things that make me happy

several months ago i began looking for a new camera bag.

i looked everywhere & found many gorgeous ones.

many that were quite pricey too.

but since i knew it would be something i'd carry often

i really wanted to be completely in love with it.

i emailed my friend jeanne & asked if she might consider creating one.

she was already doing just that!

headed to paris soon, she too wanted to carry a gorgeous yet functional camera bag.

she asked what i was interested in-

messenger style

gorgeous fabric, maybe vintage or linen

room for a couple lenses

& fabulous

i knew i'd buy whatever she created sight unseen.

jeanne introduced the lilia camera bag with her latest line.

& it is absolutely gorgeous!!!

jeanne has offered my readers a 20% off discount on the lilia bag.

just enter the name of my blog, simple thoughts, in the message

& she will refund you!

thank you jeanne!!!

equally as wonderful to the quality of pieces jeanne creates

is the beauty in which she wraps them.

the day my bag came, i was so excited to open

and enjoy the moment!

thanks again jeanne.

i think YOU are fabulous!!

2. my new fave color~

opi's suzi skis in the pyrenees

 3. the martha stewart cookbook

found at goodwill for 2 bucks

in mint condition.

 4. the most fantastic sugar scrub.

we picked this up while in seaside

& your hands will love you.

 5. madagascar scented candles.

i'm usually not a fan of scented candles.

love this scented candles.

6. & last but definitely not least

savannah completely smoked her ACT & SAT!

i'm going to be 'one of those mom's' & brag

2100 on the SAT

33 on the ACT

so stinking proud of her !!!

ps.

don't forget your discount for the lilia bag

( click to open link)
discount ends friday november 19th

&

have a happy day

xo

Ta Da!!!!

i bought this home as a single mom 13 years ago.

i got it a good price

but that was because it needed a good amount of work.

over the years i have painted every room

every hall

( my father in law did help )

every baseboard & every trim.

in fact in the last year,

i painted the entire mainfloor

over

again

bringing all rooms together in the name

of all things cream & white.

i have however continued to grumble about the

"thorn in my side" carpets.

knowing this would not be our forever home

it was a tough decision trying to decide if we should

pony up the money to lay hardwoods.

well, i'm as excited as is humanly possible

about something so basically unimportant...

but we did it!!!

i LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

out went the blek yucko carpet & flooring

& in came wide plank hand scraped wood.

side note...i had mentioned to dan a few weeks ago

that i planned to pull a Nester move

& paint the entertainment center.

he said..lets just get rid of it when we do the floors

& get something different.

excuse me?

this is not a normal conversation in our house.

anyway...offered this big bad boy

to one of the floor dudes if he'd haul it away for me.

see ya!

 spent a day moving everything

 temporarily relocated all the pillows

& contemplated taking a nap with all of them.

 two days later

all is now right in my little world.

i don't have a wide angle so excuse the choppy shots

nor am i a great indoor photographer..

without sounding all that about the floors-

the pictures don't do them justice.

for any locals

we were thoroughly pleased with the company went with~

Southern Flooring & Interiors.

The owner, Rich

was prompt & very professional.

when we talked on the phone i explained that i wanted

gorgeous floors that looked as if they came from an old southern farmhouse

but i didn't want to pay like they were from an old farmhouse.

i wanted dark wood that would look great juxtaposed with all my white.

i asked if he could come yesterday

seriously...i asked if he could get them in before thanksgiving.

he brought samples the next day & i had one picked out in about 3 minutes.

kept the sample to get approval from the fam.

he had the wood ordered & our home on the schedule within 3 days of initial contact.

i couldn't have been any happier with the company

& my new floors!

ps--we went with pre-sanded to avoid
the massive mess.

 

my little woodland pixie & some daydreaming....

often times after the girls have left for school

i go into each of their bedrooms.

because i'm weird & compulsive

my main objective is to tidy things up

make the beds....'magazine' worthy.

maybe tidy a drawer or two.

please tell me you do the same

well anyway

while i'm in there

i take a moment to pray for them

for their specific needs for that day

its a great time

that keeps me accountable in just the little simple daily prayers for them

but the other day

i just sat down in one of their rooms

& thought about that child's particular future.

i really try to keep the big picture in mind

to remind myself

they are not really mine.

they are gifts

chosen specifically for me

& they are with me

for a twinkling.

to raise to disciple to love to teach to encourage

but then i give them back

i give them back to Him

to will in them the life He has planned for them.

as i sat in her room

i wondered what her future would be.

will she grow to lead a quiet simple life

or be "known" , if you will.

will she wear stilettos & work in the corporate frenzy

or spend her days planning menus & packing lunches.

will she marry a marvelous man?

whatever her future holds

i pray that she is strong & courageous

that she is surrounded by friends that love her

that she knows how deep & how wide His love for her is

that she marries a man who will treasure & cherish her

that whatever path she chooses

she chooses with her whole heart

& that the road back to home

is always a short one

~~~~

these images were actually from last year.

my little quiet time moment was in one of my older daughter's rooms

but since little bit is always a great photo subject for me

i wanted to share these :)

a fall photoshoot with little ones

a few weeks ago

i got together with a couple friends of mine & shot their little kiddos.

it was a sweet morning & i was honored they wanted me

to capture some moments of their babies.

first time shooting someone else's children

mobile children

multiple children

 that morning the skies were super dark

& we considered rescheduling

but the skies began to clear once we arrived at our location

( note to self-buy a reflector)

the little ones were absolutely adorable

with such playful & precious little spirits

for mother's day dan bought me a fixed lens.

i don't think i've taken that lens off my camera since that day.

for the last few months  i  have tried to shoot in aperture priority

mess around with iso & white balance.

i have SO much to learn

i spend alot of time peeking around on many photograpers sites.

because of that, i am well aware that i have a long way to go...

nevertheless

here are a few hundred from that morning...