The List

Pic from last spring..still love it:)

10. It's been a while..I'm in a creative "time-out". As in.. Amber can only go full speed for so long before the CRASH happens.

9. I recently read a little something that went like this...

If you surround yourself with negative peeps...you will in turn become well..negative.

DUH.

So I have to give a little shout out to some positive blog peeps...your sweet words were manna from heaven..thanks for being part of the positive:)

Teresa gave moi a sweet VERY unexpected shout out via this blog post. Thank You for making my day:)

Joy sent me the most wise email I've received in a while..Seriously, God packed this sweet little powerhouse with enough kindness for a whole city:)

Twig..I was feeling a little down..then I opened my inbox:)

8. The sister FINALLY got high-speed internet!! Seriously..I mean who in America still has dial-up??? If you follow me on twitter you might remember this tweet from last spring..
"My sister just called me and said, "I just found the coolest thing EVER..it's called Google.""
Yes she really did that, and yes it was only LAST spring. Gosh I love that girl!

7. I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty darn excited for this!!! Maybe it will pull me out of my creative time-out?? The Dish and I are going to car pool..crazy car antic photos soon to follow:)

6. I was at the dentist today with my two younger kiddos and read back to back articles about politicians that have cheated on their wives..made me puke in my mouth a little.

5. The kiddos are on spring break this week. Oooh we soo needed this break, I heart sleeping in.

4. Speaking of hot teachers (we were talking about that..right?) I had an unexpected surprise last week when I sat down with Twin B's English teacher. HOLY COW!!!! I actually got all flustered and stuff.... That should soo not be allowed..or at least he should have come with a disclaimer..like...

Don't wear your "period jeans" to this parent teacher conference...and remember you SHOULD wear some make-up to hide your flushed cheeks.. and when he says things like.. "Your son really is a gifted writer." You should be thinking about YOUR son..not what OUR sons might look like.

Ok naughty hot for teacher moment is over..we resume regularly scheduled programming..

3. If you have not been over to the photog blog..you need to go check out the pic's from Heather's delivery..love em.

2. Man, I'm all about the links this list.. I guess I've discovered the art of "not really blogging, but looking like I'm actually blogging by just linking everyone." I'm so clever:)

1. When I don't know how to end a post I find a quote (great now you know ALL my blogging secrets)

“If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much.”

Tom Krause

Please don't call PETA.

Honestly faithful blog readers (all 5 of you), the words are just not coming tonight. I'm spent,tired and just a touch run down. I do love spring, but it makes for one busy, busy Strehle house.

So instead I'm going to charm you with some baby chick pictures..I mean who can resist cute, fuzzy peeping chicks??





I know one creature that can't resist baby chicks..his name is Pepper and he is the most bad arse mouser in all the land.. it also so happens that maybe baby chicks look a little bit like mice?



In fact they might just so much look like mice that 4 Strehle children had to rescue 10 baby chicks just in the nick of time..maybe someone DID NOT listen to Mom's long lecture on why we need to keep the laundry room door shut, ok maybe it turned out later that MOM was the one who left the door open.. but really.. we should not blame anyone, because it all turned out ok.

See..



All safe, sound and blow dried..

They just might have gotten a little wet, I mean Pepper thought they were mice and all... So what does one really guilty Amber do with 10 sopping wet baby chicks?? Well she blow drys them dry of course.

Because what chick does not feel better after a good blow dry?

The List..anniversary style.

This is my very favorite picture of Zach. To me this is really him and I love it when I can catch the real person on camera..especially when that person is my hubby. (oh he hates this pic)

10. As of yesterday, I've been married for 14 years. I told Zach,

"I'm sure glad it's not 14 years ago today."

He responded,

"You say that every year."

"I do!?"

So that made me feel a little bad. I don't mean it like I wish I never married you.. I mean it like..man I wish we would have eloped.

9. If we have been married for 14 years, that means for the past 17 years I have thought he was the sexiest jogger in all the land.

8. When we first started dating, he had a mullet..and it was long after mullets were cool.. but I was able to look past the mullet and convinced him to get the uber cool mushroom cut instead.

7. He officially asked me to marry him at our rehearsal dinner. I only have one question..

What if I had said no?

6. Our hardest year of marriage to date was the 7th (7 year itch?) So does that mean that the 14th will be next? I'm going to stay positive and say no.

5. Although, after the 7th year I came to realize how much I truly did love the guy..so I guess it was not all bad. (I'm not too sure why it took me so long to realize that..that will have to come in a another blog post)

4. When you start dating a boy at age of 17 he does not have chest hair.. looking back on that now.. I get kinda creeped out.

3. One of the best things about Zach is, he has always pushed me to better myself. He has always held me to this higher standard.. not in a bad way.. but in a really good way. He does truly help me be a better person, and lets face it, I need all the help I can get.

2. Our first kiss was in Gold Bar Washington..how many of you out there can say that..huh??

Gotcha.

1. In the tradition of saving the best for last... (drum roll). I just have to tell you what I was surprised with on the morning of our anniversary.

A round trip tix to Minnesota (it gets better), in September for

The Creative Connection!!

What is the Creative Connection?? Just an UBER fabulous event for creative women in business. AMAZING speakers, AMAZING classes and of course being surrounded with lots of other FABULOUS women! I soo can't wait! Miss Elaine is going along as well, her and Zach planned this whole little sneaky thing out! I just about fainted..then I felt a little guilty..

but thankfully that passed quickly.

Such a very blessed life I have.

A blog about blogging (and a few other things)

This past weekend I was apart of an event that really blew my mind..I mean like seriously. Yes, word on the street is all about Timi and her wonderful show. Although I can’t help but sit here and think about how all of this started..

Crazy thing..it all started with a blog.

One chance encounter on Craigslist and a blog land connection with Timi was made.
A few years later I received a message asking,

“I’m starting a company and I could really use a photographer, are you interested?”

Junk and photography?? Umm yes.

Lets take this whole adventure a few steps further and I will tell you that the whole reason Timi was inspired to start her own company was because of blogging. As she tells me..

“I was sitting in this big house, newly married and wondering what the heck I was going to do with myself, my friend Laura suggested blogging.. I was hooked.”

One inspiring blog led to another, soon she stumbled onto the Farm Chicks and really the rest is history.

This past weekend I watched 600 plus VERY excited women walk through the door of the first ever Come Junk with Us vintage inspired flea market.

So much laughter and happiness as newly found treasures made their way home.



So many big genuine smiles.

Saturday night as I laid my very weary head down, my heart swelled. I thought of happy ladies, really good junk and tasty food, but mostly it swelled for A girl named Timi, and her dream..well..actually.. make that her dream come true:)

The List..Inspiration Style

My world around me is filled with such inspiration.

Inspirering me this week is..

10. Coco-Before Chanel.

Amazing movie!! Women who defy convention move me deeply.

Her saying something along the lines of,

"dress modestly, leave something to the imagination..it's much better that way."

Oh SOOO beautifully french! Sooo NOT American..we who let our thong rise above our jeans and write Juicy in rhinestone across our arse.



9. Cherry blossoms. When I drive home I think I just might live on candy cane lane with cotton candy trees and lemon drop flowers.

8. Women I respect. You know who you are. No angle. No pretense. You are wonderfully secure in yourselves, making others around you shine.
You are truly beautiful inside and out.

7. Spring fashion! Oh I'm IN LOVE with the flirty dresses this spring..best of all?? Chubby girls can rock em.. LOVE THAT!:)

6. Love. In a U2 song Bono says, "I've had enough of romantic love." Now don't get me wrong, secretly I'm a deep romantic at heart..but as all of us married folk know the romance goes away..and there is this thing called life..and it can get a little daily..and it can get a little crazy (when you reproduce like bunnies).
BUT
Everyday I know that Zach loves me above all others. It may not always be pretty..but what a beautiful security his love brings..not the kind that holds..no the kind that sets you free.

5. Failure..
If I'm not failing, I'm not trying..not trying = death.
After failure..I REFUSE to hide in my self misery.
No I will again step out..
Failure means that I'm living..blood, snot, tears and all.

4. My dinner table. 5 out of the 7 nights a week my family and I sit down to dinner. Some nights its late and some nights its cereal. We close our eyes and thank our Maker for his provision, I take this deep breath in and know for just that moment the whole world is right.

3. Shooting (pictures) for pleasure. When someone hires me..there is expectation (of course). When it's just me and my camera I can point it at any crazy thing I want. It reminds me why I love looking through a lens.

2. Grace. Without it I would be lost. How much more inspiring is that?

1. Simplicity.
It's easy to find inspiration in glamour and glitz..but forcing myself to see the beauty inside the ordinary takes me just a little outside myself and it makes me realize that inspiration is truly everywhere, I just need to open my eyes.

The Collection

Long long ago in blog land I was introduced to Timi.

I've said before, I believe God totally puts crazy incredible women in my life.
Timi is no exception..she has this natural ability to bring women together.
I've never met someone with more connections and more willing to share those connections with the people in her life.

It's pretty awesome.

Her upcoming show is just another way for her to share her connections. She really has brought some CRAZY good vendors together. I admire artists, people who love their craft, people who love to create. You will find all those types at this show. PLUS some really good food and some pretty rockin fun people.

It's gonna be a good one.

So here is the deal..you can print out this here coupon for 5 dollars off admission.

Now you don't have any excuse NOT to go. So there.