Just Ours

Bacon was cooking, hollandaise sauce was bubbling, and english muffins were popping out of the toaster. It was Easter morning and I was making our annual eggs benedict Easter brunch. Douglas got on the phone to wish his parents a happy Easter and told them that I was making eggs benedict... the one time out of the whole year that I make it. As I was stirring sauce and flipping eggs, I smiled to myself. This is our tradition. Douglas and I don't have family in town and we are always comforted by family traditions that we grew up with. But this was one of the first times that I felt like it was our tradition... just ours. As we sat down to eat our meal I realized how lucky I am to be able to start new traditions with my little family of two, as small as they may be.

Madeleine: 1 Year Session

Madeleine recently turned one and her parents asked me to take photographs to document the occasion. All I can say is this baby is so adorable! She was so expressive and was a perfect little model the entire shoot! She was all smiles and didn't care when we changed outfits or locations. To add a little personality, her mom made a birthday hat, wrapped a birthday present, and brought balloons and a cupcake. Madeleine LOVED the cupcake and I loved the details!

Wedding Organizer on Steroids

I LOVE being organized....it seriously makes me happy. It's sad that few things give me as much joy as a label maker and The Container Store. So when my sister got engaged, I knew that my organizational skills were in order - in the form of making a wedding planning binder. When I got engaged I was frustrated by the lack of good wedding planning tools. Sure, Martha Stewart's wedding tips are great and wedding blogs are beautiful, but I couldn't seem to find the perfect planner. So I decided that if I wanted the best wedding planner possible for my sister, I would have to make it myself.

Since the wedding season is quickly approaching, I thought I would share the monster wedding book I made for my sister. It's pretty much a planner on steroids, and I must say, it's kind of awesome.

If you want to make one of these handy-dandy planners for yourself, this is what you need:
- 1 white 3-inch three-ring binder with a clear plastic pocket in the front and back
- At least 5 clear zippered pencil pouches that have three-ring binder holes. (These can be used to hold any clippings, inspirational photographs, fabric swatches, etc.)
- 24 or so tabbed dividers
- Photos of you and your fiance
- And last but not least, you need wedding planner forms. I think that Russell and Hazel has the BEST wedding planner sheets. When I saw them, I literally squealed with delight and practically did a little jig. They are amazing. You can get their free downloads by clicking here. You should use them...you will thank me later. :o)

Happy planning!