Story Behind the Picture: A Girl's Best Friend

I'm not sure where Marilyn Monroe got the notion, but diamonds are not my best friend. I don't hate them, mind you, but I've never judged the depth and the breadth of love based upon their size. The diamond my grandfather bought for my grandmother? Minuscule. The number of second and third construction shifts he worked in order to propose to her with a ring? Epic.

My own husband popped the question with a 10-cent ring from a vending machine. He later upgraded to a lovely diamond, but truly, I would have been happy to wear the original.

Give me a promise made of stronger stuff than pressurized carbon, and you can keep the rest.

I will, however, take a stack of good books and a fabulous pair of heels (perhaps Marilyn really felt the same way, but it would have made for a rather unwieldy song title). I leave you with "A Girl's Best Friend," as seen through my eyes...

Story Behind the Picture: An Ideal Day

I know, it's December: I really shouldn't be posting about sunglasses and bathing suits, especially since my hands have yet to thaw out from my morning walk to the bus stop with the boys.

I thought, however, on this windy and frigid morning, we could all use a little sunny warmth. I shot this still life in August, during a gorgeous week at the beach. The idea for it stemmed from a dinner-table discussion my husband had introduced the night before: "what would be your perfect day?" I listened as the boys described running, playing, and general adventuring. I listened as Marty described similarly high-energy activities. I listened as all three invented a 24-hour day completely packed with a weeks' worth of fun.

When it was my turn to share, I just smiled: this picture was already forming in my head. All I need is a cold drink, a good book, and a warm beach. That, my friends, is the most ideal day I can imagine.

Midweek Update: "Alphabet Soup" now in print!

I'm popping in early this week to let everyone know that my series of "Alphabet Soup" whimsical alphabet art is now available as a charming children's book!

Welcome to the silly scavenger hunt called "Alphabet Soup!"

Learning letters has never been this fun! If the weather is stormy and you are stranded inside, never fear - your home is an alphabet safari waiting to happen.

Find a friend and start your search...what things will you discover?

Available now as a soft or hard cover book - click here to preview the book and purchase your copy today!

Story Behind the Picture: "My Favorite Things"

*Disclaimer: the following story contains personal information about the author and shall not be used to make fun of her in future conversations*

There's no easy way to begin, so I'll just come out and say it: I used to read the encyclopedia for fun. This fact alone could be the reason I always had to take my science lab partners to prom/homecoming in high school. That, combined with the fact I was on the math team. And I won science fairs. And I watched Jeopardy! with a fanaticism unparalleled by most teenagers on this planet.

I adore books. In my prime (before toddlers and laundry and, well, life, entered the picture), I could read three books a day. In college, I worked as a book repair technician, gently renewing and repairing the beloved collection of the college library...I revelled in the comforting smell of the pages and the texture of the woven binding cloth. When I moved on to graduate school and saw the truly epic reading list attached to the syllabus, I smiled as those around me wept. My husband laughs and simply refuses to believe I can read - and comprehend - a 300 page book in less than a day. He also refused to accept that I read an entire collection of encyclopedias for entertainment value until I quoted the publisher (Grolier, 1968) and he called my parents to confirm.

Marty: "Do you have a set of encyclopedias in the house?"
Mom: "Yes dear, why?"
Marty: "Michelle insists that she used to read them for fun."
Mom: "Yes, well, she did. We had to drag her out of the house to get a bit of sunlight every now and again."
Marty: "Wow."
Mom: "Yes, well, we all know she's a little...strange..."
Marty: "You mean nerdy?"
Mom: "Yes, that's really the best way to describe it."

I used my Duaflex viewfinder and set up the still life with all manner of books from around our home, including a Greek-English dictionary that once belonged to Marty's grandfather. It was clearly well-loved, full of hand-written annotations, its pages folded and marked for repeated use. Marty says he cannot remember a day that his grandfather wasn't reading the Classics in both Greek and Latin. Had I been lucky enough to know Dr. Hayes while he was alive, I know we would have gotten along famously.