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!

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?

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

Fall Colors

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

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.

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

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. : )

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.

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

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

"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.

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.

Floral embellishment is Petaloo.

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.

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.

Happy birthday, Cami!
XXOO
Love, Mom

Huh? October?

No posts in September.

Not even the obligatory 1st day of school post. Here's a pic. Fill in the blanks.

It's been so long - I hope I didn't lose my bloggin' pals. I'm still here! I'm movin' and groovin' with daily life, trying to be present in all that I do. Challenging. The girls have been back to school for almost 5 weeks and the structured schedule suits us. Not that I don't LOVE to sleep in. But today for example, by 8:00 AM I've accomplished breakfast, packed lunches, driven the girls to school (spoiled), folded laundry and started a new load, peeled 2 dozen apples and have a pot of soon-to-be applesauce simmering on my stove. There are not even any dishes in my sink. The FlyLady would be proud, even though we kind of have this love/hate relationship. No, I haven't showered yet, but whatev. I plan to work on some design stuff for Dream Street and then head into work at the library and then on to the dance studio.

Random, I know:

• I'm concerned about my washing machine. The old gal ain't what she used to be.
• Did you know Sunday 10/3 was World Card Making Day? Me either.
• Tomorrow is Cami's 12th birthday. I dread her disappointment with not getting a cell phone. Even though I told her that would be the case. I know she is secretly hoping beyond hope that I am fibbing. I am not.
• We turned our heater on for the first time this weekend. Brrr.
• I started knitting a pair of wrist warmers.
• My kitty, Pearl is snoozing on the couch, sweetly snoring. I love that sound.
  

And last, a random pic of a little fella Kaylyn found: