Photog: Daddy & Bennett 9 months Session.

School.. Here's a little update on how I am doing. I have been at it for about 2 months now. For the first few weeks I was really dragging, between having company drive in & our trip to Long Island, I began to push school off day after day. Now, things have settled down a bit & I have really forced myself into an everyday routine. I am more of a hands on learner so, I read a little bit, while taking notes, & try to go out to take photos a little bit each day. It's really the only way that things register & make sense to me. Anyways, I really feel as though I am getting more skillful at photography, meanwhile, becoming a tad more confident in my work. 

I know.. I am my own worst critic, & a bit of a perfectionist. Which can discourage you sometimes.. to say the least. But I am picking myself up & moving on. Can't get better if you quit right?! 

This week we ventured off & snapped some photos of the two men in my life! A mixture of a Daddy & me session with some 9 month snap shots! 9 months old is a big accomplishment ya know! So of course we had to document the occasion! 

Besides they are the cutest subjects & my biggest muses :)

So I won't post them all because I don't want to overwhelm you with cuteness.. (haha.. but really!) but I  do believe I have come a long way in just a few short months and hopefully will continue to do so. Here is Bennett's 6 month photo.. compared to his now.. 9 month, below.

Left- 6 months, Right- 9 months.

He's always adorable but as you can see in the photos, my style is adapting as well as the quality photography. The colors & contrast aren't so harsh & I am using less filtering or photoshop actions. 

Not as much of a need for them :D

I am far from where I would like to be, but I am right on track for where I want to go! 

What do you think of my photos? Are you a photographer or like to take photos? I would love to hear from you! 

I hope you are having a splendid week! We sure will!

Amanda

DIY Planked Shelf.

This past week was the fourth of July, I hope everyone had a safe, fun filled time! We sure did! 

Me, my boys, and some family friends ventured down to Wilmington North Carolina to enjoy a day of walking around their cute quaint little downtown area, enjoy some lunch at the local Brewery & watch the fireworks over the Cape Fear River. It was Bennett's first time ever seeing fireworks & being that it was way past his normal bed time & we had been out in the hot sun all day I was worried by the time the fireworks actually began, he was going to be a crank butt, or passed out cold. Luckily he was a trooper & smiled through the whole show, snuggling up to Daddy the entire time. :D He liked the big booms the most! 

Heres a picture of our patriotic boy, waving his flag in the back of our SUV hatch before the sun went down.

Yep the cutest EVER! Can you believe he was 9 months yesterday? I can't! 

After all the fourth festivities slowed down, I kicked it into gear & got crackin' on a few projects! 

So...  Being that we do not own our house and we live on a military base, their are rules on how much you can do to your home. If you paint, it has to be certain colors or , If you chose to paint you have to prime everything back to white when you move out... blah blah blah. Sounds like a lot of work. So my goal while living in this house is to try to find inexpensive ways to keep my house feeling homey & unique to us, but with things that can come with us when we're done here. 

Up until now, I have yet to share anything about my bedroom progress on the blog. I have had a love hate relationship with my bedroom. For the longest time the walls have remained bare. 

Recently while my husband was on a 2 week field op I picked up a paint roller at 7 pm and decided to just go for it. An accent wall.. I have never been keen on accent walls but one wall is better than no walls right? A new comforter and sheets,  new lamp, a DIY shelf & some thrifted wall art later, the room is really starting to transform into something worthy of us to sleep in!  I cant wait to share with you the full Master bedroom reveal, but For now lets take our first peak into my room with my DIY Planked Shelf.

The awesome hardware was found at Hobby Lobby! I took 3 planks of wood purchased at Lowes, stained each individually & gave a clear coat. Then 2 smaller planks (also stained & clear coated) and adhered them with wood glue, to the what side I wanted to be the underneath of my shelf. This is to hold the 3 planks in place, and provide a more sturdy shelf that won't bend in the middle. After allowing them to fully dry for almost a full day, I screwed the brackets into place & my shelf was ready to be hung!

Might I suggest.. Have someone help you hang this shelf! I did this on my own.. & while it turned out great, The first try was a fail & I walked away with a few bumps and bruises. The shelf was too heavy to hold in place so high on my own & I dropped it. Please don't make my mistake! You've been warned! ;D

This shelf looks perfect above my bed, & could go in any room, or any house we ever move to. With a little paint & DIY project I have easily given my bedroom a mini facelift.

Well? What do you think of my DIY Planked Shelf?

Amanda

Down on the Blueberry Farm.

 It's blueberry season! You know what that means... a blueberry pickin' we will go!... Or I should say, went! 

 We had never been before, & being I home make most of my baby boys baby food, I thought what a great opportunity to spend some quality family time in the sun, and collect some fresh berries for my hunnie! [ & some tasty treats for myself of course]

Fresh is best! ;)

Which brings me to today's main event!!! 

 

These smoothies take the cake for the BEST smoothies I have ever tasted, they are healthy & easy peasy to make! Great as a breakfast replacement or an on the go pick me up! 

Here is what you will need!

Blueberry - Banana Smoothie Ingredients- 

- 1c. Blueberries 

- 1/2 c. Yogurt- I use Vanilla Greek Yogurt. But whatever your preference is will work!

-1 Frozen chopped Banana

-1/2 tbsp honey

-lemon wedge (optional) Just to make it pretty!

- 1/2 c. of ice (Also optional, I like my smoothies to be more of a slushy)

Combine ingredients in a blender. 

& indulge! 

But wait... You don't have time to sit & enjoy in the comforts of your home? I got something to help you with that as well!! 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

DIY : Mason Jar to go cup

-Mason Jar & lid.

-Drill

-Drill bit large enough to fit a straw. I believe I used 1/2 inch bit.

-Washer big enough to fit straw through

-Super Glue 

-Straw 

Drill a hole into the lid of your Mason Jar. This hold does not have to be centered you choose the placement, Take super glue and glue washer to go around the drilled hole, this is for safety reasons... When you drill the hole you will see there will be little prongs of metal that will stick out. The washer is meant to cover these. Hand wash thoroughly. Stick straw in & Go!  You now have a fully functional, not to mention adorable to go cup!

These are dishwasher safe. I prefer to use a disposable straw, because I never feel like straws get fully sanitized in the dish washer but that's just me & is totally up to you! 

Here's a few candids from our Berry Pickin' Adventure!

 As you can see B was 'Berry' excited! ;) 

 

 

 

 

Such a perfect day! We will be going back real soon!! 

Hope you had a beautiful weekend!

Amanda