live and learn

happy 4th!!!

isn't it great that the 4th is on a friday? nice long weekend! we plan to spend most of the day out by the pool. i hadn't really thought about what i was going to feed whoever ends up here today-so i just pulled every single meat product out of the freezer, and i think it will all get thrown on the grill! all i have is chicken, salmon and brats, so i think it'll work. i'll make my standard pasta salad and a fruit salad and call it good! some years i'm totally into making all the fun traditional independence day foods, and other years i'm not. this is a *not* year! no red, white and blue jello cake this year! later in the day, we're invited to a party at the lake and then tonight, we'll head to our church for the festivities and to watch the fireworks. by the way, if you are local and don't have plans today, our church is planning a huge bash, with tons of fun stuff for the kids-face painting, games, a dunk tank, free food(including homemade snow cones!) and then a great seat for the city fireworks display. the church is located right off the highway on the west edge of town-you can't miss it!

today, is the day to announce the fiskars prize winner!!!! tom picked the winner out of a hat this morning and the lucky girl is crystal krueger!!! all i need is your mailing address crystal! have fun with all the great products!

i wrote yesterday, that i had special photos to share today. i did a shoot of a sweet little girl named addison this week. now, here is something that i noticed and maybe you will too. this sweet little addison, makes me think ahead to our addison in 2 years. notice the curly hair, her build, her coloring...even the way she sticks her tongue out! i love it! addison's grandma barb set up the shoot and brought her and today is barb's birthday. happy birthday barb! i hope these shots make your birthday even more special! she is such a gorgeous girl-

here's the remarkable thing about this shoot for me. normally, i can fairly easily pick out the top 5-6 images from a shoot. this time, i could literally share 40-50 more images that are equally as good as the ones here. that is remarkable to me. another cool thing about this shoot-the dress addison is wearing in the last two shots was her grandma's. how cool is that? and she loved wearing it! it was very *spinny*. i'm fairly certain you'll be seeing more of this shoot in days to come. i'll be adding lots of these images to my gallery of toddlers and preschoolers for sure.

i do have 2 layouts that i've finished for CHA that i can share. the new heidi grace Christmas line is so pretty! i love the colors-

these are my very favorite colors to use for Christmas layouts, as well as decorating my own house!  if you happen to be at CHA and go in the fiskars booth, you'll most likely see these layouts : )

last night, i continued to work up in my studio. summer tv is so bad. i rented *the other boleyn girl* and *the great debaters* to watch while i work. i read *the other boleyn girl* a couple of years ago and thought it was interesting reading...the movie was okay. although very dark and depressing...but i knew that from reading the book. i'm looking forward to watching *the great debaters* because i'm sure it will be much more uplifting. i almost finished a mini-book while i watched, so that was good.

i hope that you, and your family and friends have a wonderful day together today! God bless America!!!!

timing...

"there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot....a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance....a time to be silent and a time to speak....He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. i know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. that everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God". isn't that beautiful? and true?  i believe it and i am trying to live in a way that i can adapt. trying NOT to micromanage every area of my life to the point of misery if i can't control every issue. when i wrote a few days ago about parenting, it occurred to me again, that the biggest lesson in parenting is that we don't have control. as they get older, it becomes more and more apparent, that they have freewills, and they will be who they will be, not who we want to will them to be : ) i love that we can have influence, but ultimately, they have their own minds. expectations on our part, and trying to control every move they make is going to lead to heartache. especially if you have a strong-willed child who says black when you say white. i've often thought that the parents who are most successful, are those who have survived parenting a strong-willed child....not the ones who have parented a complacent child who went on to be successful. does that make sense?

and you may ask, "why is parenting on your mind again today?" well, it's because i feel like i have entered yet another stage of life. last night, jared called and told me that he officially has his degree! he was already considered a graduate, even though he had one class to finish, to make it official. he finished the class and got his final grade last night, so it's official now! i am so proud! and so relieved that he made it! i feel like that was the final stage of parenting...helping him get through college and achieving it! can you tell by all the exclamation points how happy i am? eeks. it is the best feeling. seeing my kids achieve their goals is equal to achieving them myself. and as a parent, since you really can't MAKE it happen through any effort of your own, it's particularly rewarding. thanks for letting me share with all of you!

i love this shot of him with harper. she adores him.

love you j! so proud of you! i can't wait to see what your future holds!

thank you so much for sharing why you craft-such enjoyable reading! i read every single comment and could relate to each and every one! we share such a bond, don't we? because i'm enjoying reading your comments so much, i'm going to wait to pick the winner of the awesome fiskars products until tomorrow morning and make it a 4th of july surprise! i have some very special photos i'll be sharing tomorrow too. so keep commenting on yesterday's post for a chance to win. and thank you!

i am working on quite a few projects for CHA! and having tons of fun. thankfully, i feel a surge of creativity at the right time. it's always a little scary when there are deadlines, and you just have to pray that your creativity strikes at the same time deadlines hit. at least i'm not sitting at my desk blank! i'm making stuff and enjoying it like crazy!  i'll have some sneak peeks of what i've been working on soon. check out the new fiskars scallop punches-are they to die for, or what? i didn't happen to get them yet, but just knowing i will be, makes me giddy!

i wanted to write about the bachlorette and design star, but it is getting late and i need to get busy. so i will save that for another day. maybe after the finale monday. that show is ticking me off.

as i wrote yesterday, i had the best time with the soe family! it's hard to explain the laughs we shared. you sorta had to be there. let me just say that little bro is a character. that kid had me in stitches, seriously. the last part of the shoot, while we were in their neighborhood, he hoped on his bike and sort of followed us wherever we were and ended up *riding through* some of the shots. it struck me as hilarious. we joked about how he could be like *where's waldo*. love this family-

 

she's laughing because i was jumping up and down about a shot i got of  her looking all smoldery hot for her hubby's desk. i'm not showing that one, nope, it's just for them. but it's hot!

 

does anyone else think this is just the best? i loved that he was doing this. isn't every little bro like this? wanting to be near the action?

megan's best friend came out and joined us for some shots. this is my fave.

also, if you want to see more of some of the shoots i've been sharing, check the galleries to the left. i've been adding almost every day there.

time to get to work! have a great day and God bless!

"whatsoever you sow...

you shall also reap" gal 6:7. i truly believe this. i think the new age versions, like "the secret", and "the law of attraction"...are basically twisted, sorta selfish versions of this Biblical law. i just hope that personally, i'm not trying to use it for selfish ambitions. i think it's great to have lofty goals, i just don't want to do good to others, in the hope of gaining something for myself. i think a pure heart, that desires to truly help others, and do for others, naturally brings about good all the way around. i'm not saying that i always have that pure heart ;) but that is my desire.

generosity is a beautiful thing, right? i see it in others and it makes me want to be more generous. generosity begets generosity. when i observe others being generous, with no obvious payback, it impresses me. i think that is why i am so moved when i watch les miserables. especially the scene when the bishop of digne provides food and shelter to jean valjean, only to have him steal from him, and then when arrested, the bishop lies to save him and gives him 2 silver candlesticks and asks him to start a new, honest life. that scene KILLS me. i fall apart. why, in the movies, are Christians not more typically portrayed this way? i know i'm a hopeless romantic, and a total sap. that's who i am.

all that to segue to a generous company? i know i've mentioned before how impressed i was a little over a year ago, when i had a layout published in a scrapbooking magazine, and i had used a fiskars product- (at that time, i wasn't working on their design team) but they sent me a thank you along with one of their great tools. i just thought that was a great touch. at that time, mel was the consumer education manager and i think that was probably her brainchild. i thought it was brilliant. made me instantly want to promote the company. i think companies that think like this...and make a connection with their consumers, are way ahead of the competitve curve. now, i'm fortunate enough to work for this awesome company! they continue to impress me. a month or two ago, i received an email about a promotion they wanted to do. they wanted to give us product, to giveaway on our blogs. that's it. just give it away. i had so much fun picking out some of my favorite products to include in my blog giveaway! so all you have to do, is leave a comment for me. i'm just asking that you share with us, why you craft. could be a simple answer, could be complex. i just love hearing people's stories. wanna know whatchure playin' for?

some seriously great stuff! paint, tools, papers, stickers, embellishments, metallic photo pens....

and of course, i have some images to share. you knew that, right? i had the best time with this family! the shoot was for the oldest daughter's senior photos, but we also did family shots(which i'll share tomorrow) and we laughed a lot.

okay, this is the weirdest thing. i just realized that the title of my blog post today, contains the last name of the family i photographed. and i didn't consciously plan that. do, do do, do (sung to twilight zone music!) i would say, they have sown well.

k, i am off to meet my girls at holly's. complete with 11 children! then i hope to do a little shopping and back home for a shoot. God bless your day! 

so....

thank you for yesterday. all your positive comments. that really means a lot to me. i don't take it for granted. just wanted to say that first and foremost. thank you.

today is one of those days that i have a million things i want to do...and need to do, and right now, i feel like i can do most of them. i love that mornings feel that way. full of hope. anticipation for the day. i am so excited about the photos i'm working on editing and the cool products i have waiting for me to play with, in my studio, and the projects around the house that i want to do. plus, i took last week off working out, and i want to get back to it this week. even though after most of the shoots i've been doing, i feel like i've worked out! i have no idea how i use some of the muscles i use, when i go out on a shoot. another thing that baffles me, is the energy it takes. i think because i put my whole self into it. it feels so good to get that into something. to forget everything else. to be that into the moment. i highly recommend it. i live too much of my life absent-mindedly. i want to be fully in the moment more. taking everything in around me. i'm working on it.

this past weekend, i did the second in a series of engagement shots for katie and garrett. we have this plan to do 3 seasonal shoots. each one is not only going to have a seasonal feeling, but hopefully an overall slightly different vibe.

is the vibe apparent? and i'm not even posting the hottest ones : ) we talked about our ideas for fall and i can't wait to do those!

yesterday i forgot to mention that i will be doing a promotion for fiskars, and they sent me a wonderful box of products to give away! some of my favorite things! so check back tomorrow for a chance to win some great stuff! also, each day this month there will be a new celebration-type craft idea featured here. we got to see a sneak peek and there are some great ideas! my only dilemma about the giveaway is whether to do one grand prize? or split it into several?

i also want to thank you for the prayers, both for the people affected by the storm and for the chapman family. just to clarify, we know the chapmans, and tom has ridden with bill, but we don't know them well. my heart just breaks for them and i wanted to ask for prayer. so thanks for that.

have a great day and God bless!

take care...

i say this all the time, both in person, on the phone and in emails. and i mean it. one thing i'm really passionate about, is women taking care. i think we are so nurturing, as women, that a lot of times, we don't take care of ourselves. we're too busy taking care of everyone else. a few months ago, i received an email from a young mom. she wrote that she really enjoyed my blog (thanks!) and requested that i do a post for young moms. i read it and as i considered it, i realized that i was resisting it, mainly because i didn't want to sound like a know-it-all, but also because i didn't think i had much of value to share. fast forward to today. as you know, if you read my daily blatherings, i start my day with Bible reading and prayer. almost invariably, the Lord *gives* me something to say, while i am praying. sometimes, i think, "really?", but i try to just go with it. today, as i was praying, the thought of young moms came to me. and i had all these thoughts and realized that i did have a few things to say, and hopefully i can say them with a gentle tone, not a know-it-all tone.

the *i wish i had known then, what i know now, b* list on parenting

• not to lose myself in my kids. i think the minute i saw my new baby(ies), i just forgot myself. i was SO into them, that i forgot i was still me. i just loved them so much. in hindsight, i think that was a disservice to them. not the loving them so much, but the losing myself. everything i did for many years, was about them. i didn't even think of it as a sacrifice. it was just a non-issue that their needs, activities, whatever-were above anything i might need or want. not great for a marriage to have that attitude either. i think it's a very fine balance, to keep yourself alive, while investing in raising children.
• document these years. and not as an invisible, behind the camera parent. i think i may have 3 photos of me with my kids when they are young. and all 3 are posed. i really regret this. i wish i wouldn't have balked when someone tried to take a photo of me interacting with my kids. if i didn't feel like i looked my best, i would try to avoid it. but honestly, it was rare that anyone even tried. so, learn from my mistake. hand your camera to someone while you are playing with your kids, or reading to them or snuggling. don't be shy. and trust me, if you think you look bad now, wait 20 years! you'll realize how good you really looked!
• when your kids reach teenage years, pray, even more. if i had figured this out sooner, i would have avoided a lot of anxiety. even the best, least rebellious kids have to become independent, so they aren't going to always look to you for answers. and if you have a rebellious child, it's going to hurt. i'm not gonna lie. there is no way to NOT have an emotional reaction to this. but the sooner you realize that it's natural, and that they aren't going to hate you forever, the less it hurts.
• let them make messes. and when people stop by and see the messes, don't worry about what they're thinking, because if they're like me, they're probably thinking, "how awesome is that? they are actually letting them be kids".
• worry less about being their friends, just be their parent. that's what they need. i think i was too insecure at the time, to really believe this.
• resist the urge to do everything for them. i think in an effort to be a *good* parent, i thought i had to be *doing* things for them.
• try not to feel sorry for them. when a kid sees you feeling sorry for them, i think it makes them feel insecure. ex: you see another kid picking on your kid-of course, you're going to want to step in and defend them and then scoop them up in your arms and coddle them. not a good plan. let them figure out that they are strong enough to stand up for themselves. i think pity makes them weak.
• let them experience injustice while they're with you. don't try SO hard to make everything fair. tom and i recently had a discussion about this. life isn't fair, so why do parents try so hard to teach kids that it is? if we would let them experience unfairness under our roofs, maybe they would handle injustice later in life better? just a thought.
• hire a babysitter. and don't feel guilty. if you find a great sitter, it will be a good thing for your kids and for you, and if you're married, for the marriage too. i almost preach this to family and friends. not because i did it, but because i wish i had.
• let them suffer consequences. i didn't do real well with this one. but as time went on, i got better. i took a parenting class at church that really drove this point home. if you don't, they won't learn how to deal. they'll basically suck at life. ha, just kidding.
• not to beat myself up so much. i was so hard on myself as a parent. i thought i was messing my kids up constantly. i would read a parenting book and feel like a complete failure.

a couple of things i think i did right:

• i spent tons of time doing things with my kids. we read, we went to the park, we walked, rode bikes, i played baseball, football, soccer, volleyball, etc....with the whole neighborhood, i took them camping by myself(eek!), we picnicked a lot, we did art, and we always had a Christmas gingerbread house making party. i think i did a lot of things right, but i also think that the reason my kids are awesome adults(is that bragging?), has WAY more to do with God's grace, than with my parenting. tom and i love to hang out with our adult kids. they are some of our best friends.

i think forgiving myself for the mistakes i made as a parent, was one of the hardest things for me. empty nest was tough too...because of some of my mistakes. now, i find it so hard to not try to warn my friends, and even our kids with their parenting. but i know, that i need to watch how i talk. i don't want anyone to think that i think i did it all right. it's not that. it's that i want to warn other women not to lose themselves. i see women heading in that direction and it scares me, for them. but i know it's hard to hear. you don't want to hear it. so i try to speak carefully and i definitely don't want to sound judgemental. i just want to save them from heartache. mothering is such a bittersweet life calling. it's the best and the worst all in one. simply because, even though you're a mom for the rest of your life, your role in their daily lives isn't forever.

maybe because of my perspective and regrets, it enables me to capture what i missed with my own kids, as far as photos. (how's this for a transition?) i try to capture the essence of relationships. not just the posed, smiling faces.

i had a shoot saturday morning with the sweetest family. they obviously adore one another.

isn't he adorable? when i saw him with his blonde curls- i couldn't wait to start the shoot! he just turned 3, and he did so well!

this post is becoming an epic! a couple more things. i know of two really great scrapbooking things that are happening today. check them out-

• sistv free shipping on orders over $50 and a free bottle of glimmer mist with each order. plus there are fun activities on the site all day, including *an online slumber party* tonight. i used the new collection called girly girl for these two layouts-

the felt flowers are my fave!

• it kit studio kelly is having a really great moving sale! check it out.

last thing. our area had a couple of tragic events over the weekend. a terrible storm, with high winds came through and destroyed crops, trees and homes friday night. the lake we used to live at, was hit hard. they aren't even letting people drive through. people we know who live there, say it looks like a war zone. lots of people are still without power. so please pray for everyone effected by this horrible storm. also, please pray for the chapman family. they were on their harley and the back tire blew friday night. jill was killed and bill was injured. my heart just goes out to bill and the kids, their friends and family. i don't even know what else to say. i know that i am not taking today for granted. and i pray that God blesses your day. 

inspiration outing...

so i've hardly left my house this week. which has been great. i have my studio almost in order and the guest room looks better than it has in months. i just need to spend a little time finishing it up. i'm very close. and i can't even tell you how refreshed and light i feel with 3 huge boxes of stuff cleared out and an overflowing trash bag out. makes me want to do this throughout the house! but i just can't take the time right now. i need to get back to editing and making stuff. which i'm dying to do! i know i'm going to be making lots of stuff for CHA. i love this time of year with scrapbooking!  love seeing all the new products!

yesterday, i did finally leave the house for a little outing. glue and kelly came to town and we went to inger's summer open house. stepping into her adorable shop is an instant boost!

i really like this piece.

she has such a vibrant, whimsical style! i bought a little something for my leah girl while i was there : )

after shopping, we checked out the new steakhouse in town. our town has a rough time supporting good restaurants. we always get excited when something new comes to town, and we try to get there quick before they close. j's steakhouse is in the location of the awesome mexican restaurant *casa azul*....which didn't make it. so as we drove by on our way to andy's (the italian restaurant that has stood the test of time), i noticed j's and we decided to change gears. i do hope they make it. the food was good and the atmosphere is really nice.

the building is so beautiful! gorgeous exposed brick and great tin ceilings. i thought the prices were fair for the amount of food too.

so today, i will finish my studio and i have to get groceries. tonight, we'll be setting up the garage sale. jared has old college furniture at our storage unit, plus i want to pull a few things out of storage for the sale too. i have a beautiful old vanity. the only reason i am not keeping it, is because it's dark wood and that's just not me. i figure it will be easier to sell it and use the money to get a piece that's already painted the way i like.

so as i finish things up in my special little room, i am thinking of this quote from a favorite old decorating book, "lucky is the woman who courts the muse at home, for in the process she provides a daily atmosphere for herself that is both stimulating and serene, one in which her creative talents can grow and flourish. such a place, described by louisa may alcott as "a little kingdom i possess, where thoughts and feelings dwell," answers the deep hunger of all those with artistic pursuits." that is my attitude when i work on my room. i want it to reflect who i am. i want to have a desire to spend time there. to create. i want visual stimulation around me. i want to surround myself with things that please me. things that have meaning to me. many of us have been taught to not indulge in ourselves in this way. i find that the more i provide myself with a space that's all mine, the less i am thinking of me. the less selfish my thoughts are. i am fulfilled and content. with this simple space. i am at peace in my space. and throughout my home really. it is a refuge. it's taken me years to get this. and it's not the perfect furniture or decorations. it's that it represents us. it's comfortable- not perfect. it's filled with not too much and not too little. but what it contains is us. stuff that we love. if we don't, it's gone. i'd rather have it empty than filled with things we don't love. wow. where did this all come from! my heart just took over and wrote that. i hope that your home is a refuge. i hope that it provides you and your family with a safe haven. your family nest. what could be more important on earth?

have a wonderful friday and God bless you!    

a bunch of different stuff(cuz i'm tired of the word random)...

thanks for encouraging me yesterday : ) i feel so much better! a whole new perspective and even though i stayed up until 2 this morning, i feel refreshed! what was i doing until 2, you ask? i spent hours and hours in my studio, reorganizing and purging. i sat in the middle of the floor and sorted and bagged up lots of stuff that i either had duplicates of, or knew i would never need or use (i hope). as a crafter, it's hard to get rid of stuff, because i/you always think there will be a time when you might NEED something that you are getting rid of. but i bit the bullet and purged with abandon! i now have like 50 scrapbooking kits for brooke's garage sale this weekend. if anyone local is interested, please email me! i priced each kit at $5. i think it's fair. i did theme kits like baby girl, baby boy, winter, summer, spring, autumn, Christmas, vacation, beach, sunset colors, a whole lotta paper, odds n ends, yadayada. i needed to do this. i think my creativity will come alive with less clutter. i was getting overwhelmed. so today, i hope to wrap it up. if you could see the floor in my studio, you would laugh.

last night, tom grilled burgers and even though it was hot and humid, we ate outside. sometimes i think a person just needs to be outside. it always helps me to think more clearly. even though i could barely breath : ) for the past week or two, the high school band has played and marched by. one of our favorite summer things. the last time they marched by, tom noticed our friend suzy's son keith. so last night when i heard them coming, i grabbed my camera. keith is pretty shy, so i tried not to be too obnoxious. i just sat on our front step and zoomed in. i emailed suzy the picture last night and when she showed keith, he hadn't even seen me. yay!

i love small town living.

a few weeks ago, i took a few pics after church. we needed a shot of our new pastor mike and his wife terri and while i was snapping, this cute little dude came along and posed for me.

he loved the camera.

and here are mike and terri-

and terri really is this joyful! she loves to laugh! we're enjoying having them here. and by the number of people coming to church, i don't think we're alone! very exciting!

so today, i plan to continue what i started yesterday, although i think i better get out and at least buy dog food. i had to scramble eggs for the pooches today, because we are completely out of food. they didn't mind.

one more thing. completely irreverent. someone sent me a link to a "flight of the concord" video a while ago. hilarious. i sort of forgot about them. on tuesday, chelsea pulled up the youtube for "business time" . we all laughed our butts(yes, i typed butts) off as we listened and watched. i'm not going to do a direct link, because i know i have younger readers and it's not appropriate for kiddos. but for those of you of age, you must check it out. hilarious.

so i'm going to head back upstairs and try to finish sorting. i'm going to snap before and after photos. i'm so anxious to have it in shape! i hope you have a great day. God bless!

recharging...

today, i need a recharging day. we have done so much entertaining already this summer and as much as i LOVE it, i am exhausted. i went to bed before midnight last night, woke up at 3:00 and did my usual insomnia routine...come downstairs, check my email, read for a bit in my chair and either fall asleep there, or go back up to bed. i did go back to sleep and woke up with my alarm this morning. during my devotions, i fell asleep like 10 times. seriously. i know i've reached my limit. so today, i don't plan to leave my nest. i think we'll grill burgers for dinner tonight and keep life really simple today. i hope i don't sound like i'm complaining. i love the life i'm living...i just know when it's time to take a break. today is that day. i want to have some creative time. i am finally feeling it, and i have some great new stuff to play with, so i plan to make that work. that recharges me.

i tried to take more photos than i typically do when i have get-togethers. we didn't get a lot, but i'm happy with the ones i got. and i'm in some of them! that's hard for me.

 

i love these two girls. we are having so much fun cooking together. it's amazing how working together in each other's kitchens has bonded us. pam is in the group too, but her son just got married saturday, so she wasn't as involved in the tea party. she did make her famous scones though.

here's the menu:

chicken salad croissants

egg salad croissants

cucumber sandwiches

shrimp, egg, lime and dill sandwiches (donna made these sandwiches, which she remembered her mom making for parties years ago.....and they were so delish!)

scones, jam and cream

mini cupcakes with pink sprinkles and those sweet little silver balls

lemon bars with toasted meringue

chocolate tarts

vanilla bean cheesecakes

me and becca. love her.

and me and my vicki. love her too. i am smiling so big, i look like a horse about to have my teeth examined! ha! and what's up with the veins popping in my head? i'm so hard on myself!

it was a great day. spending time with friends. it hit me this morning as i was reflecting on yesterday-how fortunate i am to be at this stage of life, doing what i love, and having such wonderful people in my life. great friends, who i can be real with, a fun and loving family, a best friend/husband who means the world to me, and so much more, but i don't want to sound like i'm gloating : ) i haven't always been in this place. there have been rough times and i know that there will probably be rough times again...but for now, i'm going to savor every minute of this time. i'm just glad i'm recognizing that it's a golden time. i hate to see people who have good things in their lives, wasting time worrying about what might happen, or dwelling on something bad in the past. i say, enjoy the now. savor it. find the good in it. life on earth will never be perfect, so find the joy in what it is right now.

so today, i will be right here, editing, straighten the house(which i enjoy doing), creating some stuff, and maybe even reading. i finished "little altars everywhere" last night and i'm going to start "rose cottage" tonight, or maybe sooner. hey, if   alicia recommends it, it must be great, right? what are you reading this summer? i'm going through books like crazy. reading instead of sleeping, you know? so i would love some recommendations. have a great day and God bless!

it shouldn't be....

a big deal. i took my parent's 50th anniversary photos a few weeks ago. i really struggled with glass glare. i need to figure out how to take lenses out when i do shoots. the way i shoot just doesn't work to have them tilt their heads, or whatever it is that traditional studio photographers do. i just know they end up cranking people with glasses heads all kinds of wrong. so anyway, i paid the awesome lab i use to have the glass glare removed. i also paid to have a CD burned with the edit. i finally just popped the CD in so i could share the photo here and it doesn't have my parent's image...it has some other completely unrelated images. ugh! and rather than take the time to email them and explain the issue, i am venting here! i love the lab i use. they have wonderful customer service, so i know they will make it right, it's just that i hate dealing with issues! i know i do have to figure out a glass glare solution, because it's super expensive to have it photoshopped! much more than typical issues. if any of you have logical solutions to this, please share. i have researched it on all of my favorite photography sites and the main thing they all seem to come back to, is remove the lenses for shoots. especially if you don't want to do the head cranking thing : )

i really do love this photo of them.

and i really like this one of mom too. i have it in my studio. she inspires me.

and as i've written lots of times, my parent's relationship inspires me. such dedication to each other. this was a sweet thing that i had never given any thought too before. when my mom was in the car accident, it left her right arm completely paralyzed. for over 20 years, my dad has given her manicures. how did i miss this? and how sweet and tender is that? still not realizing this, i asked mom and dad to come early on sunday, so that i could give mom a manicure before the party. we sat on the deck and i did her nails. i finally asked mom, "has dad always done your nails since the accident?" and she said yes. (she also lost her ability to speak conversationally, so her answers are pretty concise.) i couldn't believe i had missed this fact for all these years. my dad has my undying respect for how he has handled things since my mom's accident. and my mom has this amazing attitude even though she would have reason to be down. they are wonderful people and i am blessed that they are my parents!

the party was a lot of fun. the kids (and tom and josh) swam all afternoon. i sat on the deck with mom, dad and their sisters, my aunts. why is it, that i finally get how cool my aunts are? i have been close to my aunt mary for a long time, but really haven't fully appreciated what i have in my own family. i loved just sitting and chatting and catching up. i haven't edited all the shots yet, but here are a few-

suzy made the cake and it was so delish! i'm eating the last piece right now for breakfast. yum!

the guys taught payton how to dive off the board. it was so fun to watch. but of course, i didn't take any photos! griffin was trying too, but he is the bellyflop king! they are hilarious in the pool. no fear!

love, love, love this shot!

so today is our garden tea party. and it's raining. thank God for our covered deck! plus, it will fine to be inside too. it just would have been fun to all be outside on the deck and patio.

the food is pretty much ready. i'll be able to do some final stuff around the house shortly and then my cooking club friends will be here in less than an hour to assemble sandwiches and desserts. i think it will be fun. i just feel badly that i couldn't invite a lot of people. with 4 of us inviting, we had to limit our numbers, or we would have had 100 people here : ) i'll be taking lots of photos. i really will! right now, i better get ready. i'm still in my jammies. have a great day and God bless!

the next thing...

things have been a little hectic lately. not bad, just lots happening. do you ever feel like you focus on one thing, and when it is over, you can move on to focus on the next thing? but there's really never a break? that's me. i know i bring it on myself most of the time, and maybe i wouldn't be me, or be happy, if i didn't live this way? it's something to think about : ) yesterday we had my parent's 50th anniversary party here. it was very casual and small...and i loved how it went. i think they did too. i took lots of pictures and will share more about it tomorrow. today, i am focused on an upcoming wedding and a garden tea party i'm having here tomorrow. it's an event that we have talked about in our cooking club since the very first time we met. it's something i've wanted to do for a long time. so today that is my focus. i have lots of ideas, i just hope that they come together the way they are in my mind...or better. we planned the food and quite a few of the details a month or more ago, now it's just gathering dishes and decor (which i love doing) my sister is coming over after lunch to help me get my house ready and help with some of the details.

last week, i did a super fun family photo shoot. it was cloudy and gloomy when we left home and by the time we met up it was raining. but they were great sports and the show went on. we just headed to the viaduct and carried on with our plan. it ended up working out wonderfully. tom even came with me on this one.

i love opportunities to do different things. totally fun for me!

i've had numerous interuptions while trying to post this, so i'll end it here and continue tomorrow. God bless your day!