Merry Christmas

Wishing you & your family a very Merry Christmas.

Blessings & prayers for a grand new year.

Hoping to get back to regularity soon. Thank you for sticking around while life has spun round & round!

A late sneak - Mt Shasta Roller Derby

I'm back with that sneak peek from the other day. I had the opportunity again to go out & hang out with Mount Shasta Roller Derby. We did a new group shot as well as some individual shots this time. I can't believe that since I first visited with them in October how much they've grown & expanded; I'm sure I'll be back to hang with them soon, as there were a couple of ladies missing for photos.

They're an amazing group of women (and some guys that hang too) that meet several times a week, roller skating and polishing up their skills.

Here's a little info about this awesome, talented & kick booty team.

------Introducing the first ever Skater-Owned, Womens Flat Track Roller Derby team right here in our hometown of Mt. Shasta, CA where we rock AND roll. We welcome anyone to come check us out and see what the hype is all about .. No dues or fees necessary. Put your game face on and show us what ya got !!! See ya on the track baby ♥-------

If you want more info or you're interested in having a great time & joining in on the fun check them out!!!

www.mountshastamightyrollers.webs.com

Thank you ladies (& gents) for having me out to photograph you, can't wait to see some more action from you!!

December....and the countdown begins

Wow! This year has really just whizzed right by. I can't believe that it's December, we started our Christmas countdown calendar today & although we haven't actually done the activity yet, we will be making some paper & glitter snowflakes a little later this evening.

I was visiting Darcy Baldwin's (she's an awesome fontographer & designs some other fun digi-stuff) blog this morning & thought this was a fun way to kick off December on my blog. I'm going to attempt to have a post everyday of this month, to go along with the 'Countdown to Christmas & December album/family journal' that I'll be working on for our family.

So without any further blabbing from me....

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate, definitely, espeically if its topped with some peppermint & whipped cream. If you know me at all, you'll know that me & eggs don't see eye-to-eye...in fact I think they're pretty gross, so just the thought of this makes me gag a little. ;)

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Our Santa does both & he fills the stockings, usually with little wrapped gifts as well. But he uses different wrapping paper than Mom & Dad.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? It just depends, we switch it up from year to year for the tree, sometimes we've go with colored & a hodge-podgy look, sometimes I like the 'classical' look of the white lights with coordinating ornaments. The outside, often looks like Clark Griswold was here decorating, but he used colored lights, big ones, little ones & lots & lots of them.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Sometimes, depends on if there is a girl/boy scout group selling it when we go into town. We don't go cut it or make a special trip for it. But it's a fun little thing to have around. I try to hang it near a doorway or somewhere that we stop often, it's not just mistletoe though, I try to 'spruce it up a bit & turn it into a decoration.

5. When do you put your decorations up? It begins the day after Thanksgiving, little things here & there. We go all out the day we get the tree, usually the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend. More little things will pop-up throughout the month though as we create & craft with the kids.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Everything tastes better during the holidays. My most favorite is a pink salad that my Granny would make special for me. Raspberry jello, cottage cheese, pineapple, cool whip. Ham. Sweet potato casserole stuff, with crunchy yummy pecans & brown sugar.

7. Favorite Christmas memory as a child? Singing Christmas carols with my sister, in our bedroom around our tiny tree & making our own 'music videos'.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was a kid....it was long ago, & I don't even remember, but if you don't believe in his magic, you don't get visited by him either. ;)

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We usually have multiple Christmas celebrations, like 3 or 4, one of them normally falls on Christmas eve, so we do open gifts then too.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With lights & balls & a combination of homemade & other sentimental ornaments. We don't do the fluffy garland or tinsel, but sometimes strings of beads.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love & loathe. Love watching it fall & seeing its softly scattered among the trees. Love that I can choose to go out in it or stay in warm & snuggly. Loathe the need to go out in it for un-fun things like running errands with the kids or driving in it.

12. Can you ice skate? Never tried.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? There was a favorite every year. One year my sister & I got special dolls from some very dear friends, hers lit up & was pink, mine had awesome long blonde hair that changed colors with water. One year we got a play kitchen. One year we each got $100 bill tucked into a jewelry box that we could do what we wanted with, I spent most of mine on crafting things, I still have some of the beads I bought then.

14. What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you? Teaching our children that it's a season for love & giving, and being surrounded by family. Celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus.

15. What is your favorite Christmas Dessert? Christmas cookies. All of them. & cheesecake.

16. What is your favorite Christmas tradition? Driving around looking at Christmas lights. Baking & candy making day. Decorating the tree. Hopefully we'll have some new traditions after this year, one of them being our 'Family countdown calendar'.

17. What tops your tree? An angel.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving. Creating & crafting special homemade gifts for all of the people we hold near & dear.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? There are several, way too many to name (dispite my sweet hubbys general dislike of Christmas music--or the overplaying from Thanksgiving through Christmas). Go Tell it on the Mountain. Away in a Manger. O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Santa looked a lot like Daddy.

20. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? Delicious!

21 Favorite Christmas Show? The Grinch (the animated version). National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Annabelle's Wish.

22. Saddest Christmas Song? Christmas Shoes by NewSong.

23. What’s your Wish for Christmas. That our lives & the lives of those we love be touched with love & their hearts be filled with joy. & that over the next year we can try to be as thoughtful everyday as we are throughout the Christmas season.

Family Portraits in Eugene, OR -- Sneak Peek

The weekend of the 2oth we took a little trip up to Eugene, OR to visit my sister & her family. It wasn't just to visit, it was also to take their family portraits for this year. We ventured over to the University of Oregon campus, which is the sole reason why they moved away from here. My brother-in-law is attending UO. They love the campus & how gorgeous it is & really wanted their portraits done there for this year.

Here are a few different images than the ones posted to Facebook. If you're not a fan, come join me here. I had a very special Black Friday offer up, & although it did expire on 11/26 at midnight, if you would like purchase one of the items from the BF Sale, mention that you read it on the blog & you can take advantage of the special rate until 11/30.

Thanks for a great weekend, can't wait to see you at Christmas. ♥

Family Portraits-Sneak Peek

I am so blessed to have amazing clients. Year after year I feel honored to be asked to photograph families that I have shot in years past. I realize that this peek is a bit later than I would normally post, so to make up for it, I chose 4 different images than the ones I've already peeked on Facebook (if you're not a fan, you should be ). I am excited to show you some of my most wonderful clients, whom I'm also proud to call friends.

B Family, you are wonderful. ♥ Thank you again for another beautiful session, can't wait for you to see the entire batch. :)

Family Portraits

I am so blessed to have such wonderful clients, year after year I get to photograph families & get to know them & watch them grow.
I can remember when these kids were much, much smaller. They've grown into such good little big people. Waking up to a sky & ground full of fog had me a little worried first thing Thursday morning, but at picture time, everything had cleared up & it was a beautiful brisk fall day.

Thank you for having me out to photograph your family this year.

Wordless Wednesday

He's a growing boy {Sneak Peek}

Okay, so it's not technically a sneak peek for me, but for the rest of the world. My hubby got off early yesterday & the weather was somewhat decent, and by this I mean, partly sunny & slightly breezie & cool, so I had this fabulous idea that we would take Brody's official 6 month portraits.

Momma's little cowboy!

Except he's almost 7 months now, but whatever it works. Did you know that photographing your own children is almost like herding cats into a swimming hole?! Nearly impossible without some sort of frustration, bribery, maybe a tear or two. Lets just say I'm not really looking forward to attempting our family portraits in a month of so.

We did it, they are done & oh, my, goodness, could this little boy be ANY cuter?!? Not to mention so happy (although he doesn't look all that happy here, he's completely happy, content & mellow), which is a huge blessing considering the girls use up all my whiney, fighting, crying, complaining, drama nerves.

This next photo was actually one of the first, before Grace decided that she'd rather stand in the wagon, & then run away. Originally they were sitting in the wagon, all together, cute like, but NO, not going to have it like that!!

And this quite possibly could be one of my favorite portraits. He's just so sweet.

Hopefully I'll be back on Sunday evening with some Scraps & more some more photos.

2010 Holiday Session Special

It's now time to book your holiday session. Hold a regular on-location session between October 15th & November 15th for the special price of $100.00.* or a mini-session for only $75.00. Discounted price does not include on-location studio-set up sessions.

2010 Holiday Session Collections*
$225 -- full on-location session, 25 custom 5x7 greeting cards, (2) 8x10, (4) 5x7 (30) Wallets
$150 -- full session, 25 4x8 photo cards, 8x10
$80 -- mini-session (20 minutes), 25 4x8 photo cards

Holiday Print Collections (prints only)*
Gingerbread Cookies: $50.00
Wonderful Winter: $80.00

Greeting Cards*
(25) 4x8 photo cards -- $30.00
(25) 5x7 Greeting cards -- $50.00
(25) 5x5 Accordian Fold Cards -- $60.00

There will be a full Holiday Price List available after the weekend, or for more information email me.

Purchase the gift of portraits for someone you love this year. For a limited time you may purchase a gift certificate to lock in these special rates all year long.

There are also other specials that I will be revealing in the next week or so.. Check back soon.


*all prices subject to CA sales tax, which is not included in this price.

Sneak Peek {Toddler, Baby, Family Photography}

It's a beautiful day for a sneak peek!

Yesterday I was in Photographer heaven, I got to take photos of not 1, not, 2, but 3 cute kiddos (and their parents too).

First I made a little visit to catch up with Miss M, I can't believe she's already going to be 3, that means I've been taking her portraits for 2 1/2 years.

She's such a pretty little girl, with a bit of a wild streak. I had lots of fun with her & her little brother today, who's on the move as well.

We visited a bunch of different spots in the backyard for variety & fun. Mr E is a pretty tough trooper, I couldn't crawl across those rocks, but he made it look easy!!

After spending some time in the 'forests' with Miss M & Mr E, watching them just be kids & run/crawl about I got to photograph 8 month old Mr. K--Oh my gosh, can you say cute! My whole day was spent with cute, cute kids.

Don't you just want to reach out and pinch those cute little cheeks?!?!


Although he's not exactly smiling here, he was really happy & a great little guy.

He really liked the shiny reflector...for a few seconds at a time.

Thanks to both beautiful families for allowing me to photograph & capture memories & moments for you yesterday. I am so thankful for such wonderful friends & clients.

I'll be contacting you soon with your images.

It's a Birthday

I had the privilege this weekend to capture some memories at a very special birthday party.
The party was a casual affair in the back yard celebrating with family from near and far. Normally the weather here in late August is fairly warm, probably still in the 90's, however Saturday, I'm pretty sure the high was barely 71. It was the coldest day I ever remember in August. It was chilly out there, but everyone was in great spirits & produced wonderful smiles.

Thank you for having me out to photograph your event. I will be in contact with you soon with more images for you to view.

I've Fallen Behind

Well, iFailed.

My goal for a post a month this month, just isn't going to happen. But you can take advantage of this. Reserve a session by the end of this weekend (session must take place in September) & take 31% off your session fee!!!

Come back tomorrow for a little peek at what I've been up to.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Hugs!

Now Booking

Just a few quick reminders & a couple notes.

Class of 2011: Book your Senior session soon to receive a special discount.

To celebrate your year-- I am discounting The Basics, senior session collection until Friday August 27th. 20% off and receive 11 of the Designer Wallets free!

You must book your session during the month of August or September to receive the discount. * E-mail me for full details!.

BLOG ONLY SPECIAL***1st 3 people to book the Top of the Class Senior Session Collection will receive a $200 discount!!!***

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I seriously have some of the BEST clients ever. It's not even September & I'm booking sessions for Christmas/Holiday portraits.

Holiday Schedule: In order to guarantee your portraits for holiday cards you need to book a session prior to December 11th.

Appointments after 12/11/10 that need prints/products by Christmas will incur a rush fee of $25

Whoops

Darn weekends really mess up my blogging streak.

I will play catch up today (it's a recurring theme around here!)

Enjoy your Tuesday morning. I definitely am, although not real thrilled about being up at 6:30, it's nice to start the day with a little quiet time.

Wordless Wednesday