Better Late Than Never

Ugh....I cannot begin to express my frustration right now.  I had this post pretty much ready to go Thursday night and had just a few little updates to make before sharing it.  And....somehow yesterday morning in a couple of key strokes I managed to delete the whole thing.  Usually I can do a little "ctrl+z" and get it back, but for whatever reason it was unsuccessful.  And of course I didn't have time to do anything about it before work, so now it's Saturday - let's see if I can recreate everything I had done!

Friday is a busy one this week at My Mind's Lens!  I'm guest posting elsewhere in blogville, My Mind's Lens received an award, and we have a little photo recap of the week.

I don't know about you, but lately online shopping has been a little weakness of mine.  Earlier this week, over at Foltz Family Life, I shared some of my favorite online boutiques - make sure you stop by (plus, Foltz Family Life is a sponsor so you better show some extra love!).  Pretty momma Rychelle will be returning the favor next week for Guest Post Tuesday, so watch for that.
*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     * This week I received some exciting news - not only is one of my favorite NW bloggers *Kelly at Today Was A Fairytale* back online after a little hiatus, but she nominated My Mind's Lens for a Liebster Award! You have probably seen these floating around the blog world, or even received one yourself. They are a lot of fun to receive, even if you've gotten one before.  If you have time, stop by Today Was A Fairytale and read Kelly's post.

Here's how it works:
1. Each blogger shares 11 random facts about themselves.
2. Answer the  questions the tagger has set for you, then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.
3. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to, and link back to them in your post!
4. Let award recipients know that they've been awarded!
5. No tag backs.


11 Random Facts About Me
1. If I could fly everywhere instead of drive, I would.
2. I love the feeling of being up early in the morning, but hate actually waking up early.
3. Sweet little babies melt my heart.
4. Rain makes me sad, but I like the sound when it is pounding on the roof.
5. I like to have a clean house, but don't like to actually clean it.
6. It only takes a matter of seconds - from the time I walk out the door of my office and climb into my car - to lose the motivation to go to the gym.
7. If I had to pick only one beverage to drink for the rest of my life, it would be Malibu Rum with pineapple juice.
8. Once I get a crafty idea, I have to try it (so my trip to Craft Warehouse tomorrow could be dangerous).
9. I loved playing softball and volleyball when I was younger, but hate running/can't do it, so I quit after my sophomore year.
10. I think it would be fun to visit all 50 states someday-actually visit, not just have a layover at the airport.
11. My graduating class in high school was only about 65 students.

11 Questions from Kelly
1. What do you find it easiest to blog about? Sharing my photos
2. Is there a topic you'd like to blog about but are too scared/nervous to write about? Not really - I would like to get a little more personal and open up a bit more, but I'm getting there.
3. How has your blog changed since the day you started it? It started as just a way to share my photography, but has developed into something more - where I can share about my life.
4. How has blogging changed your life so far? If you asked my husband, he would tell you that I am on my computer a lot more...OOPS!  But in all honesty, I have gotten to know some really great ladies from blogging.
5. Have you been able to meet, face-to-face, any of the bloggers that you follow? Not yet - but I should!  There are several who are close by!
6. Is there a blogger (or a few) that have helped motivate you or really touched your life in any way?  I've said it before, but Julie at A Beautiful Day is my biggest cheerleader!
7. Does anyone in your real life know about your blog?  If yes, what do they think?  If no, what keeps you from telling them? *See husband's sentiment above* I do have some friends and family members who know about My Mind's Lens - they seem to think it's pretty cool.
8. When you run into a writing block, what do you do to help you out of your funk? Sometimes I will get ideas from other bloggers, and if that doesn't work I will resort to Google!
9. What are your hopes for your blog over the next year? I would like to see it grow - but that may just mean gaining a few loyal followers and I'll be happy.
10. What is the first thing that you notice about another person's blog? The color scheme and fonts used!
11. Do you have any advice you'd like to like to share with bloggers who are just starting out?  Do it for yourself and let your personality flow through your writing.

11 Questions for My Nominees
1. If you had to pick one color to represent your personality, what color would you be?
2. What has been your biggest triumph in life?
3. What are you most looking forward to during the next year?
4. Why did you start blogging?
5. Where do you find new blogs to follow?
6. What is the most fulfilling role you have played?
7. We are approaching the holiday season - what is your favorite thing to bake?
8. If you won a shopping spree for any store you wanted, which one would you choose?
9. How has your blog changed since you started?
10. Where is the best place you have ever vacationed?
11. What is the top item on your Christmas wish list?

11 Nominees
1. Foltz Family Life
2. My Life As...
3. Believe in the Sparks
4. Linda's Lens
5. Martinis & Bikinis
6. Mr. and Mrs. Foster
7. The Sunset Won't
8. Fluent in Sparkle
9. Health, Love, & Fire
10. Scattered Horizons Photography
11. I'll Love You Forever

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     * There really is only one thing worth sharing about my week, other than a little something that I am holding onto for just a little longer. My friend McKenzie and I went to a "Wine and Canvas" event Tuesday night. I had seen similar events posted on other blogs in the past, so when she brought it up I jumped at the idea.

It really is exactly what it sounds like - they teach you how to paint, while you sip on your adult beverages!

I don't know if I would say my painting looked like a pro did it (or even that it looked like the instructor's finished product), but I am still pretty proud of what I created! We are going to try to catch another class, maybe next month.

And...that's a wrap. Better late than never, right!

Waiting for the Rain to Come

How is it November already?!?  Seriously.  That means it is less than TWO MONTHS until Christmas.  I think I need to get going on my Christmas shopping . . . and wish list!

I was hoping to have some pretty engagement photos to share this week, but sadly one of the kiddos got sick and they had to reschedule.  (Hopefully this weekend they won't end up getting rained out so that we can try again!!)  But I DID get a chance to take pictures for our beautiful friend and her family on Sunday.  I shared a little PREVIEW on Monday, but I really loved how they turned out - so I felt the need to show you more.

I am hoping that this last week wasn't the end of the dry weather until next summer, but just in case - I took advantage of the dry spell with another outdoor session.

Last week, I received an opportunity to team up with a local lady who is starting her own business selling handmade baby accessories - headbands and such.  She asked that I use some of her products as props in my baby sessions and provide some of the pictures for her to use for her website & Etsy store.  Well, an opportunity to try some new products is one that I will jump at - especially when it is local.  And, I already got a chance to try them with this little doll:

Once she has her shop up and running, I will be sharing her information!  I'm in love with her work!  In the meantime, here are a couple more of this sweet girl...

In honor of all these little ones, my song today for #backthatazzup may not be an easy one to jam out to, but it's what speaks to me right now.

Finally - I am excited to be holding The Blog Baton today on Instagram!!  To follow me there, just follow @The BlogBaton !

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Friday Photo Journal 10.11.13

This week wasn't anything too exciting - every day was pretty much the same, with a couple of exceptions.

It's mostly been lots of driving to and from work, working, coming home to do a little bit of housework and then editing pictures from last weekend.  Fortunately, I was able to get all of it done by last night, which was my goal!

I got to enjoy some of the warm fall colors during my commute, made a couple yummy dinners in my crockpot {I always forget how much I love that thing - I need to think ahead so I can use it more often!}, and went to the gym . . . once.

If you follow me on Instagram <@kaeleymull> you already saw my newest weakness - Lay's Roasted Garlic & Sea Salt chips.  They are SO GOOD . . . I just can't get enough!!

Finally - here come the last of my portraits from last weekend.  Doing pictures for friends is always a lot of fun, but a little bit nerve-wracking.  It's even more important that they like the finished product, because you spend time with them on a regular basis.  For this last session, there was an added layer: this soon-to-be momma is also a photographer, so I am a little nervous about these ones.  Hopefully she likes them!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Friday Photo Journal

I had every intention of sharing something, anything, here yesterday.  But instead, Tristan and I sat on the couch watching Orange is the New Black all night.  If you haven't watched this Netflix original series, do it - but not around the kids.  There are several bigger names in it (including Jason Biggs of the American Pie movies and Laura Prepon who was on That 70s Show) and the plot is constantly evolving and twisting.  The series is a dramatization based on a real life story.

However, I am back to today and going to link up for Friday Photo Journal...I'm not even sure when the last time I joined in on this one was!

Why am I so obsessed with the clouds?  And everything else that is just so ordinary?  Who knows....I guess I'm just weird like that. 

I'm not sure what this strange-looking plant is that grows outside our house, but I don't hate it!

I got "the look" from Tristan when I was taking these close-ups of his car, but I am used to that.  I was trying to capture the reflection of the sky on the hood....but it didn't turn out as clear as I had hoped.

Now...I have a confession to make.  This morning, when I got on the scale for my weekly weigh-in, I got extremely disappointed with myself.  I am back to where I was two weeks ago - to the 1/10th of a pound.  Granted, last week I had only lost just less than 1/2 a pound, the fact that I gained back that 0.4 pounds was really frustrating.  On he bright side, though, {and I love my Weight Watchers scale for this feature} it looks like I may have replaced a little fat with some muscle.  Even though I gained a tiny bit of weight, the percentage of fat to total body weight went down.  If you didn't already know, muscle weighs more than fat.  So that little bit of gain may not necessarily be a bad thing.

It does prompt me to work harder this week.  Now, I thought I had been pretty good about sticking to the rules this last week.  But, now that I think about it - I definitely had too much garlic bread with that spaghetti and when I work out alone, without going with a friend or attending a class, I don't push myself as hard as I probably should.

So - my goals for this week:

1. No more than 2 sodas - all week:  Granted, all I drink is diet soda, which on Weight Watchers is fine - diet soda does not receive a points value.  However, what is still in diet soda?  Sodium.  So I am going to try to cut out that uneccesary added sodium and limit myself to two sodas this week, as opposed to one or two a day.

2. On at least two days, spend an entire hour at the gym.  My morning workouts, while better than nothing, tend to be a little lazy.  So I am going to push myself a little more instead of just stopping when I start to get tired.

3. Track everything that I eat, even if it means depleting all of my weekly points.  I'm really bad about not always including a little piece of chocolate here or an extra piece of bread there.  I also need to keep better track of the actual serving sizes I am consuming, instead of just guessing.

It may seem a little weird to be setting goals for the next week on a Friday, but Friday is my weigh-in day and the day that my Weight Watchers points start over.  So Friday is my Monday when it comes to weight-loss.  

Well, that's my weekly frustration {or one of them at least}.  What is something you have struggled with this week??

Speaking of the gym...my "workout" station on Pandora has been sending me some pretty sweet throwbacks lately, including this gem - Linking up with Whitney for #backthatazzup Friday!

Happy Fourth of July...And Little Things Thursday *LATE*

So - I had every intention of doing a 4th of July post.  But instead I enjoyed time with friends and family.  I still really wanted to do this post, though, because I had put quite a lot of thought into it.  It will just be better because I can share photos from the Fourth :)

For Little Things Thursday, I want to mention some of the little things in life that I think we tend to take for granted and not appreciate enough.

*Deep relationships: In the past I did not realize the importance of having these in my life.  Relationships with long-time friends, and even those with family members and your significant other, can be extremely superficial.  Maybe not all the time - but sometimes it is easy to just float apart when it comes to serious issues.  Does that make sense?  I love my husband to death, and I know that I can talk to him about just about anything.  But what about the days that he just pisses me off - well on those days I have to have close friends to vent to :)  And I know he does the same.  I am so grateful for the people that I have in my life - especially in the last year.  I have grown a lot when it comes to relationships and there are a few people in particular that I can credit for helping me with that.

*These are NOT the only friends I am referring to...just the only ones I can find good photos of at the moment*

*Beautiful scenery: In my opinion, there is something extremely calming and peaceful about beauty in nature.  The other night, I was driving home from an evening photo shoot and the sun was getting ready to set. <I know I already shared these the other day, but they fit perfectly here, so I need to post them again!>

*Don't mind our bridge which seems to be continually under construction*

The whole way home I was just thinking about how beautiful the sunset was in my review mirrors.  If I wasn't so anxious to get home to my honey, I would have pulled over just to watch it.  I don't know how to describe it, but scenes like these just bring me a sense of peace.

I'm sure the skies are not the only thing in nature that can bring on this feeling, but that is when I, for one, feel it.

*Simple Joys:

From the time the parade got over yesterday morning, until we left to head home in the evening, I don't think I saw my niece without a sucker in her mouth.  She just kept going back to her bag of parade treasures for more.  Wouldn't it be nice if all it took to make our day wonderful was a sucker?

Maybe that doesn't work as we grow up - but there are still small joys in our lives that we should cherish more.  A hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning.  The start of an early (or holiday) weekend.  A simple note left for you on the kitchen counter.  We can let the troubles of the day bring us down, or we can hold on to these sweet moments and let them carry us through.

What are some of my simple joys?  Waking up next to my husband. The giggles of my nephew.  A warm sunny day.

Our little town used to have a pretty great 4th of July celebration.  A grand parade, carnival rides, live music and lots of vendors in the city park and a finale of fireworks at the end of the day.  The last couple of years have just been a little disappointing, though.  It is still fun to watch the kids enjoy the parade, but the afternoon festivities at the park have dwindled and the fireworks show is hit or miss.

None-the-less, we had fun with the kiddos and other family at the parade and with a little backyard BBQ.

Aren't these kids adorable? I don't know them, but I love their ear-muffs!

I think I mentioned this the other day - but if any of you want to share your own 4th of July photos, post them over at my Facebook page!

Oh - and if you haven't already, go check out Kelly's SUPER CUTE 4th of July nails at Today Was a Fairytale.  She is one of my sponsors this month and her blog is definitely worth taking a look at! 

Finally, don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin' to keep up with new posts!

HAPPY FRIDAY!