Hemp Ball Decor

I love this new blog I've been following.......Make It and Love It.  If you love crafts  then you will love this blog!  I've been thinking of some new decor to do in my house, and just so happened I found Hemp Ball Accents.  I even made mine the same colors!

Items Needed:
Styrofoam balls (I used 4", 3" and 2")
Thick hemp cord (find at Walmart for $8.96)
Hot glue gun (with plenty of glue sticks)
Spray paint (your choice of colors)


First of all, this is not a cheap craft......but it's simple, easy and elegant :-).  This probably cost me around $30.00 for everything and it's very time consuming.  It took me a month from start to finish to get them all done as I took breaks......ha ha.  BUT, I loved the fact that I could make these my own.........own size, own color.......that's why I wanted to do them.  I love turquoise, browns and neutrals.

Secondly, I didn't take pictures step by step so if you would like them, be sure to check out Ashley's step by step instructions here.

I keep moving these around the house, but for now they are on my dinning room table.

 

 

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

It's summer time and what's not better then fresh salsa and warm tortilla chips!  We spent Memorial weekend home finishing up on some much needed care around the outside of the house.  My husband was finally done planting on Friday and so for not seeing him for a month straight it was so nice to just be the "3" of us all weekend.  While we sat at the table one evening planning out our summer vacations I made us some fresh salsa. It was so yummy!

Items Needed:
1 can black beans
1 can corn ( I used the fiesta)
1 can black eyed peas
1/2 cup chopped onion
Green pepper chopped
Fresh diced tomatoes (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 lime


Ok, this makes a lot of salsa--just beware!  First of all, drain everything that is in a can.  Rinse the black beans.  Add everything together and squeeze the juice from the lime all over it........mmmm it was so good!

 

 

Happy Memorial Day!

As we all enjoy the long weekend, we should also take some time to Thank those that have or are serving our country.  

Thank you ALL so much!  

The sacrifices that you make everyday for our country, for your families, we are forever grateful!

**I offer 1 FREE session per year for military families!  

Be sure to check out my website for further details, or contact me directly!

 

 

Sleeping Beauties

My favorite time of day is morning when my girls are sleeping.  I love to just watch them sleep as they are absolutely beautiful.  The other day I went to check on Alivia and she is laying face first in the bed with her butt in the air and her diaper was off- it was soo cute and luckily she did not pee in the bed!  Alivia also does this thing when she starts to wake up where she whispers "roar"..like a lion and it is soo cute..ahh I love mornings with the girls.  I look forward to every weekend when I can actually enjoy the morning rather than try to rush out of the house for work.  I am thankful today that we are in Disney and I get to spend a lot of precious time with my girls as I know they will grow up fast and before I know it they will be graduating High School.

Well I better get back to the girls and enjoy our time here in Disney.

Have a great day! 

 

The Mud Room

A good friend of mine is on her way with her fiance to get married!  They are heading to Switzerland!!  When she comes home, she'll be Mrs!!

She and her soon to be hubby are living the fairy tale wedding next week by getting married in a castle!!  How romantic!!!

She had her bachelorette party this last weekend and it was so much fun!!!  I met a few of her close friends and enjoyed every minute!

We met at The Mud Room in Ada, MI!  

Love this place!!!!  I wish I would have taken a picture of the outside, it was beautiful!!!  

This may come as a surprise to all of you since I'm a photographer, but I am not crafty unless I have a visual, something to look at.  I can think of ideas in my head but getting them out on the table is not so easy for me.  Crazy, I know!  

 I changed my mind SO many times as to what I wanted to make.  I finally chose a black glass plate and added glass stripes, dots and other objects to it!  I chose to keep it flat once it's fired.  So excited to see how it turns out!

We all made a piece for Heather which she is going to make into a wind chime or a Christmas ornament and then we got to make our own piece!!

 The bride to be!

 

 

 

Thanks ladies for a great afternoon!  So happy for Heather & Steve!!  Enjoy your two week wedding and honeymoon!!

  

Be sure to check out The Mud Room, you'll love it!

 

My Other Passion

You all know I'm obsessed with food and crafts.  But what you don't know is that I'm entirely obsessed with planting flowers.  Our landscaping started last year with our new house, and since I was 9 mo prego, I tried really hard to get most of our perennials planted so they could be more mature this year.  But I love annuals as well.  In fact, I spend hundreds of dollars usually on annuals a year.  I know that seems like a lot of money, but the presence of my home means a lot to me and I love making my home look very inviting.  I love petunias but being that we live in the woods, I don't have a whole lot of them......but I have as many as i could so when you seen sun, you will see wave petunias!  There's just something about planting the flowers and watching them grow--I LUV IT!  We have our vegetable garden growing across the road with my dad--it's nice cause we just plant a huge one and take turns taking care of it.  I'm no professional photographer but here's a few pic:

Everyone have a very safe and fun Memorial Weekend!!  Safe Travels to all!

 

 

Part 5: Monthly Photo Banner

So you thought I was done with the birthday crafts, right?  Nope!  What's not more memorable at a 1st birthday party then to have a Monthly Photo Banner!  I'm so excited to share this with you as it's so cute hung up and so easy to make.  Plus, it gives you a reminder of your past wonderful full year with your bundle of joy! (and of course on how fast the year has passed :-(........)

Items needed:

Monthly pictures of you little one (newborn to 1 year old)
Double sided tape or glue stick
4" x 4" cardstock decor paper of your choice
I used a template I purchase from Etsy (it cost $1.00).  Convo me here if you would like it :-)  It has cupcakes on it :-)
Ribbon of your choice
Decorated scissors (optional)

Super easy to do, really self explanatory.  I however am giving you a sneak peek as I don't have mine attached to ribbon yet.  Sooooooo.......you will have to check back in a few weeks when I post pictures of the party!

Enjoy.

 

 

Jack be Nimble

Kylie got home from school the other day and asked me if I wanted to hear her poem.  Of coarse I said yes and immediately she got excited and with much enthusiasm recited:

Jack be nimble
Jack be quick
Jack jump over
The candlestick.

I started to tear up and she said "mommy why are you crying?"..I think I was just so amazed at what she knows as a 3 year old and it just hit me that she is growing up.  Who would have ever thought that I would get emotional over Jack be Nimble, but I guess that is what being a mom does as I love my girls so much and I want them to stay little.

I do have to say that I am very pleased at the dayschool that the girls attend as they have learned so much.  I am thankful every day that there are people who are so dedicated to teaching our children so that they can learn and excel in life.

Having my girls is the best thing that has every happened to me and I am so thankful that God allowed me to have them in my life.  They bring me so much joy that cannot be explained. xoxo

Family Time Creates Lasting Memories

The calendar for May has been pretty busy and June is already looking even busier.  Ry and I both work full time plus each have our own businesses, so with two little boys in our lives we are busy! 

We do create our busy schedules ourselves, yes this we know. 


There is nothing we would change with our lives right now! 

Even moving! 

I know, that sounds crazy because you all know how badly we want our feet planted in the country (we'd have curtains though)!  But we really feel like God has that perfect place for us and it's just not time!


So, we are enjoying the busyness!!


However, it's very important to us to make sure each week we have family time and also time to ourselves and as a couple. 


In order for us to accomplish these goals, we communicate very well to each other in the beginning of the week.  I have been blessed with amazing clients so their schedules and mine have worked out great!  So, I only book one or two nights a week for pictures, which gives Ry time to work on his full time job tasks and also his side work. 


We also always go to Wednesday night church and make sure to have family time Wednesday before and after church.  I also do not book any pictures on Sundays and Ry doesn't work either!  Those are our decisions, you should decide too which nights, etc work best for you guys and shut off the computers, put the phones aside and just enjoy your family!


Fridays or Saturdays are usually family planned also.  Even if it's an hour, that time is precious to your children!  We like to do one on one dates also with the boys! 

If you like being outside, more than likely you're kids do too!  Who doesn't love playing in dirt?!  Or watering the garden?!  Show your kids how to do the things you love and in turn they will love them also! 


It also helps to not expect perfect results.  They are children and just like you and I, they make mistakes.  So, help them to know it's okay to try again and again! 


Also, we know money is tight these days.  You can do fun dinners out by going to the park and having a picnic lunch or dinner.  There are tons of local farmers markets around now too, walk through them and teach your children about gardening if you do not want to garden in your yard. 

Children are always learning!


What plans do you have this week with your family?!

 

 

The Most Magical Place on Earth

So have I mentioned lately that I love vacations? Ha I know you are thinking I just got back from Vegas right?  Well..next Friday I am taking my girls to Disney for 5 nights with my mom.  I am so excited as Kylie is at the age where she wakes up everyday telling me how many more days till Mickey Mouse and The Muppets (her new favorite).  She keeps saying to Alivia "Be good or you can't go see Mickey"..too bad Alivia doesn't really know what that means so it doesn't help.  Today I told Kylie that Mickey was going to be at our hotel and she laughed and said "Mickey is too big mom to come to our hotel"..it was so cute. 

I wish I could say that we were going to go stay at our new DVC, but I still have not talked Paul into that yet.  We are using my Hilton Honor Points to stay for free at Hilton Bonnet Creek, which is a brand new hotel a mile from Disney.  One of the joys of traveling so much for my job is that I accumulate a lot of hotel points that we can use on vacations.  Maybe someday I will just win a DVC- very unlikely I know, but I can always dream.

I can't wait to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth with my girls- while I know it will be crazy, the look on their faces when they see the characters will be worth it all (given Kylie doesn't get scared like last year).  I will make sure to post pictures when we return with a full report on how it went.




Until next time..

The Best Homeade Mac & Cheese Ever

So, you wont believe this............I asked for a recipe!!  It's just funny because I'm usually the one giving out my recipes.  At our family Christmas last year, Dusty's Aunt Sandy made this sooo delicious mac and cheese.  The crazy thing about it was there was about 5 different noodles in it (she was just using up everything in her cupboard).  I don't make a lot of pasta at our house, but I'm going to be starting since Maddie is just starting to eat about everything we have.  Dusty loves pasta and loves mac and cheese and I'm sure Maddie is going to too.  I called Aunt Sandy yesterday and she about cried because she was laughing so hard.  She said there's no recipe.  Hu?  One of those recipes, I get it.  She just throws a bunch of stuff together and bakes it.

I wanted to try it out since this is one of the dishes I want to make at Maddie's birthday party (oh my in 3 weeks!!).  Here goes nothing...........It was delish!  I'm sure it's not as good as Aunt Sandy's though :-)

Items needed:
1 pound box of noodles (I used the small shells)
Small box of Velveeta cheese, diced
1 small can of cream mushroom soup
1 can of milk (use the can from the soup)
2 - 3 tbsp of butter

Preheat Oven 350.  Cook box of noodles in boiling water for 3 min.  Drain.  Using same pan MELT cheese, milk, butter and soup.  Don't boil.   Put noodles in baking dish.  Pour cheese sauce over.  Bake for 20 - 30 min (depending on how crusty the top you want).  Easy and delish!

 

 

Reasons Why I Love Living In The Country

Most of you know I live in the country, but you never really know why, right?

No traffic jams!:  I can't imagine commuting to work or even to the grocery store and being in an hour long traffic jam.  I know driving thru Chicago to airport on our way to Vegas, we got stuck up in it both ways....ehhhh, I have better things to do then sit in my car for 2 hours a day!

Privacy:  I love my privacy, even tho I have absolutely no window treatments on any of my windows--hello, I live in the woods!  I could walk around naked all day and not worry about peeps starring in  :-).  I love the fact I have no close neighbors who go snooping to see what new toy we've bought.  Come on people, don't tell me that you've never checked out your neighbors when they've bought something new!  I also love it that I can blare the music in my house as loud as I want and not worry about disturbing others. 

Space:  I love that we have a huge yard (and woods) for the kids to play in when they are older.  I grew up in the country and I was always outside doing something!  I'm not a huge fan of video games and watching TV, so you know what we will be doing in the summers to come--outside it is and so glad we have the space for it!

Safety:  I feel as though "our" area is safe, good atmosphere to raise my family.  I live in on a dirt road, so the traffic is very light!  Even though we live off the road,  I would feel super comfortable with my kids getting the mail really soon.  Plus, I won't have to worry about someone snatching them or them playing in the road someday. 

The Illegal Use of Off Road Toys:  Maddie loves our John Deere Gator!  We use it daily to get the mail, water flowers, and go to our families houses within 2 miles.  We do travel over a main road to get to one of our families house, but we take precaution, but gotta love the feeling of being illegal!   I also love it when I drive my vehicle over to my dad's and put Maddie in the front seat--she loves it!

Fresh Air & Peace:  Let's face it, we're happier and healthy here in the country!  The air is clean, no pollution like you would get in the city.  We're surrounded by birdsong and the sound of leaves blowing on the trees, that's about it.  I love being able to take 40 min walks down our dirt road and never have ONE vehicle pass us--it's like I own the road :-).  I even have a speaker on my Jeep stroller for my ipod/mp3, but I never use it as I love listening to the peace and air!  Even before I had children, I've always walked this road growing up---got a lot of miles on these feet!

Most of all, I think the country is a great place overall to raise a family.  I love being a farm wife!  I love visiting the cities when i get the chance but I'm a country girl in heart, soul and body!  Can't get any better then that!



 

 

Surprise..

Doesn't everyone deep down love a surprise? I say that I don't because I love to know what is going on and I'm a planner, but whenever I am surprised it is a wonderful feeling.  It is hard to surprise me because I always seem to figure it out even without trying..I can only remember a few true surprises in my life: my husband hates it because he tries to surprise me and then I happen to stumble across it.  I know that both Jen and Jenn also love surprises, but Jen is like me in the fact that she usually figures them out too as she is a detective (seriously she could work for the FBI). The reason I'm blogging about surprises is that I have a surprise planned for a special someone and I am can't wait to reveal it.  Over the next few months I will be blogging more about it and once it is revealed I will let everyone know about the reaction.  I know Jen and Jenn are going to try to get it out of me, but my lips are sealed! 


 

 

Mother's Day

I hope that all of the Momma's out there had a fabulous Mother's Day!  

We made a weekend of it, which was wonderful!  The boys made me breakfast Saturday and Ry cleaned it all up!  I have been trying to not "work" so much in the evenings and weekends, and enjoying more moments so I took Saturday morning to do just that!  Abe is getting to be more and more fun!  He loves to walk everywhere now and he loves to "tackle" Del which is hilarious to watch!   

I then ran a few errands and stopped at a local store to get myself something new!  

Who doesn't love The Hanger?!?!  And what's even better is that they have a clearance rack that is 75% off!  AWESOME! 

Sunday morning I woke up to the cutest cards from the boys and Ry.  They got me a bird feeder and a plant in a lady pot, I love ladybugs!!!  

I absolutely LOVE birds and love having them fly around the back yard!  

I am very fortunate to be blessed with the family I have and I thank God everyday for the boys in my life!  I pray that Del and Abe will grow up to be an amazing Dad, just like their Daddy!  

I love you guys SO much!!!

 

 

Mothers Day is Every Day

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms including our newest mom Jen- this is her 1st Mothers Day!  I do love Mothers Day as it is a day to say thanks to our moms for everything they have done in our lives, but quite honesty I feel like it is Mothers Day every day because I am so blessed with my girls.  It was soo cute today, after I woke up from a nap my 3 year old Kylie comes in and says mom I got you a surrise before I could respond she said I planted you flowers come see!  It was the cutest thing ever..so I went out side and she showed me the flowers that she "bought with her own money" and she was just soo excited.  How could I not smile and laugh and think that I am the luckiest mom in the whole world?  While Mothers Day is only one day a year I really do feel like it is every day because my girls show me show much love and are a true blessing in my life. 

 

 

My Camera Gear/Bag

o, it's Friday, which means this week has gone by too quickly, again!! 

I hope you all are enjoying this fabulous Spring weather!!  We've been getting our garden tilled, raked and all smooth to plant this weekend!  We are SO excited!  Del LOVES being in the garden and getting weeds out, we think this will probably be the last year he enjoys it before he realizes it's a chore!  :)

As I've been getting busier with photographer, I'd thought I'd share with all of you what's in my camera bag!

Way back when, Ry and I did research between Canon and Nikon and we were on the fence as to which body to go with.  We chose Canon and haven't been sorry yet!  Both are great and honestly I bet we'd be just as happy with Nikon. 

This is my main camera bag!  LOVE THIS BAG!!!  It has a pull out handle, which is perfect for traveling and with wheels it makes it so much better!  There are so many compartments also for batteries, battery packs, chargers, etc!

This in the inside of it, it's a little messy!!  But I know exactly where everything is!

So, my first SLR was a Rebel XTi.  I still use this camera for our personal memories.  I remember being sooo in love with this camera many, many years ago and just could not imagine shooting with anything else.  Even with the pop up flash, I was so happy!  Ha, to look back at that is hilarious to me now!  I cannot imagine shooting with a pop up flash anymore now that I love the 580EX ii.  We also have 430EX flash, I cannot remember if it's just EX or ii...but either way, it's SO much nicer having an external flash!

We  then bought the 40D.  Ry LOVED the body on this one, me not so much - at first!  I still loved my Rebel and how small it was. 

This lens I use the MOST!  This is the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L.  Love it!!!!!  It's wonderful on my 5D Mark II, lovely fish eye affect!

Two years ago we bought 5D Mark II, now this is wonderful!  I wish I would have waited for the Mark III but I can't imagine shooting without my II the last couple of years.  I wish the shutter was quieter but overall it's a pretty good body!  I love the video quality from this camera also!!

For lenses, I shoot mainly with my cheap prime lens (still undecided about which one I want to buy) and the 16-35 pictured above.

I don't use this lens as much as I did for weddings, but it is a very nice lens!  This is the 70-200mm F/4.0L.

5D Mark ii on the left and 40D on the right.  These are the two bodies you'll see me with at a shoot!!

Oh and I also carry a Shootsac by the fabulous Jessica Claire!

Have a fabulous weekend!!