Taking One Day At A Time

Back On The Treadmill

2011-12-21T13:18:00.002-07:00

Christmas is coming and I am getting fat!!!! Went to my Dr. appointment on Monday and I gained 10 pounds last month! AHHHHH! Even my dr. cringed when she saw the number. Don't say it's the baby, she only weighs 1 pound right now. Unless I am carrying twins in my butt, it's not the baby. It's my horrible eating habits I've allowed to take over.

My treadmill has been out of commission for over a month since we needed to move it. It's finally hooked up again so I can start exercising and hopefully keep myself from having another month like that. Gotta keep healthy for me and my Coco!!

Temple Square Photowalk

2011-12-20T12:16:00.003-07:00

I did this 3 Christmases ago when I first got into photography. It was a great experience and I learned a ton. For one reason or another I wasn't able to go again until last night. It was great to see so many friends there and say hello (Ann, Scott, Jeremy, Tara). I really miss getting together with all my photog friends. Didn't realize how good they are for my soul. They are like family to me now. I even got to meet a fellow photog and 365-er, Angry Gardner, and he was so nice. Hope I get to run into him again.

A new friend and fellow photographer, Jess Bishop, came with me and we had a great time. Anxious to see what she gets since she is one of my all time fav photographers.

As far as what I got, nothing extraordinary, but I at least accomplished my goal of trying to get different shots I've never gotten before. I took the same approach I did at the Louvre in Paris, taking pictures of the little things that make the big picture so amazing.

Here's a few of the typical "Big Picture" shots I got for my mom since they are her favorite.

Snow?

2011-12-19T20:15:00.002-07:00

I always dream of a white Christmas. Is this even really snow though? It looks like someone just sprinkled sugar everywhere.

More pics for presents!

2011-12-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

I wasn't crazy about the pics I got of my girls yesterday so I did them over today. Much better :)

Pics for Presents

2011-12-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

Last year I started giving all the grandparents albums of the grand-kids. Took some of the pics today for it. Once they are made I'll show you what I do since it's such a great gift for grandparents!

IKEA

2011-12-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

Lu loves IKEA. She had a Doctor appointment today and had to get 4 shots. The nurse was terrible and cut her leg with the needle so I told her we'd go to IKEA and have lunch and pick a toy. It cheered her right up!

So cold

2011-12-15T20:07:00.001-07:00

It was so bitterly cold today even the weeds were freezing! If they weren't already dead I'd make them tiny sweaters :)

Happy Anniversary

2011-12-13T20:05:00.002-07:00

Today was my 9th anniversary. Married on Friday the 13th. Whoever said it was an unlucky day didn't plan on us getting together. Our little Lu was born on Friday the 13th too.

Horrid pic but it's a phone and a waiter taking it.

Picky Lu

2011-12-12T20:01:00.001-07:00

This will be Louisa's last preschool program since she starts Kindergarten next year. She did so good! Made me proud right up to the end, until she picked her nose and ate it. Yes, that was my kid and I am so ashamed. If any of you know any great tips of breaking the habit please pass along. She doesn't do it often (thank goodness) but once is too much for me! Ewe!!!

Basket Case

2011-12-11T19:07:00.002-07:00

Is this where the term "Basket Case" came from? Yes, she did this herself.

(I'm having to rely on a lot of iPhone pics over the next couple days since I didn't take any with my D700.)

Bridals

2011-12-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

Did the bridals today for the second wedding.

December Wedding

2011-12-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

I have 2 weddings this month and today I shot the first. I love weddings in December, probably since I myself got married in December!

Candy Wreaths

2011-12-08T18:33:00.002-07:00

I've never had any cute ways to decorate my kitchen at Christmas. This year, I decided to make something to dress up my cabinets in a little bit of yummy, minty cheer using these Christmas classics.

What you need for one wreath: 9" Styrofoam wreaths, 1 1/2 bags of mint candies, glue gun, clear spray enamel, ribbon, and command hooks.

Step 1) Unwrap all those little buggers. If you are smart you can bribe the little people that live in your house with a few to eat if they unwrap them for you. I made 6 of these wreaths so there were 9 bags of candy to unwrap! Separate the broken ones from the good ones (you will use the broken ones later).

Step 2 - Glue them on! Put the glue on the upper center of the candy since they hang off the wreath a little.

I always started with the top row of candies and went in a circle. If there is a gap once you complete your circle, no worries, the ribbon will cover it.

Start the second row in the same place as you started the first so all your gaps will be in the same place.

Then do the outer edge and the inside edge. It only requires one row of candies. Remember, always start your rows at the same place so your gaps are at the same place. Sometimes you get lucky and they line up perfectly.

Since you don't really see the back I use all those broken ones and just glue them in a zig-zag pattern to fill in the back.

When you are done you will see lots of what I call "glue spider webs" all over. They are super easy to get rid of. Just use a blow dryer on it and they all magically melt away!

Step 3 - I took them out to my garage and sprayed a clear coat of enamel on them to not only protect them, but make it so they aren't sticky.

Step 4 - cut ribbon to the length you want it to hang, string it through the center of your wreath and glue it into place on the back or bottom inside. Then tie a knot at the end. I got command hooks and hung them on the back side of my cabinets upside down and hung the knotted edge of the ribbon on it. I then got some "crafty tack" and put it on the back side of the wreath so it would stick to the cabinet and not swing around and break when we opened and closed the cabinets.

Here's how they look hung...

You can add bows to the tops of the wreaths but I like them simple. These are super fragile so you need to be careful with them. I had one wreath break in half at the bottom but just glued it back together and you can't tell.

Window Frame

2011-12-07T19:58:00.003-07:00

I rescued this old window frame from a property that was being destroyed. At first I was thinking I'd use it for a photo prop. Then I took those pictures of my kids at the red bus in July and new the old window would be the perfect frame for them. All I did was bust out the broken glass, wash off all the dirt, put in the pictures and hang it on my wall. It's my favorite thing in the house.

Sad, I took these in July and am just now making the prints and getting them on my wall. New Year's resolution is to change that next year. My own pictures will be a priority!!!!

100% NO SEW Leggings

2011-12-06T10:06:00.007-07:00

In case my other leggings I made weren't easy enough for you, I have a no-sew method I use as well for all you who can't sew a stitch! These are ones I made for my daughters to wear but you can use the same directions for adult sizes as well. It just depends on the width of the sleeve on the sweater.

1) I found this sweater that had the cool pattern on the sleeves. As you can see the sleeves are thin so it's the perfect size for a child. For an adult you would want to look for wider sleeves.

2) Determine how long you want them to be and cut straight across.

3) Take the Fray check and go all along the bottom cut edge and let dry.

That is it! You can make them in less than 5 minutes. Here they are on my daughter. She wore them to school today with her favorite pink Ugg boots. She insisted.

Looking In

2011-12-05T22:00:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to be there, looking in when our Savior was born.

Christmas Present

2011-12-04T18:03:00.001-07:00

Today I'm trying a new Christmas studio set-up I saw on the internet. Got everything set-up...

Now I just need something adorable to put in it...

Want to know how I did the set-up? It's super easy. Just put white lights along your backdrop and then hang some right in front of the camera so you can shoot through them for the larger bokeh.

Tree Decorating

2011-12-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

While Michael enjoyed his do-over birthday by playing video games ALL day, the girls and I decorated the Christmas tree. I always laugh at how and where my girls choose to put ornaments. Lu, the youngest who is 4, puts all the ornaments she likes at the very bottom all in a row. Even though it looks terrible, I leave it, just so I have something to smile about every time I see it.

Worst Birthday Ever

2011-12-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

Today is my son's birthday. He is 15!! Anyway, he had his very first wrestling match today in Wyoming. He ended up hurting his knee and couldn't wrestle at all so he had to sit in the bleachers and cheer on his teammates instead. We planned on driving up to watch and take him to dinner for his birthday but when we got there he was so tired and his knee hurt so we ended up just turning around and driving him back home. He said it was the worst birthday ever so we are letting him have a do-over birthday tomorrow to make up for it. He was not a happy camper on the drive home :(

Choose The Right

2011-12-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

My church has this cute song that children sing. It's called, "Choose the Right".

"Choose the right when a choice is placed before you."

There are even CTR rings children get when they turn 8 and are baptized. This is a cute little guy I've been photographing since he was 6.

Thankful Day 30

2011-11-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

So thankful I can stop being thankful!! (Haha!) Can't even find the pic I took for today. I think I forgot to upload it so now it's gone.

Thankful Day 29

2011-11-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today I am trying very hard to be thankful for our new sectional that was delivered today. My decorating style is very modern and contemporary so I swore I would NEVER own what I refer to as a "butt couch". Your know the kind. They are huge, overstuffed, and look like a bunch of butts together.

Since we are redoing our family room for our Christmas present this year (new carpet, couches, and 70" LCD tv) I only have 1/3 of the vote. My husband and son both outvoted the super comfortable, clean lined, contemporary sectional I wanted for a large, butt couch with storage and cup holders and 5 recliners. Comfort won over looks. I do admit I love to sit on it, I just don't like to look at it. I'm sure it will eventually grown on me, especially when I see these little cuties snuggling on it and enjoying it so much!

Thankful Day 28

2011-11-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

Today I am so thankful to finally get rid of our nasty light colored carpet in our family room! I've suffered trying to keep that thing clean for three years but no more. It's what I wanted for Christmas so I got it!!

The before...

(should have vacuumed it but didn't want to waste my time!)

The After :)

Love it!
What is it about new carpet that is just so awesome?

Thankful Day 27

2011-11-27T17:07:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful for my mom's roll recipe which she has passed down to me. I've seen a lot of people post their amazing roll recipes and I have to say, none of them can hold a candle to these babies. They are in high demand every Thanksgiving and Christmas when I make them. Since all the ones were devoured on Thanksgiving day I promised my son I would make him some more and did so today. They are simple in ingredients, but take about 4 hours to prepare and the technique definitely makes a difference. Don't believe me, take one bite and you'll be hooked. I guarantee it.

Jane's Perfect Rolls
1 C Milk
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 C Cooking Oil
3 Eggs
1 Package Rapid Rise dry yeast
2/3 tsp. salt
3 cups flour

Directions:
Scald milk and cool to lukewarm. Beat eggs until light. Add the 1/2 C sugar gradually to the eggs, beating all the time. Add salt. Mix the oil with the milk and then add to egg and sugar mixture. Mix yeast in thoroughly. Finally add the flour, beating as it is added. Cover with moist, warm towel and put in a warm place. I put mine on the stove top and have a space heater blowing right on it. Let rise until the dough is double in size.

For this part you will need a large area to work with. I clean off my island counter top and then generously sprinkle flour over the surface. Then I take my dough and dump it onto the counter covered with flour. I sprinkle more flour over the top of the dough and rub flour over a rolling pin so it doesn't stick. Then I start rolling out the dough into a large rectangular shape. If my rolling pin sticks to part of the dough, I add a little flour to that spot and keep rolling.

Once you have your large rectangle, get a knife and cover with flour. Starting on one end cut a triangular shape (Mine are usually apprx. 4" wide by 10-12" long) and roll into a crescent roll shape by starting at the larger end and rolling. If your dough is sticking to the surface as you roll, stick your fingers in the flour and keep rolling. The key is to not add too much flour, that is why I add little bits as it is needed. Once you have rolled your triangle into a crescent, place it into a greased and lightly floured pan (I use 9x13 glass pans and fit them two across and 5 down - 10 total in a pan). Most of the time my rolls look kinda messy and it's okay, they will rise and look so much better once they are cooked!

Once a pan is filled with rolls put the pan on the stove top and cover again with a moist, warm cloth and let rise (I still have the space heater going). I keep heating up the cloth in the microwave every several minutes so it stays hot and steamy on the rolls as they rise. Once they have doubled in size, you put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until the tops just start turning a light brown (see above photo for how they should look).

Then you just butter and eat. So good, so perfect.

If anyone is interested, I can do a step-by-step recipe with pictures so you can see how I do it if it helps. Just let me know.

Thankful Day 26

2011-11-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful that we are finally getting my house organized. I am nesting for sure and my hubby is on board so we are getting rid of a bunch of stuff and I took pics of it all and listed it. Here are the theater chairs we are finally selling after having them in our storage room for almost 3 years!

Thankful Day 25

2011-11-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

It's Black Friday and I it's the one day a year I NEVER go shopping. I know the deals are amazing, but I don't do crowds and shoving and grabbing and stress very well so I choose to keep my sanity rather than brave the stores.

Two of my brothers and I are all looking to get new couches so we all decided to go together today. Lucky enough furniture stores are not that crowded on Black Friday so we had fun. I am thankful I ended up finding a black leather sectional my hubby and son love even though it's not my first choice.

One furniture store has thing nasty, larger than life glider rocker than I am sure thousands upon thousands of people have sat on but I'm a fun mom so I let the kiddos climb up for a picture.

Thankful Day 24

2011-11-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

Happy thanksgiving everyone. I am thankful for all of you that follow my little blog here and make me feel a tiny bit important in this big ol' world.

This is the only picture I was able to take today. We had 20 people over for dinner including 2 Indian families that work with my husband that have never experienced a Thanksgiving. My husband and I were up at 4:30 in the morning to start cooking and didn't stop until late so taking pictures kinda slipped my mind.

Thankful Day 23

2011-11-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

I made these centerpieces for my two large tables for Thanksgiving tomorrow all for $25!!! The best part, I can re-use the jars again for Christmas. I bought two sizes of mason jars, 2 bags of cranberries, and a bag of floating candles. Then I went out in my front yard and cut some small branches off of my trees that had yellow leaves. I put them in the jar first, then filled up the jars almost to the top with water, put in a handful of cranberries, and then the candle. I had the silk leaves and orange candles already and just added those to tie it all together. Easy huh?

Today I am sooooo thankful for Pinterest! My friend Andrea pinned this awesome center piece idea for the holidays and made them herself. I was struggling with what to do and she suggested these. I have to say I am crazy about how they turned out. All thanks to Pinterest (and Andrea)! If you have never heard of it, check it out. It will change your life :)

Thankful Day 22

2011-11-22T16:37:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful for family. I have a pretty amazing one if I do say so myself. We had our family pics done today by my amazingly talented friend Andrea Carter from Andrea K Photography. She rocked it. I didn't yell at my kids once and I am loving how they turned out! Can't wait to show you my Cmas cards when they are done.

I technically didn't take this one or edit it but I'm posting it anyway. It's one of my favs of me and my hubby.

Thankful Day 21

2011-11-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for this long week of shoots to be done! Once I'm done editing, I get on to the holidays, YAY!! Oh yeah, and my own family pics which are tomorrow, please let the weather be good!

I love working with seniors. They do everything they tell you to without a single complaint :)

Thankful Day 20

2011-11-20T16:31:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful for my only son Michael. He and I have been through it all together and he is my rock. Ask anyone who knows him and they will agree, you cannot find a better son or young man than he.

Almost done with mini shoots! One more tomorrow.

Thankful Day 19

2011-11-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

Today I am so thankful for the gorgeous weather we are having. It has made my crazy week so much easier!

Thankful Day 18

2011-11-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for my clients. I have the most amazing, loyal clients and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I guess that is why I would do anything for them. Thanks to you all, photography wouldn't be nearly as fun without you!

Thankful Day 17

2011-11-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for my amazing hubby who stayed home with the kiddos so I could go see "Breaking Dawn" with my amazing girl friends who I am also thankful for.

Thankful Day 16

2011-11-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for this amazing world we live in with all it's amazing beauty. One of my favorite songs says it best,
"I see skies of blue....clouds of white
Bright blessed days.....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself.....what a wonderful world"

Thankful Day 15

2011-11-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for my Abby. She and I often butt heads a lot since our personalities clash so much, but I do love her. She is so smart and when she is in a good mood, everything in the world seems right just by her being there.

Another mini shoot day :)

Thankful Day 14

2011-11-14T16:11:00.002-07:00

Today I am thankful for my little Lu who is my joy. She is so loving and nurturing and always can bring a smile to my face when no one else can.

Have tons of mini shoots this week (10 to be exact) so quite often my picture of the day will be from one like this adorable little guy. Can you believe those eyes?

Thankful Day 13

2011-11-13T11:00:00.003-07:00

Today I am thankful for people who have great ideas that I can take advantage of! I love those cute leggings everyone wears with tall boots. I recently saw that you can make them out of old sweaters so here is what I did.

I went to Deseret Industries (you can go to any thrift store) and bought several sweaters with lots of fun textures and patterns. They were $4 a piece.

If the sleeves were big enough I just cut those off to use for the leggings or used the body part of the sweater. Here is a step-by-step of my favorite pair I made:

1) I fell in love with the buttons and cute ruffles of this sweater so I cut out the pieces I needed. You can see from the mat I cut it on about how wide and long I made them.

2) I placed both front and back next to each other with right sides up and slightly overlapped them and then sewed a straight line down the edge (see photo).

3) Then I put the other two sides together with the right sides facing IN (or facing each other) and sewed along the edge.

4) Then I just removed three buttons from the one legging and sewed them over the button holes on the other legging. To finish off the raw edges on the bottom I just cut them to be even and then put "Fray Check" (it's a type of fabric glue that keeps raw edges from fraying which can be purchased at any fabric store) around all the bottom edges.

Done! It's seriously that easy and oh so cute! Still not easy enough for you though? I also have a 100% no sew method I did on some for my girls that I will post another day.

I even made some for me and my daughter out of a navy blue striped sweater to go with our family pics.

Thankful Day 12

2011-11-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

Today I am having a hard time being thankful since Mother Nature has ruined a second weekend in a row for my photo shoots. Had to cancel my mini shoot day for the second time so now I get to spend every night next week shooting when I was supposed to be done with photo shoots by now! Oh well, I'll make it positive and say I'm thankful the weather was rainy/windy/snowy today so I could have a day off with my family and I got to babysit my sweet niece :)

Thankful Day 11

2011-11-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

It's 11/11/11 and what am I thankful for? Today I am oh so thankful for all those hard working people over at Bethesda Game Studios who created the most amazing game since Oblivion. So excited to finally play Skyrim!!! Yes, I am a geek ;) My son is more excited than I am so I think I will let him play all weekend and I'll just play next week when the kids are in school.

Sorry for the horrible pic. It was late and Michael was a little to anxious to play and only let me take one.

Thankful Day 10

2011-11-10T10:56:00.000-07:00

So thankful for photography :)

Thankful Day 9

2011-11-09T10:53:00.002-07:00

Today I am thankful for Christmas music to help me stay in the mood while I'm still sewing. I'm getting it done in little bits and pieces. If I could work on it straight through I'd be done by now. Oh well.

One little note on Christmas music - Just because a song happens to have the word "Christmas" in it does NOT mean it's a Christmas song. Oh, and if the song is just talking about how cold it is outside so stay and let me get in your pants DEFINITELY does not make it a Christmas song. Just wanted to clarify since a lot of people seem to misunderstand :)

Thankful Day 8

2011-11-08T10:49:00.002-07:00

So thankful for my bed and sleep. Its been a long day and I'm exhausted! See u in my dreams, which by the way are crazy weird when I am pregnant!

Not only am I sewing my girl's Christmas nightgowns, but I'm making their dolls matching nightgowns too! Am I a cool mom or what?

Thankful Day 7

2011-11-07T10:44:00.002-07:00

I am thankful that I can sew! Bought fabric today to make my girls Christmas pj-s. Definitely a blessing to have that talent.

Thankful Day 6

2011-11-06T10:36:00.005-07:00

Today I am thankful that my hubby is such an amazing cook and does it so often. He made the yummiest food today for lunch and dinner. Sunday dinners at our house are the best.

Thankful Day 5

2011-11-05T16:57:00.002-06:00

How could I not be thankful for the first snow of the holiday season? I wish that fall with it's beautiful colors and perfect weather had lasted longer but waking up to this winter wonderland got me excited for the next months to come. When we looked out the window this morning Abby said, "WOW! It looks like Christmas!"

Thankful Day 4

2011-11-04T16:45:00.000-06:00

Today, I am thankful for my amazing sister-in-laws. I have all brother's so I've become really close friends with their wives and I am so lucky to have them. I got to spend some time with one of them today as we took newborn pics of my new baby niece. Love you ladies!

Thankful Day 3

2011-11-03T10:11:00.001-06:00

Today I am thankful for my children's honesty.
While driving in the car I was singing a Christmas song and Louisa said, "Mommy, can you stop that? That screaming noise hurts my ears."

Thankful Day 2 {Boy or Girl?}

2011-11-02T19:56:00.002-06:00

Today I am grateful, well, because...

Yay! Another little girl :) I call her my Coco Bean.

Thankful Day 1

2011-11-01T19:54:00.003-06:00

Since I am finding it hard to be thankful with how sick I've been lately I'm taking the month of November to focus on something I'm thankful for every day.

Today, I am grateful for the little legs inside me that have been kicking me a lot today.

Here is my baby bump at 17 weeks.

Happy Halloween! {Ghost bride & Sally}

2011-10-31T23:25:00.000-06:00

Finally got to take pics of my girls in their costumes that I made. I love that they love Halloween as much as I do!
Lu was a ghost bride...

And Abby was "Sally" from "Nightmare Before Christmas"...

Dead Man's Party

2011-10-30T23:23:00.000-06:00

Today we had our annual "Dead Man's Halloween Party" complete with food served from a dead body. It's gruesome but everyone loves it! Especially since it's Ryan's cooking.

New Daddy

2011-10-29T11:22:00.000-06:00

I can't believe my little baby brother who I used to change his diapers now has a baby of his own. I can tell he is going to be the best daddy.

For a newborn isn't she gorgeous?

Baby Mattalyn

2011-10-27T18:15:00.000-06:00

Well, my new baby niece is here and she couldn't be more perfect. She is tiny - 5 pounds 12 oz. and 17 1/2 inches long. They named her Mattalyn which is their names, Matt and Chalyn, combined. Cute huh?

Sorry if this pic is a little too graphic for some of you but it's my favorite shot. She came out and looked right at me and I caught it. I think there is nothing more beautiful than the birth of a baby and I hope you see the beauty of it too.

She's Having A Baby

2011-10-25T16:49:00.000-06:00

My youngest brother is finally having a baby! We are all so excited, especially me since I get to photograph the birth story! They decided to have the gender be a surprise so we won't know if it's a boy or girl until Thursday when she has her baby. I'm so excited! Good thing we got these maternity pics in before it was too late.

My Niece

2011-10-22T16:47:00.000-06:00

Can't believe my niece is a Senior in High School. Of course she wanted Auntie Sue to take her Senior pics so we took some while down in St. George. We found this cool abandoned water park where my parents live and had some fun.

Kick

2011-10-21T18:44:00.000-06:00

We decided to make a spontaneous trip down to St. George. Ryan had to work so it was just me and the kids. On the drive down, I felt my baby kick for the first time. Yep, something is definitely in there! I had my son take a pic with my cell so it's not the best pic and I look huge, but it was the moment caught and that is what matters.

Vern

2011-10-20T16:41:00.001-06:00

This is Vern. I made him for Lu while I was at the computer one day and she loves it. I keep him on my desk now and he's become my little friend. It gets lonely in my office okay? Need someone to talk to :)

Boo!

2011-10-19T16:34:00.000-06:00

Nesting

2011-10-17T17:35:00.000-06:00

I guess you could say I'm nesting since I have been working on getting all my projects around the house done. It took several hours since I am still really sick, but I got 2 rods hung, and all four 8 foot panels ironed and hung for the two windows in my bedroom.

Abby wanted to get in the shot so I told her to stand on the bed so we could see her reflection.

Fall Colors

2011-10-16T17:34:00.001-06:00

So happy I didn't miss the gorgeous fall here in Utah while I was in France. No wonder so many people that live here say Autumn is their favorite season.

My Kid's Artwork

2011-10-15T09:48:00.000-06:00

Ryan had two of Abby's artwork pieces from school out in the office. I saw how good they were and thought how fun it would be to frame them. Then I had an idea to do a collage on the playroom wall of all my kids' artwork. I dug up two old ones from when Michael was younger and got two of Lu's preschool paintings and then put them in these Ikea frames. Too cute huh?

In case you are wondering which was done by who, here it is in order as it appears on the wall:
Abby, Lu, Michael
Lu, Michael, Abby

Drug Free Week

2011-10-14T09:45:00.000-06:00

Abby loves Drug Free week at school since they get to wear something fun each day. Today they were to dress up as what they want to be when they grow up and of course Abby chose a chef. It was still dark in the house this morning before we left so the picture isn't too great but at least I took it!

Little Monster

2011-10-13T09:42:00.001-06:00

I want to get better at taking pictures of what my kids make at school so when Lu brought home this cute monster she made, I took a picture of her in it rather than just saving the paper. The picture is much better.

Lu was having so much fun doing it that her friend Lizzy and Michael wanted to get in on the fun too!

Baby Shower

2011-10-12T21:39:00.001-06:00

My sister-in-law is having a baby the beginning of November so they had a Halloween themed baby shower for her. Tons of amazing decorations but these little pumpkins were my favorite! I'm going to make one for my little one.

The shower itself was great until Lu threw up all over the carpet twice. For a room full of pregnant women with bloodhound noses, it wasn't too pleasant. Luckily it was the end of the shower anyway.

Jack is Back!

2011-10-11T09:36:00.000-06:00

My favorite holiday is Halloween. My favorite movie is "Nightmare Before Christmas" and it's my kids favorite too. I found this wooden sign at Kneaders when I took my kids there for breakfast today and had to get it. I already had the huge Jack figurine and added it to make it perfect. My new favorite decoration.

Jet Lag

2011-10-10T04:33:00.000-06:00

I am having a hard time getting back on Utah time schedule. I go to sleep at 7 at night and wake up at 4am, wide awake. Usually I see the sun is starting to come up when I wake but the last couple days this is what I see.

Home

2011-10-09T09:31:00.000-06:00

Home and I can't say enough how good it feels to lay in my bed and snuggle with my favorite kids on the planet. We decided to stay in bed all morning and just be together. We even had breakfast in bed and the kids loved it!

France Trip Summary

2011-10-08T23:56:00.001-06:00

Since my 365 goes in order, you'll be seeing my trip from finish to start so I just wanted to say a few things first.

I tried, REALLY tried to only post a couple of pictures a day but most days it was too hard so I hope you don't mind I strayed waaaaay off one picture a day. I did take almost 2,000 pictures so the fact I narrowed it as much as I did is pretty good!

Lessons Learned
1. Get some of the Euro before you go. France has toll roads everywhere so we hit a couple on our way to the bank to get cash. That was NOT fun at all! The tolls are very expensive too so if you are driving the country like us, budget a huge chunk of change for that. We spent at least 300 on them.

2. I enjoyed the rest of France better than Paris. To me it was just a big, crowded city even though it was beautiful. So if you've just been to Paris, you haven't seen the best of France so go again and do it right!

3. The shopping may be great in France, but it's so incredibly expensive I'd rather just shop here in Utah thank you.

4. Most hotels in France have two twin beds. I don't need to elaborate ;)

5. Just because your husband has a converter for their outlets over there doesn't mean your hair dryer and flat iron work with it. Make sure you get one that will! I went the entire trip without being able to do my hair unless I got lucky and the hotel had a hair dryer that sorta doesn't work on my frizzy, curly hair. Yuck.

6. Even if you think you've taken enough pictures, you haven't so take more.

7.Yes, France has lots of amazing chocolate pastries but they are all DARK chocolate. This was a rude awakening for me, who loves milk chocolate and can't stand the dark stuff unless it's with mint. I was so excited to eat all the pastries and gave up after the first couple days. Even the chocolate flavored ice cream is really coffee flavored.

8. Last and hardest part of all for me, the food is very different there! Not all restaurants have menus in English or servers that speak English so it was difficult for me to find things I could eat that would sit well in my sensitive stomach. I got lucky most of the time and ended up eating a LOT of Mixte sandwiches which is a baguette with ham and cheese. I even broke down and ate at McDonalds twice since I knew what a Big Mac was!! Oh, and Starbucks in France has the most amazingly yummy doonies (doughnuts) I've ever tasted. Wish they had them in the ones here in America. Oh well, that is probably better for my waste line since I ate 2-3 a day in Paris!

Well, hope you enjoy seeing a few pics of my trip. I enjoyed taking them. One more thing to come is a photo project I did while there. Everywhere I went, I took pictures of doors. France has the most amazing doors and no two are identical. I'm going to make a collage of them and make it a canvas for my wall. Should turn out great! I'm going to make a book of them too if I have enough.

Paris - Day 15

2011-10-08T19:44:00.002-06:00

Going home. I miss my kids so bad I can't stand it. I admit, I broke down a couple of times and cried because I miss their hugs and kisses. So excited to see them!

France has some of the funniest signs we have seen. Like the subway one that shows a guy getting cut in half because he got on the tracks. This was Ryan's favorite and we thought it fitting to finish our trip with this photo. This is the exit sign, it's everywhere. We just thought it was funny that for some reason the guy is always running to the exit. I guess when you are in a country where you don't understand what anyone is saying, you find humor in the little things.

France - Day 14

2011-10-07T19:39:00.002-06:00

Last day, and didn't get in everything we wanted to but being pregnant it's been hard for me to go non-stop. Oh well, guess we will just have to come back ;)

Sainte-Chapelle
Cathedral with all stained glass on every wall.

Over 1,000 stories from the bible depicted on them.

Arc de Triomphe

Eiffel Tower

The Louvre at night.

France - Day 13

2011-10-06T19:13:00.001-06:00

The Louvre

All the famous ones we saw...

My favorite

For the rest of the art I tried to approach the pictures differently. I tried to capture small parts of the painting that were art all by themselves. Here is what I got.

Then we went to Palais Garnier, which is the opera house that The Phantom of the Opera was based on.

And of course, couldn't go to Paris without taking pics of the Moulin Rouge!

France - Day 12

2011-10-05T18:20:00.002-06:00

Notre Dame

I would be this gargoyle, no matter how many centuries I've been sitting there, I could never get sick of the view.

I just could never look down! So afraid of heights!!!

Ryan's hunchback impersonation - hope he doesn't kill me for posting it!

"Hunny, is it just me or do all those round shaped things all over look like butts?"

He refused to let me take his picture.

This one made Ryan a little hungry.

He looks so scared I just want to give him a hug, but didn't.

We had to climb hundreds of stairs to get to the top! Luckily these boots were made for walkin'!

We went inside to find a choir performing. How amazing is that?

Napoleon's tomb

Yes, I'm still sick but didn't do this! I'm just a dork.

Why can't we open it and see what he looks like?

Armory museum

Caught a girl's reflection perfect in the glass :)

France - Day 11

2011-10-04T18:07:00.000-06:00

First thing we did in Paris, go to the Catacombs. It was pretty neat although sad too. They dug up and relocated around 6 million bodies down there. The pictures say it all.

They listed the year they were dug up and moved.

After that we went on a long walk through Paris.

Notre Dame (toured it the next day)

Hotel DeVille

What are you looking at?

Another door for my project!

Museum of Modern Art

The cathedral where Mozart held his mother's funeral.

Wow, a lot of pics for today. Sorry!

France - Day 10

2011-10-03T17:57:00.004-06:00

On our way to Paris we stopped by the town Clermont, which is where some ancestry on my dad's side comes from. I'm related to the very first count, Count Baudouin (first and second) who ruled and lived during the 900s. We found what was left of the old castle. They are trying to restore the dungeons.

It was pretty cool to stand where my ancestors once did.

France - Day 9

2011-10-02T17:43:00.002-06:00

The owner of our B&B spoke the best English of anyone the entire trip and adorable kids too!

Ruins of the crypt that was once below the original Abbey. To add to the feeling there were monks singing and chanting coming out of speakers. A cute old lady came out and said, "Oh my gosh! There are monks singing in there and I have no idea where it's coming from! Maybe it's ghosts." Too funny!

We sadly left Flavigny and drove to the final chateau on our tour, Vaux-le-Vicomte.

This chateau has a sad story behind it and it's too long to tell here. You'll have to look it up ;) It was the inspiration for the design of the Versailles palace.

France - Day 8

2011-10-01T17:34:00.002-06:00

Stayed with Jonas', our foreign exchange student, family last night and it was amazing. What a great family they are and we all got along so well.

Phillip, his father.

Goodbye Jonas, we'll miss you! It was neat to see a part of France we normally would have never seen. It was gorgeous there.

We then drove to what ended up being my favorite place of the entire trip, Flavigny, which is where they filmed the movie Chocolat.

The door to our Bed&Breakfast. Love.

Finding food on this trip I could eat was so difficult. This restaurant had the yummiest food I've ever had in my life. Worth the trip to France just to eat there.

France - Day 7

2011-09-30T17:29:00.004-06:00

Spent the night in Eze last night. Cool little town built on a hill. Got the cutest dolls for my girls at a toy shop here.

Ryan fell in love with this Harley :)

Drove through Italy to go to the Albiez where our foreign exchange student lives.

Took this picture for my Lu since she loves cats!!

France - Day 6

2011-09-29T17:23:00.004-06:00

Toured an old castle called Carcassonne today. Soooo cool.

It was closed :*( I cried a little.

Don't think I've mentioned it yet but I did a photo project while I was there. Everywhere we went I took pictures of doors. Yep, doors. Once you see them all together when I am done, you see why. France has the most amazing doors.

France - Day 5

2011-09-28T16:01:00.004-06:00

Lots of driving today to get down to the coast but we stopped at the house where Chopin's girlfriend lived. My hubby is a huge classical music fan so he had to visit where Chopin wrote many of his music.

And I just love this little old man and his dog sitting by the church.

Just a cool abandoned house we saw on the drive.

France - Day 4

2011-09-27T15:51:00.004-06:00

Today we drove through the Loire Valley where there are a lot of chateaus. We went through Chambord, then Cheverney, then Chaumont, and finally Chenonceau. Of course I took a lot of pics but here are a few I like:

How would you like to mow that lawn?!!!

I was so tempted to steal this and run! Wouldn't it be amazing in pictures?

The last one we went through had a large, circular maze out of bushes. We had so much fun! I also had to get a picture of my belly that just decided to pop out overnight!!

Looooooong day, but amazing.

France - Day 3

2011-09-26T15:43:00.004-06:00

Toured the monastery at the top of Mont Saint Michel which was amazing! It's been there since the 8th century and Monks still live there.

Then we drove to Chartres to see the cathedral there.

They were doing tonz of restoration on it but it was by far one of the most beautiful we saw.

France - Day 2

2011-09-25T11:20:00.002-06:00

Woke up early to tour the castle of Versailles.

Then lots of driving through beautiful forests...

...and fields of flowers to get to Normandy.

and then more driving to Mont Saint Michel, one of my favorite places of the entire trip.

France - Day 1

2011-09-24T11:14:00.006-06:00

Day 1 in France! The 10 hour flight was not so bad considering I was in Business Elite class so my chair reclined almost all the way and we got fed a bunch of yummy food.

After a huge mess of getting to the car and then getting some Euro for tolls, we finally made it to Versailles. We checked into our hotel and then took a walk on the grounds where Marie Antionette had her own chateau built.

This was the temple of love.

Amphitheater

2011-09-19T11:12:00.001-06:00

Did some family pics of Steph today since we couldn't finish yesterday. Don't have time to edit any family ones so I'm throwing in my test shot :)

Mother and Son

2011-09-18T11:10:00.002-06:00

Did a few pics of Steph and her new baby boy. Makes me so excited for my baby!

Epiphanie

2011-09-17T18:03:00.000-06:00

I wanted to get me a cute camera bag that did not look like a camera bag for my France trip. Pickpocketing is bad enough there from what I hear without having "Expensive camera gear in this bag." written all over it. I looked at all the ones I could find and then fell in love with the company, Epiphanie. Their bags are so cute and stylish and I had to have one! The one I really wanted, the yellow Lyric, was currently sold out so I got my second choice, the teal Lola. It just came in the mail and I am in love! So excited to take this on my trip. I'll let you know how it holds up and how much fits in it :)

I opened the box and saw this bag it came in. Wow, fancy shmancy!

I think I squealed as I opened it and saw this cute bling attached to it!

Comes with a shoulder strap :)

Lovely lime green inside.

Did I mention I'm in love with a bag? Still buying the yellow lyric as soon as I get home from my trip!!

Missed Already

2011-09-15T16:45:00.000-06:00

Dang I'm going to miss my kids when I am gone!!

Headshot

2011-09-14T16:43:00.000-06:00

A friend used my studio today to get some headshots of her cousin. I took a couple and realized this is all I shot today so I guess it counts as a photo of the day!

Boys

2011-09-13T16:34:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I think women who have all boys are so lucky ;)

Today Sucks

2011-09-12T22:46:00.001-06:00

As you know, my dishwasher is broken. We bought a new one from Sears since they promised it would be delivered by last Saturday. Ryan is out of town, I'm so sick I can hardly take care of my kids so I really needed this dishwasher asap.

I called Saturday to make sure everything was on schedule and it was. Saturday came and went and I didn't get a phone call and no dishwasher. No one delivers on Sunday so there was another day. Monday I called first thing and they thought they had delivered it on Saturday so I was not scheduled for Monday and they didn't have any openings for a couple more days.

Do not mess with a sick pregnant lady who has no husband to help her and not a single clean dish in the house. My kids ate their cereal out of hot chocolate mugs that morning with huge serving spoons! At this point the smell was so bad I couldn't even bear to wash them by hand because it made me gag and throw up.

I spent 2 hours on the phone being transferred from person to person who kept telling me how sorry they were for the situation. I don't want to hear you are sorry since no one obviously is, I just want someone to @#$%$#&*$#*@* do something about it!!!!

I. Lost. It.

I got dressed and found my receipt and got in the car to go cancel my dishwasher. Sears sucks. I finally got a hold of a manager (which I thought I had already talked to 5 of them) and she said she would get it delivered. I told her I was on my way to get my money back so if she couldn't get that dishwasher to my house TODAY to not waste her time.

She called back and said they would deliver it today between 5 and 7 pm.

5 pm came and went then finally at 6:50 pm I got a phone call saying the delivery truck broke down and they were sending a new one to get my dishwasher which was in a city 2 hours away for some unknown reason.

It's 10:45 PM and the dishwasher is finally here. The guy was so nice and I wasn't mean to him since it wasn't his fault all this happened. Let me just say that when it comes time to buy my new refrigerator, stove, and microwave next spring, Sears will NOT be getting my business.

September 11th - Never Forget

2011-09-11T17:38:00.001-06:00

September 11th has always been a special day for me, even before the terrorist attacks 10 years ago. My parents were married on this day 46 years ago. It's sad that such an amazing day is now connected to such a tragedy. My heart goes out to all those who lost so much that day and my heart goes out to my amazing parents who are still going strong. Without this day, I wouldn't be here.

Dishwasher

2011-09-08T23:23:00.003-06:00

My dishwasher finally broke . It has been having problems since we first bought the house and now it's finally finished. To be honest I'm happy since that means NEW dishwasher so today we went shopping for one!!! Now if only the oven, microwave, and fridge would all break too.

N + W

2011-09-07T23:18:00.001-06:00

I love doing the pictures of mom and dad in a family session. I spend a lot of time with them and get as much variety as I can get since pictures of the two of them together are so rare. It's always, "you get in the picture with the kids while I take it" and vice versa. Amazing how in love they always are no matter how many years it has been. Either that, or they are really good at pretending!! I think it's the first one I said ;)

Missing Days

2011-09-06T16:32:00.000-06:00

You may or may not have noticed I've started missing days here and there. I am posting what I have but my morning sickness is at it's worst and I've got a cold so it's going to be happening a lot more often now. Thanks to everyone who have given me ideas for remedies. To be honest, until I reach next week I don't even dare drink caffeine since this is the time that the baby's organs are developing and is the most susceptible to external toxins so I'm going to suffer through it until I reach week 11. Gotta do what's best for my baby so it means a lot of missing days of pictures. The good news is that I go to France in a few weeks so I will more than make up for it with those pictures!!

Little Baby Things

2011-09-04T23:16:00.000-06:00

You forget how tiny newborns are. I especially love their cute, tiny clothes that only fit them for a couple of weeks.

Waiting

2011-09-02T23:13:00.000-06:00

Today my best friend had her baby. What an amazing experience to be there and capture every second of it. The hardest part for me - when they rolled her away to tie her tubes. I don't know why I was so nervous. I guess any surgery makes me nervous. I just sat on the floor outside the doors praying and waiting to see her smiling face again so I knew all was right with my world.

Bun

2011-09-01T16:36:00.001-06:00

Yep, it's a official, that blob on the screen is my little bun in the oven.

Point

2011-08-31T16:30:00.001-06:00

Ryan thought it would be a good idea to buy the girls each a cactus. I'm not sure I think it's a good idea, see my point?

Freshman

2011-08-29T16:25:00.002-06:00

Am I really old enough to have a Freshman in High School? So hard to believe.
Michael is going to a Charter school so they have to wear uniforms. I am soooo loving this and wish all schools would do it.