Outside-the-Box Family Photos

Can you believe this beautiful lady is the great-grandmother of these darling children? Staying involved with her grandkids and great-grandkids is key to keeping her young and vibrant.

Her grandchildren thought of having a picture taken of Mamaw surround by the “Greats”. What a lovely way to record family history.

I hope these pics will inspire you to think outside the box when you are having family portraits made.

How about that favorite aunt or uncle with your kids? Keep thinking. Those unique photos will become family favorites in years to come.

Beach Portraits

 

 

 

 If you are going to Hilton Head Island this summer, we highly recommend Hilton Head Island Photography, Inc.  The photo session was great fun for our whole family… all 31 of us!  Along with excellent group poses, these creative professionals also captured many winsome moments with the kids.

(www.HiltonHeadIslandPhotography.com)

Baptism at the Beach

Celebrating this precious baby boy. He’s a blessing to the whole family.

Obamas Making Family History

Obama Family Making History

Of course, this moment on election night in Grant Park was historic for the USA and for the world. At the same time, Obama family history was being made!

Few of us will get to celebrate a family member becoming president of the United States. Yet we can experience just as much joy when we celebrate achievements and milestones within our own families.

I love the red and black wardrobe theme. Good planning, Michelle.

Family Fun in the Kitchen

Play Dough Recipe 
Not New, Just Tried and True

 

Twenty-five years ago, when my 4 small children kept me very busy, a dear lady in Gainesville, Florida typed this recipe on a card and handed it to me. Now, when grandchildren come to visit, I pull out that oil-splattered index card and continue to make memories around play dough.

 

 Combine in sauce pan:  1 cup flour

                              1/2 cup salt

                              2 teaspoons cream of tarter

 

Combine in a bowl:  1 cup water

                              2 tablespoons cooking oil

                              A few drops of food coloring

 

Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Stir thoroughly to combine.

 

Stir constantly as you(the adult) cook the mixture over low to medium heat. Consistency will change dramatically when done. The dough will come together in a ball.

 

Put the dough on a cutting board or waxed paper. Push, pull, punch, and knead it as it cools. Add a few more drops of food coloring, just to see it mix in!

 

Secrets to Fun: 

 

I let the child stand on a chair or step stool right next to me at the kitchen counter. He or she measures, stirs, chooses the color, pours, and kneads to the best of their ability. My job is guidance and praise. At a safe distance, the child watches as I cook the dough on the stove.

 

We take the dough to the kitchen table or a child-size table and we make things together…. using bowls, plastic forks, cookie cutters, all kinds of safe-but-real kitchen gadgets.

 

When interest wanes, we put the dough in a plastic bag or air-tight container and store it in the frig.

 

For more fun, we fill the sink with sudsy water and wash all of the bowls, pans, and kitchen gadgets.

 

(Many thanks to Odessa George of Gainesville.)

Lots of family history happens  in the kitchen.

Heirlooms and Stories

Everyone has a story to tell, and the items we save are part of that story.  Any personal possession inherited by someone can be called an heirloom.  We touch those items and feel a connection.  Heirlooms revive memories of people and significant moments in their lives … perhaps even moments we shared with them.

When my mother suffered a stroke at age 75, her memory was greatly impaired. She lived in a lovely assisted-living home for the remaining 5 years of her life. During those years, I hungered to hear my mother tell the wonderful stories she had always related about her childhood. It seemed that those stories were lost.

 

Even though my mother needed special care through those years, often she was able to go on fun outings with me and my family. Sometimes, Mom just spent the day at our house.  One Sunday afternoon, I showed Mom some items I had saved from her former home. When she held onto those items, her memory was jogged and she began telling stories. When Mom touched those familiar items, her eyes would sparkle. She would retrieve a memory and tell me a story of our family.

 

That’s one of the reasons that I began to see the sentimental value in the material things that surround me and my family.