Category: Family

Our Christmas Cards from Cardstore

“I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Cardstore. I received complimentary cards and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

When searching for our Christmas cards I always like to do my research.  I want a pretty card and an equally cute picture to send out to all my family and friends.  You all know I’ve been swamped with Christmas photo sessions lately….and I’m loving every minute of it!  I hope I get to see some of those photos in my mailbox.  Nothing blesses my heart more than seeing a family I’ve taken pictures of on a card.

This is the one time of year you actually get something in your mailbox instead of your inbox.  I just LOVE getting actual mail.  Nothing is more heartfelt and personal than a card.

Sometimes clients will ask me who I recommend for their Christmas cards after photoshoots.  So, while searching for my perfect Christmas card this year I came across Cardstore.  Cardstore is an innovative online resource that removes the hassle from mailing out holiday cards. Once you create your custom cards with personalized pictures, messages, and signature, Cardstore will print, stamp and send the cards for you – helping to take one huge item off my already full holiday to-do list. It’s so nice to know that at least ONE thing is crossed off my list!

Here is a little preview of a card I was looking at from Cardstore.  Cute huh?agdgg

Cardstore was super easy to use.  I just uploaded the pictures I wanted, personalized my card, and then I got to proofread every inch of my card before sending (Something I always worry about after I finalize orders).  There are so many fun designs and options to choose from it was very hard to make a choice!  If you’re looking for quality and something that will stand out from all the other Christmas cards this season I highly recommend using Cardstore.

Cardstore Promotions & Discounts

From 11/14 – 11/20 Cardstore is offering $20 off your $50 order

From 11/21-11/26 Cardstore is offering 30% off holiday cards!

My Lil Prancerciser & Holiday Finds

I got Connor these slippers the other day at Target.  They were $7 bucks….best money ever spent.  He loves “Prancercising” all around the house and he asked to wear them to school…but ya know…we don’t want him to get a reputation or anything!  Here’s my little Prancerciser….. D7K_8934 D7K_8933 D7K_8932 OMG.  Have y’all tried these Muddy Buddies?  It’s sort of like puppy chow, but you can buy it now instead of making a mess in your own kitchen.  Another Target find.  These are the peppermint version, and my favorite, the peanut butter chocolate.  SO GOOD!D7K_8930 Loving Bath and Body Works “Snowday 2013” candles.  Does it sound like I’m ready for Christmas anyone?  How many of you have your tree up???  DON’T LIE NOW!  Ha ha!  I will probably put ours up in a couple weeks….I can’t wait 🙂  Happy Hump Day! D7K_8929

 

Glitter Christmas Photos

We took some Christmas photos this past weekend with my sister-in-law’s family and Connor’s BFF Ellie.   I call them the “twin cousins” because they are less than a day apart in age.  They just adore each other.

I’ve been slammed on the weekends with photo shoots.  If you want to see some that I’ve been working on click the “PHOTOGRAPHY” tab at the top of the site.  I love watching these families grow and I just love taking photos period.  I just LOVE it!  Maybe one day I can do it more….but for right now it’s just on the weekends.

So, I wanted to try something fun with the kiddos & picked up some glitter confetti.  You have to be quick like fox to take these type of pictures.  I may try to take some again when I have more time…..but here are the kids and their “glitter” photos!  So much fun!D7K_8911

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Love & Sacrifice

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For the last few weeks I’ve been telling you all about Folgers’ The Best Part online community.  It’s a place dedicated to brightening your every day.  The Best Part posts inspirational stories, encouraging quotes, & good news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram—and encourages fans and followers to share that optimism with their family & friends. Because when optimism is shared, it grows, making an even more positive impact on our world.

I got back today from a trip home to Arkansas.  I had the chance to visit with my grandma and talk to her about things going on in my life.  These moments are precious & there are definitely few of them now that I’m an adult.  So when I go home to visit I try to soak it all in.  I love taking photos, so I was super excited to take some senior pictures of my cousin, Lindsey.  I was talking to my Grandma about my love of photography and telling her a story of how I got my new camera.  A couple of years ago I was really really wanting a new camera but we couldn’t really afford it.  My husband had a really nice watch he got for graduation, and he sold it so that I could have my new camera.  I know there are times he probably regrets selling that watch, but that meant so much that he did that for me.  He loved that watch.  But he also knew how much I loved taking pictures.  It was the sweetest gesture, and I’ll never forget it.

So, I was telling my grandma about that story and she told me the story about the Magi.

On Christmas Eve, with only $1.87 in hand and desperate to find a gift for her husband, Jim, Della sells her long, beautiful hair for $20, and eventually finds a platinum fob chain for Jim’s watch for $21. She found the perfect gift at last and runs home and begins to prepare dinner, with 87 cents left. When Jim comes home, he looks at Della with a strange expression. Della then admits to Jim that she sold her hair to buy him his present. Jim then gives Della her present — an assortment of expensive hair combs, useless now that her hair is short. Della shows Jim the chain she bought for him, to which Jim says he sold his watch to get the money to buy her combs. Although Jim and Della are now left with gifts that neither one can use, they realize how far they are willing to go to show their love for each other, and how priceless their love really is.

I had never heard of that story until this past weekend, but apparently it’s been around for a long time.  It resonated with me after I’d told my grandma what Terence had done so I could get my new camera.   A timeless tale that came full circle into my own life.  Stories of love, hope, and giving.  That is what Folgers The Best Part is all about.  Sharing YOUR story so that it can resonate in someone else’s life and make a difference.

Now you can say hi, and share a moment with the NEW Hello Sunshine App! Download it today, and create custom greetings you can share with friends and family.  Wake up to The Best Part. Download the Folgers® alarm clock.  It doesn’t just get you up, it greets you with inspiring messages and positive pieces of good news.  You can also join the Wakin’ Up Club, you’ll receive emails filled to the brim with Folgers® promotions, coupons, and other exclusive content. Fill out the form and become a member today.  It’s so easy to sign up and be a part of this inspiring community of people sharing positive thoughts in the world.  kisses

Thoughts on a 2nd Child

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Bless his heart he carries all these animals around like they are his best friends.

I’ve never really talked about it before on the blog.  The desire and want to expand our family of three.  The truth is I’m so torn and not sure what to do.  I want to be thankful for our one perfect angel from Heaven.  It took us so long to have him & I’m not sure how long it would take to have another.

I didn’t have a glowing & beautiful pregnancy.  I hated being pregnant.  Gained over 70 pounds and had a 10 lb kiddo.  I had horrid nausea in the first trimester…so bad I didn’t know how I was going to get up out of bed all day.  The thought of going through all of that again scares me.  It’s totally worth it….but it scares me.

Connor is growing into such a fun little boy.  Sometimes I feel guilty because he is so needy and he desires a connection with other kids.  He’s told me before he would love a brother or sister.  I don’t quite know how to answer that?

Then there is the financial aspect of having another baby.  We’ve pretty much rid our household of all things baby related, so we’d have to re-purchase everything.  The cost of having a child in a hospital is super expensive (my insurance ain’t what it used to be!) and we certainly couldn’t afford two kids in daycare.  I know we can make sacrifices and make it work, but that would be so hard!

After we had him and experienced the endless nights of no sleep we told each other maybe this is it?  This is about all we can handle.  Lets face it, we are selfish parents and 100 % guilty of putting him in front of a TV in order to have some personal time.  We don’t read to him like we should, or do a lot of things like we “should”.  So with that comes a lot of guilt….can we give TWO enough time if we can’t give one child what he needs right now?

How do you do it?  How do you make time for yourself while still providing that attention to your child….let alone two, or three, or four?  Maybe I’m just drawing a blank because I just don’t know.

I had my annual “lady visit” a couple of weeks ago.  She kindly let me know that I was getting up there in age and once I reach 35 I’ll be considered high risk.  In my heart I would LOVE to have another child.  It’s the best, most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.  My husband is a planner, spreadsheets, and worry wart-whom I love dearly and am grateful for those qualities by the way!  How do we start to get on the same page?  I don’t want to look back 10 years from know and be resentful and wonder “what if?”

How do you know?  How do you manage? 

I’m lost here and just looking for advice and encouragement on the subject…because right now my heart is torn & very uncertain.

Thank you friends…..xo Becky

How I Cook Bacon

Y’all know I’m from Arkansas and one of my favorite types of meat is BACON!  Of course, who doesn’t love bacon?  Specifically….Petit Jean Bacon from Arkansas.  I married a Texas boy and even though I live here now I’m super excited I can still find my Petit Jean Bacon because they are the Official Bacon of the Dallas Cowboys too!  Check out their Dallas Cowboys gift packs .

Last night we made BLT’s for dinner.  We love a good BLT sandwich in our house.  Even my 3-year-old knows how good bacon is 🙂D7K_7921 We made our BLT’s using the Hickory Smoked Petit Jean Bacon…..sooooooo good!D7K_7918 As you can see this is a HUGE package of bacon. One of the things I hate about cooking bacon is the grease and splatter party going on.  Also, it takes forever to cook in small batches.
To make things move along a little quicker I take the entire package of bacon and cut the strips in half and just dump them in the pan.  They all cook evenly and they are easier to flip that way.  Make sure to pull them apart of course….but by cutting the strips in half it cuts cooking time and you can cook more at once.
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My happy bacon boy 😛

Halloween at Work & School

We’ve had a fun Halloween so far today at work. I just love the bank I work at! They are so awesome to the employees and we have so much fun every year on Halloween. You can probably check out previous work Halloweens in the archives of this blog 🙂 Here we are 2013 Minnie & Mickey Mouse “Mouseketeers”adfawdf Connor and his precious teacher Ms. EvaD7K_7071 All the kids dressed up and ready for a fun day of Halloween fun!D7K_7062 Our fearless leaders Ms. Susie & Ms. Mary Beth 🙂D7K_7057 D7K_7058

Here’s hoping the weather holds off tonight and we get to do some trick-or-treating!!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!