So close but yet...

This past week there has been incredible progress on our house... they completed all flooring, put in the master vanity, put in toilets, fixtures, and lights, and the electricity and water are on! It's so exciting to go over there now, but we're still weeks away from closing. Supposedly this last stretch of inspections and last minute fixes can really drag out, so... that should be fun. ;)  It's nice to finally see some real progress though. It's starting to feel like a bonafide HOME over there. It's hard to leave when we go visit. I'll be posting more pics on Instagram, if you're interested!

Hope you all have a wonderful Friday and weekend to follow. The forecast is super rainy here, so I might finally get a much-needed weekend off from shooting. Doing a happy dance over here. ;)

Check out today's (fabulous) featured SOML sponsor, and have yourself a great day...

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Hi everyone! I’m Chelsea and I blog over at Lost in Travels, a blog to spark the adventure in your own life. After getting hitched to my man three years ago, we both started getting cold sweats at the thought of ‘settling down’ in our hometown. Ya know, mini me's, mortgages, full time jobs. We wanted something different, something exciting, something adventurous. So we did the only logical thing; sold all of our belongings and moved half way around the world to teach English in South Korea. Makes sense right? I write about our daily life as expats (where charades is our form of exercise), our world adventures, tips on traveling, and how to not break the bank while taking those dream trips. Stop by and follow along on our world travel adventures as we try to figure out newlywed expat life in the land of kimchi and rice. 

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Oh look, it's me in a field again. (5 Days of Giveaways, Day 5: Free ShoeMint shoes!)

Shirt: Stitch Fix, Boots: c/o ShoeMint, Bag: c/o Ruche

Howdy friends! How are you liking all the fabulous giveaways the past few days? Some pretty good ones, eh? I have been working like an abused pack mule this week, trying to stay caught up on photo editing/biz running and content for this blog simultaneously, and I'm proud to say that I am KILLING IT. It is absolutely amazing what one can accomplish when one has zero time with which to procrastinate. I work better under the gun, and that's just the way it is. Speaking of procrastinating, did anyone see this hilarious article? I relate, I really do. Or, at least I USED to. Muhahaha. 

*side note: if you wrote me an email in the last 30 days, you will receive a reply. Eventually. I've put my SOML inbox on hold until I get all my clients' photos out to them. Thank you for understanding!

Today's the last day of "5 Days of Giveaways", and we're giving away WINNER'S CHOICE of ONE FREE PAIR OF SHOEMINT SHOES! If you haven't heard of ShoeMint, it's a free, members-only website and the brainchild of Rachel Bilson and stylist Nicole Chavez (all shoes manufactured by Steve Madden, so you know they're good!). The styles are super high quality yet affordable, and new items are added monthly based on newest trends. You answer some fun questions (multiple choice! ha!) to receive your own personalized style recs, and woila! Awesome shoes appear before you. I had the opportunity to pick a pair for this post, and I went with the sweet boots in the photos. I'm still seriously questioning my own judgement for not going for these though. Hrmph.

See below for giveaway details!

because we don't get to see enough badonk-a-donk here in Blogland. And yes, I occasionally wear leggings as pants.

Shirt: Stitch Fix, Boots: c/o ShoeMint, Bag: c/o Ruche

If you'd like to enter for your chance to win one free pair of ShoeMint shoes, the entry requirements are simple. Please visit ShoeMint, sign up for a membership (super easy and free), and come back here and comment on this post with the pair of shoes you'd like to win. If you decide to purchase a pair, you'll receive 20% off through the above link! (for first time purchases/members.)

Giveaway open to U.S. and Canada residents only. GOOD LUCK! :)

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Energy Bites (advisory: highly addictive)

We are all completely obsessed with these "energy bites" around here. They are all natural, insanely delicious, and the perfect, quick snack to whip up and keep in your fridge to hold you over between meals or to enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea, or milk. We love them so much, so I figured I'd share the wealth with you all, too. Just be careful - they're addicting! :)

Energy Bites

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup crunchy peanut putter 

1/2 cup ground flax

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

(you could add other things too, if you'd like, such as chia seeds or coconut!)

Mix all together and form into round balls (about half the size of a golf ball). Refrigerate. 

(best after refrigerated a couple hours)  Enjoy!

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5 Days of Giveaways, Day 4: 25 free holiday cards from Minted.com!

It's no secret that Minted.com has THE best holiday card designs, so when I was presented with the opportunity to offer one sweet reader some free Minted cards, I was all over it. Just for fun, I played around with some designs to show you all a couple options, but there are literally a bajillion choices to fit every taste. Did you know Minted has awesome party decor and cute ornament cards, too?! Sweet. I had no idea they had such a variety of adorable stuff until recently. 

Enter below for your chance to win, and good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you living up to your potential?

Yesterday I wandered downstairs here at good ol’ Mom’s house, like I do several times per day for a coffee break or a lunch break or a potty break (for the dogs), and suddenly the question of living up to one’s potential entered my mind.

I am vaguely aware of the fact that some people in my life, particularly in my past, pre-married life, probably think to themselves things like, “Jenni is so intelligent… had so much potential… and now look at her. A photographer and blogger? What happened??”

’Tis true. I was the brainy one in college - straight A’s across the board, graduated Magna Cum Laude, the whole bit. I was destined for great things, and blah, blah, blah. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I don’t think I’ve done anything worthwhile since college. Quite the contrary, in fact. But I am saying that people’s perceptions of whether or not you’re living up to your potential don’t always match up with reality.

As I was pouring my little cup of french press coffee yesterday, pondering this question of potential and living up to it, I decided quite indefinitely that I am, indeed, living up to my potential, even though some people might not perceive what I’m doing as thus.

I think a lot of people in creative careers face this issue, but the truth of the matter is that owning your own business, whether it’s a successful law practice or a greeting card company or a professional blog, takes brains and skills that not everyone possesses. The same skills that earned me straight A’s in college are building me a successful photography business currently - one that will stand out from the crowd and succeed when so many others fail.  For some people, it's just difficult to understand the concept of working for one's self. If you can't say "I work at Such and Such doing Such and Such With My Degree," they're like, "huh? So, you don't have a job, then?"

The point of this post isn’t to toot my own horn, but rather it is to encourage YOU. I know so many of my readers are at a similar place in life as I am, and it’s a place and time when you really start to question this idea of living up to potential. And I guess I just wanted to encourage you to remember that the only standard you must meet is your own - the only path you should follow is the one your heart leads you on. Whether that’s a career in medicine or law or art or PR or writing or photography or being a mom or… or… or… you tell ME.

Just some food for thought. Do you think you’re living up to your potential, and if not, what’s stopping you?

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5 Days of Giveaways, Day 3: $40 to Acute Designs

Maybe you remember Gina from the super yummy sweet potato donut recipe she was gracious enough to post for me while I was in Mexico, but did you know she has a beautiful little Etsy shop, too? Today Gina is giving away a $40 Acute Designs shop credit to one lucky SOML reader. Enter below, and good luck! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A pretty picture and some words

I am becoming what I hate. One of those people who constantly talks about how busy and overwhelmed they are, and never has much of substance to contribute to society because they're always  prattling on about Busy and Overwhelmed.

I'm not complaining, though. Really, I'm not. I know I'm lucky to be as busy as I am right now (with photography, if you were wondering. Not with, like, moving into our new house or something similarly crazy. I've pretty much given up on that, and it will just be a pleasant surprise if one day we get a call that says "hey, your house is done! come close now!").

So, since I am so Busy and Overwhelmed today, here's a few awesome/hilarious/informative/interesting articles I've found around the web lately. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

11 things I wish I knew when I started my business - favorite quote: "Do not price your offerings around your personal ability to pay for it - you are not your ideal customer."

The GQ guide to naming your baby - favorite quote: "Are you giving this kid a one-of-a-kind name because you're fishing for cheap compliments? Do you want friends and family to be dazzled by your creativity? That's probably what's going on here, even if you can't admit it. A name shouldn't make a person. A person should make a name for himself. He has to go and earn it by fighting bears and seducing the wives of dictators. On his own. Without your help. So before you fill out that birth-certificate application, think hard about the person who's gonna be carrying around this name for life. Put yourself in the kid's shoes, and maybe, just maybe, you'll have the balls not to name her Brixie."

Justin Timberlake shows us how dumb we sound when we use hashtags.

This guy's wife got cancer, so he did something unforgettable. WARNING: YOU WILL UGLY CRY.

Surviving Whole Foods - favorite quote: "I went on a cleanse once; it was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I detoxified, I purified, I lost weight. On the other hand, I fell asleep on the highway, fantasized about eating a pigeon, and crapped my pants. I think I'll stick with the whole eating thing."

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