Thursday, May 31, 2012

{60} 5.31.12

{60} 5-31-12

so, funny story: I got home from work today, pulled out my camera to take my picture for the day, and had no idea what to shoot.  so I decided to give a go at a self portrait (I know, you’re thinking wow, Brooke…looking awful furry…) so I took about 150 pictures of myself.  no, really, 150.  from different angles… in different light…making different faces…  and I felt like a complete dork the entire time.  but it was actually kind of fun :)  anyway, as I was about to put the camera up I caught a glimpse of this face, and couldn’t help but get a couple shots.  and what do you know, I decided to use it for today’s picture. :)  someday I’ll come back and show you the goofy pictures I took too.  maybe.  possibly.

{59} 5.29.12

{59} 5-29-12

what a neat Memorial Day tribute, right?

I don’t have a lens wide enough to capture the massiveness of this display.  just trust me when I tell you it’s huge.  and awesome.  and it just so happens to be across the street from my office. it’s just a great way to pay respect to all of the great people that have and continue to serve this country we call home.

{58} 5.28.12

{58} 5-28-12

we came back from the lake to another surprise… tiny little tomato sprouts!  yipee! aren’t they just so cute :)

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

{57} 5.27.12

{57} 5-27-12

someone was happy to be splashing around in the lake!

{56} 5.26.12

{56} 5-26-12

a day of fun in the sun at the lake :)

{55} 5.25.12

{55} 5-25-12

heading to the lake, to officially kick off the start of summer…

{54} 5.24.12

{54} 5-24-12

unfortunately this is a common scene in our house right now. it’s cute, but it also breaks your heart to see her roll around trying to scratch her itchy back. she’s finally starting to feel better after a trip to the vet…dang allergies get her every year.

Monday, May 28, 2012

{53} 5.23.12

{53} 5-23-12

it’s officially summer when we grill out for dinner, just about every night. it’s also one of my favorite things about summer!

{52} 5.22.12

{52} 5-22-12

just another random something from around the house that I thought I’d take a picture of. :)

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

{51} 5-21-12

{51} 5-21-12

I was just playing with my camera settings while Matt watered the new garden tonight…

I liked this shot…one lonely drop frozen, while the rest is in motion.

{50} 5.20.12 {my DIY earring frame}

yeah, I know.  I missed another day.  but that day I was in no shape to be taking pictures.  I was parked on the couch with 7up and crackers.  Well, gatorade and rice cakes, but same difference. :)  Either way, I didn’t have the energy to pick up my camera for photo 49.

{50} 5-20-12

today, however, I was feeling much better.  so much better in fact, that I thought a craft was in order!  I saw this picture frame jewelry display on Pinterest a while ago, and knew I wanted to make one.  I bought all the supplies I would need - $5 picture frame from Goodwill and aluminum radiator cover from Home Depot, and then it sat in the closet for a month.  but I finally dragged it out along with some spray paint and mod podge, and I had myself a crafty Sunday afternoon.  I think it turned out just fabulous, and I am loving it so far.  It’s actually the first thing we’ve hung on the wall in our bedroom since we repainted it, oh, 2 and a half years ago. (!)

if you are curious, here’s how I made it:

1. as I mentioned, I bought a $5 frame from Goodwill. I made sure to get one with matting, and that wasn’t custom framed (I needed to be able to take out the mat and reuse it) I took everything apart when I got home, and spray painted the wood frame white.  (the frame was pretty beat up already, so after it was all painted I decided to take some sandpaper to it and give it a more distressed look. [I also ran out of spray paint, and it was easier to make it ‘distressed’ than to go to the store] :)

2. I took the mat board out and then used a piece of scrapbook paper to cover it.  I measured and cut the paper into 4 strips, so they wouldn’t overlap.  I attached them with spray adhesive, and then mod podged over the whole thing.

3. The decorative radiator cover came from Home Depot – it was a little pricey at $18 for a 12” x 24” sheet, but it was really the only expense besides the $5 frame, so I figured $23 wasn’t bad for the whole project.  That handyman I live with gave me some metal snips, and I used them to cut it down to size.

4. Once the spray paint and mod podge was dry, I just put the frame back together (leaving out the glass and the backing).  I taped the back to hold it all together with packing tape.

5. I turned it over to the husband at this point, and had him put 2 nails in the wall for me to hang it on.  (I don’t trust myself when things like leveling are involved…)

6. ta da!

 diy-earring-display

{48} 5.18.12

{48} 5-18-12

peace :)

{47} 5.17.12

{47} 5-17-12

another cool thing we brought back from vacation…rocks from the beach.  can you tell where my mind was in the days after we got home?  yeah, it was still in the Bahamas.  In fact, I think it’s just now starting to make its way back towards the Midwest……

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

{46} 5.16.12

{46} 5-16-12

we came back from vacation to quite a surprise… a garden!  when we left, there were just some railroad ties laid out where we were planning to start a little vegetable garden next year.  Matt’s dad decided it wasn’t too late to start this year, so he planted tomatoes and peppers for us!  quite a nice surprise, I must say. :)  hopefully this means I have lots of homemade salsa to look forward to this summer…

{45} 5.15.12

{45} 4-15-12

hands down, the coolest thing I brought back from this trip. 

On the last night of our cruise, we came back to our room to find a bag with my name on it, with a hat, sunglasses, and autographed t-shirt inside.  hello…AWESOME.  Originally I had no idea where it came from, but I wasn’t asking any questions. I have since figured out that there was a lottery drawing for several “autographed prize packs”, so it looks like I won!  I’m still tossing ideas around of how to frame/display it…but I’m confident this is one project I won’t be slacking on! :)

{44} 5.14.12

{44} 5-14-12

our glorious vacation had to come to an end at some point.  we spent all day getting back home, and this was my view for the majority of the day.

so, I downloaded Instagram on my iPod during my boredom at the airport.  (and this is the one and only picture I’ve taken since downloading it. ha!)

Monday, May 21, 2012

{43} 5-13-12

{43} 5-13-12

today I spent a lot of time with this guy, staring out at the ocean. we also managed to squeeze in a few concerts, more fruity drinks, and new friends. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it yet, but this vacation: it was ahhhh-mazing. 

{42} 5-12-12

{42} 5-12-12

another day on this glorious island… life does. not. get. any. better. not only did we get to play in the sun and sand today, but I also got to watch a concert by my all-time favorite band, on the beach.  a day I will never forget…

{41} 5.11.12

{41} 5-11-12

This pretty much summed up the feeling of our vacation.  We spent today on an island in the Bahamas, watching concerts, swimming in the ocean, and drinking more fruity drinks.  Can you see why I wouldn’t want to leave…

{40} 5.10.12

{40} 5-10-12

And it was.  Sitting on the top deck of a cruise ship, soaking up the sun, halfway through the first fruity drink.  It doesn’t get any better than that!

{39} 5.9.12

Photo 38 got eaten by my camera I think.  I swear I remember taking several photos that day, but none of them are anywhere to be found.  Luckily, they weren’t terribly exciting…

{39} 5-9-12

Today, we finally made it to Miami.  And I couldn’t have been happier to look out the window and see a palm tree.  So what if it was cloudy, and raining, and the palm tree was all droopy.  It was still a palm tree!

{37} 5.7.12

so… we went on vacation! my excuse for being 2 weeks behind in blogging involves a boat, the ocean, and some beautiful white sand.

{37} 5-7-12

but, I’m getting ahead of myself.  before any vacation, comes the planning.  and with the planning, the OCD in me comes out, resulting in lists.  and more lists. and obviously, a day so busy making lists that the only thing I could think of to photograph was the lists themselves. :)

Monday, May 14, 2012

{36} 5.6.12

{36} 5-6-12

more birthday celebrations!  this time, with a little helper. :)

Sunday, May 13, 2012

{35} 5.5.12

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

{35} 5-5-12

Matt finally got to experience The Birthday Weekend.  Saturday was the main event, with a lunch celebration, an afternoon of antique shopping (at his request…see, he IS getting old!), dinner with the family, and then a SURPRISE party!  I unfortunately didn’t take any pictures at the party (but don’t worry, plenty of other people did!) so instead you get a picture of the adorable card from my crafty Aunt Terri.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

{34} 5.4.12

{34} 5-4-12

I finally got my flowers planted for the spring!  this had been on my list for I don’t even know how long.

for the first year, I didn’t come home with any Gerber Daisies.  mostly because they are more expensive, and they never survive long in our shady yard.  but, just because I didn’t have a daisy doesn’t mean I didn’t get my flower photo fix. :)

{33} 5.3.12

my dear husband turns 30 today.  wow, 30!  there was a time when that seemed so OLD to me.

ok, it still seems a *little* old, but not nearly as much!  as I get closer and closer, it sounds younger and younger… :)

anyway, to celebrate the occasion I made Matt a special birthday cake.

{33} 5-3-12

this guy eats swiss roll cakes like nobody’s business.  when I saw a cake made of them on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it.  actually, I made the mistake of showing him the cake on Pinterest, and he insisted on it. :)

The cake wasn’t too terrible to make, and it turned out delicious!  I only had a bite, but Matt has given it 2 thumbs up (and even ate 2 slices of it today…).

Happy Birthday to my favorite 30 year old! 

Friday, May 11, 2012

{32} 5.2.12

{32} 5-2-12

you’ll see the results of this tomorrow.  just know, that this is the making of a pretty awesome cake. :)

{31} 5.1.12

{31} 5-1-12

always keeping her prized possessions close at hand…even while napping.

I looked down from the couch to see this.  the funny part is that she was sound asleep, but as soon as she heard me moving her eyes crept open, and her ears started to perk.  you can’t get anything past this girl…

Thursday, May 10, 2012

{28} 4.28.12

{28} 4-28-12

we went on a tour of the Boulevard Brewing Company for my dad’s birthday – fantastic gift idea, if I may say so myself. :) 

the tour was actually quite interesting, and it ended with free beer…doesn’t get much better than that.  I have a few more photos from the day that I’ll share eventually… for now just the side of the building.

{27} 4.27.12

{27} 4-27-12

one of the results of the previously mentioned fabulous craft day. (the project idea from Pinterest of course)

Jessica and I both took the day off work after our girls night out, and spent it together in her new (giant) kitchen, crafting away.  we have decided this needs to become a regular occurrence :)

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

{30} 4.30.12

so, photo 29 didn’t happen.  oops.

but photo 30 did! 

{30} 4-30-12

this is actually something we received as a wedding gift – love birds.  you’re looking at one’s wings. :)

lovebirds 

aren’t they darling!  I just love them.  they definitely top the list of one of my favorite wedding gifts.

{26} 4.26.12

{26} 4-26-12

my best friend Jessica and I went to a Girls’ Night Out cooking class at the Culinary Center of KC.  it was actually a gift from her boyfriend. 

needless to say…we had a blast :)

Monday, May 7, 2012

{25} 4.25.12

{25} 4-25-12

all the makings of a fabulous craft day ;)

{24} 4.24.12

{24} 4-24-12

today we went to one of my favorite parks to let Daisy burn some energy.  we took engagement pictures here, and I also took some pictures of Lexi way back when she was only 6 months old on this bridge.  what can I say, it’s one of my favorite photo spots :)

and yes, I know.  I’m a *little* behind on these daily pictures…that’s not to say I’m behind in taking them, just in blogging them.  but don’t you worry, I’ll catch back up before you know it.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Lexi {an afternoon at the park}

the day I spent with Lexi at the park was…tiring.  this girl was a ball of energy, and although it was a quick shoot, she didn’t stop moving the whole time.  she literally ran laps around me.

 bgLexiPark_02 bgLexiPark_05

somehow, though, I managed to freeze her with these photos. 

I’m amazed at how posed some of them look even… I can assure you, there was no time for posing.

bgLexiPark_18

bgLexiPark_06 bgLexiPark_09

bgLexiPark_12

bgLexiPark_16

this last one perfectly sums up our session… running, and smiling. there was plenty of both that day :)

bgLexiPark_14