the four of us :: may 2011

Bet you thought I'd forgotten to post it this month, pushing things to the very end like this. In fact, I'd been waiting for summer-like weather - you know, to show the changing seasons. Unfortunately, I realized I could be waiting A VERY LONG TIME with how wacky the weather has been! Took the shot below last night, after a very long day at my parents' pool... after a very long weekend... with a couple of sleep-deprived children.

* one family photo * MY family * each month * for an entire year *

We had to take a couple of runs at it (literally, I had us running in circles before saying "SIT!").

May was a big month:

1. Our basement remodel began AND is nearly complete!
2. The tween became an official percussion student.
3. Our teen took up the OBOE!
4. The tween's room was finally painted and furnished.
5. Mother's Day.
6. Tennis season was in full swing (the teen's last match is tomorrow).
7. The end of bible study season and PowerLife.
8. Tony purchased his dream guitar.
9. Mom & I attended Living Proof Live with Beth Moore. (Surprisingly, you'll spot both of us [from behind] at the very start of the LPL video recap! Click HERE to view it on the Living Proof blog.)
10. We celebrated Tony's birthday.
11. I spent many a day at my sister's place with giant piles of laundry.
12. Tony and I had several "selection" appointments related to the basement project.
13. We had our first day of swimming at Grandma's pool for the season.
14. I became a fan of Pinterest and Words With Friends. Okay, I'm officially OBSESSED.
15. Got our fill of Rhubarb Torte.
16. The tween found a second home this month at Pippy's house :)

If you'd like to check out the rest of our monthly family shots, click HERE.

straight out of the camera [sunday]

A quick one from my session this afternoon:

You'll see more from this one soon :)

basement remodel :: week 4

If interested, you can view the entire progression by clicking HERE.

We have COLOR this week... and knock down ceilings.

Our doors and maple trim are on-site as well:

In addition to the bathroom tile:

I've been spending a lot of time my at my sister's house taking care of laundry but thankfully that all changed this weekend, because...

I GOT MY LAUNDRY ROOM BACK!

For now at least :) Until next time...

5 Fun Things Friday

1. Blueberry Ice Cream w/Lemon Curd.

Neither the image or recipe are mine... but you'll find both HERE. Thought it sounded like the perfect summer treat :)

2. Decorative Marble Photo Coaster Kit. Thought this would make an awesome Father's Day gift:

Click HERE for purchase information.

3. This DIY canvas handprint kit - I love the idea of personalizing the home with handmade art.

Click HERE for purchase information.

4. While I'm not a cream-in-my-coffee sort of gal, I'd love to have this glass creamer carton to have on hand for guests:

As with all of the others, this image is not mine. Click HERE for purchase information.

5. I've had my eye on all sorts of photo collages, several of which I am incorporating into our new basement space. Collages like these lend themselves SO WELL to my style of photography (just click on the images to be directed to the authors' websites):

Happy Friday!!!

spring was in the air | Minnesota Family Portrait Session

After rescheduling this session once because of rain, it looked as if we were going to need to do so again.

Turned out the weather forecast was wrong.

DEAD WRONG.

I so love it when that happens :) You might recognize this family (more specifically, these children) because they are regulars.

Not only clients but friends :)

Here are some of my favorite shots from our gloriously sunny day:

Now if only we could get back some of that SUN!

beth moore

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had the opportunity to attend the Living Proof event over the weekend. It was my first time seeing Beth Moore live at a church and it was oh-so-much-better at the smaller venue.

It sold out quickly with 4,300 in attendance... thankfully, mom and I snatched up tickets immediately!

Crazy I tell you, but very much worth it!

What ended up being so cool the first night was running into a row of teachers (along with their mothers and daughters) from our kids' elementary school. (It's not the first time God has used the kids' teachers to make a mark on me, click HERE for one of my favorite stories.) I pray in advance for the classrooms and teachers our kids will have from year to year - I can't even put into words how cool it was seeing two of their former teachers there, worshipping alongside them at a Beth Moore conference of all things.

Our message this weekend centered around Psalm 116:1-7:

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“LORD, save me!”
The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
The LORD protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.

And it was incredible. I'm making extra time this week to meditate on it. Looking at areas that need "untangling" (there were a couple that immediately came to mind). Here are a few more images from the weekend:

While we're on the subject, Hosanna! is accepting early-bird registrations for bible study next fall - we'll be starting with Jonah by Priscilla Shirer and then moving into a brand new study by Beth Moore (James - taping is taking place now... that's how new). Click HERE for a limited-time reduced registration fee.

Hope to see you there!

straight out of the camera [sunday]

I wanted to capture the mood of the rainy day but the lighting made it pretty tough to post without editing. I decided to make use of the window light best I could:

I spent time today reflecting on Beth Moore's message from the weekend. (Incredible, by the way... I'll post a few pics from the conference tomorrow.)

And the rainy day pic I really wanted to use but couldn't help but edit:

Have a great week!