here we go...

Here are my guys, Plo Koon and Boba Fett:

The hubby has been working for more than a week on Boba's jet pack. It was quite fancy. My favorite costumes of the neighborhood were these:

Marlin, Nemo, and their anemone.

Here was the spread:

It's late, late, LATE! I hope you all had a fun evening :-)

flurry of activity

I'm almost set for the trick-or-treaters and nowhere near set for the Open House tomorrow. Okay, I exaggerate a little. With the entire evening taking up with the trick-or-treaters, prep time is pretty much good as gone. I may be lagging behind on my Gift Buffet signage but there will be bars if it's the last thing I do.

Speaking of bars, I whipped up a batch for the trick-or-treating parents. As part of our Halloween tradition, we offer hot cider and treats for the grown-ups as well as the children. It's been fun connecting with the parents (a great excuse to meet vs. standing at the end of the driveway) and neat to see their reactions from year-to-year. I'll be sure to share lots of pictures. (Wish I could see yours as well!)

I hope to see you tomorrow between 10:00 am-1:00 pm. Too if you're not able to make it and need supplies, just shoot me an email and I'll send you the sale price list. Have a great evening and I'll post again later.

boo

Guess what we did tonight? Next year I'd like to try something like THIS or THIS. Or, how about hosting a pumpkin-carving party? We attended one several years ago and it was loads of fun. I even found an article on the topic HERE.

I'm off to bed, have a great evening!

a couple of my custom card creations...

Here's one side of the card:

And the other:

Here's another one I put together:

These 5x7 cards are double-sided and look very cool in person. I'm making them available to all of my photography clients for less than $21 a batch (i.e. a set of 25 w/envelopes).

hint**hint**hint**

Here's a hint for the November Faithbooking Crop:

Our next Faithbooking Crop will be on Saturday, November 8th from 9:00 am-4:00 pm (or until 9:00 pm, if you choose!) at Hosanna Lutheran Church in Lakeville. The crops are FREE and include snacks, beverages, and make-and-take supplies. Feel free to work the crop around your schedule, just let me know if you plan to attend and I'll be sure to have a spot ready for you.

contrary to popular belief...

The Bible offers intelligent answers to life's questions.

Did you know there are some, considered "well-educated" by today's standards (lawyers, doctors, professors, scientists, psychologists, engineers, architects and others) who believe in the authenticity and inerrancy of the Bible? Faith for many is strengthened by critical thinking and deepened as they search for answers.

Not the stuff of fairy tales.

I've been on both sides of the fence. Before ever really spending time in the Bible, I'd made a lot of assumptions:

"It's outdated."

"Some of it works for me."

"Surely God couldn't have meant it that way."

"These are just guidelines."

In all honesty, I didn't like a lot of what it said because it didn't jive with where I was at in my life. To believe it to be true would be costly. It would require me to make changes and I liked things the way they were.

It wasn't until life became uncomfortable that I decided to look into things further. I began researching different faith groups online and kept coming back to the Bible. I had a lot of questions that needed answers so I kept digging. (All the while, great difficulties surrounded me.) As I began to apply what I was learning from the Bible to my life, amazing things happened:

1. I found a sense of direction and purpose during a very dark time in my life.

2. I discovered what it meant to have peace and joy no matter what the circumstances.

3. For the first time in my life, I was truly content.

That was five years ago and the Bible continues to amaze me. There are many who would consider me foolish for believing it to be completely true and free of error. But I've never been so sure of anything in my life. It's not fairy tale stuff, but reading His Word and seeing it come to life in the everyday. It's looking for answers and seeing things come together like a giant puzzle. It is recognizing Him in the stories that surround me, in each woman I encounter. His Word simply put, lines up.

Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose and action). So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

they're here!

My double-sided holiday cards from WHCC... I love them!! I've created multiple templates for use in my photography business. (Remember when I told you I was on a digital roll?)

I cannot tell you how much I love my new printing lab as well. Not only are they local but orders arrive within TWO DAYS! And always with a Tootsie Pop. (No kidding.)

Today was crazy busy with photography stuff and Open House preparations. Here are some of the bigger prizes that will be given away:

1. An exclusive school-themed 12x12 Ruby PicFolio Max Album;

2. 8x8, 11x8.5 and 12x12 Digital Predesigned Pages Recipe Book Digital Kit;

3. Digital Family & Pet Quick Kits;

4. Give Thanks Paper Album Kit;

5. 8x8 Halloween Designer Prints Paper and Halloween Micro Maker;

6. VIP Cropper (10% discount for one year); and

7. Queen of the Crop (preferred seating and extra prize drawings at crops).

There will also be an abundance of paper, stickers, and more in the Gift Buffet. My dining room table is set up with a variety of gifts and with each gift is a sign. For example, the sign might say: "If this is your first time attending, help yourself to a gift." or "Have you ever attended a monthly workshop? If so, help yourself to a gift." It's a great way to pick up a lot of freebies. My Open House is also the one time each year I discount everything. (A great time to stock up on the basics.)

I'm still working on a hint for the next Faithbooking Crop and hope to be back with some reflective blog posts soon. Have a great evening!

BIG BROTHER/little brother

I had to post a few more, of course...

I'm sure you'll remember my vent about Tootsie, the dog that had it in for me. (Sunny will likely tell you that Tootsie loved me but I'm quite sure the pup had something else in mind, especially after the hair-dragging incident.) Anyway, her family has a new pup now - Gilbert. I couldn't help but feel a little frightened when this happened:

I'm calling it, "The Tootsie Flashback Incident."

What a beautiful day at a beautiful park with a beautiful family.

a sneak peek...

First, a little bloggy collage I put together:

In addition to several beautiful shots of the couple, there were a few priceless family images as well:

the girl needs an Etsy shop!!

Amy won the last prize drawing, sadly many posts ago. (It's "sadly" because she just received her prize today.) I convinced her to join me for coffee where I indulged in my favorite coffee drink. There was lots of catching up to do. And lots of convincing as well. Before heading out for coffee, she shared a new passion with me:

She was going to let me borrow them for future baby photo sessions but I told her that I just had to HAVE them!! I thought surely she must sell them for craft fairs and such but believe it or not, the girl said no. She usually just makes them as baby gifts.

They would be perfect for Etsy, wouldn't they? I promised I'd be her first customer :-)

Thankfully, she's agreed to make me a batch. But that meant I had to decide which ones I wanted. And I really wanted ALL OF THEM. But alas, I must be realistic... the girl has a life and my children need to eat. (Can't be spending all of my money on cute photo props... or can I?)

Just picture them on cute little babies. Or sweet little toddlers. Precious. If she goes ahead with the Esty shop, I'll be sure to post a link here.

'tis the season

Just getting ready for my Open House which is NEXT WEEKEND!!!! Hopefully, I'll have my act together before then :-) In case I don't, there will be plenty of Paula Deen's Gooey-Something Pumpkin Bars on hand to assuage the ladies.

I'm creating all sorts of digital art for my Everyday Display and Page Frames... using Storybook Creator Plus, of course. On a roll, I also managed to whip up a batch of customized holiday cards, but you'll have to wait a bit to see them.

Halloween is around the corner and we have yet to pick up a pumpkin! And then there's the whole cider/grown-up treats business to prepare for... it's going to be a hoppin' week. But hey, at least I'll have some nice digital art when the holidays roll around.

please cover this little guy in prayer...

Joe underwent heart surgery yesterday and I'm asking others to cover him in prayer as well. (The Bible says there is power where two or more are gathered in prayer. Matthew 18:19) I grew up with Joe's mom and am connected to his grandma through my Wednesday Bible Study. Joe's CaringBridge site is HERE.

Please pray for his smooth and speedy recovery and continued healing of his heart and lungs. Too, that the Lord would give Kari and Mike His grace and peace during this stressful time.

"I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security," says the Lord. Jeremiah 33:6

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him. Ezra 8:22

another eye-opening day

I first saw this on a faithbooking friend's website (Jen and her family are in the process of adopting a child from India) - just click on the image above to view this Emmy Award-winning video. It exposes the sad reality of India's oppressive caste system. I was struck by the young videographer determined to make a difference. (Just imagine what would happen if each one of us strove to live with such purpose!) If you feel let to help the Dalits, click HERE to learn more.

the five o'clock slump

I didn't feel like doing much of anything tonight. Thank goodness for cooking bags. Another busy day tomorrow but I'm hoping to have a chance to write before the kids are home from school.

Though this is not my "official" faithbooking reminder post, consider this a heads-up to the pending faithbooking reminder post. We have a crop around the corner so be sure to save the date (Saturday, November 8 from 9:00 am-9:00 pm). I've only heard from a handful of ladies so far but expect it to be pretty full. Please let me know if you'd like to reserve a spot!

JUMP!

I think my niece and nephew will get a kick out of this one :-) Just click on the image to see it enlarged (click on it again and it will get even BIGGER).

I had to post a few more, of course...

Again, just click on the image to see it enlarged:

There are so many adorable shots... I'm having a heyday going through them.