wishes…

when my daughter was around four, she picked me some dandelions from a nearby field…

when she handed them to me.

I said “thank you for the flowers, angel”
and her response …

“the yellow ones are flowers, the other ones are WISHES“

tim burton… {amazing}

i am so excited for this.

they could not have picked a better actor to play the Mad Hatter….

Johnny you rock my world…

photo love…

so… one of my favorite things about planning my wedding back in 2006/2007 was researching wedding photographers.  I mean seriously I could spend hours on the computer just looking at images… falling in love with the couples.

I have always believed that as much as I am a lover of the written word… a truly talented photographer can tell a story in just one frame.

i thought i would share with you 3 of my favorite wedding photographers (although there are many) that i follow to this day and maybe in the future darling husband and  i will have a “Just Because We Love Eachother” session with one of these talented artists.

COUNT DOWN

#3 – Matt Blum

alot of his work has an amazing urban feel but he can just as easily produce the most dreamy whimsical image.

#2 – Ricci’s Valladares

he shoots with film and almost all black in white… so romantic.

#1 - ALL TIME FAVORITE  Jose Villa

his use of natural light in his images constantly takes my breath away….

and a couple engagements….

um…. seriously!

and a couple random photos he took in Italy while on location….I DIE!

He rocks my world… if i could successfully capture images like this I would be ONE happy lady.

music monday…

this week i am loving this band. i LOVE this song and i predict they are just getting started…
Check out their myspace to hear some of their other stuff.

Today’s Feature ~ Green River Ordinance
“On Your Own”

this thanksgiving weekend…

i want to give thanks…

~ to my daughter, who brightens up my everyday and allows me to shamelessly live vicarously through her.

all dressed up for thanksgiving

* m do you notice my art piece

~for my wonderful husband… who loves me despite myself.
who makes me laugh… and lets me cry

dh with his father on thanksgiving

~for the Smith family phone passing… whenever my TX family gets together and some of us are missing they call the absent members and proceed to pass the phone around so everyone can say hello…something funny or sarcastic and end with a “wish you were here and i love you”

lots of us were missing this year but i still got to hear the voices of 10 of my favorite people… it sure made my Thanksgiving Day… i felt like i was there…ALMOST

“so much of what is best in us is bound up in our love of family,
 that it remains the measure of our stability… because
 it measures our sense of loyality.” ~ Haniel Long

some of my TX family a few Thanksgivings ago

~for our family tradition (we are starting) of putting up all of our Christmas decorations over the long Thanksgiving weekend

~ for phone conversations with my aunt when we are both lonely for family… if i could only find the words to express my LOVE for her,
but it just wouldn’t do.

~for friendship….
the kind that you waited for… the kind you can’t imagine,  you lived this long without.

~ for this blogging community… i have met some wonderful ladies and i have to say that etsy is my new addiction.  i am going to try to do the bulk of my Christmas Shopping through here so i can support these talented people… not to mention there are so many treasures. 

did some shopping this weekend…

ETSY

~date night with husband to see “The Blenders” and amazing acapella group.  All four members are from this area … and can i just say this concert was AMAZING….

thankful…

my beautiful and inspiring aunt reminded me of this beautiful quote that is just perfect for today….

“I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains.

Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God.

Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy.” ~ Anne Frank

Happy Thanksgiving

pic by the amazing jose villa

photo booth fun…

it is so good to be your mother.

i love visits…

so… one of my very best girls got married in August of 2008 to an amazing man. i was her maid of honor…but shortly after getting married they moved away to Florida and i miss her like crazy.

yesterday her and her charming husband came back to town for Thanksgiving and found time in their busy schedule to meet little ole me for dinner and drinks…

i love them 

mandi i miss our movie/wine nights so much.

i miss you family…

wish i was going to be with you on Thursday….

pic from restartmyheart

i’ve been a bad, bad girl…

so… i have been slacking off with my posting. 

WHAT did you think I meant?

I have been a part of some great swaps and received some amazing etsy shop treasures and they have been sitting on my dining room table waiting to be photographed so i could post about them. 

so… today i play catch up.

1} rhianne @ for the easily distracted takes amazing photos and because she just opened her new etsy shop where you can order some of her prints.  i just had to get some from her Wales collection.   I have always wanted to visit Wales, not only because of its obvious beauty but because I have ancestors from there.

These are the prints I picked …

and because she is a doll and knew how I loved them…she sent extras. AMAZING

2} diana @ our.city.lights (another fantastic photographer) was creating calendars made from some of her images.  I adore her etsy… i think her photos have such a whimsical feel to them.

love it ~

and she sent a couple postcards of her prints with  ~ thank you Diana

3} kate @ simply said by simply me started a scarf swap.  I LOVE scarves.  I own more than I can count, so this was right up my alley. 
i was paired up with Jessica @ adventures of an army wife. 
To read about the one i sent to her click here.
I told her I loved vintage and SHE delivered… with not one but two, gorgeous scarves. They have such an earthy feel to them. LOVE

wish i had one of me wearing them but if i waited for someone else to get behind the camera. i would never get to share…  the one scarf is a beautiful olive green and white.

Thank you Kate for this great swap idea! and Jessica for the perfect picks…

4} and last but certainly not least.
my gorgeous bestie went on a trip to visit her DF in the place that she will be calling home soon and while she was there she went shopping and picked me up these fun finds along with a great postcard to add to my collection.

blue ridge moutain blend coffee (sadly i don’t own a grinder so i have yet to taste it), Dixie Soaps – Pink Sugar (smells wonderful) and don’t you just love the adorable packaging it came in?… that’s half the fun.

Thank you M!  how beautful is she?

 

also…

 i received a Thanksgiving postcard from Stephanie @ Belen… because she read that i loved this holiday SO much.  How thoughtful is she?  BUT i cannot find the picture i took of it…urgh so instead i will just tell you to read what M wrote about her here and visit her etsy.  I have a couple pairs of her pretty earrings and my daughter says that the headband we ordered from her is one of her favorites….

see i told you i had been bad…

now i am anxious for this and this…

music monday…

so… GUESS WHO got 6th row tickets to John Mayer when he comes in April?… do you give up?

ME…

i love his music…

I could do without his fame whore ways but he is so extremely talented that it is so hard to hate him for long.  His guitar playing alone is worth seeing him live.  Have you seen this from the Michael Jackson Memorial? or this from the 2007 Grammy’s (8:00)…seriously!

i went and bought his album today because like my M said i needed this one in hand not just downloaded on my ipod.
it does not disappoint… there is a song that i sware he wrote just for me because it describes me in so many ways.

“I was born in the arms of imaginary friends
 free to roam,

 made a home out of everywhere I’ve been
then you come crashing in, like the realest thing
trying my best to understand, all that your love can bring

oh half of my heart has a grip on the situation
half of my heart takes time
half of my heart has got a right mind to tell you that
i can’t keep loving you(can’t keep loving you)
oh with half of my heart”

 

Today’s Feature ~ “Half of my Heart” – John Mayer

remember me…

so… i saw him on letterman last night and as much as i love him as edward…

i just adore him the actor!

he is so self deprecating in the most charming way.

i am looking forward to seeing him in ”remember me”,  if only to prove to myself that i like the actor as much as i love his protrayal of Edward.

PS… daughter and i are going tomorrow afternoon to see NEW MOON… i can’t wait

{remember me trailer}

STATE…

my daughter goes to a small private school that probably has around 500 students from grades 6 -12.  We try to support the athletics as much as possible and on saturday we went to cheer on our Shanley Deacons at the State Championship. It was their first championship since 1983 and they won 31-30 in overtime.

AWESOME

#28 is our friends son…

young and old cheered from the stands…
this dapper gentlemen is my father in law,{he graduated from this school and watched his seven children graduate from there also}

my princess all decked out…

we WON…

awhile back i mentioned in this post that our school endured a horrible tragedy. all the players had Nick’s #59 on the back of their helmets and sweet daughter put it on her t-shirt as well.

it was a good day

how adorable…

is my brother?

playing with his band…

music survey…

Stephanie at BELEN tagged me with what may be one of the best tags EVER.
A music survey… this is so me.

“music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent” ~ Victor Hugo

the rules ~

1) Write down the title AND the artist
2) The songs have to be in english; it’s universal

Personal

top 40s at the moment:
(this list is constantly changing, so i just picked my most played… on my ipod)

- Use Somebody – Kings of Leon
- Let It Be Me – Ray LaMontagne
- Sour Cherry – The Kills
- The Promise – Tracy Chapman
- Change – Tracy Chapman
- Sex On Fire – Kings of Leon
- You Are The Best Thing – Ray LaMontagne
- Hold You In My Arms – Ray LaMontagne
- Show Me What Your Looking For – Carolina Liar
- Make You Feel My Love – Adele (cover)
- Who Knew – Pink
- Sober – Pink
- Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes
- Broken – Lifehouse
- Fallin Slowly – The Frames
- You Found Me – The Fray
- Never Say Never – The Fray
- The Scientist – Coldplay
- The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra
- The Good Kind – The Wreckers
- Leave The Pieces – The Wreckers
- 9 Crimes – Damien Rice
- Fallin For You – Colbie Calliat
- Shelter From The Storm – Bob Dylan
- Be Be Your Love – Rachael Yamagata
- Charm Attack – Leona Naess
- Crazy – Van Morrison
- Someone Like You – Van Morrison
- Secret Garden – Bruce Springsteen
- Closer – Travis
- Gimme More – Britney Spears (i love her when i am on the treadmill)
- Smooth Criminal – Michael Jackson
- The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson
- Beautiful Mess – Jason Mraz
- Say – John Mayer
- Why Georgia – John Mayer
- She’s Got You – Patsy Cline
- Send In The Clowns – Frank Sinatra
- This Years Love – David Gray
- Soul Meets Body – Death Cab For Cutie

3 Songs to represent my current feelings:
- Breathe Me - Sia
- Where I Stood - Missy Higgins
- Runaway – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Song(s) that can lift my spirits when I’m down:
- P.Y.T – Michael Jackson
- Ain’t No Mountain High – Marvin Gaye
- Friday I’m In Love - The Cure

Spontaneous

Wedding: That’s All - Frank Sinatra

Sexy:  Crash – Dave Matthews Band

I hate my ex; he’s a real jerk:  Nobody’s Fool – Cinderella (i love me some 80’s hair bands)

R&B Nite:  Let’s Stay Together – Al Green

Diamond:??? (not sure what this catagory is)

Eccentric: Kiss – Prince

British: The Nicest Thing – Kate Nash

Adorable: Love Story – Taylor Swift

Tagging:

micaela @ dolce vita, chelsea @ oh missy me…, nicole @ my teacups in peony, kaylen @ happy notions, saskia @ saskia’s spot, rhianne @ for the easily distracted, belle @ it’s all make believe