Something Fun - Announcing Bloguray

Lookie what Kent got me for Christmas!!!!!!!
Yep a new laptop……eeeekkkk! I’m super pumped!

My old laptop has been broken for awhile and really wasn’t worth fixing. I’ve been wanting a new one but with a new baby and a tight budget this year a laptop was the last thing I thought the hubs would get me.

The ole blog has been a little sparse.
As many of you know I work from home. I live in my home office especially during high season. Naturally the last thing I want to do at the end of a long work day is stay in my office longer than I already have so my blog has suffered.
Thanks to Kent I’m now mobile! I can blog from bed, the living room, a coffee shop. The world is my oyster! Which is pretty exciting because I’ve missed blogging on a regular basis.

My mother-in-law watches Weston while I work which is awesome. She’s amazing with him and he loves her. Sadly she’s heading out of the country for 2 months and we’ll be without help so I’m taking on a super light work load in January and February. Since I won’t be working as much and I have this new fancy doodad I thought it would be fun to do something a little different in January……….DAILY BLOGS!

I’m calling it……..

 “Bloguary”

 

I have so many things I want to share (*Weston’s birth story, *his nursery tour, our most used and loved baby products, and I still want to finish those gosh darn “Our Story” vlogs) sooooo I thought this would be a fun way to go about it.  

? What to Expect ?

Daily content! Yep a new post everyday for the month of January and in true Domestic Princess in Training fashion the nature of the post will be totally random and even a few vlogs thrown into the mix!

It’s going to be fun! The 1st post is all ready to go and will be up January 1st, tomorrow! I hope you’ll follow along!

Put Down That Phone!

I’ve been trying to remind myself to put down the phone and grab my DSLR!
It’s gotten to where I only use my DSLR for work and travel and that NEEDS to change!
Little buddy deserves more than a bunch of poor quality Instagram photos from his childhood. 
Now don’t get my wrong I LOVE me some Instagram. Those who follow along know that’s a fact! I’m not stepping away from Instagram or my beloved camera phone…..nope!

BUUUUUUT

I’m trying to remind myself to reach for the DSLR verses trying to hunt for my phone.

I’m not stressing over lighting or crazy edits. Just simple and quick. A couple shots here and there! 

Since we all know a post isn’t as fun without photos. Here are a few that I’ve recently snapped since I started my “Put Down the Phone” project!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to join in on the “Put Down the Phone” project let me know!
Maybe we can start a weekly linky party.

Instagram  Kendra_Pryor
Facebook

Our Story: Part 4 Vlog

If you’re new to the “Our Story” vlog series you can get caught up by clicking HERE  

I intended for this to go up this morning but I completely forgot how long it takes to load videos to YouTube (soooo sloooooow). Hopefully y’all are still teetering around on the computer and catch this post!
My goal is to have a new clip posted 1st thing Monday mornings so check back early next week!

For those of you that are all caught up let’s get the ball rolling!

The Day We Canceled Cable

I woke up with the urge to write. Things I wanted to say swimming through my head.

It’s 5am
Visit the Keurig, heat up a protein bar (it’s good you should try it), and here I am in my office, carpal tunnel braces on and all (instagram buddies get the inside scoop on this).

I used to have the urge write quite often. I wrote wacky post like this one or this one which to you may be just that, wacky but to me they are some of my favorite post.

What’s changed you may ask……..

Well today is an important day a day I want to remember……….

It’s the day we canceled cable.

Silly yes and I know tons of folks live without cable but for us it’s been a part of our lives for a very long time. We had cable when I was a kiddo, had it in my 1st apartment, 2nd apartment, and now our home. The same story rings true for Kent. Cable/TV in general has been a big part of our lives.

I got the itch to put the dagger in our cable connection last fall while we were tucked away in a log cabin up in the mountains. Just us, a fire place, and the dogs. It was heaven. Our annual trip to the mountains also sparked my dream to move far far away, buy land, raise chickens, and honey bees, fill our home with barefooted children, and live a simple but beautifully inspired life. I became obsessed with shows like Alaska and Ukon Men. Hard life yes but their families were bonded, strong, they lived with little and they were happy.

Living with little and being happy…..hummmm

How could we achieve this but still live a life that fit what we already had going on. Kent has a great job that provides for us. I have a job I’m passionate about and a wonderful client base that I’m beyond grateful for. We have a nice home full of pretty things we worked hard for. Our family is close by. Kent’s parents live just a few streets away. Our friends are here and well I just couldn’t get Kent 100% on board with the whole mountain living idea so I started small.

I started cleaning out rooms, closets, created piles of items I wanted to donate and sale. This is still in the works.

THEN I started planting the seed about canceling cable. Mind you this alone has taken 8 months to come to fruition.

-Our cable bill is around $160 a month including internet.
-We spend countless hours watching mindless TV. One of us (not naming any names here *cough* Kent) can waste a whole weekend doing nothing but watching TV. Sun up to sun down just glued to the TV like a zombie. It drives me NUTS!
-We have a house that needs out attention. Things had gotten cluttered and projects needed to be done
-I had a pile of books I wanted to read.
-I longed to live an active life. For the hubs the TV and a comfy couch got in the way of this idea that he too thought was nice
-We wanted to cut some of the fluff so we had more $ to travel, work on the house, SAVE!
-Then we found out we’re pregnant and that’s what finally put the nailed in the coffin for my Mr. TV lover.

 

 

Mind you I’m 6 months pregnant so he still needed a little coaxing but he agreed with all my points and on June 4, 2013 he made the call to cancel cable! 

 

What came on when I turned the TV on this morning. It says “AT&T U-Verse is not available at this time.”

Today is our 1st day without it.

I’m not going to lie I was a little scared.
What would we do with our time?
How could I sleep at night without the noise of the TV?
Would I get bored?
Would we end up taking trips to Best Buy to stand in front of their TVs to get our fix?
What about all our shows? Would they survive without us?
I even had a dream last night that we could still get local channels…..NOPE! But to be honest here we still have NetFlix (starting small folks). 

Instead I woke up feeling…….
at peace
creative
hopeful
and excited about not having the old ball and chain to turn to.

I mean really look at me. I’m cuddled up in my office at the crack of dawn coffee in hand cute pup by my side writing. I even have a new Bump Watch post all ready to go for next week.

Kent is sleeping so he hasn’t weighed in on the whole no TV/Cable thing. I have high hopes that it’s going to be a good change for the both of us.

In the meantime's here's to living a more simple life

one
step
at
a
time!

When a Facebook Update Turns into a Blog Post

I started to type this as a Facebook status update but thought “Um yeah wayyyy to long.”

Enter blog……..

Kent meet me for an impromptu lunch at my fave place….MARKET STREET! We chatted and enjoyed a yummy lunch. Y’all if you don’t take advantage of Market Street’s Café you’re missing out. It’s reasonably priced and a great place to pop in for a good healthy meal.

Okay back on track

I’ve been struggling with something that’s been a huge goal of mine for a long time. I’ve had several people support me to make this dream happen which means the world to me!

It was all there….right in my lap……. I just had to put myself out there and grab it.

 

 

What did I do?

I got scared
overwhelmed
and downright sick at my stomach thinking about going for it.

I let my dream slip through my fingers and decided it just wasn’t meant to be. Pretty much I became a big fat chicken and lied to myself. What? It wasn’t meant to be? Who says? Fear said that’s who!

I let Mr. Fear get in my ear and sing his nasty negative song!

 

 

Kent gave me a firm talking to during our little impromptu lunch.

He reminded me that I’ve worked hard to get where I am and THIS was something that I really wanted.

He said things like……..
“You only fail if you don’t try.”
and
“All you need to do is go for it.”

He was so right and it was something that I really need to hear. To him we were just talking but to me he was filling me with inspiration and support.

Our little conversation made me think……….

Not only about what I was struggling with but about being that person of inspiration and support to others.

You never know when a friendly smile, a meaningful hug, or words of inspiration and positivity may be just what someone needed hear.

Because of our organic conversation about my struggles and being a BIG FAT CHICKEN. Kent inspired me to get back on track with my goal which I may have otherwise let fall by the wayside.

Words are powerful and uplifting!

You can choose to be a person of negativity and anger.

OOOOORRRRRR

You can step outside of yourself and your world and be a person of light and love to those around you! I chose the latter.

Now get out of my way. I have some high-fives and bear hugs to pass out.

Project Life:I Want To Do It But Where Do I Start?

I have several friends that want to start Project Life albums this year but feel overwhelmed and are not sure where to start. Can you sympathize? If so this post if for you!

Let me start off by saying that I am in no way affiliated with Becky Higgins or Project Life. I’m just a customer who loves the product and wants to help!

The Good Ol’ Days:
I miss how Becky used to sale her kits. It was a one stop shop type of thing. You paid for a full kit and got everything you needed to complete an album in one whack. I’m glad I started Project Lifeing (It’s a cool word let’s go with it) before the change. Now everything is sold separately and you need to purchase the items you think you need for your kit. I get it but I can see how this could be overwhelming to someone who is new the whole Project Life craze.

Nuts and Bolts:
The great thing about PL is that it’s simple. It’s all done for you. All you need is a little time, printed photos, and a pen. That’s it! You can take it as far as you want to go after you have the basic items or you and keep it simple.  With that being said the Core Kit is a big part of the simplicity of Project Life. It’s the design element that’s pulls it all together. This is where you want to start!

Select a core kit that you love. This year I’m using Clementine! 

 

 

The Album:
Now that you have your design elements picked out it’s time to add an album to your cart. Becky has an album designed to match each core kit. You can select your core kit’s album or choose her solid white album. I always go with the album that coordinates with the kit I’m using.

 

 

The Pages:
This is where it can get a little tricky. There are several different photo page designs and Becky is not the only company that sales great quality photo pages that work with the Project Life album.

My suggestion would be to start with  a pack of Design A. Get to know it use it in your layouts. THEN decided where you want to go from there. There are tons of ways you can use this layout.

Once you’ve become familiar with the Design A layout you can decide if you want to keep going with it throughout your album or mix it up a little. I’m one for mixing it up!

Design A and D (shown below) are the 2 designs that I use most often.

Becky tends to run out of photo pages. Don’t let that stop you! Check out other companies such as We are Memory Keepers for photo pages protector options.

Instagram 
We love it……right? It’s great for capturing those precious yet random moments which is what Project Life is all about.  If you’re a big Instagramer like myself you may want to include your Instagram photos in your album.

 

Love this photo page proctor for my Instagram photos!

 

The Extras:
You can go as far as you want with this. Nothing below is necessary. In fact my 1st album only included the items we’ve talked about above and it’s beautiful BUT if you want to add a little extra love to your album here are a few simple and cost effective ways you can do that!

Washi Masking Tape: You can find it online, at Target, and at you local craft supply store 

 

Smash Book Goodies: I love to use Smash Book accessories in my albums. They’re easy to find and not too pricey! You can find them at Target, online, and your local craft store.

 

Scrapbook Paper Kits: Becky sales scrapbook paper that coordinates with the album but I like to find design elements that coordinate while adding a little something different so I don’t purchase her scrapbook paper.

You can purchase scrapbook paper by the sheet or in a kit like the one shown below. I love that the kits usually include coordinating letters and design elements. Look for scrapbook paper kits online, at Target, Wal-Mart, your local craft store and even  discount stores like Tuesday Morning and Ross. Be sure you take a coupon along if your purchase yours at Michaels or Hobby Lobby! Every little bit helps, right?

 

Alphabet stickers: Yep! I use them a lot in my album! Easy and cost effective way to add a little pop to your pages! 

 

Stamps: Because they’re cute and easy to use! Tons of great stamps out there! Find a few that you like that complement the overall look of your album.

 

The Personal Touch:
Love that you not only add photos to your album but memorabilia as well. Here are some personal items I like to add to my Project Life album.
-Printed Blog Post
-Recipes
-Receipts from outings or things I want to remember 
-Letters/cards/invitations
-Printed out emails or fb comments
-Drawings
-Magazine articles or pictures that I like 
-Tickets from a movie/concert/show
-And the list goes on………

So what do you think? Are you ready to get your Project Life on? If you’re still not sure what to do I’ve included links to everything you’ve seen in this post. You can follow the links and just purchase what you see here and you’ll be good to go!

I’ll be sharing my Project Life layouts through Instagram! If you’re on Instagram let’s be buddies so I can see what you’re doing with your album as well!

 

It’s Done and Some Instafriday Love

HI HI HI HI!!!!!

I’ve miss you like TONS!

If you follow me on fb you’ve heard all about my new blog design and even saw a few sneak peeks. Well let me tell ya it’s been a process but I couldn't be happier with the outcome!
Smitten Blog Design did a fantastic job! Brooke was my designer and why I’m sure she’s happy to be done with me I ‘m smitten (get it) with her work! It’s my favorite design yet!

That could be because this time…..
-I actually told them my exact vision. 
-I didn't feel guilty to tell them if didn’t like something or I wanted to add something. I always felt bad to do that in the past but man I’m paying for it so why shouldn’t I love it!
-I made sure everything was just like I wanted and as the package said it would be! I let things slide in the past because I felt bad to keep coming back with changes. 
-I was tried of paying for a blog design I didn’t love so I decided to get with it this time around!
 Yeah I’m pretty sure the designer loved her some Kendra…….NOT! I’m happy though so that’s cool!
 
Anyway I wanted to hold off on blogging until it was all finished and it is so I’m BACK!
Seriously I missed y’all! It feels so good to be typing away again!

Okay onto today’s post!
Instafriday! It’s been awhile so we have some catching up!

Did you know we went back to Arkansas for our yearly trip? Yep we did and now I’m obsessed with moving far far away up in the mountains living off the land and being a bee farmer. You can read more about my obsession HERE. :)

I also forgot to pack pants which lead to a shopping spree. I so didn’t plan that.

                    

Brady got the snip-snip and had to wear the cone of shame!

I’ve been working TONS…..which is a good thing!

             

Trying to show my client how to look all GQ.
LOOK at my face bwahahaha!

On the Left: What I look like while I’m editing all the live long day.
On the Right: What I want my clients to THINK I look while I’m editing

Yeah all you other photogs out there you know it’s true!

Still working out and eating clean!

                                 
                                                      

Tried a Title boxing class and came home with some pretty souvenirs.
I’m a delicate flower.   

Brady killed my nutcrackers. He didn’t know about my obsession.
Once I told him he felt awful.

I finally have my furry cuddle dog! Parker loved to lie next to me but hated to be cuddled.

                   

We tried to sneak in quality time where ever we can. He’s even joined me on a few of my shoots! Just look how tied I look in the second picture. I’m in the home stretch though. Just one more week and I should be all done with work and ready to relax for the holidays!

Ninja is still just as cute as he can be! I sure love that little bun-bun!

                 

Really enjoying my ipsy bag! So glad I ditched BirchBox.

             

I’ve been spending a lot of time in here this week. Which means Brady has gone to dog daycare every day.
This leads us to the next photo………..

His 1st bad report from dog daycare. They even wrote the bad part in red.  
I never thought I would be one of “those people.” You know the ones that take their dog to daycare. Yeah well if you knew Brady and just how crazy he can be you would understand why he cannot be home when I have a studio session…..nope! So hello fellow dog daycare peeps! Can I join your super cool club?

And that’s about it! We’re all caught up now!
How about you? What have you been up to?

I’m linking up with: