With a Little Help from My Friends

So when I first started this blog, one of my best buds, Kara, was starting her photography business. She has since become THE wedding photographer in our area. Honestly, check her website out...it's gorgeous. And her wedding anniversary happens to be today, so here's to Kara, too! Anyway, Kara, before she became a big deal, she helped me spruce up my blog by taking pictures of us, and helping me do all the techy stuff to get a cute background etc.

So, I left it alone, because it looked great.

I left it alone for three years.

Which really means: I neglected it.

I guess a better way to put this neglect is that I was more interested in the meat of the post rather than the fluff around the edges. Translation: I had another kid, got a job, and since have forgotten how to format things, thanks to the new blogger.com interface.

Those who are techy are rolling your eyes, but you try editing photos and choosing a background format that also follows the BlogHer ad guidelines all while Jack is spraying water on the bathroom mirror, two girls are fighting over which song to play on the iPad, and then realizing you're late to take the oldest to piano lessons.

Sigh.

Anyway, I did my best. I'm headed to the BlogHer conference next week, and I figured I had better get my act together and at least document that I have four children on the blog's masthead, and appear to be a little more 2013, and a little less 2010.

So, I did, and then by the grace of God, the magic of Facebook, and my dear friend Holly...we have text that you can actually SEE as a title on my masthead!! Oh happy day!

You see, Holly took these pictures for us last fall (I know, still using them, still don't have most of them framed...I'm slow, forgive me), as we were on the cover (ahem...no big deal) of Prairie Farmer. We then cranked them out as Christmas Cards (which my other talented photographer friend Amy helped me make look awesome...I'm surrounded by greatness!). I have thrown out these pictures to Illinois Farm Families, put them on my desk at work, used them as my profile picture on Facebook...you get the picture. We've gotten a lot of mileage out of them. So I figured, what the heck? I'll use them on my blog, too. But I couldn't make the text stand out. I couldn't make it work without having to do another three steps, and having lost my patience with my children, had to leave the desk to race to piano, and then return to play outside with my boy, even though it is over 100 degrees today...but who doesn't want to chase a Power Wheels tractor around? So, I got an email. From Holly. And she had already done it for me.

I love you, dear friend!

And this is what's awesome: It's not just the pictures, friends. It's the friends, friends. Honestly. I love my friends. They are helpful and creative and smart and talented, and I have only mentioned three of them. They help me with silly things like text on a blog, and then will listen to me as I woe-is-me on things that vary from frizzy hair to financial decisions. Life is good when you're surrounded by good people.

So, take a gander...enjoy my new pictures. They'll be up for at least a few YEARS.

Happy Friday!