s*panosian photography

Shipraland

2009-11-14T22:41:00.007-05:00

WAHOO, Mama's got a new pair of shoes!! Well actually, not really shoes, it's something much much better than any old foot accessory...it's a razzle-dazzle new blog.

Truck on over to Shipraland's new home and tell me what you think (unless you don't like it in which case, pfffffft! to you)

(And for those of you who aren't in the "Know", Shipraland is like Disneyland only better and without the whopping entrance fee. T-shirts should be out in 2010)

Look how excited Raen-bird is. I have SUCH a supportive family :)

an undivided heart

2009-11-06T20:17:00.003-05:00

This scripture is such an echo of where my heart is right now...to be steadfast and undivided in my faith.
I'm going to make a print of the scripture and images for my desk and thought someone else might like the visual reminder. Let me know if you'd like a 5x7, I'd love to send a copy to the first 3 people that request one.
xo
S

lily of the valley

2009-11-04T23:22:00.004-05:00

Maira

2009-11-02T23:39:00.005-05:00

So what happens when you turn ONE and want to celebrate? You have a birthday banquet at the sparkling new Waldorf Astoria at Disney, fly your doting grandparents in from Pakistan, order a pink polka-dot three tiered birthday cake, invite a magician, a face-painting princess, a clever balloon-man and a gaggle of friends and family, and PAAAARTY like it's your birthday!!!!! Well that is exactly what this little cutie did for her first birthday and I was lucky enough to be on hand to witness it :) Here's a small glimpse into the weekend. More event photographs coming soon...

Happy Birthday, Maira!

rest

2009-10-25T23:17:00.004-04:00

There is something about being near the ocean that brings such peace to me. We took a day off from unpacking and spent it on the beach (again :)) I don't think I could ever get tired of burying my feet in the sand and breathing in the salty air.
Thank you to everyone that has kept our family in your prayers and thoughts these last weeks as we finally settle into our home in Orlando.
xo

Treasure Island

2009-10-05T00:50:00.031-04:00

lucky, lucky me. I had Steph and Josh and their little bit of sunshine, E. with me for a few hours. Some sticky taffy, live music, and a sunset made for an amazing family session on Treasure Island.

and just like that

2009-09-20T00:19:00.003-04:00

she's sitting up now.

And she's chewing on Mama's things.

And she still looks like a boy.

We're in Florida and getting reacquainted with the heat and the humidity. Just getting our internet service up and running again but haven't had much time for getting online. Decided to step away from unpacking and do some photography tonight to unwind.

xo to friends far away.

Baa-Ha-Baa (otherwise known as Bar Harbor, ME)

2009-08-03T09:48:00.030-04:00

So the Hubster and I took our last weekend in Maine to have some alone time (+ Baby) and head to Bar Harbor, ME. Leaving the glories of Whitefield and boys behind with the grandparents (wahoo!) we took off towards the coast. Can I just say, God is so good to me, it was the first sunny day in a week and we took off under blue, blue, blue skies and a cheery sun.

Our first stop was when I screeched "STOOOOOP!!!" and Shawn careened to a halt in front of this amazing renovated barn that begged me to take pictures of it. I knocked on the door and out came Paul Barton, 87 year young former WWII pilot who had always wanted to live in a barn. So at the age of 65, he made his dream come true by moving his wife and cat to Liberty, Maine and transforming an old barn overlooking some mountains into THE COOLEST home I've seen in a very long time. I asked Paul if I could post pics of him online and he said that was fine, "just don't doctor things up, I like to keep it real." :)
Paul recommended us visiting this store, the Liberty Tool Co. Acres of vintage tools (ok, so it seemed like acres to me) and lots of men with pot-bellies and flannel congregating over barrels of nails and handsaws. A cultural experience to be sure.

The Penobscot Bay Observatory. Pretty.

Met Norman and Mary who were visiting from Massachusetts and were super friendly.

Our corner hotel room in Bar Harbor overlooking Frenchmans Bay. Aaahh.

Lunch and dinner at seafood digs.
I had the most delicious haddock and was surprised to discover that fresh fish doesn't taste at all fishy! Go figure.

Raenbird and Shawn lounge at the Stewman's Lobster Pound

Day 2 took us to Acadia National Park and Jordan Pond. The weather was dreary but still lovely for some trail walking.
All in all, an amazing and rejuvenating trip. Next up, FLORIDA!!!!!!!!!!!!

the Bumbo

2009-07-24T17:05:00.001-04:00

sometimes we quite like the Bumbo seat.sometimes, we reeeeeeally do not.

budgie bloomers

2009-07-24T11:45:00.004-04:00

Had some fun testing a knitting pattern created for the East Side, by the freaky knitter herself, Bridget M. She does an excellent job describing the minutiae of how she makes her bloomers and the depth of detail is wonderful for dummy knitters like myself. I also really appreciate how customizable the pattern is so really, it's like purchasing several different patterns for the cost of one.
(I ended up making a smaller pair to start with but was so proud of my effort that I had to squeeze my little chunker into them so I could show off anyway).
*pattern will be available through her store soon

Moody kids

2009-07-22T15:07:00.005-04:00

so what happens when you get a couple of Moody kids in front of your camera???

Mostly this...

But if you hang in there long enough, you might also get some of this... Now you know why I like Moody people so much

alyssa ~ graduating senior, class of 2010

2009-07-20T13:47:00.006-04:00

When a girl shows up with flip-flops, tousled curls, and an easy-going nature, I KNOW I'm going to have a blast. This spaghetti loving 17 year old, who plans to pursue a degree in Speech Therapy, fit me into her busy schedule of teaching swim lessons at the YMCA. While photographing her, I kept thinking how healthy and vibrant she was...youth and vitality and a lifetime of adventure awaiting her. Godspeed, Alyssa. Thank you for being willing to brave the 'waterfall' and assorted wild-life (aka: ticks!) for me. Hope you're as pleased with your photographs as I am!

cross-hill farm fibers

2009-07-17T12:17:00.007-04:00

Introducing Cross Hill Farm Fibers...a local spinnery that makes the most luscious hand-dyed, hand-spun 100% wool yarn. Their website is being developed right now and I'll post a link when it's up so that you can run, run, as fast as you can, to make a purchase.

sneak peek ~ sisters

2009-07-17T10:37:00.002-04:00

Parallelo Hat Pattern

2009-07-15T11:49:00.012-04:00

I needed to practice knitting with two colors and came up with this cheery head topper. The pattern is free but if you choose to use, please attach a link to this here blog if you post your hat online anywhere. The pattern is also available on Ravelry, my user name is Shipra. I've only knit it up twice so far and it probably needs revisions so please let me know if you run into any glitches.

Aw'right Amy, Abi, Sherrie, Bridge, and Haley, my fellow Mainly-Mental-Mainer-Mamas, this here pattern's for EWE with my love :)
The bonus is that you can use it to teach shapes to your littles. Never let it be said I never gave you anything useful!

Download the file here

el cheapo hand-carved stamps

2009-07-11T19:59:00.006-04:00

So I have been wanting to try my hand at making hand-carved stamps, and since I had this box of #2 pencils sitting around... A few slices with my trusty x-acto knife, and voila! I went a little nuts with it and now no eraser is safe in my presence.

Machine Shop

2009-07-09T09:33:00.004-04:00

Amid the busyness of ending our school year, I had a chance to do some commercial work for a machine shop that lives on the end of our road. They are developing a website and needed some basic mugshots and product shots so away I went with my trusty tripod (and hubby to babsit) and came away with these.

bread and inspiration

2009-06-09T12:42:00.010-04:00

It's true, after years of 'wanting-to-someday', the dream is alive and I have finally done it ... made home-made bread!
Thanks to Bridge and Haley who are my Mama-inspirations, and who taught a group of us how they bake Amish bread. These ladies put spinach in their smoothies, make their kids' clothes, are creative small business owners, buy organic, and leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Thanks for the baking lesson, girls, and for not minding that I got flour over everything
The look on Neil's face is a testament to my usual cooking abilities :) They were understandably hesitant to try it, but after some cautious nibbling, the kids were surprisingly pleased with the result of my first loaf of bread. Raveen even got some seconds...go Shipra, go Shipra!!
~
A few weeks ago I was looking around Etsy for some bird art (if you know me at all you know I have a slight obsession with colorful birds and spreading trees) and I found an artist who has a collection of bird illustrations I was instantly charmed by. I linked through to her blog, saw her watercolors and her hand-carved stamps, and no joke, spent the next several hours poring over her posts, all of them, and oohing & aahing over her incredible art and creative lifestyle. Here's what makes her so cool: she's a homeschooling mama of two boys living in Mexico with her super creative designer hubby, she collects my kinds of treasures (rocks, and feathers, and seed-pod type-treasures), she hand-carves delightful little stamps, loves succulents (ma fave!), is a genius with watercolors, and has a strong faith in God. Geninne is also the inspiration behind the artblog that the kids are starting with their friends (she has an illustration blog for her sons' artwork)
I want to be her but since I can't I thought I'd introduce her to you with a couple of examples of her work (thanks to her generous permission)
if anyone out there wants to gift themselves with something really, really special...go visit her store and treat yourself~ Geninne's Art Store
Saw this image on her blog with the scripture - Psalm 145:20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him.
These are some of my favorites pieces by her. The birds are done in watercolors, and the goldfish is rendered with ink on kraft paper.
The following image is 3 seperate prints in a series. I love the sweet whimsy of these paintings. The bird sings her prayer to God and then builds a nest in expectation and faith, and then receives a nestful of birdies and a tree bursting with new growth.
Enjoy your day.

The Wednesday Gallery

2009-06-01T22:26:00.006-04:00

...is now open.

An artblog for homeschooling families

long cove builders

2009-05-28T19:08:00.008-04:00

Had the opportunity to do some architectural photography for family owned Long Cove Builders, a company based out of Harpswell Island along the Maine coast. I spent two days in the company of Amanda and her father Bruce, documenting some of their recently finished building/remodeling projects. Bruce started the company when Amanda was just a tiny red-head and 19 years later, she has joined her Dad at Long Cove Builders. The quality of their work is exceptional and it's obvious they have a real commitment to ensuring excellent craftsmanship. It was like stepping into the pages of a classy coastal homes magazine. The homes they've worked on or built are beautifully customized, and range from the log cabin to the coastal cottage to the sprawling mansion...amazing work. I gleaned all sorts of lovely ideas that I'm going to have to incorporate into my dream home one day :)

busy making beanies

2009-05-22T19:21:00.010-04:00

Been a busy bee crocheting and knitting away around here. I wanted to make some things for Raenah and like everything else to do with her, I got carried away. Why have one cute accessory when you can have a dozen?! She's like the doll I never had and it's really quite pitiful how much I enjoy dolling her up.
I really like the book Baby Beanies by A. Keeys which has some wonderful knit patterns and well written tutorials.
For everything crochet, I use Teresa's blog and you-tube videos. She's very detailed and makes learning crochet simple.
I've also recently joined Ravelry which is an online community of people with tons of free patterns and ideas, and has been a God-send in helping me develop my fiber-crafting skills. I've also been browsing Etsy a lot lately. I love 'hand-made' and some of the artisans on Etsy are truly amazing and inspirational. I want to learn how to embroider next so if anyone has any online resources for me to check out, let me know.

So who wants a crocheted beanie? I'd love to do a 'swap'...send you a hand-made baby/child beanie in exchange for a hand-made something else - from you. It can be ANYTHING...a lint ball ornament, a rhinestone embedded play-dough sculpture, a finger-painting, anything! Anyone interested? Leave a comment and let me know :)

this and that

2009-05-19T20:25:00.018-04:00

Orrs Island, Maine
fishing cove
Shriners Circus
Shawn's cousin, Darrin "Punkin" Chad is a senior this year and we went out for some yearbook pictures. I've seen this kid grow up from being a dumpling baby to being an 18 year old graphic artist. Surreal.
Class of 2009
Turkey hunting season came and went and brought with it a 14lb Gobbler. After several days of pre-dawn scouting and hunting, Papo finally bagged one of these monsters. The kids were thrilled and watched Papo clean it and prepare it for dinner. Yum. Neil claimed the feet and walked around with the bloody stubs all afternoon, playing with them pretending he had grown claws. Yuc.
Remember when I said I'd never put my girl in pink? Remember how I swore she'd never wear those baby-headbands? Well, you're welcome to as many "I told you so" comments as you'd like, because I have officially been completely taken over by the dark side. Pink, ruffly??? Bring it on - I can't seem to get enough nowadays.

dipa & ganesh

2009-05-02T20:24:00.019-04:00

Houston, TX
April 20
Dipa and Ganesh, may God bless you both with a lifetime of loving and laughing together..though from what I can see, you're both well on your way to that already! It was an honor to be a part of your celebration. Thank you

The lovely Dipa getting made up before the ceremony. She looks so elegant !The wedding ceremony was conducted at two temples. The first part was at the temple below. Beautiful blue skies and a tranquil reflection...great start to the day. I wish I could have shot inside the temple but no photography was allowed past the pool. I did manage to sneak a couple of shots in on the stairs though...shhhh

we grabbed a few quick shots before the ceremony began. This picture is a true reflection of their relationship. It's not often I see a couple that enjoys the easy camaraderie that Dipa and Ganesh share. Their faces were lit up with non-stop smiles for each other. Can't you just feel the happiness radiating off them?love this image of the priest that officiated the ceremony. He was counting out something and his expression cracked me up. He was so awesome and easy-going. A couple of times I was practically perched on his shoulder trying to take pictures and he didn't shoo me away once!fresh squeezed sugar cane juice...doesn't get much cooler than that! A creative touch to make the party special.Dipa and her sister have an amazing relationship. Dipa even has an entire album of photographs on her facebook page dedicated to just her and her sister Heena...and the collection is pretty much images like the one below, love and memories collected over the years.meet Ganesh's dad, he was my competition throughout the day. I don't even think they needed to hire a photographer. I'm sure he took as many images with his little point-and-shoot as I did with my entire set-up!

mmm - syrup

2009-04-25T20:36:00.013-04:00

Standing in front of our in-laws house is a maple tree. Used to be a row of them proudly guarding the front yard but due to ice-storms and old-age, a couple of the trees have hit the bucket and though they are still standing, all that remains is one healthy sap-making maple. This year, we were on hand to help Papo tap his tree and make maple syrup. Did you know that it takes 40 gallons of sap to make ONE gallon of syrup? First the sap is collected and then boiled down over the next several days till it thickens and can be put in jars. For over a week we had sap boiling in huge metal pots over an outdoor stove in the garage with the happy result of the air smelling of maple syrup for miles all around. I must have put on 5 lb with the smell alone...mmmm
We had some friends over to help with the initial tapping, and tasting. The kids all wanted to taste sap right from the tree. It has a sweet sugar water taste and runs quite clear. Chivan was enthralled and thinks sweet sap is practically a miracle. Ahh, the wonders of God's world!

serious talent

2009-04-22T09:19:00.007-04:00

Had a bit of a talent show at Elim last Saturday. All that genius in one room, gives me the goose-bumps just to think of it :) Lookit what we can do...
Juggledecoratespin & dye yarnorganizeplay guitareatservebake, baby-whispercarvedance (window light left, testing high iso - 1600, all images)

how he loves her

2009-04-17T15:25:00.005-04:00

grateful daily ~ 27

This happened the other morning ~
I put Raenah down and she wasn't having any of that, so big brother came to the rescue. Chivan won't let her cry. He'll stop anything if he has to, just to pick her up when she's upset. Shawn says that the brothers each have their own part to play with the baby. Neil will make her laugh, Raveen will protect her, and our sensitive souled Chivan will understand her. Look how he holds her...he fills each hug with so much heart ... this is why I always wanted an older brother.

grateful daily

2009-04-14T11:17:00.003-04:00

it's been too long since I last had a 'grateful daily' post. But I am grateful and wanted to say so.

God gives GOOD gifts.

grateful daily ~ 26

the first cold

2009-04-06T10:44:00.003-04:00

So to sum up my last week: Stuffed noses and sleep deprivation.

Raen-bird has caught her first cold and the whole Panosian family is on panic alert. Shawn hears her almost cough from two rooms away and before she's even had a chance to take a second breath, he's at her side, shoes on and ready to life-flight her to the nearest hospital. Needless to say, her coughing is keeping him up at night, and his nerves are keeping ME up at night. She's only 2 months old and has already completely dethroned the big Guy aka Dad. I hate to think what it'll do to him if she ever falls down and cuts herself *gasp*

Kanoko

2009-04-01T20:37:00.004-04:00

The pattern for these adorable knit pants is from here. Since this was my first time making anything with legs, I wanted something simple to follow and these "Kanoko" pants fit the bill exactly. The directions are well written and I like the fact that I can change out the ribbon tie whenever I want to.
Raenah is getting bigger daily. 11 pounds and the bulk of that is right in her cheeks! She cooes and grunts and when she smiles, her eyes crinkle up and she looks just exactly like a little chinese baby. LOVE.

magnets and bare-bottoms

2009-03-30T18:53:00.007-04:00

I have a paper fetish. I am one of 'those' paper lovers that saves business cards for years simply because I like the font, who feels pain when someone RIPS through pretty packaging paper, and who can never go into Home Depot without spending at least 10 minutes in the aisle with the little paint sample cards that come in hundreds of amazing colors. I can be frugal (read: cheap!) when it comes to most things but I have been known to spend oodles of dollars on single sheets of paper. Cheap thrills, I know. So anyway, every now and then, I like to chase the boys outside and pull out a box that is hidden under my bed in which I've filled over time with paper treasures. One of the things I had in the box was an envelope of little jewels of patterned paper I'd torn out of a catalogue. Perfect to use for a DIY project I'd seen recently on making glass magnets.

A very satisfying and speedy project! Not to mention useful. It only took about half an hour to make the magnets, (though it takes overnight for the gel glue I have to dry) and I find that they're surprisingly strong. The magnets aren't much good for holding up anything bulky, but are perfect to tack up things like the kids' art or my early birthday wish list on the fridge (sometimes, it pays to be proactive in certain areas :))

On another note, my friend, Bridget is an insanely creative knitter and is helping to design a diaper cover for me. For newborn/baby photography sessions, I wanted to have something simple and sweet that a baby could wear over his/her bare bottom or diaper as an alternative to being completely nekked (as they say down South) for the photo shoot. This is what she came up with as a first pattern:
So how does Raenah like wearing it? Well, by the way she was chilling out when I put the cover on her, I think she feels pretty styling. Bridget is going to work out a pattern that shows more leg (don't want to hide those pudgy baby thighs!) and doesn't have ruffles so both sexes can use it. Any photographers out there that want a pair? Get in touch with her. Her work is top-knotch, she uses high quality organic yarn, and she can custom create a diaper cover for you in a color/size/style of your choice. I love those bare-baby shots but some things just need to stay covered up! :)
Hehe, check out Raen-bird's Jack Nicholson look ~

beanie craze III

2009-03-23T14:05:00.010-04:00

Charcoal and Williamsburg Blue Visor Beanie crafted with her own hands (which by the way she has sacrificed to arthritis in order to provide you with her fine hand-crocheted beanies!) by the talented Jay of Loopy 4 Ewe

I don't know how to explain it other than by holding testosterone at fault, but the guys can't seem to wear these visors without turning them into some type of vigilante mask. I refused to buy them those ski masks that cover your whole face 'cept for the eyes, and this is how they make do. Ahh, the ingenuity of kids with an el-cheapo mom.
Go get one (or two or twelve) and you can have a beanie/ mask/ basket (yup, they've been known to tote army men toys in it) of your very own. The possibilities are endless!

beanie craze II

2009-03-22T22:01:00.021-04:00

Magenta newsboy beanie by Bonny from A Life Crocheted. Supporting her supports a college student...don't you just love young business owners? The only money I ever made for myself when I was in college was when I worked at begging for my folks' credit card (sheesh!) I have to hand it to students who work for themselves alongside of carrying a class load.

Isn't she a beauty?? This image has nothing to do with hats but I loved it and since it's my blog...I get to post whatever I want! Pffft!

Charcoal and Black Visor Beanie by A Life Crocheted
This visor was so cool that once I pulled it out of my hat bag, it promptly transcended all size and gender restrictions. It was made for my 10 year old son but everytime I turned around someone else was wearing it, happy to have it on their head for a few minutes, and happy to smile for the camera. Oh, and I have to confirm this but Nic., the cutie with the flaming red bangs (trust me, under the visor, it's sizzling RED) colored his hair with KOOL-AID. I know the drink is popular with kids (and my BFF :)) but I had NO clue it was this versatile. Not only does it stain your tongue vivid colors, but apparently it does your hair too. Not sure how he discovered how to do it... he may be a teen but even he is unlikely to have dipped his head in a bowlful of kool-aid for curiosity's sake. Or maybe not...

Chocolate, camel & light blue ear-flap beanie by A Life Crocheted
(church kids can get a little fiesty, must be all the sugar they inhale at the snack table after services!) Ecru newsboy beanie with a double flower

beanie craze

2009-03-22T18:34:00.007-04:00

LOTS to upload from today's session with beanies. I have a slew of hats that I need to shoot photographs of and so I threw them all in a roomy tote and hauled them off to church with me today (after calling ahead and warning parents that I was coming armed with my camera). I ended up recruiting several more children/teens to model for me once I got there and we had the coolest time hamming it up and playing dress-up with my bag of hats.

3-6 month Scalloped beanie with a double flower by the awesome Jay at Loopy 4 Ewe

Loopy 4 Ewe

2009-03-21T10:02:00.006-04:00

Run, run, as fast as you can and snag one of these crocheted beanies from Loopy 4 Ewe... It supports home businesses, promotes hand-made crafts, saves the environment, and ends world hunger. Betcha never guessed a little beanie could do so much!

crocheting and cookies

2009-03-19T23:30:00.004-04:00

Had a chance to do a product shoot tonight with some kids wearing more crocheted hats. The weather is finally warming up and I braved the mud and melting snow to take some photographs (let it never be said that cold weather bested me!) Here's a sneak peek of Miss Lily as she ran around the yard and modeled for me. Lily is such a beauty, I'm sure you can understand why my camera did a happy dance when it saw her.
This pink confection was created by the talented Jay over at Loopy 4 Ewe . How could you not be happy wearing something this bright and cheery??

And here's something that makes ME do a happy dance:

A friend from TX, Danielle, sent me some of these yummies for Christmas and I must confess to hiding them in my sock drawer so I wouldn't have to share them with my kids (selfish Mommy!) I had her send me the recipe and I've already made three batches in the last week which is more baking than my cookie sheets have seen in the past year! Pecans and oats and chocolate chips...need I say more???
Here's a cut/paste of her recipe:

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz chocolate chips
4 oz Hershey bar, grated
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans

Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend oatmeal and add to butter with all other ingredients. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes

double the fun

2009-03-17T12:17:00.006-04:00

The twins' session was taken at their home using window light, a 24mm lens, a pile of blankets, Mama and Nana ready to comfort, and me, perched on a chair hovering over the babies heads. This was such a fun time! We must have had over half a dozen 'accidents' over as many blankets, and had to take plenty of time for consoling and feeding and getting them nice and sleepy. (Note to self: take along extra prop blankets to newborn shoots :)) It's just made me long to do more newborn photography and I've already been on the lookout for more baby props. Thanks so much C. family for the wonderful afternoon, and for giving me the opportunity to take pictures of your littles.
Here are a few images from the session.
On these first two images, does anyone else see the heart shape they are making??

twins

2009-03-11T19:09:00.004-04:00

sneak peek of what I did today...
These little peanuts are 11 days old and more adorable than anyone has a right to be. Twin girls, my first shoot with twins EVER and I was so excited I almost left my camera behind when I left the house. I have a card full of images from this shoot, so get ready for a deluge of twin goodness :)

art contest winners

2009-03-07T10:34:00.008-05:00

Sarah Schultz-Nielsen, the lovely lady who is the head of the children's dept. at the local library judged the bird art contest for us and sent me this letter:

Wow, this was actually quite difficult! The drawings were all wonderful and really lovely to look at on a snowy day. They reminded me that Spring was not far off. My favorite of the 2 categories were Raveen's for the younger, and Elijah for the older. It was a tough decision. I also really loved Isabella's and Colin's, since they really stepped outside of the box and gave their birds more dimension by making a mobile and mosaic.

Thanks for this opportunity!

Below are my remarks about each drawing.
Younger Category
Aidan
Aidan’s drawing really captured how delicate birds are. I like the different shades of blue used.
Raveen
These funky birds are bright and happy. This drawing made me smile.
Sabrina
This is a great use of color. It really reminds me of the Cardinals I see on my deck at home.

Older Category
Neil
Neil’s drawing really portrays a sense of wisdom about the bird. I really like the detail of the eyes.
Maddie
I can hear the hum of this bird’s wings from this drawing. Lovely!
Zoe
Zoe’s picture is bright and gives me hope for spring.
Jacob
Jacob’s birds are incredibly detailed and I feel that he gave a lot of attention to each one.
Isabella
This mobile is a wonderful way to give movement to these images she created.
Colin
Just wonderful! The various shades of blue really portray the Blue Jay.
Chivan
Chivan’s images of the heads of birds remind me of the animals depicted on the totem poles of the Pacific Northwest. Just wonderful!
Caleb
The detail in the feathers of Caleb’s bird is really sharp and clear.
Elijah
The contrast of the red and white is striking. I love how in the bleak winter the bird still finds food.
Fabielle
Fabielle’s bird seems to be comfortably at home, and that makes me smile.

Thanks so much Sarah!
Congratulations to Raveen and Elijah...I'll get your book prizes to you right away. And thanks to everyone who participated and sent in some artwork.

week 3

2009-03-02T15:09:00.010-05:00

Trying to get caught up with the pics we've taken of Raenah. This grouping is for you, Mom, since you keep asking to see her with her peepers open. She's such a character.Found the below pics on another card of images that were taken in Raenah's first week. She cracks us up with her little movements and expressions. Yup, we are officially nutso in love with her!

avian art

2009-02-21T18:03:00.008-05:00

(cardinal by A. Jones, aged 13)

I've finally gotten all the artwork ready to post online, and only 3 weeks late! Am I on top of things or what?
I've asked the lovely head librarian of our local library to judge the contest because I sure couldn't do it myself. She'll get back to us in the next week or so with her picks for winners. (I went ahead and split the group up into the younger artists and the older artists.)
Thanks to all of you that sent in a piece of artwork. We had such fun with this mini-unit. It was a nice break from the our usual science schedule and we're so glad we had some friends join us.

Here's what we came up with for the Bird Identifying.
0. Blue Jay
1. Northern Cardinal
2. Sparrow
3. Tufted Titmouse
4. Black-capped Chickadee
5. Red-winged Blackbird
6. American Robin
7. European Starling
8. Gray Catbird
9. Baltimore Oriole
10. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
11. Downy Woodpecker
12. Junco
13. Purple Finch
14. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
15. American Goldfinch
16. White-Breasted Nuthatch

And here are the entries...
Younger artists:
Aidan:Raveen:Sabrina:
Older artists:
Neil:Maddie:Zoe:Jacob:Jacob:Isabella - a mobile:Colin - hand-broken-glass mosaic:Chivan:Caleb:Elijah:Fabielle:

Raen-bird

2009-02-20T13:17:00.007-05:00

week 2
Thanks everyone for your love and warm wishes for our baby girl. We're all doing very well (though a mite sleep deprived) and finally getting past these last few weeks of sickness. Thankfully, Raenah has stayed healthy (gotta love the benefits of nursing) and is a little charmer (as long as she's being held) The boys can't seem to keep their hands off her and we're always fighting over who gets to hold her next so it'll be a wonder if she ever learns to walk on her own.
Here she is laid out on Grammy for some cuddles.

a life crocheted

2009-02-20T12:45:00.005-05:00

Hat series for A Life Crocheted

Raenah Shawn Panosian

2009-02-08T10:39:00.003-05:00

She's here and she's perfect!
Her name is Raenah (means 'pure', 'queen', and is a derivative of a name meaning 'wise counselor') Shawn (all our kids get daddy's name for their middle name) Panosian
She was born on Fri. Jan 30th and we've been home with her for a week. She's such a darling and we are all absolutely in love!
We're pretty worn out right now as we came home with her to the three boys with pneumonia and I've come down with a nasty cold so I've actually only taken a handful of photographs (shocking, I know!) But it's hard to take a picture when all I want to do is hold on to her :) Here are a couple of shots with her a couple of days after we were home from the hospital just so you can see how sweet she is.

I'm watching you, Dad

2009-01-24T11:51:00.002-05:00

The kids have discovered the thrill of surfing around on Godtube. Most of the time they're watching the same music videos over and over and over again (in rather a mind-numbing kind of way!) But yesterday, Chivan stumbled across this video called "I'm watching you, Dad" and insisted on playing it for Shawn last night. I thought it was well done and a poignant reminder for me as well.
Wanted to share it.

crazy for hats

2009-01-24T10:09:00.008-05:00

A peek at a 'hat' shoot I'm doing for this wonderful Etsy store that I found while browsing for baby hats. All her hats are hand crocheted and the caliber of her work is really quite exceptional. Check her out at: A Life Crocheted.

I've only had a chance to photograph two of her hats in action and can hardly wait for the others to get here. I'm also in need of willing hat models so if I don't already have your name on my list, please let me know so I can add you. Neil just loves and adores the visor. He has worn it hourly since we got it and Shawn's worried that if he doesn't take it off and air his head, he'll start growing things under there :) Thanks I.M. for being such a terrific little model!

38.5 weeks today and feeling every second of it! This 10 min shoot wore me right out and it took me 30 mins in front of a blazing fire with my feet up to recover!!! Those of you mama's that 'glow' and are perky all through your pregnancies....pfffffft!

Bird Art Contest

2009-01-10T09:53:00.013-05:00

Right outside our dining room window is a bird feeder. Actually it feeds a little nation of birds and throughout the winter, there's this continual parade of avian visitors that we enjoy watching. Some of these feathered folk are as fat and round as ripe oranges and are absolutely adorable. They make a beautiful splash of color against the generally snowy background of January in Maine.

About 2 years ago, I took all these pictures, and had the older boys memorize the names of some of the most common birds to visit the feeder, and thought I'd do so again with Raveen. Maybe this way he'll quit hollering, "look Mom, a fat bird!" or "a red bird" and sound a bit more intelligible about what he's seeing. Plus it's a good way to get him introduced to nature identification guides. The Hubster's decided to join us as he discovered that he knows the names of a grand total of 4 (count 'em, FOUR!) birds and that's after a childhood of growing up in Maine! He's convinced there's a Finch in there somewhere too and doesn't believe me when I tell him he's not pointing to right one...Heheheee...

I'm going to have the boys sit down with a bird field guide next week and have them list and classify and memorize the birds pictured below. Then I'll have them memorize a bird poem, write a bird story, and draw/paint a bird picture, and get some bird related reading from the library. Ta da...science, writing, reading, penmanship, and art all in one go (gotta make the most of it :)) Plus, this will hopefully boost my homeschooling efforts this last month before the baby comes as I must confess to being quite unmotivated lately.

I thought it would be fun to also have an art contest for anyone else that wants to do this little 'bird unit' with us. The boys always do better when they know their friends are doing the same thing and since we're not part of a co-op right now, maybe some of our long-distance friends will want to join us.

So here are the Bird Art contest guidelines (participants can be between ages 6-10):
1. Use a field guide and identify the birds pictured below. Memorization is an option. (I'd also love it if you'd send us a list or better yet, photographs of some birds that you might have commonly visit your part of the world just so we can see how different regions support different bird life.)
2. Submit a drawing/painting/collage of bird art by Jan 31st for the contest. I'll post all the entries on the blog. The winner will get one of my favorite illustrated books, The Bird Alphabet Book by J. Pallota. I love this book simply for the amazing artwork.
Just let me know in the comment section if you plan on having your kids participate so I know to expect an entry(s) from your family.

O.K. onto the birds we see most often up here in New England: (ahem, the "0" is because our math program starts counting with the zero concept :))

Some "bird" resources we've used before (please share any of your favorites with us!):
I like the Peterson First Guide for Birds for pre k - 1st grade, and the more advanced Peterson Guides for older grades. The First Guide has pics of all the above birds and is great for the young 'uns.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children (paperback) or the free online book at the Baldwin Project or the free audio book through Librivox. We started this book before as a read-aloud a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it.

The "lets-read-and-find-out-science" series has a couple of simple reads like "A Nest Full of Eggs (level 1)", and "How Do Birds Find Their Way? (level 2)"

Online digitally recorded bird songs/sounds

Bird poems (though I'd look through these after identifying the birds using a field guide first if you want to teach them how to use a handbook as several of the poems have pictures of the birds as well as their names)

35 weeks!

2009-01-08T14:51:00.005-05:00

Wahoo!...5 weeks left to go. We're currently in a frenzy of baby name hunting and while my Dad has a penchant for those long 6 syllable trip-over-your-tongue names, Shawn and I would like to keep it short and sweet. I'm open to any suggestions (except 'Julie' which is Great-gram-Panosian's poodles' name and a particular favorite of Raveen's or 'Ariel' which is because he just saw the Little Mermaid)

Also took another maternity self-portrait but this time I didn't even attempt to peek around the camera. Hormones have so overtaken my face that I've broken into spots, and while spots are thrilling fun if I want to play connect the dots, they're not very good for my vanity! I wanted to draw a happy face on my belly with the nose being my almost-outie belly-button, and take a picture but the kids don't think that would be 'very modest' (sheesh, my moral police!) so you'll have to just imagine it. Here I am...and it's my latest grateful post.

grateful daily ~ 25

on a side-note...
This 100% wool yarn from Japan is a feast for your eyes. Had to take a picture. Don't know what I'm knitting yet, just...knitting. Had to share it.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T19:54:00.005-05:00

From our family to yours...

May you have the gift of faith, the blessing of hope, and the peace of God's love this Christmas and always. Merry Christmas.

crafting like crazy

2008-12-23T12:02:00.003-05:00

Been busy crafting lately. Usually in the daily routine of homeschooling and homemaking, I don't often take time to just make things for the pleasure of it. But having been forced to slow down has been such a nice thing in so many ways. Photography aside and apart from the whole learning to knit thing, I've been beading, paper-crafting, and making little home-made games.

I know beads aren't that classy and sophisticated but neither am I so I think we make a good match. I found this memory wire in a craft store, and it comes coiled so all I needed was some beads and a pair of pliers to make these bracelets. A splash of color on my wrist. It's been snowing huge puffy flakes for hours outside and while it's freezing outside, I'm warm and toasty indoors and so grateful for little simple projects that just plain make me feel good.

grateful daily ~24

Saw this paper ornament somewhere last year and wanted to make some for a mobile. Really like how it turned out. I have a bit of a paper fetish. I love the stuff and have this big box filled with scraps of paper that appeal to me. Isn't it funny the things that make us happy?

The boys made an advent chain this year and it's been such fun to tear off a chain every night for our prayer time. The bear is wearing the newborn hat I plan on bringing the baby home in from the hospital.

I love Eric Carle books and when I got a hold of a few of his bookmarks, I thought they'd make an adorable 'matching game' set. I played it all the time when I was young and it has good memories for me. Here are 2 extra sets I cut up. The pieces are small and extremely colorful(about an 1.5" wide, with 9 pairs in each set). I think they would be best for pre-schoolers or younger kids. Anyone want a set for one of your littles? The first two people to ask for a set in the comment section get one. The first person can pick whether you want set 1 or 2, and the second person gets the game left over.

Baby, it's cold outside...

2008-12-21T05:09:00.005-05:00

grateful daily ~ 23
Most of my nearest and dearest friends know (actually anyone that'll listen to me for any length of time) that I'm a warm weather kinda girl. Give me some sun, (ok, LOTS of sun) a pair of flip-flops, and I'm good to go. I don't need to live where there are four seasons. Never really had them growing up and I guess I just don't really know how to enjoy the winter. So needless to say, Maine winters present a unique challenge. It gets COLD around here. Not just slightly chilly, need-an-extra layer of clothing, gosh it's 40 degrees outside cold...but the freeze-before-it-hits-the-ground-when-you-spit type of cold (though I haven't told the boys that lest they take it to heart and try). And not just for a few freak days either, but for weeks at a time! Well, I'm doggedly determined to enjoy this winter and one way for me to do so is by appreciating how beautiful it is outside. And it really is. Quite awe inspiringly beautiful.

I have so much to be grateful for. I want to have a heart that sings with thankfulness all the time and believe you me, this is not a natural response for an ol' whiner like me! God is trying to teach me to enjoy and be content with the simple things like being warm on a cold day. Sometimes I think it's all up-hill work but thankfully, He's patient with me :)

Thar she blows!!

2008-12-17T13:23:00.007-05:00

Feeling more and more like a beached whale these days. It has less to do with my rapidly expanding girth and mostly due to the extended periods of bed-rest I'm still on. Most of the day I lay in bed and (accompanied by an assortment of grunts and groans) heave and roll my ponderous body from one side to another in a sea of flannel sheets. It's a wonder my muscles haven't atrophied! Currently, I'm up to 10-15 mins at a time on my feet before I have to sink back down on my bottom somewhere.

The upside is that I don't have to be completely reclined. Sitting is comfortable and keeps those nasty contractions at bay. Another upside is that when I go to Target, I get to claim one of those motorized wheelchair/carts and let me tell you, I'm a maniac on it. The kids have to run in front of the cart hollering at pedestrians to jump out of the way as I plow down the aisles. It's very empowering. Some other upsides are being off kitchen duty, being able to read-read-read in bed, and being able to knit. I now have a collection of newborn knit hats to rival the labor and delivery nursery of any major metropolitan hospital.

Here's Chivan modeling one of my latest. Same pattern as before...I gotta expand my knitting repertoire! My grateful today is simply because my family has been such a support to me. Shawn has taken on most of my daily load on top of his regular work schedule, the boys are such helpful little loves, Papo hauls the boys out of the house so I can rest during the day, and Grammie does ALL our laundry (this I could get used to!). I am so blessed.

grateful daily ~ 22

10 years and counting!

2008-12-08T01:54:00.025-05:00

grateful daily ~ 21

I am grateful for every day of each of the 10 years he's been our boy - and grateful that even before we knew and loved him, God had him in His heart.

Happy Birthday, my Neil.

So he's finally reached the 'double-digits' milestone in his life...sigh...where has the time flown?

To celebrate this momentous event we had a Marshmellow War B'day party. He's still into all things army related so we figured this would be a tame activity for the party. Here are the highlights...

Be warned: seriously long photo post ahead!!

hehe, this one makes me smile-

Grammy got them these 'grenades' that you toss after soaking in a pail of water. Chivan really got a kick out of themhanding out the ammo before reclaiming my camera -

the G.I. Janes and some attitude!

:) :)

Raveen had a rough time of it. He couldn't get much distance on his shots (understandably, it's very discouraging)

Papo gets some love

(we got the instructions on how to make these simple shooters through the 'instructables' website.)

gratitude

2008-11-27T09:37:00.006-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God. ~Ray Stannard Baker

grateful daily ~20

and on a lighter note...

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
~ Anon.

ruffles and flowers

2008-11-24T09:53:00.011-05:00

when in Rome, do as the Romans do?
or in my case, as Mainers do. Seems like many gals around here like to do hand-crafts over the long winter months. Makes sense: sitting by a crackling fire, wearing cozy wool socks, nursing a hot cup'o tea, and crafting while it's snowing outside. So, in the spirit of New England crafting (and due to long hours on bed-rest with little to do :)) I have picked up a new hobby. Knitting!

Ta daaaa...this newborn hat is the result of my first labor of love for the baby. I just had to make something girly. I hope you're duly impressed because I'm claiming full bragging rights to the fact that I made it all by myself!!! I have the finger cramps to prove it. I may remove the flower as it is HUGE but not sure yet. But hey, I finally get to put flowers on things and I'm milking the chance for all it's worth.

Due to the lack of willing and cheery models around here (sheesh, these boys are soooooo particular about what they'll let me dress them in!) I had to improvise and Penguin had step up to the plate.

grateful daily ~ 19

My friend Bridget (who sells adorable knit longies on her etsy shop showed me how to cast on (start up a row of knitting) and do the only stitch this hat required, the knit stitch. Then I watched some you-tube tutorials on the basics and went for it. The "Flirty Hat" is a very simple Jen Braico pattern Bridget found for Free-woopeee (though Shawn doesn't want the word 'flirty' in anything having to do with the baby so we'll just call it a Ruffle hat instead!).

All I needed was one skein of yarn for the hat, and some other colored yarn for the flower (I got this lovely wool/soy natural fiber blend at Michaels). For needles I used a circular size 8 knitting needle, and a set of size 5 double pointed needles, and one crochet hook for the flower.

Interested in starting knitting and/or crocheting? Here are some of the video tutorials that taught me. It's amazing what you can learn online!
The flower is crocheted (? how on earth does one spell that??). She also has a blog on the how-to's of crochet.
This site has a bunch of simple video tutorials grouped together. It also has a very simple hat pattern available or I can forward you the ruffle hat pattern I made.
my favorite video on using Double pointed needles.

for Danielle and Kim

2008-11-23T11:02:00.009-05:00

I got these lovely orchids from D. and Kim when I miscarried back in February. I didn't remember where I'd stored the images but found them again today. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness at a difficult time, girls. These photographs are dedicated to you.

a tender moment

2008-11-23T10:25:00.007-05:00

grateful daily ~ 18
Can't go out and take pics so I've been digging through summer 08 archives and found some gems of my Raveen. I was laid up in bed most of yesterday and not that I'm one to complain (as my husband falls to the floor rolling in laughter) but I was feeling bored and cranky. Raveen came in and held my face in his hands, (he's done this since forever)looked deep in my eyes, and asked me if I was lonely and wanted him to lay with me. I am grateful today for those moments of tenderness.

I am also grateful for a husband who serves me. Shawn has gone over and beyond the call of duty since this semi-bed rest thing happened and treats me like I'm going to break if I get out of bed. Every meal has been cooked, every dish washed, every child cared for, every toy picked up, every everything done that needs doing, and he's even been keeping up with homeschooling for me so I don't get behind (hehe, Neil asked me when I would do school with them again because Dad works them tooooooo hard). I love him.

kissy pout or what?

29 weeks and counting

2008-11-19T14:59:00.005-05:00

Today's 'grateful' is for God, for His protecting our baby and getting me safely to 29 weeks. I've been on a semi-bed-rest for the last couple of weeks after going into the hospital one night for early labor contractions. Couple of hours of monitoring, a shot, a cocktail of pills, and the contractions stopped but it was still scary (not to mention what it did to Shawn's generally 'take-it-all-in-stride' behaviour (hehee)). We're also going into the city weekly to see a neo-natal specialist as the baby seems to have a heart arrythmia but the last report was positive and we're praying she'll grow out of it.

So here I am, thankful that she's still incubating inside of me and not in a hospital, thankful that Shawn's cooked most of our meals for 2 weeks so I can stay off my feet, thankful that the boys set me up with a whistle with which I get to play Queen and use to summon them to my bidding...:)

just for fun. According to Shawn, I have hobbit-feet and toes as long as fingers so I had to take one like this for him. for those of you that keep HOUNDING me for belly pics! This is the best I could do for myself. It's a mirror selfie and I tried a couple with me peeking around the camera to stick my tongue out at you-know-who-you-are, but they blurred out so you got off this time!

Maternity outfit thanks to Goodwill - 22 items of clothing for a whopping $130 - oh yeah!

grateful daily ~17

'Veen

2008-11-18T10:16:00.007-05:00

Raveen's kindergarten year has been great so far. He's such a treat to work with because at this point, school is just a lot of fun stuff for him and he loves the one-on-one time. He's my latest 'grateful'.

grateful daily ~ 16

here are two of my newest site finds for the kids, they are packed with learning games so I thought I'd share them:
Sheppard software has a bunch of awesome learning games. Everything from puzzles to geography/map games to math drill games. We use the U.S geography map games daily to drill states & capitals and it's been such a nice easy way to teach them.
BBC has this free online typing program called Dance Mat Typing that was recommended by a friend. The older boys like this one alot, esp Chivan. He's learned more than half the keyboard keys already.

oh yeah, one more...this little slideshow to draw a dinosaur was a big hit around here.

sigh...

2008-11-15T08:50:00.000-05:00

went to the OB yesterday.
28 lbs ~ 28 weeks ....'nuff said.
I'm going to go crawl under the covers and mope now.

And don't tell me it's for a good reason!
Can't even post a picture which goes to show my mental state.

an unexpected surprise

2008-11-12T09:03:00.001-05:00

We live about 3 hours from the closest Indian grocery store. And that is a painful reality for me as it means that when I need a tin of chai masala, or am overcome with a craving for pista kulfi ice-cream, I pretty much have to tie myself down to a chair until the withdrawal symptoms pass. So imagine my delight when we have a bonfire at the house a few weeks ago and at the end of the night, one of my new friends, Amy comes up to me and mentions something surprising...

Her husband works with a sub-contractor out of India who sends him a gift box of Indian snacks/sweets on occasion and he just happened to have received one and it was sitting in the back of their car and (*gasp!) would I like to have it? Ummm....let me see.... YES!!!!!!!!!! This 'gift box' was actually a huge tray with several packages of different types of confections, and candies, and spicy snack mixes, and all made by one of my favorite Indian snack companies. Amy and her family can have no idea how special their generosity was to me and isn't this just the best example of God giving a truly unexpected blessing at the most unexpected of times? Here's a pic of the treasure: the 'chicki' in the bowl is an assortment of Indian 'brittle'. Sesame seeds, rose petals, cashews, cardamom, honey...manna from heaven!

grateful daily ~ 15

My first taste of PINK

2008-11-07T11:59:00.000-05:00

Got a little package earlier from a dear friend, Vicki Miller. Totally unexpected and totally made my week! I actually bought this dress about 8 years ago when I thought our #2 might be a girl, then I held onto it in case #3 turned out to be of the female variety. Finally, I gave up the fight, and gave the dress to Vic. after she found out she was having her little Lucy (three boys later!)...and lookee what she sent me back...the Dress! How fun and special. Thanks love, you're a darling to hold on to it for me.

I know, I know, the dress itself is not pink, but the little cat is and so are some stripes on the blanket!!! I'm more a fiery RED kinda girl myself! My little one may not end up wearing much pink but she'll be plastered in GIRLY for sure!

oh and this was funny, Shawn pulled out the dress and gave it a critical once over, then declared..."it's sleeveless!" (duh) I laughed and told him that i'd be sure to help her maintain her modesty as she grows up but for now, I think sleeveless dresses won't entice the wrong kinda guy!

grateful daily ~ 14

new friends

2008-10-26T10:36:00.001-04:00

Yahoo!! Met some Christian homeschoolers!!! If you live in Maine then you know what a remarkable thing this is. Maine is beautiful and big and most people live miles away from anywhere so it's difficult to organize getting together...but it happened. Oh yes it did! A bunch of gals and their nestlings all got together this past Friday for several hours filled with lots of laughs, leaves, sunshine, and new friends. Thanks so much, Bridget for opening up your home to us:)

one of my fave's...love the mood and abstractness of it. You can just FEEL his delight even if you can't quite see it.
all the ones we could gather in a few mins before they got distracted again... for some reason he got into this hole and spent the majority of the afternoon pretending to be a dog, complete with barking out his responses to the other kids.

Never too young to get started!

The lovely Bridget and her son

gotcha! Well...sort of...profile anyway :)his new favorite t-shirt. I know *gasp*, it's not even camo!!!so apparently she's dead but the good news is that it was a Princess Bride kinda "mostly dead" thing so we can all rest easy now.little I. was devestated that she missed the first group shot where the kids made faces, so here's round #2 with the littlest littles leaf anyone?super grainy through the window screen but I luv it.

out and about

2008-10-26T10:07:00.000-04:00

My rockin' Mother-in-love and I went off by our lonesomes to explore around the countryside and get some fall foliage pictures. I ended up not taking very many shots (too brrr to get out of the jeep for very long, yup, I'm a cold weather wimp...) but we had a great time and found some terrific little road-stop eateries, and enjoyed a long drive down winding roads out towards the coast.
grateful daily ~ 13

innocence

2008-10-16T14:25:00.000-04:00

He's almost 10 and has never shown much curiosity about the 'birds and bees'. Until now, girls are just beings you have to be gentler with (not by much, but just a little :))
Well since I'm pregnant, he's had a few 'how did it happen' queries. So before Shawn and I sat down with him (we used a wonderful little book to help us explain the process) he came up with his own theory of how babies are made.
This is how he figured it worked :
"Dad, you know how the Bible says that God made Adam out of the dirt? Well, maybe when Mom was sleeping, God put some dirt in her mouth so that He could start a new baby growing inside of her."
Hheheh, he now knows better though I think he thinks his idea sounds less "wierd".

grateful daily ~12

laugh-out-loud

2008-10-13T12:05:00.001-04:00

I love the sound of laughter. Who doesn't, right? There's something about loud belly laughing that just makes me so happy. I have the great joy of being married to a man who fills our home with laughter and we so enjoy seeing our boys crack up too. Personally I'm more moody and don't tend to see the funny side of life as well as Shawn so it's wonderful to be married to a person who tends to find the 'funnies' in our life and keep us laughing.

Now this image isn't of Shawner but Neil was such a riot about this praying mantis (?) on him that it had us all cracking up.

grateful daily ~11

time

2008-10-11T13:24:00.000-04:00

I was just thinking today about how grateful I am to be able to stay home with the boys while they are still young. I don't know that it'll always be this way and I am so appreciative that I have the time with them now. It's not always been an easy decision but ultimately, it has been worth every sacrifice :)

grateful daily ~ 10

King of the Field

2008-10-07T15:48:00.001-04:00

A stick sword is all one needs to be King of the Field!

We were out in the field yesterday. It is drying up so very quickly and is filled with these pods that are bursting full of 'fluff' (though I'm reasonably sure that that's not its scientific name). Blowing on dandelions may not be very exciting for an 8yr. old boy, but wacking fluff pods with a big stick certainly works for him!

grateful daily ~9

though far away...

2008-10-04T19:53:00.000-04:00

grateful daily ~ 8

in the light

2008-10-01T12:40:00.000-04:00

Always searching for the light. In this case, not of the spirit but to take that well lit photograph. This has been one of the most challenging parts of developing myself as a photographer, recognising and taking advantage of light in all its intricacies.

This is one of my newest and most favorite captures. The boys were out in the front yard and the weather took a turn from 'wet' to 'too wet to play' and I had them come into the garage to take off their shoes. The light coming in from the garage door was limited to about 10 ft. into the garage and the rest was quite dark. Perfectly lovely for creating this type of moody backdrop. I had Chivan come in and stand by the rungs and as he's naturally so apt to wander away in his thoughts, I let him just hang for awhile and here it is, and I just love it.

great accomplishments

2008-09-30T21:00:00.001-04:00

Chivan hit thirteen arrows in a row into the target and then was trying some trick stuff like shooting 2 & 3 arrows at a time...and he was super proud of himself and let us all know about it :) Such fun!

grateful daily ~ 7

top to bottom

2008-09-29T08:44:00.001-04:00

just for fun...
Baby P. was adopted by a family that waited and prayed a long time for her. It was a bit of rough going for awhile with some long stretches of waiting, and several unforseen obstacles, but through it all, they kept praying that she would be theirs, and since God knew they were the perfect family for her, He worked it all out :)
Mom has her in the first image, and Dad has her in the second.

ah lurve mah sista!

2008-09-27T23:22:00.001-04:00

my sis gave me a file full of old family scans. Made my heart all warm and fuzzy. Khush, today, I am grateful for you.grateful daily / 6

tug-of-war

2008-09-25T19:08:00.000-04:00

grateful daily / 5

lucky me

2008-09-24T21:55:00.001-04:00

Love how he does this little tongue thing whenever he's concentrating. Working with him has been such fun these past few weeks. His favorite things are those maze books and story time that's just for him (though Chivan can't resist joining us, the wee book lover that he is). The baseball helmet is because he's him, and him is often silly and sweeet.
grateful daily / 4

bubble baths

2008-09-23T21:16:00.000-04:00

I was able to spend several weeks earlier this summer visiting my nephews in another state. This is one happy memory of that time...my oldest nephew enjoying a bubble bath. He knows no fear in water (which is somewhat nerve-wracking for the rest of us as one never knows when he'll gleefully plunge into the deep end of a pool only to sink like a stone, delighted all the while!) Doesn't his look of pure joy just light you up? Small pleasures should make us all so happy. grateful daily / 3

baby love

2008-09-22T20:31:00.001-04:00

This is an old image that I took on my trip to India last year. She was laying on a piece of cloth while her mother worked in a chiku orchard nearby. Neil thinks she looks strange because of the kohl under her eyes, but it's very traditional and I think beautiful.

I am officially half-way through my pregnancy. Chivan felt the baby kick today and was enthralled. I am looking forward to nuzzling a soft baby neck and nibbling little newborn toes. Our newest family member will be here in February... to warm up our winter. grateful daily / 2

Grateful daily

2008-09-21T19:49:00.000-04:00

Found this terrific group on Flickr where everyone tries to take a photograph daily(or whenever they can fit it in) depicting something they are grateful for that day. I loved the spirit of the idea and since I think I need a daily reminder to be thankful, I've decided to try it for myself. I'd enjoy it if anyone else wanted to join me via their blogs or through the Flickr group so please contact me if you'd like to start your own photo-feast of thankfulness.

I Thess. 5:18
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

grateful daily /1

Summer's end

2008-09-19T17:38:00.000-04:00

Summer is winding down and the days are quickly cooling here in Maine. I've already been drinking hot chocolate (though I don't need much of an excuse for that!) and intend to head out this weekend to pick up the fuzziest and warmest pair of socks I can find.
Some summer highlights:
Florida at my sister's!
All the chocolate I could handle (courtesy of my bro-in-law)
Closet raiding privileges at my sister's
Cuddling nephews
Golden beaches
Maine at my in-laws
Four-wheeling in the fields
Fresh tomatoes and blueberries from the garden
Lazy days by the pool
Lazy days playing UNO with the boys
Canoeing at the lake
Bike-riding down hills
"the Kite Runner" -K. Hosseini
"March" -G. Brooks
"Gone with the Wind" - M. Mitchell
lots of photographs...

Sweet tomatoes

2008-09-13T16:02:00.001-04:00

Been going next door to Uncle Timmy's garden to gather enormous bunches of these scrumptious cherry tomatoes. They're like perfect glossy red jewels. Yum. We can't eat them fast enough! Or should I say, Shawn and I can't eat them fast enough. The boys somewhat prefer pelting each other with them and seeing as how ripe so many of the little fruit are, it's been quite interesting. I've decided that I'm growing my own next season. I'm officially addicted to fresh, from the garden tomatoes. Pluck 'em, wipe off a bit of the dirt, and enjoy, mmmm...good.

Randy + Katie

2008-08-01T22:19:00.000-04:00

Had the pleasure of tagging along and watching a master wedding photographer in action this past Feb. (gasp...yes, I know it's August but I've had laundry and other chores to catch up on. Blogging can't be everything right?)
Here are some of my shots from the day. Thanks so much for the opportunity to get in on some of the action, Erik.

One word for this bride...PERSONALITY. Texas sized personality!

I thought this was touching. The ladies all spent a moment praying for the new family-to-be before the ceremony. Here's the bride flanked on either side by mother and sister.

Spring bunnies

2008-04-17T14:24:00.000-04:00

Spent a lovely day at the Rowland Ranch with some friends. Fuzzy bunnies and happy little girls make my camera happy

Christmas in April

2008-04-17T13:39:00.000-04:00

Chivan has completed his Christmas list early this year and I thought I'd share it. Now our family doesn't make Santa a part of our celebrating, but he read this story about a boy who writes to Santa and thought he'd make that his writing project for the day. I left the 'list' as is though I must confess it doesn't reflect too well on our spelling progress thus far in homeschooling, but oh well...here it is in all it's glory.

"Dear Santa,
how are you. well lets get to bisnis. I whant a rocking horse, cars, flowers, a BiBle and a shocktchrooper, one hundred dollers, rocks, my own medill, and a reel tcheckers game. A histery book, my own Fort, gold, trophees, a wallit, a modersikle for kids. A globe, a toy gun and books lots of books. my own dog, a fish tank, and rings. A tub of icecream me for me. Mor wepkins anmals, my own cimputer, markers, a Flag, and a jet. A big tede bear. a big soda can, a pet lion, and a moovey I allways wanted to watch, and a watch. more paint, more books, and a choo choo train, and some paper and a shark and a perl nekles."

(hmm...think we'd better start reminding him early on this year about the blessing of 'giving' rather than receiving or he's going to be one disappointed little tyke come Christmas morning!)

Marshall K.

2008-04-11T01:44:00.000-04:00

Senior session
He was there for one reason only, for the love of his Mother. Gotta appreciate that! Kudos to you, Marshall for hanging in there with us for the session and for letting me 'play'.

Sunshine boy

2008-03-29T13:04:00.000-04:00

Shawn's out of town and I've been dismally blue. So my little "Sunshine boy" Raveen comes in to my room this morning (batman underoos and all) climbs into bed with me and tells me how I don't need to worry because he will protect me and take care of me while Shawn is gone. His ideas on how to do this exactly are a little vague, but according to him, it involves us indulging in extra big bowlfuls of cereal, watching THE dinosaur movie (yup, THE same one we've watched countless time before), not doing any school-work, going digging for worms (though it's been pouring outside), and reminding each other that "Daddy be back till-later".

Happy to say that it worked (although I was not personally a part of the worm hunt)...I feel much better now and think we might just get through this next week with smiles on our faces! And by the way, what is it with boys that they insist on displaying their grotesque bugs and oozing worms inside the house on my nice dishes??? I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture.

Spring is here!

2008-03-19T14:37:00.000-04:00

Signs of spring are everywhere! This is the poem the boys and I are learning. It's not Shakespeare but it's cheery.

Spring
I love the spring.
For every day
There's something new
That's come to stay.
Another bud
Another bird
Another blade
The sun has stirred.

his daughter

2008-03-11T14:28:00.001-04:00

A few months ago, my son Neil decided that instead getting a GI Joe, he wanted a GI Jane so he could have a 'daughter' and I could be a grandmother (um...thank-you?). So Shawn went shopping, and this is a pic of my camo crazy son with his little girl. He's carrying his daughter in his hood because 'good dads carry their kids everywhere' and he is determined to be a good dad to her. It's adorable and sensitive and hilarious all at the same time. He had her with him on his rampage around the muddy backyard playing Civil War with his brothers. It's a wonder to me that she managed to survive the steady hail of musketfire that was directed at them, but I'm glad to say she did! Note the chain of gold around her neck? That's a handmade star sticker necklace that he gave her because giving their daughters jewelry is something else good dads apparently do.

girls in white dresses

2008-02-16T20:42:00.001-05:00

Had the opportunity to spend a Sunday afternoon shooting mini-sessions for the Waxahachie Belles and Beaus high school seniors. 45 students, girls in white dresses, guys in bowties, moms adjusting hemlines, dads hovering, muddy ground, a little park in downtown Waxahachie, and lots of laughs. Thanks so much to the families, and especially to Kim Bosher for being an absolute trooper and helping me work out the logistics of this huge project. Here's a selection of images from the day.

my tree thing

2008-02-16T14:25:00.000-05:00

I have this thing for trees. I couldn't imagine living anywhere there weren't any. Trees cheer me up and make me feel just plain good. We went to the park the other day and while the boys were losing themselves in the maze, I sat on a bench shivering and grumbling about the brutal cold weather Texas has been having (I know, I'm a wimp) and then I looked up...and saw this

Beautiful, and stark, and a bit spooky. Wierd but it's just what I needed to lift me up on a down day.

Boy issues

2008-01-27T14:33:00.000-05:00

These are some old images that I felt like reworking. Notice the all girl theme? Hmmm, what could this mean? Maybe it has something to do with me waking up this morning to loud shrieking war-cries from three bandits that were wreaking havoc in the living room, an assortment of smelly camo clothes left strewn about the hallway, breakfast interrupted by a wrestling match, and to top it all off, NO ONE cared that the new ear-rings I was wearing matched my skirt so perfectly. I need me a girl to help counterbalance the raging testosterone levels in my home!

that time again

2008-01-25T02:08:00.000-05:00

It's time for haircuts at the Panosian household...yet again. Used to be I could buzz it myself but now that the boys care what they look like (sigh) we have to truck 'em over to Manuela at Miss Annie's Hair and Gift Salon. Makes for an interesting photo session though! If anyone wants to do a location shoot here, lemme know...heh, heh!

Honest Evaluation

2008-01-24T21:54:00.000-05:00

Around the start of every new year, I take some time to honestly evaluate how I'm doing as a Christian, a wife and a mother. Shawn loves to step in (ahem) and give me his very candid opinion on this particular subject, and this year, even the boys had a chance to tell me what they thought about "Mommy in 2007". Thankfully, the reports came in and were quite encouraging. According to the boys, my cooking has improved, I'm still pretty when I dress up (hmmm??), I'm not yelling as much as I used to (cough, cough!), and they all like me and want to keep me. God bless 'em!! No one commented on my perfect housekeeping skills, my consistently gentle and patient attitude, or my unfailing ability to make the atmosphere in our home secure and joyful. Well...thank God for the journey and for a New Year.

Some parent and child images I've recently been working on:

Introducing...

2008-01-24T01:18:00.000-05:00

...the newest Rowland! Yes folks, it's official, they're almost at the double digits at the Rowland Ranch, with baby number 6 safely delivered into the care of her loving family. I'm posting a few images but decided not to offend your sensibilities by posting my VERY fave one where little miss is unequivocally giving me the finger (and not the thumbs up one either!)

This one makes me laugh. I'm practically positive that she's dreaming of chocolate milk...well what else would make her smile like that?!

the whole tribe minus their dog, pig, horses, and hamster: some sista' love!

I am in love with their window light!

big sister

This is just before she got really fed up with me. Guess I need to learn when to quit.

ten little toesies...all present and accounted for

Kindred Spirit

2008-01-24T00:29:00.000-05:00

Ever read 'Anne of Green Gables'? If you haven't, you're missing out on a literary treasure. If you have, then you know all about Anne and Diana. The lovely lady below is Jane Elena Rowland, and she is one of my kindred spirits.

Here's why - she calls me way past her bedtime to make sure I get home safely, she rants and raves about every photograph I show her (even the terrible ones - I know 'cause I test her!), she instinctively knows when I'm having a down day and sends me chocolate , she loves Jesus wholeheartedly, she adores my family, she is an amazing inspiration as a mother and a wife, she's honest and real and compassionate and nurturing, and she's going to be related to me through marriage in the future! I hope that your life has the blessing of a "Jane" in it, and if not ... give my Jane a call, you can share her with me, I know you'll love her too.

Miller family

2008-01-23T22:30:00.000-05:00

Had a mini-session with the Miller family and thought I'd post my fave images. Trying out some new things with making softer images. Me likee!

The little princess has three big brothers, weighs in at a hefty 21lbs, and rules the roost! Is he a heartbreaker or what? And yes, he IS as gentle and sweet as he looks. This young man sure gave me a good brooding look here. I love his intensity.