You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord, is ever-lasting strength.

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard. Is anyone among you suffering Let him pray.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Lo, I am with you always.

It's exciting to see the walls come down, the drop ceilings gone, the staircase opened up and all the light this little house has to offer.. yet it's so daunting knowing how much work is yet to be done. It's only just begun. Here's to the beginning of #ourgreenacreslife

renew:

*to make like new: restore to freshness, vigor or perfection

*to make new spiritually: regenerate

*to restore to existence: revive

*to make extensive changes in: rebuild

All things new...

Welcome to a new beginning.  This broken down, neglected, 1930's farmhouse that is soon to become our forever home is about to be rebuilt and revived. On December 13 we woke early in the morning and drove 3 hours to small real estate office in a small town where we signed a stack of paperwork and were handed the keys to this decrepit little house that we will, over the next year, hopefully and prayerfully make new again.

For a couple of dreamers and over-thinkers, we have spent the last several years mulling over ideas, praying halfhearted prayers and talking ourselves in circles. Not sure how to make any of it happen...we have overthought ourselves out of every plan that we could imagine.

But here we finally are.. stepping into a new year, stepping into an unknown future, stepping out farther in faith... as we uproot our lives alongside the uprooting of crumbling plaster and peeling 70s paneling. Relying on God to carry us into this new beginning, in the form of a forgotten farmhouse on 20 acres of overgrown land, full of potential and hope. Just as God looks to transform our brokenness, he has afforded us with the opportunity to do the same for this broken little home; Asking us to see past the falling drop ceiling and the fact that the house would fit into our current place three times over, so that we might breathe new life into it and so that we may learn to lean on him through each step of this undoubtedly trying undertaking ahead of us.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.” Psalm 91:2

_

"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."

Sweet and Lovely Madison ~ You are beautiful inside and out!

alluring, amusing, captivating, engaging, enjoyable, lovely, refreshing... simply delightful.

quietly, quietly, leaving nothing out.  ~Wendell Berry~

Search me O God and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! and see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! Psalm 139:23-24

This Psalm has been the prayer of my heart for the last year and let me assure you our God is faithful.

So it is again that I find myself here in this month of December.. at the end of another blessing of a year.  And I've got work to do. The learning kind.. the soul searching, digging deep, sometimes it's ugly and you don't want to see what you find kind of work. Am I really here again? in this same place that I was last year? It seems the discovery is never ending. It's nothing short of amazing how as another year passes God opens my eyes revealing to me a little bit more than he did the year before... pulling back the curtain to shine his light on what's really there hiding in the dark. It's a tangled up mess there in the dark corners of my heart and even though it's hard and certainly not pretty.. I am filled with hope and Joy knowing that what God is working out in and through me will be for my good and all to His Glory. And so here I sit at the beginning of December... the last month of the year, preparing my heart and mind for some deep soul digging and change making. And so it goes.. in order to actually attempt this again I'm choosing to clear out some clutter and unplug from the distractions of social media until January.. when things are fresh and new... like the snow that falls and does its work quietly, quietly, leaving nothing out.

"When the roots are deep there is no reason to fear the wind..."

Twyla's senior session was unforgettable... amazing light, amazing girl. simply beautiful.

Thank you for getting in front of my camera and loving your handsome little man like only you can!

These beautiful people are no strangers to my camera and each time I get to capture their love filled moments.. it just keeps getting better and better. My photographer heart is full.

Thank you again Lori for sharing your beautiful family with me!!

I love this quote so much and I believe it to be so true. It's easy for us to put up walls..to be quiet.. to hold back or to try to be something we aren't. But when we can learn to be comfortable in our skin.. to let our true self shine.. that's when the magic happens. Thank you Camryn for trusting me to capture your beauty. You are amazing!

Thank you Dear Maia for being lovely and awesome!

Just look at these three cuties...

They were so much fun to spend time with and capture their vibrant personalities!

So much fun to spend time with you Tori. Here is a little sneak peek into your Simple Session!!

Here's to you Handsome George! xoxo

If I could get a do-over on January... I guess I wouldn't so let's just get through it. January was not awesome in any way. I usually love the fresh start to a new year and all of the hope and promise it brings. My birthday is in the middle of month and this year I turned 40. I usually don't make a big deal over getting another year older but this year.. I was ready to embrace it with a good attitude. except...that didn't happen. I spent the 2 weeks surrounding my birthday in bed.. sicker than sick. Not how I imagined it! But guess what? I'm still 40.. and I feel better than I did a few weeks ago!

So what can I take away from the last two.. (not as awesome as I expected) months? even when your days don't turn out exactly how you hoped...  as the old song goes.. "Ob La Di Ob La Da.. Life goes on.. "

Catching up on my #filmfriday Here are a few images from October and November.

If you've been following along with me here for the past few months you might know about this little film journey that I'm on. I have decided to primarily use film for my personal photography... an attempt to shoot one roll of film per month and share it here.

I was so disappointed when I received these scans back from the lab. The truth is I was hesitant to share these frames with you - They are incredibly imperfect (and not in the cool kind of imperfect way that I usually love). They are dull, they are underexposed and well.. just plain ugly.

For the last 3 or 4 months when the lab sends my film scans back to me.. they always send along some feedback on what I've done right or wrong. Almost every time they have told me how much color negative film LOVES light... it NEEDS light.. an abundance of light to come out looking beautiful, bright and clean. When it's underexposed it's left a bit dim, lack luster and just not quite right... which is what we have here.

As I was thinking about these photos and not wanting to share them here because they aren't so beautiful and perfect or even perfectly imperfect.. I realized that our hearts are a lot like film.  They need proper exposure to the light or they aren't quite right.  I've been so crazy (gratefully so) busy for the last several months that I haven't taken the time to tend to my heart.. to let it soak up the light {HIS light} that it needs to be beautiful, bright and clean. My heart has been rather self-centered , negative, and underexposed.

In an attempt to recharge, refocus and soak in all that light.. I've decided to take the month of December and focus on simple things like my family, this Christmas season, spending time in the Word and reading a few books. I'm saying goodbye to the internet and my cell phone for the next few weeks... until next year...

For those of you who stop by this little space of mine every so often.. THANK YOU! It truly means so much. 

I'm wishing you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you O' Lord my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Goodness.. These kiddos make me HAPPY!!!! I love every moment that I get to spend capturing their contagious smiles and laughter! Dan & Erin.. Thank you for sharing your three amazing, HAPPY kids with me!

I just want to be here beside you
And stay until the break of dawn..."

So very grateful for this beautiful, loving family. So very grateful that they choose me to capture these precious, fleeting moments of their life!

Claire and Mike, I hope 20 years from now you can look back on these images and remember the crazy and see the beautiful and feel the love that is your family... xoxo

So in an attempt to add a little food inspiration and JOY out into the world today.. here my friends, was last nights dinner.

Please forgive the lack of precision... I don't measure when I cook.. like ever.. it takes away the fun..    :)

• 1 pound ground pork / garlic powder (I use a lot... because garlic is yummy) / salt & pepper / cayenne pepper / panko bread crumbs / dried basil & oregano / one egg.  Mix into small bite size meatballs. Cook in oiled stock pot until done..  browned and little bits stick to the bottom of pan.
• Add fresh garlic to the pan with the meatballs. (I used about 5 big cloves of garlic..and I pressed it so all the yummy juices were released)
• Add chicken stock to the pot with the meatballs and garlic.. be sure to stir well and get all of those delicious brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Because brown bits = FLAVOR!
• I added about 5 handfuls of chopped kale (I like a LOT of kale in my soup.. add more or less whatever you prefer). 2 cans of drained white kidney beans, fresh chopped oregano (a small handful) and some fresh thyme leaves (maybe a tablespoon).
• I let it simmer for about 30 minutes.. just long enough for me to clean up my mess, cut some fresh herbs (yes it's November and my garden is still producing fresh herbs!!) and break out the bread and butter... and wine.
• Top soup with grated parmesan and fresh parsley.

This is absolutely one of my all time favorite soups to make and to eat. Enjoy!

What can I say about these two crazy boys and their wonderful parents?.. They are an absolute breath of fresh air and it was oh so much fun to ride through the trails and cause a little bit of trouble with them! There is always a great time to be had and a fun adventure waiting with this family!

God continues to amaze me with the people he sends my way. So blessed to capture the love and joy between these beautiful girls and their wonderful mom & dad. Dan and Jenna, Thank you for spending time with me and for trusting me with your family photos. I truly hope these images leave you seeing the beauty that is your family and feeling the love you have for one another!