Blog has MOVED!!!

Hi guys!!!

🙂 I just wanted to let you know that I’m moving away from this blog and back to using my website full-time… I will be posting blog posts on there starting this week… If you are interested in continuing to follow my photography, head over to www.peacesphotography.com. I have loved using this site. I have learned and I have grown… So excited for a little bit of a change!!!

 

And cause no post is complete without pictures… Here is a picture from the sunrise shoot at my Denver conference a week ago!!! The light was so beautiful!!! And the model? AMAZING!!!

Raised Bed Gardens

Well it’s May… Yup…

One of my goals for this year was to attempt a raised bed garden. Instead of doing wood and cutting it down to the side I want, we decided to get some recycled plastic raised beds from SAMs club. Now I should probably tell you that I know very little about gardening. I have always grown up around it, but I was never the one in the dirt. But this spring, it’s different. This spring, I’m putting my hands into that dirt! No promises that it will look like food. Here is a little sneak peek at the beginnings of my gardening…

    

Birthdays

Can you believe it? It’s March? My birthday has come and gone. Man, I wish birthdays were still like when we were young. Presents al a mode and tons of time to celebrate. This year, my birthday fell on a Monday and I couldn’t take it off! So it was a working Monday Birthday! UGH! No offense all, but there is just something about doing what you want to do on your special day!

Sitting on my couch right now, I can still remember amazing birthdays of the past. Not every detail that comes with the pictures. But I remember the emotions, the togetherness and celebration. Most of my birthday parties growing up consisted of me and my family celebrating. It was nice and simple. And looking back, it meant more than I can ever explain. While it might have caused me a weird habit of mushing ice cream and cake with chocolate syrup in a bowl, stirring away, I loved every second of it. I know all I need to do to remember birthdays or my birthday is by grabbing that cake and ice cream. Delicious!!! Try it, don’t take my word for it. Go now try it for me….

What do you every birthday that makes you remember the birthdays of the past?

CAT Boudoir

Sometimes when your model cancels on you, you have to take the first model you can find.  Let me introduce you to the little gal that is strutting around our house and property, Squirrel. She is a beautiful teenage-ish cat who adopted us when we moved into the house. Its a little known fact about her unless you follow me on Instagram that she HATES closed doors. My studio door is closed majority of the time, in preparation for clients who are allergic.  Well this past week, I left the door open to clean and someone made herself right at home. So I helped to make her more comfortable and perfect with some pearls!

~Paula 

Snow!!!

Yup. I said. And yes its been around for about a week now!  I have dreamed about it, wished for it and given up hope on it. I mean honestly I’m like the rest of you. Please snow on Christmas and all of December. Then in January stop and turn beautiful!

But then again I’m also the kid who loves snow. Who thinks that if it’s cold, it should at least look pretty! And dang it, cold and brown is BORING!!! Yes, I will take amazing pictures in it all but seriously, snow is almost more magical to me. And so I wait I dream and wish for snow. Then when it finally comes (weeks before hand too) I start looking for crazy people like me who want to get out in it.  As it starts to fall, I start to dream. Dreams of stylized wedding shoots involving coffee beans (so beautiful), a princess in a white field, a couple kissing in the snow, etc.  I told you… It’s all in my head, waiting…  You should see me in spring when the flowers bloom… Ugh! More ideas… Guess that comes with being a creative person!

Here are some pictures of past shoots (aka crazy people) in the snow… and some current crazy people!
When the weather turns chilly and snow is forecast, take chance, send me a message and become one of my crazy people!

It’s my Birthday Month!

Did I tell you? I’m one of those people… Those people who celebrate their birthday all month long. And the week of their birthday!!!

Februarys are usually my least favorite months, but it’s my birthday month. So I do my best to stay happy and positive the whole month through… Sometimes, it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. It usually means that I’m treating myself the whole month with pedicures, Cold Stone, Andy’s, donuts, cookies, books, clothes, craftiness, etc. Last year, I spent the day before my birthday hanging with one of my friends at Firehouse Pottery. We spent the night laughing, talking, and painting. It was so much fun.

This year, I’m a little torn about what to do in my birthday month besides the usually that is out there. I went and thrift shopped this past Friday. I found a ton of awesome deals!!! Especially a random sweatshirt for the hubby!!!  Now as my birthday gets closer, I’m torn at what to do. This year, I actually have to WORK on my birthday and can’t just take it off.. Bummer!

What do you do during your birthday month?
How do you treat yourself a little extra special that month?
What should I do during my week celebration?!?!?

~Paula

Happy Valentine’s Day all!!!

Valentin’s Day… I’ll tell you a secret. Normally I don’t buy my hubby anything for Valentine’s Day… Yup, nothing. I’ve never been around someone before who is allergic to chocolate. For Valentine’s Day, I’ve only ever seen my parents give each other chocolate or a flower, or other people give chocolate and flowers. Now if you met my hubby, you’d know that NONE of those things appeal to him. It’s hard to buy for him anyways and then there is Valentine’s Day. The day of giving chocolate and flowers.

This year, with Pinterest by my side, I finally came up with something!!! 🙂 Something simple but sweet. I gave him his favorite type of nuts: Peanuts (not my picture)… Sometimes we need to remember on days like this it’s not about the amount we spend. It’s about the thought. We show each other we care each and every day… It’s not just one day we say “I love you.” It’s everyday.

Next year, I have a plan for Valentine’s Day… I’m going to follow this websites advice and try to do something everyday a little special!  Someday soon, I’m going to treat him to something special… But it could be a Valentine’s Day gift, a birthday gift or anniversary gift… The gift of pictures for myself and for him! If you are someone like me, who can’t figure out that perfect gift, I know he would enjoy that perfect gift of seeing you on a calendar, or in a little black book. Boudoir photos are a perfect gift anytime! For now, I hope you get to enjoy your day with your Valentine, no matter what the day brings…

~Paula

Amanda & Rael |St Joseph Engagement Photographer

It feels like forever when I was up to see my brother and his brother-in-law. But what a beautiful, semi-rain day it was. So much warmer than it has been… Oh to be back there in dreams of summer. I have gotten the pleasure of getting to know Rael and Amanda through my brother and his wife, who is Rael’s sister. When I was contacted to shoot their engagement pictures, I was so excited. I met with them up in St. Joseph, Missouri and had a blast before it rained.  They are so sweet together! Enjoy

~Paula

Enough. (January Self Portrait)

A few years ago, I stumbled onto this blog where this lady would always choose a word for the year. One word to think about and to come back to. While for the last few years, I have not picked out a word or even really thought about it. Then in about March or April, suddenly I will just know what my word for the year is. It’s like everything in my world comes back to that word. It makes me think about what’s going on, putting it into perspective and bring it back to God, my Lord. Before the new year started, I sat down and dreamed about the goals and dreams for my life. No word made me stop and think. And then I noticed where one of my goals was taking me.  — 5.Get back to a scripture/studying/prayer journal. Spending 15-30 minutes in the Bible, with God. — It caused me to stumble onto a Bible study getting ready to start in the book of Exodus. Since I didn’t have a starting point of where I wanted to study, I decided to jump on the train of Exodus. As I have been working on it, I suddenly realized that instead of the whole story I was being pulled more deeply into Moses’ replies to God. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” “Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?” There it was. My word. Enough. Meaning —adequate for the want or need; sufficient for the purpose or to satisfy desire; an adequate quantity or number; sufficiency; in a quantity or degree that answers a purpose or satisfies a need or desire; sufficiently. God designed me to be ENOUGH. I am ENOUGH. I am adequate. I am sufficient. I am me. I am Paula and I am Enough.

A moment from my recent Biblestudy time.

Is it Spring yet?

Ugh, January, you are making me work for my happy mood. Switching back and forth… and back and forth… Cold, freezing cold, 60s, then cold, then jacket weather? Seriously? Get over yourself, Mother Nature! Decide what season we are in and stick with it for a while… Better yet –how about we skip the rest of winter and go straight to SPRING!!!! I’m so ready for green grass, beautiful flowers, and garden starting! Look what I got in the mail the other day! It’s like a sign! Start planning NOW!!!  It’s almost like the Christmas catalogues that I used to circle what I wanted for Christmas. Only this time, it’s just a little more grownup and this “grownup” has to purchase only what can be afforded.

This past August marks the beginning of our 2nd year in this house. With a beautiful large backyard, I can’t help dreaming of a garden. So this year, I am in the planning stages for building, creating and working my own RAISED BED gardens! (Yes, I want more than one.) It’s my first garden so let’s do it! And find out if my purple thumb can be green!!!

You guys get to front row seat to how well this plan goes! Hopefully, I will get my hubby, Jon, on board for the plan (well at least some of the plan).

What are some of your Spring, Summer activities that you are already thinking about?
Gardening? Canoeing? Hiking?