A Very Special Afternoon

What a treat!


Lulu was invited by her friend, K,
to the St. Regis Hotel...
to have tea with Santa.

First, there was the incredibly impressive
Gingerbear House.
Made from :
800 eggs, 350 pounds of sugar, 1000 pounds of flour, 400 pounds of icing
and took 500+ hours to create.

Next was tea, hot chocolate and sweet treats.
(Which is what the girls started with first!)

And then there was the anticipation...

for you-know-who.


Yep, he stopped and talked at length
with both girls.


It was quite the experience...even for this "grown-up"!


Their tree was pretty impressive, too. Gorgeous!

Thanks for visiting and be sure to check out
other fabulous mosaics over at Mary's!

Brothers for Black & White Wednesday

Joining in over at:

Check out the other beautiful black and white shots!

Thanks for visiting!

Favorite Photo Friday

I've been meaning to join in on
this challenge for awhile now.


And since I'll be decorating today,
I happened to remember a
couple of photos I took
(on my film SLR)
when Jack and Lulu saw a Christmas
tree for the first time.


I decided not to make any adjustments in
Photoshop as I want to present them
just as I received them. (noise and all)


Stop by to see other Favorite Photos,
or even better - join in the fun!


Thanks for visiting!

Birthday Mosaic

I can't believe it, but our youngest just turned 8!


She is big-time into dogs...
real dogs,
stuffed animal dogs,
walking, barking, stuffed dogs,
American Girl dogs...
you name it, this girl's got it!

So a dog themed party was in line.
Especially when my way-cool girlfriend, Amanda
offered to make the dog bowl cake!

She made the bone of fondant
and decorated with bling-bling.

The "dog food" are Whopper balls
which she kept in position with chocolate.
The base of the cake has pink fondant balls
rolled in pink sprinkles.


The favors were also doggie themed!
Human "Puppy Chow", packaged in
pink, red & green boxes,
topped with glass doggie ornaments.
(One little girl prefers cats, so there was one cat ornament.)

Human "Puppy Chow" is an easy and sweet treat -
perfect for sharing over the holidays.
I'll post the recipe on my other blog
later today.

Linking up over at Mary's - be sure to check out the other
wonderful mosaics!
Also using this as my sweet shot submission.
Find other sweet, sweet shots at:


Thanks for visiting!
** Edited to add: the cake was as delicious as it was cute!

Incredible Give-Away by Florabella

I'm sure most of my photographer friends know
of Florabella actions and textures.

(This is actually a vertical template, but I rotated it for this photo.)

But did ya know, she has generously sent out an invite
to download these gorgeous holiday cards? The
invite came via her newsletter. Sign up!


Yepper. All you have to do is "like" Florabella
on FaceBook and you can download all FIVE
of these beauties.
Comes with lovely matching patterns
for your text on the back.
Details found here.


Not only that, but you can then sign up for the
chance to win a $100 gift certificate to
purchase any of her incredible
actions, textures, frames or digital papers!

Thanks for visiting!

Macro Challenge

A little mushroom in our front yard...

I was shocked to find it, as my husband
is rather fanatic about the grass.

Might not be your typical macro shot,
but when you realize it's barely as tall
as the grass, I think it qualifies.

My first time submitting to:

Be sure to visit or join in!
Thanks for visiting!

Black & White Wednesday

Posting a little late, but I'm here!

This adorable little one belongs to a good friend.
I took this about 10 (!) years ago.
I actually printed this to B&W in a darkroom class.
Gosh, I loved working in the darkroom.


Now she has blossomed into this
lovely young lady.


Doesn't she have flawless skin?


Beautiful eyes...

And the most likable, sweet personality.
(She comes from good people.)


Thanks to W for allowing me to do your headshot!

Using this as my submission here...
check out other fabulous Black & Whites at:

Sweet Shots

My submissions for Sweet Shot Tuesday.

These were taken on a fairly recent shoot,
but have yet to edit more.

Trying to get back in sync with life.

Planning on being here tomorrow...
shocking, I know!

Check out the other Sweet Shots at:



Thanks for visiting and
have yourself a sweet Tuesday!

Pink Bouquet

An all-pink bouquet of roses and zinnias,
especially meaningful in this month of Breast Cancer Awareness.

Dedicated to a very special friend...
who may have lost her hair,
but not her positive attitude.

Who has been exhausted from treatments,
but lives with plenty of fight and joy.

Who has had to make tough decisions,
but remains strong and informed.

She is beautiful inside and out.
She is fun, authentic and inspiring.

I keep you close in my heart as you battle and beat this disease, my friend.
Love,
Trace

Day 39/365

Sweet Shots with Lulu &Ozzy

This was to be some shots of our girl...

who loves to braid her hair and wear silly bands.

When someone insisted he be part of the shoot.
Ballsy little thing, isn't he?


He has wiggled himself right into our hearts.


Check out other sweet shots captured over at:




Day 5/365

Pear Mosaic

Glad to be back.
These shots are from Day 6 of my 365 Day Photo Challenge.
I am far behind in my editing, but life happens!

Please check out the other fabulous mosaic makers
over at Mary's.
Thanks for hosting, Mary!

And thank you for visiting!

Black & White Wednesday

Back home...

looking forward to catching up on my blog reading.

This photograph is from Day 8 of my 365 Day opportunity.

Check out other fabulous black & whites at:

Sweet Shot!

My contribution for Sweet Shot Tuesday...
Daniella's reaction after rolling her first spare.

Sorry for the lousy quality - bowling alley light really stinks!

Check out fabulous Sweet Shots here:



Thanks for visiting!

Mosaic Monday & 365 Days

Joining the fun over at Mary's
for Mosaic Monday.

Click over to see other fabulous mosaics.

These shots are from Days 1 and 2 of
my 365 day challenge.
Click the button on the right column if
you're interested in joining us.
It's a supportive group, interested in becoming
better photographers and committed to taking a photo every day.

Thanks for visiting!

Lulu and B&W Wednesday

Back for another challenge...

using a photo from my recent archives of our daughter.

Be sure to check out the other black & whites over at:

Thanks for visiting!

Ozzy & Sweet Shot Tuesday

Another new challenge to me...
Sweet Shot Tuesday.

I decided to use Ozzy.
And because this was sweet.
It stopped this family of four in its tracks.

You see we've never had a vertically challenged dog before now.
Never had one that needed a little boost to see
the squirrels and chipmunks outside.

So, the Oz-man decided to prop himself up with his
catcher's mitt-sized paws and look.

Thanks for visiting and be sure to visit here for more Sweet Shots!

Baby Z

I told you I'd be giving you a baby fix...
This is precious Baby Z.

He was three weeks old when these were taken, so
he was wide awake for awhile.

This day we concentrated on mommy and baby:

and daddy and baby.

I just feel the love coming from mom & dad, don't you?

Then he ate and drifted off...
I think sleeping babies are possibly the definition of perfection.


What could he be dreaming of with that smile? Sigh.


Thank you "M" Family.
I am thrilled to watch and photograph your beautiful growing family!


If you are new here and would like to see their other two beautiful children,
click here for big brother and here for big sister!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

New Friend Friday