it's the holiday season *

I'm so excited about this new etsy shop that is opening...

Simply Rosie Images

Check out the lovely holiday cards that my beautiful and talented friend Rosie of Simply Rosie Photography has created with photographs that she takes. They make me want to sit by the fire and enjoy a hot cup of cocoa, or to put on the brightest colors in my closet and go for a walk on a cold winter day. 

Visit her blog to enter to win a set of them for your very own!

Good Luck! 

(but secretly I hope I win them, and if I do, perhaps if you leave me a note here I'll mail you one!

Cuz getting snail mail is too much fun!) *grin*

harvest party!

Tonight we enjoyed a lovely time at our friend {molly}'s harvest party.

Delicious healthy foods.

Meeting new friends.

Carving pumpkins . . . 

would be contest, but there was no one competing in our tier bracket.

*wink*

I think our 'chillaxin cowboy' is totally cute!

jarfly greeting cards

I'm trying to win some super cute cards from a talented artist : Jarfly.  

Check out her collections here!

( and feel free to enter the contest yourself )

Wish me luck!

symphonic colors

Oregon Symphony's 1st concert of the season :

Held for free outdoors at the waterfront the perfect venue for an evening with my {hubby} & some friends complete with the 1812 Overture & canons & finale fireworks.

Boaters came out to enjoy the concert.

The cutie {hsu} kiddos.

 

beautiful breezy, our cover girl

Tonight we held our usual Wed. Night Dinner at our friend's: the {andrews}...

but this time we had to say good-bye, farewell, see you later!

to our good friend {breezy} who is leaving us for school on the East Coast.

She is an amazing person. So loving.

So caring. So much fun to be with.

I just love this girl.

We're gonna miss her so much!

 With {breezy}, & {shawna}.

God Bless! And come back and see us on your school vacations. :)

darth-momma

{momma} got her locks of hair chopped off today...

Here are a few photos of the process:

~ Before ~

~ During ~

(and hence the 'darth-momma' title)

and

~ After ~

Isn't she cute?

the old & the new.

A lovely day spent with an old friend meeting new friends.

With a lunch trip to the delicious Elephant Delicatessen,

frozen yogurt dessert at SkinniDip,

and an afternoon cappuccino at Stumptown in Ace Hotel downtown.

I'd say this day was filled with many of my favorite things...

but I'd have to say what made it extra special

was getting to share it with my good friend {j9} and 

our two new friends {jenny} & {molly}.

teenage-mutant-ninja-nephew

Thirteen years ago today I became "{auntie Em}" when my first nephew {quentin aubrey} was born.  I was instantly in love. And like any new auntie, I most definitely had his photo in my wallet and bragged about him everywhere I went. He was (and I know I'm bias, but still) the cutest thing to enter this world. {q} was the most personable little boy ever to be had... able to converse with and engage people of all ages.  He even had a little business card at one point that read : " 1/4 boy, 3/4 man. "

It's hard to believe that lil {q} is now a teenager.

I love 'em just the same.

climbing the rock

letting out a roar as he prepares to jump. . . 

leap of faith

Happy Birthday {q}.

You're not really a teenage-mutant-ninja-nephew...

You're actually da man. *wink*

see if this works: a little clip from the past... lil hipster {q}

and brother boy band.

" i wanna be filled. . .

... with the Triune God, He makes me happy I want to be filled with Him! "

Sing to the Lord a new song!

I wish I had a photo to represent the enjoyment flooding out of my friend's living room this evening. With one over-flowing Camp Canby-er returned... she filled the room with her whole heart-felt singing and struck a chord in everyone's heart to sing to the Lord a new song! Even my oldest nephews were there calling out songs, singing from their heart, and rejoicing in the Lord.  Just the way a home gathering should be. 

You know they touched their spirits because the whole ride home there was not a bickering to be had, instead they just kept singing to the Lord at the tops of their lungs. . . letting the world know of their love for the Lord.

Sweet contentment in my soul when our hearts are filled with joy and praise to the One who is beyond worthy.

the cousin art corner

Art lessons : Puddle People (or Potato People).

[Paint a potato with one or two carrots for legs. Let dry. Then add the details.]

Passing on a cute art lesson that my great-auntie {genie} shared with me many years ago.

What an awesome job they did!

{noah} the cutie!

{acacia} & {quentin}. 

{anthony} & {sarah}. 

(^^ my creation). 

{noah}'s starwars puddle-people creation. 

^^ {sarah}'s potato/puddle people.

^^ {acacia}'s potato/puddle people.