I feel almost Famous

Hey there Friends! I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo over the top excited to share some BIG BIG BIG news. It makes me feel quite nearly famous.

You see, I have some really really really awesome friends that have done something so very special. I'm bursting at the seams to share. I "met" Megan and Laura over 8 years ago on a pretty well known website called, Babycenter. We were all pregnant with our first child, and seeking some companionship through out our pregnancy. We ended up on the same "birth board" with our children being due January of 2005. After the birth of our girls (yes....we all had girls.) several of us, (about 100) decided to go to a private board so that we could get to know each other better, and share more of our lives in a safe fashion.

We quite literally learned to be a mother together, and I am so very grateful to have been learning right along side such truly amazing women. I can't tell you how much I have appreciated both of these gentle loving mamas in my life.

I am so proud to announce that they are taking their amazing knowledge and skill and sharing it with the world. These ladies wrote a book....oh yes they did, and it is for sale as we speak on AMAZON! oh my gosh.....I love it. I am so pleased to be able to say that I knew them BEFORE they knew anything. tee hee....just kidding. Both of these fabulous ladies knew a lot going into this journey of parenthood, and now, with practice....they know so much more.

Please go HERE and read all about their fabulous book.

They are having a big "book buying party" tomorrow, so if you feel so inclined.....buy one up....or refer a friend to it. I just know it is going to be a best seller.

I'm so proud of you, Megan and Laura! You deserve the very best! ♥

52 Weeks of ME 2012- Week Eight

Theme/Prompt was: FAVORITE FOOD

I am a lover of food....I mean, who isn't, right? I could have taken a photo with sooooooooooooo many different things, but I thought a donut might be fun. I love love love donuts, so I can NEVER buy them. They are mostly a "goin' campin'" food for me. The only other time I get the opportunity to eat them is when other people bring them to work. I could devour a box in seconds. My favorites are the old fashion glazed, and the maple bars. So.....imagine my surprise when I was minding my own business in our local bread outlet store and saw these Old Fashioned MAPLE donuts. ackkkkkk.....there was NO WAY I wasn't walking out of that store with a box of those. I snapped them right up, and set to photographing myself in my truck right outside the store. I was worried I'd eat them all before I got my shot if I waited. tee hee....

I only wish I was joking. Sugar Bear got two, and I ate the rest. They were gone in two days. sighhhhh......

The THEME/PROMPT for this coming week is: EYES

Can't wait see all the amazing eyes. oh and yes....I do have friends playing along....they just don't have blogs. I know it looks like it's mainly just me....but there is actually about 10 folks playing along, and I'm so happy about that.

52 Weeks of ME 2012- Week Six

The Theme/Prompt for week six was: DARK

I had no way of knowing that the theme/prompt of the week was going to be so very fitting in my life. I found myself in quite a dark, dismal, gloomy mood Tuesday night. Lately there has been a series of bad news regarding the health of children people I care about....care about. Children getting cancer.....and children who might have cancer....but they aren't sure. It is getting to me. There is just something about cancer....in children.....that makes me feel so very vulnerable. Cancer in general is scary. Cancer in children.....freaks me the FREAK out! This control freak does not like feeling like I can't control things. Cancer just can't be controlled. or predicted....or prevented, really. See....we are just plain vulnerable to it. sigh.....

So while sitting in my truck waiting for Sugar Bear to finish up dance class, I pondered the BIG things. Why? Why? WHY????? It's not fair...no one deserves this.....what if it happens to Sugar Bear???? ugh.....tough stuff to think about.

I know we are so blessed with good health. Sometimes I'm reminded all the more not to take it for granted.

The theme/prompt for this coming week is: LOVE

Should be easy. :) Can't wait to see what folks come up with. If you have been having trouble linking up, please let me know. email me at livingandlovingblog at gmail dot com. :)

52 Weeks of ME 2012- Week Two

Thank you to everyone that participated last week. You can jump in anytime. No need to get caught up.....or anything. Just play when you can. Your kiddos will appreciate each and every effort you made to document yourself, and your life that you share with them.
This week's Theme/Prompt was : FAVORITE COLOR
As for me.....BLUE has been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. I've been told for ages that when I wear blue it brings out my eyes. I tend to wear quite a bit of blue.....especially scarves. I love a pretty blue scarf as an accessory. Yesterday, I found myself wearing a blue shirt......blue vest.....and a blue scarf. What a perfect day to snap a self portrait. I managed to get the shot of myself in my truck again. There is something about the light through the windshield that I love. It works so good to set the camera on the dash, and get a photo of me.

Be sure to link up, if you are participating on your blog, or head over the Flickr group if you do not have a blog. :)

Next week's Theme/Prompt is: MORNING

I can't wait to see what you all come up with. :) Have a great week.

52 Weeks of ME 2012- Week One

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Welcome to the "52 Weeks of ME" project for 2012.

Week one's photo theme/prompt was: NEW

I'm so very excited to get this year going. I had an idea of this week, but worried that I wouldn't have time to pull it off, so I nabbed a shot of myself at work the other day. I'm sporting my headset to our NEW phone system, and let me tell you.....I do not love it. We've transitioned to this new phone system a few months ago and we are STILL having issues. If it weren't for all the issues, I might still not be a fan of it. It is so strange not to have a handset. I feel like a dork when I'm using this headset. I thought I might like it, but it turns out....if feels awkward. Maybe, it will just take time, and soon I'll love it.....but I'm not sure.

So there you have it! Week one is done. :) If you are playing along, please take the time to link up. If you are just looking, please take the time to see what the other participants have posted.

Next week's theme/prompt is:

FAVORITE COLOR

52 Weeks of ME- REMINDER

Hey there folks! Here's a quick reminder to be taking your photo for the first week of the project.

The theme is: NEW

But you don't have to follow the theme if you don't want to. It's just there as a prompt to get you thinking.

I've already grabbed a shot, but it isn't what I wanted for my shot this week, so I might try again on Saturday. My post will be up on Sunday with the linky so that you may link up if you want.

I made a button, if you are interested in posting the button on your blog. This is always nice, so people visiting your blog will no where to go to find out more about it, or to view all the blogs that have linked up. You can grab the button here:

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Remember, there is a flickr group as well. Go HERE to join in there if you don't have a blog. The more the merrier. :)

I can't wait to see the pictures of YOU!

Jump on in! 52 weeks of me!

Hey there friendly folks! I hope 2012 is treating you well so far. I'm still in my jammies and it is 10:51am, so I'd say I'm off to a smashing start. :) Sugar Bear and I are lamenting our return to work and school tomorrow. We have been utterly spoiled the past few weeks. Life is good!

The purpose of this post is to encourage you to consider jumping into the "52 weeks of me" photo project for 2012. I don't know about you, but I have been almost entirely absent from the family photos for as long as I can remember. There are tons of reasons this happened. First of all, I'm the one taking all the pics. As soon as I became obsessed with photography, it seemed that my family members stopped taking photos at family events, and just relied on me. This is fine...but it makes for a documented life without me. Secondly.....I'm not a fan of photos of myself. I'm always thinking...."well, if I lose a bit of weight", or "my hair looks bad today", or excuse...excuse...excuse.

I have come to realize over the years that I am who I am....right now! and guess what? Sugar Bear isn't gonna remember who I "wanted to be", she is going to remember who I really was. She isn't gonna look at a photo of me, and think...."oh I wish she had combed her hair!" She is gonna just be glad just to have the photos of me at all. She will look at them fondly remembering me as I was. This is a gift to her.

I'd love to invite you to make this gift for your child as well. You just might find that, in the end....it was a gift for you as well. Embrace who you are. You deserve it.

You can see all the photos I took in 2011 HERE.

Some of my favorites from the year are:

Whether you have a point and shoot....or a DSLR, I'd love to have you join in. You just might learn a little bit about your camera.....and yourself along the way.

This week, the theme is "NEW", if you are interested in following this prompt. If not....just take any old shot of yourself. I'll have my photo up by January 7th, and the linky will be up if you want to link to your blog. You can also follow along by posting in the flickr group.

Any questions? fire away.....

52 Weeks of ME- Week 52 and BIG NEWS....don't miss it!

Here it is........the 52nd photo of ME for 2011.

This pictures my little Sugar Bear and I standing on top of the world. Or at least it felt like it. This was taken on the day after Christmas while we took a four wheeler ride around my parents farm. My Dad could resist taking us up to the top of the hill to snap a shot. It was a great afternoon. Nothing makes you feel more blessed than time with your family AND nature. Gosh we are so lucky to live in such a spectacular place.

I am so very grateful to both Jessie and Cara for coaxing me into this "52 weeks of me" project. I started out the year feeling less than thrilled with the idea of posting so many photos of myself online, but man oh man....did I get used to it. I shocked myself....and many other folks with some of my shots. I feel like this project gave me permission to love myself. It helped me accept me as I am and realize that Sugar deserves to have her mama's documented right along side hers.

Recently, Jessie asked if I'd be interested in hosting the "52 weeks of Me" project for 2012. I scoffed at the thought at first....but I think I have come around to the idea. I know that it seems so daunting for some many of you to jump into a project like this, but why not give it a go? There will be NO rules. NONE. I'll provide some themes for those that feel like it helps, but there is no obligation to stick to the theme. You can take the photo yourself, or a loved one can help. I just feel that the main object is to be present. You deserve it....your kids deserve it. It just might change the way you feel about yourself. You'll never know unless you try. So why not......give it a go. You can do it.

I'll be posting my first shot of 2012 by Sunday the 8th of January. I'll have a linky up for you to join in. I also hope to have a flickr group available for those that do not have blogs. If you have any ideas, concerns or questions, please feel free to ask. I'm not entirely sure I have thought of everything.

The first theme will be: NEW

Remember...you don't have to fit the theme, if you don't want to. I am so looking forward to seeing all the photos of YOU. Please spread the word. Even if you aren't thinking of playing along, but you might know someone who would be interested. The more the merrier.

Sorry if the "BIG NEWS" in the title fooled you, but I really wanted folks to read this one. tee hee....I'm totally sneaky like that.

52 Weeks of ME- Weeks 50 and 51

Okay.....so you probably think I have not only given up on my "52 weeks of me" project, but my blog altogether. But......

I have not.

I've just been preoccupied with life. I'm still game though. Taking the photos....but being quite lame at posting. OOPS! Here are two photos to get me all caught up. After this....I'll have one more to post to finish out this project.

Week 50.......again. I cheated, but I continue to feel okay about that. I think the main reason for doing this project (for me) is to be more present in the photos of our life. It doesn't matter if I took it of myself...or if Sugar Bear snapped it for me. I'm still there...up front and present. Here I'm sewing. Actually, I'm doing some MAD last minute Christmas present sewing. I rock the last minute sewing. :) Even in my jammies.

Week 51 found me being a goof ball with our wreath. We bought it from Sugar Bear's school as a fund raiser. I do love a pretty wreath. I love that it lasts for a long time past the holidays as well. I'm the dork with the wreath still up at Easter. :)

Stay tuned for the final shot for 2011.....and a bit of news.

52 Weeks of ME- Week Forty-six

Ack....I'm so behind on this project. I'm not even certain what number we are supposed to be on. I do know that I'm at least a week behind on posting. I've been taking the shots though, so that is good.

Here is one I took back on the 9th. Again I set the camera on my dashboard. I don't know why...but there is great lighting in my truck. Such great open shade, with the big windshield letting in the yummy light.

I keep saying that one of these days I'll put some makeup on for these shots. But gosh darn it......I'm lazy. tee hee

52 Weeks of ME- Week 44

Yes, I'm still doing this project. I may get behind in things, but I rarely, if ever, quit something. I tend to stick with things that I commit to. I might take awhile.....or I might get sidetracked.....or quite possibly take a break, but I will always follow through.

I've been feeling pretty guilty about something that is taking me WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY too long to finish. I'm not sure what will motivate me to finish, but I'm hoping something happens to kick me in the tushy pants. I need it. (yes....this is called a tangent!)

This photo was taken on October 26th. I friend nabbed it of me while she was checking out my lens.....and I was yacking it up with her husband. I almost deleted this shot, but then I thought, "Corey.....this is such a true representation of you!" If you really know me, you know that I NEVER shut up! I talk and talk and talk and talk. So it makes sense to post a photo of me in action. This is something Sugar Bear will easily recognize for years to come. Her mama is a yacker. oh yes she is!

Fabulous Friday Challenge~ Tangled

I know you have already seen all the shots I took the other day of my little Rapunzel, but I wanted to enter this one in the Fabulous Friday Challenge. :)

Fabulous Friday Challenge~ I'm a dork

Wanted to enter this one in the Fabulous Friday Challenge.

I took this self-portrait using a tripod, a remote shutter release, and a fan. :) good times.

Crazy Days of Summer Photo Challenge-Bubbles

I grabbed this shot of Sugar Bear last week. I love that a bubble got between us...and was exactly centered on her eye. I couldn't have planned this if I tried. :)

Fabulous Friday Challenge~ That moment

Often when I'm photographing, I snap, snap, snap away thinking, "okay....okay....that's good....oooo this would be better.....move corey.....okay...okay.....I think we have it......", and then suddenly there is a click of the shutter, and my heart jumps into my throat and I just KNOW I just captured something special. It is THE ONE! I love it when that happens....and it happened today. ♥

I'm so glad I went with my little whim, and asked Sugar to let me grab a few shots in our field below our house. I didn't worry about what she was wearing....or what her hair looked like. I just wanted to capture my girl in the daisies....and this made it all worth it.

Crazy Days of Summer Photo Challenge-Flowers

I photographed this flower when we were in California. I am a sucker for a backlit flower, and purple is one of my favorite colors. ♥

A Lunch-y sort of DRESS!

Goodness knows I LOVE TO SEW! and boy howdy, do I love to sew for my girl. She inspires me so much. How can I not want to drape this beauty in pretty colors every single day?

It's a darn good thing I've got connections! :) Jessica, from Happy Together, did it again. She lured me into this really FABULOUS thing called, TEST SEWING! There really isn't a better gig out there. Jessica does all sort of crazy planning, designing, making, and making again, then she just asks me if I want to test sew one of her patterns.....all non-challant and everything, and I loudly scream, YES! And this is born....

The Out for Lunch Dress is Adorable with a capital AWEEEEEEEEEEEE! (that a high pitched squeal.)

I just grabbed some fabric from my stash.....yes, my stash is embarrassingly large....and I thre this together. The pattern is so easy and fun. I may have been seen with a goofy grin plastered to my face for an entire week after making this dress. Then it was back for a week after I took the pictures of Miss Sugar Bear in it. :) :) :)

We love it! ♥ and it's comfy, too.

Girly......fun.........sassy........well, perfect, really.

Yes, I'm tooting my own horn here. I did good, don't you think? Okay...So Jessica is the genius, but I rocked this sewing job, yes? (girls got a right to feel a little proud now and again.)

I made a fun hair pretty to match. It was the first time I've made this particular fabric flower. I only burned my finger TWICE with the hot glue. I'm awesome like that. :)

Love the buttons. ♥

But honestly......this dress could be made out of a burlap sack, and some mud, and this girl would make it shine. ♥

If you'd like to win a copy of this fun pattern, please head on over to Jessica's blog to enter to win one. :) How fun is that?

Thanks, Jessica! You rock the lunch-y dress party!

Favorite Portraits

I ran across a portrait photo contest the other day, and wanted to enter, but man oh man....picking two favorite portraits has been hard. I take wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too many photos folks. WAY.TOO.MANY!!! So, I just picked one each from two of my most favorite photo shoots yet.

Jessica and Craig's wedding challenged me like NO other. I like to think I rose to the occasion. If you want to see more, go HERE and HERE.

The photo shoot back in 2008 with my friend and her senior son was HUGE for me. It really set me in a different direction. If you want to see more of these, go HERE and HERE.

Favorite Feet

Sugar's will always be my favorite feet! Gosh I love her monkey toes! ♥

52 Weeks of ME- Week Eighteen

Theme of the week:

Rule of Thirds

If you aren't familiar with the photography "Rule of Thirds" you can go to the tutorial I did AGES and AGES ago. You'll surely get a kick out of how young Sugar Bear is in it. :)

I really didn't have a plan this week, and quite literally just nabbed this shot when I had the time, but I do like how it turned out. One of these days, I'll actually wear some makeup. At least put a little bit of lip gloss on. It just isn't me to wear that stuff, so I think it is pretty telling that in the past 18 weeks, I haven't taken a photo of myself done up. I do think I've been in this shirt once, if not TWICE before. ummm....yeah...it is pretty realistic as well. I tend to wear the same clothes over and over. I'm a lazy dresser.

I have to share a bit about these little bunnies. They are the offspring of our precious OSHEE Minoshee! We are over the top excited about these little honey bunnies. WE added a male Holland Lop to our mix this spring, and these two babies are purebred Holland Lop, and we can't wait to see how they turn out. So far, they are a crack up. Compared to our other baby bunnies, the are really quite chubby little bun buns, and I love it. Their fur is short, and silky. I can't wait for their ears to lop over. ♥ Sadly, there were 5 in the litter and only these two survived. We are quick smitten with them.

Be sure to head on over to visit Jessie and Cara to see all the fabulous ladies taking part in this cool project.