Love. {365 - Day 152}

I'm in love.  Serious, head over heels kind of love.  It's my new camera.  It arrived this morning, and I've been smitten ever since.  My reluctant model posed for a few shots, but most of them were of the back of her head, or her sticking out her tongue.   Here's a good one of my cutie pie before she took off running. 

I've got a beautiful couple to shoot this weekend, and I can't wait to see what this puppy can do.  But already, Canon 5D Mark III, I heart you.  Big time.


Day 152 {Canon 5D Mark III}

Anticipation. {365 - Day 151}

Tomorrow.  Tomorrow.  Can't wait until tomorrow!  It's my Christmas, birthday, anniversary, and every other holiday wrapped up in one.  For tomorrow, my brand new camera will be here!  Cue the choirs of angels please.  I won't be able to sleep tonight with the anticipation.  In the meantime, I give you one last iPhone photo, before I become obsessed with my new "baby" and lug it with me everywhere. 

It was HOT today.  We were two of the very few foolish people who ventured to the park in the middle of the day.  They just redid the playground area grounds with bouncy tire scrap mulch.  Much safer for rough landings, but the heat emanating from the rubber made me feel like I was standing on hot coals.  Design flaw.  SB decided to beat the heat in the shade and followed her own path at the park. 


Day 151 {iPhone + Photoshop}

DIY Chia. {365 - Day 150}

A few weeks ago when we were on our way to visit my parents, we stopped at our favorite farm to visit our friends Mr. Tim and Nana Gwen.  Nana Gwen teaches Sarah Beth all sorts of things, like how to make clover bracelets and hair accessories.  She also helped SB make her very own Chia Pet.  We drew a face on a cup, filled it with dirt and planted some grass seed.  The first try ended up on the ground, but the second round fared much better.  Sarah Beth carefully held her cup of dirt all the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

We left our homemade Chia Pet in the capable hands of Grandpa.  We drove up this weekend for another visit, and after only two weeks, Sarah Beth's Chia had sprouted!  She is very proud, even though she wouldn't look at the camera.

Day 150 {iPhone + instagram}

Grandma Love. {365 - Day 149}

Sarah Beth loves her Grandma.  When Grandma is around, everyone else pales in comparison.  She wants Grandma to play, read, and giggle with her.  She requests Grandma to help with bathtime and bedtime.  She'd much rather hang out with Grandma than go on adventures with her Mommy and Daddy.  And I have a feeling that Grandma loves every single minute of it.


Day 149 {Canon 7D}

Pool Party. {365 - Day 148}

This morning we headed to the pool at Grandma and Grandpa's clubhouse.  Sarah Beth has been taking swimming lessons for nearly a year and a half now at Little Otter swim school, and today she was all about showing off her skills.  She draped her arms over a pool noodle and proceeded to propel herself all around the pool with no help from Mommy or Daddy.  She was delighted to swim independently from side to side and person to person.  She loves the water and we're so proud and happy that her lessons are paying off.  I think we're going to be spending a lot of time at Grandma and Grandpa's house this summer!

Incidentally, despite slathering her in sunscreen, she managed to get a sunburn on her shoulders and arms.  She started turning pink later this afternoon as we walked around the festival downtown, and I had at least 4 people ask me if I needed sunscreen for her with that disapproving tone in their voices.  Mother of the year, right here.  Tomorrow I'm buying her a burqa. 

Flower Child. {365 - Day 147}

Today we headed to Brevard, NC for the White Squirrel Festival.  For those not familiar, white squirrels are a variation of your standard gray squirrel that for whatever reason, are quite prevalent in the Brevard area.  They are cute little suckers and when you see them in the green forests around here, they certainly stand out.  The festival is good small town fun.  Music, lots of food, crafts, and even a soapbox derby.  Oh, and squirrel t-shirts, squirrel socks, squirrel hats, squirrel ornaments...well, you get the idea.

We bypassed all the squirrel paraphernalia, but found ourselves in the coolest kid's clothing store called Baby Ink.  They have all kinds of rock n' roll type clothes for babies and toddlers, plus adorable dresses and accessories.  We of course had to buy a few things for our little fashionista, including this flower headband she's sporting in the picture below.  Ok, I got carried away and bought her three headbands.  The amazing thing is, she wore it all afternoon.  Sarah Beth loves to accessorize.


Day 147 {Canon 7D + Photoshop}

Sunset. {Day 146}

Guess where we are?  This was the end of our day.  Aren't we lucky?

Day 146 {Canon Elph}

Sprinkles {365 - Day 145}

Rainbow sprinkles are the whole reason to get ice cream in the first place. All toddlers know this.

Day 145 { iPhone + Photoshop}

3 Little Birds. {365 - Day 144}

I got these cute little felted birds from Crate & Barrel a few years ago as Christmas decorations for our holiday tablescape.  My mom is the queen of the tablescape, so I felt like I had to live up to her standards when we hosted for the holidays.  Anyway, these little guys were so cute that rather than put them away with the rest of the Christmas stuff, I perched them on my kitchen window.  And there they've sat.  The late afternoon light was streaming in today and the smoke from our indoor grill pan (portabellas - yum!) looked pretty in the sunbeam.  The dirty windows add a nice fuzzy effect too.  At least that's what I like to tell myself.

Room with No View. {365 - Day 143}

This was my view most of the day, as it will be most of the night.  Working hard to finish up proofs for a client.  My "office" is a corner in our big walk-out basement.  Even mid-day, it's a little dark down here -  we've got to improve our lighting.   I had to take a break from the dungeon for a few hours to take Sarah Beth to the playground and run off some energy.  She has been crazed this past week.  Not sure what happened to our easygoing 2 year old, but if this is a preview of SB the 3 year old, we are in for an interesting year.  The whining.  Oh, the whining!  Good thing she's so darn cute.

 Day 143 {iPhone + instagram}

 

Industrial {365 - Day 142}

I had the glorious task of going to the DMV today.  Why is it always such a chore?  I even called ahead to find out exactly what I needed to bring/do to add Kurt to my car's title, and I STILL ended up having to fill out an extra form and pay and extra $5 to get it done. 

Anyway, the DMV is on a side of town I rarely visit.  On the way home, I passed this industrial something or other with the train stopped beside it and the big puffy clouds hanging low. It appealed to me, so I pulled over to take a picture.

Day 142 {iPhone + Photoshop}

Sangria. {365 - Day 141}

The perfect end to a great weekend.  Sangria on the patio with my handsome husband.  Cool breeze and a lovely sunset through the trees.  Barefoot little girl running around giggling as her dogs try to lick her toes.  Happy hour has never been happier.


Day 141 {iPhone + instagram}

Fox. {365 - Day 140}

Our adventures today took us to Dan Nicholas Park in Salisbury.  I've heard so much about this place, including that it has campgrounds, so I've been wanting to check it out to see if it's a good spot for Sarah Beth's first camping experience.

This park is lovely and has everything a kid could want.  Playgrounds, spraygrounds, a beautiful ornate carousel, train rides, a little zoo and a gem mine.  Wow.  We didn't have much time because we were headed further north for a party, so we chose to go to the zoo.  It cost $1 for adults and $.50 for children.  Seriously?  What else can you do for a dollar?  It was lots of fun and we'll definitely be back.

Kurt was in charge of camera duty today, and being a filmmaker at heart, he took way more videos than photographs.  Here are a few from our visit.  The red foxes were so cute, they looked more like Jim Henson creations than actual living animals.  They also had bears, bobcats, wolves, deer and lots of different types of raptors, even 2 bald eagles.

 Day 140 {Canon 7D + Photoshop}

My and my gal taking a snack break. 

(Notice perpetual scraped knee, freshly dinged up this morning before we even got in the car.)

I love this hat. I can't believe she kept it on as long as she did.  

Hello Duck. {365 - Day 139}

We went to the park today.  After a good romp on the playground, Sarah Beth wanted to see the ducks.  As we walked over to where the ducks congregate, one of them waddled right over to us and quacked hello.  He was the friendliest duck I have ever met. 

The poor guy had a bum wing, so I wonder if he depends on humans to feed him.  I know you're not really supposed to feed the ducks, but he was looking at us with these big ducky eyes and holding out his busted wing, so, call us suckers, we shared our snacks.  He ate right out of Kurt's hand.  Today was one of those days I wished I had my "real" camera.  The Elph isn't fast enough to catch a moving duck. 

Day 139 {Canon Elph + Photoshop}

 There were baby ducks swimming about today.  So stinkin' cute.

Sarah Beth took this one all by herself.  Impressive for a 2.5 year old.  I didn't know she understood composition and leading lines but she did a great job.  Now that she's mastered keeping her fingers from covering the lens, she's unstoppable.  

Going up. {365 - Day 138}

We took a trip to Best Buy today to get a case for Sarah Beth's my iPad.  We parked on the 3rd level of the parking deck just so we could ride the long escalator.  SB finds the ride exhilarating.  It sparks just enough fear to make it alluring.  Shortly after this trip back up to the parking deck, someone who shall remain nameless had a bit of a tantrum in the car because she wanted to go for another whirl.  Boy, I can't wait 'til she sees Disney World in a few years... 

iPad. {365 - Day 137}

Kurt gave me a brand new iPad for Mother's Day.  And just as quickly as it appeared in my hands, it has been snatched away.  By a 2 year old.  She has figured out how to operate the thing far better than I can.  Thank god she doesn't know my iTunes password, otherwise she'd have downloaded hundreds of dollars in app purchases already.

This morning, she turned it on, found the Flixster app, scrolled to "The Lorax" movie, and watched the trailer.  This is why I thought twice about adding a banking app to my iPad.  She may drain my accounts and order a super bounce house from the Amazon app by snacktime.  Technology is very dangerous in the hands of a toddler.

Day 137 {iPhone + instagram}

Two Little Cowpokes {365 - Day 136}

Gavin met us at the playground today.  Sarah Beth was overjoyed.  She spent the morning staring out the window at his house across the street wondering "where is Gavin?"  I told her that Gavin was probably napping, so when he arrived at the playground she exclaimed, "Gavin woke up!"  Then they chased each other around the park, slowing down only to hitch a ride on this pony.

Day 136 {iPhone + Photoshop}

Rain. {365 - Day 135}

Well whoever was praying for rain sure did get it.  Two days of deluge.  And just now I hear the slow rumble of thunder in the distance.  Our yard has never looked more lush.  While I was out at a client, Kurt and Sarah Beth did a little gardening when the skies cleared up a little.  SB loves rain because rain makes puddles and puddles mean she can splash around in her boots.  I've got to get some cool rain boots and maybe I'd be more inclined to jump in some puddles too.

Day 135 {iPhone + Instagram}

Noodle. {365 - Day 134}

I was honored with a wonderful Mother's Day, spent with my Mom and Dad and of course Kurt and Sarah Beth in the mountains.  We had a nice breakfast and then spent the day trying to keep my brand new iPad away from my tech savvy preschooler. 

As usual, we lingered this afternoon before packing up and heading home, which puts us in Charlotte right at dinnertime.  No one wanted to cook, so off we went for sushi.  Sarah Beth liked the noodles.

Day 134 {iPhone + instagram}

Mike's on Main. {365 - Day 133}

A trip to Hendersonville would not be complete without breakfast at Mike's on Main.  Mike's is an authentic Drugstore Soda Fountain from the 50's.  The food is great, but even better is the decor.  The building itself was built in the 1900's and still has the beautiful tin ceiling, tile floors and stained glass transoms.  In warmer weather, they have street dances with live musicians playing sock hop music and even a few ladies twirling around in poodle skirts.  Oh, and did I mention the milkshakes?  If you're ever in the neighborhood, be sure to stop in. I recommend the Egg Cream.  Delish!

Day 133 {Canon 7D + Photoshop}

Dandelion. {365 - Day 132}

We spent the afternoon on the Blue Ridge Parkway with a picnic followed by a little hiking.  Sarah Beth really enjoys taking walks in the woods.  She picked flowers along the way, blew dandelion puffs, and skillfully maneuvered around rocks and roots.  We went for about 1/2 mile, but she would have kept going if we let her.  This girl loves the great outdoors.

Day 132 {Canon 7D + Photoshop}

Here was our picnic spot.  Beautiful!

Farm Friends. {365 - Day 131}

We had a wonderful afternoon visiting our friends at Stowe Dairy Farm in Gastonia.  Sarah Beth loved exploring the farm with "Nana" Gwen and meeting the newest baby goat and lots of little baby chickens.  Her favorites were the friendly farm cats who let SB decorate them with clover.  Such a lovely place and lovely friends.  We will be back soon!

Day 131 {iPhone + instagram}

Import {365 - Day 130}

Another day of work work work.  Not that I'm complaining.  Work is good!  After a long afternoon, we wimped out on cooking dinner, opting to head over to Loco Lime for Mexican.  An excellent decision.  I had a beautiful glass of sangria but drained it before I could take a picture. This is Kurt's beer.  Imperial from Costa Rica.  There's a place I wouldn't mind being right now, especially after two days of dreary rain.  I know we needed it, but how about some sunshine tomorrow?

Day 130 {iPhone + instagram}

Swatch {365 - Day 129}

I spent the day photographing headshots and group shots at the beautiful office of an interior design firm.  Everyone was very welcoming and cooperative and I can't wait to go back tomorrow to finish up.  An exhausting but fun day!

They have this amazing wall of swatches.  I love swatches.  I don't sew - literally, I can barely affix a button to a shirt without tape or a safety pin.  But I have a thing for swatches.  Something inspiring about all the possibilities at your fingertips in the form of little snips of fabric...

Day 129 {Canon 7D + Photoshop}

View from the Top {365 - Day 128}

 Business lunch today brought me to a swanky spot above downtown Charlotte.  Lovely view!

Day 128 {iPhone + Photoshop}

Fish Face. {365 - Day 127}

Another beautiful day, another trip to the park.  This time, Independence Park for a picnic.  We sat in the midst of pretty hydrangeas and made fish faces at the camera.  Sarah Beth's fish face is better than mine.  I just look like I had too much Restylane injected like those women on The Real Housewives.


Day 127 {just iPhone}

Saturday, Instagramed. {365 - Day 126}

Daddy was busy filming today, so Sarah Beth and I had a girls' day out.  We parked in South End and took the light rail downtown, since she was talking about trains the other day.  We had lunch (pizza!) at Brixx, then walked over to Imaginon, the Children's Library around the block.  On the way there, Sarah Beth played the chimes on the 7th street parking deck.  There are these light sculpture things that, when touched, make a noise and light up.  From back in my single days, I remember the chimes were lots of fun for twenty-somethings stumbling out of bars late at night.  But it brings a whole new level of joy to the toddler bracket.  Whoever thought of that, I thank you.

After playing on the computers at the library, we strolled across the tracks to 7th Street Station to check out the vendors there.  Fresh fish (as in still swimming) were a big crowd pleaser, as was the mini-cupcake from Cloud 9 bakery.

Day 126 {iPhone + Instagram}

All in all, a fabulous day with my girl.  Why it was so hard to get her to sleep tonight is beyond me.  Mommy was exhausted!

On the Stairway. {365 - Day 125}

Big day for Sarah Beth.  Playground, then lunch, then ice cream.  We wandered down this steep staircase to find Ben & Jerry calling our name.  SB told me that she "needed" ice cream and marched right in the door announcing to the nice girl behind the counter that she wanted chocolate.  Rainbow sprinkles?  Yes please.

After her ice cream, she took a breather on the steps and checked out the latest round of scrapes and bruises on her knees from aforementioned playground visit.  She plays hard and it shows.

Day 125 {Canon Elph + Photoshop}

Happy Couple {365 - Day 124}

Tonight I went out to celebrate the birthday and engagement of a dear friend.  Ronni and her future husband are blissfully in love and their happiness is infectious.  I am thrilled that they found each other and can't wait to shoot their engagement photos soon.  Cheers to the happy couple!

Day 124 {iPhone + instagram}

Nature Walk {365 - Day 123}

Well, so much for Spring.  It was 85 degrees today.  Our neighbor invited us along to the Nature Center at Freedom Park for a little playtime.  Thank goodness, because Sarah Beth has been talking about her little pal Gavin all week.  Here they are getting into mischief on the Nature Walk.  There's something about little kids playing together and holding hands that makes my heart happy.  I hope they are buddies for years to come.

Day 123 {iPhone + instagram + photoshop to make the photo strip}

On a side note, how did I ever live without instagram?  It is the greatest app ever.   

Extreme Close-Up {365 - Day 122}

This is what I get when I say "stand still Sarah Beth."  (No M&Ms around to bribe her with.)  It's just as well, I suppose.  Since potty training started, SB has decided that pants off is the way to be and that she may as well adopt a nudist lifestyle altogether.  She refuses pajamas now, and is not interested in clothes at all unless we force her into them to leave the house.  I guess after 2 3/4 years of diaper wearing, complete freedom feels pretty good.


Day 122 {iPhone +instagram}