In Which I Was a (Barefoot) Bridesmaid

My sweet friends!

Life has been full for me this past month! One of the most wonderful events was the wedding of my dear friend, McKenzie. I could not be happier for her and was incredibly blessed to be part of her special day. 

In the craziness of it all, I didn't take many pictures (or even bring my 'real' camera!) so a few of these are snatched from facebook and uploaded from my iPhone, just so you know. ;) 

 Mason jars, twinkle lights, burlap, lace, candles, and some of the fluffiest baby's breath I've ever seen combined to make a DARLING reception at the bride's home, Pecan Pastures.

But I'm getting ahead of myself!

Ohhhhh, this picture. Every girl deserves to be the most beautiful woman in the world on her wedding day, and just look at her... wow. The pre-wedding bridal shoot was done by Kaitlyn Wright (whose pictures are fall-out-of-your-chair STUNNING, in my opinion).

Three of the nine bridesmaids, the bride's sisters and cousin (middle) - such gorgeous girls! 

It was a pleasure to create the jewelry for all the bridesmaids - more pictures later, in another post! 

The ceremony was held in this graceful old church - aren't the columns striking?! :) 

Hey there! (Haha - this picture makes me think of the scene in National Treasure 2 when Nicolas Cage is peeking over a huge bouquet at Abigail in an elevator in Buckingham Palace) 

Ok, this is possibly the most makeup I have ever worn in my life, but it was a special occasion and there was lots of photography involved. The very precious Beka Lavender touched up my face for me and even managed to leave my eyeshadow job (that I'd done myself) alone! She's amazing! :)

Katie!! She's too sweet, and I am so happy to have met her through this experience of bridesmaiding together. ;) 

Doesn't this puff of adorableness, otherwise known as the flower girl, just make you melt? She was towed down the aisle in a little wagon by the ring bearer, as she's still a baby. AWWW.

I could NOT have done this without the support and encouragement (and WOWZA hairstyling help) from my awesome mother. And doesn't she look beautiful in her pink dress? I was flabbergasted when we found that for her at a thrift store for $8, practically brand-new... score!! :D

And I couldn't believe it when I heard from my sweet online friend Courtney that she would be driving four hours to attend the wedding!! She and the bride have been penpals for ages. It was amazing to finally meet her in person!!

So many cute handmade signs at the reception! The bride's family worked so hard to get everything done, and they did a stellar job! 

Such loveliness! Under the pecan trees, on the green grass, tents and satin-draped chairs and sweet tea and lemonade and wedding cake! Not to mention a table heaped with southern goodies like cheese straws, toasted pecans, and chicken salad-stuffed crescent rolls. 

My first photo with the bride - and the groom photobombed it spectacularly. I CRACKED UP when I saw this picture. She's got herself a keeper, for sure. ;) I am so glad Daniel found McKenzie, they make a perfect pair!

:D They're married!

If Daniel and McKenzie have a marriage anything like my own parents, then they will be blessed indeed. :D I'm so glad my Daddy and one of my brothers could come to the wedding, as it was the first time I'd ever been a bridesmaid. :)

And yes. All of the bridesmaids were barefoot. *shrug* Not my thing for sure, but I'd do just about anything for McKenzie, and it was what she wanted! I was just happy the dresses were floor-length! Something about going shoeless in church was so strange! ;)

Stay tuned for more posts, I'm writing one as soon as I hit publish on this one, because a couple of days ago........ I was on TV. :)

"And Oh, You Electrify My Soul..."

WARNING: PRETTY FLOWER PICTURES AHEAD ;)

I've begun to not take blog post titles that seriously. :D They don't have to perfectly describe the post like a newspaper headline! :) (FYI: The title is a line from a Natalie Grant song that I got on iTunes recently. The last half of the line is ... "and you're bringing the dead to life!" Love that victorious note in there!

 So yeah! Look at me, coming through on a promise! I did go out and snap some shots of the beautiful spring blooms... it just happened on an unexpected day off instead of Sunday. It was raining so hard on Monday that they canceled all of the events at the Rock Ranch.

On the one hand, I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to go to work, I love that place, but on the other hand... yay for not having to work with muddy ponies!! :D Feels like I dodged a bullet with that one! ;)

 You know... my post title does go with this post. Looking at these pictures electrifies my soul with some sparks of awe at the grandeur and majesty our Creator displays even in the tiny veins of a dogwood blossom petal. My God, how amazing you are!

 I will admit, there is a hint of a photo filter in these pictures, I about gasped when I clicked the button whilst editing them and saw the result. WOWZA.

 My faithful readers are welcome to pin these to Pinterest, but please don't take them for anything else. (You'll notice I actually watermarked them this time!) :)

Noticed this little fellow and got right in his face for a close-up, marveling at how he matched the flower center exactly!

 I hope my grandma Pat is seeing this blog post - wish I could show her our sweet GA spring season in person, she has always had a great appreciation for flowers!

Oh... and we also have azaleas.

I know!! Aaaagh, I love them so much. I will take more pictures as soon as they hit peak bloom, there are only a few at present.

My faves are these "Peppermint Azaleas". They look as if they have a bright brushstroke on each crisp white petal!

Take care, lovelies! I shall write again soon...

I'm Thankful for Flowers...

Day 5 of the 30 Days of Thankfulness is here! :) I'm so enjoying this challenge and coming up with different things to be thankful for every day. It makes me feel pollyannaish and delightfully happy to have so many things for which to give thanks. :)

Today I am thankful for... flowers.

 I know flowers are usually associated with springtime, but lately we've seen so many pretty little wildflowers blooming at the edge of our woods! I've been keeping our vases full of them and it's been such a delight having fresh flowers in the house.

We actually have some white jonquils pop up in our yard every spring. We found them the first year we lived here as a lovely surprise one spring morning! :) They have the most *delicious* scent.

Azaleas always remind me of the Father-Daughter retreat my Daddy took me to... we had such a lovely time. We also have some azalea bushes in the circle of our driveway that bloom a bright fuchsia every year.

Purple pansies remind me of my mom. Her favorite color is purple, and they have such an elegant sweetness about them that makes me think of her. :) Love you mommy.

And I happen to know my sweet friend Rachel loves sunflowers! :D I do too. The epitome of "Cheerfulness", they are! :D

Have a lovely day!

Oh Sew Stylish giveaway!

My sweet friend Lindsay is giving away a bag of your choice from her etsy shop!

Lindsay is a very talented seamstress and her purses and bags are simply *Adorable*!! I'd love to have one of these! The winner will be drawn at random on August 20th, (2010) so hurry on over to enter! :D


There, now that I've shared that wonderful event with you, I thought you might like to see some of the pictures I've been taking with my new camera, which is an Olympus PEN E-PL1.


I've really been enjoying the "Art Modes", especially:

Grainy Black-&-White

 Me... a self portrait. (That is my bookcase behind me and you can just see the corner of my jewelry worktable on the left.)

Pop Art:

Wild blueberries. (one of my earliest shots... the focus here is not perfect)

And...

Soft Focus:

Look at the background... see how soft and dreamy it looks?

I also liked...

Gentle Sepia:

Daddy on the porch.

Pinhole: (darkened edges)

And the Macro is impressive! Look at this picture:

I call it "The Unfortunate Tomato". Lol!

More next time!

~Julia~

Flower Photos

Rain is pouring outside my window as I sit here typing at my desk. Thunder rolls, lightning crashes. It's a gloomy day! But I have sunshine in my heart, and I know the storm shall soon pass away.

And so, just for fun, I uploaded a TON of flower and butterfly and garden pictures. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them! :)

These pictures were taken at Callaway Gardens on the first Sunday of April.

Beautiful sun-kissed pansies

Peach blossoms. Oh yes.

Blooming peach trees.

This is either Eidelweiss, or snowdrops. I'm not sure.

A frilly Hibiscus flower

The fiery heart of a tulip

A slightly ragged, yet still gorgeous butterfly.

A blue butterfly resting in peace.

A small orange and brown butterfly, brilliantly illuminated by the sun

An owl butterfly reposing in a shady spot of the garden.

Crisp, oh-so-Dutch red and white tulips.

A bright profusion of double daffodils and pink tulips

Soft pink cherry blossoms

One of my most favorite spots in Callaway- petunia baskets float above a bubbling fountain 

Bright pink hyacinths pop against the dark green leafy background in this picture.

Cascading hollyhocks with open, spotted throats.

Pure, lovely, white easter lilies.

Delicate tendrils emerge from the heart of this white orchid.

Creamy yellow orchids glow with a pearlescent sheen

Tangy orange tulips, peach and yellow jonquils, ah! This is life. ;)

Light pink tulips dance in this bright sunshine.

Back at my house, I took a few pictures of these gorgeous irises with butter yellow tops and drooping violet petals.

Think that was pretty? Wait until you see...

The inside.

These peppermint azaleas also look good enough to eat! They're one of my favorite plants in our yard.

I hope you liked the pictures! Leave me a comment letting me know which was your favorite.