oh darling, don't you ever grow up // don't you ever grow up, just stay this little 

oh darling, don't you ever grow up // don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple.

taylor swift, never grow up

From the time I was born until I was nine, I spent my life on a farm of sorts in southeast Texas, a place that will always have a softness in my heart. (I still consider myself a Texan.) We owned two horses, a Paint and a Palomino, two goats, three dogs, and a manifold of cats. Plump, succulent blackberries – my favorite – grew in the woods behind our house and in our pasture in late spring, which in turn were gathered by the handful, sweet juice running down my chin.

(photo credit goes to my neighbor, zoe)

Every Saturday we had some friends over, friends who always brought donuts, and we rode our horses in the warm sun. I remember loping diagonally across the pasture, the wind whipping my hair, and feeling so free.

Most days I would first study my dad working on the computer at his desk, then sit at my little desk with my old computer and make Excel spreadsheets. (I was in love with all things office-y. I know.)

(me, age three or four)

Like any six year old, I wanted so badly to grow up. I'd look at the fifth graders at my school in awe, wishing that I could be as big as them. I remember having a medieval party for my eighth birthday and feeling oh so grown up in my gown that my mother sewed me.

When I think back on my days growing up in Texas, I'm filled with happiness and a tinge of nostalgia. Memories are evoked, laced with building forts comprised of blankets, going to Joe's Barber Shop, complete with striped barber pole, for my father's haircuts, and waving goodbye to my mother in the cool dampness of the morning as she drove off to work.
Like most, these memories are conjured by the strangest things, such as the whiff of chlorinated pool water, the sound of country music, and the salty taste of tortilla chips and ketchup.

(photo credit goes to my neighbor, zoe)

When I think of those memories, I can't help but wish I were six again. Back to the carefree days of playing store, back to eating powder sugar donuts on the deck, back to swinging in the hammock outside, reading the hours away.

And then I think of MeMe and Lilly. Much like myself at their age, they're so eager to become older, to live their lives. While I most certainly can relate, I just want to squeeze them and softly whisper in their ears "never grow up". I want tell them to keep their sweet, simple innocence, their little-girl outlook on life and not to rush into life so quickly. I want to tell them to embrace this carefree time of their childhood. I want to tell them to never grow up.



-carlotta

i missed you.
My blogging break has come to a close and I'm ecstatic to be back. You don't know how much I missed y'all! However, I'm thankful for the time off. I was beginning to suffer from blogging burnout and it was losing its fun. During my hiatus I was able to renew inspiration and am now greatly refreshed.

sponsoring.
While I'm on the topic of blogging, I'd like to put a little word in about sponsoring. I've been neglecting that little advertisement button and want to reintroduce it. When the option first became available, I set the price far too high, a mistake of naivety. The price per month has drastically dropped, less that half of what it originally was. Now, for a mere eight dollars per month (or twenty for three months), you can advertise on pastor's girl's ponderings. If you're interested, please email me for more information.

pearls are my favorite.
Pearls are my new favorite accessory. They conjure up an image of a housewife in the nineteen fifties vacuuming her home in heels, a perfect dress, and a strand of pearls adoring her neck. It evokes thoughts of sophistication, of elegance, of flowy, whimsy dresses. When I wear the pearl bracelet above and my pearl studs, I feel a little fancier and my ordinary outfit becomes more special. 

come back, spring.
It seems that just when we were getting used to dreamy weather filled with piercing azure skies, warm rays of sunshine, and deliciously soft temperatures, winter decided to taunt and tease us by returning. And so we were plunged back into grey, drizzly, bone-chilling days, leaving everyone with no choice but to reluctantly pull out the winter coats and pile comforters on the beds. I love a dreary days every once in a while, but I'm a girl that needs – craves – her warm sunshine.
But for now, I suppose I'll be content gazing at the springy photographs I took last week.

Please come back, spring! 


the travel bug.

{via}

The itch to journey somewhere has been strong lately. Whether it be a weekend camping trip or a few days in another city, adventure and a little change is what I'm looking for. A new place to explore, different things to photograph...I've got a bad case of the travel bug.

a good book and some ice cream.

Love.

hand stitched love.
Inspired by this amazing Etsy shop, I embroidered a camera of my own design onto some fabric. Sure, some of the lines are a bit crooked and the circles aren't perfect, but it provides just the right amount of kitsch and quirk. I'm smitten. 





What do you think?

little miss pioneer.
Ever since she began reading the Little House on the Prairie series (one of my old favorites), MeMe has been head over heels in love in all things pioneer. She built a house in the bushes in our backyard, complete with a kitchen and an escape plan – courtesy of Jeremiah. It's positively adorable.

(wearing the dress my mom made me when I was her age)

It's good to be back. Oh, so good. How have you been? I feel like I've missed so much in my time away ;)

-carlotta

PS The frequently asked questions page will be up in the next few days!

Sometimes, I have days where I want to write, but it seems that instead of forming sentences, all I do is hit the backspace key. The repetitive cycle goes on and on. Write a few words, erase three out of four, write some more, and consequently erase some more, until you're left with what you started with – a blank space.

When faced with this frustrating predicament, it seems that the only remedy is to use photographs in place of words. After all, don't they say that a picture is worth a thousand words?

(Taken in January...until I stumbled across them on my hard drive today, I'd quite forgotten about them.)

-carlotta

I was able to break a bit out of my photography rut yesterday when I shot some photos of MeMe. It always helps when you have a beautiful model!

It's been quite some time since I've posted any shots of her so here's your MeMe fix. :)




I'm still experimenting with backlight...it's definitely something that needs lots of practice!





She was reading Little House on the Praire (The first book) and had her legs perfectly crossed. I couldn't resist snapping a shot of them.




MeMe never fails to crack me up. She came up to me a few days ago and said, "I've figured something out. Pretty much all country songs are about beer, girlfriends, and trucks." In that order. And not that she would know anything about beer...ahem.



What do you think? I could have spent hours and hours editing them, but unfortunately I didn't get the chance. Instead, I just did some basic editing...but if you don't mind, just look past that ;) And as always, I'd love to hear any tips you have!

This is totally unrelated, but it wouldn't really be a real post without something random thrown in. Heh. I was just checking the weather, and it's supposed to be sixty one degrees today! What happened to our winter weather? Hmph.

-carlotta

(PS If you haven't already, feel free to enter in my photo challenge!)