Impromptu Newborn Photography: Baby Avery

I just love this shot of mommy and daddy’s hands holding Avery.

Babies always look so soft and dreamy when they sleep

I cannot get over how sweet he is … totally at peace!

Avery’s adorable outfits are from Spain, his Aunt Candy brought them home for him … She has such great taste!

Mommy and Daddy kissing their baby, I just love this one!

Fast asleep ….

Newborns are so tiny and Avery is such a beautiful baby, I just want to gobble him up! And that’s not just because he is my nephew!

I just loved getting an opportunity to shoot Baby Avery, especially since I usually focus on botanical plants and flowers. I wish I had all of my gear, lighting and props so I could get more shots, but I am so glad I got these!

Hope you all enjoy the photographs as much as I enjoyed taking them!

P.S.  I’ve been hard at work on my new Vintage Botanical Collection and since I’m usually so bad at keeping things secret I will be sharing a peek next week!  Stayed tuned!

Happy, Rainy Hyannis, Cape Cod

My first trip to Cape Cod, Massachusetts was definitely one to remember.  It’s been two weeks since my foray into happy, rainy, Hyannis Port.

I went for the Cape Cod Maritime Show, and car-pooled with a wonderful, local Maine Illustrator, Cheri Cottrell.  After about three and a half hours we arrived at our destination, our amazing motel …

And found our room …

I know it sort of screams 1940′s and 50′s, but it was adorable, clean and most importantly … affordable!

So on the morning of the show, we unpacked our van.

And set up our booths. We were lucky to be next to each other, which made set up pretty easy.

And we were especially lucky to be in the tent since it rained ALL weekend!

I thought the little twinkling lights in the tent made it real cosy!

I was so excited to use my new lattice displays.

Here I am, all bright and bushy-tailed at 8am! This is more than amazing, I am usually not a morning person.  In fact when my husband trys to talk to me in the wee early hours I will often say, “Why do you make me be mean to you?” I think I can safely say I am a super grouch until about 9 or 10 am. And this particular morning I was up at 6!

Here is a shout out to my show neighbor from Maine, Cheri Cottrell.

Cheri sells lovely watercolor illustrations, definitely check our her blog if you have some time!

So when it came time to pack up and leave, the rain finally stopped, which was great for our drive home.

But before we left, we did a bit of dawdling and visited some local beaches and looked at houses. So while checking out a particular beach this one, lonely seagull just came walking by us.  Not a single person, animal or bird in sight – but us and him (I decided it was a him based on the fact that when I called him ‘Mr. Seagull’ he looked my way).

I think he was just as happy as us that the rain finally let up, that he felt he needed to take a walk on the beach and rinse off his feet!

Now that this show is over, I really need to get cracking on setting up my new house.

My yard is screaming for a little TLC, so tomorrow I will post some pictures of the plants in my yard and see which ones you can guess! Then I’ll share with you what I have planned for my little allotment!

Talk to you soon,

Bert, my new Lhasa Apso Puppy!

So, in my Easter Day Post I introduced to one of the cutest puppies to ever live, Bert!

He was brought to Maine by my sister, Tracy, who realized quickly how much I loved this little guy and offered him up to me.

And me, being the ‘loving-every-animal-I-ever-see’ kind of girl, I immediately wanted him. Now the hubby wasn’t sold on it completely when I originally spoke with him about Bert (about 1 month ago), but once he saw the little guy he fell instantly in love with him too!

I mean, how could you not?!

So …. my hubby’s Easter present (partially) to me was allowing me to keep BERT!

We’ve been in the middle of showing our house (for sale!) so my sister and mom have been helping by taking care of Bert for me, but since we are moving into our new home this week I finally get to have him all to myself! YAY!

And I can’t forget my other little (or maybe not so little) dog, Buppy.  We inherited Buppy from my grandma so she’s kind of an old gal, but we love her all the same.

Just look at her all dolled-up for Easter!

Isn’t she just too sweet?!

It may be obvious that I have no children … my pets are my babies.

But don’t worry, they get along great – maybe not so much at the beginning, but now they’re like 2 peas in a pod!

I hope you enjoyed meeting the newest member of our little family!

Have a great week!

Love,

Easter Bunnies and … Puppies!

Since me and the hubby are in the midst of moving it seemed only logical (okay, if only just to me) that my mom host Easter Dinner … which happens to be my most favorite holiday!  And as it was at Thanksgiving I only had one task – to make some yummy Easter potato salad – but this turned out much better!

I needed potatoes and …

eggs, and what else? … I better check my recipe card!

So, I cooked the potatoes …

And soon Voila! Yummy Easter Potato Salad!

(During the Summer I will often bring this to friends’ BBQ’s – its always a hit!)

So on Easter Day I spent time with my family – and the food was delish!  All my favorite foods – deviled eggs, kielbasa, potato salad, broccoli & cheese – just to name a few!

And the best part was my Easter Present … a new puppy!

Meet Bert!

Isn’t he just the cutest!  I’ll tell you more about him tomorrow!

Happy Easter!

Love,

Some Sun from Key West

Since the hubby and I live up in the northeast we like to take our vacations in the winter (which we seem to have this pattern of taking them in February), that way we don't have to miss the Maine summer. So this year we went to Key West, Florida.

When we usually go on vacation we get the single room which is very nice, but this time since we were going with my parents and sister (who in the end had to stay home due to work), we stayed together in a 3-bedroom suite.  Awe-some! 

So, the only thing missing was my sister … it just wasn't the same without her.

We visited Ernest Hemingway's house.

All I remember of Hemingway, was the torture of Old Man and the Sea during the summer before 7th grade … It took me all summer to find out (Watch Out SPOILER!) … the fisherman catches the big fish, buy sharks devour it before he gets back. And then he plans to go fishing again.

I'm thinking that now that I am older and I don't have to read it, maybe I'll like it better.

As always, when on vacation I try to visit as many gardens as possible …

So being the good man he is, my husband took me to the Key West Botanical Garden …

… AND to the Butterfly Garden …

which had birds too …

… and to Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden too.

He is a very good man.

The more tropical climates have such different flowers and plants than the northeast, I really enjoyed all the foliage and flowers.

And succulents too!

One thing that I did NOT enjoy was the lizards! I usually am pretty good about reptiles, but check this guy out!

I did not realize he was above us in the tree, until he started to move around and came down. You may not be able to tell since I used a wide-angle lens, but this iguana was between 5 and 6 feet long!

This guy was smaller.

So when we weren't walking around town, eating, checking out galleries, we stopped at the art museum. Which coincidentally had this cool art exhibit …

 Yes, that is me in the art. They have these life-size dioramas and backgrounds for 5 or 6 famous paintings by Gustave Cailleotte and Edouard Manet. All I can say is: Very. Cool.

And check out this pelican and his little buddy!

There's more to our trip, but that's all for now, hope you enjoyed my little tour of Key West.  

Have a wonderful weekend!

“I’ll be your ROW-MEO”

My sister sent me the sweetest Valentine's Day card!

And I thought it was so cute I wanted to share!

I love vintage-inspired cards and this one is awesome! I love how it is somewhat 3-D (the puppies in the boat are raised) and has a little glitter! Isn't everything better with a little glitter?!

I just love getting mail and it's even better when it is something pretty from someone you love!

My sister always gives the best gifts – she always knows just what to get you. Her gifts are always thoughtful and are just my (or a friend's) style! 

I added some sea urchins I picked up from our little vacation last week!

The hubby and I just got back from a week in Key West (ahhh, the sun!) and we decided that the trip would be our Valentines Gift to each other … but of course I still got him a little something!

Later this week I'll have to share with you what I picked up for my little sister in our travels – I am so proud! Since she's this fabulous gift giver, I always want to give her something just as meaningful, and I think she's really going to love it!

We're still unpacking, so later this week I'll be blogging some sunny photos and funny stories from our trip! I feel like I must share as much of the sun and warmth as I can, since I'm always soaking up the sunshine from everyone else's blog who isn't shoveling themselves out of a few feet of snow!

Wishing you a Happy Valentines Day!

Love, 

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you and your families a Happy Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!

I wanted to take a moment to wish each and everyone of you a Wonderful Holiday and the Happiest of New Years!  The hubby & I will be visiting family & friends up and down the East Coast over the next week – it is so exciting and tiring all at the same time. But time with loved ones makes all the hustle & bustle of the holiday worth it!  So I may not be very "talkative" over the next few days, but keep in mind that you are all in my thoughts and prayers this holiday! 

I am so grateful for everything that has happened and everyone in my life this year, that all I wish for this Christmas is more of the same! Here’s to hoping 2011 brings all that you hope and pray for as well!

Love, 

Old-Fashioned, Handmade Christmas Decorations!

I always enjoy decorating my home with old fashioned, handmade Christmas Decorations!  I have ceramic trees, santas and painted snowmen handed down from my grandmother, Holiday die-cuts hanging on my walls, beautiful glitter advent calendars (which now have almost half the little doors opened!), and homemade needle-craft tree decorations and stockings!

Our tree (read about about Christmas tree adventure here!) is adorned with many old glass ornaments.  Many of these I bought for a steal at flea markets! I especially love it when the seller has this huge black garbage bag of ornaments and has no idea of what is in it, then sells the whole thing for $5!  (Yes, I did in fact say 5 dollars!) Its like unwrapping a Christmas present in and of itself – it is so exciting to see when I will find when I open the bag!  Usually I am quite thrilled with my purchase, and there are always more than a few gems hidden among the rest!

I have more than one tree in our house (of course we have our real tree which we cut down) but also a small tinsel feather tree, which is where I display my smaller old ornaments (otherwise they get lost in the big tree).  Last year my sister gave me these great glass diorama Christmas balls she bought at an antique store!  Aren't they just amazing – I love old things!  I enjoy knowing that something I love was loved just as much by another person and family that they never threw it away.  Sometimes the stories that accompany these flea market finds make them that much more special!

And we have a third small artificial tree. This is where I put all those special ornaments that I have made over the past 10 years or so. Once I picked up this book that had paper ornaments that get cut-out, folded and glued into replicas of old fashioned 3-dimensional ornaments.  Of course I loved this and added my own special touch … a little glitter, a small deer or a bit of fake holly (you get the idea)! They tree lights really make these shine!

About 3 years ago, I started this needle-work project that I just finished!  They are made of felt, embroidery floss and sequins!  My mom had made one of these kits when I was a little girl and I just couldn't keep my paws off them!  The kit I bought was the 12 Days of Christmas!  And I just finished them up this year!  Whew!  They did take quite a few hours to complete!  I'll share the entire collection as we get closer to the holiday!

I even made needlepoint Christmas stockings for my husband and myself!

There's lots more, check back soon for more holiday cheer! 

Later this week I'll be sharing some tips on growing and maintaining your Poinsettias this Christmas Season!

Our Maine Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Adventure!

Yesterday the weather forecasters said snow was heading our way and my husband and I still had not gotten our Christmas tree, so out we trudged out (on our property) to find a tree.  Last weekend we scoped out some good prospects, so yesterday my sweetie and I went out to cut it down. 

Our tree definitely resembles something Charlie Brown would have had … she (I decided my tree is a she) has some rather gaping areas (not holes as I told my husband), but I love her the more for them!  Also, she is a bit taller that I realized.  When I drove up my driveway & passed the trees I didn't think they were that large.  Well …  boy was I wrong!  Once you get up close and personal they're huge!  

I called this our Maine Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Adventure, because my hubby reminds me of Charlie Brown.  And he is such a good man – look at all this work he's going through for our tree!

So my man got his out this old hand saw (this saw is seriously old, I cannot believe it worked, well it sort of worked) and started cutting the tree down!

After about halfway through the trunk, both the saw and his arm began to slow down … the sap was clogging the saw, making it stick and it became more difficult to saw through.  The blade barely made it through to the end.  But all that mattered was they we got the tree cut down.  And the whole time all we could think of were the Griswalds from the movie Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase, saying  "Looks great – a lotta sap!"

Once we had the her (our tree) down, and CJ carried it down the driveway, it began to hit me that this thing was even bigger than I thought!

And you have to realize that my husband is 6'2"!  So that 'lil' tree that I thought would look so great in our cosy living room is giving me more than a few concerns.

So once we got it near the house, we realized we had to do some trimming back.  

Growing up, we had friends who owned and ran a Christmas Tree Farm.  It takes about 8 years, annual fertilizations, and some serious pruning to make those gorgeous trees you see at the holidays.  

And well, our 'lil' tree didn't have any of that love and care so she has some gaps (which I just angled toward the wall), and her branches are a bit crazy but that is one of the reasons we love her (I keep having to remind my husband of this).  

So after a bit of pruning we brought our beautiful tree inside!

And on our way in, it seemed as though the tree might just eat the living room, she is so big!

Again, the references to the National Lampoon Christmas Vacation movie seem to permeate our thoughts throughout this little adventure.  CJ's hands are full of sap and we soon realize we have to prune yet more off the top since the star will never make it as is.

Once our tree is steady in the stand, we (and by we, I mean my husband) strings on the lights and I add the garland.

After dinner, we dress the tree with ornaments.  I tend to get carried away with the holidays, and so I placed every ball we had on the tree, even though a third of the way through the box my husband thought it was just grand the way it was … I persevered.

I think we may need to prune more off the edges, but I can't help it that I love our tree just the way she is.  It reminds me of the Bailey's tree in the movie, It's a Wonderful Life; not the best tree on the lot but lovely nonetheless, full of decorations galore and loved more than any other tree there!

And I do love my tree!  I love that it came off our property and we chopped it down ourselves!  And even though she's not perfect, I think she's the most beautiful tree I've ever had!

I think that's where true beauty lies, not in perfection, but in the love and adventures of life!

Well, I have some cards to write & some holiday oranges to make, but I'll come back and share those and some other holiday wonders with you!

Talk to you soon! 

PS Since I was documenting out little adventure all day, you didn't get to see what I was doing (besides holding the camera of course!) so here's a picture of me.  I think you can see how much fun I'm having with the holidays!

Apple & Pumpkin Pie – Done in Time for Thanksgiving!

My only job for Thanksgiving dinner was to make a pumpkin & apple pie.  Over the past two months I had "negotiated" with my mom (some pleading may have been involved) until she agreed to host Thanksgiving. For the past two years I made our Thanksgiving meal and I must tell you – it is so much work!  It took me literally days to prepare all the food . . . and I have a small family.  Which brings me to Thanksgiving 2010 and all I had to do was bring an apple and pumpkin pie.

So at about 11 pm on November 24^th (yes, the night before Thanksgiving) I decide to get baking!  I have never made a pumpkin pie, and I lost my old apple pie recipe so I went to my favorite cook, Alton Brown.  I had gone food shopping a few days before and bought all (or I thought all) of the ingredients.  I soon realized I may not have gotten everything on the list.  

Since the apples had to drain for about an hour and a half and its pie dough had to be refrigerated for about an hour I was working on both pies simultaneously.  

As the night progressed my kitchen got messier (and I am usually such a neat cook!) and messier as I kept looking up substitutions (usually butter – I hope no one is getting their cholesterol checked this week!) and hoping everything would turn out okay.  I may not be Martha Stewart but I do have some pride and despite my lack of motivation to make the pies, I did want them to taste good.

So for my pumpkin pie crust I found some graham crackers in the pantry (a fancy word to mean a narrow closet) and used another recipe for the pumpkin filling.  I wasn't exactly sure how this would work since both recipes were made for specific combinations of crust & filling, but not having all the ingredients for either I was just hoping for the best.  It was time to cook the pumpkin, which took an extra 30 minutes since I didn't think the center of the pie "set" in the initial 50 minutes!

Now the apple pie was ready to get put together, and this went relatively smoothly.  Until I realized I didn't have a pie bird.  Up until this point I had never heard of a pie bird, so I had look it up to understand it was a steam funnel used in the pie.  Since I didn't have one handy, and it was approximately 2 am on Thanksgiving morning, I used some long macaroni which seemed to work just fine.

On Thanksgiving evening after a particularly fabulous meal by my mom it was time for dessert.  And the pies went over big!  Everyone liked both a lot, but the pumpkin was the winner by far. My husband liked both but loved the pumpkin (remember . . . the mish-mash of 2 recipes) best.  

While I am thankful for my pie success, I am most thankful for my family and its blessings this holiday season.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and found something or someone in life to be thankful for holiday season.

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

P.S. Since I forgot to take pictures before we dug into them, this is what was left at the end of dessert!