Jeff and Katie's wedding

Once again it's hard to choose just a few photos to share from Jeff and Katie's lovely wedding, but posting the nearly hundred that I got of just the ceremony and decorations (not to mention all of the portraits) would definitely be overboard.

My dad performed the ceremony.

The wedding party

(That's Little Man looking a little confused on the front row.)

bride and bridesmaids

(there was another photographer in charge of taking the guy photos)

This is the first wedding I have ever been part of that the guys were as excited about getting photos of their shoes taken as the girls were. Of course, most guys' wedding shoes aren't this cool either.

Little Man with his adored friend, Jeff.

Mr. and Mrs.

Off the the reception!

Katie's bridal portraits

Please bear with me as I indulge in a few days of somewhat belated wedding photos from my friend Katie's wedding on June 18. Today I'm going to share some of the bridal portraits we squeezed in at the very end of the day. I was going to share only one or two, but Katie is such a graceful and beautiful subject with such control over what she looks like that I manage to get tons of good photos in just minutes, resulting in far to many favorites to choose just two.

It was a windy day, and after battling the gusts for a while we decided instead to embrace it and make the most of some wind-blown veil shots.

I don't think there's anything quite like helping to capture and document a friends' joy on her wedding day. I feel so honored to have been included!

crabby pets

We are not really pet people. We have allergies to pet dander. We don't like the time investment, smells, exertion, and expense associated with most pets. The benefits just don't seem worth it. However, on our last trip to Utah (where there are decent pet stores), I rather surprisingly and spontaneously decided to research and purchase hermit crabs for the boys.

Little Man was on cloud nine. He kept exclaiming, "I'm so glad we're getting a pet!" His eager excitement (and the crabs' lack of smelliness and low maintenance) make it all worth it. I'm finding the littler critters fascinating to observe, and I've been enjoying learning about and caring for them with the boys.

Did you know that hermit crabs breathe through hardened gills, so even though they live in the air, they get their oxygen from water? This makes it important to keep their environment humid. They love to climb and dig in the sand and bathe in salt and fresh water. One of their claws is bigger than the other. Hermit crabs, in spite of their name, are social little creatures and do best in groups of multiple crabs. And they chirp. Yes, I'm truly enjoying observing them.

This is Little Man's crab, Ortho. Little Man was very decided about naming his crab Ortho from the first time I asked him about it in the pet store. I'm not quite sure where he came up with it, but it's pretty cute. (The close up pictures of the crabbies are actually a little disturbing...sorry. They're much cuter at their actual 2 inches.)

And this is Brother's crab, Chica. That's the best we could make out when we asked him what he wanted to name his crab. He seemed pretty happy about it, though, so we must have guessed closely enough.

Little Man very conscientiously helps give the crabs fresh water and food.

.

I love this photo even though it's sadly blurry;

it just captures his joy and pride in being a crab owner so perfectly.

If you look closely in the front of the aquarium on the right side of this photo, you can see Chica. Brother was so excited that she was doing her daytime sleeping in a visible location. He was exclaiming "Hi, Chica! Hi, Chica!" over and over and pointing her out to me.

So far the only thing I regret about our new hermit crab pets is that they're nocturnal, so the boys don't get to enjoy them as much as I do. Hopefully this happy state of pet ownership continues!

bridal hair accessory

My dear friend Katie got married on June 18th. I can't believe that I haven't blogged about it yet! After all, I was one of the photographers and have many beautiful images to share. Plus Little Man was the ring bearer, and I am very proud of how handsome he was and how well he behaved. I think it's one of those times that I have too much to share and don't know where to start.

About two hours before the rehearsal, Katie came to me with scraps from her wedding dress alteration, a rough sketch of a hair accessory that she had been dreaming of, and a request for advice on how to make it happen. I immediately envisioned exactly how it needed to be put together. After making sure she trusted me enough to just leave it in my hands, I sent her on her way to take care of all the other important details she was juggling.

I started with a base of white felt attached to a comb to which I added layers of bits of lace and tule from the dress as well as two white feathers. Then I added a satin flower and a sheer (organza?) flower also from dress scraps. A few antique buttons from my collection became the perfect finishing accents.

Much to my relief, her trust in me was not unfounded, and she was delighted with my creation. I have to admit that I was proud of how it turned out, perfectly coordinated with her entire "look."

Katie was a beautiful bride; I must share more photos soon...

linking up with Sneak Peek Friday today!

nursery nook--bedding

I always thought that when I had a girl I'd decorate her room in green and pink since I love that combination. The art I fell in love with, though, mandated something more original. At first I thought I'd try to piece together a nursery set as I found items that coordinated with the colors I wanted. As I searched, however, it soon became obvious that if I was going to get what I really wanted I'd either have to spend hundreds of dollars or make it myself.

And so make it I did. One of my friends says that it's a very sweet thing for me to do for Sweet Pea. I don't know, though, if it's sweetness or merely stubborn determination to get what I want.

Over the last few weeks I have made a white crib skirt out of the same white fabric as the curtains, two flannel crib sheets, and a bumper. The crib skirt and sheets were pretty basic, but the bumper required a bit of planning. I ended up using a second-hand breathable bumper as a base which I covered with my preferred fabric.

I love how well the pretty green and blue prints work together. I'll truly enjoy decking Sweet Pea out in little pink outfits, but I'm so glad that her room is decorated in cool, soothing greens and blues. I'll enjoy being in it much better than I would have enjoyed being in a riotously pink room.

mostly scenery

On the fourth-of-July we took a day trip to Helena. Benjamin and I, the boys, and my parents had a lovely time spending mellow time together as a family and sharing a festive dinner with long-time family friends.

While I didn't get any photos of our activities (though my dad snapped some good ones!), I did get some nice scenery photos on the two hour drive there and back. The following three photos are the best of my drive-by-shootings, as I like to jokingly call the the photos I snap through the window of a speeding vehicle, hoping some will turn out.

We have had an unusually rainy, wet spring and summer. I have been enjoying the cooler temperatures and extra green!

Some of the fields are overgrown with masses of yellow flowers, making a striking contrast with all the blues and greens. Aside from the allergies, this has to be one of my favorite times of year to live in Montana; it is so beautiful!

We enjoyed God's fireworks--a big sky sunset and some distant lightning--on our drive home, and made it into town just in time to watch the human fireworks display with friends who have an optimal view from their front porch. It was a wonderful day.

nursery nook--decorative pillows

Sweet Pea's nursery-nook is so close to being all together and ready for her arrival! I'm very excited. One of my recent additions to it was two fun throw pillows. I love to make throw pillows, and when you're short (like I am) they come in handy for propping behind your back in tall-friendly chairs so that your feet can reach the ground.

The rectangular one is my pretty and practical behind-the-back pillow, while the little round one is just pretty. I'm foreseeing it being used as a toy (wouldn't it make a lovely, squishy ball?) more than as a pillow. I suppose that's one way of being practical as well. : )

I free-handed the rabbit applique on the rectangle pillow. It's based on the rabbit in one of the prints hanging above the chair where the pillows reside. I love how the reds and whites of the applique, buttons, and fabrics look so crisp together.

I'm very pleased with how these pillows turned out. They fit perfectly with the rest of the nook.

monday menu

[fancy little cupcake found at Farmers' Market]

M-bagel sandwiches, fresh fruit

T-hot dogs, grilled corn on the cob

W-pasta with fresh tomato sauce

Th-marinated steaks, salad, lemon-scented quinoa or quinoa with fried onions (both new recipes; I don't know which I want to try yet)

F-to be decided

summer days

I think

that warm and sunny afternoons,

little boys,

and watermelon

just belong together.

thrifted

Last Saturday I left the boys with Benjamin and headed out solo to do some yard saling. Sadly, it was a very slow week for yard sales; I only was able to find one. I bought a book, and that was all. I was a bit disappointed, but on a whim I dropped in at one of our little local thrift stores. Oh, was I glad that I did!

My first find was this vintage (I'm pretty sure it's vintage, at least) monogrammed handkerchief. It still has the little Van Heusen stickers on it, so I know it wasn't handmade. I'm still very pleased to have found it, though. I already have a plan of how I'll use it in Sweet Pea's nursery-nook (her first initial is, like mine, C)

And then I found a treasure trove of vintage notions: trims, bias tape, zippers, a fabric-covered-button-making kit, and even a few buttons. Pictured is less than half of what I got! I ended up with half of a grocery bag full for $3.50. I love the vintage labels, and I'll love using all of the lovely supplies they package even more!

Perhaps I'll have better yard sale success next weekend, but last week's finds are certainly nothing to sneeze at!