Category: photography

2022, life as a lumber, Personal, photography

Life as a Lumber: what we’ve been up to

by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment on Life as a Lumber: what we’ve been up to

Get ready to read the most boring “ what we’ve been up to” you’ve ever read. Why is it boring? Because my household caught Covid and we have been up absolutely nothing. Except resting, drinking fluids and trying to feel better.

Check out Emorie’s new shirt! She got it for Christmas and we love it!

On Monday, we woke up to one of the scariest storms I’ve ever seen. I live in North Carolina, so I have seen some pretty scary storms. The wind was howling and it was pouring rain. Mid morning, that turned into snow! It didn’t last long, but it was pretty. This was taken from my classroom window.

I posted this on Instagram last week before it snowed. It was accurate, since we went straight from 75 degree days to wind and snow 🤣🤣

My ten year old no longer wants to wear hair bows, so she passed all of hers to my six year old. I had no idea we had so many bows.

We always have the traditional New Years meal with my mother-in-law’s family, but this year, she and my father-in-law delivered the meals to family. It was still delicious.

We were invited to go skating last weekend by some sweet friends. The girls didn’t quite get the hang of it, but they had fun.

I had some gift cards to spend from Christmas, so I bought this picture. It has silkies on it, so it’s perfect for me. They look just like our chickens.

We are on the mend over here, but still quarantined. Thanks for sticking with me and reading to the end of that boring post. Hope to see you next weekend with a more interesting post.

2021, 24 Days of Christmas, christmas, Faith, family, life as a lumber, Personal, photography

Life as a Lumber: What We’ve Been Up To

by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment on Life as a Lumber: What We’ve Been Up To

Boy, have we been busy lately.

In the past few weeks, our girls have participated in a dance convention

An action shot of the littlest Lumber
Aaaaand the biggest little Lumber

We traveled to West Virginia to enjoy Thanksgiving with my side of the family for the first time in two years . We ate two Thanksgivings in North Carolina, too.

And then our kids participated in the local Christmas parade with our dance studio.

And then we took some Christmas pictures…more about that later.

I hope you are all well and happy, dear readers! I can’t wait to share some Christmas goodness with you this week.

2021, At home, Blogging, children, family, Joy, kids, life as a lumber, photography, simplify

Life as a Lumber: what we have been up to

by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment on Life as a Lumber: what we have been up to

Whew! What a busy week! I shared our fall wreath last year and then I didn’t share anything else. Meant to, but time got away fro me. So instead, I’m going to share what we have been up to…before I get back at it this week.

Us, at Mosaic. We enjoyed a concert this weekend with our kiddos.

Work is keeping both adult members of our household super busy. If you are new here, I’m a teacher and my husband is a fire marshal. In our spare time (haha), we do woodwork and play at learning how to hobby farm.

When your favorite band is local to your area, and they don’t seem to mind your daughters’ fan girling. The Chatham Rabbits are super talented, an adorable couple and they are really sweet people.

We went with our church’s children’s ministry to Boo at the Zoo, a trick or treat and Halloween celebration at the NC Zoo. The kids really enjoyed it.

If you follow us on Instagram and Facebook, you have already seen some of these. We have really just been trying to slow down and make some memories since the girls are growing fast.

Tomorrow, we will be spending time worshipping at church and catching up on some house and farm work. Bless you all- thanks for sticking with us!

2021, NC Mountains, photography, travel, traveling

Postcard Pretty Mountain Towns You Should Visit in North Carolina

by LumberInMyMiniVan2 Comments on Postcard Pretty Mountain Towns You Should Visit in North Carolina
  1. Tryon, NC

OMG, we loved this place so much. We decided on a whim to visit Landrum, SC; Tryon, NC and Saluda, NC for our anniversary one year. We found beautiful country, a charming downtown (we even met the mayor!) and some really delicious places to eat. Harper’s Pub is amazing- plus, it’s in a really neat old building.

2. Saluda, NC

We visited this tiny little town and didn’t want to leave. If you go to Saluda, I recommend hiking to Pearson’s Falls, a 100-foot waterfall. It’s absolutely beautiful. Like nearby Tryon, there are some delicious places to eat. I also enjoyed rummaging through antique stores and visiting a general store.

3. West Jefferson, NC

West Jefferson is one of our absolute favorite places on the planet. Close enough to Boone to visit, but away from the hustle and bustle of Boone. It’s a beautiful little town with a charming downtown and gorgeous views. Also, while you’re there, you’d better check out Hole Lotta Donuts!

Picture courtesy of High Country Visitor’s Guide

4. Blowing Rock, NC

Blowing Rock is, quite possibly, my favorite NC mountain town. I’d move here tomorrow if I could. We love the scenery and the downtown itself- so much character and charm. I wish I could tell you a specific store to check out downtown, but there are so many neat ones, I’m just going to recommend you visit them all 🙂 There’s also a really nice park and playground for your kids. If you visit here, you need to go to Kilwin’s for some homemade candies and ice cream. Everything there is delicious.

Courtesy of Jackson County Chamber of Commerce

5. Sylva, NC

As a proud grad of Western Carolina U, I have to include Sylva on this list. This beautiful little town is home to the most photographed courthouse in the South- with the mountain views, the landscaping and the streetlights, it’s easy to see why. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent there- so many delightful places to visit and so much delicious food! Go to Speedy’s Pizza- the restaurant has been open since the 70’s and it’s fantastic!

I hope you enjoyed my favorite mountain towns! We love exploring our state and finding new places to visit.

2021, back to school, Blogging, DIY, family, kids, Personal, photography

Back to school: an easier approach to first-day photo shoots

by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment on Back to school: an easier approach to first-day photo shoots

My sweet girls went to school last week. My oldest started fifth grade and my youngest started kindergarten. Last year, I took no first day of school pictures since we were virtual. This year, I more than made up for it.

I may have gone a bit overboard- I ended up taking over 70 pictures, but I got some awesome shots. Today, I’d like to share some tips for getting some great back to school pictures.

1. Don’t wait til the actual first day of school

We put on our school clothes and back packs and we pretend it’s the first day of school. This year, we sneaked over to the school the day before the first day.

If you’re anything like us, you will be in a hurry on the first day and you won’t have time to get any good pictures. And if you are in a hurry and forget to take them, it won’t matter.

2. Wait until sunset

If you don’t wait til sunset, chances are really good you’re going to get lots of pictures with squinty smiles. The sun will be too bright.

3. You need a prop

Find a sign, find a wall, find a bus, make a sign.

Find a staircase and do this:

Whatever you can do to make it interesting.

4. Take a lot of pictures!

Because the more pics you take, the more likely you are to get some good stuff!

But most of all, don’t wait until the day of. Take a lot of pictures but have fun with it. You aren’t just taking photos, you’re making memories. And if your kids want to strike a silly pose, let them.

I hope you have an amazing school year.