Java like the coffee. Add Mama to it. And a Starbucks Giveaway.

I won't ramble on and on about what I love about Becky. I mean, the name gives it away already. She's a pretty cool mama and I have enjoyed following along her motherhood journey for a while now. She's even offering one of you readers a $25 gift card giveaway to Starbucks. It's just that easy. We did a fun little Q&A below, and I loved Becky's answers.

1. You take beautiful pictures, can you share some tips with a beginner? Any favorite websites or programs that you like to use?

Once I had a child I decided to invest in a good DSLR camera. I knew it would be the best investment I could ever make. Pictures are priceless and like I always say I have never regretted taking ONE photo! I have a Nikon D7000 (In case you were wondering). Once you figure out what camera you want you can start to invest in lenses. My favorite lenses are my 50mm and wide angle lens. I also have Photoshop and Lightroom, which are great editing programs. If you are a student you get a significant discount on Adobe products, so I'd suggest finding someone in school who can purchase them for you. I have a few sites I love to frequent. Ken Rockwell has amazing photography advice and compares every camera known to man. If you are ever researching for a camera head to Ken Rockwell.

Also, a site called Lynda has every tutorial you could ever dream of about photography. It's a monthly subscription service, but well worth the money for the education.

2. What are some of the things you want your child to grow up remembering of his childhood?

Oh gosh this is a tough one! Honestly, I hope that he grows up to be a Godly man. I pray that we instill good qualities in him. I can already tell he's a sensitive boy with a big heart. I hope he knows how hard his Daddy and I work to make sure he has the best future possible. How much we've prayed for his life and we love him. I want him to grow up knowing that no matter what he does we'll always love him. I'm constantly trying to plan fun activities with him and he remembers those moments. Even if it's just 15-20 minutes out of your day. One on one attention means so much to him.

3. How do you balance blogging into your every day life? I read a post that you wrote one time of stepping back and refocusing, and thought it was a . Any advice on this topic?

I struggled with finding the wife/mom/full-time working/chef/maid/ AND blogging balance for a long time. It even caused a few arguments between me and my husband. Eventually you just have to not worry about it. Everyone is different, every blog is different. I've been blogging for 7 years and finally got the point if people want to read they will. If they don't they don't have to. I'm not doing this for them. It's for me and on my time. It’s meant to be fun!!!  The minute you realize that and don't put yourself on a personal deadline or time clock you are FREE to write and post what you want.

4. What are some of your favorite things to do during "me-time"

I don't get much me time these days. When I do I love spending time visiting with family and friends. Watching a good movie on Lifetime and eating ice cream. I love reading too, if only I had more time to do that! I'll paint my nails, or take photos of random things that make me happy. I also blog :)

5. If you could change one thing in this world, what would it be?

There are so many things in the world that need changing right now. It's beyond fixing in my mind. We just have to pray that God will hold us and keep us in His protection. As Americans we have this mentality that nothing bad will ever happen to us. When things do happen (i.e.: The Boston bombings, 9-11, kidnappings, murders, crime, etc.) we feel so sorry for ourselves and immediately want retribution. What we don't realize is things like this happen EVERY.SINGLE.DAY in other countries. So many people are dying and suffering because of all the hate and vengeance on one another. It's awful. I just want our eyes as Americans to be opened to how lucky we are that we don't deal with these issues on a daily basis. Of course it's terrible when tragic things happen, but try and be thankful 

we don't live in anguish. We are so lucky!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
**Winner of $20 target and $15 Starbucks giveaway was picked here. Shane P!