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Ferris Wheel Photography

October 22, 2012 By Laura 12 Comments

Ever since I can remember, I have been captivated by the vision of ferris wheels. In my adult years as a photographer, it has been a little heart’s desire of mine to get an amazing shot, of a ferris wheel.

So, in the third week of September when the kids and I were driving along the highway towards Buzzards Bay one beautiful day, and spotted a grand ferris wheel over the trees, we went on a mission to find our way to it! And that we did. As it turns out, they were setting up for the annual Scallop Festival that weekend. We hadn’t been in years, so we promptly put that on our agenda! Come that Sunday after church, it was another beautiful day, and a wonderful family time together. Not only is this (annual) Festival an event in and of itself, it’s on Main Street, which is lined with a multitude of antique shops. The owners put many of their items out on the sidewalk in front of their stores too, so it’s fun to stroll by, and pop in one or six. Added to this particular weekend on that street, was also a huge church craft fair going on. It’s just a charming area to walk around anyway, and certainly the place to be on that weekend. However, in the midst of all of the wonderful things to enjoy, there was one thing I was most excited about:
photographing the grand ferris wheel.

As we walked around with the kids, I kept looking for another angle that was better than the last.
In the end, I’m not sure I got that one amazing shot I’ve been after for years, but I’ll take them for now, because I do love the ones I did get. And it sure was fun taking them, and editing them with my own flair, as well.

I think this last one after dark fell, is my favorite . . . . . .(although I really love the first one as well…..)

Which one is your favorite?
Please tell me in the comments.
. . . . . . .
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Part II: A Day of Celebration Fun! | Our Triplets’ 10th Birthday

September 10, 2012 By Laura 1 Comment

I told you Part II was coming! There could be a Part III but, I can let it go. It was a big day though, and I took a lot of photos of so many special moments. (If you missed it, you can find Part I here.) But listen, here’s the truth of it all: You know I (we) love to share with you our crafting ideas, house projects, decor, recipes, and all of that. But our kids . . . . . . They are our greatest creation of all! Well, God’s creation, of course, of ours. They are the reason we celebrate, every day. And they really love to see and read the posts on our blog! Especially the ones about them. It’s their childhood memories recorded, for them to hold onto. So if you want to skip it, we won’t hold it against you. : )

So, after their big water balloon fight at the park, we came straight to the beach for just a couple of hours, before dinner and their birthday surprise. Of course they had already been in the sun for some time, so birthdays or not, it was time for sunscreen! Confession time: Over the past 15 years of raising my 4 kids, I have realized there are only 2 ‘mom jobs’ I have really hated: 1) When they were very little, putting on and tying all of their shoes! Uuu-Gh. 2) And the other is putting sunscreen on them. (OH! And the wiping in the bathroom while potty training too! But gosh, that one’s a given. Isn’t it?) Sometimes, Michael and I can still hear in our heads, the little voices yelling from the bathroom, “I’M DONE!!”

What you should know about me is, when I really hate doing something, I’m going to find a way out of it! So all of the shoes and boots thing got to a point with the triplets where I just announced one day “OK! That’s it. Today, we are going to spend the whole day just learning how to put on and tie your very own shoes, all by yourself! Isn’t that exciting, Guys? I don’t really care if you are only 9 months old.” (Kidding.)

For the sunscreen applying, here’s my trick. First I just spray them, and then I line them up like a train . . . . . .

Am I a mean Mama, or what? Turns out, they don’t like putting sunscreen on any more than I do! Imagine that. They just had no idea the fun they were missing out on. For the rest of their bodies, I spray it where it needs to go, and the rub it in themselves. But for their backs, they need each other. What do you think of that?

Personally, I think I’m a genius.

Something had to be done. We practically live on the beach.

The ocean is like our backyard.

They are all serious water babies. Probably most of all Olivia, who is difficult to get out of the water. She even asks to take a shower at really odd times; and I know she just wants/needs to get into the water.

Probably least of all, is Shane. The boy cannot take the cold water! Look at him! Its like . . . . . . excruciating for him! They were trying to all put their feet up together and next to each other, but he just couldn’t stand it any longer, and bailed.

But Olivia and JackMichael managed. And that got me pondering one of those little weird life questions . . . . . .

How can the bottom of 2 little people’s feet, be such different colors? They are siblings. ‘Super-twins’, even. I do know that JM’s feet sweat and stink more. Maybe that is some kind of clue to this mystery. But I’m not sure what to do with it, to figure this out.

Oh; this one. I’ve got to catch you all up on her. She’s got a lot of exciting things happening in her life. Especially for a just-turned-15 year old. And I’ll tell you what else: I think I’ve been warned 1,000 times over in life, about what a nightmare being a parent of a teen is. I’m here to say, if this is as bad as it gets with any of our kids, we’ll be getting off easy! I’m thanking God she’s our ‘trail-blazer’. (That’s what I call her. ; ) That’s my little hot reminder to her, that she is setting an example, every day! Hoping the littles are taking notes!

Not to say she is perfect, by any means . . . . . .

( Taunting her sister with seaweed. )

Remember doing this as a kid? There’s a sure way to get sand in your shorts.

Sometimes, I love to just watch them.

Olivia senses the Mamapaparrazzi is watching.

I’ve got to tell you: My most favorite photo of the day, I can’t even show you! It’s almost killing me, too. But my boy asked me not to please blog it or put on Facebook. (Actually, he said, “You better not!”) And, I would never go ahead and do it anyway. I try very hard not to embarrass my kids, or ever disrespect their privacy, online. When I think of it, I’m pretty happy my mother wasn’t blogging and all over the internet while she was raising . . . you know . . . . Cain. (Or is it…me, who was raising cane? Well, whatever.) But back to the photo of my boy – I’ll just tell you that it involved losing his bathing suit shorts a bit, on his backside. Oh my goodness. It’s just the sweetest shot. When they were little toddlers, and losing their diaper a bit, I thought it was so cute! I would have thought that my gushing over it would go away as they got older but….nope! Still wicked cute. (Ask me again when they are teens. I promise you; There will be no “lookin’ like a fool with their pants on the ground”. ; ) Not cute, and not happening, when they are older.

Anyway. This day was going by too fast. It was time to get home and take showers, before heading to dinner and their big surprise, which would be Part III. But as of this posting, those photos aren’t even processed yet. So in case I never get to it, after dinner we went to our favorite park, and gave them their gift: Razor Scooters in their own colors, and gear. (Helmets, pads, etc.) Boy were they happy! It was awesome to see them so excited, hop right on them and go racing off and racing each other, around the park.

I know most of you have your own joys and blessings, in the way of children, as well. And for those we know, we love to watch your children grow up, in various ways as we can too. It’s nice to share the special (or difficult) moments of this parenting gig, with each other. Kids. They don’t always make life easy. But gosh, they sure do make life worth it! God is so good, and we are so thankful to Him, for blessing us as He has.

Thanks for stopping by. And please say hi. Hope you didn’t get any sand in your shorts while you were here. : )

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A Day of Celebration Fun! | Our Triplets 10th Birthday: Part I

September 3, 2012 By Laura 3 Comments

We have yet another furniture refinish coming up, as well as more fun & easy crafty ideas to share with you all! However, for the sake of those who also like to follow our family’s more personal antics, for this post and a Part II coming up, we are giving a peek via (many) photos into the day of our triplet’s 10th birthday. It was a day jam packed with fun for sure, from morning until bedtime! As the Mama of these 3 babes, I just wanted to really enjoy watching them have fun all day, and casually get a lot of photos of them being 10! Here just some of them from the first part of their day. We hope you enjoy them, if only to realize what a crazy family we are. : )

Michael, their Daddy, needed to run out in the morning for a bit. He was sure he would not be home when they got up in the morning, so he left them a note. (He’s a clever one, with a pen, too.) This got the morning giggles on a roll, and the day’s chaos into 2nd gear, anyway.

He was home before we knew it, and the birthday trio were able to have their traditional birthday number pancakes.

Speaking of 10, I think that’s about how many they each usually eat. I don’t know where it goes.

We decided a great water balloon fight was in order! So we filled 180 balloons, tied them off, and collected them all in a big plastic bin.

As excited as they all were, we suddenly had a whole knew idea for the water balloons:

We wondered which would be more fun: Having the water balloon fight that we planned?…..

or……..

Putting our hedgehog, Pixel, in the bin their on top of all of the water balloons, and watch her freak out as every move she made popped another balloon, with her razor sharp quills! We got laughing pretty hysterically, just imagining the sight of witnessing that. But, we decided that was probably too mean to do to our beloved little pet, and stuck with our original idea.

Our yard is simply not the best area for a balloon fight of this manner, in terms of open wide space. So we hit the great grassy green park, just down the street. Had the whole place to ourselves too!

LET THE WATER BALLOON FIGHT BEGIN!

Alexis hit her target, alright!

But pay-back, was IMMEDIATE!

Run, O!!

JackMichael tried to re-arm himself quickly, without getting hit. But he wasn’t quite fast enough.

This last photo cracks me up, when I look at Shane, on the far right. He often gets laughing so hysterically, he becomes unable to fully function. I am just like he is. I’ve almost drowned more than once, laughing too hard out in deep water. I just sink! Seeing my kids laugh makes my heart so happy. (As long as their not in deep water, of course.)

There was a lot more fun on the agenda this day, including the trio’s big surprise! We hope you enjoyed this post, and look forward to coming back again for Part II!

Have you or your kids had a good water balloon fight this summer? What are your favorite childhood memory activities? Share with us your stories. We’d love to read about them!

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Farmers’ Markets and Photography

July 29, 2012 By Laura 16 Comments

There is just so very much, that I love about this time of the year. One of those things for sure, is going to the farmer’s markets! We have them at a few different locations here in our hometown of Plymouth (MA), and they run from June through October, on Thursdays and Saturdays of every week. One of the original ones has made a new home starting this year, at the Plimoth Plantation.

To begin with, it matters to our family, to support our local farmers and the small business people in our community. We are small business people ourselves, and knowing these vendors have families they are trying to support just like we are, makes us truly appreciate all they are trying to do. Though our specific businesses may be different, we understand the hard work involved in marketing one’s self, producing high quality work, feeling love for what you create, and having little dreams for the success of it all.

And what’s not to love, about fresh and locally grown organic food, and handmade goods anyway?

It’s just enjoyable to walk around with my kids and see what freshness is available week to week, to purchase and bring home for some good old fashioned home cooked, healthy meals. There is always great music to listen to as we stroll around, some handmade goods here and there to check out, and tasty samples offered from various vendors, hoping you’ll buy from them. We love every bit of all of it.

Then for me, is also the opportunity to just have fun, photographing all of the beauty and interest that farmers’ markets display. I often have with me my classic Canon 5D, with my 24-70 mm 1:2.8 L lens. Just loving taking photos of everything and anything, is one of the things that has encouraged me to keep on blogging! It’s an outlet to share some of my favorite photos I’ve taken, for no reason or need for them, other than the joy it brings me just taking them. And so here in this post, is some I took from our last couple of farmers’ market trips. I like to think (and sure hope!), that our readers enjoy the photos of posts as much a I do, when visiting other blogs. Whether it be for the sake of being interested in photography, or for a sense of visualization to the stories being shared.

A dozen organic eggs. Have I told you I want chickens, this week?

I want chickens. This week.

This farmers’ big white truck was parked right behind his stand on the street there. It was the perfect backdrop for my shot.

But I did buy some produce from him, such as corn on the cob, the dozen eggs . . . . . .

. . . . . . and a quart of these blueberries.

How pretty are these mixed arrangements?

A pink cosmo.
Honestly, I think this shot was taken in my own garden, in between farmers’ market trips. But I knew you woudn’t know the difference.

Especially if I’m not even sure.

I can’t tell you how much fresh, locally grown corn on the cob we eat in the summer. We lo-oooove it. And, we’ve been cooking it a whole new and easy way, lately!

I’m going to share that with you all just how, very soon, in an upcoming post.

Sunflowers. Gorgeousness.

I really wanted to buy some. But it wasn’t a need, it was a want. And I need to not buy things we don’t need, right now. Even though I want to.

Olivia is growing a great big tall one in her garden right now anyway. We can’t wait until it blooms.

This young girl, is a talented violinist. Her mom and dad are back-up musicians for her. Her dad was playing guitar, and her mom was playing some kind of drum thing, I believe. The kids and I talked to her for awhile. She goes to college right near where I grew up, and comes home on weekends. Watching her made my son, who plays piano, want to play violin now too.

This guy was firing pizza, and selling it to buyers right there on the green. I bet you anything, he and his family made this clay oven. I thought it was pretty cool to be making pizza right there. Also a little crazy, for the hottest of days.

Homemade beeswax candles. *Matches included!

; ) I don’t know why I thought that was kind of funny marketing.

Edamame.

No, it’s not the same as sugar snap peas, or snow peas.

Carrots.

I’ve never eaten a carrot, that wasn’t orange. Have you? Do they taste the same?

This guy . . . . . this guy’s name is Ray Papile. He has such a great sound, such a great style about him, he sings a great choice of songs, and I just love his voice. Easy listening, for sure. Made me wish I brought a blanket, and a big bottle of wine. I was driving one of my boys crazy, because I was so lost in his music as we strolled around, and I guess I kept saying out loud, “Oh my gosh, I love this guy!” I was having a hard time leaving the market when we were done, because of Ray, here. Can’t wait to here him again. Think I’ll be sure to have that blanket, and bottle of wine next time. Do you think the other market visitors would mind walking around me much?

Yup, farmers’ markets just ring my bell, but good. OH! That’s another thing I love about these markets! They open with the ring of a cowbell! Anyway, it must be the real country girl in me. The one who loves country fairs, and such. I grew up around a lot of this kind of thing. I have so many flash memories of being a kid and running around barefoot at fiddle and banjo, bluegrass kind of festivals. Farmers’ Markets have that kind of feel to me, when there there is some good music playing too. There’s just something about them, that makes me feel right at home.

Thanks for swinging by, listening to me chat, and looking at my photos. It’s nice to have someone to show them to, at least.

Are there any farmers’ markets in your neck of the woods? Do you go to them much, and what are your favorite things to pick up? I’d love to hear all about what yours are like, and what you love most about them.

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How Much Wood, Could a Woodpeck Peck? : (

July 18, 2012 By Laura 5 Comments

This is the telling of a sad little tale.

The refinishing of this birdhouse, has been one of my most favorite projects ever. Between the excitement of using Annie Sloan paint for the first time, the color I fell so in love with, and the YouTube crash course video lesson I watched, on how to paint tiny roses in order to adorn my sweet new birdhouse with, it’s a project I truly enjoyed the process of.

I have to say, it’s held up so well, out there in the weather of all kinds, too. I did put it away for the winter, but otherwise, it has stood right over on the other side of my garden beds, under the apple tree. I have finished projects I’ve done all over my homestead, of course, and I love to see them around. This birdhouse has truly been a piece that still plays a part in bringing me a bit of joy every day.

So imagine my sheer panic this one very (very) early morning this summer: The kids and I were still in bed, and I was still pretty much sleeping. All of our windows were open a little, and I began to stir out of my sleep with the sound of some repetitive rhythm sound on hard wood outside. I was confused by it, being somewhere between asleep and awake, and so I tried to bring myself out of the grog I was in, wondering if I was dreaming, or what. But next thing I know, I hear little feet hit the floor hard, and come booming across the house floor, and my son yelling, “Mama, there’s a woodpecker pecking your birdhouse outside!”

That woke me up! The idea of the damage a woodpecker could do, had me wide-eyes, out of bed, out the front door, down the deck steps and out to the gardens, in a flash. My abrupt arrival scared the woodpecker, and I watched him fly away. The peaceful silence after the commotion, caught my attention. Even the birds stopped chirping. As I stood there in my summer nightie, in front of my house beside the street, amidst my gardens, our neighbor friend drove by in his truck to leave for work, and gave me a wave.
It occurred to me in that moment, that it was a good thing I wear pajamas to bed.

I sauntered over to the birdhouse slowly, not sure I really wanted to assess the damage done.

{SIGH}. It looked like the woodpecker figured a hole already there, was a good place to start.
I put a trash bag over the house for the day, not sure what I was going to do about the matter. But as the day went on, I thought, “What a cool photo that would have been, to get a shot of the woodpecker at the birdhouse.” That’s what photographers do. Think through life in images we’d love to get, as moments frozen forever. So I took that bag off, and had my camera with my 70-200mm 2.8 lens on it, waiting by the open window near my work area in my house. I listened, and I checked repeatedly, for that woodpecker. All day long. But he never came back. I thought that was the end of it.

Until very (very) early the next morning, of course. While we were all still sleeping. I jumped out of bed again, grabbed my waiting camera, and opened the window. But as soon as I did, he flew away. My boy and I, having both gotten a good look at the bird, decided it was a Downy Woodpecker. They are the most common in this area, and the description and picture matched. I was really hoping to catch him flying to the birdhouse, and get him when he just landed on it. Before he got to work again. Preferably the day before, while I waiting and so ready-window open already and everything. I should have known it would come back the next morning, at the same time. So these after-damage photos I show you were taken after morning 2. In the end, you can see the window opening was pecked on both sides, but it also did damage to the arched trim over the window, which is a much softer wood.

I put the bag back on it, and left it on for several days after that. Then I took it off, thinking; even a woodpecked birdhouse looked better than a black trash bag on a post. If the woodpecker did come back yet again, I was going to have to consider taking the birdhouse in for good, or, I don’t know…..installing some kind of taser device on it. A security system of sorts. But the woodpecker has not been back since. For which I’m thankful!

When I refinished this birdhouse, and it came out so pretty, it really was my little hope, that some sweet little birds would move in.
It just never occurred to me, a woodpecker would come along, and decide the window wasn’t big enough for him. Silly me.

So maybe none of us ever did find out the answer, to the question: How much wood, could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
But now we know how much wood could a woodpeck peck, if a woodpeck, could peck wood.
Too much! : (

P.S. In the last week or so, we’ve actually noticed 2 woodchucks waddling around our property, too.
So if we learn the answer to the first riddle, we’ll let you know. ; )

LET THE WATER BALLOON FIGHT BEGIN!

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