FLASHBACK FRIDAY - AUG 2007
When I finally got the nerve to sell things I made on-line, I started with hair flowers.
Ironically, my daughter had barely any hair. Therefore the headband was necessary.
And so was the loud brushstroke border, apparenly they were all the rage.
This week we bundeled up and headed to the Canyon for some updated KID pictures.
There is a new little person in our pictures this time...
[ She is a fun addition ]
We started with a meltdown... what's new.
Sydney was NOT happy with anything - the outfit, her bow, her undershirt, not allowed to hold the baby, the mud - basically everything.
I ignored it and took a few quick pictures of the group without her...
(look, no Syd)
She eventually came around and jumped in the group picture.
She only ruined about 10 frames with her sad sour face... ugh, girls.
No shortage of drama.
Crazy to think what the next 10 years will bring with these three...
We walked about 15 minutes into the trail.
Took a few shots along the way.
We jumped and squealed when we heard movement in the twigs.
The kids argued over who got to hold Brooklyn.
Good times...
As much as we plan for (and secretly dread) our photo sessions...
It is worth it-
They are so stinkin' cute.
Today it was cold, wet and rainy. My sister was hosting a Beauty Day at her house. There was lots of things on the menu to sign up for:
Step 1: Put your name on a waiting list with Ms. Madison
Step 2: Shop - try on scarfs - earrings - jewelry - have another cocktail
[ No better way to stay inside when it's raining ]
Step 3: Relax & Enjoy!
*here is Candice talking to the fabulous Ms. Rachel during her facial.
It was so fun to spend the day with all the girls, munch on yummy food with wine spritzers and get pampered... GREAT idea Mel!
The other day we went to that quilt show.
We talked to one lady about her huge beautiful hand quilted blanket.
I asked her how long it took her to finish...
4 YEARS
I realized it's never too late to finish up those half-started projects.
That was all the inspiration I needed...
{ Before }
{ After }
[ I started these 2 blankets months ago. I drew the designs out on graph paper, colored in my blocks and calculated all the measurements. I chose my fabrics, cut most of the squares and then I stopped. Lost steam. ]
A couple days after the show I opened up my project drawer.
There they were...
I finished them BOTH and shipped out my belated *SURPRISE* within two days.
Sure, it's easy to give some lame excuse -
'I knew you'd need these when the weather turned chilly so I didn't send them in the spring/summer when your baby was born'.
I was just a slacker.
I'm happy they are done and can be loved on properly.
It never gets old to watch the materials and squares transform with a purpose.
I love sewing
In the Spring: the air is crisp, the days are short and we all crave a little sun!
For the Talavera family, their warmth came in the form of SON-shine. No doubt their days have been brightened since...
Honestly, she wasn't thrilled at me for taking these pictures... 'but I look terrible'.
In my opinion: even though you feel awful and think you look even worse - there is never a time when a woman is more beautiful.
These types of pictures take you right back, I have some like this too. I promise you won't notice smeared make-up, puffy eyes and matted hair.
YOU REMEMBER- how you felt. The moment you'd been anticipating and dreaming about is finally here. It's as if your heart (your everything) is resting in the palm of your hands...
YOU REMEMBER- how they smelled and those little noises they made as they nuzzle into your chest. You remember their silky hair, how they pursed their little lips and scrunched up their tiny nose.
Babies.
They grow too fast.
As we welcome Fall: we see the leaves change, start to bundle up and begin our plans to gather with family and loved ones.
Following the birth of your new baby you become a family. We adjust with the seasons as they grow and change right before our eyes.
I was hired to capture some recent photos and forever preserve his little baby face.
It was my pleasure:
He is seriously the center of their attention...
When I first saw them in the hospital it was adorably obvious of their focus ~ all eyes on the baby.
And a few months later...
Some things never change ~
I miss my babies being little...Super Tiny. Like when they fit in the crook of your neck and smell oh so good.
The last time I saw little Ava I was tempted to just tuck her in my camera bag and head home. She was that size then. So small and helpless, she simply melted into you as you held her.
Her Momma called a few weeks ago wanting to take new pictures, I didn't hesitate. I couldn't wait to see her again and how she'd grown... did she loose her blue eyes? DId she grow lots of hair?
When they arrived, she was sleeping. I took that time to take a few of...
Mr. Im.not.gonna.smile.or.even.look.at.your.camera.
( I swear - that's his name.)
(he slowly warmed up, and I mean sloooowwwly)
He's just not a fan and that's cool.
He did give me a (as in one) little smirk that morning...
Ava finally woke up... I checked her out.
She still had those BIG BLUE eyes and just a smidge of hair. She gave me the staredown and always with this fishy face...
: Little Miss Serious :
It's fun to see them grow and I'm happy to keep these memories for their Momma.
Until next time~
Last week I suffered through sleepless nights.
I had a lot going on - most of it I put on myself. And really, when I say that I'm a "PLANNER" that is obviously code for a control freak perfectionist.
I mean, I know better than to loose sleep over the weather. You can always have a plan B in case of rain but honestly there is not much else. On with the story...
Soooo last Friday I was in charge of the school's pancake breakfast. Even as I type that it sounds silly. What could be so hard? You flip some pancakes, bring some syrup- no big, right?
Looks fun too, huh!
All the kids in their jammies - having breakfast with Mom and Dad - at school
SO many volunteers - honestly they were my savior
I hooked up with Daddy Cakes again because they're AWESOME
We had to cook a hot breakfast and serve about 400 people in 1 hour. What you don't see behind the photos was the mass frenzy that was underway just moments earlier.
Let's take it from the top...
I arrived in the dark - like 5:50am dark. Dan (that is Mr. Daddy Cakes) was there already, bless his heart. More volunteers arrived and we were setting up in no time.
By 6:30 the buffet stations were just about set, tables covered and the light of day made an appearance.
Now it's 6:45, we should be cooking now. MINOR DETAIL... the grill won't light.
We have about 6 men on the task at this point. Unfortunately no one can manipulate the tricky propane/starter/pilot/ignitor switch that we rented. SUPER
So, when ever do people show up on time? Just my luck - by 7:02 we had a line. Still no grill. As the line grew people were looking at me like 'hello, do you plan to light the grills this morning?' Dear, if only they knew...
Thank the Pancake Gods above or the Daddy Cakes Mojo but it FINALLY lite. By about 7:15 (only 45 minutes behind schedule and a LONG line later) we were in business.
We bought a few minutes and extended breakfast to 8:15 which turned out perfectly. I still felt badly for those that arrived so early just to wait.
The kids seemed to have a great time though - and that = Success!
When I looked through the pictures I was taken back by this picture of the cutest grandma and grandpa.
I see their big warm smiles and imagine their joy. They enjoyed watching their grandchildren run about, introduce their best friends to them and had a family breakfast together.
I'm glad that mostly everything went smooth. Hey- it didn't rain!
Thank you Dan for EVERYTHING - even the pictures!
I got a bit of a warmer welcome by this little dude today.
He saw that I was back.
Again, equipped with that big black thing in front of my face.
Ready to beg, plead, dance and sing to his delight.
To me, this stage is the hardest.
They are excitedly mobile and eager to bolt in a split second.
But this little doll...
she laid perfectly still
I struggled with light today.
It was dark, rainy and the air was down right COLD this morning.
I did not have the heart to push open the dark tinted slider and the dark tinted windows. The natural light was not worth this little princess freezing.
We'll try later in the week (and maybe I'll bring a space heater)...
P.S. She has her big brother's big blue eyes! Lucky girl
It's not everyday.... you visit a pancake warehouse.
I brought this sassy girl with me. I threw up the camera to see if it was charged - she struck that pose in all of .02 seconds :
I pulled up, relieved to see a big familiar sign to let me know I'm in the right place:
We've exchanged a few e-mails. I had shared our experiences with their product and they were always SO super nice.
I spoke about ideas - how I think they would make for an awesome fund-raiser. Who wouln't want to buy a wholesome, organic, reasonable product. Something you will actually USE and even better - ENJOY.
I mean, it's a redi-made family experience... just add water.
So here we are meeting... I think he understood me and what I envisioned. Typically my mind is racing and I stumble over my thoughts, leaving important stuff out.
(It doesn't help that I must be mindful of my 3 year old as she is about to scale the warehouse rolling ladder or stuff her face with courtesy cupcakes. )
I was SUPER IMPRESSED. I am a sucker for a fresh and fun presentation. Oh- did I mention the space... it was tidy, bright and orderly.
It's obvious they take great pride in their dreams -
How cute are their baskets and tins!
Much better than some Costco salami/cheese/wine thing that people will NEVER eat.
We were fortunate to leave with some goodies - I'm excited to try the Vivacious Vanilla. Thank you SO very much DAN for your time, the treats and listening to me ramble on and on.
While I've been looking for things to update Luke's bedroom I couldn't help but notice the rest of my place. I'm so over the wall colors, pictures on the walls, window treatments... Everything
My hunt for inspiration and cutesy little home stuff landed me in Sweden (AKA Ikea).
I was super thrilled to take my two children with me to find their kid's camp full- that was not awesome.
I made my way through the maze of kitchen gadgets, rugs, shower curtains and office organization. We took a time out to the Cafe before tackling the 2nd floor.
A few Swedish meatballs later we were roaming through the land of miniature model homes. The two of them each placed dibs on their new respectable homes:
- that is after Sydney raided this organized closet of some purple stilettos -
Almost 3 hours later and I was scrambling for the exit, seriously. When we finally get up there, they only have self-checkout available. Not cool Ikea. Not. Cool.
Another hour later, once the customer service gal in her snazzy blue polo and yellow vest helped void the multiple transactions created by Luke's trigger finger - we left.
My purchases all fit into 2 small bags : with some little storage containers, pop-lights and a rattan trivet. It was totally worth it however... I grabbed this sparklie crystal pretty to put up over our dining table outside.
It was the last one - so it was $17.
There were 2 crystals broken off (which are Sydney's new earrings).
I can't wait to see it at night all lit up - I will share later.
