Friday Photo - Magnificent Skies of the Oregon Outback

If a little is good, more is better. That is my thinking here in posting more than one photo today. Actually the truth is, I couldn't choose just one.

Here is the silhouette of Fort Rock state park as seen right off the deck at my mother's house.


The rest of these were taken of the same stormy evening sky, but I was going for cloud drama, leaving out any terra firma.


The golden light was surreal, covering everything in an orangish - gold glow. Beautiful on skin, but I was most interested in capturing the clouds themselves.


Now when I see these photos which have been un-edited except to add my copyright, I can say if anything the colors were even more vibrant in real life.



Number 1,2, 3 or 4- which is your favorite and why? Do these photos feel dreamy, eerie, or awesome?

love,
Amber

Flat Belly Blues

If you're a mamma, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. If you haven't been a mamma yet, go ahead and give your flat little belly a tender caress. I'll wait. And if you're a mamma with tight abs due to thousands of crunches- I salute you!

It goes like this. I'll be innocently minding my own business, reading or catching up on e mails or some such innocuous activity. Then my baby will climb up on my lap. He'll start to laugh and giggle even before he lifts my shirt. Luckily he only does this with me. Can you imagine what Grandma would say if he lifted her shirt? Or even worse, the kind lady stranger sitting next to us in the church pew? What would I say? Somehow I don't think "Pardon ma'am, the baby likes to tickle." would quite do it.

Remember when you were a kid and played with jell-o while singing "watch it wiggle, see it jiggle!?" Well that's my baby when he gets a hold of my belly fat.

They say dressing room mirrors can make you feel fat. I say, just try looking at your tummy while itty bitty baby hands are playing with your Special K inch.  If that isn't diet inspiration, I don't know what is.

Sometimes he thinks he is tickling me and he laughs outrageously while gouging my bellybutton with his strong little fingers.

The only consolation is that after a tickle-fest, he will lovingly pat my tummy and with a sweet smile on his face he will say "Niiiiice." My baby loves me, jiggle and all.

And then it is his turn, and I tickle his rock solid baby abs.

Horses

We just spent three weeks in sunny Central Oregon, at my parents' homestead. Instead of being restful and peaceful the days were filled with activities. So much has been going on that now we are home again it feels like a vacation from our vacation. I really love my pillow. One of my projects was a really Big Project, which I will be sharing with you soon.

A moment of ordinary splendor: My little Wild Thing met these beauties.


His favorite animal is the horse, pronounced " 'Ose" as in garden "hose" but without the "h." The "Ose" is the first animal word he said followed by "Detta" which means dog in his baby language. It stands to reason since our dogs' name is Delta.

It is easy to pat such a giant head when you are being held by your big tough twelve year old brother!


He learned to pick grass for these big lovely creatures. (As if they needed help with that)!

But two giant heads coming to sniff you at once is -well it's downright intimidating. Darn tootin'!

But the thing about horses is that they have a sort of magnetic pull. They're mesmerizing. He couldn't resist the siren call.

Hopefully it is the start of a beautiful relationship.

Happy trails to you and yours!