Treasured Family Photos

Back on the 12th of December we had family photos taken by Kelly Edmundson. She belongs to our church which is where I got to know her. I really liked her personally, and when I found out she was a photographer too, I wanted her to take pictures of all of our family before BigBuddy left for Brazil.  As part of her fees, she gives us the CD's and allows us to use them however we like. She also has touched up some of these or cropped them how I wanted. These are among my favorites. 

Cowgirl is here this week again. We love having her here and its been a long time since I had a professional photo of just her. What a treasure! I love that this photo captures the true gorgeous blue color of her eyes. Of all my children they are the most vivid blue and it truly is a hallmark of her beauty. It was her idea that we dress in these colors, and I love how they looked on this cold winter day and brought out the blue in all of our eyes. Not that there's anything wrong with brown eyes, its just no one in my family has them. We all have various shades. Mine are the most blue-grey. The stronger blue comes from MyMike.

We had photo shoots at two locations. This is a museum five minutes from our home. Kelly and I loved the red barn in the background and talked about it being a good place for photos ahead of time. I think this may be the photo I get enlarged and put up in my home. I'm still thinking about it. 

So fun to have just the kids pictured together. They are my joy and I love seeing them happy and  playing together. They were cracking each other up so much, trying to stay warm and just keeping things light. I have to laugh at how three of them are all within a couple of inches of each other, and Bigbuddy has to stoop way down just to be in their same height range. Littlebuddy is eager to catch up.  

This is my other favorite photo, taken in our backyard. The way Kelly edited this and just the overall feel of the photo makes me happy. We've never had full body poses and yet I like it. Its us, blue jeans, casual, and together. I'm still back and forth as to which photo gets blown up and earns a spot on my wall. Of course, I'll have lots of fun scrapbooking all of these still. So happy for choices!

 Little Buddy. Love his smile and handsome ruggedness. His braces have green and red bands for the Christmas holidays. He's a fun 12 year old and we do love that he smiles regularly. Its a treasure to have these moments in their lives caught on film. He won't have braces forever. He'll be shaving in a few short years. So much changes as they go through growth spurts. It will be interesting to see how much he's changed when we do this again in a couple of years when Bigbuddy gets home.

 MyGirl had the model poses down for this photo shoot. It helped that Kelly is her Young Women advisor at church, so she's comfortable with her. We loved this scarf on her and her subtle make-up, bringing out her features. She doesn't like to get her picture taken very often so these are treasures to me. I know that she is a beautiful girl and I only wish she could see it more in herself. Its hard to be a teenage girl but we do love her so much and pray for her happiness always.

Last but not least, BigBuddy. He was the only one whose shirt was short sleeved, so I was glad he had a black sweater too that worked great for these pictures. It was cold that day, in the low 40's and overcast and it was a little windy at times too and he was the only one who wasn't grabbing for the blankets we'd throw on the ground between takes. He was so excited this day to be leaving for his mission the next day.  He is such a genuine person, not a performer, and giving huge smiles on demand, not natural for him, but we do see them in real life, so I was glad she was able to pull that out of him. All pictures of him are treasures too. We hear from him every week. He's learning Portuguese and really enjoying being there.

January Projects

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I think after everything in December and our huge school break, I just needed a break from everything except the "must do's." Homeschooling is back in full swing. We read "Romeo and Juliet" this week. So very tragic! Explaining it to my daughter and discussing it with her ever since we read it, also hard. She has a lot of questions and its a hard subject to talk about, but we forge forward.

So, what has been going on this month? Mom, Dad, MyGirl, and I all went to the largest scrapbook store in the Springs. Fun! Mom and I were each given a piece of fabric (mine is the sun, moon, and star batik, on an orangey background) at the quilt guild we belong to, and given both a color and project assignment due in May. My color assignment is analogous and the projects have to be smaller than 45" square. So I shopped for different yellows and then found this hot pink, which works with the pinkish orange that is part of the orangey batik. I think I'm going to use these fat quarters to make a log cabin something. . . still working on that, but getting ready to cut it all out this week, so I need to make that decision soon.

A week ago Saturday I went to meet with the CTMH and other company's scrapbooking ladies in town for their marathon crop. It started at 10 am and went to midnight. I was home by 5pm, but that is still a really long time. I don't like crops, in general, because of all the stuff I want to haul, but since I was focusing on LittleBuddy's scrapbook, and keeping it simple, it wasn't too bad. I focused on just creating pages and putting the pictures in, with minimal embellishments, then came home and did journaling and little more embellishing where needed. I got 21 pages done in that time. Not really great for me, but we spent about an hour all eating lunch and talking, which was fun too. Two of the ladies are retired military, one was a Marine and the other an Army medic. One of the ladies is a native of this small town, and had stories to tell about the history which was interesting. There were only a dozen of us there, so its been fun to get to know them. Two of them are going to come over this Friday night so I can show them some scrapbooking techniques and how to make pages with hidden photos. More fun.

These photos are all four years behind. So sad that Little Buddy's book has been so neglected. You know why I had to wait and do the journaling? Because I had to bring it home and look in my big album to remember what were the important details I didn't want to forget. That's why I like to stay on top of my books, it sure makes it easier when I do the kid's books.

I forgot to mention that MyMike has been working 60 hour weeks all of Jan. So hard, but the other guys on his team have gotten behind and their big project is due to the customer in April, so basically he's babysitting and checking that everything they do works. He's even had to work two Saturdays so far, and was home the day I was gone, which made me feel badly, but I had committed to coming before I knew his schedule. He was busy though, doing all his little projects and when I got home and made Shrimp Scampi he was happy. He'll be ready for some motorcycle riding again. We didn't get enough of that in last year.

Did I mention Little Buddy is growing still? He's started to come home and want meals, not just a couple of cookies for an afterschool snack. I found one leftover from when BigBuddy was here, because I'm not usually ready to make dinner at 3pm. However, I've started saving leftovers for him, and fortunately, he's not that picky. He went on another cold campout on Friday, and was warmer than before, but just as tired. Watching the Deacon's pass the Sacrament today was a little comical. They all looked like they could have slept in til noon if we hadn't had church. As it was, he came home Sat. at 3, showered, ate, put his gear away, and was asleep by 6pm for the night. So, technically he did get 13 hours of sleep, but that was barely enough to make up for the 4 1/2 hours he got the night before.

I rearranged the mantle. I placed the Willow Tree statues there, and got another one this month, the brother and sister. Now all my children are represented. There also was an accident with the largest one. A member of my family accidentally knocked it over where it had been in the dining room, and the whole back broke. I was so sad, but since the front looked perfect, placing it here you just can't tell, and so I'm happy it was saved. Honestly, if it hadn't been, I would have just bought myself an exact replica, I love it that much.

So, now the dining room credenza is simpler and I like it that way just fine.

I also went over to our photographer's house this month and we went through some of the pictures she took. This one is not one that I'll have blown up large, but I sure do love it. I love each of their smiles, but the way LittleBuddy looks is just priceless, like it was just so funny he couldn't help himself. Kids are cute, no matter their age.  Finished up the December album, and put this photo in it. I love when photography captures an unexpected moment just like this and I sure love these kiddos. Glad to have Cowgirl coming back to visit again this week. Love that many college courses are online these days and going on vacation for a week doesn't necessarily have to mean missing school. Sweet!

And, one more really wonderful thing happened this month. MyGirl earned her YW Medallion for completing the Personal Progress program. She had gotten a good start on it before we moved, and only had 2 projects and 7 value experiences left to complete, so in the past six months she really put her mind to finishing, and she did it. Sadly, she won't let me take a picture of her wearing it, but she got the silver one and its beautiful on her. Hard to believe she graduates from YW soon. This Saturday we go to a brunch for all the girls moving up this year. My babies are growing up way too quickly!!!

A Habit

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."  - Aristotle

I saw this written on a dry erase board at church today. I wasn't in the room when it was taught, but of every good thing I heard today, this was what I took home in my heart.

I am asking myself, along with thinking of my goals for the year, what habits do I need to practice that I may be more excellent? I think I know what it is the Lord wants me to do. Now to set up the mini-goals that will put that habit easily into my life.

Our bishop challenged us to just pick one area of our lives to work on this year, and when it was part of us, to pick another. Today that hit me that the way to do that is through our habits. Sometimes it means adding a new habit to our lives and other times it means eliminating a habit. Whatever it is, just acting is what creates change. And, sometimes, we're just ready to make changes. When I look at the big changes my children are making I am inspired by them. It should be easier for me to change. I have more experience, but I also have more habits that have been ingrained in me for a long time. Thank goodness the Lord has given me more time to practice!

Snowflakes

I love snowflakes! I started noticing that I have a few around the house, and I like to create with them too. Even though the patterns are often repeated when creating something man made, I love that in nature, they are all unique. Every single one. Amazing. Organic and sparkly, what a wonderful combination!

We put the table back to a round table so I could use my snowflake tablecloth again. And, I found a good smoothie recipe that I love. Even better, its not green, but purple. Its easier on the eye to drink a purple smoothie, but this still has a cup of spinach in it -  and it tastes Sweet!

Upside Down Smoothie

1 cup spinach

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 banana

1/2 cup pineapple chunks

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup ice water

6 ice cubes

Makes 2 good sized glasses. MyGirl and I loved it!

I put everything in the blender in the opposite order it is given above, so just start from the bottom, which is why I'm calling it the upside down smoothie. Its not an exact replica from any other recipe I'm aware of, just a compilation of a few I looked it, and this is how I made mine. Start by blending in the blender, then stop and scrape down the sides, helping the spinach get mixed, then pulse well at the end until its all smooth and creamy. Use less water if you like it thicker, but since I don't want it too thick first thing in the morning, I added the water. We'll be making it again soon! I also think I'll substitute strawberries for the blueberries when I run out. Even frozen peaches would be good here too, I think, just the color would be changed. . . surprises await :-) MyGirl said she'd add more orange juice next time. If we do that, then we'll not use the ice water, but I thought the balance of flavors was fine. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Here is a darling tag I saved from Christmas. Cowgirl tied these with red ribbons around printed kraft bags for all her presents. Cute and easy with the Cricut and glitter. Love her creativity! I also love the star of David hidden in the pattern of the snowflake as well. Really reminds me of Christmas!

Speaking of glitter, I had fun playing with the Snowflake stamp set I won last year in one of the CTMH blog giveaways. I've gotten a lot of mileage with this set, and loved that this particular stamp is open. That allowed me to use a white marker and glitter to give it added dimension. I included a close-up below.  The wide striped chocolate ribbon helps draw the eye into an X shape. First you see the sentiment and the ribbon, then you go back and pay attention to the snowflakes. Often good design uses L, T, and X shapes I learned a long time ago in my graphic design classes. That's one thing I've proven true over and over again.

Last, I wanted to show the many snowflakes we still have on the ground, and this rogue squirrel that was climbing up and down the neighborhood yesterday. I saw it two doors down when I was going to my parents, climbing up their drain pipe onto their roof, then later in the day he was right above our kitchen window. When we started tapping on the glass, he hopped onto our deck, walked down the stairs, across the patio, and up the back side of the house by my bedroom. Not wanting him to find any way into our house, we tapped on the glass again, and he turned around and ran back down and into another neighbor's yard. Its the first one I've seen in our neighborhood since we moved here. 

Green and Pink Drinks

We took Christmas down on Monday. It felt good to get back to our real life again, though the corner where the tree was is feeling a little bare again. . . contemplating another kind of tree. . . hmmm.

We're on day 20 or 21 of our school Christmas vacation. Longest one we've ever had. School starts Tuesday. We've had some fun days, some relaxing days, some get-things-done days, just the way a vacation should be. I wish I'd had my camera with me today. We were at the library and there were over a hundred ducks sleeping in the parking lot on the back side of the library, their heads all tucked into their feathers. The funny thing was, most of them were between the lines, so it looked like they were literally parking and taking a nap. Then Littlebuddy saw a friend there who showed him where they could get breadcrumbs to feed the ducks, and the boys walked out to the back and suddenly all those sleeping ducks woke up, got up, and began to flock to the boys' feet, at least fifty surrounding each boy. Fortunately, they didn't get upset when the boys ran out of crumbs.  The color of mallard's heads never ceases to impress me, such a rich and gorgeous teal blue these ones were.

Littlebuddy is taller than both his sisters and me. He's in a growth spurt, and you know what that means? He's Hungry! A Lot! If I'd make cookies everyday he'd be quite happy. But today I made Green Smoothies instead, and he liked it. I think better than I did, but I'm going to try a different recipe. The spinach didn't bother me at all, it was all the pulp and fiber from everything else, more than I wanted to drink first thing in the morning. I strained it for him, which is why I think he liked it better. When I find one I love, I'll post it.

I do, however, have a great, easy punch recipe to share. We had it both on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve and everybody loved it. I just made it up while I was at the grocery store, and it worked. It very well may have been invented by someone else before, but I'm not aware of it, so I'm calling this:

                                                               Pink Party Punch

2   2-liter bottles of Cranberry Ginger Ale (can substitute Cherry 7-up, but the ginger ale is better)
1  12-oz can of lemonade concertrate
1 quart of pineapple sherbet

Put the lemonade and sherbet in the punch bowl first. Next, fill up the empty lemonade can with cold water and pour it into the punch bowl. Pour both the bottles of ginger ale in next. It will fill up the punch bowl perfectly and in just a few minutes everything will be frothy on top and starting to mix up well in the bowl. Ladle into cups and serve. Delish and easy.  I think we'll be having this again at Valentine's.

Three Darling Girls

My mom's family is from Canada, so whenever we see relatives from that side of the family it is a rare and special treat. My cousin was passing through Colorado on his way to Texas and called up my parents and wanted to stop by. This is another wonderful reason to live so close. We stopped by shortly before they got there and we got to meet his growing family. Last time I saw him he had one nine month old. Now he has three darling daughters. The oldest sang us a "concert" that she made up on the spot, with the title, "Christmas is Still Here." It went on for a few minutes, with everything wonderful she could possibly think of to include. It really was precious. Her three year old sister was the puzzle whiz and must have put together a U.S. puzzle on the floor at least five times. They both built an entire New York apartment out of blocks, including having a kitchen sink. The baby was a cute little nine month old, just trying to do everything her big sisters could, without the vocabulary and skills to play like they did. MyGirl loved playing with them, and introduced them to the bubble-making Santa, one of her favorite toys at Grandma's house. My cousin, their dad, is at least fifteen years younger than I am, so we didn't really grow up close, but it was fun to see what a good dad he was, and how much he enjoyed his little girls. It was a fun afternoon and an added blessing to our holiday season!