* 5 min friday - listen *

Lying on my back in the grass. Staring up at the sky. I don't think about the effects this will have on my hayfever. I am relaxing in the green, eyes at the sky and I get that strange feeling in my tummy again. Just like I did when I was a kid. After awhile I slowly close my eyes and feel my heart beat. Listening to my own thoughts spinning through my mind like mad house. What needs to be done, groceries, cleaning, going to library, did I record my favorite series yesterday? What will I make for dinner this evening? When was that dentist appointment again? Slowly my mind drifts off and slowly goes silent...
The sounds I didn't heard before because I was too busy with my daily thoughts and things-to-do, are drifting around and floating in the air. Cars passing by, kids screaming with fun, neighbours talking, birds chirping, different birds different chirping, bees buzzing.
I can smell the summer air, feel the grass caressing my arms. My hearbeat slows down and I smile..

* Everything has beauty *

Everything has beauty...
It is so true. But how often do we take all the good stuff in life for granted? So often, I would say most of the time. Mostly only when the road is getting more turns and bumbs along the way, you have to say that your life before, you, had everything which is good and beautiful in life.
I am not taking about the big things in life, even though they can and will be important. But what if you life is ordinary? Does it make it less important? Less beautiful?
Most people I guess, tend to think yes. Or at least I find myself thinking that most of the time.
It is high time to stop and think better of your life, yourself, your work, your hobbies. Enjoy life, enjoy the beauty that surrounds you!

My entry for Texture Tuesday. Used 2x cora and 2x isobal from Kim.

* Never regret *

My take on this weeks Texture Tuesday, quick and easy edition. Anything goes.
I used the ladder and deardreamer textures.
These are currently on my dining table :)

* texture tuesday *

This week quick and easy edition. While looking for a good photo to work on I noticed I haven't been out taking shots of scenery or flowers or other stuff just because I love taking those photo's. Time has stopped me from doing so. I really must make time... really....
So for next weekend i will try to plan a mini photoshoot... just because... :)
For now, I took an older picture (few months old :) )
and used it for this week. I used cora, paperstained music, and than some and return.
Too late to upload to TT though....

* 5 min friday - fall *

Fall.... I am in a free fall at this moment. Letting it all go, memories as they come and go. Mesmorized by something silly. Staring out the window, seeing, actually seeing the grass ripple by the hard summer winds that are currently blowing. Squeezing my eyes shut against the vibrant sun, yet still I cannot only feel the suns warmth on my face but also seeping through my eyelashes. It is simply not possible to shut out the sun. No matter how dark you think it is, or you are feeling, the sun will rise again. Just let it all go an float through you like a never ending river. The water will rinse you clean. Clean of the past's negative thoughts. Seeing and feeling my own soul reaching for the surface after falling down deep down in my heart. Yet it's still there. It never was gone. Never completely gone. I can feel my true soul and my self climbing upwards again to meet the sun.

Edit:
I cannot leave my reaction at thesusanblog (http://thesusanblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/five-minute-friday-soon-fall-away/); so here goes:
life is a never ending race of stuff which needs to be done. That is so true and life these days only seems to get faster and faster. Hope you will find the time you need to rejoice in the lord and be close. thanks for sharing your inspirational thoughts.

I have read so many 5 min text which I would love to comment but there isn't an option available for me to log in. So I want to thank you all for sharing your stories here.

* View *

I want to change my view of the world, change my view of life. No more stressing no more negative energy flowing out of me. My new view of the world of living is a one vibrant with colors, shining in the early morning glow, screaming with chances, overflowing with challenges. All mine for the taking. Taking it one by one, step by step. Widening my view around me. There are so many beautiful things to see. So much fun to have. Let the sunshine in... let the sunshine in. Closing my eyes for negative things and vibes and feelings that always seem to seep through me, in my bones, in my thoughts. They are not mine they are from others. Let them keep the negative stuff. I want to fill my head, my heart with song, fun, love and positive energy. I want to keep my own view of the world and my life and what is happening...

* What do you want to be known for? *

While reading Ali Edwards blogs, there was a mentioning of this site of making a list every week on a subject. 52 lists I have been sneaking around for a while, but then decided to try it along. Seems there isn't been a new list for last week, so I decided to do week 19 and who knows, I might even do the other weeks as well :)

The background is a Texture from Kim Klassen and a photo by myself.

* Heritage *

This weeks challenge is heritage. Love how this one turned out.
It's my grandma's necklace which I have been wearing for years as a good luck charm.

* A quick walk *

Confidence, red  & take heart are used for this weeks Texture Tuesday, Free and Easy Edition

This photo was taken not so long ago on a reasonable Sunny day, we haven't had many of those. So I was taking a quick walk and noticed these :)So beautiful...

* comfort *

All my life i have lived in my own comfort zone, safe. Nothing to stress me out. I felt comforted in my own house, my own life, by myself. Yet it seemed to become more of a less comforting feeling because of changes in my life. I need to go out and do things, go places, see people. Go out and about. Simply enjoying life more expresively. Stepping out of my comfort zone. Even though you want it, it is difficult to do. Yet I can pull strenght out of myself. I have done already so much out of my comfort zone. 
Specially since someone entered my life and without him knowing it, he turned it upside down. I have never been so much at ease, at comfort with myself. His present and his words and his actions have given me more confidence in myself. I am good who i am. I can do more than I think. I don't have to be negative about myself. I can find comfort in life and in other people and things around me. I just have to trust in myself. Accept myself. Be at ease with  myself and feel comfort  in my own skin and in my mind and head and thinking.
I can do it. Even if he is stepping out of my life I still need to keep that feeling of comfort being me.

* Color Pop *

This week the assignment over at texture tuesday is POP.

I used 3 textures; xanthe, paper 2, and marabella.

Loved playing along :)

* 5 min friday *

jump... i have jumped this year, i have jumped into something deeper and it became more powerful than i ever dreamed it could be. It was a big leap of faith and now i have to keep on holding tight of hopes that my jump wasnt a jump too far, too deep, so out of my reach.
Even if I will fall into a big black hole, i will never regret that i took the jump. the jump into something new, something powerfull, something called trust and love. I have learned so much about life, about me since i took that jump. not all is positive also some negative things about myself but yet i learned valuable lessons which i will carry with me the rest of my life. the positive is i learned i could do stuff i always thought i was too scared for, too shy, too afraid of me and my emotions, too afraid of the world and people who live in it who have hurt me over and over in the past. yet I took the jump and found the trust in someone else. trust and love and care and all because i took a jump i always though i would never ever take. it gives me hope and trust in the future that maybe one day i will find someone again who i can jump with...

Edit:
unable to leave comment here:
http://ourhighwayfive.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/jump/
(no wordpress account)
 So I leave it here:
So very true. Specially your last words really spoke to me. Thanks for sharing.

* PhotoChallenge week 15 - flora *

It has been too long since I played along with the weekly photochallenges, but I managed to get this weeks shot. The subject is Flora and I love to take photo's of blossoms which are about to burst open now that the spring is finally arriving in Holland.
Enjoy your Sunday!

* photo challenge week 7 *

This is my entry for this weeks photo challenge transportation.
Really like the different point of view than from what I normally shoot.

* Texture Tuesday *

This weeks theme is color pop over at Texture Tuesday.
I very much enjoyed the fresh spring colors of the flowers. All is so dark these days in the winter.
I used Minus 45 and ugglovesepia.

* photochallenge 52-2013 week 3 & 4 *

I missed week 3 earlier because I was ill, but I wanted to take the shot any way.
Subject was minimalism.

Subject of week 4 is Winter. Too bad the snow is gone over here, but I managed to get another shot which I think is also quite fitting for winter. Luckily I was at the right time at the right place in order to get this photo :)

* Week 4 photochallenge *

I am following several challenges at once and I have to say I pick the theme that fits me most :) This time I choose bare. Unfortunately I didn't have any time to go out to photograph this week. So I used the camera on my mobile phone to take this shot. Normally it isn't up to my standards but I dediced to embrace it and go with it after all :)

(Slightly edited in Photoshop elements)
Enjoy your sunday

* food *

Last weeks theme was food.... first I wasn't too happy with the result, I think I can do better.
But now I like the outcome of it.

* Texture Tuesday *

It's playtime again :) This weeks theme is cuppa. And I happen to have a lot of photo's on my harddrive of my favorite coffee of this moment, cappuccino. So I was happy to use one of those photo's combined with layers from Kim confidence, marabella and cherishedscripted.

And I combined it with a saying which I really love.

* Project 52 - 2013 week 2 & 3 *

Yes, already a little behind in my weekly home shots. But I am making it up.
Here's week 2...

 

.... and week 3.

* 5 min friday - dive *

Here goes:

DIVE

I hate swimming so I never really dive. I am also very carefully in daily live, I hardly ever dive into something without thinking it through. Only one time I made a rush descision and regretted it for a very long period afterward.
Lately, however, I start to think that it might be the right time for me to make a change. Not over think everything or at least not for a very long time. Maybe I should really try diving into life more. If I stay too much in my own comfortzone, less opportunities will pop up. And since I have been facing death more often in the last few years, you get to realize that life isn't forever. Shouldn't I take the very best out of it?
Dive in to one of my long life dreams and make it come true or at the very least work on it so I know I did everything I could... Stuff to think about...

* weekly photochallenge *

This week the challenge for 52 photochallenges is ICON. First I wanted to go with APPLE but then I decided that I could be more creative with GROLSCH. I have tried many options. This one I like best, but I don't think it's that creative. So I need to improve on that factor :)

 

* 5 min friday *

Opportunity

It's the new year its 2013 and that gives opportunity to make changes in your life. Do new things, or pick up old hobbies and try again to keep them up. Not for a day or a week but at least for a year or for a life time. Even better.
This year I want to take the opportunity to become again more creative. It's in me and I need to let it out because it will make me so much happier. Why do I use excuses like no time and to busy. Put my shoulders underneath and get moving.
I want to start designing in illustartor, I want to take more and better photo's. I want to pick up writing again. I want to take up blogging again. I want to get more scrapwork done. I want to keep up Project 52.
I really enjoy the new year already because I started well. I am enthousiastic en energetic. I worked on photography already and revised my blog a little. Again starting with 5 min friday. Again starting with Texture Tuesday.
Good intensions go a long way. Now I have to keep them up again :)

Edit: I was unable to leave comment at the previous entry (http://cuoreq.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/5-minute-friday-opportunity-2/)
since I don't have one of the accounts to login; so here my comment:
moved by your words which come straight from your heart. Hoping you will grow with the love of God like the seeds have grown with water and love.

* Project 52 *

Happy new year! Happy 2013.

I am trying a new project this. One of many as a matter of fact :)
This year I am trying a photo each week shot at home. Inspired by Elsie from a beautiful mess who is doing this daily. However that's to much for me. I already tried Project 365 every day a photo. I managed to keep it up a year, but it's not for me anymore...

Soooo trying to make a photo each week seems more do-able and I want to improve my phogography skills...