hello august

Yikes! August snuck up on me.. like the beginning of the month usually does. Summer will be over before I know it and back to non-stop rainy days so I'm hoping to make more time for the outdoors this month..

On my to-do list for August:
-swimming -- we don't have a pool.. but we have friends who do and i'm dying to be in more often
-do at least two photo shoots for fun
-go hiking in the gorge
-go to the beach (more than once!)
-swim at dougan falls again
-wake up earlier -- to get my work done earlier in the day, which makes more time for play


what other summery things should i add to my list?

two things...

...i'm thankful for on a monday:



friends! and i'm pretty fond of these beautiful ladies.. (taken at our church event last sunday..)


and Kaitlynn having a girl! I love baby boys too but it was extra exciting being able to give her a tiny Vanilla & Lace dress. Yay!





Hope you make the most of your monday! I have a pretty insane week of work ahead of me but i'm giving myself a 3 day weekend to make up for it.... countdown is on!

to idaho and back in 36 hours

Last Saturday Josh and I took a mini road-trip to Idaho for a wedding he was hired to play in. He was originally going to fly but I thought it'd be fun if I could come along too and we'd make a trip out of it.. which i was regretting BIG time when our tire blew out 5 hours into the trip. Two new tires later, we were back on the road and made it to the wedding 2 hours late.. which they had delayed for Josh to still be able to play. Crazy!

The drive to Idaho is SO gorgeous.. and the wedding location was stunning. That house in the last picture is where we stayed for the night, and I snapped this picture right before we headed out in the morning.. I kept thinking to myself how it was so beautiful, it almost looked fake.

The trip ended up being awesome, if not just for the scenery along the way.. and we probably needed new tires anyway.

blessed.

sometimes i think back to my 2010 self and laugh about how "busy" i thought i was.  I didn't work or go to school and we had no friends... i was FAR from busy. It was a fun season of life but i'm glad to be where we are now..  and actually doing things.
Life is flying by right now, and I feel like I'll never be fully caught up on everything but that's okay with me.. because it's much more fun to skip things on the to-do list and hang out with friends or go on spontaneous dates instead.

so to my 2010 self, although the bathroom may not get cleaned 3 times a week anymore and you're lucky if dinner is made 2 times a week, life gets a million times more amazing than you thought possible.

feeling blessed tonight.. 

anthony + candyce

A new engagement session is up on my official photography website! If you'd like, head on over to see more! (I'll be adding a few more sessions throughout the week too!)

Cold brew coffee

Cold brew coffee.. it's a favorite of mine (i even posted about it last year). It's faster than my regular french press routine, which is mostly good but sometimes results in drinking TOO much. You just need to remember to mix it up the night before and the next thing you know you'll have coffee in your hand approximately 20 seconds after rolling out of bed... and if you're like me, 4 more times throughout the day. I don't know if this is the fanciest way to do it but I like it, and you should try it!

2/3 cup ground coffee (medium-coarse grind is best)

1. In a jar, stir together coffee and 3 cups water. Cover and let rest in refrigerator overnight or 12 hours.

2. Strain twice through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Or press through a french press.

In a tall glass filled with ice, mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, or to taste. If desired, add milk

Summer days

ice cream dates, a kitten that wants to sleep on your head or neck, evening walks, cheese & bread (and berries) for dinner, and one too many frozen lemonades. that's been our summer so far! I'd say there is a huge lack of a pool or a beach, but it JUST got warm enough so those days are coming too!

p.s. oh! and we named our new kitty Leia (but i call her lulu!)

it's here..

the first Little Vanilla & Lace collection is now available!!

All of these are available in 3 months - 3T









I also added a ton of new solid colors for the women's clothing too!

Check out the newly updated store vanillaandlace.com
i'll be checking the comments for questions but also, feel free to email me: vanillaandlace(at)gmail.com


(I would SO appreciate you all spreading the word! Tweet and blog away!)