This morning, Riley and I headed over to The Simple Farm with mom. We met Riley's great-aunt and grandmother there. I had been wanting to show them where I take Riley on Thursdays. As soon as we pulled up, his grandmother and great-aunt were waving at us, welcoming us...
Mom leaves tomorrow. I have considered hiding her driver's license so that she cannot get on the plane, but daddy really misses her. I guess I'll let her head home 😉 Mom has a way of encouraging me and coming up beside me to help with everything. She offers gentle...
Riley has been with us, staying in our home, nine months today! He brings so much joy to our home and our family. I think he learns new words every day. My favorite words right now are: "bak-set-ball" for basketball "na-dan" for Nathan (what he calls Nate) all chips...
Disclosure: Â Julia was given a dress for the purposes of this post. The opinions expressed here are my own. I am so thankful for companies that work with me to provide quality products for my readers and my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal...
This morning, the Gospel reading was from Matthew 2. After the reading, Father Fred's homily (sermon) was about the last verse - "And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, Â they departed for their country by another way." He challenged us to go home a...
Guest post by Shari Lopatin Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (An independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association) Does your child have an awesome healthy recipe that’ll make your tummy tumble with delight? Then keep reading, because your kid could win...
2013 was amazing! Grace - the free and unmerited favor poured into our life like rain. Brian's job is going well. Julia is loving her new school. Nate is rocking fifth grade. Riley. 🙂  I am loving photography. I've met more new friends through blogging and MOPS and...
With Riley's adoption, we were given the option to stay in touch with his grandmother and great-aunt. Ideally, it could be beautiful and wholesome. Realistically, it could be messy and hard. Brian and I decided quickly that we would absolutely take them up on their...
It was an amazing year! Thank you for supporting me, allowing me to take your pictures, and cheering me on! I wanted to share some of my favorites from this year with you!
Well, Christmas part one has come and gone. It flew by. After the 23 hour drive, we headed to Brian's sister's home. She did such a beautiful job hosting Christmas! When we drove in, my brother-in-law had fajitas grillin'. The annual cousin picture is getting more and...
Over the next few days, you may download pictures. And you might just be tempted to delete some of those pictures. You may not look like you did in high school (gasp). You may not look like the model who was wearing your sweater in the catalog (gasp). {Making it to...
Card Design: Â Recipe for Crazy 2013 brought us incredible blessings. Incredible! A sweet little red head who has stolen my heart for now and always. A wonderful great-aunt and grandmother that comes with this sweetie and has grown our family in love. I sincerely pray...
Disclosure:  I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. There will be a moment when the dishes are finally done, the company has gone to...
Eight months. I'm sitting here with a smile on my face just thinking about that. Brian woke me up this morning to show me his phone. (Not terribly unusual - except that it usually has to do with the latest happening with the Texas Aggies - Whoop!). This morning he...
The Valley Honda Dealers are once again sending out the Helpful Tanker Truck in the Phoenix Valley to pump and pay for Honda drivers’ gas. Why? it’s their job to be Helpful! Tanker runs through Christmas with the hope of helping Honda drivers' save some money for...
The last few months, I have been attending a MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers). It has been a true blessing to my heart. It has been a while since I had a little one running around. Nate is now ten, so I've forgotten a lot about how quickly the days fly by. A dear...
I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. My kids love the Smurfs! Do yours?! They think that Neil Patrick Harris is hilarious! The...
Create this simple DIY Holiday Backsplash to display and save your favorite cards. This is the same exact idea as my Christmas Card Keepsake yesterday - wood, modge podge, and cards that you love and want to save! The most fun part is that it is portable. You can put...
Have you received a card that you love so much? Create this simple Christmas Card Keepsake to preserve it. First of all, thank you for the sweet emails about the Simple Holiday Centerpieces! Sometimes, I just figure, I just may be the least crafty person out there in...
Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. This Christmas, we are having a very special dinner. We have been invited to...
Julia is the best gift giver. She has always loved surprising people with the most thoughtful presents. (I think she gets that from her Aunt Theresa and Uncle BJ). She wanted to do something special for her friends - with her money. So sweet. She came up with things...