instagram Archives - Keeping With The Times

August Blogging Schedule Update

August 23, 2017 by Barb 1 Comment

Hello, I believe it’s time for a little August blogging schedule update …

… but first, here’s a peek at my Instagram grid as of today: it’s filled with dahlias, coneflowers, cattails, globe thistles, succulents, daisies and sunflowers (may I never take you for granted ;)
Earlier this month I wrote the blog post What Happened? outlining my planned posts for August.

So far … so good. Except I’ve decided to postpone the market garden list. It’s sitting there in draft mode and I want to add a few more locations. And truthfully I got behind in my research … oops! But what fun research it is … so I will get it together!

Note: I put a calendar on my sidebar that shows which days I’ve posted, and let me tell you it’s a tremendous motivator. I look at it every morning and it’s painfully obvious there were no posts last week. But, I did publish two in the first week (pat on the back :) As you can tell, I am struggling a bit but still hanging in there.

And just a little reminder, I have a post going up tomorrow (August 24th) in collaboration with Stampington and Bella Grace Magazine and there will be a giveaway! I’ll also be sending out a newsletter with a little reminder.

Thank you for stopping by xo

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy these:

: A Different Kind of Power

: Dealing With Distraction

: Plant Your Own Garden

: Gentle Encouragement

: Late Summer Floral Arrangements

April Roundup on Instagram

May 2, 2017 by Barb 2 Comments

Time for my April roundup and a little food for thought.

April was a crazy month with us travelling between Alberta and Arizona, but despite ALL the distractions I managed to keep taking photos.

What is driving me? I just don’t know. No wait … if I’m going to be honest with you, it’s Instagram.

It seems I spend my life arranging still life images and sharing them online, and I’m starting to question my motives. What else might I be doing … blogging perhaps? Sharing more meaningful content?

But for now, these tiny squares give me a sense of time and place … as in … oh yes, I remember … we were in Arizona and I had these lovely little succulents that I ended up taking apart and photographing before leaving for Alberta. Oh, and there’s that poor little rose, ravaged by cutter bees. And there’s that book Succulents: The Ultimate Guide by Robin Stockwell that I found at Barnes and Noble (one of my favourite places on earth.)

I guess there is a story in here somewhere. But I have other stories as well, which I want to share/record, which is why I keep showing up on my blog.

I hereby vow to post about our most recent day trips in the Phoenix area, because I have tons ‘o pics and they haven’t seen the light of day :)

Keep on blogging my friends, you won’t regret it.

Five Things Friday | March 10

March 10, 2017 by Barb 10 Comments

Welcome to Five Things Friday where I share what I’m reading, watching, eating, making, or just plain loving at the moment and I’m so happy you stopped by!

It’s been so darn wintery this week: one day it’s snowing and grey, and the next it’s bitterly cold and sunny. I do love the sunny days when my dining room is awash in light!

Oh and we’re about to “spring forward” and set our clocks ahead one hour which means an extra hour of daylight in the evening. Some people don’t like this time change, but I love it!

To recap last week … I haven’t been reading much. I’m slowly getting into “The Witches of New York.” I’m trying hard, but I may have to switch to something else for a bit (no crime in that I say.)

“This is Us” made me cry (as I suspected it would) and I can tell you I’m not looking forward to the final episode next week. I probably should run into Costco and buy up their supply of tissues …. .

Oh, and I fell … I’m not ready to explain how, but suffice it to say I have a bruise the size of two of my hands put together and it’s the colour of liver. I also have various other injuries … but I’m OK. Truly, I’m OK, I just had to share … so strange how we have to share our little mishaps … .

So let’s get to it!

Five Things Friday | March 10

Did You Know?

Instagram has a new feature where you can add a string of photos into one post! I personally haven’t created one yet (it’s hard enough coming up with one photo/day) but check out Kim’s example here @kimklassen (it doesn’t work on a computer, you may have to use your phone.) I’m really looking forward to trying it though … the possibilities are exciting.

Best Spam Comment of the Week

I really have to share some of the comical spam comments I receive … and I receive tons of them! I’m so thankful for Akismet Anti-Spam my spam catcher. It does an amazing job.

So here’s the Best Spam Comment of the Week (from Grantham) on my post How to Make Saskatoon Berry Pie:

Undeniably believe that which you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the internet the easiest thing to be aware of.
I say to you, I definitely get irked while people consider worries that
they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit
the nail upon the top as well as defined
out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a
signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks

Ummmm … you’re welcome? alrighty then, would you like a side of ice cream with that? ;)

What I Discovered

I recently discovered the most amazing face cloth! Introducing … the Wonder Cloth as found at Bed Bath & Beyond. You’ll have to search for it since for some reason it won’t let me link directly to the cloth.

It’s for removing makeup but I can’t bring myself to wipe mascara and lipstick all over it. Instead, I first remove my makeup and then, using a gentle cleanser, wash my face with it. Be careful though, and don’t scrub; massage gently. As an experiment I examined the pores on my face in a magnifying mirror before I used the cloth and then after. Those nasty little pores were so clean … invisible almost. I know … hopefully that wasn’t tmi, but I’m giving you a beauty secret here ladies!!

Movies I Saw and Loved

We went and saw “Hidden Figures” and oh my gosh what an amazing and inspiring story:

HIDDEN FIGURES is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

Official Trailer|20th Century FOX on YouTube

It’s a must see!!

What I’m Grateful For

Brilliant sunshine on a bitterly cold (-27C) morning.
Getting out of bed, turning up the furnace, turning on the coffee pot, and diving back into bed until the house is warm and the coffee is ready.
Finding the perfect (reasonably priced) hardware for my new kitchen/dining room drapery panels. The dining room looks ah.ma.zing!
Affordable spring blooms from grocery stores … tulip, crocus, mascari, daffodil, and hyacinth. It may be full on winter outside, but it’s full on spring inside.

Have a beautiful weekend everyone!

Farewell February!

February 28, 2017 by Barb 4 Comments

Farewell February! You were lovely …
I was very fortunate to have access to poppies, anemones, baby succulents, and hyacinths whilst in Arizona.

And it’s not all bad here at home either, as I found some very affordable tulips … and a new place to take photos.

I temporarily moved my garden table into the pantry which has a north-facing window, and voila! extra shadows and moodiness … .

Photo edited with kk_ash from the new Be Still Collection by Kim Klassen.
Have you done your monthly cleanup chores yet?

My month-in-review for February is coming tomorrow (a bit late) but if you’d care to read January’s review, you can check it out here.

Until then …

Celebrating 20K on Instagram!

July 14, 2016 by Barb 9 Comments

Today I’m celebrating 20K followers on Instagram! on my account @keepingwithtimes.

I have a post coming soon on how I “think” I did it and how I “think” you can too!

But for now … a tiny bouquet of tansy, picked by the wayside and plunked into my new chippy blue canister …
Have a lovely day!

Insta-Grid Recap

April 7, 2016 by Barb 8 Comments

Hello, just popping in with a little Insta-Grid recap of my week of still life.

My blog may seem quiet but I’m still shooting daily, and with the abundance of flowers surrounding me, that’s mainly what I’m shooting.

From the dainty Desert Marigold, to a full-blown rose that’s falling apart, to ranunculus found at Costco for a song (well, I’m in my glory.)

Most, if not all of these images I’ve posted on Instagram @keepingwiththetimes.

When I posted the image of the rose that fell apart, I mentioned that some critter had been chewing on its leaves, but I soon learned from a fellow IG’r that the work was the result of cutter bees! How very fascinating!

… and then there were these lovely little Miniature Wool Stars as seen on our walk through the local botanical gardens (shot with my phone).
Have a lovely day dear friends!

Instagrams New Multiple Accounts Feature!

February 10, 2016 by Barb 7 Comments

Have you heard about Instagrams new add and switch between multiple accounts? Oh joy! No more logging in and out when using different usernames.

Late last year I opened a new account @barbbrookbank so I could post images from my daily life. Inevitably it stalled because it was such a pain to log in and out (and in the process lose all history of recent hashtags I was using). Plus I can set it to “Private” and only let people I trust follow it. Oh, I know, first world problems :) but what can I say?

I may have to re-download Hipstamatic because it’s so darn much fun to use for the everyday snapshot.

Oh, and how about Flipagram! My old Flipagrams actually make me teary. Sometimes I go through @keepingwiththetimes and revisit my old images … it’s quite a lovely trip down memory lane. Impromptu, imperfect, daily life images. Sigh. I want that back.

Goodbye August … ? #focusingonlife #apphappywednesday

A video posted by Barb Brookbank (@keepingwiththetimes) on Sep 2, 2014 at 5:49pm PDT

#goodbyejuly I hate to see you go …

A video posted by Barb Brookbank (@keepingwiththetimes) on Jul 31, 2014 at 8:15pm PDT

And what about Waterlogue!!

A month of #waterlogue #prettywaterlogueapril @prettyhandygirl #flipagram

A video posted by Barb Brookbank (@keepingwiththetimes) on Apr 29, 2014 at 8:08pm PDT

… honest to goodness … the memories ♥

Day 10 of blogging every day in February

Stills With Stories

October 28, 2015 by Barb 3 Comments

Kim Klassen has started a brilliant new series Stills With Stories because well, every still does have a story. Granted, some are more profound than others, yet a story is most certainly in there somewhere (and it doesn’t have to be profound!)

A few weeks ago I wrote about my ladder in Serendipity Part I. It was an amazing find, and an amazing story. It most certainly was not earth shattering, but it was curious, and one of those things that make you go hmmmm … .

It was just plain fun! and who couldn’t use a bit of fun in their life?

So when Kim asked if I’d be interested in co-hosting a brand new hashtag on Instagram about stills with stories, I was thrilled. This tag is a way to celebrate the stories behind our stills, and we’d love to have you join us! To play along, simply tag your photos with @keepingwiththetimes @kimklassen #stillswithstories and every week or so we will share a #stillswithstories feature four.

I didn’t start my photography journey shooting still life, I was into landscapes, birds, and animals. But I adore shooting still life. To me still life is real life is still life.

I’ve always had vignettes set up in my home as part of decorating: the mantel, a cupboard, a coffee table … and now I see them as photo ops … no space is safe. I even see my deck and garden as a real life still life. Vignettes bring order and calm to my surroundings, as well as my mind.

OK, now for the truth … shooting still life is hard work. Let me say that again … it’s hard work.

Especially my food photography since I’m usually cooking at the same time. If you could see the “behind the scenes” on some of my food shoots you would see chaos, and by the end of the day I’m exhausted. However, after a good rest I get up and start all over again. Every.single.day. I get up and do the work. Why? Because I love it. It fills me up.

Still life fills me up. It fills me to overflowing and then I have to share because I have too much. I share my food, I share my images, I share my process, and I share my enthusiasm.

Barb

That’s why I’m so excited about this new stills with stories series. If you shoot still life, tell me … what does it do for you?