minding my nest

practicing the art of an ordinary life

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December Daily® 2022

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About Me

Hi There! I’m Kelly. I am a wife, mom, light seeker, homemaker, and storyteller. From an empty nest to an abundant life, all it took was a little time, a lot of faith, and the courage to see my life differently.

You can read more about my story here.

So now, armed with my trusty Canon camera, here is where I share my journey to live an inspired and intentional life.

Welcome to my little corner of the interwebs!

Learning to See Photography Series

December Daily® 2022

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AROUND THE WEB

Regular Contributor to Focusing on Life.

Story Teller for Ali Edwards Design Team

Currently Teaching at Big Picture Classes.

My Portfolio - Kelly Ishmael Photography

Honoring the work. 👩🏼‍🌾 For the past c

Honoring the work. 👩🏼‍🌾

For the past couple of weeks, every night after dinner I grab my gloves, shovel, and cart and head out to the backyard to work in my flowerbeds.

In one flowerbed I divided some perennials and moved a few things around. This week I worked on staking my snapdragons. Most of the work though (in terms of time and labor) has been cleaning out the weeds that had gotten completely out of control.

Each night I come inside covered in dirt and drenched in sweat. And man…it feels so good. As someone who works at a desk inside in the air conditioning, there just isn’t much opportunity for me to get that dirty. So it makes me smile when I hop in the shower before bed and watch as the dirt washes off my body and down the drain.

I share a lot of photo of pretty flowers, so today I wanted to share a behind the scenes photo that honors the work that goes into growing and tending to them. This isn’t the kind of stylized photo that the algorithm loves, but this is what gardening in my real life looks like.

And I am really proud of the work that goes into it.

Even though, technically speaking, it’s not offi

Even though, technically speaking, it’s not officially summer yet, here in my neck of the woods, I can tell that we’ve turned the corner so to speak. The spring winds have died down and in their place the thick, humid summer haze has taken up residence. I can see it my garden too… we’ve gone from daffodils to daylilies.

Summer is here. And I absolutely love it.

It’s usually around this time of year when I start to see lots of summer bucket lists and manifestos. Which is great (I would say especially so if you have little ones to keep entertained and/or engaged for summer). But the problem for me is that they always seem to morph into an utterly impossible and in-achievable agenda.

So instead, I like to take a breath and a pause and ask myself, “Kelly, what do you really want from summer?”

Turns out…it’s quite simple actually.

I want a summer that is grace-filled. Joy-full. I want connection and laughter. Freedom and adventure. Whimsy and light. And while I am so looking forward to some of the fun things my family has planned, I would also like to create some margin and space for the unexpected. For the impromptu. For the spontaneous.

Funny thing is, my intention for the summer is really just the same as for the rest of the year. Which is to be fully present in my own life. To not be thinking two hours ahead or three tasks ahead. To see with new eyes and an open heart. To just be present in each moment whatever that may be...because regardless of the season, that's where the magic lies.
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#gatheredstyle #foreverfaffing #loveliest4 #astilllifestyle #floral_faffery #still_life_gallery #tv_stillife #jj_still_life #tv_living #global_ladies #transfer_visions #tv_neatly #tv_flowers #tv_retro #etherealmoods #moody_tones #moodforfloral #moodyflorals #curated_nature #ihavethisthingwithflowers #stylingtheseasons #petalsandprops #floralperfection #thefolkpr0ject #blissfulphotoart #creative_florals

Earlier this Spring I planted two new @davidaustin

Earlier this Spring I planted two new @davidaustinroses after losing my original rose bushes that had been severely damaged from two years of harsh Oklahoma weather.

The beautiful variety is called ‘Olivia Rose Austin’ and she is the sweetest pink blossom with a light, fruity fragrance. And I am looking forward to many more of her delightful blooms this summer.

After feeling a sense of sadness at the loss of my other roses, what a joy it is to have this new color and beauty in my garden.
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#tv_flowers #ethereal_moods #still_life_nature #dofnature #dof_brilliance #bokeh_bliss #bokeh_and_blur #transfer_visions #tv_flowers #tv_fadingingbeauty #tv_depthoffield #tv_allnature #tv_closeup #jj_justnature #moody_tones #raw_allnature #moodforfloral #moodyflorals #inspirenaturenow #charming_nature_ #ihavethisthingwithflowers #nb_nature_brilliance #kaigarden2023 #davidaustinroses

Hello June. 🌸 . . . . . #gatheredstyle #forever

Hello June. 🌸
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#gatheredstyle #foreverfaffing #loveliest4 #astilllifestyle #floral_faffery #still_life_gallery #tv_stillife #jj_still_life #tv_living #global_ladies #transfer_visions #tv_neatly #tv_flowers #tv_retro #etherealmoods #moody_tones #moodforfloral #moodyflorals #curated_nature #ihavethisthingwithflowers #stylingtheseasons #petalsandprops #floralperfection #thefolkpr0ject #blissfulphotoart #creative_florals #kaigarden2023

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10 Things 31 days 50 Stories 52 Weeks of Pinspiration! blogging crafts creativity faith family friends gardening holidays home Learning To See life memory keeping Nature photography recipes seasons Summer Magic The Week in Photos travel Uncategorized

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