Christmas Pictures (This Year)

Back in 2004 my good friend was getting married and invited me to attend a bridal showcase with her. While there, I was introduced to photo-journalistic photography and fell in love. I loved the idea of telling the story and emotions of the day through photography, so three years later when I got married I knew exactly what kind of photography I wanted! This style was exactly what I was looking for over the summer as I started thinking about this year's Christmas pictures. Thanks to the internet I was able to find Amy Tripple, a photographer in our area with a style I adored. She's not only a great photographer, she also is such a sweet person. My son was so comfortable with her...and so was I (I even hugged her after our session!) I'm sure Chloe would have warmed up to her too--if it wasn't 40 degrees out! Below are a few pictures from our session. Hubby was out of town on business the day of our session. Also, I took the hat I made Chloe just in case we needed it and it ended up working out perfectly! I'll be sure to give details about our Christmas cards once they're designed and ordered...my goal is chic style with a meek price tag!

Photo by Amy Tripple

Photo by Amy Tripple

Photo by Amy Tripple

Photo by Amy Tripple

Christmas Pictures (A look back)

Christmas picture 2007: Super Easy and Affordable...we used one of our favorite wedding pictures and made a photo card through Shutterfly.

Christmas Picture 2008: Easy and Affordable...gave Caleb some ornaments and snapped a few pictures. We added the words "This year our biggest gift came in the smallest package."

We used Vistaprint for printing and saved on postage by ordering postcards rather than greeting cards.

Christmas Picture 2009: A little challenging but affordable...my friend took the picture on a random bench not too far from our home. It was cold and Caleb had a hard time sitting still. We managed to get this picture after many tries. We made it black and white then added text using Photoshop, again we used Vistaprint.

Christmas Picture 2010: Details coming soon...I promise! (As soon as I figure out the details)

Project: Priorities

Last week I felt like my priorities were out of whack. Things that were important, but further down on my list, were slowly taking my time and energy away from the things that mattered most. I revisited my mission statement and created a visual to post in a place I visit everyday--my refrigerator. This helps me remember whats important (as well as the order of importance)...also making it pretty encourages me to look at it more!

If you need to create a mommy mission statement to help keep things in order I suggest you visit Inspired to Action. Seriously, this blog really does inspire me to action. Above is my priority list with an abridged version of my mission statement. I used scrapbook paper, glue, and a sharpie.

I'm back...

to cooking (and blogging- i think). The cook in me was on hiatus for a while. I was cooking but I wasn't very intentional in my grocery shopping and cooking. After having the baby I was in survival mode...but I'm back!

A friend introduced me to this website, and this one, oh, and don't forget this one! I used these recipes and my family has eaten fresher, healthier, and tastier dishes this week. The saucy syrup and waffles above from This week for Dinner were a big hit at my house. And the best part is I still have meals in the freezer which means less time prepping and more time crafting!

Stay tuned, I'll show you what I've been sewing lately.