stories about life's minute beauty, maintaining mental wellness, and cultivating a positive mindset--so we can all experience more peace, joy, and contentment.
ALL BLOG POSTS
All new blog posts will appear below. Scroll through, or pick a specific category to browse.
Salvaged Lumber Picnic Table {Build It}
Today I'll show you how I {yes, me...all by myself} built this table and benches for my patio. Are you impressed, or what?! I have to say, this is one of my greatest before and afters. After my shed came down from the space that I wanted to lay the patio, I was left...
DIY Patio Seating
Let me start by telling you that...the patio is done! It's been done for about a week...but things have been pretty busy around here so I haven't had the time to sit down and really show it off to you the right way. I even had my very first dinner gathering on it on...
A Cord of Three Strands {Kate + Jacob}
This is Kate and Jacob. Aren't they precious? They are getting married in October and I am so very excited for them!! Kate and I have gotten to know each other over the past year through our women's Bible study at church. This is what marriage is about...
Vintage Fair for Vintage Flair
I was incredibly and pleasantly surprised recently when I attended Minot's second annual Vintage Fair. When I heard it advertised I was excited, but I never expected it to be such a wonderful and inspiring event. When I drove up to the rustic family farm on which it...
Coming Home {return from deployment}
I'm so glad I was invited to capture a homecoming. Photographing this magical event was my honor and privilege. There is really no way to describe what it's like to see husbands and wives; kids and parents reunited after months of separation. So happy Fourth...
Lauren & Ricky {a maternity sneak peek}
The first time I met Lauren and Ricky I knew we'd get along. They are avid DIY-ers who love a good yard sale, auction or thrifting expedition. We chatted at length about their knack for picking {yep, like "American Pickers"} and all the treasured they have...
The Glass Half Empty
When I was in elementary school we had a weird school counselor. Things about her are a little blurry. So for all I know she really wasn't that weird. But at the time she seemed like an odd duck. I don't remember much about her, not even her name. There are four...
Heavy Lifting
So, I' bet you are just dying to know how the patio is shaping up. Let me tell you. It's great. I'm totally in love with it and cannot wait to have it done. But I'll tell you this: There's a reason last time I did this, it wasn't alone. Patios are super heavy. ...
Ava & Aiden {Just a Peek}
Let's all say hello to a doubly adorable session! Ava and Aiden are twins that I recently had the pleasure of photographing. I've never shot two babies at once, so this was quite a treat. It was adorable how the crying stopped when they were moved closer together...
Build Some Window Boxes
A few weeks ago I told you that I was going to try my hand at building some window boxes. I showed you a round up of good tutorials and inspiration. Now I've gone and done it...and I'm super please with how they turned out. Here's an updated photo of the house. ...
Who’s Your Sandy Metcalf?
Summertime tends to make me a bit nostalgic. It's like Christmas to some extent. The smells, the trips, the food...they all remind me of happy times gone by. Being off of school, sleeping late, days at Lake Michigan, watermelon on the patio. I spend a lot of...
My Mele Kalikimaka Moment
You've seen "Christmas Vacation", right? The one with Chevy Chase. Around my house it's pretty much a holiday tradition to watch it at least once during the Christmas season. In the movie Clark Griswold has a daydream about what he'll do with his Christmas bonus. ...
How to hang a gallery wall without making your husband angry.
Did you know that I was formerly banned from hanging things on the walls of my house? Yes, me. The girl who can rip out a wall, tear up carpet, wire a light and texture dry wall. I can make over a room like the best on HGTV, but I was banned from putting nails in...
Triple Shot {three awesome sessions}
I cannot explain in words what a fun working weekend I had. I'll have sneak peeks of everything up next week...but in the mean time I just couldn't wait another minute to show you what I've been up to. I have a hard time picking a favorite, but here is one of my...
Bedroom Breakdown {The DIY Nitty Gritty}
Hey all! I have had such a fun, fun week. My family has been in town and we have been running all day seeing the North Dakota Practically Canada sights. Highlights from our visit will be up here on the blog soon...but in the meantime, I want to give you a full...
