creepy farm camp out

we went out to my friend's farm the night before Halloween to have a creepy campout. we had not camped since adrian was 9 months old. he truly enjoyed the whole experience,

which makes me want to do it again right away.

hot dogs on sticks, chili on the stove, s'mores made by campfire, white russians, creepy stories read by flashlight, winter hats and pullovers, kids in costume, jack-o-lantern, hayrides by sunset

in the morning, we made a huge breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, and coffee and juice. after breakfast, we headed out to the back field on the tractor to seed the field with oat seed from the wagon. the kids got to sow the seed themselves.

update!

holy cow! it's been a long time since i've been on here. a friend of mine recently looked at my blog and commented on the day of scattering my grandparent's ashes. i was appalled that this was my last post. my commitment of doing this every day has simply fallen short. i feel like i have missed almost a whole year of recording adrian's growth. also, a lot has happened in my personal life during the months i have been absent. here goes:

adrian vega is almost 3! he spent a few months in daycare at a baptist church this summer, getting used to the routine. he really enjoyed making new friends and absolutely adored his teacher "tessa". it was a great experience, but came to an end as i unexpectedly lost my job in june.

the economy has forced me to take a hard look at my career and make some big changes. going from a 1 1/2 hour commute and working full time to staying at home with adrian, running our new shop STRANDED art cooperative, and pursuing my photography full time has been a huge change for me. i love it, though. i never could have imagined that my life would be exactly what i had always dreamed. so grateful.

one of my biggest projects has been the building of my own photography studio in our sweet backyard paradise. i love the modern look of the structure, based loosely on a design in ready made magazine. it is complete with studio lighting, ceiling fan, and heat pump/air conditioning. it is such a lovely space to work and just relax.

my new website is : www.toniaedenphotography.com this website was an interesting undertaking, as i have never built one before. i think it properly represents me and all my funky ideas floating around in my head.

a ginormous blessing also came to me with the addition of my photo assistant, aimee elizabeth simonton. she has helped me every step of the way in my photo editing and even shoots. she is truly a loving and generous person who seeks to support me in any way she can. she even cooks me amazing meals! what a gem!

our shop, STRANDED art cooperative, has also kept me busy. working with artists that i know and deeply respect has been such a joy. i am honored to sell their beautiful things in our funky space right here on main street in montevallo. supporting my local community and raising the bar for all montevallo businesses to create a lovely downtown we can be proud of, has always been on my mind since we have moved back in 2005. now, we are getting that chance to shimmer and shine! we are located at:

STRANDED art cooperative

620-A Main Street

Montevallo, Al. 35115

petals from the past - new shoot

i went to petals from the past with my mother and adrian the other day.  we found wonderful herbs, kinds i never knew existed.  it is such a breathtaking place.  magical, even.  i took some new photos of the blueberry bushes with my extra nice and brand spanking new camera.  the blackberries are coming out too.  we picked some and ate them right there.  a little tart, but golfball sized, i tell you!  i cannot wait for the black and blueberry festival coming on june 13!  i think i am going to gather some friends for some good old fashioned picking!  

blunders

since adrian has been walking, he is now mastering turning around, bending over to pick things up, and such.  today, my best friend from high school had a baby shower.  i went with my other best friend from high school and adrian.  he was hilarious.  we had quite the fiasco in the bathroom when mommy discovered there was no water coming out of the faucet other than a trickle after i soaped up.  so it took me about 2 minutes to rinse my hands.  meanwhile, adrian begins to play in the toilet.  ahhh, joy.  and before i can get a wipe out once we are outside the bathroom, he is sticking his hands in my friend, maggie's mouth!  wow!  also, he made a major face plant in the front yard in the mud, because it had just stormed.  he is still a little wobbly in grass on a hill.  when i picked him up, i almost peed in my pants from laughing so hard.  he was spitting mud out of his mouth.  these are the good reasons to have kids.  they lighten us up!

had two beautiful days out at petals from the past in the country.  antiques in the garden is their annual festival that we participated in.  if you ever get a chance, please go down and visit jason and shelly.  it is a family run business.  they have such a magnificent variety of plants and trees.  looking forward to their black and blueberry festival in june!  yum!

wedding weekend

it was a beautiful day for a wedding.  wasn't sure in the morning when a massive thunderstorm passed through, but it cleared to a perfect day.  my friend, mary and i drove to montgomery to our dear friend, marie's, mama's house.  my friend, marie, had met billy over the internet, on myspace.  he lives in the u.k.  they have had a wonderful relationship of writing each other, talking to each other via webcam, and flying back and forth to visit when they could for 2 years now.  they are perfect for each other in every way.  i am so happy marie found someone who loves her the way she is, not the way they want her to be.  i have known her for 10 years now, and it is wonderful to see her so happy and in love.  they finally tied the knot on saturday.  it was a beautiful ceremony in the old house.  her mama was there, as well as her 3 siblings.  they are such a lovely couple, and of course i wish them well.  she is moving to the u.k. to live with him.  i am going to miss her, but we will keep in touch with a little help from the internet.  

clover crawl - green event

the annual clover crawl was today at vulcan park.  it's a green event.  and the sun was so beautiful today as well.  first sunburn of spring.  spent time learning about green companies and products.  pretty cool.  wore my green treads.  adrian wore his green tee.  good music from friends and good food.  what more could we ask for?  

cabbage patch

these babies are too cute.  daphne and i took our babes to the botanical gardens today.  they were so sweet in their matching crab outfits.  they remind me of something we used to wear when we were kids.  smocking and embroidery, yeah!  and crabs!  we must take them to the beach in these.