Photo Shoot

Little did Drew know that when she was born to me, she would forever be my teeny model and tester. We had a photo shoot so I could get some pictures of some skirts that I am going to be putting in my Etsy shop (hopefully today or tomorrow). Just a few of my model...

I originally wanted to take pictures by this really old red barn I saw one day off the road (we have a lot of barns around here in Iowa), but decided against climbing Drew and I over the barbed wire fence. We drove down the gravel road just a little ways more and found this cool turquoise farm building and I loved the color against the dark red gate.

I really wonder how anyone can take pictures of a one year old. She has learned to completely block out any direction I might say to her like, "Drew, turn around and walk towards Mommy." Or, "Go stand by the gate." All of a sudden when I start telling her to do things like this, it's as though she's blasting up the music on the little ipod playing in her head and she can no longer hear me. Nice try shrimp.

I resorted to throwing a rock to where I wanted her to stand and telling her to go get it and bring it back to me. This gave me a lot of great shots, but of course she always has rocks in her hands. You win some, you lose some.

House Plans, part one

Come on over! This is the entrance to our new house. I love that it is not at the front of the house, but along the side. It is more private and cozy. Add some flowers along the sides, lots of plants in the back by the gate, a bench under the tree... so cute. Now I really need to figure out how to grow stuff and keep it alive. Oh, and I guess we also have to close on the house and move in first too.

Easter in pictures

(This is a cold face because it was freezing outside. Leave it to Iowa. And leave it to me to still make her wear her Easter outfit in the cold anyway.)

Purple or Blue

She is a strong willed girl.

A few nights ago after getting out of the bath, Drew and I were picking out her jammies. I said to her, "Oh look, you get to wear your purple socks tonight." To which she shakes her head and replies, "No. Blue." That was cute to me, so I fished through the drawer to find the blue socks instead.

I'm dressing her on the changing table and slipping the blue socks on her feet when she starts violently shaking her foot. "No, no! Purple socks! Purple!" After a day of battles, this was not one I was going to pick. I went back and got her purple socks because it must have been pretty important to her. I dropped the blue socks on the floor.

The next morning I woke up to a very distressed Drew. When I walk into her room, she is reaching through the bars of her crib crying, "Blue! Blue!" She had pulled the purple socks off her feet and was trying to get the blue socks from the floor. Are you serious, Drew?

Strong willed and indecisive. Bad combination.

Was and Is

Was:

My old jewelry/make-up/mirror stand my mom gave me for my 14th birthday. It never made the moves with me after I got married.

Is:

Drew's new piece of furniture! I pried off the outdated little wood design piece on top, replaced it with a cute wooden flower, sanded, painted, ripped out the forest green velvet interior, and replaced it with cute fabric.

Question:
Is shabby chic furniture old news? I thought of shabbying up the new white paint, but just couldn't do it.

For the Love of April

We did a ton of fun things in AZ last week. Drew's new word that she said at least twenty times a day was "outside." The girl was not happy unless she was outdoors scouring for rocks and flowers and soaking up the sun. I don't blame her. She just survived an Iowa winter being locked up in our tiny condo. Let me rephrase that. She is still surviving an Iowa winter because we sat at the window together today watching the snow fall outside. In April. Of course she asked me, "Outside?" Um, no.

This girl is not meant to sit behind a window and watch the snow fall. She looks too good in little shorts and shades for that.

Update

My arms are much tanner.

Drew is more spoiled.

The house situation has been a roller coaster. Still is.

I am SO excited to move to Phoenix.

I miss Jason.

We are flying home to Iowa tomorrow morning.

Forecast says snowstorms.

Blah.