Arthouse Photography Blog

PINTEREST and ARTHOUSE

2012-01-15T22:29:00.000-08:00

HI Guys!
If you are visiting from Pinterest, then WELCOME and THANKS for stopping by.
This is an old blog that i stopped updating a couple years ago. I will eventually have a website and blog and a new address for both, and Ill make sure to let you know!
Until then, thanks for Pinning my work. You can find me on Facebook at this address: https://www.facebook.com/ARTHOUSECustomPhotography

Happy Pinning!

Baby B is here!

2011-03-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weeks after doing Lisa's maternity pictures, Miss B came!
So we met a couple of weeks later to shoot her Bday pictures!!
Welcome to this world, Baby B!
Disclaimer: These were shot in September...Im just catching up my blog with my work..Enjoy!

Maternity with Lisa

2011-03-14T01:28:00.000-07:00

I have so much to post on this wall since going MIA, so Ill start with my good friend Lisa and her maternity pictures. We talked about a vision for these pictures and so glad we were on the same page...
Enjoy!

I ♥ faces challenge...Sun Flare..

2011-03-14T00:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of my kids and their friends...The flare just made this picture magical!

I ♥ Faces...Anything but Faces

2011-03-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

So I have used this picture before for other things, but I couldn't pass up the challenge from I Heart Faces.
This is my hubs playing at a benefit in Chicago...Love to see him get lost in music!

As Gomer would say...

2011-03-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

Sunday Funnies: Gomer Pyle by a Warren Tufts Imitator

Ok...those of you who know me..I know your laughing at me or rolling your eyes. Those who don't..well God Love ya.

Yep...Missy is up to no good again.

Actually I don't know what the heck I am doing. I went to my FB wall under ArtHouse and noticed that I still had a button for my blog.

Hmmm..said Curiosity..wonder what lies underneath this button (is it getting suspenseful for you too? I thought so).

Well, low and behold, it brought me here. So, I started reading some of my posts, and reading things that my followers would post...and with a single tear down my chunky cheeks....I said..."What in the heck am I doing!!!" (Side note..there were no tears used in that lame comment.

So here I go again...adding one more thing to my none existent time.

For those of who remembered my last post...yes I did get a website...but I'm learning that I am anal when it comes to selling myself. I mean..first impressions are everything...So it has to be perfect...Anyway..those of you who are still interested in seeing what it looks like... keep your pants on and hold on to your seats, b/c the big reveal is coming!!

so...Long story...short...

Im baa-ackk.

So long, Farewell...

2010-08-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hey there my peeps!

After long consideration(like 10 min) and deep thought(over a Half and half Ice tea), I have decided to end my blogging career for now. I have a lot on my plate and no time to really give this blog the attention it needs.

ArtHouse is in the process of having a website, with opportunities for me to blog from that page.
I will still be following you and reading all your interesting posts...but for me...its Farewell....

My last offiicial post will be the announcement of my new website...Im so giddy about it, I cant wait to share!

Until Later Gators!
Happy Blogging!

Blessings,
Missy

Miscellany Musings Monday...by Missy

2010-08-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

In trying to do more with my blog, I am linking up with Carissa at Lowercase Letters on her Miscellany Mondays Link Up. Thanks Carissa..This helps us "clueless and less dedicated bloggers" some direction on things to do with their blogs!!

FIXING: I am so excited some of the changes that are going on with my house. My husband use to paint full time while he was going to school, and is a perfectionist when it comes to his walls...with that said, we have color in our once "Sterile-looking" home. We are not finished yet, as we keep thinking of more changes..that include..New floors, moving W/D upstairs..yay..no more underwear and Bras hanging around when unexpected company show up! New Pantry...HUGE!! New coffee nook...or water, or lemonade nook. Somewhere where I can drink and relax and look out my window to seee......

DEER!!

That I caught on my new 300mm lens. LOVE IT! I see these guys probably every day in my back yard, and My lens...Oh la la..I love her, but shes like my other kids...prime and kit. They all have a special place in my heart. They all stay in my new .....

RED BAG!!

Isnt she Purty?? Went to my good friends at Goodwill and they set me up with this sah-WEET bag...OK, not really, i just walked in and it was beckoning me from across the store. OK that wasn't true either, but saying I just ran into it and almost missed the darn thing, doesn't sound as exciting as the other statements...so just roll with me here...

My GW friends also found me these tealight candle holders.

Susie Homemaker, I am not...but I would have to think these are just adorable!!

The tealish color on the leaves and stem may have to disappear, but who knows what color Ill go with!

This was a good day at Goodwill, and if there was a fan club, I would be charter member and President, because of this beauty!

I ♥ old antique suitcases, and have been searching for them high and low...but the problem...the price is way to High, and nobody wants to go low!!!! Goodwill though, came through for me. For $2.99!!! So the search is on for the suitcases...Don't worry little guys..Ill make room for you in my home!!

You wanna see something else Ive been collecting???

I also ♥♥♥LOVE♥♥♥ Enamel Pins...the flower metal ones in particular...

wanna see?

I have 5 of them that I scored at an antique store near Greencastle, for $5 each!! The picture is not mine, I borrowed it at Flower Power Lots(thank you), but the yellow I have in Pink and the Green in Red. These baby's run any where between $25-30. The more detail they have, the more their worth...Hot Dog!!

Wow! This is longer than I had intended, but I promise its coming to an end...

I went to see my Radio Rockstar Sister, Marci and her new Hubs last weekend and had such a great time..If you're in the Chicago area..Check her out on 103.9!!!!

...I got to hang out with my nephew Rowdy...

This is him fishing with his daddy...yes that is a life jacket..you know..safety first.

My kid lost her first tooth while we were there! She made bank with the Tooth Fairy(she has aunts that like to spoil).

Played a rousing game of Chinese Checkers, and Euchre(which I rock at)...

and had an amazing meal by my brother in law...

sigh...I love my family.

I also wanted to share this sweet gift my sister made for my other sister and I(shes super crafty!).

They are record bowls...I KNOW...HOW COOL ARE THEY. sorry..it still has crumbs from my chex mix!

She is always making things for us and this is probably my favorite.

They are super easy to make.

I'm sure if you Google it, you can find directions on how to make it.

Props to Marci..I love it.

And lastly, July was the month for storms...
The last one we had was UGLY...
These pictures are without one single edit...Look at those clouds...YIKES!
I love a good storm.

Blessings!

Missy

2010-08-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

AUGUST IS HERE YA'LL!

Did you hear me?

AUGUST...

The 8th month of the year,

is HERE!!!!!!

It is wild how quickly August got here,

And here's the scary news...

Its only 4.5 months away from Christmas(give or take)!!!

But, I dont get stressed out about Christmas.

In January, I sit down with my calendar and write out all the bdays that I do gifts for, then I make my list of things I am going to buy and Wha-lah...Its done. Now the hard part is wanting to buy more than originally planned...or even better, rewarding myself for such a good job on shopping for good deals! So, Ive been picking things up here and there, that I noticed that have been on sale, to get a good start on Christmas.

SOoo, I went MIA on ya for a while. Its crazy how quickly the days go during the summer, but it has been so good to spend it with friends and family. I figured the blog would be here when I got back.

One of the few favorite activities we got to do this summer,

was to go on a Bday shopping trip for my daughters BFF.

It was so much fun, and of course, my shopping buddy and I got to do a little shopping in Goodwill and Archiver's.

(***SIDENOTE)So...Going to Goodwill, is so much fun...if you need to waste a good couple of hours, go in! I guarantee you will do just that, and will come out with ALL KINDS OF GOODIES! Im sure I walked away with lots and lots of things I needed HEHE! And don't get me started on Archivers. I swear there's something in the air there that makes you want to pick up your scrap tools and start crafting..or it could be all the great things they sell!

We started the Bday shopping adventures at the Mall and stopped at whatever stores she wanted to go in...

Then the girls made their way to Borders for their favorite drinks!

After all that shopping, we went to a super cute Cupcake Bakery store decked out in all things nostalgic. It was a little difficult shelling out the cash for the cupcakes, when I know I could make them soo much cheaper(not as fabulous as Flying Cupcake. but they would still be edible, and full of yumminess), but it was all about the day and celebrating someone special!

my lil punk..the look I get when she's up to something...hmm

So that was one of many events we did this summer...

Ill be posting more soon, so don't go far!!

Blessings, Missy

FFF and needing your bright ideas...

2010-07-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends...
Just to let you know, im on editing overload, and basically life overload.

The summer has really kept us on our feet(mind you, I did not say busy, there is actually a difference, to me at least).
So today, Friday, I decided to take a break from FAB FOTO FRIDAY. It was just going to be until next week, but I think I will give it until next month. I have a lot of things to prepare for, and places to go, and really need to focus more on not being on the computer as much. Ill check in from time to time, but for right now, FFF will be on hold. FFF is a good thing and I think it will generate some great networking(thanks for those who have been on board). So keep on the look out for FFF to start up again!

On another note, I am really working towards branding myself and figuring out "what is Arthouse Photography".
Along those lines, Im thinking of graphics and such.

Soo with that said...

What comes to mind when you think of ARTHOUSE?

Pleasee...pretty please...Share your thoughts, your ideas, your opinions, your lunch, your chocolate...whatever comes to mind(seriously, I could use some chocolate)

Thankkkk youuuuuu,
You guys are awesome!

Oh! If I incorporate your idea/opinions/thoughts somehow...Ill send you a thank you gift from me...
Blessings,
Missy♥

at the dunes last year..hope we can go back

FAB FOTO FRIDAY: ALL THINGS THRIFTY

2010-07-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

ITS FRIDAY (doing the happy dance!!)

Which calls for

FAB FOTOOOO FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My featured Fab Foto is from a site I found this week, that IM IN LOVE WITH!!!

Introducing...drum roll pleasssse....

This chica know her stuff and it shows...

This is from her FEATURE FRIDAY POST

on July 2nd.

She featured Lisa Danielson on her idea for the high chair.

I am always on the lookout for props to liven up my foto ops..

Just in recent weeks, I have had calls for photographing some little ones...mostly girls...so when I saw this..I knew...The hunt was on!

I'm looking for one of these...

(photos from All Things Thrifty)

To turn into one of these...

I love what a little paint will do!!

I love it and I know you'll love the other great ideas she posts on the site.

I have actually sat down with my hubby to decide which project we are going to tackle first!!

So whats your Fab Foto that you want to share with the world??

Link Up and SHARE!!!

Blessings,

Missy

Bump

2010-07-08T01:23:00.000-07:00

You may disagree, but this is gorgeous.
Nothing more beautiful than a bump.

Miscellany Monday...Weekend Fun

2010-07-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

I decided to jump on the band wagon and join Carissa's

Miscellany Monday.

A good friend of mine joined and I enjoy reading about the regular things in life that she seems to enjoy. Plus...it seemed like fun and my personal favorite...SIMPLE, so why the heck not!!

So enjoy my Miscellany Monday...FUN WEEKEND REPORT!!

Friday

sleeping in till 9am

beautiful blue morning skies

making blueberry buckle

having lunch with my sister-friend Kathy at Camilles(love that place!)

Spending the afternoon shopping with my youngest daughter

going on a bike ride with my family

steaks on the grill

watching DVR episodes Burn Notice with my stud

Saturday

Sleeping late...again

Taking lunch to the crew who moved in my mom's new home(her's burned down a year ago)

Taking the girls to Greencastle to meet up with their cousin and spend the night with

Noticing a sign that said 25% off everything in the antique store

Purchased 4 metal flower hat pins for a whale of a deal(will show off later)

Buying a gorgeous dress and thrilled that I can tell I've lost some weight

Spending a quiet evening at home with the hubby

Sunday

Go to church

Practice with Praise Team

Headed to Indy after church

Met the family at BD's Mongolian Grill

Went to Frankfort for a picnic and Fireworks

Caught up with sweet friends

enjoyed the fireworks

Attempted to light myself on fire with the citranella candle

THAT DID NOT KEEP THE MOSQUITOS AT BAY...

Mosquitoes declared war on me

Headed home scratching from head to toe

Got pulled over for going to slow

Watched School of Rock before going to bed.

Love my life...

Blessings,

Missy

Cabbage Crunch Salad: Tempt Us Tuesday...err...on Friday!

2010-07-02T08:37:00.001-07:00

YEA YEA I know...I'm late, but those who know me, know that's no big surprise!

So Because I'm running late for a late lunch(shocker!), I'm going to do a quick recipe throw down...

This comes from my good friend, Sue Gray. AWESOME COOK!

I'm not a fan of cabbage, but I could eat a whole bowl of this! Great for the 4th of July Cookouts!

Photo credit: google free images

Cabbage Crunch Salad

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

½ cup slivered almonds

1 bag shredded cabbage (small)

2 green onions chopped

1 package Chicken Sesame flavored Top Raman Noodles

Bake sesame seeds and almonds at 350˚ until golden brown (watch closely). This can be done ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Combine cabbage, onion, noodles (raw and broken up), and almond/sesame mixture. Just before serving mix in desired amount of dressing.

2 Tbsp sugar

½ cup salad oil

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Both packets from the Raman Noodles

Mix all dressing ingredients in a jar, shake to mix.

*I sometimes make a meal with this by adding more veggies and chopped chicken... Its also good in a pita!

Enjoy!!

FAB FOTO FRIDAY: Feet

2010-07-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

So this weeks FFF is from yours truly. While they girls were enjoying playing outside, I grabbed my camera and started shooting. We have an old Bronco that has been sitting for years and will be our project when we have nothing else to work on(so translation: it will never get fixed!) but what an awesome prop for pictures..and many agreed!

My FFF is simply of feet. I love taking pictures of feet, or shoes..I have no idea why, but I like it...a lot. There's something earthy and pure about feet..it shows a lot about a person. Where they are going, what they are doing. The bible even speaks about feet...

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Ps 119:105

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.
2Sam 22:34

and my personal favorite

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
Is 52:7

What are your feet up to these days??

Link up, and show off your FFF, and give me a holler!

Celebrate your Freedom!

Happy Independence Day

my friends...

Blessings,

Missy

FAB FOTO FRIDAY

2010-06-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

This weeks F. F. F. is from the blog:

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Ethiopia

The stories of my life.

I would like you to meet Jennifer Harris and introduce you to her stories and adventures with her family and how their Faith has been tested and rewarded.

She and her husband are also known as a Safe Family which means that

they take in children on a temporary basis while the family is struggling for whatever reason.

I thoroughly love reading how God has blessed her and husband

with their beautiful children. You will cry with her and you will rejoice with her.

I guarantee you will fall in love with her writing. I enjoy reading blogs where the writer really engages you and makes you feel what they are feeling.

Jennifer does just that.

I chose this Foto simply because it represents her life.

I encourage you to read and become a follower of her blog.

If you go here, you can read how their adventures began as their home of 3 children, became 5!

photo courtesy of Harris Family

Oh! By the way...Jen and I are Former Frankfort Hot Dogs..If you were were wondering the connection!!

Thank you to those who linked up with me last week..I've gotten a couple of comments from others who love the idea. Its kind of a pay it forward type of Linkup...I follow so many great blogs that I just want to get the word out to you!!! Remember, feature a picture that you took or from a friends blog and why you liked it, or talk about your friend's blog..They appreciate it..I promise you!!! Here's last weeks F.F.F, just in case you missed it.

Okkkk...LINK UP!!

FAB FOTO FRIDAY

2010-06-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

Here it is fellow bloggers...
If you need more info on what FFF is all about, Click here and be informed.
. Here are some simple guidelines:

It does not have to be your own foto, nor does it have to be a photography-type picture.
You can feature a new piece of jewelry, recipe or craft that you or some else did.
It also does not need to be anything recent. The point is to bring attention to your blog or even someone else's that you follow. Please make sure if you are featuring someone other than yourself, that you send a link to that persons blog.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ASKED PERMISSION, BEFORE YOU POST SOMEONE ELSE"S FOTO!!
Give Credit where Credit is due!!!!

So here is my FFF for this week.

This Fab Foto is from my dear friend, Havilah and her blog,

Handful of Quietness

She shares stories of their family and raising 5 children. It is the most beautifully written I have ever read. I either leave tear-stained from being moved, my side hurting from laughing so hard, or encouraged because she is constantly reminding me of how Great is the God we serve.

Thank you Havilah dear for privileged of sharing your blog.

Check her out, and tell her Missy sent ya!!

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend!!

Missy

43 looks good on ya!

2010-06-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

My darlin hubs turned the big 43 yesterday, and I didn't get a chance to post it!!

Our internet was down and then this massive storm tore through our town, so by the time I could get on the computer, it was time to sleepy-sleep...

Better late than never though!!

So here's my hubs, he hates his pictures taken, which i don't know why, he's such hunk(yes i really did say hunk..I was going to say hunka hunka burning love, but I figured that was probably TMI...so i left it at Hunk...you're welcome)!!

Here's my hubby's life in pictures...OK, well not his full life, but a very brief look into his life...

Rob is sitting in between his 2 sisters, Im guessing he's about 3 or 4 here.

Another one with his sisters at Brown County..One of our fav places to relax and have fun!

Rob was known in HS for his running...This was his team picture his Senior Year...Ahh The 80's!

Rob is located top right corner with the mop top

Our happiest day ever!

Daddy for the first time!

and again for the second time...

Taking the girls to their first Football game(Purdue, of course!)

His proudest accomplishement:

His Family

Happy Bday Babe...I LOVE YOU

YUM YUM TEMPT OUR TUMS TUESDAY!

2010-06-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

Yep, Its Tuesday, and time for another recipe by yours truly...

Link up here at BruCrew Life to get your favorite recipe posted and get a few from other fellow linkers...

This weeks recipe is one of my favorites and the easiest. I made this dish for a luncheon at my work and got rave reviews...I had people calling me for weeks later to ask for the recipe! Little did they know how super simple this recipe really is!!

Chicken Bruschetta

recipe/picture compliments to Kraft foods

What you need!

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1-1/4 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken or Cornbread
8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lb.)
1/3 cup KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing(regular Italian is fine too)

Make It!
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

MIX tomatoes, 1/2 cup cheese and basil in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.
PLACE 2 chicken breasts in freezer-weight resealable plastic bag; pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove from bag; place, top-sides down, on cutting board. Repeat. Spread chicken with stuffing mixture.

ROLL chicken breasts up; place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with dressing. Bake 40 min. or until chicken is done (165°F). Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted.
Serve with Garlic Bread. Great with Pasta and/or Salad.

Variation

For a south-of-the-border-style chicken dish, use diced tomatoes with bell or jalapeno peppers, KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Cheese instead of the mozzarella cheese and chopped cilantro instead of the basil.

WHA-LAA!
Simple ingredients, Super results!

Blessings,
Missy

Marker 158 and Clutts Family

2010-06-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

So here are 2 of the 4 sessions I had in May.

Marker 158 is sooo great! Each of these guys have 20-30 years of music experience, and their sound really speaks for that experience. What makes this very special to me, is that each of these guys have been involved in my life, one way or another.
Meet Mike Hall, Steve Anderson, and Jeff Chynoweth. The guys were looking for photos for promotional use and for their CD. Want to hear them? Check them out at the Taste of Tippecanoe on June19th!

My other session I just finished is of a dear family and friends from our church and small group.

Meet Craig, Alicia, CT and Bella Clutts.

They recently moved to Corpus Christi TX and I miss them soo much! But I am so glad I was able to spend some time with them getting these fun and gorgeous pictures! Don't you just love the colors and their so cute boots!! Love it!!

Thank you Friends!

Blessings,

Missy

Free Free,..Im Free At Last!!!

2010-06-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

Yes you read that right bloggers,

I am no longer employed by Angie's List.

By choice.

If some of you remember the beginning of the year, I picked one word to describe 2010. That word was:

FLY.

Taking my cue from that particular word,

I decided to put all my concentration into getting my photog biz really "flying".

I have really learned a thing or two(or, three. or well. alot) about running a business and being someone who delivers a service.

It is such an exciting, but pretty big thing that

I'm doing in such a competitive market. But I have had confirmation, after confirmation that I'm in this for a reason. I have been able to use my photography for so much more than a business opportunity, and I have to believe that God has bigger plans for this business than I could ever imagine.

With that said, I have had such a busy May, that Im behind on editiing 4 sessions!!

I just finished 2 this week, so Ill post my work soon.

Along with having more time for the biz, I'm also able to visit Blogland a lot more!!

I know...I hardly contain myself.

Peace out.

Missy

Can anybody else relate?

2010-06-12T04:17:00.000-07:00

I decide to wash my car. As I start toward to the garage, I notice
that there is mail on the hall table. I decide to go through the
mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the trash
can under the table, and notice that the trash can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the
trash first, but then I think that since I’m going to be near the
mailbox when I take out the trash anyway, I may as well pay the bills
first.

I take my checkbook off the table and see that there is only one check
left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, o I go to my
desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking. I’m going
to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I
don’t accidentally knock it over.

I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the
refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the
counter catches my eye–they need to be watered.

I set the Coke down on the counter and I discover my glasses that I’ve been searching for all morning.

I decide I’d better put them back on my desk, but first I’m going to
water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water,
and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight, when we go to watch TV, we will be looking for
the remote, but nobody will remember that it’s on the kitchen table, so
I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I’ll
water the flowers.

I poured some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up
the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day; the car isn’t washed, the bills aren’t paid,
there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, the flowers aren’t
watered, there is still only one check in my checkbook,

I can’t find the remote, I can’t find my glasses, and I don’t remember
what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I’m really
baffled because I know I was busy all day long and I’m really tired. I
realize this is a serious problem, and I’ll try to get some help for it,
but first I’ll check my e-mail.

HAHA! Have a great weekend!!

Blessings,

Missy

FAB FOTO FRIDAY

2010-06-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

I love good pictures. I love sharing good pictures with other people. Thus begins my

FAB FOTO FRIDAYS.

This week will only feature me, but starting next week, Ill get Mr. Linky on here and you can share your own favorites. It can be yours or maybe someone elses (just make sure you OK it with them!!!)

It can be silly, funny, serious, ridiculous, old, new...you get the point.

Just share what inspired you to shoot it or why you chose the picture for FFF

on your own blog. If you dont mind... Send a shout out back to me, so we can really get this moving throughout your own followers...

Can't wait to see your Fab Fotos!!!

Here is mine...

Photo taken by Randy Pillion

This is Marci and Will McClamroch.

My sister and new BIL.

What an incredibly beautiful wedding.

My sister is fabulously talented and chocked full of ideas

that made for such a fun day

Link up with me next week and invite your friends!!!

Blessings,

Missy

The Wedding Par-Tay...

2010-06-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

I would just like to say, that I cannot be held in knowledge of the actions depicted in this picture...with that said, this group was sooo fun to be a part of a wedding with. Marci and Will(my sis and her new hubs) set up a photo-op area with all kinds of props..what an awesome idea. I do believe if I do weddings, I may incorporate this little idea into my packages!

Tempt Us Tuesdays...Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

2010-06-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

One of my friends is hosting an opportunity to "link up" for some tasty recipes. Check it out here for some delish recipes to add to your summer menus!

Here's a recipe I tried a couple of weeks ago that was incredibly easy. I used to steer away from making cheesecakes, but this is my second successful cake, so much to my husbands delight, I will be making more!

Here is my version of Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 pkg. brownie mix(use the brownie mixture for a 8x8 or 9x9 pan)
4 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs
2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted, cooled slightly**

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray with cooking spray 9" spring-form pan. Prepare brownie batter as directed on package; pour into prepared pan.
Bake 15 minutes or until top of brownie is shiny and center is almost set. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.
Pour over partially baked brownie batter in pan.
Bake 45 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool.
Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Lift from pan using foil handles. **Drizzle with chocolate; let stand until chocolate is firm.
** I used Reeses PB cups for my topping, but you can use whatever you like!

Recipe compliments of recipezaar.

Enjoy, and let me know how it turns out!

Back to the grind...

2010-05-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

So many good things to write about, and not enough time...

So ill just list them....

1. My hubby went back to work. What a relief, b/c I was getting a little anxious about it. I really do trust that God had a plan..but I'm always the last to know..lol

2. Going back to work, means routine, routine...wait for it....ROUTINE. Oh how I have missed you!!!

But while the hubs was home, he pretty much did everything for me except the bathrooms and putting laundry away. MY Herooo...

3.While he is going back to work, I have decided to quit mine. I really didn't want to, but for the sake of my sanity and grumpiness, it had to be done. I'm so very excited b/c I can finally concentrate on ARTHOUSE, and get this bad boy off the ground and make it bigger and better. I know there's potential.

4.I also excited about taking a few online courses for Photoshop and graphics. Becoming better than the best is my goal...Knowledge and training is going to get me there.

5. I am in the process of opening another buisness... like a boutique, but it will not be an etsy shop. Ill post my new venture for you soon...You may find some great goodies here, so look out for it!

Cant have a post without a picture...So enjoy!! I love the cat..do you see him??

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!!

My 2 Reasons...

2010-05-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

I get to celebrate today...

Happy Mothers Day!!

From Lilly...

2010-05-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

To the hand who feeds me aka The Roeds...

I hope you have enjoyed your R and R...The least you could have done was send me to a doggie spa, since we are celebrating occasions. Thats ok. Ill forgive you.

This place you left me at is a cross between redneckville, and a safari. There are things flying around..ALL THE TIME... and theres trees and bushes and grass for miles and miles. If I want to pee in the neighbors yard..or take a load off...they dont get mad...they just tell me to keep it out in the grassy area.

The people here are friendly. They have this dog...name Herby...You know, the one you were so excited for me to play with...Yeah, well, did they tell you that he likes his space, I mean, REALLY likes his space. I tried playing catch with him and as soon as I went picking up the ball, he came charging after me...You would have thought I took his food...(which I only did once, since Mr. grumpy pants doesn't like to share).

Then there's this cat. Seriously, Miss kitty, you don't rule the world...You might think you do, but there's always a bigger kitty around the corner..

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I miss you.
I miss our long walks, and chewing on your favorite boot, eating pie, and...

SQUIRREL! Sorry...They are EVERY WHERE OUT HERE! Man I love chasing those things!

Oh, and I made a new friend. She has bathed me, fed me, played catch and scolded me , when I didnt do what she said...

I think I almost pulled her arm out of her socket, but its all good. She said she had another arm, so we're even.

I like her though. She's pretty tough for being small.

So my Roed family...

I wait patiently for you to return and cuddle with me once again♥♥♥

Laughner Family

2010-05-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest pleasures is reconnecting with friends from my old hometown, Frankfort, or as the locals call it..."Frantucky".
Mitch and Brenda Laughner were high school sweethearts and what a gorgeous couple! Blond hair, blue eyes..you know, the all-American couple. Fast forward 15 years and 2 gorgeous kids later, they are as sweet on each other as they were in High School(and still looking great!).
We almost had to reschedule this shoot, but the rain held off long enough to get some special shots. Mitch works for the Frankfort Fire Dept, and Brenda had a brilliant idea of using the firetruck and station for a 3-generation shot with Mitch, his son and Mitch's dad, Bob. It was a short window of time, but I think I was able to capture some great shots of the family!

(I apologize if these are looking distorted, It must be Blogger)

Three Generations of Laughner Firemen

Before....

After... still in love...

and 2 beautiful kids!

Thank you Mitch, Brenda, Mattie, and Lane..Looking forward to this Fall!

White Flag Alert!

2010-05-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

Posted cool idea from Bakerella.

Got adventurous and sent husband out to get chocolate and balloons.

Planned a fun filled day with my girls and used our craft into math assignment(us Homeschool moms like to multitask)

Started fun filled day by blowing up these insanely small water balloons(seriously, about busted a lung!)

About shot my youngest when she brought a "balloon blower upper" after my 12th balloon...

Finished blowing up 24 balloons.

Took a break to get some oxygen.

Melted chocolate.

Sprayed balloons with nonstick spray(yes i washed them first!)

Made our platforms for the balloons...so far so good

Started dipping balloons...again...so far so good.

Placed balloons on platter.

12 successfully dipped chocolate balloons...uhhh...

Pop, Pop.POP POP POP...

Yep, 12 busted up chocolate balloons that exploded chocalate on me, the girls, the walls, floors and chairs...

Took deep breath, and thought twice about saying or thinking what I wanted to say at that point.

Cleaning mess, scrubbing chairs, searches for the tried and true brownie mix....

Raising white flag...

Gotta Try it...

2010-05-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, so if you haven't heard of her,

you're gonna thank me when you do.

Have you heard of Bakerella?

O ME O MY! She's da dessert DIVA!

I literally sit there on her blog, daydreaming of the day that I can make all these delectables, without every worrying what its doing to my hips! Well, my girls and I are going to try a fun treat today.

They are called Pudding Cups..Only we're going to do our own variation of them...I have yet to know what that is, but don't worry, we'll post pictures!

Check out the fun here at her site Bakerella.

Try them out and let me know how you mixed it up...Post pics!!

Be blessed!

Missy

My favorite...

2010-04-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I forgot to post this picture, but it probably one of my fav's from this last session I did with the Brovont's. This is their youngest daughter, Grace. She is such a pistol, but you gotta love the way her eyes are speaking to me...or you. Makes me wanna photog kids all the time.♥♥♥

Sneak Peak

2010-04-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

I dont have time to post separate posts, so i hope you dont mind that I posted these together.

The boys are my nephews...This was hands down the hardest session I have ever done. I wore flats, when i should have worn my Asics, and my workout stuff...No worry's about hitting the gym that day...They wore me out!

Soo introducing Gideon, Silas, and Oliver:

My next family are the Brovonts. Meet Joel, Cara, Macie, Amie, and Grace.

Such a great family and goofy too, but in a great way. It made for some wonderful pictures! Thanks Brovonts!

Thanks Osborns and Brovonts!

Guitar Pickin and Pluggin...

2010-04-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

So I want to do a little shameless plug

for my husband.

This is him playing a bass, He prefers his Gibson...isn't the sky glorious in this picture!?

He joined the blog world with my prompting and started a site about his favorite pastime...

Music.

My husband is a gifted self taught guitarist, and in my opinion, one of the best(I may be a little biased).

He began when he was 15. He doesn't play because has to. He plays because he wants to. He plays because its so much a part of who he is.

With the weather getting so nice, my favorite thing for our family to do, is open all the windows and listen to my husband play along with his favorite guitarist! Yes, it gets pretty loud at our house on some days!!

Rob and Cam Jamming together

Anyway, Rob(the mr.) doesn't do anything halfway. no sirree. Its the whole enchilada!

When he knows something, he knows it inside out, upside down, where it started, where it could end, and so on and so forth. A lot of you that know him, can testify to that fact.

That's why I encouraged him to build a blog about all his knowledge on music. Its for the curious, the beginners, the apprentice, the teacher..whomever wants to increase their knowledge and just enjoy learning more about their craft.

He started out with beginner topics, but will soon expand to other things and he takes requests.

So here's the deal...Most, if not all my readers, are probably not going to be interested in joining his Blog...that's OK. But you know someone who is, and loves to talk music, guitars, the techy stuff...

This blog is for them.

CROSSROADS GUITAR WORKS

If you join his blog or send someone there to join, leave me a note here or on his blog to let me know.

We may feel a little generous and do a little giveway for helping us out!!!

(does this sound a little desperate...maybe, but I'm not to proud to beg..lol)

Hasta Luego!!

The night is still young...unfortunately, I'm not anymore...

2010-04-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

I'm tired. Sooo tired.

The last couple of nights, I haven't hit

the sack until 3 or 4 AM.

Is this normal for me?

yes

Am I to old for this crap?

Most definitely

I live for the nights though.

Quiet.

Still.

no kids.

(they're all snug as a bug in bed)

No husband.

(He's either in his chair sleeping in front of something no doubt on Fox news or the History channel)

So its just me.

With the many things I should be doing:

Grading papers(I homeschool my 2 girls).

Paying Bills(thats just depressing).

Making my to do list for the next day(or later that day if its after midnight)

Reading the backlog of magazines I got for Cmas (yes, gift of the season, I got 8...count em..

8 subscriptions to magazines...and not one of them was what i really wanted!

Stick to the list people, and nobody gets hurt).

Editing pictures(neverending process).

Work(I also have a part time job I do from home).

Yes...all things I should be doing, but instead, you will probably find me reading your blogs, or shopping on Ebay, or playing euchre on Pogo or Facebook. My new thing is shopping on Etsy. yes, I tried avoiding it as long as I could, but Im looking for a camera sling bag and there are some CUTE CUTE stuff on Etsy.

So do you want to hear the best news of all this week.....

My husband got called back to CAT!

Can you say ~~shopping~~...SAVING money! Lol who am I kidding??...I am going to celebrate!

So yes, Im going to shop. My wish-list has grown so much while Rob was laid off...

You just cant do that to me!!!

Goodwill has been calling out for me. I hear ya Willy!! Mommas coming home...lol!!!

So I have 2 sessions that I cannot wait to share with you. One is of my darling ~~pistols~~ nephews and the other is a sweet family that definitely make what I do, so much fun!!!

Have a wonderful weekend, sweet friends!

Hip Hop and we dont stop...

2010-04-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

I knew when we built our home, that I was not losing my mind for installing a lot of windows. As I'm typing, I am enjoying the breeze(yet sometimes swift today) and the view of green grass, new buds on trees and fresh blooms right from my office window. How the little things become big blessings!

Easter for our family was gorgeous. We went to our church for one of the best messages I have heard from our pastor, and trust me, he has a lot of good ones that I have heard! Between the all the Pastors who serve and the people who are there, Cornerstone is one of the best church's I have ever been too. I love the people who are there and who have become like family to me. Most of my best friends have come from this church, and our pastor is one of the best. We are so blessed to be a part of a solid ministry.

After Church we had our traditional Easter Egg hunt at my in-laws and then lunch! Yummy yummy Lunch! Before we headed home, the girls were able to see the new chicks their Grandpa got. Such cuties and awesome pictures for the holiday! I came home afterwards, and made a quick fruit pizza and then headed off to see my family. Again, lots of good, good food and fun with family.

Needless to say, we were full and exhausted. And full of Chocolate...Oh my, the supply of chocolate is unbelievable and we didn't buy any this year!!. I'm only complaining, because chocolate makes me literally weak at the knees...I can't say no!! So I'm trying to get creative with it...Any suggestions?? The quicker it goes, the less I have it around, so maybe there's a recipe I can throw it in...hmmm(as I unwrap yet another Reesee PB cup).

Happy Spring Friends!!!

Carter Family

2010-03-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

What a treat!

This family was the winner of the Family Christmas Giveaway, But the treat was being able to catch up with an old friend from my Jr High and High School years. It was so good to shoot someone who knows the old days of being a Hot Dog. (yes that was our mascot). His family is oh so sweet and his boys..oh my, such handsome cuties(can I put handsome and cute side by side??)

Meet John, Robin, Chris, Zachary, and Korbin Carter. Robin requested that we go to Happy Hollow, so that was our first stop. We had to break this day up because of the weather, but we'll be doing some barn and train depot pictures later on.

Thank you Carter Family! I hope you like what was captured so far...Looking forward to our next session!

Robin...the pic above has the color that may match what you have in your pictures at home...Let me know what you think...

You have ONE hour!

2010-03-09T19:12:00.000-08:00

That is a direct quote of my lovely sister who was my model on Saturday evening. She hates getting her pictures done! I just don't get it. If i was as beautiful as she is, I would have a camera hooked around my neck to get every good angle... (that may be vein, but dang it, some people get all the luck!). This is my sweet sister Michelle. She is intelligent, witty, dedicated, strong-willed and has the ability to sell ketchup popsicles to a woman in white gloves...which that quote came from one of our favorite movies that we like to quote...Any of you know which one?? She also has the ability to kick anybody's butt...seriously, she is freakishly strong...Could be because she works out for 2 hours each morning...
anyway, this is our 1 HOUR session.

FYI...I know that the picture of Casi can be blown up as a poster...(inside joke)!!

Mitchell

2010-03-09T18:13:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday, I had the privileged to meet and photograph Mitchell Burkhalter and his mom, Linda. We almost had to cancel, but the rain let up long enough for us to get some great shots.

What I am posting here is just a teaser. I cant wait to show them the best of the best!!!

What a super sweet guy and his mom was great to talk to...Not to mention, a huge Purdue fan...

GO BOILERS!

Congratulations Mitchell and best wishes to you and your future!

My personal favorite from this bunch!

My Drug...

2010-03-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

I love my new drug.
My husband loves that I love my new drug!
I do it every day and give myself a break on the weekends.
It makes me sweat and stink, but what a feeling!
If I knew this drug was so good, I would have been doing this a LONG TIME AGO!
Maybe you heard of it? Its called EXERCISE.

Ok, so that was a little goofy, but it has seriously changed my life. For the better.

(Me in 1992)

In high school, I was in the best shape I could ever be in. I worked out every day, and ran. So after graduation, it all went downhill. Full time jobs and School took over whatever time and energy I had and basically everything I worked so hard for went down the drain. I was 135 in HS and presently, no where near that.
That's ok though. I value what I do now. Just turning 36 has made me think of my future. I don't want to be 40 and think..I shoulda, coulda, woulda. I want to know that my 40's will be what my 30's should have been.

So I have had some of my friends ask what I do when I workout.
I used to go to do weights and nautilus and the treadmill, but I have come to really hate doing that. I don't mind doing some cardio, but my preference since I started last September has been taking some of the classes they offer. I usually prefer working out by myself. But I started going and I LOVE IT! I love that we have fun and enjoy each other, and there's an accountability within the women in the classes.

So I started out with Bodyshop. Its a mixture of ball, weight and bands with a heavy dose of Abs. The instructor is so great! It really does make a difference who is teaching the class.

The week of TGiving, I started Body Pump...LOVE IT. It works you good. Within 2 weeks, I noticed my arms, legs and butt changing. But, I had to back off because I hurt myself. So, ill be back by April and I cannot wait!

Mid December I started Zumba. This class is A MA ZING. First, I love to dance. In fact, before this class, I was looking for dance classes to take b/e you always hear how much people lose weight when they start moving. Well, its true. I hate cardio, so if I have to get my cardio in my dancing, then I'm all over that! Oh, and the best part...we dance in the dark with dance lights. Makes for a dance club kind of feeling.
The chic in the video is a little extreme, but the moves are exactly what we do and seriously, its hard not to really get into it.

The newest class Im going to try is Yoga..Or Inner Peace as they call it at the Y. Im not sure if I'll like it. I've heard other ladies that take it, just rave about it. I guess its worth trying once.

I strongly encourage you to try these classes if they offer them at your YMCA. I also suggest giving it a couple of weeks before you decide if you will like it or not. Let me know if you've tried it and how it went!

♥Missy

Nolan

2010-02-22T00:02:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled when Liz gave me a call wanting Nolan's 3 month pictures.

I have only done one baby, but I love a challenge!

Well, this was no challenge at all.

In fact, this was so much fun that I'm looking for more babies to practice on!

This little guy had a rough start when he came into this crazy world, but as you can see,

he is quite healthy and doing great.

Here's a small preview of what was captured that day.

Thank you...Thank you very much

2010-02-20T19:59:00.000-08:00

Wow, It is Feb 2oth! I can't believe how fast this month is going. I'm ok with it though, b/c March will be here and you know what that means...SPRING! Oh Spring, You cannot come soon enough.
Is it me, or has this been the longest winter ever!? I really try not to complain, but seriously... ENOUGH of the snow already!

I'm done ranting about the weather..on to February. Well, if you read my past posts(ill forgive you if you haven't), you'll see that I celebrated my 36th birthday on the 5th. I love celebrating birthdays, especially my own! Because of the lay-off, we decided to hold off on the celebrating(and by celebrating, i mean buying stuff!) So it is especially quite a blessing when special people in your life make it special.
So here is my BDAY THANK YOU LIST:
1. My mom for the bday cash! With that, we were able to eat at O'Charleys. It was really good, and quite the treat!
2. My Mom in law and other extended in laws for my Yankee Candle, Ice Cream Cake, and gift card(buying camera stuff with that!)
3. My sweet sisters, Marci and Shelly, got me new UGs to wear in the house(they are soo comfy!) and my new " I dropped a another size" jeans!
4.My Sweet cousin, Sharon, who lives in Portland, mailed me a cake...Yes a small cake through the mail!!!
It came intact and it was DELICIOUS! Check out her blog " Keller's Frosted Cakes"
She is an amazing cake decorator. I love that this kind of talent runs in our family! She has a definite gift!

5. My friend Jocelyn always knows how to make me happy on my day of days. She makes these delectable goodies that are quite sinful. I had to make a visit to the Y confessional and tell the Workout priest how badly I sinned! You would too if you would have eaten these:

Glazed Toffee Bon Bons...Go here for the delicious recipe

Her gift didn't stop there!

It just so happen that she started her Etsy store, the Trendy Owl making flower jewelry and accessories.

Along with sweets, I also got one of her necklaces that she created called Flower and Beads.

I love it and since I love wearing black, it will go with most everything I wear!

For more info about Jocelyn, check out her blog!

6.Another one of my gifts is from my friend Kelly. The only thing is...I dont have it yet. In fact, im not sure if I will get it. Ever since I saw it, I told her that I wanted it. But I kinda spoiled it and now I've ruined the moment. See, she crochets scarves and does a fantabulous job. Well, she made a purple one, and honestly, I'm in love! I love scarves! Im not talking about the ones that EVERYBODY HAS...yes including me. The fuzzy, "I can't believe i can only wear these during the winter" kind of scarf.

Anyway...check it out here...Does it not look great on her...

Im hoping I get the same effect...IF i get one(hehe).

oh, by the way, Mrs. R, I would love to get *CROQUET lessons..LoL (*inside joke)

7.Have you seen my Facebook wall on Feb. 5? No joke, I had to have over 100 Bday wishes. Nothing says loving like having your FBook friends shower you with blessings! Thank you...MUAH!

8.Thank you to my beautiful baby girls! They made me AT LEAST 20 cards for me.

Valentines 2010

9.My last Thank You, goes to my sweet sweet man. Even though, we couldn't afford to buy anything, he does my dishes, does the laundry, take out the trash, vacuums, and watches the girls while I workout in the AM/PM...ALL without asking. He loves me...He really loves me. Don't worry though, as soon as he gets hired on somewhere and we get caught up...can someone say...PRESENT!!! I cant help it...i've always been a gifty kind of girl ; )

Blessings!

♥Missy

Out with the Old...

2010-02-20T07:13:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm changing it up again!
Sorry I haven't been around to check out everyone's blog but its been pure craziness around here!

I have some great things to share, but I just have to find a few minutes to catch my breath and slow my mind down to do it.

Hope everyone is having a super weekend!

This is Herby. Tried to get a decent picture, but the dumb dog wouldn't sit still. So I had a stick behind my back and camera in the other. This is him anxiously waiting for me to throw...Good thing he's a good boy!!

Blessings! Missy

I ♥...

2010-02-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

With Valentine's Day on its way, I thought I would get a head start on doing something for the big V(and I don't mean disease).

When we were dating, my husband and I used to go all out for the day of days. It was nice, but I was reading a book about famous love letters and I began to look at this day the way

President Reagan did with this wife...

"Feb.14 may be the date they observe and call Valentine's Day,

but that is for people of only ordinary luck.

I happen to have a Valentine's life, which started on March 4, 1952,

and will continue as long as I have you."

Gosh, that's just mushy.

But I love it, and decided that was my way of looking at Valentines Day.

Why have one day to go all out for your spouse or love one.

Shouldn't that be practiced everyday of our lives?

So I have listed some of the easiest ways to show someone I love you...

disclaimer: I'm going to assume my readers are woman

1.Flirt

2.Hug

3.Wink

4.Pinch their toosh

(OK, is that me?well i like it!)

5.Dance, even if you don't know how, a little mode music and swaying can go a long way

6.Write notes in the bathroom mirror(I love doing this!)

7.Lay down under the stars(no fire, no light, trust me...you'll make sparks on your own!)

8.Stare at your spouse from across the room at a public place...when you make eye contact, give him a look only he knows.

9.Appreciate him...TELL him you appreciate him.

10.Say it...I. Love.You.

Alright, so enough of the mush...Here is fun questionnaire about the loves of my life...

If I weren't a mom, I'd ♥ to be...

a contestant on Amazing Race! Being a mom rocks though...

When I want to blow off steam, I ♥ to...

WORKOUT. I love working out. Its such a boost and the benefits aren't bad either!

The trait I ♥ most in myself is...

Practicality. Translation: I like to keep it loose, let things roll off, not letting life or people get to me(to much)...

The cause I ♥ the most...

Right now, my heart is aching for Haiti and for countries like Haiti, so I support our church who frequently goes there, and I support our missionaries who also have followed the calling to serve and minister.

After I get great news, I ♥ calling...

My husband first, then my mom, then his mom, then my sisters..in that order!

Even thought some might consider them flaws, I've learned to ♥...

My ghetto booty. Yep. Once that baby gets in shape, its going to be Ghetto-FABALOUS.

When it comes to eating, I ♥ saying...

Just eat it. Just don't eat all of it.

When I'm on the internet, I ♥ checking out...

Facebook, Blogger, Ebay...in that order

When it comes to shows, I ♥ watching...

LOST, America's Next Top Models, America's Best Dance Crew,
World War II documentaries, Amazing Race.

I'd ♥ it if you didn't do this....

Get in my personal space...

I ♥ the way I feel...

when I have victory over a bad habit!

I ♥ my hair when its...

Long and curly and healthy

In 10 years, I would ♥ to be...

Planning our next 10 years, since we will be empty-nesters!

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-02-04T23:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, it may be strange that I'm making mention of my own birthday, but I LOVE BIRTHDAYS!!!!!!!!!!

Especially my own!

Not doing to much on the day of my bday, only b/c we usually wait until the Super Bowl to celebrate.

Usually the Super Bowl hits on or very near my bday, so we combine 2 huge occasions into one big celebration! And why not! I get millions showing up and cheering for me, I get an awesome halftime show... for me(Did you hear...It's the WHO! sweet!), and I get to watch all the crazy commercials...for me.

OK, so I maybe stretching it just a tad...

but nobody dares to tell me the truth, well because... its my bday, and ill hallucinate if I want to!

Sunday is a win win for me too!

My Colts are playing!!!

(photo by Manning18fan)

Against my Quarterback crush...DREW BREES!!
(its my husbands man crush too, so no worries)

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints / Image: Zuma Press

Yea for one of the best Quarterbacks Purdue has ever had!!!

But I'm sorry Drew, I have to root for my man Manning...I know you'll understand...

So to end this crazy birthday blog, I will bore you with more of my trip down nostalgia lane...

I don't get share these very often, so endure a little longer my friends..

Have a great weekend!!!! GO COLTS

Senior picture 1992

Current, Yea... im all kinds of sassy.

Chute Family

2010-02-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

I have the greatest friends in the world. Bar-none. I have several friends that no matter the distance or the length of time; you know you will always remain friends. That is what I have with this family. Meet Chad, Tammie, Michael, Christopher, and Caitlyn. I had the pleasure of getting to know this family as Chad was serving as our assistant pastor. They have since moved, but I have made the trip to see them a couple of times with another dear friend of mine. Tammie had mentioned that she wanted me to do her family pictures, but since then, some plans had changed, and it looked like it may not happen. Well, with this last trip, I almost left my camera at home, but something inside me said, "just take it, you know you'll regret it!" Wow, I'm glad I did. It was sooo cold, but we were able to get some very nice shots of the family.
Here's a couple to share with you!
Thank you Chutes...God has Huge plans for you!

You Scream, I scream...Someone just won some ICE CREAM!!!

2010-01-31T22:50:00.000-08:00

WE have a winner!

My friend Jamie from Loveyoulongtime.blogspot.com

is the winner of the ColdStone Creamery goodie card!!!

Her testimony about standing by her man while he battled cancer is amazing.

He is now cancer free and expecting their second child!

Her daughter Madison is going to be a big sister!!

Jamie... You and your hubby needs some ice cream!!

Thank you to all who played along!!!

Get your Groupon!!!

2010-01-27T09:07:00.000-08:00

Good Deals, Great Places, Great Products

Groupon offers a daily deal in your city through the power of group buying.

Im so excited, b/c the nearest city I could take advantage of the deals was Chicago!

Now Indianapolis offers Groupon! Yay!!!

How It Works

Each day Groupon features something cool to do at an unbeatable price.
You only get it if enough people join that day… so invite your friends!
Check back the next day for another awesome Groupon!

Click Here for more on this cool opportunity

Also here's a video that explains more about Groupon!

Learn How Groupon Works! from The Point on Vimeo.

Thank You Brianna for reminding me about Groupon!

Giveaway Update...

2010-01-24T10:58:00.000-08:00

Question: If I don't have a blog, can I still enter?

Answer: YES...ITS ALL GOOD.

You don't have to have a blog to enter. I love to network, so I thought this would be a great way we fellow blogsters can support our habit...Plus, if you do HAVE a blog, you get 2 chances to win.

Here's the details on how to enter again...
1.Join my blog.
2.Leave a comment here to tell me how YOU are standing by your MAN and a link to your blog!
3.Post this contest on your blog with your husbands picture and how you are standing by your man. Tell your readers to mention that you sent them! If they mention that they got the info from your blog, you will get..DRUMROLL PLEASE>>>>ANOTHER ENTRY TO THE GIVEAWAY.

(optional, but lets be blog friends!)
4. The winner will be announced on Jan. 31st!

Sign. up. now!!!!!!!

BECAUSE:

1. Its ColdStone...need I say more?

2.Umm Its a $15 gift card. That's a lot of Coldstone for you and your hubby, or One really big helping of Coldstone for yourself.

3.Valentine's Day...Nothing says date night like getting some good ice cream.

4.Its an opportunity for your blog and my blog to meet. We can be BFFs!!! BLOG FRIENDS FOREVER

5. My personal favorite...BRAG ABOUT YOUR OTHER HALF and SCORE BROWNIE POINTS.

Thanks to those who have shown their Ice Cream love so far

and how you are Standing by your man.

Some Beatle Inspiration...I {Heart} Faces...FAMILY

2010-01-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

This is from one of my first family sessions that I shot. We were downtown having a blast, and I knew that we had brick roads from way back when still on one of the streets nearby. We did some family shots and then INSPIRATION struck me. Thank you Beatles Documentary and one of my favorite Album covers..Abbey Road! I decided to have them just across the street and try to capture the same light of the famous Beatles album. OK, so minus...so many things(for you music historians, yes i know they walked the other way, but if you looked further into the photography session of that infamous day, they took the shot going both directions) it was so much fun trying to recreate...in a Mr. Roboto kind of way...Enjoy!

Beatles Abbey Road Photo Takes:

Stand By Your Man Giveaway...

2010-01-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

Ladies...

Just in time for Valentine's Day!

I'm providing dessert for you and your hubby...

So my first "MONTHLY GIVEAWAY" is to honor the man in our life...
OUR HUSBANDS!

I am giving away a $15 gift card to

Coldstone Creamery

for you and your husband

to go on a date night on me!

Here's details on how to enter:
1.Join my blog.
2.Leave a comment here to tell me how YOU are standing by your MAN and a link to your blog!
3.Post this contest on your blog with your husbands picture and how you are standing by your man. Tell your readers to mention that you sent them! If they mention that they got the info from your blog, you will get..DRUMROLL PLEASE>>>>ANOTHER ENTRY TO THE GIVEAWAY.(there is a 2 entry max to this giveaway)
4. The winner will be announced on Jan. 31st!

That's it..pretty easy huh??

So ill start it with my SBYM post:

This is Rob.

My Hubby of almost 12 years.

He plays. Loud. Guitar.

I'm standing by him because wherever he goes...I will follow

because I know he follows the Father.

Love you sweets...

NOW ITS YOUR TURN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Addison

2010-01-12T00:43:00.000-08:00

The first time I saw Addison was on Facebook. Just like most people on Facebook, its our virtual brag book to the world(I have like 20 some albums bragging to the Facebook world). One day, I noticed that my friend Jessica had her baby and she posted some cute pictures. The first thing I noticed, was the personality spewing from this child. At 2 months, she was smiling and reacting to people.

So I said to myself..."Self, I need to get some pictures of this child"...

So several emails later and waiting until after the holidays, I got to catch up with my friend Jessica and her beautiful 5 month old daughter, Addison. Enjoy! I know I did!

I {heart} Faces...Best face challenge

2010-01-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

Photo taken Jan. 2010
Is she not a cute cute CUUUTE lil angel!
Can't wait to post the rest!

Photo recipe:
Aperture: f/4.5
Exposure: 1/125
Lens: 50mm
Lighting: Natural

I'M LIVE

2010-01-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

I always wondered what that means, but from what I understand... It means I have a website!!!!

Check it out and let me know what you think.
Check out the music..Is it lame?? Do I need to change it?
Send me a comment on the website, so I know its working....

SOOO Excited...

Arthouse Photography

Whats New?

2010-01-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

Funny you should ask!!
First, We have our winner from our giveaway I hosted in December...The Grand Prize went to
John Carter in West Lafayette, IN. I am looking forward to shooting this family and their sweet boys!
Second, My calendar is delightfully filling up for sessions. I have been blessed by the outpouring of people and friends showing support for my venture. There is no greater feeling than knowing and doing what God has planned for you to accomplish.
Third, I want to do SNOW pictures, but everytime I get one scheduled, it has either dropped miserably outside or its snowing..hard! SO im not giving up!!! The picture posted is one from a Real Simple magazine. Wonder what to wear for winter snow pictures...Think bright and cherry. Also, Black never goes out of style!!

Fourth, Working on giveaways. I am hosting one a month. Not all will have to do with photography too. I am interested in working with my bloggy friends to get more exposure..you know...scratch my back and Ill scratch yours???

Thank you to all my new and old followers. I am not the most interesting person in the world but I do love meeting new people!
Blessings!
Mis

Winding Down....

2009-12-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

This is it.
2009 is quickly coming to an end in less than 8 hours.
Has this year flown or what!
This year has definately been one of CHANGE. I usually love change.
As long as it doesn't require ME to change. Who's with me????
Anyway, I was moving pictures to my EHD and got curious of all the pictures I had taken in the past year. Its funny that I look back and quite frankly, NOT remember the event. Oh, my poor 29 year old memory..(wink wink)
I have a good friend of mine who has started a blog that challenges each one of us to make our goal for 2010 in one word. So, for the last few days, I have racked my brain of what would sum up what I wanted for this new year. Finally, as I was cleaning my room last night, I came across my Dixie Chicks CD(Love their music and YEA! found my CD!). The words on the CD said FLY(good album). As I was delightfully distracted from cleaning and reading the words on the CD case, it struck me...Fly. I felt so grounded this year, like stuck, that I wanted to breakout in 2010. I didn't want to use breakout, because I didn't feel caged, just...paralyzed? Maybe by fear? Or failure? So I said the word out loud, "FLY" as to confirm it with the dust bunnies listening in. It sounded good. Really good. Too good. But my soul felt it. In every sense of the word, I felt it. So I knew it was my theme for 2010. F-L-Y...FLY. So along with my photography blog, I will fill you in on what I "Fly" into... Would you like to join? Go here and take part in the Resolution Solution.
So here's not the slide show I promised, but who wants to see a boring slide show? We all got party's to head out to!!! So, heres our family 2009 highlights in a spiffy collage. Some you've seen, some not...
Regardless, Have a wonderful New Year!!!

Mis

I got a Hippopotomus for Christmas....

2009-12-25T14:48:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas

with the ones they love!

We have had the best Christmas ever and we not done yet!

I'm so excited about sharing what new things Arthouse is doing in 2010!

First, we'll announce the winner of our giveway for a free Family session, and then...

Hmmm, I think I'll keep you waiting, but you're gonna love it.

So go enjoy alittle more sugar cookies, hang out with your crazy families and enjoy Christmas 2009.

Im in the process of working on my Year in review Video!

Can't wait to show you the Highlights of 2009!

Blessings,

Mis

History repeated

2009-12-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS. Celebrating the announcement that Jesus has come to earth, and looking forward to the day when History repeats itself.

Merry Christmas my friends!

I have cards...

2009-12-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

I've been needing Biz cards and so my to do list included getting these done...Here's phase one. I'm making different variations, but the door stays. I love the door!
Am I missing anything? Add..subtract..Just right??
Let me know!

Welcome!

2009-12-11T15:48:00.001-08:00

Even though I have had this blog since September, its good to know that I will give it a proper welcoming on Jan.1! So far what you see is just a part of the big picture. I am steadily working on my website, but its more more than I anticipated!
If you are here to join...WELCOME! I look forward to sharing my ARTHOUSE world with you!

mis

Meet little Miss Hunter

2009-11-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

CONTEST starting DEC. 1st.

2009-11-17T20:22:00.000-08:00

ARTHOUSE

is holding a contest on Facebook from Dec.1 to Dec. 31st.

Become a fan, and let me know what your favorite Christmas tradition is.

What's the prize you ask?

A Family session (1hour/1 location, 3 sheets, up to 6 people in family)!!!!!

Check out Arthouse Photography on Facebook. The details are all laid out for ya!

Blue eye Bargers

2009-11-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

Other than my own kids, I haven't done a kids only session. My friend, Karmon needed some pictures for Christmas, so I offered my services. All I can say is BLUE. Like BLUE EYES GALORE.
. My number one rule: We MUST have fun. We did, Boy was it fun... Enjoy Abby, Case and Zeke.

Downtown with the Browns

2009-11-13T22:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, Ill probably say this about all my families...

But are these guys not the cutest family ever!!!

I've known Rich(or as call him..Ricardo or Chanandeler Bong if he's wearing his vests) and Lisa for a few years and what a blessing they are to me.

Did you see how adorable their kids are?

Miss Ryley is a natural, and I just want to put Owie(Owen) in my pocket

and carry him with me all the time..lol

Thank you Browns.

Families like you make me love my job even more!!!

Cutesy wootsy

2009-11-11T12:41:00.000-08:00

Oh man, Do I LOVE what I'm doing! I am meeting people near and far that keep showing and teaching me around this whole photography biz and how they roll. I am constantly thinking of ideas and things to build on the business. I haven't narrowed it down what I enjoy doing more...Kids, adults, families..who knows! I'll roll with it and go from there!
So I took the girls and one of their friends out sunday for a mini shoot. Not only was it good practice for me, but I got some really cute shots. I've posted them on Facebook, and besides the compliments, Im getting more and more people asking about Casi's Flower band. IF they only knew!! I had an old black head band that I bought from Targets $1 bin(package of 6) and went to Dollar Tree and found a back of flower heads they put togehter for $1! The day of the shoot, during lunch, i tried gluing the flower to the band. Not working, esp since I was using tacky glue and not hot glue. So my way smart mom in law, said, do you want a needle and thread? Umm.. Yea!!! So in like 2 minutes, i had the middle of the flower out, and glued each layer to each other, then I stitched away. WHALLA! I had a flower band! Its on my youngest daaughters head(my oldest had a black one on that i bought at Dots). So see, nothing original, no magic, just some last minute stress and a couple of good deals, and you too can have a cutesy wootsy flower band. I am looking at finding a jewel or something to put in the middle of the flower to give it some bling, but there you have it. Now go out and fill the world with cute flower bands!

More and more and MOORE....

2009-11-10T17:49:00.000-08:00

Fab Furst Family

2009-11-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of shooting my sweet friends, Dave and Becky and their 3 Blue Eye Beauty's!

Thank you for the opportunity , and enjoy the teasers...

Crunchy Leaves and Coney Dogs.

2009-11-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

Out of all the seasons, Fall is my fav. Its when I actually will stay outside for more than 5 minutes and enjoy the nice cool breeze(I'm not an outdoorsy person, can you tell?). It means Pumpkin Spice Coffee from SBucks, and Soups of all kinds. It means freezing your buckets off at a football game, while drinking hot cocoa. For the Cornell's, it means Brown County and Dog and Suds. Normally, we combine these on the same day, but it wasn't to be this year. So 2 weeks ago, we hit up the food joint to get Coney dogs, and breaded Tenderloin(my favorite!) and their famous Root beer and their

Breaded Deep Fried Shrooms! Yes, I know, probably a heart attack waiting to happen, but hey, you gotta live a little.

Along with Dog and Suds, we decided to finally carve into our HUMONGOUS pumpkins, compliments of Grandma's garden. Thank goodness for nice days so we could carve them outside. They would have been extremely messy in the house.

Finally, last but not least,

we went to Brown County. Rob and I have been doing this since we first started dating 14 years ago! Now the girls cant wait to go down and get away from home for a little while. My favorite part? Well, besides walking through the crunchy leaves, is the opportunity to shoot the family pictures! I have picures from when they were teeny tiny and now look at them! Not small anymore.

So, now, we are just waiting for the bitter cold days to come and get us. Brr! Can we just skip to spring? Please?

Meet the Harris Family

2009-10-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Meet the Harris Family....Ben, Jen and Trevor...Great family, Good Fun!
Their session was on Sunday and it was a gorgeous day. I know Jen from working at the Carpenter's Son Bookstore and it was good to reconnect with her. Her husband and son were good sports to put up with my constant demands = )

They just keep coming...

2009-10-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

Meet the sensational Stovall's!

What a fun family to hang out with on a Tuesday morning! Ive known Nicole for almost 10 years! Can you believe that NICOLE?? 10 years has really flown. She is an awesome Godly woman with a heart of gold! Thank you for the opportunity, Nic! Youre family rocks!
I am truly humbled that I threw this dream so half-heartedly out there and He keeps bringing it back to me tenfold. Im loving what I get to do and of course I love people, so we are a match made in photog heaven!

Enjoy the pics bloggy bloggersons!

Stovall Family...Part 2

2009-10-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

The sensational Stovalls got the rest of their family pics on Tuesday and we had a great time shooting these! Bryan, I love the battlefield idea, it was simply gorgeous out here! Enjoy!!!

The Plan.

2009-10-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

I really dont have much to say on here today. I run the risk of whining. I hate whining. Especially when it comes from me. We got the call yesterday that my husband will not be employed by CAT by Dec.1. Panic? Yes for me, though it was short one. Then the controller in me came out and as I started thinking of how i was going to take the bull by the horns, I realized...I have nothing. I give up. I. am. tired.

Again, panic started setting in and then I realized...Im done with that too.

I know what I know and I believe what I believe but I still have one question.

why?

Dear Jesus, I don't get it. I don't get why we are here again. What are we not getting? Are we missing it? Are you mad? Why is it that I have to see my husband be rejected again. Why is it that you keep breaking our hearts? I don't expect a perfect life. I don't expect a normal life. I don't expect an rich life. I don't even expect an easy life. But why is it that every couple of years we get to this point where we are wondering..."What now?" All I know and have the energy to do, is be still. I don't question your Will, because I know that this comes to no surprise to you. Im just asking that you help me understand. Help me to totally surrender and give up my anger and my selfishness to accept what I already know.

You have a plan.

FAB FIVE FRIDAYS

2009-10-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

short and sweet....

1.Taking my little one out for breakfast and an afternoon out.

I think I'm going to do some practice shooting while we are out.

2.Bargain shopping...Getting out and using my coupons that expire at the end of the month.

3.Going out to listen to some good music Sat. night.

4. Family shoot right after church

5.COLTS Boooya!

The Mighty Mighty McDowells

2009-10-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

Another great family, another great shoot!
I {heart} this family
and
I know
You will
{heart} their pictures.
Can you say {photogenic}

FAB FIVE FRIDAYS

2009-10-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

Friday's are Soooo Biddy Cool!!

Especially when you have 5 things to look forward to this weekend...
Shall we??

Numero Uno: Pizza Night at the Cornell house with a movie...I'm all over that!
DOS: Remember this kid, my nephew? His team made Regional's. So we get to cheer him on Sat. AM

THREE: Normally, we would watch Purdue, but we need a break from the downer we get when the game is over, so we are going Goodwill hopping. Not to be confused with the famous" Tour De Goodwill" The hubby is coming along, so I cant hide my purchases.. HA HA just kidding....kinda.

QUATHRO: I have a family session this Sunday...Pray for good weather. I really want to do this. I so love this family and I want to give the best pics possible. They are so fun so I'm not worried.

FIVE: No work this weekend...That just makes the weekend that much sweeter!

Until Monday my friends...

Ripa knows best...

2009-10-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

She is so right on so many levels...Ripa's words of photography wisdom...

Oh so true

2009-10-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

Love this quote...Thanks Katie!

“Why is it that photographers look at a place most people would figure to be a likely setting for a crime and go, ‘Cool!’?”

So true so true SO TRUE.

I am training my eyes to look for the unlikely, the roughest, the "seriously, that will look good in a photo?" locations. I seriously thought I would have a hard time doing this, but I love what I found! Here are some locations that I cant wait to shoot at!

I don't know if I have a favorite..they're all my fav's!

Oh and by the way..My Photography Blog is up, but its still under construction.

But be patient..

My friend Russ who is a genius just showed me some of his ideas for the company name...

I just wanted to cry!

They were incredible.

I knew having friends smarter than me would benefit me somehow..lol

Here's the linky...Be patient...Its just the frame...the paint and furniture will be coming soon...

ART HOUSE CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHY

Unexpecting the unexpected

2009-10-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

Check out my green 'mators!

These came from a tomoto bush that must have germinated when

we threw out our rotten tomatoes out our door last year.

And it could be our dog. He loves tomatoes!!

We noticed the vines, but didn't expect anything to come from it,

because that area around our home gets the least light of anywhere around our home.

We had the same incident happen with pumpkins last year,but we only got vines and no 'kins.

Imagine my surprise when my husband brought in a dozen of green tomatoes to ripe at our window!

I love that even through this cold Fall,

we have a little piece of summer to warm us up!

When these babies ripe, can you say...SOUP!?

Oh!!! Happy 100th post to me!

Stovall Family session

2009-10-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

Talk about being nervous!!! I was so looking forward to doing this session, but I never expected the nerves!!! This was such a good learning experience for me and hopefully this is only the beginning of other sessions to come!

Up and running...

2009-10-11T21:51:00.001-07:00

Well, this is it. I'm doing it.

My desire. My dream.

Art House has opened their doors, and I can't wait to see who God brings through the doors!

Thank you to those who rooted for me and giving me the support and extra *push* I needed.

Thank you to those I have never met but have emailed me or have written on my personal blog

and shared their own experiences and testimony of starting their dream.

You are a huge inspiration to me.

OK folks...Let the fun begin!!!!

Up and running...

2009-10-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well, this is it. I'm doing it.

My desire. My dream.

Art House has opened their doors, and I can't wait to see who God brings through the doors!

Thank you to those who rooted for me and giving me the support and extra *push* I needed.

Thank you to those I have never met but have emailed me or have written on my personal blog

and shared their own experiences and testimony of starting their dream.

You are a huge inspiration to me.

OK folks...Let the fun begin!!!!

Make new friends, but keep the old...

2009-10-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

TRIVIA: Anyone know where I would have gotten that song from years and years ago!?

Rob and I were able to spend time with some good friends.

They're like Kin to us!

I've mentioned them once or twice on here and I love them dearly!

Meet Christian and Tara Krintz.

We have been friends with them forever!

We were in each others wedding's(my Matron, her wedding singer)

She's the blond to the left of me and her husband is above her.

Anywhoo,

They were gracious to treat us to a wonderful concert

(if you follow my FAB FIVE, you would know which concert I speak of)

So heres some pictures from that Sunday... we had a ball!

Me and Tara

Rob

Christian

I'm cool

((L)JeremyCamp and (R) Bebo Norman

Jeremy and his Dad

Natalie Grant...Wow she has pipes!

YAY, for lifelong friends!

FAB FIVE FRIDAYS

2009-10-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

Such a rainy Friday, but doesnt stop this family from enjoying the weekend...
Enlighten me, whats on the agenda for you and yours?
Here they are, and to mix things up; im counting backwards!!! whoa watch out!

5.Friday date night with the hubster...We're hitting the 'tique shops hard, ya'll!
4. Family shoot at the hollow on sat.
3. Watching Purdue(hopefully we don't get spanked by Minnesota)
2. Going to church and hanging with the family. Hopefully get a quick nap in!!!
1. Watch the COLTS! Its nice to know that theres actually a team in IN that actually knows how to play Football.

Happy second weekend in October

Coming soon to a blog near you...

2009-10-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

ArtHouse Custom Photography.

I can hardly wait! Wait till you see the Graphics..WHoo whoo!!

Its happening my friends. My dream is coming true.

NEW LOOK, NEW SITE

2009-10-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

So I'm not sure what I'm looking for, but right now the site is going to look a little BLAH. Look for new look, and a new layouts...I don't know when it will be done, but for right now...excuse the mess!!!

FAB FIVE FRIDAYS

2009-10-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Favorite day of the weeksy!

Make the most of your weekend...it goes way to fast!!!!!!

Heres what the Cornell Household will be doing this week:

1. Seeing 2, count them 2 concerts this weekend!!!!!

Introducing the ELMS... Go see them when you get a chance. They are fun, and will rock your sox! I secretly want to sing back up for them...lol!

And the second is compliments of our friends, Christian and Tara Krinz...They are taking us to see Jeremy Camp, Natalie Grant and Bebo Norman

2. Having Cam's birthday party..FINALLY! Can someone say ICE CREAM CAKE! Whoot!

3.Watching this kid run...That would be my nephew Ben...

4.Getting groceries...hooray.

and

5.Hanging with Friends...Can never get enough of that!

Happy weekend and I leave you with this UBER cool Video....

I love BEP's!

Did you see me??? I was wearing black.

A change would do me good....

2009-09-30T22:15:00.000-07:00

So I'm not a fan of self portraits, but I think this hair cut has given me a little bit of confidence to be down right silly. Oh and yes, I did get my hair cut and straighten. It is soo Nice and Easy...Squeezy Breezy!
It was time for a change. Not just the hair. But me as a whole.
The first thing I changed was my physical activity.
I got a membership at the Y, and started taking bodyshop classes. I'm also taking Kickboxing and starting next week...ZUMBA. Nothing screams get in shape like knowing that your sister is having a summer wedding which means cute dresses! I'll be honest, health has nothing to do with this motivation. I want to be sexy. I want to be confident. I want to wear the cute stuff my friends are wearing. Now, I promise, this blog wont turn into a "Help me I'm losing weight" site. Kudos to those who do that. But I just cant. I know why I'm overweight. Its because I put the spoon past the lips and it all traveled to the hips. The other thing I am working on is my anger. Wow, I have a lot of it. I'm not really sure where it all stems from. OK, now that's not right... it stems from me, because I choose to be angry. For those who don't know, I am homeschooling my 2 girls this year. I don't like it. I, in fact, hate it. You know why? Because it is taking MY time. Because its enormous pressure to feel like you have to defend yourself all the time, or just because, well, you stand out.
Well, as I told a friend of mine today, I have anger, but God has grace. Alot of it...Overflowing. I don't know how God speaks to you, but God does this "slap me upside the head" kind of communication with me. You know how Oprah has AHA moments..well I have DUH moments from God. Now, He doesn't tell me "duh, you idiot, you should do this." Its a revelation from him, followed by me saying..."OHHH thats what you meant". Let me share with you how he revealed why I am doing homeschooling.
I was sitting with my girls and they were working on spelling. Now, my oldest has no problem with spelling, to be honest, school comes very easy for her. But my youngest. Oh, my youngest struggles. Its not intellectually struggle, its a confidence struggle. She is so afraid to embarrass herself, that she doesn't want to say anything at all, in fact, if there is any reason to make her think she has done something wrong, well, she checks out. It usually ends bad for both of us, because I'm telling her..." its just us, just do it." and she clams up even more. I don't know if I just had more patience today, or if someone was praying(maybe one in the same) but I spent more one on one time with the girls. When I got to Casi, I spent more time with hers spelling words and showing her how to really commit the words to memory. We did our practice verbal test, and she remembered all of them. Then we did a practice written test. Usually she misses most, if not all the words. But she missed only one out of 10 and her face lit up. I mean, its like the missing link had finally been found. And then God slapped me upside of my head. "That's why you are homeschooling. She is finally feeling smart". Wow. Who likes to be the dumb kid? I was the dumb kid at school. Afraid of having the wrong answer. Afraid that everyone would make fun of me. Not fun. Not fun at all.
If homeschooling brings that glimmer of hope in my baby's eyes like it did today, then I'm ok with using my time for her. She's worth it.

Become a fan

2009-09-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

of Walgreen's, and get a free 5x7 Picture book

(you have to pay for shipping).

Sounds like a deal to me...

Become a fan on Facebook by

October 2nd,

Walgreen's will send out how to get your free books.

Easy breezy!

Thanks to Krazy Coupon Lady for sharing...

My Frappalicious Friends...

2009-09-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

PSSST!!! Hey YOU!

Yea, YOU!

Come closer!!!!!

cloooser...

Just a little bit closer...

ok, are you ready for this????

Show your friend you care by nominating a friend on the Starbucks You Deserve A Frappuccino website and get a Free Starbucks Frappuccino! And you can nominate as many friends as you like:)

Thanks for sharing, Sisterly Savings...

HHMMMMM...who will I nominate....Who needs a frap real bad....

Let me know why you deserve a Frap and Ill send a nod your way...

If you have a blog, let me know...

I'll let my 9 other followers know about it...LOL!

Inside joke...but I seriously wanna know about your blingy blog.

Happy Sunday my blog homeys..Peace out.

FAB FIVE FRIDAYS

2009-09-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

Fridays are my favorite day of the week.

It is the beginning of the weekend and

I love weekends...

So here are 5 FAB things we are doing this weekend.

1.SLEEPING IN...who doesn't like that!?

2.BOTH OF MY SISTERS ARE COMING INTO TOWN...I LOVE HANGING WITH MY BFFS!

3.PURDUE VS NOTRE DAME...Down with the Irish...i never liked those creepy little green guys anyway.

4.MEETING WITH MY FRIEND WHO IS BUSINESS SAVVY TO START ORGANIZING THE FOTOBIZ.

5.I DON'T HAVE TO WORK THIS WEEKEND..YAY!

Soooo, what are your five fabs that you are doing for the weekend...

Mad Monday

2009-09-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

Hey Bloggy Bloggersons!
Hope you had a wonderfully weary weekend like we did.
Like every other weekend, it has flown by way to quickly. The past week, our home was filled with 3 more kids !!!
I took our friends' kids while they went to a retreat. My kids were on cloud nine that their lil buds were spending the night 4 nights in a row! I think they had fun. Having 5 kids really wasn't as crazy as I thought it was going to be.
Here are some pics from the last day they were at the house...

Now its another Manic Monday Madness, only to find me caring for 2 very sick kids.
Here's to hopefully a healthier Tuesday!

Isn't she lovely...

2009-09-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderful
Isn't she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love we'd be
Making one as lovely as she

But isn't she lovely made from love
...Stevie Wonder

My beautiful girl is turning 8. I can't believe the years has gone by so quickly...
Love you boo boo, you make momma proud!

All Things New

2009-09-12T06:04:00.000-07:00

What a week I have had. We had our first day of homeschooling, only to get a phone call letting me know that my adoptive father was heading to the ER. He had surgery on Thurs. to repair a heart condition. All is well, but life as he knew it, no longer exists. Amazing how our life changes in a matter of moments. I guess that's what everyone means by treasuring each day.
But, my week ended celebrating a new life.
My friends, Bryan and Lee Ann welcomed their baby bo...ahem, I mean baby girl(inside joke) .

It's just what the doctor ordered! My spirits were so down, and I was tired with everything we were going through. I guess as the oldest, I take it upon myself to make sure everybody is well taken care of. By Friday, I was preparing for a meltdown.
I was anxiously checking Facebook every 20 minutes to see if the baby announcement was posted. Then the phone rang and it was Bryan. My heart was leaping as the proud father announced her name. Yes, this is what I needed to hear. There are so many people near and far that are hurting. The sign of new life is like the first blooms of spring. Hope is still alive. All things new again. I needed the reminder.
Do you?

I have a signature!

2009-09-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Nothing special, but it adds a little love to my blog.

Plus, I had nothing else to do while I was sitting in the waiting room for 8 hours.

11

2009-09-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

ELEVEN YEARS and still going strong...Yeah Baby

Signs

2009-09-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

Its coming.