10 on 10 January | Up Close

I was tempted this month to pass on the 10 on 10.  Largely because I felt drained of any inspiration or creativity.  You know.  The winter BLAAAHHHS.  And more truthfully, feeling disdainful of my camera.  I’ve been trying to squirrel away a little savings here or there; stashing away gift cards received, re-selling an old lens & a stroller collecting dust in the garage.  All in the hopes of *finally* investing in my dream-baby-camera.  But the mom in me, and my more pragmatic self, always finds it makes more sense to spend saved funds, gift cards and resale earnings on other things needed more.  My dream-baby-camera seems rather trivial in comparison.  But oh how I resent the camera I have now!  I get so mad at her.  She is not kind to me in low light (which we have plenty of in these cold winter short-days).  She makes my favorite lens too tight and small inside.  She’s become like a sleeves-too-short, faded and worn out shirt that I really can’t wear anymore.

But then today I started feeling a little bad about being so dismissive of her.  She’s been such a loyal and good companion.  Sure she’s got her flaws and weaknesses.  But she’s taught me a thing or too.  Perhaps if I can’t wear the old shirt anymore I can re-fashion her into a scarf?  So I collected her today and we made friends again.  Because I *am* stuck with her for a while now.  So I better get on with it.  I decided to see if she could look in reeeaaal close on my day to day life.  She was a little *noisey* at times …. and I opted to hand hold her in low light, which she is not fond of.  But I thought her grain and blur mirrored my grain & blur.  And this is what we saw today…….. up close.

 

Mommy’s phone.  Used less by mommy than by the small folk here.  At 2 1/2, Brynn has got the tapping and sliding down….

 

Why was she playing on my phone?  Well because I was next to her paying bills.  Ugh…..  I decided to jazz them up with our remaining holiday stamps.  The only cheery thing about them.

 

And since I didn’t notice when she got bored and wandered away, I also didn’t notice she found a lollipop.  A pre-lunch snack!  It was, of course, pink…..

 

And so I told her she shouldn’t have taken and eaten that lollipop.  Which was probably a confusing message as I just photographed her (like crazy) eating it.  So she looked out the window.  Away from the lady with the unwelcome *no-pink-lollipop* message.

 

But then she checked back in to be sure I wasn’t *really* cross.   (Of course I wasn’t.  She is far too cute for any of us to get cross at her.  And she know this, by the way.  We’re in big trouble.)

 

What???  She’s having more candy???  Well, at least it was *after* lunch this time.  I know, I know.  But it was the sort of day where I transformed my worn-out t-shirt-camera into a swishy-beautiful-scarf-camera.  So M&Ms seemed appropriate.

 

While she’s off for her post-sugar nap, I’m hanging out with Finn.  He loves to rub his bare feet all over the satiny side of his blanket.  I know he’s tired and in need of some snuggles when he does this.  It’s one of those fleeting moments in the day that will remind me that this whirling bundle of boy is still so little.

 

Her left off sneaker.  Little purple Converse sneakers.  I love these things

 

When big brother is in the house it is all about the XBox.  And he was not too happy at how close I was to interfering with his game here.  Of course his friend was sitting right next to him too.  So I’m sure he was more annoyed that his mother was doing something weird and embarrassing in front of his friend.

 

Well there is nothing like having the camera right there in your face when you wake up!  She’s the only one I could do that to.  The boys would not have had such pleasant expressions.  It was soooo dark in the room.  Thus the hand held blur.  Because I wasn’t going to be friends with my tripod today too.

 

I know …. technically this is 11.  But my camera; she is a renegade.  And she is particularly fond of this kid’s eyes.  Looks like daddy.

Well.  I suppose she isn’t all that bad after all.  She makes a lovely swishy scarf, no?

If you’ve enjoyed my ramblings,  please head on over to Kristi Ahrens and peek in on how she spent her 10 on 10.