Jennifer Woodbury

Big Bow Confessions

I am not a fan of those big headband bows on babies. It's not that I have a moral objection to them or anything, they just aren't my style. I always told myself that I would never put one on my own child. 

Well, something came over me a couple of weeks ago. I had seen some adorable little organza bows on some other baby girls and found out where the little boutique was that sold them. So I went there with the sole intention of getting one of these little bows. Well of course they were all out of the organza one that I wanted, but they did have this little grosgrain ribbon bow that I purchased:

Cute, right? And not too big at all. But wait, the story doesn't end here. I just kept admiring the pretty organza on the bigger bows, and I don't know what possessed me (maybe it was the saleslady's utter shock at the fact that I had never put a bow of any sort in Ella's hair before), but I ended up buying this as well:

And I have to admit that I think she looks adorable  in it. But I'm still not sure I'll ever be able to take her out in public with it on. In fact, I don't think she's worn it since I took this photo (in which she absolutely insisted on chewing on my lens cap). Anyway,there it is. I've confessed. It's out there now...my child is the owner of a big old headband bow!

Just a little...

...Ella sweetness for you.

Let's Talk Scrapbooking

Of course, you can always check out Ella's scrapbook at the link on the right, but I did a couple of layouts this week that I really love, so I thought I would share them here. The first one uses the same photo from my previous post, but I loved it so much that I had to scrap it right away:

BLOWING BUBBLES

Credits: Paper, ribbons, flowers and typekey alpha by Gina Miller (www.scrapbookbytes.com). White alpha by Gina Cabrera (www.digitaldesignessentials.com)

The second one is a family photo from last September. I just love how Ella is looking right at the camera and smiling. To my mom when she sees this,  I'm sorry that you were cut out of this photo! We still love you!  The little poem here is from a song in the Children's Songbook that I think is just so cute:

HAPPY FAMILY

Credits: Paper and aqua alpha by Ali Folendore (www.modscraps.com). Felt hearts and notebook paper by Amy Martin (www.modscraps.com). Black chipboard alpha by Gina Miller (www.scrapbookbytes.com). Stitching by Ronna Penner and staples by Shabby Princess.

And since we're talking scrapbooking, how about a little scrapbooking quiz...

What scrapbooking lines/products/etc do you dislike?
Anything too flat or fake looking.

What is the hardest thing you've ever had to scrap?
Ella's newborn photos...which is why I still haven't done them! I just feel the pressure to make them so perfect, and it doesn't help that our photos from then aren't very great. This was before I discovered my Canon Rebel XT!

What technique do you use more than any other?
I seem to use stitching and ribbons a lot. And I almost always add drop shadows for depth.

Ever been published?
No, but I would love to be!

What's the smallest scrap of paper you save?
Say what? Paper? This is why I don't paper scrap anymore. No more miniscule scraps of paper that I never use!

Ever have any scrapbooking-related injuries?
Maybe a sore pointer finger from clicking my mouse excessively, and tired eyes from staring at my computer screen.

Finish the sentence "If I wasn't a scrapbooker, I would spend my money...
...on what I already manage to spend plenty of money on: photography equipment and accessories. Luckily,  my digital scrapbooking habit isn't very expensive at all (well, if you don't count the external hard drive I had to buy to store all my supplies and the laptop I am dreaming of buying!).

Give us your best storage or organizational idea.
Organize everything as soon as you get it, otherwise it will never get done and it will eventually be a big mess!

You just won a week-long scrapbooking cruise for 5. Who's going with you?
First of all, when is the cruise because I will be there for sure! I would bring myself and the entire Gina Miller Creative Team because all those girls are so much fun! So I guess it would have to be a cruise for 9, and I would want Matt and Ella to be there too...so we'd have to somehow squeeze 11 people in.

Just Blowin' Bubbles

   

Nature Photos...and Another Quiz

Yes, you read correctly. The assignment for Week 1 of my photo class was to take some pictures of nature. As you can tell from the photos I generally post, I don't really do nature photos, so I had a minor panic attack when I got the assignment. I stressed about it but managed to get two decent shots:

Believe it or not, the class instructor chose the photo on the left as Photo of the Week. Don't get too excited now...I also thought that this meant my photo was the one and only Photo of the Week, but I discovered that in fact, several photos in the class are chosen for that honor. So while I don't feel quite as special, it still gave me a little confidence boost. Watch out Ansel Adams! 

The assignment for Week 2 is to photograph kids...now that I can definitely handle! 

My friend Gina tagged me for another little quiz, so here you go! You are all learning more about me than you probably ever cared to!

Four jobs you've had in your life: cashier at a family fun center (think miniature golf and bumper cars....it was hideous and I've tried to block it from my memory), hostess at a restaurant (best perk...free lunches!), auditor for one of the Big 4 accounting firms, financial analyst for Williams-Sonoma Inc. (oh how I miss my Pottery Barn discount)

Four movies you could watch over and over: Sound of Music, Father of the Bride, Serendipity, You've Got Mail (basically any old classic or good romantic comedy)

Four places you have lived: Oregon, Utah, Manhattan and Northern California

Four TV shows you love to watch: 24, Amazing Race, Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy

Four places you've been on vacation: Disneyland/Southern California, Disneyworld/Florida Coast, Hawaii, Newport RI

Four websites you visit daily: Two Peas in a Bucket, Gmail (to check e-mail), Typepad, and if I have time I'll go blog-hopping

Four favorite foods: Italian, Mexican, anything "homestyle", chocolate chip cookies

Four places you'd rather be right now: Somewhere warm and sunny and on the beach, with Matt in New York, visiting family, in my bed with the laptop that Matt took with him to New York

Four tags: Honestly, I can't think of anyone with a blog who hasn't done this yet. So if you are reading this and have a blog (and haven't done this yet), consider yourself tagged and let me know so I can read your answers. Or if you are reading this and don't have a blog, answer these questions anyway and e-mail them to me!

She's Got Rhythm

Ella got this LeapStart Learning Table for Christmas. Last weekend, Matt and I noticed that when she gets the music to play on this thing by pushing a button/playing the little piano/etc., she starts bouncing up and down ever so slightly. Then, this past week I saw that if I was playing music in the car, she would start bouncing in her car seat if there was a song with a good beat playing.

The final confirmation that this little girl truly has rhythm came yesterday during our trip to the mall. We were strolling past Abercrombie and Fitch, and you know how they play the music so loudly in that store that anyone who steps foot inside gets an instant migraine? Anyway, the second we got within earshot of the pulsing beat, Ella starts bouncing right along with it. Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, I turned the stroller around and walked past the store again, and sure enough, there she went!

The best part is that she keeps a completely straight face as she is bopping up and down, like she needs to concentrate very hard on keeping up with the beat. How cute is that? In my biased opinion...very!

2 For The Road

OK, I have been asked by Andrea to take this little "2 for the Road" quiz, so enjoy it and have a great weekend!

2 names you go by:
Jenn & Womee Cheese (only Matt can get away with that one)

2 parts of your heritage:
Hmmm...German & ??? (I need to get up to speed on my genealogy!)

2 things that scare you:
Driving on the crazy hills of San Francisco & Matt flying as often as he does

2 of your everyday essentials:
A hot shower & my computer 

2 things you are wearing right now:
These most comfortable pants from J. Crew & this cozy sweater from the Gap (seriously, go out and buy these now!)

2 of your favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment):
Honestly, I can't choose favorites! There are just too many good ones out there.

2 favorite songs (at the moment):
See above!

2 things you want in a relationship (other than real love):
Lots of laughter & trust

2 truths:
I enjoy MTV reality shows & we eat take out way too often

2 physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex):
Looks good in a hat & has nice eyes

2 of your favorite hobbies:
Photography & digital scrapbooking

2 things you want really badly:
A second car & a trip to Hawaii

2 places you want to go on vacation:
Hawaii (see above) & Europe

2 things you want to do before you die:
Have more kids and see them grow up to be happy adults

2 ways that you are stereotypically a chick:
I love to be pampered (pedicure anyone?)  & I cry at sappy movies/TV shows/commercials

2 things you are thinking about now:
What I want for a snack & the errands I need to run this weekend

2 store you shop at:
J. Crew and the GAP

2 people I would like to see take this quiz:
Shannon & Terra

The Look...

This is Ella's new look. All business. She's been doing this a lot the past few days. Of course, she still has her super smiley and giggly moments, but you have to work a little harder to get them.

I have a couple of hypotheses (did I pluralize that correctly?) about this. My first one is that maybe she is starting to realize that all the ridiculous things that I do to get her to smile really aren't that funny after all. I can just see her thinking "Mom, you have got to be kidding me" as I am singing and dancing around in front of her. My other thought is that maybe she is teething. and it's causing her to be a little less than her normally sunny self. That is my reasoning for a lot of things she does, but she is going on 9 months so I figure there's got to be at least one tooth just waiting to pop through soon, right? I hope so...recently we have taken to calling her the "Toothless Wonder".

I'll leave you with a picture Matt took today of me and Ella on this lazy Saturday. I must say he is getting quite good behind the camera under my tutelage!

 

Happy New Year

I'm a little late, but Happy New Year nonetheless! Things are back to normal after all the holiday festivities. It's a little bit sad, but I must admit it is also nice to be back into somewhat of a routine.

January is back to school month in our household. Matt starts his Executive MBA program at Columbia in two weeks, which also means the beginning of the long commute to New York from California every other weekend. I know, it seems a little crazy, but hopefully all those trips back and forth won't be too awful. At least he has his new fancy headphones!

With Matt starting school, I didn't want to feel left out so I signed up for this online photography class at www.betterphoto.com. I'm hoping to add a little method to my photography madness. Class starts tomorrow so chances are you'll be seeing me like this a lot more than usual.

 

Wishing you all a wonderful 2006!