Scripture Sunday

I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 

       my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. 

       He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:1-3

Saturdays are great!

The plan was to wake up and hit the gazillion garage sales in the neighborhood as well as the Farmer's Market on Valleydale Road. That plan was thwarted by sleep. Our bed was so cozy this morning I could not find myself to get up. My head would ponder on the great finds I would encounter and the yummy fruits and veggies local farmers would have in their stands that was, until I fell back asleep only to dream I was back in high school again. Ugh.

I finally got out of bed around 10 and made our usual Saturday breakfast. After eating that and enjoying my wonderful cup of HOT coffee. (Usually I drink cold coffee in the mornings because I am busy setting up for shoots that I forget about it until it's too late. And because I am a coffee addict I drink it anyways.) Dave then set out to work on the Jeep again while I finished up what was left of laundry. I did sneak downstairs to snap a few pics of his efforts. My husband loves his Jeep. If I came with a stick shift and a roll cage I truly think he would find me much more attractive.

In other news, crepe myrtles are blooming here in Birmingham and they are just beautiful! We have pink ones at our house. 

And to add to that, our fig tree is bearing fruit! Yippee! Fig trees are a Dunlap family tradition. Dave's grandfather grew these for us from his tree and Dave's dad has his fig tree growing in his backyard as well. Gran and I have a date this month to pick and make fig preserves (which are the best). I can't wait to learn this family recipe.

After my plant expedition I came back inside and watched some TV and watched Molly and Zoe duke it out.

Then we got ready to head over to Clay and Kelly's to watch their sweet girls for them while they ran some errands. We had so much fun with them. We played dress up, danced around like ballerinas, played hide-n-seek and leap frog, and drew on Dave's iPhone. Here's Dave "wearing way too many necklaces!" as Avery pointed out.

After our adventures in babysitting we stopped by home to change and then went out to eat some dinner. Dave stayed at the restaurant with friends while I went home. The reason you ask. UFC 100. It's suppose to be the fight of the century or something like that. I was totally not interested in watching 3 hours of UFC fights. Dave loves his UFC. I know, it's hard to believe after seeing the above picture.

Whew. What a day! It's time to unwind and head to bed...

Goodnight, 

Sarah

FRRRRRIIIIIDDDAY!

Friday, you never looked so good. 

I left Dave sleeping in bed this morning. He had the day off. 

My shoot today was suppose to be a half day shoot since we get off at noon on Fridays but, you can never guarantee that. I was there until 3. After work I came home and ate some lunch before Dave decided that we take a Jeep ride and use our B1G1 free coupon at Smoothie King. I couldn't turn him down. We google mapped Smoothie King and set off. Has anyone else had a problem with Google maps? Because it has been completely useless lately. So we finally get to Smoothie King and order our smoothies and set off back home.

After eating lunch and slurping down a smoothie I was stuffed and very sleepy. So, I decided to take a short nap... that ended up being a long nap. I woke up at 6:00.

Dave had Geoff over tonight to work on the rear differential on the Jeep. Saying that makes me sound like I know what I'm talking about but I have no idea. All I know is that they made a mess of themselves and the garage.

I made them spaghetti and garlic rolls. I was still stuffed from my double lunch so I didn't eat. They said it was good.

Then they played around upstairs recording music and making weird noises while I watched On Demand episodes of Parks & Recreation. I found it to be a wanna-be Office. I lost interest after 2 episodes and went to bed. As always, I was tired.

No picture for today. Sorry. 

Sarah

Christmas in July? Yes, please.

Christmas is a year-long celebration at work. With numerous special issues coming out for the holiday season we are constantly finding ourselves glue-dotting ornaments to bright red and green fabrics and setting up a quite abused pre-lit tree in the studio all the while humming christmas tunes in our heads. 

This week was no different. Today I continued my shoot from Tuesday photographing cakes in the Christmas spirit. It was a very nice shoot and I am very satisfied with it. You can see my work in the Taste of the South special issue that comes out this fall or in any other issue for that matter. ;)

After work I came home a made a yummy meal of crusted chicken, fresh sauteed squash, and rice. It was delish!

Then, it was Zoe's turn for a walk. She encountered a small, fat chihuahua that she sadly ducked her tail to. We will have to work on that.

Then I came back and Dave and I watched our weekly So You Think You Can Dance episodes. That Argentine Tango was HOT! Whew!

Hopefully this weekend my sewing machine will be fixed by Dave and I can start putting my sewing/craft room to use. Here's a picture of the small space I call my own. It's really all the stuff that we didn't have anywhere else to put but I couldn't throw away. The desk was free from a craigslist ad and is great storage with lots of drawers. There's a drawer for every hobby... painting, drawing, sewing, photography, beading, you name it. On the other side of this room is my office that is a wreck right now so no picture. Maybe one day. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thursday. It's Friday tomorrow! Smile!

Sarah

My Wednesday.

I ate Pop Tarts for breakfast this morning which I know will not hold me over to lunch but I eat them anyways. They are good. Especially when their gooey insides are hot.

My shoot today was soups. Can I just say that going from photographing all cakes on one day to soups on another will really mess you up. What can't I just photograph a well-balanced meal everyday? I kid. I kid. That's just the way the cookie crumbles in the food magazine world. I had potato soup (betcha didn't see that coming?) for lunch which was amazing. Tomorrow it's back to the cakes. Lots and lots of cakes. 

I got home a relaxed a bit before this.

That's was awesome and you know it.

Then, Dave called (he was at a youth event) and informed me some friends were going out to eat. So, I got cleaned up and did that. It was fun and now I am tired with a full belly. 

Goodnight, 

Sarah

P.S. So You Think You Can Dance was on tonight. It's on the DVR. Awesome. :)

Getting to know my life...

So I have decided to give you the low down on the Dunlap family. We are a simple yet quite complex family and we don't even have kids yet!

First off, this is my wonderful husband. I met him in the far off land known as West Texas in a small town called Midland. Little did I know that this bama boy would become my happily ever after. Maybe one day I will share our beautifully orchestrated love story with you. He has spent most of his life making music and music making. He spent the rest of it getting to know the millions of people he calls friends on Facebook. He knows how to fix just about anything or he will figure it out if it kills him. He has an freckle on his left hand in the exact same spot as I do and we say that God marked us for each other. He makes me smile when I'm sad, angry, asleep or awake and laughs at my silly jokes. He works very hard and can be too hard on himself. All in all, he's one great catch and I would throw him back over and over again if I catch him again and relive the memories we have shared. 

I love him.

This is our first. Gizmo. He came to us from the Humane Society in Lewisville, Texas after he survived the street life, some broke bones, and heartworms. You may think he is a small little man but he carries a big bark and although his proportions should make him insecure he stands his ground in a house of.... female dogs. Sleeping is his only trick and selective hearing is his forte. Tall grass, the water dispenser, and wind are his fears and belly rubs, head rubs, and sleep are his loves. I think he is one of a kind and very "special".

Molly came to us via a Craigslist ad. This beautiful girl was on the chopping block at the local animal shelter and was scheduled to meet her doom at 5PM the day we rescued her. When I walked into the shelter and saw her glassy eyes staring up at me and her ribs poking out of her feeble body I knew we had to save her. After several weeks of recovery and a few hundred bucks later she was a stunning black beauty and still is. Like her dad, she has never met a stranger but insists that cats are the spawn of satan himself. She loves bones, and ice cubes, and Baked Lays BBQ chips. She loves, sleeping on her back with her white belly glaring, snuggling with dad, jeep rides and don't dare say the "w" word. (walk... shhhh) Molly Girl can shake, lie down, play dead, and sit up "pretty". Gizmo has an incredible crush on this hot babe and sneaks in a few licks every now and then. She doesn't mind...

And last but certainly not least is sweet Zoe Jo. A victim of this economic recession, Zoe is the sweetest most gentle dog I have ever met. Originally thought to be a good playmate for Molly, she has an odd obsession with the little man although he could care less. She loves to be brushed and brushed and loved and loved. Zoe thinks anytime you say her name you really mean, "Zoe, come here... I want to give all my undivided attention to YOU." She makes her bed on the hardwoods every evening and wakes my up every morning with a wet nose and noises that could rival a sweaky toy. Panting is her favorite hobby with being completely adorable coming in a close second. Zoe Jo Dunlap is one heartbreaker.

And then you have me. One EXTREMELY BLESSED woman.

:)

Tuesdays

I am really not a fan of Tuesdays. I guess the only thing I can think that I like about this day of the week is that it means Monday is over. But, besides that... Tuesdays are really just stepping stones in my opinion. 

I photographed lots of cake today. Whole cakes, cake slices, cupcakes... lots and lots of cakes. I have photographed so many cakes for work that I am really not a cake fan anymore. I would rather have a strawberry. Although.... there was this awesome molten cake that I had one bite of today. It just smelled too good not to. It was deadly.

So, my newest hobby (if you can call it that) is going on blog safaris. There are so many wonderful blogs out there! Women and men sharing their worlds and lives with other people and it makes you feel like one cozy family of internet stalkers. 

Wonderful.... seriously... it's wonderful.

So, in honor of my new hobby, I have decided to share a "Blogarific Blog" every week with you.

This weeks Blogarific Blog is {a beach cottage}. It's a wonderful journey of a couple fixing up their cottage by the sea in Australia. It's full of airy, serene photos of the cutest cottage. You will want to book a one way ticket to Australia. I love the vintage touches and the simplicity. Here's a quick photo from this Blogarific Blog!

And now I must admit that I have a splitting headache and must go to bed. 

Goodnight. Fair riddens Tuesday until next week.

Sarah

P.S. Gizmo, you will get your walk tomorrow. Promise.