new armoire and randomness

I was planning on painting Brennan's bathroom today but I woke up with a stiff neck! Don't you hate it when you sleep funny and it throws you all off? Boo. So I guess I'll do yard sale prep and get out my pumpkins instead. :) Bring on October!!!

This was a good week in the Winn household (well, for me anyway!). At the last minute a band member was able to finagle me a vip pass to the sold out David Crowder Band show in Austin, that was pretty darn cool, if I do say so myself! I was so thankful to be there! I got home around 1am on Wednesday night and am still playing catch up on my sleep. So, tiredness w/ bad neck=a likely not productive day for me (but worth it of course!).

Oh, B's birthday invites from Croatia made it!! So, it was closer to the 8 day guestimation versus the possible month! Who hoo!

Another cool thing that happened this week was we had some folks over for dinner and w/out even asking, when the guys in the group saw the armoire sitting in the living room they started to hatch a plan to move it upstairs! I was so thankful, really, that was such a huge/heavy/awkward piece and they got it right where it needed to be! And once they got it up there they brought the old one downstairs so I could sell it (and one of them ended up buying it!). Awesomeness all around. So, without further ado, here is the new (old) armoire that replaced the other one. A big improvement, I think. Hope all of you have a great weekend! xo




this is a weird angle but I thought it showed it a bit better

MWP Holiday Mini Sessions!

It's that time of year again! Molly Winn Photography holiday mini sessions are now available! Head on over here to get the deets!

Urban or Rural...it's your choice! Hurry, go sign up NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Ask 5 for 5

One of my best friends has asked me to participate in this, and I am, and you should too. Please take just a minute to read what's going on in our world and give $5 and ask your friends/family to do the same. Change the world, literally. Thank you! xo

its up! its up!

I'm short on words today, I joined a Bible study that meets a little too early on Monday mornings so I gotta get going! :) But head on over here to see a gor.geous. home! Happy Monday all! xo

if its not one thing, its another

Sorry for the slow blog week, I was in Austin all day yesterday picking up my camera (well, and hanging out at Ikea) and just haven't gotten around to it. Hopefully next week will be better!

So, I've now been a home owner for 1 year and a handful of months. I knew buying a home would mean a never ending list of "to dos" but the unexpected problems really don't ever go away do they? (or, do they but not if you own a 101 year old home?). We've definitely had some home repairs in our house in the year we've lived in it and it just keeps on goin'! Yesterday afternoon I walked into the bathroom (that is downstairs) and noticed the floor was damp...odd. Then I felt a drop of water on my shoulder and looked up to see the ceiling cracking and water pouring out...lovely. This was taking place during Brennan's bath (which of course was taking place directly above me). Last year we had a similar leak about 5 feet away from the same bathroom but rather than coming from the tub it was coming from the toilet. SIGH. So, I've got a call into our home warranty company and am waiting for someone to come out and rip open my ceiling. Ay yi yi...its always something!! And of course my to-do list just for my own little house projects continues to get longer rather than shorter, how does that happen?!I feel like I'll cross something off and then add 3 more things!

I do get to cross one thing off my list that's been bothering me. Remember when I showed pics of my bedroom and there was that pine armoire that needing a make over? Well, it was painted several months ago (not by me) and it didn't turn out quite like I had envisioned. Needless to say, I found a replacement for it this week! It was reasonably priced and really, just what I was looking for. So, its currently laying in my living room b/c Adam and I aren't sure which army to recruit to help us get it up the stairs...fun times. :) So, once that is in place, I will take a pic and post it here! Yeah, one thing that got "done!"

Several months ago we ordered a new couch for our downstairs so the couch downstairs can go in the tippy top. The guy just called and the couch is ready so Adam gets to drive to Austin tomorrow to pick it up! I have virtually no idea what it will look like since it was a custom order, (the fabric swatch was pretty small and I did a different layout than what was in the photo so, I'm not gonna lie, I'm a tad nervous). Fingers crossed it exceeds my expectations (she said sheepishly)! :)

I've decided I'm going to do another yard sale (yes, I've done MANY since living here, only they are never in my yard but this one will be!) so, I'll be posting a few things on here in the next week to see if anyone wants them before they get added to the ol' yard sale stack.

I think that's all the news for now. Thanks for enduring my ramblings, hope ya'll have a lovely weekend and pics to come! xo

Here's another pic from the house I showed below, a full post coming, promise!

French Onion Soup & White Chicken Chili

I've made 2 new soup recipes these week, first up, this french onion soup. I love french onion soup and have never tried making it before so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Here are my 2 cents on this recipe, it was indeed very tasty but different from other french onion soups I've tried. I think since it uses red onions it gave it a bit of a different flavor. I do think there was not enough broth compared to how much "stuff" there was in the pot. If I make it again I will definitely add more stock, or possibly only use 1 1/2 onions versus 2.

Last night I tried this white chicken chili recipe, it was good! Adam told me he loved it and wanted me to make it again. Here are my 2 cents on this dish, it wasn't as thick as I thought it would be, seemed more like a soup than a chili to me. It tasted good but Adam accidentally brought home parsley versus the cilantro that I asked him to get so I think if it had the cilantro it would've added more punch which I think it needed. All in all, very good though and definitely worth repeating. Hope you enjoy! And because posts are so much better with photos, here is a sneak peek at the lovely home I photographed last week! More to come!

odds n' ends

Hey there! I hope this post finds you all well. Not too much exciting stuff going on in the Winn household this week, lets see:

*I bought some new pillows and I love them (don't you love when you hang onto a gift card for a really long time and use it for something you just love? love that!)

*I took a day trip to Austin all by myself to drop my camera/lenses off for a good cleaning (Austin is the closest place to take it!! 2 hours!)

*I love Austin and kinda wish I could pick up Waco and move it closer (only kinda though)

*While in Austin I made a trip pretty out of the way just to get a cupcake from "Hey Cupcake!" and it was worth it

*Dropping all of my gear off at the camera store kinda made me feel like I was leaving my child there, and I even said so to the technician, he agreed.

*Not having my camera in my house feels weird

*I photographed another amazingly gorgeous home last week and can't wait to share it with all of you!

*a friend came over to my house and offered me her thoughts on a few things that have been making me crazy in my house and I'm excited to implement some of her ideas (and have some before/after photos to share w/ all of you!). Hooray for house projects!!

*Brennan really likes school! I realized I forgot to update everyone on that, she seems to really enjoy it and is happy to go when we drop her off! Whew! (I knew she'd love it once she was there for 10 seconds, glad I was right!)

*B's birthday party planning is in full swing and I'm feeling good about my progress so far. I'm trying not to wait until the week of to do a lot of the little details so I won't feel so overwhelmed when it comes this year. I'm thinking I'm going to throw her party on her actual b-day since I'm shooting a wedding the Saturday after (could you believe her bday party wasn't on my radar when I booked this wedding months and months ago?! ay yi yi, I'm slipping!) :)

*I should really pay more attention when ordering things for said birthday party, I fell in love with these postcard type things and am going to use them for her invitations. Thankfully I'm on the ball and have plenty of time for them to arrive b/c I just realized they are being sent from Croatia (!!) and might not get here for a month!!!!

*Its still in the triple digits here and Brennan asked me the other day when I could turn down the heat. :) I wish!!

*B told me yesterday in the car that she hoped we never left Texas, made my heart smile. I told her I kinda hoped so too.

*Does anyone else really not enjoy the whole picking -out- the -Halloween -costume -every -year -deal? It kinda makes me nuts. Costumes are either really spendy and well made, or really spendy and cheap looking. And most of them seem to be super hot and heavy! And when you live in Texas, that's just a bad deal. Every year I sell Brennan's Halloween costume that she wore the year before so I don't end up spending much money in the long run but still, the costumes get worn for an hour or so and then that's it! I really enjoy Halloween but this process every year kinda makes me nuts, and I only have 1 kid to plan for!!

*I made this new Italian recipe the other night, Adam and I both thought it was really good! I didn't have Marsala wine so I can't speak to that but I used white cooking wine and thought it was delish!

*I have to/get to drive back to Austin next week to pick up my gear, excited to do some more exploring...wish I knew that city better, there is so much to offer!

*There was a crazy lightening/thunder/rain storm here last night, it was SO dang loud! Needless to say, didn't sleep super hot.

*Sadly there won't be many pics for the next week or so due to no camera but I do have several shoots lined up for October so check back in!! If you're still reading, thanks for enduring my randomness!! xo

rats nest

this hero family...

is being blogged over here today. Happy Wednesday! xo

chicken pot pie and a cute family

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend, we did! Nothing too exciting, just a pretty good weekend all around. Last night we had impromptu dinner guests (I love it when that happens!) and I tried a new recipe, its a keeper. If you want some good ol' fashioned comfort food, I'd highly recommend this chicken pot pie, delish! And it you want to see more of this cute fam, head on over here. Happy Monday! xo

the beach, orange cream cheese frosting, and weight

I'm still playing catch up with our summer photos! Here are some pics from our day at Cannon Beach with our Waco friends, Adam and Amanda (so fun having friends from "home" come visit the northwest, show them the cool spots, etc...).

This is one of B's favorite places to be, my girl loooooves the beach (and often asks when we can go back)!





















ah, thanks B!












This week hasn't been so much of a "try a new recipe" week as its been, repeat a new recipe that I've only made one or so times. BUT my sister turned 40 last week and I wasn't able to attend her big ol' birthday bash, but I did get to hear all about it. She made chocolate cupcakes with orange cream cheese frosting, how awesome does that sound? Once I heard about this I couldn't get it off my mind, so, I baked chocolate cupcakes and then tried this new recipe for orange cream cheese frosting, it was delish! So, I managed to keep my new years resolution in trying something new and have a new go-to recipe in the arsenal. :) Enjoy!

And since I haven't talked much about weight loss (and I committed to doing so-ick!) here's the skinny on that topic. Deep breath, okay, before we went on vacation I was officially down 7.6lbs, then I went on vacation and proceeded to gain back 6 of those pounds (insert deep sigh), then I re-joined the real world and the land of the eating like a normal person (versus rice krispie treats for 3 meals a day) and am now down 4.6lbs from when I first started this thing. So, there you have it, I'm not as low as I was and I'm still 17lbs from the ultimate goal (which sounds really impossible where I sit today typing this). I'm not being as disciplined as I could be so I can't get too mad over my slow progress, but slow and steady wins the race right??...crickets.............................................................................................................................

So, there's the scoop in these here parts! Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!! xo

my babies are back!!

Baylor is back in session, which means Winn Mi Casa is ON again!! Tuesday night there were almost 20 of us packed in our house, we loved it! B was happy as a clam and I felt like a mom welcoming 18 of my kids home after they've been at camp for the summer. :) Starting to feel like normal around here again...finally!

Magnolia Homes

Head on over here to check out more of this gorgeous home! Happy Wednesday, all! xo

B's first day of school!!

So the day has finally arrived, B is officially in pre-K! We are slow movers in the morning in the Winn household so I had to wake B up today (which is one of my least favorite things to do, makes me so sad to wake a sleeping child!). We cuddled in bed for a few minutes and then it was a whirlwind of bath, breakfast, snapping a few photos on the porch, rocking out to the David Crowder Band's song "Oh Happiness" before arriving at school at 8:27am. Whew! We might need to start doing her bath at night b/c I think we were a little frazzled with all the rushing around this morning (and no one is in a hurry to get up any earlier!). Adam and I both walked her into class and watched as she sat down and started coloring at a table full of little girls (last year her class was mostly boys so this is a new experience!). I hope she has a great day and comes home all smiles!




P.S. I tripple dog dare you to click on the DCB link above and not start rocking out, its pretty much impossible :)

B just met her teacher

This morning was the day when the kids get to meet their teacher for the new year, B and I just got home. The past 2 years I've been so giddy for B to start school but when I walk down that hallway with her I find myself fighting back the tears! Its so silly, she'll be fine, but still, my baby is growing up and is out from under my protection and its a little scary and a little sad. She's also my only one so every time we have a first, its also a last for me which is a little weird too. Her teacher seems really nice and B always warms up after a couple minutes so by the time we left she hugged her teacher goodbye, even though she'd hardly say "hello" when we walked in. My baby is growing up, pre-K here we come! SNIFF!


P.S. HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER ANNIE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lately

It's been kinda weird around here lately, I can't really put my finger on why that is, but I'll try. It's just been a bit "off" b/c most kids are back in school but B doesn't start until Tuesday (!!!), it feels like summer is over but its still 104 degrees outside, I can definitely feel fall in the air, I can't really explain how I just can. Adam and I went to back to school night the other night and met B's new teacher, B is going to a different school this year so its an adjustment for us both (we both hate change...the child is more like me every day I think (stay tuned on whether thats a good thing or not). :) Due to when Brennan's bday is, she will likely be the oldest one in the class (I was too and kinda liked it so I hope she does too!), which also means her birthday is coming!! The fall always sneaks up on me and knocks me over so maybe this year I can be a little more on the ball? Heres to hoping! I also always feel like Halloween sneaks up on me too, sadly Brennan's new school doesn't celebrate Halloween at all so that's kinda a bummer. In the vein of Halloween talk, her dog costume from last year is for sale! If anyone wants it, shoot me an email (mollywinn2@yahoo.com) and let me know! Its a 2T-3T, she wore it for maybe an hour, and Pottery Barn is selling it again this year for $54 but its yours for $40 (shipping included if any one is interested!).

Okay, these are my ramblings for this here Thursday morning! And b/c blog posts are so much better w/ photos, here is a sneak peek of a session I'm working on. Happy Thursday! xo