Fog, fog & fog some more

That's about all we've seen since Monday. Fog, fog & more fog. At least at our house, but if we drove into town, we might see some sun. Besides fog the only thing we've seen is frost...lots of frost.
Every rose has a thorn....a thorn of frost that is.

This is how much frost we had yesterday 1/6/2011

This is the amount of frost we had today, 1/7/2011.

Don't let the fog & frost hold you back. Schedule you portrait session with me, for sometime in January for only $75.00 *

*e-mail me for more details on that special offer.

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Anna's attack of the middle sister wound. As she was laying on the couch, just minding her own business watching cartoons, her loving little sister, walked up with a sippy cup & threw it at her head.

This is the loving little sister.

Daddy & his little clone.

Wordless Wednesday

Baby's bath time edition, in B&W:

Some artsy-ish stuff

Although I haven't actually committed to P365 or any other photo projects this year. I have chosen a word to represent all that I want from this year. A word to reflect & focus on. While the idea isn't my own (thanks Ali Edwards & others in the scrapping community that have had discussions on this) it's very thought provoking. I've spent the last few days & maybe even a week going through old magazines & tearing out things that inspire me or I want learn more about, do, etc. It's all part of my words process & I'm sure my husband thinks I've lost my marbles (or maybe he thinks that I'm FINALLY cutting down on some clutter).

So for 2011, my focus is GROWTH.

It encompasses many things, but since this is a blog where I share my photography & sometimes my life; my hope for 2011 is that you all get to watch my photography grow & become more of me.
The last couple of days I've made a conscience effort to take some artsy type photos &/or work on my technical skills. The images in this post are a few that I love from my efforts yesterday.

Brody got stuck inside with me yesterday (trying to get over croup) while hubby & the girls' played outside so he became my little subject. I may be looking through mommy goggles, but there's so much about this little portrait that I love. From those super long eyelashes to the tiny little fingers.

Please ignore the completely dirty window which is behind these gorgeous flowers. Which are the exact same flowers, in the exact same spot as the next image.

I really, really like this photograph. I may even print it large & hang it above my desk, someday soon, as I'm in the process of redecorating our house, from the kids' rooms & moving all my photo displays around to different walls, everything is changing & growing.

1st Monday of 2011

Well, it's the 1st Monday of the year 2011!

What a better way to start the day than to get a face lift, or at least a blog lift & a few other tips & tucks. I thought it was time for a new, updated look around here, another one of those growth changes that I'm planning for this new year.

I hope that 2011 has started out well for you all. Ours started with snow, which meant hubby got to go into work, YAY. It left me & the kiddos to do the morning feeding & then we played in the snow for a bit. I was able to get some photographs that I really love on Saturday morning.

These are some of my favorites:

This is probably one of my most favorites, I've been in a photo-rut & not ventured outside of the normal, what I do everyday style. I LOVE this. I'm calling it "Snow Blooms"

Have a great Monday!

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.