My first photo shoot that isn't Jemma!

Well, I did it. Not only one, but two!   I conned the neighbors into bringing their babies down for me to take their pictures.  I am taking another class and feeling like I am growing so much as a photographer.  I had so much fun with these sweet babies!  I would love your feedback!  Be honest... brutally honest!

How come rolls like that don't look so precious on me????

A Girl and her Bear

Need I say more?

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Pumpkin Patch

I am a slow blogger, but I wanted to share some pictures of our trip to the pumpkin patch this year!  The BHW took half a day off so we could have some fun family time and fun we had!  We visited the Boone Hall Plantation Pumpkin Patch.  It was a Monday afternoon and we had the place to ourselves!!!  It was awesome!  We picked out two perfect pumpkins, walked through the kiddie haunted house about 76 times, jumped on the giant pillow (all by ourselves!) for about 30 minutes, rode on the wagon and walked through the maze.  All by ourselves!!!!  Last year, when we went, we were joined by about 300 of our closest friends.  :-(  The giant pillow was a mad house so there was no way I was letting my baby on.  It was crazy.  This year was fanabulous (that is my fancy way of saying fabulous and fantastic... my second graders loved this word!)!  Seriously, the place was ours and we had the best time!  By the way, when did jumping up and down on a trampoline thingy get so tiring?  :-)

 Decisions, decisions!

It was about 85 degrees and hotter than blue blazes.  I made everyone wear jeans thinking about hay and getting our legs cut up.   Big mistake!!!  I thought we were going to melt!

Our fearless corn maze navigator! 

Happy above to be in the corn field, but concerned below when a big rumble of thunder boomed!

What a great day!  There is nothing more important than family and quality time together!

Last year's mantle

I wanted to join up with Beth from The Stories from A to Z for her Last Year's Holiday Mantle Party.

This was last year's mantle.  I dream of these big elaborate Biltmore style mantles and can never get it how I want it.  I started with this...

and couldn't stand it.  It had no umph... no punch.  I scoured RMS for ideas and found a woman named Leanne who does magnificent mantles in grand homes.  She was an inspiration so I added, moved and changed and got this...

I think adding the real greenery and the ornaments gave it more pizazz.  It still isn't my heart stopping/take your breath away mantle, but it is getting there!  

I want to start decorating but I just can't!! I have to wait until after Thanksgiving!  I just can't do it before.  I even tried to listen to some Christmas music while baking today and had to change it.  It just isn't right!!!  I am excited about decorating this year and hope to link up to several parties.  There are so many going on and the first one is a mantle party on November 30!  Yikes!  I hope I can do it by then!  So get ready... the holidays are coming!