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November Fresh Favorites… or did you think we forgot?

Posted on November 30, 2009

Is it almost 10pm on the last day of November? Am I just now blogging our November Fresh Favorites? Did we totally forget about this as the craziest season ever winds down?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

SORRY November families! We love you, we are just trying to get your orders out and forgot all about this part of the deal!

So on to our AWESOME November sessions!

REMEMBER: to vote you have to leave a comment on THIS post or it DOES NOT COUNT! You may only vote once. You may send this to everyone you know and beg for votes… at the end of the day it’s kind of a glorified popularity contest! Or really it just shows us who is hard core and asks their entire family, all their friends, co-workers and ex-boyfriends to vote for them! HA! The contest will end DECEMBER 1st at MIDNIGHT.

And the prize? Check it out after you see all of these amazing people!

#1: Phoebe

#2: The Volleyball Boys

#3: The Murphy Family

#4: Lila

#5: Claire

#6: Gretchen

#7: Brooke

#8: Nicole

#9: The Tallo Family

#10: The Lopez Family

#11: Jillian

#12: Coco

Oh MAN is it tough competition this month!

And the prize for the most votes?

Our newest product… Fresh Calendars!

They are AWESOME! They come in many styles (only one shown) and in three sizes. Prices start at $45… a perfect add-on gift for the grandparents or a fun addition to your office!

We will be giving our November Fresh Favorite a calendar in the 11×16 size mounted on styrene!

AND… because we love launching new and fun products… for this week only ALL calendars are 25% off! If your gallery is closed just email us if you’re interested and we’ll reopen it for 24 hours so you can order! AND we’ll have them in plenty of time to get them wrapped and under the tree!

NOW GO!

VOTE!

Let’s ROCK this again… think you November peeps can beat the October record of 545 votes???

GO!

the Allen family Christmas card.

Posted on November 29, 2009

Confession: We never mailed our 2008 Christmas cards.

Not one.

We did stick a few in gifts I think (if you’re reading this and actually got one let me know please!) but I have a stack in need of addresses in my office where they’ve been waiting patiently for a year.

So we’re going to mail them this year!

In case you don’t remember THIS blog post last year here is what we intended to send out in ‘08:

And like I said, some of you will be receiving it this year still.

BUT.

In the midst of craziness this weekend I actually sat down and in FIFTEEN minutes I had our 2009 Christmas card designed!

Who knew I could throw something together SO FAST?

And for us, this year, it’s perfect!

Again, it’s a flat card but this year it’s just a 5×5 and will be stuck in with last year’s 5×7 flat card… double the fun! HA!

FRONT: BACK: What do you think?

We love it and it makes us laugh and it is SO us!

AND I’m just glad I have something to send out this year too!

And while we’re talking about Christmas and Christmases past I want to share with you this note I found while cleaning my office today…

Jod, Someone famous once said that photos capture only a single moment, but that moment will tell a chapter in the ongoing story of your life. On this Christmas (2007) I want to express my appreciation and gratitude for the moments you capture on an everyday basis. I have selected some of my favorite moments and put together a rather unique scrapbook. I don’t say it very often (when I should) but you have a gift as a photographer and we (Bailey, Parker and I) are very fortunate to have such a “storyteller” in our lives. And for as good as a photographer as you are, you are an even better wife and mom. Thank you for all that you do. Merry Christmas. Love C and the girls

I keep it tucked in a drawer and every few months I find it.

It will forever make me smile.

We, the photo takers (whether professional or not), are so very important to our families. Keep snapping those everyday photos. Blurry or dark or fuzzy or not great. Keep clicking. Celebrate your perfectly imperfect life too! And maybe use those photos this year instead of the ones that make you look perfect!

State.

Posted on November 28, 2009

Today is the day.

While the players are pumping themselves up and the coaches are going over their strategy and the parents are waiting nervously and the fans are getting excited I am charging batteries and clearing cards and forcing myself not to feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of capturing every amazing second for Webster.

Today at 3:30pm I will meet the team in their locker room. I will start photographing every second. The last minute preparations, riding the bus to the Dome, entering the Rams football stadium, practicing, warming up, THE GAME. Every single moment.

I am seriously beyond excited! And although many times this week I wished my family was on vacation like Kim’s family or my sister’s family I wouldn’t trade anything for today. I am so honored to be able to do this job and pray I do it well for these boys.

Like this one.

And these two.

These boys who will leave their hearts on the field tonight.

Wish them luck!

Let’s blow up these comments today people! Show these kids how many people are out there cheering them on! Because although you might not come to the game and dress like this:

Or this:

I still know there are SO many of you out there rooting for the BLACK AND ORANGE today!

GO WEBSTER! GO STATESMEN!

the turkey day game

Posted on November 27, 2009

Yesterday was so great. So much to be thankful for.

I had a blast working the game too. It was nice to know I could just capture the moments. The people. The spirit of the game. I didn’t have to focus on just one thing. I could watch the game for all the tiny pieces that make it amazing. The players, the cheerleaders, the fans, the atmosphere.

Webster lost, which means we lost the bell… the prize each team trades depending on who wins… but I think Webster is just waiting for tomorrow. As yesterday was a JV game so that varsity stayed well for the State Final game tomorrow! So although it was hard to watch that bell go to the other side, we’re all still excited to see the Statesmen bring home State!

Thanks, Webster, for inviting me down… I can’t wait to capture all the behind the scenes of STATE!

GO STATESMEN!!!

the oldest high school rivalry west of the Mississippi.

Posted on November 26, 2009

Turkey Day.

Some people wake up today feeling thankful. Loving their family, enjoying a slow morning and looking forward to filling their tummies with turkey and all the trimmings. Some people spend today with family, sitting by fires, watching football and eating pies.

And although our family does all of that, we have an added element tossed in.

We start our morning by bundling up, making cinnamon rolls and sitting on our front porch watching hundreds of runners in the annual Turkey Day Trot. We cheer them on, yell HAPPY THANKSGIVING at the top of our lungs, see friends like Becky and Mandy and Sara and Amy and Sharon and Tom. It’s like our own personal parade.

Then we come in, peel potatoes (call our neighbors desperate b/c I forgot to run to the store last night and buy MORE taters, get rescued by awesome neighbors who had an extra half bag at home!), take showers, blog, get dressed and head to the Allen’s house. Not to stay, just to drop off the kids who will be forever underfoot while my MIL makes an awesome Thanksgiving meal.

Then C and I head to the GAME.

THE TURKEY DAY GAME.

Kirkwood vs. Webster Groves.

Its the oldest high school rivalry west of the Mississippi River.

This game, played on Thanksgiving, started in 1907 and we haven’t missed a beat.

And people that live in Kirkwood and Webster grow up with it as a part of their lives. More than just a thing you do while in high school. Because people around here are born, live and die here. Here is just a taste of our own history…. my grandpa went to Webster High as did C’s Grandpa. C’s other grandparents were Kirkwood High sweethearts. My dad went to Kirkwood as did C’s parents. C’s aunt dated my uncle at Kirkwood. C’s grandpa knew my great aunt at Webster High School. C’s maternal grandparents, his aunt and uncle, his parents and now us are all Kirkwood High School sweethearts. Just trust me. It’s a long line and most families here are like this!

So Chris and I both grew up cheering on the Pioneers at Kirkwood.

But now he teaches at Webster. And we cheer on the Statesmen, much to the dismay of the entire Allen clan!

Not many people switch sides like we have, but we now love Webster and will be sending our kids to Webster schools… breaking a very long line of Kirkwood Allens!

Anyway. So today is game day. At noon. And I’ve been asked to photograph the Webster cheerleaders so I’ll be down on the sidelines… very exciting!

And that is how Thanksgiving runs around here. It revolved around a high school football game whether you have kids in high school or not. Because everyone comes back for the game. Everyone! And after the game we will head over to the Allen’s for an amazing dinner with family. It really is a great day… and I personally love the added element of competition thrown in with all that thankfulness!

My favorite part of Turkey Day is the day/night before when the pep rallies start… the first one is in the afternoon for the students and the second one is in the evening for all the parents, students and alumni. And what’s cool is that basically the same thing happens at both schools, at the same time. With the last pep rally ending by lighting a giant bonfire and roasting the opponents mascot! It really is amazing to be a part of such an incredible tradition.

Since I was asked to photograph the cheerleaders at the game, they were my main focus at the rally too…

See that tiny little Webster fan? Bails came with me in the afternoon and had a BLAST!

Then the seniors do their SENIOR LINE DANCE… it’s hilarious!

For the evening one I brought both girls… Chris is still sick so he stayed home with Bubba.

I leave in a little while for the game… played by the JV teams b/c Webster is in the State Final Game this Saturday at the Dome! AND… I get to follow the team ALL day on Saturday, ride with them on the bus and be on the sidelines at the State game photographing the whole thing! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about this!

GO WEBSTER!

Not the real cheese, more like imitation velveeta.

Posted on November 24, 2009

Hello Fresh Art followers!  My name is Sara, and I am the gal responsible for turning Fresh Art images into fun (and funky) silhouettes!  For today, however, the girls have GRACIOUSLY allowed me to crash their blog, and share a fun idea for Thanksgiving craftiness!  Before we get started, allow me to share a little something about myself and how I came to have a life-long love affair with Hobby Lobby. 

I am mom to four young children.  I love to hoard random crap.  I am sentimental.  I love Bon Jovi.  I feel like I am always a mess, and with so many young children, I easily fall into the pattern of constant “doing”.  Changing.  Feeding.  Cleaning.  Playing.  Did I mention cleaning?  “Doing” can take up all of my day, and was for a while, until I decided that accomplishing tasks were not my strength as a parent, nor my source of joy when it came to my children.  

I LOVE to be creative.  But being creative can often be messy…and “creative me” has to battle “task-master me” to realize that encouraging my kids artistically is more important to me than a clean table-top and a mess-free house (because, let’s face it, mess-free only lasts for seconds anyway). 

All this to say that as you read this, you can be assured that my bathrooms are filthy and there are dust bunnies threatening to eat my children. 

Which brings me to the project I started a month ago with my oldest daughter!   I had an idea for a “Thankfulness Book” that we would make in anticipation of turkey day.  And seeing as our home is overrun with old toys and board books, I was looking for a project that would recycle items we no longer use—so that we don’t inadvertently kill a dolphin or sacrifice the glaciers, as I already feel great guilt over, having had four children in diapers.

I started with an old board book.  Suggestion:  DO NOT choose one with 27 pages, like I did.  I unknowingly extended the timeline of this project by weeks, because that’s a WHOLE LOTTA pages to fill.  Whoa, seeing my ugly pictures is a major injustice to this beautiful blog…PLEASE NOTE!  PHOTOGRAPHY NOT DONE BY THE PROFESSIONALS!!

Grab yourself some Mod-Podge.  Be prepared, your life will never be the same once you discover the art of shellacking.  Layer each page of the board book with Mod-Podge (light layer, one page at at time!) and cover with a sheet of scrapbooking paper.  Give it a few minutes to dry, and then take an X-acto knife, and cut around the edge of the page you just covered, to trim the excess scrapbooking paper away.  I am using one of thousands of catalogs I receive in the mail daily to cut on…watch those table tops!

 

Voila!  A blank canvas for creative expression.  Some pages I covered in one solid sheet of paper, on others I used several small pieces to mix it up and add some variety.  Older kids can help in this process, but be warned that it takes a little time and patience…and includes the use of a razor blade, which probably makes this inappropriate work for toddlers (unless they have MAD fine motor skills).  For our book, I covered the pages, and my daughter did all the work to write and illustrate our blessings. 

We used pictures and stickers and cut 4×6 inch-sized cards out of white paper, which we then mounted on to our newly covered pages (again, using Mod-Podge).  Love me some Mod-Podge.  You can then SHELLACK the whole thing, but I find this makes the pages kind of tacky with greater risk of them sticking together…best bet is to use the Mod-Podge like a brush-able glue, but not as a top coat.

I re-covered the cover in the same way…Mod-Podge to adhere, then layered with paper.  I made sure to be really careful when covering the spine, so that my paper laid flat against it and didn’t bubble.  Once the ‘Podge dries, the paper will move with the book as you open and close it! 

So there you have my idea for remembering your blessings, while keeping your young ones creative and happy!  Have fun thinking of other ways to use the idea:  listing your “gifts” at Christmas time, celebrating Mom or Dad on Mothers/Fathers Day, creating a simple scrapbook for your child to add to over time.  Sky is the limit, folks.

I am thankful for being a small part of Fresh Art today, a true honor!  For more ideas, or a daily dose of brink-of-insanity humor, check out my blog, Are We There Yet!  And for any of you readers, who are interested in creating a silhouette as a holiday gift (wink), check out the link here on Fresh Art, or leave a comment on my blog if you have a picture you may have taken that would be perfect in silhouette form! 

Thanks Kim and Jodie!

to add insult to injury… or a post where I just bitch a lot.

Posted on November 23, 2009

So.

This week has really sucked.

And today is Monday.

Chris still feels awful. A bit better but still really bad. If he’s up for more than 15 minutes or so his headache gets severe and he has to go lay down. He’s hoping to go to school on Wednesday but I don’t think he’ll be ready. H1N1 seriously knocks you on your ass. I had no idea.

The kids and I ALL woke up with colds. Runny noses all around. Parker is coughing. Grayson has a slight fever and some diarrhea. My head is pounding. I can’t believe I made it through a week of the swine flu and now have a cold. I feel awful and have so much to do I’m not allowed to feel this bad. Hoping tomorrow is better.

Kim is out of town and we have 9 orders coming in tonight. Kim does all of our ordering. She’s working from vacation as much as she can but I’m trying to also take care of it here first so she’s not worrying. I am NOT good at dealing with orders. This is not my normal territory and I’m doing it with half a brain. Praying I keep everything straight and can give Kim a much needed break! Thanks for your patience to our wonderful clients!

I have blown my nose 6 times since starting this post.

Our Christmas deadline is Nov 30th for orders. I have yet to have photos taken or to design our Christmas card, which means it’s not happening this year. So I think I will just put a note on last year’s cards (explaining why our kids look a year younger) that never got mailed and call it a day.

Oh. And I’m not sure if I mentioned this or not, but a few weeks ago we finally got the girl’s bunk beds. It forced us to rearrange the playroom and their bedroom and since that cleansing we spend most of our time upstairs… and it’s been awesome. Until yesterday when I sat on Parker’s bottom bunk and it broke.

(photo from my dad’s phone)

That’s right. I was just sitting there and it broke. Do you know how you feel when your ass is personally responsible for breaking an entire bed? Awesome. That’s how you feel. Just awesome.

And of course incredibly fat.

The only upside to this week so far? Seeing a photo of some friends from Spokane we haven’t seen in a LONG time…

It makes us miss the Northwest and our life there so much… but it also made Chris and I smile while talking about those days with these sweet friends.

So this week has been fairly sucktastic so far.

And that’s about all I have to say about it!

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