Christmas Wrap up

So here we are with the final blog post of our wonderful Christmas. I am not sure who looks at this blog if anyone but I feel I should just continue on putting photos up sharing my family. So all that leads me to our trip to Greenville for Boxing Day. I love doing this trip! This particular year I really missed my family on Christmas day but going to Kelly's extends Christmas one more day. One thing I really love about Kelly and Andrew's house is their backyard/courtyard. It is perfect for the kids and all their new toys, bikes, razors, and go carts. The girls really had a blast playing with their cousins. 

 

Taylor

  

Christian

Stella with the boys

Kelly and Christian thought it would be hilarious to cover Hollings' head in bows since they know how much I am not a fan of them. 

 

Family Life

Cameron

Beautiful Rose

Hollings loved riding the go cart with Taylor

Christmas continues Part 4!

So here we are to the night before Christmas and Christmas day! I have one more post of Boxing Day photos from Greenville and then Christmas will be officially over!  I always sad to see Christmas go but also ready to get back to life post holidays and to clean the house.  The clutter will drive me batty for sure!

I woke up at 5 am Christmas morning and of course the girls did not wake until an hour and half later.  I was waiting for Rosey when she got up. 

Sleepy girl

Hollings loved the punch ball.

BellaRose showing Hollings her train set.=

Playing with the train set

Discovering the tic tacs from the stocking

Christmas dinner with Poppa, T-love, and Bill.  The prime rib was awesome!

Christmas Craftacular Part 3

 Alright so we will continue on with Christmas so I am not blogging about it February!  I did want to include the crafts I did.  Something about Christmas gets me in the crafting mood.  I wanted to have fun wrapping so this is what I did.  You can thank all of these on Pinterest by the way!  I just love that site.  The wrapping was simple, just whole punch tissue paper, swipe some glue, and sprinkle away.  Brought a little life to the brown craft paper.  Let it be noted this is the same roll of craft paper I have been using for 6 years!  That's right!

 I also made the little wreath hanging in the window along with 2 others.  That was actually a Martha thing and not pinterest, but I am sure I can find it on there!  That is just an embroidery ring with clippings from the true hot glued around the ring.  Pretty easy!

This was my favorite craft and most time consuming.  Margaret introduced it to me on, wait for it...pinterest!  I bought clear glass ornaments at the craft store, mod podge, and a book from the thrift store, A Perfect Storm as a matter of fact.  Maybe I would not recommend that one again.  Not the greatest book for a Christmas ornament.  Of course Becky picked up on some of the words when I posted it on FB.  I also flipped a tomato cage upside down, taped the top and wrapped white lights around it to make a tree for outside.  I made three and sadly have no pictures of them.  I loved that project too.  3 strands per tomato cage is the way to go but I got tired of buying lights so only one cage got 3 strands.

Interupt

So allow me to interrupt my Christmas documentation with a little end of the year review.  It is only natural for everyone to want to reflect this time of year.  How did the last year, 2011, work out for you?  What can you improve on?  What did you do right?  So many things to think about.  My heart is racing a bit at the moment because I am putting myself out there, putting my business out there.  I am terrified it is going to be a dud, that I will be rejected.  I don't really like to rely on my friends and family to promote me.  I feel like it puts them in an awkward situation but that is the very thing I am asking them to do right now on facebook.  I have appreciated my photography business so much!  My dreams are being realized with this business.  I have always wanted to be a photographer.  It wasn't something I did lightly.  I put myself out there and was well received.  Business continues to double every year.  I was able to take it slow to really learn the business of photography.  I feel most comfortable with the camera in my hand but a lot of this job is with the camera tucked neatly in its case and me staring at a computer.  As I have mentioned before I have not done any traditional paid advertising.  Mostly all of my business has been word of mouth (thank you) and that great thing called Facebook!  I really do love facebook.  So right now I am doing a "like" fan drive.  I would love for you to recommend my page to your friends and they can recommend to their friends and the lovely circle goes on and on.  Request that your friends write who sent them on my photography page, whoever sends the most people wins a complimentary mini session!  You can use it personally or give as gift.  It makes me so nervous to even write all of this.  Who knows how this will be received, hopefully, if not then you live and learn.  Thanks for loving us and supporting us.  You all have meant the world to us! 

Since I did interrupt the documentation of my family life I will leave you with the sweetest photo of BellaRose  setting out cookies for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer.  And one of my little Hollings who can't say Hollings and calls herself Honey.  Precious!

Christmas 2011 Part 2

So what would Christmas be like if we did not make sugar cookies with icing. My Mimi, my mom's mom, used to make a table full of cookies every year for each family. How I loved getting that tin of cookies in the mail. Some were crushed, not having fared well with the long journey from Pittsburgh, but they still tasted amazing. My favorites were the sugar cookies. I finally found a recipe that reminded me of Mimi's and my mom and sisters agree. BellaRose has also really enjoyed this tradition of helping me bake them as well as serve them to Santa. 

Santa loves them too!

Of course you need to see some photos of the dogs. Rainy is 12 and looking so old but still the same old Rain dog. Atticus is eternal.

Christmas Part 1

I finally started taking photos of my family again! Well more then I usually do as of late. I decided that I am going to have to post in segments since I did take so many. BellaRose and Hollings have taken to playing in Little's crib, A LOT. I don't really mind it until everything that was outside of the crib goes in it, then I mind. I am trying to let go of my neat freak ways but it is difficult. Hollings got a wooden mailbox for Christmas with cute little wooden postcards and that quickly became one of BellaRose's favorite toys. Rosey is a bit of a pack rat and likes to stuff things in things. It drives me mad. I kept asking her to only put the postcards in it. Worth thought that was a battle I should not choose. I mean what is the use of a fun wooden mailbox with three slots if you can't see what fits in it. I get it! I release it. Anyway that got a little off the subject. The subject is these girls in all their CRAZY cuteness. Enjoy!

We went to Biltmore Estate to see Santa before one of my photo sessions there on Sunday. BellaRose dictated a letter to me that she wanted to write for Santa. She asked how his summer was, if he had a Grandma, and how in the world he does it all. Then she politely asked for a sleeping bag. It was so sweet. He answered all her questions; he had a great summer, he does have a Grandma, and when the star of Bethlehem goes over the North Pole Santa claps his hands and slows down time. Hollings opted out of this how discussion. She wasn't having anything to do with sitting on a strange man's lap, not that I blame her, and BellaRose chose to sit beside him, I am fine with that! Merry Christmas!