New toy

I've found such an awesome accessory for my camera. I bought it here, and you can read about it here. It's called a light scoop--maybe everyone else has seen this, but I saw it in a photog magazine and it looked like what I needed. I despise the shadows and flashbulb-in-the-face look that many of my indoors shots have. This little add-on takes your flash and bounces it off a white or cream-colored wall or ceiling, diffusing the flash for a more natural-looking photos.

I give you Without Light Scoop (heinous):

And With Light Scoop (yummy):

These shots were taken with equal settings, same spot, etc. There is also a gold reflector called a Warming Light Scoop that give you a golden tone--nice for portraits. I know you can fiddle with your shots in Photoshop to sometimes get equal results, but I was so impressed by this invention. If you click around on Adorama, you can see package deals for both scoops, plus it's FREE SHIPPING, baby! Disclaimer: no, not getting any kickbacks for this, just a satisfied customer.

And oh yeah, like my teapot??? I got it at an antique market in Zhanjiang. The lid is gone, and the spout is chipped, but my hydrangeas don't care. The vendor said the poem on the back is about spring, and it's supposed to be from the early 1900's. That's much more believable than this:I didn't pay much for it ($25), but the guy said it's from the 1500's (yes, as in the 16th century, not the repro factory at 1521 Zhanjiang St.). It's supposed to be a burial object, and from the dirt and actual soil I cleaned off it, I believe it. I looked on ebay for similar/identical items, and their dating concurs--and theirs are going for nutso prices. It's heavy, and very old, and I love the colors--perfect for a shelf in Sophie's bedroom. Parts of it are glazed, and where it isn't glazed, the paint is very unstable. Even a toothbrush makes the paint rub off. If I was taken for a ride/given a phenomenal deal, here's the guy you need to avoid/patronize if you ever go antiquing in Zhanjiang on a pretty spring day:

Great Find!

Who doesn't love a good deal? Thanks to imommies.com, I found a great deal on eating out at a great price. Go to www.restaurant.com, put in your ZIP code and how far you're willing to drive. A list of participating restaurants will come up. Some are well-known chains (we found one for Fuddrucker's); others are, well, let's just say my list also showed a local fleabag motel/attached bar that didn't pique my interest for a nice, quiet dinner with my dear hubby or a nice, noisy dinner with my dear five children. Each restaurant has different requirements and certificate values, so be sure to note that before buying. imommies.com also suggested putting in the ZIP codes of places you plan to travel on vacation.

Buuuut wait! Theeeere's more! :o) Until Sunday, you can get a 50% discount on your certificate's cost by entering SIZZLING in the promo code box at checkout. How it played out for us: we bought a $25 certificate/$10 at the promo rate of $5. We are required to spend at least $35 to use it (no problem). We'll be able to go eat out with the whole gang for a pittance! Oh yeah, one more thing. You can print the certificates when it's convenient, and most are good for one year from the time of purchase. Viva la pennypinching! Let me know if you score some good deals!

Fun at Grandma's house

Grandma & Grandaddy have great climbing trees at their house. When Doug was growing up, he said they were small, but now they're perfect for the grandchildren. That's what I should be thinking when I look at the little dinky limbs in the trees we planted since we moved here, I suppose. Right now, a birdfeeder is about all they can handle!

Three of the cousins are within a few months age of each other. A. was born in October, Wyatt followed in January, and K. two weeks later.

Just Being Boys

"I'm ref-ing. And eating grass. And pretty much just being cute."

Adoption Retreat

We had a great time last weekend at a retreat center in the mountains. It was for Mennonite adoptive and fostering families--it truly was beautiful to see "all the little children of the world." We heard a miracle story in which God preserved the precious life of an infant who was hours from death, through precise adoption travel. We heard another miracle story of the diagnosis, emotional healing, and attachment (with the help of a competent, professional therapist!) of a child exhibiting behaviors of RAD due to the horrors she had experienced. We learned from the BeenThereDoneThat families, which is so valuable. There were children everywhere, and they all made so many new friends whom they told, "See you next year!"

The bond of common heritage

There were babies to love...

...places to go...

And of course, hair to "fix."

Lovely Hope...Sophie claimed her all weekend, and told me several times, "She's my sistah!"

Chirp!2

They're growing! You can see how much even one day's jump in hatching has on their development...the oldest one is much fuzzier! You can almost hear him yelling, "Moooooooommmmmm!"
I know. I can identify. I hear & see this exact expression on a regular basis.

Oh great. Now he's waking the whole nest!
Again, I identify.
*click this photo to wonder along with me: "What IS that???"

Scrapping again

I'm trying to do some catching up. Here's a page I did with some pics I posted earlier.Credits:
Papers & Raffia-Mindy Terasawa "Green Tea"
Notebook paper, staple frame-Leah Riordan "Funky Floral"
Burnt edge paper, rusty clip-Digidelights "Little Turtle"
Worn Alpha Signs-Gunhilde
Font-Juice
(all freebies except M.T.)

Chirp!

The cardinals in the rosebush on the porch began hatching yesterday. It's totally amazing to watch this up close. These ugly little fuzzballs hatched out of tiny eggs and already know they're supposed to do this when the mother bumps the nest and chirps:
*if you click on the photo, it'll enlarge it so you can see the little egg tooth he used to peck his way out!

Ordinary Sunday

Our Sundays are usually very low-key if we're home--just like Doug & I experienced growing up (500 miles apart). Our families did/do the same thing pretty much every Sunday: go to church, come home and eat a nice big lunch--but we call it "Sunday dinner," and EVERYONE finds something quiet to do for the whole afternoon while the littlest ones and the biggest ones have naps. It's the Mennonite way. :o) Yeah, can't you almost hear the violin and Reb Tevye breaking into "Tradition"??? :o)

Following is a photo-essay of one of our traditional Sunday evenings:

After naps, have a snack supper. Usually popcorn, ice cream, cheese & crackers, etc.

The children love to go ride bikes at the elevator. It's the one day of the week that there are no vehicles driving around, and there are so many places to ride (and hide. Another favorite thing to do is hide & seek with Daddy--but he knows the best places because he grew up and almost lives here.).

They also like to listen for the train whistle so they can count cars and admire grafitti. Sometimes they get a shift and the children can talk to the guy who drives the train!

How did these get in here? Oh yeah, Daddy got hold of mommy's camera. I think he wanted to capture Real Life. And he did.
Sophie's expression says it all: "This is what I have to deal with on a daily basis."

"On a scale of 1-10, how annoying is this? Maybe an eleven or twelve."

Ok, back to nice stuff again. I've been practicing with DoF. I love that this shows the pretty flowers and Grandma's house in the background.

"After the storm passes, take time to smell the petunias."

It's June!

I can see the signs of early summer in my yard:

A cardinal nest in my rosebush

Gorgeous poppies blooming against a beautiful sky

Ladybugs!

Well-fed Bumblebees

Sharing a popsicle with a friend

...and a very definite need for baths

(Related quote of the day, after he discovered my bath puff in the shower: "I'm never using a regular washcloth again!" He was so very, very impressed by the amount of suds you can generate.) :o)