Family Photos: Session III

A few weeks ago, I was asked to take some family photos for my aunt, uncle, + their family. I love how these turned out and can't wait to share this sneak peek!

 

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to capture these photos!

Much love,

A Month of Thanks: Week Three

This is week three of my "Month of Thanks" series. If you missed the first two weeks, you can get caught up here and here.

Now, week three has come as kind of a challenge for me because, let's be honest, after the first few major things on the list, it's a bit difficult to think of more. But, I persisted and came up with a few more things I'm grateful for.

{1} The interwebs. Yep. Even with all of the negative stuff that you can find online, I still love that it exists. Today, we have access to so much more information than was previously possible. We can connect with people on the other side of the world with the click of a button! It just amazes me that the world is literally at my finger tips. Plus, without it, I would not be writing this right now and you would not be reading it and we would not be growing in community. It's just a fact. Also a fact? No human could survive the low pressure of Mars. If you went to Mars without an appropriate space suit, the oxygen in your blood would literally turn into bubbles, causing immediate death. [[I actually don't know if that's true. It just came up when I searched for "random facts." Whatever. You have internet. You do the research! =] ]]

{2} Hot herbal tea. More specifically, Celestial Seasonings. There aren't a whole lot of ailments that a good strong cup of herbal tea won't fix. I use it for falling asleep, headaches, sinus congestion...pretty much everything. But don't ask me what my favorite blend is, because I don't have one and I don't want to try to have one because they're all too delicious. Also, I hate favorite things. [[No I don't.]]

This is my current tea collection. Yep...count 'em. 15 teas. It's a little outrageous, I know...but I'm telling you...I love the stuff!

{3} Seasons. I love the changing of seasons here in Central Illinois. The melting of the snow and blooming of flowers and leaves in spring, the melting of my face and the uncontrollable frizz of my hair in the summer [[okay so I really, really don't like summer...]] but then comes the cool crisp air of autumn and the crunch of fallen leaves under your boots, and finally, winter brings the freshness of snow and the icy bite of the wind [[also it brings warm, cozy sweaters and things like, I don't know, hot herbal tea!]] Winter is by far my favorite season, but I really appreciate that I even get to have seasons. I don't know what I would do if I moved to a place with only one or two seasons. For serious.

So, tell me, what things are you thankful for this week? I would love to hear from you!

Autumn Family Photos: Part Deux

A couple of Saturdays ago, I had the pleasure of taking photos of a new family in town. They were so much fun and such good models! [[If I put them in place, they knew exactly what to do. It was fantastic!]] Here are a few pictures from the day:

Little MC asked if we could take a picture like this! Who am I to refuse such sweetness?

Thank you guys so much for the privilege of capturing this season of life for you! I had a blast! =] 

[[p.s. HUGE thank you to Jami for assisting me in this shoot! You got some beautiful photos and the extra hands were so very helpful!]]

A Month of Thanks

So here it is.
The month of November.
A lot of big things are happening this month.

My husband is celebrating his 24th birthday.

Some dear friends of ours just so happen to be getting married this month.

Thanksgiving is this month, which means a couple of things:

      {1} Lots and lots of family//friend time!
      {2} Piles of delicious food [[most of it containing some form of pumpkin. YUM!]]
      {3} A new series of blog posts from yours truly. Each week will contain a smattering of things I've been thankful for recently. I would encourage you to also spend some time each week in thought. Think about what you're thankful for, how God has blessed you over the last week, month, or even year. Also, it would be great if you would come back here to share with me and others what you've been thanking God for.

It will just be one giant thankfulness fest! We'll join together and thank God for what he has been doing in our lives. It'll be great.

So! Let's get this wagon rolling, shall we? This week, I'll start with the big picture stuff.

For Example:

{1} My husband. Joshua. This man. I tell ya what. We are most of the way through our third year of marriage [[can you believe it??]] and we are still just as in love as the day we met. [[Actually...bad example because we despised each other when we met...but that's a story for another day!]] Anyway, we're still very much in love and he is continually surprising me with his love. Some days I feel so unlovable, but he loves me anyway. Unconditional love, people. There is no greater blessing.

{2} I have a great family. A great big, giant, supportive ball of family. They bless my socks off. Seriously. They are there for me [[and the husband]] when we're going through rough patches. They push me to use my skills for God's glory and not my own. They are hilarious, people. You should meet them some time. For reals.

{3} I have a place to call home. I don't mean our actual house [[although I am quite thankful for it...]] but instead the town that we now call home, Bloomington-Normal [[a.k.a. BloNo for those of you that are "hip..."]] This town has so many things to offer! [[I will be doing a post soon about an awesome new food experience I was recently introduced to. Be on the lookout...it'll blow your mind!]] Aside from the great restaurants and culture and thrift stores and gift shops and everything, this town has one thing that we won't find anywhere else. Our family at Jacob's Well. Sure, in the future, when we move on, we'll find other churches with other families, but I doubt that any of them will feel quite as much like home as the Jake. God has blessed us with friends upon friends [[most of whom have actually become more like brothers and sisters than friends!]] and I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing they have been. For a small taste of how they have helped us, check out my posts here and here.

So there you have it. The first three things in a long list of things that I am quite thankful for. Don't forget to think about your own list and also  to come on back here to share it with the rest of us!

Happy November!

Fall Sale @ Fāyán Knits

Hey y'all!

Fall is upon us! [[Basically...]] And you know what that means...

NEW FALL KNITS!!

 

In an effort to get you new products in the shop, I would like to clear inventory from summer. The season of change will be bringing in some changes to my shop. I would like to begin using all natural fibers in my products to ensure the best quality [[and coziest]] knits there are! However, I can't get you these new products without clearing out a few of the ones that are already stocked...

SO!

I have decided to give y'all 15% off everything in the shop! Yep...15%! Off of everything!

All you have to do is enter the code

FALL15

at checkout. Simple as pie. So head on over to Fāyán Knits and do some shopping! [[Because I'm really excited about the new projects I'm working on and you should be too!]]

So it's almost Thanksgiving...

This year has flown by. I can hardly believe that next Thursday is already Thanksgiving! One of the girls that I nanny for had an assignment for school to make a list of things that she is thankful for. Whoever had the most things got a prize. [[This was a little silly, I thought, but it really made me stop and think...what am I thankful for?]]

I started making a list in my head of all the things that I make my life easier, more fun, things like that. I ended up with a pretty huge list of things [[I probably would have won the prize...]] but I think it's probably not appropriate to share a "Top 10,000 Things I'm Thankful For" list...I mean...who wants to read that? [[And why would I want to type that?]]

So...here it is...My Top 5 Things I'm Thankful For in 2011:

1. A wonderful, supportive family.  Who else would pretend that I'm a good cook? =]
2. An amazing church family. The Jake is an awesome example of what a church community should look like and I am humbled that they have accepted my husband and I into their lives.
3. A place to call home. By that, I don't just mean that we have shelter. Yes, we do live in an apartment, and I am thankful to have a roof over my head and electricity so I can have heat during the cold days ahead, but I'm talking about having a town that we fit into. Looking back at the few places my husband and I have lived together, we are now in a town that is more "our style," [[Whatever that means...]] and I am thankful for it.
4. I am thankful for my husband. He works hard every day to make my life easier and to make me happy. He treats me well and he respects me. I truly couldn't ask for a better partner in life. I am so blessed.
5. And finally, my friends. This year has brought about new friends and has brought me closer with old ones too. It is awesome to just have someone to share life with.

If you haven't already thought about it, I challenge you to think about what you're thankful for. Think about it throughout the day, whenever you have a spare minute to think. Write it down so you're reminded of these things whenever you see it. And if there are people on your list, tell them how thankful you are that they're in your life.

Rockin' Rolls

I love being in the kitchen. It's great to have the oven going, especially on chilly days when I am in need of a quick way to warm up. Lately, I've been trying to make my own breads and such. The other night, we were having pot roast for dinner. [[BTW, it was delicious!]] Meat and potatoes are great, but I felt like we just needed something extra with the meal to round it out. I decided to make a batch of crescent rolls [[which I am not a huge fan of]] but with a twist. In one of my new favorite cook books, I found a recipe for sweet potato crescent rolls! Sounds delicious right? Well, they totally were. They added a little bit of sweetness, which was a perfect contrast to the meal.

1 1/2 c whole wheat bread flour
1/4 c sugar
1 tbsp dry active yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 c sweet potatoes [[cooked and mashed]]
1 c milk
1/4 c butter
1 large egg [[beaten]]
2-2 1/2 c bread flour
2 tbsp butter [[melted]]

1. Combine in a large bowl.
2. Combine potatoes, milk and butter in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until butter is melted and mixture is warm.
3. Add to flour mixture.
4. Beat with mixer set on low speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture is moistened, 1-2 minutes.
5. Add egg and beat at medium speed for 3 minutes
6. Stir in enough flour by hand to make dough easy to handle.
7. Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic [[around 7-9 minutes00
8. Place in greased bowl, [[turn to grease both sides]]. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in bulk.
9. Punch down dough and divide it in half.
10. Roll each half of dough on lightly floured surface into a 12" circle.
11. Brush each circle with 1 tbsp butter.
12. Cut into 12 wedges and tightly roll up each wedge from wide end to point.
13. Place crescent rolls, point side down, on greased baking sheet.
14. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake in preheated oven at 375 F until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.


So there it is. Try this recipe out and let me know what you think! Also, if you have any favorite recipes, send them my way. I love trying new things in the kitchen!

jspencer2303@gmail.com

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Autumn...

I don't know about you, but I'm not much of a seasonal decorator...that is...I wasn't until this year. I'm not sure what it was, but I felt inspired to make our home feel festive. So today, I spent several hours making a few crafts to decorate our home with.

What do you think? They're super easy, however, quite time consuming. I found the garland idea here, the larger pumpkin idea here [[the first picture of the post.]] and the tiny, cute pumpkin idea here. [[Just in case you're interested.]] The best part about these is that you can completely customize them to fit your style. If you try them, send me pictures! I'd love to see how they turn out.

Also, if you have other decorating ideas for fall, send them my way!
jspencer2303@gmail.com

It's the Little Things in Life.

Because last Friday marked the beginning of Fall, I have decided to do a post about things in Autumn that bring me joy.

 

1) The changing colors of the leaves.
2) The smell of cinnamon that seems to permeate the air. 
3) It's football season!
4) Brisk morning walks.
5) Big, comfy sweaters.
6) It's finally knitting weather!
7) A big mug of hot tea and a good book.

What are some things about this beautiful season that bring you joy? E-mail them to me and I will feature your list on my blog!


jspencer2303@gmail.com