My Photography Class is coming!

Friends, I am so excited to remind you that my photography class is just weeks away! 

As we start the new year it is a wonderful time to consider how you want to spend your time and talents and maybe even learn something new!  My photography class would be a wonderful learning opportunity for you!  I purposely planned it for late January, knowing it's a less busy time of year for most of us allowing for time to stretch our minds.  During this one-day class hosted in my home you'll learn all about using your DSLR camera in manual mode.  We'll also cover some basic phone photography skills, as well as take an in-depth look at my editing process in both Lightroom and Instagram.  We'll learn about white balance, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.  I'll show you my mistakes in past photographs, what makes a photo work or not, and give you a complete set of skills to practice with so that you can successfully take a better than "good" photo!  It won't be all technical though.  I'll also delve into the heart of my photography and give you plenty of tips on how to shoot with heart, soul, and emotion. 

You can read my original post on the class here.  

We'll share snacks and coffee, laughs and lunch, and even have a practice session with my girls! 

I would be delighted to have you in class!

To sign up simply contact me in one of the following ways and I'll invoice you via Paypal. 

Email me at sunshinebysara@hotmail.com

Message me on FB

Message me on IG

or comment below!

In love with glasses from Zenni!

Y'all, I am just in love with my new glasses from Zenni! 

I took to the web a few weeks ago, asking my FB friends for suggestions on where to get new glasses.  A few years ago I tried contacts for the last time and just hated them.  I could literally feel them in my eyes and they drove me bananas.  Glasses became my eyewear of choice.  The last pair I bought were from Wal-Mart and I had them two years.  I think with insurance they cost around $80.  They were cute and I got complimented on them plenty of times, yet they weren't anything special.  Especially not for $80.  Once I asked for suggestions this time around Zenni Optical kept coming up. I knew my older sister had tried them and really loved them, but a couple other of my friends tried them and didn't like them.  I looked online at their awesome selection of CUTE frames and decided to give them a try based off their insanely inexpensive prices.  I had my regular eye check-up and had my eye doctor give me the proper measurements for ordering glasses online. 

The hard part was narrowing down my choices I'd saved on Zenni's website!  Plus, you're supposed to be able to upload a photo of yourself to see what the glasses will look like on you when they arrive but with our terrible internet I couldn't ever get the picture to load.  I was REALLY going out on a limb and taking a chance, plopping three pair of glasses in my cart and crossing my fingers and toes.  I was SO nervous when they came in! 

But, I'm so happy to say I absolutely love all three!!

Like really, really love and even saved another pair I'd like to order. (don't tell Brett, lol)

The glasses fit me perfectly and I can see great out of them! 

I can now pick glasses according to my mood or outfit. 

I'm so not even kidding. 

And the best part? 

All three pair of glasses were around $55! 

For THREE pair of glasses you guys! 

You just can't beat it. 

I really think you should give them a try! 

(*adds rosy pair of glasses to cart*)

My top 9 and a look back at 2018.

Well friends, this is my Instagram "Top 9."  Have you heard of this phenomenon?  Top 9 (google it) is a tool you use to see which of your Instagram posts were the most liked from the previous year.  You all know how I feel about numbers-I'm usually so not a fan.  But these little end of year visuals have become a favorite of mine.  This year, these nine little squares got it right.  I would say this is a pretty accurate look back at 2018! 

Whew, what a year it has been.  I often go into auto-pilot mode, just doing my life from day to day as efficiently and energetically as I can, never stopping to let the past sink in.  The end of year reflecting is always good and even healing to do though, in my opinion.  

Obviously, you all along for this social media ride with me like my paintings! I admit, it's been an area I've just taken a bit of a rest from.  Partly due to my new job, partly due to not feeling it as much.  But when I look at these floral paintings they do something to my heart.  That bottom left one makes my heart ache so much I wish I hadn't sold it.  That's a sign that it's true, true art from the deepest part of my soul.  So I'll get there again.

Last Christmas found us with our baby as we were still fostering.   It was fun to have a baby back in the house again.  We registered Betsy for kindergarten and Anna finished up her kindergarten year and prepared for first grade!  Along came spring and with it the hardest goodbye I've ever, ever, EVER had to say-to our baby.  Maybe more on this if I ever write that book I say I will.  It was at least six months before I could mention our baby without my lip quivering and my eyes filling.  I will say this-when we said our goodbyes, sweet baby was left in the best, most wonderful new foster mama hands I could have ever asked for.  I won't explain the details of the situation because they're not mine to hand out.  But I know without a shadow of a doubt they are right where they belong.  

So last spring felt sad.  Really, really sad.  A few things that helped were the garden, going on little adventures and hikes with the girls, and preparing for a beach vacation.  I also started applying for jobs, feeling the tug to get back to work.  Long story short-I had two interviews two days in a row, with two different school districts.  I even showed up to one interview a whole day early without knowing it, but left with a job.  

Since then I've been really enjoying being a working mom and have settled into a new routine that actually isn't as hard or overwhelming as I expected.  I am hoping to get a full-time classroom teaching job next year as I recently renewed my teaching license!

A theme throughout the last year has been finding magic among the mess and being open to seeing and hearing God in my day to day life.  Not when I get healthier, not when I'm on a dreamy vacation, not when I feel extra happy.  Just everyday.  For example: see that teeny, tiny turtle up above? One Saturday morning we were outside in the yard, not doing much really.  I had slowed down my steps, quieted my soul, and was just walking around looking down.  I don't know how my eyes even noticed this tiny creature, except for I kind of do because I've been training my eyes for things like this for days!  Right there on the ground was literally the tiniest turtle I'd ever, EVER seen.  It brought me such joy.  Apparently, it brought you all joy too! 

Want to know what else apparently brings you all joy?  Me sharing the real stuff of life, like the mess you see pictured above and like the blog post I shared recently about not being able to afford counseling and what I am doing instead.  Vulnerability is hard for me these days on the blog. I used to be so vulnerable and then through several cringe-worthy moments and conversations a few folks used my words almost against me, thinking they had my heart and head pegged just from reading my blog posts.  In turn, it made me want to shut down.  But, I'm starting to come around towards sharing more real life stuff again because one of life's greatest teachers for me are other vulnerable bloggers and authors.  There is just such value in sharing our stories, pieces and parts at a time. 

It's knowing which pieces and which parts to share when that I think is key. I'm going to do my best to zoom in on what my heart is telling me in the new year and share my story in a way that inspires you and reminds you we're all in this messy, magical thing called life, together. 

I'll end with my thoughts on that picture of the girls and I, on our first day back to school.  This is your friendly reminder that there's ALWAYS more to a photo than meets the eye.  I posted this picture and you all really liked it, enough for it to make the Top 9 grid!  What you didn't see or know-(TMI alert!) my endometriosis was acting up BIG TIME in this photo.  Yes, you read that right.  On my first day back at work in SEVEN years I had cramps that could have easily put me in bed for the day. I was puffy and very uncomfortable and didn't even know where the teacher's lounge bathroom was.  Plus, I only knew one person at my school.  For this introvert, going in and making all new friends and being a professional all over again and learning names of so many children all while feeling really awful...well, it felt like a lot.  You all didn't see that in this photo, you just saw me dressed pretty and my beautiful girls.  But that's the real story behind the photo. 

And you know what? I made it!!! I did the best I could that first week, day after day.  Now going into work feels COMPLETELY different (better!) than that first day.  Gentle reminder: No one is brave and pretty and strong and healthy and gorgeous and stylish and perfect and wonderful all at once. We're all just doing the best we can. 

What did you learn last year? 

Are you glad it's over? 

Do you make goals for the new year?

So this is Christmas...and what have you done?

So this is Christmas

And what have you done

Another year over

And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas

I hope you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

A very merry Christmas

And a happy new year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

And so this is Christmas

For weak and for strong

For rich and the poor ones

The world is so wrong

And so happy Christmas

For black and for white

For yellow and red one

Let's stop all the fight

A very merry Christmas

And a happy new year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

And so this is Christmas

And what have we done

Another year over

A new one just begun

And so happy Christmas

we hope...

I wish you a Merry Christmas!

Merry almost Christmas everyone! 

First-thanks so much for reading my last honest post.  The comments and love afterward have meant the world to me and sure enough, many of you can also relate.  It's a topic I'm going to keep writing about, the subject of body kindness and true health.  It matters. 

But for now I'm popping in to see how you are and wish you a Merry Christmas! Or perhaps you're ready for it all to be over?  I know for many, this time of year can be so hard.  Hallmark doesn't give the most honest look at what this season really means in many people's lives.  Still, whether this time of year is merrier than ever for you or simply a mess you wish to muddle through, I'm sending you a hug, joy, and a bit of magic and wonder.  

This year I made a list of the friends, family, and people in my community who have blessed my life and prepared little presents and notes and bundles of surprises for them all.  I'm proud to say everything was delivered and mailed on time.  Whew! 

I haven't blogged much about our Christmas festivities so far but we've been really benefitting from our church's Christmas series which has taken an in-depth look at a specific person from the Christmas story each week.  The girls were also angels in the Celebration at the Manger play.  Anna Ruth even sang Silent Night all by herself in the microphone!  My brave, beautiful soloist.  My mama heart was SO, SO proud.  

Our church!

We attend First United Presbyterian (FUPC) in Fayetteville if you're a local and looking for a place to try!  Brett and I even teach an adult Sunday School class together we'd love to see you at. 

We've been to the Fayetteville Square twice and the lights were just completely magical each time.  We also visited the Stewart Family Lights! As we rounded the corner and came upon the light display it was simply breath-taking! 

Over the next few days we have cooking galore, eating feast after feast, gingerbread men to decorate, time with loved ones, presents to unwrap, and plenty of merry to sit alongside the mess that is regular life, Christmas season or not.  

We'll end with these wise words from A Mickey's Christmas that made a lump of tears jump in my throat.  

"A gift from the heart is cherished and true.  A present is best when love's given too."

Friends, wishing you love and plenty of rosy in the routine moments over the next few days.  

Be back soon! 

Cheaper than counseling. (and a helpful list for you too!)

Ok friends, one of my goals for the new year is to be more vulnerable and honest on the blog.  I just think there's such value when we show up and let our true selves speak.  Let me give you an example. 

Last week I penned this in my journal-

"I spoke my truth today and I didn't panic, cry, or die.  It felt like freedom." 

I had just shared something with a friend that I'd been carrying around in my mind and on my shoulders, like a backpack crammed full of bricks that gets heavier with each step.  Call it good timing or quiet desperation or tiredness or whatever you like, but for some reason I spoke up and told my two friends what part of me needs work and how I'm going about creating ruin in order to let something beautiful grow in its place. As I stood sharing my truth, my voice didn't shake and I actually felt a steady calm.  It was almost as if I was a bystander, watching myself bravely share a struggle and gaining a certain kind of freedom just by simply calling it like it was. 

I want to speak my truth to you today too because I don't think I'm alone in this struggle. 

So long story short, after consistently wrestling with ups and downs with my weight and body image for like EVER, I decided to look into seeing a counselor to see if they could help me get over this hurdle in a way that would last.  I was just simply out of ideas on how to fix this myself.  While I do think counselors are extremely important and play a big part in some people's healing, it stunned me to find out that after insurance each visit would cost $165.   To put it quite simply, to afford such a luxury would mean dipping into our savings account.  I quickly closed that door and continued to pray about a solution.  Not a cure-all, but at least some new tools to help me heal and live a more confident, healthy life from here on out.  I'm 35 and don't want these issues following me the next ten, twenty, or thirty years. 

You might think the story ends there or is a complete downer, but it's not! It's really not! Help was on the way, I just had to look a bit harder for it. 

Since that inquiry about counseling that totally didn't work out to now, here's what I've discovered on my path of searching.  I think you'll see, like me, that there really ARE resources available to us that are much cheaper than counseling.  We must be willing to do the work, just like we would if we showed up to a counseling center week after week.  

If you're like me and this is a sensitive topic for you, I know the holidays can be brutal.  Food is everywhere! Please feel free to take a look at what I'm reading/using/listening too and see if any will help you too. I've been doing the hard work of fixing my insides while also fixing my outside choices and it feels so, so good.  I am feeling healthy, strong, NOT deprived, and WHOLE.

I'm feeling whole.  

Helpful things:

1.) Purchasing Shutterbean's Food Journal (a whole blog post coming soon!) here in her Etsy shop.

2.) The book Body Kindness! I ordered this used off Amazon. I am only a few pages in and already it is a HUGE game-changer.  A totally new kind of thinking for me.  It is revolutionizing my thought life towards myself. 

3.) The Emotional Eater's Repair Manual.  I ordered this used from Amazon also and actually haven't even received it in the mail yet.  But it was recommended by the blogger Shutterbean (just google it) that I mentioned in number one so I'm going to give it a try also. 

4.) And really that leads me to another helpful thing: I have been paying attention to, listening to, and learning from other women who are like me and LOVE food and cooking, and who want to have a healthy body but don't weigh themselves and work out constantly.  So the blogger Shutterbean is one I pay attention to.  I also think the founder of Noonday, Jessica Honegger (look up her name on IG) has a very similar outlook on health as I do and so I pay attention to her tips too. 

5.) PODCASTS-Just today I discovered a whole handful of podcasts on topics like being sensitive (which plays into my eating habits), endometriosis, emotional eating, etc.  that I want to listen to over the break.  I say a huge "thank-you Jesus!" for helping me find all these resources at once.  

Look these up: 

*The Going Scared podcast.  The episode I started today was with Steph Gaudreau, nutrition and fitness expert. I haven't finished it but so far she has quite the story when it comes to her health. 

*I also discovered Steph Gaudreau's blog and that she has her own podcast called Harder to Kill Radio.  (disclaimer, I haven't listened to this yet and when I went to subscribe it said some of the content was explicit.  Listen at your own discretion!)  I have seen she has episodes on being a highly sensitive person (me!), endometriosis, and a whole host of other health topics. I plan to listen to this with headphones and decide if the content is helpful over the break.  But so far I'm excited. 

Ok friends, there's my whole heart laid out on the inter-webs for all to see. 

This is what I'm working on and I don't feel a bit of shame sharing, but instead bravery and proud of myself.  We get ONE life.  That's it! Can you imagine if we live buried alive our whole lives?  By shame, guilt, and life-long issues? 

I'd rather live split open, bursting with growth and blooming with bravery and beauty. 

Join me? 

What I wore/Outfit of the day post!

Howdy friends! The moods and spirits are high over here because we just have three more days until Christmas break!  I am so excited and ready! 

Last week I asked for feedback on my blog.  I've been at the blogging world for over 10 years and my blog hasn't changed too much.  I like it that way.  I know most other people have gone on to rebrand themselves, make money off their social media presence, or stick to a regular posting schedule.  Then there's me.  While I may not be a pro at this, I do want to write about things that first I truly care about and feel appropriate for my personality type to delve into in such a public space.  For example, I'm currently (once again) working on some big health goals but instead of blasting my weight and every detail of my journey on the blog I'm just going to give the big picture in a later post for now. 

Second, I also really want to post what you all want to read! There are a couple of blogs that are written like a conversation with a friend that I frequent and leave feeling rested, understood, and like I've leaned in close with a like-minded person.  That's how I want this space to feel.  So with all that said, something that has really been a mood-booster and game-changer for me this year is getting dressed for work! When I used to be a stay-at-home mom I didn't put a lot of thought into my outfit most days and I'm now wishing I could go back and have myself try it! Even "just" for myself or those around me at home.  Put quite simply, I just feel better when I put some effort into what I'm wearing.  Like a LOT better.  Call it vain if you want, but this highly sensitive gal will take anything healthy that makes me feel good and run with it. 

Here are my outfits I'm loving lately! Most things were bought on sale, thrifted, or purchased at Cheap Thrills or 410 Vintage. Of course, Old Navy is still a favorite for pants too. 

(That dirty mirror! It gets better as you scroll more, lol.)

(Wet hair....taken before I styled it! )

Shirt from Wal-Mart! 

This green vest has come in SO handy! I can literally wear it over just about anything. I bought it at J.C. Penney's before school started and got it on sale.

I still love a dress.  Clearly, I also love a jean jacket too! 

I shrunk my dark-rinse jacket and am so sad.  Time to look for another at the Goodwill!

This dress is from the Old Navy outlet.  I really like it! I did notice this week the sleeve was starting to tear a bit. :( I need to figure out how to fix it! The fabric is just so flimsy.

Date night! 

These shoes are from Shoe Carnival. I ran in there with the girls over Thanksgiving break and was very pleasantly surprised at how cute and comfortable their shoes were! Plus you can't beat the buy one, get one half.  I hadn't been in that store in years but will definitely be back.

I found this shirt at the Ann Taylor outlet in Branson for $12.  Dressing cute and not spending a lot takes time and effort.  But I'm finding the rewards are well worth it! 

Do you find dressing happy makes you feel happier too? 

Want to see more of these posts? 

I've got a lot of blogging lined up and I hope you'll stop in.

Thankful you're here. 

Ideas flying high or landing at my feet.

My whole heart! 

Every single day when I pick the girls up I stare across the car line at them and think "there's my whole heart standing on that sidewalk."  When we had the girls people thought we were crazy.  They were only seventeen months apart which does seem a bit crazy I suppose.  Yet we wouldn't have it any other way,  I know we've already tiptoed into winter, the leaves long gone from the trees but part of my mind is still here.  Back in the yard, rake in hand, reveling in the leaf pile.  

I feel as if I have one foot in autumn and another in this season and the next.  This time of year I enjoy the hustle and bustle, the people to love on and gather with around every turn.  The presents prettily wrapped, the Christmas music piped in here and there, the comfort of home.  Yet I also find myself looking just past this comfort and joy, peeking around the corner to the next season that January ushers in.  

I find myself pondering small questions like "what will this blog look like in the new year?" and bigger questions too, like what does my future look like and what will this new year bring?  

One can only gather thoughts, prayers, ideas, and inspirations, joyfully releasing them, seeing if they'll fly high like the leaves the wind scatters or land simply back at our feet for more time. 

One thing is for certain.  My camera is my time-stopper, my memory-catcher, my heart preserver. 

I've found myself doing the ugly comparison game with my photography lately, wondering why I wasn't chosen for certain shoots.  When really, you all know my photography is my lifeline, the photo shoots a complete honor that act as the icing on the cake.  Not the whole cake though, not even close. I've done some soul-searching in this department lately and that's what I've come to realize.  My passion and stake in the ground for my lens is capturing what is.  Not more, not less, but the rich life that weaves itself in and out of every second of our lives.  Elevating the mundane to more, capturing the rosy in the routine, giving fresh eyes to old sights-these are all my heartbeat. 

I don't know what will end up on the blog in the new year, but I can promise you my photography isn't going anywhere.  I think it matters, helping others see the light around them. 

Other things that matter to me, make me smile, and make my days go from blah to beautiful are books (especially memoirs!), 

music (I see you James Bay!), 

musicals (cannot wait for Mary Poppins Returns),

 cooking, 

dressing happy (hence the reason for my what I wore posts), 

teaching (#saragoesbacktowork), 

photography, 

journaling (both with art and words), 

friends and family (my everything),

 foster care and adoption (hasn't left my heart, not for a second), 

painting (I miss you!), 

the outdoors (dreaming already of camping and hiking), 

decorating (a huge declutter/changing my style a bit coming soon), 

gardening, 

and obviously, blogging. 

I've one of the "old" bloggers, having been around on this space and my previous blog for over 10 years!  With so many interests and loves and blog comments not really being a thing anymore it's sometimes really hard for me to determine what you lovely readers show up here for. 

I don't mean that rudely-I'm so honored you're here and I do check my blog stats every now and then so I do know *you're still here.*  If I were tech-savvy I'd do one of those IG stories with questions asking what you want to see in this space, but I'm not real big on the stories.  My introverted self prefers this old-fashioned method of simply asking on the blog. 

So friends, will you share your thoughts with me?  

What do you like to see on this blog?