christmasy

the little guys are having fun decorating for Christmas. i'm enjoying watching them get into the holiday season, and figure out what this is all about. such big boys.
we strung cranberries and popcorn after school yesterday. i told them they were sewing the popcorn and cranberries with needle and thread. we used blunt needles. and they did really well! it takes a long time to make garland to cover an entire tree. i love the vintage look on the tree. pictures later...
i tried another new recipe for dinner... meatball subs. i thought they were good, but the boys were not impressed. oh well. they loved using their christmas plates.

editing pictures today. loved loved this session.

over the river and through the woods...

Thanksgiving weekend was awesome. i spent a few days visiting my brother in the rehab hospital. i'm so full of gratitude for the time, the miracle, the bond i could spend time nurturing with my big brother. he's such a blessing!he has a mountain to climb, thankfully!! but he has a mountain to climb and the reality is harsh. friday his OT therapist shared the christopher reeves foundation book and earmarked several sections of information about parapalegics care and spinal cord injuries. it was overwhelming. thankfully Ronnie's attitude is great. he is full of such determination to walk out of there. he works so hard, and truly has the best team of therapist. the nurses who care for him are absolutely first class!
we so appreciate all of your prayers! our roll will be head cheerleaders and encouragers to support him on this next chapter. god is in control and has a perfect plan in place.

i'm thankful for my family and time spent together.
and immensly blessed to get to come home to my sweet guys...

sewing stuff

i re-made this pretty flowery bag for my neice. the original bag was super cute, but just not big enough for folders and books that a 10 year needs to carry for school.
she fell in love with the flowers on the front, so I cut it out and sewed it on similar fabric as a patch, and made a much larger tote. cool!

editing pictures, decorating for christmas, and lots of sewing are topping my to-do list for the next few days. over and out!

thankful

happy thanksgiving!
i got to hug my big brother's neck this afternoon! beyond grateful for all God has done, and continues to do. thankful for the good and bad. He isn't going to save us from all the hard times but He will certainly walk us through it. Amen!

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love endures forever. Psalms 107:1

thankful week

last week the boy's dual language kindergarten classes had a cultural feast in the cafeteria. This sweet girl, Marisol sat by Corbin. She and Corbin are buds! we tasted some yummy treats, and visited with friends and teachers for a bit. i'm real thankful for the boys teachers.
poor Coach is wearing the cone of shame after being neutered yesterday. pure pitiful. how crappy to have to wear a cone around your neck after surgery. humiliating really. he's handling it well. i think he's in a lot of pain. he stays pretty still all day. poor guy. but thankful for the calm doggie for a few days.

lots more sneak peek pictures from this weekend to share...


i love taking pictures. i really really do. so thankful for this job!
these sweet sisters were so great.

tuesday

more cuties from last week's school photoshoot. such a little doll!
instagram phone pics from the past few weeks:

1. corbin wrote me a note asking if their best friend Alex could come play on Monday after school. my big boys!
2. lots and lots of practice writing and coloring everyday
3. another family photo shoot complete and burned to CD
4. the road behind our neighborhood has been under construction and closed down for a year. it's added 10 plus minutes to our commute anywhere we go. they finally opened up the road last week. yay!!
5. cute little poser
6. some lego friends came to church with us on Sunday.
7. yummy pumpkin cheesecake ice cream
8. adam and i made 41 flower pens for ladies attending a church retreat last weekend
9. apple bars... delicious warm easy snack
10. another peak of "S" girls photoshoot. LOVE how their pictures turned out!

look who showed up at our house this morning!


39 days til Christmas!!!

my brother responded to an email I sent him a few weeks ago last night. oh what a joy, to read his words, hear his funny personality still intact. thank you God!!

It's Picture Day

i'm forever saying yes to a request i probably have no business saying yes to. i've never taken school photos of 65 little ones. who would have thought? goes to show we just never know where, when, how our talents, gifts, prayers will be revealed. i have so much to learn about photography, and i'm so grateful for the ways and opportunities presented lately to do so. definitely God gets all the glory for making this dream a reality. and blessing my passion for taking pictures. it's turned into a job. be careful what you wish for/dream of/ask for!!

here's a tiny glimpse of day one's photo shoot. Fun Times!

my current prayer is to not gain 10 pounds as i sit at my computer editing and eating halloween candy for hours and hour a day. NO!

Hello there...

So behind...

this little guy lost his first tooth on Sunday night.

crazy cute toothless grins!!

super fun all girls photo shoot with these two beautiful sisters...
they are gonna love all the pictures i took.


Ronnie is doing really well. drs expect to move him onto rehabilation in houston in 2-3 weeks. praying for continued healing and super strength for his new journey. so thankful for all God has done!
************************************************************************************
i've been trying lots of new recipes lately. a slower cooker traditional chili perfect for kids (not spicy), a mexican pizza made with corn tortillas, mini dinner roll pizzas and apple bars. All found via the amazing Sarah at Clover Lane. Really loving all her kid friendly recipes! did you see that cookbook she made on Blurb?! WOW!

My boys love this spinach and spaghetti casserole. Our friend, annabeth {mother of the girls pictured above} shared this one with us:

1 ½ pounds of ground beef (I usually do 1 lb. beef, 1 lb. Italian sausage)
2+ cloves of garlic, minced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 (26-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 tsp+ Italian seasoning
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups (8-ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 ½ cups sour cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp garlic salt
8 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shredded parmesan cheese

Cook first 4 ingredients in large skillet over medium heat, stirring until meat crumbles and no longer pink. Drain and return to skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce and Italian seasoning.
Combine spinach and next 4 ingredients. Fold in noodles, and spoon mixture into lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with half parmesan cheese; top with beef mixture and remaining parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Yum-o!

The day after

daddy, dog and boy ninjas off to trick or treat last night

i sat on the front porch and quickly emptied two big bowls of candy... lots of treaters in our neighborhood.

the boys were excited to dump out their pumpkins to survey their loot. cooper likes it ALL, corbin is selective. he sets all things tootsie roll aside to donate. we all love the chocolate, of course!

happy oneth of the month! yikes it's november already. love this time of year.
cool crisp mornings, jeans and socks, hot soups, baking, parties, family time... so much to look forward to, and be thankful for every ding dong day!