Valerie Salmon's Blog

First School Day already!

I had to write this post this afternoon.

If I had done it this morning, the tone of this post would have been a downer.  ;P

The first day of school is always a bittersweet day for me.  Summer is just never enough time spent with them and have them all to myself.  

But my munchkins' excitement about the day really melts the blues away -- not fast, but it does.

I am minutes away from hearing about their first day.  So, I can't wait.

Here is one of the pics taken this morning as they waited for the bus 

-- our annual tradition of photos on the first day of school.  Lucky for us, the school bus picks up & drops off right at our front door.  Works great, especially during the winter months, huh?

Hope your week is off to a great start!

9 years ago today

I became a Mom.

Happy Birthday to my girl!!  

Where has the time gone?  One year she was a baby, and now she is, well, a tween!

Just reminiscing how she's grown through the years.  :D

(okay, pass the kleenex.  ;-)

'Do

Hey all, as you can see, I'm sportin' a new 'do lately.  New 'do, new blog look -- :-)

I took the hair plunge months ago, gradually getting braver shorter & shorter with each appointment.  Seriously, this is a huge leap for someone who has had long hair all her life.  LOL.  I like the change.  We all need it once in a while.  I may need to be wearing scarves and turtlenecks during these upcoming chilly months.  :-P

Anyway, just wanted to share with my scrappy peeps.

PS:  I do want to give a shout out to my new hairstylist (or is it hairdresser?).  All you local Indy girls, let me know if you are looking for a new stylist.  I'd love to recommend her.  

On a lighter note...

Hello again!

Just want to mention, THANKS again to everyone who has emailed me or commented on my previous posts about Frosty.

It's taking me a while to reply to the emails as I still find myself getting a bit choked up when I write about him.

Our family seems to be coping alright.  It is just the strangest empty feeling I feel each time we come home.  Maybe that will never leave.  I don't know.

. . . . . . . . . 

Work-wise, I've still been busy with various projects.

Don't know if you heard, we are in the midst of planning Got Sketch 102 for the entire month of September. We extended its duration to be 4 weeks!!  So, please stay tuned for more details on that because you won't want to miss it.  

Here's the best part of it:  100% layouts!!  That's all I'm gonna spill at this point.   ;-)

You'll have to wait for more info very soon.

. . . . . . . . . 

So, I had my hair chopped yesterday.  Haven't had it this short (and to me, this is. LOL) in ages.

Here are a couple of pics taken by my budding 8-year-old photographer, Lauren.  Didn't she do awesome?

She takes instruction so very well!

 

Check out Ian.  Isn't he goofy?  This is his way of protesting getting his photo taken.  LOL.

Hard to get decent shots of him lately.  But I still find this photo of us cute because it is "so-Ian" right now.

Remembering Frosty

I'm thinking of doing a tribute mini album about him.

Here are some of my favorite photos of Frosty in 2005.

And here are a few layouts of him that you may have seen in print.

All Chalked Up has to be my personal favorite.  It is the total essence of the very mild-mannered Frosty - letting a 3 year-old do as he pleased without any objection.

 

It's very strange to come home & he isn't around.

Thanks again for your sympathetic messages.  They mean so much to me.

Hugs,