Camping:: It's intense!

Get it? It's intense! IN TENTS! Camping?.... IN TENTS?!

Ok, Sorry for that. It has been raining here. A LOT. Like all the time, all day long. We did get a break yesterday and that was nice. But today here we are again.

I have had to cancel, postpone and reschedule so many sessions this Spring because of the rain. It is beyond frustrating. I absolutely HATE having to reschedule a session for any reason, even if it is out of my control. My clients are wonderful and completely understand because they don't want to shoot their session in the rain either. This week when yet another session got canceled, I let my frustration out in the form of a tent....a huge tent in the middle of our living room with every single sheet that we own!

It did the trick. It's amazing how twinkle lights and an indoor fort can be so comforting. I felt like I was 4 years old again! Buie and I stayed in our fort all day Monday and talked and watched crime detective shows which is one of our favorite things to watch.

 All of the animals slept for hours. It was like we drugged them. ha! (It was probably the essential oils we had diffusing IN the tent!) Monday night we slept in the tent with all the animals except for Spring because she's not house trained yet. She did come hang out for a few hours with us. I think the dogs thought we had built them a huge kennel for our entire pack. :) 

Yes, I realize we are crazy but hey you only live once, right?! Our tent is still up- going on Day 4. I'm going out of town this weekend so I'm thinking we have to leave it up at least til the nieces and nephews can come play sometime next week. :)

Project Veggies!

The last few weeks we've been planning and talking about several projects, including but not limited to, painting our house, building a raised bed for veggies, building a pergola, staining our fence...and the list goes on. As with any "new" house that is actually not so new, the project list is soon to follow and is growing longer and longer by the minute! Since we hired out our painting to save our sanity, and quite possibly our marriage, we decided this would be a good week to tackle the veggie garden project. While the painters have been inside getting high off the paint fumes, B & I have been outside in the fresh air dreaming of the day when we can literally walk outside of our back door to go grocery shopping. :)

It might be a weird dream but I have always wanted my own garden. There is something so satisfying about getting your hands dirty, about growing something from a tiny seed and then enjoying free healthy food right from your own backyard just as God intended. It's exciting to see your dream become a plan and your plan become a reality. The first step to having our own veggie garden is done! It may sound silly but I'm so proud of us. :)

I also want my own chicken coop but that is for another day and another project.

 And the great thing about this dream is that it is totally doable. B & I are NOT super handy people. B has no skill in carpentry (sorry, babe) but he rocked this project! Basically if you know how to use a drill, you can manage this.

We chose an area in our yard that gets the most sun. This was a task in itself because we live in the middle of the woods. Literally.  I'm still a little nervous about whether our veggies will get enough sunlight but we picked a spot that gets about 6-8 hours of sun. (Please ignore the weeds in the bottom left. That is another project.)

 I'm so grateful B was totally on board with this project because it's good to have some muscles especially when you are pounding the stakes in the ground. Not only was he on board but he practically built the whole thing himself. I did my part by handing him the appropriate tools he needed, taking pictures and keeping the dogs out of the way. I think I had the harder job. :)

 We followed the plans on the Pioneer Woman's website. She lays everything out so clearly and has a picture for each and every step which is super helpful for visual people like myself. Honestly, it's pretty easy so don't be intimidated! If you've been wanting to build a garden, go for it! If you don't have a few hours to dedicate to the project- just do what we did. Divide it into a two or three day project. Day 1: Go buy your supplies. Day 2: Build the framework to 1 bed. (This parts takes about an hour or two depending on your skill level.) Day 3: Go buy soil and seeds. You will need LOTS of soil. This will be your most expensive part of the entire project but good soil is the key (so I've been told) so don't skimp on good soil. Day 4: Plan where your veggies will go and get to planting!

Here is our first finished raised bed. As you can see in the background, we have the wood laid out for another raised bed. B is planning on building that one today. If you break it down into smaller projects, it's not so overwhelming. :) 

I can't wait to get some veggies growing in here! I'd love to hear your tips and secrets. This being our first garden, I'm sure we could use all the help we can get! Happy Gardening!

Melissa's shower

Melissa and I have been friends since we were young, like 2nd grade young! We grew up going to church together, then in 6th grade we started going to the same school. She has always been such a kind and generous person to me. She always thinks of others before herself. Even when I was a part of her wedding a few years ago, she was so concerned with all her bridesmaids even on her special day. She really is one of the most selfless people I know. Melissa and David are expecting their first baby girl, Emma Kate, next month so now is the time for us to spoil them!

Saturday morning several of Melissa's good friends threw her a baby shower at my mom's house. We divided up tasks and conquered! This was actually my first baby shower that I was in charge of. I really don't like telling people what to do, but if you don't delegate then you just end of doing everything yourself and that's no fun.

I got a lot of ideas off Pinterest (of course), like the donut tower. Seriously, how simple is that? You just pile up white powered donuts in a pyramid shape and garish with some pretty flowers. Simple & practical yet still pretty enough for an elegant shower. The drinks were my mom's doings. She kept glass baby bottles from when my older brothers and myself were babies - so yes, they are 30 something years old. She uses them over and over for showers. I think they are brilliant! Use them with oj, lemonade, mimosas or punch and fun straws!  Petit fours are a must for any Southern baby shower. Instead of a fruit platter, we did fruit kabobs. Again, so simple and colorful!

Mom did the centerpiece with the adorable baby dress. 

I think it might have been Melissa's favorite part! ;)

 And if you haven't had mini quiches from SAMS, you haven't lived. No these aren't homemade but who cares when they taste this good. (I'm going from memory here since I haven't eaten one since 2007- not gluten free)

 The entry table and guest book. I found this little foxy guy on Melissa's Pinterest page. The second I saw that she had pinned it, I ordered it. Melissa's last name is FOX. How appropriate, huh?? How ADORABLE!

Melissa and Jamie showing off their baby bumps! Melissa is on the left. Jamie's shower for her little girl is next Saturday. I can't wait!

I think everything turned out so well! Melissa received so many incredible gift for little Emma Kate. Thanks for all of your help with the shower, ladies! I cannot wait to meet little Emma Kate! Sunday afternoon, we shot Melissa's maternity pictures so be on the lookout for those images soon. :)

Weekend Review: iPhone Dump

 This was a great weekend because Buie was off! We always take advantage of these weekends together. We talked about going somewhere for a couple of days but then decided to enjoy our weekend here in Little Rock since we rarely get a whole weekend together! It started off with a Friday night date at a local Mexican restaurant. Since we are starting the detox diet Monday morning, we over-indulged this weekend... It's sort of like the feast before the fast!

Every year we dress up the dogs for Halloween. It has become a thing for me. I love going to Target and/or Petco to find the perfect outfit. Last year I tried to coordinate their outfits (they were a Sheriff & a Criminal) but this year I just went with random outfits. I'll probably do another post with better pictures of the dogs but this year they are a Hot Dog (Scooter) and an astronaut (Conner). 

 After the front came through Thursday night it was CHILLY and we loved it. Conner gets a little cold and shivers so I broke out the winter clothes. He doesn't mind wearing t-shirts that much because it keeps him warm. After sitting out on the back porch and watching the sun go down, we warmed up by the fire and snuggled: a perfect evening. Look how content Conner looks sitting by the fire. I love this pic.

Saturday morning it was downright COLD! I had a couple of shoots lined up at Pinnacle Mtn. Park. It was absolutely gorgeous out there! If I lived closer, I would have my quiet time there daily. I always feel so much better when I'm surrounded by nature. I am definitely an outdoor girl. I just wish I did more outdoor things. :)

Saturday we hung out all day with some of our best friends, Brian & Alicia. We watched the Ole Miss/Arkansas game, ate chili and hung out literally ALL DAY and into the evening. They live a few blocks away from War Memorial Stadium where Saturday's game was played, so we felt like we were in on the action but we didn't even have to leave the comfort of their home. It really was a perfect Saturday. I didn't take a lot of pics but I did snap this cute one of Ava cat and me and my nephew. Carson is very much a momma's boy; this was right after he figured out his mom had left the room. That face is pitiful! 

Here he is in his mother's arm... MUCH happier. :)

Sunday I woke up not feeling great at all. I think spending a few hours out in the cold wind Saturday morning was NOT a good idea. But after taking a hot bath, drinking echinacea tea, and taking lots of vitamin C, I felt better. We ended Buie's last weekend off before the Christmas retail rush by watching football and carving a couple of pumpkins. We usually try to do this every year. Halloween is one of Buie's favorite holidays and he has to work on Halloween night (of course) so we got in the spirit by carving pumpkins. I tried to carve a kitty pumpkin and I'm not really pleased with the eyes but oh well!

I hope y'all have a great week! This week is going to be super busy for me but I'm looking forward to it all!

February Pinterest Project

I'm playing catch up on my Pinterest projects. In January I decided to pick one Do-It-Yourself Pinterest inspired project each month this year and yes, I have done one the first 3 months of the year. In February I put to use the many corks I had saved from the past few years. You wouldn't believe it from looking at this bulletin board but I actually am not a big wine drinker. This is an accumulation of corks since I was about 23 or so. There are so many ideas of Pinterest to use wine corks, including trivets, and even a bath mat made out of corks. This bulletin board was the first to catch my eye, but since I don't have that many corks, I decided to make a small bulletin board.

orginially from this blog: Life as a Thrifter

I actually already had the frame so there was really no cost in this project. I started hot glueing the corks in a pattern around the outer boarder working my way towards the middle. Once I got to the middle, it was harder to squeeze in the corks. Some of them I even had to sand down to make them fit.

In the end, they all fit and I was pleased with the turn out! This cork board brings some texture to our kitchen. We can tack pictures or our favorite recipes on the board - whatever we want! :) Thank for the PINSPIRATION!

Check out January's Pinterest project here.

Instant Fun: Instagram Style

The internet is buzzing with Instagram love these days. Instagram is an easily addictive iPhone app. There are several photo filters to choose from in Instagram that give your photos a cool effect. Did I mention it's addicting?

This Christmas I received a new iPhone 4S and I am lovin it so far. When I downloaded ALL of my pictures from my old phone on to my computer, I realized just how many instagram pictures I had.

What a shame to keep them stored away on my hard drive. So I searched the world wide web for a few ideas of how to display these family memories.

Here are just a few that I found that are easy to do! What do you do with all of your Instagram pictures?

DIY Instagram magnets

DIY Instagram costers

Gigantic framed Instagram collage

Instagram photo album

DIY Instagram Calendar

So get out those cell phones and get to snapping! :) I would love to hear what you have done with your Instagram pics!

Restore and After Wrap Up

I had a such a good time at Restore and After I wanted to share all the fabulous details like these amazing dog houses. I'm pretty sure I placed a bid on every one of them. The dog houses were definitely the popular items tonight. I was in a bidding war with several people to win a dog house. I told a few of my friends that I would NOT leave without a dog house. I specifically had my eye on the top two dog digs.

I thought for sure I had lost the bidding war but I dug down deep in my pocket and bid once more, all the while thinking, "it's for a good cause!" And I drove away with this beauty! Here's me and Cara, the lovely artist of the dog house.

Even though I was stressing about my "mini" project, my wonderful husband helped me finish the legs on this little foot stool.... THIS MORNING. The wood glue was drying on the way to the event. :) Nothing like a last minute project to raise $35 bucks for Habitat for Humanity. Maybe next year I'll try to do something a little more challenging.

I also had a mini table set up for Restore attendees to sign up to win a FREE photo shoot compliments of Cara Beth Photography.

Over all this is a fabulous event for a great cause. If you didn't get the chance to attend this year, be sure to come next year to bid on some great items, meet new people and mingle with local artists!