trick or treat.

afternoon pick me up.

The bar is set up for the Saturday night cocktail party

Oh what fun it was having the whole family(except Chris who we missed terribly) here if only for a night.   We had a wonderful time just being the Schuelers.  I love watching my children being parents and lovingly raise their children.

nature walk.

don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me.

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This by far is the most challenging group I have ever had to photograph.  I love them all to eternity but even marshmallows didn't work.  This picture just about sums up the whole shoot.

red & white.

built in pacifiers

You can never lose them.  You get two together in case one is dirty.  You don't have to get up in the middle of the night to put them back in her mouth. But wait it gets better, they're recyclable, you can use them down the line as your needs change.  As Martha would say "built in pacifiers, it's a good thing."

red means stop.

2012 Avery

She does this WITHOUT marshmallows, I'm going to get it while it lasts.  Avery you are so much fun and wonderful to photograph.  You remind me of your Mommy when she was little even though you look more like your Daddy, you smile all the time like your Mommy.  I think you're going to be a talker like your mom too, I can't wait to hear what you have to say.

old McDonald had a farm.

winding down

rollin, rollin,
rollin down the river

tall tree.

My Hero

Saturday afternoon, doing some fall pictures of a beautiful family.  Locked my keys in the car with all my equipment.  AAAHHHH.  Adam climbed through my trunk in between two car seats and retrieved my keys.  What a guy.  Thank you Adam, you have conquered my scattered exploit.  My brain is driving me crazy.

big pumpkin.

maiden voyage.

soccer.

billy.

I looked, I saw.

It's amazing.  I look at this tree almost everyday, it's on my way to the places I go, sometimes on a daily basis.  Today, I LOOKED at this tree.  How could I have missed it before?  Because before I was looking but not seeing.  Today I looked and I saw.

my newest favorite photo :)

purpose

I think the purpose of fall is to show us just what real beauty is.  It doesn't cost a penny and it leaves such a  remarkable feeling when we come in contact with it.  It doesn't have to be something that is achieved, in most cases, it just is.

High price to pay

Often in our lives, the things we cherish the most come at an extremely high price.  What I appreciate with a grateful heart, is that someone paid the price for me.

golden.

lil' pumpkin.

The beauty of standing out in the crowd

Being a middle child of six, I learned quite quickly to just blend in.  Not until much later in life, I mean much, much later, did I realize the art and beauty of making choices that lay you right out there in full veiw.  I'm still not totally comfortable being red surrounded by brown, but I'm getting there.  If you can learn this early in life, oh what fun you will have not being another cookie cutter person, but being different.

flowering kale.

why do boys have the longest eyelashes?

the view is better from papa's shoulders.

going through her numbers

The number 5,  5 months of big blue eyes, healthy chubby cheeks, drooley slobbery smiles and pure love.   The number 5 gives us so many wonderful memories and the number 5 just keeps getting better as it approaches the number 6.  What does God have in store for this sweet little one as she goes through her numbers.  I can't wait to find out.

my favorite kind of book.

making sense of letters

Can you think of many things more important than making sense of letters.  Ahh the world you opened when it all came together.  In my opinion of reading, writing and arithmatic, the most important of these would have to be reading, it only makes sense.  I pray that all my grandchildren will love to bury themselves into an adventure, and my promise to them is to do everthing I can to  promote that.  Making sense of letters, mmmmm what a gift.

autumn white.

Fall white blooms

This flower is specifically designed to bloom in the fall, bringing joy to the end of a good season.  In my stage of life I can identify with it's purpose, ambition and design.  As I tip-toe into this next season of life I am starting to feel more and more comfortable in my skin, and I am finally realizing the purpose for this stage and, I am excited.  It's kind of like a working hard all day, coming home kicking off your shoes and focusing on all the good you've accpomlished that day, knowing that the rest of the day is yours to do what ever you want.   My question is, where are all the wrinkles  on this flower, and how do I get my petals not to sag.

Everyone had their coffee this morning.

One cup, two coffee drinkers.  I take that back, three coffee drinkers.  Oh Frank you're driving us crazy,

slivered almonds, dried cherries & a drizzle of maple syrup.

coffee break

Packing day at the Douglass house.  The only cup left unpacked.  Will be interesting in the morning.

mug shot.

OK Keyers, "show me what you got".

It's party shoe time.  You know what they say, "the family that rocks to Dancing Queen together, stays together.  Well maybe not in those exact words, but you get the drift.

little girls love fancy shoes.

when in rome.

Debbie goes to her happy place.

I talked to my sister Debbie today who told me that she sat for hours in her living room, with the windows open, listening to the leaves falling from her trees, hitting the pavement and then being whisked up by the wind while making the most delightful sound as they skittered across the blacktop. Goodness I thought, she is going wacka doodle on us. While I was outside today on this blustery fall day, I decided to see if indeed we needed to call in the troops and get her some help or if what she experienced was truly as wonderful as she described.  You know what?  It is.  It's calming, tranquilizing and it smells great too.  Kind of like having a sound machine with a touch of aromatherapy.  It worked for me.  I guess I won't have to call in the troops for that one.

under the tuscan sun.