Midweek Randoms

So I was really wanting to blog today but just could NOT get my thoughts organized for a post. Then I saw the Midweek Randoms link-up with Megan @ In This Wonderful Life and thought well that is just perfect!

 

 

 

1. I am having serious house buying fever! I am just so sick of renting and I want something that is ours. There is just one problem, location. The hubs and I cannot decide on where we want to buy. We know we don't want the city, preferably no subdivision and somewhere in North GA area. I found a house I love but it's too far North for him, he wants to live out towards Athens but I think it may be a little too far out. So for now we are working on a compromise and have decided to just go with our gut if we find the one. Any advice?

 

2. I mentioned in this  post that I love the fair! Well for a long time now I have been dying to have pictures taken at the fair with the hubs or I thought it would even be a cute shoot to do with my sister. I would also love to shoot a session at the fair whether it be family, child, engagement just whatever, I want to do it! So I am officially on fair watch because I am bound and determined that I will accomplish one if not both of those this year!

 

3. Here lately I have been getting a lot more photography business! I am blessed beyond words! This has given me just the boost I needed to get serious about my "business". I am putting together the Facebook page and yesterday I ordered some pretty adorable packaging! I can't wait to get them in!

 

 

4.Today I am wearing one of my favorite color combos. Neon coral, mint, turquoise and gold. It makes me happy!

 

5. Lord have mercy, I laughed way too hard at this. I love my husband but this is so him!

 

6. Not that this is anything new but I am seriously craving Mexican food. I wonder if I could convince our favorite couple to go on a Mexi-date tonight :)

 

Well that is it for today, I told y'all super random!

 



Weekend Shenanigans: Dixie Chicks Style?!?

Happy Monday y'all! Normally I follow that sentence with a "Mondays suck blah blah blah" kind of remark but today I really mean it. After such an amazing weekend this really is a Happy Monday! Today I will be sharing my Weekend Shenanigans with a link-up that I did a while back with Sami over at Sami's Shenanigans . 

 

Friday night I went to the gender reveal party I mentioned in my Five On Friday post. I love any excuse to spend time with my family, all of my cousins are like brothers/sisters to me! I will post pictures later but all I will say for now is that my team won! I am sooo excited to meet this sweet little girl!! {I made some edits to the previous post for privacy reasons}

 

 

This weekend my in-laws were out of town and were sweet enough to let us borrow their boat! Now if you are reading this and you live in Georgia, well the South in general, you will know that it has been non-stop raining this Summer. As Lauren said "this is pretty much the suckiest Summer ever!". Saturday morning not only was it overcast with showers every now and then but it was cold y'all! {Hence the Dixie Chicks "Cold Day In July" reference. Yes I know that song is about a relationship but just focus on the title..mmk!}

{yes that is a hoodie and a long-sleeve button up, ridiculous. You're drunk Georgia}

 

Sunday the weather was even worse, we spent the majority of the time hiding out in the cabin to avoid getting soaked! But we were bound and determined not to let the nasty weather bring us down. I am so glad we didn't because we had a blast! The rest of this post will be mainly pictures because well, they just speak for themselves! And I know that if y'all read Lauren's blog Peach State Of Mind you've probably seen most of these pictures and heard this story but we are besties so deal with it! I hope y'all have a good week!

 

{our attempt at the LOVE pic hah}

{a little pda, sorry 'bout it}

 

{my hunky hubs hanging out}

{I love this picture of my 2 favorites}

{lots of bestie pix}

{these 2 being all cute on their 1 year engagement anniversary}

{Lauren being sassy singing some Pistol Annie's to Cody}

{look what we found in the trailer hitch, cute!!}

{Look at my little Lake Pup he was loving swimming! Well either he was loving swimming or he thought he had to rescue us when we jumped in. Regardless, it was cute!}

{a couple selfies!}

{our guys fishing}

{I absolutely love this picture Lauren took of our boys braving the rain while we kept dry in the cabin. This pretty much sums up their friendship!}

We did have a little glimpse of blue skies, just enough to get a little color on our cheeks!

 

There is nothing like seeing pictures of yourself in a bathing suit to make you realize it is time to get serious about losing some weight! It is not going to be easy but I know if I set my mind to it I can get back to where I used to be. I just have to stop making excuses, married life didn't make me fat, my love of food made me fat! I really think it will be easier this go round because Cody, Lauren & Paul are all going to join the gym too, no one likes working out alone! Y'all go link-up to share about your weekend!!!

 

 

 

 







Five On Friday

Hey y'all! I cannot believe it is already Friday, this week flew by for me!  No complaints here though. And as always Friday means the Five On Friday link-up with Darci and the rest of the girls. I just love doing this one!

 

{1} First and foremost I want to thank everyone for all of your kind words and encouragement in regards to my photography dilemma. It truly means so much to know I have support not only from the friends/family in my everyday life but also from all of you in the blog world who really don't know me from Adam! The Ashley Stephens Photography Facebook page is officially in the works. :)

{2} As you found out in my Liebster post I am a complete music junkie! Well today I decided to share this band that I am completely obsessed with right now. They are the Jeb Stuart Band and the lead singer is actually my sister's boyfriend's cousin (haha). A few months ago my sister was at a photoshoot for her senior superlative pictures and she sent me a video of Jeb singing (he won most talented) and I was floored! They write their own songs and post them on their Facebook page every week. I am so happy that he is getting out there and pursuing his dream,y'all seriously have to just take a minute and listen to them!

This is one of my favorites!

 

{3}I know everyone is harping on this but I am SO sick of this Georgia weather. I read the other day that Atlanta is on track for it's wettest year in history and I believe it! I don't even remember the last full day without rain around here but it if it does continue to rain I think I need this outfit to splash around in!

I got this off pinterest but lost the link.oops

All I know is it BETTER hold off tomorrow because we have big plans of spending the whole day on the lake with Cody & Lauren and I am just not putting up with any rain. Plain and simple.

 

{4} I am just so excited for tonight! We are going to a gender reveal party for my cousin's new baby!! She is an absolutely amazing person and without a doubt one of the most influential people in my life. I could seriously write a whole post just about how amazing she is and what she means to me. No one deserves to be a mother as much as she does and now her dream is coming true again. I am so happy for this little family and I cannot wait to find out if it is another beautiful baby boy or a beautiful baby girl! As for me I am wearing my Pink because I think it is a little girl!

 

{names removed for privacy reasons}
 

{5} Last night I posted about a little DIY project I did. It was so quick and easy but I love it.

I also kind of came out of the blogging closet last night with this picture. Up until now I hadn't really told my friends/family that I started blogging. I wasn't ashamed or anything I just kind of wanted something to myself. But as soon as I posted this picture on Instagram I had someone asked me how to make it so I swallowed my pride and posted the link to my tutorial post! I don't know if any of them will start reading or even look at it but it is officially "out there".

Well that's it for today! I hope y'all have an amazing weekend and go link up with the girls to let us know what is on your mind today!

 

 

 

Bonus Post! A Tutorial!

So I am pretty sure you really shouldn't post twice in one day but I just had to share a little project I did tonight! I was cleaning up my room putting up miscellaneous jewelry and realized I had no more room in my jewelry box! So I decided I needed to make something. 10  minutes later I had this little beauty!

I bought the frame for a prop a few months ago from Goodwill, tossed the hideous print that was in it and spray painted it. And I had the burlap from a prop project last weekend! 

I posted it to Instagram and immediately had someone ask how I did it so here is how! I laid the burlap on the back of the frame, traced a line to where I wanted to cut (just a little short of the edge of the frame so I could pull it tight), got my Hubby's staple gun, pulled the fabric tight and Paul but about 50 staples in it lol. I put my earrings through the burlap and that's  it. Done. So simple! 

The back isn't so pretty but it works!!

Have a good night y'all!!

Weddings, Baby Cheeks and Rambling...

Hey y'all!

After that super long post yesterday I am going to keep it short and simple today! As y'all know my passion is photography and here lately I have been blessed to book quite a few shoots. A few weeks ago I told y'all about shooting my first wedding as the primary photographer, read that post here. Well today I am going to share a few more pictures from that day and a sweet newborn shoot. There are also some things I need some advice on, any input welcome!

     ^one of Lauren's that I love, she did such a great job!

I am so obsessed with this one. As we were leaving I saw this heart lock and just had to have a picture of it even though we were in a hurry. Lauren had the great idea to put the rings on the door handle so we made them hold on for one more minute and I am so glad because it is one of my favorite pictures ever! I love working with Lauren, I think we should just be an official team!

 

This past Sunday I got to spend the day with my sweet nephew Branson taking his newborn pictures! This was the first full-out newborn session I have done and I loved it. I definitely think that I want newborns to be my main focus as I continue on my photography adventure. Yes it takes a long time due to fussiness and all the other truly amazing things that come with a newborn but my favorite part is when that little baby starts to fuss you get to pick them up and hold them close until they settle down. Now if that isn't just the best "job perk" ever then I don't know what is! Here are a few of little baby B's shoot.

Those little cheeks, be still my heart!!!

 

More to come! Now on to what I am struggling with. Several people have asked me if I had a Facebook page or website and my friends/family keep telling me I need to make one, I am not so sure. I just don't feel like I am there yet. I know it will help generate business but I have a hard time calling myself a professional with my lack of training and experience. Looking at these pictures that I worked on for so long there are so many things that could have been done better. I know everyone starts somewhere, I guess I am just weary about coming off as cocky or like I am trying to rip people off. This is just something I guess I will have to continue to pray on until I figure out my next step! (& I am seriously not fishing for compliments just want some opinions on what y'all think. Am I overthinking this or do you think there are certain dues you have to pay before taking that step?)

Well that's it for today, Stop back by tomorrow for the Five On Friday!

 

 

 

 



Liebster Award!!

Well, imagine my surprise this morning when I went to read my "bestie'' Lauren's blog and saw that not only had she been nominated for a Liebster Award but that she in turn nominated me! So neat, thanks Lauren!!

The Rules

1. Link back to the blog that nominated you

2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers

3. Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator

4. Share 11 random facts about yourself

5. Create 11 questions for your nominees

6. Contact your nominees to let them know you nominated them

 

I Nominate

1. Katelyn @ Imperfect Perfection

2. Jessica @Life's Better Being Southern

3.Jennifer @ The Martinez Men

4.Brooks @ Cotton & Boots

5. Emily @ My Life In Words

 

Lauren's 11 Questions

1. What do you do for a living? I work at a family owned trucking company. I don't really know what you would consider my actual job title but I do a little bit of everything! On the side I am an amateur photographer and I hope that one day that can be my full time job.

2. What made you start blogging? Well I have actually wanted to start blogging for a while now. I wanted to start when I was engaged to write about my wedding and the planning process but I just never had the time. Then, a few months ago a friend and I (cough, cough you Lauren) were talking and decided we should start blogging, so here we are!

 3. If you could give any tip about blogging, what would it be? Oh gosh, I have no idea. I am still pretty clueless when it comes to the inner-workings of the blog world. But I guess if I had to say one thing it would be, don't stress about the number of followers or comments you get. None of that stuff really matters, you should just enjoy the blogging experience whether you 5 or 500 followers!

4. What is your favorite food? Oh lordy this is a hard one because I am a total pig. I am going to go ahead and sound like a serious fat girl and say queso dip. I could literally eat Mexican food every single day! Smother something in queso, cue the Mariachi band and you've got one happy girl!

5. What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time? Hmm.. I really have two but they go hand in hand. Taking pictures and spending time with family! Paul and I both have large families and my favorite kind of day is one spent in the chaos of 30 people talking over each other and a whole bunch of young'ns running around! And I love to capture those moments with a picture!

6. Do you have any pets? I have one pet, my sweet little Hank! Hank is a one year old Chi-weenie  with more personality than most humans I know. I seriously love him like he is my child!

7. Can you tell us about one of your favorite childhood memories? My favorite memory isn't really one specific event, vacation or anything like that. It is just Saturdays. When I was about 15 my stepdad was deployed overseas so it was just my Mom, my sister and me. We always spent our Saturdays together shopping, visiting or just laying around the house laughing together! Those days are by far some of my favorite memories.

8. Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years I hope to be a mother, homeowner and having my own established photography business!

9. What is your favorite holiday and why? My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving! It has the "3 F's" family, football and food! Fall is my favorite season with the perfect weather, changing leaves and fun festivals. So Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday in my eyes, plus you don't go broke buying a million presents so that is a definite plus!

10. What kind of music do you listen to and who is your favorite artist? I literally listen to all kinds of music, I am such a junkie! I love everything from Michael Jackson to Loretta Lynn and everything in between. But I guess you could say my favorite is Miranda Lambert. I have always been a die hard fan of hers, I think I have seen her 6 times in concert and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon! Not only is her music relatable but so is she, she is just so real. What I would give just to her friend for a day lol!

11. If you could pick one place to live for the rest of your life, where would you pick? This is lame, super lame but honestly I would choose to be nestled in the mountains of my hometown, Clayton, GA. I know you are supposed to say New York or Greece, somewhere interesting but I stand by my choice! It is my dream to move all of my favorite people to my favorite place and live it up, straight commune style! I am sure it would get really old really quick but in my dreams it is amazing!

 

11 Random Facts About Me

 

1. I love reality TV. Especially singing shows, The Voice is my favorite of them all! Can I please be on Team Blake?! No shame in my game.

 

2. I am seriously obsessed with music. I think there is a song that can fit every feeling, every situation in your life! I also have different go-to songs and playlists for whatever mood I am in!

this is a new phone which is why I only have 3 right now

 

4. I have a serious love for carnivals, fairs and festivals! Endless deep fried food, creaky roller coasters and people missing half their teeth; that's what I call a good time!

I saw this sketchy little set-up in Gainesville today and it got me all kinds of excited!

 

4. I love dirt bike racing. My cousins raced growing up and a few years back I went to my first SORCS race with them and fell in love with the sport. I lived with my cousin at the time and our weekdays were spent working on the "dirt scooters" and the weekends were spent at the races! This year for the first time in 5 years  I missed Supercross and it is still bugging me! The braaaap of a 250 and the smell of racing gas are two of my favorite thing, yeah it's weird I know.

 

funny story: I actually got offered a job on a pro crew based out of New Zealand when I went to a GNCC race a few years ago. Cool as it was, I am pretty sure that was just the crew chief trying to hit on me haha.

 

 5. I hate wet jeans! Therefore when it rains, no matter how ridiculous it may look, I wear my bright red rain boots!

 

6. I have always wanted to be a blonde! But I have accepted that I just cannot pull that off. I got close once and it just didn't fit..

 

7. I am addicted to Chick Fil A chocolate chip cookies. They are seriously cookie crack!

& I love these little messages on the wrappers!

 

8. I love classic cars! Growing up I was always my Papa's car show buddy and to this day I love the days spent riding around with him in his '72 Nova! I was the first grandkid he ever let drive it, it is kind of his baby so I am very proud of that!

this guy!

 

9. I played soccer most of my life! I was extremely aggressive and went full force no matter how big the other person was ( I think I had little man syndrome lol) so I got hurt quite a bit and hurt quite a few people (sorry) which I am paying for now!

 

10. I call two people every single day, sometimes twice a day! My Nanny and my sister, I am not the least bit ashamed either.

 

 

11. I love kids movies! The highlight of my week last night was our date night when we went and saw Despicable Me 2, can I please have a minion!!!

 

My Questions For The Nominees

1. What is your biggest, wildest dream?

2. If you could be one person for a day, who would it be and why?

3. What is your most embarrassing moment?

4. If you could only shop at one store for the rest of your life, where would it be?

5.  What is your biggest guilty pleasure? (movie, tv show, music, that kind of thing)

6.What is your favorite part about blogging?

7. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

8. Were you named after anyone?

9. What was the worst job you ever had?

10. Do you have a secret/cool talent?

11. What was your first car?

 

Gosh y'all I am sorry this is so long and I am sorry about technical issues earlier but I can't wait to see what you ladies come up with! Thanks again to Lauren @ Peach State Of Mind for nominating me. Y'all have to go check out my real life/blogging world bestie, her blog is so much fun!