Free is a very good price.

Here is a great freebie going on! One of my friends is having a giveaway to boost the exposure of his photography business- check it out!

llya Plaksey Photography And I will remind you: I am doing my first drawing ever. Yes, you all are so excited, I can smell it! The prize is a free 12x18 print of one of my photos. "What photo?" you might be asking yourself. Well, that is up to you! Check out my website, blog, or flickr and see which one catches your fancy. The sky is the limit... (of course, the limit being ONE print =)! So, now that you all are salivating over the prize, follow the instructions below to enter...

1) Create a post on your blog (or, add a "gadget" ad on the side of your blog) with my website link (you can also qualify by posting my link on your facebook status):
http://plaksey.tk/
2)After you have done at least one of these, let me know you have done so by writing on my Illya Plaksey photography fan page wall (not a fan yet? join!):
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Portland-OR/Illya-Plaksey-Photography/10604728791?ref=tsl
Sunday, Feb 28th is the final day. Good luck!!
Psst! Want your chances to win doubled? Do all three steps in #1 (blog post, blog ad AND FB status) and your name will be entered 2 times...so get posting!

Memory Catcher

www.memorycatcherbooks.blogspot.com

This is what my first post looked like for the new side business I have started...and am SO proud of myself for FINALLY doing it!


The Beginning....There always has to be one- right? Well this is mine. To introduce something that has been in the works (at least in the confines of my mind) for a very long time.

This first post is dedicated to my mother, Linda. Who, without her love, support and way she lived her life, this little dream of mine would not have been possible.

Why Memory Catcher?
When my mom passed away in 2001, one of my (5) brothers asked for people to write down on a piece of paper a memory they had of our mother. Due to the circumstances of life in general, no one did. A few years later I had the very distinct feeling that this was something I needed to see to it's completion. Following a year of many hours of researching, writing and patience, I was able to present my family with the first "Memory Catcher Book" at Christmas 2005. It continues to be a gift to my family and something I cannot wait for my children to read to know and understand who their grandmother was and why she is so incredibly special.

What will my "Memory Catcher Book" look like?
The amount pages contained in the book will all depend on the willingness of people to provide information. I will do the research involved and the "leg-work" in order to make it as fulfilling and complete as possible. The beauty of the book is that it can be added to as new information comes forward and will contain blank pages at the back of the book to write on. In it's essence it could contain; stories, poems, quotes, song lyrics, pictures, etc. Anything that will help paint a picture for the reader about who the person was.

Can't I just do this myself?
Contrary to popular belief, this is NOT an easy task to undergo. The gathering of information, collecting of ideas, and organization of the memories is time consuming and requires an extreme amount of energy. By allowing me to help create this book it takes the time, effort, research and necessary writing out of your hands and allows you to use that time to be with your family, friends and loved ones.

How long will my Memory Catcher Book take to make?
This will vary as it may take longer for people to get the information back to me. I would expect a Memory Catcher Book to be completed within 4-6 weeks.

How much does this cost?
At this time there is not a set cost. It will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Please contact me with questions.

I hope this gives you an idea of what Memory Catcher is all about, what I am aiming to do and how it will give generations to come, a way to not only remember, but know a little bit more about our dearly departed.

Well? What do you think? Now I just need to make a few books and see if it will be as much of a gift as it was for me...for them.

Score if youre in UT

One of my friends has a blog- Bargain Divas and she has an amazing giveaway from a very talented photographer, Studio Lush Photography. You will definitely want to check her out- her photos are fabulous and she is also offering a special for you even if you don't win!

Heres the link to see the giveaway. www.bargaindivas.com

TomAEto- TomAHto

I thought I said it correctly...Sofia has loved the new snack that was brought home, courtesy of a awesome sale at the grocery store. I have been trying to lengthen the stay in our pantry, but the girl loves them....What you ask?

When the little one asked what they were I told her, "Sweets, these are called Cereal Bars" To which she replied, "Mama, I love the tree bark!"

Insert Smiley face here...

Sleep easy

Ella is a dream (pardon the pun) when it comes to her naptime. I find her at different places around the house if I do not get her to her crib in time. She will pat me and ask me (in her 19 mo. old talk) for a nap if I am not on schedule and this particular time, we had just gotten home from work and she had not had a long enough nap. She just folded herself in half and fell asleep. It was pretty adorable. Adorable enough to share!

And just in case you are wondering: NO. I do not let her fall asleep with a bottle. Especially one with juice.

Anew

The girls had a disney pricess "tent" that had seen it's last playdate early on and with wear and tear I knew it was time for a new one. Our old one did not have a top and the girls would always ask me to put a blanket on top of it. When I saw this little beauty at Walgreens with the top enclosed (on sale no less) I knew Santa would like them to have it.
So from old tents, we started anew and now the girls keep house in thier both the tents and play neighbors. And I might just stop by from time to time for chai (tea time). Don't judget me! I grew up with all brothers!
So we now have 2 t