Love - Perspectives Photo Challenge #7

Welcome to  Perspectives Photo Challenge co-hosted by myself,
Lena of Lena B Photography & Natalie of When Shutters Click!

This weeks theme is LOVE.
So, here are 3 photos of love, in my own perspective!

First up:
Maybe a little cliche, but still a simple symbol of love... Mine & The Hubs Wedding Rings.

Well my "engagement" ring, his wedding ring... 

I left the connecting ring to mine out because it looked too bulky for the look I was going for.

I really wanted to capture the engraved words in his ring.

They say "Maria's Scunny". Scunny is a made up name we have for each other.

Sounds like sunny but with a "c" in it, and really all it is, is another word for Hunny, that is special to us.

When he was deployed to Iraq he was able to order me a special gift for Valentines day,

since he wouldnt be with me. They were a pair of silk pajama shorts that said Bruce's Scunny. 

He got himself a matching pair that said Maria's Scunny. Its just our special"thing". ♥

 Second:

An amazing and powerful verse of God's great love for us.

His true example of Agape Love.

 
 Third:
This is sort of an older photo but, of course I could NOT leave my family out of this theme..

My family, The Hubs, and our kids Kiah, Bruce & Zander... they are my life and my loves!

 FEATURED:
To thank you for linking up, each host is picking a photo to feature.
This week I am featuring this photo from This & That Photography
Such a gorgeous photo, everything about it!

If you link up, please be kind and follow the RULES:

The rules are simple!

♥Link up your post (or photo sharing account) containing your 3 photos,
 representing this week's theme....

LOVE

♥Follow your hosts in one way or another.

♥Grab a button for your post to help spread the word & have a fun!
Please, if you are linking up, grab a button or at least link back to one of us,
as we are just starting out and need all the help we can get to spread the word!
Thanks so much!

<center> <a href="http://www.agapelovedesigns.com/search/label/Perspectives%20Photo%20Challenge" target="_blank"><img alt="Manic Mother" src="http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l539/AgapeLoveDesigns/Perspectivesraspberry.png"/></a></center>

We cannot wait to meet new shutterbugs & photo lovers such as ourselves!
Remember each host will be picking a photo from one of the link ups to feature next week!

If you can't link up this week, that's okay!

FUN

After you link up be sure to check out Lena & Natalie's photos for this week,
and also see who THEY featured!!

Much Love & Hugs,

Visit my In Post Sponsor:

Sponsor an "In Post" Ad!  Click {here}for more info.

Mexican Fiesta / Birthday Party / Pool Party

Its a Fiesta, Its a Pool Party, Its my Birthday Party!!

Well... Actually its mine AND my sister Mona's birthday party, and it was all of the above. :)

Ive been itching to share these photos with you ALL. STINKIN'. WEEK.

Ok I exaggerate, Ive already shown you my fiesta eye makeup and what we wore,

but seriously, I'm excited to share with you the REST of the party deets!

First I will share the details of our cake.
I would hope the first thing you notice about it is the sweet chilli pepper candies I made for it.
But my guess is that the first thing you are noticing and questioning are those big 57 candles, am I right?
For those of you scratching your head on that one I'll explain....
 I just turned 28, my sister will be 29 so together we are 57!
Mona's clever husband came up with that one. ;)

Now lets move on to the chilli peppers.
I found the recipe for these {here}, they looked easy enough so I knew we had to have them on our cake!
The ONLY thing I did differently was I used caramels, the family fun recipe called for tootsie rolls.
I couldn't  find a bag of JUST tootsie rolls, but the grocery store had bulk candy you could choose from.
I saw the caramels and figured they had to work just the same!
And they DID, they worked perfectly. And in my opinion probably taste better than tootsie rolls!

I made the candy chilli peppers and Mona made the cake!
She makes amazing cakes, but for this one I told her we should do it plane jane on the outside.
But on the INSIDE we should surprise everyone with the Mexican Flag colors!
She did awesome, the colors looked SO cool.
She added the candles and I added the little banner... Just something I quickly printed and put together.

Here are some shots of the food and set up.
We had chips, salsa, and guacamole plus everything for DIY taco salad and burritos!
Not to mention we bought 40 Jarritos (Mexican Soda) for all to enjoy.

Party people, chatting, having fun, enjoying our backyard...
Thats my totally Adorbs husband with the smile right there... He was dancing with Mona. So cute.
He is also that fine thing in the blue towel. ;)

After hanging out a while and a swim we were ready for presents and cake.
Here we are blowing out our candles!!
And then, YES, we got a pinata!!!

I knocked his head off, like right away.
Poor little sleeping Mexican... He never knew what was coming! ;)

A few other peeps taking their chance at the pinata.
They had to re-tie his headless body back up. haha

There were so many photos, I wanted to share them ALL!
But I was hoping not to overwhelm my blog and my readers!
 So I hope these little collages were enjoyable. :)
They definitely bring a smile to my face with the memories they bring.

If you are looking for more party ideas,
you can check out my Luau themed pool party from a few years ago {here}!

Much Love & Hugs,

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Fiesta Wear

As I mentioned yesterday my sister, Mona, and I combined our birthday parties this year.
We threw ourselves a Mexican Fiesta... Uh.. Is there any other kind?
Anywho..... this is what we wore!

I REEEEAAALLLY wanted to go for a Mexican Senorita look! ;)
I was looking all over the internet for a mexican dress,
 but had a hard time finding something I liked in my size, and in my price range.

Then while out shopping with Mona, at Ross of all places I found this gem!
What luck right!? It was perfect with the embroidery and off the shoulder top! Plus it was only $15!

I paired it with my Red Wedges from Soda also via Ross, and a Red Rosette Hair Clip I made myself!
You can take a closer look at my fiesta makeup {here}.

This is my sister Mona! She blogs over {here}.

Check out her sweet name necklace! That was my birthday gift to her. ♥
Her gift to me was a gift card to Maurices!

Shirt: Torrid, Necklace: My Name Necklace, Rosette Hair Clip: Agape Love Boutique.

Tomorrow I will be showing off some photos of the cake and from the party. ♥

Much Love & Hugs,

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Fiesta Makeup

My sister, Mona, and I are 11 months apart.
My birthday is the 8th of this Month, hers is the 1st of September.
We'd been talking about what we were going to do for our birthdays since this time of year is so busy for us both!
So we decided we should just combine our birthdays and throw our party together.
Over this last weekend was our joined birthday party!
We decided on a Mexican Fiesta theme, since I had been wanting to do one since last year.

I cant wait to share more from the party, but since I dont want to overwhelm you all,
I am going to be sharing all the details through out the week. :)

Today I am showing off my makeup!
Of course I had to go all out...
So I busted out with the Mexican Flag colors.
And even though its pretty extreme, I actually really LOVE how it turned out.
Stay tuned, tomorrow I will be showing off what Mona and I wore! ;)

Much Love & Hugs,

Visit my In Post Sponsor:

Sponsor an "In Post" Ad!  Click {here}for more info.

Polka Dots & Helping The Homeless

Happy Monday friends!

Who is ready for the new week?

I know I totally am, this week end was a fun but BUSY one.

Ive got lots to share with you this week, but today Im simply sharing only two things.

First my fun little polka dots mani from last week!

Joy Ring: Heart Core Design. Linking my Nails up Here.

Second, I want to share with you about a little fund raiser I am apart of.

Now before you run your little finger to the red x button, please hear me out. 

Remember my recent post about my new goal to Shine,  to look for more ways to shine, to help and show love?
Well, one way I decided to do that was to be apart of this fund raiser for a local Group called P.A.T.H.
"PATH is special group of volunteers form the Poor And The Homeless Tehama County Coalition. PATH consists of ordinary people who do extrodinary work by extending their hands to help the poor" 

They need funds to keep going, to keep doing the work that they are doing.
So they are doing something called The PATH Walk (Walk to make a difference).
People can sign up to walk and get people to sponsor them to walk.
I am going to be walking in the PATH walk and I need sponsors!
Now I know it may seem strange to donate money for something that is not even in your town or state,
But I hope that, that isnt something that stops you.
It doesn't matter where you are, YOU can help make a difference for someone's life.
I thought to myself, I could just keep this local,
but I decided I have a voice and platform to reach a lot more people, right here on this blog...
So why not use it?

I hope to get as many sponsors as I can for this!
You can donate ANY amount.
If you want to donate/sponsor me, you can send money via paypal (send as a gift)
to isabelgridley(at)yahoo(dot)com and in the note area let me know this is for PATH.
I have until Sept. 7th to collect & turn in the money.

If you do sponsor me, please comment here or feel free to email me at agapelovedesigns(at)yahoo(dot)com to make sure I got it!
And please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. ♥

I really appreciate your time and support. :)

Much Love & Hugs,

Visit my In Post Sponsor:

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Melrose Family Place Giveaway

Hello friends! As you know, Sunday is giveaway day around here!
One of my sweet sponsors, Jenny of NY Melrose Family , is here with a great giveaway for you,
AND to introduce you to her brand NEW shop!

Melrose Family Place is a print shop where you can find personalized prints for every occasion.  I work with the client to match the color and font type of their desire.  Every occasion should be a special occasion and with a personalized print it can be.  The print is emailed within 48 hours of receipt of payment as a .jpg so that it can be made to the desired size.

Connect with Jenny here:
Google+ ♥Facebook♥Twitter♥Pinterest♥Shop
Today Jenny is giving away a Medium Ad space on her blog,
as well as one free print to one lucky winner!! :)

You can enter this giveaway using the easy rafflecopter widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!

Much Love & Hugs,

Visit my In Post Sponsor:

Sponsor an "In Post" Ad!  Click {here}for more info.

The Hubs Choice

Sooo I had been complaining about my hair for a while.

I was getting sick of my not so wanna be "ombre" roots! ;)

So I asked The Hubs what he thought I should do.

He was like *shoulder shrug* "I dont know.. I like it how it is!"

"Gah! That doesnt help!" I grumbled.

So I told him, I want to dye it again because I was sick of it! 

But that I didnt know what color to do it.

He asked if I just wanted him to go get some dye and dye my hair for me,
since going to the Salon wasn't in our budget this month.

I was like, "yes, I just need something new and different... "

Then I asked him again what color HE wanted for my hair.

I told him to just think about it and tell me.
So he jokingly suggested that he would just go to the store and SURPRISE me with a color of his choice.
That actually really intrigued me, so to HIS surprise, I smiled at him and said OK!
He didnt believe me "Are you sure?!?"
Me - "Yeah! Why not? You're the one who has to look at me, so you pick something YOU want to see!"
Hubs - "Ok, I will then!"

I mentioned this on my facebook page and everyone was like "wow youre brave". haha
But to me, its just hair, I can change it if I dont like it, and I really did want something new.
At this point I figured anything would be better than what it was.
PLUS I know The Hubs taste, so I kinda had an idea of what he would choose.
But he didnt got for what I had thought.... He went for BLACK!
So it really was a surprise to me! :)
Im still getting used to it, but I actually really like it.
And The Hubs loves it. ♥ So Im good with that.

Bee Tee Dubs in case you were wondering what amazing eye shadow I am wearing...
Its called "Confection" and its from Radiant Cosmetics!
Its a pink-ish color with gold shimmer, which makes it look mostly coral depending on the light. :)
Its a gorgeous color and I LOVE it with my new black hair!

So, what do you think of the new hair color?
Would you let your man pick a color for you??

Much Love & Hugs,

Visit my In Post Sponsor:

Sponsor an "In Post" Ad!  Click {here}for more info.

Faceless Portraits - Perspectives Photo Challenge #6

Welcome to  Perspectives Photo Challenge co-hosted by myself,
Lena of Lena B Photography & Natalie of When Shutters Click!

This weeks theme is Faceless Portraits.
These kind of portraits are my absolute FAVORITES!
Why? Well because they are more interesting than your average portraits.
They show detail, they tell a story, they give more PERSPECTIVE!
I had SUCH a hard time narrowing it down to only 3 photos this week,
But I was a good girl and followed the rules! ;)
So, here, I bring to you 3 faceless portraits, in my own perspective!

First up:
My son Bruce is in football for the first time this year.

He recently had a Jamboree, where he played 5 other teams!

It was hot, and the Jamboree lasted from 7AM-1PM.

A lot of the kids wanted to sit and goof off while on the line,

they were supposed to be standing, watching and waiting to be put in.

I was so proud that Brucey was one of the boys who did just what he was told.

He stood strong and tough, even in the heat, even though he was tired.

He did amazing! I just LOVE this kid & I LOVE this portrait of Him.

 Second:

Here is another portrait with a story.

We had to take our younger son Zander, he's 3,  to the hospital for what we THOUGHT was a bad spider bite.

Turns out it was just a mosquito bite that he scratched, and broke the skin, which got infected.

Probably because the bite was on his leg right under his little tooshie.... So, yeah.

Anywho, he STILL has his hospital bracelet on, he doesnt want to take it off.

He likes that is says his name, which he can proudly find and point out, himself!

He also excited tells me, "That spell my name Momma? Z-A-N-D-E-R!?"

 
 Third:
This last one is actually from a photo shoot I did back in March.
This is William, and I did his senior portraits.
He loves riding his motorcycle and wanted to include it in his session!
Definitely a FUN photography prop. :)
Anyways, I just love this one... Capturing his riding vest and just a glimpse of his face in the mirror.

 FEATURED:
To thank you for linking up, each host is picking a photo to feature.
This week I am featuring this photo from A Creative Cookie:   
She has some amazing photos this week (As did so many of you!!)
But Ive always been fond of dandelions! Make a wish! ;)

If you link up, please be kind and follow the RULES:

The rules are simple!

♥Link up your post (or photo sharing account) containing your 3 photos,
 representing this week's theme....

Faceless Portraits

♥Follow your hosts in one way or another.

♥Grab a button for your post to help spread the word & have a fun!
Please, if you are linking up, grab a button or at least link back to one of us,
as we are just starting out and need all the help we can get to spread the word!
Thanks so much!

<center> <a href="http://www.agapelovedesigns.com/search/label/Perspectives%20Photo%20Challenge" target="_blank"><img alt="Manic Mother" src="http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l539/AgapeLoveDesigns/Perspectivesraspberry.png"/></a></center>

We cannot wait to meet new shutterbugs & photo lovers such as ourselves!
Remember each host will be picking a photo from one of the link ups to feature next week!

If you can't link up this week, that's okay!

LOVE

After you link up be sure to check out Lena & Natalie's photos for this week,
and also see who THEY featured!!

Much Love & Hugs,

Visit my In Post Sponsor:

Sponsor an "In Post" Ad!  Click {here}for more info.