Holiday Musings...

**if you think we look exhausted in this picture, well, you're right... read on...**


am i the only one that is happy the holidays are over? i don't want to sound grinch-like, but this year was crazy busy, and i'm glad to finally be done with it and move on. it wasn't that bad up until christmas eve.

i took the raven for our morning walk then headed inside to start preparations for that evening. it was a perfect morning, the cowboy was home making breakfast & brewing coffee, {i LOVE that man!}, chores were done, i was baking & the house was spotless. london, {my son, i've never told you my kids' names before... my daughter is lauryn & my son is london} anyway, he threw open the front door bawling and screamed that raven had just been hit by a truck. the next few hours are still a blur to me. i called the vet, helped load her in cowboys truck, prayed with the kids & waited for cowboy to call me with some news. a few hours later, we found out that she had severely broken her back left leg, in the worst possible way, and the vet said that we would just have to wait it out and see how it heals. there was nothing else they could do. he said that we could take her in for surgery, but it would be $2000.00 and a 50/50 chance that it would work. it didn't seem like the odds were in our favor on that, so we took the alternative route.

raven was brought into the house for the time being, {i think we'll have a problem keeping her out when she gets better} and kept on heavy pain meds. the vet says the one thing she has in her favor is that she's young, so he's hoping that her bones heal correctly and quickly. she might always have a limp, but at least she's still with us. we've both been up most of the night with her since then. we are exhausted. but, she's worth it!

after that, christmas was pretty much a second thought to all of us. the kids were devastated, and not really in the christmas spirit. we did manage to have a good christmas, the kids got most of what they wanted, the majority of lauryns gifts were american girl related & her very own digital camera. she's been bugging us for one all year! london made out with tons of new lego sets {that boy is a lego MANIAC}, g.i. joe & a huge magician set. they were super happy, and spent the day playing with their new toys right next to raven, so she wouldn't feel "left out".
we've also had a little addition to our house... say hello to little miss gracie! she's an 8 week old maltese, and she's super spunky and a whole lotta sweet! she was the "runt" of the litter, and was born without her two back legs, {but don't tell her that, she doesn't know!}. she gets around just fine, and is actually really, really fast! she's just the sweetest thing, and i absolutely love her! i just love that she's "special". the breeders wanted to place her with a family, because they couldn't sell her with her "condition," and i'm so glad! she has added a whole new level of fun to our home.

but, getting back to christmas;
cowboy got most everything on my list, starting with this:

the tiffany & co key and chain, i LOVE it!

and this: i've been wanting this since last spring...


and a pair of my favorite jeans:

a gift card to barnes & noble, {always a great gift idea for me}, and three of tarina tarantinos lucite carved rose bracelets in pink, turqouise & black!

okay, so i've shared my loot~ hope ya'll had a great holiday!

*oh~ i'll be doing a giveaway in the next week or so. i've been going through my handbags {it'll be designer}, so it should be a rather good one! make sure you check back!*

~10 Facts About Cowboy & Me~

Since i've never really talked about our history together, i figured now was as good of time as any, so here's 10 facts you most likely didn't know about Cowboy & me:

1} we met & married in 3 MONTHS. {we got engaged after a month of dating, and married 2 months later}. people have often asked if i was completely stressed out planning a big wedding in 2 months, but as it so happened, i was a wedding coordinator at the time, and had a "in" with a lot of the major bridal/wedding companies around here, so it wasn't bad at all! that was 11+ years ago, and i love that man more and more every day!

2} Cowboy is a pilot. he took flying lessons a few years back, and loves it!

3} I'm giddy, excitable & always flittering to the next sparkling thing that floats by. Cowboy is solid. even-keeled and calm. he grounds me, keeps me in check. not by anything he says, but with his laid back personality. he's so good for me!

4} we tried for almost a year to get pregnant, with doctors telling us that they didn't know that we would ever get pregnant because of a mess of problems with my "parts" inside... but, we did! sis priss surprised us on april fools day of 2000, and the Boy double surprised us the following may!

5} Cowboy is a country boy from wisconsin, and i'm a city girl from california. we met in missouri, via a blind date set up by a builder of Cowboys. {Cowboy owns a company in construction}

6} we are total homebodies. we love to travel, but other than that, we love to stay home, cook meals together, and curl up with the monkeys to play games and watch movies. i'm happiest when my little family is all under one roof, safe and happy.

7} i'm a dreamer, Cowboy is a do-er. i dream things up, he makes them happen.

8} we have horses. oakley & harley. we are looking forward to adding a couple more to the family once the house is finished being built. Cowboy is really into the horses... i'm looking forward to getting a few longhorn cattle. they're so cool to have just outside your window!

9} i'm a year & 5 months older than Cowboy, but he has always been so much more mature than me. ;)

10} we are both on staff at our church. Cowboy is a trustee, on the board, and i'm the hospitality director. we love our church, and love serving the Lord!

well, there's so much more i could write, but i'll stop for now! have a great weekend!

5}

holiday eye candy!

if you're anything like me, this time of year, you're going 100 miles an hour, and still not getting everything done that needs to be taken care of. i've been a bit neglectful of blogging lately, and i promise i'll be back to normal once the holidays are over. i just had to pop in today and show you a few of the things that have been the most inspiring to me this year! there are some serious *crafty cats* out there! enjoy!







like this? go here

or this? lookie here

seriously drooling over this. have a looksee here


and this new take on a wreath! love it here


oh! and these adorable trees! mozy on over here

a sweet little forest of trees! found here

oh, the colors make me so happy! here!

and here!

and the bokeh in this picture! it's total eye candy! see it here!


i am loving gnomes! found these here!

and this amazingly simple, gorgeous mantle! take a looksee here!

have a fabulously festive, wintery day! and bundle up! it's cold outside!

jeremy, kelly & monkeys!

so, this past sunday, i got to take pictures of this family. a ridiculously cute family of five. jeremy and kelly are good friends of j and i, and their oldest daughter is my sis priss's best friend. it was sooooooo cold. well, cold isn't the right word. it was downright FREEZING, but they were troopers! our "shoot" was cut short because of the cold, but we still managed to get a lot of great shots! kinda helps when the entire family is gorgeous and photogenic... :)

C.A.S.A. gala tonight!

i'll post more on this in my next post, but my mom and i are attending the C.A.S.A. gala tonight! i'm excited on so many levels about this:

1. because it's a FABULOUS organization that helps physically & sexually abused children while in foster care & in going through the court system.

2. because it's an organization that helps CHILDREN. don't get me wrong, i love saving the ta-ta's, and i'm all for finding a cure for cancer, but being a mummy to my two monkeys, i can't imagine the fear, pain & confusion these poor children are dealing with at such a young age. funny when you have kids of your own, all of a sudden your "mama bear" instincts come out whenever there's a child hurt or in need. maybe that's not the norm though. maybe it's just me. maybe it's because of the way i was raised, becuase of the way i was taught to think about children, which brings me to number 3 on my list:

3. because my MOM, along with the other original volunteers, is being honored tonight for helping C.A.S.A. come to this area. my mom was on the ground level of volunteers when C.A.S.A. opened here, and i'm so proud of her! i'm so thankful that she was incredibly pro-active, and set such a great example for me as a wife, mom & friend.

if you've never heard of C.A.S.A., or if you have and would like to volunteer or donate, stroll on over here: casaforchildren.org

life lessons

so, i found this list on another blog, it's by regina brett, and it's called 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on. what a great list to help keep life in perspective! enjoy!

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'.

You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.

But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties.

Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood.

But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life,

don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.

Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.*
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words:

"In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.

Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is,

not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile

and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

.starbucks junkies.

here they are in all their glory.

sis priss and my niece, gracie goose, sippin' on their starbucks while we were at the landing over thanksgiving. they are just the cutest things and share a love for ballet {both have been in it since they could walk} , american girl, clothes, taking pictures, makeup {read: bright blue eyeshadow smeared all over their lids}, shopping, and starbucks. they're in their own little world most of the time~ and i love being able to witness it.

hi! remember me???

OMGOSH! what a whirlwind of a year! between home schooling the monkeys, having weekend visitors almost non-stop, taking care of everyday things, and things that are NOT so "everyday" like FIRES... i've been going a mile a minute! {yes, fires...we are so blessed that it didn't reach our home, but instead burnt our yard & field and everything in it's path. we are so fortunate to have had raven {the wonder dog~ see the right side panel}, if it weren't for her, it would have gotten the house, and it could have been much worse for the kids and i...j wasn't home at the time} but i won't bore you with the gory details of how, what & why, i'll finish by saying that it was one of the MOST TERRIFYING experiences of my life, and i NEVER want to go through anything like that again. oh. and the story involves a woman with no teeth and two drunk farmers. no joke.

anyway~ thanksgiving was great, spent with family who came down from s. dakota. my cousin, who is a budding photographer there took our family pictures while she was here. i love that her and i have that in common, and i think she's great at it!

these next pictures are of my little bride and groom who are getting married this coming summer. they were so much fun to shoot, up for anything and full of gumption!



and these are from a photoshoot i did with my best friend. i'm still amazed at how busy i've been with pictures. i've had to turn work down! it seems like every weekend i've got at least one shoot booked, sometimes even two or three. i have loved doing it, and have loved the experience it's given me. my main goal is to do fine art and families/children/seniors on the side, but i've been so busy with the "side" part, that the fine art half has been neglected. i'm not complaining though. i've been able to buy new lenses, equipment, etc., thanks to the families that have allowed me to have a "peek" into who they are. it's been so fun and rewarding to meet them, and see their family through the lens of my camera. it's been fun growing and seeing my progress as a photographer, and to see myself inching closer to becoming the "artist" that i want to be. i'm still not there yet. but i'm getting there, and i'm so excited!


this little family i shot is just adorable! they have little miss autumn, and she was my first REAL experience with shooting a baby. while i'm not into the whole "baby in a bucket or coccoon" thing {i really want to stay FAR away from that box}, i did enjoy the "on the job" training. i would've liked to get a bit more creative, but we were on location, and it was chilly. not a good mix for a 6 week old. :)

other than that, everything is good! i'm working on a few projects, including an embroidery pattern company... nothing big, but fun and another outlet for creativity. my blog will also be changing a bit. i've been weighing the options of having two blogs, or three, if i keep a personal blog. so until i decide, you'll see a few minor, but hopefully exciting {to you!} changes around here!

happy december 1st everyone!