gardenymph

Two years ago tonight

gardenymph — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 04:53:02 +0000

As I lie in my bed tonight, looking out of my window into the night, I am reminded of the way in which I occupied this very same space two years ago. Two years ago tonight, I could not sleep because my contractions were growing stronger, and so in-between trying to sleep, I would get out of bed and pace the room and stretch and breathe and look out of my window and up at the moon. She too was round and full and moving along a path, a force, that could not go backwards. She kept me company for hours while the house slept around me. She comforted me, and with her silent and gradual arc in the night sky, she promised me that tomorrow would come, and with the sun, would bring me my baby. Happy Birthday my Hope, I love you.

spring is all around me, and I am in love

gardenymph — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 04:45:32 +0000

the reluctant napper

gardenymph — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:04:59 +0000

Aidan rarely takes naps anymore. While Hope naps in my bed, he has quiet time in the kids’ room. Sometimes it gets very quiet in there and I know that he has fallen asleep. When this happens I sneak in and take a picture, because I wonder how many more opportunities I will have to take a picture of him while he sleeps. I have tons of pictures of him sleeping from the days when he would take regular naps. I think they would make a nice little book.

Today he climbed into his sister’s crib to play, and fell asleep.

keep it simple valentines

gardenymph — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:23:23 +0000

Every year I swear that I am not going to buy the pre-made character cards from the drugstore for my kids to exchange at school, and every year I realize that the school party is the next day and that my plans for home crafted valentines are way too elaborate, or I haven’t shopped for the supplies, and I end up rushing out at the last minute and getting the pre-made character cards from the drugstore anyway. Not that there is anything WRONG with pre-made cards, it’s just that I always appreciate the handmade gifts that I receive, I take great pleasure in making gifts for others, and I want to teach my children to make as many gifts and cards as they can because I feel that putting one’s time and energy to crafting a gift for someone else reaches much farther than anything a dollar can buy.

So this year was really no different. I still panicked at about 4pm this afternoon, but I tried remind myself to “keep it simple.”

Marlena really wanted to do something with fabric, and after a quick check with my go to source for all things crafty with kids, The Crafty Crow, I spotted the perfect idea for Marlena’s valentines. This wonderfully simple and sweet idea from all buttoned up, had me grabbing card stock, scissors, glue, and my fabric scraps. Marlena loved the idea and set right to work.

For Aidan’s first preschool Valentine’s party, I gave him a pile of 3×4 card stock, a stamp pad, a big ‘ol heart stamp, and a red marker for signing his name. He enjoyed stamping the cards with gusto, but when it came time to sign his name, (something that I have seen him do on his art projects) he became very frustrated that his letters weren’t coming out the way he thought they should look. Barry and I encouraged him to sign each card with his favorite thing in the world to draw, a rocket ship. This worked for about 4 or 5 cards, and then he quickly scribbled on the rest.

Hope was not to be left out! She climbed right up in the chair (something that gives Barry and I heart palpitations) and reached for the stamp pad. She even used the red marker to draw a few lines. That valentine was for me. :~)

Hope was not be left out! She climbed right up into the chair, (something that gives Barry and I heart palpitations) grabbed the stamp pad, and drew some lines with the big red marker. No matter that most of the ink from the pad and the marker ended up on her hands, clothes, and face.

This valentine is all mine. :~)

I am so happy that I relaxed about things this year and just went with what we had on hand. It’s such a good feeling to know that we didn’t spend any extra money or create new waste, and that the time we spent together making the cards was a gift to ourselves; heart palpitations, scribbles, and all.

Where I’ve been

gardenymph — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:05:48 +0000

Hi Blog!!!! I’ve missed you!!!! I’ve missed my readers, and I’ve missed reading all of your lovely blogs too!

I sort of stepped away from blogging for a while, not really sure why, I guess we all need a break from time to time. I have been missing my words lately, and I feel like I’ve had a long enough break to come back at it refreshed and ready to give it a go again. I hope that you are still there, and that you haven’t given up on me.

Oh by the way, pardon my dust. I’m trying out a new template, and I’m (with loads of help from Barry) still tweaking, fine tuning, and customizing things. Every girl needs a makeover from time to time.

So, where have I been? Well, I’ve been rediscovering my love of photography by way of the iPhone. Yes, the iPhone! For the past year I have been taking tons of pictures with it and playing around with all of the different editing software to create effects with the photos, and generally just have a BALL! I’ve been posting all of my pictures over on flickr and I’ve been making connections with so many other iPhoneographers who share the same passion that I have for this small and portable creative outlet. I’ve even had 3 gallery shows in the past 3 months, and I have a few more in the works. I tell you, this had been the best thing for all of the pent-up creative energy that I have been dealing with for so long. Here is what I wrote in a recent artist statement, to kind of give you an idea of this new work that I have been doing:

“The world of iPhoneography opened up to me after my husband gave me an iPhone for Christmas in 2008. I began using editing software available to iPhone users to create specific emotions that I wanted to convey through my pictures. I quickly realized that I had a powerful tool for exploring and expressing my creativity throughout my day with the camera that I carry with me at all times, my phone. With these tools, I am able to capture moments throughout my every day life that I might not otherwise have taken the time to notice and reflect upon. The images gathered here are small snapshots of life, and their charm lies in the spirit of the instant camera, and in the philosophy of lomography.”

So that’s it! I currently have work up in the MIR Gallery in Nashville TN this month (the picture at the top was taken at the opening) and I also have three photographs in a show at the Giorgi Gallery in Berkeley, CA.

I’ve also set up a tumblr blog where I add new pictures almost daily. You can find it here: www.jennifereford.com

So that’s what has been going on with me, but I have missed this space, and the little stories that I was recording about our everyday lives here in the gardenymph household. And don’t worry, I still have a drive for craftiness and I will have some fun things to show you in the next day or so.

So please let me know if you are still there! I’ve missed you!!!!!

xoxo,

Jennifer

pretty in pink

gardenymph — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:57:29 +0000

Just wanted to give you an update on Hope. There she is with her new BFF, “fiff-ford.”

We saw the orthopaedic doctor on Monday (whom we will not be seeing again because he was a total jerk. I would go into full detail here except that I already vented on facebook and it makes me tired just thinking about how upset I was ) and he put her in a cast. The good news is that she will only need to wear it for two weeks, and look (!) week one is almost down.

We so deserved this ice cream after that experience.

Wednesday was the first day that we started to see the return of her good mood. She woke up happy and didn’t melt down at the slightest thing like she had been doing. She also started to try and scooch around the floor on her own.

Yesterday she was even more mobile, helping me to unfold all of the laundry that I had folded 10 minutes earlier. Yes, things are getting back to normal… if there is such a thing as normal, and today she began to get up on her knees! I tell you kids are so amazing!

thank you

gardenymph — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:38:30 +0000

Just wanted to say thank you for all of your kind comments and well wishes for a speedy recovery for little Hope.

She did really well last night, much better than we were expecting; and she has, for the most part, not complained about any pain today. We are keeping our fingers crossed that her recovery continues to be as smooth as it has been so far.

She seems to know just how much she can use her leg right now, and is already finding ways to be mobile. I am amazed at her resilience and ingenuity.

expect the unexpected

gardenymph — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:31:08 +0000

When we woke up this morning, little did we know what the day had in store for us. My plans included changing Hope’s diaper, having some of my husband’s delicious press pot coffee while spending a few moments with the family on the couch, showering, and rushing out of the door just in time to be late for work; you know, the usual Saturday routine. Well, the day had other plans.

Our poor little Hopers fell off of the couch in just the right way, which caused a spiral fracture in the tibia of her left leg. She will have to wear a splint until we see an orthopaedic doctor on Monday. She is doing remarkably well, all things considered. When we got home from the emergency room, the kids had made cards for her and had set up a pallet on the floor with blankets, books, and all of Hope’s favorite stuffed animals. They also had her favorite show in the dvd player cued up and ready to go. They then sat with her and read books to her and fussed over her. I tell you, those are the times when you think you must be doing something right in this parenting business…. especially after you just watched your baby fall off the couch and break her leg.

We are hoping that she will not be in too much discomfort tonight. We are keeping her dosed up on Motrin, which seems to be helping. Any positive thoughts and energy sent her way for a speedy recovery would be much appreciated.

Wishing you all a peaceful night,

Jennifer

typewriter

gardenymph — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:03:04 +0000

I love antique stores. I mean, I really love antique stores. Really. Love.

I am fortunate enough to live in a town where there are several really great ones, and if I have an hour to myself you can bet I’m going to be in one of them. Sometimes I just can’t stand it if I haven’t been able to go for several weeks, and I drag the kids with me. Those usually end up being very quick trips. Sometimes that’s enough.

I’ve always been drawn to old stuff. I feel at home wandering amongst the booths and shelves filled with artifacts from years past. I don’t usually go for the stuffy, expensive, high end stuff, rather, I like to hold and examine the things that people used on a daily basis without much thought. A pyrex bowl, a hand-held egg beater, costume jewelry, an inexpensive chair, a well-worn beveled mirror, an old photograph, a dusty book with an inscription, etc.

So it was with much excitement that I knelt down and examined a spot of blue that had caught my eye as I was heading out of the door during one of my recent trips to a local antique store. It was a really cool Smith-Corona typewriter! I have been wanting one of these for so long, and the price was a steal!

So I quickly bought it and brought it home to show the kids. Mmm hmm, I really bought it for the kids. Really. The kids.

Marlena was at school, but Aidan very quickly set to work trying to figure out this strange new contraption. He was entranced. We had fun picking out letters and spelling out our names. I had to remind him two or three times not to press more than one key at a time because they would all fly up together and stick; something that I remember very vividly from my childhood. In fact, the sounds, the feel of the keys beneath my fingers, and the smell of the ink on the paper, stirred up distant memories in my head. They floated up to the surface like dust, and swirled momentarily before settling again. There wasn’t anything in particular that I could grab on to, but I thought of my dad’s office, his leather jacket, my grandmother’s office in the back of the department store where she was the manager, her willingness to let me play on her typewriter on the days that I would be with her after school, and the typewriter that was on the dresser in the guest room at a relative’s house.

The ink in this particular typewriter was very old and faint. I need to locate a new ribbon somewhere. I am a little glad that there wasn’t much ink left though, because as I was doing the dishes later, Aidan and Hope decided that it would be fun to pull the ink ribbon out and decorate themselves with it. Forgot to go over that one with them.

that day

gardenymph — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:05:13 +0000

Yesterday was “that day.”

“that day” is what I call (in my head) the day that I first notice the change in the quality of the light around me. This change marks the onset of Autumn, and it is one of my favorite days of the year. When I first notice it, I gasp and say, “It’s that day!”

For one whole day I am keenly aware of every detail in my surroundings. I think it must have something to do with the tilt of the Earth’s axis, and the sun’s rays beginning to hit at an angle, versus their more direct hit in the warmer months, but whatever the case, it happens to me every year, and I love it.

The first thing that I usually notice, is the way that objects seem to be thrown into sharper relief, there is a stronger contrast to all of the shadows and highlights around me. Colors seem brighter, the air seems clearer, the sky seems higher and the blue is bluer. The air is more crystalline; things sparkle.

“that day” is usually accompanied by slightly cooler temps, which does much to encourage my willingness to spend most of the day out of doors without worrying about the kids getting overheated. To celebrate “that day”, I took the kids for a walk downtown. We love to go downtown, it is our family’s favorite place to be and we go several times a week.

We enjoyed the cool breezes, the water fountain, the view of the river, and the sounds that were all around.

And lastly, I know it’s “that day” by the way the light comes in my back windows. It makes my rings on the widowsill above the sink glitter while I wash the dishes; it will grace the couch like this all winter.