Will

Admittedly I know nothing of the feel fresh snow beneath wooden boards strapped on the bottom of one's foot. But it is a sensation that others in my family crave.

Will Colford is a family friend who would hit the slopes with our brother Jordan. The two of them, with their snowboards and cameras, captured some pretty epic shots. Will is now a professional photographer, and has entered into The North Face photo contest Guts For Glory.

This is his submission Afternoon Delines:


Go here to vote now, it's a 'one click' process! (two in your case because you have to click on my link, and then you have to click the 'vote' button...just go vote!)

Back At It

Well today was the first day back at school. It feels good to have the order and schedule return after so many weeks away. My first impression? It's gonna be a lot of work.

Ailen bought a new day timer last night, and told me that she only wanted to see one week at a time. "Would you be more overwhelmed if you had a month view?" I asked, and without hesitation my sister responded with "Yes."

Like any first day of term, we began class with a look at the order of projects for the next five weeks. As my sister might guess, it was overwhelming, but we finished the reading and proceeded with the work for the day and much was accomplished. Even when the power went out in the afternoon!

My only hope in this new year is to focus my energies towards being better motivated and less of a procrastinator. If I am able to effectively plan my tasks for one week, then there is no need to be concerned with the overwhelming reality of the next few months.

Learning how to function responsibly right? That's the trick ;)

Recognize These Women?

Jirka Vaatainen is a Graphic Design student who has recently received wide recognition for his interpretation of classic Disney princesses 'in real life'.

"Really Kelsey?" said my brain.
"What?!?" I replied.
"Recently, received, recognition... You couldn't find any synonymous?"
"Do we really have to talk about this now? I am in the middle of a blog post and you are interrupting me."
"Well if you are going to be so repetitive than it's a good thing I did! I think it's time for me to take charge here."
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
"Step aside Kelsey, and let me do the work..."

These three photos are only a taste of the wonders you will find on Jirka's blog! He started the Disney character manipulation with his favorite vilian Ursula, the half woman, half octopus that scammed the Little Mermaid Arielle into giving up her voice for human legs, with only one shot at making the Prince fall in love with her! The photos will amaze you, ASTOUND you, and perhaps have you wondering "Have I met her before?" only to catch your breath once you realize that you've known her your entire life...

"You really think that was worth it?" I asked my pompous brain.
"Of course! I switch things up, make it more interesting for your readers instead of just the same old 'Go check this thing out, I think it's sooo great, maneneaneamn bla!' I actually get the reader excited about what I'm showing them."

"... I don't talk like that. That is the worst impression of me I've ever heard."
"What? Oh! You mean... (raises voice a bit too high) 'I'm Kelsey and I'm so cool, you should be my friend." Like that?"
"We are not having this conversation in front of our readers."
"Why? Are you--"
"CAN WE JUST TELL THEM ABOUT JIRKA'S BLOG AND GET ON WITH IT?!?!?!"

The pictures are really well done. I hope you all enjoy them, and I also hope these images remind you of childhood... the child inside you, never taking anything in life to seriously ;)

"That's how you're ending the blog?" my brain asked.
"Yes! Do you have a problem with that?"
"No... I actually kind of like it."
"...Thanks."
"Hey! Let's go have a butter, peanut butter and jam sandwich cut in fours!"

Hey everyone! Just want to let you all know I appreciate that you spend time reading the blog... ESPECIALLY on days like today when I get a bit carried away :) Enjoy the princess, and make time to revert to some child-like behavior every now and again. CHEERS!

For Aunt Jocelyn

SCARVES!

Back at Thanksgiving our Aunt Jocelyn asked if we could give her some tips on how to wear her scarf. Unfortunately neither Ailen or I had the chance to do so before Jocelyn left the farm. So although it is late Aunt Jo, here are some of my go-to styles for a variety of scarves... just in time for a shift in the weather ;)

There are four basic types of scarf in my closet... The Classic Knit ~ The Perfect Square ~ The Smooth Pashmina ~ and The Giant Rectangle...

Let's start with the Classic Knit... Step 1: wrap it around as many times as possible, and leave some ends to work with. Step 2: tuck one end through a loop to keep it warm and cozy. VIOLA! Easy. Warm. Lovable.

With a few more steps we have the Perfect Square... Step 1: fold in half diagonally. Step 2: place the 90 degree angle in the front. Step 3: wrap the ends around neck, and tuck them under the front (if you find that the ends continually stick out you can always tie them loosely together under the front). Adjust as you like and DONE! Cute. Practical. Fun.



Now I am going to reveal a trick my sister taught me years ago! This one goes best with the Smooth Pashmina, stay with me... Step 1: drape around neck as shown. Step 2: wrap one (longer) side across front, around neck and back to the front (not shown). Step 3: reach between wrapped loop and one hanging end and grab other hanging end. Step 4: Pull through and adjust for show, because you just made a scarf braid! MAGIC! Clean. Sophisticated. Puzzling.

This next one is probably what I use the most. The Giant Rectangle may or may not be my favorite ;) ... Step 1: fold corners diagonally creating two 90 degree points. Step 2: Pick a point to put in the front. Step 3: wrap the other side around the back of neck. Step 4: bring second point into the front and tuck the end in the back. Now you have two points in the front! Cozy. Dynamic. Fascinating.



Typically with this last one you'll catch me taking advantage of the extra folds in the back to make myself a little covering over my head...


Like I said this one is dynamic, and probably my favorite because of that!

So Aunt Jocelyn I hope this helped give some new life and inspiration to your scarf wearing habits. And I hope all of you enjoyed today's little tutorial. As an extra bonus here is Ailen putting on the Giant Rectangle ...free-hand style! :D

Never Enough

Time. Tick-tock goes the clock. Once upon a time. Time after time. Time and time again. In time. Time warp. Time flies when you're having fun. Time travel. Time is money. What time is it Mr. Wolf?

Sometimes, I think I have an obsession with time. Lately I've been recognizing how often I ask my sister "What time is it?". My mother will remember that growing up I would always measure the amount of time I slept during the night. The last thing I would do is check the time, and count the hours until I had to get up, just to measure how much sleep I could get, and then first thing in the morning I would compare the outcome with my hypothesis. Well actually... I still do that quite often. But the question is why?

You would think that after enough repetition of the same routine, the human brain would adapt and tell the body "You need 8 hours of sleep. You wake up at 7:30am. Go to sleep at 11:30pm no later. Therefore be in bed at 11:00pm no later. Begin winding down your day approximately between 10:00pm - 10:30pm, or earlier." buuuuut no! That isn't how it goes. Instead the brain says "You've got time. You can go with less sleep. How much is it gonna hurt you?" and the mindset of 'Not Enough Hours In The Day' takes over as an easy out.

See, I'm a procrastinator, it happens that is just the way it goes. I live with it, I figure out how best to work with it. However, I then turn blame from myself (and my lack of time management skills) in to a fault of the Earth's rotation. Saying "If only the day were longer!" ...truth being told, a longer day wouldn't help. What I would end up doing is using it to procrastinate just a wee bit more.

My friends... there is a time for work, and a time for rest. May we all learn to use that time in a balanced and skillful way.