Fell in Love...

Today I fell in love all over again with Detroit.  With Brandon as my get away driver and Barkley as my guard dog I revisited Belle Isle.  Check back in a few days for my Ode to Detroit.

On to the next...

Last night the girls and I celebrated the holidays and of course the end of the year with a great night of laughter and games.  Yup long are the days of black express pants and going out in Novi (anyone remember Tequilla Rain).  They have now been replaced with nights of sitting and catching up with old friends, the occasional board game and I wouldn't have it any other way.  The best part of last night was having one of our best friends Shelly with us - She recently moved home after being away for several years.

These two.... to the left is Amy.  She won due in part to her interesting drawings of stick figures.  To the right is Shannon.  Her drawings made the game a little more interesting.

Bauer, the only male in attendance

Baby it's Cold Outside

Thought everyone might need a little inspiration to get their behinds out of bed on this very cold morning. 

 Don't worry... Spring is only 3 months away

These are a few of my favorite things...

As I returned to my day job this morning I had a bit of the Post Holiday Blues.  So much planning, shopping and parties and it's gone faster than you know it.  This Christmas my family and I were very blessed.  I received some very notable gifts; here are 5.

5:

My Mother got me a gift set of the most popular OPI nail polishes.  Can't wait to decide which to use next!

 4:

My Husband did whatever any perfect husband would do: follow the list :)

3:

Next up, was a handmade House Divided blanket made by my brother's girlfriend, Nicole.  It is amazing for many reasons. 1.) It's hard to have either MSU or U of M gear in our home as my husband is a Michigan fan and I am a State fan.  and 2.) It's huge!  Brandon is 6'5" and it even covers his toes!  PS: If you're interested in having one of your own contact me.

2: 

Brandon's Grandparent's gave us a Belgium waffle iron.  Some of you may already know this but Grandma Betty is one of the most amazing cooks!  She will whip something up with the greatest of ease and then she will tell you it wasn't her best.  If some day I grow up to be half the chef/baker she is, I will die a happy lady.

 And lastly, Drum roll please.....

1:

These two are the only gift a girl could ever need.

Grand Opening

Check out the Grand Opening of my shop on Etsy - ESchmidtPhotography.  I'm starting with just a few nature shots to get it up and running.

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/ESchmidtPhotography

More to come!

You better watch out, You better not cry, Better not pout, I'm telling you why....

As is almost every year, our Christmas story was a crazy one.  Even with me getting pretty sick in the earlier part of the week and the brakes going on one of the cars, everything seemed to turn out just fine.  It was great to just slow down and enjoy some family time.

 

And the celebration continues to Toledo....

Happy Xmas

As John Lennon once sang, "And so this is Christmas and what have we done?"  Although, I don't think this is what he was singing about... This is what we've done in preparations for the holidays!

 Happy Holidays Everyone! xo E

YES! Michigan

YES Michigan! is a marketing slogan for tourism in our fine state and though the cold months are coming, today I remembered just how great Michigan really is.  Although my hand was pretty much frozen to my camera (ok maybe not - I am kind of a baby when it comes to the cold) I got some really great inspiration.

Introducing.....

Barkley!  He is the latest addition to the Schmidt family and clearly the most photogenic.  See for yourself...

 And lastly, we attempted a self portrait just for fun