I have two main projects for Thanksgiving vacation. One is to start baking for all the school bake sales I donate to (I’m not going to chaperon any field trips but BY GUM I can bake some stuff). I’m starting with stuff that freezes well. After much deliberation I made a batch of salt brownies for this year: I labeled each baggie “SALT BROWNIES” so I hope no small child chooses them and is disappointed. I also made plain chocolate brownies.
My second project is to get a Christmas card picture of the five kids. Every year I’m SO GLAD I did it, but WHILE I’m doing it I wish I didn’t even HAVE kids. Or at least not THESE kids. Next year, remind me to have several stiff drinks before the photography session—the pictures might end up blurry or tilted, but at least I will not blow a gasket. I’ve been going through the pictures I took (336 of them) and some of them are comically awful, some of them MIGHT work, and most of them make me ruin my dental work: four children looking perfect, one child choosing that exact moment to make a dumb face on purpose; four children looking perfect, one child wiping his nose with his sleeve; three children looking perfect and two pretending not to know the difference between “smiling” and “baring teeth”; etc.
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I love Unofficial Mom’s story about how a baby dropped into their laps. I was trying to tell my mom about it in the car, and I had tears (OF HAPPY) dripping onto my shirt, and thank goodness I was using the drive-up ATM instead of a teller window. Then my mom tried to make me tell it again at Thanksgiving, because “making Swistle cry” is her party trick, and I declined to tell it but teared up ANYWAY.
Kelsey is doing her annual Christmas Mix CD giveway, and I highly recommend you enter: she sent me one of her non-Christmas mix CDs awhile back, and I have it in my kitchen CD player and I listen to it pretty much every day as I’m making dinner or cleaning it up, and I lovvvve it. When it’s NOT actually on, I have it going through my head.
Ha–“not THESE children.” I feel much the same. I just posted a blooper reel from our Thanksgiving morning photo shoot. 300+ pics and I don’t have a usuable Christmas card picture.
I had SUCH a hard time getting a decent pic of my three kids this year… I can’t imagine the frustration with five. Actually, the picture I ended up with isn’t even that good… just adequate. Grrrr.
I can’t even imagine trying to wrangle five kids into picture-ready position… Bless you, Swistle. Sounds exhausting!
Also, the salt brownies sound awesome. YUM. I am impressed by your baking prowess. While I enjoy baking, after Thanksgiving I may never cook anything again.
If you want some photoshop magic just send them my way ;)
Did you hear the thud of my jaw when I read that you took 336 pictures? I gave up after 6 pics of my kids. If the miracle doesn’t occur by 6 pictures, I figure it ain’t gonna happen. Way to keep the faith!! ;)
Have you seen the commercial with the mom trying to get a family photo, and she ends up photoshopping (but with a different program) different heads in from different shots so everyone is smiling. I think the tagline is something like “such & such product gives me the family nature never could.” It makes me think of you and your family photo sessions every time. hahaha. There are only 3 of us and I still find it a challenge. ;-)
Now *I’m* tearing up! You are the sweetest ever. I haven’t been around the last few days since I was basking in all my time off full-time mommy glory, so I just saw this.
Thank you, sincerly.
xoxo
Sara
Our picture involved actual tears and the kind of photoshopping that involves moving heads from one picture to another.
Why do we do this?