gobble gobble!

image via

delicious wishes to you and your family this thanksgiving day!

i'd like to thank all of you who visit here and inspire me to keep creating!  it means the world!

as a follow up, my hope to open brightsidesdesigns on etsy today is not going to happen :(

i honestly don't know what i was thinking!  there is so much more that goes in to this than i ever dreamed.

 however,  i found an amazing company that will rock all our printing & fulfillment... providing us with much better pricing so you'll pay less!  yay!

we're close.  thank you for your patience and please hang tight.  we'll get there soon!  i'll let you know as soon as we open!

fox makes friends

 this book it too cute.  it's just fitting for this time of year.  friends, apples, orange... it just feels right.  such a darling read.  i can always count on annie to snuggle up with me and read.  she's our little bookworm for sure.

i've been cranking away at getting our etsy shop up and going; trying to get it ready for business before Thanksgiving if possible!  i'm sure many of you interested in purchasing my items will want to buy them for Christmas gifts soon!  i'm hurrying :)

enjoy your tuesday & stay tuned for brightsides designs on etsy!

©2011 brightsides, all rights reserved.

clients?

the never ending photography business battle haunts me in my sleep.  okay, i'm not that disturbed, but i hate it!  do i take on clients or do i not?  this has been a constant debate of mine for a while now and it's been making me ca-razzy!  a bunch of you have been asking me about taking your family pictures lately, and i've been humming and hawing over it, probably driving you crazy.  but i've come to the decision that right now i just have to say no :(  it's simply not fair to my family right now.   

i took on a few small projects over the last couple of months just to see if i could possibly do some holiday work, and that confirmed my suspicion... it's just too much!  ahhh, why can't i just do everything!  i have to admit that i'm kind of glad i didn't start into this whole photography passion before i had kids, or i'm not sure i would have had any-certainly not four.  that makes me sad to say.  the Lord new better :)  choosing a career you love over a family would be extremely difficult!  now that i have my favorite little people and know what a blessing they are, i would choose them over anything in a heartbeat.  with that being said, i choose them now too.

there is a season for everything.  i must wait.  for now i will enjoy my hobbies, be grateful that i'm able to be a stay at home mom (thanks sam!) and chase around my little biting baby.  ouch!!

thank you so much for your interest and understanding.  i am flattered beyond belief!

best wishes to you all!

p.s. please don't be offended if you see shoots that i may do in the future... you know me, i get the itch every once in a while to take a few.  it's not personal, it's just timing.  and don't be afraid to ask- i just may say yes- just not before Christmas :)

xo

p.p.s. stay tuned for my up and coming etsy shop!   that, [i hope] is something i can manage.  i'm excited!

©2011 brightsides, all rights reserved.

[farmall parking only]

all the little kids with their pump pump kins they better run, better run!

i completely forgot to post these pumpkin patch pictures.  

weeks ago we met the cousins to pick out pumpkins one toasty saturday afternoon last month.  

liv had just finished her soccer game and the kiddies were pumped to search for their perfect pumpkin, make their way through the corn maze, and of course take a turn on the tractors.  i admit i went a little nuts snapping pictures of jack tom on these bad boys!  it's so fun to do boy stuff with him!  all he needs is a little cowboy hat and boots!  

i think he looks so much like his  great grandma hansen (who happened to be a beet farmer) in this picture below.

cute aunt bek happily supplied the wheelbarrow rides.  that must have been a pretty good little workout!  

those kids and pumpkins get heavy!  what a champ!  pumpkin parading is the best!  until next year...

©2011 brightsides, all rights reserved.

[nesting]

don't ya just love it when you feel like your fast forward button was pushed?  like you're on triple speed or something?  it's the best!  i can accomplish so much when i have those sudden spurts of energy!    yesterday was one of those for me!  and no, i'm not prego lol...  just in a little pre-holiday nesting phase i suppose :) 

check it out!  my mom found this amazing bird's nest in her backyard and gave it to the girls to show their school classes.  i just can't get over the intricacy.  how does mama bird do it?  to gather all the mud and grasses and mold them into this tight, strong little nest is a miracle.  nature is so fascinating isn't it?      

i found this object lesson i plan to use in our next family home evening lesson:

*if any of you neighbors are interested in borrowing this nest, you're welcome to!

Lesson: This nest is a marvel of engineering. The birds made it without studying any books, without any tools except their beaks and their legs and they didn’t even have an instructor tell them how to do it! Somehow, in their little heads, God just gave them the sense of what to do and they did it! Have you ever watched a bird building a nest? They really work hard at it and keep trying until they get it exactly right for them – or they finally go and start over another place.

Do all kinds of birds build the same kind of a nest? No. Some build with sticks, some with leaves, some with more mud. Some put theirs on or near the ground, some put them way up in trees, some put the door in the bottom, some sit on them and act as the roof, some put them in trees, etc., etc.! One interesting thing is that every bird of one type makes the same kind of house.

Application: That fits with what the Bible says. Each bird is made after its own kind (Genesis 1:21) in its own wonderful way. And God teaches them and takes care of them. They are important to Him! (Luke 12:24) Jesus knew this and talked about it.

Conclusion: We are important to God, too He teaches us through the Bible and He takes care of us. You do not have to worry or be afraid. If you have a problem, call to Jesus and God to help you. Say as Hebrews 13:6 says, “The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid.” You can trust God! Let’s pray and thank God for His goodness and trustworthiness. (Pray)

BY PATRICIA A. MEINERTS

©2011 brightsides, all rights reserved.