Friday, March 29, 2013

Come, Join the CIRCUS!

This lovely lady is turning one!  Which, obviously calls for some full-blown circus fun!!

Please enjoy your weekly dose of FRIDAY PHOTO!!





 WELCOME, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the main event!!

 Now, backstage with the lovely horse acrobat artist herself!  Everyone could use a tea break!

And now, behold, as she takes center ring!


 APPLAUSE!  And, of course, an after-party... complete with her very own cake-smash! 


 I hope you have enjoyed the LOOKYLOO True Circus story- behind the scenes of the CIRCUS!

Come back again for more picture-viewing pleasures!!

For now, have a WONDERFUL Easter Weekend Loves!!

xoxo,
LooWho

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

When Life Hands You Lemons....

MAKE LEMONADE!!

Well, I'm not going to lie.... this blog post is about NINE months over due!  But, better late than never, RIGHT?!  RIGHT?! 

Whew, ok, here we go.

Can you guess what we're tinkering with today, for your weekly installment of...



Last year, my sweet little boy turned TWO!  (eek, how does that happen so fast??)  To celebrate, I decided to throw him a good ol' fashion Toy Story party.  Which, in my opinion, wouldn't be complete without a lemonade stand!  You totally drew that conclusion with me, right?




Fine, fine... My name is Cindy and I have an addiction to party accessories.  There.  I said it.

(For the full post on his adorable party, go here!)

As any rational party-planner-on-a-budget would, I designed my dream lemonade stand.

Cost: $2 (nails)

WHAT THE WHAT?!

I know, one of those rare moments where your dreams and your wallet agree with each other!  SCORE!

Now, I just needed willing and able muscles to build, and some free pallets.

My sweet husband and his brother were the muscles and my generous dad provided the pallets.. and this is what we created:


Step One:  Find old and perfectly weathered pallets (3).. let me tell you, the perfectly weathered part was hard to find, the best one was an abandoned one near a trash can- so, keep your eyes peeled!





Step Two:  Carefully disassemble ONE of the pallets completely, removing all but the top board.




Step Three:  Use one pallet for front, cutting down to size (like 2 feet high), then fill gaps with the extra pallet boards you have.  Split the other intact pallet in half and use for the sides.  (this one doesn't have to have the gaps filled in)  Use 4 more boards to put a top on.



Step 4:  Put finishing boards on the front corners, using the original nails.  (this covers those bright shiny nails and gives it a finished look)



Step 5:  Use the bare frame that you disassembled with the remaining top board for the sign, cutting down to an appropriate size.  Use scraps from other boards to make supports at the bottom.  Making the stand 2 separate pieces makes it really convenient to transport, otherwise, you could just nail the top down.  And, don't forget to write LEMONADE, if you want- I made my sign double-sided, so I could have a blank side for other stand fun!




Step 6:  Enjoy!!   The possibilities are really ENDLESS!  I have so many more things planned for my stand!





Hope you enjoyed this week's Tuesday Tinker!  I hope to show you many more things I'm tinkering with around the house!

(**also, please excuse my SOOC pictures of the making of our lemonade stand- I did not want to take the time to edit them... you get the idea!)

Have a ROOTIN' TOOTIN' Good day!!

xoxo,
LooWho

Friday, March 22, 2013

Clockwork Love

 WELCOME To PHOTO FRIDAY!  I will just let the shoot speak for itself...












**Photography, design, styling, and hair done by Cindy of Looky Loo Photography

Thank you for taking this journey through photos with me!
Until next time,
xoxo,
LooWho

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Something's coming!

Wow!  Twice in one week- that must be some kind of record for me!  Who knows, maybe I'll keep this steady-ish blogging thing up.

Well, one thing has helped: IT'S SPRING!  Finally!  One step closer to my true love: summer!

I'll admit it, deep down, I'm a lizard.  I love to lie in the sun and soak up heat.  In fact, one of my favorite feelings is "hot car."  You know, the feeling when you get into your car after it's sat in 110* heat... a blistering 125*.  Black interior soaking up ever ounce of heat from the sun.  GLORIOUS!  Keep the windows up and DO NOT TOUCH the a/c.  I'm lovin it! 

**Don't worry, I only do this when I'm in the car by myself- I do not fry my poor boys.  In fact, we just bought our first light-interiored car, really heart-breaking for my heat addiction, but great for my 3 men who, like the rest of humanity, enjoy a much more moderate body temperature.

What else does spring bring besides summer nipping at it's heels??  TIME CHANGE!!  YES!  I can finally get back to shooting.  Like really shooting.  No more, in by 5, black by 5:30.  We're talking long sunsetty lighting and beautiful evening air all the way till 7!!  Ahhh, how I have missed you light!

Well, to celebrate the total bliss I've been in lately, I've come up with yet another Looky Loo Shoot!!

I call it:

LIGHTENING LOOKY!

And these Lightening deals will only come around every once in an unannounced while, so buckle up and get your email ready to book!

Check it out:



Go ahead, what are you waiting for?  The week starts NEXT Monday, and it's first come, first serve.  As in March 25-29.  

Really, your kids are on spring break, what better thing do you have to do than organize some outfits and get some yummy spring pics in!

**Keep in mind, Lightening Lookies are not going to be held on a regular basis, just randomly at my whim.  Will there be another this year?  Nobody knows!

Ok, now I just sound like a telemarketer.  You get the idea!

Let me leave you with some spring-time pictures to brighten your day- since, well, this is a photography blog after all!  ;)

Hope these little smiles and this CRACKIN' good deal help to put a little SPRING in your step!

Until next time, my lovely fans,

xoxo
LooWho

Monday, March 18, 2013

Feeling Lucky!

Well, friends, 

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!!  

A little late, I know, but Sunday fun day is spent with my family, so here I am now to talk about all things lucky! :)

First up, some pictures from my "luck o' the irish" shoot with Mr B-town.
















 I am SO lucky to have this little boy in my life!  He is funny and loud, he is tender and sweet, and at times, he drives me crazy- but, he is my world!  I love this little man "to infinity and beyond!"

What things were you lucky enough to enjoy yesterday??  Family?  Friends?  Green Food?

I spent a lovely day with my 3 main men, DECKED in green from head to toe.  My little "Hulk Smash" was in heaven!  His favorite color is green and a whole day dedicated to all things green tickled him pink green!

Well, now that we've got all of the holiday nonsense out of the way, let's get down to business.  It is Monday after all, which calls for your weekly dose of...



It's been a while since my last "MUST" rant, so I have ran into so many things that I feel are "MUST-WORTHY."  Unfortunately, that would make for a very long blog post, so let me leave you with just a few MUSTS for the day.

First up:  A MUST-TRY!  Recently, Jeff and I went to Cheesecake Factory on a sweet little date.  We found a little number on the menu that was AMAZING!  Upon returning home, I was dedicated to recreating this little ditty.  I found a decent recipe, tweaked it around, and then... VOILA!

For your sweet night in, you MUST try this recipe, straight to you from my kitchen:



Must #2: A MUST-DO!  So, a couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to do a really fun shoot.  

Do you have a best friend?  Then you will appreciate this:











Is that not SO FUN!?  At what point do we get too old to go out and do fun things with our BFF?  When is it that we're "too cool" to throw around some glitter?

Well, I for one am not giving in!  This Must is a MUST-DO and I challenge you, along with myself, to go do something fun with your BFF!  Or just your friend, or by yourself!  Who cares?  You make the rules and you go out and do something childish and care-free!  I.DARE.YOU!

Of course, then you must come back and report!

Well, my friends, I hope you have been inspired to try something new- or, at the very least, enjoyed a few pictures on your stop by my blog!

Don't forget to comment and tell me what you think!  Are there any "Monday Musts" you're dying to share with us!  I would love to read about them!

Have a magically delicious Monday, my Little Lookies!

xoxo,
LooWho

Friday, March 15, 2013

Are you... chicken?!

Well, hello there, blogland!  Fancy meeting you here!  Well, maybe not you necessarily, but definitely me--- once again, I have found myself MIA!

I apologize.  I could give you the millions of excuses about how I've been SOO busy, how my children have managed to contract every form of flu and cold imaginable this year (and so generously passed on a couple of the strands to me), or how I just can't seem to find the time.  But, I won't bore you with those agonizing details.  Instead, we will keep this light and uplifting.  At least, that's the goal.

For all of you who follow me on instagram (@cindylookyloo) or Facebook (cindy mccauley), you may have noticed this little gem last week:



Where I told you I was off on a girls weekend adventure with a friend of mine.

Girls Weekend?  What?  I know, some of you are puzzled by the mere idea of getting away for a whole weekend, sleeping in a huge and luxurious bed by yourself, and not having to make said bed in the morning.  WHAT ON EARTH WAS I DOING, you ask?

Well, the gf and I were off on an adventure to Time Out For Women.  You know, time out- where you send your children when they've been naughty or you just need a break from shenanigans.  Ya, that's where I went.  Only this time-out consisted of a lot of other women breaking away from the hysteria for a moment, some wonderful speakers, and some A-MAZ-ING musical numbers.... ahhh, just remembering time-out makes me yearn for more.  I really don't understand why the boys detest it so much!

Back to the wonderful speakers.  I seriously came home a changed woman- it was great.  Ok, at least for the drive home and, well, 30 minutes after- I was ON TOP OF THE WORLD!  What could they possibly say that was so amazing, you ask?  

I'm glad you asked, because I've decided to randomly share the tidbits of gold that have changed my life for the better from this glorious women's retreat!

First up: Richie Norton


Let me tell you, when Richie stepped onto the stage, I laughed.  He's a total surfer dude, accent and all, and I did not think he could possibly share anything life-altering with me.

ah-hem.. i was wrong.

Richie talked about being the AUTHENTIC YOU.  This is the very best version of you that you dream about and hope to be someday.  He says, this is YOU, the other you that is a little more flawed and damaged is just the authentic you hidden under doubt and fear.

Embrace the AUTHENTIC YOU.

One thing that hinders the "authentic you" is fear.  What are you afraid of?  Failure?  The unknown?  What others think of you?

Break down your fear and overcome it.

**Courage does not mean you fear nothing, it means that you don't let the fear stop you**

STUPID is the new COOL

If you have an idea and you are afraid of being stupid, it's probably an AMAZING idea- DO IT!

Now, what does fear have to do with me?  If you know me very well, you're probably just laughing.  I FEAR EVERYTHING.  I'm afraid of the dark, mice terrify me, I have serious issues with heights, the list goes on and on.  

While none of those fears are really halting my progression through life, I do have fears that are.  And I have decided to not only face them, but to break them down and conquer them.

Fear 1:  my foot.

WHAT?  That's not a fear.

Well, my friend, let me explain......

7th grade me:
*looked like the middle hanson brother
*obsessed with Kobe Bryant 
*loved sports
*average dorky "tom boy"

Yeaaaahh, let's just say it wasn't pretty.  After my totally awesome 7th grade self got injured doing some sweet roller blading stunts (don't be jealous), the x-ray showed some not so totally awesome news.  I had a hole in my bone at the base of my left leg. Blah blah blah surgery at stanford, filled bone with marrow/corral, blah blah blah everyone called me fish foot.

Well, that was all fine and dandy, but as awesome as getting out of running the mile was, I desperately wanted to get back into sports.  Pronto.

Less than a year later, my Dr cleared me, and I did just that.  YA, BUDDY.  I was back and I was going to be AHMAZZING (sing-song voice).  

Fast forward through many long and grueling track practices.

Here it was.  The day I had been waiting for.  I was going to SCHOOL these chicks.  Stretch out, warm up, line up. GO!

I started out CRUISING down the lane.  Everything was going just as planned- I was ahead!  (that's really the only plan when running).  Step, step, step JUMP!  Step, step, step JUMP!  If you've never ran hurdles, let me just tell you that the steps in between each hurdle are CRUCIAL.  Each step preps you for the impending JUMP!  


First hurdle down.  Second hurdle down.  Still ahead.  SUCKAS!  Third hurdle down.  Step, step, step-twist-foot collapse-trip-grope the ground with every inch of exposed skin.

Clearly when the doctors at Stanford warned me that my foot might not ever be as strong again, I was SOMEWHERE ELSE.

As I went to catapult myself over the fourth hurdle, my foot collapsed, sending me more into-the-ground than over-the-hurdle.  There was blood everywhere (thank you, San Luis dirt track).  My coach rushed to the side line to scream at me to keep going- #1 rule in track is that you finish the race.  However, my foot would not work.  I tried to hold it together as she half-carried me to the bathroom and as the women in the bathroom shrieked at all of the blood (clearly my date with the ground didn't go so well, I had managed to gash my legs and arms everywhere)


I tried to laugh and joke it off.  But, it hurt.  I was not only humiliated, but my body had failed me.  I was frustrated.  This was not my foot, this was a cruel replacement that randomly gave out at really inconvenient times.

Well, I was determined to play something, but the more sports I tried, the more times my foot gave out and the more hesitant and scared I got.  In case you're wondering, great athletes are not made through hesitation and fear.  Goodbye soccer, basketball and track.  

Ok, this is sounding really whiney- not the intention.  I went on to cheer for several years and LOVED it.  So, don't be sad for my poor lame left foot.

However, to this day, the idea of running in a race TERRIFIES ME.  I see the ground that hurdle so vividly and all of the emotions come back to me.  I simply just tell myself that I can't.  I can't, I can't, I can't.

Let's be honest.  I'm too scared to try, I'm too scared to try, I'm too scared to try.

Well, the gig is up.  And what am I going to do to overcome this fear?

Richie said to CRUSH fear and to start with feared things first.

10k marathon for foster children coming up (a cause I LOVE)

At first I told Jeffe a million reasons why I could not do this and why running 6 point whatever miles is so BEYOND my comfort zone.

What did Jeffe say?

Yes, you can.

Next, Richie says to break down your fear into manageable ideas.

So, one mile at a time we are training and building up the endurance.  Just last night, during our 2 mile run, I told Jeff I couldn't go any further.  I just wanted to stop.  

What did he say?

Yes, you can.

AND I DID!  As soon as we reached the end he turned to me and said, "aren't you glad you didn't quit?!"  Of course, my stubborn self said, "NO!"  But really, I was.  It was 2 miles on CONCRETE, which is huge for me and my crazy foot.  

**Courage means you don't let fear stop you**

So friends, here I go.  I am signing up for the first race in THIRTEEN years since my hurdling debacle.  Am I scared?  Of course.  Can I do it?  YES, I can!

Do you want to join me in conquering fears?  Tell me your fears and let me help to encourage you!  Feel free to send happy thoughts my way as I train for my 10k coming up at the end of April.  Even feel free to come and watch me fall on the beach, which is definitely a possibility, and always funny.  Will that be a total epic failure?  Maybe to some.  To me, the only failure will be in not going out there and trying.

In the words of Mr Norton:

CRUSH YOUR FEAR!

GO START SOMETHING STUPID!

Well, my Little Lookys, I hope this has sparked something in you.  I can't wait to share some of my other random fears and tidbits with you as I overcome them.  I also can't wait to share the pic of me crossing the finish line in april- so be sure and  hold me accountable! ;)

Have a wonderful day!

xoxo, Loo Who