Sew!

Soooo...I bought a sewing machine! That's right, I figured I didn't have enough hobbies, so why not add another to the list!

I have never sewn anything in my life, except Barbie clothes with my Poo (my Daddy's Momma) and that was ages ago, and we did it by hand...She showed me how to thread a needle, sew on snaps and buttons, and do a running stitch. Along with these valuable lessons, she also shared an awful story about the time she was learning to sew on a machine and sewed her finger!! I silently vowed, right then, to never use a sewing machine..ever...for fear of having a floral print Barbie mini skirt sewn to my finger for the rest of my life! And up until now I haven't broken that promise to myself!! Not that I have ever needed or really had the desire to..but in the past few months, I have just really wanted to give it a whirl! After all, Poo is a magnificent seamstress, so she must have gotten over the whole finger ordeal!

I have really always loved the idea of sewing. My Momma had (still has) a bright blue Singer sewing machine (hmm now that I think of it..maybe it's not a Singer, but I know it sits on an amazing antique Singer sewing table) I used to imagine having a mint green machine and sewing my barbies outfits for each day of the year! She also had an amazing sewing basket (is that what they are called?!?) with all sorts of thread in every color, I would line each one up like the colors of the rainbow...and buttons, boy did she have buttons!!! I enjoyed going through them to find the ones that matched! Yes, we had TV...i was just weird!

Anyway!!! Lately, I keep seeing all these amazing items on Etsy.com and think, I could do that ...if I only knew how to sew! So, I took the plunge and purchased a machine....I went for the very inexpensive beginner model!
http://www.brother-usa.com/Homesewing/ModelDetail.aspx?ProductID=LX3125E

I'm thinking it must be for teenagers, since it's main selling feature are these "skins" that come with it, to allow you to change the look of your sewing machine to fit your mood! I wonder if it comes with a "this is crazy complicated and I don't want to sew my finger" skin, for my mood at the moment!!

I guess I should be honest and tell yall that all I have done at this point is take it out of the box, but that was complicated enough! I will let it sit on the table and taunt me until I have enough courage to face the finger eating beast!!! Stay tuned :)
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The V Family! - Hull, IA Photography

I had such a fun time with these two little girls! The oldest just loved all my props..especially the strand of pearls and the numerous chairs that were just her size! Enjoy :)
















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The H Family!!! - Hull,IA Photography

This family is spread far and wide, so when they were all in town at once, it was the perfect time to capture it on film :) How cute are these kids?!?!? Do you recognize Aiden?? Although we couldn't get them all the smile at the same time, I managed to get some cute shots! Enjoy!















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New look for the living room!!!

Soo we painted an accent wall red (bowl of berries) I think it turned out really good!! The edges are not the best so I may try some twine/rope to line it with and give it a rustic look...we'll see! I found the turquoise bench at the antique store and painted it...when i finally put it in the room, we realized it is lopsided!!! The Farmer is going to trim one side down so it will be even..still not sure if I love it?!!?




New pillows!


My favorite!


some new decor pieces...



painted this M!!



on top of the shelf....this is a Charlie Russel Painting, he was a famous artist from Montana and has always been one of my Daddy's faves, I actually have a few of his prints that my parents have given me over the years...but this particular one is special...It is called Waiting for a Chinook/Last of the 5000...here is the story behind it http://www.charlierussell.org/lastofthe5000.htm Even though the original is displayed in the MT Historical Society Museum in Helena, the Mont. Stckgrwrs Assoc. (where I worked before moving to Iowa) actually owns the painting, so my parents gave it to me to remember my time in Montana! Love it!


bad pic...but ohh well...cluster of wedding pics on the right!



This is one of my favorite pieces! My Uncle Den and Aunt Betty gave it to me when I was a little girl and I have always loved it! Now with the new color scheme, it goes perfectly in the living area!




Love this pic from the wedding!!



ok that's all for now!! I have to finish the magazine tomorrow, followed by a photo shoot tomorrow afternoon, then I have to edit all the shoots I have been doing lately!! Busy bee :)

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I won the card war!!

Since our birthdays are so close, The Farmer I had a card war! I wont say how many each of us received...but I won!! hehe!! :)


I had a really fun birthday...worked on a magazine during the day, then we met our friends Cedric and Kate for lunch, then we headed to our friends Amanda and Ryan's for a yummy BBQ dinner! Amanda and Kayla's birthday is on the 22nd too, so we all celebrated together! I have never known anybody with my birthday before, so it was super fun to share it them! We are all going to Omaha next weekend for a fun weekend getaway! Can't wait!!
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Has it been a year already???

It certainly doesn't seem like it's been a year since my last birthday, but the calendar is telling me it's here again!! Don't get me wrong, I love celebrating myself, but once you past 25 it's hard to get very excited about growing older!!

Even though the actual day isn't until tomorrow, I have been getting spoiled since May! Remember my parents gift http://thefarmerandthesouthernbelle.blogspot.com/2010/05/happy-birthday-to-me.html I have sooo enjoyed being able to edit pics on my laptop!!! But my good friend, Mr. UPS Man, brought me another gift from Momma and Daddy today!

Yep!! It's popcorn!!! Woohooo!!! And such an adorable tin!! I think this one is my favorite of all..and I have a ton of them :)


Mmmmmm yummo!


On Sunday The Farmer's parents had a little party for us since our B-days are just ten days apart! His birthday is July 12th, ten days later is my birthday on July 22nd, and ten days later is Our Anniversary August 1st! AND ten days later is the day we got engaged, August 11th! I guess we like 10 :) Anyway, back to the party! I got lost of fun stuff!



How cute is this apron...maybe there will be some action shots to come!


I wonder how they know I like everything personalized!?!?! haha!


Grandma Vermeer makes these amazing hangers, they are soo nice for sweaters! She gives them to the kids at Christmas and on our birthdays! Love the colors!! :)



Soo as a gift to ourselves for our birthdays we got this!!

Compared to our old, sad, little TV, this 40 inch thing is a beast!! Happy Birthday to us!!! Also for my birthday, I get to pick out a new pair of boots when we are in Cody, WY in August! I am pretty picky about my boots, so instead of ordering them online, I will get to try a bunch on and find the cutest pair!! I can't remember if I told yall this already, but we are going to Yellowstone and Cody, WY for our anniversary! I am soo excited!
We are actually going out to Helena, Montana (where I use to live) for my friend Heidi's wedding on August 28th, so after the wedding, to celebrate our anniversary (a little late) we are heading down to Yellowstone for a few days then Cody, WY for a few days! Last time I went to Yellowstone was in 2006 with my family, when they came to visit me in Montana, so it will be fun to go back!! Cody was my favorite!! So many fun shops, a rodeo every night, and an amazing Buffalo Bill Museum!! I can't wait!!!

While I'm discussing vacations, I just have to tell you about another one that I am really looking forward to!!! Another Daddy/Daughter trip! It will be a quick one over the second weekend in September, but it is something we have talked about doing for forever!! Well, you know how we love history, mostly Old West History...we like it all, but Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (Wild Bunch) stuff is one of our faves...sooooo...we are going to the Hole in The Wall!!!

Ok, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but it is where numerous outlaws hid out and were never found! They were actually called the "Hole in Wall Gang" because they hid out in literally a hole in the wall/canyon. Through the years, the Hole In The Wall was home to gunmen such as Jesse James, the Logan brothers, and George 'Flat Nose' Currie. Toward the end of the century Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch joined the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, making this one of the foremost outlaw headquarters along the outlaw trail.

There is now a ranch were the famous hideout lays, so we are going to stay there! We will be in a cabin the first night, then head out the next day for a trail ride up to the Hole In The Wall, have a Chuckwagon Dinner, and camp out there!! Now under normal circumstances, I would never do this, camping isn't on my list of favorite things to do, but how cool is it gonna be to actually camp out where they did, and ride where they rode!! I know, I'm a history nerd!!! But I love it!!! I'm actually kind of obsessed with the Sundance Kid (Harry Longbauch)!! But since this post is getting long, I'll just save that for another day!! hehe!!
This is the place we are staying!! Gorgeous!!!




On another note, I am re-decorating the living room!!! The wall in this pic (below) will hopefully be red after this weekend and then I will show you a few other fun things I have done to change it up a bit!! The accents have been maroon, forest green, and navy for the longest time, until one day I woke up and realized I didn't like those colors at all, and red, turquoise, and yellow are so much more my style!! Don't worry it is still gonna be western!! As always, stay tuned!! :)
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Emily & Matt Sneak Peak!! - Hull, IA Photography

What a gorgeous wedding..even if it was 500 degrees! The whole gang stuck it out and we got some great outdoor shots! They were such a fun, relaxed couple which made for a very fun day! I will show you the rest as soon as I finish the edits...but here's a few to tide you over :)






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Baby Rose Turns 1!!! - Hull, IA Photography

Rose is the cutest little one year old girly around! I forgot to blog about her party a couple of weeks ago, but we had such a good time and she racked up on toys! She also loves to have her name on everything...she's a princess like that!! Ok, maybe that was my doing, but isn't it adorable!?!? Enjoy :)

























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