I'm just over the moon about these Thursday posts, friends. As part of this continuing series For the Love of Blogging, I'm bringing you a new blogger - the voice and talent behind Little Siddall Studios, Becky. She's a newbie blogger with a lot of spunk...

I was looking for an outlet to rant other than my personal Facebook feed. I've journaled all my life and found that I'm a faster typer than I am a pen writer. However, I still carry a pen and Moleskine wherever I go. I find that I write differently through pen than through the clicking-clack of keys on a keyboard. It's a different kind of creative outlet for me.

Since January of 2012. As noted in this post, it was a goal of mine to stick it out for a year, and I'm so happy I did! Something that started out as a challenge, has turned into one of my constant joys and even further fuelled my desire to go into business for myself.

I think the funniest (nervous laughter) thing was the night I thought I would lose all my blog content. I remember turning to Josh (Mohawk is his name on the blog), bursting into tears and saying “I'm afraid if I push this button, I might delete everything!!!” and luckily for me, I didn't. Was I ever a wreck that night. Oh the early days of blogging - when my mother was my only reader, and I would take 6 pictures of the same thing at the same angle, on a Blackberry. It's amazing how quickly we adapt and learn when we immerse ourselves into uncharted waters.

My need to get my thoughts out of my brain and somewhere that I can reflect and look back on. I am in love with memories. I will re read and re watch things just because. I think there's something magical about reading words with no other voice than the one in your own head. Deciding what tone comes across – and where the pauses are. I keep blogging because, when it comes down to it – I like talking through my writing. Some may like my style, some may not, but regardless, I want to keep it my own. On the business side of things, I'm an entrepreneur at heart and always wanted to go into business for myself. I think we are all curious creatures, just some are more afraid than others to show it. I know I'm afraid at times, but I'm learning to embrace that fear. I think blogging is the perfect outlet for that.

Music and movies. I find I'm inspired by the way something is edited, or the pattern in which an actor chooses to say their lines. I love watching movies alone. I can pause, rewind, write in my notebook like a mad woman, and then play the movie again from where my brain trailed off. When I'm creating a post or brainstorm-writing, I have the stereo turned up – or my headphones on - all different types of music – and probably louder than I should. I can play songs over and over and over again. It can be so peaceful and productive.

I'm slightly ashamed to say that - I judge blogs just like I judge books by their cover. I know, I know, some of you are thinking how dare her! But it's the honest truth. When i'm at the library or bookstore, I'll look for something to read based on how gravitated I am to its cover. There's just so much choice in this world! I need to narrow it down somehow or I'd be on the internet all day and all night. The majority tend to be food and photography focused.  

 

I'd sleep more and my eyes would probably hurt less from constant staring at the computer screen.

At the moment, I work 4 days a week, full time as a Lead Support Coordinator for a company in Toronto. It pays the bills while I start diving into the deep end with my photography business. Coming from a film & television background, photography has always been a loved hobby but something I am very serious about now. I'm constantly soaking in knowledge wherever I can and of course, practice, practice, practice! Josh and I are in the process of bringing a dog into our family. Never having owned a dog before myself, i'm excited for this new change in our life! Not too sure how Tut, our cat, feels about it though. We'll have to see!

Oh, that avocado photo! Thank you Becky for joining in the conversation and celebrating the love of blogging. Head on over to Becky's space, Little Siddall Studios to gawk at her photos and follow her journey!

That's it from me, friends. Have a bright weekend... and rest up. We have a whole lot of fun to be had next week.

xoxo, MJ

First off, my dears, thank you so much for all the insightful comments throughout the regular (sort of, right?) Tuesday/Wednesday series, Chat It Up. My intent behind the creation of Chat It Up was to have a space to listen and converse like old friends, and you all have been so gracious to engage in all sorts of different topics and posts! Now we're ready to move into something new, and I'm excited!!

Can I share something I've been trying to work around for a while?

I lead a normal life.

Alright, there. I said it.

I'm married and a mother of three children. I have a full-time job in communications. I drive (wait for it) a dark blue minivan (ahk, the horror! :)). I don't have a lot of opportunity to travel. I don't eat at amazing restaurants often or bring together meals that would amaze you. I haven't (yet) created photoready interior spaces to gawk at or crafted something that would stop you in your tracks.

But.

I have a knack for appreciating the mundane and celebrating the ordinary. Perhaps it's my Catholic faith and my love for Ordinary Time over the high points of Easter and Christmas. Or perhaps it's my desire to always support the underdog, the underappreciated around us. Or maybe it's because this is my life, the one I've been graced with, the one I've worked quite hard to create, and I love this normal.

When I began taking art lessons in high school, my first instruction was to begin really seeing and looking at everything. Noticing shadows and changes in tone. Examining the saturation of light and the details of texture once overlooked. I remember driving home that afternoon and finding the lines created by telephone wires and the pattern that emerged from the curbside rocks all freshly intriguing.

So here's where you come in.

Tell me, are you normal, too? Hipsters and desperate housewives need not apply.

Every Wednesday on Pars Caeli, I'll be celebrating the normal and ordinary through words and photographs and images. I'd love for you to join me because it's a hashtag party.

Snap away on Instagram and use this hashtag - #celebratethenormal - to capture the beauty of the ordinary around you. Images of people, places, and things are all welcome. In fact, you might be one of those 'Grammers who is more about the caption than the photo so bring that on, too!! I'll be featuring these beauties on Wednesdays (along with links to your account and/or blog if you're cool with that. If you'd prefer to submit anonymously, too, please do).

You've got the whole week, and I'll check in every Monday at midnight to pick some selections for that week's Celebrate the Normal.

What's your extraordinary normal look like? Show me. I bet we can elevate it to something pretty amazing.

xoxo, MJ

What's going on, lovelies? I am so delighted to kick off this new Thursday series on Pars Caeli. As I mentioned last week during Melanie's book tour post, we are celebrating blogging and bloggers all throughout the month of April.

Pars Caeli is one year today (see the very first post)!! And though I'd love to throw some great contests and offer gifts, this blog runs on a $30/month budget so instead I'm bringing you inspiration and wisdom (with some laughs thrown in) as my gift. I've lassoed an amazing cast of bloggers from various backgrounds and experiences; some fresh on the scene and some with years of experience. I hope their passion (and mine) for the great big blogging universe will encourage you to go after your dreams, both big and small.

First up, Paige of Approaching Joy. **Disclaimer: Paige is one of my favorite blogger pals. She and I are headed on a great adventure in AltNYC in June!! One year ago, she was also the lady who pushed me off the blog diving board to click "publish."

I started blogging at Approaching Joy in late January of 2012.  Before that I had kept blogs for a few weeks at a time but always got frustrated when I couldn't make my space "pretty" and gave up quickly thereafter. I actually took a blog design class in conjunction with starting Approaching Joy so design was less frustrating... kind of...

I say "kind of" because, when I was taking that first blog design class I spent anywhere from two to three hours a DAY for two weeks trying to figure out what I wanted my blog to look like.  It bordered on obsessive, and I think my roommates thought I started an illegal drug habit (since I spent most of that time in my room, yelling at my computer.)  I think I even blogged mostly about blog design in that first (icky) period.

Luckily, it was just one of those things that I had to get out of my system and then I could turn my attention to fun stuff.

I keep blogging because (wow, this is going to sound horrible) but I kind of feel like it's my pixel-child.  

Newborn phase: Design, establishing, and not a lot of sleep.  

Toddler phase: Learning what I need to learn.  Links, code, etiquette, tantrums, etc.

Elementary phase: Going out, meeting people, having fun.

Angst-ridden teen phase: Where I'm at now.  Transitioning from blogging "what I should do" into "what I want to do."  Oh yea, total blog rebel over here. Most of my best inspiration happens while I'm away from the computer. Pinterest is cool but, personally, nothing beats a walk on a trail, a cup of coffee at a local shop, or a drive down a dirt road to really get my creative cogs turning.

I feel like I know the blogger behind the screen in all the blogs I read. At times this means I am interested but intimidated, empathizing over rough spots, or taken aback by someone's hard work. But always, always, I can see their personality, or else I won't keep reading.

(I choose to answer this question in a "Zombies just ate the Internet" kind of way, instead of a "my computer broke, sad day" kind of way.) If I had to stopping blogging tomorrow, I would lose a sizable chunk of my personal community. The people I've "met" through my blog have become friends and sisters, people who I share inside jokes with, people whose children I care about, people who make me smile on a day when everything else is gray.

Serious sadness.

Outside of the blog I make art (which I am trying to work up the courage to share more often on the blog.)

Outside of the blog I make delicious dinners with my husband.

Outside of the blog I drink way too much caffeine, am allergic to the dogs I love, and try to be kind to everyone I meet.

I'm also trying to start a business that ties art into community and makes it a big part of my region's culture. But that's a big secret that I'm only willing to share with Pars Caeli readers.

Love it!! Thanks, Paige for gracing the pages of Pars Caeli and for your constant support throughout this first year. Follow Paige on Instagram at @approaching_joy to see some of her latest creations. And if you want to have some fun, engage her in some witty banter via Twitter.

Have a bright weekend, friends! I'll be saying a prayer of thanksgiving for each of you that stop by this site. It's been an eye-opening first year, and I hope to share so much more with you over the next 12 months.

xoxo, MJ

Hi friends! It's Thursday, also known as day two of the school year and almost-Friday here! All three of my kiddos had wonderful first days, and I feel really blessed by the gift of great teachers. I've also been gifted with a few extra professional projects that are keeping me bus-y.

...Though I enjoyed chatting it up on Twitter (are we hanging out there together?) and Instagram last night with all my pals who are in New York City today for the Alt NYC conference and all of the rest of us who are not able to be there to soak up the amazingness of the event hosted in Martha Stewart's HQ.

I'm joining in Susannah Conway's August Break. These are my anniversary roses from the hubby. They resemble my bridal bouquet, and I swear I've taken a few dozen shots of these sunset tones.

In blogging land here at Pars Caeli, I know there's a lot of Happiness Project to be shared. The timing of vacation followed by the start of school and added with mounds of work leaves little room for big blog posts and sleep. :)

                     

I'm getting a great Tri- to Try ready for tomorrow. See you then!

XOXO, MJ

Terrific! It's Friday. What's going on this weekend? Don't let Friday the 13th get you down. Throw a superstition party and let everyone reveal their most believable superstitions (of course select your favorite Friday the 13th to watch as well). Celebrate with crepes on Saturday in honor of Bastille Day, and don't forget to head to explore some art and to pay homage to Rembrandt on his birthday (we'll be doing it!).

Here's a trifecta of awesomeness all wrapped around photography for you to try this weekend. My new camera is going to get broken over the next few days in prep for the Alt Channel class I'm taking on Tuesday with Justin Hackworth. Join me, and we'll both become pros at our DSLRs (I really do want to see all the great shots you capture of your kids! I promise).

1. TAKE STUNNINGLY FLATTERING SELF SHOTS: 

(Not necessarily captured here.) I've got a need for some higher quality headshots/self-portraits. I am so horrible at finding a shot that I like, and I kind of find the whole process a drag. I found three simple reminders from a fellow blogger heading out to a blogging conference (where lots of photos are taken) that I want to pass on.

Have you tried this?

Angle yourself towards the camera, drop your shoulders, and lean into the camera, putting your weight slightly on your front foot.

I'm going to try it. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

2. DO NOT SAY CHEESE:

Dave Cooper, talented hubs of Jen Cooper, over at Classic Play has some awesome suggestions on how to take better family photos.  


My fave is #2:

2. Let it happen naturally and capture it. Your family is a living thing that moves. You need to move as well. Capture real moments. These are so much more rewarding to look at a month from now, a year from now, 10 years from now. Have you ever heard someone say “Remember that time we all stood up from the picnic table and stood in a line and you took that picture? That was fun. We should do that again.”?

There's more goodness over at Classic Play. Go and write down all that he has to say!

3. MAKE THE MUNDANE EXTRAORDINARY:

I'm discovering, with my new large camera, that a strap is essential. And though I don't mind loudly publicizing Canon, I'd like to go for something more special. Bri Emery over at DesignLoveFest posted a wonderful tut on crafting your own camera strap. Have you seen it? Go check it out.

Race you to Michael's for all the supplies!!

Do you have any great photography tips you can send my way? How do you make great art and look good doing it?

Thanks for a great week! Don't forget to enter our giveaway held in conjunction with the Playful Learning. Tell your friends, too. Winners chosen on Monday!

Until soon, XOXO, MJ