a {perk} of pregnancy

Sympathetic friends give you gifts like this:

{please note the "all natural" sign emblazoned on the front. My personal interpretation: I can have double the servings, with half as much damage done to myself or the bathroom scale.}

Three cheers for sympathetic friends and all-natural truffles!

fall

The first official day of fall was last week, but today was blustery and cool, with dark moody clouds rolling across the sky. The kind of day when all you want to do is snuggle with an afghan, a mug of coffee, and a delicious novel... all day long. Colors look brighter against a dark sky, and cool rain makes greens deeper, more lush and full.

This is why the midwest is so amazing. We might not have beach-worthy wedding weather all year long, but I wouldn't trade our changing seasons for the world.

Tomorrow, I'll be celebrating the onset of fall with another tasty vanilla latte... decaf, of course ;)

And... a sneak peek at a senior session I'm editing at the moment:

{isn't she lovely?!}

{5} things I love.

At this very moment, I'm dreaming about...

Kolo Travel Journals:


This blog (hello, fellow DIY renovators!):


My journaling Bible (great for chronic note takers like myself):


This color scheme (from the now vanished DominoMag.com):


And this photo (taken right before we left Hawaii, a year and a half ago):

{Marty and I are currently scheming up one last vacation before Baby G makes an appearance. I'm excited, even though (1) we won't be going anywhere nearly as exotic as Hawaii, and (2) my figure this time around will resemble the shape of a large watermelon...}

Happy Thursday! :)

Kristen {lovely}

Introducing Kristen:









Kristen and I had fun exploring her Chicago neighborhood, and after the shoot, she treated me to a giant cheeseburger. {a.k.a. I will be visiting Kristen again very soon... *wink*} She's an aspiring actress {um, is that PC? Actor? eh?}--passionate, talented, beautiful, fun, hilarious! Plus, I am jealous of her city-girl life and her awesome boots. The end.

:)

studio beginnings...

Some of you might be wondering about the status of our humble home. I've avoided talking about it much on the blog, because (1) it's a slow, ongoing renovation process that gets a bit repetitive at times {i.e., "Monday - installed conduit. Tuesday - installed subfloors. Wednesday - installed more conduit. Thursday - installed more subfloors. etc. etc. etc.}, and (2) let's be honest--I haven't talked about much of anything around here lately.

{Note to self: blogging lags when you're living out of a 10x12 bedroom, half of your belongings are who-knows-where, and your computer monitor decides to fry on you--right after you shot three sessions that desperately need editing, and your tech guy/husband is busy ripping a house apart.}

BUT, I have something quite exciting, and house-related, that I really want to share with you. Introducing... my new studio space:

Impressive... maybe? {You're probably wondering where the walls are. Or the floors, for that matter...} But hold on. A bit of background information might help.

Our new house has a teeny-tiny room right off the kitchen. It's too small for a bedroom, the dimensions are too weird for us to open it up as part of the kitchen, and there was a strange pantry-like closet in the back of the room that I already had Marty rip out.

Here's the basic room layout (click on the picture for a better look):


And here are a few pictures I'm basing the design off of:

{built-in bookshelves, because I'm a book-junkie. Also, love the green!}


{as much natural light as I can possibly let in, plus lots of white accents}


{recovering a comfy couch I grabbed at a warehouse sale with some snazzy white canvas}

Paint colors and other details are still TBD. Because, you know, I'm waiting until the room has walls. And um, floors and ceilings.

Until then, any suggestions on creating a functional, small studio/office space?

p.s. When I told my mom I was making myself a white couch, she laughed. A lot. {Come on, mom. Are small children messy or something?}

twitterish

Quick question: do you have any thoughts on Twitter (good or bad)?

I used to swear it off, because it seemed so narcissistic. Why broadcast to the world what YOU are doing, as if the world revolves around you? Newsflash: it doesn't...

But I also realize that it's an incredible networking tool, a way to keep people up-to-date on what you're working on, and an avenue for sharing ideas, brainstorming, etc. It doesn't necessarily have to be all about you. (i.e., "Eating a PB&J for lunch. I am so cool." Awesome. :)

Looking for some feedback here... some of my favorite people are on Twitter, and others think it's the devil of all Internet inventions. Which side of the fence are you on?

Sunday evening musings

A few things I've learned, lately (in no particular order):

1) An old computer system and a brand spanking new monitor may or may not get along well (the latter is true for me at the moment. argh.).
2) Fact: when pregnant, most people stare at your belly instead of your face when you walk by them. This can be awkward.
3) I like being around newly-engaged couples. Fresh love is contagious.
4) The $2 latte sale at Caribou is killing my wallet (and my caffeine levels).
5) Don't ever doubt a client's suggested shooting location. I did a senior session yesterday at the most unlikely place... and the pictures are gorgeous.
6) Ten o'clock is my new self-enforced bedtime.
7) It is 10:05. Thus, I am not very good at anything that's self-enforced.

:)

Before I head to sleep, here's a sneak peek at a recent shoot we did downtown:

{See Kristen? I promise I'm working on them!}

Sugar and spice, and everything nice...

These little beauties make me giggle :)

Cayden : one year

Allow me to introduce to you a real looker:

This little guy just turned one, and it's safe to say that he's the very happiest one year old I know. His track record is smiles, smiles, and more smiles (seriously Lauren, does this child ever cry?!).

If my baby is half as good-natured as this little guy, I'll be a very happy mommy :)


For the shoot, we played around at the Morton Arboretum's children's garden. Once Cayden got his toesies in the little brook that meanders through the middle of the garden, he was in heaven:





Click here for the slideshow!

A much-needed update, hmm?

yikes...

It's been how many days without a post from me? I've got a few legitimate reasons for my absence, if you care to hear them:

1. Last week, we moved out of our apartment and into "transitional housing" (a.k.a., my parent's house), until our currently unlivable and recently purchased abode decides to make itself more people-friendly (see here). This will hopefully happen within the next two months. Or else I will have a conniption, I think.
2. Our computer is currently out of order. As in, not plugged in. As in, no photo editing for me until it's back up and running.
3. Not only is our computer down for the count, so are the rest of our belongings. They're scattered about my poor parent's basement. (No kidding. Yesterday morning, I couldn't find a pair of pants to wear to work. le sigh.)
4. I am 19 weeks pregnant. And extremely tired. And slightly emotional...

*grin*

However, I can't complain. Life is very, very good. Want to hear a few reasons why?

1. Both my family, Marty's family, and our church family have been absolutely amazing. I can't count the many, many ways that they have helped and supported us as we've taken on this huge house project. (For example, Marty's dad spends his days on hands and knees, ripping up boards and installing new subfloors. My dad has redone all the plumbing in the entire house. My little brother mowed our front yard. My mom helped me clean our apartment. Incredible.)
2. The little guy (or girl) inside me started kicking last week. Seriously, it rocked our world when I felt it for the first time. Marty put his head on my stomach, and baby kicked him right in the ear. Amazing :)
3. We own a house. We're not living in it, but we. own. a. house. I get to pick out my own kitchen cabinets! I dream about paint colors! I'm reupholstering furniture to coordinate with the walls and floors! Seriously, I cannot complain.
4. More photoshoots and weddings are coming up, including two shoots this weekend!
5. We've acquired a new bedmate (much to my delight, and Marty's chagrin):



So, friends and neighbors, there you have it. Our life is chaotic and messy and an absolute whirlwind of craziness. Will you bear with me as we work through this? I'm hoping to be back to regular posting within the next few days. Thanks for your patience :)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to eat a giant burrito (hellooo baby-bump cravings!).