Garden Update : What's Blooming Now

So the garden is in full swing and after weeks of hydrangeas the cone flowers are making their appearance.  I will now be inundated with echinacea, black-eyed susans, and rudbeckia till September.  The great part about them is they attract a multitude of butterflies, bees, and the most adorable little yellow birds. I am now waiting for my butterfly bushes to come in to really see the explosion of butterflies in the garden.

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Mommy's Birthday

Last week I had a birthday celebration for my mother and a group of her closest friends at XIX in the Bellevue Hyatt. I had originally intended to do a large celebration next year for mommy's 60th, however, given the health scares this year and stress of my grandmother's illness I thought it would be nice to do something special this year. The older I get the more I realize how important it is to value the time we have now with loved ones because time is so precious and short. Mommy and I have not alway been close especially during my teenage years but I can truly say that I know that she has always given me unconditional love, been unselfish and self sacrificing for me,  and I know no matter what she will always be there. So it was sooooo very special for me to host a luncheon in her honor.  And each one of my mom's friends are such lovely and warm woman. I've known most of these ladies my whole life and they have seen me grow from infancy to who I am now. I can only hope that I can mature as gracefully as they have. Don't they all look fab!

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Dilemma

So I finally found a writing desk for our living room after hemming and hawing for 2 months.

Problem its from West Elm.

Why is that a problem?

Because I redeemed a boat load of Amex points for a hefty gift card to Crate and Barrel, swearing we would get a desk from there.

Can you hear me banging my head against the wall right now?

Here is the a pic of the culprit. Now to bite the bullet and buy it.

Ok So what should I get with the CB gift card?

Maybe a chair - but the one I want is from Ballard!

Can't win for trying.

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My visit with an old friend in Brooklyn

The other weekend I was able to ride the train up to New York and spend the weekend with one of my oldest and dearest friends from college. I met Toya my first week of college and while we are soooo different in so many ways, we feel comfortable around each other and can talk for hours and hours when we are together. I love visiting her and her little family, her girls are so adorable and sweet, plus I get the opportunity to always see some cool site in NY. This trip was no different and we swung by the Brooklyn Flea Market. Though not large in size it is jammed pack with goodies. I found one vendor that made furniture from reclaimed wood (barns, doors, etc) and was so disappointed when I learned that they don't ship. Me and hubby would have to rent a truck and drive to NY to buy any of their items. And I am seriously debating it since they were so beautiful (And like a num-num forgot to snap a pic of any of their booth.) 

And you know me being a big foodie I had to stop and get great food. We went to Cafe Habana Post in Brooklyn for hands down the best frozen mojito and cuban sandwiches anywhere. Oh my gosh I am drooling thinking about them. YUM.

Oh and in case you are wondering all pics were taken with my 35mm lens and the Nikon D90.

Enjoy!

There were tons of vintage Coach bags at the flea market. I mean everywhere! Maybe they are a hot item right now. Oh how I wanted to snag one. These were the bags when Coach only made leather and they were sturdy as hell.

My friend Toya taking my picture. Something that rarely happens these days since I took up photography.

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Loveliness is Abound

Right now loveliness is abound in the garden and I have vases of these all around the house. What a lovely sight to wake up to.

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I missed my anniversary

I missed my anniversary and didn't even realize it! It just struck me when I was talking to my friend Cass tonight about our plans for a photoshoot and I had to reference something on the blog and came across this.

Last month this time marked 6 months of me owning a Nikon DSLR. It was the anniversary of when I committed myself to learning photography as a "serious hobby".  Sometimes I get  soooooo frustrated that my photography is not where I want it to be and I get discouraged when I see the great work of so many other photographers. But I have to take a step back and look at how far I have come. I've gotten to this point by just rolling up my sleeves and digging in and committing myself to learning. And quite frankly I never thought one little inanimate object like a camera could change my life so much. I have never had anything light a fire in me like photography. I feel so blessed to be able to pursue something that I love and gives me and others so much joy. I am looking forward to where photography takes me in the next 6 months because it has taken me oh so far already.

For now I leave you with a photo I took around my "anniversary" at the Shoot the Shot Workshop I attended hosted by Isabel March.

And if you want you can follow my photography journey over at Girl Photography.

And yes this was totally a post giving myself a pat on the back. Hey we all need one every once in a while ;)

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Great Find : Emerson Made=Pretty Loveliness

I came across this great find at a recent bridal show I attended. I don't think you have to be a bride to find these darling for everyday.

Go check out the Emerson Made website to see more loveliness.

All shot with a Nikon D3000, 35mm, f2, ISO 400

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