happy halloween.
bride + groom
What fun was this. I may just show you a few more when I get them ready. Bride + groom had some very creative ideas including standing in a reflecting pool.
I will never forget a little boy dressed in his bulky Halloween costume saying over and over…
“hey beautiful bride.”
nine.
1. High School Musical 3
2. Sat. Morning Photo Session
3. Ernest teaching Sat/Sun at Youth Event for North Park Baptist Church.
4. Shop for Black Mary Jane Dress Shoes
5. Discovery Green for 30.2 minutes
6. Carly’s American Girl Fashion Show practice
7. Sunday Evening Bridal Shoot (photos coming soon)
8. Drop and break my 50mm 1.8 lens
9. Ernest, Colt, and Starr Boys hang at Herman Park
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What are 9 things you did this weekend?
kallen [and crew]
grocery shopping for $300 (or less) a month
Honestly. I feel sort of silly writing about this. I have had a lot of you ladies ask so here goes. I think our grocery budget has always been around this but now I am working on making it less. We are trying to save money every way we can. I shop every two weeks so I try to spend $150 or less on 13 meals. We eat out for one dinner and also Sundays for lunch.
Things I do not do:
clip coupons
carry a calculator to the store
buy everything organic
buy packaged snacks
Things I do:
buy store brand a lot
buy healtier options
take my time at the store
buy a lot of fruit
ALWAYS have a detailed list
Go shop by MYSELF
The question that you guys keep asking is “What do you eat?” So below is our current menu. The idea is to have enough meals to prepare but not to necessarily eat them on the specified day. Make sense? Let’s note that Carly and Colt take their lunch which includes a sandwich, fruit, cheese cubes, yogurt (it varies but you get the idea) and water for drinking. We bought these from Ikea to pack the sandwich and fruit in instead of ziplocks. Instead buying bottled water we use their favorite camp water bottle and just fill it up daily. Ernest takes leftovers from our dinner to lunch. I am at home so I just eat whatever. For breakfast we have a mix of Multi Grain Cheerios & Kahsi Heart Healthy Cereal along with fruit. For snacks we make pudding, jello, cookies, and have a few other things. Also note I shop on Thursday nights so that is why our menu starts with Friday.
Fri. Turkey Chili & Whole Wheat Crackers
Sat. Bertolli Meal
Sun. Chicken-n-dumplings
Mon. Chicken Noodle Bake
Tue. Turkey Tacos, Rice, Beans
Wed. Breakfast. Eggs, Turkey Bacon, Whole Wheat Toast
Thur. Homemade Pizza (Parker Night)
Fri. Wheat Spaghetti with Lean Ground Beef/Marina & Salad
Sat. Tuna Croquettes, Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans
Sun. Chicken Noodle Soup (with wheat noodles)
Mon. Baked Chicken, Baked Potato & Green
Tue. Tortilla Soup, Avocados, & El Milagro Chips
Wed. Chicken Alfredo
Thur. Eating Out (Parker Night)
Our menu changes every two weeks. You will see a lot of soups for this season of the year. All the Parkers love some soup.
There you go. That is how I shop for $300 or less a month.
So.
What is your shopping secret?
the [heart] of the matter.
My body is experiencing withdrawals from a nature filled weekend. I hitched a ride out to Cat Springs for the annual Ecclesia women’s retreat. I really did not know what to expect and had some serious thoughts of backing out at the last minute but I didn’t. Good. I enjoyed laying on grass, hearing the sounds of a waterfall, great conversation, great worship, and much laughter. When we went in for worship I was surprised that one of the worship leaders looked very familiar to me. In that “how do I know this person” kind of familiar. I finally realized that it was Donna from the butterfly blog. I have checked out her blog a few times from another blog friend Lauren. I am telling you this blog life is fun and equally strange. Anyway, Donna and Jill did such an amazing job leading us to worship. They are together witty and ever so talented.
Throughout the weekend my goal was to get alone and write a lot of stuff in my journal. Every time I went to write my words would just not come. Instead I kept seeing this picture in my mind. It was of me raising my hands to God handing over my heart. An offering if you will. Letting go. Over and over this image would roll in and out of my thoughts. It made such an impression on me that I needed to create it. Along with my 9 year old photographer it was done.
A picture of letting go. Me. I am letting go of fear. Fear of a wounded heart. Yes. That is what this portrait is symbolizing. It took me laying on some grass + full attention for me to hear. I feel like singing the song that goes something like… “I can see clearly now the rain is gone…“.
I love the way that God romances me into a deeper relationship. The melodies, photos, words seem to flutter the little girl inside me.
So I wonder.
What does it for you?
funny friday.
// oooohhhh… can-dy.
// [thinking] can-dy! can-dy! can-dy!
// enter mom.
// the face.
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funny.
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What are your plans for fun this weekend?
going public.
Do you ever wonder what is in another ones head? This is my prayer today. Not because I am good or because I have it all together. In fact, I am not and I don’t. I am just a girl. A girl who desires to be consumed with one. You know, The One.
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In my heart and my soul
Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord Let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out.
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And You. What are your thoughts today? If you feel it too personal here is my invitation to be an anonymous commentor.
raegan.
i always loved playing with dolls. newborn shooting is like the grown up version.
love it.
let’s discuss: what is your favorite memory from being a “new” mommy? or what do you most look forward to? i will leave mine in a comment soon.
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Shara and Justin I so enjoyed spending the morning with you. Your family, home, and spirit are all beautiful and you were a joy to photograph. Enjoy.
Holiday Mini Session
I am so excited about the Holiday Season. Pumpkins, Turkey, Christmas, it is all so fun. It is a time to sit back and reflect on our year and give thanks for all the blessings and the growth.
I am also happy to announce that Debra Parker Design will be offering Holiday Mini Sessions. This is a great time to get a creative photo for your Christmas Card and or Gift Prints.
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Here are the details:
Holiday Mini Session
20-30 Minute session
Location: Midtown Area (great texture for interesting photos)
2-5 Images on CD with print release (for Christmas Cards) as well as an online Gallery for portrait orders.
Date: Saturday, November 1.
Time: 8am - Noon (in 30 minute increments)
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Cost:$100
up to 4 people. $10 per person above 4.
a $50 non-refundable deposit will be due on or before October 18th.
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Session are limited. Book soon. Click on the contact me button at the top right corner or email debra@debraparkerdesign.com.
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.if you would like to have a full one hour session and more photos just book for two “minis” back to back.
.plan to not be late as we will only have a short amount of time.
:
Want to check out my photo style? Check out the portfolio. You can expect photos of real life and real fun. Don’t shop for hours finding those matching outfits. Come as you are. I always tell clients to show up how they would to a casual dinner on a Saturday night. Hair tousled, kids in their favorite tee that they MUST wear every day. Come, be fun, be YOU.
(We are still scheduling other dates for full family sessions. Contact us if you are interested.)
