A Nice Way to Start Your Week

I was reading Tamara Lackey’s book on Children’s Portraits the other day and came across something in the marketing section that I thought was worth sharing. It was geared towards business but I think it’s something that we can all benefit from in our daily lives.

While I saw this quote in Tamara’s book it actually comes from How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, which Tamara sings its praises. I’ve add it to the list of a million other books I plan to read this summer. :o)

 

 

A few words of wisdom from Dale Carnegie:

Be nice. Avoid being negative. Be genuinely interested in other people. Listen to people when they talk. Don’t just hear them but listen. Engage in conversation that is interesting to others. Avoid arguments or the practice of telling people that they are wrong. Admit when you are. Let people vent; try not to interrupt. Be sincere.

 

 

Love that! I try my best to all of these things when I’m interacting with others but sometimes it’s good to be reminded.

iPhone Pictures 2nd Edition

I love having a camera on my phone! It allows me to take pictures of things that I otherwise would let slip by…..you know, the little things. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to take a picture of something but my camera was upstairs and I was downstairs OR I knew if I moved I would disrupt the moment. Enter the camera phone and hoards of fun but random pictures!

If you missed the 1st iPhone picture post you can find the link at the bottom of this post.

Messes that Someone Leaves:
Oh yes he’s still leaving messes and I’m still taking pictures of them! I’m sure he could get me back with a few pictures of my messes. The difference is
that I actually pick mine up.

 

The new way to put away silverware? At least he was trying to help!

 

 

Things that are funny:

   

  
                Do you see Abby?

Things I want to remember:

Attending our last wedding as boyfriend and girlfriend.

Saying bye-bye to Kent’s car (he is now driving my Honda) and…….

Hello to my new car! My very 1st band spanking new car.
It’s exciting stuff here people.

        

  In Vegas getting our marriage license.
No I totally was NOT trying to get the bride in the back of Kent’s shot. ;o)

   

           

          Right before I walked down the aisle.          Our 1st day as husband and wife.

       

 

Place I Like to Work:

Sometimes I like to work from coffee shops!  Actually I like to work from coffee shops ALL the time but I only edit images from my home PC so I hit the coffee shop up when I need to catch up on e-mails.

             

When the weather is nice I try to move my office outside. Sounds like a great idea but I usually don’t get much done between cuddling with Abby and Ninja.

Sometimes I work from my dining room. Love when I do that because that means I’m working with a tiny, wrinkly, newborn. 

 

 

Food that’s Yummy in My Tummy:

          
           
           

 

Flowers with a Hidden Message:

These flowers were from Kent and said: I know you had 3 photo shoots today and are exhausted but I forgot to tell you my parents are coming over for dinner in an hour.

Oh yeah that was real fun! Our house was a mess and I just sat down to relax when he sprang it on me.

 

Things that are cute:

Makes me a sad that I don’t have pictures of Parker to add to this section.
I miss my Parker. These two sure are cute though! 

        
        
Abby napping with her favorite person on our recent camping trip.

 

Veggie/Fruit Co-op Goodness:

 

Prepping for a photo shoot:
I like to take pictures of the items I plan to use on a shoot. It kind of give me a different perspective on how everything plays together. 

Books I want to buy:
When I have down time I LOVE to go to Barnes and Noble and peruse the books. I take a picture of the books that I’m interested in, come home and read the reviews on them, and buy the ones I want through Amazon for a cheaper price.

   

What I’m reading right now.

 

Songs that I Like:
When I’m in the car and I hear a song I like I snap a pic of the name of the song and who sings it. That way I don’t forget and can download it later. How many times have you heard a song on the radio that you loved and for the life you could not remember the name of it?

     

Here’s one of my new favorites. 
I would have NEVER remembered this guys name if I didn’t snap a picture of it.
 Listen to it. It’s awesome 

 

Many of the random iphone pictures I take I share with blog buddies over on my Facebook fan page. If you would like to follow along you can find it by clicking HERE. The Domestic Princess in Training facebook fan page has turned into my blog away from blog. :o)

If you missed the 1st iphone picture post you can find it HERE

 

Links in this post:
-Domestic Princess in Training on facebook
-1st iPhone picture post

Wardrobe Revamp: Part 1

 

I’m a uniform wearer!
I’m not talking scrubs here……….

You know, an “outfit uniform” that you love and wear over and over again.  I usually have 2-3 uniforms that I pick from. Now I’m not talking sweat pants and t-shirts here (although I do love a comfy pair of yoga pants).

When something falls into my “uniform” category it’s usually cute, comfy, something I can work in, and well accessorized BUT I wear that outfit until I can wear it no more! 

It’s boring and I want more from my wardrobe!

Now that I’m working full time from home during the week (unless I’m out shooting) I LIVE in workout clothes and I’m okay with that. There’s really no need for me to get all dolled up to sit in my office by myself. With that being said I do still fix my hair, put on a little makeup, and make sure my outfit is not too crazy (usually yoga pants, and a tank). I feel more productive when I’m somewhat put together.

BUT when I’m out running errands, visiting with friends and family, or on location shooting I want to make sure that I’m look pulled together and well…..cute!

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I’m in a bit of a fashion funk!

-I seem to be drawn to dark clothes only! Dark colors hide thing, things I don’t want people to see like fats rolls and cellulite (yes I have it).  I love dark clothes but my wardrobe now resembles that of a vampire’s.

-I’ve become jersey knits biggest fan. It’s drapy, its’ comfy, it hides things. I have jersey knits shirts in all styles. I’m drawn to them like a bug to a bug zapper!  

-I wear the same pearl studs everyday even though I have hoards of cute jewelry.

-I’ve started dressing for myself, comfort, and NOT for my husband.

-I’ve stopped taking chances and usually go for whatever hides my rolls.

I could go on and on with all the things I’ve been doing wrong lately. Things that I know are big no-no’s. Things that I would have never done in the past. Things that I promised I would never do. I feel that I’ve lost my way……

but I’m ready to come back!

 

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How I’m Getting My Fashion Mojo Back……..

-I’m slowing but surely building up my wardrobe and including splashes of color. Bright and bold colors are in this spring/summer.  

-I’m taking note of outfits I see in magazines or on the street, things that I like that I can recreate.

-I’m looking for items that are interchangeable with each other so I can create several different looks without spending a ton. 

-I’ve organized my jewelry so I can easily see what I have.

- I went to MAC and got a makeover (more on that later)

- I take the extra time on the weekends to get dressed (even if I’m just running errands) and try to look good for my honey.

In the past I was dressing for myself and why it sounds a little 50’s-ish don’t we all want our significant others to like how we look? A while back before I started my mini fashion makeover I asked Kent what he thought about the way I dressed. He said I looked like a cute stylish mom. Well, that’s not really a bad thing at least he threw in stylish and cute.  BUT I’m not a mom and I don’t want him to look at me like a mom, more like his hot wife.  That set the change in motion. It wasn’t a change only for him but something I wanted for myself as well.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dress awful before. I actually got complements on my outfits. I was just stuck in a wardrobe rut. I needed to be energized before I turned into the girl that is “soooo stuck in the early 2000’s”. ;o)

Now I’m not saying that my clothing, makeup, and whatnot are looking good every single day. Not even close! I still look to one of my clothing uniforms if I’m in a big rush. I still love jersey knitt. Some days my hair is a mess. BUT I’m making a conscious effort to define my style (whatever it may be) and I make the time on the weekends to play around with my makeup a bit more, wear something that I didn’t wear the weekend before, fix my hair in a new way…….you know, have fun with fashion the way I use to!

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This post has become wayyyy longer than I planned and I still have loads more to talk about on this subject I but think it’s best to end here.

*The next time I visit this topic I’ll share a few pictures. I’ve been stockpiling images of outfits I like and I’m going to share them with you!

*I’m also going to do a little makeup review vlog and talk to you a little about my MAC makeover. :o)

So who read this whole post…..anyone, anyone? 
Sorry it ended up being sooo long. :0)

Moms Rock!

 

Happy Mother’s Day to all the momma’s and momma’s-to-be out there! Hope you have a fabulous day with your loved ones.

Below are a few fun Mother’s Day clips that I thought were cute!

 

 

 

 

Warning this one is a tear jerker.
What a gift to raise a child that feels this way about you. Warms my heart!

 

Ps…I also put together a little “Mommy and Me” photo slide show for my all my momma clients over on my photo blog. You can find it by clicking HERE.