i got to see my brand spanking new niece for the first time this week. and the first thing i thought when i saw her, "holy head of hair!" isn't it gorgeous, beautiful, stunning, dreamy…and on and on and on! if only i could be so lucky.
but i was lucky because i got to take pictures of this sweet sweet baby.
welcome to the world little one. you came to a good family indeed!
this is jeff on saturday morning hanging off the ledge of our roof. three guesses what he's doing?
hanging christmas lights, of course!
yes, i cajoled him into hanging them a bit early this year. he was finally home for a weekend so i nabbed him before he got away. and to boot, i asked him to hang lights on the second story.
he was met with more than a few strange glances from neighbors. #1 because he was doing it before thanksgiving. and #2 because he was putting his life in peril for some measly holiday twinkles.
a couple from our neighborhood was walking by and an audible gasp was heard as they looked up at him.
"are you nuts?" the guy exclaimed.
"i wouldn't be doing this but i love my wife!" was jeff's reply.
"yeah, but does she love you?" he chuckled and walked on.
what a man i've got! crazy? maybe. true devotion. you bet!
a few weeks ago I found myself in a little predicament. i had purchased some items online that i needed. and quickly! so i triple checked the shipping options available and decided to bite the bullet and pay to rush it. thinking that all was well, i went about my weekly activities. later in the week, i realized, "hey, my stuff isn't here yet. what's up with that?" so i go to check the status of the order and find out that it won't arrive at my home until the day after i needed it. and only half of the order was coming. and i still had to pay the rushed shipping. needless to say, my panties started to work themselves into a wad. normally this girl would just grit my teeth and move on along…she who avoids confrontation like the plague.
but the panties thought otherwise.
i decided to get miffed and let the company know about my miffiness. so i drafted a somewhat scathing email and pushed send. "whoah! that is so unlike me!" i thought as i sent that letter of discontent out into cyberspace. feeling a bit sheepish, i rationalized, "oh well, they don't know me from adam so it's not like i have to see them every day or hear them whisper 'hey, there goes that jerky lady!'"
fast forward to the next day when i received a reply from the customer service department. what followed was a well-written response to make good as well as offer an apology or two. then it was signed
sincerely, Nephi.
and all i could think was "boy, do i feel like Laman or what!" 😉
and she deserves the most wonderful of all birthdays!
because she is the kind of person who will show up at your house on your birthday with a scrumptious lunch, a funky tablecloth, and a fabulously chic centerpiece. then she will sit down with you and make you laugh until you can't breathe.
and even when it's not your birthday, she'll call just to see if you need a hand or maybe an ear, and chances are she'll make you laugh heartily again and lift your spirits ten fold.
i love this girl.
so what do you give her for her birthday? because nothing would seem quite good enough to show her how you really feel.
you give her a little glimpse of the things that matter most to her. and hope that it will make her smile and feel like a rockstar. hope it's a great one, amy!
(i love that she brought their style to this shoot. a little glam. a little gangsta. a lotta fun!)
itty bitty tiny baby steps. i have to remember it takes baby steps to work my way into this mind-boggling world of photography. it has always been my passion. i adore it. i had an experience around 8 years ago that solidified my love affair with this art. i tucked it in the back of my mind hoping that someday it might become a reality. and i think it finally is. even though it still scares me to death. i'm working my way. ever so slowly.
thankfully people are willing to take a chance on me. like this gorgeous mom. she called me a while back and asked me to take pictures of her family. i figured if she believed i could do some good things with the camera, well, then i might as well too! but with a family as beautiful as this one, something great was bound to happen!
here are just a few of my faves.
not that it's all that important but i'm finally getting around to changing the blog's name. way back in the day when i first started it, ella was just a bun out of the oven. and the name j.c.d.e (the first intial of our names) was about all i could think of in my post-partum haze. and now it's 3 1/2 years later and i still couldn't think of anything much more creative. but it's been totally bugging me that the L-man has been left out for this long.
shame, shame, i do know my name.
and i decided to use it, i guess.
and so cherie was here is now what i'll call this thing.
it does have some meaning though. it represents this little corner of my world where i come to be myself.
to enjoy the loves of my life.
to write down thoughts running around up there in my head that when spoken sound like gibberish (because i am infinitely better at communicating in the written medium).
to create a little happiness…
in the here and now.
and for years to come.
so in case you're looking. this is where you'll find me. 🙂
yes. you read right. botox.
okay. okay. before you think that i have defected to the dark side of nipping and tucking, let me calm your fears. the botox? yes, it will be used. but here's the kicker…not by me, but by the youngest member of our family. let me explain.
we noticed quite a while ago that the wee man has a head tilt. you may have noticed it in the pictures you have seen here. and you may have thought it was cute, or charismatic, or just Linc posing for the camera. in the beginning, that's what we thought too. but as time went on, it just wasn't right. it's called congenital muscular torticollis. basically his little head was cramped too long in my belly and the muscle just didn't work right from the beginning.
we started to research it, visit a doc, and start stretching techniques in attempts to lengthen and strengthen the muscle in his neck. after a few months of little improvement, we were referred to a physical therapist for more aggressive treatment.
so now we're on this road with him. trying to make it better. and exploring all the alternatives. today i was presented with some scenarios. the most surprising one to me…as you might have guessed…botox. to say the least, i was a bit shocked when i heard that word from the PT. when i think of botox, the first thing that comes to mind is joan rivers gone bad. i'm firmly opposed to plastic surgery stuff. but that's for another day.
so the good news is that Linc won't be trying to get rid of those wrinkles anytime soon but rather trying to loosen that muscle and help his little head straighten up.
bottom line. he's still a cutie any way his head goes!
since i've been to a professional sports game of any sort. in fact, i think i've only been to one. and i remember it vividly. oh so vividly. it was a date. nice guy. great guy. a childhood friend that i climbed trees with. only one minor problem. but for me it was major. he was shorter than me.
'twas a fun halloween at the mask household! we had a pirate, a princess, and a pudgy toad. all recycled costumes, i might add. much to jeff's delight. he's all about wearing a sheet over your head rather than investing a mere fortune in a 4-hour frivolity. i'm cool with that. the kids were too.
Pumpkin Cookies
1 cup oil
3 cups sugar
2 eggs
5 cups flour
1 large can pumpkin
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 to 2 cups chocolate chips
2 tsp. vanilla
Mix oil, sugar, add eggs and beat. Sift flour and rest of dry ingredients. Add flour and mix alternately with pumpkin. Add vanilla and fold in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Yield – 6 dozen.