S.L. Smith Photography

Seven

Everything IS Better

 

H.E.B is our local grocery store here in Texas. As their logo says, everything IS better.  I really cannot say enough great stuff about HEB...especially their customer service.

Yesterday I went to our nearby HEB Plus (imagine groceries, WalMart, Target, Fish Market, Sushi Bar, Costco, amazing bakery all rolled into one) to get my husband's birthday present.  Since we our bbq grill is tiny and about 13 years old, I picked out a nice new huge bbq grill/smoker along with different types of charcoal and a few  types of fancy smoked wood chips.  I misjudged the size of the grill and thought it could fit in the back of my van (it looked smaller in the store...heehee).

2 very nice men, Johnny and Marcus, helped me get it out to my car.  Once I got my 3 kids and various groceries into the car, we realized the grill would not fit.  One of the men said "No Problem, I'll go get some tools and we will take it apart and then it will fit."  They quickly took it apart and it still didn't fit!!!!  At this point I am starting to wonder how I was going to get this thing home.  MY 3 kids were hot, starving, and whining.  I said "Maybe I will leave it here, feed the kids, and then find somenone with a truck to come and help me pick it up".

They didn't even hear me because one of the guys had taken off to get his van!!!!  They put the bbq grill into his van and drove it to my house!!!! This is not a service that HEB offers and not required of these guys at all.  They just did it because they wanted to (and probably because they felt bad for this pathetic mom and her 3 whining kids).  So they get to my house and I tell them that they can leave the pieces of the grill in my backyard and that my husband could put it together when he got home. They actually stayed and assembled the grill for me too!!!!!

I almost cried at how kind they were and how they totally went way out of their way to help me. I have never even heard of this kind of customer service before!!!
I made sure I called and wrote to the store where they work AND the main headquarters, because these men deserve some big recognition!  I certainly hope that they are recognized and rewarded for their kindness.  Does anyone out there have any ideas of what I can do to thank them???

A year older

Each summer I take each of my childrens' birthday picture.  I gather all 3 kids and do them all in one day...that way I can also get all 3 of them together.  I am not going to show the final ones yet because they are being used for various birthday, father's day, anniversary gifts etc.  For now I can show you storyboards I made for each kid.  Actually, I can only show you Abby's because I am still working on the boys...these things take time people.
In a few days I want to show you the outtakes too.  Every time a camera is pointed in my middle son's direction, he unintentionally strikes a pose that reminds me of Forrest Gump and makes equally strange faces that he thinks is a smile, but looks more like , uh, constipation....I shoot lots of pictures of that because it always cracks me up.

For now, here is Abby's storyboard:

Sigh

Good Golly Miss Molly...I LOVE my job.  I get to hold, kiss, and hug little guys like this all the time:

Reap What You Sow

Well, I have to say, I must have been over-zealous in my "sowing" because I have been  reaping, and reaping, and reaping.  I'm so glad my friends, neighbors, the kids' teachers, and my husband's co-workers like vegetables so much because I can't use or preserve these veggies fast enough. 

This week the kids and I blanched, canned, and froze  a lot of vegetables.  I made a sauce with our tomatoes, garlic, and basil; we froze zucchini, squash, and green beans, I made tons of pesto and froze it in cubes for later use, and then we made a bunch of sun pickles using my grandma's recipe. 

We started out by washing our jars and our cucumbers.  This is Abby's bossy face as she tells her brother how to correctly wash the cucumbers and in return he is showing her his "Whateva" face...

Then we got out our ingredients: fresh dill (I had to buy it because I killed mine...twice), garlic, vinegar, and pickling salt.

The kids stuffed some dill and cloves of garlic into the bottom of the jar and then packed in the cucumbers that I cut into spears.

Then we put in a mixture of water, vinegar, and pickling salt.  I don't know exact measurements, I'm not an exact measurement kind of girl...that's why I don't bake.

Then you top it off with a thick slice of white bread.  I don't know why, it's just what my Grandma did.

Then you put the lids on loosely and set the jars in the sun for about 2 days.

 

Thank God for modern medicine

This weekend two of my long time friends came to visit.  We went to school together while our fathers were stationed in Germany over 20 something years ago.  I will write more about that later.  During their visit we went to the Alamo and several items from the past were on display.  I had a morbid fascination with the medical devices used back then (and I also had fun playing with these photos as I edited them).

This was a bone saw...in case you needed a limb removed

As if I was not afraid enough of the dentist, I had to add this image to my mind's eye.  Dental devices.  There is also a random tool used to remove bullets from the body.

Dr. bag and vials of meds

a grooming kit

and a hearing aid...I thought these were made up for the movies, but people really used them.

Almost time...

These are my sweet friends.  They are expecting their first baby very soon.  We were over at their house for dinner the other night and I could not resist getting a few shots.  I think everyone should get maternity photos.  I think these turned out great for being a spur of the moment 'session' after the photographer had had a few delicious homemade mojitos!  I'm pretty sure it has everything with them being such a beautiful couple!

Love Bug (San Antonio Infant Photography)

No words...just sigh