After three months of looking through precious pictures sent in by our readers, the panel of judges have reached a decision on who wins the grand prize — a free portrait session with photographer Lisa Mac of Lisa Mac Photography AND a huge 16 x 20 inch wall portrait.

Drumroll please….

The photo sent in by Kathleen Villar, seen above, is the grand prize winner of our photo contest! This sweet photo of her 18-month-old son, Joseph, hugging the legs of the 87-year-old great-grandpa he calls “Opa”, melted the hearts of our judging panel, who evaluated photos based on emotional impact. This is a great illustration of that special connection between babies and the grandparents who love them so much. The story behind this picture makes it extra sweet.

Joseph is actually named after his Opa, so they share a name as well as a wonderful loving bond. They live very close to one another and see each other almost every day. Kathleen says of Joseph, “He squeals with joy walking in the door and cries when it is time to leave.”

She adds: “I have always wanted to have children that they could enjoy and I realize how lucky I am.  The spring before Joseph was born in 2007 my grandfather, who struggles with dementia, had a stroke that has taken away his ability to speak clearly. Since then, life has been very different, but Joseph became the family’s little ray of sunshine. Watching Joseph and Opa play and seeing how their faces beam when they see each other shows us how this relationship brings complete joy to both of them and the entire family.”

Kathleen, who’s pregnant with baby #2, will soon be enjoying a free portrait session with Lisa Mac (who is a new Mommy, by the way! Her son Josiah was born about five weeks ago, and he is SO cute.) Kathleen will also get to choose her favorite shot which will be printed as a 16 x 20 inch wall portrait. What a treasure for any mom to have.

If you didn’t win this photo contest, don’t worry because we’re doing it again! You can submit up to 5 photos each month, which will be placed in our online photo gallery. (Browse through our online photo gallery by clicking on the Polaroid at the top of the page or by scrolling down to the gallery located at the bottom of each page. Click on any photo to enlarge it.)

Congrats to Kathleen on snagging the grand prize, and thanks so much to each of you who shared your wonderful photos with us and the judging panel. Thanks also to photographer Lisa Mac for sponsoring our photo gallery and for donating such a generous grand prize for the snapshot contest. (Click here to visit Lisa’s website and blog to see more examples of her work.)

Picking just one winner was such a tough decision because there were SO many great pictures to consider. Keep those cameras clicking, and show off your great kid pictures here on nwaMotherlode.

Dear Andi,

What are the current “trends” in makeup? Any new ideas worth trying?

Dear Trend Seeker,

Summer’s big trend is shockingly bright color on everything! Have fun with your makeup without looking like you’re attending an 80s costume party by avoiding the neon lipstick and blush and staying neutral on your lips and cheeks.

Instead try a new nail polish like Rimmel 60 Seconds in Climax, a shimmery purple ($2.85. Target) or one of the new OPI for Sephora shades ($9 each) and add a vibrant hue to your eye shadow palette. I also like Covergirl Eye Enhancers 3 Kit shadows (Wal-Mart, $4.44).

Firecracker (pictured right) made my brown eyes more vibrant. For blue eyes, try the Blazing Blues kit. If you have green eyes, well, I’m jealous, but I will put that aside and advise the Dazzling Metallics trio.

To apply like a pro, use the lightest hue up to the brow bone, and the brightest close to the lash line, using the middle hue to blend into the crease of your eye. Top off the look with dark brown or black eye liner smudged into your top and bottom eyelashes and two coats of your favorite mascara and you are ready for a night out. If you are nervous about new colors but sick of earth tones, try a purple shadow…it looks great with every eye color and is hard to over-do. Have fun with it and send me pics. I’d love to see your new look!

Andi Douglas is a local mom of two and the ruling make-up queen at nwaMotherlode. E-mail your questions to her at mamas@nwaMotherlode.com and the answer may be featured in her weekly column. 

There are so many cool things about this week’s giveaway that I’m not quite sure where to start. Okay, let’s start with something all mamas know — kids love to play and lounge around on the floor. Even when there is a comfy chair or bed in the room, kids will inevitably end up on the floor at least half the time.

So wouldn’t it be nice if you had a large, brand spankin’ new area rug underfoot for your kid’s bedroom, playroom or even family room? (It’s priced at $359.99!) And wouldn’t it be even nicer if it was one of the new Shaw Disney-themed rugs which just arrived in flooring stores? And wouldn’t it just be perfect if you actually got to pick out which rug YOU want that would go with your room? Well…. perhaps we can help.

Motherlode sponsor Flooring America by Carpetsmart is going to give one lucky Motherlode mama a new Disney area rug — and it’s a huge 6×9 size! Cool, huh? And you get to pick your rug from one of the following designs:

• Winnie the Pooh

• Cars movie

• Hannah Montana

• Disney Fairies

• Disney Princess

• Toy Story

What I like most about the new Disney rugs is that they don’t scream “I’M A LITTLE KID!” They still capture the essence of the various Disney themes, but the patterns and colors are also subtle enough to be used long after your kid stops watching cartoons. For example, the rug with the Cars theme could even work for a teenage boy because it’s gray with black tire tracks on it. And many of the Disney princess or the Hannah Montana designs and colors will still work great with a teenage girl’s room as well. There are also options to get a solid color shag rug, too. Click HERE to get a closer look at the various rug designs and colors.

You can also go see the rugs in person by stopping by Flooring America by Carpetsmart, which is located in Springdale in Center Pointe Plaza just off Interstate 540. Click here to see their website and get directions to the store.

HOW TO ENTER: To throw your name in the hat to win the 6×9 Disney-theme area rug, click the word “comment” below and tell us what you like most about your child’s room decor. Or, if you’re in dire need of a little redecorating, tell us what you’d like to change about the room. You can also send your entries to us via e-mail at giveaways@nwaMotherlode.com.

To increase your odds of winning the rug, send an e-mail to your friends and family to let them know about the giveaway and we’ll put your name in the hat again for every friend you tell. Tell 10 friends, and you’ll get 10 extra chances. That’s how it works. Just be sure to copy us on your note so we can give you proper credit for spreading the word.

We love to hear how creative our fellow moms can be when it comes to creating bedrooms or playrooms for kids, so share your ideas with us or borrow a few from the posted comments. Thanks so much to our friends at Flooring America by Carpetsmart for the generous giveaway!

Good luck!

Doc Talk is a weekly series of short video podcasts of Mercy Health System doctors answering questions moms want answers to. Click on the Motherlode video podcast below to see and hear the answer to today’s question. Dr. Harry Harmon, an avid outdoorsman, offers advice on how best to remove a tick.

Want to know more about Dr. Harmon? Just click on his photo to watch his biographical video podcast which offers details about his experience and training.

Q: I’ve already found several ticks on my kids! What’s the best way to remove them and should I worry about Lyme Disease?

A: Click on the video podcast icon at right. When the window opens, click on the “play� arrow to begin the video answer.

Dr. Harry Harmon is a family practitioner at Mercy Health System of Northwest Arkansas. His practice, the Rogers Medical Center, is located in the Physicians Plaza just off Interstate 540. For more info on Dr. Harmon, click on his photo to watch his bio podcast or call his office at 479-338-5555.

NWAMotherlode.com does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is for informational purposes only and isn’t a substitute for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor if you have questions about a medical condition. Don’t delay getting professional medical advice because of something you read online. This website doesn’t necessarily recommend or endorse any specific tests, doctors, products, procedures or opinions discussed on the site.