looking at pine trees upside down.

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most days feel painfully the same.
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then there are the days, where you discover something new - where you look at a snowy pine tree upside down and realize that it's really just made up of hundreds of circles.
there are some days where you start to see something from a different place, without the preconceived feelings you've been carrying around all your life.
and those are the days where it all maybe makes a little bit of sense.
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asher, from above.

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these photos have kind of a weird/distorted proportion thing going on, but i love how they show asher's  long, long, skinny fingers which is something i've noticed about him since he was a brand new baby. asher was so little and thin and long when he came into the world and that's still how i see him now. he just reminds me of a baby bird, all wobbly and bony and small. i always call asher my "teeny boy" and he adores it and now refers to himself that way to make me smile. he squints his eyes and pitches his voice way up high and says, "teeeeeeeeeeny boy!" it's adorable. 

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asher is going through an extreme mama-boy phase, which is really saying something considering that it's upping the ante on his years of mother-clinginess. this boy does not want me out of his sight, ever. to be honest, it can be super taxing on my paper thin patience. but there are sweet moments too, like yesterday in the bath where asher looks up to me and says, "why do you love me?" and i say, "you know why i love you," and he smiles and nods, "mmhm mmhm because i'm aaasher." 

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those are the moments that make me smile and feel the love that he needs from me and it makes me want to hold onto those long, skinny, teeny fingers forever.

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favorite posts of 2014.

( from a self-portrait project i for class last semester )

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I thought I would start posting here again once the new year started and here I am moseying into it. Blogging and photography wise, I feel like I made strides this year... at a snails pace, but still, strides. I turned down photography clients and instead kept picking away at my art degree. That was a great decision for me because it helped me to focus more on the fine art end of things instead of the wedding/portrait photography business side to photography which has always left me feeling a little stale. I've never taken a photography class in college and it was very eye opening for me to have other people discuss my photography and see what my "style" looks like from the outside.
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Blogging wise, I was thrilled to partner with some awesome brands as well as make a little money here and there which has been a huge goal for me, so that was fun. I still feel completely wishy/washy about what I want from blogging/photography and heck whether I want anything at all. Am I the only one who does this? I'm here and there in my mind about everything, all of the time.
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It's crazy how fast a year goes by and I spent a little time today browsing my own blog and remembering and re-remembering things and moments that have gone by quickly, yet slowly, and have somehow collaborated together to make up a whole year; 2014.

I put together a list of some of my favorite posts from the year. The posts I chose are based more on writing than photography. Maybe I'll compile some favorite photos as well because heck, what are things like New Years for other than a chance to make those fun posts of favorite things? I feel like I don't actually write enough anymore and I think it's because it's been too hard for me to formulate ideas and put them down during a very stressful year. Most of the posts in this list stemmed from The Mommy Blogger Collective that I participated in during 2014. I'm very thankful for that opportunity because it did push me to sort out and express my feelings, if only here and there, during an otherwise jumbled-thinking kind of year.
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Going forward this year, I'm not sure what my plan is. I'll daydream in ultra-organizational-mode about to-do lists and calendars. I'll plan for posting more and a new blog design and somehow organizing all of my artistic thoughts and feelings, putting them into place and figuring out what I want to do.
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But ultimately I probably won't follow through as planned and that's ok. I will write and I will take pictures and I'll share them here and there. I'll go to school this semester and focus on a photography project and make art. I'll work with a few brands. I'll be scatterbrained as usual, but I'll still be here, sharing pictures and words with you all.
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Happy new year, guys. Thanks for hanging around. ;)

++ thoughts on sleep

++ defined

++ mother's day

++ this boy

++ friday thoughts on motherhood

++ shine

++ on being creative

++ harvest

++ loss

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boys in vests.

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We've been a little busy lately with my semester finishing up and a little bit of traveling and such. I just wanted to stop in and share these photos of my boys in the ridiculously adorable vests that FabKids sent us last month! Oh my gosh, I have no words. But, I do have pictures - so enjoy. :) :)

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boys' outfits c/o FabKids

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photos of flowers / the bouqs company.

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Truth be told, I was really excited when The Bouqs Company contacted me and wanted to send me flowers because ...  well, because I love photographing flowers! No shame. The Bouqs Co. was great and allowed me to be super picky and choose the bouquet I wanted and I was dying to try out the "Cake n Cream" bouquet. This bouquet consists of mixed Ranunculus flowers and they are absolutely beautiful! To be honest I let the box sit on my counter untouched for two days before I opened it because I knew I wanted to photograph the process and I couldn't find a chance! When I opened the box, the flowers still looked great; thank goodness! After placing these beauties in water, my flowers continued to bloom and grow in their gorgeousness! I've been seeing Bouqs pop up on some blogs here and there lately and I'm happy to support this company on my blog as well just in time for the holidays! I was very impressed with their lovely packaging and the quality of their service. Ok, enough rambling, I'll let my photos do the rest of the talking:

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Check out The Bouqs Company for yourself: here! What's your favorite bouquet?

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Do you ever send flowers to loved ones?

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Thanks for reading, friends and for supporting my blog and giving me this opportunity to indulge in  my flower-picture-taking guilty pleasure. ;)

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happy thanksgiving!

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thankful for these sweet boys; today and everyday!

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my favorite black friday deals!

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     I've really never done much Black Friday shopping  but this year we are thinking about heading out to shop since we don't really have any Thanksgiving plans and are trying to think of something fun to do as a family this weekend! I thought I would share with you all my favorite deals that I've come across so far while I've been scouring the sale ads online! These aren't necessarily the best deals that will exist out there this weekend but these are the things that caught my eye at some of my favorite stores. Maybe some of your will be interested in them as well!


Target ( view ad here )
     
* $19 Razor Scooters! My boys have been wanting these scooters and it's a maybe on our Christmas list of ideas for them. This is the best deal I've come across in the past few months so it's a deal I'm considering.

* 40% off all womens, mens, kids + baby clothing: a good chance to pick up some things that you still might need for winter!

* 10% off gift cards! ( Friday only from 6 am- noon ) I have a couple gift cards to buy for family memebers this Christmas so I might take advantage of this offer to save a few dollars.

Kohl's ( view ad here )

* $19.99 select styles of boots for women! I'm kind of into these but I'm not sure about the heel.

*I've seen some pretty good deals on toys at Kohl's for Black Friday ( like this Fisher-Price pirate ship for $19.99 ) so it's worth checking out their website / ad if you have must have toy requests on your children's Christmas lists!

*$15 in Kohl's cash for every $50 spent. Usually they give out $10 for every $50 so this is a little bonus and for those of you not familiar with Kohl's cash; it's a coupon that is good for that amount during the valid dates - it works just like a gift card!

*If I shop Black Friday at Kohl's, I'm also going to use a $10/off coupon and a 15% off coupon that I got in the mail since I have their credit card. I also have $10 in rewards to use there as well. After working at Kohl's for the holidays last year I learned that having their credit card has great benefits, as long as you pay it off right away! I'm sure that they will be offering an additional bonus if you open a credit card on Black Friday this year and don't forget to sign up for a rewards card at Kohl's as well! If I shop online, I'll also shop through Ebates to get 9% cash back. Also, all of Kohl's Black Friday deals are already valid right now online so go check it out!

Old Navy

* 50% the entire store! ( bump it up to 60% off if you open a credit card between now and Black Friday! ) Some of the things I've been eying at Old Navy lately are this scarf + these boots for myself as well as this "Yeti" shirt" for Roman!

JcPenny ( view ad here )

*The thing that caught my eye in the JcPenny ad is that they are giving away $10 off ( a $10 or more purchase ) coupons at the door while supplies last on Thanksgiving and 1 in every 100 coupons is good for $100 off a $100 or more purchase! Pretty awesome because even if you only get the $10 off coupon it's basically a free $10 gift card! I do wonder how quickly they will run out of these though, probably fast.

FabKids

* Ok I have to tack on FabKids at the end here since they are such a staple on my blog! FabKids is offering buy one get free outfits for Black Friday and the deal is already valid on their site! FabKids is a subscription clothing company and if you've been thinking about trying them out this would be a great time to start off with two full outfits for @29.95 plus free shipping!

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Overall, I've had fun looking into the Black Friday thing but I can't say that the deals have impressed me as much as I imagined they might. I think this is due to the fact that I am such a bargain shopper in the first place. It really takes a lot to impress me sale wise. I do think that it's a good chance to get a few things that you've already needed or to save a little money on Christmas presents, both of which I plan to do, but it isn't like companies are giving things away!

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Do any of you partake in Black Friday shopping? Please share any great deals that you've come across in the comments below!

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mountain sunsets / pictures for me.

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i took these photos a while ago. i snuck into my room by myself and just clicked some pictures of the sun setting behind the mountains + rooftops. it was so soothing to spend a few moments taking pictures all by myself. also, how lucky am i to have these mountain sunsets right outside my window?

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just some thoughts for a monday.

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FabKids // october picks.

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FabKids sent us these ridiculously adorable outfits in October and here are my favorite things about them:

- matchy-match pirate hoodie tees! the boys were SO excited to get these and matching outfits just have to happen sometimes.

- asher's tiny red chino pants, i mean really: so. freaking. adorable.

- these FabKids cargo pants are the best fitting pants that i have found for roman this year so i was really happy to get him another pair!

- these pictures! that top picture of roman just personifies his sweetness and i love the happiness of asher twirling in the leaves. i had a difficult time editing some of these photos because of the crazy color cast from all the leaves, but those last few pictures of my boys together ... sigh. <3

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Be sure to check out FabKids, a fun subscription clothing company for kids!!

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and to see more photos of my boys wearing FabKids clothing, click here

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The clothing featured in this post was provided by FabKids. Thanks for reading and supporting my family! <3

swinging.

swinging,

asher . september 2014

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aren't photographs wonderful? i took these pictures laying in the mulch at the playground but for all anyone knows maybe they were taken in a studio or maybe they were photoshopped,

or maybe they were just taken in a dream?

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Space Scouts!

I was so excited when Space Scouts offered to send my boys a package and host a giveaway on my blog!

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You all already know how much fun I've had working with the clothing subscription company FabKids on my blog so I was really excited for my boys to be able to try out Space Scouts, a monthly subscription program based around space + science activities! I am pretty in love with the "subscription box" idea; there is just something SO fun and exciting about getting mail.

Space Scouts sent us 2 of their monthly packages to try out! The recommended age for Space Scouts is 6+ (they also offer Animal Trackers for children ages 3+ which is equally adorable) but Asher certainly had a lot of fun diving into the packages with Roman. I'd say that a few of the activities included in Space Scouts could definitely be done with children ages 3 and up while some are a little more advanced so it is a good mix. The first month's package was all wrapped up inside of an adorable tin lunch box and included different learning activities as well as a poster of the solar system and a "constellation collection startup set". Each month that follows builds upon this set and every month includes a magnet to add to the lunchbox, a sticker to add to the solar system poster, multiple learning activities, a souvenir toy that coordinates with the activities and a constellation card to add to the collection. Roman and Asher were pretty excited to open up their second month package and find all sorts of goodies to add to their collection!(I tried to photograph what came in each box but I just realized that I included the "robotic claw" toy in each photo, oops! It came in the second month's package!)

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We had so much fun getting a chance to try out Space Scouts! I loved the variety of activities that was included with each package. It was a perfect amount of learning mixed with fun and it kept both of my boys occupied all afternoon. Roman especially enjoyed the "sticker scrambles" which are these really neat little sticker puzzles! I am really impressed with how well thought out this subscription service is and think it would be a unique and fun gift from grandparents, an excellent supplement to homeschool or just something to look forward to each month with your children!

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Now, be sure to enter the giveaway to win your own 3-month subscription to Space Scouts! EEK! What do you all think of Space Scouts? Have you tried out any "subscription box" companies with your kids? Thanks for reading!

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This giveaway is hosted through Moms Affiliate! If you are a family blogger, be sure to check this site out and sign up if you are interested in monetizing your blog. They are a great resource and I've been really happy working with them so far!

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weekend sale + a new favorite store!

Ok, I have a new favorite children's clothing store to share with you all! A couple weeks ago, the boys and I were out shopping and had some time to kill  so we hit up Crazy 8 since it happened to be in the shopping center where we were. I always thought this store seemed really trendy / high end and would be super expensive so I hadn't considered shopping there before. I was so excited to see that they had $10 jeans so I picked up a couple pairs for Roman to try on at home and I also got the boys each a $3.99 tee shirt from the clearance rack for next summer. Their clearance section is literally filled with great stuff and everything is so ridiculously colorful and cute! $3.99 is actually higher than my ideal  price for kids' clothes, I am a super bargain shopper in that area - but I couldn't resist; their stuff is just SO adorable.

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Since I am signed up as an affiliate for a few children's clothing companies, ( oh and hey, I threw in a couple affiliate links in this post! ) I got an email this morning letting me know that Crazy 8 was having an $8.88 jean sale this weekend. I wanted to try a smaller size in the jeans that I bought for Roman so this afternoon the boys and I stopped by. I returned the 2 pairs of jeans I got him last time and bought 2 more pairs for only $8.88 each plus another clearance tee shirt for Roman to wear next summer.

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Online all of the Crazy 8 clearance is an additional 20% off right now! I was bummed because this sale didn't seem to extend to the stores but oh well. ;) ( Hint: if you are going to purchase anything online, I recommend signing up for their emails first - they sent me a 20% off online only coupon when I signed up! )

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I pulled everything in this collage from the Crazy 8 online clearance section and all of the prices shown here are only between $3.19 and $4.79! Super cheap and oh my goodness all the pastels / neons / stripes / cute graphics ... it's too much.

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What are your favorite stores to shop for kid's clothes? Please share! Do you try to stock up on clothes during the off season to save money?

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* shirts that I bought for Roman: here + here!

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