A White October

Check out my 1st ever Look Whooooo's Snapping photo linky party going on now! Be sure to link-up with your favorite photo of the week! (Click here to enter!)

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This past weekend our whole little family (yes, hubby included!) went back to the countryside of eastern WV to visit my family. We had heard of talk of snow in the forecast, but we really had no idea what was actually headed our way. Thankfully we arrived and were unpacked just as it started to heavily down pour with snow. It continued snowing all through Friday night and into Saturday afternoon. When all was said and done, my parents had roughly 8 inches of snow at their house. Pretty interesting weather for October, huh?! It was beautiful though. Here are a couple snowy detail shots that I was able to get during our visit there.

 And here's a cute after church shot of our little family. You can never have too many of those!

Despite the snow, I was also able to follow through with a family photo session while I was back visiting for the weekend. I can't wait to finish post production of those images and get them up for you to see! The snowy setting was a perfect scene for family photos and will make beautiful Christmas cards! (But more on that later!)

Linked with the following:

Look Whooooo's Snapping {1}

Okay, so I know it's just over an hour before Friday actually begins, but I just cannot wait to start the party.... the linky party that is! So please forgive me for posting a little early. I won't let it happen again {or, at least I'll try not too!} ;) Sooo, without further ado....

Welcome to my First Ever Look Whooooo's Snapping Linky Party!

This linky party is for sharing your favorite photo(s) {of the week}. Click here for the rules and details, and make sure to grab the button below to share on your blog post, showing others that you are linking-up!

<a href=" http://www.mommyknowslife.blogspot.com/ " target="_blank"><img src=" http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l630/ThePhotoMommy/lookwhoooossnapping-4.jpg " border="0" alt=" Look Whooooo’s Snapping "" alt=" Look Whooooo’s Snapping " width="200" height="200" /></a>

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Here are my favorite photos of the week....

I was so thankful that we were blessed with one gorgeous day this week that allowed us to spend a little time outside. It was still chilly, but the sun was shining. And, lucky for us, it wasn't raining. With a basket and a couple of pumpkins placed, an adorable autumn scene was set. My sweet girls were perfect models for their mama (like they usually are!). Although it seemed like I could never do anything as interesting or exciting as the stem of that pumpkin to my little Audrey, I was still able to capture sweet photographs of my two sweeties together. And, of course, I can never have too many precious photographic memories of my little ones that I will always be able to share! 

Now it's your turn to share your favorite photo(s) of the week! 

And THANK YOU in advance for participating :)

Three's {4} Me: GIVEAWAY

Today is the day, folks! The day of Nicole's (from Three's {4} Me) Massive Giveaway featuring me, ThePhotoMommy, as one of her sponsors! She is hosting this giveaway in honor and celebration of small business month, so please click the link below to check out the other shops involved and to enter for a chance to win!

Thanks so much and have a glorious day!
--------------------------------------------------------REMINDER:
If you haven't already marked this date on your calendars, please do so now... This Friday is my first ever Look Whooooo's Snapping linky party! I would love for you to participate!! Check out the rules and details here.

Pumpkin Vase

Today I'm going to share with you a lovely way to transform your boring pumpkin into a charming, colorful addition to your seasonal decor. This idea comes from the 2007 November edition of Martha Stewart Living Magazine.

Tools and Materials:

Cylinder vase

Scissors

Pumpkin

Pumpkin-carving tool

Spoon 

Flowers

Directions: 
1) Carve an opening at the top of your pumpkin. (Note: be sure to make the hole opening large enough to fit the entire width of your vase down in).
2) Scoop out and discard pulp and seeds.
3) Fit vase inside pumpkin and fill three-quarters of the way with water.
4) Cut ends of flower stems off diagonally to appropriate length.
5) Arrange flowers inside vase. (I used a autumn seasonal bouquet mix, but you can also include pressed leaves or berries).

This craft was linked up with the following:
Crafty Moms Share

Three's {4} Me: Meet & Greet

Hey Everybody!This is soo exciting! Check out the massive GIVEAWAY Nicole from Three's{4} Me is soon planning to host. Yes, my shop, ThePhotoMommy, is one of her lovely sponsors. YAY! I'm so excited!
Today she is providing details for all of her sponsors (blogs and shops). Check it out here:

She is hosting this giveaway in honor and celebration of small business month. So, be sure to check out the details and get ready to participate!

THANKS SO MUCH!

Warm Wishes from My Little Fairies

My little fairies would like to wish everyone a Very "Fairy" Lovely Fall!

Happy Autumn & God Bless!

This Fairy Shot was linked up with the following:

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REMINDER:

Be sure to link up this Friday (Oct. 28, 2011) for my 1st ever Look Whooooo's Snapping photo linky party!! Click here for rules and details.

Trying Times: Ava's Kidney Update - Part 2

For those of you who have just starting following and haven't been informed of my daughter's kidney condition, click here to read the entire current story. 

Let me take a moment to briefly update you regarding her condition as of now. This week Ava had an appointment at the pediatric department of the POC (Physicians Office Center) to have a 24 hour blood pressure cuff placed. She was sent home to keep the cuff on for the entire day (and night). I've got to say that Ava did pretty good keeping her moniter on for such a long time. Not only did she have the cuff around her upper left arm, but it was also connected to an approximate 2 pound box that recorded each reading, which she was required to wear during the process. The box had a strap (that was much too long for a 2 year old to comfortably wear) that she was supposed to keep diagonally around her shoulder/neck. Well, let's just say that she did pretty good keeping it on...

But, she did on many occasion just let it drag behind or beside or even beneath her. Who can blame her, right?! Mommy kept reminding her that it was her "purse" and girls like to keep their purses on them. That usually worked, but seriously, how can you keep that up for 24 hours?!! It didn't really bother me that she dragged it around throughout the day. I could see that the monitor and cuff weren't easy to damage. But what did concern me was the fact that she had that strap to sleep with all night long. I didn't want her to somehow strangle herself while sleeping. So, I decided to wrap the long strap twice around her Winnie the Pooh bear. Poor Pooh, I know. But he didn't seem to mind the sacrifice, and I assure you, he was his old self in the morning ;)  She didn't sleep very well that night considering. This was because every so often the cuff would beep, tighten, and record her blood pressure. It's not exactly easy to sleep when something is constantly beeping at you and squeezing your arm all night long. Poor thing. I'm so glad we only had to deal with it for one night!

Thankfully at noon the following day, Ava, removed her "purse" for good. She was more than happy to do so. Once we return the monitor to the doctor's office and they have a chance to collect the data, we'll then be given the results. I think they just want to make sure her blood pressure is stable because the nurse did inform us that hydronephrosis can lead to high bp, which we certainly don't want to happen. 

As far as what happens next, Ava does have a consultation with Pittsburgh hospital (UPMC) the early part of November. We'll then make arrangements for her upcoming surgery (that is to be scheduled following the consult). 

I plan to keep you updated, and thanks so much again for your thoughts and prayers!

I was FEATURED....

Hey guys,

I just wanted to share how proud I am that my Glitter Gourds (click here to see original post) was featured TWICE!!

Carrie {from Crafty Moms Share} featured it on her blog right here:

AND

Amy {from One Artsy Mama} featured it on her FB page here:

One Artsy Mama

Pretty cool, huh?!!

Thanks so much Carrie and Amy for the Feature! I'll be sure to send more fun Autumn (and anytime!) crafts your way ;)

Candy Corn Rice Crispy Treats!

This morning my little helper chef, Ava, and I made some very yummy Halloween treats....

We made Candy Corn Rice Crispy Treats! Talk about super yum!

Here's our incredibly delicious finished product:

And here's how we made it:

We gathered...

- 4 tbs butter
- 1 (10 ounce) bag marshmallows
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 6 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal
- 1 cup Candy Corn

Then we....

1) Greased a 13x9 glass baking dish and rubber spatula with Crisco shortening.
2) Added butter to melt in a medium sized sauce pan over low heat.
3) Added marshmallows, salt, and vanilla once butter was melted.
4) Stirred continuously until the marshmallows reached a smooth consistency.
5) Removed sticky mixture from heat and folded in the cereal and candy corn until completely coated.
6) Added the mixture to the greased baking dish and smoothed out evenly.
7) Allowed to cool before cutting and serving.
8) Then sank our serious sweet teeth in for a super delicious bite!!

I just don't know what I would have done without my sweet little helper chef. I'm pretty sure the treats would not have been near as yummy ;)

This yummy treat was linked up with the following:

Crafty Moms Share

Photo Session: Mr. Nathan

Mr. Nathan turned ONE year old this week, and I was honored to be the one to photograph him during this memorable time in his life. He is such a sweet little boy. He definitely preferred to give me the pouty face, but you'll soon see that I sure enough was able to get some grins out of him. Check out the shots I was able to get. I'll think you'll agree that he's quite a cutie!

And be sure to check out my entire portfolio and current products at my JB gallery website!