Pin The Tail on Teachers' Gifts

I am a Pinterest addict and lately with my littlest one in school, I have been window shopping for some teacher's gifts for his teacher. I would like to do one during each holiday and a big one at the end of the year. Yes, I want to be one of THOSE moms!

Many of these ideas come with tutorials and/or free printables if you want to be one of THOSE moms with me!

Except lil man's teacher's name is "White" so I would do a "W"

Typical Day of a Stay At Home Mom

Typically in a day, I will let the dogs outside, make breakfast for my lil man, watch some TV, surf the net...maybe blog once in a while, make lil man some lunch, watch more tv, play with the dogs, run some errands, surf the net a bit more and then cook dinner and watch TV/movies with the family then off to bed to do it all over again. 

The past 2 days, I have had a son in school. I still cannot believe my baby is in school. Today, I allowed my husband to walk him to class and when he got back in the truck he looked at me and said "Now, I know if I choked up a bit, you were bawling your eyes out!" Give it, I did not BAWL but I did cry many times yesterday. 

During the past few days, whether on the computer or on my phone, my Facebook family and friends have been there to keep my mind occupied. I have had many laughs as well as a few tears but either way, they have been there for me! 

Typically by the end of the day, a relaxing long shower will help me ease the stresses of the day. In fact, it helped a lot today after loading several things from our old house which we THOUGHT we sold (they backed out). Also, when I picked up lil man from school he seemed to not want to talk about his day but I found out that was because he was a bit embarrassed that he grabbed someone else's lunch by accident and didn't want to tell us. I sent him to his room because....well...he just needed a nap so that was the best way to get him to take one and he did. Lil man slept for almost 2 hours and then woke up telling me he needed breakfast. Now, he is coloring and cutting out pictures before we go make some dinner together!

My life is about to get a bit hectic with lil man in school, hubby working at his shop, and me starting a job soon but the good part comes when I am not home while my baby is at school. They say it will get easier with time but it is still hard knowing he is not home with me like he has been for the past 5 years.

I Am A Kindergartener

Today, I became one of those mommies who BARELY made it out of the school after dropping off my newly turned 5 yr old at the school as a KINDERGARTENER. He has NEVER been in a daycare or preschool so this was new to us all. I was strong for him yet as I was walking out of the school, a teacher stopped me and said "you are handling this very well" and I said "yes, I guess I am but I did do some crying last night!" And we had a good laugh. As soon as I walked out the door watching all the other children enter with their parents, the thought came across that I am walking out of the building WITHOUT my baby by my side holding my hand. I cried as I reached the truck. How can he be so grown up already?!?!

Shockingly he did not become a grump, a grouch or a devil child when Mommy came and woke him up at 6:45am this morning. He was pleasantly happy and ready for school.

But as soon as I was about to leave, I told him "mommy loves you. I hope you have fun and I will be here late to pick you up from school! I love you!" This is the look he gave me:

I have to admit, I was also that mommy that had about 4 break downs in one day. I cleaned the house after I dropped him off at school to realize that it was all too quiet and he wasn't coming downstairs asking for breakfast at his normal time. Then I was out with hubby who kept saying he wasn't my baby anymore but he will always be my little boy.

Eventually the time came for us to go pick him up and he seemed to enjoy his day. He talked about the playgrounds and meeting new friends and coloring. He even brought home a brown paper sack puppet as well as a tracing of his hands!

Let us see how the rest of this week goes and hope I don't break down every day.

Back To School

The kiddos go back to school tomorrow. Yes, I said kiddos. My baby is finally starting school. He will be in Kinder this year. *cry*
We get to walk him to his classroom the first week of school ONLY but I am sure after a few days, he will want to walk himself to his own classroom. :(
What will I do in all that quiet time while he is gone? Better yet, how am I going to cope with all of us getting up before 7am? We are the "vampire" type....sleeping with black out curtains to keep the sun out so we can sleep until 9 or 10am (sometimes later) and going to bed between 10pm and 2am?!?!?!
I am in a rut with no photo sessions at the moment so I have no photos to edit. So much, I have actually started my own project of "A day in the life of" where I take a photo either every hour to document my daily life or just one photo a day. It gives me something to do. I could also clean the house and actually keep it clean for more than an hour! Ha!
There really isn't much to update you all with since I have just been busy trying to get the kids ready for school tomorrow.
If you are a mommy that has a baby starting school for this first time this year or remember this time very well, what did you do to keep yourself occupied? I don't start my job until around the 1st of September so until then, I need to occupy myself.

Stone Cold Shflurf

The heck is a Shflurf!!?!?!?? Try to say it. Now imagine a 5 year old saying it! Apparently they are in every happy meal right now. They also tend to be a bit blue in color with white pants and hats! Ohhhhhhh, a SMURF!

Yesterday, my lil man turned 5 and it breaks my heart every time I say that I have a 5 yr old. Well he got a happy meal and told me later on in the day he had a Shflurf. It took me a while to realize what it was and the only way I figured it out was because he showed me! So, after he said it a few times, I thought it became fun to say and I say it a lot now and it gets a lot of giggles out of him.

Today, a day later, I decide to do some photos of my newly turned 5 yr old.

Here is how the morning went.

First he didn't want to get out of his Iron Man pajama pants to get dressed in the outfit I wanted him in but when I got him changed, he decided to roll on the floor. Excuse these poor photos as these are all SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera)

But eventually he made his way onto the studio flooring

Then we got to the idea of I-will-sit-and-look-miserable

So, as you can see, not all photographers have excellent children. They are not all angels. I even bribed him with gummy worms, candy, snacks, video games, his party coming up this weekend and all I got was more moping.

Therefore, the Shflurf came in handy because I started to say that and this is what I got.

So now you see, all you have to do is say something silly or act silly to get the reaction you want.

To see more from this session, check me out at my photography blog at Photography By Teresa Blog or at my Photography By Teresa Facebook

5 Years Ago

August 10, 2006, a sweet little boy entered my life. He came into the world after about 13 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing (?!?!) weighing in at 8 pounds 10 ounces (really 9.9 ounces but who is counting?? Ha) at 21 inches long. He had a full head of dark hair. Around 5 months old it would turn to blonde. He is still sweet to this day 5 years later.

Tell me that doesn't make you just smile or giggle!?!?

He was such a ham!

They grow up so fast

And just one more "mobile" picture before I get his 5 yr professional photos done. This was taken yesterday at a restaurant eating a birthday brownie sundae! 

Today, for his birthday, we cashed all his coins from his piggy bank which came to around $40 and he picked out a Transformers video game, a 5 pack Hot Wheels cars as well as a Hot Wheels big rig that launches up to 8 cars at the same time.

We have been having issues with the woman making his birthday party cake, so today after all my errands, I took him up to Target (yes, a grocery store) and he picked out a Transformers cake. He was a bit bummed because we couldn't take it home today that it broke my heart...especially on his birthday. Therefore, I took him to the toy section and I got him one toy he can play with now (not like he didn't get enough earlier....what can I say, he is spoiled) as well as one that I will wrap and give to him at his party! He was much better after that. Especially after the bakery gal gave him a free birthday chocolate chip cookie.

I cannot believe my baby has turned 5 today. Where did the time go? I hope the next 5 years don't go as fast.

It's Not Hoorah Unless It's Erah!

You like my clever title, huh?!?! Ha. I came up with that one all on my own! Check it! Ha ha!

Another great photographer I met at Sunday's bridal photography workshop was Elizabeth (Liz) from Erah Photography. She has a sweet heart, a gentle soul and is very easy to get along with.

Here are just a sample of the photos she sent to me.

Check out the shoes!!!

Yes, that is me in all that foliage. I have bug bites and thorn scratches to prove it!

Liz did an excellent job and I am honored to meet her. I cannot wait to work with her again whether it be shooting next to her or being a model for her yet again!

Credits:

Workshop Host: Leslie Spurlock Photography

Photographer: Erah Photography

Hair: Me

Make Up: Me

Shoes: Wild Diva

Sausage And Roasted Garlic Risotto

I have to say this is by far (this year) my favorite recipe and it is so simple to make. It originally called for chicken but I love the taste of sausage more because it isn't so bland or dry. I also didnt have any veggies to put in it and it still tasted great to me!

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used an entire link of Hillshire Farms sausage..comes in a U shape cut in big chunks)
1 tablespoon(s) butter
1 can(s) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can(s) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic Soup
2 cup(s) water
2 cup(s) instant white rice
1 cup(s) peas

Directions

1) Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken (or meat of your choice) and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken (or meat of your choice)from the skillet.

2) Stir the soups and water in the skillet and heat to a boil. Stir in the rice and vegetables. Return the chicken (or meat of your choice) to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken (or meat of your choice) is cooked through. Remove the skillet from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Tip: Traditionally, risotto is made by sautéeing rice in butter then stirring broth into the rice a little at a time- very labor-intensive. This dish gives you the same creamy texture with a lot less work!


It says it serves 4 but I was able to serve 6-8 with this recipe
Total Time: 30 min
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 20 min

If you try this, let me know what you think of it! All my boys (except the youngest of course) enjoyed it!

Bad Day Turned Truelove

Yesterday, Sunday, I planned to be a bridal model for one of my favorite photographers Leslie Spurlock Photography. She hosted a bridal/wedding workshop for other photographers. I did trial hair do's and make up ideas for days leading up to the workshop.
Sunday morning, I knew I had to be there at 10am so I got up at 8am to give me an hour to get ready. It seriously only took me about 5 minutes to do my hair (after I quickly flat iron curled it...yes, I curl with a flat iron) and then about the rest of the time to do my make up. I had to make sure it was just right and flawless.
Well to say the least, my hair kept falling out of the bobby pins and NOT doing what I planned it to do, my make up looked splotchy, and when I went into our master closet trying to find my original wedding shoes, I clocked my left temple of my head REALLY hard on the wall. So hard, I thought I literally heard it crack. At that instant, I felt seriously sick to my stomach and all I could think about is "great, now I have a crack in my skull and could possibly have bleeding in my brain." I am so positive! Ha!
I FINALLY got in the car after falling off the driveway due to this LOVELY Texas drought we have and on my way 10 minutes late to find out I forgot my bobby pins. I was NOT turning around to go retrieve them. Oh well.
I met some great photographers at the workshop as well as 2 other bridal models (one was truly a bride and the other, just like me, has already been married. One of the photographers was kind enough to post some photos already on Facebook and I am happy with the way they turned out. You really need to check out Weddings by Truelove Photography if you are interested in bridals or weddings (being as I don't shoot much with weddings anymore). Her and her husband are very sweet endearing people. If you are looking for their Facebook here it is.
After I saw the photos, I said "wow, I was just being hard on myself and I really did look okay" There were some where I said "man, I didnt look THAT good, but I guess I did!" HA!

Here are just a couple of my favorites and I will post these because they have the logo on them so I am not just "stealing" the photos! I am giving the photographer MANY credits. I cannot wait to see what else she posts as well as her husband and the 3 other photographers photos!

And about an hour or so into the shoot, my hair fell out yet again from the bobby pins so I just threw it down and left it down! 

Again, check out Weddings by Truelove Photography for more photos from this workshop and keep an eye out for other work from the other photographers!\

CREDITS:

Workshop Host: Leslie Spurlock Photography

Photographer of these photos: Weddings by Truelove Photography

Hair: Me

Make up: Me

Dress: David's Bridal style E8122 (no longer in stock)

Shoes: Wild Diva 

How about 2 more styles??

Here are 2 more styles for you to choose from to go with my dress for Sunday's bridal model photography workshop

Style 3:
"3 banded messy buns" which you can find here at My Yellow Sandbox

I am TOTALLY sure it would look MUCH better if I hairsprayed that small little fuzzy tail down my neck up LOL and if I had MUCH longer/thicker hair. But I like this as a messy up do.

Style Number 4:
The "Double Knotted Ponytail/Bun" which I found here at Kandee Johnson's blog

So which do you like?? I will make a poll in another post so you can see which one!

Bloglovin'??

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Maybe this is just what I need to keep my blog up to date! What do you think?!?!?

Hairstyle Number Two

I THINK I'm liking style number 1 better because it is messier and easier to do and I can POSSIBLY recreate it!

First here is a photo of my wedding dress (NOT ME in the photos...found them online)

Front

Back

So, now you can see how "beachy" it is and how I want a messy do to compliment it but also I want the hair UP off my back because I have this glorious thing:

Yes, it is awesome, isn't it.

So, anyways, onto the style that is supposed to look like this one

But looked like this in the end. This was a tough one NO MATTER HOW MANY TIME I watched the tutorial video. (I'm slow, oh well! Ha!)

So, out of those two so far, I'm rooting for the first up do! What'cha think?!?! Remember beachy.