Today I’m up in Bluehill, Maine to celebrate Dave & Ori’s Wedding Day – I’m super excited to kick off my 2012 wedding season!

A few days ago I wrote about a few recent books and movies I had read. I was going to include When Everything Changed but thought it deserved it’s own post – I enjoyed it that much. My Mom gave me this book last Christmas after reading about it in the paper. Typically I read a lot of fiction and find non-fiction books a bit heavy to get through but this was written so well I flew through it. It combines facts with anecdotes about specific women and is really absorbing. It really is amazing to think of the scope of change that’s happened for women within the past 50 or so years. At age 30 I take equal rights and all that goes with it completely for granted but a few decades ago this was not the case and women had to fight for where they are now.

It was so informational I almost want to read it again so I can absorb more! Go out and buy a copy!

Last year many of my couples chose a 12×12 Matted Queensberry Album to show off their images. A 9×9 or a 10×10 are great sizes but this really feels hefty and shows off the images beautifully. Since I didn’t have a sample album to show a few months ago I ordered one from James & Katie’s Shelburne Farms Wedding.

I chose a Classic Leather Chocolate Cover. The inside pages are white with chocolate borders – very summery!

I also included a vellum page with their names and the date on the first page. Keep in mind – these albums will last FOREVER and even though you remember who you are and when you got married future generations will want to know!

As always I kept the designs simple, symmetrical and uncluttered – it’s a very classic look and one that won’t go out of style

For the ceremony spread (bottom image) I took advantage of Queensberry’s flip out pages – see the next image to understand

Similar to a four page spread in a magazine the pages pull out from the center to create a real showstopper!

This wedding was so wonderful – it was hard to narrow down which images to include!

Another flip out option is showcased on the right side of this spread which opens up on the seam between the two vertical photos (a bit hard to notice if you’re not looking for it!)

It’s nice to change the design up a bit and surprise people with this design feature

Congratulations Katie & James!

To see many other images of finished Queensberry albums CLICK HERE

I’ve read some great books in the past few months…..see below for a rundown

I can’t remember who recommended The Book Thief to me but it’s been on my list for quite some time. Heavy subject matter but beautifully written and a lovely story – I’d recommend it.

I really enjoy reading so-called “Foodie Biographies” and Born Round was no different. Frank Bruni is the former food critic for the New York Times and writes candidly about his lifelong food struggles. It’s at times moving and at times laugh out loud funny – I loved it. If you want to read another great Foodie Bio by a former New York Times critic try Ruth Reichl’s Garlic and Sapphires which I read a few years ago

There has been some recent controversy with Greg Mortenson but I really enjoyed reading Stones into Schools – a kind of sequel to Three Cups of Tea. Regardless of the controversy his organization has done some incredible work in building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan and this book is at times fascinating as it describes the lengths they had to go through to make it happen

Jeff and I just canceled our Netflix subscription so this will probably be the last of the movie recommendations for awhile as it seems we never actually go to the theater (I still haven’t seen the Hunger Games!)

The Switch is a lighthearted romantic comedy – it’s like a beach read in the form of a movie. Not terrible but not fabulous

The Tiger’s Wife was the most recent book I finished. I enjoyed it but found it difficult to become really absorbed in – I picked it up and put it down a few times. It’s an interesting story and there are good parts but overall I didn’t love it.

I loved the book Water for Elephants so assumed I would love the movie (Reese Witherspoon is one of my favorites) – it didn’t disappoint. It’s a sad story at times but I really loved it.

What have you all been reading and watching lately? Any suggestions I should add to my list?

I hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day Weekend. Jeff and I arrived Friday night for the first time since Easter to discover that the lawn was in BAD need of some TLC. Jeff manned the lawn mower, Giles manned the weed wacker, and I did some spring cleaning inside sweeping and mopping the screened in porch and setting it up for the season. By Saturday afternoon things were in MUCH better shape and we were able to relax and have a quiet evening!

Have a good week!!

Last week I was down in Austin, Texas visiting my friends Alyssa & Joe and their adorable seven month old son Hamilton (and who could forget Sutton??) They moved there at the end of last summer and Hamilton was born in October so this was my first time meeting him. We had a great time catching up and of course taking many photos

I got in after Hamilton was in bed on Sunday so Alyssa and I went out to a big girl dinner at Guero’s Taco Bar – yum. The next morning Hamilton greeted me with a big smile and we were off

He’s sitting up well and also crawling a bit too!

Sutton is a doting big Brother and is so gentle with Hamilton

Yum – breakfast (Alyssa impressively makes all of Hamilton’s food!)

That afternoon I went to get Hamilton after his nap -I love the simple design of his nursery

Cheerful guy after a good sleep!

Beautiful Mom and her son

Quilt lovingly made by his Grandma

He loves chewing on Sophie

More smiles as he gets up from a mini nap

Dad came home early!

Hanging out in his room

Anyone who has kids will recognize this face

Hanging out with Sutton

Wow Big Brother you are SO tall!!

Some more formal family photos

With a break of peas in between

And a few more in their front yard

Mirror time

He loves kicking his legs in the bath and making big splashes

Laughing at Daddy

Love love love this one….a bit of nursing and storytime before bed!

The next day we took more photos – he has the most amazing eyelashes

Fun on another quilt made by Grandma!

We can’t forget about the original first child

Um – can I have some food too?

Storytime in his room

I miss you all already – move back east!!!

xxoo

Cooking Light had this yummy Cucumber Salad recipe and we cooked it last week – it’s delicious and a perfect light summertime recipe!

Herby Cucumber Salad (6 Servings)

1/4 c. plain low-fat yogurt

2 T. coarsely chopped fresh dill

1 T. coarsely chopped fresh parsley

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. EVOO

1 1/2 t. coarsely chopped mint

2 t. Dijon mustard

1/4 t. sugar

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove

5 1/2 c. thinly sliced cucumber (about 2 large)

2 1/2 c. thinly sliced red onion

—–

Combine  the first 11 ingredients (through garlic clove) in a food processor or a blender and process until well blended

Combine the cucumber and onion in a large bowl.

Drizzle with the yogurt mixture, and toss to coat

I’m heading to the lake for the weekend shortly but wanted to post some photos of the doogles. I follow Kate Spain’s blog (a great fabric designer that my friend Nancy introduced me too) and she has furry Friday when she posts pictures of her cats….this is my version of furry Friday

When I sit at my desk and look down the hallway this is what I see…..doggies ready for their walk

By this time Strider had come in to sit next to me and stare deeply in my eyes willing me to get up and take them for a walk so Sage took his place

An old photo from this winter sometime – I love how he’s sniffing the air with his ears blowing in the breeze

And another from a trip to VT – they love the beach…..playing with sticks, sniffing around, wading in the water -it’s all good

They love sleeping on our  bed in the morning and will often stay there for hours

Happy Memorial Day!

One final post from my May visit to Vermont (I packed a lot in!!) – since my Mom was away I stayed with Wendy at her house. Aidan tested out my new camera with some sweet moves on his bike….pretty impressive!

He is the sweetest teenager and still likes having me around….at least he tells me he does

That evening we went over to meet the lambs that Aidan’s Brother Michael and his girlfriend Vera are raising – they had just picked them up from Shelburne Farms and they were so sweet!

They were very curious about the camera

Baaaaa!

Since my visit they’ve added two black lambs to their flock

The next day Willie met them – it was pretty funny watching them square off against each other

Obviously Willie has a bit of herding dog in him

When I was up in Vermont photographing the Shelburne Farms Benefit among other things I got to hang out with Fia two afternoons in a row When I arrived she was piling up dirt on the picnic table with her shovel

Then it was time to swing!

We took a walk down to the water with her Mom Heidi

And she laughed and laughed watching Strider & Sage chasing after sticks in the water

Finding a good rock

Love these two (photos and people!!)

With her allowance she bought a bag of M&Ms and loved how the colors changed after she sucked on them awhile…..I don’t know many kids her age who could be that patient and resist eating them all at once!

As Strider & Sage lay on their bed she slowly and steadily gathered all the blankets in the house (including a few rugs) to join their nest – it was so stinking cute

Strider was particularly tolerant of her!

Before bed we looked at some old photos from my first photo shoot with Fia when she was just four days old. I’m not sure she quite understood totally that they were photos of her but she enjoyed listening to the stories that go along with the photos.

As a child this is one of my strongest memories – time and again looking back at old albums and hearing my parents tell the story behind a particular photo – it’s nice to be able to pass that along to the next generation!

The next morning Fia was back at her nest building

And after getting dressed we did some more swinging

A toot snuck out of her and she was pretty pleased with herself and giggled wickedly

Garbage run

And an impromtu photo shoot in a sea of dandelions!

The dogs helped her finish her snack when we got back home – they are catching the hang of this kid thing and know to stay close when there is food around