My Three Sons-Pleasant Lake, MN

It seems like only yesterday we received a phone call from Lee and Danielle, requesting a casual, relaxed family photo session by the lake.

Meanwhile, I noticed a few days ago there was a teeny bit of ice on our pond.  This is November and the lakes will be frozen before we know it…

Consequently, beautiful summer days in Minnesota are fleeting. Most likely why we embrace activities by the lake with such gusto.

It was a pleasure to spend some time with Danielle, Lee, and their busy boys.

Mom and Dad wanted to be sure we captured some special pics of their youngest, Charlie.  He was so proud to show us how far he could toss the really big rocks into the water.  I think my kids spent endless time doing the same thing when they were his age.  In fact, they still love our July trips to the North Shore of Lake Superior, where they skip rocks for hours.

Clucking Eggcited!

After months of anticipation, the Digital Art House family is back to eating delicious eggs from happy and healthy hens. No more “sweat shop” eggs from factory farms for us.

Here are the first dozen eggs from our “Baker’s Dozen” flock.

We don’t give our chickens antibiotics, and your risk of catching salmonella is next to nil with these eggs.  Unlike the huge chicken barns where thousands of cramped hens are kept in stacked cages, our ladies are free to roam, stretch, potter around, and eat greens, bugs, and things of their own choosing.

Our girls are allowed to be chickens.

These are the friendliest, happiest, and healthy chickens I think I’ve ever met.

Seriously.

Take a gander at a couple of my beautiful girls.

Soufflé:

Souffle is for sure Digital Art House’s Alpha Hen.  She gets the best treats and the highest roosting spot in the coop.  This is the chick who would actually leap onto my hand in order to socialize with us humans, and she is still extremely social allowing us to pet her and pick her up.

Meringue:

Meringue is the whitest, most beautiful hen I’ve ever seen.  I can’t believe how clean she keeps herself, as the life of a chicken ain’t exactly the tidiest.

She is most likely the most people friendly and she is always the first one to greet me when I venture away from my editing studio.

It was Violet’s idea to add Meringue, a Plymouth Rock hen, to the flock.

What a smart daughter I have.

Foto Friday

Every Friday I will be posting random photos from daily DigitalArtHouse life, and I’m contemplating some sort of Friday Foto challenge from you blog followers out there too. There may even be prizes…

Stay tuned.

AnimAl Fresco

G + G = The Z Boys

No, The Z Boys isn’t the name of an up and coming rock band.  It’s what I’m calling the two cutest clients of the summer (sorry brides ).

When photographing kids, its my philosophy that it should be fun.  No stiff posing.  No weird backgrounds.  Just boys, being boys.

When you adopt this “anything goes” mentality and allow the kids to be themselves, you end up with photos that really look like your kids. Instead of flat and static, you glimpse the vivacity of their little personalities.  And boy, do these two have great personalities.

Thanks Z Boys for letting us play.

Kidding Around

Yesterday we headed to Clare’s Well, a spiritual farm and popular place of respite founded and cared for by the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls.

Spending some time with Sister Carol and Sister Jan it is easy for one to notice and be in awe of their strength, generosity, and kindness.  They couldn’t let us leave without giving us gifts of fresh eggs and herbs from their garden.

Meanwhile, yesterday it was all about sharing some love with their new kids-two sets of twins, one set less than 24 hours old.

Adam took some great photos of the feathered friends at Clare’s Well too.  Here is a pea hen that insisted on flying over Adam’s head.

I love this chicken’s markings.  It was so fun to see chickens in every corner doing what chickens do best, scratching, fluffing their wings, and looking for tasty bugs in the barn and in the tall grass.  Happy birds give healthy eggs to us, that is something I am positive of.

Twas a grand day at the farm just “kidding” around.  :) As you can see, Violet thinks Mom’s humor is lacking…

Taking Time to Smell the Flowers

My kids teach me a lot.  I have to admit they might give me more valuable lessons than I give them.

Their pace is slower than mine-which I often find maddening! But, they notice the small joys in life we busy adults don’t.  Yesterday, I wasn’t feeling well and found little motivation. So I made a conscientious decision to follow their lead.

Together, we stuck our noses in cherry blossoms, apple blossoms, tulips, and my very favorite-lilacs.

The fragrance of a lilac is special, like most fleeting things.   Meanwhile, for some reason everybody else’s lilacs always smell better than the ones growing in your own yard.

I have to admit, I couldn’t help snatching a few on my walk…leaving enough so no one notice.

Later, on a visit to Grandma Patti’s house, I discovered Violet 0oh-ing and ah-ing over Grandma’s tulips.  She begged to bring some home.  Alas, these tulips aren’t your “run of the mill tulips.”  Okay, they are, but my mom and I planted them together the day Adam and I went on our first date, almost eleven years ago.  I asked Violet if she knew what a “date” was?  She rolled her eyes.

Here’s to spring in MN, which thankfully happens once every year, and to taking the time to notice and enjoy the sweet and simple pleasures of this world.

On the Street…South Haven, USA

Parenting 101: Knit, Purl, Frog?

When I knit for children I compare the process of creating a knit garment with the trials and joys of  parenting.

It’s an easy comparison.  Handknit items are riddled with mistakes, love, and warmth.  You do your best, you try to follow a guide, and in the end it is a unique creation that will never again be repeated. And if you totally screw up beyond belief, you can just frog it and start all over.  Well, maybe you can’t start over with new kids, but if a specific technique is not working you can look to a new “pattern.”

Here is a little hooded sweater for my dear friend Nancy who is expecting her first child any minute.  The yarn was spun from local llama fiber of Evergreen Ponds Llamas in Monticello, MN.  The pattern for this sweater can be found online for free at Knitting Pure & Simple.

Of course, like all free advice I altered this to fit my own wants and needs.

Free advice?  Parenting?  Oh yeah those two definitely go together.

Nostalgic

Today it hit me hard how quickly time passes and how independent and grown up my children have become.

So many folks warned me that these moments would be fleeting.

Of course, I rolled my eyes and didn’t believe them.

This picture was taken “yesterday,” was it not?

Dedicated Follower of Fashion

Violet at the tender age of five already has a keen eye for fashion.  A few days ago I caught her eyeing my vintage Dior hat.

What woman could resist a hat with all these “baubles” on it?!

Violet paired the Dior with a vintage silk kimono direct from Japan courtesy of her Aunty Sharon.

I can’t wait to see what Violet will be wearing “next season.” Ha!