Jan 2, 2017
If you’ve seen any of our past Christmas cards – you’ve probably caught on to the fact that we don’t do traditional cards. I post so many pictures on our blog every year that printing one out and sending it to our friends seems so boring. So instead of looking for the perfect family picture – I think how can I present the card differently. We’ve done a pop-up, we’ve done a spinning wheel, chalk drawings and interesting folds (with superheroes). The graphic designer in me just likes to be a little non-traditional.
This year’s card is no different. When we dressed up as fast food mascots for Halloween, we figured we’d make a card out of it. I saw a similar idea to this card online and I figured we could make it work for our themed card.
Yes, I’m on my Christmas card dressed as a clown – never thought I would say that! When the cards were printed I showed Steve and he laughed as he opened and shut the card multiple times. Then he said – You are a creepy clown! True story. Short, red, permed hair will not be in my future.
Next year we’re going to surprise everyone and do a traditional photo without the funny business. 😉
Nov 22, 2016
This boy invited many special people to his baptism. And an invite gives me a good excuse to do an extended photoshoot!
I’m used to designing baptism invitation for girls – so designing for a boy was a little different for me. I still use the invite we created for Hallie’s baptism. In fact two friends last week used it for their daughter’s baptism. I need to learn how to design for boys; it is my future!
Aug 18, 2016
I designed these a while back. It took me some time to actually get them printed. Once they were printed they sat on my desk for way too long. I finally got most of them out just before we left for the summer, with a few stragglers still sitting on my desk. That my friends is the difference between the first child and the fifth child!
May 20, 2016
Having a baby can be a tough adjustment. It’s like hopping on a merry-go-round for a good solid 10 rotations, then jumping off and running as fast as you can in any direction. There’s a good chance you’ll stumble, throw-up and then you’ll most likely end up on your back, nauseous as the clouds and sky continue to circle above you. If you’re lucky, you might be able to perform this task with grace and make it look easy. But no matter how graceful you try and make such a difficult dismount – it’s doesn’t change the fact that you spent 10 rotations on the merry-go-round – essentially jumbling every single aspect of your life. And it takes some time laying on your back before the clouds start to slow and you start to see straight again.
Unfortunately, the whole time you’re laying on your back getting your bearings straight – life is still moving on around you. Laundry still has to be done, dinner still needs to be cooked and children still need to get to and from school. It’s all a little overwhelming.
Luckily, the effects of a merry-go-round are typically temporary. I finally feel as though I’m not on my back anymore. The clouds and the sky have slowed in their spinning. The dizziness has subsided. I’m thinking more clearly and I’m overcome with gratitude for all those that stepped in to help us out.
Countless friends, neighbors, family and church members have served us over the last two months. They’ve taken our kids to play, made dinner, dropped off gifts, came to visit, given us words of encouragement – all of which was deeply appreciated. On more than one occasion their acts of service were a direct answer to my prayers in a time of need. People are kind and giving and supportive. The load on our family during this time was significantly lighter thanks to all those who offered unsolicited help (because we all know it’s hard to ask for help sometimes!)
Thank you.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Mar 23, 2016
I’ve mentioned before that winter in Arizona is amazing. (It’s what gets us through our toasty summers!) And every winter we get a crew of visitors escaping their winter weather. Our door is always open for visitors. We love it. Our kids love it. The minute someone walks out the door our kids are asking who our next visitor is.
This winter we’ve had an abnormally high number of visitors. When my mom was here, we were naming off all the friends/family we’ve been able to see. We crunched the numbers and figured since December 27 through my mom leaving on March 15, we had someone in our guest room for 49 out of 79 days. The longest visitor was my brother who was here for a week with his family right after Christmas and three additional weeks (although not consecutively) for work. When we say we love visitors, we really do mean it.
I even changed out some artwork in the guest room to reflect our love for visitors.
Looking for inexpensive artwork?
Grab a 24×36 frame from Hobby Lobby.
Print out a saying at Staples as an engineer print. (There’s plenty of Etsy shops that sell digital files to quotes and sayings if you don’t want to design one yourself.) The print will cost you less than $4 for black and white.
It’s cheap enough that when we grow tired of visitors we can change the saying!
