It’s the season of change. I’ve been feeling it more and more as my oldest child heads to kindergarten. It seems even more imperative to capture these fleeting moments, and what better way than with an ABC photo book of my little darlings. It seems appropriate considering the time of year.
I like homemade ABC books because they are so personal. They capture a moment in time, and my children adore looking at themselves in a little hand-held book that seems made just for them. It also can be a valuable learning tool.
For this little project, I tried to accomplish two things. First, I wanted a new ABC book that included Felicity, my youngest daughter (I made one for Siri when she was a toddler). Second, I wanted to give Siri a tool to learn new words as she learns to read. I also wanted it to be fun, so the girls and I went on an “alphabet scavenger hunt” to gather the items we photographed.
This hybrid project uses my ABC templates, which are 4” x 6” templates that you drop right on top of your photo, My Mind’s Eye’s Penny Lane Papers, and pink stamp ink, which I rubbed along the edges. The final book is 5” x 6.5” (that’s the size I cut the papers I mounted the photos on). I got the whole thing spiral bound at Office Max.
ABC books can be used for more than just learning the alphabet…try these fun ideas!
• Capture a vacation using the alphabet. Not only will it be fun to figure out things to photograph using the alphabet, but the book will be fun to look at when you are finished!
• Capture a child or family’s year using the ABC’s. It’s a great way to get a snapshot of your year!
• Use the book as an opportunity to capture things that you love in your home. I made sure to include “red blankey” for Siri and “white blanky” for Felicity because these are their lovies. When do we ever take the time to capture these meaningful everyday items? In 10 or 20 years, long after those blankets are in rags, I know my children will be happy to have these photos.
A couple of helpful hints when taking photos for this project:
• If you are taking pictures of your kids, a second adult is really helpful because one person can hand the items to the kids and one can photograph.
• Remember you need lots of foreground/background…aka…empty space to fit your words and letters!
• Take photos all with the same background for a cohesive look. I used a brick wall in front of my house. If doing a vacation book, you won’t necessarily want to do this so you can capture all parts of your vacation.
• A mix of closeups and full shots make the book more dynamic and interesting.
• Laminating your book makes it more durable for little hands.
Want to buy the template I used for this ABC Book? Go here:
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/shop/digital-kits/carina-gardner/_abc_book_/
To see the entire ABC book I made, visit my flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/carinagardner/sets/72157612650193775/
Want to see more Project Mania projects from me or anyone on the blog hop? Or want to join the blog hop? Go here.
These are some pictures from the brunch afterwards. I wanted to highlight the little cards I made for the table with Grace’s name. They are so simple and I used the
We had dinner with Liz and Tim (my sister-in-law and brother-in-law) tonight. I love when we plan a last minute Sunday dinner at their house because it is whatever the two families can throw together from their combined pantries. Sometimes it is pancakes and sausage while other nights, we are able to put on a serious Sunday feast. Tonight, Liz supplied the chicken and grilling team (go Tim!) and I provided the marinade. It’s a just a simple citrus and herb combo that I’d recommend letting the meat sit in, but as this was a quick get together, Tim just dropped it on the chicken and grilled away!
Carina’s Citrus Marinade
I don’t care what anybody says, Disney knows how to do it right! My kids had a magical experience which translates into magical for mommy. Yes, I have COMPLETELY BOUGHT INTO THE DISNEY MARKETING MACHINE! I acknowledge it! It’s know I’m being sucked in, but I just can’t help myself! The packaging is too cute (see there are pitfalls to being a designer!)
And, well, what more can say about this vacation? Disneyland is definitely a place to be experienced. We didn’t have a problem with long lines (but then, we used the
on the airplane. I also was inspired by 
It’s just another Monday and my family is still recovering from a weekend at Bear Lake. We’re also recovering from a lingering virus that managed to take captive the last two members of our family this weekend (Felicity and myself). I managed to get over my fever and aches after a day, but Felicity has had a raging fever for several days. I just took her to the doctor today and the virus has managed to give her a double ear infection. Great. And just 3 days away from our vacation to Disneyland.
Be sure and join Jen and me for our Chat tomorrow at 2peas. 8pm CST in the 
Just as Siri, Felicity, and I had finished whipping up the vanilla pudding for our Puddin’Pie, our next door neighbor left this lovely green thing on our porch. I just looked at it and said, “Well, I guess I’m making zucchini bread.”
This recipe was taken from 
Put together vanilla pudding as instructed on the package. Pour into crust and let sit in the fridge for an hour. Top with Cool Whip and cut Strawberries/Berries on top.
What gives this soup all it’s flavor is roasted cauliflower. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. On a baking pan hand toss the cauliflower head (roughly chopped), olive oil (drizzled over it), salt, pepper, and 2 springs of rosemary. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Be sure and move around the cauliflower half way. You’ll get a nice brown color. on the edges. While the cauliflower is in the oven, saute 2 tbs of olive oil, garlic, and onion in a large pot for about 5 minutes. Add the thyme (chopped). Pull the cauliflower out of the oven and add to the pot. Saute all together for another 5 minutes.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. I sometimes like to let it sit and simmer at this point for about 20-30 minutes so the cauliflower gets soft. Sometimes I’ll let it sit longer or short though depending on when I started the pot. Add the half and half (or for a creamier soup use cream). Take portions of the soup and blend in a blender or a hand mixer until you get a smooth consistancy.
Josh and I spent the weekend in Park City. I was doing a site check of a property (The Canyons). Talk about a wonderful (and very full) weekend. We had dinner at Lookout Cabin on the mountain. The weather was delightful and the seven course dinner wasn’t bad either (they certainly take care of you!). The view was a feast in and of itself!
There is something really fun about sitting with 45 people that you have never met before for a dinner like this. We got to know about 10 of the people surrounding us pretty well after 4 hours. The ambience and the company made the pink sunset even more beautiful and the food that much tastier!
I also have to show of few more photos of the table setting and view. Very beautifully done!
Are you drooling yet?
Also check out this amazing cheese tasting held by 
These yummy little sausage sandwichs were being made by Tillamook and had a thin slice of yellow squash on them. Clever, huh? And OH so yummy!
We got home to our kids completely exhausted (so much for a relaxing weekend away!) but very happy (happy to see our darlings and happy to have had a weekend to ourselves).
4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. In Minnesota, we always went to Bunker Beach during the day and landed in Stillwater for the spectacular firework show over the Croix River. Since we moved to Utah over a year ago, we are still trying to “find” our 4th of July tradition. This year, we went to Toole to be with my in laws for a BBQ. The kids had a blast and Uncle Nate did a fantastic job of lighting off the fireworks. They also liked the baby preying mantises we found on the porch.
My Friday is feeling a lot like a Saturday:). Working on some designs today—specifically finishing a mega kit I’m working on called Sproutlets…It’s like 6 kits or more wrapped into one big kit! After I’m finsihed submitting this to 2peas today, I’ll be all set for a fun-filled, laid back 4th of July weekend! I have dinner with my bestfriend Jen tonight who is in town from San Fransico (always a treat!). Our favorite hang out is the Cheesecake Factory (the avacado rolls have some kind of addicting drug in them). Tomorrow, we’ll be heading to Toole for a BBQ with my in-laws. But most of the time, well, I’ll just be chilling with my little girls and having a slow weekend—just the way I like it! Hoep you have a Happy 4th of July!
I don’t golf. Not even a little bit. I stepped onto my first golf course (as the planner) a year ago, and ironically enough, have been planning golf tournaments ever since. I hardly ever post about my “day job” as an Event Director, but it would be hard not to mention it today because my camera is jammed pack of golf tournament photos and my head is still buzzing from the long day in the sun yesterday.
Since I don’t golf. Sarah (my co worker) and myself spent the day in our little golf cart driving around taking pictures of the foursomes. We had a good time (Sarah was a bit snap happy with the camera—I believe there was even a moment she was pretending to be the paparazzi) and even putted a couple of holes with some of the guys.
I’m also suffering from a sugar-hangover from yesterday. Sarah and I loaded up the cart before we left the clubhouse. Somehow, all those starbursts were gone by the end of the day. How did that happen?