Laralyn is One!

While my Spring Break trip was for visiting family I did squeeze in one fun outdoor session with Laralyn. Her mom did a great job with the props for the birthday cake shots, and Laralyn did a great job looking adorable. Here are just a few of the many precious images from her session. 

How cute is she?! It was a super fun shoot, and I can't wait to do more of Laralyn's sessions in the future!

Be happy! 

-Katie

Things I am excited about today

I have lists of things I could take photos of and post about, but there are so many! I have projects in the works, things I am getting accomplished, and things that just plain make me happy. I decided all of these things deserved a little recognition today.

I am pumped about:

• the gorgeous weather...who wouldn't be?!
• all the pieces that will soon come together to cozy up my deck
• going to the City Market on Saturday for my birthday
• having lunch with the mr on Saturday
• havin friends and family over for a weenie roast Saturday night
• my deer antler project [for those of you who know me well...believe it]
• the new color of the old cabinet from my basement...can't wait to finish it! 
• my new books about Laura Ingalls Wilder
• my tulips and bleeding heart plant blooming outside my back door
• that Nicholas has tomorrow night off so we can work in the yard together
• the adorable owl planter [from my sis] that now greets me at the top of the deck stairs
• finding out that I have no wisdom teeth
• the super awesome terrarium container my super sweet mother-in-law gave me for an early birthday gift
• finally hanging the last frame for my wall collage in my bedroom

I have a ton of things going on in my head right now with projects that I can't wait to start. Now I just have to get busy! 

Be happy...and pumped! 

-Katie

Embracing the Camera in Mansfield

So, I will admit that I have a bit of an obsession with the "Little House" book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have had since I was a little girl, and my mom would sit on the front porch and read them to us. I always read my sister's copies, but I finally got my own set for Christmas. I am reading them now for the first time as an adult, and I am just as smitten with her humor and the stories of simpler times. I just love it. Because my husband is so darn sweet he agreed to take me back to her Mansfield home on our way down to visit my family this week. I have been so excited...as dorky as that may be.

My family had visited the home and museum when I was much younger, but I remembered very little about it. Some of the highlights of the museum for me included: 

Pa's fiddle

the gorgeous dresses that were made and worn by Laura in adulthood

the books, school slates, and jewelry box that are significant in the books

the sewing machine that Pa bought for Laura

the gorgeous photos of the family

You are not allowed to take photos inside any of the buildings, but I did get some shots of the adorable houses. After the museum we went down the road to the house that their daughter Rose had built for Laura and Almanzo. 

We did not go hear on our visit years ago, and this time around I fell in love with this house. I told Nicholas I would love to live there. I love the door, the french doors that lead into the living room, and the gorgeous stone [all from the farm at Rocky Ridge]. The house and the location is all just completely adorable.

If they would let me I would pack up and move to this house...seriously.

The other house is pretty adorable as well. It is the farmhouse that Laura and Almanzo built themselves. They lived there before moving into the rock house, and they later moved back to the farmhouse after selling a large portion of the farm. It is where Laura lived until her death in 1957 at the age of 90. 

After the tours, museum, and video we went to the bookstore where I got a couple of books that go into more detail of Laura's travels and many of her experiences that occurred after the books ended. I plan on purchasing the stories of Rose and the other older generations as well. I will definitely have quite a collection if I can find them all!

It was a great early birthday present, and I enjoyed it even more than I anticipated..and I think Nicholas even had fun too!

Be happy...and embrace the camera with The Anderson Crew! 

-Katie

let's spoon

Friday night was a super productive night for me. I washed a ton of dishes, made Georgie some paci clips [I should probably photograph those], wrapped my sis's birthday gifts, ran a mile outside, got caught up on some s.o.a.p.ing, and I made this cute print for my bedroom gallery wall...which will be complete as soon as I can find some way to hang that last frame that has no hanger on the back. 

I pretty much love it. 

I have gone from super on top of things with the blogging situation this past week, and I am sure I will be pretty absent in the coming week since I am heading south. I do have lots of projects rolling around in my brain for when I get back, and I just can't wait to get started on them!

And even though this isn't an adorable child or a cute puppy...it is a super simple thing that makes me happy, so I am linking up with Rebecca for Simple Things Sunday!

Be happy! 

-Katie

Outside my back door...

Yesterday morning when I looked out this is what I saw....

That tree is one of my favorite things about this house. I am so thankful for Spring...maybe this year more than ever. 

Be happy! 

-Katie

Happy Birthday, Sis

Last weekend was my sister's birthday. Sadly we were not able to be around for the festivities, but we will be celebrating some more next week when the mr and I head down for Spring Break. My sister is one person who always appreciates my handmade gifts, so of course, I had fun getting her gift together. It didn't take me long at all to figure out what I wanted to make for her. 

On my last trip down she really went on about my shirt that I designed and had Emily of The Purple Possom print on a shirt for me. We are both avid glue gun users. We agree that almost anything can be fixed or assembled with a little bit of hot glue, so I knew this was the perfect gift for her [please ignore the wrinkles]. 

She has also had me brainstorming with her about plans for their new house they will be building, so that made it easy to come up with these: 

The bunting is made with the leftover fabric from her sunroom window seats, and I overlaid that with lace fabric and stitched around it. I had the thin green ribbon laying around, and I stitched across that to complete one of the quickest [yet satisfying!] projects ever. 

I just bought the little $.99 chipboard letters at Hobby Lobby, spray painted them, and wrapped them with a bit of coordinating yarn to match the colors she uses often in her home. These were made to incorporate into the gallery wall I am going to help her with. 

One other thing she had seen of mine was my Sculpey charm necklace, and she quickly said she wanted one. I wrote that down on my mental notepad, and her necklace ended up way cuter than mine!

There is one letter for each member of her family plus a couple of cute love charms. I went ahead and mailed this one with her card. This was the packaging [one of my favorite parts]: 

I can't wait to give her the rest of her things. We have always enjoyed giving each other gifts because it is so fun and easy to find/create things for one another. I never worry if she will like my gifts, and they are always appreciated.

Be happy! 

-Katie

Embracing the camera and enjoying Spring

Tuesday was absolutely beautiful weather, and that was just a bonus to Nicholas being home when I got home from work. We spent the evening out on the deck enjoying the perfect temperature and fresh air. He got my table and chairs put together so we could have dinner outside, and then he assembled the firepit we bought at the end of last summer. I see a birthday weenie roast in my near future! 

Isn't he cute? 

Even cuter is that after I took a photo of him he said, "Okay, now embrace the camera." He was thinking of my blog posts and the fact that I haven't done much embracing of the camera since the first week. So we have this photo that is kind of funny looking of both of us because that happens when you are trying to hold a dslr at arm's length to take a photo of yourselves. 

This is one of those things that I could have easily forgotten to photograph, but I am so glad I remembered. It was a simple evening of quiet, relaxing fun, and I will always be thankful for these photos. I know we won't always be in this house, and I will cherish memories of all of the "new" things we did together in our first home. 

Embracing the The Andersons.

Be happy!

-Katie

Making big plans

This is our plain, empty, worn out deck that didn't even have the table there until yesterday. 

This is me sitting at our new table making a list and some drawings of things I would like to do to the deck this Spring/Summer. 

This is the list I made, and I am super pumped about it! 

A few of the things I want to do include: get more chairs to match the existing table, possibly hang old windows on the large blank wall, planters on the rail, small wooden benches along the rail, a large planter in one corner, and hanging some cafe lights. One of the most difficult things on the list would probably be finding a large piece of furniture to place against the wall for storage and to have a place to put some potted plants. I wanted a sort of buffet or dresser or something similar. I thought I was dreaming big since I didn't really want to go out and spend money on a piece of furniture to put outside, but while running on the treadmill [which is in the basement] I realized it was right in front of me...literally! There is this old, gross, paint-chipped, worn out cabinet with an old sink on top that isn't hooked up any more...it is perfect! Right now it is a dark brown with white underneath the chipping paint, and I will probably sand it, paint it, and distress it. I am thinking maybe turquoise...now if I can just get Nicholas to let me help me bring it up from the basement. I am even more excited about this project now, and I can't wait to get started!

While it is clear that the deck is worn and has seen better days, we are just not up to replacing the entire thing right now. Nicholas is working so hard at school and his normal 40 hour work week, not to mention the cost because what it really needs is to be torn down and replaced. But I am going to embrace the ruggedness, and it will be cute...hopefully sooner than later! 

Be happy...and pumped about something! 

-Katie 

Around the yard

 Yesterday after cleaning the house, cooking dinner, cleaning the kitchen again, and running my butt off on the treadmill I needed some fresh air and a cool down. I took my camera and walked around the yard just as the last bits of daylight were starting to fade away. I absolutely love this tree [that I know I have mentioned before], and I get super excited each time it starts to bud.

 

It is a nice view out my dining room window. 

Tulips! They are short lived but always worth the wait.

My dad found these in a field one day while hunting, and [knowing me well] he figured I would like them. Well, I LOVE them, and I want to find something really cool to do with them. Until then they will continue to sit on my deck. I am thinking maybe hanging, upside down, filled with succulents. I am liking it...

 

Even though we didn't have much of a winter this year I could not be more ready for Spring. I am so excited to get outside and work with our flowers and planting our garden. The mr and I had such fun last year working together and watching things grow. The fun is just beginning! 

Be happy...and excited! 

-Katie

workin' it out

So yeah...I have dropped the ball on several things concerning my blog. I have yet to embrace the camera since that first Thursday [fail]. I have been creating, but I have just felt no desire to photograph and post about anything [fail again]. I have been working on photos and working at the bakery and squeezing in time on the treadmill and actually giving myself a break in the evening and sleeping a lot and spending any possible time I can with my husband because I miss him. There have been a couple of times that I felt kind of stressed at the thought of how long it has been since I posted here, but why should that stress me? I have no obligation to this. This is supposed to be fun, and when it becomes a stressful thing is when I quit. That is just not the point. I am not quitting now, but I am also not going to force myself into something that causes unnecessary stress. Normally I would not dream of posting without of a photo, but the honest truth is I have hardly taken any photos lately [another fail]. And the ones I have taken are probably on some memory card laying scattered around my house because it is a disaster. So I am breaking myself in with a photo-less post about nothing creative or crafty.

Since my last post [3 weeks ago!] I have made a trip to Arkansas and snuggled my sweet niece. I have surprised myself with a couple of the cakes I have made at the bakery. I have cleaned my closet. I have gone shopping for clothes by myself for one of the first times in my life. I have participated in Sunday school class [instead of just listening]. I have spent less time with my computer in my lap. I have completed several photography projects. I have jogged several miles [not all at once]. I have learned to manage evenings at home by myself and tried to be strong and supportive while the mr works his booty off. I have made my sister's birthday presents. I have done a lot of stuff that I can feel good about, so I am not going to feel bad for not making a post about the bunting I made or the cool necklace I finished. Maybe before now I needed that to help me feel fulfilled, but I am have been workin' in out here at home, and I feel great about it. Maybe I will get caught up and feel like sharing everything that I have been working on soon, but even if I don't I am not going to beat myself up about it. Today I am going to clean my house and be thankful for the cloudy day that keeps me from seeing all the spots I will undoubtedly miss. I hope you have a beautiful day.

Be happy...and fulfilled. 

-Kate