makeover and things

. as you see, the personal blog got a little makeover . it had been about a year i think, so it was time . did you notice it's creamy and tan and all soft and pretty looking, just like i said i couldn't get enough of lately .

. and, speaking of makeover, i am working on putting the post together for my living room color makeover that i've done . hopefully i'll be posting it sometime today, so come back .

. i have a ton of blogs bookmarked that i don't read until things slow down and i find myself killing extra time on my computer . apparently that was last night .

. i checked sew liberated and saw this video of this little 20 month old picking up his play dough stuff . this mama is big into training her little fella the montessori way, and although i'm not overly familiar with this, i do get the idea . thought it quite impressive and i thought i'd share . any thoughts from any of you that have used or know about montessori educating ? just found it intriguing .

. i know you're wondering why all of the sudden posts on the blog ? i'm needing to be creative and since photography is slower right now, this is my outlet . so thanks for sticking around (all 3 of you) to check when i do eventually post .

. oh and i've been drinking far too much caffeine lately (but that french toast coffee my mama bought me is gooo-od!) . maybe be another reason i'm super chatty in this moment .

. my last fortune cookie said "work on improving your exercise routine" . how did they know !? they probably have a stash of cookies with just this message that they throw in after you order so many cashew chickens to go !

around my desk

. my point and shoot was sitting on my desk the other day and apparently i didn't have enough to do . i picked it up and well, here you have it .

. randomness .

. yes, i'm smelling a paper flower . hey, it's january in iowa, give me a break .

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. i've been laying low lately . photography is slower, which i have been enjoying . gives me a chance to dream up new ideas . i have lots of ideas in my head, needing to bring some things together in reality . ready to get back to things soon, and will, feburary is filling up .

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. i got a manicure a few weeks ago and since have kept my nails painted...they are longer than they've been in years . in reality they're not that long, but they are for me .

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. the ipad has changed my life . yes in some ways it has complicated it (only because i'm a slow learner), other ways made it simpler and will get simpler the more i get used to using it . but i'm in love .

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. digital calendar is going okay, still taking some getting used to . again with the slow learning .

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. made new friends, rob and austin at best buy and blake at verizon . they have been oh. so. helpful for this non-techy mac lover . i think they just like to play with my ipad instead of doing actual work .

:)

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. the gal at the chinese restaurant has learned my name (am i going a little too often maybe? naa) . she said "cashew chicken again, sarah ?!" what can i say, i love the stuff ! i want to learn her name, here's hoping it's an easy one to remember . i met a very sweet hispanic lady the other night and couldn't even repeat her name, let alone remember it .

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. yes, i'll be in line for the iphone in a few days, never thought i'd be one of those people .

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. feeling the urge to sew . what ?! where did that come from ? i have even cut up an old sweatshirt and pinned it together as a slipcover for my laptop, just need someone to sew it up for me . if i had a machine i'd try my hand . remembering what happened last time i 'tried my hand' at it . frustration .

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. apps are a whole new world for me . penultimate is awesome, as is cut the rope . i have mastered the free cut the rope app, thinking i should stick with that . i'd rather waste my time reading blogs .

:)

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. heard this morning: dare to dream, it's free . and operate out of your imagination, not your memory .

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. getting ready for ppi (professional photographers of iowa) conference next weekend . super excited !! mostly to spend time with photog friends . bought bottled water and snacks to take along today . wooo hoo !

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. speaking of friends . there are not enough words in my vocabulary to express the awesomeness of my friends and what they mean to me .

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. have also spent a lot of time the last few weeks redecorating the dining room/living room . was so inspired by the color in my office, and bored with the lack of in most of the rest of the house . i've even added some orange . gasp ! brought home some goodies from my mom and dad's that made this project even more fun . i'll post photos at some point, but there's still a few more things i want to do first .

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. wishing i could photograph the cute little brown haired girl in toy story 3 (bonnie) . on the porch with all her toys . thinking of a photo shoot where kids bring tons of their favorite toys and play outside in the grass or maybe i go to their place and photograph them playing with them in their room . hm, yet another idea .

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. a favorite verse lately : mark 11:24 therefore i say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them . praying with faith is not always easy, but i do believe it is how God wants us to come to Him . thankful God is working on my heart and in my life .

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. loving all things pearl, tan, blush and ivory . so soft and pretty .

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. have come so close to chopping all my hair off lately . the static is driving me crazy . and i just don't have the patience to do it everyday, but that's nothing new . the only reason I haven't cut it, hats and ponytail holders .

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. caramel coffee werthers originals . yes, please .

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. apparently making up for lost time . say a quick hey in the comments if you made it all the way to the end !

. she's a little neurotic, but needs our prayers .

. she said so herself . i didn't say that . she's self titled "only slightly neurotic" .

:)

. but she and her little scarlette need our prayers . i found this gal through scrapbooking blogs, and her humor always makes me laugh . she has a very tiny little lady that is not doing well and could use our prayers . just thought i'd share in case you want to say a few for her .

. nebel christmas .

. so, i'm finally getting around to posting some photos from our other christmas get together, which was actually on christmas day with the nebel side . we had it in the evening so i had plenty of time all day to prepare .

. our loooong living/dining area works so great when we have so many for dinner .

. we clear out the dishes and tables and put in some chairs and we're ready for presents .

. stuart was so great at giving hugs this year . as soon as he'd unwrap his gift he'd put down his toy and run over and give a hug to whoever had given him his gift .

. mom got a pretty special gift this year . it was from no one specific . it was a box full of items that frequently went missing from her cupboards when the boys lived at home .

:)

. she's figuring it out .

. stuart liked his gift from uncle steve .

. uncle jim felt the need to do a little confessing about some pickles that had gone missing many, many years ago .

. ellie thanking grandma for her gift . such sweet kiddos .

. ellie's been into little house on the prairie lately so grandma made her an outfit like laura's .

. notice ellie in on the bunk bed playing with her toys already .

. some back scratching .

. some more back scratching .

. and somebody always likes to have a little fun . last year it was the gross jelly bellys (earwax, dirt, vomit) mixed in with the regular ones . this year it was little wasabi balls of some sort . i never did try one, but by the reactions on peoples faces, i didn't want to .

. jason took it like a man . really, i was quite impressed .

. steve even tricked grandpa . grandpa spit it right out too !

. uncle jim, working through the pain .

:)

. grandma and stuart chatting .

. steve made a shelter in the barn for the dogs a few months ago and so the kids had to go check it out .

. while we were out there we had a little fun in the show piles .

. this photo makes me cringe . i hate it when the snow blows in my face like that !

. stuart would have stayed out all day and played . ellie and i had our fill in about 20 minutes . it was cold !

. was a wonderful time with family, and an enjoyable christmas holiday . i'm just now considering taking down the decorations . (it's very unlike me not to have them down by jan 1) .