The two newest grands spent some time together yesterday, and I couldn't stop myself from snapping some pictures (can you blame me?)
They are just beginning to notice one another, and are happy to share...well, everything apparently....so precious!
They reminded me so much of the first two grands about four years ago.
Ohmygosh. I could just eat them up.
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We spent last weekend in the biggest little city, seeing friends, my son and daughter-in-law,and those two precious grand babes! My daughter-in-law had the great idea to have me take some pictures of the family at a nearby park that has an old historic one room schoolhouse. That old schoolhouse turned out to be a perfect backdrop for our photo shoot.
Now, I do not claim to be any sort of expert on photographing people, but I think I do okay with posed shots. I have a Mac, and I use iPhoto to edit my pictures sometimes, or I use PicMonkey, which is a very easy to use free photo editing site.
Simple backgrounds are always best, I think. (see this simple stained door?)
If the backgound is too busy, it seems to take away from the main focus of the picture. The simple lines of the old doors on the schoolhouse and the white siding make for a perfect, calm backdrop, and my makes my subjects really stand out.
If I am not thrilled witht the backdrop, I can always crop the photo in really tight, and just get the subject, with virtually no bacground showing.
Speaking of cropping, the first thing I do with posed-people-pictures is crop them. I typically crop them to be 8 by 10 constraints, so if I want to get them printed (I always use Walgreens, because I can send them online and they are done in an hour, but you can use a home printer, or whatever...) they will fit nicely in a frame.
Once I crop the photo, I usually sharpen it up. Then, sometimes I change the finish. Here is the same photo from up top there, but in an antique finish.
I am putting this version in my new home office. (oh yes! I am in the midst of creating a wonderful space to work on all of my crafty-computer-y things...my bliss.)
Anyway.
Back to what I was talking about...photographing posed people.
Sometimes in a group shot, one person stands out, and you can crop the photo to now be a single....
How can you not love that face?! (Ooooh! I just wanna hug the stuffins out of him!)
Black and white is another nice way to go. I have ony black and white photos in my cubical at work, and I love the artsy look of them.
Lastly, I take a ton of photos when I am trying to capture something. More is more in this case. The beauty of digital cameras is that you can take 300 pictures, and while you may only end up with five good shots, you aren't out a dime. Just delete the bad shots and move on.
So, there you have it. Photo tips from someone that isn't a pro, but still manages to snag a few great shots.
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With Valentine's Day coming up, we just couldn't resist doing a photo Valentine with Grand-babe number six.
His Mama smooched him up and I took the photos.
Pretty danged cute, if I do say so myself.
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It's the happiest time of the year, as they say, and with six Grands under the age of four, you better believe I am in full agreement!
We gathered up the babes for a fun little photo shoot right before Thanksgiving when we had everyone together.
Number six was just two weeks old, and had gone home with his Mama and Daddy before we remembered to do the photo shoot, so he's got his own series of pictures...
Let me just say that attempting to photograph five little guys (er...four little guys and one little Princess) under the age of four in a semi-posed setting is rather like herding kittens....
I wonder how many Santa hats we are going to need next year...
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*sigh*
Each one is absolutely perfect, and positively one of a kind, and all of them melt my heart.
Oh, and I love the cute tree pictures too.
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A new baby is the beginning of all things- wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. Eda J. Le Shan
We have two new baby boys to love on here in my family, both born within the span of 8 weeks.
Jonah (above) and Keaton (Below)
Needless to say, I am completely head over heels...
And, as if things couldn't get any better than this, I will be in total Gramma heaven next week, when the two out-of-town grandbabes arrive for a visit with the cousins, and we have all six of them together!
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Now, speaking of babies....A friend at works daughter emailed me this weekend.(did you follow that? I work with a gal...who has a daughter...and that daughter contacted me...) about a friend of hers (Still with me?) named Katlin.
Feeling extra blessed in the baby department around here, I could not help but feel more than a little compelled to share her story here, and hopefully spread the word of the good work they are doing.
Kaitlin founded a very cool non profit called "Haiti Babi" after making several visits to Haiti. She learned that many children were living in orphanages not because they didn’t have parents, but because their parents simply could not afford to care for them. Katlin knew that something could be done to keep families together. (To read more about Haiti Babi’s story click here).
Haiti Babi’s mission is to give mom’s jobs. The non-profit “trains, equips, and inspires Haitian mothers to knit high-quality artisan baby goods in order to earn an income, and care for their families”. Moms in the U.S. have the opportunity to purchase these products in support of the Haitian mothers. “Moms helping moms.”
I know. Way cool concept, huh?
Anyway.
They just launched a fabulous online event to build awareness and excitement for Haiti Babi and I just had to share it with you all!
Beginning on November 2nd Haiti Babi began releasing one download per day, for a total of 8 FREE downloads. These stylish party products were designed by the talented Julia Warren and are perfect for any shower. You can not only throw a cute baby shower, you can also help contribute to social change! Downloads will be available on Haiti Babi's blog.
Check them out!
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Last Friday I moved to a new cubical at work, and so I spent part of last Sunday foofifyig up my cube. (I know, you are not the least bit surprised.)
I went with super affordable black plastic frames on black and white family photos in several sizes. (God Bless Walgreens! Cheap and speedy photo prints you cna order online and pick up in an hour!)
I added some photo boxes for storage, and my vintage typewriter, and used an old clipp-y holder I found at Camas Antiques to hold more black and white pictures. (I am pretty sure the metal holder was originally a potato chip bag holder from a mini mart!)
Here is the back end of my cubical workspace...
Then, I added just a hint of Halloween to it. I added my signature book page "BOO" Banner, and a few cobwebs..
...and some glittery spiders...
....and a little crow.
...Oh, and Mr. Bones here completed the look.
One of my gal-pals at work said it looked very "Poe-esque" and I took that as a compliment. (Considering I am really not a more-is-more person when it comes to Halloween decorating.)
I don't know if I shared this before, but the folks where I work are really a lot of fun. They are creative types, with think-outside-the-box mentalities, and they are competative. This all makes for a positive and challenging, feel-good atmosphere to work in. (And play in.)
Anyway.
We had a cubical decorating contest, a costume contest, and trick-or-treating from cubical to cubical near the end of the day for all of the employees kids. (And Grand-kids!)
I loved watching my little men comparing their stash with another little guy....
...and watching them scurry with their Daddy to get more treats from the Good Witch across the hall.
So much fun.
Next fun-at-work event? Getting ready for the Christmas Cubical Decorating contest, of course.
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Be still my Grand-baby-squeezin-n-kissin' heart. I now have five little Grand-sons and one Grand-daughter.
Six lil' faces to smooch.
It doesn't get any better than that.
Except knowing that we will have all six of them together for a weekend very, very soon.
Arriving more than a week late, Jonah Matthew certainly made a grand entrance when he decided to finally make his appearance, weighing in at 9.9 pounds!
Thanking God and feeling oh-so-thankful, and grateful, and blissfully happy tonight, knowing that he and his Mama are both doing fine.
We are truly blessed.
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Eight pounds six ounces of perfection. sweet, sweet Keaton arrived yesterday a bit after noon.
Such a delicious little piece of heaven.
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Today is a big day. Bouncing baby boy number three (Grand babe number five!) will be arriving here around noon today, by scheduled C-section.
What were the odds I'd be able to find matching PJ's in toddler and infant sizes? (and so soft and cute too!)
Say a little prayer that he arrives safely and his Mama does fine,if you're so inclined.
(Oh, you know I will be sharing updates later today!)
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Bouncing Baby Boy Number Three will be here sometime near the end of August, and the vintage bassinette I have had for a while now has a new home at my daughter's house. (Remember it here, with my sweet lil' grand daughter?) The Sewing Queen worked her usual magic on it, making it more fabulous than ever.
We chose three different neutral patterns in the absolute yummiest flannel I think I have ever touched, and she used one fabric for the sheet, and coordinated with the charming balnket and rouched bumper.
I got the most presious white crocheted baby blanket last week at a tag sale, and it completed the look perfectly.
Oh! I just can hardly wait for these next two grands to arrive!
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Not sure if you remember or not, but both of my daughters are expecting, and the excitement is building!
I did a fun photo shoot for one of my daughters and her husband yesterday after work. I thought you might enjoy seeing just a few of the pictures.
Some were silly...
And some were sweet......
We all had a lot of fun!
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Can you tell who's further along? Can you? Hmmm?
There's a six week difference in due dates....(Mama-to-be on the left is due in mid October, while Mama-to-be on the right is due in early September...did you guess correctly?)
I can hardly wait to hold these newest babies!
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...and it's a pretty big deal for a man who's not even had his fourth birthday yet. This life event clearly calls for ice cream.
Cold, and soothing to the throat, and homemade with oodles and toodles of Gramma Cupcake's love. It's hard to read in my photo, but the tag reads, "I got my tonsils out so my Gramma made me ice cream, 'coz she loves me."
As long as I was making my first born grandson a special ice cream treat, I figured his little brother would enjoy one as well.(His tag reads, "My brother got his tonsils out so my Gramma made me ice cream, 'coz she loves me.")
Hope you're feeling better real soon, little man!
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Be still my Gramma heart.
Did you know that my one and only Grand daughter, the adorable and beautiful Miss Isabelle, is a dancer?
She's got the music in her.
She's been working hard, practicing like a pro....
...and this past weekend she was in her very first-ever dance recital. She was as cool as a cucumber as she waited for the show to begin, shown here getting a last minute pep talk from her manager. Some of us had a little trouble keeping the theater seats in the "down" position due to height and weight challenges...
Finally, it was showtime. (Que Abba's "Dancing Queen, young and sweet....")
There was twirling.
And prancing.
And fluttering.
My hearted melted.
Truly an Award winning peformance by Miss Isabelle, and the entire dance troope.
Isabelle Marie Buxton. Remember the name. This girl's going places.
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We're in the Biggest Little City for the holiday weekend, and that means that I get to visit with my son and daughter-in-law, and my two grand babes! After landing yesterday, we got to spend some time with this little guy and his big sister.
He's so stinkin' cute, all tuckered out in his Sheriff Woody pajammies that I just want to squeeze the stuffin's outta him.
He'll be two in another week.
Two.
Tomorrow we're going to her first ever dance recital. (Prepare yourself for lots and lots of photos, 'coz I am pretty certain there is nothing cuter than a dozen or so three year old ballerinas, especially when one of them is my one and only grand daughter!)
Why does time have to move so fast?
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My Rock n' Roll Buddy is not one to make a big deal about birthdays, and Christmas and such. (so not-at-all like me, who likes to put a bow and party hat on every little thing.) Today is his birthday, and I decided the most low-key-not-too-over-the-top thing to do would be to have him wake up extra early ('coz I leave the house for work before he rolls outta bed typically.) and have him go on a lil' all-over-the-house scavenger hunt. (Too much hoopla? I didn't think so.)
I decided to go with a Beatles theme for my hunt ('coz every good scavenger hunt needs to have a theme, don'tcha think?) and I used Beatles song lyrics. (of course.)
You see, the birthday present I got him this year is a fabulous Beatles Poster by Max Dalton, titled Ten Great Years, since he is a huge Beatles fan. (He first discovered his love of music,right there in front of the TV watching Ed Sullivan when the Beatles first hit the US, way back in the day.)The great thing about the framed poster is that, besides bringing back such good music memories for both of us, it has the perfect "look" with our decor...kinda vintage-feeling, with the right colors, and so much personality.
He already has Max Dalton's other way-too-cool-for-school poster, Guitar Lessons, which I stmbled upon last fall, and wrote Max himself to find out if and when he might be doing a re-release of the poster. He answered right away, (I was Gobsmacked!!) and we snagged a copy of the print last December. That's when we discovered the Ten Great Years Poster as well, but sadly,they were all sold out.
After the holidays, I ended up scoring the Max Dalton Beatles Print on good ol' ebay and put it away until now. I am a bit surprised at myself, that I was able to keep a secret for this long (I got the poster way back in late January...!)
Anyway.
(Okay, I'm not sure how ((or why)) I got all side tracked there, but I did.)
As I was saying, a scavenger hunt is what I created.
I looked up lyrics to different Beatles songs to use as clues for the next clue's location, and then googled up some photos to coordinate with them.
For instance, the lyrics for strawberry Fields and the photo of Ringo eating an apple were meant to get him to look in the fridge (where we keep strawberries, and strawberry lemonade..) and the picture of Paul with the lyrics to "While my Guitar Gently Weeps" would lead him to his Guitar storage Room. Honestly I could have gone on and on since there are so many great song lyrics and some pretty amazing pictures from so many years with each of the Beatles...)
This same idea could work the same with a favorite movie, or actor.
Fun, right?
Yeah, I thought so. And so low key. (okay, maybe not for him, but for me, you've gotta admit it wasn't too ridiculous-in-your-face-party-like-you-mean-it-and-make-a-real-big-deal-about-it, right?)
Well, maybe.
Just a little bit.
What can I say? I can't help myself.
It was a lot of fun, and he was thrilled with his present and the scavenger hunt!
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I wanted to share a bit of my my Easter decor, even if it is after the fact. (You know I meant to share all of this before the holiday, but time wasn't my friend.)
(I am guessing by now you are used to this, coming from me.)
So...Easter was our first real foray into semi-formal entertaining in our home for my Rock n' Roll Buddy and I. We jumped in with both feet, hosting not one, but two different meals this past weekend. Both events were relaxed, and a lot of fun.
We had his family over for an early supper on Saturday, and my family arrived for brunch Sunday morning.
So much fun!
I was in June Cleaver heaven.
(Seriously.)
Ralph had a pretty great time as well.
(I have to say it again. So much fun!)
I started off with a darling lil' idea I found through a friend, who shared a link of a party one of her friends did that made it to the fabulous Amy Atlas blog. (Thank you so much Sarah, for sharing that!! It was my most favorite part of the decorating!) Simple little pom-poms tied to the backs of each dining chair to create bunny tails. (I tied them to the stools at the kitchen counter as well, and I will have to add those pictures tonight!)....a word of advice: I used a furry-ish white yarn (Sorry, I don't knit or crochet, so I can't tell you exatly what it is called, but I got it at WalMart, and I thought it would look the most like a real bunny tail. Anyway, the yarn looks great, but...man, oh man. It sheds! I had little yarn hairs every where...on the table, on the floor...so consider this when selecting your yarn if you decide to try this idea yourself.
The table was done up pretty simply, with a square table topper I have had for a few years (made for me by the Sewing Queen, of course, complete with coordinating cloth napkins.) and a thrifted basket filled with silk ferns and a faux chocolate bunny and plastic Easter eggs. Our Easter dinner was pretty much traditional, with a honey glazed ham, roasted asperagus, potatoe salad, ambrosia salad, dinner rolls and sme yummy deviled eggs. Desssert was carrot cake and some dipped strawberries.
Easter Brunch the following morning was hearty, with eggs, ham, bacon, hashbrowns, fruit and creme' brulee French toast.....mmmmmmm. so good!
We did have one extra-fun surprise here during our Easter brunch! Carter gave everyone a plastic Easter egg and we all opened then up to find little yellow "Peeps" in them....
...except one of us. GiGi (The Sewing Queen) had a little blue Peep in her egg....looks like Carter and Coen are having a new baby brother at the end of summer!Check out some of the reactions here!)
I'm sharing this on the following Blog Parties...
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I had every intention to get this post up early.
This morning.
It's 8:35 p.m. now.
Time got away from me and I hadn't gotten to edit and crop my photos....well, better late than never!
That's my Dad, there in the picture above. Today is a special day. It's his big eight-oh....all day.
(He looks pretty danged great, doesn't he?)
(In his new Ray Ban glasses, looking all GQ.)
(80 is clearly the new 65.)
I have not a clue why, but I didn't get a single picture of us together. Actually, I didn't get any posed shots of anyone at the party.
(Next visit, Dad.)
(Here. In Portland.)
(Soon.)
Anyway...I got to fly to California this past weekend and surprise my Dad for a family dinner in his honor. (and you know how I love surprises!)
While it has been a stretch of time since we were together in person, my Dad and I talk, very nearly every Sunday morning, by telephone, at pretty much exactly 8:30 a.m, (like clock-work, as they say) but....It had been a while...far too long a while, since we had the opportunity to sit in the same room to visit. Schedules, distance..life gets busy, and before you know it, it has been three years.
I cannot tell you just how special my visit was with my Dad, because I cannot find big enough words.
The words that tell precisely how it feels when you see complete,total astonishment, and surprise, and joy, and love, on the face of someone you have loved your whole entire 55 years of life...and to realize that you alone made that look appear upon their face, just by you being there. There was not a dry eye in the house.
Happy, happy, happy, Birthday, Dad. I love you.
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Grandbabies, that is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We've had a lil' secret brewing...er...maybe I should say growing... not one, but two more Grand babes are on their way! Both of my daughter's are expecting!They both announced it on their own blogs yesterday, so it's finally safe for me to share our happy news at last as well! (It's been killing me to not be able to share this happiest news item for all these past weeks!!!)
Grandbaby number five (Carter and Coen's new baby brother or sister!) will be arriving some time around Labor Day, and the sixth lil' peanut should make a grand entrance at Mr. and Mrs. big Dog's home in mid October.
Now, how's that for exciting news?!
And on another note...out of the mouths of babes....I must share a teeny-tiny-oh-so-precious story about Carter, and the pure and perfect thought process children have....my girls were discussing the new babies in front of Carter, and he informed his Auntie that he knew where babies came from.
"Really? Where do they come from?" his Auntie asked.
"From Ghana!" he replied matter of fact-ly.
(Apparently since his little brother Coen arrived via airplane, he thinks we all pick up our babies at the airport!)
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Carter was a little shy this year, but managed to sit on Santa's lap and have a lil' chit-chat, but Coen wanted no part of Old St. Nick. Now, Mrs. Claus was another story....(I'm telling you, this little guy is totally a ladies man!)
...Hard to believe Christmas will be here in just one more week!
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