Can you spell C-U-T-E?!!!

Yesterday I went to the waterpark with my daughter Rachel, my grandson Brian, my friend Sarah, and her daughter Audrey. I just love them!!!

Rollover Beethoven

I got to witness this first - Brian rolled from his back to his tummy!!! Several times today! Then he started rolling back and forth - he wore himself out! How lucky am I???

Brian's discovery

Brian is just over 5 months old and I can't remember when he wasn't here. I babysit almost everyday and I still can't get enough of him. It's exhausting and exhillerating!!! These were about 2 weeks ago and I just love his expressions. Each and everyone of them. He loves that worm cause it lights up and makes all these different sounds. He studies every inch of it.

My favorite picture of Rachel

In the car right before graduation last May. She is beautiful no matter the setting.

What a cutie pie!!!

Brian and mommy


Brian and grammy



Brian and grandpa

Sleepy boy Brian

I took this in the beginning of Dec 2007 but I couldn't resist. He's so adorable even when he sleeps.

Brian loves his cereal

and he wants to share it with everyone. I have never seen a baby laugh so much about having rice cereal. What a joyful boy!!!

Bull Moose

I took this in November 2003 during a nice heavy snowstorm. He was down in a valley and I got lucky. He was magnificent and I hope he is still out there.

Lori's Quilts

Snowman quilt, 2004
This is the front of the infamous snowman quilt that I actually began as a tool to understand a complicated (at least for my simple skill set at the time) pattern called the Yellow Brick Road. In my UFO blog I told you a little about June's quilt and this little number is the practice session. Lori and I were in Wally world and this was in the beginning of our quilting careers. We found some really cute snowman fabrics, snowflakes, and other wintry blues on the $1.00 rack and I had this great idea, I would buy the inexpensive fabric to practice making the blocks in the pattern so when I would be an expert (boy, little did I know) at it. This was not intended to be completed much less given to anyone, it was a practice quilt, a dry run.
Well, Lori reminded me today of an experience that we shared on night at the church and it all came flooding back to me. We had gone to the church to meet up with some friends to work on charity quilts. Long story short, the weather was bad, no one came except Lori and I, so we worked on our own projects. Back then, we carried a couple with us, just in case. So, after a few hours of piecing we decided to pack it up and hit the road.
I had taken a load out to my truck and pulled the vehicle up to the front of the church. I went back to help Lori with the rest and for some reason we decided to try and get the rest in one trip. Now just some background info, we probably had at least one ironing board, a couple of large cutting mats, several rulers, at least two sewing machines and a couple of bags, boxes and miscellaneous items that didn't necessarily fit in our arms. But Lori and I are crazy with each other and we're like sisters, we think together we can do anything!!!
Anyhow, we locked the doors, our arms stuffed and we were walking down the path in the wind and rain and pitch black of early March. Suddenly, Lori yells that something just flew by her, and I scan around but I can't see anything. We get to the back of my truck and I realize my quilt top is gone. I run back up looking for it and I see it lying in the snow! The yucky, brown, muddy snow and my heart sinks!
Now I probably only had about 1/3 to a 1/2 of the blocks together and I want to cry, because now this bunch of cheap fabric that I was using as a dress rehearsal suddenly meant a lot to me. I dropped Lori off and I went home and called my friend Cathy (who taught me how to sew) and told her what happened. Bless her, she endured so much to teach me this craft. She told me to fill the kitchen sink with lukewarm water, let the top lay in it and then after some time, gentle swish the fabric to get as much of the mud off. This took some time and I was really down about it, but she continued to encourage me that we could get it cleaned.
Finally, when it seemed to be done, she explained how to block it on my kitchen table. I layered all the towels in my house and gently laid that top on the table. I smoothed so carefully, I kept praying for it to work. I called Lori and updated her and she felt so bad for me. Anyone who knows Lori, knows that she has the biggest heart in the world and after we hung up, I thought, if this all works, I am going to finish this quilt and give it to her.
Well, it did work and I finished it about two months later. I tied the squares with pearle cotton and I did a star pattern design in the borders. I used that quilt pattern on a roll and I just followed the lines. It turned out pretty good, especially when I think about how little I really knew about the process of quilting at the time.
I gave it to her when I had to say goodbye that June, she moved to Texas. I backed the quilt with a winter toile flannel that we both absolutely loved. She says its her favorite quilt and I still say she's my favorite friend!!! I love her so much!
Back of the snowman quilt.
I used her new Singer Quantum 9940 to make her label. I made an embroidered frame that said, SNNOWMEN PRACTICING WINTER, September 2003 to April 2004 with snowmen on the left and right. Inside the block, I wrote in pen,
To Lori,
I give my first quilt that I made in Alaska to the first friend I made in Alaska. Practice does not make perfect, it makes life long memories! I love you! Laura


The front, Yellow Brick Road Pattern
This quilt was made by many hands as a gift to celebrate our wonderful friend, Lori Martin. She was our first civilian water aerobics instructor and she is my best friend. So, if you have been reading about my UFOs, this is one of the quilts that helped me learn some of the techniques for June's (mother-in-law) quilt. The picture above is a Yellow Brick Road pattern in which we incorporated large solid white segments for everyone to write a wish and prayer for Lori. One lady, Evelyn, beaded a mermaid on hers, and Kandis paper-pieced the bathing suit.
The collage
My contribution to this quilt was the collage. I took all the photos at classes, photo shopped a couple of layouts and printed them all on fabric. I took fish and mermaid fabric to represent our water aerobics class, some moose and bear prints, otters and loons to remind her of Alaska and I made this collage in one night - all night!!! I didn't go to bed afterwards, because I had to get the whole thing over to the Senior center for the gals to quilt in time.






Kandis, Dot, Charlotte, & Debbie

Our Girls

Daisy and Minnie.

They are the greatest pups - they are sisters from the same litter and they love my husband and I so much. They have to do everything together. They are this girl's bestfriends.

Springtime in Florida

One of the first pictures I took of my dad with my own camera, a Kodak Instamatic that someone gave me He's on the left with his brother Jerry sitting on his Vespa scooter - his introduction to the motorcycle.
. (1979).

I have tons a great memories of Florida in the springtime. I spent every available free time I could taking my kids down from North Carolina to see my dad and the beach. My dad lived in an apartment for awhile and then he bought a small one bedroom house with a nice yard filled with orange trees in the back yard.
We would usually leave early in the morning and get there around 5-6 in the evening and my dad would be waiting for us. A lot of the times, he would be out in the driveway with his motorcycle cleaning it or polishing the chrome or something. We'd pull up, he'd have hugs and kisses for us and he would always ask how the traffic was at different points on the route. He drove the same way up to us every chance he could as well. In some ways, it was like he was just up the road (about 700miles) but we still saw each other often - maybe even more than families who live in the same town.
I remember a particular trip on Memorial weekend when we came down to paint my dad's house. We only had five days so we just planned to paint, go to the beach and just hang out with my dad and brother. My dad had been sick and had a liver transplant the year before. He was recovering very well and it was so exciting to see him getting back to his old self.
The kids were about 8 & 9 and they were able to help with the trim and we had a great time. My brother Tony and Brad did all the high stuff and I helped with the detail and getting their buckets filled. I took pictures too.
We finished in 3 days and we went to a park in downtown St.Pete near the harbor. We watched Jim skateboard and the kids climbed trees and we had a nice time. The air was soft and breezy, the sky was clear and blue, and the air smelled of lilac and saltwater. It was a lazy long spring afternoon and it was as close to perfect as one can get on this earth.

My dad with the kids.

He didn't know I was shooting him.

We went to the beach the next day, got quick tans, ate out and slept in. What I remember the most about the trip was how easy it was to be there. My dad was doing so well and my brother had gotten a great job. My husband was home from an overseas deployment, the kids were happy and healthy, and I had finished school. We drove home that Tuesday and I remember driving away and feeling like all was right in the world. It was.

My family - Brad, Tony, my dad Jim, Rachel & Jimmy.

Wilma and Fred

On April 1, 2004, I was sitting having a cup of coffee and had just sent my kids on the bus to school. It was a clear, bright sunny day and the temperature was just above zero. I live in Alaska - no joke. Anywho, I had just glanced out the kitchen window and discovered that a moose was crossing the street behind my house and coming towards my neighbor's yard. I got excited and grabbed my camera and proceeded to shoot several frames (before I went digital) from my deck in my jammies and socks. He got bored and walked away.

I began my housework and went to take the trash out to the dumpster (across the parking area) and as I turned around to walk back to my house, there he was!!! No farther than about 6 feet away - just chomping on the tree in my neighbor's front yard. He just looked amused at my apparent state of shock. But he just kept eating. I couldn't breath and I was was frozen (both figuratively and literally - I hadn't bothered to put shoes on over my socks - just a quick jaunt right?) and I just ran into the house and threw on some clothes and went to my camera gear. I quickly inventoried my film, my lenses and both bodies.

My husband was surely fascinated to see me running around scrounging every last roll of film. I found a total of thirteen rolls; most 24 exposures, and a few 36 exposures. I threw everything into my truck, refilled my cup of coffee and grabbed my cell phone and an extra pack of batteries (just in case). I drove out of the garage and the moose was nowhere to be found. My heart sunk. I drove around one side of my block, nothing. I started to come back home when my hubby called and said the moose was on the other side and there was another moose with him. My heart started racing!!! I quickly drove over to the other side and there they were!!!! I hit the mother load!!! They were about 15 feet away and gorgeous!!!

I love moose! I think they are such awesome creatures and while a lot of people say they are simple, I think they are perfect! They live by instinct and they nurture their young and they are simply fabulous!!!

I began to shoot them, at first just a few at a time. It was so cold and I was dealing with fog on the lens. But I just watched them to see what they were going to do. They didn't seem to mind me sitting there at first; they just foraged and walked around. Then they decided to check out the other side of the block and I followed. Watching them was fascinating, it was obvious when they were communicating with each other and when one wanted to move, the other followed. So did I.

I spent that whole morning and early afternoon watching them and shooting them from my truck (through the moon roof, money well-spent) and across my hood. A couple of times I ventured close to them, took a few frames and then got scared to death! One of the best days I have ever had here in Alaska.

You can see more here - http://flickr.com/photos/nikongirlsphotoshop/

Cabin Fever

I quit my job as a swim instructor this week and I have been having a cabin fever type feeling about quilting. I have an enormous stash in my basement and in my sewing room and I have been going through UFOs (unfinished offerings) and sorting through all the "kits" I put together with wonderful patterns that I thought would be fun to make. Of course, time has gotten away from me with the series of events from this past year and half of the "kits" are not together with their patterns (or books). SO much for organization!
Anywho, I am moving to Kentucky from Alaska (after 6 years here) in 9 weeks. I obviously have a lot to do just with packing and purging, but I can't seem to fold up my fabric tent just yet. It's crazy I know, practicality should win over and I should get my butt in gear; but, the muse is calling and she is determined to get some creative juices flowing.
I have been working on a BOM with my great, awesome friend Lori, my wonderful Sarah and my beautiful daughter Rachel and some new friends across the country and world. Well, it is going extremely well, almost too well! I have been quite prolific in my sewing and am ahead on my blocks. <-----AHEAD! We are only finishing the second block. See, this all started when my friend Lori and I were together after the birth of my grandson and awaiting the birth of hers. I was confessing to her all the doubts and disappointments I had experienced over the past few years and Lori, being the upbeat, positive woman that she is, said we need to do something about this slump you're in. Hence, the LL Super Sampler BOM was born. Then it quickly spread among our friends and now we have our own website. http://kellygillis.wordpress.com/.
Anywho, don't know where all that came from, but I am struggling with wanting to sew all day and night and getting my household packed. Funny, that my cabin fever isn't tring to push me out of the cabin.

My grandson - Brian Christian Larrabee

Well, I know I should have done this sooner and I apologize that it took me this long. Brian is here! He arrived on October 19, 2007. Oh, I know what you're thinking, lazy!! I think it everyday! Well, I will attempt to make up for my slacking by showing you a few of my favorite photos of him. He is the most wonderful human being in the world and brings me so much joy! I love him so very much and I want to share him with you.

One day old -

Going home -

My first photoshoot with Brian

I am a photographer

I am a professional photographer. I enjoy capturing that ONE image that makes you go...wait a minute! Or what a great smile!!! I use my camera to communicate, illustrate, record, capture, express and to remember. While I shoot a variety of subjects, my favorite is the human face. I believe the human face is the most interesting subject to look at and I never get tired of looking.

Some of my favorite faces:
my son Jim, my daughter Rachel,
and my friend Sarah Raffuse's baby girl, Audrey Marie!