It’s Official.

My house is a zoo.

 

***Disclaimer: I married a hunter. But I am not a hunter.  I have, however, come to terms with the fact that we will have taxidermied animals in our home for the remainder of my existence. Please don’t yell at me.

***Disclaimer 2: Matthew got this giraffe in Africa two years ago, and it just got here yesterday.  I am told this particular giraffe had a long and glorious life and was on its last leg.  The meat was donated to tribespeople and now Mr. (Mrs?) Giraffe is memorialized forever. Win-win?

this just happened.

See that sexy beast in the picture above? Do you see it?!  The camera, people, not the girl who hasn’t bathed or brushed her hair yet today. 

That, my friends, is what I was talking about when I said I was going to make shit happen this year (or part of it, anyway).  For you camera enthusiasts, it’s a Canon 5D Mark II (with a 50mm 1.4 lens), and I’ll go ahead and admit right away that it’s a little like handing over a super high-tech toy to a perplexed two year old.  BUT IT’S AWESOME.

All weekend I was researching my purchase before I finally bit the bullet, and yesterday Matthew (who loaned me half the purchase price) made up a contract complete with terms and penalties and everything if I don’t make monthly payments on my loan and start up my business like I’ve been running my mouth about for months.  And I fully expect that he’ll take me to court if I don’t hold up my end up the deal.  (Law school makes you hard.)  It’s OK, though… I need that extra push.

So I’m planning to pour my soul into manuals and tutorials over the next weeks and months, and the thought actually sort of excites me since I’m learning something that I’m really passionate about.  I’m trying not to get discouraged by the fact that I’m still in that gap between good taste and actual skill—because I know I’ll get there.  It doesn’t happen overnight.

Here’s a few pictures from around my house (all were taken within the first 24 hours of buying this camera, so I certainly don’t claim to know what the heck I’m doing yet).  Have a great Tuesday!

Christmas Home

(this song is beautiful, albeit somewhat depressing)

Happy Monday morning!  The countdown to Christmas is on, and I thought I’d kick off this week with some pictures of our decorations!  I never exactly finished this year… there are certain things (like the mantle) that I was never quite happy with and intended to change, but I’ve decided to accept things as they are and remember that there’s always next year. :)

Hope you enjoy!

 

          

And at night…

      

Thanks for stopping by our home!  Hope you’re all able to finish up Christmas preparations early this week and have the opportunity to slow down.  I’m off to finish up a bit of shopping and then wrap presents—which just so happens to be my FAVORITE THING TO DO.  Bring it on! :)

Have a wonderful Monday!

Christmas Home Sneak Peek

This week Matthew and I bundled up and trudged through a snowy pine forest clutching thermoses of piping hot chocolate as we searched for our perfect Christmas tree.  We found that perfect tree in a little clearing, with a ray of soft light shining upon it, as if lit by some celestial glow.  And there was a red cardinal sitting in one of the branches, and little bunnies hopping around beneath its boughs, and I swear I heard a choir softly singing Christmas carols from a nearby church.  So we chopped down our little tree and dragged it home, Gracie and Cooper bounding happily off-leash beside us, not even bothering the bunnies or the cardinal—because it’s Christmas now, after all.

…

… …

Oh.  That’s actually not how it happened.  What DID happen was we went to one of those Christmas tree tents and it was like 65 degrees out, and we were kind of sweating, and we saw other people with dogs there but Gracie and Cooper aren’t allowed out in public and certainly not off-leash (and if there were any birds or bunnies nearby they’d be dead meat before they could say “’tis the season”).

But it was still really nice. And the weather has taken a cooler turn, and things are feeling and looking rather festive around here.  Below is a beautiful song I keep hearing on Pandora’s Christmas Radio, and a few sneak peek photos of the house to go along with it. :)  Hope you all had a really nice weekend!

 

  

   

I decorated for fall, y’all

I know, that post title is genius. So, as promised, here are a few more photos of the little fall decor touches around my home.  I didn’t want to spend a ton on new decorations this year, so while some of it is new (from Marshall’s!), other things are just fall-colored items I already had. 

Happy Wednesday everyone! :)