WIW: Wedding Edition link up!

 Megan from Absolute Mommy is celebrating her 7th wedding anniversary with a WIW wedding edition, fun right? Who doesn't love looking at their pictures from their wedding.

 My husband and I got married on March 9, 2011. Yep we just celebrated our 3 year anniversary. After being a couple for 4 years, we took the plunge! I wasn't really into having a huge wedding, I wanted something small, and intimate. Well it doesn't get much smaller and intimate than just the two of us on the beach in Hawaii!!

This is where we got married, it's called Shipwreck Beach.. I don't know the Hawaiian name for it, but that's the tourist name for it! It's even more amazing in person!

We took the the 11 hour journey from Florida to Kauai Hawaii, hung out for 2 days, got married on the 3rd day, and honeymooned for the next 5 days. For us it was PERFECT, Kauai Hawaii is unbelievably beautiful, it's like nothing we had ever seen before.

 

 This is me on my wedding day. I did my own hair, and makeup. I wanted an actual wedding dress. When I started looking at dresses I thought I wanted a flowy beachy dress, but once I started trying them on, I realized I still wanted a REAL dress, and I'm happy Because I think it made the pictures better.

Dress- David's Bridal

shoes- none

hair clip- made by me ;)

and I had my moms diamond earrings on

I didn't have any other jewelry on, just a lay, and no veil... just keeping it simple.

I actually had to ship my dress to Hawaii a few days before we arrived, because I didn't want to have to carry it on, and have it get all wrinkled. This was a little scary, what if it had got lost! The lady we Hired to help me coordinate was so helpful, she picked this location, ordered my bouquet, and our lays and let me ship my dress to her house, she took it out of the bag and let it hang so it wouldn't be wrinkled. Little did I know she had a dog named Jason, and little figurines all over her house, and her mom sits in her living room watching wheel of fortune all day...  Living the Hawaiian lifestyle I guess??

Oh yeah, Tyler was there to :)

you can read more about Tyler and I, and how we met HERE

Here is where I'm linking up

Come join in!!

Weekly Photo Challenge "From a Low Angle"

 Have you visited Our Reflection? I love Laura, she is super sweet. And she does a fun weekly photo challenge that I like to link up to. If you haven't linked up before you should, you have a chance to win prizes and you don't have to be a pro, obviously because I link up ;)  Everyone has a shot at winning!

 This week's theme is "from a low angle"

I have talked before about getting shooting from low angles before, and how it can make a big difference when your photographing kids at eye level. In this picture I'm sitting in the ground, So get down and dirty and take some pictures!

Come link up!!

Fighting the Frump



I remember the days when I worked in the salon, I had a reason to get dressed in fun outfits, get my hair all pretty, and slap some makeup on. Now a days I have traded in going to the salon everyday making people (including myself) look and feel pretty to becoming a servant to my slave driving 2 year old all day. I get so wrapped up in doing everything for her, and making sure the things around my house are getting done that it leaves little time for me to make myself look like a respected member of society. When I finally do have time, during those 2 glorious hours of nap time, I usually have other things that I need to do like blogging :).  I also will talk myself out of it because it's already 2:00 and what's the point? My favorite excuse I come with the help me feel less lazy is this "I'm not doing anything, so I don't want to waste makeup." I'm laughing at the stupidity as I type it.

 However in the midst of my frump, Ava always looks adorable, she is always dressed cute, I try to have her hair done, even though she pulls it out if we are at home. this is

my favorite new do of hers:

I think getting up, and making yourself feel pretty is important, I don't know where I lost this attitude along the way. I know for me it puts me in a better mood,I find I actually get more things done when I am dressed and ready to go somewhere. And even if I didn't do much that day I still feel like I accomplished more just because I put on a pair of pants other than my yoga pants which by the way have never been to yoga.

 So I decided I am going to Fight the frump! That's right I am going to make the frump my bitch. An my blog is going to help me do it.

 Me personally, if its 12:00 in the afternoon and I am still not dressed the chances of me getting pretty for the day are slim to none! So I am going to make an effort to get up and get dressed, just like I would if I had some where to be. I'm not saying I will do this everyday, especially on a rainy day when I know I will most likely be in doors all day, but I am going to try a little harder... for myself!


I also think I'm going to start participating in the WIWW link up at the pleated poppy, that way I can guarantee at least one day a week I will lookcute. Also because it will give me a chance to get fun with my outfits. Seriously just because I'm dressed doesn't mean it's fashionable. Jeans and a plain shirt are the usual suspects.

I am a stinkin hairstylist for crying out loud, why is my hair not done! It's not that hard to flat iron or curl my hair. Once it's done I can rock it for a few days. And thanks to Redken's new dry shampoo "Powder Refresh" it will smell nice a fresh to. So I'm think I need to up my hair tutorials, just another reason to do something with myself.



The point is, is that just because we are moms doesn't mean we can't think about ourselves every now and then! HMMMM a " Fight the Frump Friday" weekly link up sounds like it might in order... Would you guys participate?

 To see more tips on fighting the frump, visit me at Parent Society!

Save Money While Giving Back

 Whether you are in college, or have a child already in or about to be in college, you are already living the days of spending tons and tons of money... Getting a good education comes with a price. My Daughter is far from college days, but whenever you have kids, their futures are something that is always on your mind. College expenses today are so expensive! You can easily spend $600 a semester just in books.

Hmmm if only there were a better way that could save you some money....

Well guess what? There is! Campus Book Rentals

Campus Book Rentals allows you to rent your text books with some awesome perks

Some perks are:

- Save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
- Free shipping both ways

- Can highlight in the textbooks

- Flexible renting periods

- They donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

 They also pay students for referring friends, AND  award scholarships every semester

How does it work?:

I love that with every text book rented you can help make a difference in someone Else's life.Campus Book Rentals has partnered with Operation Smile and are donating over 1,000 life saving cleft lip surgeries this year to children in need.

So this year check out CampusBookRentals.com, not only to save money by renting text books but to also help a child have a reason to smile.

  I was NOT compensated for this post

Pin It To Win It Party!

Welcome to The

"Pin It to Win It"

Pinning Party!

Let's meet the lovely ladies who host this Hop: 

Summer @ Made By Munchie's Mama

Amanda @ Lillys & Lollipops

Christine @ The DIY Dreamer

Kristine@ The Foley Fam

Jenny@ Heavenly Blossoms

Bonnie@ Pink Stitches

 What  is a “Pinning Party?” It’s
a fun way to link up a blog post/tutorial or shop item in the section
below this post and get more exposure on Pinterest.  It’s a fantastic way
to meet new readers and new friends. This hop is a Pinterest
specific party. Instead of "following" you will be pinning a picture from the post or item linked up.
The rules of the party are: Pin a picture from your hosts' link
– by pining the hosts pictures, it guarantees a pin back from all of us. 
Leave us a comment on our blogs, shops or facebook pages letting us know you pinned a picture –
we’d LOVE to hear from you and get to know YOU better.  The hosts are the first 6 links in capital letters in the linky section.
Please
pin a few others in the party and leave them a comment saying you came
from the Pin It to Win It Pinning Party.  You never know
what new friends you will come across and meet.   Thanks for joining us and we hope you have a great time!
Feel free to grab the Party photo if you wish to the help us spread the word! 

<center><a href="http://madebymunchiesmama.com"><img src="http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/summerleaker/PiningParty.jpg"/></a></center>

 

 

Living Life, Terrible 2 Style

 I haven't done much blogging about what's going on with my little Ava in quit a while. Well she is TWO nuff' said. Seriously though she is every bit of a 2 year old, she is curious, hyper, she wants to touch everything, she has to walk when when go to stores, AND help push the cart. Sitting in the cart would be nice, I like to point out kids her age at the store who are sitting in the carts like good little children.. " look Ava, look at that kid, just sitting there quietly while his mom shops." I guess I will take her not sitting in shopping carts over changing diapers. That's right she is potty trained, like survived trips out of the house wearing undies potty trained.

 Since she is potty trained it triggers something in her to take off her all her clothes when she is at home.

At least she is a lady and left her shoes on...

  Another thing that comes along with 2 year olds, is picky eaters. I have officially changed the name of Macaroni and Cheese to "cheese pasta." If she hears you say macaroni and cheese, (or mac-n-chz as I like to call it) she won't eat it. Cheese Pasta on the other hand is a completely different meal in her mind. So cheese pasta it is.

 Something else that is new...I'm starting to consider banning crayons, or any other type of drawing mechanism. Kid's don't really need to color right? Are you wondering why I would do such a mean thing? Why tell you, when I could show you:

She is really into coloring right now, she always asks my husband or I to draw something for her, usually it's a "ishy" (Fish)  which is pretty easy to draw. But the other day when she asked me to draw a bunch of different things from a puppy to Barney.

 WARNING: the Elmo I drew may cause nightmares

These are all a little scary if you ask me, but amazingly Ava knew exactly what they were. I was pretty impressed, not with her, but my drawing.

She is growing up to be such a little beauty. I love her so much! Everyday is something new. I love watching her learn new things, I feel proud when she says a new word. She has turned in to such a daddy's girl, and I hate  LOVE it ;)

Weekly Photo Challenge...Theme: Shadows

I am linking up once again to Our Reflection weekly photo challenge. Theme: Shadows

I photographed this picture for a friend, after I begged her to let me take Maternity pictures for her. Hey it was a win win, I got some practice in, and she got pretty little memories of her pregnancy.

This photograph is a perfect example of back lighting. Where the light is coming from behind the subject, causing the subject to be darker. Here I talk more about some photography tips.

Last day to link up!

Hanging Tin Can Herb Garden

 I have been talking about having a little herb garden for a long time and I never manage to do it. I got an idea to re-use some tin cans we had in the pantry, I thought they would make perfect planters for a little herb garden.

 The idea to have them hanging came because we don't have much of a backyard in our place up here in Ga. So I wanted to keep it smaller and compact.

I'm really happy with how they turned out, I think they are so cute!

You Will Need:

Clean Tins cans ( however many you want, in whatever sizes you want)

Paint and a paint brush( I used Martha Stewart "Beach Glass")

Rope

Hammer and a nail

 A Drill

and a key ring

Using your hammer and nail, punch holes in the bottom of the cans.

Then Drill a hole at the top of the can for the rope to fit through. After you have the holes, you can paint!

String the rope through and tie and knot. Tie the other end to the key ring. I started with the longest rope first, then went shorter from there. (Each can has it's own rope.) I tied a longer piece of rope around the other side of the ring so it could hang from our light fixture on the house outside. But you could easily have just the key ring hanging from a nail, or a hook.

The Finished Product!



Silk and Chain Braided Bracelet Tutorial

Start with two pieces of silk ribbon, and A chain. Thickness is up to you!



Tie a knot on one end.

Then braid it up!

Tie a knot on the end, and wear it by its self, or layer with more!

How to Take Better Pictures of your kids

 It's no big secret that I love taking pictures. Ever since my little Ava came along, I have been snap happy, and getting more and more into photography.

  I'm NOT a pro. These are just my tips that work for me, and that have gotten me great shots of my very active 2 year old.

 So for all you mommy "fauxtographers" here are my tips for getting better photographs of your toddler.

1. Lighting

Lighting is probably one of the most important elements of getting a good picture. I love shooting outside in natural light, because it means you don’t have to use the flash, which sometimes causes ugly shadows and weird skin coloring. It’s best to find an area that’s not getting hit directly with sunlight, or you’ll wind up with a bunch of pictures of your child squinting. Overcast days are great. I also really love back-lit pictures. (This where the light is behind the subject.)

You can see here how the direct sunlight is causing some shadows on her face

(Easter last year by the way...she's getting so big!)

And here you can see in doors with no natural lighting through windows causing the flash going off is dark, and shadowy.( not a great picture, but perfect example)

Here this is better:

natural lighting coming through the sliding glass doors

( one of my favorite pictures)

Overcast sky, Don't worry about it being a little cloudy outside! See no Shadows on the face.

2. Stop Saying “Cheese”

Yes, asking everyone to say “cheese” creates a smile — a cheesy smile. In some of my favorite pictures of my daughter, she isn’t even looking at the camera. She’s in her own element, running around, having fun. This really helps to capture your child’s personality. You’re also more likely to get a picture of them with a genuine smile if they are in a good mood, rather than being forced to sit down and say “cheese.”



3. Take a Lot of Pictures

Like I said, I’m not a professional, so sometimes I have to take 20 pictures just have two or three that are good. So click, click, click away!
Also, as my daughter gets older, it’s getting a little more challenging to get her to sit still, and look at the camera. I used to be able to set her down, put whatever kind of bow I wanted her to wear in her hair, and take a great picture, because she couldn’t get up and walk away. Now I just keep snapping pictures until I get one that works.

 Most of the time I get Pictures of Ava's back, because she's running around like this:

OR this

But keep shooting because amazing stuff like this happens:

and This:

4. Get on Their Level

Getting at eye level with your child will help you capture the moment from their perspective. And isn’t that what taking photos of your kids is all about?

and This:



5. Use a Simple Background

Avoid clutter in the background. In my dining room, I have a huge window that lets in a lot of nice light. I open the blinds, close the curtains, set down a white blanket, and there you go: a nice little studio.
 You can always hang up a sheet if you don’t have solid colored curtains. I did this for my daughter’s Christmas pictures. I threw down a bunch of present bows, and she played with them in her little Christmas dress. The pictures came out great.