a bit of tradition

One of my favourite things about Christmas is the sense of tradition that goes with it. There are books and music that only come out at this time of year. There is the choosing of the tree and the dressing of it - lights first, then beads and finally the decorations. There is the word 'decanations' that we have embraced since Patrick first uttered it about 5 years ago and the giggles we all share every time someone says it. My childhood Christmases are bound in lots of little traditions that my parents built up for us, and we're gradually creating our own little traditions with the boys as they get older.

This was the third year we visited Santa at Mountstewart and every year it is utterly magical. I'll admit there was nothing magical or festive about our allocated time slot of 9.15 on a Sunday morning, but this particular Sunday morning was a perfect frosty, sunny morning. So everyone was happy. The boys didn't know that we were going to see Santa, so once they found out the magic really kicked in.

The experience starts with some craft - this year a homemade calendar with instructions from some kindly elves, followed by some very neat colouring in.

 

 

(I love how intent they are on their colouring and drawing - it makes me very happy that they got the creative gene from me if nothing else!)

Craft is followed by a short journey (literally a circle around the entrance to the house, but no one even slightly cares!) in a fabulous horse drawn carriage and then another very short journey on foot to the winter wonderland that is Santa's home. Silly photos at this point are entirely optional!

 

Next, Mrs Claus greets us and leads us through to where the jolly old man is waiting for us. Usually at this point Conor hides behind a parental leg and refuses to speak to Santa, but at almost 5 years old it turns out he is ready for a chat with him. It was completely magical watching him look with total wonder at this man with the beard and furry red hat. I could almost hear the little cogs in his mind working overtime trying to take it all in.

 

I love that Patrick is still in awe of Santa - he was so polite when he was talking to him about what was on his list!

 

By the end of our visit both the boys were on cloud 9, especially after they opened their presents! We finished with a wintery quiz trail around the lake which was frozen solid, but I will share the frosty pictures in another post. A cup of tea and treat rounded off our perfect morning. And it really was just that. Perfect. I am going to make a note to self on my new calendar to book earlier for next year so that we can swap the trauma of the early start for a more festive late afternoon time! And I will look forward to it eagerly. I am only too aware that there are a limited number of times we can enjoy this experience and I want to savour them while I can.

In other news, my creative mojo has momentarily come out of hibernation and I have created my first completely digital layout! I know, it was as much of a shock to me as I imagine it is to you. But I very much enjoyed it and may even do it again! So I wll leave you with my creation and await your thoughts on this humble offering!

 

baby e

What else would you want to do the day after your sister's wedding other than take photos of a tiny baby? It was perfect timing for our friends who were home for a few days for the aforementioned wedding, and I was delighted to be able to get some family photos for themwhile they were here. Just how cute is she? Oh, it is just the luckiest job in the world to take pictures of little miracles like her!

time marches on

So it would seem! I have fallen prey to the steady march of hours, days and weeks passing me right by over this past month, and along with the time seems to have gone my creative mojo. But it's getting decidedly Christmassy round our place, and there's just no way I can say no to a photo of a pretty tree brimming over with red and silver sparkly decorations! So I declare the festive season officially open! We're doing it a bit at a time with the decorations, so there may be more over the next week to share with you here. For now it's just a few of 2 of the most excited boys in the world right now!

 

 

 

 

 

So how are the holidays shaping up for you? Do tell!

And the winner is...

Just a quick post to announce the winner of the prints from my etsy shop. The winner is...

Laurie:  Life is made by lots and lots of little dreams. Delighting my eyes and heart with beautiful pictures is one of them.

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments here and on facebook - they are all truly appreciated and I feel very encouraged by you all :) For those of you who didn't win, you might be interested to know that I'm offering 15% off all orders for one week, until Friday 26th November. The perfect opportunity to snap up a pressie or two for a friend, or even yourself!

Laurie, if you email me your details and the names of the 2 prints you would like, I can get them to you very soon!

I'm off to get ready for a day away in Glasgow at the Country Living Christmas Craft Fair with a friend where I hope to find lots of inspiration, a few Christmas presents and maybe just one or two lovely things for me! Whatever you're up to this weekend, I hope it's lovely :)

A little something to share

Oh but I've been busy over the past few weeks with lots of little (and not so little) projects on the go. Lots of late nights and sneaking hours on the computer while the boys are at school. Lots of photographs, processing and editing. All so that I can finally open up my own little Etsy shop. It's not big, but it's definitely pretty! And it's really all thanks to you and your lovely comments about my photographs!

 

As a special thank you, just for you who so faithfully follow my little blog, I'm giving away 2 of my 5x7 prints - your choice of images.  All you have to do to be entered is leave a comment below, and I will post the winner on Friday. So go on, leave a comment (even if you've never left one before - it's really easy!)

So if you have a moment, please pop on over to my little shop and have a nosey. Bring a friend. Bring two! I hope to be adding more items over the next couple of weeks and I shall keep you posted as I do. Seriously though, thank you for all your support for my photography - I truly appreciate it and it has brought to life a small little dream I've had ever since I first discovered Etsy. Blog readers rock!!

A little autumn goodness

I love Hallowe'en half term. Not for Hallowe'en itself but because for me it heralds the beginning of the coziest time of year. Now I'm not saying I love the rain and the often grey skies, but I do so love darker afternoons with a few candles flickering, a hot cup of tea and maybe a new magazine or a board game on the go. I've been very much enjoying a few of these afternoons the last few days, and I can only anticipate more in the next week!

 

 

As a holiday, I've said before that Hallowe'en isn't really a big thing for us as a family. Not that I'm in any way against it, but we try to keep it low key and with just a hint of our 70's childhoods showing! I do slightly resent the fact that I can't nip into Tesco without feeling like a bad mother for not coming out with a trolley full of plastic bats, spiders, costumes and other Hallowe'en paraphernalia, as if in some way I'm denying the boys their right to a purple-and-orange-fest. But this year I kept my focus and headed straight to the pumpkins because, really, little pumpkin faces glowing with candlelight are actually essential, are they not?

 

 

 
(I do also love that orange glow you get looking inside the house just at that twilightish time of the evening.)

Another thing I love about this half term is that it gives Patrick the opportunity to slip back into his childhood love of dressing up. Oh, how I miss the days when we never knew if Spiderman or Optimus Prime would be joining us for dinner! These days the dressing up is all about sports kits - a diferrent one each time he plays a different game. So I love that he gets to let his imagination run wild and get the face paints out one more time. The role of choice for his friend's party was a zombie, the same as last year. I don't know how we always seem to have a pair of jeans with the knee out at this time of year! He seemed pretty pleased with my makeup job this year, which in the current climate, I take as a great achievement!

 

Conor, true to his nature, would have none of that dressing up nonsense! Instead he opted for the shirt off craft extravaganza, helped along by the Charlie and Lola comic I had bought for him! He was sticking and colouring with gusto, but for me the highlight was when he announced, "I've done all the glittering so can you come and do the glue now?" Cue the aura of calm and much sweeping and funnelling of glitter back into the tiniest tube known to man!

 

Our seasonal fun was rounded off with an evening of fun with some good friends. There was a little bit of craft, a lot of pizza, some popcorn I'd made (most of it was thrown out because the toffee sauce, whilst delicious, could have disolved the enamel off the kids' teeth as we watched!) and lots of sparklers. It was a really simple night, but one that brought together some of the things I love best about this time of year.

 

 

 

 

So now that October is well and truly behind us, I am settling into the rhythm of shorter, darker days, whittling down my supply of tealights at an alarming rate, and looking forward to just a hint of you know what! And how about you - are you slipping into the cozy season along with me or fighting it off with dogged determination? 

just the best day!

It's taken me a while to muster up the will to write this post because, if truth be told, I'm in a bit of a post-wedding slump.  All those months of planning, preparation and final touches really did make for the best day, but boy was it over in a nano-second! It also came as somewhat of a surprise to me that my camera didn't really feature much during the day either, as my poor selection of photos shows rather clearly! Thank goodness my good friend Johnny was there in a much more professional capacity to capture the day perfectly for us all. I suspect that if you check in at his blog in a while you might get to see some top notch photos. 

So for now, I'm just going to post a snapshot of photos that will hopefully give you a feel for the day and the huge amount of joy that was abounding throughout!

The pretty stunning bride-to-be.  That smile did not leave her face all day!

 

The stunning breathtakingly beautiful bridesmaids! Photo taken by a friend of my mum - not sure why the dresses are looking so pink. They were much more of a subdued damson colour. Very autumnal indeed.

 

The happiest couple in the world! They both looked like they'd won the lottery the whole day!

 

 

While my lovely new brother-in-law looked, indeed, rather handsome, I'm pretty sure it was these two who stole the show. When I arrived at the church I could not believe how grown up Patrick looked in his little tails - almost reduced me to a blubbering mess at the outset! And Conor was nothing short of adorable in his little posh jeans and shirt. In my head I can already see the steady flow of heartbroken girls that will be loitering outside our house in years to come!

 

The very proud mother of the bride with her other fabulous daughter! See what I mean about the dresses? You can just about see the much softer shade they were in this picture.

 

Now, if you remember the posts about the hen weekend, you'll remember that we learnt a dance that we were to reproduce at the evening disco. Alas, it is not for me to post those pics (I bet that other blog I mentioned earlier will post them at some point!) but dance we did! Feeling sick to our stomachs and practically inhaling wine in the few seconds before we took to the floor! So I give you, the girls!! Photo courtesy of the lovely Cathryn :)

 

I know I didn't take many pictures but you just can't leave a wedding without the cutting the cake shot, can you? And check out the gleam on that new wedding ring!

 

The best man was Scott's brother and he was the star of the speeches! Seriously hilarious. I love how much their mum laughed!

 

Thankfully Scott also appeared to find it hilarious!

 

And of course, the first dance. They really are the cutest couple around (obviously apart from myself and Michael!!)

 

Oh, looking at these photos has cheered me up somewhat! I can't wait to see the professional ones in a week or two, and as soon as there are some online for you to see I will link you straight over.

Now, I'm off to convince son #2 that given the pouring rain he really must put his t-shirt back on before going to nanny's and then add some more holes and fake blood to son #1's zombie outfit! I'm not a big one for Hallowe'en, but I hope you enjoy whatever fun you're up to this weekend!

busy busy busy....

 

I'm more and more aware that there are just some periods of your life when other things take over and the things you would like to do have to take a back seat for a while. I've been a good little matron of honour helping my sister get ready for her wedding tomorrow, which has meant very little time on the computer, very little photo taking and very, very little scrapbooking.  But that's ok, because this wedding is super exciting in our household! The boys are delighted to be getting an uncle out of it, mainly I think because he says yes to all the stuff and requests that we say no to (he'll learn eventually!) And Michael is excited to be gaining another male into the family to boost numbers at future gatherings. And I'm past excited that my sister is finally getting to marry exactly the right person!! So while I'm rather sorry that this little blog has been sadly neglected, I'm excited about the posts I can share over the next few weeks.

 

I'm hoping to have some exciting ventures to share with you when I get back into the swing of things here - some changes and some new avenues I'm going to be exploring. And now that I've brought it to your attention I will be encouraged to make sure I get everything ready for the big reveal!

 

Ok, reading back over that last paragraph I'm a bit worried that my big reveal may not live up to your expectations, but I shall try my best! While I've been busy helping out with wedding preparations I've been thinking a lot about big things. Things like jobs and creative ventures, work and family, dreams and reality. Now, when my mother reads this she'll most likely go into protective overdrive telling me to slow down and not get worked up about things! But that's not really the kind of thinking I've been doing, it's more of a long, slow consideration of the different aspects of my life and how the balance doesn't always feel right. I wonder do you ever feel that way? I suppose when it comes down to it I'm wondering right now if I'm living the life I'm meant to be living. Wondering if gifts and talents could be better used? Could I change one or two things to shift the balance for the good of us all? Lots of questions that need a good pondering. I wonder if any of my new ventures will be the start of something good?!

 

Anyway, it's surely time for me to go and finish my cup of tea and Fry's Chocolate Cream (a combination worth trying, I assure you) before wedding craziness kicks in. I will most definitely be back at the start of the week with some wedding photos - I hope you'll pop over for a nosey at what we expect will be the wedding of the year!!

Have a great weekend x

golly gosh isn't this the prettiest thing you've ever seen!

I have made no secret of the fact that I have been longing for an i-phone for, well, pretty much since they came out. I have watched as my friends have taken the plunge and coveted them from afar. I have seen how great all those apps look and lusted after the pretty covers. I have waited, and stuck with my trusty Nokia for the duration of my contract (because I'm not one to back out of contracts!) Until finally, my contract ran out and I decided that life is too short and that it's good for the soul to treat yourself once in a while! And so I give you......my new i-phone!

 

 

Ok, I admit I'm toying with you a bit here only showing the box, but it's my birthday tomorrow and I want to wait until I have a pretty cover before the actual phone makes its blog debut! But let it be known that we were destined to be together, in fact, it's like a little part of me I didn't know was missing has suddenly popped into place! And as I suspected, those apps are just the most terrific fun ever! Oh how I love it :)

What are you loving this weekend?

Friday photo faves

I've sort of made a promise to myself that I'm going to take a photo a day to document my last year of my 30s. I've tried this before, the photo a day thing with limited success but I really want to challenge myself, and what a cool record of a year it could be if I stick with it. So spurred on by the ever lovely Maegan and the 102 others who have signed up to do the same, I've been cracking the camera out each day, whether I've felt inspired or not. I'm allowing myself until next Saturday to get into the rhythm since my final 30-something year doesn't start until then :)

And you know what? It's been really fun. Trying to think of new ways to take photos of things I've taken hundreds of photos of before. Setting up little still lifes around the house. And just getting back into the habit of documenting our daily life again. I've missed taking photos of the things we do and the general stuff that makes us us.

I'm also rediscovering the joy in just taking pictures for me. Even on the days when I'm not really in the mood to get the camera out, once I start I just want to keep on going. I think this is what I've always loved about photography, that when I look through the lens I see things differently from other people. It's a little bit addictive. And although the things I'm taking pictures of may not be what people expect someone to take photos of, these pictures are my way of showing the world how I see it. Which I think is pretty cool!

Surely not too many mums out there are taking pictures of the new Match Attax binder, but I'm pretty sure this is going to be a big feature of our lives over the next few months, and so it's a part of the world that I inhabit. Admittedly, this is a huge can of worms which I will most likely moan about in posts over the next few months, but for now it seems important to one of us and that makes me happy.

And if ever there was a time of year to be taking photos, surely it has to be now. All that autumnal colour and amazing light - it's photography heaven! 

My favourite of this week, though, has nothing to do with autumn, but oh how it makes me smile. Meet 'Pupil of the Week' from Room 10! His reward for 'good comprehension answers'! Can you hear my heart sing?

I'm excited about trundling along on this little photography journey of a year in my life. And writing about it here gives me that extra push I need to be disciplined and keep going. So please, come back in a week or two and see how I'm getting on - a little company on a long journey always makes it so much more fun!