What to Wear | September

September 6, 2023 by GmasPhoto 4 Comments

What to Wear | September

Hi, we have some holidays soon approaching and this means family time! With family time there will be many photo opportunities. Remember, taking the shot is the first step in getting a good picture. And that is the most important step. However, you may be wondering how to make the picture a better picture. This is the inspiration for the What to Wear posts!

It is not necessary to purchase new clothing for better images. When planning the wardrobe, do wash and dry the clothing. Immediately after drying, hang the clothes on a hanger. Or iron, if you like. The main goal is wrinkle free clothing.

Shoes do not need to be new either. New shoe laces is an inexpensive purchase to spruce up the look. Polishing leather or washing canvas shoes is another solution to brighten their appearance.

Have the socks match either the pants or shoes. This is important for anyone who may be sitting or squatting in the group. Imagine if the pants are navy blue, shoes white and you see bright green socks. Very distracting. Your eyes will go straight to the green socks and not the person’s face! However, if the socks were either white (matching shoes) or navy blue (matching pants), your eyes will flow over the person and land on the face/eyes of the person in the picture.

What to Wear will feature different palettes providing ideas when you plan the wardrobe for individual pictures or your family images during the holiday gatherings.

What to Wear | September features ideas for all family members: mom; dad; big brother; big sister and little brother and little sister. Have fun preparing your stylish look for family pictures!

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

Happy Labor Day!

September 4, 2023 by GmasPhoto Leave a comment

Happy Labor Day!

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer and is on the first Monday in September. In fashion, Labor Day is considered the last day when it is acceptable to wear white. This brings back memories of when I was a kid, my mom would not let me wear white shoes or white shorts/pants Labor Day through Easter. A tradition I passed on to my children.

WW Update:
Since Start Date; -17.2lbs

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party #5

August 30, 2023 by GmasPhoto 8 Comments

Hi, welcome to Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party #5!

This week’s Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party spotlight is on:

Crazy Little Love Birds Link Party 2 | Stephanie
A THEMED LINKUP 160 FOR LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE | Dee, GrammysGrid.com
image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup
Encouraging Hearts and Home: Quick and Delicious! | Joanne
Spread The Kindness Link Up On the Edge #667 | Shelbee

This week’s theme is: General, all types of links welcome!

Important things to know:

-You may add up to three family friendly blog post links, linked to specific blog posts.
-Please say hi & add your link post number when commenting below.
-Be sure to visit other links and leave a kind comment for each link you post.
-Party opens Thursday and ends Wednesday. Each week’s theme can be found here.
-Thank you for participating. Have fun!

By linking to Gma’sPhoto Party LinkUp, you give permission to share your post and images on Gma’sPhoto blog and social media. Proper credit with a photo and link back will be provided.

Let’s begin the fun at Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party #5!

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

My Journey Update

August 28, 2023 by GmasPhoto 15 Comments

My Journey Update

Hi, I have been visiting other blogs and see many recipes. Many of those recipes look and sound very delicious, however- I do not cook. My husband and I have different eating schedules. For me this will be a post on what works for me while on the Weight Watchers program.

During the week, I have 30 minutes for lunch break. Now my husband is retired and he is on his own schedule. I require quick and simple. The Healthy Choice dinners are very Weight Watcher (WW) friendly, either 5 or 6 points. Plus, the ones I have tried (see the above collage) are pretty tasty!

I am not limited to eating the frozen dinners. That is what I like most about the WW program. Nothing is off limits. The question is, ‘How do I want to eat my points?’.

What I discovered, is the individual portion sizes. This is perfect and very simple. The portion size has already been measured and points assigned. I have a healthy choice meal with a snack. Several snacks I found are pictured in the collage above. No need to measure or weigh. Fruits and vegetables are free, no point value.

The weekends are the challenge. This is the time my husband and I will eat our meals together. Those times are generally at a restaurant. Which is not easy to calculate point values. The WW app does have a list of the more popular restaurant menus and point values. However, Kevin’s favorite places to eat are the mom and pop locations. I stick with the vegetables, limiting bread. For protein, either egg, chicken, turkey or beans, my go-to’s.

Weight Watchers will acknowledge and reward my milestones. I am working on my 20lb charm! 🙂

I enjoy stopping by my folks house for a visit after my Saturday WW meetings. Being a photographer, taking pictures with my family is important. Especially now that my parents are in their upper 70’s. Side note, I recommend getting family pictures, at minimum, every 5 years. Families with young children, every other year.

Weight Watchers does not pay me to write about their program. Simply, it is working for me. Anyone who has a question about the program, I will gladly share my opinion and what works for me. It is in my opinion, loosing weight in a healthy manner will most definitely make you feel better. And as a person who takes her ‘happy pills’, feeling better is important!

The following links are prequels to My Journey Update.
My Journey
Follow Up

WW Update:
Since Start Date; -16lbs

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party #4

August 24, 2023 by GmasPhoto 13 Comments

Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party #4

Hi, welcome to Gma’sPhoto 4th LinkUp Party!

Wednesday I had an unexpected fun time. I had gone to the library and had seen the accouncement of movie and dinner sign up. The library was hosting a memorial for the 46th anniversary of Elvis Presley passing with Viva Las Vegas and dinner! That sounded like fun, so I added my name to the list.

dinner and movie — Elvis’ favorite meal, grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich!

It was rather funny, I had no idea who would show up. Fifteen names were on the list. When I walked into the room, it was all older women and I was one of them! It was a fun night.

Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party #3 spotlight is on:

It’s Playtime with the Kids. | Penny’s Passion
There’s Really No Place Like Home! | GrammysGrid
Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party #3 | Gma’sPhoto

This week’s theme is Party LinkUps. Yes, please link up your party here! Recipes, DIY, Home, Pets, Photography, Fashion, Health, all family friendly parties are welcome.

Important things to know:
-You may add up to three family friendly blog post links linked to specific blog posts.
-Please say hi & add your link post number when commenting below.
-Be sure to visit other links and leave a kind comment for each post added.
-Thank you for participating. Have fun!

By linking to Gma’sPhoto Party LinkUp, you give permission to share your post and images on Gma’sPhoto blog and social media. Proper credit with a photo and link back will be provided.

Let’s begin the fun at Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party #4!

Feel Real Good

August 21, 2023 by GmasPhoto 26 Comments

Feel Real Good

Hi, have you ever had a day where you just feel real good? Today was such a day for me. Nothing spectacular happened, just several nice things. First was my Weight Watchers meeting. I am truly enjoying this more with each passing week. Meeting new people. Now that I am working from home, I miss the socialization I once had. WW has given me a much needed outlet.

My blog has also been a blessing. While creating mine, I have found new blogging friends. One such friend is Dee with GrammysGrid.com. I say she is a friend because she has been a tremendous resource. She just makes me feel good by making me feel important, always answering any questions I may have about my website, software and such. Not to mention her prompt replies to the comments I add to her posts, that in itself makes me feel important.

As I have mentioned in prior posts, I had taken many senior portraits, family session, engagement pictures and weddings for 20 some years. I have since slowed down, only doing an occasional shoot here and there. This weekend was one of those here and there’s.

What lead up to this weekend was when I was on Facebook and saw a high school friend had just gotten engaged to another high school friend (Cris and Todd). Well, one of my 101 in 1001 goals (#99) is to be a wedding crasher. No bashfulness, I asked them when and where they were getting married. Does inviting yourself count as a wedding crasher? 🙂 I was flattered when they asked me if I would take their wedding pictures. Of course I said yes! We took a few engagement pictures this weekend.

Then I met my son, we filled his medicine pillbox, had lunch and then did grocery shopping. Our usual Saturday stuff. Always have a nice time with him. Then I drove home. As I was getting close to home, I had to pull the car over and take this picture.

feel real good home — “Home is not a place….it’s a feeling.”

Standing on the gravel road, looking at my husband’s and my home, I felt good. Still do when I look at this picture. My whole day was a feel good day. Driving down the road and seeing this, just made my day even better.

I have so much to be grateful for, and by the Grace of God, I can enjoy this for many more years with my husband. Amen!

May you enjoy a feel good day!

WW Update:
Since Start Date; -14lbs

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra