And here's the birthday boy!

Buddy-

Looking good for 51!!!!!!!!!! :)

My super cute neices were here yesterday for the

BBQ- it's thier daddy's birthday weekend!

As I am watching the days in fast forward- school starting a just a couple of days- I was thinking about what we did this summer.....

Here the girls are poolside- getting ready for their last day of swimming lessons. It has become a yearly tradition to go and spend a couple of weeks with G'ma Vicki & Papa John in Idaho and they take their swim lessons there.

It's a 2-1 ratio there- and so inexpensive, it's not crowded.... and I've know the swim coach since he was three! :)


The girls got live in small town USA and be country girls. Run and play and util you just can't play anymore- Play in the pasutres, pretend that the animals are yours- pretend you are galloping on a horse- almost every step you take....(can you say two very horse crazy little girls????)

Create wonderful organic "mud pies"- all over g'mas deck, run through the sprinkers and slip-n-slide, read, sew, play dress-up and dolls. Watch thunder and lightening storms in the endless country sky- and not be afraid of them anymore!!!! Good stuff- and priceless memories for them- and for G'ma & G'pa! :)

Mmmmmmmm the finished product…. Hot out of the oven… And it lasted all of about 9 minutes after this shot was taken……Snapped up and devoured without prejudice!

It is so simple and so good…. Just fresh berries, flour, sugar, ginger , butter and a crust with an egg wash. Not too sweet- just the brilliant taste of blue berries-warm from the oven….

Our simple family gathering somehow became much larger with several friends who came to wish Ron's brother a happy birthday- and eat well and watch our poor Huskies..... no a pretty game.....

But the food- was great, pot luck style--bbq chicken, brauts, meat and veggie skewers, some incredible vine tomatoes- whole and cored- with honey, balsamic, EVOO- grilled/baked and topped with feta... incredible. Fruit salad, green salad and veggies and dip and a yellow cake with chocolate frosing..... life was good

Finally Sunshine!!!!

The sun has finally come back out and looks like summer today! The kids and I (after a marathon cleaning session upstairs....) went to lunch and then to the blueberry farm to pick berries...... and 14+ pounds later- I think we have quenched the craving..... I will set to rinsing and freezing the mojority- but think I'll have to whip up a pie for tonight.... mmmmm blueberry-ginger pie is to die for....... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Slumber party?

Yes- there are children in there somewhere with all those pillows and favored blankies……

So it’s a bit after one in the morning right now- and no clue what made me get up and go check on the kids…. But I found them both passed out in Oni’s bed…. Just cracked me up- the remains of what they were playing before bed are obviously all over the floor…. But it made me giggle to see that Gabbi had crawled into bed with sissy. I’ll have to ask if she had a bad dream or what. I woke Gabbi up and said she should move to her bed- and she rolled over- clear on where she was and said, “no- I want to stay with sissy”… so slumber party it is I guess.

TGIF!!!!

Thank goodness it's Friday!!!! And a three day weekend to boot! :)

It's still raining- day 5 to be precise.....I had to laugh this morning... I was lamenting that school starts in 5 days- and summer is basically over- when Gabbi looks at me and says disgustly, "how on Earth can it be over? We only had sun for about 3 weeks this year!" For someone so young- she's got a handle on things!

It's forcasted to be nice this weekend- I certainly hope so- we have family coming for bbq tomorrow for Ron's brother's b-day! Yummy!!!! Can't wait! He is the BBQ Master!













And depending on the weather- we girs plan to go berry picking in the morning- while daddy is running the smoker and getting the cooking done for the bbq (the blackberries are on and looking good- and we should be on for blueberries too- so we'll see how it goes) I might even throw together a pie with the fresh berries!

If on the other hand the weather stinks.... it looks like a scrap booking weekend. :) We girls did a mini- spa tonight and painted our finger nails all sorts of pretty colors- and tomorrow night- we will do toes and a mud mask. :)

We are looking forward to relaxing and hanging out with the girls this weekend before the hustle of the school year hurls forward in hurry-mode.

This weather....

...Is going to make me crazy! It's August- not November. I did have a small patch of sun this morning in my little corner of the world. I slipped outside and grabbed a couple of shots in between sips from my trough-o-coffee!

I snapped some of my gi-normous dahlias, and the grape vine that has enveloped the pergola around the hot tub. This must be their year- as they are producing gorgeous clusters of fruit.... Can't wait to taste! I wish I could have this lush color and vegetation all year.... I can feel that fall is just around the corner... and this rain- is making it all too real. (part of living in the NW....)

I think I've been at my pc for too long...

I've had an Andy Worhal moment......I think I've been working pix too hard today.....

I've had a productive day- I did manage some breaks in there with some fun drop in friends who stopped for a wine break or coffee as the weather was miserable wet all day. Our kids and several drop-ins from the neighborhood alternated between outside play in between mist and torrential down-pour and hanging out watching movies and popping popcorn.

The closing ceremonies for the olympics (or at least what I caught) were lovely- gi-normous-but lovely!

Think I will finally snuggle up and watch a movie and relax. Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

Diligently working......

...On my friend's kids pix. She came for a visit back in July- and I'm just now finally working on them- But interestingly- now that I've had the chance to just let them sit for a bit-and coming back to them after this length of time- I like them even more. It makes me smile to see their beautiful faces! :)

I am playing catch-up on photos this week just trying to get current! Love to all who have been so darned patient and loyal! xoxo D

almost forgot

Geez-o! I caught theses photo tonight at the arboretum... have I mentioned how much I love to go there and take photos??? NO???? well... I do! :) Anyhoo- with the weirdo weather we've had lately- much of the color has sort of fallen back- but the trees and grass and sculpture- were gorgeous! :) I did manage to find a couple of gorgeous lilies tho....

Anyhoo- I'm done staring at the computer screen for the night. I'll get back to working on photos tomorrow- over another massive cup-o-Joe! TTFN!

And she breathes a sigh of releif...

Ahhhhhh...... Well it's done.... the back to school shopping is so done- put a fork in me! :) The kids loved the clothes, shoes, supplies and unmentionables... so Hallaluah!

My absolutely adorable Mother-in-law came up today for a vist- always good for some quality spoiling that one. :) Good to see her pretty smiling face.

I attempted to set Oni's hair in velcro rollers today- which actually looked like it might have worked- but she got impatient- and so we took them out- and it was still damp- so it curled right back up.... oh well. I did get her to co-operate for a bit tonight- and she and I took a drive to a small sculpture park and to the arboretum for pix tonight in that gorgeous golden hour sun.

Ahhhhh...... Saturdays.......

Have a big old cup of frustration....I was typing up a happy little laundry list of my accomplishments from yesterday- was feeling very good about it all while drinking my monster quad breve white chocolate latte from my favorite latte bowl from mother... when I lost it all.....so I'm pretty sure- that it was sign... a sign to get out of this chair and hit the shower and get moving with my day as it looks to be a gorgeous one! :)

Great Googa-Mooga!

Great googo-mooga!!! The week is almost half over already. I have been trying to do the back-to-school shopping bit by bit this week on my way home from work- and as little of it with the kids present as possible.... is that so wrong??? It has it's disadvantages and it's advantages.....they aren't there to try things on.... but they aren't there to try things on.... hmmmmm... Oh-well--well I've met with about a 96% approval rating this week on the things I've put together and brought home....so I still rate as "cool"- which is a huge relief to me! :)

We three girls had the talk before I even started this process.... if we go brand new- hog wild with what's trendy and new at the local veneu (Target) then they will get to pick out a few things... but if we do things smart and go gently used/2nd hand- we get more for the allotted budget- and we are going "green" and recycling..... which we all agreed was a cool way to do things... so me met in the middle. All in all- they will start back in style- and they are fun-but modest..... something I see is severely lacking for their age bracket.....Hi-a-wath-a! (my friend Nicole swears in Native American herion names... it's catching on...)

Anyhoo- the other cool thing that happend in my last 24 was that photos I shot 6 months ago for a friend's private lable winery have made thier way to their newly launched website!!!!! I'm so excited! And I love, love, love that they used my images! It's rare that you find a wine maker that you just love everything they make- and in thier case- it's totally true!!! So- check them out- http://www.napeequa.com/home.htm

Crazy crazy crazy

August isn't but half way over and September is officially already booked! Thank you all!

I'm up to my eyeballs in photos to be edited and my head is spinning with the upcoming appointments. :) You know they say, "never say never".... I said I would never do weddings..... and I've done two so far this year and three more coming up..... weddings- hmmmm..... :) Once again the stubborn girl has had to eat her words.... So hard to admit I'm wrong......

The summer has absolutely flown by-vaporized- how did that happen???? The kids start school in two weeks! I've had their backpacks and school supplies purchased, labled and packed for weeks now- but it's becoming a sudden slap of reality as I've started doing the back to school clothes shopping chore- e-gads..... The girls have grown so much this summer- you don't realize it as it happens- they are in shorts and flip-flops all summer- then you go to try on their jeans and shoes..... well- let's just say- it wasn't pretty..... we're going shopping......

The girls have had some fun day trips to Birch Bay to the water slides with their daycare Goddess and her family (T is a love- so patient!), horse back riding/training with our neighbor, the zoo with another nieghbor & I, two weeks with Papa John & G'ma Vicki in Idaho. The addition of a two way radio at our house has enabled to girls to have a bit more freedom this summer.... and they have aquired roller blades, new safety equiptment, lots of scrapes, bruises and scars from said roller blades, hours of endless fun in the sun, pool, slip n slide, scooters and bikes! They've made tons of new friends this year and are soooooo excited to start school! We got their class assignments this week- and we (the parents) are thrilled- ok- Gabbi is thrilled- Oni sighed in dis-belief.... "but she's tough".... but of course we had nothing to do with that..... " this conversation never happend and we were never here"..... mwaaahaaaaa! :) We have bbq'd with family and friends all summer- so it has been a great summer- just seems too short!

Husky Football starts at home soon.... on September 6th- so I'll soon be a football widow again! Some wives would be bent out of shape about this- but it gives the kids & I a chance for bonding. We use those days for shopping, movies, scrap-booking- girl time. And he gets to go and connect with friends, rub elbows with the Tyee Members, drink margaritas from Rodger's gas powered blender at the tailgate parties and comsume all foods known to clog arteries! So a fun time is had by all!

The Miles family was intensely involved in our friends' wedding last weekend. Oni & Gabbi were the flower girls, Ron was giving the bride away, and yours truly was the resident photographer! :) Oh- add seamstress and pediatric hair dresser to that list as well..... Heidi and I looked and looked- and couldn't find dresses that fit the bill- so as a last minute decision- 8 days before the wedding- I began sewing!!!! But they turned out fine and the girls looked adorable in them! :)


Anyhoo- that's enough rambling for tonight! Have a great day! xoox D

and in the beginning........ there was life- or a new blog!

Ok- so I have been coaxed, pushed and harrassed by friends and loyal fans (Bless you all!) of my photos and my writing (more like rants some days....) to create a blog at the very least if I'm not going to do a web-site for Natural Approach Photography.

** I'm sure it has more to do with my not clogging their "In-boxes" than anything..... but I'll take the compliments and the hints.**

So here we go! Check in often and see what the family is up to and where my camera and I have been that week. You know you can always check in with me this way. :)

Much love! Didi & Natural Approach Photo