Tag Archives: family

Jul 1

On being a Seaman.

Seaman is my maternal family’s name. It’s not just a name, but a way of life. Through unfortunate circumstances, I have lost touch with many of my relatives, but thanks to Facebook, I’ve been able to keep in touch with some relatives, for which I owe my mother a debt of gratitude. It’s not always easy to communicate to members of my family, and I understand that; we are not social butterflies who have zillions of friends we see or talk to on a daily basis. We are a family of deep, intellectual thinkers, and socializing is no one’s forte in our family. It’s taken me some time, but I am at the point where now I get it, and it’s really okay. We each have our own way of expressing ourselves, and when we don’t , it’s not to be taken personally for the rest of the family; there are lots of deep-rooted feelings inside that we would love to get out, but we don’t always know how, or, it’s just plain uncomfortable. I get it. For me, some of the best ways of expressing myself is through scrapbooking and photography. I know, UGH, scrapbooking? Really? But yes, it’s my way of journaling with photos in a bit of a more artisitic sense rather than just shoving my words into a book for no one to see. Sometimes I want others to see what I feel, but my words fail me, and this is my answer. I open myself up more on my blog than in any other way, especially in person. Here is just a prime example of something I have been needing to get off my chest to a dear uncle I miss (thank you for the photo, cousin Vanessa!!)

I tried my hand at ships knots, but it’s not easy with this baker’s twine!

All in all, my bottom line is that I want to tell you, Uncle John, that I love and miss you. You are in my heart and on my mind quite often, and I am ever so grateful for getting back in touch with Vanessa, and I thank her for sending me an email of this photo which I love. Let’s hope we don’t lose touch again, shall we? Best regards and much love to you and Aunt Ruthie.

Thanks to my followers for stopping by; more to come!

May 11

Using panoramic photos in a layout

On Mother’s Day, my family and I went out for lunch, and as I was sitting at the table feeling so blessed to be with my loved ones, I wondered how I could take a photo with everyone in it. iPhone to the rescue! I used my Pano app to take an almost 360° photo, so everyone at the table was included. I then transferred it to my computer, and printed it out in landscape. And, if anyone out there has a Studio Calico subscription, you know about the super-cute ends of the papers that have the company logo on one side, right? I cut some off to use as borders! I love some of those edges; I normally would throw them away, but I started thinking how cute some of the patterns are, and what a waste it is to toss them. Thank you, Studio Calico for your ingenuity! So here’s what I came up with:

I used Tattered Angels spray mist in brick on top of kraft cardstock. I also used Crate Paper Toy Box Story time paper strips as borders, as well, and did a little sewing. Other embellishments are by Crate Paper (chipboard, stickers), My Minds Eye (brad), Ormolu (half circle tag), and 7 Gypsies (“family” sticker).

I also did another simple layout earlier in the day, just for fun:

template by Cathy Zielski at Designer Digitals

I’ve got to admit that I have been having the time of my life while on vacation; scrapping my little heart out has done me a world of good! Happy scrapping to you, too!

Mar 2

Jack and Charlie’s

What a double treat my daughter and I had this evening; a luxurious dinner out with family. It’s my brother’s birthday, and our family gathered together to share each others’ company and a delicious meal. Each one of us splurged, and I went with the filet minon on puff pastry with butternut squash. To die for. But, alas the company was the real treat. Happy birthday, bro!

Feb 17

Snack on this…

Tomorrow I will be grocery shopping, and I will be getting some of the ingredients I need to make my energy bars. They are a healthy and delicious snack that my family loves (you should see how fast they go through it!), and I thought I would share the recipe with you.

Jennifer’s energy bars

(adapted from Men’s Health magazine)

  • 1.5 lbs (0.68kg) chopped, pitted dates (fresh are better)
  • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp orange extract
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom (ground)
  • 1/2 cup dried currants (or raisins)
  • 1/2 cup chopped almonds (or nuts of choice)
  • 1/2 cup granola cereal

Chop the dates and combine them with the maple syrup, vanilla, orange extract, salt and spices. Stir in the currants, nuts and granola until you have a firm consistency. On a lightly oiled baking sheet, roll out the mixture to a uniform thickness of about 1/2 inch. Chill in freezer for at least 15 minutes, and cut into bars.

I find that they don’t always stay in a bar shape and have a tendency to loosely fall apart; we don’t mind because we love the taste so much. I keep them in the freezer (still on the baking sheet, sometimes), and we just grab handfuls of the stuff when we need a quick snack. In the summertime, eaten straight out of the freezer means cool, gooey deliciousness that is healthy and satisfies! Great for athletes who want something a little different to fuel up with, too. Enjoy!

 

Feb 11

Let the photo speak…

I have a confession to make: I was at a total loss today about what to post. Is life that boring and uneventful? No, I’m just brain-fried from work today. So, I came up with this little idea of going to my photo folder, randomly picking a photo, and talking about the story behind it. This is what we have:

This is my little girl and her daddy. This photo was taken on the last day they saw each other, before my ex had to hop on a plane and go back home. These two hadn’t seen each other except once when  my daughter, Noelle, was 5, and before that, she was 2, and has no memory of it. She’s now 11, and is getting to know her father, relatively speaking, for the first time. Unfortunately, he doesn’t live close by, and she gets quite sad because she has missed so much, and doesn’t want to miss any more. But at least she now has him in her life.

Long story short, mistakes were made, and Noelle’s father and I should never have gotten married or remained together when I found out that I was pregnant. We thought we were doing the right thing, however wrong we were. He was so unhappy, he moved out one day while I was at work, and I came home to a half-empty home, and a half-empty heart. It took at least two years for the tears to finally stop, and to get my life back into a forward-moving direction. I still have regrets (and most likely always will) about not appreciating my baby as much as I could have during that time. I was not in the present moment like I should have been; I was not the mother my girl deserved. But Noelle was too young to remember having her father around, and fast-forward ten years, out of the blue, she began asking questions about him. What is he like? Where does he live? Who is his family? And, the touchy one: What happened between you two? No, I do not tell her all of the truth. I tell her what she needs to know; that Mommy and Daddy just weren’t happy together and Daddy needed to go someplace else where he could find that happiness on his own. All other inquiries, I suggested one day, she should ask him about, if she’s interested. Luckily, she was and she did. I was always hoping that they would eventually find a way back to each other and renew that sacred relationship between father and daughter. I’m a believer that a child needs both parents equally, even if they cannot live together. And when we did contact him, I discovered something magical that gives me a wonderful feeling: all that water has passed under the bridge (and the bridge didn’t burn). There has been a tremendous amount of forgiveness and healing that has taken place between Noelle’s father and I; no regrets, no bitterness, no animosity, no unhealed scars. We speak to each other just like two people who happen to be in love with the same little girl and want nothing but the best for her. Complete cooperation, understanding, and respect between us, and we are so lucky to be able to be on the same page there. I feel so happy for Noelle to be able to have her daddy in her life; the one man who calls her his princess, the one man who loves her as much as I do…and I am so happy that there are no bad feelings to hide in the process. None. ZERO. I have been blessed, I know it, and I am so very thankful. That is just another reason why I love photos; they preserve the memories and keep the significance of life fresh and alive.

Feb 8

Doggie love…

I was lucky enough to grow up with pets as a child. We had dogs (I still have a special place in my heart for my first, a three-legged poodle named Coco), and we had cats (my first one was a birthday present; a black short-hair named after my uncle Charlie). They were members of the family, and I guess I took for granted that dogs and cats were always around; a part of our daily lives. I haven’t had any pets of my own since I became an adult; apartments don’t make good living conditions for any four-legged pets (sorry, Coco). Lately, however, I have been exposed to other’s pets, and I have to say that I do miss having a dog or cat around the home offering unconditional love and companionship. But, on the other hand, I do not miss their messes, the smell and expense of pet food, the smell and fur in the house (allergies!), or worrying who will take care of them when we are gone. Besides, I may not live in an apartment rental, but I live in self-owned condo…..same difference (except for the rent). Sigh…if my husband didn’t detest cats so much, I’d be debating whether to get one right about now. Maybe when he’s gone I’ll replace him with that new cat.