Printcopia Wrapped Canvas Giveaway {Nov26-Nov29}

Hello.

Its me.

You know that one lady that comes and goes out of the blogging world like a fine mist on a chilly morning.

You know another thing I am bad at?

Getting photos printed from our family photo sessions, like the ones we had taken by Emily back in APRIL, yep APRIL, as in 6 months ago.

So when I was contacted by Printcopia to try out their wrapped canvases, I knew right away what I wanted to have printed.  Emily had captured this great little trio of photos with the kids and I had wanted them lined up on the wall.  

It was such an easy process to have them made.  Straight forward as straight forward can be.

- Pick a canvas size

- Upload you photo {ready for the genius part?! You can upload from Instgram and/or Facebook!}

- Then you pick you boarder {mirror image, image wrapped, or color}

Easy peasy.

When they came I decided to hang them with Velcro, I find it is the best way to keep photo from shifting on the wall.   And lastly, I took some washi tape and framed it out.

The nice people at Printcopia are wanting to share the canvas lovin and would like to give one of you fine folk a free 8x10 canvas!

You have up to three ways of entering {remember to leave one comment PER entry}:

- Leave a comment here that you are entering.

- Follow Printcopia on Facebook

- Follow Printcopia on Twitter

Good luck chucks.

You have until midnight on Nov 29th

Picking a winner on Friday Nov 30th

Mom in the shot {Nov 10th Remember to live in the moment}

Life is so busy.

Things happening everyday.

Schedules to follow.

Play dates, lunch dates, and errands fill up the space in between.

The other day I was tired.

Tired of feeling like I had seconds to breath and regroup before moving onto the next thing.

Then I decided we needed a day off, well when I say "we" I mean, Bean and I, Hubs still had work and Buggie school.

But Bean and I lived in the moment.

Which for us meant some super silly photo moments. When Em started Embrace the Camera, I knew it was important, but honestly the gravity of it has grown more on me with each and every post. Will Bean look back at these photos of his Mom with fond memories, I sure hope so because thats the goal here folks. These moments when Mommy put on silly masks with him and made funny faces in the computer, he now has these photos to remember it was not all Mommy dragging him around all day.

Then we went outside for a snack picnic. Where we shared grapes, hummus, and cherry tomatoes. It was just us and the birds flying high in the sky. Life moves around us, stop and watch it sometimes, you might learn something about it.

Because I sure did on this day.

I learned I need more of these days in my life.

It left me refreshed with a new sense of love and worth for my family.

My favorite moment of our day, was laying on our blanket in the shade of the tree, pointing to the the clouds as they slowing passed by us. And just listening, listening to my little boy ramble about the clouds, birds, Toy Story, Cars 2, and dinosaurs. These are the moments that make life sweet. Moments I will always remember and now we have captured for my little 2 year old to look back on and know his Mommy took time out of our hectic life to just be.

I linked up with Em.

You should too, promise it is SOO worth it.

Toot Toot.

For a few months now I have been using Paint the Moon photoshop actions.

I also follow Annie on FB, where she offers FREE exclusives and tutorials.

Annie started a fun 52 week photo challenge and I thought it would

be fun to play along.

{some of Annie's examples of her actions}

So when I woke up this morning I found out that my entry was picked as one of

her photos of the week {check it out here}!

It is not too late to join. Its so easy and all levels of photography welcome

{which is VERY obvious with my severe amateur status!}

TOOT TOOT!

Perfect way to start my weekend.

Wishing yours is a happy one.

Did you enter to win my current giveaway?!

A decision and the sequence to get one gem.

You really never know what you got until you start uploading.

This was NOT looking good...

Excuse my French but, Holy Crap.

This picture actually ROCKS.

So I went with Snapfish, with coupon codes and such it was pretty darn cheap.

Thank you ALL for your suggestions, I hope to try them all out and have my go to.

XO

Suggestions needed.

Yesterday I did something I really shouldn't have.

I "attempted" to take pictures of the kiddies for a holiday card.

If I was not feeling insecure enough about taking a descent enough picture

to send to ALL our friends and family, I bumped into her.

You know her, the professional, went to school for this stuff, friend.

She was working, taking her fabulous pictures of a gorgeous family.

I think she might think I was rude, but she was working and I was finding it hard enough

not to grab her and hold on tight for dear life.

Next year I will not procrastinate and try to book with her a week into November,

what was I thinking.

Oh well, I took about 100 shots and got 5 to work with.

Now I need to print them.

Any suggestions on a good site to use and any coupon codes?

{this was the 5th that I did not use}

Take your best shot {a guest post from Emily of The Anderson Crew}

Back to school has come upon us, fast and fiercely.

And in celebration of this we all grab our cameras to capture these exciting moments.

I have asked Em from The Anderson Crew to hop over today and share some tips of the trade

to getting the BEST first day of school pic {or as Em suggest ANYtime pics}.

Well, it's that time of year again...back to school time. Every time you sign onto facebook, your news feed is flooded with photos of all of your friends' kids on their first days back. Here's a few tips to taking better photos of your kids, not only at back to school time, but all the time!

1. Check your background. While I love this photo:

it's not the best background, for a back to school photo. I mean, not that I don't love the messiness of my house, and my daughter in nothing but her undies, but for a back to school photo, it's just not appropriate. So, find a blank wall (preferably outside, but we'll talk about that next).

2. Check your lighting. If you can turn the flash off on your camera, then DO IT. While flash helps in really low light situations, it's not hardly ever needed, and it makes skin tones look blah. Find an area in your house (with a blank wall) and really good lighting. This may mean you need to go outside. Here's a couple of pictures outside of my house, under my porch. It's shady, but bright enough to get good light in my photo.

3. Check your attitude. Some days, we just don't like to have our photo taken. Your kids feel the same way. So, if you happen to not get a photo of them on their first day back, because of attitudes or busy-ness, try the next day! It's not like they've changed that much in 24 hours. I'd rather have a real photo of my kids, then one where they aren't smiling for real. So, in an effort to not stress yourself out, give yourself some grace, and try again the next day. And I am not against bribery either. If a little sweet treat is going to turn the photo situation around, then I'll offer it. Also, if you're the mom of little ones, it's amazing how saying the words "poopy, stinky, or bootie" can really turn a sour attitude around. Tell a joke, say a funny word...just get them laughing so that their smiles are genuine.

4. Check your words. So now that you've captured the photo and edited it, why not add some words on it, to always remind you of what grade they were in? Or, if you don't have the tools to add text to your photos, have them hold up a sign, stating what grade they are entering.

5. Check back at the end of the year. And while you're at it, don't forget to get a photo of them on the last day of their school year. It's fun to see how they've changed!

Have fun capturing those sweet little people in your lives :)

A HUGE thanks to Em and all her awesomeness for sharing today. As we all can imagine that she is a busy lady normally but this week, WOWZERS. She plays a VERY active role in her eldest son's school and it is all prep for next week.

You rock Girlie!

For some serious eye candy and photo inspiration check out Emily's Photog Buisness

Ollie Wren Photography.

And do not forget the ever growing and popular Embrace the Camera Challenge she hosts every Thursday.

xoxo

Mom in the shot Jul 22th {Peek-A-Boo}

Protecting our castle from Bean the Destroyer.

One day he will play the role of Prince Charming but today he was a total conqueror.

Hop on over to Em's for the complete run down on this weekly challenge.

Happy Funday, check this out for a good laugh...

My Hubby just showed me this site.

Awkward Family Photos.

Now I am stuck in front of my computer in complete amazement, shock, and laughing till my cheeks hurt.

Enjoy.

{note my favorite so far HAS to be this one! What's yours?}

Mom in the shot Jun 24th {and a pink lemonade cake.}

Ok so here is the deal, its been a ROUGH couple of days. Hubby has been out of town {ALL the praise in the world to single parents out there, *PHEW*}. And my little Bean has been teething. So this picture deserves a little narrative today, to make it easy I numbered it.

1. The sling. My little boy is ALL boy and I guess that means his threshold for pain is low. Because WOW Buggie was never this bad. So my days have been spent with him nuzzled up against me in some form. Wether it be nursing, snuggling, or just on the hip he has been in close contact.

2. The HUGE GINORMO cart. As you can see by number 1, he was not having it in the cart. So of course I was stuck pushing that beast around Target, because "Mommy, we HAVE to have that cart!"

3. Yes I totally asked a random stranger in the soap isle to take our picture. She was super sweet and giggled a little then indulged me. Thank you random lady in the soap isle, I *heart* you!

4. What's in the cart? The ingredients for this cake. I think a pink, fluffy, baked goodie will make make me smile. Plus Hubby comes tonight, something to celebrate.

5. Ok this makes me giggle out loud. Running shorts, come on people really? The only running these see are up my stairs to sneak a binkie back into Bean's mouth before he completely wakes up! I mean I did not even have sneaks on to pretend, flip flops.

6. Lastly no face shot today, it was bad enough I exposed all of Target to my mug today. Enough said.

Peace out peeps, off to go make my cake! Oh and if you are cool you will participate in Emily's weekly challenge.

OH OH OH, I got my phone fixed. I tell you people may not want to switch an iphone but it is SO worth it when you need something fixed. I just made an appointment at the "genius bar" and they ran a test and fixed it in 10 mins, for FREE!

Mom in the shot Jun 17th {and a winner.}

Buggie was behind the lens today.

{click on button for all the info about this wonderful weekly challenge}

And the winner of the two Frances England CD's is

Comment #3

Congrats Melissa!

If you did not win no worries remember I have two more to giveaway!

And Frances just posted a FUN Father's Day e-card on her site.

Mom in the shot Jun 10th {and Julie's cupcakes...}

Buggie wanted to do this SOO bad.

So being a good Mommy I let her.

But she got more wet then I did.

Made Julie's cupcakes tonight. Not sure why I let these into my life. But now that I have had a taste it is all over. YUMMO!

Oh and a picture of Bean because he is too darn cute with his two little teeth.

Let It Be {my new inner mantra}

Isn't it crazy how you can pass something everyday and not even really notice it? A while back I purchased this print from The Love Shop {along with two other prints I will share later}. It is not that I do not LOVE it, but when you go into a room everyday sometimes things go unnoticed.

While on vacation this week I did A LOT of thinking. Thinking about how I wanted to live my life. And I came to one conclusion, I just need to "Let it be." To stop analyzing EVERYTHING. Just let things happen.

If the house did not get cleaned today, let it be.

If my kids were not exactly happy today, let it be.

If I did not connect with friends because I was busy with projects, let it be.

If life feels out of control, let it be.

This can go on forever so I will stop here, I know you get my drift.

I say let it be because there is always tomorrow. And I need to be THANKFUL I have tomorrow instead of dwelling on what did not happen today.

So this little print is getting out from my powder bathroom under the stairs and will

find a new home on my family photo wall I am working on.

Now I am off to work on not trying to make things happen and just let them be.

I ♥ faces - Week 23 "Play Photo"

I know this image does not show a lot of playing.

But for me it invokes so many memories of my summer days.

The days of Florida heat so intense the only way to get relief is to spend

your day floating it away. All the while staring down at the water scheming up your next

mermaid adventure.

Sometimes Buggie and I so much alike it is scary.

Here is to a summer filled with pruned little hands and feet.

Mom in the Shot Day 5 {An Anderson Crew Challenge}

Happy birthday to me!

Enjoyed friends, family and some funfetti cake {my hubby baked for me}!

Don't forgot about me this week.

I will be back on June 7th with a HUGE giveaway.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.

God bless all those men and women who have served and are serving our country.

XOXOXO

Mom in the Shot Day 4 {An Anderson Crew Challenge}

Buggie had her last day in her class today, very sad.

But they celebrated the last day with a water day {hence the exhaustion on her face} and sundaes!

Love these little people!

Mom in the Shot Day 3 {An Anderson Crew Challenge}

Recipe for a Mommy Sandwich.

Ingredients:

- A Buggie

- A Mommy

- A Bean

- Lots of Love

- Tons of Laughs

Tired of my mug yet?! Two more days I promise, remember its for my kids, hehe.

PS Emily, this challenge has given me a new best friend. The timer.

And I should have used some under eye concealer. WHATS UP WITH THE RACCOON EYES?!

Mom in the Shot Day 2 {An Anderson Crew Challenge}

Bean and I at the grocery store {total coincidence I was in the candy isle!}

I am using Emily's challenge this week, to not only get myself in shots but to capture us in our day to day. For me it is like a week in a time capsule.

Mom in the Shot {An Anderson Crew Challenge}

Here we are.

As we are every morning.

Snuggles in bed.

Thanks Emily.

I am excited for this week.

{Timer is a Mom's best friend, set it and forget it.}

Please tell me how I am going to choose?!

I received the much anticipated email from our photographer this morning.

I am not just being bias but I have to say I think I could buy every shot!

Maybe if you have a sec to check them out you could help me and let me know your favorite?

Family photos.

{The gallery will only be up for 5 days}

Say cheese...

Its family picture day.

A day look forward to ALL year.

This year we are using a different photographer {our pervious one decided to dedicate her time to homeschooling her children}.

These are some from last year...

I SO excited for this year.

Look forward to sharing.