luminous

fall inspiration

2010-09-30T07:00:00.001-04:00

As fall peaks through and swings back to summer all in the same day sometimes... these are the things inspiring me right now.

Whimsical, handmade parties for children...

A digital scrapbooking kit with vintage colors, textures, and photographic elements...

End of summer getaways. Some familar, some new, filled with sunshine and cool breezes...

go

2010-09-29T21:07:00.000-04:00

We spent a long weekend in Florida. It was hot in Ohio when we left on Thursday. It was hot the whole time we were in Florida.

We spent every day cherishing the vanishing summer lifestyle. We splashed at the beach, the pool, the water park. We wore flip flops and sleeveless shirts. We ate ice cream outside. We had a picnic.

It was raining and 59 degrees when we got back. Good-bye summer.

Last photo shot on expired 100 speed film. A fun little experiment with grainy, imperfect, beautiful results. Sometimes you just gotta mix things up, you know?

youth

2010-09-19T22:16:00.000-04:00

We volunteer with the youth at church.

JT sometimes comes with us. It makes for interesting adventures for a toddler.

Tonight got a little bit messy.

Can you imagine... when he graduates from high school, he'll have been with the youth program for 18 years?

He better learn to enjoy getting messy.

the next phase

2010-09-15T21:52:00.001-04:00

sit-n-spin
Originally uploaded by brungrrl

Did I mention my boy started preschool a few weeks ago? We hit it hard.

Tears on day 2, day 3, night 3, day 4, day 5, weekend, Sunday night, etc. I cried, too. I mean, what kind of parent sends their kid to SCHOOL?! The horror. I must have lost my mind. He doesn't know anyone... it's too much fun... there's too much structure. Oh wait, those are good things. And I'M the parent.

Then he caught the first illness. The fever hit the exact moment John boarded a plane to work out of town for a bit. Home 2 and a half days. John came home, we had a lovely long weekend. And no sooner than all was normal, the illness took ME down.

JT is doing better with school this week. No tears and he may have made a few friends. There are also little signs that he is paying attention and learning a few things, too!

Tonight we met up with his buddies Sammy & Bradley for a playdate. They hugged and squealed and jumped up and down... a most happy reunion. Good friends are a treasure.

signs of fall

2010-09-14T22:42:00.000-04:00

Have you noticed the little signs that fall is coming?

My favorite season has passed. I'm not sure why summer is my favorite season still. It doesn't hold the same meaning that it used to. I have to go to work instead of lounging about reading books. I get to do laundry at night instead of catching fireflies. And I rarely go around barefoot on the blacktop or splash in puddles. But still, I'm a SUMMER girl.

I never understand why people love fall. It's the harbinger of winter, the dreaded season. It's unpredictable: will the leaves have good color? will it rain every weekend? will it be ice cold for Halloween?

But oh! When fall is good, it is GOOD. Easy, breezy weather. Crunchy leaves. The smell of change in the air... I can get into the possibilities.

So we've started to notice that fall is coming to our home. In order to embrace the spirit of the season, I embraced a pumpkin spice latte and some pumpkin butter on Labor Day weekend. And I took a few leaf pictures, even though they were still mostly green. It's the little things that keep one's spirits up, you know?

April 12

2010-04-22T07:00:00.003-04:00

Last week was the 12th once again. I took my pictures and finished the layout. It doesn't happen in an instant, that's for sure... I spent small amounts of time a couple evenings last week and over the weekend editing the pictures and making the layout. Sometimes that's all I can get... a couple minutes here and a couple minutes there. But I LIKE scrapbooking and pictures. So it's actually a rewarding, rejuvenating way to spend a few minutes of my day.

I get asked a lot, "how do you have TIME to do all that?" Well, there's not much time. And with John out of town last week, there was really no time. I just started the week with the intention that my evening priorities after JT went to bed were one load of laundry each day and to finish this layout.

So JT and I spent some evening time with friends, played outside a lot, ate dinner, talked about everything, and watched Charlotte's Web. And I spent my "me time" before my bedtime doing three loads of laundry and scrapbooking this one simple day in the history of our lives.

The template I'm using for my 12 on the 12th project is from Ali Edwards' Yesterday Today class. It works out really well with plenty of spaces to put photos, paper, words, embellishments and still have lots of room for journaling. My emphasis this year is definitely on telling the stories about how we spend our days. The butterflies are from Vera Lim Designs.

Last year on this day, we celebrated Easter. And hung out with my parents. And I also used a butterfly for a page accent:

I love looking back and seeing how much has changed. Look at JT sitting in his high chair. Now he's almost too big for the booster seat.

week in the life

2010-04-21T22:57:00.001-04:00

sunrise
Originally uploaded by brungrrl

We're still going with a week in our life. I think I took about 6 pictures today. It doesn't take many, really.

This is the first picture I took this week on Monday morning taking JT to the sitter's. Not a bad start to the week or the project.

I'm writing my journaling, but all the finishing will have to happen next week.

document our week

2010-04-19T18:30:00.000-04:00

[ Ali Edwards ] : 168 Hours : Welcome To A Week In The Life

It's a busy week. We're documenting it.

waterfall

2010-04-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes there is more to the waterfall...

than the waterfall itself...

Hayden Falls on April 1...

digital vintage

2010-04-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

I might have mentioned my fondness for Flickr Commons. Recently I noticed that the local Upper Arlington Public Library is now participating, too. Score!!

One of their images is a map of Franklin County with no known copyright restrictions. It's so interesting to me that our neighborhood and the surrounding area used to be owned by a couple families (I think they had horse farms here). And their names are familiar because present-day elementary schools and roads are named after these families.

I have loved maps forever. I probably took more geography classes in college than a business major really needs to. Incorporating maps into my scrapbook pages is a way to capture a sense of place and history. Here's a digital scrap layout I made of our little family using the map as the background paper:

On this layout, I used a small portion of the map as one of the squares in this template. I also included a bit of a scanned newspaper ad from 1944 - saved by my Grandma. There is also a bit of a canceled check signed by my Grandma's father. The check was written for oats! I paired these little bits of JT's heritage with pictures of him that I reworked this past week.

Now I'll just need to print it out and figure out if there is room for another page in his baby album.

blogspiration

2010-04-14T22:15:00.006-04:00

Inspiring me this week...

For the photos and the story being told by two sisters in two different cities, three hundred miles apart.

Notebook Doodles, for the handwriting, photos, sentiments. And she has some crazy good taste in nail polish. I don't even wear nail polish and it makes me want to paint my nails every time she recommends a color.

Lisa Congdon's Collection a Day, 2010. It's uncanny the things she posts that I know I have stashed away somewhere. I could find an assortment of maps, corks, bottlecaps, flash cards, sea shells, vintage photos, paper dolls, and myriad other things in my basement for sure. I.am.a.pack.rat. But don't her collections look so pretty in the pictures?

Now for some weekend... yes!

editing old photos

2010-04-13T07:00:00.001-04:00

Sometimes browsing and re-editing photos doesn't have to be with photos that are very old. Let's suppose, for instance, that I've learned quite a bit about taking and editing photos since JT was 6 months old: January 9, 2008.

So I would likely not take these hideous photos any more:

Ok, so I probably still take photos that are just this awful in color and background choices. But let's be clear, he was an awfully cute baby. And now that he's not a baby any more, I want to preserve and cherish as many images of those chubby cheeks as I can.

In the past two years, I've taken and edited quite a lot of photos. And I now know a few more tricks for making ugly photos work for me. At the moment, black and white images are my favorites.

When I started working with Lightroom, one of the books I read suggested keeping original files for this very reason. If you edit a photo you take today, keep the original file preserved. Save your changes in a file with a different name. Lightroom and even iPhoto will also help you do this. These pictures from my archive happened to be preserved as originals and modified images within iPhoto.

Let's think of it as a memory saved.

funky fresh

2010-04-12T07:00:00.001-04:00

This past February, when the snow was piled high and the temperature was dipping LOW.... Becka, Jessica, and I headed to the Short North for a little photo session.

It was not a season for gallivanting around town coatless... NOR for sitting on ice-covered benches. But she did. And looking gorgeous all the while.

Jessica was just shy of 18 when we took these. I cannot believe that my friend's daughter is going to graduate from high school very soon. I could cry my eyes out remembering how young she was when I first met her. Time flies!

This girl is beautiful inside and out. Caring and compassionate, stylish, smiles and laughter... it's what she has always been about. We took pictures of innumerable outfit changes, her glasses to show her smart side, and with a magazine to show her fun side. Here, we've captured one of her greater talents: immense Friends trivia knowledge. Just ask her anything and she can name the episode and the full quote!

Look out college... this girl is on her way... Much love, Jessica!

redecorating

2010-04-09T07:00:00.006-04:00

My brother and sister-in-law AND my parents are building new homes this year. It means they show up with siding, countertop, and flooring samples everywhere we go.

We've lived in our 1987-built home for 5 years now. When we moved in I chose paint colors, furniture, and accessories for every room. In some rooms, I even hung pictures on the walls.

Now, thanks to a better understanding of incandescent light and its affect on my photos, I want walls that are NOT yellow. Imagine taking pictures all the long, cold, dark winter with natural-looking skin tones. Oh, Bungalow Gold, we had a good run, but I'm over you!

Repainting is not on my radar, nor in the budget any time soon. But a girl can dream right? Here's what's inspiring my future paint choices.

A light and bright bathroom with a teency bit of color:

A bright, but modest kitchen with glorious light. I have the windows... now for the white and little details like tile backsplash and chandelier.

More white and light. And a table with mismatched chairs. This image comes from a book called Simply Scandinavian. I could devour the entire book, I'm sure. I'll keep checking for it at my library.

If you need further inspiration, look to Design Sponge. It's a great round-up of beautiful and modern living.

goodbye snow

2010-04-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

What. A. Winter. That was a crazy amount of snow! To commemorate the season, I made a page with some pictures and the words we used to describe the mass quantities of white flakes. You know, like SNOMG, snowmageddon, and snowpocalypse! Were there other other catastrophic descriptors for the winter wonderland that I missed?

This layout is really simple. A block of 4 nearly square photos, letters cut with my sister-in-law's Cricut, rubons, and hand lettering. Nothing fancy, just had to get it out of my head and onto cardstock. Die-cut cardstock with a scallop edge to be specific.

I paired the layout with 4x6 photos of more snowy adventures. I also included a journal block to write a few more of my thoughts. The journal card is an overlay from Designer Digitals, Title + Journal Photo Overlays No. 01 by Ali Edwards. I like printing out a handful of these at a time to fill in a quick story among several photos.

And now... I'm ready to move onto spring!

Easter re-cap

2010-04-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

The bunny came by bright and early on Sunday morning and left a nest in the backyard. It was a little bigger this year, because it was for Maddy, too. But it contained all the usual things: clothes, books, toys, and of course, CANDY.

JT wasn't too sure about going out to the nest because he was "chilly." The mention of candy was enough to lure him outside anyway. We warmed up afterwards with Aunt Becka's homemade cinnamon rolls. Mmm, mmm.

After breakfast, I reached another Mommy Milestone. I forced my kid to wear a tie and sweater vest for a holiday. I also had to wet his hair down to keep it tamed for church. Coaxed by a few jelly beans, he eventually wore the whole outfit most of the day. Yay!

Bill, Theresa, and Maddy were looking darling on this sun-shining day. Can you believe Bill picked out Maddy's Easter dress? Excellent choice. She looked so sweet and classy in her green dress and white sweater.

After church, Aunt Memaw and Uncle Papa joined us for Easter dinner. We had "Vermonte" Cristo sandwiches (made with VT white cheddar cheese & syrup), 7 layer salad, and Nana's deviled eggs.

After lunch we played and took more pictures. As challenging as it is to get JT to sit still, we were able to trick him into sitting near Maddy for a picture. Unfortunately for her, our attempts to engage him meant that she got Easter grass on her head or was otherwise knocked over by her cousin.
But I think she doesn't really mind all the attention so much...

family time

2010-04-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

The fam showed up on Saturday and we headed to the zoo.

Maddy experienced the zoo for the first time.

JT saw all his favorite things like snakes, penguins, and the aquarium. His favorite part is watching the diver feed the fish.

The adults were so inspired by the aquarium, we went out to dinner at a hibachi grill for some yummy seafood.

Back at home, we let the kids stay up way late playing trucks with Nana.

spring arrives!

2010-04-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

Inspiring me today, as we approach Easter weekend. Flickr favorites, click for sources:

Flowery edgers for digital scrapbook layouts:

Perseverence (photo by me):

Easter morning excitement:

And amazing love:

cut and paste

2010-04-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

We're in the habit of doing the same things year after year. Every year, we go to the beach with my aunt and uncle, hiking with my family, and host Easter at our house. One thing that I've done the past 4 or 5 years just for me is a scrapbooking getaway weekend.

This past February was again at the Scrap Happy crop in Tiffin, Ohio. I adore this uninterrupted time away with my sisters-in-law. We get to catch up with each others' lives, unwind, and maybe even get some scrappin' done. This page is one I put together at that retreat.

This layout celebrates the first completed art project JT ever brought home. And I use the word "completed" loosely, since it wasn't colored. I am so excited for him to show interest in crayons, glue, scissors, paint, or anything creative. I'm ready for a little crafty buddy! So the working bear paper bag puppet was a really big deal for me.

My inspiration for the layout was from this page at Two Peas in a Bucket. It's not a total scraplift, but I did like the panoramic photo that takes up two-thirds the width of the page. I also liked the simplicity of the design and colors used. I added some Bam Pop papers, Sticko stickers, and the cutest hedgehog stamp ever.

Now if only the pages I created in February will keep me going until next year's getaway crop...

jewels

2010-03-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, I cleaned my room. I took pictures. It was amazing. I had to face giant dust bunnies with TEETH to achieve this feat!

But that's not what I wanted to write about. In the process of cleaning, I unearthed a piece of furniture I acquired recently: my Grandma's jewelry chest. My Grandpa designed and made it.

The things inside the jewelry box are very much inspired by my Grandma. Many of the items she gave to me. It's full of enamel flower pins, giant bangle bracelets, strands of glass bead necklaces, vintage scarves, delicate handkerchiefs, and my other everyday jewelry.

The back/top of the box has a lid that lifts to reveal a mirror and two panels that slide up to display necklaces on tiny hooks. I love that my necklaces can stay untangled and away from the dust like this. Plus, you know how the dust bunnies can get around here... a hungry one could eat a few shiny gems all on its own!

I love the bottom three drawers for the wonderful treasures stashed inside. The hankies are an assortment of my dad's when he was a kid, to the ones I've carried in my purse since I started kindergarten, to the hankie I carried on my wedding day, to the special occasion hankies my Grandma would slip inside a Valentine card to me.

A box full of memories indeed.

history of style

2010-03-30T07:00:00.001-04:00

I mentioned last fall that I was taking Ali Edwards' Yesterday Today class at Big Picture Scrapbooking. Between working on my homework for that class and my Grandma passing away at Christmastime, I've become consumed by the past. At least every couple weeks I find myself at my scanner with a stack of old photos or mementos. It's influencing many areas of my life: scrapbooking, crafts, cooking, photography, and parenting to name a few.

My mom has also been providing me with inspiration, scanning photos from Mammaw's (her mother's) photo albums. Here is a picture of my ever-beautiful Mammaw when she was pregnant for my uncle in 1956. She was about 38, I think. Still today, in her 90s, she will put on a cute outfit and makeup to chat with family and neighbors on the porch.

My mom also scanned slides taken by my Dad's family. I had no idea that my Grandpa was an amazing photographer. The full set of photos from my dad's childhood are inspiring. My Grandma's sense of style come through in every image: the decor, her clothes, the kids' clothes, etc. Just look at her and these darling kids. But remember, the one darling kid is my dad, and he's known to be the orneriest kid on the block!

Further fueling my what's-old-is-new passion are images from the Library of Congress that keep appearing in my contacts stream on flickr. Long live flickr Commons. I am c.r.a.z.y. about that project. Here are some Parisian ladies who drove me to click the favorite button recently:

On Saturday one of my favorite bloggers, Scott from The Sartorialist announced a contest featuring his readers' vintage photos. He has been posting the entries and stories that he is receiving. I can't get enough. You must check out the entries and read the stories.

How is your past influencing your future?

she's a gift

2010-03-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

Perhaps you've noticed that I'm fond of props in my photos? When JT was a baby, I took a picture of him in the bathtub with his rubber duckie on his head. The duck was a baby shower gift. It also appears in my maternity photos. And he still takes a bath with it every night. So, just maybe it's worth noting that duck in the documentation of our lives.

That brings us to my sweet little niece, Maddy. This past Christmas I got to take her pictures when JT took his nap. Luckily for us, JT was VERY slow at opening his presents and hadn't opened all his gifts. The remaining gifts were from my Aunt Joan and were wrapped so pretty. Perfect opportunity to play dress-up!

To make it special for me, Maddy is wearing a skirt and tights that I got for her. And she's holding the stocking that Mammaw got her. The stocking is very much like JT's personalized stocking. Again, making it special to me. Can you imagine the flood of memories seventeen Christmases from now when we are drinking egg nog by my brother's fireplace where this stocking will still hang... looking at pictures from years gone by?

With babies, props can be quite handy. Maddy couldn't quite sit up at this time, so we used a blanket to cover up some pillows and put the presents within reach to keep her tilted forward. It worked to keep her upright and engaged where I needed her attention for the shot.

This one was more of an outtake. She was looking away from the camera, but giving a sideways smirk... likely to her mama. Her perky little ears and sideways smile resemble my mom's baby pictures. Yes, there she is, under her Nana's Christmas tree flashing her Nana's smile.

Maddy is spending Easter with us this weekend. I can. not. wait.

inspiration

2010-03-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

A few things inspiring me right now... Amy's glitter eggs.

I actually made these eggs when she posted them before. But I didn't finish them nearly so sweetly...

A bunny bunting...

The latest Anthropologie catalog... can I take some pictures now?

And I'm thinking about participating in Ali's week in the life 2010. Hmmm...

Here's hoping a chilly weekend ahead means some inside time spent crafting...

vroomin'

2010-03-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

Last weekend I scrapped exactly one page for my own album. Yay! I mean, 10 would be great, but I'll take what I can get, right? I took these pictures on St. Patrick's Day. They aren't anything spectacular, but they do represent right now in JT's life. He's all about the trucks. And we are LOVING the spring weather and sunshine. The title is his own verb. When he drives a truck, he says he's "vroomin' it." I'll ask him to put his trucks away and he'll say, "Can I vroom it over there?"

I ordered supplies for some upcoming projects and threw in some just for fun items. The box arrived last week, so I was feeling inspired. I got Glimmer Mist in Lemon Meringue and Candlelight. It doesn't show up very well on this red background, but it looks spectacular on textured white cardstock - like a little spritz of sun!

The photo booth template is by KristyAnn Designs. I have used this template before on 2 or 3 different layouts. One of the strips of photos is hanging in my office at work. It has pictures of JT when he was about 7 months old. It's a favorite template... highly recommended. Use the template to size and clip your photo, layer under the strip, and select "overlay" as the blend mode. Presto! It's a great way to tell a story in 4 small photos.

I'm pretty excited about the wheat grass in the first picture, too. JT got some seeds on a field trip to Great Harvest Bread Company. Apparently if we take the grass back to them and show that we grew it to at least 2 inches, we get a free cookie. JT hasn't taken much interest in the wheat grass, but I bet he'd notice a chocolate chip cookie the size of his head!

being a boy mom

2010-03-14T22:15:00.002-04:00

Being a boy mom means...

Navigating with the "car cart" at the grocery store.
Keeping your eyes peeled for garbage trucks when you drive around town.
Potty training for 5 and a half months.
You don't put a toy truck away, you "vroom it" to its parking space.
Reading stories about cars, trucks, trains, and spiders.
Reminding that we don't scream or yell at the dinner table or in the car or in the grocery store...
Getting hugged around the neck so hard it almost chokes me. (But I love it!)
Being asked "Can I say gross? It's not an 'ucky word?"
Squeezing the water out of an alligator after bath time every night.
Tucking a boy, a bunny, a blankie, and a plastic spider into bed.
Washing wet, muddy clothes late at night.

no tv

2009-11-14T22:53:00.004-05:00

Since it gets dark so early and it's been a little chilly, we've been spending our evenings in front of the tv and our computer screens. Spring is a long way off, so we had to break this pattern.

In combination with the nice weather this weekend, I unplugged the tv. I do this from time to time. John still has his tv in the basement, but we don't spend much family time there. I unplugged the tv on Friday morning.

When I was getting his breakfast, I saw JT try the power button. Nothing. Try again. Nothing. Try another button. Nothing. Walk away. Look at toys. Pick up toy. Start playing.

He has asked a couple times to watch cartoons or a movie. But no meltdowns when I refuse. He thinks the "battery died" on the tv and we have proven ourselves to be less than efficient at replacing batteries, so he doesn't ask further.

We played outside a LOT, which is pretty usual for nice days. But we also got into some art things. Crayons and a coloring book lasted for more than the usual 5 minutes. Ok, it was 6 minutes, but I'll take it!

And I couldn't believe JT was completely enthralled with the watercolor paints tonight. Last time I tried painting he didn't want anything to do with it. But tonight, he found my little paint tray, asked what it was, and immediately wanted to get some paint for it. I put water in each well. He dabbed paint from the watercolor tray into each new spot of water, mixing colors along the way. I have to say, looking at some of what made it to the paper, he has an eye for color!

storytelling

2009-11-09T21:31:00.005-05:00

The pic has nothing to do with anything... just an old shot from April that makes me think, WOW, JT has grown a TON!

I've been thinking a lot about storytelling lately. Between reading to JT, devouring some fiction, and writing my own story for Ali's Yesterday Today class, it's on my mind frequently. I also listen to a podcast of This American Life and catch StoryCorps on NPR sometimes.

The other night JT wanted to read Good Dog Carl. This time, I had him tell me the story. Good Dog Carl is a picture book with just a few words on the first and last pages. John and I each read it a little differently. It was much more like a conversation than storytelling, though. He didn't understand the laundry chute because he's never seen one. So I spent some time trying to explain that. And he told me the dog was mean, though we've never told the story to portray the dog as mean. He must have just thought the Rottweiler looked mean. It was a wonderful way to see what he has taken from our readings of the book.

We aren't just reading stories, we are making them up, recitng tales, and discussing old stories, too. Becka mentioned Little Red Riding Hood the other day when she was here. Unfortunately for her, she then had to tell JT the story of Little Red. JT's Nana tells him the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. He looooves this story. I think she told it about 20 times in one weekend.

And the stories he makes up when he's rambling in the car or at bedtime? They are classics. The Halloween decorations from around the neighborhood have provided endless fodder for characters to his stories. He and roof cat have had some amazing adventures in his mind!

It occurs to me that storytelling may be a good way of encouraging learning. I think it appeals to his sense of adventure, forges a connection to loved ones and the world around him, and maybe even helps to develop critical thinking skills. Yet, when I peruse our vast collection of books around here, I have found we're lacking in the wordless books. I made a meager list of the two books we do have. You can find it here.

Won't you share with me the title of your favorite picture book? I can add suggestions to this list and hopefully develop it into something a little more substantial.

accessories

2009-11-05T21:41:00.002-05:00

JT: I wanna go to the MALLLL.
Me: Nope, we don't have any money.
JT: Yes jou do.
Me: Oh yeah, I'd like to know where?
JT: In jou SUITCASE.
Me: *huffs* It's not a suitcase. It's my purse.

falling

2009-11-05T17:40:00.003-05:00

I think it was on Sunday after we set the clocks back an hour. JT woke me up insanely early after spending most of the night in our bed kicking me in the head. While I was making coffee I noticed the sun was coming up, causing the yellow tree in the back yard to glow. There was frost, so the leaves were heavy and falling off at a slow, but steady pace. It's such a different feeling than when the wind blows warm, dry leaves from the trees... it's a much more peaceful way to usher in the next season.

For a moment I considered taking the video camera out and setting it up on a tripod to capture those leaves falling to the ground. But I didn't brave the cold (and stench of skunk) to go set it up. So now I'll just have to close my eyes and remember when winter is getting me down.

Hopefully the pictures will help me remember.

yellow leaves

2009-11-04T22:32:00.001-05:00

yellow leaves
Originally uploaded by brungrrl

Remember daylight? Daylight was cool. We did fun things when there was daylight after 5:30pm...

fall romance

2009-11-03T21:43:00.006-05:00

I got some slouchy calf-high boots to wear with skirts. What do you think? I'm not sure I'm a boots with skirts kind of gal, but it's certainly comfortable and these boots are so warm... I'm going to love them when it's cold out.

The fall color was just phenomenally beautiful last week. I don't know if it was a combination of activities, weather, and trees... but it was such a scenic and romantic time. Monday morning first thing I noticed was the missing colors from the leaves that had fallen. And then there's the lack of sunlight making my mood more somber. It has been an amazing fall for us. I have so many pictures still to process and share with you. In time... there will be plenty of winter for picture play, right?

One of the wonderfully romantic things we did last week was to take a nighttime walk around our neighborhood to see the Halloween decorations. (Sorry, no pics!) JT fell in love with an inflatable kitty he dubbed "Roof Cat". He has talked about the spider webs, witches, elephants, and tractors a lot. Yeah, I saw a witch and a cat, he saw an elephant and he won't let it go. Who am I to argue? He also saw a tractor where I saw none and there was apparently something hiding behind it. Ok, if you say...

Well, today he asked if we could go see Roof Cat, the witch, and the spider webs. I told him they were taken down already. He got tears in his eyes an his lip started to quiver. Oh, the fancy talking I had to do to defuse that puddle of tears.

So now we'll look forward to the excitement that Christmas will bring. It is going to be an amazing, wonderful holiday season.

How about you? What has been lovely in your world? What are you looking forward to?

déjà toddler

2009-11-01T21:48:00.004-05:00

I'm scanning some pictures tonight for the Yesterday Today scrapbooking class I'm taking. I came across this picture and had a bit of a panic moment. Suddenly JT is grown, married, and has a kid of his own. Aack! My heart can't take it!

This is my brother in December of 1981. And he is grown, married, and has a baby girl. In this picture he's about 3 years old, just a little older than JT is now.

What caught my eye was the studious look on his face, the long eye lashes, the footed pajamas, and the piles of toys with an emphasis on trucks.

I'm having so much fun talking to JT right now. He tells wacko stories that are mash-ups of what has happened and what he'd like to happen. He says "pick me up like a rectangle". Which means to hold him horizontally like when he was a tiny babe. I have no clue why that's like a rectangle, but it makes me laugh. He always asks, "what brought me that shirt?" which means, who got him the shirt. It's funny that he asks that way and I love that he wants to know who to associate to some toy or shirt that he likes. And he'll say, "I have an idea." And when you ask him what his idea is, it's usually a truck or firetruck. "Good idea," I tell him.

big boy bed

2009-10-27T22:19:00.002-04:00

John put JT's big boy bed together tonight. This task consisted of removing the front of the crib and replacing it with a single board. So it's the same bed, just with easier entry and exit for the boy. He has been asleep for a couple hours now... we'll see how he does the rest of the night.

We're actually well past ready for this step, we just had to wait for the Amish furniture store to finish up the board for us. JT has been able to get out of the crib for a while now. I think he got out 2 or 3 times. He just usually didn't try very hard to get out. He was much more likely to stand in there yelling "MOMMY!"

As you can imagine, the first thing you have to do when you get a new bed like this is to use it for jumping...

October 12

2009-10-26T22:07:00.004-04:00

There really isn't a good way to catch you up on what we've been doing since I last posted in July. You'll have to follow on Facebook or Twitter if you want to hear the latest updates. Those updates are a bit more real-time. So for the blog, let's just jump in with something recent.

I'm still capturing our lives each month on the 12th. I'm loving this project. It's very exciting to have 10 layouts completed for this year. I love seeing the little things change. Like when JT moved from the high chair to the booster seat. And when he started potty training.

There's also security in the things that stay the same... like playing at the park, morning and bedtime routines, and drinking coffee- mmm,mmm.

Next year I want to change the layout up so I can feature larger photos and more journaling. I always capture more details of the day than I am able to share in this 8.5x11 layout. I think a 2-page 12x12 layout may be more the ticket next year. And it will probably still be digital because I can get those completed pretty quickly.

So if I start posting again, is anyone going to read? If you are still reading, leave me a comment. I'd love to know you're here!

2009-10-25T21:42:00.001-04:00

Oh, look! There's my old blog. It must have gotten lost in all the mess. Maybe I will update it again soon...

JT chillin' with the flu and some cartoons.

hanging pictures

2009-07-06T22:15:00.004-04:00

Our bedroom got a little facelift with some vacation photos. I'm not usually very good about getting pictures framed and put on display, but I was so in love with these shots. I ran right out and bought frames and ordered the enlargements. Plus, our room tends to be a little dark with that wall color, so these add brightness.

JT likes to point out the picture in the waves. He says, "Dada, big one?" John says, "Who's that big wave splashin'?" "Dada." "Who else?" *chuckles* "JT".

See the vacation pics here, here, and here.

celebrating independence

2009-07-05T22:47:00.001-04:00

the boys, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Really, what better way to celebrate independence day than with toddlers?

Lucas came to visit us for the 4th of July with his mom and dad. He's about two months younger than JT. These two are both very much asserting their independence at this phase.

We dragged them to the parade, forced them to eat experimental mashed potatoes, and made them stay up late for the boys' first ever fireworks. I think it might have been some fun, too. JT shared his toys and his parents' attention pretty well. He was only a little bossy with his house guest!

And unfortunately for Lynn, JT may have introduced "Wucas" to "ride the mama." Hope your knees hold up to all the horsey rides, Lynn!

June 12

2009-07-05T14:13:00.001-04:00

12-of-12, June., originally uploaded by brungrrl.

I took off work on the 12th last month to have a day to get ready for vacation. Perhaps subconsciously I just wanted to be doing something interesting on the 12th, since it was "document-our-day".

The project is still going strong - it's the 6th month I've documented the 12th. Unfortunately, I haven't scrapped much else this year. I've made invitations for events, a couple mini albums, and these pages. That's about all I've had time to do.

Vacation was a BLAST. Always sad to see it go. I finally processed 400-some photos... so we are ready to document that trip, now. Coming soon...

save ohio libraries

2009-06-25T19:30:00.003-04:00

Today I attended a rally at the Ohio statehouse in support of library funding. The governor has proposed cutting state funding to libraries by up to 50%. It would be a devastating blow at a time when library usage is increasing and critical.

Please find out what you can do to support your library. Visit http://saveohiolibraries.com/ to find out more and stay informed.

tweet, tweet, document

2009-05-21T17:30:00.000-04:00

I'm taking Cathy Zielske's Everyone Can Write a Little class. It just made sense since I was already on twitter and facebook doing just what this class is about. As I learn to document the everyday as it happens, 140 characters at a time... these are some thoughts I've had.

Use hashtags to categorize. You can aggregate them into a single scrapbook layout later. Here are some good themes: #grateful, #prayer, #wish, #whatif, #proud (of someone & why).
Fortunately/Unfortunately. There is this book I love on this very topic. And really, for every negative there is a positive and vice versa, right?
CZ has mentioned dialogue. I love this. For me, I label my immediate family "Me", "JT" and John is "Hubz". Again, a great way to do a layout or aggregate the conversations that happen in your house.
Picture this: the prefix to use for those times when your camera isn't handy. Write a blurb that describes the scene you wanted to photograph. Maybe if you get a collection of these, your eyes will begin to see things differently and your photos will evolve? I'm just projecting here.
Tell a story as a knock, knock joke. I can't wait to try this.
Say something... then pose as the reader and ask a question. "What's that you say?" State the obvious question and answer it. It can be done in 140 characters!
Dear ____, I prefer to address inanimate objects. You know, like the darn printer at work.

And in the spirit of using the same tools to keep in touch with your friends and network and note the everyday, I propose doing each of the following each day:

Take a picture and link to it. Cameraphones are awesome for this. Or link to someone else's pic or anything that inspires you that day. Focus on visual inspiration.
Link to music, a book, or art that is inspiring you. Could be any medium. Could be new or old. Maybe you'll see some trends and can scrap a page about it?
@ someone. Reply to someone else. Laugh at their joke, commiserate with them, or just say hi.
RT something someone says. If you hear about something cool or funny, retweet it. Others may also enjoy. And it documents what you are finding interesting on that day. Worthy of noting.

Now follow me on Twitter or Facebook to see what transpires. :)

baby shower

2009-05-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned that I'm going to be an aunt? Did I mention that I get a baby without any of the pain, recovery, late nights, or full time worry?! I'm pretty darn excited that my brother and sister-in-law are having this baby for me. So happy, in fact, that I threw Theresa a shower!

Family and friends joined us at Broken Rocks Cafe and Bakery in Wooster. It's a gorgeous restaurant with amazing food. Glen, the owner hooked us up with a great menu of sandwiches, soup, and salads. We just ate, chatted, and opened presents...

Theresa looks awesome. She has a sick schedule between teaching high school and taking classes for her master's degree right now. I would be asleep at the table if it was me!

I'm not even pregnant and I have been too tired to finish all the projects I had in mind for this baby. I did manage to pull together a few purchased things and some handmade. I made a blankie and a scrapbook for baby. There's also a wooden bunny teether in there from Little Alouette. So cute!

To top off the event... we had dessert. Strawberry shortcake and chocolate custard. YUM!

Wooster has such a great downtown. I think several of the ladies sneaked off to shop before or after the shower. There are a couple yarn stores, a scrapbook store, and a bead shop to name a few of the cool places.

I can just imagine the summer days we'll spend strolling around, sipping lattes and shopping... with my little niece in the stroller... oh, did I mention my prediction for the baby is girl? I'm pretty sure of it. Heee!

he loves trucks

2009-05-18T21:00:00.004-04:00

On Sundays, John and JT usually head down the highway to to drop off the citin' (recycling). This past Sunday, John was out of town and I had other errands to run, so JT and I tackled the task. I should point out that I wasn't going to take it, since it's not my chore, but JT reminded me. "Drop 'citin'?" he asked. Ok, ok... we'll drop off the recycling!

As luck would have it, we arrived at the drop-off location just as the truck was emptying the bins. To a 22-month old who loves trucks, this was a golden opportunity! And how convenient that Mama had a camera! We watched every bin get dumped. It was thrilling.

When we finished there, JT reminded me that Dada took him to see the planes at OSU Airport last time they were out. Not to be outdone by Dada, we went to the airport. We got to see a small plane land and one take off. THEN we saw a jet take off!

And then I forced a toddler into his car seat while crying and screaming "Mama, jet! Mama, jet!"

keeping up

2009-05-16T23:22:00.001-04:00

May 12, 2009, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

This month is flying by almost as quickly as April did. I'm so glad I started the 12 of 12 project. I haven't scrapped much lately. So at least I have my 12 of 12 pages every month to document what's been going on in our lives.

Last week I was really sick, so that totally threw a wrench in the works. Kind of hard to do any of the extra fun, creative stuff when you can barely get through the essential and necessary things in life - like working, feeding the fam, and keeping up the house!

I'm taking a class called Everyone Can Write a Little that combines my Twitter love with scrapbooking. Can you imagine?! So hopefully that will help to kick start the scrappin' around here. I'll keep you posted. Or at least tweet about it. :)

April 12

2009-04-29T07:30:00.000-04:00

The 12th of April happened to be on a Sunday this month. And it also happened to be Easter. The weather was just perfect for celebrating Jesus and hunting down candy hidden in plastic eggs.

JT woke us up not-too-early. He might have been cold. I turned the heat off the day before and I guess it got chilly overnight. It was 60 degrees in the house when we got up. Ooops. We had JT find a few eggs that were hidden around the house as soon as he got up. Then we noticed that the Easter bunny had left a basket with MORE goodies outside in the yard. (There are always bunnies in the backyard... they just don't usually leave such nice presents.)

Easter bunny left a pair of rainboots, a Charley Harper puzzle, Not a Box, a handmade bunny, and more candy. I hope that bunny got to see how much JT enjoyed everything in there.

We had to drag JT kicking and screaming away from the candy and off to church. He did look awfully cute in his green gingham shirt and vest throwing a tantrum on the floor. The church service was a tear-jerker and a half. There are some amazing voices at our church. I don't think there was a dry eye in the place.

When we got home, Nana and Pawpaw arrived. Nana made me a basket with lavender plants, "dinosaur eggs", and chocolate bunnies. Right up my alley, I tell ya. Oh, JT got a basket, too. It paled in comparison to getting to play with Nana and Pawpaw all day.

I made an Italian chicken salad I discovered on Simple Mom that was delightful. I'm not normally into ham, so you won't find me cooking one up for a holiday dinner. We spent the afternoon goofing off and playing at the park. Then we had Nana's carrot cake. I had requested it because it went with the day's "theme". (Bunnies, carrots, get it?) Sometimes I make these odd requests of her just to see how far she'll go for me. And from the resulting carrot cake? I can tell, this is one Nana who will go the distance!!

The bummer of the day was that JT developed pink eye that got worse as the day wore on. Here he is late in the afternoon listening to Pawpaw read Go, Dog, Go:

If that doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will. Poor little thing. So off to urgent care we went. He was the only kid in the place and the staff went gaga over him in his cute little outfit. It made the whole adventure less painful that way.

When we got home, Becka stopped by with some pineapple upside-down cake... more yumminess! Then it was off to the bath and bedtime for little sickly.

Here is the photographic evidence of the whole day. It's the first 12 of 12 where I actually have decent photos. I would like to thank my lovely family and the sunshine in the sky for that!

an encounter

2009-04-28T22:01:00.005-04:00

Oh look, a girl.

I think she's trying to talk to me. Look away, appear busy...

Shwew, she's walking on by. That was a close one.

Easer Bunya

2009-04-26T15:08:00.006-04:00

A couple months before each holiday, I start thinking, "this would be a good holiday to make my crafty holiday." I dream up all the possibilities, fill my inspiration journal with pictures of cool things I could make, and maybe even sketch something cool. And then life happens and it never transpires. The holiday gets nearer and I end up doing the same thing as last year, or very little to nothing to note the special day.

This year I wanted to make JT's Easter bunny. Easter is a good time to make something crafty, right? It's just one bunny. I should be able to knock that out, yeah?

Well, I did it!

JT calls him "Easer Bunya".

He's a little wonky and a lot whimsical. Which is my way of saying, "look, it was an experimental first attempt at making a softie."

But never mind that. JT went running to his Easter basket and pulled Easer Bunya out first thing! He got a lot of love until JT realized there was also chocolate in the basket...

It fills my heart when he loves on Easer Bunya.... and then asks for candy.

ba'ketball

2009-03-30T22:41:00.003-04:00

JT loooovvves basketball right now. His dada got him a hoop that we have in the house for now. But as you can see, he has a bit more to learn about good sportsmanship...

yes. deer.

2009-03-20T07:30:00.000-04:00

A few Fridays ago when I was home part of the day, I noticed these two deer in our backyard.

I figured they were just passing through, so I yelled for JT to come quickly!

They ended up staying out there almost all day. They laid down and were comfortable as could be in our yard. Total craziness here in suburbia!

March 12

2009-03-19T20:53:00.002-04:00

Another month, another 12 pictures on the 12 of the month! Looking at these layouts together makes me think "wow these days sure pass quickly." It's like a blur. I guess that's why it's worth taking the pictures - so you can look back and remember.

If you draw conclusions from this layout you will think that our mornings last half the day, my toddler has his own blackberry, and I don't water my plants until they are pretty much dead. And you'd be right about the plants. :-)

let your sham rock!

2009-03-17T22:46:00.001-04:00

leprachaun09, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Happy St. Patrick's Day. We played outside all evening, except a short break to eat dinner. The weather was amazing. Looking forward to lots more days like this. Playing at the park gets to be old hat for us... but wow, are we lucky to have a park RIGHT HERE. JT loves it!

challenge #3

2009-03-13T07:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday the 13th! Again!!

And now for the last of the challenge layouts from the all-weekend crop. Sunday's challenge page was to (1) use some of the paper we got as a gift at the crop, (2) embellish with a tag and eyelet or brad, and (3) cut a photo into a silhouette. The silhouette was my contribution... for which I'd like to send a shout out to my friend E who totally rocks the silhouettes!

I think I broke a lot of design rules on this page, but I was running low on sleep at this point. I think 2 photos is ok, but using 2 cupcakes was wrong. Feels like it should have been one or three. And the tag isn't worked into the page very well. But then I look at that drooly-faced, bald-headed, big-eyed baby and I don't care one bit about design. :)

challenge #2

2009-03-12T07:30:00.000-04:00

The second challenge from the all-weekend crop was (1) to use paint in some way, (2) experiment with alcohol inks, and (3) to make an embellishment out of felt. The felt was my idea. I've been toting around a stack of it and never getting inspired enough to follow through on it. So, challenge it is...

I am quite pleased with my stitched owl. Of course, I predicted that John would say, "What does an owl have to do with these pictures?" Men. Owls are hip and trendy. Roll with it.

Today is the 12th! I am taking pictures all day today for 12-of-12. Hopefully a layout (probably digital) will be heading your way soon.

friends don't let friends...

2009-03-11T07:30:00.000-04:00

At our all weekend Scrap Happy crop, we like to play games between the 3 of us. I mean, if you don't want to put yourself out there, you should just stay home to do your scrapbooking, right?! As the shirts say, "friends don't let friends crop alone."

Each day we each issued a challenge for one layout that day. That means one layout had to contain all three challenges for the day. Friday's challenges were (1) to use only paper from the scrap bin, (2) stamp an element for your page, and (3) hand-write your title... like old school scrappin' days!

Here is my take on the first challenge:

You should have seen the girls squirm when I stapled the sheep to the page... they may both need therapy after scrapping with me. Haha!

I've got 2 more challenges... but you'll have to wait another day to see more. Toodles...

20 months

2009-03-10T07:30:00.000-04:00

JT turned 20 months old yesterday. Oi. He is such the little boy these days. At 20 months, JT...

is talking up a storm: deer, apple, 'nana (banana), penya (penguin), TRUCK, car, buh (bus), boo (moo, for cow), barn, gong (gone), dardonne (dinosaur), tertut (triceratops). He also says octagon and ambulance... impressive, eh?
runs everywhere, all the time. 'un! he says!
loves to hide.
is obsessed with books. He definitely has his favorites. Though we did recently adopt a Richard Scarry book about trucks and cars. A book with PAPER pages - a big step for him.
has days where he eats constantly. Which means more growing... which means bigger clothes. I'm kinda looking forward to shorts weather in that respect!
counts. "Un, two... pi (five)" I think he said "nine, ten" the other day. But I don't know where he got that high up... so maybe I misheard!
knows that airplanes fly in the sky and the sky is blue.
has conversations with his parents. One or two words from him... a few words from us... one or two more words from him... etc.
likes to grab a toy to take upstairs when we go for a diaper change or bath.
loves to splash in the tub. Really likes throwing the soap bottle from a distance for the biggest splash possible.
rides his bike by scooting along with one foot or pushing the bike from behind. Not getting the pedals bit yet.
watches Cars like a boy in a trance. He knows almost all the characters by name.
points out all the cars, trucks, and buses on the road. Also points out flags and counts how many (see counting above).
likes when I play pretend games where his toys eat his food or his dino-shaped chicken nuggets walk around. hehe.
is now sporting big boy hair because Mama got tired of the rat's nest of long hair we were always dealing with.

I wish I could actually sum him up for you. He is such a joy to be around. I am loving the silly games, laughter and conversations these days. Just don't make me think about potty training...

holiday mini album

2009-03-09T22:15:00.001-04:00

The last weekend in February was my annual get-away scrapbooking weekend with my sisters-in-law. That weekend always brings me joy, joy, joy. And completed projects!

I present, our holiday adventures. Weighing in at 5 by 7 inches, and about an inch and a half thick... sandwiched between delightfully see-through acrylic covers... tada!

Click the photo to see more of the album. I still need to add some journaling on the last pages, but wow, does it feel good to get a project out of my head and onto paper (and glue).

I love this little album. We had some great times and great pictures in December.

listen

2009-02-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Since we're a month and a half into 2009, I thought it would be a good time to post my resolution/one little word for the year. I didn't make any resolutions this year. I decided those could actually get in the way of my one little word, so it's just one word this year.

Listen.

Why? I feel like every year I try to take on more and more... do more and more... achieve more and more. This year I just want to pause and be present. The next 5, 10, 20 years are going to go so quickly and bring so much change. So for this one year I want to be still and LISTEN to my heart, to God, to my friends and family, and the wind in the trees.

I constantly waffle between feeling like I've "arrived" in my career and that it's exactly where I'm supposed to be... and feeling like I'm avoiding some other calling because there's too much risk. I'm not even sure what this "other calling" is. In this year, I'm going to work hard and do more listening than talking at work and see where it takes me.

In the past couple months, JT has started talking more. I have spent so much time trying to figure out what he's trying to say. I want to take this year to make a habit of listening to him. As he grows up, his patterns of communication will change. I want to be present enough in my relationship with him that I am able to hear what he's saying, however he communicates it.

socializing

2009-02-14T14:30:00.001-05:00

JT is becoming more interested in playing with other kids. For now, it's really more like "near" other kids. So last weekend we subjected him to an entire weekend of play dates and social activities. May as well jump right in, eh?

On Saturday he had a play date with Reagan... his gal pal from WAY back. She used to help him out with binky patrol before he developed fine motor skills. hehe. As you can see, he had a great time.

Saturday night was a party where he got to play with Ally and Annabel. Again, more playing near other kids. Sunday morning he had a meltdown at the church nursery because they had the nerve to change the rooms around and disrupt his usual surroundings. He got through it and had an ok time playing with the other 12-24 month olds.

Sunday afternoon we went to Zane's birthday party. JT LOVED Zane's toys. He has cool trucks and ride-on things. He played near all the other little boys and had a great time. Sharing may be an issue... he had a LOT of possessiveness over the Cozy Coupe car.

So definitely... let me know if you want to schedule a play date for your kid to play near my kid. If you have a Cozy Coupe, even better. :-)

only a mother

2009-02-14T07:30:00.002-05:00

About this time every morning, we partake of the breakfast ritual. I'm greeted by this face. I love this face. It makes me laugh every time I look at it. I'm laughing now.

You're probably thinking... run.away.now. Or... only a mother could love this child.

What do you think? Would it be less freaky if he didn't have red hair?! lol.

Yes, this is going in the "pics to show girlfriends" file. Heeheeeeee!

the 12th

2009-02-13T23:28:00.001-05:00

February 12-of-12, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Hello blog! Here's what we've been up to lately. Peace out...

recharging

2009-01-24T22:45:00.003-05:00

I took today to recharge. The pace has just been exhausting lately.

Last Monday I picked up the lens I've waited a few Christmases and birthdays to get. I took it out for an adventure today. Not great photos, but I wanted to get a feel for taking pictures with a new lens. I hadn't realized just how comfortable I'd gotten with my 24-70 until I changed to the 70-200.

And just to certify what kind of woman I am... I also stopped today and exchanged the backpack camera case I got for the bigger, more expensive one that will also carry a laptop. I will pinch pennies over a handbag, but price is no object where the camera is concerned. I can't say I'm surprised at myself... I also wonder who buys jewelry anymore, because I sure don't. Let me think, tech gadgets or diamonds? Gadgets!

It was nice to spend a couple hours alone with my camera and sipping coffee while reading a book for nothing but pleasure. I don't often get to do that these days. Heck, I can't even eat a meal without numerous interruptions. (Which reminds me... I need to make a reservation for Valentine's day, because I am eating sushi with my husband and not being interrupted except for drink refills.)

For dinner, JT and I had Thai food with our buddies Carol and Mike. It was good to have time to chit-chat and catch up with one another. Once again, the pace of life has been keeping us from doing this.

And after some time by myself today, the best part of my day was hanging with JT. He fills my heart to capacity with joy and love.

pining for spring

2009-01-21T21:14:00.001-05:00

pining for spring, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

In just a few words...

- I'd rather be editing photos, but I have testing to do tonight.
- I'd also rather be digi-scrapping.
- Winter retreat with the youth group was fun... can't wait to share pics and tell the story.
- Excited that Lost and Friday Night Lights are on this week.
- Spent time with JT on Monday... love that kid! He rocks my world.
- Facebook is fabulous.
- Can't wait to read Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. My reserved copy is available at the library now!
- Got a new camera lens... can't wait to try it outside the house.
- Looking forward to staying home this weekend and a few more to come.
- Loving the thick layer of snow on the ground. White is the new brown!

on the 12th

2009-01-12T22:35:00.002-05:00

Because there isn't enough to do in my life, a new project! On the 12th of every month, I'll take pictures and scrapbook them. I'm following along folks on the 12 of 12 blog. I'm excited to have a year's worth of these. Later...

18 months

2009-01-08T21:50:00.002-05:00

At 18 months, JT

- is somewhere between 18 months and 2T in clothing
- weighs about 27 lbs.
- hugs and kisses everyone goodnight
- says goodnight to Mama at least 3 times any given night
- still loves his yobaby yogurt
- says, "Mama?!" I ask, "Yes, JT?" He says, "Truck."
- knows a lot of words and animal sounds
- blows on his food when it's hot
- says "brrrr" when he's cold
- loves going bye-bye
- sings Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star... "up above," he sings
- dances like a cross between Night at the Roxbury and Barney
- asks for the "Elmo" podcast every evening
- loves the race car track toy the most of all the Christmas presents
- doesn't mind going outside even when it's cold
- isn't fond of wearing his mittens
- says "no, no, no" when you ask him what the Mama says
- pinches his belly with the toy pliers and says "OW!"
- has a bit of an issue with throwing food and utensils at mealtime
- captures our hearts more and more every day

at the table

2009-01-06T07:30:00.001-05:00

So we are dealing with JT throwing food, spoon, cup, plate, and whatever else is within reach at dinnertime. It's really frustrating. Apparently it's just what some kids go through around this age. We are being diligent about telling him no and taking everything away. It's a lot of mess and frustration in the meantime.

Funny thing though... it doesn't happen for the sitter, or for Nana. I mean, I just don't understand what they do that John and I can't figure out...

new year celebration

2009-01-05T20:26:00.006-05:00

We hosted New Year's Eve at our house this year. It happens when you're big socialites like us. You say, "we are absolutely not leaving our house," and other folks say, "well, how about if we join you there?" Haha! So Mom, Dad, Bill, Theresa, and Bailey (JT pronounces BAY-YEE) stayed with us on New Year's Eve.

I'm typically not much of a hostess... it stresses me to have to cook for people with expectations. I mean, I had my son's first birthday party catered for goodness' sake! But I sucked it up and pulled off a few good things. You can't go wrong with cheese, cheeseball, crackers, veggies, and dip, so those were a must.

I have been craving salsa - real, fresh salsa, so I made some of that. My salsa recipe is actually an Avocado, Tomato and Mango salsa recipe. But I've used it the past couple times with corn and beans instead of avocado and mango and it works just as well. (Though... if you can get perfectly ripe avocado, mango and garden-ripe tomatoes all at the same time... DO IT. You will dream about that salsa!) Since we are pretty far away from garden fresh tomatoes this time of year, I went with canned diced tomatoes rather than fresh. I figured they offered just a bit more flavor and less prep time. Must have been good salsa... because it was gone pretty quickly!

After snacking and playing with JT, we got down to business. The business of Beyond Balderdash, the classic bluffing game. (Holy cow, it's $129.99 on Amazon... John is chanting, "sell, sell!") We love Balderdash. I think we love Balderdash more than the rest of the family. Dad made a good contribution with his movie plot for Expresso Bongo: A comedy about a monkey grinder and his monkey riding a train across the Congo. When I read them off I changed "monkey grinder" to "organ grinder" to increase the chance that anyone would believe it. Good times ringing in the new year with lies, lies, lies.

Mid-way through the Balderdash game, we had our second round of eating: spinach and artichoke dip. I doubled the recipe from 365 Days of Crockpotting. We ate about half that night and John finished what was left by the weekend. Fresh spinach and shredded block cheese made it taste delicious. It re-heated well, too.

Then we watched the ball drop and went to bed at 12:30am. We aren't getting any younger in '09, that's for sure.

anniversary

2009-01-04T12:14:00.002-05:00

Today is my parents' anniversary. Happy anniversary, Mom & Dad!

first weekend of '09

2009-01-03T22:20:00.004-05:00

Today we spent most of the day taking down the tree and putting together a new bookshelf from Ikea. We made some time to get JT a haircut, go for a walk, drop off the recycling, and get a Starbucks beverage.

Guess who peed in the potty tonight? I guess we are thinking about potty training now... John is way more ready than me and JT though. For now, we'll start with peeing in the potty before the bath and see where that gets us.

Oh, John also picked up a space heater for the basement. Aaahhh... I can't tell you how much more comfortable it is downstairs! Maybe now I can tolerate spending time down there scrapping in the evenings. (You know, during all that spare time I'm going to have this year - NOT!)

more... and more

2009-01-03T08:49:00.003-05:00

JT got the hang of opening presents as we went through our extended Christmas holiday. Here he is amidst a pile of wrapping paper and presents asking for more. And then packages kept coming in the mail after Christmas, so now he checks under the tree every morning to see if Santa came AGAIN.

Yesterday JT got a package in the mail from For Bare Feet. Aunt Memaw ordered JT about 6 more pairs of their socks! Now he has crabs, lobsters, hiking, and puppy socks to go with his favorite tractor socks.

The kid is rarely without socks. Last night he pulled off his socks just before bedtime. The floor felt so funny under his feet he went walking around in a little scoot on all the different surfaces. I allowed it for the 5 minutes before bedtime only... I am a major proponent of warm feet year round. Thank my acupuncturist. :)

boys' toys

2009-01-02T22:57:00.003-05:00

I managed to make one digital scrapbook layout while we were still at my parents' house for Christmas. So if I never get around to scrapping the other 296 pictures I took over the holidays, at least I'll have this...

The guys were seriously thrilled with their gifts. It's the first year my dad didn't tell us, "you really shouldn't buy me anything." John LOVES the gps. We call her Roxy. And JT loooooves trucks. If you didn't know that already, perhaps I have been remiss in mentioning it here.

hide-n-seek

2009-01-02T22:30:00.002-05:00

John got a Flip video camera from Santa for Christmas. We have a digital video camera already, but this one makes taking video easy and fun. We can shoot random, everyday videos like this one of the boys playing hide and go seek and not feel like it's a chore.

The camera actually takes great quality video. So please disregard the lighting in this clip that gives it an eerie "blair witch project" vibe...

mama, Mama... MAMA!

2008-12-29T22:32:00.002-05:00

I mentioned that I took somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 pictures during Christmas, right? Do you know there are exactly 3 of me with JT (or just of me anyway). This is the best of those three.

Once again, John was chided for never taking over the camera. At some point, even a bad photo is a good photo when it's all you have. And shame on me for not handing over a camera to other family members. I had two cameras with me the whole time anyway...

So if I saw you over Christmas and you have pics of me... please send my way. Please.

And this red-headed boy I am holding in the photo? He sure loves his Mama. I couldn't even go to the bathroom without him running around yelling, "mama? Mama? MAMA?!"

holday wrap-up

2008-12-28T22:34:00.004-05:00

Christmas came and went with a flurry of activity and traveling. We visited John's family in St. Clairsville for Christmas eve and Christmas day. Most of John's family looked like they had seen a ghost when they saw JT. They say he looks exactly like John did.

We spent Friday night with Aunt Joan and Uncle Wayne in Canton. JT spent the evening amazing them with all the tricks and new words he has learned since Thanksgiving.

On Saturday we visited with my Grandma and my dad's family in Akron. JT was more attracted to GG's tree than any others he has been around. But his Grandpa was sure to keep the tree safe...

When we got home on Saturday, we started opening all the new toys and checking them out. The fun continued into Sunday. I think by now we have opened everything and all toys are in their new locations ready to go. Here are John and JT trying out the Tonka race track:

I think I have something like 300 pictures from the holidays... will share more soon.

celebration, round 1

2008-12-20T22:36:00.003-05:00

This morning was Christmas with my parents, brother and sister-in-law. Luckily, Santa knew where to find us today...

JT didn't want anything to do with the presents until he had some breakfast...

It took a while to get all the presents open because JT had to play with each as he opened it. Of course, once everything was opened, the combination of presents got a little awkward (well, awkward for some of the other presents)...

Grandpa also quite enjoyed his Christmas present... not sure where Santa was with the wrapping on this one... he just hid it in the back of our car!

We took a break mid-gift-opening to have some breakfast. Grandpa made pancakes for everyone... and yes, JT ate AGAIN...

Uncle Bill and Aunt Theresa got JT a big dump truck. It took him a bit to figure out if he was supposed to ride in the back of the truck or just push it around. Turns out this is a toddler-powered truck...

Finally after bugging Grandpa all day, JT convinced him to go for a walk. Grandpa found out that JT is not so much about holding your hand on a walk. He's a big boy and can walk, er run, on his own, Grandpa...

wrapping presents

2008-12-19T01:36:00.001-05:00

wrapping presents, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

JT helped me wrap presents last weekend. He isn't very good at it. But he is a little better than he was last year. ;-)

We'll see if he is better at unwrapping them soon... this weekend is Christmas with my family. It should be a wild ruckus of a good time! Stay tuned...

need more weekend

2008-12-14T22:34:00.001-05:00

How long 'til Christmas?, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Let me summarize our weekend:

- Friday night had pizza with B&J.
- Put on jammies.
- Spent Saturday working on presents.
- Sunday morning, finally changed out of jammies when JT spewed all over me, him, and the couch.
- Couch still smells like vomit... putting a severe damper on the holiday spirit! *gag*

Can I get some more weekend before Monday morning, please?

17 months

2008-12-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

At 17 months, JT

is learning new words every day (boots, church, Jen, baby - rather than "dada").
still calls me Mama... which I love.
calls his hedgehog puppet "Acha". He likes when Acha reads Sheep in a Jeep.
says "ish" all the time, which means "What is this?" He absolutely CRAVES new vocabulary!
uses me as his translator... I'm fluent in JT.
loves books. Really, we spend SO MUCH of the day reading books.
likes watching Sesame Street podcast.
watches the Muppets at home and Barney at the sitter's.
can feed himself with a spoon fairly well.
will put spoon, cup, or food on his head if he sits in his chair too long past finishing his meal.
asks for a "sip" when he's thirsty.
drinks from a straw... he had his first juice box!
listens to Lullaby Metallica, Peter Rabbit, or James Taylor cds at bedtime.
says shhh holding a finger to his lips and hiding behind our bed from Dada.
will grab you by the finger to go see or do what he wants.
can identify mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. Even though he taunts us by calling ears, eyes.
is losing some stranger anxiety. Didn't cry the past two Sundays when we took him to the nursery at church.
is best buddies with James and Bradley at the sitter's.
doesn't care if his fingers are frozen solid... he doesn't want to come inside.
giggles when I hang him upside-down by his ankles. I think it might be making him taller though...
is getting stronger. You can tell when he throws a ball!
weighs 25 pounds.
still has Dada's red hair.
wears larger 18 months and some 24 months or 2T clothes.
remembers people between visits. Nana is a favorite, but he also asks for Jen and Geesh (Theresa). He calls Becka Bot and remembers that Jari talks like Elmo when you press his finger!
is the sunshine of our lives.

weekend roundup

2008-12-07T23:34:00.001-05:00

snow before Christmas, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

It was an awesome holiday weekend. A lot of relaxing, Christmas tree, music, scented candles, good friends, family, snow, shopping, a holiday party, and most of all... precious time with JT. He has been going through a growth spurt, so it was like getting to know him all over again!

And seriously, snow in December is to be cherished. Getting your new car dinged in a fender bender bites (yes, this happened to John - poor thing), but still... those flakes flying around are just dreamy!

decking the halls

2008-12-01T22:51:00.002-05:00

We spent Saturday rearranging the furniture and putting up the Christmas tree. It's always a major, messy production. But this year was much easier since it's the second year with our artificial, pre-lit tree.

JT didn't actually help much with the decorating. Although, on the plus side he also hasn't been too destructive since we got it finished.

He took a THREE hour nap, even through all the noise of furniture-moving and cleaning. We really liked how pretty his hair looked when he woke up.

And here we have it... Christmas at our house.

What do you think of the furniture arrangement? I think it's cozy and more conversational. It's screaming for a fire in the fireplace. I need to get rid of a chair that we just don't need and some other clutter. I also still need to come up with a shelf storage solution to get stuff off the floor and to be better organized. AND we also want to replace the tv with a flat screen. But I think I like it this way. We'll see how it works for us after Christmas before I make it permanent.

How is Christmas coming along at your house?

#3

2008-11-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Black Friday! Are you shopping today? I hope to do a little.

Do you have a favorite number? Mine is 3. No concrete reason, really. Do numbers correlate to colors for you? 3 is a little green to me. It's probably just the double e's. Since green is my favorite color, it seems only natural. 3 is good, because no one can eat just one, right? And it's less than a handful... any more would just seem greedy. Then there is the holy trinity thing, which is cool. And triangles... oooh. See, no special reason.

gratitude

2008-11-27T23:24:00.002-05:00

Hope your Thanksgiving Day was full of turkeys...

sweets...

and gratitude.

Ours sure was...

blog analyzed

2008-11-27T08:01:00.000-05:00

Some analysis of my blog reveals that I am type ESTP, a "Doer":

The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.

Oh, I get it. I like dream up and start projects, but not finish them. Sounds about right. Find out what type you are.

My blog is gender neutral, with a slight preference for female. Predictable, since I mostly talk about babies and scrapbooking (with the occasional post about basement remodeling or composting).

It is written at a college reading level. I think that means "unnecessarily complicated sentence structure" or "can't form a cohesive thought" or "too many run-on sentences that are technically correct grammar."

And it's worth about $2258.16. Bah... not going to retire on that.

Happy Thanksgiving. I leave you with a pic from last year... whoa. What a difference a year makes when it comes to babies!

my DDC

2008-11-26T17:30:00.000-05:00

This is too funny... uh, and maybe a little true. Except the nerd part. I had to post all three possibilities because I think it paints the best picture. Here are my "call numbers" based on the Dewey Decimal Classification:

Stacy Brunner's Dewey Decimal Section:
525 Earth (Astronomical geography)
Class:
500 Science
Contains:
Math, astronomy, prehistoric life, plants and animals.
What it says about you:
You are fascinated by the world around you, and see it as a puzzle worth exploring. You try to understand how things work and how you can make them better. You might be a nerd.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Stacy Brunner's Dewey Decimal Section:
061 Organizations in North America
Class:
000 Computer Science, Information & General Works
Contains:
Encyclopedias, magazines, journals and books with quotations.
What it says about you:
You are very informative and up to date. You're working on living in the here and now, not the past. You go through a lot of changes. When you make a decision you can be very sure of yourself, maybe even stubborn, but your friends appreciate your honesty and resolve.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Stacy Brunner's Dewey Decimal Section:
003 Systems
Class:
000 Computer Science, Information & General Works
Contains:
Encyclopedias, magazines, journals and books with quotations.
What it says about you:
You are very informative and up to date. You're working on living in the here and now, not the past. You go through a lot of changes. When you make a decision you can be very sure of yourself, maybe even stubborn, but your friends appreciate your honesty and resolve.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

new philosophy

2008-11-19T21:53:00.002-05:00

I have a new philosophy. It's that bad photos are better than no photos. And since it's going to be winter for a while, expect lots of poorly lit photos on this blog!

Here is a pic of JT playing with the cookware. I think it bothers John when JT plays with the cookware. Like, "why not play with toys... they are actually fun?" Or "hey, we eat off that stuff and you drool a lot." Or perhaps, "I don't get the allure of the steamer basket and isn't that kind of dangerous for a 16-month old?"

Me? I'd let him play with pretty much anything except my x-acto knife. The kid has an insatiable curiosity. And I think if I can raise a good observer and problem solver who continues to be curious, I will pretty much have succeeded as a mother.

A couple weekends ago I traveled to Wooster for a crop with my sister-in-law, Theresa. She was the crop hostess... just me and her in her basement. It was a blast. We were up until 3am both nights and did some shopping during the daylight hours.

Now I have to show you one of the things we made. Theresa had instructions from a book about scrapbooking on the cheap that showed how to make an expandable file folder covered in fabric. We modified the design a bit so that it became a mini-album instead. And oddly enough, Theresa remembered that my brother had given her some screw-posts just like the ones in post-bound albums. So we used those to bind the pages to our books. I don't know where the heck he got those things!

My album is covered in a strechy denim fabric that worked out great. I love the crazy circles on the inside fabric... Theresa nabbed this one from the remnants bin at JoAnn. The red numbers strip is fabric gaffer tape from 7 Gypsies. The chipboard pieces are either painted or embossed.

I thought "b3" was a good familial representation for right now. I'm into numbers at the moment, so I'm working them into my layouts and projects at will.

I'm not sure what will go in this album, could be a while before I finish other projects and have time to think about it. I'll probably decorate it some more when I decide what goes inside.

wishlist

2008-11-18T20:49:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday, Nana!

Can you believe it's getting close to Christmas? I've been thinking on a wishlist. Although, I think I am really only getting one thing. I want it, but I think hubz and Nana want me to have it nearly as much... and that is a telephoto lens so I can really get those far-off action shots of JT in the wild. I think I'm a little afraid of so much lens though... we'll see what happens.

Here are a couple ideas that don't come with so much pressure... heee!

Quick & Easy Photo Albums - I'm intrigued by combining photo albums with scrapbook pages lately. I have soooo many pictures that I'll just never be able to scrapbook all of them.

Lap Desk - I like spending cold, dark winter evenings under a blanket in my comfy chair. But the computer doesn't like hanging out with the blanket. With a lap desk, we'd both be happy!

Bracket Punch - Brackets are fun, what can I say?

And if I'm really going to be wishful, I'd also like a lensbaby, a gorillapod, and anything from my Etsy favorites!

16 months

2008-11-17T22:15:00.001-05:00

so talented., originally uploaded by brungrrl.

At 16 months, JT

- loves hide-n-seek
- is having some separation anxiety
- likes being scared... BOO!
- usually takes one two hour nap each day
- has 2 truck books that are falling apart
- runs for his shoes if we say O-U-T-S-I-D-E
- likes racing trucks down the hallway
- calls a drink a "sip"... regardless of beverage
- wears clothes sized 18-24 months
- still fits in last year's wool coat... luckily for us.
- has discovered how to turn on the sleep sheep
- loves playing with Bradley and James all day
- calls "Steve" by name in the Blue's Clues book
- still calls the yobaby babies "dada"
- doesn't watch much on tv
- loves watching Sesame Street podcasts
- is learning to feed himself
- likes to balance his spoon on his head.

Yes, it's covered in applesauce.

I'm baaaack

2008-11-11T22:28:00.003-05:00

Ok, ok, I get it. It's been too long without blog and photos! I've been working, scrapping, and running around crazy. And maybe I'm so busy working with the photos from the past few months, that I haven't been inspired to take a lot of new ones.

But never fear, we did put the sheep costume on JT November 1 so we could get some more photos. John actually took these three...

Ok, I'll be back on the blog bandwagon, but that's all for now.

our little lambykins!

2008-10-30T22:35:00.001-04:00

our little lambykins!, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

*sigh* We are quite fond of this little lamb.

We did "reverse trick-or-treat" with the kids from our youth group tonight. We had a blast... it was a great way to get JT out for the evening.

We'll probably dress him up as the sheep again tomorrow when we go pick up our new car. That's right... our brand new Toyota RAV4. woo-hoo!! Pictures to come...

Baaaa....

opera tweetup

2008-10-22T22:57:00.002-04:00

08Oct0275, originally uploaded by wyliemac.

Tonight I attended my first opera and my first tweetup. Opera Columbus hosted tonight's Columbus Tweetup. Quite frankly, I've never like opera and hadn't really planned to go to any. But I like ballet and other musicals, so this event provided a good opportunity to explore.

Tonight's performance of The Pearl Fishers was the dress rehearsal. Opera Columbus invites students and seniors to watch the rehearsal and hear from the folks who produce the show. It is a great way to get to know opera firsthand. Being new to opera, it was helpful for me to get this introduction. I hadn't realized that modern opera has added a screen with supertitles to let the audience know what the music is about. This makes the opera so much more accessible to "common" folks. (By common folks, I mean those of us who have French teacher moms but still can't understand French! i.e. ME.)

The opera itself was a little cheesy. I think my perspective is distorted by modern film. John rents some great movies and we always investigate the history behind the true stories and watch the extra footage to get the back-story. This story about 19th century Sri Lanka as told for a Victorian Parisian audience just didn't do it for me.

I am a major fan of Les Misérables and have read the book and seen that production both in Columbus and New York. I definitely got the sense that Bizet was influenced by Hugo. It appears that Les Mis was released a year before The Pearl Fishers. And from what I gather on Wikipedia, Bizet adapted music from some of Hugo's poetry, so maybe I'm onto something. (It was Leila's memory of hiding the thief to save him and being rewarded with the necklace that reminded me of Cosette and Valjean.)

At any rate, it seems more research is in order. I would love to learn more about how this opera fits with the culture of 1863 when it first came to the stage. And how can such a piece still be interesting today?

On one other note... Welcome back, Columbus Symphony! The symphony returns this weekend with The Pearl Fishers. There are two performances: Friday, October 24 at 8pm and Sunday, October 26 at 2pm. If you are looking for something to do this weekend, check it out!

a week in the life

2008-10-06T22:39:00.002-04:00

Ah, the life...

I finished up documenting a week in our life complete with the journaling on Sunday night. Here are some more of the pics.

Now, I'll get right on making these into a mini album! :-)

document day 3

2008-10-01T21:34:00.003-04:00

We're still at it with document our week. I'm downloading today's pictures and writing my notes. Here's a sample...

embossed cards

2008-10-01T14:00:00.000-04:00

My sister-in-law, Jen, and I made some cards over the weekend. She had a bunch of new embossing folders for her Cuttlebug and some scented embossing powders. I couldn't pass up any of that cool stuff, so we spent Saturday playing.

I may love these cards to much to actually send any out in the mail. We'll see how it goes...

the hot air balloon shot I DID get

2008-09-30T21:05:00.001-04:00

the hot air balloon shot I DID get, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

This shot is actually from yesterday, day one of "document your life" week. We were in the park earlier in the evening. JT pointed out a "boon" in the sky. Wouldn't you know... a hot air balloon was going right over the park!

Of course, the battery on my point-n-shoot camera had just died. I was SO UPSET. Seriously, I haven't been that upset over a missed photo opportunity in a while. It would have been an awesome shot with JT pointing up at the balloon... all in the frame, big as life.

So instead, I got a picture of him at bedtime under the hot air balloon mobile...

document your week

2008-09-30T07:30:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I'm following along with Ali Edwards' document a week in your life project. I took a bunch of pictures Monday evening. But let's see how I do the rest of the week, especially during the daytime. I tend to fall off the wagon as the week goes on. Tonight's photos were pretty cute. This one in the tub is a favorite from the batch. It's going to take me a while to process and post all of them. Tomorrow's excitement: swimming lesson!

This project should fit in nicely with the start of my Big Picture Scrapbooking class with Cathy Zielske, Design Your Life, that starts October 2. (Holy cow, that's soon.) I convinced Jenny to join me, so it's going to be even more fun to participate in the class with one of my best pals!

Centerville store

2008-09-29T21:58:00.001-04:00

custom killing, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

I took this picture over the weekend. It was the local store where John grew up. It's a small store in the middle of nowhere, Ohio. John described it as a "store and slaughterhouse". Apparently, though, they describe what they do as "custom killing" rather than slaughterhouse.

Ahh, how marketing is different by location, eh?

(And yes, I know my car is missing the gas cap. I like it that way.)

life documentation

2008-09-28T09:00:00.002-04:00

I might have mentioned that I'm loving the atmosphere, community, and conversations on Twitter. Since I can update status from my phone wherever I'm at, I can make sure that I'm documenting an event while it's in progress.

As an example, here are the tweets just before, during, and after our vacation in June. That was such a precious gift of family time for us. I'm looking forward to documenting it in a scrapbook. These tweets will certainly help me remember the important moments from that trip.

And yes, I hear what you're thinking... "why not just keep a journal and write it down?" That's a good idea, too. And for many trips I have done just that. But on this trip, it was easier to capture the moment in 140 characters or less and upload it to a server for later viewing.

There is a lot less pressure in a 140 letter tweet than 40 lined pages of literary opportunity.

Vacation Tweets:

JT climbed all the way to the top of the stairs tonight when we got home (with me following close behind). I'm not ready for this yet. 11:27 PM June 21, 2008 from BeTwittered

#grateful for safe travels and wonderful family and friends. Vacation was good... only a little glad to be home. 10:21 PM June 21, 2008 from web

JT speaks loudly into his toy phone, just like grandpa. 04:01 PM June 20, 2008 from txt

Tears at departure. All hyped up on Bo Jangles sweet tea for the ride. 02:21 PM June 20, 2008 from txt

Pitching pistachios at squirrels in the rain. 04:32 PM June 19, 2008 from txt

Last day on beach. JT getting tan. Parents getting sad for vacation to end. 02:40 PM June 19, 2008 from txt

We are just gonna stay here. John & I figure we can make friends with new campers every week so we always have lodging. 10:05 PM June 18, 2008 from txt

Chasing kitties and making vacation videos. 08:36 AM June 18, 2008 from txt

Saw dolphins today. Caught sand fleas. JT petted a sand shark then cried when we turned it loose. 11:47 AM June 17, 2008 from txt

Stuffed from another of aunt joan's home cooked meals. 07:02 PM June 16, 2008 from txt

JT & I swam with stingrays and jellyfish today. It was freaky, but cool. 02:57 PM June 16, 2008 from txt

Heading to the beach 09:34 AM June 16, 2008 from txt

Introduced JT to gators tonight. He doesn't think they are as cuddly as bunnies. 09:19 PM June 15, 2008 from txt

JT loves the ocean! Squeals with delight. Tried to drink saltwater from the bucket. 04:25 PM June 15, 2008 from txt

@pwhyte lol! 04:21 PM June 15, 2008 from txt in reply to pwhyte
JT napping. Gators sunbathing in marsh. Squirrels scavenging deserted campsites. 11:03 AM June 15, 2008 from txt
@pwhyte already been to piggly wiggly 10:20 AM June 15, 2008 from txt in reply to pwhyte
Arrived South Carolina 0530. 08:55 AM June 15, 2008 from txt
Rolling in our rented Chrysler 300, JT sleeping. 08:33 PM June 14, 2008 from txt
Household chores are getting done one at a time. 08:00 PM June 13, 2008 from BeTwittered
#grateful for vacation. Next week's tweets from the beach! 05:33 PM June 13, 2008 from BeTwittered

first year, completed

2008-09-27T20:00:00.000-04:00

Oh, remember I promised to show you the completed First Year project? Well, here it is....

I have to admit, sometimes I would sit down and backfill a month or more at a time. Thank goodness for the blog, emails to Nana, iPhoto, and the daycare notebook.

A year in the life that is as low commitment as 2 or 3 words per day would be a great project for any person at any age. I love this project... the colors, the handwriting that makes it so personal, the ability to spread out the whole set, the visual chronology of photos, and 365 good and bad memories of JT's first year ever.

vote!

2008-09-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

It's election season! Ok, while it is presidential election season, that's not what I'm talking about. What I care about is the annual calendar contest at my work. I've made it every year for the past 5 years or so. It's kind of a big thing for me.

Here is where you come in. I can submit 2 photos for consideration. I have selected a handful of my favorites from the past year and put them in a flickr set. View the set and comment on the photos you like best. I'll use your votes to help decide what to submit.

I have to submit by Tuesday... I'll let you know which photos I enter and if I make it!

tag crowd

2008-09-26T17:30:00.001-04:00

A tag crowd of the most used words on my blog. I love this view of what I've written. I would love to use a TagCrowd or Wordle image in a scrapbook layout. I'll let you know when I get that accomplished, of course. Happy weekend!

created at TagCrowd.com

cupcakes!

2008-09-24T21:57:00.003-04:00

A couple Saturdays ago, my friend Kathy asked me to help her learn to take better photos of the cakes and cupcakes she is baking. She has been taking classes and making some gorgeous creations. She is quite talented.

Ok, let me back up just a second. One of the first times I ever talked with Kathy was at a scrapbooking night at our church. She did the make-n-take I demonstrated, proclaiming all the while that she is not creative at all. Let's just say I was suspicious of that statement when she took my scrapbook layout idea and turned it into a work of art.

So now, about two years later, Kathy has apparently discovered her creative side.

When I arrived, one of the books she had as a reference for the kind of photos she wanted to learn how to take was Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans. Woman after my own heart... this book is DELICIOUS. I have no idea what the recipes are like, but the photos are sweet and dreamy.

I showed Kathy some basics about taking good photos and how to manage the light and shadows with the camera and tools she has. I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures of her gorgeous cakes. And hopefully we can get together sometime when she's baking so I can take pictures of her in the kitchen and we can try to shoot some photos like the the ones in the book.

It was such a fun time collaborating with someone else on a creative endeavor. It's something that I don't do nearly often enough. She completely loaded me up on inspiration. Now, to find some time to act on the inspiration...

(Note... the treat shown here was from Kroger, as all Kathy's cakes had already been delivered the day we did the shoot.)

the chair

2008-09-14T00:02:00.008-04:00

My dad returned from Wisconsin today. This time he's back for a while... we are very excited to be seeing more of him! He showed up with this toddler-sized rocking chair for JT.

We tried to encourage JT to try it out. He doesn't really like to be encouraged. Must have something to do with his 14-month old independence streak.

Later, when we weren't expecting it, he tried out the chair. At first, he needed some help getting in it. It tends to scoot away as he backs into it.

He has the rocking motion down perfectly. And he has worked on getting into the chair more gracefully and has a near-perfect dismount every time.

The chair is just perfect for reading. He spent much of the afternoon discussing this book of planes, trains, and trucks with Nana and Grandpa.

He can get folks really pumped up for trucks.