90 back up and started shooting. I want to capture it all. Every little detail. Every moment.

I hope to share my moments here. I am excited to start a new photography project or two in the coming weeks and tell you more about them.  I also want to start building a photography portfolio. I have my first mother/son photo shoot in a week and a half and I can not wait!  I would love to be able to one day turn this hobby into a side business capturing the moments of others. Friends. Acquaintances. Family.  I hope you’ll take the time to stop by, add me to your blog reader, leave lots of comments and tell me what I’m doing right or doing wrong.

I still have a lot to learn.

But I think I’m on my way.

And I have Bella to thank for that.

Last weekend The Calmer and I were in Tampa, FL. A former co-worker and close friend got married and much to our delight dismay decided to set up permanant residence in a prime vacation locale close to the beach. After Bella’s passing we were invited and encouraged to visit and relax. It didn’t take much convincing for us to book our ticket down South. We had a lovely time and can’t wait to go back.  Our hosts were wonderfully hospitable and something about being at the ocean, soaking in the sun, and sinking our feet in the sand aided in the healing process.  Here are some of the highlights from our trip.

Our homey accomodations for the weekend

Beach day. Bright sun peeking through. Beautiful.

A new friend in the sand.

Getting ready for sunset in Sarasota. Lido Beach, FL.

Ok, one more Lido Beach at sunset. A sunset this gorgeous derserves to be pictured twice.

Last day. At the Greek Sponge Docks. Tarpon Springs, FL.

As I’ve mentioned previously, once upon a time I picked up my camera and decided to take a photo a day for an entire year. All was well and good when I started but eventually the passion for the project expired.  Instead of being excited to photograph I’d spend every evening with an impending sense of doom because I had no inspiration for a photo. The evening would end with me scrambling to take a photo of every random knick knack in my house. or my cats. or my dinner. rinse. repeat. It became redundant and boring. So I quit. And I hate being a quitter.

I wasn’t tired of taking pictures. I just didn’t feel like the photo a day project was serving its purpose anymore. So, last week I got online and looked for some new sources of inspiration. I wanted a regular photography assignment but preferably one that wasn’t going to give me an anxiety attack every night!

So I googled.

And I found some GREAT ideas at Photocritic.org – 10 ways to break photographer’s block.

(you totally need to check it out).

I’ve been itching to try a few of the ideas I discovered there.  Finally this morning I woke up and decided, “TODAY IS THE DAY!”  The project starts at home. At your front door. Here is mine. Welcome!

I am very excited to launch this new project, because it’s interesting.

And it’s interactive.

The more people who participate the more exciting it will be.

I promise.

I swear.

So you better play along!

The project is called “100 Steps” and the instructions are this:

1. Get a camera. Any camera will do just fine.  (film. digital. cell phone. point and shoot. DSLR).

2. Start walking. (can you guess how far you’ll be walking?)

3. After 100 steps stop. Right where you are.

4. Take a picture. Take 5. Take 100. But you must take a picture of something right where you are. (don’t cheat!)

5. Upload your photos to a photo sharing site. I enjoy Flickr.

6. Post your comments on the project and a link to your photo here.

My 100 steps today allowed me to start capturing fall. Here are 3 of my favs:

I will be taking my 100 steps weekly. Each time starting from my doorstep. And each time walking in a different direction and capturing something new. I am excited to see where this takes me. And the little intricacies I uncover. I am sitting on pins and needles waiting to see what you come up with. Go get out there. Take 100 steps. I hope you’ll step weekly with me and share here.

Ready.

Set.

Go!!