Recent Reads

And Then We Snapped - Week #25

This week we celebrated buddy's birthday. We also took a trip to the Butterfly House and the Children's Museum of South Dakota. We also had a few regular days thrown in.

Age is merely the number of years the world has been enjoying you.

Author: Unknown

You got a fast car

I want a ticket to anywhere

Maybe we can make a deal

Maybe together we can get somewhere

Anyplace is better

Starting from zero got nothing to lose

Maybe we'll make something

But me myself I got nothing to prove

-Tracy Chapman

“Stars got tangled in her hair whenever she played in the sky.” 

― Laini Taylor

“One fish Two fish Red fish Blue fish!” 

― Dr. Seuss

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” 

― Stephen King

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” 

― Marcus Aurelius

“Our care of the child should be governed, not by the desire to make him learn things, but by the endeavor always to keep burning within him that light which is called intelligence.” 

― Maria Montessori

Today my favorite little buddy turned 3. We celebrated by taking him to the Children's Museum in Brookings. 

Now make a trip around our little 365 circle! Next up is Sharyn Thompson!

Dexter's Birthday Interview - 3 years

Dexter turned 3 today! Today we also did his first birthday interview. He was such a big boy and answered with the honesty that only a 3 year old has. Hope you enjoy.

How old are you? Holds up 3 fingers. How old is that? Three!

Who is your best friend? Piper

What is your favorite thing to do? Spin around with Moo Moo and Hoot and go down the slide with them.

What is your favorite color? Green

What is your favorite food? Cheetos

What do you like to do with your family? Dance

What is your favorite toy? Hoot and Moo Moo

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to help carry baby animals.

What makes you happy? Water

What makes you sad? Eating yucky food

What is your favorite show to watch? The silly monkey one and Jake and The Neverland Pirates

What is your favorite book? A Jake and The Neverland Pirates book

What do you love to learn about? Baby owls and baby cows

What was the best part of your Birthday? The water room ( at the children’s museum)

What is your favorite treat? Cookies

What do you think about before you fall asleep? Toys and cuddle things

If you could meet someone famous who would it be? A friend

What was your favorite birthday present? Cars

Now lets take a look back on what it was like being two. 

Guest Post: Annie's little sister gets a StitchFix

Hey y'all, this is Emily - Annie's sister in Atlanta, Georgia.

Annie blogged about her StitchFix once or twice before, and you can check one of those posts out here. If you need a refresher, StitchFix is basically a personal shopping service - you schedule a "fix," pay a $20 styling fee, and receive five items picked for you. Your $20 fee goes toward the purchase of any of the items, the rest get shipped back for free, and if you keep all five you get a %25 discount.

This was my fourth fix over the course of 2014/2015.

I am generally happy with what my stylists' choose for me, and have kept at least two items from every fix. This time was different.....

For the first time, I'm going to keep everything. Thanks, Stylist Lynsi!

I enlisted my husband to take some photos. As you might notice, he and I are not photographers like my sister. I attempted to edit/crop these, but my tools and sense of artistry are quite limited.

The first thing I pulled out of the box was this Market & Spruce Brentwood Tiered Striped Long Sleeve Sheath Dress. Did you get all that? Quite a name, eh?

I put it on here without a shaper or tights just to see how it looked. I really like it, and know that some type of base layer will make it look even better. My stylist suggested that I could wear it to work, which led to the following conversation:

Me: "I don't know if I can wear this to work. There is a LOT of butt here. It's probably too scandalous for work."

Husband: "But it does work for SCANDAL!"

*Chases me around the house*

---------------------------------------------------------------

This was the first time I made a request for a specific item. I asked for simple, skinny, black pants that I could wear to work. Boy, did Lynsi deliver. She sent these Margaret M Emer High Waisted Cropped Trousers.

I can't even buy pants for myself! How is someone else so good at finding pants for me!? They fit, they are comfortable, they are high quality, and they're stretchy enough that they would look nice on bloaty days and skinnier days. My apologies for the word "bloaty."

Also pictured here is the Fate Humboldt V-Neck Pullover. It's a basic grey v-neck with some funky gold zippers on the side. This is probably not something I would keep when shopping in a store, but it cost nearly half the amount of the discount I got if I kept everything in my Stitch Fix. I'll wear it. 

The next item was probably my second favorite in the bunch. The Laila Jayde Placer Knit Poncho in Teal Green is not a style of top I would usually pick out for myself, but the color, length, and super soft fabric was right up my alley. You can't quite see the length here, but it does fully cover my butt, which suddenly makes it wearable with a lot of different pant/tight options. 

After I put this on, I immediately had an irresistible urge to drink cocoa and read books in front of a fireplace. If you buy this, beware of the urge to become a cliche from a romance/spy novel. It's almost too cozy...

My last piece is another great item for work: the Mystree Jackie Striped French Terry Asymmetrical Jacket. I'm guessing Lynsi looked at my Pinterest page or maybe snuck into my actual closet when I wasn't looking, because blazers & sweaters with asymmetrical zippers are my JAM. 

It's a little short, but I will wear it. Probably all of the time. 

Now, witness the devolution of the husband and wife photography session: 

So, thems the threads. If you're interested in learning more about StichFix, check out my referral page here.  Thanks to my sis for letting me crash her blog!

And Then We Snapped - Week #24

I love weeks like this, nothing real crazy happened. I still did my best to capture the everyday and I love each one of these little moments. 

“Make your mistakes, take your chances, look silly, but keep on going. Don’t freeze up.” 

― Thomas Wolfe

Things are going great, and they're only getting better

I'm doing all right, getting good grades

The future's so bright I gotta wear shades

-Timbuk3

“Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination.” 

― Jhumpa Lahiri

“The world is quiet here.” 

― Lemony Snicket

“Laughter is sunshine, it chases winter from the human face.” 

― Victor Hugo

“There's something nice about the silence of a car ride in the dark, going home. When you were tired of the radio and conversation, and it was okay to just be alone with your thoughts and the road ahead. If you're that comfortable with someone, you don't have to talk.” 

― Sarah Dessen

“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success.” 

― Louisa May Alcott

No keep following the blog circle. Up next is Irdira from Irdira Klotzer Photography. 

And Then We Snapped - Week #23

It was a very cold week so we spent a lot of time inside. Definitely looking forward to some warmer temps!

Where would I be right now

If all my dreams had come true

Deep down I know somehow

I'd have never seen your face

This world would be a different place

Darling there's no way to know

Which way your heart will go

- Mason Jennings

“The road to enlightenment is long and difficult, and you should try not to forget snacks and magazines.” 

― Anne Lamott

“If you love what you do and are willing to do what it takes, it's within your reach. And it'll be worth every minute you spend alone at night, thinking and thinking about what it is you want to design or build. It'll be worth it, I promise.” 

― Steve Wozniak

Today was cold and snowy but I had to get the kids out of the house. We headed down town to the Museum of Visual Materials for a nice relaxing morning. 

“Life itself is the proper binge.” 

― Julia Child

A little golden hour snack time. 

imagine what we'd discover, if we saw beyond the obvious. -r.m. drake

“I can't stand it to think my life is going so fast and I'm not really living it.” 

― Ernest Hemingway

Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood.

Andy Goldsworthy

Now head on over to the amazing Cynthia Dawson from Cynthia Dawson Photography's blog to see what her week looked like! 

And Then We Snapped - Week #22

This week brought the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015. I always look forward to starting a new year of daily photos. Lots of new photography goals and a few new projects planned for this year. I can not wait to share them all with you!

“I think of it like winter. During winter, it isn't that the sun is gone (or cheating on you with some other planet). You can still see it in the sky. It's just farther away.”

― Rainbow Rowell

"There's power in looking silly and not caring that you do."

- Amy Poehler

“The day you stop racing, is the day you win the race.” 

― Bob Marley

We drank a toast to innocence

We drank a toast to time

Reliving in our eloquence

Another 'Auld Lang Syne'

- Dan Fogelberg 

“Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” 

― Brad Paisley

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” 

― Plato

Home sweet home after five days at my parents’ house. The kids were so excited to play with all their new toys they have received over the last few weeks. 

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” 

― Jorge Luis Borges

Now follow the circle to see what Jana from Photography 2204 has been up to.