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July 28, 2008
at the kiddie pool
When I asked Finn whether he wanted to go into the "kiddie" pool, he was super-excited until he got there. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "But where are the kitties?"
Posted by lisa at 01:07 PM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2008
make an offer
Lisa J. had a garage sale today to raise money for a marathon she's running this fall (to benefit Lung Cancer). I generously donated all the kind of weird things the people who lived here before left in the house when they moved. (Anyone want a country-painted "Welcome Friends" sign with a hen on it?)
The kids were shilling for lemonade and brownies, yet Finn was consuming most of the profits when no one was looking. He somehow had room for pizza afterwards, however.
Posted by lisa at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2008
rejected baby names thus far
Finding a boy name is no easy process--girls are so much easier. Here are the ones we've ruled out thus far:
Van Hazen
Eddie Van Hazen
[insert Prince symbol] Hazen
Chamillionaire Hazen
Ludacris Hazen
Sean Preston Hazen
Knox Jolie-Pitt Hazen
!!! Hazen
* This photo is apropos of nothing, but I'm low on new shots.
Posted by lisa at 10:39 AM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2008
what Lisa's been up to, June edition
It's exciting that a lot of long-term projects have come to fruition this month. April was the busiest month I ever had--now, some of the projects I started back then are finally launching. Here's a look:
Paint-your-own pottery studios are common in pretty much every town across the country. Thomas Claire's Kristin LaMarre wanted to take that successful business model into consumer's homes. Her new business is completely Web-based--you order their pottery kits online, and everything you need to create your own custom pottery is sent to you. You simply return it in their pre-paid packaging, they fire your masterpiece, and they send it back. The model is great for rainy-day crafts or parties. The site design presented a lot of different challenges in customization, but with the programming skills of Pixel IQ, I'm thrilled with the result.
Next, Old Colony creates a variety of co-branded snacks with well-known companies, like Andes, ReaLemon, and Musselman's. (You may already have sampled their snacks on airlines, one of their biggest clients.) They needed a site that enabled direct sales to customers who wanted to order their products by the case, and facilitate inquiries from new customers. Everything on this site was handled from scratch (so to speak). Shawn shot all the photography and I rebuilt everything on the Good Barry platform.
A few months ago, I was asked to create some designs for the redesign of Storey Publishing. Having been a veteran of two redesigns for ChronicleBooks.com, I was eager to help contribute to the strategy for this North Adams, MA-based publisher. Although my final designs weren't chosen for implementation, I was delighted to contribute to the process. Here is my design, and here is the new Storey site.
A common failure of current Web sites is that once they're built, they sit. Simply having a Web site is no longer enough. A site must be a dynamic destination that acts as a bold advocate on behalf of this subject. In this article for HOW, I interviewed a number of experts who advised readers on how to take their Web sites to the next level. (And also warned about a number of potential pitfalls along the way.) This article will appear in the February issue. Read it here.
Lastly, I created a placeholder site (while I design the full-featured version) for DJ Anderson. DJ is a personal and professional coach based out of the Bay Area. (And an old sorority sister of mine--Tau Alpha!) Shawn designed the identity for her.
Posted by lisa at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2008
this amount of sunscreen should just about do it
This is what happens when you turn your back for two minutes to answer the phone and leave your two-year-old in charge of the sunscreen. He looked so hilarious that I had to snap a photo, but Mean Mommy had to underscore just how naughty he had been. (Hence the frowny face.)
Posted by lisa at 01:06 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2008
Friday at montrose beach
It's always a hassle to get there, but I love the beach once we do. The beaches on Lake Michigan are really lovely.
P.S. My son's skin is so white and reflective that I believe it can be seen from space.
Posted by lisa at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2008
fast-forward 20 years
The other day, our friends Katie and Omar graciously took Finn overnight so we could have a grown-up dinner at Omar's fabulous restaurant and not rush home to a babysitter.
I was a little worried how he might feel about sleeping over at a friends' house, but apparently, this was nothing that pizza and Dora could not solve. Ella and Finn love each other, but do squabble sometimes. It's like a constant battle for who is in charge. Katie told me about the following exchange at bedtime.
Katie: "Goodnight, Finnie! I love you!"
Finn: "I love you, too, Katie."
Ella (yelling from the other room): "I love you, too, Finn!"
-silence-
Ella: "Finn, I love you!"
-silence-
Ella: "Finn, I said I love you!"
Finn: "I heard you, Ella."
Ironically, Finn kept telling me the entire next day, "I loooove Ella."
Posted by lisa at 02:06 PM | Comments (0)
July 07, 2008
ALL the Houston photos
And here are all the photos that Daddy/Uncle Shawn took! There are a lot here--we'll forgive you if you don't click through all. (Unless you're related to us!)
Happy fourth!
Posted by lisa at 06:50 AM | Comments (0)
July 06, 2008
Family Vacation
We just got back from a fun trip out to Houston to see Cousin Anna, Auntie Sudie (Susan), Uncle Clintie (Clintie), and Nanny (Nanna [aka Grandma]). Finn LOVES his cousin and they had a blast playing together--we all did!
Posted by shawn at 04:10 PM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2008
at the soda shop
...Finn and Lilah.
Posted by lisa at 07:18 AM | Comments (0)