Knitting, Purling, and Knitting some more!

I have been busy working up my fingerless mitts for my etsy shop. I started out with this pair first:

And I have two more sets to photograph and post. I'm pretty stoked that it also gives me some great photography opportunities. And I especially love this photo:

Tell me what you think! They are made from 100% Peruvian Wool, so they are warm and toasty.

Workwear Product Shots

Yumi's Horse Clinic with Barb Apple

In September, Yumi got to participate in the Barb Apple Horse Clinic at her training ranch in Yelm. Barb Apple is known as the local horse whisperer, although she is known nationally. Yumi had worked hard all summer to earn enough money to pay for the camp, so it was a big deal!


This is Disco. He loves to please and according to Barb, is scared to mess up, so he can be a little timid. Poor baby!




Bad Disco! Trying to sneak snacks while Yumi isn't looking!

Now there's a horse head if I ever saw one. Hi, Disco!

The farm kitty liked to hang out in the play field. She's not scared of horses.

Thanks, Barb, for the wonderful time of learning for my daughter! She had a blast and benefited greatly from your patient teaching!

Linders Photoshoot

A few weeks ago I spent the afternoon photographing the Linder Family. It was my biggest group yet but was a ton of fun.

The baby was so cute!

Adorable eyes!

The guys are pretty silly.

Sweet couple!

Thanks, Linder family, for letting me do this with you! Hope you enjoy your pics!

Grief Stirs

Today I picked up a box of apples from a friend whose brother brings them over from his orchard in Yakima. Fresh Gala apples! Now I need to figure out what to do with all these apples.

However, this post is not about the apples.

While I was there, my friend's husband was there and came over to chat. He retired recently in April and was telling me of his retirement activities. As he was telling me about his garden, I could see the glimmer in his eye (behind his sunglasses) while he shared with me the peace and joy he receives from being out in his garden. "When I'm out here, I can't see the roads, just this bit of nature, and I love it."

It totally took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting it. It came from out of nowhere and I had to put my own sunglasses back on to hide the tears that were forming in my eyes. To see the joy on this man's face reminded me of my dad. I never got to see much of the joy of retirement on my dad's face. He hadn't talked to me for the last three or so years; when I went to see him in the hospital in El Paso, that was the first time in a long time.

This man told me about how he enjoys his family more now and realizes how much he had missed out on all those years with working. It made me wonder if my dad had any regrets. If he ever realized before he died how much of his family's lives he missed out on. How much of mine. How much of my kids'. This life is so fleeting.

And grief shows up unexpectedly.

Group Photo Time

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. I had both my siblings here, so it was a convergence of all seven of my parents' grandchildren. After cake and presents, grandma requested a photo be taken of all the kids.

So I gathered them all on the couch, and told them we were taking a picture. This was the first take:

I don't know where the "Home Alone" kid came from. Or is it "The Scream" by Edvard Munch:

Either way, unacceptable, so we had to take another:

Yumi is the oldest of the grandchildren, I might add.

Zombie Attack!

THEY ARE AFTER US! Plus Mr. Burns, who wants to release the hounds, in the center.

C'mon, kids, give me a serious picture. Grandma wants a serious picture of all her grandchildren:

Grandma was in hysterics over this set of pictures. I was finally able to convince the kiddoes to put on a smiley face and make a nice photo for Grandma for her birthday. 5/7 looking at me isn't that bad. I'll take it.

How do YOU get this many children to behave for a group photo? (Not a rhetorical question!)

Adorable Family Alert

The other day my friend Pia asked if I could take some photos of her adorable little family. Well, it was more like a couple months ago that she asked and I added the "adorable" part to her family. She had a specific time in mind so we waited for the right timing, after a certain birthday. But we finally got together and got it done.

The happy couple of parents


The adorable insta-smile daughter

The precocious 2-year old who refused to look at me with my camera

And a special moment between the two

Were they not adorable? I have yet to process all the photos and make the CD for them but wanted to offer a sneak peek right here. Since I am still trying to figure out how to get the sharpest photos possible, I am anxious to see how these print up.