Intentional

I did something that gave me a slight panic attack.  I deleted my facebook account.

I had been feeling very convicted recently about how I was spending my time.  

I had been feeling frustrated that my heart's desire to rescue and care for children was being pushed to the wayside.

And then... 

I had felt such a tug on my heart.  "Jhen, but what about the one child I gave you?  What are you doing to care for her?"

Well.  Without going into too much detail, the basic answer for that was "not much".  

So I, along with another friend to hold me accountable, realized that deleting our facebook was the best thing for our family at the time.  Our family was number one priority.  Or at least needed to be.  My husband needed to be.  My child needed to be.  But my response to them was always one more minute as I frantically scrolled down more to read the latest updates from people I knew so little about.

So this is a time for me to learn to be intentional.  With my husband.  With my daughter.  With my friends.  With my business.  So here goes.

And I'll be working on switching this blog back to being just personal posts.  I'll be separating the business side of things on a Stark Love blog.  So know that I'm investing in areas to maintain not only my personal relationships, but my virtual ones too ;)

Around Our Home // Beginning to Put the "Family" In Our Room

While we've been spending a lot of our time outdoors, we have been working on pinpointing our exact look and feel for our family room.  So we've set the base.  The main pieces are in.  All we've left to do is accessorize- you know, the fun part.  Like hang family pictures and wall decor.  You know, putting the "family" into our family room.

I transformed this $7 thrift store find with just a little elbow grease and some paint.  It was an old entertainment sound center with built in speakers in the side cabinets.  We gutted the inside and Jon's currently working on putting in some shelves to hold our dvds and accessories.  I then sanded the top and painted the piece WHITE.  AND I LOVE IT.  Probably my favorite piece of furniture we own, and quite possibly the best priced thrift store item I've found to date.  All of the items in our living room are either thrifted, gifted for free, or hand me down's from family members.  Didn't have to spend a dime. ;)

Self Portrait Perfection // Coolest thing Ever

So, remember that design dilemma I had just a few days ago.  Well, I'm thinking that it might just be solved.

We have some amazing clients.  Well, more like friends.  And some talented ones at that too.  One of them is the beautiful Alicia, who opened up a little custom shop that I've enjoyed watching grow.  I recently saw her post some images of paintings she was selling.  So I wrote her asking if she was interested in creating a custom painting of Jon and I with our logo on wood.  SHE WAS TOTALLY DOWN and I couldn't have been more excited!

After having to reschedule their engagement session a couple of times, we were finally able to pin point a day (and that session will be blogged here shortly), and as excited I was about their engagement session, I was super excited because it was also going to be the day we would get to pick up our painting.  And when she handed us the painting I flipped (I even think my voice squealed a high pitch sound).

Anyway, enough writing, let's flaunt this bad boy!

And so sparks the inspiration for the rest of our office decorating.  I want this to be our focal point.  And the rest of the room will revolve around this image.  I JUST LOVE IT!

Around Our Home // A Design Dilemma

Before I finish off the rest of the house, I wanted to beg and plead with the rest of you.

More for fun.  Obviously this isn't tragic.  This isn't necessary.  This is just fun.  

I claimed our little off the kitchen dinette as our home/studio office.  But I need help.  I have a pinterest account, but I'm all pinterest out since I used it to inspire all the other areas of our home.  So here's where you come in.  Send me your suggestions.  Send me links to your pinterest board.  Send me emails with ideas.  Just send me something ;)

But here's the deal.  

1. I don't want to buy "new furniture" although I am down to go on the hunt for freebies or thrift.  
2. I will use this space for editing weddings, helping plan weddings, and basically all things weddings... so I need to be inspired for weddings
3. It's right off the kitchen so it can't be too colorful that it distracts.  :)  
4. I can't paint the walls, but it currently is a cream color.
5. I'm inspired by USED items, and I'm not really into things that are new.
6. I'm into pinks and creams.  
7. I like barn textures.

Ok.  Ready.  SET.  GO

Kony 2012

What if generations from now are reading this story in their history text books and asking "why didn't the rest of the world do anything about it?"  

Our worst choice is not doing anything about it NOW.

WATCH.  

TAKE ACTION.  

FIGHT FOR THE INNOCENT.  

GIVE OF YOURSELF.  

DO IT OUT OF LOVE.

MAKE HISTORY!

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Porch

Technically I'm not ready to welcome you inside.  There are still a few more fixes and unpackings I would like to do before I formally invite you to view our home, but I'm so excited.

I have always wanted a front porch with rocking chairs.  And although my always isn't as long as some of yours, we finally have ours.  We were given two free old rocking chairs that needed just some extra loving.  So I scoured JoAnn's Fabrics and ended up deciding on Burlap.  So we have our seat cushions.  I painted the rocking chairs and reupholstered the seat cushions and they're like brand new!  I finished the porch off with a find from a garage sale to act as our side table and clipped some flowers from my in-laws garden and we're done.  :)  

Confessions of One Needing to Get Her Act Together // And A Feature

Hi, I'm Jhen and I need to get my act together.

I started blogging to help me process the overwhelming thoughts and emotions that came along with having a new little baby and just having said goodbye to seven boys we had come to love and see as our own.  I've emotionally invested in this space, sometimes more than I needed to, and often times less than I wished I would have.

And it currently is just a messed up neglected place that is holding on by a thin thread.  And that I'm ready to change. 

Recently I've been enjoying the pleasures of being the domesticated queen of my home.  After two years we moved into our own place.  My parents home has been the haven for Josselyn since it was the place we raised her since she was three weeks old.  It's been all I've known as a mother.  But we were ready to make our own nest and when the opportunity arrived we snatched it.

We moved into my dream cottage (seriously, it matches everything I could ask for in a cottage) and I've enjoyed every minute of making it our own.  I hadn't picked up the camera and decided to just enjoy it as us.  To do our thing without something in the back of my head saying "oh the blog people will love this".  But, I've also been waiting to have it all together to also share... here.

WHY?  Because this place, since it has been joined with our photography business, has become the very place clients and prospective clients have come to get to know the two people who will be following them around on their wedding day.  It's their most special day and many of them aren't interested in sharing it with complete strangers.  So I decided to keep that in mind when shifting this here blog.

But I've been slacking.  And promising upcoming posts that never came.  I have folders of images waiting to be processed to even post onto here.  But all that is about to change.  We're getting settled and I'm ready to start scheduling some time into this beast.  

// And Guess What //

Stark Love had it's first feature, and one I'm incredibly proud of.  Some of our old work was noticed and picked up on a Military Inspiration blog for Military Photographers:  Rally Point.  

So be sure to check them out, because there are some other amazing sessions on there.