Sometimes a Stare is as Precious...

as a smile...

Thank Goodness for Some SUN...

I am still here! I have had so many SUPER shoots lately - as the weather permits. Today was gorgeous! I got a little excited about the light this evening and decided my blog needed a fall header. So up goes my friend, Jessi's adorable kids! I know it is a little big, but I am about done for the night. Long day. Maybe I will fix it tomorrow. I hope all of you are doing well- enjoying the fun fall. My parents are headed down tomorrow and we are all excited to hang and enjoy some good ol' Halloween activities. I MIGHT post my costume for the party i am going to. I am not a big Halloween fan, so for me to dress up.... Oh well! I need a little break from the ordinary- right? Until next time.... I leave you with one of Baby Planners who has grown up on me:( Precious, Trent-

Holiday Time...

I am feeling the crunch!! For those of you have never been a client of a custom photographer ~ this time of the year from us is full of emails, editing, phone calls, designing cards, no sleep and juggling our families:) Starting today, I am going to be very strict on extending gallery times and payments. Christmas is approaching fast! With that in mind:
IF YOU ALREADY HAVE YOUR GALLERY AND WANT HOLIDAY CARDS- PLEASE CONSIDER SENDING ME YOUR IDEAS TONIGHT! MY HELPER IS COMING TOMORROW AND I WOULD LOVE-LOVE TO HAVE SOME CARDS FOR HER TO WORK ON AND GET AHEAD!!! PRETTY PLEASE:) REMEMBER, ALL CARDS ARE VERY CHANGEABLE. SO SEND ALL IDEAS AND REMEMBER TO INCLUDE WHAT YOU WANT IT TO SAY. THANKS SO MUCH!

**OH, AND I AM SURE THAT YOU HAVE NOTICED THAT I AM NOT POSTING PEEKS. I HAVE SO MANY GALLERIES ON MY PLATE, I NEED TO FOCUS ON THAT. WHEN I DO POST, I WILL TRY TO INCLUDE A PIC- THANKS!**
HERE IS ONE OF MY RECENT FAVES...

Please Vote..

My mother in law has entered a picture of Lily dressed as Jasmine for a Disney costume contest for Facebook. The winner gets Disney $$$. Since we are going in Nov with no extra $$, that would be sooo awesome! I think she has to get alot of votes to go through to the judging. There are many levels of prizes, so maybe we can hit one! Thanks for your help! Here is the link- I think you have to be logged in on FB
http://apps.facebook.com/promotionshq/contests/7059/voteable_entries
THE IMAGE IS NAMED AWAITING ALADDIN BY SUSAN SIMONS. GENIE AND JASMINE ARE IN IT WITH LILY.
Oh- and I am working SUPER hard editing right now. My orders have been backed up bc I am still processing orders from the spring and summer. The new shopping cart allows 3 weeks for you to order. Please note that Chrsitmas is approaching faster than you know- it is freaking me out:) So, please get your order in on time (and payment!) Since i am behind on posting peeks- I might as well throw in one from today. Cannot believe how darn cute little Colby is!!!

Our Camping Trip...

I always blog at like midnight when I am super tired. Not fair to my readers:) So, I am going to try and recap our little getaway without wussing out!!
We went to the National Forest outside of Helen, GA. Scott (hubby) LOVES to fly fish (trout) so he drove around looking for a place on the river that had good fishing. Well, could not find anything. i was begging him to find the area that we used to camp at over 10 yrs ago. We totally found it! We even found a new spot that the kids would enjoy.

We set up and walked around a bit, but did not have much time to play bc we needed dinner. So, we roasted some hotdogs, cooked some rice on Scott's handy little cookstove for hiking and I got really creative and roasted potatoes in foil with butter and kosher salt in the fire. YUM! EXCEPT, I had the bright idea they needed to cook forever. Yes, our potatoes were burned almost all the way through- whoops! Realizing this is boring, so here comes the speed...
Went to sleep (very uncomfortably I might add- I thought 29 was too young to complain about sleeping on the ground!) I woke up at 6 to the sound of rain. Normally would have been fine, but we knew that even after waterproofing tent, it would still leak (Walmart!) So, we packed up in the rain bf daylight. Took the LONG way home (cool way) and BOTH kids tossed their milk all over. Scott has so kindly passed on his car sickness, we have found:( The mountain we went on was a little brutal for 2 kids with empty tummys except for milk!! I know- yuck! We will do this again. With a better tent, now that we know the kids enjoy it. Now that I have bored you to tears, here are the rest of my snapshots on my old camera with NO edits! Off to bed to try out my new- side sleeper pillow!! SUPER EXCITED!!

Hehe! Just realized Morgan is in his undies!! He is wearing more than the usual:)




Scott had a festival at work the day bf. He was "icing" his feet!

Updated Holiday Cards...

If I have sent you a link, there may be 2 cards missing. Click on this link!
http://piclily.smugmug.com/Other/2009-Holiday-Cards/9312489_Dn2sb/1/622507519_U3dJh
PS-IF YOU WANT TO DO A CARD WITH IMAGES FROM A COMPLETED SESSION- LET ME KNOW ASAP AND GET AHEAD OF THE GAME!!! I GET EVEN MORE BUSY AFTER THESE NEXT 2 WEEKENDS:(

Fly-by Posting...

I am literally dropping some pics for you bc i know I am behind on posting and many people are anxious to see their babies! BTW, I see that ALL of you refrained from emailing me for a peek. You are too good to me! Anyways, this is not all, but I am exuasted bc i just finished a big gallery AFTER we got home from our super-exciting overnight camping trip in the N Ga mtns! Will post tomorrow with pics! G' night!












and one more.... more to come:)

Need... to move.. out of...chair....

If I have major pancake butt next time you see me- you will know why! I have taken advantage of many canceled shoots to "catch up" and "get ahead." Ummm... yah. Not happening. Very thankful for the "catch up" time- what would I have done without it:)? So, about those cancellations- the weather has been a factor, but so has the STOMACH BUG-- **SCREAM** I am deathly afraid of it. Not only does it knock me out for at least 3 days, I have 3 other people in my house that can get it. So- moral of the story- PLEASE be like my awesome, thoughtful clients and cancel if there are any strange bodily fluids. Many thanks!
Lack of pics means I am still hard at work. So, I leave you with one family as the rest of you attempt not to send me hate mail:) I do love you guys- just have to stay on track- ya know?!!
Here are the Ava and Bennett (they call him "B" which I think is SUPER cute) Ava is the big 4 this year and "B" is 4 months. Their mother is a friend of mine and I SO appreciate her tracking it over her with her 2 little ones- about an hour and a half car ride- Love ya! Here are the 2 darlings-

Aren't they sweet?
Ava looking a little on the vintage side

Bennett in an angelic pose- awww!

Back to work- wish me luck!

Quick Post (or was supposed to be)...

Yes, I am still here! I have been working hard. I have many galleries and the longest *to-do* list I have ever seen! I have spent a little extra time trying to get my house organized so my life does not feel too overwhelming. It just does not help to come into a home that exhausts you just by looking at it! My friends are laughing at me bc I taped and cut in HALF of the kids bathroom 2 wks ago. When do i have time to paint??? Seriously, I guess I was not thinking that day. Anyways, galleries, orders, etc take first priority over blogging. So all of those very patient people waiting to catch a glimpse of your sweet little ones- please bear with me. Just a quick share that I have ready- one sweet little 2 yr old-
Isn't she a doll??


We had such a fun time doing her pics!
A little business-
* The Shopping Cart is up and running! It is not perfect, but it is already making lives easier:) It is not set up for Shipping and any additional discounts, such as the tier- (like if you hit $250, you get 10% off) So, place your order and we will send you a final invoice.
* Mini Sessions are all booked and ready for me to assign time slots. I cannot believe I have not done that yet- on the LIST! I will also be putting final touches on the Holiday Cards (yay!)
* LOOKING FOR LOCATIONS IN SMYRNA!!!! FARM- SOMETHING!! THE RIVER PARK FLOODED AND I NEED LOCATIONS OUT THERE ANYWAYS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP IF YOU KNOW OF A PUBLIC OR PRIVATE PLACE FOR GREAT SCENERY- THANKS!
* I will be uploading all unordered galleries onto the Photocart Site. Please consider ordering soon bc I will be adding a 15% charge to the orders in the near future. Not to mention, the holidays are super busy and I would love to have them to you and Spring/summer wrapped up.
I am about to fall over- soooo tired! Good night!

Gorgeous Day...

What a wonderful day we had here in GA! The rain is gone and the cool breeziness of Fall is here- well, until we have a random heatwave some in. I have accomplished quite a bit today - very proud:) Tomorrow, I will try the same. I have no shoots tomorrow, so it is house cleaning and picture editing time!! And, now I am sitting at my computer listening to my 3 yr old, Morgan, rustle through his neglected toys at 10:39- as my eyes are crossing. Little guy had a catnap and he is wild! He'd better be settled by the time I get ready to hit the hay...
I have had some great shoots over the past couple of days. 1 of these shoots was FINALLY done after rescheduling 3 times! Weather, sickness and more weather. I am glad we are out of that pattern. Since I am so tired, minimal commentary!
( Bc I know you all come hear to listen to me ramble-right??)
First up, sniff, sniff, Andrew. A one year old graduate of my Baby Planner (not really in existence anymore) Andrew loved walking and was pretty tough when he tumbled. His blue eyes were rarely on me. he had better things to see and do! Well, I got ya kid:) I will miss the little guy- been doing his pics since he was fresh from the hospital!



Next up, a family that is new to me. Of course they have been on the books for awhile and after 3 reschedules, I was anxious to meet Miss Madeline. She is such a tiny, sweet 11 mo old. Mom and Dad warned me she was serious. Boy- was she hard to crack! But when she warmed up- awwwww! (ok, wait... most of you know that I love me some serious faces. I would have been cool either way!) We met at the Atl Botanical Gardens to find it closed (on a monday- I know!) So, we did pics at the entrance and I am sure you will recognise good ol' Piedmont Park. I love putting on entertaining shows for the homeless guys:) Surprised none of them came to help us get smiles!

Thought mom looked pretty here-

Oh- a SMILE!

OK, so I lied about the commentary. I am going to stop there and get in bed with my book. It is now 10:50 and Morgan just snuck in my room and is hiding under the covers. Enough is enough.... why is he so cute? Going to be mean mommy!

Adorable Kiddos...

I went to a visitation for a friend, who's brother was killed in Iraq. It so crazy when you really think about the fact that there are people over there that you know. It seems so surreal until it hits close to home. My heart goes out to K and her family. What a tragic loss. He was a handsome devil too!! So, here it is Friday. I have a live Barenaked Ladies Cd on. And I am trying to get as much work done as I can bf I grab a blue moon and watch my recorded, Bones! the, I have GOT to get in the garage bc we have a neighborhood yardsale tomorrow!!! Have I done anything? Um- of course not! What I did accomplish this week... took adorable pics of these 2:)
Caleb and Isabelle- 2 yrs and 3 months.



I had such a nice time! Now, gotta get back to my editing and orders! Have a great weekend

FOUND MY PHONE....

with my face bright red- IT WAS IN MY PURSE!

MY PHONE IS MISSING...

IF ANYONE WANTS TO CALL IT OVER AND OVER- FEEL FREE! I am going crazy with errands to run, computer work to do and having my kids out of school for the 3rd day!! i need my phone:) Enjoy the sunshine- while it lasts!

Blue Eyed Andrew...

In case you are out of state (or out of the country) and have not heard about our wonderful weather and conditions- let me update you. Hmmm.... when did it start raining? Um, forever ago! I think it was Sunday night that I sent a text to hubby, Scott, and told him that we need to build an ark and get the heck out. We should have! We should have hightailed it to FL or somewhere nice bc this state is a disaster! All of the creeks and rivers have flooded, leaving a mess. Our schools have been closed Mon and Tues and just found out that they will be again tomorrow! I guess I can be thankful that the worst I am dealing with is my kids at home all day and us having to boil our drinking water:) So... I was itching to hold my camera. I emailed Andrew's mom and said, "What about tonight?" It was sunny with barely any clouds. She said YES! We have rescheduled 3 times (pretty sure). Little guy will be 1 in 2 months. So, without further ado, here is 10 mo old, Andrew-
.


We had such a nice, easy shoot. I was revived:) My heart goes out to all that are having a hard time right now. I know that this will be a struggle for most bc insurance does not cover flood damage unless you have flood insurance:(

Newborns...

I have had a good many newborns lately. So sweet and tiny. I get my baby fix in and get on with my life:) I have to post quickly bc my kids are off the chain- at least they are in good moods and not in front of the tv!
Here is adorable, Mary Palin- I had such a nice time with this new family of 3. The pics turned out so pretty. Dream lighting in a highrise with floor to ceiling windows... ahhh...




Next, Lucas came to see me! We spent a couple of hours in my foyer with crazy weather- rain to shine to cloudy! He is so cute with his red tinted hair! Scott swore he looked like our Morgan when he was a newbie:) Although, Morgan had over 2 pounds on this little guy!!



There is a newborn workshop I want to attend in Tn in Feb. It is $2000- yikes! I feel like I can learn alot... pondering on that one...

Beaming With Pride...

My bff, Kelley, in Cookeville, TN sent me this link of her hubby on a local tv show. The own a casual, american bistro called Maddux Station. This place is their blood, sweat and tears! They have grown to be such a big part of their community and it makes me soo proud. The video is long, but the soup looks great (if you want to try at home!)

Here is their website-
http://www.madduxstation.com/
And might I add that the very talented, Sarah Dobbins of Tn did the amazing photos on the site. She really rocks! Here is her site: http://www.sarahdobbins.com/blog/
We have been having such a great weekend! I have gotten a good amt of work done and we have actually had a social life!!! AMAZING! We had dinner at Gabes on Thurs night with some friends and had some old friends over for dinner on Fri night. A miracle that Scott was off on a Fri night! It really sucks that I have had to cancel so many shoots. I am so disappointed:( Although, I am putting a pretty darn big dent in my editing. Maybe I can get ahead bf the Fall season really cranks up!!!
** JUST A REMINDER- THERE ARE MANY GALLERIES OUT PAST THE DEADLINE. PLEASE (PLEASE) GET YOUR ORDERS (AND PAYMENT) IN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU SOOO VERY MUCH:) :) **

Since it is a Rainy Day...

I indulged in a few minutes of web surfing:) For some reason, I ended up on Jeff Dollar from the Bert Show on Q100's Blog. I think he is a pretty funny guy, so I checked it out. I found this and it made me smile. What I would give to have Lily in a choir like this!!!

The Rest of the Fab 4...

We had such a neat time at this farm that belongs to the family of their fab babysitter! Such a beautiful place. Here are the rest of the kids' pics-
Oldest, Max, who has a serious side for the camera. You can just see the sweetness oozing from him no matter what face he makes!

Emily, who tends to show her silly side in front of the camera. I had to talk and talk to her to get the sweet side to come out- such a fun girl!

Jack, Wow! What do we all say about Jack? When you know him, he is almost angelic. Hehe- I know there are many of you laughing out there:) But, really, this kid has something about him. The other something is HILARIOUS! He has the best personality and keeps all on their toes:) This might even be a "fake" smile for him. But, I thought it was precious, so I had to post it.

Next up, darling Baby Finley. One of those babies that you can soak up all day. He is so tiny and sweet. This is the biggest smile he has ever given me from the 5 times I have photographed him, so I am excited!!

Here is one last one with the horses-