{I Heart Faces} Anything But A Face Photo Challenge

I'm having a little photography fun today, and entering a contest with ...



This week's contest theme is “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes … Anything But A Face!”

This was taken at a little friend's birthday party, where the kids got to decorate their own cupcakes {you can imagine the excitement!}. At the time, I was playing around with camera focus, and my hubby encouraged me to get a shot of our son holding his cupcake, with the focus on the sweet treat! I have loved this colorful shot ever since!

Doesn't it make your mouth water?! :-)

Little Projects ...

Projects, sketches, and papers are always coming home with the kids from various places ... school, Sunday School, daycare, the gym, etc. Sometimes, it feels like we are drowning in little trinkets and half-finished art projects.

Other times, it feels like we've found a special treasure.

My son formed this bowl out of clay in Sunday school, and my daughter made the little heart during a children's choir practice break. They brought them home and each project went its separate way for a few days ... the bowl to dry, the heart to sit on the counter waiting to be 'mended' (two of the beads still need to be ironed back on!).

One evening, my daughter placed her heart in her brother's bowl and declared, "There! That's pretty!", and slid it into a place of prominence on the counter.

I have to agree ... it is pretty, and adds a simple splash of color and charm to the kitchen counter. So, this one will stay on display on the kitchen counter for a while. It makes me smile ... and who doesn't need to begin and end their day with a smile.

I Heart Faces Phone Photo Challenge

I'm having a little photography fun today, and entering a contest with ...



This week's contest theme is 'Cell Phone', and this is one of my absolute favorite pictures taken with my Droid ... to me it's a picture of absolute joy and fun (and a bit of surprise!). My last words to them before snapping this picture were, "Just don't get wet!" :-)

Valentine Love ...

Such fun yesterday ... Valentine's parties and kids dressed in red, pink, and white barely able to contain themselves as they peered into their Valentine's treat bags!

Our school's high schoolers sell Val-O-Grams as an annual fundraiser. Parents can write a sweet note to their child that is delivered during the school day, accompanied by a treat, balloon, and/or a song ("So Happy Together" by the high school boys Acappella choir!).

I thought my daughter's preschool classroom was a sea of red hearts, after the high schoolers made their deliveries. But, it was nothing compared to the school day's end. If only I'd had my camera ... kids streaming out of their classrooms to the carpool lines ... the majority holding red heart balloons! What a sight!

My son's class made Abe Lincoln hats to hold their Valentines, and learned a bit of a history lesson along the way ... apparently President Lincoln kept his mail in his hat!

Hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day, filled with smiles.

G. Williker's ...

Do you remember the charming, boutique bookstore owned by Meg Ryan's character in "You've Got Mail"?

I loved that bookstore. It made me want to own a bookstore. It was charming and welcoming and successful. Well, until Fox Books showed up! :-)

For my birthday, my family took me on a little weekend trip to Hood River, a charming little town nestled in the shadow of Mt. Hood and situated right on the Columbia River. Gorgeous!

The downtown area is bursting with unique shops and hip restaurants ... including our family favorite - G. Williker's Toy Shoppe!

I've never been so taken with a toy shop. Every inch housed something new to look at ... toys we had never seen before at other stores. It was completely enchanting. It made me want to own a toy store.

We decided we needed to schedule a quarterly drive to Hood River, armed with a list of all upcoming birthdays and holidays, to purchase gifts from this hidden gem!

Have you made any fun discoveries lately?!