Tag: Christmas

Lala Loved the Ukelele!

Laura really, really wanted a ukelele.  She thought her husband was getting one for her.   He gave her birthstone earrings instead!

She and James came to Mark and Erika’s today  after having been at James’ family Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. We had a festive time opening presents and watching the kids play with their new toys.  Preparing a nice dinner, too.

So this was one of the fun moments of Christmas for me.  She wasn’t expecting her mom to get her a ukelele.  But I did!

Thanks Pittsburgh Guitars on Carson Street, SouthSide!

The man who sold it to me suggested I put her face on the box on top of the model’s and I added James’ face from a photo I cut up of the two of them.

He told me he was selling at least a ukelele or two every day.  This one came with a gig bag and a tuner.

It was just a good time as I sat on the floor, grabbed the camera and caught her excitement.  Laura learned a couple of chords and Matthew accompanied her on the guitar.  Seeing her so excited felt wonderful.

(and yes that is Cardinal Donald Wuerl, born in Pittsburgh,  in the right hand corner of the television and the photograph)

Laura got her Ukelele

by Categories: Family, Music, PhotographyTags: , , , , , , , , , 7 Comments

Murphy Waits for Santa

Kids asleep. Presents wrapped. The adults listening to Vince Guaraldi. The homemade cookies left for Santa on a special plate but I have to tell you this is the first I’ve seen a bowl of raw cauliflower and another of water for the reindeer. We always did carrots.
I was looking for a paper clip to try to weave in a loose end of yarn on a knitting project/gift and Marlene produced a package with two yarn needles! Talk about timing. We went to the four o’clock and then Mark and Matthew picked up Persian takeout- another first for Christmas Eve.
Definitely a foggy Christmas Eve. Laura and James coming in the morning. All is quiet, all is calm. Wishing all blog readers a peaceful day, whatever you’re doing on the 25th.

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Front Porch Ambient Light Portrait- Godmother/Goddaughter

Taking photos of people on the front porch is the nicest light.  Not too much, not too little. Like Baby Bear- it’s just right!

No squinting from the midday sun either (but there really wasn’t any full sun this weekend, due to some thick cloud cover and rain, rain, rain)

Was out visiting in Columbus and getting ready to go home.  Matty and Maura and I were in a separate car from the rest of the family due to schedules and timing.  We swung by Laura and James’ house to see their freshly decorated tree that a few hours earlier had been tied on the roof of their car.  I took a Christmas photo of them in their living room so had the camera out as we headed back to the car.  “Quick” Laura said. “Godmother, goddaughter shot!” Pressed once and it shot two in quick succession.

And that is how the Front Porch Ambient Light Portrait got taken on Sunday afternoon before I headed back to Pittsburgh to start a new school week.

Godmother and Goddaughter Front Porch Potrait

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Two Subjects

Christmas 2009
Jack and Woody or rather Woody and Jack

You can check out fellow bloggers responses to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Two Subjects

by Categories: Childhood, Weekly Photo ChallengeTags: , , , , , , , , , 63 Comments

Three Magi

From the archives. Three Magi. Apple boxes. Found the apple packing and storing company listing.

Was reading about the dismantling of the Christmas stuff at my son’s in Ohio and knew it was Twelfth Night and the end of Christmas. This photo came to mind. The three kings, Epiphany. Bearing gifts. Traveling so far.

These are the big wooden boxes used when the apples are picked in the orchard. You can see them stacked up in tall piles as you drive around this part of the country. You get a new appreciation for the effort it takes to grow fruit. These three apple boxes were just placed like this along the path where we’d walk the dogs.

by Categories: Photo from My Archives, PhotographyTags: , , , , , , , , 12 Comments

Living proof about the box it came in….

It wasn't that he didn't like the Lincoln Logs but needed someone to help build with him and we were setting the table and making breakfast.

 

This looks set up but it is as it happened.  The first shot a blur with his brother and this one the clearer image but Michael caught me with the camera catching him playing in the box the Lincoln Logs came in-

classic, cliche, you’ve heard it a hundred times but his mom alerted me to witness the occurrence. Loving playing in the BOX!

Later he and his dad built a log cabin and fence but it’s going to take quiet concentration and a day with less activity to master Lincoln Log building skills.

 

by Categories: Childhood, FamilyTags: , , , , , , , 16 Comments

Milk and Cookies Placement and Polish Christmas Eve

Acrobatics on the ottoman make the magical setting real.

Probably the last year for second grader Anna to believe that Santa will come and eat that plate of cookies and the carrots will be eaten by the reindeer.  We had a Polish Christmas eve honoring Erika’s father’s heritage

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Inspired by Smile,Kiddo

People tell me they see things they didn’t see before looking at my photos on the blog-

And now that happened to me!
Sitting on the floor, wrapping presents,  I saw a smiley in the floor- where the French doors go.

Almost a wink at me!
Thanks Stef for training my brain to find smiles everywhere. check out smile kiddo

It was an iPhone post today.  Fat fingers and tiny letters. YIKEs. Forgive the typo, Stef. I edited but know the subscribers will see your title spelled incorrectly. I am reposting it new so it is correct.  So much for trying to post from the phone.

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First Day of Winter Still Life in My Kitchen

Friends joined me for tea, even though they weren’t in Pittsburgh.

You can see out the kitchen back door window to the back porch and garage, the bare trees.  The shortest day of light.  Winter officially here.

Two dear friends in KY sent a shipment of fancy English muffins and the Fed Ex man delivered them Wednesday afternoon.  It seemed a good time to split one, toast it and spread some butter (with my Grandmother’s silver butter knife) and spoon some apricot preserves.

Went to fire up the kettle to brew tea but I’d burned the kettle dry on Monday so boiled a pot of water to make the tea. Pulled out the camera on the phone to capture the scene

Oranges were on sale 10 for $2 today and lately they were almost a dollar apiece.

A faithful  blog reader in Virgina, C, (and  best friend of a my good friend J in Omaha) made me the little quilted mug mat last year and it was  J who gave me the lidded butter dish another year.  The Botanic Garden mug matches my mother’s cereal bowls.

I was home alone but in the presence of friends and family remembered.  Finding the joy of winter.  My neighbor called to report a vibrant rainbow spotting and perhaps I could photograph it.  i went outside and it was still raining and saw the colored arch across the street.  I photographed it but it didn’t make the cut for posting but i appreciate when people see something and I come to mind. There was thunder and lightning, too.

Yes, that is a stack of woven potholders on the left counter top.

"...and she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China......"
by Categories: Cooking and Eating, PhotographyTags: , , , , , , , , , 15 Comments

Vanessa’s Party Shoe Presses the Piano Pedal Plus Nina’s High Heel, Too

Young and trendy.  Stylish and chic.  These fancy shoes separate the youthful fashionable and the older woman’s footwear.   I wore brown clogs. Quite a different look!

It was a good party. The live music made it great. The singing, the piano playing. The friends. The snow was falling as the night wore on.  We’d seen a bad pileup on Bigelow Boulevard and the exit ramp due to black ice on our way to the party. Wondered if we should turn around and go home and avoid the first treacherous driving of the season.

But we were almost there so went forward with the evening’s plans-

the weather discussion goes on forever around these parts and it is usually not good

……Vanessa said she is 5’1″ and that these shoes are really comfortable.  I had to ask.  I was fascinated with the glamorous high heel.

I can’t even imagine.  She seemed to maneuver perfectly. Vanessa and Nina sang and Luke played the piano and sang, too.  He can transpose into any key.  Incredibly talented young man looking at colleges now.

I had asked to blog the women and they agreed but didn’t get permission to show Luke on the blog.   Nina has a website here.   I’ll email and ask so it may be up with the three of them.

Vanessa sitting down and Nina standing
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