by Kimberly | Sep 4, 2016 | Uncategorized
Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone. My weekend is pretty typical – although my older is out of school and my husband gets off at 6 instead of 8. Don’t know what we are going to do tomorrow to have some fun, but will think of something.
Last night we went to Athens on a double date (we rarely have double dates) and enjoyed eating good Southern food here and walking around UGA’s campus and playing In a Pickle. I won – not that I’m competitive or anything.
Everyone has to have a good reason to make this sauce and these muffins.
And this is when Oreos just got better.
I think I may eat this every day.
Go listen to this podcast
I have an old gold frame like this one and want to do this.
He is easily one of my favorite artists – and we sang one of his songs in church today. Loved hearing him live in Little Rock a few years ago.
by Kimberly | Sep 1, 2016 | Books
I love Southern cuisine. Currently, in my freezer, I have a bag of purple hull peas. I mean, yes. My Granny’s most famous recipes were her chicken and rice and corned beef hash.
A friend of mine once said that you aren’t truly a southern cook unless you have a jar of bacon grease in your fridge. I actually used to – but butter is super good, too.
Victuals is a book that not only tells the history of Southern cuisine, the food that hales from each region, and people who have made it famous, but also it shares delicious recipes that were developed and perfected in Southern kitchens.
If you love history and a readable cookbook, this one will be for you!
Now, on to that bacon grease!
Thanks to Blogging for Books for this book and all opinions are my own.
by Kimberly | Aug 26, 2016 | Coffee with..., creatives, photo shoot, Uncategorized
Atlanta metro is such a fabulous area for meeting other creatives and supporting each other in our craft. And there are plenty of playgrounds around so even though we do have young ones, we can still hang out and our kids can play.
Allow me to introduce you to another photography creative, Kelsey.
Who are you and What do you love?
I’m Kelsey of Kelsey Butcher Photography. I am constantly inspired by and love Jesus, florals and tulle, period drames, books, visually pleasing things and Asian cuisine.
Tell my readers a little of your photography story, please.
During my Senior year of high school, we were required to compete a senior project. I wanted to do something artistic, but something I’d enver done before. As any high school senior, I also wanted something that wouldn’t be too much work since I knew there was a research paper, along with several other tedious tasks that the project required of me.
I chose photography because I’ve always been a a hands on/visual type of learner, so I figured what better thing to choose than photography, which is the embodiment of that and because I had always found imagery compelling to me personally. I got an A on that project (woohoo!) and I just unexpectedly found a hidden passion for photography through the whole process. And since then, I’ve not looked back. I started my photography journey in September of 2010.
Because I’m a visual person, I have always enjoyed most art forms, painting/drawing, dancing, music, etc. I play violin and I also draw (mostly for fun), so I have always been artistic in more ways than one. I would say, when I was just starting my photography journey, I was inspired by my sweet friend and fellow photographer Kayla Johnson. Her testimony is incredible and moving and I’ve always felt that her photos reflected that in a beautiful way. She inspired me to keep on growing and how to show people the love of Christ with this creative outlet.
I love how photography can represent emotions, how images can evoke and endless variety of feelings from person to person. And it can freeze that moment in time visually so it can be relived, whether its captured with an iphone or a DSLR. These moments like a couple’s wedding, birth of a baby, and anniversaries can all be remembered through photographs.
We can relive the past, even as those moments come and go in a single breath. I love that so many people could see the same setting or image and all have different perspectives and feelings about it. Just a perfect picture of how unique our Creator made us.
What do you love about the metro area?
Visually, everything is so stimulating, from the nature of North Georgia to the metropolis of actual Atlanta. I love the geometry and clean aesthetic of the city buildings, with all of the reflective surfaces and green space combined. It’s a great place to feel inspired when it comes to shooting bloggers’ street style and just going to feel inspired from places like Crate and Barrel, and other stores that have that light and clean feel I like that inspires my photography.
I love further north and all the suburbs for more greenery like woods and downtown areas that inspire my more whimsical inspiration. In every direction, being the visual person I am, there is just endless potential that constantly inspires me. I’ve traveled to several places within the US and outside of the country, but where I really want to go is the Pacific Northwest like Oregon/Washington, as well as California, because the aesthetic there, just from what I’ve seen online is just a completely different vibe than here on the East Coast.
Outside of the US, I would love to go to Europe because of the history that translates into every part of each country there. Plus, who doesn’t love want to try authentic European food? I see photographers like Ben Sasso and Jordan Voth, as well as some others I keep up with, who live over there, and their work inspires me to someday shoot on the West Coast.
If we were hanging out over coffee, etc – what would you get? Where would you go?
I’m so not a coffee snob, and I don’t even care about such things as pour overs. Neither do I care for alcohol because honestly, my body doesn’t tolerate it well, so I pretty much never venture into all of that anyways. I like my Starbucks, so we could always go there where I would proceed to either get a White Chocolate Mocha (espresso) if it’s cold outside, or I would get a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher if it’s hot. I also love their “Pink Drink”, the Strawberry Acai drink with coconut milk. If I’m feeling like I still want coffee, but it’s hot outside, I sometimes get a Frappuccino of some sort. If we went to a more independent coffeehouse/place, I’d choose either Copper Coin Coffee or Chrome Yellow Trading Co for either a White Chocolate Mocha or an iced version, depending on weather. Like I said, I’m not a coffee snob or social drinker, so it helps to not make me that picky, really.
Summer has been great, but what are you looking forward to about Fall?
I’m super excited about the weather and leaves changing colors which so evidently display God’s Creation, all of Fall attire I’m going to get to wear, and all of the exciting sessions and projects that are coming up! I physically feel my business growing, and I love that. Never stagnant, and never boring! I honestly hate summer, but I would have to say the ONLY good thing about it was watching my daughter play outside and going to the pool with her and my husband.
How do you balance a life of a photographer, a mom, and a wife?
I read a book the other day called, “Bebe Day By Day: 100 Keys to French Parenting” by Pamela Druckerman. It’s pretty self explanatory, but in the book, it guidelines basically what French parents do to get their kids to behave so well and be wholesome people. As I read through it, I realized that I’ve been doing almost everything this book says without even realizing it was the way French people parented. I don’t do everything exactly down to the letter, of course, because they totally acknowledge that kids are all unique and different, so this “method”, if you will, applies to each differently. But, for the most part, I’m pretty proud of that accomplishment, as a mom. My daughter has been sleeping through the night since she was 2.5 months old, she has a healthy appetite and diet, and she doesn’t have to be entertained every second of the day.
Honestly, the hardest thing about having my daughter has been her hard-headedness/stubbornness, running after her, having patience with her sometimes (it’s me, not really her), and trying to edit with a toddler (imagine a tiny person trying to climb on you or underneath your chair while you try to tediously edit someone’s skin lol). But I wouldn’t trade it for anything, truly.
As a wife, I think that I’ve been truly blessed with a husband who is 100% supportive of what I do. He never complains about me doing a shoot or staying up into the wee hours of the night to edit sessions. Sometimes, I think it’s easy to feel guilty or resentful for not giving my full attention to him (or my daughter) when I’m in my photographer zone, but I know that he knows that I love what I’m doing, and he will always communicate to me if he needs my full attention. Otherwise, he is good about finding that time to do something he enjoys or plays with our daughter to keep her out of my way while I edit.
In that same book I mentioned above, Druckerman wrote that French people fully believe that women are totally capable to have careers and take care of themselves and still be a wonderful mother. There’s no guilt-trip like here in American culture where people think that you’re a bad mom if you work or are no longer driven toward your dreams if you choose to be a stay-at-home mother. They believe you can have both and it was a light bulb moment for me, that I shouldn’t be feeling any guilt for trying to balance this photographer work life right alongside my home life. I don’t care about “having it all” or anything. I am lucky to be able to work from home and not miss the moments I want to be here for in my daughter’s life. But when I go to shoot a wedding all day or something, I don’t feel guilty for being my own self away from my family. Another mommy friend I have who is a photographer/blogger and SAHM I got to shoot for the other day agreed that one of the hardest things about motherhood was trying to find that balance and not letting her daughter, who she said she’s made her whole world since having her (which is something that is beautiful!), overshadow her own needs and her marriage. She felt guilty when she would ask her husband to take the reigns in caring for their daughter whenever he’d get home from work, so much so that she burned herself out FAST. I 100% agree because I know exactly how that feels, as I’m sure many other moms out there can relate to. While it’s a balancing act in itself, and it’s HARD WORK to do it all in some capacity, I think that there’s no room or necessity for guilt in my life in this regard. I compartmentalize, I minimize, I do my best to stay pretty organized, and I feel like that has helped me balance it all, along with some fervent prayer! I don’t worry if some areas bleed over into others because it makes me who I am, in every role I assume.
by Kimberly | Aug 22, 2016 | Uncategorized
Aren’t sunflowers happy and bright? I think they make a perfect flower for a Monday. And I love surprising people with flowers, especially when my local Trader Joes has such a variety of pretty stems for such a great price.
Mondays are often a hard day for folks. Whether its a return to normalcy (I didn’t do any dishes yesterday so I have a sink full), alarm clocks (yup, mine went off early this morning), or just because you are sad the weekend is over…Mondays often get a bad rap.
- Plan something beautiful. Whether its a coffee date with another creative, a play date with a friend, or blow-drying your hair and putting on make up, plan something for every Monday that helps bring extra beauty in to your day.
- Make a list of happies for your Monday. It can be some quiet time to regroup from the weekend, special lunch date with your littles, find special things to be grateful for and write them down!
- Buy flowers. Most Mondays include a trip to Trader Joes for me (or us, my littles and me). We love the relationships we’ve formed there over 2 years of going every Monday, produce to start our weeks out on a healthy note (to detox from the weekend), and the pretty flowers that greet us when we walk in the door. This week, the flower of choice was sunflowers.
- Breathe. Yup. Its that easy. Sometimes just taking time to breathe, whether you are sitting in traffic or practicing yoga, breathing helps bring life into our whole bodies. Remember, God breathed life into dirt to form man and gave him a soul to long after Him. Breathing is crucial to our well-being.
Enjoy your Monday friends.
by Kimberly | Aug 21, 2016 | Uncategorized
We are more than halfway through 2016 and rushing headlong into 2017. So, what are you thinking about, looking forward to, and anticipating for the remainder of the year?
The Fall is always busy for us as we have the holidays but also our anniversary and our two little boys both have Fall birthdays. There is never a dull moment and I sorta like it that way.
I do love downtime – and really the only downtime that I absolutely love is downtime with my mister. Whether it is a date night out in the city, a date night in, or just watching Netflix – that is always my favorite part of the day.
I’m usually not a slipper kind of girl – I really just love barefeet – but these are super cute, and super expensive (so they will just stay cute on someone else’s feet)
Love lettering and stuff for your home, and was just introduced to this little Etsy shop
Music is something super important to me. And it is also the most painful to me at times. Love this discussion with David Mathis and Bob Kauflin
These would be super tasty on a cloudy afternoon – I think maybe even better with blueberries. Perfect for Sundays when you serve brinner.
by Kimberly | Aug 15, 2016 | Bible
Back in my pre-married days, way back even pre-seminary days, I started out in ministry doing youth ministry. A few people in St. Augustine believed in me, and let me love on teenagers through the ministry of Young Life, and the local church, Anastasia Baptist. I’m grateful for those people in my life who believed in the gifts and heart that God had given me.
I still, even 2+ decades later, still love teenagers and discipling them – helping them pour into relationships, Jesus, and the Word.
The Color Code Bible (in NKJV) is a helpful new Bible perfect for young teenagers (or even pre-teens) with a fun way for them to start learning how to study the Bible on their own. A neat and very helpful way to get teenagers to study the Bible is by introducing them to topical studies. This Bible is helpful in that by giving them colors on certain topics of the Bible, like God, Jesus, sin, praise, assurance of heaven and hope, etc.
If you are wanting a new Bible to give to your son or daughter (or niece, nephew, grandchild), this would make a great gift. And why not study along with them – that may spur them on to study the Bible for themselves even more.
If you would like to win a copy of this, (Thanks Tommy Nelson for my copy and the giveaway copy), just answer the following: what is your favorite way to connect with your teenager/pre-teen?
by Kimberly | Aug 12, 2016 | Books, mothering, parenting
Motherhood is such a journey – and a different journey for everyone.
Writing about the ups and downs of motherhood is quite difficult too.
I got married late and therefore had kids late (mid-to-late 30s). I didn’t have many people in my life who truly told me how hard raising kids was going to be. Even if I hung out with families, I only saw glimpses (and most of the kids knew to obey in front of guests).
So, I had different expectations for parenting. And Hettie Brittz writes about parenting, motherhood, and all that goes with it in her new book (un)Natural Mom. She tells about real life, and all the what ifs and all the doubts that we are mothers face. I like that she is real. I like that she tells it like it is and points us to SCripture (and not the world’s ideals). I don’t like some of the daily specific things she talks about – because everyone is so different and may not find herself in the same story.
I do think that every woman (because she is a woman) is life-giving. That may not mean being a natural mom, or even an adoptive mom – that may mean discipling others or bringing life to an art area that sparks her interest. Affirming and maturing and building life is something we do because God created us as women.
Let us hold firm to what the Word says about women – not what the world says we have to be in order to be a good mom.
Thanks to Litfuse for this book. All opinions are my own.
by Kimberly | Aug 12, 2016 | Books, food
Happy Friday everyone.
I love just giving you a quick glance into our little world – and what things actually make me giddy. I love holding my littles hands (when I’m doing it for fun, not for discipline because they ran away), I love friends who are great accountability partners and share their lives with me, I love celebrating friends who excel in their hobbies, I love sticking my feet in the sand at a beach.
Here are some lovelies around the internet that might make you Friday just a bit brighter, too.
If you love Alaska, love adventure, love a story of a father and daughter taking risks, learning about each other, and all the emotions that go with it – you will love James Campbell’s new book Braving It. Parenting isn’t easy. And the Alaska wilderness with a teenager isn’t easy. But, this story holds truths about love and the nature of relationships that most will find compelling.
Trying to fit in more salads on our table – so this post was not only pretty but also inspiring.
I love Pinch of Yum food and also this post: about soaking up summer in all of its glory. Summer looks different than I thought it would with kids and a working husband. My mister always reminds me to change my expectations.
This has summer written all over it: and I want to eat it right now! Maybe I’ll make some rosemary olive bread this wknd
Thanks to Blogging for Books for Braving It – all opinions are my own
by Kimberly | Aug 12, 2016 | Bible, Books
Now that school is starting back, most people are quickly engaging their kids with lots of tools to help them learn: ipads, calculators, folders, trapper keepers (wait, that was 30 years ago), fun pencils, Lisa Frank goodies, locker mirrors, back packs, lunch boxes with a favorite character on it.
A mom I know asked on facebook last night when did sending a kids to school get so expensive? Everything adds up – all in the name of engaging the learner.
Something I loved from when I was a kid was going to the dentist and reading Highlights. I loved it. I can’t wait till my kids get old enough to read them. One of my favorite features in each magazine was the story with the pictures in them (instead of the word).
So, when I received the Look and Tell Bible I was so excited because it was like my favorite kids magazine in the Bible. How neat.
I had another mom over and showed this to her. She tried to let her son read it, but some of the names in the stories were hard to figure out. My kids only know general times like lion, ark, etc. They wouldn’t know a lot of the specific Bible characters yet.
But, I think this book does really well at engaging older preschool children – maybe 4-5 year olds. If you would like to win a copy of this beautiful hardback book with lots of fun Bible stories in it, just tell me what your favorite school supply was when you were growing up! (Or maybe you still have a favorite school supply).
Thanks Tommy Nelson for this book, and the giveaway copy. All opinions are my own.
by Kimberly | Jul 24, 2016 | Uncategorized
You certainly need to find people you can trust to recommend books to you – and when you do, always read them!
Not many books make me laugh, cry, and challenge me on almost every parenting area. And also one that makes me re-place my hope in God because I know this parenting journey is tough and I can’t do it on my own. Love That Boy is a must read!
I love history and the American presidency, so when I knew that was a backdrop to this parenting book, I knew it would be a winner. And it didn’t disappoint.
You don’t have to have children with special needs in order to gain insight into your children through this book. But, every parent will gain insight into themselves, their children, and even their parents. They will be able to see how other parents parent through new lenses. You will learn what is important to you in how you raise your kids – even if you didn’t know it in the first place.
The only sad thing about this book: there was no hint of Christ. And even though I can’t save my children, I can’t make them place their hope in God – I can aim for that end. I can show them the gospel. And I do believe, if I didn’t have that hope – then this book and the whole parenting journey would be incredibly futile and depressing.
Thanks Blogging for Books – incredible choice!
