girl loves friday.

no I'm not lucky I'm blessed.
yes.
-Nicki Minaj

Something I'm feeling at the very moment.
I don't think I give the big man enough credit for the goodness in my life. Of course I look to him when things are down and ask..why me?
Another resolution for this year....less why me prayers and more thank you prayers.
Done.

Feeling so relieved it's Friday. Seems like a long week, maybe because I actually worked a full week rather than taking Friday off. 
Yesterday I woke up so amped on creative thoughts but they were quickly killed after a conference call first thing in the a.m. in which I was not given credit for a grand business decision I had made last week. Not to say I need a pat on the back for every thing I do but this particular situation would have been nice. Was pretty let down but also pushed me more into wanting to become my own boss. I'm ready to mesh my own business/sales/creative skills into Life.Love.Paper Photography. Every night this week I've dreamt of being on photo shoots and woke up with fabulous ideas and enough motivation to get me to my next step. I'm extremely excited about my upcoming shoot which is going to be totally experimental. It's a boudoir shoot. Yikes. Totally far from the newborn, maternity direction I'm headed but at this point in my photographic career, I'm not going to shy away from something new.

I love cuddly creatures.

Speaking of cuddly...I also love that my baby boy loves to cuddle. He snuggles right into the nook of my arm when we take our afternoon naps. Yes, he sleeps with me. In my bed. I can hear the gasps now. And you know what...I'm not going to apologize for it. With all the books and advice combined, what I know is that I have to do what's best for us. He does sleep comfortably in his bassinet now at night-time but nap-time is cuddle time. 
Moving on.

This book . This was Tyler's Valentines gift I got him and has become part of our bedtime ritual. He coos and ahhs while I'm reading it which tells me he loves it as well.

This beautiful post on motherhood. I foresee lot's of blanket forts and dance parties in my future.

happy friday.
xot. 

boy loves friday.

giving a pound to friday.:)
i wasn't planning on blogging today but i'm up early with a hot cup of decaf and sleeping boy so why not?
still in the process of updating this boring blog.
was going to hire some one to do it but my funds are tied up at the moment so now i'm researching/learning how to do it myself. harder than i thought but i'm sure i'll get there.

onto girl loves.

things i am thankful for.
i love this illustration although i would alter a few things. certainly an inspiration for an upcoming layout using my March Studio Calico kit due to arrive on my doorstep in the next few days. 

one love photo's booth.
of course you'd expect nothing less from these ultra creative photographers.
love the idea of hanging old cameras directly onto the wall...an idea that my spring up in my son's nursery. he's mesmerized by the cameras i have strown across my mantle.

this look.
the jeans remind me of the old 501's i use to scour the thrift stores for. already been sporting the messy bun for a few weeks now but i'm really on the hunt for a blazer. i have issues with them fitting me comfortably. i hate the feeling of being confined. blazers usually do that to me.

also loooving yogurt with granola. my perfect combination is the Yoplait light banana cream pie topped with Bear Valley vanilla almond and some chopped bananas. wish the rest of my eating would play out this healthy.

happy friday.
xot 

girl loves...thursday?

Yes, Thursday.
Why? Bbecause it's my Friday.
Not that I'll be lounging around in my pjs tomorrow.
We've got a full day of doctor apointments and errand running.

Being back to work started off well but in my second week, I'm feeling a bit like this:
I'm am running on fumes rights now. 
Tyler's going through something because his little butt kept me up until 3:30am this morning.
It's hard to be frustrated with him though. He spent the night/early morning wide-eyed and cooing the whole time. Possibly a growth spurt? Not sure but he's been doing so well with our routine. Just hope he gets back on track soon. 

Not only am I dog tired but tasks at work are starting to pile up.
It's nice to be busy but with so little sleep, it's hard to concentrate. I have to say I'm handling it all quite well though. As emails keep flowing and my inbox gets full, I keep a smile on my face.
This year I decided to do 2 things.
First was to not complain...or complain less I should say. (when snowblower wakes me up in the a.m., complaining is a given) So far so good.
Second was to not let the negativity that surrounds our office get to me. So when coworkers gossip/complain, it goes in one ear and out the other.
I just don't have the time or energy for this @$#% crap anymore.
Not when I've got so much good going for me.
There's no way I want any of that negativity to rub off on Tyler and he in no way deserves a grumpy mom.
I'm taking it all in great strides.

happy thursday/friday! 
 xot

girl loves friday.

 
Getting organized is up there with dieting/healthy eating.
It's one of those resolutions that fails even beforer it begins, for me at least.
Dieting is so not on my list this year being that I'm currently eating french toast I made out of leftover croissants from Costco. It's especially good because the boy is sound asleep and I can actually eat using both hands.  

One resolution that I want to keep is stated above.
Do something creative everyday.
I first thought that this was one of those sure to fail resolutions but it really is a lot more simple than it seems.
Being creative does not mean I need scrapbook everyday or make something tangible.
Playing around with some of the items I had on my desk and styling them for a photo was creative.
Journaling my son's birth story was creative.
Re-decorating our mantle was creative. 
Even if I take 5 minutes out of my diaper changing filled days to do something creative, I will continue to grow & evolve.

xot
 

girl love friday and hates drama.

hate is a strong word but is an appropriate feeling to have on the subject of drama.
not drama as in i'm in the mood to watch a drama.
i'm talking about the type of drama that drains you and that is quite unnecessary. kwim?
it's something i avoid at all costs but i know at some point in my life, it will arise. it's all about how said drama is handled. i think hope that i have handled this minor bump in the road as best as i could. will things be the same after the smoke clears? possibly but life goes on to more positive things.

my husband. my partner. my bestie for life.
me: laying on the floor taking photos of the pup napping.
him: watching me take numerous photos.
me: thinking he's just watching the game on the flat screen behind me.
him: "you're really happy taking pictures, aren't you?"
surprised to find out he's been watching me this whole time. I blush and lovingly smile at him.

convos with long distance friends.
garance blog. i know, too many garance references. but i love her and knowing that i only have a moment to check google reader each day, her blog is on the top of my list.

valentine inspired weddings

this greeting card.

cool cupcake designs. 
another reason to add to my "why I can't wait to have a baby" list. i can imagine a bunch of these for his or her birthday party with other little kids running around my house while donning pointy birthday hats. 
 
an idea for a future layout.

is this not genius? and it doesn't have to be about your spouse or partner. could be about a pet or your child. i love it. don't be surprise to see this idea used for a layout.

and lastly, a couple of sneaks for the March Studio Calico kit which goes live this weekend!!

oh boy, my half caf latte is starting to kick in. time to get the friday done and over with. before I sign off, I wanted to thank those of you who visit daily and leave nice little comments. I don't always get a chance to respond right away but that doesn't mean I don't care. In appreciation of the time you take to visit, I would like to give away 2 of my collage cards. Just say hi and I'll choose a winner Sunday night.
happy happy happy FRIDAY! 
be safe and enjoy your weekend. 
tina

happy love day.

 
ah..that holiday you either love or loathe.
I'm sort of in between this year for no other reason but it creeping up on me.
jeff came home friday with 2 dozen of my favorite creamy pink roses knowing I don't go for the traditional valentine red. that's all I wanted. no cheesy card to throw away. no box of chocolates that I absolutely do  not need.
 
the thing I love the most about this weekend is having monday off. :) that makes my heart flutter.

spent some quality time with some paper, photos & rub ons yesterday which i desperately needed. creative therapy has taken over retail therapy.
This layout I created using the new Studio Calico rub ons:

"girl survives winter" will actually be a future blog post listing my favorite winter survival products.

some sneaks from the March SC kit:

 
I'll also have some new cards in the shop this week:

 a collage of my favorite polaroids and ttv shots from the past year. 5x5 flat card. printed on art recycled paper. $4.
 

I now have a bag of Haribo gummy bears and a movie to attend to. 
happy love day to you all.
xoxo
t.