Love.....

....is so fun to scrapbook....

MOMARAZZI

I take my camera everywhere with me and yes we do have friends who like to comment on this persistent attachment to my hip which is no longer a child. And sometimes they don't comment but I have this paranoid feeling that they are thinking I am nuts. And maybe I am. But I am greatly into archiving our life and events and I love (am passionate about) taking photos - of anything!

CLICK - see? Just got ya!

And if my children were small I too would be a "momarazzi" but I am too old for that. HOWEVER any day now I will be a "grandmarazzi". And believe me you will be the first to know..or maybe the second. So stay tuned on that one.

n. pl. mom-a-raz-zi - A mom who doggedly pursues her children to take photos.

hmmmm sound like anyone of you reading this blog? Fess up!

Well then you need to check this out at Digital Photography School

Much like the paparazzi who have become notorious in Hollywood for stalking celebrities and making their lives miserable, I must confess that I belong to the growing community of parents who pursue, nay, stalk their children day in, day out, to take photographs. The thought of a single day, field trip or activity going undocumented simply does not bode well for me....

Remember Photoshop Spheres?

About 8 months ago I showed y'all some of the spheres I had made with Photoshop using my photos.

Well tonight I took a collage of some of my scrapbook layouts and made a sphere - with a bit of a reflection too. I love it. So much fun. Got the idea off of Digital Designer

Also made a quick digital page using some photos from our trip to S Carolina last fall.


I needed a break from wedding layouts!
It was wonderful!

In other news I have been asked to take a new position with SHR - A two year full time position in a new SHR project with Long Term Care clients in acute care beds. I am very excited with this new challenge...but it does mean I will be very busy. I am looking forward to more work with families and less list management stuff. Starts Sept.

And another family has booked me for a photo shoot in September. YIKES - that's four shoots in September. PRESSURE!!
Umm... expect less blogging. Srapbooking will likely slow down but with the new grand baby due any day that could be to hard to resist. :) Waiting for the phone call. Camera is ready!

Now I need to go to bed... feeling a bit of flu coming on which I cannot afford to have right now. I need to work tomorrow and get some shopping done after work for a guest this weekend. David has been out at dinner meetings all week and I have been content to have a bowl of cereal for supper. The cupboards are bare. LOL

Blessings to you all!

Julie

Flying through the wedding album

The night before the wedding - getting it all figured out - only took two tries.
The bride and groom are a little anxious in anticipation of the big day.

Sammy looks much more relaxed.

Chris and Chantal's wedding

I was recently blessed with the opportunity to assist Photographer Melina Perron in capturing Chris and Chantal's special day. While the day began with pouring rain, it all stopped right on cue when we arrived at the Berry Barn at 3 pm for the outdoor shots. Although the ground was a little wet, it was a beautiful day and overcast skies made for perfect lighting. We even saw the sun momentarily.

Here are some of my shots from the salon to the reception.

brides approval

Melina sets up the greatest shots.
Where she gets her ideas I do not know! :)

But I love this one!

My fav of the day... a little pixilated cause I uploaded a smaller version to save on blogger space.

Since this day I now have another wedding (all but the formals), a family, and a work (SHR) shoot booked and three more requests for group/family shoots - not yet booked. Not sure where all these unsolicited requests have come from but I am humbled and thankful the Lord is opening up opportunities for me to test my skills. Do hope I do not disappoint.

Having a blast on my MAC!

My latest page - I was wondering how I was going to scrap this beautiful picture of my daughters eyes that Melina took on her wedding day. Then it just came together and I am very pleased.

Took this photo of the river two weeks ago when the river was like glass.

This beats laundry, dishes and dusting..... but I really have to call it quits and get this stuff and some grocery shopping done.

Do click on the pages to see the detail.

My heart is beating a little faster today. My sweetheart has been afer me for several months to get one of my photos on a canvas for over the fireplace. Lacking confidence I haven't done it. But three weeks ago I just uploaded a fav to the Costco site.

David picked it up this morning and it is...well fabulous. I can't believe the detail in this 3X4 ft canvas - beautifully wrapped on a wooden frame. It is hanging over the fireplace now. Love it!
I have been uberly impressed with Costco photofinishing and services - AND prices!

More canvas photos to come!!

Would someone go to work for me next week?????

Family pages

My husband with his brothers up at the lake. They are all pretty musical so I added some music. :)

Our most recent photo together from this past May - going to be grandparents any day now....

digital madness ...

Brothers, "they ROCK"! The boys toasting their sister the bride.
Man, they are good looking dudes!

Enjoy Montreal and that we did - oh the food! Oh the love! Oh the wonderful moments!

Having a blast with digital! Fast! Creative! Fun!
Discovered they print out beautifully at Costco - $2.50

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. Psalm 145:18-19

He's my Lover

My work involves placing people, of all ages, into long term care beds in the city here. Sending ones loved one off to a facility to live is difficult, very difficult.

Very long wait lists leave families feeling helpless and usually what I do offer is not what they had hoped for. So my days can be not very fulfilling. We are meeting a need though, just not a happy one.

Harold and Marge were married 60 years when Marge moved to a LTC home. Her dementia was too much for Harold to manage in their apartment. He visited her daily and all day, helping her with meals, dressing, taking her for walks. But one day Harold didn't show up.

He had been admitted to hosp with a stroke.

Marge asked for him, every day.

"How is Harold?"

"Is he okay?"

Her children tried to shield her from the bad news.

"Oh he can't make it today" as if Marge was too demented to know that her partner of 60 years would just decide not to make his daily visits. She knew something was wrong. She didn't ask where he was she asked how he was.

Harold eventually stabilized and went on my list, just as his wife had the year before. But the list has over a hundred people on it. People wait and wait for placement often to a place they do not want. Part of my job is to manage the list fairly. It wasn't his turn.

Fairly to whom I wondered. Surely this was not fair to Harold and Marge. Was she too demented to know the difference?

Last week Harold went to the home.

Today the care home called to share a little something with us.

Harold's daughter brought him to his new home today; a room right across the hall from his wife of 60 years. The daughter wheeled Harold into Marge's room.

"Mom, do you know who this is" asked the daughter?

"Of course I do" she replied.

"He's my lover"

Some days at work are really rewarding! :)

6YearMed. You need to read this!

unless you have the patience of Job.... or the grace of Esther....

Please Don't Make Me Sing This Song

Playing with photo blends from Cottage Arts

I will be spending this rainy day as the assistant photographer at a wedding. A tad nervous - dreamed my car was towed away with all my photo equipment in it. :)
So wish for the families that the weather was better. Hard to believe this is the middle of August. But we will do our best to capture this wonderful day for them.

Also did a little bit of digital stuff early this morning because I had some fab downloads from Cottage Arts I needed to play with before I forgot I had downloaded them. The photo blends I used above (and also on this page) also came from Cottage Arts - they had a sale!!

Enjoy the day!
Carpe Diem!

Suffering

We do not suffer as those with no hope precisely because we hope in the sufferings of Christ committed on our behalf.

Dutch theologian Geerhardus Vos:

“What the Lord expects from us at such seasons is not to abandon ourselves to unreasoning sorrow, but trustingly to look sorrow in the face, to scan its features, to search for the help and hope, which, as surely as God is our Father, must be there. In such trials there can be no comfort for us so long as we stand outside weeping.

If only we will take the courage to fix our gaze deliberately upon the stern countenance of grief, and enter unafraid into the darkest recesses of our trouble, we shall find the terror gone, because the Lord has been there before us, and, coming out again, has left the place transfigured, making of it by the grace of his resurrection a house of life, the very gate of heaven.”

Love is a beautiful thing!

The background paper is actually Sammy and Allison at the alter saying their vows.

Good Morning Saskatoon

What a beautiful day in a beautiful city. Headed out at 8am.
Good morning Saskatoon!

Riding our bikes, enjoying the warm sun and each others company....

... meeting new people. This is Caroline just coming over the rise on the pedestrian walkway under the Circle Dr bridge. I love the lines on this bridge. Caroline is on her way to running 1000 miles in one year.
Check out her blog!


After our bike ride along the river this am we went for coffee (and muffins) and then met our friend Ken at work for a wee bit of a tour. I do like photographing this 100 yr old building.

And unrelated to our Saturday morning of riding but still related to bike riding, I took my bike to work last week and avoided this on the way home.

Went to see Julia, Julie this evening and it is a fabulous, fun, clean movie that portrays two very happy couples who actually love each other enough to sustain wonderful marriages.
Funny, entertaining and leaves you with a good feeling. My kind of movie.

Gratitude List

I haven't added to my gratitude list since...um... last November. Is time flying? or have I just not been grateful for all He provides. I am grateful, I think time is flying. I know time is flying because it is going to be summer around here one day. No wait, fall!

111. Grateful for our new King bed. We both agree we are sleeping better. And as I get older, sleep becomes much more important to getting through my busy days. Climbing into this cushy bed with my Bible is what I look forward to every day. Peace, rest, sleep - it is wonderful and I am so thankful He provides.

112. Opportunity to bike to work last week. As much of an ordeal as it was to take all my stuff in the saddle bags and my camera knapsack on my back just in case there was a photo op, change at work and then change again for the ride home, it was a great work out both ways and it truly invigorated me.

113. Fun co-workers. Amidst the work and stress and frustrations of our job in health care, we do manage to do a lot of laughing and this makes work so much more peasant. Thankful for fun people to work with who have a great sense of humor and keep me laughing.

114. Thankful for a co-worker I can talk to about my love of Jesus Christ - she loves Him as much as I do and one day we stayed 20 min past the end of the day just to marvel in Him. That was refreshing. God is good!

115. Thankful for a friend from work emailing me and asking for prayer when she had a family tragedy over the long weekend. Thankful for opportunity just to minister to her and pray for her family. Thankful the Lord is providing for this family and praying He will provide even more, revealing Himself in amazing ways.

116. Thankful for prayer - that I have a God that is all powerful and all perfect and all righteous. I have a God who is a solid rock foundation. I have HOPE and that makes me eternally thankful.

117. Thankful for a huge belly on my daughter-in-law, a good weight gain on this tiny gal and thankful for the anticipation of our grand baby in a few weeks. God is good! Thankful for the miracle of life!

118. Thankful for a smart husband who can figure out very confusing excel spreadsheets when payroll messes up my paycheck (again). It was all Greek to me, this spreadsheet to show my hours worked. But to DH it was a wonderfully challenging puzzle to solve. I married the right guy!! I told payroll to call my accountant! LOL Waiting to hear the results and the explanation and hoping this means I get to move up a step - but thankful for what the Lord does provide for us through this job. Very thankful for all the experiences and knowledge I have gained in this work.
Five years ago I asked the Lord to provide me with work (outside the home) as I finished homeschooling our fourth. He knew I needed to keep my hands and mind busy and He provided - VERY challenging work with a HUGE learning curve. As I look back I really don't know how I survived all that was asked of me and two jobs. I wanted to quit it all many times. But I knew He was answering my request and I persevered trying to keep my attitude positive despite my wearyness. I grew, I learned and despite several 50 hr weeks and a family to take care of, I did it. I am thankful! The job continues to challange me and new opportunities keep coming my way, but he shows me I can do it and do it to His glory. I am thankful! And hopeful payroll discovers 'my accountant' is right and they are wrong! LOL

119. Thankful for opportunity to experience a little of the Fringe Festival last weekend. Opportunity to realize that our world is full of diverse people and God can use every one of them for His glory!

120. Thankful that tomorrow is Saturday and my husband is excited about taking me to a new movie that is out whose title he had difficulty remembering....... oh yeah - "Julia, Julie" LOL - I love this guy!!

Digital Scrapbooking - more

Journalling....

I love this photo
Allison's wedding shoes o the piano she played as a young girl
Many hours were spent at this piano perfecting her skills
Where has time gone?
Today she is a most lovely pianist
Today she is a well balanced, beautiful, sweet, lovely young women
Today she is getting married

Digital Scrapbooking

Wilna - that one post with the mask has converted me.

I did it - I went on line, did a little shopping, down loaded, unzipped and started playing. I mean this is really too easy - the shopping, downloading part. You can do it all in your grubby gym clothes with treats on the desk.

This is my first creation. I have a LOOONG way to go to make these pages way more interesting. My head is hurting from all the learning tonight so I will stop and get some sleep because I have to save some brain power for work tomorrow. :)

I LOVE this picture of my wonderful kids and you will likely see me scrapbooking this a LOT!

Have a blessed week everyone.

wedding pages...

Remember this creative mess?

Well it now looks like this and I have organized all my wedding stuff... which meant a trip to pick up a few more papers for the stash... and stuff.

Which has allowed me to create a couple more wedding pages.


I am seriously considering getting seriously into digital scrapbooking!! Think how clean my scrapbook room will look. I have been so very inspired by Wilna's blog. Love this gal!! Not only an inspiration for my creative side but an inspiration to my soul. If you don't have her on your Google reader - do it now!

Carpe Diem! especially if you have the day off!

Todays encouragement...

The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

Psalm 33:18 (NIV)