Commissioning Day for Aly

So now I have a half of a month for which to catch you up. You can catch up over a couple of days if you find it’s a bit overwhelming to look at 15 pictures in one sitting.  I should never have let my blog go this long, but life does come up. The above picture was taken of my youngest son while we were waiting for Aly (my daughter) to be commissioned at her church for her mission to Africa. It’s not a very good picture…kinda artsy…but it provides an emotion that we were all feeling.  We were happy for my daughter, but sad that we would not see her for 5 months.

Day 16: My husband's Yummy Spaghetti

It seems that whenever I run out of good ideas, I return to taking pictures of my husband’s food.  It is always yummy and he always plates it attractively (even if it’s just for the fam.)  This particular recipe had sausage in it and a little kick from something spicy.  It was a winner.

Day 17: My Shower

I confess that I stole this idea from one of my contacts on Flickr. I wanted to do a little stop action with water and thought my shower was the best place to try it.

Day 18: Fungi

Saw this on a walk with the dog.  I’m not very happy with it, so I won’t make any other comments. Suffice it to say that I was lazy again on day 18.

Day 19: Class time

I took a class from Kevin Focht over a PPSOP.com called “Posing Men”.  It was only a 2 week class and I might have mentioned it in another blog post.  This assignment had to do with getting the right light using strobes or small flashes. This was not one of the photos I turned in.  It was the first one I took and it had the expression I see on Patrick’s face all the time when he looks at me like I’m a little crazy. Anyway, maybe I can sell it on the microstock market.

Day 20: Steak for dinner

What did I tell you?  When I run out of ideas, Yes! Chef (my husband) to the rescue.  We have not had steak for a long time and I got a couple of T-bones on sale.  My husband cooked them to perfection and served them with my favorite veggie:  green beans.  I couldn’t eat the whole steak, so I ate it over two days.  But it was quite tasty. That’s Yes! Chef in the background.

Day 21: Obie waits patiently for his evening cookie

I’m sensing a theme here.  I wait until the end of the day and then I have nothing to take a picture of, so I point my camera at either the dog, my husband or my youngest (if he’s around.)  This could turn into a real boring year if this pattern continues.

Day 22: A tree runs from the storm trailing her hair behind her

At last I had some really great subjects because a snowstorm hit the area.  To me it looked like a woman’s hair blowing in the wind as she ran from the storm.  I rather like this photo. (Pats herself on the back)

Day 23: a photo for a motion challenge

I joined a photographer’s weekly challenge on Facebook.  For this week, the challenge was “Motion”.  I set these flowers up in front of my window, put my camera on a tripod and zoomed my lens out while using a very slow shutter speed.  As much as I enjoyed making this photo (and believe me I spent about an hour zooming in on all kinds of different subjects), sadly, I didn’t win the Challenge.  I use this same technique at weddings during the dancing at the reception.  It adds a bit of motion to the shot rather than having people frozen in time in some silly dancing pose.

Day 24: Frustration Sets in

You know it’s beginning to get pretty desperate when the photographer takes a picture of a photographer taking a picture.  I thought the idea was a good one and spent quite a bit of time on this project.  The results were not quite what I had in mind.

This would be a good time to take a break and stretch your legs a bit, even though the rest of the pictures are pretty dang good…

Okay.  The next day I joined at 365 Project where the members are sent an email every day with a theme.  I had to wait one day before I got my first theme, so here’s my last lame-o theme-less picture.

Day 25: Let's make banana bread

My husband was out of town and he mentioned that I shouldn’t throw away the bananas because we could make bread out of them.  So, while he was gone I did just that.

Day 26: Theme Windows

Now that I actually have some direction because I’m receiving a theme every day, I can start taking some meaningful pics.  The idea of this Take-a-photo-a-day-for-a-year Project is to improve my photography and stretch what little creativity I have into something more.  I again turned to my youngest son and because in my photography eyes are where the personality is, I thought I would do a riff on eyes being the window to the soul. He is actually looking into one of my Ipad (Eyepad) apps that simulate a window and window light.  But, it made a really nice catchlight in the shape of a window. Yes! (Pumps her fist in the air.)

Day 27: Clouds

The theme that came in my email on Day 27 was: Clouds.  Just my luck!  Not a cloud in the sky.  So, I solicited the help of my oldest son and his girlfriend to set up this shot outside in the blazing cloudless sky. It seemed a lot better in my head.  But, I am learning.

Day 28: Texture

I bet you didn’t think that I actually made banana bread.  How wrong you were.  In this case, I was able to practice my food photography using the bread and my strobes. Banana bread has great texture.

Day 29: Water

New theme in the email:  Water.  Again, I  used my strobes to try depict the wetness of water.  This theme was very fun.  I think I’m beginning to like this project.

Day 30: Symmetry

A little tougher theme for me.  I pondered it for quite a while until I spied my grandmother’s Trifle Dish between the slats of my dining room chair.  It’s not the best picture in the world, but it is somewhat creative and demonstrates the theme.

Day 31: Winter

Hmmm…theme for this day was Winter.  We hadn’t had any sort of clouds or winter-like weather since that little snowstorm that blew thru.  In fact, temps were in the high 50′s.  So, a friend of mine suggested that I set up a little scene that would look like winter.  I got out my snow boots and gloves, put them by the furnace and poured a little water on them to make them look like they were all drippy.  Voila:  Winter!

And that was the end of my first month.  My goal is to improve my photography and my creativity.  Hopefully by day 366, I will see improvement in both.

If you stayed until the end, or came back to view the rest of my photos I congratulate you. I will also reward you with  a free 8×10 if you book a mini shoot with me by the end of February.  Code:  ISAWALLTHEPHOTOS.  Contact me at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net.

366 Project Day 8

If all else fails, take a picture of my husband’s food.  My husband (I call him “Yes! Chef”) is one of the best cooks I know.  He studied under a local chef (John Evans of Zack Jack’s) for a year or so working in his restaurant.  He also does some catering for some of the local wineries.  Cooking is his hobby and passion, not his vocation.  One of the reasons I took a couple of food photography courses over at ppsop.com is because I wanted to photograph my husband’s food.  So, as I go thru this daily challenge of taking a meaningful photo every day, more than a few of them will undoubtedly be of my husband’s food.  The above shot is of some Bangers and Mash that he made with some sausages he got from my brother as a Christmas present.

Yes! Chef's Chicken Noodle Soup

Oh!  What’s this?  Another shot of Yes! Chef’s food.  Anybody that knows our family, knows that if it’s Sunday, my husband makes Roast Chicken.  We call it Roast chicken Sunday and I look forward to it every week.  The day after Roast Chicken Sunday, we roast the leftover bones and make stock.  Then we frequently make Roast Chicken Sunday soup. It was most tasty!

She will float away if you don't hold on to her...

My daughter called me on Day10 and asked if I would do a quick photo shoot with her and her boyfriend because she was getting ready to leave for a Mission in Africa and they wanted some pictures of themselves while they were apart (5 months).  I’m always happy to take photos of my family and especially happy to take photos of people that are happy…especially with each other.  This is just one of the photos I captured that I especially liked.  If you would like to see a little slideshow I made of the event, go here:  The Adventures of Aly and Brian.

Day 11...editing

I wish I could show a more creative and exciting photo for Day 11, but I spent the whole day delightedly editing my daughter’s photo session.

Day 12

The point of this daily challenge is not to take snapshots (see Day 11), but to think about the photo that you will take each day.  In the end, my photography should improve.  Here is a set up I used earlier in the year and I wanted to try out my snoot on my flash. It didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted, but this is a learning experiment.

Day 13...what the heck?

After my celebration experiment on Day 12, I gathered up the confetti (really some of our shredded paperwork) and placed it on some black shiny plexiglass next to our window.  I liked the colorful reflection and I thought the confetti would add some interest.  Maybe not.  As I said, this is a photographic journey…so back off.

Day 14: Sunset in Old Town Sac Town

I had the opportunity to do a little photo shoot in Sacramento on day 14. Around sunset we headed down to the river and I caught this shot.  I love to use this building as a backdrop for some of my portraits.  It is a pretty building all by itself.

Well (dusts off her hands)…another week done.

Want a fun photo shoot for a Valentine’s Day present?  You and your honey can have a quick photoshoot like I did for my daughter and her boyfriend along with a quick slide show.  The photoshoot took less than an hour. Contact me at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net for the details.

I think I might have mentioned that I decided to try the 365 Challenge:  Take one Meaningful Photo per day.  I think the key word here is “meaningful”.  I can click the shutter all day long at any shiny, pretty, colorful thing I see.  I call it Crow Photography.  (I have coined the phrase, so if you use it be sure and give me credit!).  Meaningful is a whole ‘nother topic.  “They” say that if I take a photo every day that has some thought put behind it, my photography will improve. “They” must know because “they” write books about it and show off their amazing photos.  As far as I’m concerned, the jury is still out and will be until I can place my photos taken at the beginning of this year next to the, hopefully, eye-popping ones that will be presented at the end of the year.  Stay tuned.

I’ve also joined a group that has a weekly challenge.  The photographers that participate in this group are the judges.  It is a little scary to put your work out to other photographers that you know and admire.  At any rate, this week’s challenge is “Creative Motion” and I submitted the above photo.  Voting starts tomorrow.  There are some very creative entries so far. My photo was taken of a still subject and I zoomed the lens as I was pushing the shutter. I was so enamored with the process, that I spent a good hour just finding subjects and zooming my lens in and out.  Most of the photos didn’t turn out, but it was hecka fun playing around.

As I was contemplating how to be creative with motion on Sunday, it began to snow…the first snow of the season.  So, I did snap a couple of snow photos to “try out” for the competition.

This photo reminded me of a tree running from the storm with her long “hair” flowing behind her.  I like this photo, but it doesn’t really fit the “Creative Motion” category.  If there were a “Tree that looks like body parts” category, I would probably win.  Not likely to happen.

This one has more “motion” with the falling snowflakes, but it’s not very creative.  I wish there were a bird on the flower pot.  It still wouldn’t really fit the category, but the photo would be way more interesting.  Hmmm…a little photoshop maybe?

I shot this one out my back door yesterday (the snow had already melted) by turning the camera as I pushed the shutter.  While this kind of thing is fun to do and sometimes makes for an interesting photo…there is not much skill involved.

Today is another day and time to think about a new “meaningful” photo.  Where’s my dog…Obie!

Mini photo shoots are lots of fun.  Contact me for an appointment.  I promise I won’t spin the camera. (Although it might be an interesting shot…) schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net

My Facebook Cover for week of January 23, 2011

I know I am a bit tardy in posting the “Best of” for 2011.  After all, it is almost the end of January.  Most photographers put up their “Best of” a week into the new year.  Not me.  Always behind the curve.  It took me a long time to decide what I wanted to say with my slideshow.  I wanted to start pulling out all the photos that I would enter into a print competition, but my mouse kept clicking on the ones that were emotional to me.  So…I went with my gut.

Some of these photos I have entered into competitions.  Some have even won a First, Second or Third.  I am humbled and honored by those awards because I have competed against some very fine photographers.  But the bulk of these photos are not the most technically correct nor have the best composition nor the most fantastic bokeh.  Nor do they take your breath away.  Some are even a bit blurry.  But I love each and every one and I remember the exact moment that the shutter was clicked and why I took the photo.

So here they are.  I hope you enjoy.

2011:  The Photographer’s Favorites

PPS.  I would really like to embed this slideshow on my blog, but I apparently don’t have the Ninja Skills that it takes to figure it out.  So, I’ve included a link (above). But because hope springs eternal, I’m leaving the embed code below just in case it decides to magically work later on.

<iframe src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/35422794?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0″ width=”398″ height=”224″ frameborder=”0″ webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

PPS.  Don’t try to figure out the meaning of my Facebook Cover (above).  I just love to design with scrapbook elements and I love Lori Davison’s (scrapbook graphics) work.

I had a last minute opportunity to participate in a photo shoot in a wonderful old garage in downtown Sacramento with two great (and very handsome) guys and a beautiful woman. Two other photographers also grabbed the opportunity and we all met down at the garage, which was heavily graffiti laden.  There were four huge doors opening into this garage which allowed wonderful, natural light in to the otherwise dark interior. The gentleman above, John, was covered in tattoos, which went quite well with the graffiti.

This is Jonathan and I’ve shot him before, a couple of years ago in Napa.  The garage also provided a wonderful backdrop for him, with his blue eyes and well-built frame. Yes ladies, you can swoon and be envious over my good fortune being able to photograph these men.

John, above, is also a cage fighter.  I don’t know too much about cage fighting except that I understand it can be brutal.  However, John was one of the nicest men I have met in a very long time. He had never participated in a photo shoot before, but he was very natural and easy to work with.

We had a bit of fun with the whole fight scene.  The light was so pretty behind them and the graffiti matched very well with the scene.

As it began to get a bit darker, we decided to go down to Old Town Sacramento to get a couple of sunset shots.  It was a beautiful evening and the subject matter was equally beautiful.

This gal was a gymnast and we thought she looked great in evening clothes with the lights of the Tower Bridge behind her.  She was a delight.

If you would like to have your portrait done for beautiful photos worthy of hanging on your walls, please contact me at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net or 530-647-8120.

January 1, 2012

So, I’ve joined the ranks of the “take one picture per day for a year” crowd. I take pictures frequently.  In fact, I’ve probably taken tens of thousands of pictures just last year.  I know I threw away more than 10,000 photos as I was going thru 2011 to find “The Best of 2011″ (which I will be posting later on.)  So, taking pictures every day is not really a challenge.  Taking good and/or meaningful pictures every day is a challenge and I see that I ran up against the wall just this week.

For day one I had several options…an 8 point buck, a flock of turkeys, my husband’s New Year’s Day food and pics of my family.  I will usually opt for a people picture, and especially a family picture, over other things any day of the week, so I thought this one of my daughter, her boyfriend and my husband with champagne glasses would be a good start to the new project.

January 2, 2012

January 2, 2012 was all about recovery.  My husband and I were home alone after several weeks of enjoying lots of company and Christmas celebration.  I love Christmas time because there’s lots of stuff going on and we get to host lots of people.  However, I also enjoy quiet evenings at home with my husband.  We watched football and movies and my husband cooked a simple Cheeseburger with freshly ground meat, cheddar cheese and marinated red onions.  We also had green beans with toasted almonds.  Simple, but luxurious and very tasty.  We even sat in front of the tv and watched “A Perfect Murder”, which was based on the Hitchcock movie, “Dial M for Murder” that we saw the night before.

January 3, 2012

On January 3, 2012, while Obie and I were out for a walk, I saw this tree and found it very “appealing”!  The ant was a bonus.

January 4, 2012

The next day I had quite a few photos to choose from because I was looking for things to photograph for a weekly challenge I participate in. I was photographing one of my favorite places when the sun started to go down.  It didn’t look like it was going to be a good sunset, but I waited and my patience paid off.

January 5, 2012

I admit that it was a rather slow day at the Schmautz Haus on January 5 and so I resorted to taking pictures of the wildlife.  It’s not a particularly good picture, so I will try to do better.

January 6, 2012

Day 6 was relatively uneventful until I decided to remove my outdoor Christmas decorations and discovered that my socks exactly matched one of my Christmas snowflake decorationss. I was delighted with this and couldn’t help but take a picture of it.  Actually, I took several pictures, but this was the best one.  The women in my family (my daughter and myself) love to wear colorful or interesting socks. In fact, we go out of our way to buy each other fun socks when we come across them.  So, this photo is probably only exciting to me (and perhaps my daughter.)

January 7, 2012

Finally today’s entry was all about another challenge.   The Challenge group I belong to has a new photography challenge every week.  The picture must be taken during the week of the challenge.  This week I got to choose the challenge subject because I won the challenge from the previous week. (Yea me!) So, I chose Depth of Field (or bokeh).  A shallow depth of field generally involves focusing on one thing in the photo, while the rest of the photo blurs out.  The blurred out portion of the photo either helps to tell the story or becomes indistinguishable.  The viewer’s eyes are drawn to the item that is sharply in focus. I got the idea for this picture while I was taking down my Christmas decorations.  This isn’t necessarily the photo that I will be submitting, but practice makes perfect.

Hopefully I will become more creative thru the process of taking a meaningful picture every day.

If you’d like to set up a photoshoot for you or a family member, or if you are interested in purchasing any of my photos, please contact me at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net or visit my website:  Sierra Springs Photography

When last we saw Edmond Elf, he was outside waiting for a mysterious visitor (after getting into the eggnog.)  As it began to grow dark, Edmond realized that his visitor was not going to show that day. He assured me that his visitor would show up, but Edmond must have gotten his days mixed up (stupid Ephone).  So, he encouraged me to dust off my Christmas piano music and play some tunes that he could sing along. So, I obliged the little elf and turned to some of my favorites. Edmond, of course, favored anything having to do with Santa, elves or toys. Although his favorite is Joy to the World.

Some of the traditional songs I played inspired him to check out one of my nativity scenes. He was absolutely enthralled with the baby Jesus and sat quietly while I played “Silent Night”, “We Three Kings” and “Away in the Manger”.  He told me my playing was magical, but I scoffed and told him he was probably just emotional about the whole meaning of Christmas.

Don’t say anything to him, but his voice isn’t very good, although he sings with great enthusiasm. I was hoping that he was done with the singing because it was beginning to make my ears bleed, but as I sit here writing this, I can hear him  “Fa la la la la-ing”  in another part of the house.  Frankly, I’m not in any hurry to see what he’s up to now, considering what he got into after the singing.

After I finished playing I thought it was safe to leave the room for a while.  But as I walked by the living room later on, I saw that he was terrorizing a small Christmas village that my youngest son sets up every Christmas on top of the piano.

The Villagers all seemed to be running from him in terror as he merrily yelled out, “Fe Fi Ho Ho Hum, I smell Christmas Cookies,” and “Bring out your Sweets” and other terrifying commands.   Sigh.  I asked him to please leave the peaceful villagers alone and help me clean the house for Christmas Cleaning Day.  That seemed like a good idea to him and he hopped off the piano to help me out.

He quickly lost interest in cleaning when he saw that it involved wet rags, brooms and smelly sprays that did not in the slightest smell like Christmas or cookies baking.

He found his chance to be a treetop Elf Angel and without any Lightning Bolt throwing angels around, he climbed the “tree” and declared himself Master of the Universe or some such nonsense. When I didn’t make any sort of comment, he hopped off the tree and ran down the hall shouting, “Run, run as fast as you can.  You can’t catch me I’m the Ginger-Elf Man”. (Note to self:  Stop reading Children’s Stories to Edmond.)

I didn’t pay much attention to him until I heard paper ripping.  Then I did run down the hall and here’s what greeted my wondering eyes:

My sudden entry into the other room startled him and caused him to fall into the package that he had opened up.

Serves the little imp right.  He told me he thought it was an early Christmas present for him because it had his hat on the outside. And even if it wasn’t an early Christmas present for him, he saw that it wasn’t wrapped very well, so he was trying to rewrap it for me.

“You know, Edmond”, I said with a large sigh. “I do not have time today to be chasing after you and cleaning up your messes. Company is arriving at the house tomorrow and I needed to get the house in shape. “  He said he thought the house looked pretty good, but probably needed more lights and maybe another Christmas tree or two.  He offered to help.  I don’t know what got into me, but I decided that I needed to contain him for a while just so I could get some things done around the house, finish wrapping (and re-wrapping) Christmas gifts and do a little cooking.

So…I contained him.

At least I put him in a Christmas cup.

(no elves were hurt during the filming of this post.)

Contact me for a quick portrait session after Christmas to update your Social Media.  Quick, painless and great pics.  schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net

When I got home last night it seemed a little quiet and then when I walked into the kitchen, I was greeted by this. What in the world was Edmond Elf up to now?

I decided that I wouldn’t interfere unless he got into real trouble just because I was curious to see what he would do.  He eventually discovered that if he flapped his one arm and kicked his legs, he could swing the door. I still wasn’t quite sure what he was up to, but I did think it was more than just swinging around on a cabinet door.

He apparently enjoyed swinging around, because he swung back and forth a couple of times before he collapsed inside the cabinet in a fit of giggles. He is a merry little elf.

It seemed that Edmond wanted to try some Eggnog, which I wouldn’t have minded. All he had to do was ask. However he had other ideas.  He apparently spent the afternoon watching old Christmas movies and got the idea that the eggnog needed to be spiced up with more than nutmeg.

So, when he got down the whiskey, dragged out the eggnog , and began to unscrew the top off the whiskey, I thought it was time to step in before he got into big trouble. When he saw me, he tried to make up some story about a friend coming by and how rude it would be if he didn’t show his friend some hospitality.  I suggested that there are other ways to show your “friends” hospitality. And when he took one whiff of the Whiskey, and just about keeled over, he agreed.

Anyway, he said he had a better idea about how to greet his “friend” and hurried out the door while I was cleaning up his project.

Hmmmm, maybe he really was expecting a visitor. I wonder who?

For a quick portrait shoot that’s painless and easy, contact me at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal. and we can set up an appointment.

Edmond Attacks the Santas

I was just beginning to think that Edmond had been fairly good since his last adventure.  I figured “Cookie”, his girlfriend, was a good influence on him.  He had made a beautiful Christmas card and he was keeping a low profile.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.   This morning, as I rounded the corner the above scene greeted me!  What?

Shock and Awe

I have developed a little Santa Collection over the years and I put them by the front door to greet any visitors that may come by at Christmas time.  Apparently, Edmond decided he would have a little fun with these Santas.  He dragged a bag of mini-marshmallows into the entry and began pelting the unsuspecting Santas.  Several of them fell over out of shock.  The rest were in awe of what the little elf was capable of. I guess he figured he was already in the “Naughty” category, so he might as well go all the way.  No sooner had I shooed him away so that I could clean up the carnage (no Santas were hurt during the filming of this post), when I heard the candy jar top being unscrewed.

I hurried into the other room, and discovered this:

Edmond Pop

I need to apologize to the men in my life because I had accused them of eating all the candy when all along it was this little imp.  The bad thing is that he wasn’t the least bit remorseful.  In fact, he was rather proud of his accomplishment and offered me first lick.

Edmond put in his thumb and pulled out a pop

I didn’t think that was a good idea, so I told him that I was on a diet.  He looked a little hurt, so I assured him that it was the thought that counted.  Probably the whole candy thing was a ruse because just as I was beginning to relax a bit, he was off on his real mission:  to challenge the Angel Christmas Tree Topper.

Edmond Challenges the Angel

Luckily, she’s not quite as sweet and gentle as she looks.  She put the potential coup down in one quick lightning bolt aimed just past the little elf to teach him not to fool with her.  I was a little surprised because I had never seen that side of her before. (Note to self:  Don’t tick off the Angels.)

I think that whole episode scared a little bit of sense into Edmond because he hurried away and hid.  Unfortunately, he’s not very good at hiding.  I found him  in the basket of Santa hats with his hands covering his eyes.  I guess he figures that if he can’t see me, I can’t see him. I pretended like I didn’t see him so he would stay there for a while waiting for me to find him.  Every time I walk by the basket I hear giggling.  I’m sure he will figure it out soon enough and then I will have my hands full.  But, for the time being I’ll let him think I’m still looking for him.

Edmond "hides" in the Santa Hats

PS. you may be wondering why I have a basket of Santa hats.  When you visit my house at Christmas time, we always invite you to get into the spirit and wear a Santa Hat.  You would be surprised at how wearing a Santa Hat can brighten your day and make others feel good too.  Joy! to the World Christ the Savior is born.

If you would like a mini portrait shoot, contact me at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net.  I’ll make sure I leave Edmond at home.

Edmond Finds a Girlfriend

Edmond apparently got into my digital scrapbooking stash overnight and created a few items for me. Ever since he saw the Shelf Elf with the cute Barbie in a flashy Barbie car, he’s been busy trying to find a suitable companion for himself. He rummaged around until he found “Cookie”, but she came with a reindeer chaperone. He seemed to be okay with that because she is such cute “arm candy”.

He also got into the spirit of Christmas decorating by decorating a Christmas Card.

Edmond's Christmas Card

I don’t think he understands the fine art of subtlety.  Here’s a piece of advice, Edmond: Less is more.

Anyway, my oldest son and his darling girlfriend stopped by last night on their way to a Christmas party at a local winery (Miraflores).  So I snapped a few photos of them while they were here and all dolled up. I put together a sweet little Christmas card with one of the pics.

Of course, not to be outdone, Edmond had to get into the act and again inserted himself (literally)…

Edmond inserts himself

It’s kind of  ironic that Edmond would do this to an otherwise lovely Christmas card because my oldest has always been a ham and frequently tweeks me by doing something goofy in a picture.  Payback is a bother.

I don’t know where he gets his weird sense of humor…

Anyway, as I was getting ready to post this, I happened to find this very lovely Christmas card underneath a pile of digital scrapbooking stuff that Edmond neglected to put away.  My sentiments exactly.

.

Never a dull moment around here.

If you’d like to have a portrait to help you remember these types of moments, contact me at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net