I'm Bragging Again!

My (fantastic) photographer daughter-in-law and my (delightful) designer niece have joined forces this year for Christmas and come up with a line of letterpress cards that are sure to make the holidays a little bit merrier. These are just a few of the darling, fold-out cards Kristin has created, and there's something extra special about that letterpress look, isn't there? You can find more of their artistry at Tendershootz...and please, feel free to compliment them effusively. heehee (I always do!) Surprise, surprise.

Of course, if the flat front card is more your style...

(Note: The faux-hawks don't come with the card...)

=)

PS. Kinda fun, huh? These girls rock!!

PPS. I wish this were a giveaway, but I'm afraid all I can do is brag. These cards were made exclusively for Tendershootz, so only the handful of you who've had a shoot with Heather could even order them. Of course, if anyone needs a good photographer and will be in one of these areas in the next couple of months, here's her travel schedule:

Oak Glen Sept 25th (CA)

Mission Beach Oct 9th (CA)

Murrieta Park Oct 16th (CA)

Oct 23rd Temecula wildlife location (CA)

Oct 30th Corona Heritage Park (CA)

UCR Botanical Gardens Nov 6th (CA)

Utah Nov 13th

Bay Area, CA Nov 26th

Out, Damned Spot?

Saturday Centus is Jenny Matlock's writing meme, and I am a BIG fan. The task? To add 100 words to her thought-inducing prompt and come up with one small gem of a story. Here is my attempt for this week. (The prompt, as usual, is in red.)

∞§∞

Out, Damned Spot?

This is never going to come out, she thought as she scrubbed at the spot on the worn carpet.

Suddenly her mind filled with images: happy kids, aglow with wonder, racing to the old oak tree to see what magic friendly elves might do; dripping bodies poised pool-side, ready to do battle for that neon-yellow toothpick down below; small, chip-dipping fingers, diving into luscious salsa, bound to leave its scarlet stain on Grandma’s ground.

Grandma’s ground. Indoor-outdoor carpet resists stains, but her heart couldn’t resist the memory of those fun and feisty stain-makers. Maybe that’s why the stain wouldn’t come out. It belonged there.

Slowly, her fingers moved away. Preserve your memories, she thought, then lightly touched the dark red memory spot.

Let's Take the Long Way Home

I just devoured Gail Caldwell's "Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship." In fact, I almost swallowed it whole...and it has left me exactly the way I like to be left by a depthy book on an almost autumn evening (reflective, sentient, and a little weepy), with that good kind of cry that makes you feel clean and sad and peaceful all the way through.

There's a mood that comes with this kind of reading material, one that makes me feel young because I used to cultivate it. Well, that's not exactly right. First the feeling would come upon me, and then I would cultivate it. Because it was seductive, in its way...a purple melancholy, washed in a burnished sort of joy that didn't quite fit but made me want to wear it anyway.

I can write almost anything when this mood comes along. And Gail Caldwell's memoir of friendship has delivered it.

I won't give you any more on this one; the title says it all. Just know that if you dive into Ms. Caldwell's book, you will be the richer for it. And, just maybe, your friendships will be, too.

=)

Playing Inside (with Rainbows)

©1995 Susan Noyes Anderson, Lollipops

Sometimes I close my eyes to see

what’s going on inside.

At first, it just goes dark, but then

my mind’s eye opens wide.

I look beyond the darkness till

I find my private screen,

lit up with rainbow colors

that I’ve never, ever seen.

A yellow yummagummy bird,

a redalicious rose,

a purple popple-opplegator,

wearing sky-green clothes.

A submarine with four wheels,

painted fire engine blue;

a hibernating humphog

in a lavender igloo.

What fun it is to look inside

and see my mind at play.

It only takes a minute, but

it makes me laugh all day!

AGT Has Me Stumped!

Okay, I am not usually a huge fan of America's Got Talent, but I have to admit that this year the show has earned its name. Last night's finale performances were pretty impressive, and I ended up not voting because I couldn't make up my mind which act was most deserving. My suspicion is that each one of them will end up with a professional career.

I've already shown you a video of the young girl who sings opera, Jackie Evancho. Last night, she sang Ave Maria to near perfection and wowed the judges and crowd. My only reservation with Jackie is that I fear she is pushing herself (or being pushed) too far, too fast. The child is ten years old, and I'm not convinced that so much single-minded focus on one aspect of her development is healthy. Sometimes, things she says during interviews and her demeanor while saying them make the therapist in me sit up and take notice. Soooo, I get a bit queasy imagining her hurtled into a huge career at this point. Of course, she will have one eventually. And I do love her voice!

My personal favorite is probably Michael Grimm, a bluesy singer/guitar player whose voice is soulful honey to my ears. And his humility is pretty appealing, too, though sometimes it sort of makes we want to shake him...or slap him around a little bit. (I know, this is a complete contradiction.) Am I crazy? Perhaps. But I'm also crazy about Michael. And his rendering of When a Man Loves a Woman was visceral. Standing O from the audience, and Ozzie Osbourne is backing him, too (a dubious honor). Whatev. This guy can sing his heart out.

Prince Poppycock is San Francisco "camp" gone wild, and he does a good job of it. Besides having an operatic voice that approaches Jackie Evancho's, he is clearly a genius with performance art. Even if he isn't your cup of tea, ya gotta give him props. And he sort of is my cup of tea, sometimes. (How's that for ambivalence?) Last night he sang the heck out of Nessun Dorma. And I LOVE Nessun Dorma. I almost love Poppycock, too. Almost. Piers Morgan, on the other hand, buzzed his performance last night. Piers is a rather smug, irritating, attention-seeker this year. Just sayin'.

Finally, a bunch of frat guys who got together and dreamed up an act that will surely make it to Vegas, one way or another, has formed an act called Defying Gravity. It's pretty great to watch, reminiscent of Blue Man Group in one way and yet very different in every other. Hard to describe exactly what they do, but suffice to say that their bodies seem to float through the air, acting out a story that is visually compelling. While they are probably my least favorite, they are pretty dang cool. (Unfortunately, a slight but revealing error last night may cost them.)

Like I said, yours truly didn't vote! But America did. And tonight, we will all find out who the winner(s) are. My opinion? No matter who wins, he (she or they) deserve(s) it!

=)

PS. I should have mentioned the well-choreographed number that included some of the most talented non-finalists. Those guys rocked it!

Families Make Me Happy: Preserve Your Memories

Some of you have already seen my family photo wall

(the one in my bedroom hallway, as featured on Salsa Pie).

But what you haven't seen yet is THIS one

(the one that lives in my regular, non-bedroom hallway)!

My husband's mom made this collage many years ago.

I made this one...We were celebrating Thanksgiving.

This was one of our many annual Newport Beach family reunions...

while a family trip to Yosemite is pictured in this frame.

Look! Here's a grouping of extended family pictures...

and an early photo of Dave, me, and Frosty with our first baby.

Matt and Heather's wedding was a beautiful event...

And Karin and Bobby's wasn't too bad, either!

These are my little ones, now grown into way bigger ones.

And this is The Family: A Proclamation to the World,

which explains why my family is so important to me.