Keeping busy

I have been crazy, in a good way, busy with my photography business this fall. I tell yeah, Minnesotans love their fall. Here is my favorite photo from this past week.

Edits, Edits and more Edits

For the past two weeks most nights you will find scrunched up to our coffee table on the floor staring at a 16 inch monitor. In the background "Law & Order" is playing on theTV and my eyes are focused on the hunreds of pictures in front of me.

Some of you may know that I have my own photography business, besides working full time and this blog. That business is strictly part time, but it gives me a fun creative outlet and a bit of spending cash.

Though anyone who has ever shot a wedding knows that it doesn't always feel part time.
But I have gotten into an editing groove, editing and "Law & Order" it just seems to work for me.

And for now I just have to for go my normal blog posts till I have to time to work on them again.

~ Cassi



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Bright Photography ~ Wedding

This weekend I had the pleasure of photographing a wedding come check it out on my business site. 

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Instagram Friday

This week has been a bit of a crazy busy week, fun but busy. I am apart of a women's group at church this week we changed things up a bit and played Bible Bingo. (I didn't win.)

It has also been crazy busy at work to; it was one of those put the headphones on your head down kind of weeks.  

But we've been able to get a lot accomplished at home. See these shelves they are all down now. We are one step closer to a new library / office.  

We also had some family time with Steve's side and celebrated his Mom's birthday at Buca. 

One of my favorite parts of the week was a final tasting at Solera for our work showcase.  

This weekend is not slowing down either. Tonight we have a work dinner for Steve, time to dress up! Then Saturday is Sherlock time again!

Join up or just go check out what the others are sharing.

~ Cassi


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Tops from 2012

This past year has seemed to fly by. Looking back through the post of this last year, I must say it's been a fun one.

My favorite part of last year was a family trip to here. 

I love that we can take these trips and experience all that there is. So looking forward to our family trip to Jamaica this year.

We also managed to get a lot of projects completed this past year. My favorite one being our new door.

Seriously the difference this made to the look of our house is incredible. Still months later this makes me smile when I pull into the drive.

Another remake we did that I love is our thrifty bench find.  

 I can't wait to get some pictures taken using this bench. Which brings me to a huge thing from last year. I started my own business. That has been challenging and fun all at the same time.

Thus being said my picture taking in general has increased a lot this year. And I have been looking at different ways to document those pictures. That is when I stumbled on this thing called Smash Journal / Art Journaling. So I combined the two (though this one is much more just a smash journal).

I hope to work on more of this in this next year.

 I haven't forgotten Mouse. Her and I did some fun knock offs for school this year. No Mini Boden budget here but you couldn't tell with the shirt we made. I had so much fun planning these out with her. We will have to do move of that next year.  

 So what else do you our readers (and us) have to look forward to next year. I am hoping to get our project page done. Then you can see all that we have been working on in one place. I am hoping to do more recipes. I cook all the time I need to post more. We have one more room in our house that needs to be finished and a few more outdoor projects. But for now it's New Years and we have a party to get ready for. So see you all next year.

~ Cassi

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Friday Review

Fridays I fluctuate between Five Minute Fridays and InstaFriday. But we are all community here, right? They can be combined into one post.
So I write for Five minute, no edits, no re dos and at the end I will see if there are pictures from this week that match the words of this week.

Topic: Quiet

It hasn't been a quite week here in America. Days leading up to the election has been loud and kind of mean.

But it was the quiet moments that define us. The moments when we think no one is watching that truly make us heroes.

Most of my heroes no longer have a voice to be heard. Which means it takes me to find quiet times to read about the legacy that has been set before me.

In the quiet moments I find peace.

Join up on either or both groups. Or just go check out what the others are sharing.

~ Cassi








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What We Wore Wednesday ~ Family Pictures

I gave a sneak peek on my business blog of our family pictures. Here is a little bit more of them and and what we wore for the pictures.

Mouse loves the hippy look.

Steve and I made the Tent. And my Mom took the pictures. Can I say again how happy I am with these pictures.

Cassi

Sweater: Target

Pants & T-shirt: Old Navy

Denim Shirt: Thrifted

Boots: Maurice's

Steve

Entire outfit: Bass Outlet

Mouse

Shirt: Target

Undershirt: Mine :) from Target

Boots & Jeans: Thrifted

What are you wearing? Find out what the rest of blogland is wearing by linking up with the Pleated Poppy (What I Wore Wednesday) & One little Momma (What Kids Wore Wednesday)

~Cassi

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Vintage finds

I realized I forgot share about this great find. Props are all the rage when it comes to baby pictures in these parts, so when I am out and about I am always on the look.

I can't believe I found this vintage scale, it will be perfect for new born pictures. I am thinking it needs a fresh coat of paint though. But what color? I am thinking green or yellow to go the neutral route. What do you think?


What have you been finding at the flea market, thrift shops or garage sales?

~ Cassi


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DIY Tent

For this years family pictures I wanted a stylized camping session. These pictures are for our main living room and wanted to express something our family loves to do. But I also wanted it whimsical in away. When I saw this tent on A Beautiful Mess I knew it was exactly what I was looking for.

I showed the design to Steve and then told him I wanted it a little bit bigger to fit the three of us in it. He got to work and did a fantastic job!

First he picked up four 6 foot 1x2 and three 3/4 inch dowels. At the ends of each 1x2 he drilled out a 3/4 inch hole for the dowels. Then we put it together.

Here is what the frame of the tent looked like, before I added the fabric.

Next I picked up a bunch of lace curtains from thrift shop and some white fabric.

Once we started placing the fabric over the tent we realized it wasn't going to be big enough so I had to make a little sewing and draping magic. This matched it more to the style on the blog.

I am so happy with the way it turned out. It made for the perfect backdrop for the pictures.

More of the pictures with us in them to come.

~ Cassi

ps. Check out my links page to see where I have linked to.

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Insta Friday

This past weekend we went camping with my whole family. Mouse always has such a good time with Grandpa. They won an hour on these banana bikes. They were so funny flying around the campground together.

I like the quieter aspects of camping, like game time.

Then the weekend was over and it was time to head home, but not without picking up a few geocaches along the way. This picture is what I love about geocaching, it takes us place we'd never have seen otherwise.

But we couldn't stop with just the weekend so Steve and I did a bit of geocaching while out to lunch.

This week we also took Mouse to the State Fair. We tried some new food and returned to some old favorites. Steve and Mouse went on the Giant Slide together.

Now it's off for another weekend of camping.

See what picture did you take this week? Link up with Life Rearranged.

~ Cassi

Intsagram Friday~ End of June

The week after bible camp is always difficult. Coming off a mountian top experience to the ordinary is tough. Your mind and heart aren't ready for work deadlines and laundry. Not to mention my body just doesn't recoup from lack of sleep as fast. And we didn't have to much time to rest either.
Monday was good though we took time to go for a walk before the weather here got really hot.

Then Tuesday we had the first of many dentist appoints as Mouse gets ready for braces! I can't believe my little girl is old enough to get them. She is quite nervous about it, but is excited to pick out the colors.  

Steve and I had date night after the dentist. But I forgot to pack extra shoes so my feet were horibble by the end of the night (think tears and whining). The rest of the week I have been wearing no back shoes, which means I got to wear these cute ones. 

Then the tempature here sky rocketed to 100* and the humidity was just as bad. But the kids didn't seem to mind one bit as long as they got to play in this. 

Mouse grabbed a back of bangles from my Mom's house. I decided I needed to grab a few or more myself. I love the different colors she had.  

Am I the only one who is now singing Walk Like an Egyptian? I can't help it I think of it everytime I hear the word Bangles.

Well that was my week. How was yours?

See what picture did you take this week? Link up with Life Rearranged.
~ Cassi

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Review~ AmyKatherine Bag

On Zulily last month AmyKatherine had a bag sale that was amazing. I had been looking for a bag to use as a camera bag for portrait sessions. And this one matched my business colors, how perfect was that.

It came in the mail last week and I couldn't be more happy. AmyKatherine specials in Eco-friendly bags, making it out of canvas and faux leather like material.  There is four outside pockets, two with zippers.

See the one on the right side, perfect for a water bottle. The small zipper front pocket holds my business cards.

This back pocket is my only slight complaint, I wish it was a tab bigger. I would be perfect if I could have fit the Kindle Fire in this one. But the inside is plenty big enough to hold it and my camera gear.

The inside has three large side pockets, one zipper pocket and some pen holders. OK, now I know what you are thinking this isn't a camera bag but I fixed that. I bought this padded insert on Amazon.

This holds my camera, two lens (and will hold the third one that I will be getting soon) a flash and memory cards. Of course I bought it in yellow to match the bag and my logo.

One of the other features I wasn't sure if I would like was the flaps that go over the top. But I actually like them, it ads an extra coverage to the camera.  I also like that it has two different handles, the long across body one and two small handles.

AmyKatherine did not ask for this review, but I just had to write it.

~ Cassi

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I Heart Faces Challenge ~ Family Fun

I Heart Faces challenge this week is Family Fun. This picture isn't technically to great but I have always loved the emotion in it. We often talk about how quiet our house is. We have us three and two cats. And for the most part unless the TV is on or it's morning feeding for the fur balls it's pretty quiet. Neither Steve or I were the class clowns. Goof ball antics are not the norm. So when I was snapping pictures of us on the couch one day Mouse got pretty carried away. I don't even remember why she was covering her Dad's mouth but we were laughing pretty hard. If it wasn't for this picture it would have become a forgotten moment.

Want more technical shots visit my business site Bright Photography. But most importantly grab a camera and snap some shots to remember the moments that make you laugh.

~ Cassi

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