Family Photo Shoot

Let me just say one thing up front...
I hate having final responsibility for anything.
Anything at all!
I will happily be your second man (or woman, whatever!) your lieutenant, Beta to someone else's Alpha. Perfectly comfortable in this role.
Just don't make me the final authority because I will either run, throw-up or quietly melt-down as I panic about something going wrong and it being ALL MY FAULT!

Okay, little disclaimer done, now onto the story.

I organised our family's latest photo shoot...largely on my own!

And several times I really wanted to die...for a day or two at least.

It's difficult getting all our family together now the kids are all adults. Because of Hubbie's work, we move about every two years or so and at the moment are in the western Australian wheatbelt. Our daughter's partner is an officer in the Army and they're based in Brisbane, Qld. And the two boys both house share together in Perth. Even with 4/5ths of us in the same state, it still isn't the easiest thing in the world!

Finding a photography place that would make us look like a family as opposed to 5 strangers who just walked off the street was hard enough. I wanted some place where they would make us look good and no-one would be able to escape! And I had to get it done while daughter was over here for a friends wedding and her yearly visit. So a kind of tight time frame, really...(panic,panic, sweat!!)

I found Exclusive Photography and they sounded like they ticked all my boxes and were really lovely. I had to make a date to go and then tell everyone what was expected and what to bring, (hyperventilating a little, panic, panic!!) and then meet up in Perth.

And...it kind of worked!

Brianna getting the pretty treatment!

And then my turn...

...While the boys went out clothes shopping because Jordan had worn his favourite clothes to shreds and couldn't understand why his father wasn't going to let him get photos like that...Ben didn't really help by wanting to get done in his boardies and ugg boots! But they managed while we girls were made look lovely.

It was great fun. It really was and the only fly in the ointment was how much it cost but that's just because any numbers with a $ in front of it makes me immediately break out in a sweat and want to throw up! But all things put together it was pretty reasonable and fortunately they organised a really easy payment plan spread out over the year. And now I have over 50 gorgeous photos of my three adult children, all vibrant and lively, in their various degrees of development together with their father and I.

After it all, I can breath!

I'm a little pleased with myself...just a bit. I'm sure that something will come along and cloud my confidence, but for the moment I'm quietly relieved that everything is over and it didn't blow up in my face...

...I'm proud of my family...

That's all.

See you later.

Dx

I hate patterns with no picture!

I do! I want a picture with a pattern that the designer has made or had made so I know what they think it should look like! Otherwise how am I supposed to know I'm doing it right??

I mean, really? There's nothing here! Even the name seems oddly random! Anyway I'm going to knit this and make up a pattern sheet myself WITH a photo! If nothing else it'll help me document the changes I've done so far and be a guide should I want to do it again but different. Quite pleased with what I have so far though :-)

I have mail!!

I went to my eldest son's intern commencement for a couple of days and when I got home a whole heap of the display and lighting things I'd ordered had come! So exciting!!

This is what came in the mail!

This is my new head display and hand display. The head was in a whole box by itself! The one on the chair!

This was how the lighting kit was packed. 

 And this is the whole thing unpacked! The lighting cube was all folded up in that black circle thing in the previous photo. I haven't actually managed to fold it up and put it back into the black cover again though. I might have to get youngest son to help me do that when he comes to help teach me how to USE it!

 There are two short stands, one tall stand, one long extender pole, two strobe light fittings (at least I think that's what they are.) two light bulbs, large light reflector, one light bulb and a lot of other things I don't know the name to much less exactly what they do!!!
I think I may have outsmarted myself there. I bought it to improve my photos on my etsy store but I'm lacking some pretty basic skills! Fortunately I'm pretty sure Jordan probably has the skills I lack and can help me nut it out. But it's still all pretty cool :)

Pins? Check! Blocking mat? Check!

I made this tatted doiley ages ago but I've never taken the time to block it properly. So, since I'd washed it I thought I would take the opportunity to do so.
I should probably thought it through a little more carefully.
While blocking the middle was no problem, getting the outer areas flat was not easy. Especially since I found I'd made all sorts of errors attaching the wrong picot to the wrong loop.
So, in the end I settled for a minor blocking and then a stiff iron. While the outer picots are not as defined as I might have liked they were better than going through each and every one of them and pulling them straight.

And as you can see, the photo looks pretty special. I know now that I don't need to pull the knots as tight and to be very careful when joining elements that they are actually going where they're supposed to go.
But I'm not sure I have the courage or patience to even look at a tatting shuttle at the moment.

I think I'll keep knitting :)