Gracie: Almost 6 Months Old

My granddaughter, Gracie, and her daddy visited today while her mommy worked out, and of course, I couldn't help but take her picture.  Max said her mommy looks like this when she's tired.



Her pretty little outfit with matching headband was given to her by our mutual friend, Laura Burbank.  Thank you, Laura.

Christmas Symbolism

You know how some people try to find symbolism and meaning in everything? Well, while I may not do that exactly, I did wonder if the Christmas cactus actually had anything to do with Christmas and if it contained any symbolism in relation to Christ.   I don't want to be one of those people who try really hard to make something fit when it doesn't, but then I realized that if Christ is, indeed, the Creator... and I believe He is... then it stands to reason that His creation will reveal things about and have a connection with Him, right?



A Christmas cactus is also known as a holiday cactus, because it generally blooms around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.   It's scientific name is zygocactus, which is Greek meaning 'joined or yoked cactus', because of its segmented 'leaves'.  Whenever I think of words having a Greek name or origin, I always think of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  Anyway, if you're familiar with the teachings of Jesus, you might have been reminded of His invitation found in Matthew 11:28-30:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Who couldn't use a little rest, huh?

A Christmas cactus is an epiphyte, another Greek word meaning 'upon plant', because if a segment is broken off, it can grow on another plant, but is not parasitic.   Rather, it is a type of symbiotic relationship called commensalism in which one organism benefits while the other neither benefits, nor is harmed. Jesus invites us to abide in Him in a relationship that promises blessings.

While the Christmas cactus can be propagated through seeds, it is generally propagated using one or more of its segments.  If you know anything about Christianity, you know that it is propagated by spreading the 'seed' of the Good News, also known as the Gospel, but it is most effectively propagated through personal contact and discipleship.   It is only when we are willing to give of ourselves and love one another, as Christ commands, that others can know and come to understand the love of Christ.

So... how's that for symbolism? Do you think it's a stretch? Or could it be a small part of God's revelation to man through His creation?

The Gift

I recently did a photo shoot for a brand new family for Christmas.  Little Annabelle is a precious and long awaited gift.  Thank you, Lord, for giving her life.





This was the last shot I took after the session was finished and I was ready to put my camera away.   Annabelle looked so peaceful and adorable in her little baby hammock, I just had to get that last shot in.

The Storyteller

I did a Christmas family photo shoot a couple of days ago. This is one of my fave shots from the session. I asked a question about their recent holiday trip, and their son was quick to give an account. Candids tend to be some of my favorite shots, because they show natural interaction and expression.



Thank you, Rahne, Kris, and family! You all are so much fun!

Gracie: 5 Months Old

We had so much fun with Gracie a couple of nights ago. At first, Sally was checking her out, and Gracie kept trying to reach out and touch her, but Sally decided she wasn't interested.



Gracie wants to get moving so badly. She loves doing 'push-ups' and 'flying', and although she can inch herself backward and rotate, she still has not yet figured out how to crawl. She practiced so much that she became a tired Gracie. She's growing so fast...

Tea Tree Oil and Kitties Don't Mix

This past Wednesday, we had a scare after I'd attempted to remove a tick from my daughter's kitty, Leslie, using tea tree oil.  Little did I know that tea tree oil is extremely toxic to cats and can even lead to death.  (Tea Tree Oil Toxicity) After examining the tick and bite, my daughter did some research online and gave Leslie some raw food mixed with charcoal.  I posted a plea for prayer on Facebook, as well as asking for prayer during our evening Bible study/prayer meeting, and we just continued to watch her and keep her hydrated.



Later in the evening, she began to act just a bit differently... a little quiet, but she still seemed okay.  My daughter took her up to bed as she usually does, and the next morning, I waited anxiously for them both to come downstairs.  Not only did Leslie seem to be herself again, but she even invited my daughter to play a game of hide-n-seek!  Yay!  Thank you, Lord!

Texture by David Gunter

Gracie: Baby Dedication

Today, Max and Emily presented Gracie, as well as themselves, to the Lord in a dedication ceremony.







Pastor took Gracie in his arms and explained that dedicating one's baby to the Lord does not secure eternal salvation and an entrance into heaven for her, but it is a public display of the parents' decision to raise her in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.   (Ephesians 6:4) Gracie will one day have to seek the Lord herself and choose to trust Him as her Savior.

He also encouraged church members to support Max and Emily in their endeavor, and promised that as a church, he and the teachers would strive to teach her about God and His Word.





After saying a prayer and handing Gracie back over to her parents, Pastor presented Max and Emily with a little New Testament for Gracie.  It warms my heart to see the love Max and Emily have for her and the Lord, and the dedication our pastor has to being a good under-shepherd.

Senior Portrait: Josh 2011

Josh is a wonderful young man who loves basketball and food.  He also loves the Lord and helps with a children's church ministry.   He's kind of an extension of our family, too.  Thank you, Josh, for allowing me to take your senior portrait. :)





















Which one is your fave?

A Message of Love

I took this shot of the morning sky almost two weeks ago because I thought the patterns and textures were so beautiful. It wasn't until I went to process the photo that I noticed the small heart of light. Isn't it cool when God sends us a message of love when we least expect it?

"But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared..." --Titus 3:4

Fruits Game

I am the 'game lady' for a children's Bible club, and I wanted to come up with a game that would teach the kids about the fruits of the Spirit vs. the works of the flesh. (Galatians 5:13-26) So, I drew pieces of fruit and labeled them.  The kids had to sort them, considering which are good 'fruits' and which are bad... which ones are pleasing to God and which are not.  I thought it might help them really consider the fruits of the Spirit and the works of the flesh more seriously if they had to actually read the words and consider which category each one belonged.  It also gave us an opportunity to teach them what some of the words and characteristics mean.  Maybe you can use this idea for your own children's ministry, and if you have any ideas of games you've played that teach, I hope you'll leave a comment and share your own tips.  Thanks!  :)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." --Galatians 5:22, 23

Why Be Nice?

“Love is always bestowed as a gift—freely, willingly, and without expectation. We don’t love to be loved; we love to love.”  --Leo F. Buscaglia

Why be nice? Why do you do the things you do?  This is something that has been on my mind for a while now, but a Facebook friend’s status caused me to revisit it.

How would you feel if you knew someone did nice things for you in order to get something back in return?   I know we usually do things for people to make them happy, to meet a need, to let them know they are loved and valued, and when they’re happy, we’re happy.  So, it’s true that we usually gain at least the benefit of happiness ourselves, even if being made happy is not our motivation.   But what if you knew that the person’s primary reason for doing nice things for you was to make themselves likable and happy and even to get something in return?  Would you feel loved... or would you feel used?

I think it’s somewhat natural for us to subconsciously hope for something in return, even if only for a response in kind expressing an acceptance of the thoughtfulness or friendship. But have you ever done something nice for someone in secret... anonymously, simply because you knew it was something they needed?   Usually, in those instances, because the person doesn’t know who to thank, they end up thanking God, and He gets the glory.  On the flip side, have you ever done things to make someone happy and then become hurt or even upset when they seemed to ignore you or take you for granted?   I confess that I have felt that before... even recently.  Why do we sometimes feel that way? The Bible reveals that we get upset when we don’t get what we want or expect.   (James 4:1-3)  Sometimes our expectations are realistic.   The greater the level of intimacy or connection in a relationship, the greater and more realistic the expectation.   Just be sure the feelings of connection and intimacy are mutual lest you become disappointed when your expectations are not met.  Sometimes our responses reveal that our expectations and motivations are more self-focused.   If we are truly doing something for someone else, then we should do so with an attitude of not expecting anything in return, else we are in essence doing it primarily for ourselves.

A good friend of mine has said that people, but especially children, want to know two basic things: 1) Who’s in charge? and 2) Am I loved?  We all want to be loved and valued.  John tells us that we love God, because He first loved us.  (1 John 4:19)  And Jesus said we are no different from others if we simply love those who love us.   So instead, we should be like God, our Father, and love and bless even those who hate us... and use us.   (Matthew 5:43-48)   So, why be nice even if it seems to get you no where?  Because it’s the right thing... the loving thing to do.

Chocolate

Here, have some chocolate. Feel better now? --Anonymous

“Nobody knows the truffles I’ve seen!” --Anonymous

“Chocolate is nature’s way of making up for Mondays.” --Anonymous

“Look, there’s no metaphysics on earth like chocolates.” --Fernando Pessoa, Portugueses poet (1888-1935)

I had actually bought these chocolates last Monday when I took my daughter and niece for a girls' day out. We hit a few thrift stores, walked down Church Street in Burlington, had lunch at Sweetwaters and then bought some chocolate from Lake Champlain Chocolates for dessert. Yum!

Happy Monday!  (^_~)

New Friends and New Places

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter and I, along with her puppy, Sally, met Dash on our way to a doggie park as we walked through Burlington's Waterfront Park.  Dash was so excited and wanted to play, but Sally was a bit nervous.



Can you see Dash's nose twitching?  He had such a great personality!



Dash's owner is such a sweet lady.  She was so patient, understanding and tender toward Sally, she seemed like a female version of Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer.  Her other dog, Tyga, seemed to sense Sally's nervousness and being a lot bigger than she, he approached her gently and then romped off to explore and play by himself.   Sally eventually warmed up and even began to timidly approach Tyga.  It was a good socialization experience.  Thank you, Sharon!



On the way to and around the doggie park via a dirt path, we came across old foundations or concrete walkways on which someone painted various patterns of line art.



As we continued on the path, it lead to the water's edge, and we noticed a small man-made peninsula and just had to explore it to the end.  There was some sort of old metal frame at the end and in the water, but we couldn't get a sense of its purpose.



Earlier, off to the side of a more wooded area of the path, we had noticed a makeshift tent and campsite nestled in the trees and thick vines.  And then further down the path and along the water's edge, we came across this bar of soap, as well as a pair of dingy white socks and bright pink undies hanging in a tree.  Hmmm...



Although the fall foliage wasn't at its peak, there were pockets of pretty peakness.



Because medium to large sized dogs were inhabiting the doggie park, my daughter decided to go back another time, perhaps when Sally has had a bit more experience under more controlled circumstances.  On the way back to the Waterfront Park and along the bike path, we passed by this fire hydrant, and I just couldn't resist getting a shot of Sally with it.



As we continued walking, I noticed this man sitting on one of the park benches.  I have a Flickr friend, who has taken a 'bench series' of photos.  While I try to be respectful of peoples' privacy, I admire my friend's boldness and photographic skill.  All of a sudden, I heard a familiar voice call my name, and when I turned to see who it was, I was pleasantly surprised to see my friend, Cassie's smiling face.  She was taking a break from work, so we walked and talked together the rest of the way along the waterfront.  What a nice day making new friends, exploring new places, and unexpectantly meeting up with a close friend.  :)

Gracie: 100 Days Old

My family has a tradition of taking a baby's photo at 100 days old. Although I don't know what the significance is, I do know celebrating a baby's 100th day is an Asian tradition. My parents had my photo taken, and since it's really the only tradition to be passed on, I decided to continue it and was delighted when my son and daughter-in-law wanted to do so as well. So, my daughter and I teamed up and did a photo shoot with Gracie.



Gracie was asleep when we began the photo shoot.



I couldn't resist getting a closeup of her pretty little mouth.



When she awoke, she was ready to go! So we started with a pose to try and match her daddy's.





I thought it would be cool to get a shot of her daddy's and my baby portraits with her. Her daddy's portrait on the left was taken by Beltrami's, and my portrait on the right was taken somewhere in Okinawa.



At one point, Gracie rolled off the pillow from her tummy and onto her back. It seemed to pleasantly surprise her.



The pink scarf tied into a bow was my idea, but her daddy laughed, because it was so big. He said it looked like a turban. We all laughed until I was in tears. But don't you think she looks adorable?



Her mommy then dressed her in a pretty outfit handmade by Jean, a dear friend.



This is the setup. One studio light, natural light from a window, a mirror to the right (not shown) to bounce some of the light, and a softbox diffuser on my on-camera flash. Gracie's mommy helped direct Gracie's attention by shaking a soft flower rattle, while Gracie's daddy fixed a cup of coffee for her mommy. Working together... it's one of the things that helps keep family traditions alive.

If you like these, check out her sneak preview pic: Sneak Preview: 100 Days Old