fresh picked whimsy

hello summer!

Finally!  Summer, you make me so happy!  Here's some signs of summer that i found in my camera and on instagram.  You can follow me on instagram @lorimcdonough.  :)

trying on the shades at Meijer...

i am so proud of my hydrangeas.  ♥

the view from my bedroom at night...

a sure sign of summer is the towels and suits hanging on the backs of all the chairs...

there's a new driver in our house.  so, this summer i have a chauffeur :)

summer nights + backyard bonfire + smores = L♥ve

happy summery Friday, friends!

Custom work

A little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Been putting the painting bibs to good use lately and i thought i would share some of the goods i've been cranking out of whimsy studios...

i LOVE how this large beverage tub turned out for my client.  It's a wedding gift for some Purdue grads.  Now, i want one!!!

Another wedding couple requested this special tree on canvas.  They used it as their "guest book" at their reception last weekend.  Each guest stamped their fingerprint on a branch and then signed their name to it as "the leaves".  It was the bride's idea...so clever.

More fingerprints...I painted this for Griffin's principal who was being transferred to another school next year.  The fifth graders each put their fingerprint on as the feathers.  The kids presented it to her on the last day of school.

This is a memory box that a client asked me to decorate for her graduating senior.    I will be making one of these for Riley next year for sure!

I was lucky enough to be asked to photograph this sweet girl for her senior pictures.  Her mom and I have been friends since we were in high school together!  She's a beauty...

I painted this sign for one of our other local elementary schools (which also happens to be where Mark went to school).  The sign is a gift to the school from the graduating 5th graders.  They will hang it outside in the garden that they helped care for.

Finally, i had to share this beautiful piece that Katelyn made recently to give to each of her friends for graduation.  This is a quote she found and loved.  So, she painted and hand lettered it and we made prints of it for them.  Isn't her hand lettering gorgeous!!?!  {{so proud!}}

 Between work and all that happened in May, i was exhausted.  My body finally surrendered and last week i came down with pneumonia.  I'm so much better now, but i'm still not 100%.  Hoping to be back to my old self soon.  ♥

priceless

Last February i got the most heartwarming message from a friend on Facebook.  She told me that she loved the relationship that i have with Katie and that she hoped that she and her daughter would have the same kind of relationship when she grew up, too.  This friend...Leslie Webber...is an amazing photographer {no joke...check her work out HERE!}.  She said that she would love to take some pictures of Katie and I together before she left for school in the fall...her treat.  I was seriously blown away.  I mean, who does that?!?  It was so generous.  I was so excited!

So...we waited for the weather to get warm and for a clear evening and then Katie and I met Leslie for our photo shoot.  The pictures are magical and i will never ever forget this time with my girl. 

Thank you, Leslie for this incredible gift.  Thank you for being a part of this special time in our lives and for helping us capture it on film.  Thank you for being such a wonderful friend. xo

Been there, done that!

I still cannot believe I did it!  We did it!  We completed the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon.

{picture of mark and i crossing the finish line...}

I know this is old news...(it was over a month ago) but i'm still catching up on my blogging.  And...it was a HUGE HUGE accomplishment.  Plus, everyone asks me about my experience, so i thought i would share.

To be completely honest, it was one of the hardest things i've ever done.

We trained, we prepared and it was HARD.  But we got 'er done.  What an experience! 

This is the view from our starting position.  We were in corral z (for those of you who have never been in a mini or regular marathon...they place you in order of experience and time).  We were at the back of the pack because we had never done it before.  The start line was actually around the corner past the glass Artsgarden, to the left and a few miles down the road.  It took us a half hour just to get to the START LINE!

finally...the start...

There was a lot to see...we first walked past the zoo.  They brought the elephants over to the fence so we could see them.  I loved that!

There are live bands and musical acts all along the course.  A few miles into it, I saw Griffin's friends {5th graders!} and their band.  They yelled "Hi Mrs. McDonough!" on their microphone as i ran up to take their picture.  THAT WAS COOL...i got a shout out in this huge crowd of walkers.  They made me feel like a rock star!  They were AWESOME!

Mid way, we walked around the track at the Indianapolis Speedway...home of the Indy 500.  That was the worst part.  Walking on blacktop...in scorching heat...on uneven pavement...2.5 miles around. 

The track was lined with cheerleaders from state high schools, colleges and universities.  They would cheer for you and call you by name as you walked by {your name is on your bib}. 

We passed these firemen walking in full gear...they walk it every year like this.  CRAZY!  We hurried up and passed them because there was NO WAY they were going to finish before us!!!!  It was 90+ degrees that day.  I don't know how they did it.

With about 4 miles to go, i was really feeling the burn.  I honestly didn't know how i was going to finish.  I was praying hard and then, i think a little miracle happened.  We spotted one of our friends sitting on the sidewalk nearby.  She was also walking the mini, and she was ready to give up.  She was hurting and wanted to quit.  Well, it was like a little switch went off in me and i immediately went into "mom mode".  Mark got on one side of her and i got on the other and we got her walking.  We distracted her and we encouraged her and she kept on walking.  It distracted me from my pain, too.  So, we walked the last miles together and we finished it together, too.  I'm certain God put her in my path as i prayed for him to just keep making my legs move!   

The very best part of the day was when our kids and my Dad met us at the finish line.  I couldn't stop the tears...i was completely drained of energy and feeling sorry for myself and my legs were killing me.  When i saw them, i turned to mush.

That day happened to be Katie's 18th birthday, too.  They took us home and we all went to Bub's Burgers for a celebratory lunch. 

Our friends who live across the street from us...Casey and Joy...helped us with training and encouragement (they are both runners and have run the Mini multiple times).  They brought us this fun gift later that day...for checking this off of our bucket list!  It was so clever! 

We will train differently next year.  Yes...i said next year.  We will train harder.  We followed the Hal Higdon training program, but i can't say that we followed it to a T.  More like a Q.  We kind of slacked off a bit around spring break time.  Looking back, that was a mistake.  I will be way more strict in our training next year.  I hope i read this blog post next January.  Ha!

But, for the next year...i will savor in the victory of crossing that finish line! 

We did it!

Thanks to all of our friends and family who have been encouraging us and cheering us on throughout this whole process.  You are the best!! xoxo

and then she grew up...

Our baby girl graduated from high school.  Where did the time go?  When you're in the thick of life and someone says "it goes so fast" or "before you know it..." you think, yeah, sure...i know. 

but you don't really. 

Until it's time to watch them put on a cap and gown.

And march to 'Pomp and Circumstance'. 

and turn into this lovely young woman with grace and maturity and dreams. {sigh}

I took Kate and her sweet friends to a local park for pictures the night before graduation.  We had so much fun.  What a great group of kids!

We celebrated a week later with a party for Kate and her BFF Lauren.  They will be roommates in the fall. 

Her parents hosted the party at their beautiful home.  Lauren's mom made most of the food, her dad put together an amazing photo slide show that played all day and i agreed to make the decorations.

We set up a "photo booth" of sorts for funsies.  I found 3 frames at garage sales and good will and painted them white.  We hung them from the trees and i made some funny props for the guests to use in their pictures.  We had a great time with them.  It was a hit.

We made blue and gold pompom garland and strung it all over the tree that we hung the picture frames from.  It was so pretty!

It was a total DIY decorated party...and we did it all on a shoestring budget, too.  But, we couldn't have done it without my awesome family who helped me get it all done. 

My sisters helped me make cake balls, which disappeared very quickly on party day.  They were a lot of work...a real production line project.  But, everyone LOVED them.  It was worth the work.

For table centerpieces, I gathered together all of my blue ball jars and filled them with fresh cut flowers from my mom's garden.  I made these fun pennants from scrapbook paper and felt and tied some ribbon around each jar.  Easy peasy and inexpensive!

Now we are moving forward...writing thank you notes, making a pile on the Dining Room table of things destined for her dorm room, and preparing for her departure in two months.

All the while, i will be thinking back to this day...

This was the first day we met.  On this day, 18 years seemed like it would be forever. 

♥