I Heart Blue Lily Photography

When I first heard about Stephanie Neilson (the plane crash, the blog, and her amazing family) I immediately noticed a few things. Besides how overcome and impressed I was with her family, I noticed their amazing family pictures they had taken only 3 weeks before the crash. I was smitten by how the photography completely captured the love this family had for each other.

By searching through Nie Nie's archives, I found the info I had been searching for. Wendy of Blue Lily Photography was the talent behind the lens, she lived in California and she was coming to Utah in October. I couldn't have felt more lucky. This woman is gold. She is magic even. She had exactly 1/2 hour with our family in the Orchards (she was only in town a few days and had over 35 families to shoot), which frankly I was terrified about (it can take me 1/2 hour to try and get my kids in the car! how could she capture my family in 1/2 hour!)

But like I mentioned before: Wendy is Magic. She LOVES kids and LOVES people and has a gift. These are just a FEW of the pictures I love. I am having the hardest time deciding my favorites!

If you are ever in the market for family pictures, find out her travel schedule. And get a slot FAST! She is quite the popular gal. Check out her blog here. Thanks so much Wendy! We love you to pieces!

Just stay little.

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.

Thomas S. Monson

Oh how true!!! The total chaos around the house (like Ian pulling out the entire roll of toilet paper and his new found skill of sneaking utensils out of the kitchen and putting them in the washing machine) is simply physical proof that I live with angles. Funny angels. Clever angels. Know-how-to-push-me-to-my-limit angels...but angles. Oh...I wish they could just stay tiny forever! I just hope that when we are all big and fat and old, that we will still love each other just as much...maybe even more. But I sometimes find that hard to imagine! Just stay little!

What to do when your daughter is wearing a an extremely famous dress for Halloween?

Take lots of pictures!

The dress came in the mail at 3 pm Halloween afternoon, and that was the end of being a Witch for the night! I actually video taped her opening the box...and Oh! The dramatic response when she saw what it was. What an amazing dress!

As we were putting the dress on, Ian ran back to his room, grabbed his "prince" crown and his blanket for me to tie up as a cape. He immediately bowed to Addie and asked for the next dance. He is such a romantic...and well, it doesn't help that he has an Anne of Green Gables for a sister. And...well, I am not much better. I wonder where he gets it from!

This dress is a dream, and Addie is in heaven wearing it. We wore it trick or treating and let me tell you the comments we got! She was quite the featured trick-or-treater. (We only went to maybe 8 doors and took our time going door to door. They will get older one day and figure out faster walking = more candy) We ended up carrying her up each door step making sure she wouldn't step on this masterpiece. And that is what it is. A masterpiece.

I still feel a little guilty for having such an amazing dress..and so popular at that! I am just tickled to see how regal Addie becomes when she wears it. Her manners are perfect, and she becomes royalty. And in response, Ian becomes royalty too. We are already planning a party around this dress! And oh, what a ball it will be.

My Children's Corner

Since we are getting our place ready to sell, I realized I don't really have any decent pictures of my Addie and Ian's room. It is quite a tight space: all of their toys, clothes and beds fit into this little space that I can't even take a full picture of because I can't stand back far enough! But Small Spaces require creativity, which is my favorite kind of problem to handle.

Details:

- "Manners can be Fun": Anthropologie. Published in 1936. My mother used to read this to me, and I am sure her mother read it to my mother. Fantastic illustrations. We bring this down when the kids need a little more reenforcement besides mom and dad.

- "The LIttle House" is on my top 5 children's books of all time. If you haven't read this, you need to.

- Letter A: from Anthropologie. On sale for $6

- Toad likes to hang out up here, but he often comes down to play.

- Wooden display cabinet I hand painted a while back

- Babaar print: We purchased a print while in France at a flea market. I am sure you can get them in the states though. I just liked the size...and that it was from Provence.

- IKEA shelves are a lifesaver. Not only do they fit everything, but they are square. I like squares. And White.

-The felt Crowns are from Cakies. We love these!

-Vintage alphabet poster $4 at a book arts paper store

There are more details I didn't catch here...but all the more reason for me to take pictures when we move into our new space!

What you dream is what you get. SO DREAM!

(Addie in my espadrilles)

Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will.

George Bernard Shaw

My motto of the week. For years we have been dreaming of a house. I personally, have been dreaming of a cottage cozied up in a deep green forest with only birds and deer for neighbors. And for the upteenth time, we are on the search to find it again. And I truly believe that what you want most will in fact become a reality as you turn that wish into action.

So, this week, is get the condo ready to sell week. I have high hopes to get some more wonderful treats out for you this week in the shop, and I will keep this motto close to me as I go for it.

This week I imagine:

A clean sparse apartment to show

New art and goodies in the shop

And maybe that cottage in the woods.

Or at least...A house with room enough to be a mom AND an artist. We have been feeling a little crammed lately, but oh so grateful to have a roof over our heads.

Here's to dreaming! Make a wish, Make it happen!

Sneaky treats.

This is not a picture of Ian's belly button, but rather a picture of a new compartment for storing chocolate. You see, Ian came up with the brilliant Idea that if he could stuff his belly button with the mini chocolate chips we have in the cupboard, no one would know he was sneaking. As smart as he is, he still doesn't know about the "melt in your mouth-not in your hand" body heat predicament. Poor guy learned the hard way that chocolate doesn't stay in your belly button long before melting. I don't think he minded though...melted chocolate is just as good. I think he just got a thrill that his body had the perfect compartment for storing treats!

(PS: picture taken after wiping his tummy!)

It is my favorite time of year.

Yesterday we ventured for our fist trip this year to the pumpkin patch. I have a feeling we will be back with how much the kids loved making friends with the pumpkins...and scarecrows for that matter. Being from back east, my autumn memories are rich and full...colors, smells, and the magic of fall that only a east-coaster can appreciate. Being in Utah, there are different kinds of magical memories, and pumpkin patches are one of them.

The cool brisk air inspires my husband's culinary knack to really come out full fledged. But this morning, he was actually able to stay in bed while I made breakfast for once. And I have to post the recipe because it was just so yummy. Perfect with REAL maple syrup (not the high fructose corn syrup junk) and a bit of applesauce. Also really tasty to eat along side a cup of hot wassail or cider. Happy making! (Oh, and I must mention that Ian and I made these together...he especially loved tasting the molassas:)

Gingerbread Waffles:

(taken from the 1930's edition of Better Homes and Garden)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening (or supliment with applesauce)

1 egg

1/2 cup molassas

1 1/4 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup hot water

1. Beat sugar and shortening (or applesauce) in a mixing bowl. Add egg and molassas; beat until combined well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and ginger, cinnamon and cloves. add to the sugar mixture. beat until smooth. Add hot water and mix .

2. Pour into hot waffle iron. Bout 1 cup at a time. (I used 1/2 cup...looks more like a snowflake). Bake according to your waffle iron. Make 8 waffles...approx. Dash with powdered sugar, applesauce and/or maple syrup.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

toasty, toasty.

Our first snow was this weekend...and our little ones have come to already associate cold brisk air with a cup of cocoa. Although...not until this weekend did we actually venture into making our own homemade marshmallows. Oh wow. I am not too keen on marshmallows, but these are something else! Almost like creamy vanilla taffy. The recipe we used is here. I just love this time of year!