. since we last met .

. it's been busy and then a little less busy . i've enjoyed the slower time and am using the time to refocus and set some goals for this year . very excited about some new business ideas .

. i've been to vegas, twice .

. chicago, i don't know how many times .

. fell in love with and watched all of downtown abbey, most of the while with a cup of tea .

. attended wppi for the first time ever .

. moved .

. started recycling .

. really enjoying cooking with lots of fresh veggies .

. establishing family night with people in my life that might as well be my family .

. doing my best to be fully submitted to what God has for me .

. drank loads of bubble tea, mostly with my tracy friend .

. met nate and jaclyn kaiser and jasmine star .

. got my hair cut shorter .

. then grew it back out a bit .

. considered growing it back out all the way again, but decided to hold off because jasmine and nate both told me i had cool hair . (this is always subject to change)

. built stronger relationships with some .

. not been what i should to others, will be working on that .

. reconnected with old friends .

. having fun hanging out with these 2 every so often .

. having fun decorating the new pad .

. causing me to think about rebranding my photography, so that's in the works .

. overwhelmed by loved ones, the good kind of overwhelmed .

. enjoying that with every twist and turn in life there's always room for change and better yet, improvements .

. getting dressed up all fancy and stuff .

. for a big party, that was a bit of a let down, mainly because i'm not into the kind of parties where you have to yell in your friends ear just to chat . :) fuddy duddy, i know . getting all dressed up was my favorite part . oh and taking fun snapshots with friends .

. rang in the new year by watching and photographing a beautiful home birth .

. and then had photos from the birth make the front page of the cedar rapids gazette .

. resting outside in february barefoot (not in iowa) .

. braved getting a tattoo . i'm tougher than i thought . it says 'it is well with my soul' . always a good reminder .

. frequenting goodwill, stuff, houseworks, salvation army and all those great places to see what treasures i may find .

. i've gotten involved in a great connection group through my church, the ladies in this bible study are great knitters, i love watching them do their thing as we discuss God's word .

. i'm sure there's more, but i'm going to let that do for catching us up . hopefully more to come soon .

. randomness .

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

•••

. 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 .

•••

. 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 .

•••

. 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 .

•••

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

•••

. 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 .

:)

•••

. 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 .

•••

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

•••

. 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 .

•••

. 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 .

:)

•••

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

•••

. 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 !

•••

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

•••

. 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 .

•••

. 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 .

•••

. 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 .

•••

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

•••

. 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 .

•••

. caramel coffee werthers originals . yes, please .

•••

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

. christmas in the country .

. so, i've rebelled plenty against my small town/country roots -when it comes to decorating that is . i've always liked a bit more of a modern look, with simple, clean lines . i still do . but over time, between coming into who i really am and comfortable with that, i've definitely embraced the country life . not to mention i live in an old farm house, on a farm and am married to a farmer . and i love all three . although, you'll not find any borders on my walls with bird houses on them . but if that's what you love, do it ! i'm all about loving your space . anyway, that to say i've decorated for christmas this year and it seems very country to me, although i tried keeping things a little modern with simplicity . now, don't confuse this with primitive...oh never mind, this gets all complicated ! but there is a difference in my mind .

:)

. here's my christmas decor last year . wanted to do something different this year with the living room all rearranged, so went with my small trees .

. the saturday after thanksgiving while stuart and ellie were here we set these trees up and put the same ornaments on them i had at the studio, i have to say they weren't terribly interested in decorating it (i did most of it) and when it was done it did nothing for me (might have to do with the fact that i've looked at and photographed it for the last month), so i stripped the trees down and started over . so this year, plaid and glass is where it's at . and i didn't have to buy a thing .

. used all glass ornaments from my gold and silver tree days . and that is not bats and a ball under the tree, it's wrapping paper and a cute lil felt christmas ball .

. and yes, my favorite throw makes it back into this room . what room in my house does this thing not work in ?! i love that thing ! i got a new throw too, another gift :) you're going to love it . i'll share soon .

. and where more glass comes in . i used a similar arrangement for fall here . this season cranberries and then pine cut from the trees outside .

. the dining room .

. how about you, are you all decorated ? is your style still evolving or is it consistent ? i'd love to see pics of your decor too . if you're a FB friend, post some pics and tag me in them so i'll see them !

:)

. today .

. i'm halfway to 64 . and that doesn't scare me . i feel so very blessed to have lived for 32 great years . yesterday someone asked me how old i would be if i didn't know my age . great question, don't you think . how old would you be ? i answered 24 . wouldn't we all pick in our 20's ? well, at least us in our 30's who are in denial, right ? kidding . i'm not in denial, i just really feel like i'm young (except for the days i wake up with the back and neck pain), but not so young i'm in high school, that leaves the 20s ! steve asked the other day (just being funny) if i was going to be 27 and i jumped to say 'yes', then realizing that i just got very happy to use 27 as my fake age...wow . when did this happen ? it's all good though, i wouldn't want to go back or forward . i'm anxious to see what my 32nd year of living brings .

. okay, so you might not like these, but i DO ! i LOVE them . i found them at adellya's consignment store yesterday . my style is changing because i wouldn't have bought these even 6 months ago, i'm sure of it . but the rich wood, the subtle curves in them, and the ability to change out the candles when the season changes . my birthday present to myself i guess .

:)

. fall living room/dining room makeover .

. okay, so here's the makeover i've been working on for a week or so . i really did make some fun videos to show you this space by acting as if i was on design star, but they were too long and i couldn't seem to edit enough to get it all in . so went with just showing you a few highlights .

. fall livingroom makeover . from Sarah Nebel on Vimeo.

. this arrangement may not be permanent . it really disrupts the flow of traffic...but it's worth a try . so far, with just the two of us, it's fine . the we'll see how it works out while babysitting this week...and i'm thinking it will be too cramped when family comes for the holidays . for now, i like ! oh, and the best part...this makeover cost less than $12 ! taking elements from other areas in the house and getting cheap finds (the shelf - $10 and a piece of flannel - $1.83) it was a fun, yet inexpensive challenge !

. design inspiration .

? want some ?

. go check out thrifty decor chick . she redecorates more than anyone i've ever seen, but does it all inexpensively and well . she has a more traditional style .

. definitely watch yourself some design star . the latest season (new york) was the one that inspired me the most, i think i'm going to watch that season again .

. nichole at making it lovely always has great ideas too . i've shared her before so you may already know her, but she's definitely worth mentioning again .

. the nesting place often has good ideas .

. i recently found rare and beautiful treasures . this gal lived in an amazing new home they had built and recently they sold it and are living beneath their means and she's doing it all cute ! enjoyed this new find .

. some cute stuff on evie s too .

. i think that's good for now . if you like what you see and get inspired by any of these tell me about it and show me what you've done .

. if you haven't freshened up your place in a while, do it . challenge yourself to do it cheap and get out of your comfort zone a little . it's so much fun .

. photos of my space {rearranged} coming soon .

. this time of year is magical .

. ah . you all know i love fall, so i won't go on and on about how much i love it, again . but i will say that the season change changes me, it shifts my focus . this year from being so busy with photo shoots, to wanting to nest a little . redecorating the house . nothing major, just little things that say "falls's here" . i recently got this awesome throw quilt from a friend and it speaks to me...deeply . of all things fall and winter and cozy and family and...

. trying it out in the livingroom .

. since watching all these design shows while editing i've been drawn to different styles of decorating lately too, so i'm wanting to try some new stuff . i'm loving vintage mixed with modern more than ever . i don't think repainting is in my future just yet because i still love my wall colors and how easily i can change decor out with them, but some cheap furniture switches may be on the horizon . i'm going to an auction tonight and i'm sooo excited about it . it's been ages since i've been to one and i love that you never know what you might get . it's always a surprise . i'll be selling at least one piece of furniture on craigslist soon and deciding how i want to change things up . of course you'll be in on it all . so, stay tuned . i've missed posting on here, will make it a habit again !

. decor .

. i've keep thinking i need to get somewhere (garage sales, goodwill, auction) to find a table i can paint for this special spot in the studio . it has to be small and lightweight and most likely easy to paint .

. so today, while running down to the print shop in riverside i noticed an old shop i've driven past tons of times, open...and with lots of old furniture . i swung in, introduced myself to jim and he welcomed me to the area and wished me luck (riverside has welcomed me with open arms! it's been great) and then sold me some cute little tables . these two are a set, lightweight and they will get painted...and 2 will look pretty cool and be easy to move . both for $10 . now to decide what to paint them ? i thought about a green of some short, a little darker than mint green ? purple ? or maybe keep it easy and go white ?

. they also had another one for $5 that was taller and round, i liked it a lot, but it was too tall for the space in the studio . but i got it anyway and look where it fits perfectly ! i love it, i was going to paint it, and may still but for now i don't mind the color . it's in good shape !

. the top is like a counter top . i guess we won't need coasters on it .

. with the dark couch, a dark table, dark floors and a dark armoire and table in the other end of the room i didn't really love the fact that the other table was dark either .

. this table definitely fits the space better than the old square one did . remember what it looked like ? which table do you like better ? this is a personal preference thing, just curious . i've always been a matchy, matchy kinda girl and am getting bored with that, so i think that's why this off color, round table appeals more to me now, it's less expected .

. are you matchy, matchy ? do you like being that way or is it kind of your ocd coming through in decorating ? tell me about your decor preference and why .

. cute lil pots .

. so when i was in chicago a few weeks ago brooke and i were shopping at home goods, a new favorite store of mine . i had done very good at not getting anything i didn't need from there the last time i was there in january, and this time...until we had to wait in the check out line . why do they put the cutest stuff right there where you wait ? oh wait, i know why ...

. so that you'll buy those things you don't need .

. i totally justified these cute little pots, thinking i'd find a few recipes and they'd be so much fun to make for the kiddos .

. but it would be totally like me to get them, love decorating with them and never actually use them . but guess what...i did use them . today i made orzo and cheese bake in them . it was yummy, but i think i can make it better the next time . or else make the pioneer woman's fancy macaroni, i've wanted to do this one for a while now but it's a lot of work and takes a lot of different kind of cheeses...and that scares me, the making of it, not the eating of it . i know a lot of you read the PW, have any of you made it ? will any of you make this for me ?

:)

. kidding .

. as for the orzo and cheese, ryan and reed both liked it .

:)

. it might be a little more like me to get these cute little pots, make something in them once and then never again .... we'll see .

! aren't they cute ?