January and some catching up

I've had a hard time feeling motivated to do much of anything lately, much less blog! But I want to catch up before spring when I tend to take lots of pictures.

I still have more Christmas pictures. Lots more, actually! We'll see how many I end up posting. But I wanted to post a few more recent ones just to feel on top of something for once. January was a weird blend of productivity without many feelings of accomplishment. I've been trying to organize some things and dig into other projects, and right now I'm still at that point where everyone assures you that it gets worse before it gets better. Better, please! I need to wrap up some stuff, mostly for a boost of encouragement that there's an end in sight.

It seems like I'm being vague and symbolic, but I'm not. If you want specifics: I'm trying to reorganize the contents of my bathroom cabinets as well as my clothes, I had some freelance design work that is still printing, I am working on opening an Etsy shop for my photos and am trudging through the hard parts, I have Valentine projects and a road trip I'm preparing for, and my apartment just never seems to be clean. The minute I finish one room, the next needs attention. Oh and I took my car in to get some services done, and found out I also need two new tires soon. Add a HUGE helping of tiredness and winter blah feelings making everything take much longer than it should. So I started off January feeling really pumped and inspired, but by the end I was just more behind on everything. I don't feel awful, just kind of in the thick of things and low on energy.

Anyway! That's a little about life, and here are a few photos.

The weather has been strange. We had some frosty days (this is the only photo I kept from that, since I just didn't care for the others), but mostly it's been unseasonably warm. I've slept with my window open a crack a couple of times, and I only need a sweater outside.

It's also been sunny! But I think February is putting a stop to that.

The other day, my uncle from Hawaii texted me that he was in the area! His son was checking out a nearby college, so some of the family had flown out and we were able to meet up. (This is my uncle and aunt.)

We met at Champoeg State Park, which I had never visited even though it's pretty close by. It was really nice! Here's my beautiful cousin posing by the tree to show the size. It was chilly out, and her Hawaiian hands were freezing. She kept saying she was going to get frostbite and lose her fingers. Being 12 is dramatic. :)

I'd like to visit Champoeg again in the spring. I don't know why I hadn't thought to go before. Also, it has a really nice visitor's center with friendly people, exhibits and films on the history of the park.

We had a chilly picnic lunch in the covered eating area. It was good to get to know my cousins a little better, since I haven't spent much time with these younger ones. I know their older sisters a bit better.

Unrelated: I've been meaning to post a few of the color palettes I made with my photos. I kind of got into this a few months ago after seeing some on Pinterest. It's a nice way to revive some old photos and look at them a little differently. I think there are sites where the color-picking is all automated, but I enjoyed laying these out and choosing the colors myself.


If you'd like to see more, you can go to my Pinterest board here: Palettes

Sorry for the repeats for those of you who follow me on Instagram. I used to swear I wouldn't repeat everything on various social media sites, but I've fallen into that trap!

As for my Etsy shop, I will definitely be talking about it more when it opens. I'm only mentioning it here because it helps give me a bit of accountability. It's hard finding photos and prepping them, but I'm trying some new things and a new approach to selling my pictures that I hope others will like! Stay tuned.

Happy February! Do you have any fun plans for Valentine's Day or President's weekend?