new stuff

I just posted some of my most recent images from a family session I did a couple weeks ago.

 

Click here to see more!

apple pie

seriously… is it really halfway through october?!!!  i just cant believe it!  i am pretty happy about it though.  i LOVE fall.  it’s my very favorite season.  i wish it would stay fall all year. haha :)

i’ve been feeling pretty “fallish” lately i guess.  last night for dinner i made chicken pot pie and then apple pie for dessert.  apple pie definitely makes me think of fall…not sure why exactly.

anyway, i thought i would share the recipe i used.  this was my first time making apple pie, and it was easy and sooooo yummy.

instead of taking the time and effort to make the crust, i just used a pillsbury refrigerated one.  i would never know the difference anyway.  and to us, its the stuff in the middle that’s important.

ingredients for filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup flour
• a few dashes of lemon juice
• 7-10 cut up apples

you just mix it all up and throw it inside the crust.  (it wasn’t in the recipe, but i added a few chunks of better on top for extra flavor!)  then you cover it with the top crust, pinch the edges together, and cut off any excess.  put four little slashes in the top with a knife.  brush some milk over the top and then sprinkle with sugar.  bake at 425 for about 30-40 minutes.  check halfway through and put foil over the top if it starts getting too brown.

enjoy!

i got the recipe here.

10.10.10

Today reminds me of one of the best days of my life.. 08.08.08, my wedding day :)

One of my very best friends, Lacey (check out her blog), and I were talking about how we need to get back into blogging.  She updated today, so I told her I would too!

I never posted anything about my birthday, so I guess I can do that now.

My birthday was 10/2.  I turned 26 years old.  I can’t believe that I’m now really closer to 30 than 20.  I so do not feel my age.  If I just had to guess my age by how old I feel, I would say around 22.  The only reason I can come up with for this is because I still don’t have any children.  Growing up I always thought I’d have at least 2-3 kids by the time I turned 26.  Here I am…still no babies!  I am doing my best to remember every single day that it is in God’s hands and His timing is perfect.  I wouldn’t mind if anybody wanted to throw some prayers up for us though.  The sooner the better for me!  :)

Anyways….. back to my birthday!  Justin took off for the day, so I got to spend the entire day with him.  We did some shopping before going out to dinner with some friends.  Then my lovely friend, Jenna, made me a yummy birthday cookie cake.  We celebrated with the cake while watching a football game.  It was overall a pretty low key day, but it was wonderful!  I got lots of texts, calls, and facebook messages from friends and family.  I also got some wonderful gifts.

My favorite gift from my hubby was this necklace--

I had been keeping my eye on this necklace from The Vintage Pearl for a while now.  I wanted something small and simple that I can wear every day.  I also wanted it to be something I can add to as we have children.  Right now it has the pearl and the letter “j” for Justin.  As we have children, I will get more letters with their initials.  I think it will be something fun to do and will always have special meaning to me.

Besides my birthday, not a whole lot has been going on. 

My new job is going good.  Sometimes I can’t believe I’m getting paid to cuddle with and play with a sweet baby.  It seems too easy.  I don’t think I could ask for anything better right now.

I had a photoshoot with a family from church this weekend.  They are in the process of trying to adopt and needed and updated family portrait for their portfolio.  We had lots of fun getting some shots.  Hopefully I’ll have a few images to put up in the next few days!

What else….. the weather is awesome right now.  I wish with everything in me that it would stay like this all the time.  We just leave the windows open and feel the breeze and let the sunshine in.  I’ve been wanting to be outside more and more.  We have been going to some garage sales on the weekends.  It’s always fun to find such cheap treasures!  I found a cute little chair the other day for $5 that I’m gonna spray paint and use as a photography prop.

Guess that’s it for now!  I’m off to light a candle and enjoy the rest of this day….

fun with the ladies

I was so excited to spend some time with Candice and Ava.  It had been a couple months, and I had been looking forward to our lunch date.  We met up at Chickfila around 1:00.  After we ate, we figured Ava could play while we talked.  Turns out Ava wanted Aunt Lissa to play too… so I ended up crawling up in the tubes and tunnels at Chickfila and sliding down the big slide several times.  Only for my Ava!  haha :)

As usual I could not believe how much bigger she had gotten in such a short amount of time.  I picked her up and her little feet were dangling down around my knees.  She now knows all of her colors, so we had fun pointing at random objects and quizzing her.  She is so smart and got them all right :)

She also has started working on numbers.  Here she is showing me “2”.

I just love my sissy and her baby girl SO much.  I cannot wait to see them again.

before and after

So, I’m loving my new job so far!  But I’m off today.  Being off gives me a little free time to play on the computer… so I figured I would participate in the Before and After Blog Hop at Pixel Perfect.  (click the link to see many other before and after shots)

Before:

After:

I used a Canon Rebel XSI to shoot the image and CS3 to edit!

the end of an era

Since probably February or March, maybe earlier, I have been looking forward to this day.  Today was my last day working at the preschool.  I am so happy that my days there are finished.  I will absolutely miss some of my co-teachers and some of my kiddos, but overall… I’m thrilled!

One of the sweetest little guys came today with the perfect gift for me.  A yummy smelling candle.  How did his mommy know I’m a candle person?

I have this candle burning right now, and it’s smell mixed with the smell of freshly cut grass coming in the open windows is perfection.  (I forgot to mention that the weather today could not be any better.  It is our first little glimpse of fall.  And we are loving it!  I really hope it sticks around for a while.)

Tomorrow I start a new job.  I will be nannying for a precious young family with a 3 month old baby boy named Hudson. I am super excited about this… and a little nervous.  This is the job I have been praying for, and I am so very thankful.  I think it will be really great.

 

Other things I’m looking forward to this week:  seeing my sister and Ava, date night with my honey, and my BIRTHDAY! 

My birthday is Saturday… cannot wait!  I have no idea what we will do to celebrate, but I am ready!  Justin has given me zero clues about what he has for me, so I’m a little anxious/excited to open my gifts :)  Yay for birthdays!

Time is flying by…..

Well it’s half way through September.. guess it’s about time I blog.

I really dislike that I don’t blog anymore.  I want to be able to look back on this blog one day and remember all the little things that went on.  Kinda like a scrapbook or whatever.  I’m really thinking it will pick back up whenever we find out we are expecting our little miracle.

For now, though, I’ll just do another one of my update posts.

First of all—photography.  It seems like the business is starting to pick up a tiny bit.  By tiny bit I mean I had zero sessions in August and have three this month.  Not great progress, but I’ll take it. 

I recently did a session for the newest member of my extended family, Khloee Londyn.  Her mommy is my cousin, Cassie.  She was adorable with a head full of dark hair.  She wasn’t crazy about my camera, but I still got some precious shots of her tiny self.

I’m also excited to have a maternity session this weekend.  I haven’t had a chance to do many of those yet.. so it will be great experience.  Hopefully I’ll remember to post some after I get them finished.

Besides newborns and photography, I have a few other new “loves” in my life.

1- My new custom art piece created by the fabulous Lacey Herring to match my new living room.  I love the colors and love that it includes a tiny bit of Truth.  Justin and I love to have things with meaning around the home.  Scripture verses are a great way to do that in my opinion.

2- My new candle.  I have been loving the candles from Bath and Body Works lately.  Right now I’m burning (and loving) Peach Bellini.  Yum-O.

 

3- I won’t be needing these candles for too much longer, though.  I just placed an order for my first Scentsy warmer!  I’m excited to get it in!  It’s some sort of special candle wax that melts over the heat of a low watt light bulb.  There are tons of amazing scents to choose from.  I’m really hoping this will be a cheap alternative to all of my candle buying.  Ha!  :)  This is the one I chose.. called “hope”….

4- It’s halfway through September!!! That means a few things.  My birthday is in 2 weeks!  Fall weather should be here soon!  The holidays will be here before we know it!  Many, many, many girls I know are going to be having babies within the next 6 months or so.  I can’t wait to see all the new little ones!  There is one little one that is on it’s way that I’m extra-specially excited about.  Can’t post details yet.. but coming soon!  :)