Memorial Day weekend.

I know it was a couple weeks back, but I still wanted to share this post. :)

My family and I went to 3 different ceremonies for Memorial Day weekend.  My favorite was a luminary tribute in Dover, Tennessee.  We also went to a candlelight vigil and a wreath-laying ceremony, both in Clarksville, Tennessee.  Each of these were beautiful ways to celebrate this holiday.

Below is my Memorial Day weekend in pictures...

-S

7:05 pm

8:32 pm

28 empty chairs symbolizing the missing from the Vietnam War...

Vietnam veteran and retired U.S. Army Colonel Tom Denney 

a few Gold Star Wives of America 

raise your hand if you have served... 

my young man learning about our freedom. 

*You'll notice I have had to remove the Facebook comment option from the blog.  Unfortunately, I had stopped receiving notifications whenever new comments were being published, and after several attempts to adjust it, I decided to completely remove it.  Please, feel free to leave comments on our Facebook page or use the blogger comment section below, which is being heavily monitored due to previous spam issues.  Thank you for understanding. :)

food, jibber jabber, & simple.

I am so full.  And I keep eating.

I love Thanksgiving.  No gifts.  Tons of food.  Just the way I like it.  

Ours was so fun...mostly due to a little man who jibber jabbered through the prayer.  He is so full of sweet.  There really is nothin like it.  

*

Side note:  I've almost been 24 hours without signing into my personal Facebook account, and it feels pretty darn good.  I realized I wasn't able to completely deactivate my account, for fear I would lose the Creek Junk FB page.  So, I'm just not logging into my personal account...and I completely removed the app from my phone.  Ya, I've found myself mindlessly trying to press the home screen on my cell phone that had the blue icon positioned perfectly for my right thumb.  I apparently had gotten in the habit of automatically pressing it whenever....whenever there was silence, whenever I was "bored," whenever there was a commercial break, whenever I didn't want to genuinely listen to somebody. AND this is one of the main reasons I chose to take a break.  It's just excessive.  

Today, my mind was less cluttered.  Simple.  

That's what I'm wanting this holiday season.  A simple focus.   

Hope you and yours had a nice Turkey Day...

one of our tables today...
Blue Onion China was my Grandmother Wanda's,
homemade flower arrangement with weeds from the farm (and roses from Kroger),
and
some mismatched chairs.

SIMPLE HOLIDAY FOCUS.

I already know some of y'all aren't going to like this post.  But I'm doing it.

For those of you who have been "friends" with me  for awhile on Facebook, y'all know I've not always had an active account.  In fact, I didn't have an account when my husband and I got engaged several years ago....and I loved it.  Why?  Because I had the opportunity to tell the news to some of my family and friends in person.  FACE-TO-FACE.  Besides my mom, she received a cell phone pic of my min pin posing beside my new bling the night Michael asked. 

Anyway, since having a little one, I've realized time is going way, way too fast.  Mason is standing in his crib, has 2 teeth, and babbling nonsense like his Daddy.  Every moment I am refreshing my newsfeed on my cell phone or responding to a comment (more than likely about one of Mason's pictures), 

I am losing that time with him...
or my husband...
or my house...
or my homework...
or myself.  

It's just too much to keep up with right now, and I am choosing to fully focus on the simple things during the holidays.  So, starting Thanksgiving mornin', my Facebook will be no more.  I might come back after Christmas or after the New Year - I'm not sure which yet.  Depends on if I'm still sane or not, but I'll be back (like that Arnold reference?).  

So, there ya go.  Hope you're not too mad at me.  I'll still try to post some stuff on the blog, so you can either save the blog link or register your email address (look to your right) to receive updates.  I'll still have my email address and, of course, a cell phone where you can reach me.  And, if you're really cool, you can send me a letter...with a stamp.

Happy one-week-from-Turkey-Day-Thursday!

-Stephanie

happy nugget.
standing+teeth+little, itty, bitty piece of hair.

What is Creek Junk?

Recently, many people have asked me, "What is Creek Junk?"  So, I'll try my best to explain.  Almost 3 years ago, I started a blog, tiny snapshots.  It was a place where I could display my photographs in a unique way and write random stuff.  This past summer, I got to a point where I wanted to change things...I wanted to somehow reach people I didn't know.  I wanted to share more things people might find fun and useful.  My mom, husband, and I came came up with the name "Creek Junk."  

It's still a place where I can display my photographs in a unique way and write random stuff.  It's a place where you can find me if you don't have Facebook (I applaud those of you who don't).  It's a place where I can sell things...things from around my house, mostly furniture, and eventually t-shirts.  It's a place where maybe - this is a BIG maybe - I can start some sort of mini photography business on the side.  So, really it's still the same as tiny snapshots, just not as uber personal.  Clear as mud?

*

With all of that said, there are several ways to keep up with this thing...

*Look to the right on this page.  That's where all this stuff is located.  

1.  You can follow this blog directly by joining the site (for example, if YOU have a blogspot, follow me and I'll follow you).  

2.  You can also subscribe your email address.  You will then receive email updates whenever I post a new blog post.  There is a delay (several hours) in getting the emails...I don't know why.  I didn't create the gadget, but it does work.  

3.  Twitter!  Since twitter is linked to my Facebook, you should get all the status, pictures, and blog posts when I post them.

4.  Lastly, you can LIKE us on Facebook.  I want to be sure to say that I will not be sharing blog posts on my personal Facebook page.  It's getting too repetitive for those of you who are "friends" with me and follow the Creek Junk fan page.  It's easier for everyone to keep up with just one page, so for now, if ya don't LIKE the page, you'll just miss out.  Also, since Facebook has changed things in regards to promoting fan pages, you'll need to make sure you do this:

1. Go to the Creek Junk Facebook page
2. Click on the settings dropdown menu (the little gear icon) next to the Message box OR you can hoover over the "Liked" option
3. Select "Add to Interest Lists"

This will make sure our posts show up on your newsfeed.  Now, are you really confused?!

*

So, ya.  Creek Junk is basically just my personal blog.  Thanks for reading and hopefully following, liking, or subscribing. :)

-Stephanie

me behind the camera
{photo by my momma}

lesson learned.

I'm slowly learning more and more about parenting each day...

For instance, I noticed several weeks ago that many of my friends were posting photos of their babies in their Halloween costumes all over facebook.  I immediately thought that seemed a little silly since the 31st was so far away.  Okay, well it came and went faster than I was able to carve my own pumpkin.  So this afternoon, I'm dressing Mase in his costume again (he loves it - I'm being very sarcastic) and taking pictures out in the yard while the sun is still shinin'.  Holidays are just crazy fast now.  This is a fact.  So, maybe I'll get a jump start on Christmas this afternoon and do those photographs, too...

I hope you and your family had a safe and fun Halloween.  We spent way too much money on candy.  My goodness, it's expensive...BUT I had told Michael to get the "good" candy.  We didn't have a lot of trick-or-treaters and thankfully, my husband bought the good stuff, because we are happily enjoying the leftovers. :)

Y'all have a good weekend...I'm going to take Halloween pictures!  Ha!

Here's our little pumpkin...with antlers. :)

-S