lesart’s Neighborhood

This big spoon came from the set of the movie,The Shipping News  that starred Kevin Spacey. At the end of a production sometimes there is an auction of props and things. A  friend of mine who worked as the food stylist on that show picked  up some spoons. I had helped her create a "squid" burger for one of the scenes. lol. We tried to make it look great with bits of dulse hanging out and deep fried breaded fried tentacles but Kevin refused to even try it. The rest of the crew and director did and pronounced them delicious! His was eventually made with chicken. All this for a ten second shot:)

I uploaded this shot to Shutterstock on the weekend. It was was accepted and already has a download:) I have not been very consistent at all with my microstock stuff and plan to try to get a few uploaded each week. It is another way to make some extra dollars and fun too. With a bit of work, you could do quite well! I wrote about  microstock a while ago. There was some controversy recently about microstock taking  money from professional photographers but the shot in question that triggered the discussion was just a jar of coins used by Time magazine for their cover. Personally, I think why spend "big" money on a shot of a jar,  a classic "stock" picture.  Spend the"big"money on shots that require imagination and presence.

If you take a look around some of the microstock companies, there are AMAZING images to be found now. The advent of digital cameras has made photography accessible to so many more people and they are really pushing the boundaries of what can be done.

This is the "before" picture. Practically ALL my shelves look like this! Ah, January...the month that triggers resolutions, good intentions and lots of great plans. Can you guess what I am starting? That is if I can get off this computer and not get distracted by something else. I find that when I tidy up anything with words, I start reading.... :) oh yeah, where was I? Takes forever!

Our storm is over! What an event that was.  I don't think I've ever seen such change in so short  time. Raining, then snowing hard, then ice pellets and back to snow, now it is mild and everything is melting. Wonder what is in store for next week? Crazy weather everywhere!

Gretchen Rubin is someone we can all learn something from. She just published a book called The Happiness Project.  I 'd like to read it. Last year she test drove lots of theories about happiness and this book outlines what she discovered. One of the things I thought was interesting is that "random acts of kindness" don't work. People invariably end up suspicious and nervous. Better to help out a friend in need or help out as opportunities present themselves. Random scares people. Hmmm. Good stuff to ponder.

It's a winter wonderland out there! So pretty, so terrible to drive in. Right now I can hear ice pellets pinging my windows. Today and tomorrow .... snow, ice ,rain, repeat. A real nor'easter. I've been watching the always cheerful Chris St. Clair on the Weather Network describing it. He makes it seem like fun:) Love that guy!

I was out shoveling this morning, good way to get some exercise in:) Cleared off the bird feeder. Those little guys get hungry this time of year. Now it is time to think about lunch. Made some mjuddrah yesterday for good luck. It is a Lebanese dish with lentils and rice and caramelized onions. Eating lentils on January 1 is considered lucky, attracts prosperity:) I think it is because they look like tiny coins. I will have some of that with chopped tomatoes and feta. Yum.

This afternoon I am going to try my hand at painting:) Finally!! I've been doing everything but....

It's here! 2010. We are on the other side:)

Ahhh, sigh of relief, back to basics..... it is going to be hard after all the indulging. My birthday is fast approaching too. It is my winter hat-trick, Christmas, New Year and then Birthday:)

Last night's meal was delicious, shared with good friends...... Chipotle pork tenderloin, penne with shrimp and asparagus, broccoli salad and then profiteroles with chocolate sauce for dessert:) Topped off with a decaffe latte and sparlking drinkies. Movie was Stone of Destiny, a quaint Scottish flick, finished off with Halifax Parade Square countdown, dazzling backyard fireworks and then Times Square countdown! Dick Clark keeps soldiering on:)

Hope you had a good night too:) What did you do?

Oh my, it is here again. New Year's Eve.
Always a big day in my book. I love the changing of the years. December into January, a new cycle, new opportunties, fresh new calendar to pin up and fill with dates and events! January is my birthday month too:) Next week in fact:)
Tonight there will be a blue moon!
I've been thinking about 2010 and was trying to come up with a list of what I would like to do. Of course it got out of hand but I thought I would post it anyway ...... just because....

Spend a week in New York City
Finally get the clutter under control
Spend more time with friends
See more of Nova Scotia
Paint large
Reach a weight and fitness level that I am happy with
Walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela
Downsize my possessions
Spend less time on the computer
Visit Paris again
Do more charity work....give more
Go camping
Have a gallery show
Sleep under the stars
Go to an art retreat
Meet more online people in person:)
Learn how to really use my camera
Return to Scotland
Start doing portrait sessions
Do more hiking
Organize my business
Get more fresh air
Have dinner parties
Move more
Meditate
Learn
Love

Of course the list is always changing and constantly growing:) Fun to think about what might be.
Hope you have a lovely evening tonight and that 2010 brings you lots of happiness :)

1.) What did you do in 2009 that you've never done before?
I grew my own organic vegetables, I planted a tree, I survived an ice storm, I discovered a taste for mushrooms, I disconnected my television.

2.) Did you keep your New Year's resolutions?
I kept one of my 3 resolutions and that was to learn something new. I taught myself to knit and I think I'm pretty good at it too.

3.) Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, my cousin Becky gave birth to a baby girl, Adysen, and thanks to facebook I can watch her grow and be a part of her life even though she is a thousand miles away.

4.) Did anyone close to you die?
Thank goodness, no.

5.) What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
More time to do photography.

6.) What did you do on vacation?
I rented a North Carolina beach house with 9 of my friends and spent a whole week on the beach. We hunted for crabs at midnight, got temporary beach tattoos, we body surfed, ate tons of seafood, got sunburnt, spent our nights playing games, laughing and dancing. We watched the stars at night, even saw the milky way. We had philosophical discussions and flat out silly moments with whoopee cushions. And when we came home to Kentucky we talked about it for the rest of the year. It was one of my favorite vacations, ever.

7.) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Learning to knit.

8.) What was your biggest failure?
Baking homemade bread. No doubt, the worst bread ever.

9.) Did you suffer illness or injury?
I caught the flu and ended up with pneumonia for over a month. It was awful.

10.) What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Planning our trip to Scotland next year.

11.) What was the best thing you bought?
New stainless pots and pans. It sounds silly but I had been using the most awful 15 year old skillets.

12.) What day from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 27th, the day of the ice storm.

13.) Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage & Student Loans (which will be the case for eternity)

14.) What song will always remind you of 2009?
Phoenix "1901"

15.) Compared to this time last year, are you:

• Happier or sadder? - Happier
• Thinner or fatter? - Exact Same
• Richer or poorer? - Poorer

16.) How did you spend Christmas?
We stayed home for the holiday, just Jon and I at our house in Lexington.

17.) What do you wish you'd done more of?
Exploring the rivers of Kentucky via kayak.

18.) What do you wish you'd done less of?
Cleaning.

19.) What was your favorite month of 2009 and why?
July: Beach vacation, new friendships, Washington D.C. trip.

20.) What was your greatest musical discovery?
Horse Feathers

21.) What concerts did you attend?
Murder By Death, The Oxford Farm Report, The Love Language, Cursive, The Books, Laura Viers, The Decemberists, Bowerbirds

22.) What was the best book you read?
The Once and Future King

23.) What did you want and get?
A professional DSLR

24.) What did you want and not get?
More quarterly bonuses at work.

25.) What was your favorite movie of this year?
Avatar

26.) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 28. My friends threw me a surprise party with home made ice cream cake, a xylophone serenade, David Bowie's Dancing Magic Dance, lots of laughter and hula hoops.

27.) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I hadn’t been so stressed about finances.

28.) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
I raided the Gap and Banana Republic warehouse.

29.) What kept you sane?
My husband, Jon, of course.

30.) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Barack Obama

31.) What political issue stirred you the most?
The Big Three Bailout

32.) What was a much needed change?
Disconnecting my television. I love not having a TV in the house.

33.) Who did you miss?
I missed Jon, he practically lived in his Architecture Studio.

34.) Who was the best new person you met?
Donovan! One of the nicest people I've ever met in my life and is now officially my husbands best friend.

35.) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Oh, you know... If the stock, real estate and credit markets didn't crash.

36.) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
Its true "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."

Scottish shortbread:) You are looking at the end of my current affair with naughty food. Now onto veggies and soup and fibre and protein:)

There's a show here in Canada called XWeighted. Sort of like Biggest Loser but not anywhere near the scale. (pun that I didn't get until rereading:) Actually it is not like Biggest Loser at all now that I think of it.  It is a show about losing weight. In January they are starting  six month "at home challenge" I think I will sign up on January 9th :) Sound like a plan?

Today is the Big Draw. I am headed to the QE11 Foundation office later to get the winning ticket drawn. Exciting! Thanks to all who donated and to everyone else, thanks for bearing with all my fund raising beseeching.

But first I have to get my hair cut:)

You never know what you will find here:) From me begging you to donate to worthy causes to what I'm reading. This afternoon, I finally have settled in to read Tales from a Travelling Mum: Navigating Europe with a Babe-in-Arms by my pal, AliceGriffin. I've been following Alice's adventures for a while now through her blog. It is a delightful read written by a delightful person. Great for armchair travelers, families with a dream and those actually starting their planning:)

Also, remember that amaryllis I saved? Look how it has grown and not only that, a twin shoot grew from the same bulb alongside it and now is ready to burst into bloom also!

Monty approves....... I'm learning how to use my new lens:)

Because I am team leader... I feel a bit of responsibility towards the rest of my group and am posting this here because there are only two days left to participate in this opportunity to help purchase a new digital mammogram machine for our local hospital.
For a $10 donation you will be entered in a draw on December 30th to win ALL of this! So far, only 60 tickets have been sold.

2 tickets to Mooseheads game on January 8th vs Montreal Juniors

$30 gift certificate to THE ARMVIEW

Boxing Day sales start. I'm not much of a shopper but I have a Lululemon certificate that I am hoping to stretch to twice it's size today:) I also want to pick up an armband for my new nano.

I am also hoping to try out a new lens I got for my camera:)) Better get out there!

Only 3 days until this is drawn!!Only 58 tickets sold!!
Dec 30th. The BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW , hoping that you might be interested in donating $10 to help purchase a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Thanks to all of you who have done so already:)) Winner gets it all. Great odds at this point!

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