I have a little announcement…

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“Dreams take time, patience, a sustained effort & a willingness to fail, if they ever are to become more than dreams.” – Brian Linkoski

I enrolled in Photography school this morning.
That’s right folks! This girl is officially back in school!

Im excited & nervous, but mostly just excited to be taking this step towards my goal! Thank you for all your encouraging words the other day when I shared my dream with you!

Looks like Riley’s not the only one that needs a backpack! :)

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Smartypants

1 day in school and she is already doing Sodoku!

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First day of ‘School’!

Rileybug had her first day at Mother’s Day Out yesterday!
They said she had an awesome first day & was SO good!
She had a little bit of trouble figuring out naptime though. They lay them all down on mats on the floor, but at home she still naps in her crib, so she didn’t really understand the concept of laying down & not jumping right back up!
But I’m sure she’ll get it, just a little learning curve!

Here is my baby girl ready for her 1st day!

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After all your votes the other day, we went with the owl backpack & lunchbox! They are sooo adorable!

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Help me pick!

My little Riley is off to Mother’s Day Out!
After over a year on the waiting list…yes I’m serious. Over a Year, just for Mother’s day out, we finally got in!
She will go 1 day a week, and I think she is going to love it! She loves playing in her Sunday School Nursery class so I think that she will really enjoy playing & meeting some other little kids!

We found out yesterday that we got in, so now I’m off on the hunt for the perfect backpack & lunchbox!
Omg y’all, how is it possible that my baby needs a lunchbox? Time really is flying by, her 2nd birthday is in less than 5 months!

Anyways!
I *think* I have narrowed it down to my top 4 favorite backpack/ lunchbox sets, but I would love your input to help me pick the best one!

Here they are!

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So help me decide!
Which one do you like best?

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The most wonderful words.

Cancer Free

Those are the words that my grandfather heard this morning from his surgeon.
It has been 6 months since his surgery, and he has no more cancer & no more inflammation.

Praise the Lord.

He will be back on his boat in no time & I have every intention of being right beside him when he is.

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This is my moment.

I think the scariest part of having a dream or desire, is taking the step to tell someone else that you have it.
What will they say? Will they laugh?
Or worse, maybe they will they seem interested only to laugh when you are no longer there to hear them.
Once spoken, it can’t be taken back. Once typed, it cannot be erased. Deleted maybe, but not from the ears that heard or the eyes that read it. It’s there now too, no longer just in your heart but in the hands of others.
The people you choose to share your dream with suddenly have a piece of your soul, and are free to do with it what they choose.

That’s scary.

All of us would hope that we surround ourselves with people that would encourage, & help us accheive the dreams that we share with them but sometimes that isn’t the case. People can be mean, or even just careless, not meaning to hurt you but the damage has been done just the same.
I can be way too self conscious, I frequently choose to care way more about what people think than I should, I am my own worst critic & all of those things make it hard for me to go after the things I dream of.
The things that I hope to make my reality.

Growing up, I always had a camera. I went through more film than ever got developed. Disposable cameras were the thing I asked for before every field trip or vacation. I remember one time, my mom enrolled & took a photography class at the local college and she used me as a model. I wore my Easter hat and sat at an iron table surrounded by trees in our neighbors backyard. I thought her camera was awesome & I remember to myself, “I want one like that someday.”
I started showing horses in high school, but at shows, the one place I always migrated to was the photographers table. I adored looking through the shots that he/she had taken, not just of me, but in general, of everyone. How different light captured the muscle in the horses neck, made it shine like streaks of gold.
Time went on, and like most graduating seniors I started thinking about what I wanted to do when I grew up. A degree in Photography seemed like a waste of money, and I still had dreams of being equine veterinarian, before my severely bad math skills showed me that wasn’t happening. So I switched majors a few times, moved to Kentucky, got married, had Riley and now, here I am.

So many things have changed over all those years, but one thing hasn’t. I still adore cameras. I still thrive on taking a photo & then feeling the print in my hand.
I thirst for more knowledge, reading everything I can get my hands on about ISO, aperture, exposure, & lighting.

My dream has evolved over time. A childhood love turned into an adult passion. Always there, sometimes more in the background, but still a part of me for as long as I can remember.

I want to be a photographer

I want to learn everything I can, & I want to feel worthy to call myself that name.
That’s my dream.
And 2012 is the year that I’m going to start taking the reins and strive towards reaching it.
It’s time…it’s past time.
Its still scary, but I don’t want it to stay just a dream.
I’m ready to turn it into reality.

“At any moment, you have the ability to dramatically change any area of your life, or follow your heart’s deepest desires. It’s yours to create, any way you want it. ” – Craig Townsend

This my moment.

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Daily Declutter -Week 1

So the other night I was watching “Hoarders”… :shudders: Have y’all watched that craziness? errrr I mean, Show?
They found dead cats in one guys house. Plural. CatS. Not 1, not 2, but 3!! Dead cats.

I fought the urge to get up right then & organize my entire house. Starting with our junk drawer. Which basically looks like a leprechaun hoarders home.
Or it did.
Not now, because I cleaned it. Haha

But that’s not the point. Granted, my house is nowhere near hoarder status annnnnd I don’t even own any cats, the show made me think about the areas that could use some extra attention.
I don’t know about y’all but sometimes it seems like our clutter is everywhere! Some days I feel like I clean & clean only to open a cabinet & feel like “ugh, it’s in here too!?!”

SO, one of the things I’m really going to strive to do better at this year is erasing the clutter, tossing the junk, donating what I can & embracing the trash bag.
Because really, if I haven’t used or worn it in the past year? It doesn’t need to be residing in my house anymore!

I’m starting a daily Declutter program & I hope to blog about my progress to help hold myself accountable!
Week 1 was pretty easy, & this is what I did!

Jan 2nd – Set up donation station – Check! Boxes in corner of garage.
Jan 3rd – Declutter and dust the top of your kitchen cabinets – Done!
Jan 4th – Declutter one top shelf in your kitchen
Jan 5th – Clear out spices
~ I just did this whole cabined, it seemed silly just to do the top & bottom shelf!

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Jan 6th – Organize your cans

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I already feel better about this & am excited to watch the transformation. I hope some of y’all will join me on this.
Embrace the trash bag, you’re gonna like it!

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Love this girl

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My sweet girl will be 20 months old this month.

20!

Where oh where has the time gone?
How is it possible that when I think there is no way I can love her anymore than I already do, she smiles at me and I feel my heart expand with even more love?

I thank God everyday for blessing me with the opportunity of being her mother.

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Awesome Giveaway!!!

Okay photography friends! Here is one giveaway I know you are going to be excited about!

The awesome people over at “Oh So Posh Photography” are giving away a 50mm 1.4 lens for Canon or Nikon, winners choice!
Personally, I would LOVE to win this one myself, that lens is at the very top of my wish list! It’s super easy to enter, just click “here” and follow the rules!
Don’t forget to tell her that Pippy sent you!
I hope one of us wins! :)

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Making Salt Dough Ornaments!

Riley & I decided to make some handprint ornaments the other day!

It was a lot of fun & SO easy.

Recipe:

4 cups of flour

2 cups of water

1 cup of salt

Kneed the dough, roll out on floured wax paper, cut out circles with a cookie cutter, press a floured hand into each circle (this is the tricky part haha), then place on a lightly floured baking sheet.  Using a toothpick make a small hole in the top for your ribbon to go through.

Bake for 2-2 1/2 hours at 200 degrees!

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