Happy Holidays Stephanie. All good thoughts for you and your family.
I love the 'favorite moments' note. Will you put something similar in the card you are sending out? Will you send the cranberry cookie recipe too?
We're having a holiday party . . .any suggestions on hors d'oeuvres would be most appreciated.
I'm so behind and if you're ahead, please do respond.
Thanks much!!
Your blogfriend in MN
FROM STEPHANIE: I just went to a cookie swap, and although I'm not a big bacon fan, everyone was raving about these bacon-wrapped dates (with a pecan), from Paula Dean. I am partial to spinach cheese puffs this time of year, as they remind me of growing up with Mom, and all the warm ways she filled our home with love and food. As for my recipe, I used a standard chocolate chip recipe, just used white chips and added macademia nuts and craisins. You can't really screw it up! They're so easy and great.
The cards are beautiful! Wow. I can only imagine what you are sending out if these are second best. The twins are gorgeous. You're so creative!
FROM STEPHANIE: Oh, thanks, but to be fair, only the words, the photos, and the idea to do a "favorite things" card are mine. The designs are from tinyprints.com
Though I can design beautiful holiday cards… I just need to figure out how to print enough high quality cards, without all the work of feeding cardstock into a printer, etc.
I just love how much fun you get to have playing with "Beer" as a last name! (As a new-ish reader I'm assuming it's the one you married into).
I love "Screw Resolutions, Just Drink" and would like to add "You may have heard not to mix beer and wine, but as you can see, mixing Beer and Klein turns out just fine."
A little cheesy, I know, but I'm already having fun with plays on your names!
FROM STEPHANIE: Oooh, I love cheese. That's very cute.
i love the piano photos…is this your piano? do you play? my husband has a photo of him playing (more like pounding) the piano when he is about my son's age (15 months). and your beautiful photography just inspired me to shoot a similar photo with my son. so, thank you! the card designs are beautiful too, tinyprints.com does great work…good choice.
FROM STEPHANIE: Thank you. It's not our piano. Neither of us play, though Phil knows a few chords on the guitar. And I sing. That's about as musical as we are these days. But I of course want these kids to be exposed to everything, so piano lessons are in their future! Until, that is, they decide they hate it.
oh, and re:
"FROM STEPHANIE: Thank you. It's not our piano. Neither of us play, though Phil knows a few chords on the guitar. And I sing. That's about as musical as we are these days. But I of course want these kids to be exposed to everything, so piano lessons are in their future! Until, that is, they decide they hate it."
They may hate piano lessons… and tell you it's not fair that they have to take lessons. But as a now-classically trained pianist who spent her kiddie days throwing tantrums about how unfair it was that i had to practice (life can be so hard), i am SO grateful that my parents kind of just said… "you're doing it" :)
i love that LUCAS's side part makes him look like a wise old man! honestly, if these were my kids i'd have a hard time not kissing them both constantly. really, they are over the top cute!!
um, I am inclined to the right side at this point. Ugh…yep, drink yourself silly. If nothing else, they are sarcastic and funny. If you don't use them, I will.
i always wanted to tell that i like the photos you take a lot…since i am a photograph beginner, i have a canon EOS 400,…pls tell me the secret of the atmosphere of your photos…do you use an external flash? do you use the portrait program of the camera? or what are your favourite camera settings for the nice baby portraits…?
the faces of the babies are so nice pale and matt…what is it about the light…and the background is so interesting difuse and out of focus…
when i try do to photos of my doughter the colours are never as nice as on your pictures…and i have always legs of a chair or other strange things in the background…do you kind of compose the setting before you take the photo?
are your photos so nice here in the internet, because you have photo edited them before released here????
you see…questions over questions…please be so kind and answer my questions :-)) i hope the twins have nothing against it…
regards from germay
helen
FROM STEPHANIE: The key, to me, is aperture. I always spell that wrong, but you know what I mean. A low aperture, 5.6 and smaller, is ideal for a portrait. I don't want a defined background and prefer it blurred. I try to avoid flash, but when it's necessary, I use a slow shutter speed, pop the flash, and try to use as much ambient light as possible. I hate blacked out backgrounds. So slow shutter speed (S-priority) for scenes where I must use flash, and A-priority (aperture) for day scenes. Does this help? I don't use photoshop to make all that many changes. Usually, it's just to crop.
Absolutely delightful! I used RingoBaby.com to help us design our Holiday CD/Cards, this year and couldn't be happier with the outcome. It was so fun to share our favorite holiday songs with friends & loved ones. I can't tell you how many ppl have called to tell us how much they're enjoying it, too.
Glad you included them here, though … they're terrific and your children are just beautiful. I'm only a newish reader but I'm very happy to read the good news about your little boy!
I once suspected I might be distantly related to the Beer family. Then I had a sobriety test and it turned out I was just a tipsy mutt of undistinguished vintage.
Ok. I did the same thought this year…….I did a photo of both my kids (10 and 4) sitting at the beach with Santa hats. (we live in Fl) I put it on the front of a brown paper sack and tied it on with a red plaid ribbon. The text says: Brown paper packages tied up with strings, here are a few of our favorite things." Guess great minds think alike?
Okay. So I'm totally stealing the quote from the third one and writing it on all my cards (crediting you, of course!). That first pic of Abigail is the prettiest picture I've seen.
Well, I think the favorite things message was perfect. Not too long, not too braggy, wry and heartfelt at the same time, concise, to the point, paints a picture. Use it, use it. And I agree with previous posts, if only I could take pictures like you…those babies, those serious expressions, so great.
Sisterfriend, please don't stop blogging and do blow off those negatives – all I can say is, thanks for letting us in this year and sharing the prayers and the cussing and fussing. Being a girl is just so great.
Have you ever done stamping? My gf does some gorgeous stamped cards. we both bought embossers a couple of yrs ago. She uses hers all the time. I never use mine. just an idea.
FROM STEPHANIE: No, I haven't. I just figure I can design anything and then put a filter on it, doctor it up some, so it looks stamped on. Takes up way less space than buying a gazillion stamps and ink pads, etc. Man, I wish I could scrap all day! At least for a good month or two. I would love to go to a convention. Such a nerdlet.
These are super! Can't wait to see the ones that you ARE sending. ;-) Happy Holidays to you, Phil and the babies.
Stephanie:
Those were simply adorable!!! I can't imagine what the ones you ACTUALLY sent out will look like!
Karen
The cards are funny, but the letter part is really good. Why not send that one?
What a MUG on that little guy! So much personality in one little face!
The tots' expressions are priceless!
Happy Holidays Stephanie. All good thoughts for you and your family.
I love the 'favorite moments' note. Will you put something similar in the card you are sending out? Will you send the cranberry cookie recipe too?
We're having a holiday party . . .any suggestions on hors d'oeuvres would be most appreciated.
I'm so behind and if you're ahead, please do respond.
Thanks much!!
Your blogfriend in MN
FROM STEPHANIE: I just went to a cookie swap, and although I'm not a big bacon fan, everyone was raving about these bacon-wrapped dates (with a pecan), from Paula Dean. I am partial to spinach cheese puffs this time of year, as they remind me of growing up with Mom, and all the warm ways she filled our home with love and food. As for my recipe, I used a standard chocolate chip recipe, just used white chips and added macademia nuts and craisins. You can't really screw it up! They're so easy and great.
Does that mean Suzie Q isn't going to get a card this year?
The cards are beautiful! Wow. I can only imagine what you are sending out if these are second best. The twins are gorgeous. You're so creative!
FROM STEPHANIE: Oh, thanks, but to be fair, only the words, the photos, and the idea to do a "favorite things" card are mine. The designs are from tinyprints.com
Though I can design beautiful holiday cards… I just need to figure out how to print enough high quality cards, without all the work of feeding cardstock into a printer, etc.
TINYPRINTS?! OK, I feel better now.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the favorite moments one. WOW.
I just love how much fun you get to have playing with "Beer" as a last name! (As a new-ish reader I'm assuming it's the one you married into).
I love "Screw Resolutions, Just Drink" and would like to add "You may have heard not to mix beer and wine, but as you can see, mixing Beer and Klein turns out just fine."
A little cheesy, I know, but I'm already having fun with plays on your names!
FROM STEPHANIE: Oooh, I love cheese. That's very cute.
i love the piano photos…is this your piano? do you play? my husband has a photo of him playing (more like pounding) the piano when he is about my son's age (15 months). and your beautiful photography just inspired me to shoot a similar photo with my son. so, thank you! the card designs are beautiful too, tinyprints.com does great work…good choice.
FROM STEPHANIE: Thank you. It's not our piano. Neither of us play, though Phil knows a few chords on the guitar. And I sing. That's about as musical as we are these days. But I of course want these kids to be exposed to everything, so piano lessons are in their future! Until, that is, they decide they hate it.
Beautiful – oh my heavenly days. Those are beautiful cards…beautiful babies…beautiful sentiments.
such gorgeous cards…. such gorgeous kids :)
oh, and re:
"FROM STEPHANIE: Thank you. It's not our piano. Neither of us play, though Phil knows a few chords on the guitar. And I sing. That's about as musical as we are these days. But I of course want these kids to be exposed to everything, so piano lessons are in their future! Until, that is, they decide they hate it."
They may hate piano lessons… and tell you it's not fair that they have to take lessons. But as a now-classically trained pianist who spent her kiddie days throwing tantrums about how unfair it was that i had to practice (life can be so hard), i am SO grateful that my parents kind of just said… "you're doing it" :)
i love that LUCAS's side part makes him look like a wise old man! honestly, if these were my kids i'd have a hard time not kissing them both constantly. really, they are over the top cute!!
um, I am inclined to the right side at this point. Ugh…yep, drink yourself silly. If nothing else, they are sarcastic and funny. If you don't use them, I will.
Lucas cracks me up. He always looks like he's going to say something witty. They're both adorable! Happy Holidays…
Fun cards! Can't wait to see the one you DO send. Such fun photos of the beans. They are just so cute.
hi stephanie…
i always wanted to tell that i like the photos you take a lot…since i am a photograph beginner, i have a canon EOS 400,…pls tell me the secret of the atmosphere of your photos…do you use an external flash? do you use the portrait program of the camera? or what are your favourite camera settings for the nice baby portraits…?
the faces of the babies are so nice pale and matt…what is it about the light…and the background is so interesting difuse and out of focus…
when i try do to photos of my doughter the colours are never as nice as on your pictures…and i have always legs of a chair or other strange things in the background…do you kind of compose the setting before you take the photo?
are your photos so nice here in the internet, because you have photo edited them before released here????
you see…questions over questions…please be so kind and answer my questions :-)) i hope the twins have nothing against it…
regards from germay
helen
FROM STEPHANIE: The key, to me, is aperture. I always spell that wrong, but you know what I mean. A low aperture, 5.6 and smaller, is ideal for a portrait. I don't want a defined background and prefer it blurred. I try to avoid flash, but when it's necessary, I use a slow shutter speed, pop the flash, and try to use as much ambient light as possible. I hate blacked out backgrounds. So slow shutter speed (S-priority) for scenes where I must use flash, and A-priority (aperture) for day scenes. Does this help? I don't use photoshop to make all that many changes. Usually, it's just to crop.
Absolutely delightful! I used RingoBaby.com to help us design our Holiday CD/Cards, this year and couldn't be happier with the outcome. It was so fun to share our favorite holiday songs with friends & loved ones. I can't tell you how many ppl have called to tell us how much they're enjoying it, too.
Cheers to all,
Glad you included them here, though … they're terrific and your children are just beautiful. I'm only a newish reader but I'm very happy to read the good news about your little boy!
I once suspected I might be distantly related to the Beer family. Then I had a sobriety test and it turned out I was just a tipsy mutt of undistinguished vintage.
Ok. I did the same thought this year…….I did a photo of both my kids (10 and 4) sitting at the beach with Santa hats. (we live in Fl) I put it on the front of a brown paper sack and tied it on with a red plaid ribbon. The text says: Brown paper packages tied up with strings, here are a few of our favorite things." Guess great minds think alike?
I am a big fan of holiday card-sending. Especially when said cards refer to The Sound of Music. Lovely are your little ones.
Great cards….and I would love if one of my friends sent me one of the two cards on the right….Honesty…it is the best…
Okay. So I'm totally stealing the quote from the third one and writing it on all my cards (crediting you, of course!). That first pic of Abigail is the prettiest picture I've seen.
Well, I think the favorite things message was perfect. Not too long, not too braggy, wry and heartfelt at the same time, concise, to the point, paints a picture. Use it, use it. And I agree with previous posts, if only I could take pictures like you…those babies, those serious expressions, so great.
Sisterfriend, please don't stop blogging and do blow off those negatives – all I can say is, thanks for letting us in this year and sharing the prayers and the cussing and fussing. Being a girl is just so great.
Have you ever done stamping? My gf does some gorgeous stamped cards. we both bought embossers a couple of yrs ago. She uses hers all the time. I never use mine. just an idea.
FROM STEPHANIE: No, I haven't. I just figure I can design anything and then put a filter on it, doctor it up some, so it looks stamped on. Takes up way less space than buying a gazillion stamps and ink pads, etc. Man, I wish I could scrap all day! At least for a good month or two. I would love to go to a convention. Such a nerdlet.