Life Archives - Page 4 of 7

Drive into a New Decade

If we are shifting everything up and changing normals in 2020, I might as well drive into a new decade in style.

This month we took the plunge and upgraded our faithful 2010 Honda Odyssey mini-van for a more sporty, economical, smooth riding 2020 Toyota Highlander. We searched high and low for the unicorn color combo that I preferred.

The other day I began thinking of the memories and how each of the cars I have driven have defined the era of my life or decade that I drove them.

I was blessed by my parents to drive a Saturn sedan from the time I could drive through my collage years. It was one of the few “American Made” cars that we all agreed on in the mid 1990s. That car protected me and passengers from both a rear and front-end collision during my first couple of years of driving home from school. It transported me around town to various part-time jobs. That car safely transported me to and from Tampa while attending Florida Collage and then allowed me to finish my collage career at Auburn. That car taught me independence

After getting my first “real job”, as a teacher in Auburn, we traded in the green Saturn for a more spacious Toyota Camry. That car was the vehicle of my 20s.

The practical Camry would be the car that would…

• Carry me to work each day

• Haul boxes of materials and books to and from classrooms, multiple times

• Welcome me safely home to our first 3 houses

• Welcome our first born child home from the hospital

• Accept a 2nd carseat in the back for our growing family

I would have driven that car indefinitely as a family of 4, but in 2010 Jonathan talked me into transitioning to a mini-van. So Mother’s Day weekend 2010, we traded in the well-loved blue Camry for a gray Honda Odyssey van and we quickly grew to love the additional space and comfort it gave our family. That van would be the vehicle of my 30s.

A lot of growth occurred while driving that van…

• Our children grew from toddlers to teenagers

• Would welcome us home to our next 2 homes

• Dropped my girls off for their first days of school

• Hauled A LOT of photo equipment and props for countless photo sessions

• Allowed me to reach many personal goals

• Countless trips between Atlanta and Birmingham

• Even though the van encountered a few bumps and scratches from parking, it kept us safe on the road

• Memories together as a family traveling

• Many visits to see family

• The goodness of essential oils to keep carsick prone children traveling well

• Bucket list items checked off along the way

• Taught me about spark plugs

• Hauled our camp chairs and tent for outdoor church this year

Once again I would have been happy to drive that faithful gray mini van another 200,000 miles, but I sensed it was time to drive into a new decade in a new ride. So the vehicle of my 40s will be an SUV.

I envision this will be the vehicle that will…

• Teach me about the car technology I have been missing out on like Apple CarPlay

• Be sportier and more fun to drive around town

• Be more economical with a hybrid engine

• Be will a safer vehicle to drive and park with all the cameras and safety features that have been added

• Be time alone to think and pray

• Teach both my girls to drive in

• Drop the girls off at collage

• Do I dare say it could be the vehicle we drive away from their wedding in?

Driving down the road the other day, Sarah Beth said, “I hope you drive this car until I have kids.” That comment made me stop and think…. “Whoah… how long do I potentially have before that point?” 10 years? 15 years? Sarah Beth assured me it would probably be closer to 15 years… That sweet girl has her whole life planned out, even though it could change every 6 months.

Am I just nostalgic, or do you mark time and memories by seasons you have owned and driven certain cars?

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Categories: Family, Life, Photography

The Browns at Home

It was a joy to photograph the Browns at home! You may remember this sweet little arrow that was added to the Brown’s quiver earlier this year! 2020 has been a long and unusual year to live through, but this little blue-eyed, crazy hair little guy has been such a blessing for our family to watch grow.

He just crossed the 6 month mark and has mastered sitting up on his own and is on to figuring out how to move all over the house. He is carefully studying every move and toy that his big brother plays with in hopes of getting his hands on it also. He is still cuddly and loves to snuggle with his blue blanket and thumb.

The cute baby model needed a quick nap break during our session time together, so I had a fun morning of letting his big brother, my nephew, take me on a tour of their garden and farm property. The tour was filled with songs, animal noises, and picking gifts from the garden.

I’ve had a vision for fusing still portraits with video clips to tell a family’s story at home with more depth and dimension. This was the first time I was able to put those thoughts into practice for a feature I plan to offer custom photography clients in the near future.

Watch the short video below and let me know what you think in the comments.

You can follow more happenings of the Browns at Home, at Shilo Hill, as their family works to bring new life to their 1950s farmhouse

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Categories: Faith, Family, Life, Printables

Back to School 2020

Back to School 2020 – Those few words have never been met with such controversy and unknowns about the year ahead. After 5 months of the longest Summer Vacation, my girls are excited to head back to a classroom today, even if it will currently be for 2 days a week.

They are ready for:

Social interactions
Routines and structure
Knowledge and growth
A chance to develop and practice their talents

As we embark on the beginning of middle school and high school, fears and anxieties have run through their minds. More than ever, those feelings are not alone. Every student and teacher will enter those halls with fears and anxieties more than usual this year.

We are all trying to learn and do the best we can, and grace and patience will be required from all parties to navigate this school year.

We can’t always see the big picture and why we are being asked to endure situations that don’t always make sense to us, but be assured you can shine in the space you have been given.

I was reminded of a common theme with Joseph, Esther, and Onesimus and Philemon in our Bible study last night. We never know when our situation has aligned to be a friend to someone who needs us most, to cheer on and support a teacher, or to be a positive example that stands up for the truth.

Genesis 50:20 – You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

Esther 4:14 – Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.

Philemon 1:15 – For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while that you might have him back forever.

Join me in prayer today for a hedge of protection to be around each of our children, teachers, and administration for this school year.

Pray Over Your Kids

Whether your school year looks like in person classroom learning, remote elearning, or your own version of homeschooling, here is a graphic reminder of verses you can pray over your children today and any day.

I would love to hear what school looks like for you and your family this year! Comment below and let me know if you have any specific prayer requests moving into this school year.

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Categories: Life, Travel

Postmarked – Getaway to Asheville

Asheville, NC is the perfect Southeastern getaway town!

After months of extended time at home in 2020, and our planned European vacation being cancelled, we began researching a getaway vacation closer to home. With air travel still a little restrictive, we opted for a location that was within driving distance. We have always heard great things about Asheville, North Carolina so we opted to spend our Anniversary with a week exploring Asheville.

Asheville was put on the map by the Biltmore Estate at the turn of the 1900s, and has remained a popular weekend getaway. Situated in the valley of the Blue Ridge Parkway, there are plenty of scenic views and trails to be discovered.

A highlight video of our getaway to Asheville.

As with most of our vacations we cash in Marriott points. The Renaissance Asheville Hotel was the perfect location to be able to walk to the small downtown area filled with restaurants, art galleries, and local shops. Our room on the 11th floor was the perfect spot to view the sunset each evening.

How We Spent Our Time in Asheville

We began our week with an e-bicycle tour with Flying Bike Tours. This was out first experience riding an electric bike, and I was amazing how easy it was to ride up hills without much effort! I highly recommend the 2.5 hour tour with guide.

This bicycle tour was a great way to get a taste of the city and see places that we would like to go back and see more of. Our tour began in the South Slope area with a short bike up to Basilica of St. Lawrence, then a ride down the quiet streets of the Historic Montford Neighborhood. We meandered through the Reed Creek and Glenn’s Creek Greenways and then up and across to the Omni Grove Park Inn. To end the tour we got a short history of the area and architecture from Pack Square.

Monday, July 6 Jonathan and I celebrated our 18th Anniversary. We were spoiled with some amazing food from Tupelo Honey and dessert from French Broad Chocolate. Get the Shoo Mercy Sweet Potato pancakes at Tupelo Honey! This ensemble of food is worth every calorie!

On Tuesday we dodged early morning and late afternoon rain showers to visit some trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway and the NC Arboretum.

Once we drove up into the mountains we were met with dense heavy fog. We first hiked the Craggy Pinnacle which should have yielded an amazing panoramic view, but we were met with white clouds in all directions. We just missed the brilliant pink and purple blooms of the Catawba rhododendron bushes. These bushes brighten the trails in late Spring during May and June.

We also spent some time exploring the Craggy Gardens Trail. We saw some unique wildflowers and wild blueberry bushes along this trail.

After coming down the mountain from the Blue Ridge Parkway we drove to the West side of Asheville to visit the North Carolina Arboretum. This Botanical Gardens was so well put together with colorful garden themed lego displays sprinkled throughout the grounds. I found a lot of inspiration among each of the carefully laid out areas to explore.

Entrance to the gardens is well worth the $16 car entrance fee. If you visit the North Carolina Arboretum on Tuesday you can save 50% on the entrance fee.

Wednesday was a beautiful day to check out the Biltmore Estate. The Biltmore house was open for tours, but it was necessary to purchase a tour time slot in advance. We got to the property shortly after opening to spend time walking through and checking out the gardens. The gardens are pretty extensive, and not a feature you want to miss. There is sure to be something blooming in the gardens during each season of the year. Since the Summer heat and humidity were heating up, we left the property to grab some lunch and then came back in time for our 2:45 house tour. We did opt for the audio tour, which I would recommend to understand the stories behind each of the rooms.

Thursday was a day to relax before we headed home. We enjoyed more amazing food at Isa’s French Bistro, followed by a deep massage at Unity Spa, and dinner at one last local favorite, Packs Tavern.

In my search for outdoor things to do in the Asheville area, I came across The Never Ending Flower Farm in Barnardsville, NC. My mind has been in garden mode this year and I thought it was be fun to go pick a bucket of flowers, on our way out of town, to take back home. There is so much joy infused into bright colored Summer flowers. It was as good for my soul to be able to pick them as it was to give them away.

I’ve been asked what it was like to travel during COVID19 and navigating local regulations. We purposefully chose a location we knew we could do a lot of outdoor activities. At the time of our visit, North Carolina was mandating masks to enter all buildings, so we carried and used a cloth mask to walk through the lobby of hotel, to walk to table at restaurants, shop in stores, and tour the inside of the Biltmore House.

Along with Charleston, SC, I would rank Asheville, NC on a list of top 5 cities in the Southeast for a getaway vacation.

Have you ever been to Asheville? Do you have favorite restaurants or places to visit? I would love to hear your Asheville experiences in the comments. If you have questions about visiting, I would love to chat!

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Categories: Life, Photography, Spoiled Rotten Photography

2020 Personal Picture Project

It is time for the 2020 Personal Picture Project! One of Spoiled Rotten Photography’s core values is excellence. One way to continually grow as a photographer is to constantly be looking for inspiration that you can incorporate into your own work through the work of artists of all mediums, nature, and the work of other photographers. It is getting outside of the style and comfort of the lighting, posing, and styling that you typically do to create a piece of art that speaks to you personally. We believe we are more than just a warm body behind a camera snapping a button of children, but rather artists who are trained to connect with the soul of a child and capture memories for parents with excellence.

2020

“Free Puppyz”

This year I was inspired by a return to simpler times depicted in Norman Rockwell style paintings. Children playing outdoors with puppies trailing at their feet. When I learned my brother and sister-in-law’s dog just had puppies, I knew they would be the perfect subjects to incorporate into a story with my nephews.

Inspiration Artwork

If you think working with children always yields a perfect image with everyone looking at the camera at just the right second, think again. For laughs I am sharing the original images that went into making this final piece of art.

2019

“Our Story in Silhouette”

I was inspired by the playful nature of sunset silhouette pictures by Jen Snyder. I wanted to simplistically tell the story of my girls in the light of this moment in time. This was a photo project that lit my girls up with excitement for helping to achieve together. Savannah has been learning to play the clarinet through middle school band and Sarah Beth is still all about tutus and dressing up along with her guinea pig, Cupcake, that she got in 2019. This image now lives on our wall as a 24×30 gallery wrapped canvas.

2018

“Fearless”

I was inspired by the simplicity and boldness of the black and white portraits created by Lisa Visser. In this image of my daughter, I wanted to capture and highlight her summer freckles.

Make sure you cast your vote for your favorite image in the 2020 Personal Picture Project by commenting on this Facebook post.

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Categories: Essential Oils, Life, Wellness

Welcome Home Starter Kit

Young Living introduced the limited-edition Welcome Home Starter Kit earlier this year as a simpler way to introduce your family to using essential oils. These essential oils were carefully curated to give you a foundation of versatile essential oils to freshen and bring balance to your home. This kit allows the new essential oil user to experiment with a variety of topical and aromatic uses.

To keep the price point down, the home diffuser was left out of the kit. Many people missed out on the therapeutic aromatic benefits of these essential oils by not purchasing their own home diffuser. Before the Welcome Home Starter Kit is retired in June, Young Living is offering an incredible promotion for new members by adding a FREE Dewdrop Diffuser to this already incredible kit value.

The limited-edition Welcome Home Starter Kit is being offered at $125. It is valued at over $300 if you add up the retail value of each item.

Welcome Home Starter Kit Includes:

Frankincense, 5 ml
Lavender, 5 ml
Peppermint, 5 ml
Valor®, 5 ml
Grapefruit, 15 ml
Lemon, 15 ml
Lime, 15 ml
Tangerine, 15 ml
Wooden Vitality™ oil rack
Young Living Lifestyle booklet
FREE Dewdrop Diffuser

To purchase the Young Living Welcome Home Starter Kit with the FREE Dewdrop Diffuser, click this link and my member #1555104 should be in the ‘Sponsor’ and ‘Enroller’ spots. Scroll down if you want step-by-step directions! Choose ‘Member’ to sign up. This doesn’t mean you’ll ever have to sell anything, it just makes you a wholesale member and gives you 24% off retail prices! Kinda like Costco, but you get an entire Premium Starter Kit with your wholesale membership and not just a plastic card.

Learn a little more about each of the oils in this kit:

Lemon

Fresh

• A favorite essential oil to add to your cleaning toolbox. Helps aid in sticky residue removal, and helping clean all the things.

Tangerine

Uplifting

• A favorite essential oil to add to a sugar scrub to revive tired feet.

Grapefruit

Fruity

• A favorite essential oil to diffuse to help curb appetites.

Lime

Clean

• A favorite essential oil to diffuse any time of day.

Google benefits of naturally occurring constituents limonene and alpha-pinene found in the citrus oils!

Frankincense

Calming

• A favorite essential oil to add to your skin routine to maintain a healthy radiant complexion.

Valor

Woodsy

• A favorite essential oil blend to wear topically as a perfume/cologne to support healthy emotions.

Peppermint

Invigorating

• A favorite essential oil to rub on bellies, muscles, and joints.

Lavender

Relaxing

• A favorite essential oil to rub on skin and use at bedtime to unwind and relax.

Here are some suggested diffuser blends to help you maximize the combinations of blends you can create for fresh, inviting aromas to fill your home.

HOW TO GET YOUR WELCOME HOME STARTER KIT

1. Click here to get started. My member number (#1555104) should autopopulate in the sponsor and enroller fields.

2. Choose ‘Member’.

3. Click on the “Other Premium Kits” tab to find the Welcome Home Starter Kit.

4. Choose whether you enroll in Essential Rewards (optional but highly recommended!) Bonus: check the YES box for ‘Do you want to use your Premium Starter Kit (PSK) as your first Essential Rewards (ER) order?’ and your kit counts as your first ER order which means you’ll get 10 PV back to spend AND a free bonus oil! You can then go in and customize your order for the following month.

5. Fill out your information and finalize your order. When you’re all signed up, email me at: elizabeth at thewayhomelife dot com with the word WELCOME HOME in the subject line and I’ll email you back within 24 hours to chat about the goals you want to achieve with your starter kit and send you a customized welcome kit with everything you will need to get started.

Make sure you grab you Welcome Home Starter Kit before June, 30, 2020 to get the FREE Dewdrop Diffuser!

Disclosure: Statements made on this website about Young Living Essential Oils have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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Categories: Family, Life, Recipes

Easy Homemade – Sourdough Bread

I have been baking easy homemade sourdough bread for a number of years, but have taken breaks from it during periods of moving or limiting carbs from our diet. When we were given the “Stay Home” orders in March 2020, it seemed like a good thing to pick back up as we would have more time to devote to keeping up with baking bread and have a reliable bread source as the bread shelves were scarce. The whole family loves fresh bread and it is healthier than bread sold in stores.

My sister has consistently been baking bread from this sourdough starter she got from a friend over 8 years ago. We always love going to her house because she always has something fresh she has baked. She has shared some of her extra sourdough starter several times over the years to help me get into a sourdough bread routine. She shared some of her starter again to start the sourdough bread baking process in March.

My baking sidekick joined me to share the steps we take to baking the most delicious homemade sourdough bread. I want my girls to experiment and be a part of food preparation now, so they will be confident in preparing food for their own families one day.

Sourdough Bread

Remove the starter from refrigerator and “feed” with:

1 cup warm water
1/3 – 1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons potato flakes

Stir. Keep mixture out of refrigerator 8-12 hours. The mixture will bubble. You may stir the mixture with a wooden or plastic spoon. Do not use metal spoons.

I typically activate starter and bake bread every 7-10 days.

I keep starter in a glass jar with a layer of plastic wrap over the top with holes punched to allow the mixture to “breathe”. You should feed the starter at least every 10 days. If you do not bake bread that often you should still feed the starter and let it sit out of the refrigerator 8-12 hours and pour out 1 cup of the starter then place it back in the refrigerator.

Bread Recipe

6 cups flour – bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 – 1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 cup starter
1/2 cup oil

Measure dry ingredients into large mixing bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. You may need to use your hands to get ingredients thoroughly mixed. Dough will be rather stiff. Cover with wax or parchment paper.

Let dough rise 8-12 hours or overnight. Dough should be doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and knead dough a few times on a floured surface. Divide dough into 3 portions. Place extra dough balls into bowl while working with one portion. Roll each portion into a rectangle (about 12″ long and 8″ wide). Roll up jelly roll style, pinch ends and tuck under as you place loaf in greased loaf pan. Make sure the fold side is down.

Cover each loaf with wax or parchment paper and cover with lightweight kitchen towel or cloth.

Let rise 8-12 hours until at least doubled in size.

Bake at 350 degrees for 27 minutes or until golden brown.

Sourdough is an old form of bread leavening. It relies on a mix of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria that are naturally present in flour, rather than baker’s yeast, to leaven the dough.

Sourdough bread contains lower amounts of gluten and its prebiotic- and probiotic-like properties may help improve digestion.

There are many different methods of creating and baking with sourdough starter. This sourdough starter is unlike many starters that you feed flour to keep the cultures active and alive.

When mixing up our sourdough, we typically bake 2 regular size loaves and then with the third part we will experiment with mini loaves, pizza crust, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, pretzels, pancakes, and even tortillas.

Have you ever made homemade bread? Do you use traditional yeast or a sourdough starter to help your bread rise?

If you live in the Birmingham area and would like to get started with this type of easy homemade sourdough bread, reach out to me and I will be happy to share some of my starter with you to get started.

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Categories: Family, Life, Photography, Spoiled Rotten Photography

Graduation 2020

Graduation 2020 looks a lot different this year than what we have come to expect for preschool, high school, and collage graduations. Both of my girls have completed their seasons of elementary and middle school this year and will be moving on to middle and high school in the Fall.

The girls have been sad about missing fun end-of-the-year activities, special programs and award ceremonies that they should be enjoying before making the transition to a new school.

Today we grabbed my 22 year old, royal blue, high school graduation gown out of the closet and had a little fun creating images to help us remember these milestone graduations. Luckily the gown color matches our current Chelsea blue.

I have photographed a lot of preschool little graduates over the years, but these images of my girls are the ones that will make me cry as we pull them back out at the next milestone.

What is not to love about star confetti?!

We’ve been making the most of our time “Staying at Home” this Spring while celebrating birthdays, crafting, playing, baking, and homeschooling.

We are wrapping up our digital home learning this week and are looking forward to a Summer full of more memories!

The thing about new beginnings is that they require something else to end.
– Blair Waldorf

What does the end of the school year, Graduation 2020 look like for your family? Do you have any kiddos moving on to a new school in the Fall? Share with us how you are choosing to celebrate the end of the school year and any graduates at your home!

If you have a high school or collage graduate, Krispie Kreme is doing a fun promotion that your graduate can be recognized for the week of 5/18-5/24!

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Categories: Family, Life, Recipes

Homemade – Chocolate Cake

For Mother’s Day 2020, Sarah Beth and I took to the kitchen to make a homemade chocolate cake. After watching Joanna Gaines share her family’s favorite chocolate cake recipe, we wanted to try the recipe for ourself.

We love following the Magnolia story and everything the Magnolia brand represents, so we thought it would be fun to film our own mother-daughter baking adventure. Have you tried any of the recipes in the Magnolia Table Cookbooks? I need to add both of these cookbooks to my wishlist.

Enjoy a behind the scenes look at the recipe in action.

While we normally try to limit our sugar consumption, this cake was a special treat out of the norm for Mother’s Day. We have been spending more time than usual at home and enjoying trying new things in the kitchen. The chocolate cake was a big hit with the family and the fresh strawberries ended up being a fun surprise to cut into and enjoy eating with the cake.

Did you have any special treats that you enjoyed for Mother’s Day?

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Categories: Family, Life, Photography, Printables

Game Night

Mothers I see you and know you have all been thrown expectations out of the norm over the past 2 months. From making decisions that are best for your family, juggling working from home while entertaining children and continuing school at home, to providing 3 meals a day and keeping a sense of order in your home.

As a fun diversion, I hosted this virtual game night on Facebook to bring my friends together for an evening of fun.

You can download each of the game boards and post to your personal social media accounts and pages to host your own virtual interactive event.

STAY HOME – BINGO

I know each of our “Stay Home” experiences have looked a little different depending on where we live, how we are working, and the needs of our children. I know for many this has been a much needed time to slow down and rest during a season of growth. As we share our own personal stories from this time, I am sure common themes and activities connect each of us.

Download the Bingo board and you can digitally cross off items you have completed with Staying Home.

STAY HOME – BINGO Download

STAY HOME – THIS OR THAT

If you watch Instagram Stories, you may be familiar with “This or That.” Simply download the graphic and mark it up by drawing a circle around your answer.

STAY HOME – THIS OR THAT Download

STAY HOME – SCATTERGORIES

Scattergories may have been one of my favorite games growing up! I love having to think quickly to come up with a list within given parameters. I have devised a “quarantine” edition of Scattergories, that will be fun to share with your friends.

STAY HOME SCATTERGORIES Download

I SPY – STAY HOME EDITION

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Did you ever read/look at the I Spy Books that were filled with thematic collaged photographs? You could spend hours looking at hidden objects within the carefully arranged pages.

Think through the activities and things you have been doing yourself or as a family during your extended period of staying at home. Gather as many items as you can to represent what you have been doing and set them up on a neutral background (floor, on a blanket, on a counter, on a table) Have fun arranging all your items within your given canvas. Stand above your items. Grab a step ladder or sturdy chair and shoot down to photograph all your items laid out flat.

Try to make sure your items are well lit or use photo editing afterward.

This photograph will be a special memory to hang on to for years to come to tell future generations about the months you learned to be still at home.