Ingredients for a perfect snow day!

This past weekend was the first weekend B and I have spent a WHOLE weekend together in a LONG time, probably since September...NO JOKE! Since B works weekends we really cherish any free time we are able to spend together. The moment we heard we might be snowed in together, we began planning the entire weekend. There wasn't really much to plan because we basically did nothing! :) It was wonderful!
But when you ARE planning for a snow day, first make sure you hit the store along with all the other crazy folks and stock up on needed ingredients! It helps if you have a list BEFORE you go in the store. If you're like me you'll get distracted and forget what you went there for.

Start the fire and get to cooking. You never know when or if you're power will go out so better to have food ready to eat in case the roads get really bad! This snow day we had chili Thursday night, pancakes Friday for brunch and breakfast casserole for dinner. We love breakfast food!
Next, get out your best cold weather movies. We like The Holiday or Love Actually or for an all day movie fest, The Lord of The Rings Trilogy. Cuddle up and watch the snow/ice fall! Next is the most important! Buddle up, go outside (at least once) & TAKE PICTURES! Even if all you got was a bit of ice which was our case, it still makes for some fun pictures!

Give Me Moore

Another resolution this year was to REALLY focus on my photography. Before now it really has just been a hobby. While photography is STILL something I thoroughly enjoy I have had to ask myself, "Is this something I want to pursue?" Well, after long late night talks with B, the answer is yes! If you find something you love and can make money doing it, then you should keep doing it, right? Right! That's what I am thinking anyway. I literally cannot put my camera down long enough to think of anything else I would like to do with my life (besides be a mom one day), so I think I'll stick to taking pictures.

So when I saw this Give Me Moore Workshop being advertised, I knew I MUST attend! You see, me and Kelly Moore go waaay back! We're like BFF! Ok, not really! I met her at my friend Brocky's wedding in 2006, I believe. I was a bridesmaid and she was the photographer and an amazing one at that. I found her blog and have been a stalker, err I mean follower, ever since. So it was really cool to get to spend the day with Kelly and learn from the best!

She really is pretty. This picture above is kinda if-y so I thought I'd post a pretty one of her. :)

We went over client relations, advertising & marketing, posing, lighting and, of course shooting. She hired two models for the day and we got to practice what we learned by shooting for about three hours. It was a GORGEOUS day to shoot and the clouds were amazing! My favorite thing was getting to know other photographers who already had successful thriving business and see how they interacted with the models. I also loved learning new lighting techniques because I am totally new at flash! Overall the workshop was a complete success and I'm ready to put to practice what I learned! Anyone want to model for me? :) Here are some of the shots I got from the day. Mary was the model I was working with. She was precious!

Here's Kelly's take on the day and HER fabulous pictures, which, I realize are WAAAY better than mine...but hey, that's why SHE'S makin' the big bucks, right? :)

A Word From our Youngest

While our world is getting back to normal from holidays and weddings (my tree is still up- don't hate!) we are realizing that we will soon have a baby running around our house. If you missed the news admist the holidays - we are going to be Aunt & Uncle Buie and couldn't be more excited! My oldest brother, Chris, just got married and the middle child, Craig is going to be a daddy! These are exciting days in our family! Nicole, my sister-in-law, is feeling much better in her second trimester and is VERY ready to find out the sex of the baby. She thinks it's a girl but Craig and I think it will be a boy! We will find out in a few weeks!

As you know, we don't have children yet so our animals are our children. Over the Christmas holidays, I snapped a few pictures of our youngest "child." He is particularly excited about his human cousin because he enjoys children. We are interested to see how Scooter will do with children. He is gentle and passive so we think he will do oh so well! Although, he doesn't do so well at the groomers! :( He barks at the clippers. Poor guy.

Anyway, here is Scooter. He just wanted to make a blog appearence and say hi!

Weekend Review: Family Wedding

There's so much to say...where to start.... Well, let's start with the obvious. My brother got MARRIED! YAY! All three of us kids are married now! It was such a fun time with family and friends. Pretty much ALL of our family was there on both sides except for maybe like two people and that's all! And that's saying a lot because we have a HUGE extended family

My two brothers! Aren't they cuties?! ;)

Chris, (the groom) & Craig (his best man and brother) with the ringbearer A.J. - the cutest guy in the room! I love that kid!

Chris and Amanda with my parents, who I thought looked so cute together. My mom just gets prettier everyday, don't you think?

Chris married a wonderful Christian woman named Amanda from Ruston. It was so great getting to know her better and seeing her get excited to marry my brother! She kept saying, "I can't believe I'm getting married!" I know they will be so happy together!

B drove down for the wedding and to watch the Cowboys game on Sunday! So glad he was able to come!

We were also excited that our missionary friends from Africa - the Lechners - were able to fly in just for the wedding. We planned our wedding during their furlough just so they could be a part of our special day. Yup, we planned it all around them! That's how much they mean to us! I was so excited when I heard they were coming to Chris and Amanda's wedding as well! They were able to get a two week leave to come to the states! It was a happy wedding weekend and the newly-wed couple is relaxing in Hawaii this week! So jealous!

You Capture: A Year in Review

I've been following this gal for a while now and I have yet to participate in her "You Capture" Challenge. I don't know why I haven't. It involves photography and blogging, two of my favorite things. So, as a part of my resolutions, a start to a new year and a desire to TAKE MORE PICTURES, I am participating in my very first "You Capture" Challenge. This week's assignment was to gather your favorite photos from 2009. This should be easy enough, huh? Here goes!If you've even read ONE of my blog posts, then you know that our animals are the center of our lives - our dogs in particular- not that we are showing favoritism (although, that would probably be THE DEFINITION of favoritism) but dogs are just more loyal, more fun and more dependable. Cats are just whatever... that's a whole 'nother issue... we love are cats, but they are just a mess... So anyway, it is not a surprise that three of my favorite pictures from last year are of our dogs, Conner and Scooter. They just bring so much joy to our lives! If you don't have a dog, in my opinion, you are truly missing out, unless, of course, you are allergic- in that case, then God bless you, you poor pitiful thing. Ok, moving on. This one was totally spontaneous that was actually after a photoshoot of mine. It was a family of four and the adults were trying to round of the children and get ready to go and we turned around to look for this sweetheart and we found her enjoying the leaves! She was totally and completely in her own world! THIS, my friends, is pure joy! I LOVE this picture!

This past Labor Day weekend, some of my best friends and I took a trip down to the beach. I was priviledged enough to be there at this special moment to capture this engagement of Brad down on one knee. So sweet. Whitney, was in total shock! And this coming October I have the honor of standing beside them as they take their vows for life. :)

This picture is sweet Calleigh taken from a photoshoot this summer. I just love how her eyes pop in this picture and her cute little pink bow! :)

And this one,from my "at arms length" category. We take a lot of pictures like this but this one was by far my favorite of me and my husband this past year. I love his rosy red cheeks after being out on the beach all day.

Get ready for many many more pictures in 2010!

A new year, a new home

Sunday afternoon this family had the opportunity to come to our house to meet Huckleberry. We had the privilege of having Huckleberry in our home for three weeks and grew to love and adore this furry little guy. He loves to shake and beg for attention! In just three short weeks he learned his name, he learned "sit" and he definitely knew what "treat" meant after just one short week. :) He was so cuddly and sweet! I honestly have not one bad thing to say about him. Huckleberry was so calm and will be wonderful around children especially Mary Olive, his new friend in his new family. This family came to meet Huckleberry to see if they would perhaps like to think about adopting him. This family left with Huckleberry on Sunday afternoon. We are so happy that Huckleberry has a new home but every now and then B and I say to each other, "I wonder what Huckleberry is doing right now??" We miss him but we know that we did a good thing by providing a temporary home for him.

Have you though about being a foster parent to a special dog or cat? Visit C.A.R.E.'s website to find out more information about fostering or adopting a pet today.

res·o·lute

res·o·lute
Definition:
1. having determination: possessing determination and purposefulness
2. characterized by determination: motivated by or displaying determination and purposefulness

A new year means yes, of course, new resolutions, new plans, new dreams and the realization that last year's checklist might not quite be complete yet. Am I right? It's okay because like those rollover minutes that we all love, New Year resolutions carry over from year to year. Is there something you were working on last year that didn't quite seem to get marked off your list? Do you still have a garage full of boxes? Do you still have rooms that need to be painted in your home? Well, have no worries, my friends, I have right there with you! That's why I have decided to make my New Year's resolutions, not one blog post, but several blog posts. How many, you ask? Who knows! I'll keep going until I have a list too long that I KNOW I can't accomplish that much in an entire year. This year should be fun. Stay tuned for flossing, detoxing, composting, painting, knitting, gardening, and of course losing weight. This is guaranteed to be a fun year!

CB Photography: Plan Ahead

Are you in the Central Arkansas area? Do you need pictures taken of you and your husband or of your children? Perhaps you would like a group picture taken of a large family, THIS is the year to have that picture taken. Perhaps you were recently engaged and need engagement pictures taken... I do those too! :)

One of my BIG GOALS is to pursue my photography. I LOVE taking pictures and I love meeting people and helping families capture beautiful family photos. If you would like a Spring Family Outdoor Portrait in the upcoming months, don't hesitate to contact me! I am VERY reasonably priced! I take all pictures outdoors in a comfortable setting of your choice, usually in your own backyard or a nearby park. I would love to spend an hour or two with your family! You will have pictures that will last a lifetime!

Contact me to set up an appointment:

I shoot on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons. NOW is the time to book Spring and Easter pictures! Please contact me, Cara Beth @ email: carabeth.buie@gmail.com

Want to see more of my work? Click here to view my Flickr page. Thanks for stopping by!

Looking forward to seeing you!

Top 9 in 2009

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas and New Year celebrations! I took about a week (or so) vacation from the blogging world but I have missed reading your blogs! It will be fun to read back over the past week to catch up on your lives.

Since it IS New Year's Day, B and I have been trying to think of things we have been blessed to be apart of or an event or just something really cool that happened this past year. Here is our list of the top 9 in '09: (in no particular order)

• We bought our first house! I still remember the excitement, the nerves (and the annoyance) of signing my name over and over and over and over again on all the many documents and the scary number at the bottom of the paper... but I can honestly say, it was all worth it. We love coming home to our house, kicking off our shoes and especially this winter-in front of our fire place. This is our home and will forever be our first home we purchased together.


• B and I celebrated our one year anniversary in 2009! We were married July 5th, 2008 in my home church in Louisiana and that day couldn't have been more perfect. We had fireworks as we drove away out of the driveway of my grandparents home where the reception was held. So perfect!


• Compassion International became a part of our lives this year! We sponsor a little boy named Alexander from Nicaragua. B and I have corresponded with him several times this year and he is such a joy! We are both looking forward to writing and sending, as well as receiving more letters from him...and who knows, maybe one day we will be able to go meet him in person! :)


• I ran my first race! Albeit, not a huge race, it was still a big accomplishment in my life. Since I live with Fibromyalgia and struggle with chronic fatigue issues and chronic pain, I was proud that I finished my first 5K in March. About a month later, I ran my first 10K! :)


• Began fostering doggies this year! C.A.R.E. here in Central Arkansas is a great rescue organization that places animals in foster homes until they can find permanent homes. Which brings we too our next one...


• We adopted Scooter this year! Scooter was our first foster dog from C.A.R.E. that we brought into our home and of course, we couldn't say good-bye so our home became his permanent home in a record four days! What can we say, we are suckers for dogs!


• Beach Vacation! That's right! You know the beach has to make the list! Anytime we can pack up the swim trunks and head down to Florida, it will always make the list! I try to make it to a sandy beach somewhere at least once a year if at all possible.


• CB photography had a great year! I am still continuing to work on my photography and I had a lot of great photo shoots this past year. I hope to continue to grow my business in the coming year!


• And the most recent exciting news of 2009 is that me and B are going to be Uncle Buie and Aunt CB! That's right, my sister-in-law and brother are pregnant! I've known since before Thanksgiving and have tried my best to keep my mouth shut until they made it official at Christmas dinner. We are so excited to have a little niece or nephew come this July 4th. Yup, that's right! The baby is due the day before our anniversary AND on the FOURTH! A little patriotic baby! Can't wait!