{easy like a} Sunday Morning: Finally May!

 {click here to read all about this photo project}

April Showers bring May flowers

and Mayfly

Sunday mornings are the best! Especially early Spring mornings.

{easy like a} Sunday Morning is a photography project. Click here if you would like to learn more about it.

Friday Fill-Ins

-Rob Brezsny

Looking for the link to play along?
Just click on the image below.

And...here we go!

1. I love to cuddle with the pup and kitten in bed and listen to the peepers.

2. Can I get a wink and a smile?

3. It's how you know it's always best to trust your guts - you know that feeling you get way down in the pit of stomach?

4. I haven't seen the movie yet;  don't tell me!

5. Well, would you please get out and vote on Monday!

6. I have been enjoying the sounds of the season, especially the spring peepers.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to picking up baby girls prom dress from the dress shop, tomorrow my plans include shopping for the perfect shoes, clutch, tiara and other accessories to match her dress and Sunday, I want to pick a rout on the map and head off in that general direction!

Today was...

{easy like a} Sunday Morning: Mika enjoys mornings

 {click here to read all about this photo project}

Mika enjoys Easter morning having a little run in the grass.  I had to keep chasing him away from eating dandelion flowers.

How was your Sunday morning.  Do you have a photo you would like to share?

{easy like a} Sunday Morning: Happy Easter!

We are celebrating Easter with family doing all the things we enjoying doing on Easter weekend like having an exquisitely baked Easter ham with all the fixing, colouring eggs and hunting for eggs in the back yard.

Hope you are all have the most pleasant weekend too! Now lets see some of those photos of your beautiful Sunday morning.

Read more about {easy like a} Sunday Morning photography project here.

Between wakefulness and sleep I enter a world of shadows, a kaleidoscope of coloursfall from my ceiling

"Only when I am on the brink of sleep,
with the consciousness that I am so..."

Edgar Allan Poe

When I was really young, like maybe four or five, I can remember being afraid to sleep alone because I believed there were magical gnomes living under my bed.  At night they would create their magic and make my  bed float up to the ceiling, 'till my nose seemed like it would touch it if I stretched my neck just a little.  I never told anyone this that I can remember. Not my siblings, or my mom or dad, not a single soul until now.

In my late 20's, early 30's I would sometimes experience sleep paralysis.  These things are pretty darn creepy.  It's sort of like dreaming while you are awake.  I would wake up and see something in the corner of the room, it looked like the plaster was peeling on the walls and someone was peeping in at me.  I would get a feeling of urgency that I had to get up and turn on the light, but I couldn't move.  I felt totally paralyzed.  I finally got up the courage to ask my family doctor about it and she explained it something like this: On the edge of your REM  sleep your brain activity is greatly increased and you eye movement and breathing becomes erratic. It is in your rem sleep that you dream, so in order to keep you from flailing around while you dream your muscles become paralyzed.  And if you wake up going into a REM sleep, you can be paralyzed and have dreams while you are in a semi-awake state.  This is called a  hypnagogic hallucinations.
"So I'm not going insane after all!"  - sigh of relief!
I was certain my doc. would be ready to call the men in the white coats to come and take me away for sure. 

Lately, the past six weeks or so, I have been having hypnagogic hallucinations again, only I have been seeing shadows of people, lights that fade across my walls, and a kaleidoscope of tiny coloured lights that bounce around my room like a multi coloured light hitting a disco ball.  Although I know there is nothing to fear, I always come out of it with my heart beating like a jack hammer.  Needless to say I am sleep deprived, on edge and quite cranky in the mornings.  I am about to ask my doctor for something to make this go away. 

There!  I really needed to vent tonight.
Thanks for listening,

9 + 1 = tuesday ten: Cameras In My Collection

1. Fuji fine pix
2. Holga
3. Kodak Brownie
4. Kodak Starmite
5. Polaroid 215 Land Camera
6. Polaroid SX70
7. Ricohflex VI
8. Voigtlander Brilliant
9. SMENA SYMBOL
10. (+1 I don't have yet...)The Polaroid Macro Camera

1.016_15, 2. smena, 3. I imagine the people who lived here, 4. Tower & Lion, 

5. Instant Gratification, 6. Ode to Summer, 7. Holga, 8. Halifax Finest, 

9. Blomidon Look-off, 10. Bored As Hell

Do you have some favourite cameras you like to use? Maybe something vintage you take off the shelf, dust off and fall in love with it all over again?

So Sick!

I wanted to post new puppy photos but Norwalk Virus has hit us pretty hard here, so they will have to wait 'till I'm feeling better.

Hope you are a well and remember to keep washing those hands, sanitize and stay away from hospitals or anyone with flu symptoms. This is one particularly nasty virus!

Kokology -- Oodles Of Doodles

WoooHooo, puppy day & Kokology Thursday.  That's right folks, today is the day we get to bring little Mika the Silky-Yorkie home.  We are so excited here, we can hardly contain ourselves.  I think I bought every toy in the pet store yesterday.  Hope he loves us as much as we love him!

Now, who's up for a game of Kokology today?

*Your first time playing?  Read the like below for rules, tips and hints to the game

What is Kokology?

Tips: 
• Say the first thing that pops into your head 
• Don’t try to predict answers 
• Be honest with yourself 
• Be prepared 
• Keep an open mind
  

Oodles Of Doodles:
Schoolchildren understand that page margins were made for doodling.  It's almost sinful to let all the empty white space in a notebook go to waste.  Scribbles, squiggles, googly-eyed faces, and hearts with arrows quickly grow and multiply, crowding into the writing space mid page.  give a child a notebook , a pencil, and sufficient time (say, the length of a history lesson), and that boundless imagination spills forth onto page after page.  We're taught that doodling is a bad habit, and the notebooks we keep as adults are neater (if duller) for it.  but wouldn't it be a little sad to see a student whose notebooks were filled with page after page after page of neatly printed notes and flanked by clean margins on both sides?

Imagine you are a child, doodling happily away.  You have begun to draw a picture of a bear.  Which of the following looks most like your art?

1.  A bear snoozing away contentedly.
2.  A bear with its arms raised in a frightened pose.
3.  A mother bear leading her cub.
4.  A cute bear, like a stuffed toy.

*You can leave a comment with your answers or keep them to yourself  - it's up to you.
Note:  Reading this in Google Reader?  Answer the questions before you continue to scroll to reveal the key to "Oodles Of Doodles"

♥Click to reveal key to Oodles Of Doodles♥

Key to "Oodles Of Doodles"

In the psychology of animal imagery, the bear is a symbolic instance of the archetypal Great Mother.  The characteristics of the Great Mother are as diverse as the different types of experience of motherly care.  This experience plays a somewhat different role in the minds of women and men.  For women, the bear you saw yourself drawing is your image of yourself as a mother or the kind of mother you expect to become; for men, it is the image you have of your own mother.  Whether you are a man or a woman, this image may play an important part in your selection of a mate.  They say that men end up marrying women who remind them of their moms, and  women are drawn to men who bring out their maternal instincts.

1. Sleepy bear. Your image of the mother is relaxed and easygoing, free to be herself and giving that same freedom to her children. She may not keep the neatest of dens, but her home is a place where you always feel welcome and safe to snuggle in for a long winter's nap.

2. Scary bear. You see the mother as a powerful force, possibly even to the extent that she dominates the home. All mothers want what's best for their children; some demand it. Like it or not, in her family, this mother knows best.

3. Momma bear. You have and idealized image of the mother: caring, loving and tender. It may be stereotypical, but it's a nice stereotype to have. But try to have more reasonable expectations for real-world moms. After all, bears don't have to rush home from work in time to pick up the cubs from soccer practice and get dinner in the oven.

4. Cuddly bear. Your image of the mother is someone who can't necessarily be relied upon, except to be lovable. As much as she may want to play mommy, it seems that more often than not it's her own children who end up taking care of her. But as hopelessly adorable as she is no one seems to mind.

Teen Burgers 2 FOR 6 {Wordless Wednesday}

{photographed with a Holga 35mm}

Visit more WW participants here.

Reading Rob Breznsy's...

PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings

A thousand years from today, everyone you know will be long dead and forgotten. There’ll be nothing left of the life you love, no evidence that you ever walked this planet. That, at least, is what the fundamentalist materialists would have you believe. But suppose the truth is very different? What if in fact every little thing you do subtly alters the course of world history? What if your day-to-day decisions will actually help determine how the human species navigates its way through the epic turning point we’re living through? And finally, what if you will be alive in a thousand years, reincarnated into a fresh body and in possession of the memories of the person you were back in this era? These are my hypotheses. These are my prophecies. Which is why I say: Live as if your soul is eternal.

— Rob Brezsny

At Last There Is Nothing Left to Say -(The Ditches On A Long Road Home)

You will be dead much longer than you will be alive. This is the truth of things. Better get used to the idea. The lives of men and women, cats and dogs, birds and fish are merely hiccups in an endlessness that will never be fully realized. You are here now and will be gone in some years, months, perhaps even days or hours. The execution of this plan will never change, despite the fact that you will do your best to convince yourself otherwise.You merely feed off the scraps of words and wares consolidated by those that came before you. You are a thing void of structural integrity. Like anything built or born, you will eventually succumb to either the weight of the world or the weight of walking it. This is the only thing you ever need come to terms with. That eventually you will be lost. They will lose you. You will be forgotten and never heard from again. And no one will ever know the story that was your life.

— Mathew Good


Just gave me something to ponder today and probably tomorrow, and possibly for the rest of the week.
What are you reading right now?  Is it something that has totally enraptured you?

{easy like a}Sunday Morning

Welcome to the second installment of {easy like a}Sunday Morning.

I'm up and off early this morning to try to catch a beautiful shot of my Sunday morning. I'll be back in a bit to post my Sunday morning shot. I look forward to seeing all your photos. Possibly the beauty of nature, maybe the simplicity of family, or what ever makes you most comfortable on a Sunday morning.

For those just joining us and want to know more, click on the link in my menu bar or Read More →


Oh, and don't forget to stop by others who are participating this Sunday.  You just never know who will inspire you!

Up before the dawn

 {click here to read all about this photo project}

This morning was absolutely gorgeous. The air was cool from the spring frost, but the sunrise just peeking above the horizon was slowly warming me all over.

There is nothing quite like breathing in the ocean air just before a sunrise.

Apr 10, 2011 6:40 AM

Then off the McD's for an egg mcmuffin and a hot cup of tea

{note the sun in my rear view mirror}

 

How is your Sunday going so far?  Anything happening you would like to share on {easy like a}Sunday Morning project?  Click here to link up.

Tuesday ten: Photographic Inspiration (Choose a Theme)

A photo can speak a thousand words and can even tell a really great story.  Don't you think?
Yesterday while looking through the photos submitted for the {easy like a}Sunday Morning photography project, I noticed Lee from The Linar Studio made a list of shots she is looking forward to taking this Spring/Summer - I love how she gets into a project!  Her list has inspired me into making my own list...

Themes I would like to shoot this Spring / Summer:

• Alter Ego
• Hello Neighbor
• Spontaneous portraits
• Catch it before it's gone
• What image represents your faith?
• Zen (Simple, elegant, sparse)
• Photos of people taking photos
• Begins with the letter...
• Silhouettes
• Rusty/Crusty 

Got a list for Tuesday Ten?  Let's hear it!

When dreams are nice I sleep well

I had a dream last night that I could fly. I sprouted hug wings from my back and spread them open like a beautiful butterfly. I started off really slow at first, low to the ground then I gradually got braver and braver. I flew to great heights, above all trees, higher than the tallest buildings. Up, up above the clouds - it's cold up there you know? I flew over the ocean. To all my favourite places in the city. Then I got tired and flew back home and crawled into my bed, slept deeply and sound for the rest of the night.

Where did your dreams take you last night?



Ps. Don't forget to check out the new photo project I started; {easy like a} Sunday Morning. If you have a photo shot from Sunday and would like to link up, click here and I will take you to where you can do so.

Happy Monday♥

{easy like a} Sunday Morning: Come join me on a new adventure

So here we are.  The first installment of (easy like a) Sunday Morning.  I thought I would be up with the birds today looking for that perfect Sunday morning moment to shoot, but no such luck.  I'm in bed with a grouchy bug that has decided to invade my body (seems it's been going around these parts).  I did manage to click a not-so-glamorous photo of my stripped down bed waiting for clean sheets.  Hopefully next week I will have something fun and exciting like a sunrise, blooming flowers, or a deer grazing in a nearby field.

For those just joining us and want to know more, click on the link in my menu bar or Read More →

I am so ready to get on with Spring and start a new project.
Hope your Sunday is a special one!

Fun!Fun!Fun!

Hello there. I have something fun to share with you today. Over the past few months I have had an idea for a project rolling around in my head that just might interest you.  I have been patiently awaiting the exact right moment to implement my new idea, and now is the right time.  Yay!

There’s something about a Sunday morning isn't there? Waking up at the crack of dawn, sleeping in late, early morning breakfast or late morning brunch, church, worship, meditation, market visits, or just a leisurely Stroll down a cobblestone alley... Sunday moments that make you feel like you have nothing but time.

So here is my idea. What if we were to capture our favourite Sunday morning moment(s) each and every Sunday so we can share it with everyone who visits our site?

easy like a Sunday morning: Is a photography project for everyone who wish to share their Sunday moments with their readers. Anyone can participate, you do not have to be a professional photographer, you just have a camera and an eye for capturing a moment.  So what do you think... want to play along? 

Here is the scoop:
+ Wake up
+ Have your camera handy (doesn't need to be a fancy camera; a point and shoot or even your phone camera will do)
+ Wait for that perfect moment
+ And shoot, shoot, shoot away!
+ Post your Sunday morning shot on your site and tell us about it
+ Visit my Sunday morning post to add your link (on inlinkz) located at the bottom of my post

Simple.  Right?

Thanks everyone, I am  hoping you will participate by sharing your Sunday mornings with us all, it is going to be a lot of photography fun this Spring/Summer. See you on Sunday!

Grab the button:

<div align="left"><a href="http://www.slightlyoff-center.com/search/label/%28Easy%20Like%20a%29%20Sunday%20Morning" title="Slightly Off-Center"><img src="http://i43.tinypic.com/epq9md.png" alt="Slightly Off-Center" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

<div align="left"><a href="http://www.slightlyoff-center.com/search/label/%28Easy%20Like%20a%29%20Sunday%20Morning" title="Slightly Off-Center"><img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/1zp5yfm.png" alt="Slightly Off-Center" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Happy Anniversary to my Mom & Dad Today! and Friday at last!

 My handsome dad and beautiful mom on their wedding day 44 years ago today.

---

Now on to the Friday Fill-Ins
Come give it a try! Click on the link below.

And...here we go!

1. I can't believe _ it is snowing today on April 1st_.

2. _Drinks_ for everyone.

3. How can I _find my piece of mind?_

4. _BBQ chicken pizza_ was the last thing I cooked.

5. "Six of one _Half a Dozen of the Other", and "The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions" -  Two of my favourite Idioms_.

6. _YesYesYes_; nonono!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _hanging out with the girl doing therapeutic things_, tomorrow my plans include _grocery shopping, errands, etc._ and Sunday, I want to _hit the road and go where it takes me_!