twirl [lbr]

Parks + Pictures + Presents

2012-02-07T11:05:00.002-06:00

If you don't like babies or parks, stop reading now.
They filled my days last week.

Well, and this dish of mushroom chicken stew from the Real Simple magazine.

I was so proud of myself for actually trying one of the recipes I tear out that I took its picture.

I love a good cold weather reprieve in the middle of "winter".

We made the most of it by heading to the park three days in a row.

Here's the fun...

Walker hung out with us later that night while Chris & Melissa went out to dinner.

Have I told you all how much V loves magazines?

I am easily amused by things like my cauliflower looking like a heart...

and I am glad she is so entertained by clean dishes.

Surely she will be unloading them in no time?

Back to the park to lounge in the sun.

Veda Jane's feelings for Frances in this moment can be summed up in one word.

"Suspicion".

Caroline took the stroller for a test drive so she can practice walking her baby and her dog at the same time.

I want to blow this photo up and put it over our mantle.

But it isn't in focus.

And we don't have a mantle.

I will capture it one day!

I also participated in a fun little blog/shop swap with Janelle at J.P. Photography and The Crowley Party!

I got to meet Janelle, who is downright precious and is an inspirational with her beautiful photography.

She even pulls off wearing my headbands like this:

photo: Janelle's

Adorable!

Look at the goodies that showed up in my mailbox!

I was so excited to find little bags of "inspiration" to create something, a precious headband from her shop, and other accessories!

And then I turned 27. The end.

My Kind of Celebration

2012-02-06T08:09:00.000-06:00

Thank you everyone for your sweet messages wishing me a happy birthday!

It was a happy birthday, indeed!

These days I'm a lay low, homebody kind of girl,

so my birthday wish was to spend the day relaxing with my family.

These two fulfilled it perfectly.

Eddie took care of the meals and the diapers,

Veda Jane showered me with kisses (well, her version of kisses which involves her holding her open mouth to my cheek)

and played at the park, and I got to take lots and lots of pictures of it all.

Starting with a pancake breakfast...

and since she showed up at the table with her party hat on & smiled at me like that

we gave her some.

Then we laid around

before heading to the park to catch the mild weather before the rain set in.

It amazes me that on my birthday last year,

Birmingham froze over and the whole city shut down.

Quite possibly my favorite picture.

I swear she knew it was my birthday!

Or maybe she was just pulling for some more pancakes.

She even fell asleep on my shoulder so we could spend the rest of our time talking by the water.

Caroline popped in (as is tradition) to sing to me and bring me a pretty pink cupcake!

Of course I shared.

Cupcakes are good for babies, right?

And then it rained, which gave us an excuse to mole up for the afternoon with the second season of Lost. Perfection.

Yup, I'm officially an old woman!

I'm so happy it's my birthday!

2012-02-03T07:32:00.001-06:00

I'm kicking off my birthday celebration with some pancakes this morning,

feeling extremely grateful for the goodness I have seen throughout the years.

Also thankful that my legs don't look like they did in 1985.

Happy weekend!

Jesus Hates Religion. Really?

2012-02-01T08:32:00.000-06:00

I'm sure you've seen it by now. The video about how Jesus hates religion?

At first I saw it & was like "yeah! Preach!" because it was spreading like wildfire and that made me glad,
but when I dug into the message it felt a little like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Was it true? Did Jesus really hate religion?

I talked to Eddie about it a bit and he agreed that while the message of grace was dead on, that we can't earn God's love and simply act our way into heaven on the wings of our self-righteousness, but the idea that Jesus hated religion as a blanket battle cry was off.
Religion is a means of worship for a believer.
Religion, like everything in this world,
is good when used correctly-worshipping our Savior,
and bad when used incorrectly-making worship our Savior.
Of course the only thing that matters is not what I thought about it, but what scripture says about it.
So what does it say?

Kevin DeYoung helped answer my questions through The Gospel Coalition blog. I have a deep respect for the members of The Gospel Coalition. It brings together highly respected pastors humbled by their love for Jesus and fueled by a desire to adhere to The Bible in their teaching.

DeYoung responds to each portion of the video, testing the validity of the message against scripture.

"Bethke sees religion as a man made attempt to earn God’s favor. Religion equals self-righteousness, moral preening, and hypocrisy. Religion is all law and no gospel. If that’s religion, then Jesus is certainly against it.

But that’s not what religion is. We can say that’s what is has become for some people or what we understand it to be. But words still matter and we shouldn’t just define them however we want. “Jesus hates religion” communicates something that “Jesus hates self-righteousness” doesn’t. To say that Jesus hates pride and hypocrisy is old news. To say he hates religion—now, that has a kick to it. People hear “religion” and think of rules, rituals, dogma, pastors, priests, institutions. People love Oprah and the Shack and “spiritual, not religious” bumper stickers because the mood of our country is one that wants God without the strictures that come with traditional Christianity. We love the Jesus that hates religion.

The only problem is, he didn’t. Jesus was a Jew. He went to services at the synagogue. He observed Jewish holy days. He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matt. 5:17). He founded the church (Matt. 16:18). He established church discipline (Matt. 18:15-20). He instituted a ritual meal (Matt. 26:26-28). He told his disciples to baptize people and to teach others to obey everything he commanded (Matt. 28:19-20). He insisted that people believe in him and believe certain things about him (John 3:16-18; 8:24). If religion is characterized by doctrine, commands, rituals, and structure, then Jesus is not your go-to guy for hating religion.

The word “religion” occurs five times in English Standard Version of the Bible. It is, by itself, an entirely neutral word. Religion can refer to Judaism (Acts 26:5) or the Jewish-Christian faith (Acts 25:19). Religion can be bad when it is self-made (Col. 2:23) or fails to tame the tongue (James 1:26). But religion can also be good when it cares for widows and orphans and practices moral purity (James 1:27). Unless we define the word to suit our purposes, there is simply no biblical grounds for saying Jesus hated religion. What might be gained by using such language will, without a careful explanation and caveats, be outweighed by what is lost when we give the impression that religion is the alloy that corrupts a relationship with Jesus.

Following Jesus is more than keeping rules, but it’s not less. In one sense, loving Jesus is also all about keeping rules (John 14:15, 21,23-24)

(emphasis, mine)

Read the full article here

He goes into the other topics in full detail,
but this is the particular one I had questions about and wanted to share.
I LOVE the heart behind what Jeff was preaching,
and I love that the Lord is faithful to speak to us in The Bible
so we can stay anchored to the Truth when the waters of our culture threaten to sweep our feet off solid ground.

Can you imagine how Jeff Bethke would respond to hearing this critique?

He responded to reading Kevin DeYoung's commentary on his video shortly after it was posted.
THIS to me, is such a good picture of how we are supposed to hold each other accountable as believers,
and how a rebuke can give glory to God when it is received with humility and devotion to seeing God shine brighter than your own pride.

I just wanted to say I really appreciate your article man. It hit me hard. I’ll even be honest and say I agree 100%. God has been working with me in the last 6 months on loving Jesus AND loving his church. For the first few years of walking with Jesus (started in ’08) I had a warped/poor paradigm of the church and it didn’t build up, unify, or glorify His wife (the Bride). If I can be brutally honest I didn’t think this video would get much over a couple thousand views maybe, and because of that, my points/theology wasn’t as air-tight as I would’ve liked. If I redid the video tomorrow, I’d keep the overall message, but would articulate, elaborate, and expand on the parts where my words and delivery were chosen poorly… My prayer is my generation would represent Christ faithfully and not swing to the other spectrum….thankful for your words and more importantly thankful for your tone and fatherly like grace on me as my elder. Humbled. Blessed. Thankful for painful growth. Blessings.

Grace and Peace,

Jeff

A Recap

2012-01-31T08:01:00.000-06:00

Last week was a busy one in our neck of the woods.

Veda Jane was all about reaching some new milestones and this week already

has a different feel to it, with a baby who is SO happy that she can crawl around and

explore without me having to move her from place to place!

Eddie is digging his heels in to finish his last semester

& my fingers are busy filling shop orders and planning my trips to shoot weddings this spring!

Here are a few things that have been going on.

Veda Jane facetimed with her cousin Luke.

Isn't it strange that computers will be a part of their baby books?

She ate spinach and blueberries and cheese.

But not all at once.

She was all about this tin of almonds for a few days,

so I emptied it out, covered it with pretty paper and made her a drum.

and then she didn't care about it anymore because it looked like a toy,
and she only likes things that are black and wiry and have signs on them that say
"babies can't have this".

She got a little upset when I told her that ankle bracelets are not allowed in our house.

But I did applaud her innovation.

I shipped lots of orders (THANK YOU!!)

and whipped up some big baby bows to put in my shop this weekend.

We got beer & tacos with Riley & Caroline

(or in the boy's case, fried chicken crusted with Lay's potato chips).

Thanks for documenting V's first high chair experience Caroline :)

I did a lot of park hopping all week but on Saturday Eddie got to come with us.

check out this mean mug...

And then the Simmons came by on Sunday so Chris could get his weekly freezie pop fix.

At least he shares.

Either V is pulling at that beautiful hair or Walker is trying to grab her eyeballs...

but I think it just means they like each other.

So there was our last week.

THIS week is my birthday week.

I'm turning the big 2-7 on Friday!

It's ok if you didn't get me a present.

You still have three days to shop.

Meet Nicole: Running for Arya!

2012-01-30T09:46:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday friends!

I am pretty excited about getting to introduce you to Nicole from Running in Heels.

When I started really getting into blogging I was baffled by these overheard "friendships" being created between bloggers.
At first I thought it seemed a little strange, but now I get it.

You don't just enter the blogosphere, spit out your thoughts and walk away.

You get to connect, be inspired, and feel encouraged by other women doing the same. If you want to.

So that is how Nicole and I went from "followers" to "friends".

As it turns out, we both love Jesus and want our lives to reflect it.
I LOVE discovering what people are passionate about and seeing what they do with it.
Nicole happens to be passionate about running and this spring she gets to use that passion to change someone's life.

Did you know that 163 million girls have been denied life because of their gender?
Arya is a girl in India, who almost lost hers when her father put her in the garbage dump as a newborn.
Nicole is running for Arya, and I'll let her tell you more about it below.

Running has always been a passion of mine. It started when I was in middle school as a hate relationship, and quickly evolved into a love relationship when I began college. The reasons why I've continued running after college and why I still consider myself a runner are limitless. Running has always been about me and for me. The only time during my day that I can justify as "me time." A time to get away, think, release some stress, and talk to God. But none of those reasons have ever come close to this. To the I WILL RUN campaign that I have been blessed to be a part of. To a human life, a girl, abandoned, and now loved.

By her As Our Own Family, and me.

Arya's story has given reason to my running. And in just four short months I will be running in the Eugene Half Marathon for her. I will be leading a team of runners who have selflessly dedicated their passion to a girl in India. A team of runners who have raised funds to help a girl that was abandoned at a garbage dump the day she was born by her own father. Who was then rescued by As Our Own, and blessed with the opportunity to live a life glorifying her true Father - our God. Our amazing God.

It's an honor I still can't comprehend, but an honor that I will cherish and savor - to use my passion for something bigger, something that will serve as a light to many and a blessing to one girl. To be a vessel for God, sharing His love and shining His light into a life she never dreamed she'd live. That is my God, the God I know. The God of redemption, who brings beauty from ashes, and uses the least expected as a vessel of His love. An honor I cannot comprehend, yet pray I live up to.

Thanks Nicole!
Please visit her blog Running In Heels and say hello,
read more, and help her out if you wish!

January Spring

2012-01-26T08:57:00.001-06:00

I am even more grateful for the past three days of sunshine now that the rain is pounding the pavement outside.

I have been bound and determined to make the most of them,

and yesterday we took ourselves on a stroll through the Botanical Gardens

to celebrate V's seven month birthday!

I can't get enough of that flicker in those inquisitive eyes as she takes this big world in.

And then there was a couple sitting on a bench & the lady was like

"bring her over here! I love babies."

Oh, ok stranger lady.

She asked for her name and told me her niece was named "Eliza Jane" after some song.

And then she sang that song to Veda Jane.

Like a church choir lady.

The entire thing.

And then she said "oh wait, that isn't the song."

And then she sang another song.

Even Veda Jane was like "Seriously? Mom are you hearing this?"

So Veda Jane told her she had to go have her photo taken by the trees

on the opposite side of the garden as them.

I was excited & said "really?! You want to have your picture made?"

and V was like

"Meh. I was just trying to get away from that lady. That was weird."

"Just kidding!"

"But seriously mom, I am feeling very suspicious.

All those books talking about how the grass is green and what not? All lies."

"Hmmm... is that lady still over there singing?"

"don't make me sic Sophie on you lady."

Seven month olds say the darndest things.

Here is our proof of the sunshine...

Don't mind V's dragon tail.

P.S.

I'm giving away a headband today on Michaela's blog so check it out!

Happy Thursday!

Veda Jane's Valentine

2012-01-25T10:23:00.000-06:00

Veda Jane was insistant that she send a valentine to her grandparents.

I mean, seeing that she is already dotting her i's with hearts I can't say her eagerness surprised me,

and I like what she came up with using some old scrapbook paper and glue.

First she tried stamping her hand,

but that pink paint looked too much like delicious strawberry frosting for V to continue.

So she decided to make a cut out of her hand instead,

with paper that looks like it belongs in that dollhouse she keeps eyeing.

Then she glued a square of paper onto the backside of two fingers

and adhered it to a blank card and hot glued (I helped her with that part) the fingers down

into "I love you" position!

I thought it was pretty clever of her to send her message this way since she can't write that well yet.

But she did ask me to shoot a couple of pictures of her and include them,

in case there is any confusion as to who it's from.

How are you going to say "I love you" this Valentine's Day?

Around Here

2012-01-24T18:32:00.000-06:00

We woke up in the middle of the night on Sunday to the tune of a tornado alarm and some serious light-up-the-room lightening.

Seeing as the last time we got a tornado in our neighborhood we did nothing about it because the power was out and we had no idea what was coming...

Eddie stayed up watching the news so he could properly protect us if needed. :)

All of that to say, sleep eluded us and Monday was a strange catch up day for us.

A GORGEOUS day mind you,

so I nixed the to do list and hit the trails with Katie for the afternoon.

Today we did the same, meeting Katie, Baby Harris, and Caroline at the park

to soak it up!

Prior to these sunny days, however, we were snuggled up inside for the weekend watching Veda Jane go exploring.

She has so many new things to see!

And her explorations meant it was time to drop the crib completely,

which she proved was a good choice after her afternoon nap when she stood up at the railing to let us know she was awake.

On Sunday she went to the church nursery that she hates.

At least she was wearing the dress that she loves,

made just for her by Aunt Pam :)

and everything in between was caught on instagram...

Facetiming Gims on Friday

snuggling on Saturday

looking like a diva

sportin' the big bow for a photo shoot

adding "climbs on things" to her bag of tricks

making her way into the dining are while I wasn't looking.

I left her in the den!

and making sure to show us her new "scrunched nose face",

which is her go-to move of the week.

The Young and the Restless

2012-01-20T12:43:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking about trying my hand at writing children's books.

I mean, have you ever read a children's book?

Easy.

But I want it to be something juicy and fun for the parents to read too.

None of this "See Fred turn red" mumbo jumbo.

More like baby soap operas with real life drama and deep life lessons.

Here's my first installment.

Inspired by real events at last week's playgroup.

TAG, I'm it!

2012-01-19T10:40:00.004-06:00

Melissa from Meli Faif Life "tagged" me on her blog,

so I get to play a little game & share some fun facts with you!

1st, the rules to tagging:
1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
5. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.

1. What is your go-to piece of clothing?

Funny you should ask. It just so happens to be this rosette headband I got from HERE!

Shameless shop plug, I know.

No really,

I have to go with my black skinny pants.

They stretched with me through the first trimester,

graciously carried my legs to a Christmas party the night I stopped fitting into anything else non-maternity,

they allow me to lounge comfortably in my home while still making me feel semi-stylish when then hubs gets home,

they transition beautifully from season to season pairing perfectly with flip flops, flats, boots, or heels.

Sigh.

Is there anything they can't do?

2. If you could only pick ONE WORD for the year of 2012....what would it be?

A whole lotta movin' going on this year.

We're going to move cities, I have a baby who is ready to move on those little legs,

and a husband who is moving into the career he's been working towards!

Heck, I find myself dancing in the kitchen singing

"ya, we're movin ooon uuup! to the east side.... we finally got a piece of the pie!"

just at the thought Eddie's school turning into a job!

3. What ONE WORD best describes YOU?

Delighted. It is exactly how I feel!

4. What is your signature scent?

I jump from perfume to perfume.

In college it was Gucci Rush,

which made Eddie fall madly in love with me from the moment he met me

and haunted him during the days we were not together.

His words, not mine.

But they discontinued it because there is an ingredient in it that doctors used to make people sneeze,

hence the "rush" you feel when someone wears it as perfume.

Which is also why it worked like magic fairy dust while we chased each other around.

Genius.

I am currently donning Lola by Marc Jacobs.

5. After a long, hard day....what do you enjoy most?

A movie, always a movie.

With a beer and pizza? Even better.

Mmm and chocolate ice cream.

And popcorn.

Ok, indulging. Just indulging.

6. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Entitlement.

I was at the Post Office the other day and this man was raising a ruckus because he couldn't get overnight delivery to a certain city in Florida.

He pitched a fit, threw his papers down on the counter, and left without mailing anything at all.

I was like, really?! Do we really think we have a RIGHT to things like overnight delivery to anywhere we want it to go?

We are spoiled rotten thinking everything is always supposed to go our way,

instead of realizing that so many of these conveniences are a privilege!

7. Do you live in the state you were born in?

If not, where where you born and where do you live now?

Nope!

Born in Tennessee, went to school in Georgia, moved to North Carolina,

and now reside in Alabama!

8. Have you ever travelled outside of the country? If so, please do share!

Yes! I am so thankful to have gone on a few adventures here and there!

My first grand adventure was to Australia when I was younger,

but here are some of the latest travels that I have snapshots of..

St. Thomas for my brother's wedding 2009

(Does a US Virgin Island count? This is why I could never homeschool...)

The British Virgin Islands for a family sailing trip 2008

Antigua for our honeymoon! woohoo! 2008

South Africa with YWAM 2007

Uganda 2007

Tanzania 2007

I'll give you one guess... 2007

Tanzania 2006

Dublin, Ireland 2006

Paris, France 2006

9. Do you speak more than one language? If so, please do share!

Well, I took Russian in middle school,

French in high school,

and Spanish in college.

So no.

I just got really confused.

10. What is one blog that you sooooo look forward to visiting daily? Please do share! :)

Well I don't go daily anymore but I have to say it was the first

blog I ever discovered was Fly Through Our Window!

Her blog, family, and faith is just beautiful!

11. Do you get annoyed at being tagged in blogger games?

Of course not!

It has been fun sharing a bit of randomness from the corners of my brain.

Thanks so much for letting me play, Melissa :)

And now for MY 11 questions

to the 11 people I get to tag...

1. What are you wearing right. now.

2. If you found $100 in your pocket what would you buy today?

3. If your parting gift from the Zoo was an animal of your choice,

which one would you take home with you?

4. Would you rather have a perpetual scab on the tip of your nose or perpetual eye goop?

(choose wisely)

5. What is the greatest lesson you learned from your mother?

6. If you were given a free Super Bowl ad what would you advertise?

7. What is your favorite photograph?

8. If you could change your name, what name would you choose?

9. What is the most unusual gift you ever received? (or best, or worst)

10. What one clothing item or accessory do you wish you could pull off?

11. If you had to decide which movie you would teleport into (because that is naturally how this would be possible),

and live out for the rest of your life, which movie would you choose?

If you want to play, I'm calling your number!

Mandy @ Our Bolton Life

Nicole @ Destination Unknown

Maggie @ A Carolina Love

Nicole @ Running in Heels

Danielle @ Take Heart

Megan @ Mackey Madness

Bonnie @ Our Little Home

Alana @ Mrs. Alana's Miscellany

Michaela @ Michaela Noelle Designs

Julie @ The Smitten Mintons

TJ @ Mr. Taylor and His Lady

Jussie @ Viva La Jussie
Amanda @ Cool Living
Cara @ Running on Grace

DIY Baby Food + Everything I've Learned About Starting Solids

2012-01-18T10:16:00.001-06:00

Starting solid foods was a fun but frightening experience for us.

I really have no idea how you're supposed to "just know" what to do in this whole raising a child thing,

with a new milestone coming at ya every two weeks.

Sure, you can ask your mom, but by now everything they were told to do has been banned by today's baby doctors,
and in no time, everything we are doing now will be too.

But somehow, everyone does it, and millions of babies everywhere turn out a-ok.

So when my doctor told us that we can start introducing food to Veda Jane at her 4 month appointment I kind of panicked.

I freaked out that we were THERE already.

It came out of nowhere.

One minute she's nursing, sleeping, pooping, then BAM.

Ready for solids.

I wanted to wait until 6 months, because there is really no nutritional value in solids before then

(and only having to worry about nursing was just so easy!),

but when she started popping up in the middle of the night and acting hungry,

we went ahead and gave it a shot around 5 months instead.

I mean, just look at how excited she was to begin!

I wanted to share a few things I've learned along the way.
I get my information from my mom, babycenter.com, and Melissa,
who reads all the baby books good moms are supposed to read,
so I really can't take much credit for this wealth of knowledge.
Take what you like but mostly, just feel out what YOUR baby needs!

How to Make Your Own:

People kind of get "that look" on their face when they say

"OH, you make your own?"

as if I'm either some crazed health nut or hemp-hunting hippie.
Listen, I don't think that your baby is going to work for mine one day,
just because I make her food for her,

but I decided to make V's because it was so simple and so CHEAP.

We could spend $1 on 2 servings of Gerber baby food,
$1 on 1 serving of organic baby food,

OR I could spend $1 on fresh carrots and make 14 servings.

Law student budget people!

The best part is that you don't have to have the latest & greatest from the baby store to make your own.

Many of these (like bananas, avocados, and most other cooked veggies)
can be made at home with the must-have-kitchen item of the year:

the fork.

(I use a pressure cooker that I LOVE. Potatoes take about 13 minutes to cook. If you prefer steaming but don't want to pull out a pot, just put it in a covered bowl with some water in the microwave! I have done peas, pears, and peaches that way so far)

I use a Cuisenart Smart Stick, but any blender or food processor would work.

Just pull them out as you need them, pop them in the microwave to defrost and serve!
For the first few weeks you will probably only need to fill them halfway,
as your baby may not eat a lot at first,
but now we are up to feeding her a couple of different cubes at each feeding.

And it makes her very happy.

How to Know They are Ready:

- When they're at least 4 months old. The AAP says that before 6 months, milk is all they need for nutrition, and at 6 months old they start needing things like Iron

- sitting well why supported

-good head control

-doubled their birthweight

-big appetite- not satisfied with feedings

- curiosity about what you're eating

How to Introduce It:

We started introducing rice cereal or oatmeal after a morning feeding (nurse or bottle),
and again after an evening feeding coinciding with our mealtimes.

After about a week I offered about a tablespoon of the cereal,

mixed with a different type of fruit or vegetable.

It took her a few weeks to get used to the art of eating and pretty soon she was opening her mouth ready to devour that spoon!

Now that she is past six months I am introducing solid food at lunch time,

and adding more variety!

How to Know What to Feed Them:

Good starters:

sweet potatoes

yellow squash

avocados

bananas

pears

green beans

apples

butternut squash

carrots

peas

peaches

The AAP recommends introducing foods by themselves,
4 days apart, so you can ensure your child isn't allergic,
and... we kind of did that.
After a day or so I really just went for it.

Fresh produce is always a great option,

but frozen is a great, inexpensive alternative

because it doesn't have the additives that canned food does.

If you are going to freeze your food for later use though,

it is my understanding that you should go with fresh produce,

because you lose nutrients when you refreeze something. (so I've heard!)

Also, when you're looking in the frozen section,

check the label because many of the frozen stuff has salt added!

Ok, that's everything I've learned about feeding a baby so far!
Now that she is past 6 months,
we are moving into finger foods and pretty much getting ready to introduce her to everything.
The baby food stage seems to be flying by already,
so I would recommend not fretting over it too much as you begin,
and having fun with it while you're in it!

Adult Knit Headbands

2012-01-17T12:26:00.000-06:00

New shop items!

I decided to expand my headband selection to adults.

For the past two days I've tested out my own product and I can attest first-hand

that each and everyone of you NEEDS one of these.

Not only are they soft and easy on your pretty little scalp,

but they have been scientifically proven

to enhance your brain and supermodel beauty power by 173%.

You just can't argue with the statistics.

So go shopping!

Pick your headband color:

Pick the color of your flower:

and how many flowers you want.

And you'll probably need one like this too:

Because it is reversible

and customizable.

I even whipped up some packaging for you so it will feel like Christmas morning

when you buy it for yourself or give it to a friend.

Wanna see what our sunroom looks like when these headbands are having their photo taken?

Ok.

Thank you drop cloth curtain & glass candle holder for being such fabulous assistants.

Oh, and I am planning to add some navy blue to the collection

because V is going to need a navy & red headband to go with

these dresses I am drooling over from Target!

Be still my heart.

Visit my shop HERE

Happy Tuesday my friends!

Pictures of Lately

2012-01-16T18:02:00.000-06:00

Remember that one time when I said I would start sharing my new photo shoots over on this blog?

Well, I haven't kept up with it. Which doesn't really surprise me.

But I've been uploading like crazy trying to play catch up from Christmas,

so here is a glimpse of the latest sessions I have loaded onto my website and facebook page!

And now for a photo dump of what has been on my camera, phone & instagram from the past couple of weeks.

I am loving the ease of snapping a shot with instagram lately, but I have to remember to shoot with my real camera from time to time too so I don't kick myself for not having quality versions of some of these shots I love.

Here is what we've been up to:

Welcoming Riley & Caroline home! Yay you're back!!

Veda Jane kept staring deep into Riley's eyes.

I'm afraid she was a little smitten!

Hmm.. let's see, we've had some coffee dates on the couch most mornings

did a lot of staring at the baby

went shopping together to see what treasures we could find with our Christmas gift cards

(isn't that the most fun way to shop!?)

we talked Veda Jane into lending us her rings so we could play horseshoes in the den

she wore her cat sweater

we made calzones using this recipe

we snuggled while V napped one morning

I made some adult headbands for my shop

(coming soon!)

stared at the baby some more

and... stared at the baby while she stared at herself.

Oh, and we let Veda Jane taste some Puffs for the first time.

She was too funny, being a little shocked at the new texture on her tongue,

and torn between wanting to laugh and yelp.

See for yourself...

Coffee Date [Viva La Jussie]

2012-01-13T15:42:00.000-06:00

It has been a treat getting to meet new bloggers lately.
The blogosphere is like a never ending supply of pen-pals,
fully equipped with a detailed history of the person's ins and outs and the pictures to prove it.

I'll be featuring my large ad sponsors with a post about their shop,

or a "coffee date" if they're a blog so we can all get to know each other a little better!

If you haven't checked out Viva La Jussie yet,

here is a fly-on-the-wall peak into our virtual coffee date!

Hey Justine! I assume you go by Jussie?

It's actually a little silly.

My name is Justine, obviously, but not too many people have my name.

I love being different, but I have always yearned for a nickname.

I mean my siblings are Jason and Jessica, two very common names with an abundance of nicknames.

So when I started blogging I decided to go by Jussie, kind of like my little blogging alter ego.

Plus, I think Jussie is way more endearing than plain 'ol Justine.

Long story short, everyone outside of the blogging world calls me Justine but I'm working on changing that!

Would you like a second cup? Need more creamer? The view is faaaaabulous from this coffee table, no?

Jussie it is!

It will catch on in no time, I am sure.

People started calling me "lbr" out of the blue when I got married and it kind of stuck.

It was the name of my blog for a little bit, and it has really grown on me.

Did you seriously just hop on over to see the tree in NYC? Just like that?

Photo: Jussie's

Yep, we just took a bus and were there in an hour.

Us New Jerseyians live so close, but the majority of us never go.
Isn't that so sad?
I'm sure most people dream of being able to go to New York in a snap,
but I dream of going to quaint southern towns.
I've never even been down south!
I'm on a mission to go to all the places with southern charm and start saying y'all.

Jeez, southern accents are so fun!!

I would be jealous except that we're here, in a coffee shop by the tree. Duh.

Photo: Jussie's

I have been here only a couple of times before.

I went for a dance convention in middle school and ran into Lindsay Lohan at a watch shop.

It was during her post Parent Trap, pre-crack, handcuffs, and girlfriend days.

We could have been best friends.

me, BFF Lindz, cousin Sarah, friend Haley

Wait I love that! LL is a mess these days. Honestly, I never see famous people in the city.

My time in the city is spent rushing through the subway and running to the Upper East Side.

So when I can actually enjoy it, I try to appreciate it as much as I can.

I'm going back there in the fall for a wedding. What MUST I see while I am there?

Personally, I am a lover of Central Park.

I'm sure you've been there, but it never gets old.

You must do the boat ride by Tavern on the Green. It is such a magical place, I mean for Pete's sake it is a park in the middle of NYC!

I think with the city, you just have to wander and observe.

By doing that you will find so many hidden treasures and little places that are to die for.

Photo: Jussie's

And let me just say, New Jersey is pretty awesome too.

It is nothing like the Jersey Shore or the Real Housewives make it out to be.

I mean, where I live there are cows on the same street and lots of horse farms!

I am determined to get people to see the real NJ!

I myself am a southern girl through and through though.

Grew up in Tennessee, went to school in Georgia, moved to North Carolina when I got married,

and now we're in Alabama!

So when you're ready to start your tour let me know and I'll make sure you know where to get some grits.

Is that your husband I keep seeing on your blog? And that beautiful little girl, is she your daughter?

Photo: Jussie's

No no, he's my boyfriend. I have liked him since I was fourteen!

I've always had my eye out for him. It will happen eventually, when the time is right.

I mean I'm still in college, slowly but surely getting to the finish line.

He just graduated this year so we still have a lot of life maturing to do.

But he is the love of my life so as long as I have him that's all the matters. (Cue the corny sirens!!)

Photo: Jussie's

And that little girl is Leala my niece.

Boy oh boy is she a fire cracker!

She is always at my house so she makes a lot of appearances on my blog.

She is 5 going on 16 it's craycray!!

OHHHH oh the power of photographs.

Here I thought I had your life all figured out for you.
That's like people asking me if I was having twins when I was pregnant.

Actually my mamaw was the only one who did that.

When I told her it was just one she said, AND I QUOTE,

"well by the looks of it it's gonna be a big baby!"

Anyways, the three of you look perfect together :)

Speaking of that baby though, I better hit the road and get back to taking care of mine.

I have so enjoyed our coffee date. I'm still jealous you get to come to this place as often as you'd like,

but I will make my way back and tour your recommendations next fall!

I definitely enjoyed it too, let's have coffee again soon!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

2012-01-12T17:03:00.000-06:00

When I felt like I was getting sick after Christmas it was chicken noodle soup to the rescue.

There really is nothing like lime gatorade and soup is there?

In case you're feeling under the weather,

or if you just want to gear up before the cold sets in this weekend,

here is an easy way to whip up your own.

It trumps eating those "chicken" cubes out of the Campbell's can any day.

I didn't use measurements,

hence the lack of measurements,

but I really don't think you can mess this one up!

"Go Out" Faithfully...

2012-01-10T16:00:00.000-06:00

So I finally decided my devotional for this year will be My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers. I know, I know, I'm 10 days late.

I tested the first month out in December after I finished my last devotional, The Bible in a Year,

which took me two and a half years to finish.

Something about reading through the prophets likening the looming destruction to labor pains

slowed me down during my days of reading while I was pregnant.

I was like "Um, so I'm starting to freak out that the Bible keeps warning the people in the Old Testament that pain and anguish and terror are going to grip them like a woman in labor."

I digress.

I liked what I read today,

and true to His character, God spoke to my heart through His word.

Chambers talks about trusting the character of God when wondering about "what to do" or where to "go out" to next. Abraham "went out", not knowing where he was going but being obedient and faithful.
He says:

"Let the attitude of your life
be a continual willingness to "go out" in dependence upon God,
and your life will have a sacred and inexpressible charm about it that is very satisfying to Jesus.
You must learn to "go out" through your convictions,
creeds, or experiences
until you come to the point in your faith
where there is nothing between
yourself and God."

While we are on the last leg of our time here before we move to Mobile,

it is easy for me to get caught up in the anxious anticipation over what is next.

Finding a new home, in a new city, meeting new friends.

Hoping they like me, my husband, and my baby enough to come over for dinner,

recommend their local favorites and... maybe even babysit?

But this morning,

I was encouraged that this little move of ours is just another faithful step in His plan for our family.

And even though I cringe at the miles I'm putting between us and the rest of our family,

we "go out" fully confident that this path is God's best for us.

Starting January

2012-01-08T19:34:00.000-06:00

On Friday night we spent thirty minutes trying to figure out

how to get the whole family onto face time so Jim and Amie could tell us

if they were having a boy or a girl.

One laptop, two iPads, and four cell phones later,

and we were all rounded up to hear them make their announcement.

IT'S A....

BOY A BOY A BOY!!!

"uh, mom? does this mean i don't have to share my baby dolls?"

Then we spent another hour having a google hangout,

during which we swapped reindeer antlers, talked about...did we talk about anything or just kind of sit there and laugh?...

and watched these videos together.

This is PRECISELY what my friend Katie would be like if she were a shell with shoes on.

My mom arrived into town just in time to get in on the family gathering,

and then we kicked off her birthday week!

Art: The Swan Art

The next day we began the grand gala dress shopping adventure with the girls while Eddie worked.

We lucked out with the first stores, so we had ourselves a leisurely lunch at Urban Cookhouse.

We sat outside. In January.

Which reminds me- our preacher in church this Sunday was like "Happy New Year!

I pray this is the year Jesus will return..." and I really liked that.

Because eating outside in January is end-of-the-world-business,

and hallelujah if that means our Savior is coming back to make this place new, right?!

Anyways, back to lunch.

The rest of these were taken with mom's phone,

who is way more hip than I am with her iPhone.

I think I would like one of those for the sole purpose of photographing every second of every day.

V had on her fancy feet.

and she walked around with her tongue sticking out. as always.

My absolute most favorite store- At Home, in Homewood.

I think you could make this with 3 rings (quilting rings maybe?)

a light kit, some clothespins, and an old book!

And then we went into the creepiest store in the world

White Flowers

Not only does it look like a fire extinguisher went off inside

(ok, so it's kind of so creepy it's cool, or visa versa)

but the second I snapped this picture a lady with white hair approached me

to tell me they don't allow photographs.

Which made me feel even creepier

We capped off our day with dinner at Dodiyos.

Oh my deliciousness.

And we finished our fine dining with some peppermint mocha from McDonald's

a movie, and some baby time on in the den.

Here are some baby steps and giggles for you!

DIY Silhouette Portrait

2012-01-06T11:49:00.000-06:00

I'm a fan of the classic beauty a silhouette portrait brings to a room.

It is a simple, unique, and timeless work of art,

and when I was trying to figure out how to commemorate Veda Jane's first Christmas,

I came up with an easy way to make my own.

I'll probably do another when she turns 1,

and maybe one day when I have the hallway gallery of my dreams I'll have one of the whole family.

What will you do with yours?

Here is how I used mine:

note: to get my silhouette to "hang" inside the ornament, I ended up hot-glueing a piece of fishing line from the top of the silhouette to the bottom of the ornament cap.

If you use this tutorial, I'd love to see what you come up with so link up below!

V's Morning Photo Shoot

2012-01-05T11:15:00.000-06:00

My brothers think all I do now is sit around with my camera and craft.

Of course that isn't true.

I also have to find time to bake cookies, blog, and teach Veda Jane how to model.

Christmas {the peachy Georgia one}

2012-01-04T11:20:00.000-06:00

We luckily made it to Georgia in time to see Bobby & Elizabeth before they headed home to Savannah.

Here are the siblings

the spouses...

and the grandkids & grandparents.

Yup, that's a village for ya.

We miss seeing Beth & Michael since they live in Colorado,

but Veda Jane warmed back up to her immediately.

The next day we took off to Athens for lunch with Beth & Michael,

and we got to give V the grand tour of the best little city in the entire world.

We showed her the campus that her mom ~~drove by as she skipped classes~~ went to class on,

the downtown scene that her dad ~~partied~~ studied in coffee shops in,

and the library that we both ~~distracted each other from studying~~ read for class in.

It was crazy seeing the NEW Georgia Theatre beaming on the corner of Clayton.

A lot of unforgettable memories made here during those four years of cheering on Pat Green, Luke Bryan, Zac Brown, and Phil Vassar (KATIE).

And now they have a rooftop bar!

We didn't hang out there. Just looked at it and took shameless tourist photos.

While we were walking this group of girls stopped us,

said they were on a scavenger hunt, and asked if they could braid my hair.

You can't turn down a free curbside coiffe can you?

And then they wanted a picture of a guy in his 20's.

Girl. That chin is leaning in a little too close to the husband there.

And a guy in his 30's.

But Michael isn't 30 yet, so he made a serious face like 30 year olds do.

The next day we spent our final afternoon watching the nieces and nephews ride their bikes in the park before we took off to Birmingham.

Check out the baby bears we found in the woods...

A always said I wanted twins, but now that I have ONE, I don't think I could handle twins.

It sure would make for some great photo ops though.

While the kids rode their bikes, I borrowed some sweet blades to see if I still had it in me.

oh and I DID.

and that concludes our Christmas journey.

Now off to a day of taking down the Christmas decorations over here

because they forgot how to walk into the closet like I asked them to.

Christmas {the tender Tennessee one}

2012-01-03T13:00:00.001-06:00

When you have 7 siblings and 2 states between you and your husband,

Christmas turns into a 10 day, jam-packed, tour of the south complete with a

car stocked with 20 different bags for the different stops along the way.

Oh, while we're at visiting the 25 family members on our list,

let's throw in a few more and stop in Nashville and visit our college bests, shall we?

Ok!

Bobby and Amanda graciously let us crash at their place,

which meant a hot bowl of chili for dinner and a hot cup of coffee for breakfast.

If they were our neighbors, you would find us in each other's dens every morning, chattin' it up.

Bunny ears and all.

Bobby serenaded V with his song "Sweet Veda Jane", making this her first live concert.

Remember when he recorded it for me and I got it at one of my baby showers?

It gets me every time.

Do visit his website!

We got to visit two of my favorite families and introduce them to Veda Jane while we were in town as well.

There is something special about the families of your best friends and roommates from college,

isn't there?

Eddie and I talked about how they are a few of the people that have known us from the start of our story, put up with us taking them doooowntoooown with us when they came to visit,

and cheered us on as we started to grow up.

Jess- I am so sad you aren't in these pictures!

A few hours later and we found ourselves in Johnson City.

Ah, home sweet home.

You just can't top the warmth of welcoming arms, home-cooked meals, and giddy greetings in your mom's kitchen.

We did a little bit of celebrating

that Jim got a promotion!

Go big bro!

I WISH I had taken my camera with me to Mamaw's the next afternoon.

She wanted us to join her to sing some Christmas carols & we sat in her living room while she played the piano and recalled her favorite tunes by memory. Don't ask her to play Little Drummer Boy though. She CAN'T STAND Little Drummer Boy.

For Christmas Eve brunch we made our way to Dad & Cindy's for the afternoon.

We did gifts, lunch, and all the cousins came over for a game of Left Right Center!

Here Amie Mandy and I are sporting the coats they got us!

Aaaand... I'm pretty sure I'm wearing mine in every single picture from our Christmas in Georgia,

I'll show you those later.

Christmas Eve took us to Pam & Terry's house,

where we conduct our annual evening of dinner & evil santa.

This year we added a game of fishbowl and baby watching to the mix.

Note: fishbowl + mamaw = hilarious.

It was late late that night when I snuck downstairs with an awake baby to find mom stuffing stockings.

proving that no matter how old you are the excitement of Christmas Day approaching

makes you squeal with delight!

Our first Christmas morning as a family of three...

and off to church we went where V fell fast asleep in my arms for the entire service.

Her Christmas present to me?

then we made some magical memories with pictures of our gift from mom.

Like this picture of David Mandy by the tree HOLDING a picture of themselves standing by the tree.

and again...

Ah yes. Deep, very deep.

For lunch we headed back to the Billingsby's.

We have been known to sport a gown or two on occasion,

but this year we went with fascinators.

Fascinating, yes?

The boys kept busy with some golfing

and testing out Eddie's new shotgun

while Mandy and I modeled.

We got to hang out at Greg's house later

and admire the biggest Christmas tree in the world.

We ended the day with toys, coffee, popcorn, and a movie.

Before it was time to take off we had to bring some Pal's to the table.

If you are from the area, you would agree that this is an integral part of making a visit feel complete.

A final goodbye to Mamaw and a few minutes of puzzle working later,

and we were off to Georgia to begin 3 more days of Christmas!

Pictures up next!

A Few Favorites

2012-01-01T22:16:00.001-06:00

To dabble back into my month recaps,

I'm taking a look at the past year with a favorite picture and a favorite post from 2011.

The month my belly went from looking like a food baby to a real one.

Which is why this is my favorite picture from the beginning of the year.

Eddie and I were walking through the woods during an unexpected warm spell,

and life. was. good.

This month gave us the exciting news that we were having a GIRL!

And here we had been referring to little miss as "Henry" for 19 weeks.

Sorry about that Veda Jane. Darn that key test!

This month also brought with it a very hard lesson in trusting the Lord,

sparking the post below,

as I delved into the fear of miscarriage and the peace in God's sovereignty.

Thy Will Be Done

I LOVE February.

Maybe because it feels short & sweet,

with chilly weather & warm hearts.

My 26th birthday got iced out so I celebrated with a pizza and a movie,

and I got to take off for a day trip to Chicago for work.

I'm slightly obsessed with airports so the trip was right up my ally,

and it was one of the first times I took a trip like this by myself, much less with a baby on board.

She made the perfect travel companion as I toured the city with my camera and

a jacket that wouldn't button over my bump.

This month was also one of my hardest at The American Heart Association.

It was the most rewarding as I watched my vision for Go Red take off and I

thoroughly enjoyed the work I was doing, and the ladies I was meeting.

I'm breaking my rules right away and sharing 2 posts-

one recipe you MUST try asap,

and the other, with more fun pictures from this trip!

Red Velvet Valentine's

Day Trip

This was my favorite picture from March.

Me entering my 3rd trimester.

I like it because I really do miss that belly.

I know I know, lots of women say that but it really is true.

I loved being pregnant and this little snapshot of me feeling her kick in our sunroom

just makes me smile!

The month of March held lots of time well spent with our friends from college.

Frank and Cara came in town and we talked, hiked, and picnicked,

and I headed to Atlanta to party it up for Laura before her big day.

Ending March

I loved April.

April was a busy busy month both at work and in real life

(because work life does not equal real life of course).

I actually can't believe how much I did in April between

a bachelorette party in Gulf Shores, Easter in Johnson City, and

Nashville to see Katie get married.

What I didn't know then was that this would be the last time I would get to see

Britney.

I will cherish always this last photo we took together,

and the conversation we had on the patio catching up and laughing

about how she and Adrienne got the time of the wedding wrong:)

This month also held my long-awaiting trip-of-a-lifetime to Vegas to see my best friend Celine Dion.

Yes, this month gets 3 favorite pictures.

and two posts...

4.30.11

Viva Las Vegas

Another busy one for the books.

Eddie left for an internship for 6 weeks,

I finished the nursery, celebrated 3 years of marriage,

hosted my event at work that I worked all year on,

had a baby shower in Atlanta, longed to be at Laura's wedding from afar,

and went to Savannah

for my brother in law's wedding.

After my event at work I decided to halt my psychosis and take a quick babymoon

to hang out with Eddie in Mobile, AL.

We were cutting it close to the due date,

but we were assured that the length of labor

would give us plenty of time to make the 4 hour trek

back to Birmingham.

Best decision ever.

Did I say I was going to do 1 picture and 1 post?

I meant I was going to do however many I wanted to.

Here are 3 favorites...

Bama Babymoon

Mother's Day

Celebrating Three

Oh, June, I love you.

June brought me my sweet baby girl.

I tried my darndest to get her here all month so I could get my husband back for good,

but no amount of walking, Thai food, raspberry tea, or pineapples would do the trick.

She came when she was good and ready.

I got off of work on Friday,

Eddie returned home for good that evening,

and I went into labor Saturday morning!

and I have not put her down since...

Due Date

I breathed Veda Jane every second of every day in July.

I simply could not get enough of her.

It feels like a haze of being swamped with sleepless nights,

delicious meals brought from friends, and weekly visits from family.

Veda Jane got to meet her great grandmother this month

during her first trip to Tennessee.

While July was one of the most special to me,

it also held one of the hardest things I have had to experience.

I received the news that Brittney had been murdered while I was driving to the store.

With halted bliss I returned to our apartment as fast as I could

to put the baby to bed and hug my husband.

Nothing could have prepared me for the emotions that July brought with it.

I found myself balancing the depths of mourning and the highs of motherhood,

quickly "getting it together" to take care of the baby in my arms.

Along with the loss of my friend, this month finalized my big brother's marriage to his wife.

It is something I haven't written about, as I am slowed by the feeling that this story is not mine to share,

but I'd be remiss if I didn't say it made its mark on this year and on my heart.

My heart breaks over the pain we cause one another with senseless, selfish acts such as these.

Life has never seemed so sacred,

and family never so fragile

as it did in July.

Brittney

Life began feeling normal again in August.

Still "new", but we were both getting more comfortable in our roles as mom and dad.

The best part of this month is in the post below, a vacation with my family to Folly Beach.

This trip was EXACTLY what I needed as a mom six weeks in.

Family Vacation

Quite possibly one of my favorite pictures EVER.

Mamaw fell asleep like that while I worked a puzzle with my Aunt Pam.

September was supposed to hold my final weeks of maternity leave,

but when things didn't work out for me to return, I took up a new

position as a stay at home mom.

I amped up my photography business,

started an Etsy shop, renamed the blog Twirl and started taking on sponsors.

I quickly realized I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Feeling Free

October brought my friends in town,

and I love this picture of Veda Jane as "one of the girls".

I took her on a photo shoot with me for the first time this month,

and I dressed her up as a Blabla doll for Halloween.

Eddie accepted a job at a law firm in Mobile, AL,

and we planned our next move for August 2012.

As I mentioned before,

I was growing into my job as a stay at home mom by this time,

and I was busy with all the things I began when I got bit by the entrepreneurial bug.

All of which led to the post below,

where I tinkered with ponderings about my fear of failure

and the freedom we have in this life to chase after our dreams with confidence.

Some Thoughts

Veda Jane's personality bubbled over by November,

with a babe who laughed, sat, smiled, rolled around, ate solids, and studied our every move.

I love this picture of her admiring her dad.

aaaand I needed to include that I got bangs this month.

Something I swore I'd never do again after getting them HACKED at great clips

2 hours before a flight to Tampa last year.

This month I also shared the story about my friend in Africa,

and you all blew me away with your kind words and generosity.

We stayed at my oldest brother's house for Thanksgiving and celebrated

Amie & Jim's announcement that Veda Jane was getting a cousin!

The Grace Project

My favorite picture, Veda Jane as happy as a lark on Christmas Eve.

This month was pretty quiet leading up to the Christmas visiting marathon we just ran.

We have spent much of it in awe at how much changes in six months,

and we talked often about the improvements we'd like to make in 2012.

I did my best to balance my writings on this blog,

partly out of a feeling of protectiveness and partly

for fear it would turn into a baby blog and my brain would be completely absorbed in diapers and bibs.

I want to be able to escape into creativity, thoughts on God,

and photos of life along with being the best mother possible.

Of course, seeing as I AM a mom, many of my posts are about that side of life,

which brings me to two of my favorite posts from this month,

my real honest thoughts on my hopes for Veda Jane.

Thoughts on Motherhood
Real Life

Real Life {Clarified}

So there you have it.

A snapshot of our lives over the past year!

God is good.

His timing, His strength, and His provision are perfect.

I want to say thank you to each of you who have sent your kind words and thoughtful messages my way.

You have encouraged me beyond belief to continue sharing my life.

One of my resolutions is to be more prompt, dependable, and thoughtful,

so if I haven't responded to you yet, please know that I am grateful for your words,

and will be better about letting you know so in the new year :).

This Time Last Year

2011-12-31T16:22:00.000-06:00

I really love New Year's Eve.

The glitz, the late night,

the sweet tune of Auld Lang Syne in the wind while we watch the past year set sail.
But this year, since I'll be welcoming 2012 in my PJ's while
the husband is works late and I tend to a sick baby girl,
I figured I'd take a look at what I was up to this time last year.

I used to do month recaps, but then I stopped for no good reason.
Here's the one from December though, and re-reading it makes me wish I had kept up with my recaps,
and it also makes me think that last year's fun makes up for a night in this year.
Plus Veda Jane is extra cuddly when she doesn't feel well
so I can't say I mind having new year's snuggle instead!

"12.10"
I don't even know where to begin for my December recap. I feel like a month's worth of excitement has been crammed into the past week and half and my brain (and camera) are overloaded with memories so here goes...

Mom and Amanda headed into town for the Deeper Still conference with Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, and Pricilla Shrier. I love that our relationship with the Lord never stops growing. You never know all there is to know, and you never experience all there is to experience. Conferences like these remind me of this and propel me to dig deeper in His word.Two days of listening to this women share their love for Him was incredible, and getting to spend it with these two made it even more special.

The next weekend I headed to Nashville to celebrate my best friend's engagement and shoot some pictures for their save the date!

We ended the day of wedding planning with dinner at the barn and cards with friends.

The following week we went to a Christmas party with our Sunday school class which was a blast. Our class is a fairly new hodge podge of couples from old classes, or new to the church, and many of them have already become our dear friends.

We played evil santa and lucky me drew the gift in the picture below. I WOULD skim past the gift cards and ornaments and land the one thing that would turn your face red if you opened it in front of the sheparding couples in the class. The gift giver remains a mystery but opening it made for much awkward laughter among the couples. Luckily, Linden was in need of one so she stole it from me and gave me a shot at a much more family-friendly gift.

The next week I celebrated the birth of my favorite person in the whole wide world. It's a little tough to make a party out of a Monday birthday but I think our attempt was a success. We started with steak.

Then moved to the den for a little serenade from the birthday boy on the fiddle I gave him

and continued the party with a game of Chit Chat on the couch.

... all of this while Eddie wore his fancy goodwill sweatshirt so you know it was a good time.

We continued our Christmas celebrations at Riley & Caroline's house, where we sang some carols and ate a delicious dinner

Before we knew it Christmas week was here and it was time to head to Atlanta to celebrate with Eddie's family. We had a great time spending our first Christmas Eve and morning in Atlanta with everyone in town, and of course, with these four as my favorite photo subjects.

While Eddie ate breakfast with his friends on Christmas Eve morning, I took off down 400 to visit with my best friend and her wonderful wonderful family! They spoiled me rotten with delicious french toast and sent me home with my very own hairdryer :)

After we opened presents on Christmas morning, we loaded up the car and left for Tennessee! In the SNOW!

David joined us that night as we cozied up in mom's den and celebrated the rest of Christmas day together.

The next morning we woke up to a blanket of snow and on the way to our cousin's house I snagged some of my new favorite photos of the countryside. One of my favorite things about my hometown are the back country roads, especially when the tired old barns scattered along them are covered in peaceful flurries.

We were geared up and ready to go in our snowsuits so we hit the slopes for some sledding. By slopes I mean the giant hill by our old high school, and by sled I mean giant cardboard boxes.
Innovative or redneck?
You decide.

The rest of the day involved some hay bales, but I don't have the pictures with me right now to prove it. I do, however, have a shot of our snow cream feast which made our snow day complete.

Our day trip to Blowing Rock, NC was absolutely beautiful. The drive up was a little rough on my pregnant belly, but once we ate lunch on the side of the mountain I was ready to shop!

Oh, and of course Mamaw was a big part of our Johnson City visit too! Here she is with her friend, Mary Ruth

When our time in Tennessee ran out, we headed over the mountain and landed back in Georgia for a few days with my brothers.

Time spent with my brothers always means we're in for an adventure, and this time, it involved six people, a bag of donuts, and one canoe with a motor on it. Off we went!

We set sail to an island in the middle of the lake and the boys went to town pushing over dead trees for firewood.

My big strong husband took a hatchet to it

and the setting was complete.

The canoe returned us safely back to the dock at sunset and the boys treated us to a feast of salmon, steak, and pork chops. Here Jim is reading off the recipe he googled on his phone :)

On Friday we drove up to Lake Raybun to ring in the new year with friends. We began with a game of fishbowl and ended with the ball drop on the dock!

And THAT was our December! 2010 certainly went out with a bang and we loved every second of it. I am beyond grateful for this season of excitement as we reflected on the gift God gave us when Christ was born. I hope that anyone who was searching for God, for something, in 2010, heard about the great love God has for them amidst the Christmas celebrations. I hope they listened to the messages of hope, of the truth that God sent His Son into the world to die for their sins so He could have a personal relationship with them. I hope that if they didn't know Christ as their Savior already, they know they can begin a new year with a clean slate and start experiencing Him this very moment. There is no joy greater than knowing Him, and He continues to prove that to me every day!

2011... I am waiting in eager expectation to see what you hold!