Showing posts with label Photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photography. Show all posts

Friday, November 12

Christmas Cards

I love, Love, LOVE sending Christmas cards (and getting them). I know it's early, but I've already started thinking about what we'll do this year. I saw that Shutterfly.com was doing a promo for bloggers, so I think this year I'll give them a try. I've always been impressed with the cards I've received from other people who used shutterfly; and I used them quite a few years ago to have note cards printed and was really happy with how they came out.

I'm really loving a couple of different designs they have for cards....(click on any picture to be taken to it on shutterfly.com).


The other things I've been considering are a calendar for my parents for a Christmas present, or an ornament for our tree, to mark Avelyn's 2nd Christmas. So many ideas!

Sunday, October 17

New York, New York!

I'm originally from NYC, well not Manhattan, but Queens. While I love visiting the city, that is the extent of it....I'm so glad my parents moved us out of there, and I have no desire to move back (although my brother did and has).

When we first got to the city we parked our car and headed out...we took Ave in FAO Schwartz for the first time...we managed to get out without a thing...which kind of made me sad (my first Christmas present was from FAO Schwartz). It's interesting how the employees work the store trying to get people to buy things...handing kids toys to play with.

One employee handed Ave a stuffed animal to play with and when Matt took it away after a couple of seconds she didn't make a peep...the employee commented to Matt how he knew what he was doing. We then took a picture with Ave and one of the toy soldiers out front, but she was kind of wary of the guy....which is unusual for her.

We were going with a very specific mission though: We were having pictures done in Central Park with Melissa (Rachel's sister, who did our pics in Boston in May). Melissa is great and I've so enjoyed having an online friendship with her over the past couple of years. I've always been blown away by her photography, as I am with Rachel's too.

We took the obligatory picture of me and Melissa, but I look absolutely terrible (and HUGE) next to her...hopefully her's is better. Here are some of the pictures that we took in Central Park.

Pictures started off great, then Ave had a meltdown. She was tired, cranky, cold, and just not wanting to sit still....if she was walking on her own she was quite content, but sit her down or hold her in your arms and WAAAAAAAH! Melissa got as many shots as she could. We weren't even out of Central Park Ave was sound asleep in her stroller.

After pictures we walked down to the American Girl Place where my second mission was. I was in my glory in that place! Matt and my SIL just kept looking at me like I was crazy! I loved my AG doll, still do. We got Felicity (my parents are buying her for Ave's 1st birthday since she's being retired) and I picked up a couple of outfits for her that I've always wanted. We also bought Kit for my cousin (from my parents) for her birthday and Christmas gift. I can't tell you how excited I was to walk out of that store with TWO HUGE bags filled with AG stuff.
I pulled everything out this morning and the quality is so much poorer than it was when they were owned by Pleasant Company. The clothes back then were made so well...now they're just cheap polyester outfits that aren't much to write home about. I also found out that the only part of the accessories I need to get for Felicity (since she no longer has the original dress) is the choker and her original dress. They changed the accessories to match the new dress, but left all but the hat and necklace the same. Sneaky!

We stopped at Ik.ea on the way home...we wanted to get new slipcovers for our couch (we have a white and black pattern, which between the dogs and Ave isn't conducive to cleanliness, and the sheets I cover the furniture with are constantly slipping off). We went with the Svanby Brown, but of course they didn't have the slipcover for our armchair, another store further south in Jersey did, but it was already 8pm and we still had a 2 hour drive home. MIL is going to Ike.a again, but I have to find out when...otherwise I have to pay the $25 shipping to my house (which is still cheaper than driving back to NJ and won't take me 5 hours to do).

Friday, July 2

Photo Fun!

I always see posts that people did: Picking the 8th picture in the 8th file on the 8th day of the 8th month.... you get the idea. I figured I'd just see what I came up with; this is what I got...


I took this picture 2 years ago, when my sister was in Once Upon a Mattress, and played Winifred. It was her greatest performance, one of those moments that I look back and smile at how awesome she was, at how talented she is. These were the flowers that I got her, just resting on the seat in the auditorium.

I guess this picture is one that I needed to see, because my sister is lost. Not in the physical sense, but in the sense of she has no idea what she's doing and no one has any idea how to reach her.

Remember that boyfriend that no one liked, but then my sister had the meltdown about how she wanted to do this the right way and it entirely backfired? Sister is still with this guy and it doesn't look like it's ending anytime soon...unfortunately.

It's becoming more and more obvious that he's bad news, and that he's replacing all of us in my sister's life. Her new threat is "when I'm 18...." She thinks that 18 is a magic number, that she can then do whatever she wants, regardless of it's effects. Her threat is, either let me do what I want or I'm moving out (and in with the boyfriend).

My mom is beside herself with worry and my father wants to "throw" the kid in a ditch. For the first time ever my sister has blatantly lied to me. On her graduation day I went to post on her facebook wall "congratulations", but her wall had disappeared. I asked her and she said she had no idea what happened. I kept trying to figure out what was wrong, then on the boards I saw a lot of people posting about blocking their MILs from seeing things on their facebook.

It kept bothering me and bothering me...then I realized that my sister is also friends with Matt on FB. I logged into his account and low and behold there is her wall. Then I found out about how to adjust settings. Silly girl uses my computer when she is here and saves all her passwords. I go and look and she has me, our brother, our SIL, her sister, the boyfriend's mom and brother all blocked from viewing her wall.

If some of you are FB friends with me you probably saw my post about loving when people think I'm stupid and I'm not going to figure things out...that I've played all the games before you....that was about my sister. I've asked her 1 or 2 other times about whether she figured out why I can't see her wall and I get told "I have no idea". So not only has she lied, but is perpetuating the lie.

She thinks she's so smart, but she doesn't seem to realize that Matt and his sister are FB friends of her's and she didn't block them. There's absolutely nothing on her wall that is something that would cause me concern, mostly lyrics.

It really hurts me though that she's lying to me. My mom was upset that she's lying to me. I saw her a week ago for a few minutes (of course with the boyfriend) and it just was entirely awkward...she didn't seem to know how to act around me or what to say. I don't know if she's suspicious about my knowing that I'm blocked or not. She hasn't been to see her niece in over a month, and never calls me or messages me about anything.

My fun, loving sister has been replaced by this girl that wants nothing to do with her family, the values she's been raised in (which is normal for a teen), and thinks that we're all terrible and controlling and that her boyfriend offers her the world.

We still all feel that the guy is bad news and from the looks and sounds of it this isn't going to be a flash in the pan relationship (fortunately my sister decries marriage as a failed institute and one she won't take part in - same for kids). It's hard, we all see this guy for what he is, we see the road my sister's heading down and yet there is absolutely nothing we can do to stop it, because if we try she's gone and then we won't be able to have anything to do with her.

So if you're the praying type or at the very least the good-thoughts type...please send some her way....that this kid goes away and doesn't leave her life in a shambles, that she comes back to her senses and her family.

Monday, May 3

“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.” Tennessee Williams

We had a great weekend! Saturday we got up and were out of the house by 7:45am...on our way to Boston Public Gardens. Avelyn did really well on the ride up...we stopped about 1/2 way for a quick walk and a diaper change (it's a 4 hour drive from our house to Boston).

We got to the park around 12:40 and then we were going to meet Sadie and her family at the
George Washington Statue for a picnic lunch. Oh my goodness we had SO MUCH FUN! The kids were all crazy! We (the adults) played a rousing game of "keep the food away from the baby" while trying to have our picnic lunch.

It was so great to finally meet them! Sadie is my TTTC Sister that was setup by one of the girls on the TTTC Board (now Infertility), two years ago! So this day has been a long time coming. We've been through a lot together and it was awesome to finally be face to face with someone who has "been there and gets it" and who has been there for me through it all.


Then we met up with Rachel from Brisham Photography, who was going to do all of our photo shoots for the day. She was absolutely wonderful to work with and so sweet and fun :-)

A picture of us IF'ers: Eli and Emerson were asleep in the stroller, and Rachel's son, Brighton, was with his aunt.
Of course I couldn't go to a public garden without taking SOME pictures, especially of tulips! This park was wonderful. I told Matt I think we need to make yearly trips here: The tulips and the cherry blossoms were in bloom and it was so beautiful (and easy to get to!). Click here for more pictures!




After that we had to head up to NH for SIL's 30th birthday party...it was fun too:-D Avelyn did get to spend some time playing with her cousin. Then we had the long drive home yesterday. A did so well in the car...of course Matt had to sit in the back with her to keep her entertained, but that's ok...I got a picture, my perfect moment, of Matt asleep in the backseat with his arm around A in her carseat :-) (it's on Matt's phone though...I'll get it later).

More pictures here...

Monday, March 29

Picture me perfect!

Today A and I went to Walm.art...I needed to get the backing for my mom's quilt (a sheet) and we decided to have her pictures done. Walm.art has a special right now...photo session for $5.00...you get 1 pose and 1-8x10, 1-3.5x5, 1-5x7, and a bunch of wallets. I figured for $5 it would be fun to do.

The cool thing I didn't realize is that they upload them to a website....A's are here....and you can then order them from there as well...and they're really not too pricey either. I think I may order a couple because I really loved a few of the shots.

We did the package with the first pose, because I wanted it to be spring-y....but I'm really loving a couple of the last ones! Then I found a coupon code online to order the prints 50% off...so I ordered some 5x7s of the last green one and the 1st and 3rd black ones. We'll see how they come out :-)

Sunday, March 7

Boston Photo Shoot

Hey Everyone!

My friend, Rachel, over at BrishamPhotography.com is coming to Boston on May 1st for a photo shoot. She does awesome work and I know some of you guys are New Englanders.

She is
doing them Saturday May 1st and the location will be the Boston Public library/Copely Square (the library is in case it rains):



Sessions are 30 minutes long, include a CD of images (approximately 75) and are $150. Payment will be due by March 15th.

Contact Rachel at:
info@brishamphotography.com

Friday, February 26

There's NO business, like SNOW business :-)

Yesterday: It snowed all day. By bedtime we had gotten about 14+/- inches of snow.
The apple trees in our backyard.
I think she was trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue :-)



Snowbunnies


I just thought this was very cool how the snow was piled on the very top of the flag.



Today: I think we got a total of at least 23" of snow.
Has anyone seen my chickens?


Don't think we'll be having a BBQ for a while.


I think there's a car under there.





The pile of snow out front of my house.




But there is hope that spring will come again.

I spent about 45 minutes outside yesterday shoveling and bringing wood in...today I spent another hour or more just shoveling the front sidewalk and paths to the chickens and wood piles and for the dogs.

Yesterday was the kind of day I've dreamed about for a very long time. Snowed in with my kids, just doing things around the house, only thing missing was Matt (he was out on the road doing the routes since the storm started on Wednesday). Today I was even more indulgent and watched a movie (Hello, Dolly!).

I did get some work done on the quilt for my mom. Everything is cutout for the star blocks, and I have 3 of those stitched together...only 15 more of the stars to go and 17 photo collage blocks. It's actually coming together surprisingly fast. I think it's probably because as of right now, it's all sitting on my kitchen counter!
The fabrics aren't quite this dark in real life.

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