Category: House and Home

Photos & Coca Cola Coffees…

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #SongsToShare #CollectiveBias

BBP_0433

Ya’ll I’ve been so busy lately it’s craziness!  It’s senior picture season and my weekends have been filled with cap and gowns and reminiscing.  Gosh I can’t believe I graduated almost 15 years ago…I feel so old!

ANYWAY.

That’s the joy in being a photographer and doing what I do.  Making memories 🙂

I’ve been…

BBP_0445

And…

BBP_0443

Aren’t these Coca-Cola™ bottles so cute for summer?  Speaking of reminiscing, that’s what these Coca-Cola cans remind me of.  If you know me… occasionally I like to break out into song.  Ha ha!   

You can find all the new Share a Coke® and a Song bottles at your local Brookshire’s. Use your Brookshire’s Yourpoints to save 10¢ per gallon on fuel & 5% off on groceries.  Download the Shazam App, available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android and other devices to get your Coca-Cola Share a Song.

BBP_7487

So you can be…

BBP_0442

Mother’s Day is this weekend and I wanted to take some photos of my son.  I love to come up with different ideas and make photo props.  I wanted something simple and springy for Mother’s Day.

I found a bunch of these paper flowers at the craft store and simply attached them to some twine and “oila” I had a cute little garland.  So delicate and pretty for spring.

BBP_0449 BBP_0472

If you want something extra fold over some washi tape to make little tassels.
BBP_0474

Isn’t he the cutest EVER???

BBP_0471

He’s pretty much…

BBP_0444

And to quench your thirst one of my favorite boosters in the summer time is an iced Coca Cola with a shot of espresso!  I know what you are thinking…but TRUST it’s so good!

cocacolacoffee

GULP.

BBP_0493

For more information and to find your own Coca Cola Sing Along Bottles visit HERE. Also, check out Brookshire’s Facebook page HERE.

School Valentines 2016

This is the third year I’ve ordered Connor’s Valentine’s for school from Cardstore.  I bought enough for his whole class and a few extra for less than $10!  Holla if you hear me say DEAL!

Didn’t they turn out cute?

BBP_5091

You can get each sheet for .99 cents using the code below:

$.99 School Val

I also made some goodies to put with the Valentine’s.  Here’s me trying to “Get crafty with it”.  Feel free to print off the template I made.

BBP_5088

Printable:

image3344

xoxo Becky

Thanksgiving 2015

I know…I know…

I’m behind on catching up again.  Here we are almost to Christmas, but I didn’t want to forget to recap our Thanksgiving either.  I’ve been busy with work and photo shoots.  I’ll do a post soon with some of my favorite shots this fall.

We spent Thanksgiving with Terence’s family this year at his brother Paul’s house & ate ourselves silly!  I put some fun Christmas lights on our balcony and decorated our tree!  Early Thanksgiving morning we went to the park and took some family photos with our new friends that just moved here from New York, they have a son the same age as Connor and they just LOVE each other.  It’s Star Wars all day every day in their minds 🙂

These aren’t our Christmas card photos, a few outtakes.  Since we moved I’ve been trying to update everyone with our new address.  If you would like a card from us please email me at beckylbranch@gmail.com and I’ll send it to you!

BBP_2419 BBP_2420 BBP_2438-2 BBP_2446

Terence and I got new cell phones right before black Friday.  Yay!  Ours were a few years old and I’m excited to have an updated phone with a better camera.

Connor and I ventured out for a tiny bit of Black Friday shopping.  We went to World Market.  The store we visited is moving so everything on the floor was on sale.  I got a $150 beautiful bar stool for $25 bucks!  I talked to the store manager and he let me have it for a steal 🙂

Did y’all find anything fabulous for Black Friday?

12248188_10156211459715125_5665432887476794526_o 12314641_10156211647390125_6318885371730966226_o

I also went to a cookie decorating class my friend Bree was hosting.  It was so much fun!  I’ve always been intimidated by using fondant….but we had a great time just talking and decorating cookies.  I definitely want to try this again soon!

12244265_10156197014960125_2935816505229266592_o 12304081_10156199008935125_3239370051883391778_o

I hope you all are enjoying this season.  It’s definitely my favorite and I get sooooo excited this time of year!  I can’t wait to go home and visit my friends and family in Arkansas.  I’m counting down the days!  My DVR is full of Hallmark Christmas movies….I know they are so cheesy, but I still can’t help but indulge in the cheesy romance of each story.  Ha ha!

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Making the Most of Christmas with #Hallmark

This post is sponsored by Hallmark but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. #ad

Christmas time is here * Happiness and cheer * Fun for all that children call * Their favorite time of the year*

I love everything that comes with the Christmas season.  Gathering with family and friends, a visit with Santa, shopping for gifts, and Christmas cards in the mail.  One of my favorite places to shop during the holidays is Hallmark.  They have the cutest gifts and the best stocking stuffers.  From candles, soaps, fluffy socks, stuffed animals, and candy galore….they have it all!

Have you checked out all the Star Wars stuff Hallmark has lately?  Let me just say we have a certain 5-year-old who is counting down the days until the Star Wars movie premier.  It’s everything Star Wars for this kiddo this Christmas.

BBP_1954

Cute little Christmas Yoda, Darth Vader, and Storm Trooper.  The Star Wars wrapping paper is also available at Hallmark stores.

BBP_1953

If you searching for a gift for a co-worker or friend the Crafters & Co. gifts at Hallmark are perfect!  Everything from chocolates, artisan-made hand soaps, tea, and candles.  Just a little something extra to show someone you care.

Being a photographer I’m always looking for fun photo backdrops. One of my favorite things to do (and easiest) is to take wrapping paper and hang it behind my subject in a picture.   Nothing fancy…it just makes for a really cute photo!

I got this candy cane wrapping paper at Hallmark, I love their wrapping paper by the way because it’s not the thin, flimsy paper.  It holds up well to folding and taping 🙂

My photo backdrop:

BBP_1943

My handsome subject:

(The reindeer hat and mittens are also a Hallmark find!  Soooo cute and only $9.99 for the set)

BBP_1948

I hope you all have fun shopping, decorating, and gathering this Christmas!

Check out our video below for a sneak peek of all the fun holiday goodies at Hallmark this year.

No…I’ve Not Fallen Off The Face of the Planet.

Oh my gosh y’all!  Things have been super busy lately.  I’ve neglected my bloggy blog for a bit too long.  I’ve been busy with my new job, photo shoots, and doing laundry.  Ya know…living the life.

We are about to put our house on the market and packing is craziness!  We watched Tiny Houses on Netflix and going through all our crap makes me want to “tiny” my life.  I don’t think I could actually live in a tiny house, but the idea is appealing.  I know I want to get rid of all that junk we don’t use anymore.  We went through closets last weekend and gave a ton to good will.  I felt free!

The idea of moving is scary, but we are hoping to get moved before Connor starts the big Kindergarten this year.

Terence and I have been juicing again for dinner.  I’ve been avoiding Easter candy like the plague.  Stupid Cadbury mini eggs!!!  They are crack.

I got to spend time with my good friend Sarah and her precious lil diva Ellie.  I just adore this high/low dress.  She’s the cutest little thing….like….EVER.

BBP_1477

Sarah is also the owner of the cutest shop Wake Me Up Designs.  She made me my very own sparkly “Java Mama” t-shirt.  Watch out J-Lo….I be blinging.  unnamed

Here’s a little throwback for you.  Ter-Bear and I dating and sharing our first Easter together.  Gah…I was skinny.  Must have been before Cadbury mini eggs came out.  It was 15 years ago after all.  I am blaming the Cadbury mini eggs for everything right now.Terence-and-Becky-at-Easter-2000

Also, if you live in DFW I have a spring photo special going on.  Email me if you are interested at beckylbranch@gmail.com

zpearn-chasingrainbows-pp-4

Don’t Pinch Me I’ve Got a GREEN Thumb!

This article is sponsored by Monrovia

Well, spring is officially here!  We have all turned our clocks forward and it’s a bit brighter outside when we get home.  It’s time to start thinking about our front yard again and what to plant.

Terence does a great job every year planting and designing our front flower bed.  We have owned several Monrovia bushes over the years and they grow just beautifully.  One of my favorites is the Monrovia Snowcap Indian Hawthorn.

Here is our front flower bed right now:

The green bushes you see are the Monrovia Snowcap Indian Hawthorn in the winter.

BBP_1446

Monrovia Snowcap Indian Hawthorns are compact, mounded shrubs with large, dark green, highly disease-resistant foliage that changes to dramatic, burgundy-red in cold weather.

Clusters of pink buds open to pale pink flowers, fading to white and followed by small bluish-black fruit.  So, in the spring they will bloom to look like this:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I picked up another Monrovia Snowcap Indian Hawthorn at my local Nursery last week.  I can’t wait to plant it when the weather gets nice outside.  These bushes do great in the Texas heat and direct sunlight too!

BBP_0664

Monrovia has 3,600 plant varieties that are all nurtured in a customized soil mix that helps develop a strong root system. Mycorrhizae are added to the soil mix–this is a “good fungus” that helps the roots absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil.  The sales lady was telling me about this “good fungus” as I checked out with my Monrovia plant and how she loved them herself because they were exceptional plants.

What are you going to plant this spring?

Check out all of the different varieties Monrovia has to offer HERE.