Cost of 12 Days of Christmas

PNC Christmas Price Index - 2008
Traditional

...............................................................2007 ....................2008
One Partridge in a Pear Tree .............$164.99 ..........$219.99
Partridge ...............................................$15.00 ............$20.00
Two Turtle Doves ................................$40.00 ...........$55.00
Three French Hen............................... $45.00 ............$30.00
Four Calling Birds ...............................$599.96 ..........$599.96
Five Gold Rings ...................................$395.00 ..........$349.95
Six Geese-a-Laying .............................$360.00 ..........$240.00
Seven Swans-a-Swimming .................$4,200.00 ......$5,600.00
Eight Maids-a-Milking .......................$46.80 ............$52.40
Nine Ladies Dancing ...........................$4,759.19 ........$4,759.19
10 Lords-a-Leaping .............................$4,285.06 .......$4,413.61
11 Pipers Piping ....................................$2,213.40 .......$2,284.80 $
12 Drummers Drumming ...................$2,397.85 ........$2,475.20
Total Christmas Price Index ..............$19,507.25 ......$21,080.10

True cost of Christmas in song...........$86,608.51

One Partridge in a Pear Tree......$ 2,639.88
Partridge.......................................$ 240.00
Pear Tree.......................................$ 2,399.88
Two Turtle Doves.........................$ 605.00
Three French Hen........................$ 300.00
Four Calling Birds........................$ 5,399.64
Five Gold Rings............................$ 2,799.60
Six Geese-a-Laying.......................$ 1,680.00
Seven Swans-a-Swimming...........$33,600.00
Eight Maids-a-Milking.................$ 262.00
Nine Ladies Dancing....................$19,036.76
10 Lords-a-Leaping......................$13,240.83
11 Pipers Piping............................$ 4,569.60
12 Drummers Drumming............$ 2,475.20


To view the data associated with each item from the song, visit http://www.pncchristmaspriceindex.com/CPI/charts.html

Create Your Own Snowflake

A photographer friend showed me this site and it is a fun little site.

Show your creativity and have some fun. You can write a little message to go with your snowflake and email it to your friends and family.

Here is the snowflake I created: http://www.popularfront.com/snowdays/index.html?id=7127047

The Kids

So I finally took my kids out to take the Christmas card pictures. Kicking and screaming, they came (with some bribes).

We went to Lynnewood train station for a different feel than last.


Mom, she is leaning on me


Mom, I'm cold


Mom, are we done yet?


Mom, I spilled hot chocolate on my jacket


Finally, they both looked right in the camera!







Is it time for the silly pictures??

The Gowen Family

This weekend I photographed the Gowen kids...

Christmas Shopping

The Christmas shopping season is here.

What do you give to the person that have everything?

I have the perfect solution: Photo Bags




The Beach bag


The Satchel Bag


The Clutch Bag


The Bucket Bag (Small, Regular or Large)


The Droppkit Bag


The Diaper Bag


The Messenger Bag


The Classic Tote


There are more options, please inquire for more information.

Mickey Mouse turns 80

Mickey Mouse turns 80 years old today, and there's not a gray hair on him. Sure, he's a little rounder, a little squatter, and he's been wearing the same clothes for decades, but all in all he looks pretty good. Sure, Mickey hasn't had a movie in two years (his last one went direct-to-video), but his cheerful face remains one of the most recognizable images in the world, even beating out Santa Claus. Disney threw a big party for the mouse's 75th birthday, so this year's festivities will be comparatively subdued. But TIME has been following the adorable mouse since the beginning, and 80 years is still a big number to us. (Read TIME's 1937 cover story on Walt Disney)

Mickey's story, however, starts with a rabbit. Disney Brothers Studio was just another cog in Universal Pictures' animation machine when, in 1927, Walt Disney created a character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. With his round, white face, big button nose and floppy black ears, the smiling Oswald was an instant hit and Universal ordered a series of shorts. When Disney met with executives to negotiate another contract in 1928, the rabbit was still riding high and the animator thought he had the upper hand. Instead, the studio told him that it had hired away all of his employeees and retained the rights to Oswald. Univesral offered to keep Disney if he took a lower salary, but he refused. He and Ub Iwerks — the one loyal animator who stayed with Disney Bros. — returned to work and held a series of hair-pulling, late-night brainstorming sessions for Oswald's replacement. They shortened the ears, added some extra padding around the middle, and turned the rabbit into a mouse. Named Mortimer. The moniker didn't last; there are a number of tales attempting to explain how and why — the most popular being that Disney's wife hated the name and suggested its replacement — but soon he was ready for his debut as Mickey.

Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Wille, 1928

The first two Mickey shorts drew no attention, but then came Steamboat Willie, the first animation to feature synchronized music and sound effects, hit the screen. The film premiered in New York on Nov. 18, 1928 and was an instant hit. A series of Mickey Mouse shorts appeared within a matter of months — including Plane Crazy, a short that predated Steamboat Willie in which Mickey plays a rodent Charles Lindbergh. The mouse was a national fad by the end of the year, and it wasn't long before the real genius of Walt Disney kicked in: marketing. Walt quickly started up a line of Mickey merchandise, and within two years the Mickey Mouse Club, a fan club for children, was up and running.
written by: Claire Suddath

Kristin celebrated her 5th birthday with Mickey and Minnie

NILMDTS

I just got a call from a nurse at Penn U hospital , Philadelphia, about a baby that just passed away. Mom decided in the end that she did not want to have a session, but it reminds me about how lucky we were to Britt pulled through and is a healthy young girl.

Here is some info on this great organization:

Pregnancy and birth are miraculous journeys. This amazing time of life is full of mystery, anticipation, joy, hope, and wonder. Feeling the powerful energy of birth and new life, watching as a new family is born unto each other. These things humble and amaze. These are the things that we celebrate when a baby is born.

But there is another aspect of pregnancy and birth. There is an unexpected place in this journey where some families may find themselves. When a baby dies, a world is turned upside down. There is confusion, sadness, fear, and uncertainty that cannot be explained. There is sorrow where there should have been joy. During this time, it might be impossible for families to know what they might need in order to heal in the future.

This is the place where the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation gently provides a helping hand and a healing heart. For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them. Offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives.

The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS) administers a network of nearly 3,000 volunteer professional photographers in the United States and eight International countries. At a family's request, a NILMDTS Affiliated Photographer will come to your hospital or hospice location and conduct a sensitive and private portrait session. The portraits are then professionally retouched and presented to the families on an archival DVD or CD that can be used to print portraits of their cherished baby.

Our entire network of affiliated professional photographers graciously donate their time and talents to our families and we are proud to be able to offer our services at no cost.Your Donations are greatly needed and greatly appreciated.
Please consider supporting the mission of NILMDTS

NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, IRS EIN# 77-0656322.
All proceeds go directly into the operation of this organization to help parents who are experiencing an early infant loss.