Monday, August 23, 2010

Photography: Walls Family, July 2010

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Rob and I went to college with Jen & Tyler, and I was thrilled (and surprised, of course!) when Jen asked me to shoot a few photos of their happy family when they were visiting family and friends here in Pennsylvania this summer. It was so good to see them to catch up for a little, and it helped that their little guy, Ethan, loved the camera...














For my first family "photo shoot", and the 95+ degree weather on one of the most humid days in July, I was pretty pleased with the results (although I still have a ton to learn photo-wise)... and I hope Jen, Tyler and little Ethan are too! 

Thursday, August 12, 2010

How we Spent our Summer Vacation

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We spent a little over a week and a half splitting our time on lakes and in mountains in the Poconos, Pennsylvania and Portland/Oxford, Maine. I think I am one of those people who loves both the mountains and the beach, but this summer's mountain/lake vacations were SO relaxing and peaceful. There sure is something to be said for the beauty and stillness of nature, and it really does the soul good.

Most of our days consisted of sleeping until awoken by the sunshine (we didn't have one day of rain!), sipping 2-3 cups of coffee in the morning, and then changing out of our pajamas and into our swimsuits for a day of soaking in the sun, reading, and swimming/pontooning. We snacked for lunch, and when the sun had set, drank wine and played games while slowly preparing dinner and eating late. Followed by an evening campfire, filled with more games (our family likes to play Trivial Pursuit around the fire), sometimes with marshmallows and s'mores.

My parents joined Rob and I, and Rob's mom, in the Poconos at Rob's family's cabin on Lake Watawga for a long weekend. Other than the activities mentioned above, we got in our exercise by stacking 2 cords of firewood in preparation for the winter (one cord = about 300 logs), went kayaking, peddle boating, and canoeing... and had a delicious meal out at Smuggler's Cove. Oh, and we went to the annual Mt. Pocono carnival on our last night there after our friends Meg and Matt joined us... Meg won a game of BINGO and a fish, which promptly died overnight.  Nice knowing you, Olivia (the name of the fish).

On our first day in Portland, ME, after being picked up from the airport by Rob's aunt and uncle, we headed to see some lighthouses, have a picnic lunch, and hike around for a bit to explore. We did some window shopping in Portland, had dinner (delicious fish & chips & onion rings and blueberry wheat beer at The Porthole), and headed to Jenny and Joe's cabin on Thompson Lake in Oxford, ME.

Here are some shots of our travels:

bark? guess again...
huge stone rocks that looked like wood... amazing
Portland Head Lighthouse, the oldest in the U.S., commissioned by George Washington
Jenny, Joe, and Robin (Rob's mom)
goofy sisters
nothing like the view at the summit...
cousin Lauren and her boyfriend, Ross
cousin Paul, rockin' out!
an attempt at a family photo

It was a vacation I won't soon forget!
How did you spend your lazy days of summer?

Love,
Katie

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Be... our.... Guest!

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Finally. We can finally have friends and family over and give them a comfortable place to rest their head in one cohesive space. It feels like it's been years in the making (even though we moved in to our home a little less than a year ago).

While I can't seem to dig up a before shot right now, when we moved in, the walls and all the trim in the room were pink. For the past nine months, we utilized the space pretty much as a dumping grounds for furniture that didn't fit in any other room, random decor, out-of-season clothes, etc.

Now the most modern room in our house, the furniture is not a random mish-mash, and the curtains and simplicity of the decor provide a really calming space... perfect for our guests!







The four poster bed frame was actually one that we had in our master bedroom, but we've recently inherited a king-size bed, and the black frame worked perfectly in our black and white scheme for the room. The windows face the street out front, and the curtains and sheers really bring not only a soft, luxurious feel to the room, but also bring very practical much-needed privacy. We also moved in the black dresser (the one that used to be teal) and kept the dresser, which was my first furniture painting project before heading off to life in my college apartment, originally given to me by my grandparents for my nursery/bedroom as a baby. It's still going strong! I love the Style&co shams, which somehow perfectly are the same hue as the wall color, which I found in a clearance bin at Macy's a few months back.

What do you think? Any artwork suggestions (I have one little project up my sleeve that I am hoping to complete and share soon)?  Want to come for a visit?

Love,

... and we're back!

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Life got busy for a little while, and we decided to take an unconscious break from blogging to deal. Camp ended, I co-hosted a baby shower for one of my dearest friends (more details to come on that later), and we went on vacation (more on that eventually, too). And I just couldn't keep up with blogging... but am happy to say that I am rejuvenated, very tan!, and ready to attack the blog.  :)

Stay tuned for tales of our adventures, the guest bedroom makeover reveal, and more!

Love,


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