Archives for July 2013

Wedding Weekend Photography Tip

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The last thing the Mother of the Bride wants to be doing during Wedding Weekend is taking photos. Of course, you’ll have a professional photographer for the day of the wedding, but precious photo opportunities will abound all weekend long. Like any loving mother, MOB, you won’t want to miss a single shot, but it’s hard to be in the moment and enjoy everything fully if you’re busy capturing it all on camera.

Here’s a tip that will free you up not only to live the moments as they unfold but will also take one big responsibility off your shoulders: Ask a family member or friend to be in charge of your camera for the entire wedding weekend. You’ll then be able to concentrate fully on carrying out your MOB responsibilities and on enjoying all those once-in-a-lifetime moments as they happen.

Be sure your designated amateur photographer understands the importance of his or her role. Ask them to take shots of anything and everything a devoted MOB would want pictures of—decorating day and all that it entails, the rehearsal and dinner following, the bridesmaids luncheon or other pre-wedding events, moments the extended family spends together, and of course fun shots of Wedding Day that your professional photographer might not get. It’s always nice to have the day recorded from various vantage points, and your camera-toting volunteer will make that possible.

And you, Mother of the Bride? Just be in the moment and enjoy!

*What kinds of things should you consider when deciding who to ask to fill this role?

*Photo by Kevin Dooley, Creative Commons License

Summer Photo Fun: Family Reunion Vacation!

Family photo by Aaron

(I am blessed to currently be guest posting for Nancy Douglas on her Olive Leaf Ministries website. You’re invited to come over and find out how a “Sacred Minute” can change your day!)

I always love sharing Summer Photo Fun posts from our vacations, but an extra measure of joy accompanies my first vacation post this year. You see, vacation wasn’t simply vacation. It was a family reunion as well. Yay!!!

My parents, sisters, and all of our families met in Gatlinburg, TN for some overdue family fun together. We hadn’t all been together since Kelli and Jake’s wedding weekend in July 2010 so we were all super excited to be reunited this July.

The Gatlinburg/Great Smoky Mountains National Park area provided a beautiful setting for our time together—and I’ll share more of that beauty in another post—but today I’m sharing the beauty and fun of family. Hope you enjoy!

The original Hoy family by Aaron

The original Hoy family – my parents, sisters, and me.

Great Grandma and Benjamin by Aaron

My mom getting reacquainted with her great-grandson Benjamin, son of Aaron and Monica.

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Our whole clan preparing to invade the mini-golf place in Pigeon Forge.

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My wannabe banjo-playing daughters Kristin and Kelli. They’re so much fun!

Lyndsey and Monica by Aaron

Two other very special girls – Lyndsey and Monica, my nieces by marriage.

Claire by Aaron

What a little doll. My great-niece Claire, daughter of Adam and Lyndsey.

Doing my Preschool SS thing - by Aaron

Doing my preschool-Sunday School-teacher thing during our Sun. morning family worship.

Silly family photo by Aaron

And here we all are showing our true silly colors :)

Hope you enjoyed a peek into our family reunion. Why not plan one of your own?!

“. . . out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.” 1 Thessalonians 2:17b

*Where did you enjoy your last family reunion?

*Photos by my nephew Aaron Henry, except #4 and #5  are by me (counting from the big family photo at the top).

 *The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out the first of August. Sign up is free and to the right!

Summer Photo Fun: The Sky

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Continuing with a nature theme this week in Summer Photo Fun, let’s look up and enjoy the sky. It’s vast, it’s beautiful, it’s another expression of our Creator God. I’d say it deserves its own post in Summer Photo Fun, huh?

Remember how in my post Adjusting Our Vision: Battling Dissatisfaction Godreminded me of what I have? Where I live I may not have the mountains outside my door or even a garden oasis or the beauty of the woodlands, but I do have the sky. And it is amazing.

So please enjoy these photos I’ve taken of the sky—and let’s praise its Creator together!

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 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” Psalm 19:1-3

*Which is your favorite photo? What does the last photo remind you of?

 *My photos

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out the first of August. Sign up is free and to the right!

Wedding Day: Sweet Family Moments in Store

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So much awaits you, Mother of the Bride, on your grown-up girl’s wedding day. Without a doubt, you’ll be witness to several precious moments between her and her brand new husband, but you’ll also catch glimpses of other sweet moments that happen between family members. (And if you’re lucky, your photographer will catch the ones you don’t see as they happen. I love the one above of my sister Debbie with one of her grandbabies.)

Imagine my delight when I first looked at the photographer’s photographs for Kelli’s wedding and saw the series of shots below of my dad and my niece Joanna. These photos immediately became family treasures.

I hope you are blessed with equally precious treasures. You might even put a bug in the ear of your photographer to be on the lookout for sweet moments among the extended family. You’ll be glad you did!

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*What could be some of the prime times on your daughter’s wedding day when sweet family moments might happen?

*Photos by Will Flowers

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out the first of August. Sign up is free and to the right!

Wedding Card Box Idea: A Wedding Cake!

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Mother of the Bride, have you thought about a card box or container yet for the gift table at the church and the reception site? You don’t want those all important cards—with money or gift cards tucked inside—to get lost in the wedding day shuffle. What will you provide for your guests to deposit wedding cards in?

At our daughter Kelli’s wedding, we featured a card box designed like a wedding cake. It was the perfect solution and oh so pretty, too.

I got the idea from my sister Debbie after she made one for her son Adam’s wedding. Since I am not arts and craftsy at all, I asked my artistic friend Teri (who was my right-hand woman in so many ways) if she would be willing to make one for us. She happily agreed if I could provide instructions. Thank goodness Debbie was able to supply not only the instructions but a photo of her card box as well.

As you can see from the photo above (taken at the church before other gifts arrived), Teri did a beautiful job. She got most of her supplies during one of our shopping expeditions to Hobby Lobby . The photo below shows how it fit in with all the other gifts on the gift table at the reception site. Things got a little crowded! :)

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*What other great ideas have you seen for card boxes?

*Fyi: One resource with instructions for a wedding cake card box is The Artful Bride: Simple, Handmade Wedding Projects

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out the first of August. Sign up is free and to the right!