Something Special Sunday

Greetings, dear Reader!

Another busy weekend has passed.  I had good intentions of posting some fun things on Saturday, but the day got away with me....we had some little friends spend the night, I fixed pancakes for seven children, my kitchen really needed to be cleaned, Bionic Man and I spent some time putting Halloween decor back in the attic and getting Christmas Decor out of the attic, I went shoe shopping and bought the sweetest brown dress boots for me (on sale, with a coupon!), my kitchen had to be cleaned, and we needed a bunch of groceries.  Whew!  So, today being a day of rest, I'm going to post a few fun things today.

First off, if I haven't already, let me introduce you to the beautiful-beyond-description blog "whatever", by Meg Duerksen.  Meg is a mother of five, a talented photographer, a creative cook, and has a house that makes me drool.  I discovered her blog a few months ago, when we were looking for a dog: I did a search on "labradoodle puppy image" and Meg's blog came up.  Which is really random.  But I've had so much fun reading her blog and seeing her gorgeous images ever since.

This week, Meg inspired me to do two things.

1. Discover Picnik and learn how to use it.  If you don't know about Picnik, a website with free photo editing tools, you are really missing out!  Go there, and see all the fun you can have.  Visit Meg's blog for some inspiration on how you can use Picnik to make fun business cards.

2. Make cupcakes for the children at church to celebrate their success.  Meg has terrific instructions on her blog for making these rainbow cupcakes.  I used Meg's easy-to-follow directions to make my own Primary Color Cupcakes.  (My church's organization for children is called Primary.  The Primary colors are red, yellow, and blue.  Get it?  Primary colors?  Clever, eh?)  I made this fun collage of my version of Meg's cupcakes using--wait for it--Picnik!

Yeah, me!  Anyone who knows me really well should understand that to bake and learn to use new technology all in one day, let alone one week, is a big deal.  These things don't come naturally to me.  Thank you, Meg!

Speaking of Primary children, I must give a special mention to all the children I spend time with on Sundays.  We had our annual Primary Program today, which is a really big deal, and they were AWESOME!!!  The Primary Program is when the children ages 3-12 present the congregational meeting.  It is always my favorite Sunday of the year.  Mostly because there is so much entertainment and the Spirit is so strong.  There is something really wonderful about hearing children explain the plain and simple truths of the Gospel through song and in their own words.  There is also something wonderful about the fact that you never know exactly what will happen when the children are up there in front of everybody.  I was in charge of the program this year, and I must say it was a pleasure to watch the children perform.  This is my very favorite song from this year's Primary Program.  The theme was, "My Eternal Family."  I'm so thankful for my own family, all of whom were so patient this week as mom went a little nuts getting ready for the program.

Oh boy, I think it is time that we update this family portrait!  Don't you love Superkid's cheese, though?

Speaking of family portraits, let me direct you to two photography blogs that I have so much fun looking at.  They both belong to women I just adore, both of whom really have a knack for getting great shots of families and kids. 

1.  KD Portraits is the name of my sis-in-law Kristine's photography business.  She is located in Utah, in the Salt Lake valley.  If you visit her blog or look in her galleries, you'll see some really, really gorgeous images.  You'll even find some pictures of my kiddos.  Congratulations to Kristine, who has recently been awarded some prestigious professional awards.

2. Whitni Parker runs her photography business in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area.  She is the younger sister of one of my best friends.  I don't know if Whitni knows how much I admire her, but she is really one of my heroes.  Right after my Li'l Angel died, Whitni--who I had only met once--offered to turn some of our favorite pictures of Li'l Angel and our family into a memory card that we could give to the people who attended her funeral.  It was a project I didn't have the time or patience for, and Whitni spent her own time to make this beautiful card. 

Whitni had lost her own little girl not long before she made this, and it really touched me that she would help me to commemorate Li'l Angel's life in this way.  Thank you Whitni, for your sweet example of service!

Anywho, if the fairies ever leave a baby on my porch, I'm going to have Whitni come and take some newborn shots, because I love, love, love, the little cocoons she puts babies in. Then I'm going to Kristine for Halloween portraits.  And, if you need a great idea for what to wear for your next family picture, go here to see how my friend Nicole dressed her family for a photoshoot with Aunt Whitni.

Well, I have spent way too many hours of my day of rest playing with pictures.  Time to go get some shut-eye!  Hope you have all enjoyed your Sunday as much as I've enjoyed mine.