Category Archives: i like this

national margarita day!

2.22.13

hmmmm…yea i love margaritas! they are one of my favorites!

but to have an actual holiday?!?! i would say that is pretty AWESOME!

so go out (or stay in!) and celebrate that is friday. that it is national margarita day. and that spring is almost here!!

here is a link to one of my favorite recipes – blood orange margaritas!

want to keep things simple??

here is what i made this past week…

pomegranate margaritas – yum!

Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix (with tequla)

Pom Juice

i salted a glass. poured in the margarita mix over ice and added a splash of the pom juice.

i didn’t have time to gather all the ingredients for ‘home-made’ margaritas, but this was simple and they were amazing!

happy weekend everyone!

i like this

fisheye fun.

2.19.13

taking pictures is one of my favorite things.

i literally follow the kids around to catch moments. this is much easier with easton than my older ones who are quickly annoyed!

the fisheye lens is just fun. and i love to change it up a bit. with this lens you can give the picture a completely different look and you can get SOOOO much in the photo, it is unbelievable. i had to shift my camera up several times since i kept having my toes in the pics!

you can also get a fisheye for your phone – so awesome! the ollo clip – check it out!

just for fun…

frustration looks like this!

waking up looks like this!

have a great day!

xo jill

i like this

happy valentines day!

2.14.13

hello.

today i just wanted to post about cute things! i have seen SOOOO many adorable little valentines day things, that i wanted to share. i am overly amazed all the time by what talent is out there and how creative people can be!

here are just a few things i find sweet and perfect for today.

hope everyone has a wonderful day

xo jill

i like this

friendship bracelet valentines.

1.27.13

an email went out this year from teachers, asking parents to send healthy treats for birthdays. in my opinion, this is good and bad. good because i don’t think my kids need any more sugar and i understand if this may be a disservice to the teachers having to deal with crazed sugar-high students. bad because your birthday is ONLY once a year and bringing cookies, cupcakes, etc is just fun and what makes the day extra special.

either way, it is what it is. i am not going to fight it, like i said, i am okay with my kids not having any extra sugar! but now we are approaching valentines day. and it got me thinking…am i going to receive an email about no candy? or is this an exception? who knows!

so i decided to play it safe and do a non-sweet craft with the kids! and who DOESN’T love friendship bracelets? i have 4 on my wrist right now from some pretty spectacular kids!

these are super easy, just a little time consuming!

i printed out the ‘message’ on cardstock. then i used a scalloped scissors + just cut around the circles.

the kids definitely helped with making the bracelets and we kept it simple by doing a basic braid.

we hole punched on each side and thread the bracelets through! simple! my kids still need to sign each one, but that is the easy part!

if you need more info on these valentines, contact me!!!

do it yourself / i like this

happy new year!

12.31.12

i absolutely love a new year. new goals. new dreams. new memories!

2012 was an incredible year and i have no doubt 2013 will be even better!

i like to set goals vs resolutions around this time. i believe that we are all constantly evolving and rather focus on what is wrong or needs to change, i like to focus on what i can do better! so here are a few of the things i hope to accomplish in the next year:

* complete my 365 of easton mike (and maybe keep going?!)

* find a better balance between work, family + fun!

* get my work featured (more than once?)

* thicken my skin up a bit – i can be too sensitive…

* set ‘date nights’ with each of my loves!

* eat a chick-fil-a sandwhich – i have not eaten fried food in 8 years :)

* continue to help others and grow my business by thinking outside the box

* take easton to the beach this summer

* get more sleep

* support, inspire and motivate my group during their project life 365!

* become a cm pro?!?! (yikes!)

* print my favorite images and put in project life binder!

* have fun + stay positive!

i hope that the new year brings happiness for all of you!

feel free to share with me your 2013 goals :)

i like this

favorite part of the day!

12.11.12

my days are busy – just like anyone else! getting breakfast ready, kids ready for school, dropping off at school, house cleaned, laundry done, work completed, baby fed, nap schedules, errands ran, returning emails and keeping up with blogs and editing, picking up kids, homework, preparing dinner, dishes, more homework, bathtime, and more work done. this is my life! and don’t forget…fitting in photo sessions, family time and a social life!

i am NOT complaining. it is my life. i love making lists and seeing progress so i do it over + over + over! (very ocd!)

but, i will admit…bath time is the best! for one, it is eastons absolute favorite time of the day! and it signifies a ‘break’ for me! even though i rarely sit on the couch and do nothing, it means i can relax + spend the rest of the night how i want to!

so cheers to bathtime + happy babies that make life awesome!

he is so happy and makes being a mom so fun! ps – i love that boys little booty! and yes he is STILL in his newborn bath tub…it works so why not?!

easton mike / i like this

free labels + tags!! yay!!

12.5.12

happy december everyone…cannot believe i am even saying that!

since i am sure all of you are busy sending out your holiday cards and wrapping gifts, i thought i would do a little giveaway to help you with those things!!

i am a HUGE fan of ‘less ordinary designs‘ – this little shop has soooo many adorable things, i never know what to purchase! announcements, holday cards, address labels, tags, etc. the designs are all so unique and fresh looking!

so, this week i have teamed up with sara (the awesome person behind it all!) and we are giving ** 2 ** lucky winners some free products!!!

1 set of address lables (you can choose between 140 rectangular or 24 round) and 1 set of gift tags (10)!!!

just leave a comment on which item you would prefer: address label or tags! i will pick 2 winners on monday, decemeber 10th!

take a peek at this shop – you will fall in love too!!!

giveaways / i like this

My love affair with Instagram!

10.26.12

first things first…i am an addict! if you’re up for viewing a billion pictures of my kids, follow me at: jillmarz

Instagram is a free photo sharing app. it originally was only available to iphone users, but in March ’12, droid users were added as well. since i have yet to make the switch to the iphone (being the nice mom i am, i gave my upgrade to my daughter so she could get it!) i was THRILLED! and little did i know how much i would love it! it was actually even named ‘app of the year’ last year and currently has over 30 million users…WOW!

it’s perfect! easy to use, fun to experiment with, readily available (who doesn’t have their phone close all the time) and i love looking back at all the little thing that go on in my families day-to-day life! i especially love to follow other instagram addicts to see how they view the world through their eyes!

a couple tips that work for me:

* try to get in the best lighting for you camera phone. if you are having trouble getting bright images, focus on the darkest spot in the finder and the white balance will adjust and most often get brighter

* don’t be afraid of the flash…if it is nighttime, turn it on, but adjust the filters to make the flash less harsh

* check out some of the free or very inexpensive apps to enhance your images! i really like magichour! for only $1.99 you can play around with so many different styles and make your own filters!

* also get the free app photogrid! you can put your images side by side or arrange 4 photos to appear as one image.

* take a step back…i once heard someone say ‘you will remember their faces, but not what they carried around’. to me, this means try to share a story, not just a face – try to capture the event, story and/or memory!

Lastly!

* print out your images! i know this is the hardest part, but try it! there are some REALLY cool places to print from – even instagram photo books, square images, sheets full of instagram photo stickers, etc. check out the following links – blurb, printstagram and stickygram! (watch for a future blogpost on these services)

here are just a couple of my images…each one takes me right back to that exact moment! mostly important – have fun with it and do what YOU want to do!