p e a c e f u l :: quiet & calm

One of my absolute favorite past times is adventuring. Wether it's a new town, or my hometown, there is always something new to see. Or even something to be seen in a different light.

As we all know, Christmas can be a very hectic time of year. It's hard to carve out time to just relax when there is SO much to do. When life gets hectic, I have a really hard time just letting the Lord handle it & trust that He will help me get everything that needs to get done completed. This past Christmas (yes, I know it's April. If you haven't noticed I'm late on most things. Oops lol), I was blessed to go on an adventure with my brother. After we spent Christmas morning with the family, celebrating Jesus' birth, opening presents and eating lunch, we decided to go out for a walk.

We went to Lake Loretta, somewhere we've been a million times. Except this time it was different. It was extremely peaceful. I have an anxious heart, I worry about everything. Even though I know in my heart I shouldn't, my mind takes off before I can stop it. A verse that is really helping is Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything. Instead in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." I felt this come true for me Christmas day. Even the geese, ducks & birds were calm and quiet. This picture of a duck really shows what the day felt like, and every time I start to feel myself get anxious I look at this picture and pray for peace.

 Here are some more pics of our little adventure :)

Happy Thursday! Have a lovely weekend :-)

Thanks for reading. 

xoxo, 

Mally J.

life in color

During the harsh winter months, it can be quite hard to stay positive. I always get the winter blues...they're so uncalled for, I have so many reasons to be joyful. One perk, however, is that my creative juices start to work in overdrive to compensate for the blues. Thankfully, once those juices start to flow there is no stopping them.

So far I've only taken two photoshoots with paint/chalk. The first, is of my very best friend. I was inspired by a quote that read, "If the words you spoke appeared on your skin, would you still be beautiful?".  I wanted to express that quote in my own words (which ended up being French words...lol), and this was the result. 

While thinking on that quote I started to wonder what God's definition of true beauty was & if the quote was anything close to what He said about beauty. I found that God's definition of true beauty is, "Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." (1 Peter 3:4) He looks at our hearts & the reasoning behind our actions. "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man look at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.'"

The second photoshoot was quite impromptu but inspired by the first photoshoot. My friends wanted a picture like the above. I was a bit nervous in trying to recreate it, scared she wouldn't like it or worse, it not turn out at all. It ended up coming out very nicely, I was pleasantly surprised & she loved it (worrying is a waste of time). 

{played with the hue on this one:)}

Life is hard, but so very beautiful.

"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you." Psalm 63:3.

Thanks for reading. 

peace & love,

Mally J. 

   

taking risks

Happy {WAY belated} New Year from my family & friends to yours!

The week leading up to New Year's Eve/New Year's Day is always an exciting one. We have a new year. A fresh start. "New Year, New Me." Right? So why do we feel like the same person three weeks later? 

In years past I have made lists with immense amounts of qualities/habits I would like to change. If I have 10 different qualities/habits I want to change, how in the world am I suppose to remember them all, let alone work on them all at the same time? For me, that's impossible. So this year, I decided to make three resolutions that all correlated.

      1. Trust God fully

      2. Worry less &

      3. Take more risks

How do those correlate? They form a nice little sentence to remind me of all three at one time: Take more risks by trusting Him fully & worrying less about the outcome. I've said this at least 100+ times since January 1st. 

Risk \'risk\: the possibility that something bad or unpleasant will happen.

I love my comfort zone, but I've learned that it gets boring. Even agonizing at times. When the chance to take a risk passes me by I'm haunted by the 'what if's?'. Yet, Every. Single. Time. I've taken a risk in the past three weeks, I immediately start to worry about the outcome. That phrase though, reminded me to just give it to Him. If He wants it to be it will be. Every. Single. Time. I have given it to Him, my heart was filled with peace & He has fixed it. 

Jump into the pool of possibilities & take a risk!

"Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plan your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Thanks for reading. 

Much love,

Mally J. 

the most wonderful time of year

THE NUTCRACKER

The Christmas Party
"The Nutcracker begins on Christmas Eve. Mr. & Mrs. Stahlbaum & their children, Clara & Fritz, are busy preparing for the evening of festivities. The guests arrive, including Clara's Godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, who has fashioned a special gift for Clara, a Nutcracker designed in the form of a small soldier..." 

Guests have arrived, let the party begin!

..."Clara falls in love with her Nutcracker at once..."

Drosselmeyer brings gifts for everyone!

He also performs magic & hypnotization.

But wait! there's more. 

Columbine, the kissing doll. 

Begging for the Prince to dance with her.

Oh no! Fritz has been shot by the Toy Soldier. *

After being punished by Mr. Stahlbaum, Fritz begins his mischievous antics again. With teasing encouragement from Clara, Fritz gets a hold of her beloved Nutcracker. 

No worries, Drosselmeyer has fixed him. 

The party comes to a close, but not without a goodnight kiss.

Battle Scene

..."Unable to sleep without one more look at her beloved Nutcracker, Clara tiptoes back into the living room and cradles her soldier once more before falling asleep. She is not sure if she is dreaming, but before her eyes are huge mice playing in front of the Christmas tree that has grown to a tremendous size. The Nutcracker fights with the Mouse Queen*, and, in the heat of the battle, Clara takes off her slipper and throws it at the Mouse Queen. While she is distracted, the Nutcracker dispatches her with his saber..." He defeats her, but not without his own wounds. Drosselmeyer, once again, saves him. 

Land of Snow

..."After the battle, the Nutcracker is magically transformed into a handsome prince. Grateful to Clara for saving his life, he invites her to accompany him on a journey to the fabled Kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy. En route, they pass through the exquisite land of the Snow Queen and her King."

The Kingdom of Sweets

..."In the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara is entertained by an array of divertissements, including Spanish, Arabian and Chinese dancers, as well as Mother Ginger, with her many children who appear from her gigantic skirt..."

Mother Ginger kids being naughty...

(Flowers. Definitely my favorite dance/music makes me want to cry every time.)

(Marzipan)

"The evening concludes with the grand pas de deux performed by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. Following the pas de deux, Clara is whisked away with her prince in a sled, while waving goodbye to the Sugar Plum Fairy and her magical kingdom."

I am way late on posting, but I really enjoyed taking pictures of these dancers. They're all so talented! Learning how to photograph the lighting was a bit tricky, but it seems to have worked out. I would love any kind of feedback (critique, suggestions, tips &tc.) so please comment!

P.S. this was a dress rehearsal, so not everyone was in costume...and not everyone got photographed. 

*dancers who were not there while pictures were taken. :-)

Thank for reading,

Mally J.