August 31, 2015

Sole model, plus GRAND Social No. 170 link party for grandparents

August 31, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Sole model

My daughter Megan has a great resource for buying and selling used goods. It's a Facebook community group called Swip Swap, and all those buying and selling are located in her community. You post something for sale or something that you want, and in no time there's a swap going on between folks mere minutes apart.

Megan has bought and sold quite a bit through Swip Swap. Saturday evening she texted me a photo of some great running shoes she wondered if I'd want that were just $10. I said, "Sure!" She said, "Sold!"

Soon after, she had the goods in hand and sent me this photo of Jak modeling Gramma's new K-Swiss size 7.5 running shoes:

toddler in running shoes

I'm not sure which is better: having a daughter who...

August 29, 2015

Saturday movie review: The Cobbler

August 29, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

A mish-mash of themes, unexpected elements, and a surprisingly diverse cast are cobbled together to create an entertaining and engaging fable of sorts called THE COBBLER, released in March of this year.

The Cobbler movie

In THE COBBLER you'll find:

opening scenes featuring subtitles translating Yiddish conversation between craftsmen of a long-gone generation
a Jewish urban legend
New York gangsters and...

August 27, 2015

Here and now: August 27, 2015

August 27, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

clock and book

On my mind...

Wondering how people without decent health insurance survive.

Reading...

Finished up The Mapmaker's Children last night. Starting Circling The Sun by Paula McLain tonight.

Watching...

Brianna's new puppy, Max, each day at lunch. The nine-week-old can't get through...

August 26, 2015

Kids and cameras: 9 tips for beginner photogs, from National Geographic Kids

August 26, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

kids and cameras

As long as my grandsons have known me, I've had a camera in my hand more often than not. I may not be a pro, but taking photos is one of my favorite activities.

I like to think it's my penchant for taking pictures that encouraged my grandsons to enjoy using various cameras—from their kid camera to smartphones to my DSLR—for shooting shots around their place now and then.

I'm pretty good about explaining to my grandsons the basics of using a camera, but as a true and untrained amateur photographer myself, I'm not the greatest at sharing with them sure-shot techniques for composition and more, in easy-to-understand snippets they'll understand and remember.

Enter National Geographic Kids book Guide To Photography by Nancy Honovich and National Geographic Photographer Annie Griffiths (which I...