Tag: Photos

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Long Weekend Completed with a Thunderstorm

Posted on by Mama

It was the long weekend here in Canada and I have to say the weather has been extremely hot and a little bit humid. Hasn’t stopped us from enjoying the beautiful weather though.

We have gone for plenty of walks, grandma bought Valeria a little blow up pool (which of course my husband inflated and filled), an iced coffee or two from McDonald’s was enjoyed, BBQ’ing and even a little bit of a thunderstorm today.

Valeria has experienced all sorts this past weekend; she touched grass with her feet for the first time (completely unfazed by the sensation by the way), she got to splash around in her little pool and also got scared when her face fell in a bit, she tried organ meat for the first time (yes, we are feeding our child organs, it is full of iron and nutrients and we want her to have a good palate for different foods), she tried watermelon (yes, I tried it too….again) and she got to witness a big rain storm this afternoon. So a very big weekend for her!

She was mesmerized by the rain storm, it was funny to watch her little eyes go super wide watching the down pour from the porch. She didn’t hear the thunder until we were in the house and she never saw the lightning. But it was her first time seeing it, and I have a feeling she is very much like me and loves thunderstorms. They are just so soothing. I was able to snap a few photos, but not sure it really does it justice. I was really hoping to capture a lightning shot, but no dice. One day!

We went on three walks today, and the third was just to get some much needed energy out before she went down for the night. It was nice because it was after the rain fall, the sun had come back out and everything smelled refreshing. She cuddled up with daddy for a bit as he held her walking, than she was getting a bit fussy so daddy played the over the shoulder and run away from mommy game. Mommy….does not run! I would pretend and wave to her and she would laugh and daddy would run back and I’d kiss her. It was only around the block, so it was a very short game, but by the time we got back to the house she was sleepy and wanted to go down for the night.

Bottles at the ready, my husband put her to sleep, her little eyes shut almost immediately. Hopefully the day tired her out enough that she sleeps most the night.

I have my highway driving test tomorrow and I have to admit I’m a bit nervous. I’m a good driver and I’m doing it on country roads, so it should be perfectly fine. But please wish me luck, send me good vibes and keep me in your prayers. I really want to pass this and not have to worry any more. I’ll explain our licensing process in tomorrows post, along with either good news or bad in regards to my test.

I’m going to end it here, I’m pretty exhausted from the day and needs some rest. Hope you had a beautiful Monday wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Valeria’s Seven Month Photos

Posted on by Mama

Now, we were away when she turned seven months, but it was such a beautiful day that we opted to take advantage. There is that beautiful white floral bush in front of our home, I posted a photo of it the other day, but I will share it again down below.

We laid down a blanket and her seven month sign and did a little photo shoot today. Didn’t capture too many pictures as she became very curious of all the plants and flowers surrounding her. She is just motoring around already, so her curiosity gets the better of her.

After the photos we decided for a nice walk, I mean why not enjoy the the heat and sunshine. Maybe my pale skin will get a tan! Sigh, being a pale Italian….it’s rough!

I took my camera with me and snapped some beautiful shots, and maybe need to learn boundaries….I really shouldn’t just roll up on people’s lawns taking photos are their flowers. But they were so beautiful….sorry neighbours! I generally ask if they are outside though.

Valeria is down early tonight, she had a very long day. But enjoy the photos and I hope you have a wonderful day wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Artistic Corner

New Life Sprouting

Posted on by Mama

After our walk this evening with Valeria, we decided to just enjoy a little time taking photos outside. We took some photos with my husband and her, and some with her and myself. I even got to snap a few photos of the life that’s sprouting around our yard. I can’t wait until there is a little more blooming to really get some nice shots, especially of our Maple tree.

Though I’ve decided to not do a vegetable garden this year. With what we have planned, we won’t have the time to properly tend to it and Valeria keeps us fairly busy as it is. Especially now that she is learning how to crawl.

Anyway, here are a few photos I took today:

Hope you are enjoying the weather wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Six Months

Posted on by Mama

Valeria is six months today! I can’t believe we’ve had her for half a year already and time really is flying. It’s insanity!

As usual we proceeded to do a six month photo shoot for her today. She wore a nice colourful pair of pants, a onesie (That’s says Just Call Me Princess, which you can’t see in the photos), a white knit sweater with ruffles on the shoulders, socks and white and light beige running shoes. I also put a cute little blue bow in her hair. she sat with her Six Month wooden sign and her new stuffy named Daisy, just a cute little flower she received at Easter from my sister-in-law Ana. Oh forget it, I’ll post a photo! Talking about it really doesn’t do it justice.

You can kind of see the blue bow, but look at that face!

It was so beautiful outside I just had to take advantage of it and why not get her outside for her photos. This is one of many, but man I love them and I think they turned out really cute. My baby got style, but she gets that from her mama!

It’s incredible how much she has grown in the past six months though. The other day my husband and I were playing with her and we realized that she is very tall for her age, at least we think so. I snapped this picture of her as she was standing next to her crib. She already wants to motor around, stand and bounce. She is just full of energy and if only you knew what lead up to this moment in the photo….chaos!

Forgive the crappy quality, my phone is hella old!

Is she tall for her age? Please give me your opinion, but be kind please.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We ran to the store and picked up some produce, tea, etc. Though I did pick up some fruits and veggies for Valeria. I’m opting to make her food instead of buying it, so introducing her to some veggie and fruit purees.

I cooked up some carrots, squash, pear and apple. No seasoning or spices, just all natural. We also bought some Kefir for her to try as well, which is extremely good for gut health in both adults and kids.

Her naps were amazing today, slept a solid 4 hours and she went down pretty easy after her bath time. Which she indeed drenched mommy and the bathroom floor. She has now discovered she can splash with her legs and feet….I’m in trouble, aren’t I?!

We read her a book before bed and off she went with her milk to dream land. Now just writing this and then off to spend some much needed quality time with my husband.

Hope you had a bright sunny day wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Travel/Vacations

Century Manor – Haunted? Part 2

Posted on by Mama

* Disclosure: If you do not like creepy posts, I’d skip this one. Some of the information and images may be disturbing*

Final Shot

This beautiful Victorian building is full of rich history, previously discussed in Part 1. The decaying state of the structure and the ominous graffiti adds to the eerie aesthetic and atmosphere.

As I watched the video my husband had initially sent to me, it indicated it was haunted. And as I was reading and doing research I came across countless videos and articles regarding paranormal investigations and encounters. So it caused me to wonder, are they true?

I already admired the building; Victorian architecture is some of my favourite and the history is intriguing. I knew I wanted to go photograph the outside, even if they allowed people in (which they do not), I wouldn’t have gone inside. I really just wanted to be respectful of the building and it’s former patients/staff.

I prefer not to involve myself in paranormal investigating, but to watch in pure fascination and curiosity from afar.

As I was taking the final shot of the day, the one above, I noticed a Security SUV to my right as I was about to take the photo. I tried not to look nervous, not sure if I’d be in trouble to taking photos, so I politely waved/smiled at the gentleman as he drove by. He smiled and waved back, rounding the corner going toward the back of the building. I quickly took my photo before walking up the hill toward Century Manor. And then I saw him coming back…

Now, my husband was in the car with our daughter toward the back of the building. He was already on high alert, noticing two young guys walking around the building when we got there. They thankfully left me alone. I’m a tough chick, he knows, but he will always be my protector and I insisted to go take the photos alone quickly. So when the Security guard stopped at the curb and rolled down his window, my anxiety spiked. I played it cool, at least I tried.

He asked if he knew me, and I said nope I’m not from around here, that I’m here visiting my husband’s family for the weekend. He said I looked like a friend of his, but he hadn’t seen her for years. As the chit chat went on, I bravely asked “Is this place actually haunted?” He immediately replied “Oh yes it is! I’ve investigated in there myself with my daughter..” He proceeded to tell me that other security guards, who no longer worked there, also had pretty significant experienced; however he wouldn’t go into detail, no matter how hard I prodded for it. I asked if there were shadow people and such. He joked “Well there are shadows, especially if you’re using a flash light you know…” He went on to recount that he’s heard disembodied voices, things moved or thrown, unexplained noises and he’s used some paranormal investigating equipment, he specifically mentioned the Spirit Box. He said he’s had a voice tell him to ‘Shut up’ and his daughter was told ‘Fuck you Whore’. Excuse the profanity used, this is what he told me. He said there have been quite a few paranormal investigations in there.

During our discussion, I had my phone in hand the entire time, and at one point my husband called. I hung up not wanting to be rude; you think with all the true crime documentaries and podcasts I watch I would learn not to care about being rude to a stranger….I digress. I immediately sent him a text, but I already saw his car rounding the corner and he parked right in front of the SUV. When I saw him get out, I knew he was in defensive mode. I smiled at him and let him know the gentleman was kind enough to stop and chat with me about the manor. He relaxed and joined in. The security guard proceeded to tell us a bit about the history and other haunted locations he’s investigated, including Albion Falls, Dunbar Castle, etc. All locations in or around my husband’s hometown. Neat huh!?

I forgot to ask the guy if he had a paranormal investigation Instagram or anything, but we ended on a very pleasant note. We said our goodbyes, I wished him luck on his future paranormal adventures and we left.

I can only imagine what it would have been like to be in that building, in the dark knowing there is no real way to protect yourself. Gives me shivers! He and his daughter are brave let me tell you.

So there you have it folks, it is confirmed by an employed Security guard, that Century Manor is indeed haunted. There is so much content online that if you are curious go check out some videos.

But I had a wonderful experience there; got some great photos and felt fairly calm around the outside of the building, as did my husband. Hopefully it becomes a heritage site in the future, it should be preserved for historic purposes, not just for the lost souls that still reside there.

Next stop on our historic location adventure…I’ll keep ya posted.

Ciao!

***All credit goes to the following websites and the kind security guard I spoke with. There is so much information out there, if you would like to do your own research/investigating***

  1. https://www.ontariogenealogy.com/hamiltoninsaneasylum.html
  2. http://asylumprojects.org/index.php/Hamilton_Psychiatric_Hospital
  3. https://www.centurymanorpreservation.com/history
  4. https://freaktography.com/abandoned-century-manor/
  5. https://mysteriesofcanada.com/canada/shocking-horror-stories-from-canadas-creepiest-abandoned-asylums/
Posted in Travel/Vacations

Day at the Park

Posted on by Mama

Today was a bit of an adventure for our baby girl and a trip down memory lane for me and my husband. We decided, on this wonderful Sunday, to head to a local park in our city. It was actually one of our first dates when he came to visit me. We were long distance for a while, since we started dating at the beginning of COVID and he lived about an hour and a half away from me. Online dating, gotta love it!

We bundled our little bean up and off we went to the park. It also gave me the opportunity to take the camera with me and get some beautiful shots. I prefer black and white, but coloured photos have their place as well. I suppose it’s the old soul in me, loving black and white photography.

The day was crispy and lightly snowing, with a light grey overcast. To be honest, it sounds miserable, but it was perfect. No one was there, except us and a few cars in the parking lot. We put baby girl in the stroller, tucked her in with her fluffy warm blanket and off we went. Let’s just say she immediately fell asleep with the bottle in her mouth.

Bottle removed, baby girl sleeping and mommy and daddy had time to talk, walk and take photos. People are incredibly friendly when you have a baby. Mostly older couples would pass us and say hello, others saw the camera and smiled politely. Strange how people work isn’t it? Seeing how the social dynamic changes once you have a child.

My husband pointed out that I was more of an extrovert today, usually I am full introvert mode all the time, but I was saying hello and asking people if I could take pictures of their dogs. I smirked and shrugged at him. I was enjoying the time we were spending together and the creativity flowing through me. Our baby girl woke up near the end of our walk, as we were passing the ducks. We made our way back to the car noting more people and more cars in the parking lot. It became busy at the park, but we missed most of that hustle and bustle. We headed home, with a pit stop to the grocery store.

The afternoon was quiet: groceries put away, dinner prepped and made, calorie counter app downloaded and set up, photos looked at and Instagram account created. All in between trying to put our girl to sleep for a nap, which she was having none of. It has been a difficult afternoon/evening in that regard. Cat naps just aren’t cutting it and we don’t know what we can do to help her. If anyone has any suggestions, pleeeeeease let us know! We always feel like we have it down, then what soothed her yesterday doesn’t soothe her today. Always a learning process with kids I suppose.

Now about that Instagram…

My husband encouraged me to start one, informing me that I should showcase my talent. I’m an amateur at best, but I’m learning more and more every time. Just having fun with it. If you are interested in checking it out here is the address: https://www.instagram.com/dlightfulsnapshots/

Nothing else really to report, I’m just going to try to get our girl to sleep and then maybe unwind with this new show I’ve been watching called So Help me Todd. Pretty funny, witty and highly recommend.

Wishing you all a wonderful evening or day, depending on where you are in the world.

Ciao!