Pinterest.

Gotta love it!  I had been playing around with the idea of growing my own herbs.  Now, I am FAR from a gardener, or even a weeder for that matter, but I really, really wanted to give it a try.  I found some really cute ideas for indoor herb gardens on Pinterest, but still lacked the motivation to get out and buy the stuff I needed.  Can we say…procrastinator?  Yep.  Well, a local Catholic school had their annual plant sale recently.  I decided to make my way over there and buy me some herbs (and veggie plants, too, but that’s another story!).

I couldn’t stop thinking about the herb garden that Camille Styles featured.  When I saw it I thought, “I can DO that!”  So, yesterday, I DID.  We had an old wooden fence just laying on the ground (yay for never throwing stuff away!).  I broke off one of the slats and went to town.

Poor fence didn’t stand a chance.  I dug out the cheap little hand saw we own (not even convinced it’s really a saw).  I took that bad boy down!

Hi-ya!  It didn’t quite cut all the way through, so I had to break it in half the rest of the way.  That’s okay, afterall, I wanted it to look worn.

I am woman….see me saw??  Maybe not quite.  Anyway, I sanded the really rough spots down a bit, but I didn’t sand it TOO much, though.  I wanted it to have a beachy look more than a rustic look, so I painted it white.  I still wanted it to have that washed appearance, so I sanded the edges, as well.

Now, Camille Styles used canning jars for the herbs and that is what I initially intended on doing, however, I ran into problems.  The jars I already had were too small for the herbs that I had purchased.  I ran to a few stores to buy bigger ones, but I had to buy a whole CASE, which, to me, totally defeated the purpose of this low-cost do-it yourself thingy.  I fretted for a while that I wasted all this time cutting and sanding and painting and sanding again.  THEN, I remembered that I had old empty candle jars (again, yay for not throwing this stuff away)!!!  They were the perfect size for my plants :-)

Once I had those planted, I nailed some lovely dryer vent clamps (found at a local store $2.50 for a 2 pack) to my newly painted board.  I installed some hanging hardware on the back and minutes later….voila!

My kitchen is now accessorized with an herb garden!  I have room on there for one more, but have not yet decided which I want to plant (any suggestions?).  The entire project cost me about $3 (dryer clamps and hanging hardware) since I already had the fence board, sand paper, paint and jars.  I am over the moon excited about it…I just hope I don’t kill them.  Wish me luck!

Country.

I had the pleasure of spending a some time in a field, by a pond, in a pasture.  It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to be in that type of setting, but it felt so good.  A friend (and amazing hair dresser) of mine, enlisted me to capture her family.  I had such a great time walking around with Jenny, Billy, Harley, Tanker, Isabelle, Cooter  and Remy Lou.  Everyone was on their best behavior and the weather…oh my!  The weather was AMAZING.  We were able to get some really great shots and I am SO excited about it. :-)  Jenny also owns a pretty awesome western wear store in Erie, Head West Outfitters.   They have a brick and mortar location there, but they also have their products on their website. If you haven’t done so yet, you should definitely check it out! Needless to say, her outfits were super cute and well accessorized.  Okay, okay, I’ve rambled enough.  ONTO THE PICTURES!

Happy Mother’s Day to each and every mom out there.  Whether you birthed, adopted or fostered a child, you are special.  There is nothing quite like the bond between a mother and child.  Happy day to you all!!!!

Party Time!

Parties are fun, right?  Well, try getting a boy and a girl, who are two years apart in age, to agree on a birthday party theme.  GOOD LUCK.  ”Mama, I want a Cars party.”  ”Mama, I want a tea party!”  ”No, I want a surf party!!”  ”NO, PRINCESS PARTY!”  It goes on and on.  And on.  Fun isn’t quite the word I would use to describe the battles that ensued.  Maybe “battles” is exaggerating, but my point is, getting them to mutually agree on a theme was no easy feat.  After weeks (no exaggeration there) of deliberating, my two little angels decided on a theme….Lemonade Stand.  Mama was one happy girl!  What???  I get to incorporate vintage touches to a party without complaint?!?  YES PLEASEY!  So, with the help of Pinterest as well as various stores in the area (not to mention my printer and my sweet husband), we got it all done in time for the big day.  Many thanks to Dime Store Buddy on Etsy for the AWESOME paper straws and baking cups.  They rock!  Both kids were happy.  Mama and Daddy were happy.  Success!

Of course, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t include pics, so here you go!

Winner.

Boy, oh boy.  It was NOT easy to choose a winner for the Everyday is Earth Day Contest.  Thankfully, I did not have to make the decision on my own…I had some really wonderful individuals helping me.  Each of them are inspirations to me.  Meet them!

Julie, from Green Impact at Home, is a certified eco-consultant and is a brilliant resource for improving lives through greener living.  She also wrote that AMAZING blog post for Earth Day :-)

Kim Schmidt, of Kim Schmidt Photography, is a wonderful photographer out of New Jersey and is always finding new ways to reduce her carbon footprint.  She is also the talent behind this very blog. :-)  You should check out her site!

Amber Campbell, formerly of Amber Campbell Photography, is another inspiration.  She is great with a camera and has an amazing eye for photography, however, she stepped away from her business to make time for her three kids (including one set of twins!).  Amber has gone above and beyond, often times inconveniencing herself, to make the world a better place for her little ones.  I wish I could be her!

Now that you have “met” the judges, onto the winner!  These three lovely ladies were sent all of the contest entries.  All names were removed to make it completely anonymous.  Believe it or not, ALL of them chose the same entry!  I am very excited about this session.

The winner is….

LAURA M!!!

Thank you, Laura, for your touching entry!  Please email me to set up your session!!

Thank you so much to ALL of the entrants.  Each story was beautiful and it was very difficult to choose just ONE winner.

XOXO

Happy Earth Day!

To celebrate this wonderful day, we are fortunate to have an awesome guest blogger, Julie, from Green Impact at Home!  Making changes at home to improve the world for our children is something that is SO important to me.  Julie was generous enough to write a post about some of the things we can do for the little ones.  Read on and see below for a chance to win a free session with KGP!

Why Nature Rocks! Everyone agrees it’s good to hang with trees. Families and experts say that playing in nature is good for the whole family – whether at home, in the backyard, or the local park. The result? Children and families are happier, healthier and smarter.

Nature turns frowns upside down. In nature, kids and families get a chance to move at life’s natural pace, where time disappears, no one is bored, and exploration turns into fun adventure. The key to nature play is the chance for kids to explore on their own terms and with their own choices, so they can discover themselves what is interesting and fun (this builds confidence too!). Choosing to climb a tree, hanging onto a rope swing, jumping over a log, skipping stones —all of these are examples of experiences in which children learn more about themselves, their decisions, and what to do in new settings.

Get out with the bugs to prevent getting a bug. Nothing’s better at keeping away the bugs we don’t want than staying active. And nothing keeps kids active more than fun and interesting things to explore and do. Even as little as 30 minutes ofactivity a day will keep you healthy. It can be as simple as a bike ride around the neighborhood or a hike in a local park. There are so many options when you’re in nature — running, jumping, climbing, building and more. Research suggeststhat the most important thing for kids to make a habit of an active life is being introduced to their activities by a parent. And of course it’s good for the parents, too! Try it, you and your kids will like it.

Better focus without any hokus pokus! In nature, kids see, hear, smell and touch things all at the same time, getting them to observe, ask questions and figure out things that have a lot of parts tothem. The richness in the outdoors is far more stimulating—and gets the mind working more—than only watching television or playing electronic games.There is a place for that stuff, but they are no substitute for what an experience in nature brings to kids’ development. In fact, children who play and learn on a regular basis in the outdoors take these enhanced skills with them to school—and tend to have higher school achievement and test scores too!

Unplug, relax and explore, together. With nature games, family activities, or camping, everyone can participate –letting go of the stresses of the day – relaxing and having some creative timeto just be. And that time offers the kids a real chance to really benefit from aparents advice, knowledge and support in a way many other activities don’t offer. This is that special time to share, explore, build memories – and through that build real family togetherness. Research indicates that children feel respected and cared for when adults they respect spend time with them outdoors. Kids,in turn, learn how to behave with the family and adults. They also tend to talk and communicate more, engage in conversation. Beyond family, a sense of connection to community and place is nourished. Everyone benefits—from individuals, to families, to whole communities.

Capture your Memories- What better way to create memories in nature but then to capture your loved ones in their favorite places and spaces. You get a person’s best expressions, response when they are surrounded but why they love what makes them feel their best. Kelly does just that, she understands and uses nature all the time because she wants you to Rock!

Happy Earth Day! Get out there and love Nature! Take care of it too! We are Green IMPACT at Home check us out online www.greenimpactathome.com and on Facebook helping you take care of this Rockn’ Earth!       Thank you SO much, Julie, for the wonderful post!  It is most definitely appreciated.  Now, here is the contest information!

Woof.

It’s not something my clients typically say.  This session, however, was special.  I had the wonderful opportunity to spend part of my day with these two handsome Bull Dogs.  It made me SO happy to capture these sweet boys!  Frank is the ever-patient big brother as little Mikey pounced and bounded all around him.  Talk about ADORABLE!  I love how puppies always think they are so fierce.  Cracks me up!  I was having such a hard time choosing just a couple images for this blog post.  Turns out, Bullies are exceptionally photogenic!  Enjoy this little peek of our time together :-)

To the proud mom & dad:  Thank you SO much for choosing me to photograph the boys.  I had a great time and I hope you enjoy the results!!

xoxo

Seven.

Wow.  SEVEN.  I cannot believe my baby boy is getting so big.  A baby no longer, he is reading and adding and growing so much.  He is my intelligent, serious, kind little boy.  He makes me proud every day!  Mr. P loves soccer.  LOVES soccer.  He spends most of his time reading and building with Legos.  He is sweet and patient with his little sister (who likes to pester and annoy her big brother).  He puts up with her constant singing and skipping, and he even tells me how funny she is.  I am so blessed!

Happy 7th Birthday, big boy!  We love you tons!

Baby P:

And now, my 7 year old.

Just because I think it’s fun, here is a link to little T (at the time she was 4 years old) singing “Somebody That You Used to Know” by Gotye.  She sings this song all the time, but then gets mad because it gets stuck in her head. Haha!  A few weeks ago, she asked me to take a video of her singing it.  She started off quiet, but then gets pretty into it about halfway through.  She makes me laugh every day!

Time.

Where does it go??  It seems like just yesterday that Miss T was born.  Now she is five.  FIVE!  She is energetic and funny and has this undeniable spirit.  She is a superhero.  She tells us every day.  It might sound crazy, but I believe her.  She isn’t super girly, but does love glitter and sparkle.  She says crazy things like “Dramadees” (which she says when something unfortunate happens) and “Hidey ho” (you know, like hello).  I never thought that one little person could make me laugh so much.  I thank God every single day that He blessed us with someone as fun as her.  I think this world is a brighter place because of her.

Happy 5th Birthday, sweet girl!  I love you!!!

Here are some pics of her over the past few years:

And here she is, now.  Such a big girl!