Monday, November 02, 2009

Welcome, November

Recap:
On Saturday Halloween came and went without a lot of fuss. We carved pumpkins and Cami went trick-or-treating with her younger cousins. She brought home a large haul of candy as usual. I am very proud of myself for not eating candy this year! Well, not a lot anyway. Kaylyn attended a party with lots of friends at her boyfriend's house. It was a huge outdoor (chilly!) bash with tons of food and spooky decorations in the garage and a bon fire. Did you catch the word boyfriend?

Brian peeled and carved this creepy skull jack o'lantern, which Bindi the chicken-dog ate the next day. It was cool while it lasted.

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Today:
Clocks are back an hour and it was nice to have more sunlight as Kaylyn & Cami hurried to get ready for school. This makes waking at 6:10 AM a teensy, tiny bit more bearable. That being said however, I was slapped with my typical Monday morning unluckiness while in the kitchen making simultaneous breakfasts, lunches and a crock pot dinner. In my rush I accidentally knocked a 2 qt. pitcher of sweetened ice tea off the top shelf in the fridge. It was a bit like this: splash to high heaven! Followed with a smug glug-glug-glug... It was one of those kitchen messes that make me want to cry like a little child as it was all over the outside and inside (as well as contents) of the fridge, and of course under. It was splashed on counters, cupboards, wall and puddled on the floor. My favorite flannel PJ's and fuzzy red slippers were soaked in cold, sticky sweetness as I stood in a little shock, plotting my quickest clean up. Mondays are never nice to me. I used to love Mondays when I had the house to myself, before the Mondays of working 9+ hours between 2 jobs. These days they are mostly harried and busy and stressful. I suppose I can be glad that my kitchen floor is starting the week all scrubbed and lemony-fresh. Thank you, Mr. Clean. And even though clean up was not pleasant, I can be thankful for a full fridge, ready to sustain us for the week ahead.

Gotta run. Kaylyn just called from school. She left her social studies project home and could I please bring it to her???




Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Fire Within Us

I was asked by a young friend to shoot a few promo shots of his band, The Fire Within Us, for an upcoming gig. As a mom of three girls and auntie to many little ones I've never photographed a group of teen boys before. Boys. Wow! This was different. And really fun!

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These guys go to school with my girls and I've watched them grow up. Aren't they cute? I mean, in a really hip, cool way (good save, right)? I played around in Photoshop to give the images an edgy look - perfect for a rock band, ya think?

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When they make it big I hope they remember the little people.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Fall Colors

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oct 09

October bears many gifts. For us, mostly leaves. The task of raking is huge. My niece and Cami "helped" Brian this weekend while I was away for the afternoon. Yes, he grabbed the camera!

On my mind:
  • Book sale at the library - setup, setup, setup...
  • friends involved in a serious car accident, hit head on by intoxicated driver
  • Cami needs new pointe shoes
  • bills to pay
  • new Dream Street Papers designs
  • prepping dinner
  • do I need an eye exam?
  • refusing to think about Christmas shopping
  • need to make meal list for next week
  • and grocery list




Sunday, October 18, 2009

More and More Cupcakes

How cute are these? They are perfect to give as gifts to sewing-crafty friends. My favorite thing about them (besides how adorable they are) is that they are created from repurposed wool sweaters, which can be easily found at thrift stores such as Volunteers of America and the Salvation Army store. It's a fun treasure hunt.

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The original idea came from the book, Warm Fuzzies, by Betz White, author, designer and green crafter. Check out her pretty blog here.

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To make life more pleasant visit Grasshopper Handmade (Etsy shop), which is the perfect source for the cherries/felt balls if you don't care to make them yourself. I tried creating them myself...and, well... not so good. I'll leave it to the master. Liz offers many other wonderful treasures as well. : )




Friday, October 16, 2009

Our Anniversary

I love October for its fleeting beauty, but it's also special to me because it is the month in which we were married. On a cool, overcast day in the year 1993 Brian and I exchanged vows in a beautiful Mass at St. Anne's Church, Palmyra. So young (both 23) and excited about our future together.


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And our honeymoon! Our trip to Maui was the trip of our lifetime.

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But our real adventure has been the journey on this path of life together.

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"Marrying for love may be a bit risky, but it is so honest that God can't help but smile on it."

PS - I fully intended for this post to be sweet and lovely, but one cannot help but notice the dude with all the hair in our honeymoon picture! Not to mention the flowing coiffure of red awesomeness on that skinny girl.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Nature's Poetry Card

Here's a simple card I created recently using Dream Street's Nature's Poetry by Kelly Schults. I love the soft, pretty colors and gorgeous patterns.


nature's poetry card


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Floral embellishment is Petaloo
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Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Happy Birthday, Cami!

Twelve years ago today I kissed my 9-pound baby girl for the first time. Cameron Grace - daughter #3 - such a blessing. What an adventure I’ve had with a fun character like Cami!

I looked at these pictures yesterday and was truly amazed to see the images of my girl ten years ago on her 2nd birthday, so small. It brought a little tear to my eye remembering how much I loved her then – and knowing now that I love her even more today! How does the heart do that? Always growing in love. The pictures also made me reflect on my daily challenges as a mommy to 3 lively, young ones. Ten years makes a world of difference. The challenges and worries of a mom to three teen/tween girls are... let's just say, not the same.

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Each day she brings her sense of humor and charm to the table, always ready for a good time. But it’s her willingness to try hard and her warm, compassionate heart that make me so proud to be her mom.

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Happy birthday, Cami!
XXOO
Love, Mom