Ok, Here's the Plan...

Hello lovely and handsome readers!

:)

We are finally getting {mostly} settled in to our new house and neighborhood. 

...it has yet to start feeling like home, but I'm hopeful that feeling will come with time.

I just wanted to update you on some changes with the blog {which I think most of you will like} and my plans for it in 2012. {at least as of right now...y'all know I change my mind like the weather!}

*So, first up....

Project Pinterest has moved to my family blog, Bring on the Lloyds... A long time ago I used to post a crafty series titled "Creative Recycling" and have really missed it. I decided the crafting would be better suited over there and this blog can be more devoted to photography.

Here's my project for this week:

*Second, I had very good intentions of doing a 365 project for 2012. 

I did one during 2009 and again in 2010, but after keeping up with it for 2 solid years, I very much needed to take 2011 off...and now that I've recovered from 365 burnout, I am excited to pick it up again. Problem is...I only made it to day 3 and then completely forgot about it and decided now is not a good time to start. Perhaps I'll start in February?  

Blah Blah Blah...

In case you haven't noticed by now, I'm one of those people who just can't seem to find the perfect blog layout.

...which is why it changes every few months!

Yesterday I had some free time {read: didn't do things I was supposed to do} and thought I'd get the blog a little more professional looking before our big move.

...please give me your honest opinions...what do you think???
Is the layout easy to read, easy to use and does it fit your screen?
Things will be much more colorful once I get back into my regular photography habits, so please disregard the blandness at this time.

...until things settle back to normal, I'm just going to follow this:

{found via Pinterest at FarewellStranger.com}

***

Does everyone know about Project Pinterest???
Go HERE to learn more about it...whether you're a photographer, crafter, baker, etc it's seriously a lot of fun!
Come back to link up tomorrow morning and be sure to visit my co-host Sarah from It's on the Tip of My Tongue!




***

In other news...
I've decided to open a new Etsy shop!
...because I don't have enough going on!...
{It will officially open sometime in January after we've moved and gotten settled.}

It's called Anthology on Main.

In it you will {eventually} find an eclectic mix of handmade items from jewelry to paintings to home decor.
Many of my Pinterest projects will be added to the shop.


***


As far as moving stuff goes...
We're moving along with the process of buying the house in Houston.
Hopefully by the end of this week we will have the movers scheduled.
{and then all the fun "new resident" stuff begins!}

On the flip side of things, it's been slow going with selling our house here.
...I'm mean, what could people possibly be doing right now?!
;)

And, as always, a big THANK YOU for all your continued prayers!!!


{found via Pinterest at theberry.com}

Blah Blah Blah...

First thing's first...

I must apologize to all of you.

Amid all the moving hullabaloo and packing and such, I apparently misplaced my manners.

{Pinterest source}

Thank you for all of your prayers, your thoughts, your emails, your comments!!!

Over the past few weeks y'all have absolutely overwhelmed me with how much you care and by the love you've sent our way. 

(((hugs)))

...and we're just moving! 

Yes, it's mildly stressful, but all in all it's a great thing for us.

***

Secondly, I wanted to let you all know that this photography blog will one day make a return to photography...one day. As it is, I haven't so much as touched my camera since we learned we were moving. In fact, I haven't even wanted to...until this morning when we woke up to snow. I desperately wanted to bundle up and explore our backyard with my camera. Better yet, I wanted to go to the arboretum.

Alas, the kids needed to get to school and I still needed to get ready for my very last Building Better Moms meeting. *sniff* So I sat near the window in our kitchen enjoying the scene a little longer than I normally would have. The falling snow glistened in the sunlight like diamonds. It was truly gorgeous! 

As I stared out our window I was reminded of two things. 

One: This may be the last time we see snow for several years. I have mixed feelings about that.

Two: Edward Cullen.

***

And because every day should include a good laugh...

{Pinterest source}

LOL

...hope you're having a great week my friends!

:D

Blah Blah Blah...

Hello from Houston!

Well, for the next few hours anyway...we've not moved here yet.

But we are MUCH closer!

Before I get to that exciting news, let me catch you up on the past week...

Last Wednesday our amazingly awesome friend came over and helped Seth move every single piece of furniture that needed to be moved, which was almost all of it. The stager who came in certainly knew what she was talking about! The house looks gorgeous and I wish I'd have known to arrange it like it is now, 'cause it totally works!

We also did some minor cosmetic things such as touch up paint and go over woodwork with Restore-A-Finish, which is an amazing product that makes your woodwork look refreshed...love it, but it is stinky.

Thursday we still had some things to do, like spread new mulch around our landscaping. After we were done we headed over to amazingly awesome friend from above's house for Thankgiving dinner.

How was your Thanksgiving?!

That evening we headed back to visit Seth's family, stayed until Sunday and then went to his Grandma's in another town for Thanksgiving/Christmas. The combo wasn't actually for us, but it certainly worked perfect!

Then his parents came to our house to watch the kids while we came to Houston.

We got up at 4am, flew into Houston around 8:30am, and I went house hunting for 7 hours. I looked at somewhere around 15 homes that day and narrowed it down to 2. Seth was able to go with me for the last half of homes, so he saw the 2 I liked best. Then yesterday Seth went to work while I relaxed at the hotel and in the afternoon we went back to look at those 2 homes, decided on one, made an offer, and negotiated a price in under 2 hours.

I'm doing my best to remain neutral about this house until the inspection is done, even though an inspection was done 5 months ago and we saw all that paperwork...unless something bizarre and major has happened with the house in the last 5 months I think things will come back good.

God has just absolutely paved the smoothest road He possibly could so far!

I seriously can not think of one thing that could have gone better than it did.

The only thing that needs to happen now is for our house to sell.

 But we're trusting that He will provide on that end too.

Blah Blah Blah...

Oh boy...

So, late last week I announced that we're moving to Houston!

And then things got CRAZY!

{as in busy, not terrible}

We met with our realtor here, spoke with a realtor down there, packed clutter, did some Christmas shopping, went to two birthday parties, had a stager come in {which I highly recommend everyone put on their Christmas list! Our house is looking amazing!},  are still in the process of implementing all the changes the stager suggested, still packing clutter, booked flights and scheduled times to meet with the realtor in Houston, plus about a million other things and somewhere in there we ate, slept, and spent time with the kids. 

As for the blog...

Scripture & a Snapshot and Project Pinterest will both stay going during our move.

{at least that's the plan for now...I'll let you know if it changes.}

Blah Blah Blah...

image source

There have been some {more} changes around here.

You've likely noticed one of them: the blog width.

99% of the time I'm on the internet is with my laptop, which has a seriously wide screen. 

The other day I hopped on our desktop and realized I had not taken into consideration the fact that not everyone has a mammothly wide screen. I searched for a tutorial on how to make my site automatically adjust to perfectly fit everyone's screen...because I know it's out there...but I came up short. So until I can find that magic code I have settled for a narrower format. Please let me know if my site does not fit your page!

{and why hadn't anyone told me before!?!?}

~~~

image source

Another change that has occurred: Scripture & a Snapshot is now open all week long!

Saturday night through Saturday morning.

'Cause giving God the glory should happen all week long!
{not sure why it took me over a year to come to that...}

~~~

If you read my Project Pinterest posts you learned last week of my insatiable love for thrift stores in general and the Salvation Army {SA for short} in particular. Over the weekend my family came for a visit, so I shoveled the kids off on my mom and my sister and I went thrifting...on a Saturday...which happens to be "Sale Saturday" at the SA!! Every item of clothing with a yellow or blue tag was $0.49! I literally went through hundreds of shirts and sweaters scouring for those elusive yellow and blue tags.
I could have easily spent my entire day looking through every. single. item in that store.
My sister? Probably would have liked to have called it quits after the first hour...but being the great sister she is, indulged me for a second hour of thrifting.

Wanna see what I got??

White knit Gap sweater - $0.49
{which I will wear as is....love that neckline!}
{my ruffle scarf is this week's project for Project Pinterest...come back on Thursday for that one!}



Gray cable-knit sweater - $0.49
{This is a L and way too big for me, so I plan to make arm warmers/fingerless gloves and at least one other project from this sweater}



Coralish-Orange Aeropostale cable-knit sweater - $0.49
{this is an XS, which I most definitely can not wear, so it will likely end up as some sort of project}



And I shared this one with you for one of my Scavenger Hunt items.
Isn't it wonderful?!
Vintage printer's drawer - $5.00

Blah Blah Blah...

Do you ever have those moments...days...weeks of insecurities? 

Where things just don't go quite as you want them, when everyone else seems to have better camera gear or better ideas, and the only people you see are succeeding infinitely more than you?

For me, days like these seem to come and go in cycles where inspiration is fleeting, motivation runs and hides, and a voice inside my head tells me I'm a failure for not having X amount of sales, X amount of clients, and X amount of followers.

Tonight I'm watching Julie & Julia, which I think is a perfect movie for these moments...days...weeks of insecurities. 

After all, that's kind of what this movie is all about!

There will be people who tell you to give up; to quit; that what you're doing doesn't really matter. 

And then there are people who encourage you, who push you to keep doing what you do because they believe in you
...even when you don't believe in yourself.


Thank you
to all of my believers!