Warm and FUZZY!

 
 
 
 

Yesterday evening I had the BEST COUPLE'S shoot! I LOVED shooting these two! They were fun, and cute and so in love that it just made everything so much FUN! The evening light was YUMMY, warm and golden! Such a beautiful setting too. I could show you pictures here ALL DAY, there are so many good ones. So hard to just show you 4!

Funny thing about the bride to be...I was at her FIRST BIRTHDAY...MAN I'M OLD! I don't think I've seen her since then and she has turned into such a beautiful and graceful young woman...her parents HAVE to be so proud!

Hey, it's me again, and Chester.!

I've shown some other pics from this session but I like these also, so I thought I'd share. This is the client that brought Mr. Chester that big BONE. I figured I'd update you about him. He is still doing well. Slowing down just incrementally, he's eating like he runs 2 marathons aday but he's not looking like it at all. The prednisone is such a good med for this cancer, just like when we went through this with Cooper 3 years ago. It really makes them feel GOOD and act pretty normal, minus the taking the baked potatos off the island the other night, oh and taking baked sweet potatos last night. He NORMALLY would NEVER do that! But hey, a baked sweet potato is pretty DARN tempting, right? And what does he have to lose, he know's he's not going to get into trouble! LOL

Summer Daze and Dog Butz

 
 
 
 

Today a bunch of us piled into the Commander (GAWD I LOVE my JEEP) and went off to my favorite NATURAL watering hole. It also happens to be one of my favorite shooting spots so it'll probably look familiar. Of course the camera came along! There was a large rock most of the way across the slippery, slimy, semi-swiftly (so dern good with the alliterations) rock that the kids refered to as the GOLDEN ROCK. So there were many races to get to the rock. Look how TRIUMPHANT Tina and Peyton look! FUNNY!

Yesterday, my father brought his JRT (jack russel terror) over when he came for dinner. Little miss Gypsy decided that our Koi pond looked like a MIGHTY fine swimming hole. She swam and swam...the fish were fine but I don't think I'll be getting any good shots of my water lily's this year!

Why I LOVE this job!

 
 
 
 


Meet the H family! They had the most awesome family dynamics going! The love in this little family was truly palpable. We had so much fun and each of the girls had something special about them...just unique qualities! The oldest was so sweet and poised, the middle was all sass and spunk and then the baby...Little Ms. P was just a complete little independent woman! I LOVE love love this pic of MOM and DAD hanging out while watching the girls!

I know I keep talking about the canvases but believe me, I DON'T want you to miss out on this great deal. If you need the details read back in the archives a bit! Or email me with any questions

crazy shoot

 
 
 
 

I could only really ask a friend or relative to do these covered bridge shots (I've done them before with my nephew Mason). But I SO love them! This was the fun shoot from today! Cool cousins all done together...that's awesome! And getting Christmas gifts out of the way, EVEN BETTER!

I'f you want info on the canvases I mentioned earlier, read the below post or email me for info. And I updated about Mr. Chester a day or so ago too....he's doing so well!

FARM FAIR!!!!! YEEEHAAA! CANVAS SPECIAL too!

 
 
 


Tonight I'm going to post some super fun pics from a session I had today...but I need a few hours. For the meantime, here's more of my kiddos!

About the Farm Fair. I'm going to be the 4H photog so I'll be photographing the "showing" of several types of farm animals that kids show. I don't have the details on all of that but it really doesn't matter to you unless you have a kidlet who's showing a piglet! LOL My booth will be set up by the petting zoo...so IF you go to the Harford County Farm Fair (I hope you do, the kids love it!) look for me there! My father and I have been making a cool vintage feeling backdrop and display area...I'm LOVIN IT! I'm going to showcase some recent work in a bit of an unusual way (can't share all my secrets! ...you already know I'm pretty much an open book about my life anyway!) AND I'm ordering these ULTRA cool canvases I mentioned in a previous post! If you want to check them out it's www.pixel2canvas.com . Anyone can order from them BUT if I have taken your photos or will between now and the end of JULY, I'm passing my 5% artist discount onto you! If I get enough people, that might jump up to 10%. SO check out the site and let me know if you are interested and I'll take care of the rest...forwarding your digital file etc. if I still have it archived. I have one of Callie that I LOVE and the other two are getting ordered this week plus a couple of Gracie and Mason too!

A couple cuties, a Peytonism and Chester update!

This lovely family of 4 was just the CUTEST! I shot them at one of my favorite locations and the light was just AMAZING in their gorgeous eyes! All those little blonde heads...love it!

Yesterday, Peyton asked if there was a "daughter day?" I wasn't really sure what she meant so I said, "What do you mean?" and she said , "well, today is Fathers Day and we have SON day every week, what about DAUGHTERS day?" Good point.

Chester is doing VERY well, he hasn't had a bad day since LAST Monday. we've continued our daily walks. On Saturday, our kids went to Grandmoms for a while so we took the two dogs in Matt's Wrangler. The top was off and they got to feel the wind in their hair and soak up all the scents! Then we went for a nice long walk down a local walking path, they got in the stream and generally loved smelling everywhere that another doggie could have been in the last few days! You'd never know by looking at Chesterman that he even had a hint of illness other than he does make a weird hacking/coughing kind of sound after he drinks. Thank you everyone for keeping him in your heart!

Flyer

 

Here's one more from a recent session. I really think this is a great quote for the picture.

tiny dancer

 
 
 
 

I've had the pleasure of photographing Ms. M last year. Those big blue eyes and impish grin...KILL me! She's a sassy cutie with lot's of MOXIE! These were between her dress rehearsal and the recital. Doesn't she look gorgeous?! I KNOW her Aunt Tracy is stalking this to see them! :-) Tracy, we HAVE to get together!

Okay, couple other thingys, I'm trying to get a cool design down for my booth at the farm fair and I "think" I've gotten it...I'm EXCITED! Let's just say, that my dad and I went to a salvage yard today...FUN STUFF! REMEMBER, I'm offering my artist discount to all clients until the middle of June (from Feb. on) a special on any canvas they order. The site is www.pixel2canvas.com . THEY do AWESOME work! I'm ordering at least 4 for myself for the fair and for MYSELF! LOL

If you are easily offended don't read any further! :-)

Here's another little Peytonism (long time blog readers know I share cute little things Ms. P says). Some background info here...Peyton is a total brunette but BELIEVE you me she got the BLONDE gene from me (not that I'm a blond any longer except for the delightful highlights my sister garnishes me with). As another note, I'm 50 % of Polish decent...yeah yeah so you ALL have heard the POLISH jokes before. I often tend to say the wrong thing or do something REALLY stupid and tease and blame it on being Polish. If YOU can't laugh at yourself...you've got issues! (WARNING: a little religious thingy here coming up) The other day Peyton heard me say something stupid (I wanted one of the kids to hurry so I said, "run like the light!" ...I think it's supposed to be wind or something. So I guess I was like, "I don't know...I'm POLISH!" So today leaving the grocery store with all three of my kids in tow and Ms. Maggie who FITS into our family so well and I love that the kids are friends (MAN I love me a run on sentence!) So as I was pushing the cart, I called back to the kids "line up little ducks" so they'd all get behind me in the parking lot. I'm sure the 3 12 year olds thought that was the STUPIDEST thing ever. whatever! Peyton must have strayed a bit and Cole yelled, "PEYTON, get in line, what are you thinking?" Then she says... "COLE, I can't help it, I'm Jewish!" And he was like (after going through 5 years of Catholic religious Ed), "WHAT?!" So Peyton YELLS, "COLE, I was BORN JEWISH!" So they both end in ISH, whats the big deal?

Goodness amongst the chaos...

 
 
 
 

I've so many shoots I want to blog but I can only put 4 pics up at a time. I'll save some pics for another day!

First let me thank everyone for your kind thoughts about Mr.Chester. I can feel your positive thoughts...thank you! I've had a couple friends/clients give him some goodies lately so he's feeling like a minor celebrity. Today my friend/client brought this ENORMOUS leg bone thing that I made him have outside. It was so big he could barely carry it and Chester's not a little guy. He pranced up and down the fence line in front of the neighbors two Goldens showing off his "catch". He was all, "Hey, I've got Cancer but Cancer ain't got me! Look what I just took down...entire leg of something!" I'll show you a pic of that tomorrow...pretty funny! Thanks Ashley!

On another positive note...I entered Chester's pic into a doggie calendar contest for Toyota through a local dealership and it looks like his pictures going to go to the national finals! Cool! WAY to go CHESTERMAN!

And last but NOT least...I've had this under my hat a week or so. I've been hired to be the 4H photog at the Harford County Farm Fair! AWESOME! I'm so excited....you KNOW I love my animals! AND I love kids so what's a better mix AND my booth will apparently be by the petting farm! YEAH! ....I just have to remember my claritan! I have all kinds of ideas for my booth and I'll be ordering some canvases too! Speaking off, keep checking the blog, I'm going to offer a canvas sale to all the shoots I've had since March, including June! These are GORGEOUS canvases from the same maker that OPRAH uses however they are one of the most resonable and highest quality on the market!

don't mean to be a debbie downer...

 


One of my favorite quotes and I totally TRY to live by this, and I'm sure I'm paraphrasing (and this is a total run on sentence, my gawd I hope my 10th grade english teacher doesn't read my blog)is "you are only as happy as you make up your mind to be." by Abraham Lincoln. I TRY to live my life this way. Positive thoughts people, positive thoughts! Okay, here comes the negativity...my laundry is overflowing, like always, the dishes are piled in the sink, I've got bird seed on the floor under both bird cages in the family room (ewww), there is still coffee stains by the coffee maker from an hour ago, gas is like wayyyyy too high, my kids eat me out of house and home (well really just Cole), I also recently (last night) got some news about a relative that just scares the craps out of me because I don't want her life to suck and she's heading that way, and my dog just has weeks to live. My sweet sweet Chester doesn't have long and I think there has been a big change even since yesterday. We walked this morning although the already 91 degree temps didn't enable us to go very far.

However, I had sooooo many fun shoots the past few days, makes me forget about the sucky stuff while I'm looking through the lens. I will share some of those this afternoon I promise. Now I'm off to another shoot!

Hey, does little Miss Peyton look super cute in her Matilda Jane halter or what people? And yes, this is a snap shot, I promise I do occasionally take a better pic than that! But she's so cute even with her wet pony tails. The girl soaks up the sun through spf 40 like it's not EVEN on her! I'm jealous!

Hope, DC and a Tropical Sunset

 
 
 

Today I chaparoned a field trip to Washington. Callie and her best buddy Maggie were in the group, so we had tons of fun. We got in trouble a few times (which if you knew me, you'd be thinking, "HUH?") I'm not a trouble kind of girl. But we stood too close to paintings, touched sculptures (HELLO~ they are out side in the elements but we can't TOUCH them?) and the girls waded in the fountain that said "no wadeing" But they sure looked CUTE! AND Callie in her Matilda Jane "I'm with the band tank"!

I started with the "hope" diamond and I'll end with "tropical sunset rose".