momma bird.

You know that sweet, little momma I told you about this past weekend...

who was protecting her babies during all of that rain...

here she is:

She stayed on those eggs throughout most of that crazy rain!

The husband (mine - not hers :) ) went out and draped a branch over the nest...

just to help her out some.

We both felt kinda bad for ruining her perfect nest location 

since we had "trimmed" the shrub thing.

Anyway, she welcomed the break, because she left for a little bit.

But then, of course, she was back.

Figured I'd share a photo of momma though.  

She needed to get credit for being such a trooper.

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Also, lots of posts planned for this month...

some detail changes with Creek Junk...

and as I've prepared a few future posts,

there is more of an unintentional focus on nature, 

especially with photographs...? 

I guess Earth Day inspired me.

but y'all just hang tight.

good stuff will be shared.

happy may. :)

-S

pretty little things.

Last weekend, we did some yard work around the house...

The husband "trimmed" a hedge/shrub/whatever this thing is that grows like crazy 

in front of our deck...

After "trimming" a lot back, the husband said, "There's a nest on top."

Neither of us could see into it, but we figured it was probably empty...

This past week, when nugget and I were outside, I took a little twig and poked 

inside the nest.

tap. tap.

I hit eggshells. :)

So, I got my camera and blindly took a few pics ::

just holdin' the camera way up above my head and aiming in a general direction 

to hopefully get a good photograph.

I did a little jig after getting one I knew would be worth sharing.

{such pretty little things all neatly placed in the intricately built nest.}

It's rainin' here this mornin', so momma birdie is having to sit on them.

Momma's everywhere do so much for their babies. :)

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday...

-S

Easter.

I've had these pics saved in a draft...waiting for a good minute to sit down and write you.  So, here I am...on a "late" Friday night sharing Easter photos from a couple weeks ago.

I just want to say, I miss you.  I miss writing.  I miss sharing lots of stuff going on in my life, even if you don't read every, single word or study every, single picture.  I've missed blogging, and I certainly hope to begin writing more once I complete this Spring semester in graduate school.  Just a few more weeks...

Anyway, we had a fun Easter with our little family...so thankful for another family get-together at this old farmhouse...

LOVED these brown eggs!  I will definitely be buying more of these little beauties.

the Easter meal. :)

my sweet little Easter bunny gettin' eggs!  with his wild hair. :D

family at Easter. :)

my sweetness all dressed up before Easter service.  We literally threw his outfit together Easter morning...His hat was from his Grandma Kat, shirt and tie from a "black bag" (hand-me-downs), and pants from his baptism.  I thought it all went together nicely. :)

He reminds me so much of my Grandfather Ed and cousin Jake in this photograph...

I just love that face.

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happy weekend.

-S

p.s. You'll notice you are no longer able to post a comment via blogger.  For whatever reason, our blog had started to receive a lot of spam.  So, I decided to temporarily deactivate the comment section for a little bit.  Sorry for any inconvenience. :)

behind the scenes :: first birthday.

So, last month Mason turned the big one.  

The husband and I chose to keep his first birthday simple - basically, a grandparent party. :) Anyway, I wanted to take a moment to share photos from his little, mustache party...

the pantry door.  

We LOVE this thang.  Probably one of our best DIY projects.  ever.

the little banner...

I printed some mustaches from Pinterest (they're everywhere) and added them to construction paper, brown, coffee filters and newspaper.  My only issue with banners is I never know where to attach the ends...sometime I want them in places where I have no option but to tape them to the wall...I don't know.  I'm weird.

the husband put these together.

We bought these little, dowel rods and broke them in half...

and then added the mustaches with double sided tape.

little man's table.

As you can tell, I added mustaches to random things throughout the house, which was kinda fun...had to include a dog (thank you, cousin Brittney!), because his nursery "theme" included lots of doggies.  The big one sign was super easy to make - it's just a piece of wood I wrapped with newspaper, and then, using a BIG sharpie, I free-handed a big uno.

Okay, by far, one of my favorite things about his little party!  His smash cake...A friend of mine told me about this idea (again Pinterest - you are the reason behind many, many fabulous ideas).  We made a box cake mix in a 9 inch circle pan, and then, cut a "wavy" line through the middle.  Flipped one half over and bam - you have a mustache!  We used a frosting tube thing (ya know, like cheese whiz spray cans), which was really easy.  Thanks, Kerry Jo, for telling me about this!  Here's the photo tutorial we used:  

http://themetapicture.com/mustache-cake/

I have tons and tons of photos of nugget, so I chose a photo that I had not shared with anyone for his photo cake...we added a mustache to it when we edited the photo in Photoshop, and it just looked awesome!  This was around the time when he started standing in his crib like a big boy. :)

Showin' off his bib, which is the cutest hand-me-down from the Robinson fam!  And you'll notice some photos on the laundry room door...I put photos throughout the house - most from when he was extra little.  The big mustache is actually part of a cardboard pizza box.  Thank goodness we recycle!  I free-handed that design and just added black paint.  We still haven't taken it down. :)

Little man was not a fan of cake smashin'.  I just love his sweet, little expression here though. :)

A few days later, a family friend gave him another smash cake...So, we attempted it again.  He still wasn't too sure, but we did get him to make more of a mess. :) Thanks, Berta!  Mase's parents definitely enjoyed the rest of it...

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Hope you liked the behind the scenes look at his party. :) I still can't believe my little man is one...

-S

nugget's baptism.

hello.

I am somewhat caught up on homework.  The house is decent.  The husband is out running errands.  But most importantly, little man is napping.  

So, I'm going to take a quick moment to share some personal photos with you.

I know.  I haven't blogged in almost a month...well, right at a month as of tomorrow.  Ah, a busy little place we keep around here.

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Anyway, below are some photographs from a few weeks ago when our little man was baptized.  I know most of you have seen these already, but some of you haven't, which is why I want to share.  Plus, I love them.  Therefore, they HAVE to be published on the blog.

A little background first...

You'll notice in the photos that nugget is a big boy...bigger than the average baby who is baptized right after they're born.  Months ago we actually had him dedicated/we, his parents, were dedicated.  I'm not going to get into a religious debate on what is "right," or who believes what as far as baptizing babies.  All I know is, I felt in my heart that my little boy still needed to be baptized.  

It was on my mind.  A lot.  So, once my fall semester was complete, and we all made it through the holiday madness, I contacted the priest who married nugget's parents a few years ago at a little white church.  Late one night, I wrote an email to him explaining, well babbling, about our situation...and then, asking if he would just consider baptizing our son.

The response I received was no less than perfect, and several weeks later (took some planning and last-minute adjustments trying to make sure some most of us could make it), we had Mason baptized.

I am just so thankful for how it all fell right into place - God's perfect work.  It felt like we had traveled full circle from standing with Father Kevin on the day we said our wedding vows...to 3 years later, standing with him to baptize our little boy.  

As the husband said later that afternoon...It really was a "fun, Sunday mornin'."

-S

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Special thanks to Nicola, our photographer, for telling such a beautiful and personal story through pictures...

one.

Today, nugget turned one...at exactly 8:19 p.m.  

Unreal that this time last year, one of my doctors handed me this rather large baby 

that I couldn't stop staring at while repeatedly telling myself, 

"This is my beautiful baby...a real baby."  

happy first birthday, Mason.

You have changed my self-absorbed focus to a love for simple things.  

Thank you, little boy.  

You are pure sweetness.

love you so, so much.

the bump.

I have plenty to busy myself with today, but I am taking the time to sip some coffee and write you all.  I have wanted to share this post with you sooner than today, but due to grad school (finally observing IN a school) and a walking baby, my free time has been extremely limited.  No complaints though.  This life is good.

Anyway, a year ago, I must have been in a similar boat, because I had these photographs ready to share, and I never got around to posting them...and then, I had a baby, so priorities shifted and photographs of the bump became "old."  People forgot the bump.  The bump was a thing of the past (to some degree).  It was time to see Baby M.

However, as I've looked through photos from this time last year, I can't help but stare at the bump.  I had reached the very uncomfortable part of being with child.  Health issues were getting a little more serious.  My family was on-edge as we anticipated possible emergency type situations.  I was over pregnancy.  Friday, February 10th during an appointment, I looked my doctor in the eye and said, "I'm tired.  I'm ready to have this baby."  

Aside from all of that, I can now look at these photographs and appreciate the bump from a different angle - literally.  I was bored out of my mind at home while on bed rest  and I decided to change into an actual, photo-worthy outfit...shirt (from a black bag, of course - Thank you, Bec), skirt I altered, which explains why it's uneven, and old, cheap boots that I can't seem to part with no matter how hard I try.  I set the self-timer and spent twenty minutes doing my own maternity photo session.

I know I take well-over 1,000 photos a month, and I have tons of "favs," but these photographs mean more to me than I can ever express to anyone.  Taken in the house I was raised in...by a wood-stove that for many years my Daddy has filled with wood he cut with his own hands...in a kitchen where my Momma taught me how to break eggs, do homework at the kitchen table, and wear socks because this kitchen floor is always cold.  In the house that Baby M would learn to explore...with his parents and now, freely on his own.

So much history and a promising future within these photographs.  

They are truly tied to my heart.  

...and this is a personal shout-out to whoever invented the self-timer option on cameras...thank you.  I would never have been this comfortable around anyone else.

-S