Amanda

I just got finished taking this beautiful girl's portraits. She is an up and coming artist. I have had the privilege of listening to her. She has a heart for singing and music and she knows how to win over your heart. I will have more pictures up on the web site once she gets a chance to see them. Thanks Amanda, I really enjoyed it!

BPS

We will be spending the month of September in class. Big Picture Scrapbooking is one of our favorite sites. Chelle and I will both be involved in the 'ME: THE ABRIDGED VERSION' class. We will be "focusing on specific but wholly unrelated random details from your own extraordinary life" and "making the coolest album that captures a little essence of the person who puts so much time and care into documenting everyone else in her life. That person is you." I hope to learn a lot not only about myself but about scrapbooking. This will be my first class to take online. I am really excited about it. Don't worry we'll keep you updated on what we are learning and experiencing. I encourage you to go search this site and maybe even find a class of your own. There are a lot of free resources as well. Come and join us in the blog for September, you'll be glad you did. Your fellow life classmate, Chels

Fall In Love : Fall Special

Call us today: 325-656-3350 or email us: contact@picturesquetimes.com

Dream vs Reality

So I wouldn't normally blog about something like this, mostly because I know noone really wants to hear about my dreams but I just have to get this from thought to journal. I had a bad dream last night, actually I guess it was a nightmare. The vision is so locked in my mind that I just can't seem to stop replaying it. Have you ever had the "deja vu" experience. A time in which seconds of your life seem like you have already lived them. You know however that you haven't, it has to be a manifestation of some dream. Where dreams, if you will, actually do come true. This dream being so vivid, feels like it could turn into one of those moments. Most dreams, lack certain details. Whereas this dream, elaborate. While it feels like it has potential to become reality, I hope it never does.

What do I pick now?

A year has passed since the loss of a great man. While today was filled with laughter, joy, and happiness, at least for me, there was a lingering remembrance of that very day. Staying ever so vivid in my mind, I can see him and I remember what I was feeling. Almost an out of body experience, it was a shocking since of reality. "Is this really happening...has this day actually come?" It had. It did. And today I feel a hint of sadness but also relief. I know that the pain that was there for him as well as us is gone. Those who go before us are deemed PREDECESSORS. Those left behind, his legacy. What would I have picked then? To be the predecessor. What do I pick now? Seeing my nephew's joy on his second birthday today....the legacy! Love and miss you Uncle Mike. Until we meet again, Chels

The Grand Canyon Leftovers!

Journeyling Entry 2:

We found the Grand Canyon leftovers!! Justin said "I have decided that this where God dumped all that He dug out of the Grand Canyon. In Arizona there is a canyon that you drive into if you follow I-10. Want to guess what it's called? Texas Canyon...Wouldn't you know it. When they needed a word to describe a large mass..they used Texas! Anyways, from afar, it seems as nothing more than mountain terrain. As you get closer you realize the mountain itself is billions of boulders and rocks. Even though it seems as a cluttered pile of earth, you know that just as God numbers the stars, He strategically placed each rock to make this gigantic mountain. Amazing!!

Happy Birthday, Jadon!!!

Today is my precious grandson's second birthday. I can't believe he's two and yet it is hard to remember what life was like before he arrived. Wait...it's coming back to me...I seem to remember silence, calmness, peace, serenity. There hasn't been much of that since July 31, 2007 but, you know, I think peace is overrated. Bring on the chaos!! Love you 2-5, J.

Chelle (aka Nummie)

Then...

Now...

Staying Young...or Feeling Old?

Well...it's official now. I have a Facebook account. The one who said I don't have time (I really don't), I'm not that interested (I wasn't) and I don't know how (I didn't). Of the above mentioned reasons for not having an account, one still holds true. I really don't have time but I really did have fun last night. Chels and Justin were over and she mentioned that she created a Picturesque Times group and I thought "Crapola, now I'm going to have to get one." They showed me the ropes (Justin even set Nanny up an account...she is the proud owner of not only a Facebook account but also an email address!!). I really had fun setting it up...it was after 11 before they left. It was good family bonding time and I'm all for that. I love the photo sharing capabilities. I'm not too crazy about all the invites from people that never talk to me in the "real world" but want to be my Facebook friend. Kinda feels like a high school popularity contest..."how many friends do you have? I have 13,013,013. All in all, I had a lot of fun last night...and woke up thinking about getting my wall decked out. Does that mean I'm hooked or that I'm just too cool??

Hoping you have a Fruit Loop kind of day!
Chelle

Genres

July 18, 2009

We left town early today. I had planned on leaving after lunch. However, my anticipation for our trip got the better of me. While we were cruising on I-10 we listened to “leaving on a jet plane”. We started talking about music and how everyone has different tastes. We started laughing at the image we conjured up of my brother-in-law. Cody, like me, tends to like many different genres. However, he can listen to classical music, singing every Italian word on cue, rock out to the “oldies but goodies”, and then slip into a cool funky mood with Stevie Ray Vaughan…all of this, while wearing his U.S.M.C. cap, wearing his baggy black goth pants with chains and all (got them just to see the look on people’s faces), and his shirt (that fits his personality to a tee), “It’s not my day to care”. That image got us laughing so hard. To those who know Cody they might do the same…to those of you who don’t know him…it’s your loss!

Fruit Loop Days

I can't believe it is already Friday...where does the time go? We (Pops, Nanny and I) have had Dani Rie all week and it has been wonderful. Busy, crazy, hectic, loud (Jadon has been here a lot this week), but wonderful. It's 9:13 in the morning and I'm sitting here in my den. Max and Ruby is on the tv (totally annoying cartoon), Rhi is sitting in her dad's chair drinking coffee, eating Fruit Loops, playing on her laptop and talking to herself. Dani is sitting in the high chair eating Fruit Loops, playing with Fruit Loops and watching the cartoon. Kenzie is eating Fruit Loops, Nanny is eating Fruit Loops and drinking coffee and Jadon is eating his Fruit Loops and some of everyone else's. It's just a Fruit Loop kind of day around here. Love those kind of days.

Looks like the sun is going to shine today. We have had two cloudy, rainy days. Love those kind of days...especially when they come in July.

Hope you're having a Fruit Loop kind of day!
Chelle

"Journeyling" The New Journal

Thinking about an upcoming trip I have decided to keep a travel journal. Traveling to new places, especially far away, can be very reflective and even magical. We forget that the world is really so much larger than the dense realm we live in. Beyond just the obvious changes in culture and environment, so much lies within the people, the businesses, the differences from coast to coast. It's amazing how you can see new colors, hear new sounds, and smell new aromas that you haven't noticed before. My plan is to keep a journal of my experiences, not just a daily log of the things we will be doing, but notes of inspirations, ideas, challenges, and blessings. When I post my journal entries after I return, I want you to be able to sit down and feel what I felt. Even though you may not be able to travel soon, you should be able to still take the journaling ideas and come up with your own entries that reflect, hopefully, your new thoughts about the "dense realm" that you live in. It is inevitable, even though I travel to beautiful places, some that I know God created just for His glory, I am always grateful and blessed to be home. See you when I return. -living creatively, Chelsea

Journaling Challenge

Journaling about love
"He who loves the more is the inferior and so must suffer..." -Thomas Mann from his book, Death in Venice. Spend time thinking about this statement. Do you believe this is true? How do you feel about it? Does it apply to any portion of your life?

DILIGENT

Hi! Chelle here. Finally. My partner suggested (very nicely) that I need to post more often. DILIGENT...that is my new motto for blogging. I am going to be more DILIGENT about blogging. Webster defines DILIGENT as "characterized by steady, earnest and energetic effort". So...here I go being DILIGENT. This doesn't come naturally to me. I have never been able to keep a diary or journal beyond a few (a very few...maybe two) weeks. It's just not my nature. I wish I had journals to look back through. I would love to be able to see just what was going on in my life at a specific point in time. It would certainly make scrapbooking my children's growing up years easier. But I wasn't DILIGENT enough. But there is always today and today I choose to be DILIGENT. I'm not promising a daily post, but at least a few times a week. Who knows...maybe I will become a daily blogger!

Dillion & Rachel Ballard

July, 10, 2009, Dillion and Rachel entered into marriage. After 8 long years they tied the knot! It was a beautiful ceremony and an awesome party afterwards. Click on the post title to see pictures from the Ballard wedding. Password:ballard

Ballard Wedding

Please vistist the Ballard Wedding album at this site:



http://www.imagequix.com/photog.php?id=M9JYT99&ec=ballard



Hope you enjoyed being a part of their special day!

I found this challenge off another site. It's a great site with lots of information. I will post the link below. For now, whether you are a scrapbooker or not, take the time to think about this challenge. Stop where you are, in your crazy world...and think. I hope if not to scrap this challenge, that you at least come to a truthful answer for yourself. Good Luck and God Bless!

http://www.jenwilsondesigns.com/

So...who do you admire? Or, what qualities to you most admire? Do you live your life in a way that would make people stop and consider how they could be more like you? Do you strive to be that person? What qualities are you trying to instill in your children? Make this week's page somehow follow the theme of admiration. Maybe you have a story to pass down to your kids, totally up to you what you choose to scrap about. But, virtual bonus points if you choose a person and then are able to tell them just how much you admire their life. :)

DS for Life!

So I have found my new hobby. While scrapbooking has always been somewhat of a hobby for me, I have taken it to a new level. Well, new to me anyways! I have been acquainted with the concept of DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING! "But, Chelsea, " you say, "isn't that a part of your business?" Why yes it is. And while my very talented partner has a niche for such things, I took it upon myself to see what all the hype was about. I must say, it is completely worthy all of the hype!! While the original hand crafted scrapbooking was fun, this resource fits me to a tee. For those of us less than perfectly crafty people, those with a demanding schedule (or in my case, family), and those if us on a tight budget...this hobby is an answered prayer. I can do all my work on the computer, with just a touch of a button, while watching my favorite shows, or playing with Dani, or talking with Justin. All without a mess! No paper to scatter about, or embellishments to keep out of the reach of children. No mess to clean up before company comes over or the need for a room to store it all in. All my resources are on the computer. I could do it traveling down the road, or sitting by the pool (which I have). Now while I still have a stash of scrapbooking supplies, and I still plan on using it from time to time, this quick and simple answer to getting my daughter's life scrapped, is one I just can't overlook. Some people might say, but then you don't have the pleasure of sitting down and having hands on interaction with your photos...I will say, yes, but I will have my life and my families lives scrapped, (and just as well I might add), before you even get done cleaning up your mess. Not that time is the only upside to this treasure, but the money it will save me from having to buy product after product is a major plus!! (Ladies, your husbands will love this perk!) With DS you download (quite often freebies) your supplies and use them over, and over, and over, and well, you get the point. DS will relieve me of the tension of getting the memories archived before its too late. Since starting this new found hobby last week, I have already scrapped ten layouts. 10!!! It's amazing what you can do. I hope that after reading this article, if you haven't already begun DS and you are interested in archiving your memories in a modern, fun, simple, and economical way, then let me suggest DS to you. It is something that will leave you saying, "look at what I made," rather than, "Oh I should have scrapped those pictures when..."

Living Simply

Hi! Chelle here...I was following the links on some of the blogs I like to check on and found this gem...The Simple Woman's Daybook. I really like the concept and had to fill in my own answers. I want to do this each week...remind myself what is really important.

FOR TODAY (06/22/09)...

Outside my window...the swimming pool is shimmering in the sunlight while the evening shadows begin to sneak across the water.

I am thinking...about really getting the picturesque times blog going along with the photography and digi-scrapping business.

I am thankful for...home, the loved ones who make up my family, sports and big screen tvs, iced tea on hot summer days, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, laptop computers, Harry Potter books (reading one now).

From the learning rooms...Kenzie (my niece) drawing at the table in the dining room. Going to make a “Scrapbook Portfolio” out of her drawings.

From the kitchen...there is nothing going on in that room. Don’t’ feel like cooking tonight. Toyed with the idea of making a Pistachio Torte today...even bought the pistachio pudding...but tomorrow will work just as well.

I am wearing...plaid shorts, sleeveless top, no shoes, no makeup and one set of earrings (never got around to putting the other two sets in).

I am creating...a summer 08 scrapbook, the above-mentioned scrapbook portfolio and a dent in the couch (from sitting here too long...).

I am going...to have an apple (Fugi) and peanut butter, some Hershey Kisses and surf the net while watching the game.

I am reading...Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone.

I am hoping...that Texas wins Game 1 of the College World Series against LSU tonight.

I am hearing...the whirr of the ceiling fan.

Around the house...things are quiet...definitely not normal. Kenzie is the only company and she is playing on her Nintendo DS, Nanny is watching the ballgame, reading during the commercials and nursing a toothache, Jim Tom is watching the game and messing around on his laptop and who knows what Cody is doing in his room.

One of my favorite things...is watching sports...from the couch or the bleachers, it doesn’t matter to me. Love the competition.

A few plans for the rest of the week: continue to work through “Photoshop CS4 Digital Classroom” book...so much to learn since I just moved up from PS Elements, finish the Summer 08 scrapbook, get the layouts sold this past weekend emailed for approval, celebrate Texas winning the College World Series (;D).

Eric & Kimberlee

Such a sweet couple! I enjoyed watching them smile at each other and laugh with one another. They both take great pictures. The date of the wedding isn't set just yet but they're looking towards next summer. So, in the meantime, you can admire some of these great engagement portraits! Congratulations, Eric and Kim, hope you love these photos as much as you do each other.

Kayla

Kayla, Kayla, Kayla! What can I say? Her smile and her laugh are so contagious. These pictures just scream "Kayla!" These portraits just exude with her personality! I can truly see the joy of salvation in her life!

Megan and Cady

I had so much fun taking these pictures! These girls have been friends since 2nd grade! Now, they are graduating together! It's not hard to see how much fun we had doing this shoot. I had the easy part, I just told them where to sit or stand and the natural model instinct came out in them. They are two gorgeous girls with lively personalities. I hope you enjoy these portraits, as much as I did taking them!

New Venture

The unknown, a road yet traveled, far from expected, bringing us from mundane to extraordinary; This venture leading us blindly, towards success or failure. We are excited, anxious, curious, following by faith and trusting completely. This business of doing what we love, forsaking the usual, and pressing towards happiness is new and fresh yet long overdue. What will this new venture hold? Only time will tell. Some have asked, and we have asked ourselves, if entering into this business at the time we are living in, is safe. However, rise or fall, being able to say, we tried, and having no regrets in not pursuing our dreams, makes us successful already!