Category Archives: Sweet Threads
This one kind of has me stumped. I mean, it’s not like I don’t give Christmas presents on a yearly basis… I just can’t really think of anything very extraordinary to share. My husband, hands down, out gives me. It’s really not my fault though. We come up with a “budget” and I break it a little. He breaks it a lot. I consider him a cheater. Or at least, the worst cheater out of the two of us.
I wish I had cute elementary school memory, but I guess I only save the bad ones. There’s no room left in my head for anything sweet or cute from those days {okay, exaggerating a lot}. After much thought, I guess that I will recount the best experience of gift giving that my poor memory will allow.
The Best Christmas Present I Ever Gave: Rocky the Crane {from Thomas & Friends}
It’s no secret that my son has had an obsession with Thomas since his second birthday. It started out innocent enough, a little train came in the mail from Toys R Us. Then he wanted all of them. To be clear, there are about five hundred.
He has accumulated quite a bit over the last two years, and one that we had set our sights on was Rocky the Crane. Mostly because it’s my husband’s nickname {one he’s had since a toddler}. When my husband was deployed, the original Rocky, I was shopping with my sister and happened to come across this evasive Rocky the Crane. For once, I didn’t rush to a computer & e-mail him that I found it. Kevin wasn’t with me either, so I was giddy about my little secret purchase.
We had planned on having a nice web chat on Christmas, but for some reason, his commander planned an exercise at 4 am the day after Christmas, so he had to go to bed early. We settled for a brief “hello, I love you, goodbye.” December 26th, our spirits were a little low but we decided to go ahead & do one gift. I really wanted Kevin to open something in front of him so he felt a little bit of Christmas in Afghanistan. I knew which one to select.
I had tears in my eyes as Kevin pulled open the pine tree wrapping paper and yelled “ROCKY!” I did my best to position them in front of the web cam so that my Rocky wouldn’t miss a moment. They discussed this new toy & I watched as father & son shared a conversation with each other that could only be possible due to the miracle of technology. Daddy felt so close to us.
So it wasn’t the biggest toy, the most expensive, or even the most heartfelt. However, it’s the one I’ll never forget. We waited until February to celebrate the rest of Christmas and it was wonderful. I just don’t remember all the other presents as clearly, because I was a little distracted with staring at my husband.
Thankful that the one gift I wanted was home safe.
Unfortunately, soon after Rock came home, Rocky the Crane suffered a severed wire. Daddy tried to solder them together, but Kevin broke it again after that. He is beyond repair & will someday be replaced. They were working on it in this picture.
Interesting enough, a new crane debuted this fall: Kevin. So now we have Rocky the Crane & Helping Hook Kevin :]
Click here to see the topic in its original form, via Wives of Faith’s website.
Finally starting my Wives of Faith Christmas Blog Carnival…
It turns out that Saturday is not a very good day to start a blogging series. After spending all morning in the kitchen baking, the afternoon at a photo shoot, then the evening enjoying my in-laws’ Christmas party… the post was never actualized. Yesterday’s topic was My Favorite Christmas Song. In all honesty, that one is a little hard to narrow down for me! Today, however, is pretty simple.
My Favorite Christmas Recipe: Sugar Cookies.
This was platter of cookies from last February, when my family celebrated Christmas {after my husband’s homecoming from Afghanistan}.
I bake a lot of cakes & cupcakes, but sugar cookies are always a holiday staple {in fact, they are what I was baking yesterday}. My mother-in-law gave me a cookbook as a wedding present. It was a good thing too, because I had just turned 22 the day before my wedding and had no cooking experience. I was a bit overwhelmed with the big book, so I started where I felt most comfortable- desserts. At some point I tried this sugar cookie recipe, and decided I would always make them at Christmas. I love baking them when I am not rushed and Kevin can help & play in with the extra dough. I love seeing his ideas for what to make and his little creative mind at work. It can be a mess, but these cookies are always worth it!
I have started a little collection of cookie cutters. Okay, I’ll admit, it’s more of an obsession. I have a deep drawer full of them! They represent everything adorable about childhood. If you are ever looking for a little gift for me, cookie cutters & ornaments will always be cherished :]
From that same day, my husband Rocky & Kevin making shark cookies for our late Christmas.
Sugar Cookies {from Better Homes & Gardens}:
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
1. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill dough in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours or until easy to handle.
2. Preheat oven to 375F. Roll each half of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough with a floured 3-1/2-inch mitten-shaped cookie cutter. Place cutouts 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake in preheated oven about 8 minutes or until edges are set. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. If desired, spread with Powdered Sugar Icing. Let stand until slightly set; pipe icing in decorative designs over iced cookies. Let stand until icing is set. Makes 36 cookies.
4. Powdered Sugar Icing: Stir together 3 cups powdered sugar, 2 to 3 tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl to make of piping or spreading consistency. Divide icing and tint portions with desired food coloring. Makes about 2 cups.
5. To store: Place uniced cookies in layers separated by pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies, if frozen. If desired, spread and/or pipe icing on cookies.
Our Christmas morning tradition of homemade waffles topped with strawberries comes in a really close second…
If you were not able to read my previous post, I am participating in a A Blogger’s Christmas via Wives of Faith. I love to write & I love Christmas, plus it’s an excuse to post some personal photography. As an Air Force wife, I also support the Wives of Faith organization & what they do to support & encourage spouses. I will continue to update my blog with weddings & photo shoots, so there may be a two posts a day at times.
Christmas is coming so soon & I look forward to the chance to reflect on Christmas topics daily… I just thought it would be a nice way to share my own thoughts & traditions from my favorite holiday :]
You will have to excuse my absence from my blogs. It’s not that I’m not alive & working. It’s more that, because I am… there are a few things that need to be prioritized in order to be my most productive. Keeping in touch with my readers is important, but so is taking care of my clients.
{I can see them all nodding in agreement with me!}
Every business strives to be unique. I’ve been really searching as to what that means for me. I started to think about “what I do” and “why I started doing it.” I can’t say that I’ve always visualized myself as a photographer. I know it might be strange to admit that on my professional site. You know, I’m supposed to claim that I came out of my mother with a camera in hand, right? I’m supposed to say that I always knew what I wanted and this is it. Well, it’s really not the way it happened for me. Instead, it’s a passion that has been born out of other passions.
I fell in love with an expert in photography, and it’s been fun to learn from him.
I fell in love with my baby son, and used photography to help me remember how beautiful he is.
I fell in love with graphic design and used photography as a tool to make my designs stronger.
Then… finally… I fell head over heels in love with photography & it’s become my obsession.
Something clicked when I started to think about everything that has led up to where I am now. I’ve always offered to do design for my clients as an endnote, but I am professionally trained as a designer. Now I want to incorporate it more into all of my clients’ experiences with me. It dawned on me that it’s like an architect designing a home, then handing everything over to a builder for them to finish. What if the architect was also a builder? Someone with complete control over both aspects of the job would bring a cohesive vision to reality.
This winter will be the perfect opportunity to explore my options and debut them for you to see. I’ve been slowly making investments that will help me transition into a photographer who will bring my specialized design to the printing process. I do feel very excited about this next chapter in my story… stay tuned :]
Kevin tagged along to an engagement shoot last week. I have now started to consider Tipp City as my personal studio {been there many times in summer/fall}Â & knew just where I wanted him to stand… I say, “stand,” because we all know that three year olds are almost incapable of being posed! I look forward to the day when he will cooperate a little more, but I guess on the other hand, I never know what I’ll get when it comes to him ;]
Lucky for me, he was obsessed with really big trucks on the road. And a really big truck was going by…
I don’t normally bother to ask Kevin to smile, I have to find other ways to make him laugh. If I do, I normally get something like this next picture. Oh boy…
I tend to take the definition of “photojournalistic” & “candid” to the max when it comes to children {like my son}. It’s why when I get to work with adults, I tend to exclaim, “Oh wow, you listen so well…” Now you kind of understand why I say that!
When Kevin could just barely walk, I became obsessed with pictures of his reflections. They are near & dear to this mama’s heart…
His coat was getting red from rubbing on all the brick buildings :]
There will be more sessions to post, stories to tell. I don’t think I’ll be updating my blogger site. If I ever do decide to do more baking, I’ll just post images on here. Again, I’ve had to prioritize and there hasn’t been a lot of room for that hobby.
So very excited it’s December… we love Chrstmas around here :]
When you live in Ohio, you feel a certain adoration for Fall- its beautiful colors & comfortable chill. On the other hand, you carry on with trepidation, knowing that at any moment, the weather may turn & Winter may take over. Before that happens, we strive to do all we can to savor all the beauty around us. In between a week long “honeymoon,” three weddings & four engagement shoots, various family sessions, & two huge cakes… we did what we could to enjoy the season together. Especially because Rock wasn’t with us last year & is most likely not going to be here this time next year.
It’s hard for me to believe that a few months have gone by since I re-launched my blog & yet this will be my three year old son, Kevin’s, debut! He made some appearances on the old one, but it’s definitely time to post some pictures of the two “mans” I love {and photograph} the most.
2009 Barn Bash at the Duncan’s Farm
Fulton Farms October 20th
Taken by my assistant of course…
I always tell people that having a growing boy running around while I learn about photography has helped me grow. I always have to be ready for anything, I have to remain inconspicuous or he will stop doing whatever he is doing, & I test the limits of slower speeds used on toddlers…
He’s getting so big. I love his independence, imagination, & loyalty.
I gobble him up daily… for good reason. I know I’m biased, but he’s my favorite.
The lovely sunset {& I always love a nice interesting tree}.
Quick snapshots from a funny day. Kevin had to sneeze then he ran & got something & came back to the kitchen. He told me he needed his glasses when he sneezes, because that’s what Imagination Movers do…
This was a cake I made in early October for a friend’s mom’s surprise birthday party. The budget allowed for me to use homemade ingredients for everything {except fondant…I prefer the workability of packaged fondant vs. the unreliable homemade versions}. The pumpkins were hand made w/ marshmallow fondant. I’m in love with Swiss Meringue Vanilla Bean Buttercream… a little time consuming, but worth every minute! We definitely drew inspiration from an Amy Atlas creation, and a family member made the wood cake pedestal.
*** No more wedding cakes for me. I don’t mind cakes {like this one} for 60 servings & under, birthday cakes, cupcakes, etc. But never a wedding cake again. Unless you are my little sister, Abby Bell, and you are getting married someday {like ten years}. I would probably make her cake…
Just not into doing it on a larger scale… for a thousand reasons, no thank you!
This post started getting longer & longer… so part two coming up next: Mexico pictures & trick or treat. Then back to the families & engagements you haven’t had a chance to see. Oh yeah, and a few weddings :]
I’m gonna buy this book this year. I really can’t even remember what it’s about. I just remember what it did to me as a first grader.
We were told to pick a Christmas book to read to the kindergartners, each of us would read to a group of two or three. I remember wanting to pick a story that was challenging. Coming from a person who had trouble spelling “the” just a few months before, any book would have been challenging.
I had two younger girls in my group, they seemed nice. We settled into a quiet spot in the hallway outside their classroom. The basement of our Lincoln Elementary had green carpet that was supposed to resemble grass. We sat down, Indian style, and I felt excited about sharing a story with them. I didn’t have a problem speaking in front of people, I had a lot of siblings and never felt shy {as a child}.
I opened the book…
It was filled with words I didn’t understand.
I could barely read any of it.
I immediately felt embarrassed.
I would look up and see them exchanging glances at each other. I knew that they knew I wasn’t any good at it. They started to look around and finally my nice teacher came and saved me by reading the rest of it. The torture was over, in a way.
Even as a girl so small, I felt overwhelmed by failure. I didn’t even know that word yet. I just knew I hadn’t done something right. I knew I had to fix it. So every Tuesday, when we went to the library, I picked one book: Santa Mouse. I read it over & over until I knew it by memory. Around February, Mrs. Leonard noticed I always picked one book & was ready to go before the other kids. They would mill around the room, perusing colorful titles. I would wait patiently at the door.
“Santa Mouse?!” she laughed. “Why are you still reading this book? There are so many other books you could be reading!”
“I need to learn how to read it.”
“Let me guess, you have this book memorized by now, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“We are picking a new book. You aren’t allowed to check this one out anymore.”
I don’t know if she even remembered why I felt committed to read that story. I don’t know if she knew it was all I could do to make up for my mistake.
And if any kindergartners ever needed someone to read it in March, I’d have it down easily.
I listened. I borrowed other books. I became really good at reading. It was always by far {besides art} my strongest, most effortless class.
I didn’t take any English courses in college, I tested out of them in high school.
This story has been a source of encouragement to me as well as a pretty accurate lesson of how my mind has been built to work. When I perceive that I have “failed,” I go all out. I obsess with how I can make it right, what I can do differently for the next time. Lately there have been a few reasons I feel a sense of failure relating to the “business” of photography. I know that any time you venture into unknown territory without a map, there are going to be setbacks. I’m still learning. It’s not so familiar yet. Right now I’m still grasping the words, they look a little daunting on the pages. Soon I will have them down to memory…
Then nothing will be impossible.
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That is such a sweet story!!!
ah this is so sweet =)