Windows open with no screens on yet.

Fresh, still warm, homemade bread with homemade herbed butter. {It’s really really easy!!}

A hot cup of green tea.

Daffodils.

Sunshine.

A sleeping 3 yr old.

Just what a birthday girl needed.

Kim’s newborn is now turning four! The birthday dress was a must for a few lovely pictures. What a princess!

How fun it was to photograph this sweet family! So so busy, so so beautiful, in so so many ways! Enjoy them … the pics say it all!!

Thanks Kim! You’re family is somethin’ special! xo

We spent the weekend celebrating as a family. It was fabulous, maybe one of my best birthdays to date. {Somehow they just keep getting better!} I forget what we did Friday night, but Saturday night I was treated to blueberry waffles {my fave} and welcomed home from the school fun fair with a candlelight dinner. I’ve been wanting to go roller skating as a family for-ever so … my birthday was the perfect time to get everyone out and rollin’! Oh how fun!! Definitely the highlight of my weekend. Even Kiana was a troooooper on little wheels! So cute!

Kiana spent the hour they all lasted hanging onto Kenny and I for dear life the whole time.

Aidan thought he was the fastest skater on the whole floor. Awesome.

What a blast! Great times – I highly recommend it for a super fun family time … you’re never too old to roller-blade/skate … lots of beginners out there! Sunday night the kids were in charge of making dinner {with supervision of course}- grilled cheese and french fries. Can’t beat it.

… and the birthday celebrations continue this week … yesterday a couple of friends crashed my morning with a gift card to my favorite art store {xo thank you!} … kid-free errands for an hour {thank you my love!} … a date night with my hubby for a birthday dinner {thank you sweet mother-in-law!} … coffee with more friends later in the week … love.  Keep that birthday week comin’! It’s the only birthday week I get all year!!  I will milk it …

This first pic is my official self portrait for the week.  I am becoming so happy lately.

Or maybe the next one ….

Or this one …. I can’t decide.

Today marks the beginning of my 37th year … I’m really looking forward to it. I am!! I’m sharing the rest of these just because I was having fun playing with the manual setting on my camera today, putting off all the other things on my “must do” list.

I’d like to learn how to shoot in full manual mode. I usually shoot in Aperture priority mode and it’s a goal to get more comfortable shooting manually. I understand it, but am not totally comfortable with it. I do have to say … I won’t likely ever use that mode in my sessions – kids move way too fast to have to think about all the manual settings at once! So, in my 37th year, I want to continue to master this photography beast that has become quite an obsession for me. There is still SO much to learn!!!

More birthday celebrations … are to be continued …

Side note: We have new chore charts that you see in the background. I printed them from here. They seem to be working – even Kiana has chores … she can’t wait to do them, innocence is so sweet.  She marks off every single box for every day of the week on her chart the first day of the week.

I almost missed this week’s portrait! Lot’s of redecorating going on here! This picture is evidence of {more} piping being made for my new slipcover for the couch – mom the sewing genius – was here Thursday and Friday doing her magic on my slipcover – I cut, she sewed and did all the mental work to make it absolutely beautiful and professional looking! I’m so pleased!!! This weekend I put the finishing touches of the cushions together. It looks so awesome. And the paint on my fingers is evidence of a weekend total face-lift of my living room – it’s called “Marilyn’s Dress” by Benjamin Moore. It’s a beautiful shade of the lightest grey-blue … almost white. I love the color so much we did the kitchen too!!!!! I loooove it! It’s the perfect backdrop to all the color I have in the rest of the pieces of my living room and kitchen. Will show and tell later. I have to paint my desk a new color before I unveil … as the blue just doesn’t jive with the new wall shade of blue. I love love love paint! It’s the perfect cure for a way too long winter.