Team Up Thursday - Old

Angie and I decided on OLD this week in honor of 2011 being the year that we are both 40 years young. That is her Mother's bracelet and I just think it is beautiful. I love cameos and have one downstairs that I got years ago. Mine is my Great Grandmother's bible. My Great Grandfather got it for her on their 30th anniversary back in 1951. I feel lucky to have it. I wasn't sure how I wanted to capture it and tried a few things but decided to go with a verse that I like. It is my reminder that He is listening. I prayed a lot after my miscarriage in November and I know that He heard me and although I wish it were more quickly is healing my broken heart.



More team ups at Melody's and Megan's.

Wordful Wednesday - The Big 40

I woke up on Sunday morning to kisses and happy birthday wishes from the girls. Matt was not home yet as he was on a red eye and my girls have a tendency to get up really early even on weekends. They had created, wrapped, and hidden presents (from Ruby not me lol) on Saturday and were busy finding them and showing me. We recycle everything in this house so I laugh that they did not ask for beautiful wrapping paper because we just don't buy it but instead decorated the boxes on their own.


Nope not Special K bars however good they are


You want to unwrap my present, sure go ahead :)


Kindergarten love


You all know I ♥ this one



It was a good day. No, it was a great day. Well except for The Cheesecake Factory but that was only a slice of a what was otherwise a beautiful day.

I heart faces - Slice of Life

Sunday we went to a mall that has The Cheesecake Factory attached to it. We never get to the big city anymore and I thought it was about time we went again, plus you only turn 40 once so eat large! Eat cheesecake! Our girls were terrible at the restaurant. It probably didn't help that we had over a half hour wait but when we were seated Piper broke a plate because she was screwing off, Ruby couldn't stay still and was walking all over the booth, and although she denied she had to at the time I decided that instead of having my food served to me AND THEN having to get up and bring Violet to the bathroom (along with the other 2) we were going to go BEFORE. While we were waiting for our food I couldn't help but notice the table next to us with its large group talking and laughing. Suddenly I wanted to be at THAT table and not yelling at the girls at our table :)



It was so loud in there and I have no idea what these 2 ladies were talking about but don't you want to be there too?

Monday Mingle 3.28.11

Again another one of those freeze frames that you wish were different lol :) Sorry I got a little long winded this week:) Turning 40 has that effect on you lol :)

This weeks questions were:
1. What is your favorite song right now?
2. How good are you about using coupons at the grocery store?
3. Do you have a Smartphone? If so what are your top 3 games/apps?


Link up with Eighty MPH Mom and her Monday Mingles!

UPrinting Winner!

The winner of the 50 brochures is Tracey Waid and her comment was
"Also liked on FB :)"
Thanks everyone!

52 Weeks of Me - Over Exposed (13/52)

I am notorious for not checking my settings and over exposing my shots. When I sat down to try and actually get this weeks selfie though it was overcast and I had the hardest time getting it blown.



I want to apologize for not visiting many 52 week participants blogs last week. I haven't been able to keep it together lately and am not managing my time very well. However, I will make up for it this week. I love seeing what everyone comes up with each week so I look forward to seeing your shots last week AND this week.

Join Cara and I in our 52 week project any time, it's never too late to start turning that camera around! Don't forget to add your shot to the flicker pool. We still need some ideas for themes if you have any please add them to that discussion on the main group page. Next week will be Under Exposed.


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Team Up Thursday - Spring

It might say March on the calendar but the south has been unseasonably hot lately. I had to go out and water :) Angie's flowers are starting to bloom like ours. What a nice sight after winter. Every time I post about tulips I have to add that they are my favorite flower. Any color or any size. We have 3 spots of these little purple tulips and I'll give you 1 guess on who loves them the most out of the girls. If you guessed our Violet you were right. She ooohs and ahhhs over them all the time.


Will there be lots of spring flowers this week in the team ups? Check them out at Melody's and Megan's.


Are you a small business person or maybe you have been thinking about starting a photography business? I have a giveaway for 50 custom printed brochures that I just posted about. It is a quick one and ends Saturday night. Very low entries! I have used UPrinting and have been very pleased with them.

UPrinting Brochure Giveaway

For over 25 years, UPrinting has been a trusted leader in online printing, featuring its signature easy-to-use website and the famous Free File Review, a complimentary proofing service which requires no upfront payment. I used this when I ordered the beautiful canvas that I won from them. It eased my mind to know that someone actually looked at my project to make sure it was going to be perfect. Let me tell you it was!

Today I am hosting a very quick giveaway from UPrinting for brochures. One lucky winner will receive 50 brochures. They will be printed on 100lb Paper Gloss; With Folding (Half Fold, Trifold/Letterfold, Z-Fold, Roll Fold, Accordion Fold). 2 Business Day Turnaround with Outside and Inside printing. Restriction: Limited to US residents 18 years old and above only.

This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given. For more information about brochures, please visit UPrinting. Winners are allowed to win only once over a six-month period. I am going to make it really easy to enter. Leave me a comment with a valid email address and let me know what you might have printed on your brochures. If you want an additional entry "like" UPrinting on Facebook. That's it! Contest will end this Saturday night and I will choose a winner Sunday morning - March 27th. Good Luck!

Happy 2nd Birthday Rubarb!!

The name stuck


One minute she drives me absolutely CRAZY because she is my first to really be a terrible two but the next minute she smiles at me and I am completely wrapped around her finger again. My little Ruby :)


She loves exploring and doing everything that her big sisters do. Don't tell her she can't do it because she will prove you wrong. I love this little baby more and more each day.



"This turning 2 is for the birds! I am getting so old! Ugh!!"


Happy Birthday to my spunky, temperamental, kind hearted, sweet, loving baby girl!

Awww :)

How lucky are we? I mean I know we are really lucky but I just wanted to put it out there and brag say it again. We couldn't have asked to "adopt" a better family dog. Marley came to us with such great manners and my girls just love her to pieces. Of course Matt and I do as well.



Finally! Finally I have used Pioneer Woman's Seventies action. I could not find a shot that it worked on until this one. It reminds me of all of those photos we have in albums from the 70's when I was a kid. Look at that baby and dog. I walked in on them just hanging out watching tv. I love it!

Monday Mingle 3.21.11

Hi! Another busy week coming up again! I can't wait for life to slow down for us a little bit so that I can sit on my bottom again and get back to taking a million pics of my girls and blogging :)

Here are this weeks questions:
1. What would you do for fun if you had to give up TV and internet?
2. What is your favorite breed of dog?
3. What is under your bed right now?


Link up with Eighty MPH Mom and her Monday Mingles!

52 Weeks of Me - Texture (12/52)

My apologies first off. This has been a weird week of busyness at the homestead and Ruby has just been the crabbiest of crabby girls and won't let me sit down for more than a minute at the computer. She must know that her 2nd birthday is coming up and doesn't want to get old. Oh wait, that is me. But her too :) Anyway I know exactly what I am going to do for the texture shot and will hopefully get it up before the end of today.

Edited for pic
I was going for one of those woodland faces that you see on trees as decoration but it didn't work out too good. Time constraints made it impossible to try for any thing else.


Join Cara and I in our 52 week project any time, it's never too late to start turning that camera around! Don't forget to add your shot to the flicker pool. Next week will be Over Exposed.



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Quick before it is gone

I have been eyeing a patch of pretty purple flowers in my neighbors yard most of this week patiently waiting for them to be in the shade or for an overcast day. Well, they are never in the shade and the day it was overcast it was also raining. I knew that I didn't have time on my hands because my neighbors have their lawn tended to and normally the company comes on Fridays. I am horrible at shooting in full sun but I wanted to put this on my blog so that I could remember that those flowers might come back next year and that I can prepare for it.


In other news. We had some old bread to feed the ducks yesterday and while we were coming back in the yard Marley ran out. I called her but she ran straight for the lake. Yep, down the hill of rip rap and into the water. I had a baby on my hip and 2 behind me chasing the dog down our cove. What a sight that was I am sure. I finally lured her to me but had to hold onto her collar because she wanted back in the water. True lab. I told my girlfriend the story last night and she said that it was funny and I agreed. Then. However, while it was happening I was just hoping that she came to me and not swim to the other side of the cove and run off. Again, she is a lab after all :)

Team Up Thursday - Music

My husband asked me why I hadn't posted anything this week. I started to but then fizzled. It has been one of those weeks. Angie's shot of her daughter is what I imagine most homes with teens would be like. Heck, even the girls listen to our little Shuffle when we are out walking. I loaded Taylor Swift, Barenaked Ladies, and Adam Lambert for them to enjoy. Mine is Violet practicing her violin. It is her own beautiful music.


More Team Up Thursdays at Melody's and Megan's.

Monday Mingle 3.14.11

Hello again! Mingling in the morning this week. Still groggy from my wonderful girls night last night and time change is kicking our bottoms at the zoo. Tired girls and daddy!
Here are the questions:
1. Do you sew, crochet or knit?
2. Are you allergic to any foods? Bee stings?
3. Do you snore? Please describe


Link up with Eighty MPH Mom and her Monday Mingles!


This picture is from our girls night taken by a bus boy. He took 2 and the other one Leslie and I have even less head. I think he was checking out Rachael and Dana and forgot about us taller people in the background :)

Winner!! Winner!! Winner!!

The winner of the $45 CSN Giveaway is #56
She said "I purchase a new George Foreman grill"
and now you can. Congratulations! You have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen. Thank you to everyone for making this a successful giveaway on my blog! CSN is an awesome company and I would like to thank them as well for allowing me to host one of their giveaways.

52 Weeks of Me - Silhouette (11/52)

I was doing my silhouette on Friday and Piper just happened to come home while I was taking the pictures. I am oof but I liked this one the best because she is in it. Running home to me :)



Cara has come up with great themes so far but if you have any ideas please post them on the theme page. Don't forget to add your shot to the flicker pool. Next week will be Texture. That will be fun because there are many ways to interpret that.



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Team Up Thursday - Upside Down

Wait, it's only Thursday? What the heck am I doing in one of my Team Up Thursdays? Let me explain. I forgot about my TUT until I got an email from Angie today and realized "Oh yeah, it is Wednesday isn't it?" The girls were in their rooms whining cleaning so I couldn't use them. What was I to do? A few things I noticed when I looked at these online. My husband might be right when he says I wear low cut shirts. Nursing has it's benefits doesn't it? Everyone will get to see me in my new skinny jeans. Yes, this almost 40 year old mama bought a pair a few weeks ago. They were on clearance at Target and fit. I am what, only 3 years behind that trend which is probably why they were on clearance. This is also the first shot of me after I colored my hair. Can you tell the difference? It could have gone bad. The other day when I was at Target (I seriously don't go there that much I swear) I had a Target coupon for a Loreal color and a Loreal coupon so I used them together on a clearance color and got it for free. Now, I was sort of yelling at myself when I was out in the car saying "Come on Jessie, spend a few bucks on the color" but I already had it in my bag so I went home and tried it out. It is a little lighter but not even my husband could tell so that little gray in the front is gone for another few weeks. The downside to that story is that I got some on the walls in my bathroom and can't get it off. I wiped it down when I saw I had done it but the color changed and now my bathroom has to be repainted. I might have to do this myself because hubs to do list is a mile long and we don't see him as it is. Angie's doggie's name is Molly McBeagle, don't you just want to die from that cuteness but wait there is more just check out this shot! I love it! How sweet is that little face? From laying upside down to take 5 pictures of myself I can't imagine how much blood is in Molly's head because I was a little dizzy when I got up :)


There is more Team Up Thursdays at Melody's and Megan's.

Wordful Wednesday - Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

The girls have been talking about the king cake that they knew I was making today for about a week now. They remember the fun but think that they remember the cake from last year. So today I put the time into making one for our little family party tonight. I love king cake. We didn't hide a traditional baby but instead a littlest pet shop figure. It ended up between the piece that Piper and Violet picked so they have to have the party next year :)


Masks are a must at any Mardi Gras party. I love that the older two really used their imagination and made the masks extra fancy.


My mask and Matt's were not as fancy but I was getting other things ready - like supper :)


One thing that I didn't take into consideration when I put glitter all over Matt's mask was that it might get into his eye. That is the reason for this picture that I am posting. He got a piece of glitter in his eye and couldn't see. Wouldn't be a party without someone going blind right?



Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

Monday Mingle 3.7.11

March. Already March. Wow. Am I the only one who thinks that those first 2 months flew by?

Here are the questions for this week.
1. Where do you think you’ll be/what you’ll be doing in 10 years?
2. You are ordering a hamburger at a restaurant (or veggie burger – how do you have it cooked, what type of cheese and what else goes on it?
3. What are the current gas prices like where you live?


Link up with Eighty MPH Mom and her Monday Mingles!

52 Weeks of Me - New Angle (10/52)

I am worthless without my coffee. I cut down sometimes but I just can't give up my morning cup. I haven't done this angle yet on one of my selfies so here it is - from the table. One thing that I have noticed about myself during this project is that I have done a lot of black and whites when in my day to day processing seldom ever do a black and white. Maybe subconsciously I think it hides the wrinkles :)



Cara and I are both having a great time with the 52 week project. If you have any theme ideas please post them on the theme page. Don't forget to add your shot to the flicker pool. Next week will be Silhouette.



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