Things I Love Thursday.

umph. this Nikon d800. YES PLEASE!

this photograph's lighting.

this little sentiment.

oh those handsome avett boys.

these beautiful textiles.

let's do this!

christmas 2012.

so much love. so much food. so much laughter.

merry christmas!

and we're off!

christmas is coming a little early for our little family this year. 

due to mike's work schedule (he has to work on christmas eve & christmas, what!?) we are heading up to the mountains to spend the holidays with my parents tonight and celebrate with my sister and her kids tomorrow. i still have so much work to do, and have yet to wrap a single gift (we leave in three hours, eep!) 

for the actual holiday i bought a turkey breast, some russet potatoes (i am even making gravy for mike for the first time, ew) and an apple pie. i may make us a pumpkin pie too if i get ambitious enough. so we will just have a very low key holiday by ourselves and the furbabies. 

happy weekend all!

A little extra sweetness this holiday season.

When Mike's grandmother was alive and well she would make cuccidatti cookies (among others) every year around Christmas time. The house would constantly be filled with a sweet baking aroma of sugar and vanilla with a warm sense of family encircling the home. These cookies were an all day process and by far were a favorite of every one in the family. Mike's grandmother would constantly have to shoo her family members away when they tried to sneak some while her back was turned.

I may not have had the privilege of meeting this amazing woman, but I plan to pay homage to her by making it a tradition in our home to make these cookies every year.

Tradition has become so important to our little family, I hope it is becoming more important to yours too.

The Quiet Life.

this time of year is always difficult. having seasonal depression makes me sleep for hours on end and the concept of getting out of sweatpants is enough to overwhelm me to the point of a panic attack. i do poorly at keeping promises, i do poorly at getting things done and most importantly i do poorly on thinking positive thoughts about myself. due to my work, we have layoffs for two plus months this time of year and though i have yet to determine whether this is beneficial or detrimental to my health, it is what it is.

i have been doing my best at keeping busy. with lots of projects with the shelter, enjoying time with friends and gradually chipping away at our home, things have been better this year. i am still waiting on my unemployment to take place and have yet to receive payment which of course sends me into panic mode. why can't these things ever be easy? and why oh why do the unemployment office staffs always have to be so rude and angry! i can imagine what they deal with, but i certainly wish someone would treat them better so they would enjoy their jobs just a little more. 

anyway, time to stay positive.

▲▲▲

happy hanukkah to all of our friends and family!

things i ♥ thursday.

handsome fellas with even more handsome tattoos.

these positively amazing galaxy jewelry designs from beautyspot in kiev, ukraine.

this coffee mug. such a warm little reminder.

this beautiful wedding photograph. i'm in love.

beautiful emma watson is beautiful.

this quote. good to remember this holiday season!

this gif! we may not have had the coldest of winters, but a warm fire is always just fine.

this kitty cat!

i hope your thursdays are lovely dears! i am off to charlottesville for the day with my dear friend jamie.

layoff shmayoff.

every year i somewhat look forward to layoff season with my job. it is so very easy to get burned out on photography and art in general when you are asked to do it every single day. especially when those every single days often are twelve hours.. i find myself so physically, mentally and most importantly creatively exhausted by the time december rolls around i am ready to just sit on my couch in my pajamas and cuddle olivia all day long.

this layoff has proven to be a bit different though. i have started involving myself in my community more, promoting my personal business as well as doing what i feel is right for our world. in the past i tended to get depressed every year during these few months simply because i love being busy, being on the move, and having a reason to get  dressed every day. this is my first week of layoff and i have already had so many plans, whether volunteering doing personal shoots or just enjoying my book club, I have only been home one evening. i find this essential during layoff and i have already been so much happier. i have already started sleeping way more than necessary (five hour nap yesterday, what!?) but am determined to cut that out. olivia
 has gone with me every where and has been loving this week and i am already planning big things for our little house.

so bring it on layoff, i am ready to make the most of you.

For the beards

why yes, i did just make a bearded treasury on etsy.

PCHS Pups of the Week.

Dylan's Senior Photo Shoot - Blacksburg, VA

dylan is one cool kid to say the least. straight a student, break dancer and a future marine. 

he is one of the most upstanding gentlemen and this kid's future is so bright, he's going to need shades.

our holiday photos 2k12.