Sending Christmas Cards!

Hello there! I just wanted to send a little reminder that Christmas is only a few short months away. If you're interested in having family portraits taken and would also like to send the prettiest card, then you'll want to take advantage of this offer. Sessions will take place at the Courtyard Green in downtown Edenton. The lovely green that is right in front of the old Courthouse and is in view of the water complete with stone steps and old canons. It's really a beautiful site. I saw some leaves on the ground there yesterday, so by October 23rd there should be quite a collection of fall foliage. The session is only 20 minutes, enough time to get 10-12 images so that you can choose the perfect family portrait for your Christmas Cards. Some cards have the option of shoosing more than one picture. The collection of Christmas Cards are on my facebook page. I hope you'll join us. Share with your friends! Please call for your time slot today.

Inspired: Fashion Friday

HaPpY fRiDaY!

Today's Inspired palette was created from a lovely sunset in my front yard.

I am seeing alot of Gray, especially stone gray in stores and online. Since gray is a neutral, you can mix it with any other color. I am loving the apricot and peachy colors too. Hope this helps to inspire your wardrobe for your next photo session. Have a fabulous weekend.

i heart faces

This is probably one of my favorite photos of John. This was taken in Florida around 6ish in the evening. The sun was just beginning to set. The sky was still a beautiful blue as you can see in his eyes. No, that is not photoshopped in. My mom was holding him. You can also see her reflection in his eyes. I shot this photo a tad below him with the lens point up. I love to capture as many baby chub pictures that I can. I know those chubs won't last forever.
I am entering this pic in the iheartfaces photo challenge "A touch of sun". If you are a photographer, a hobbyist, or just love to take pictures of people, go check out their site.

Inspired: Fashion Friday

Putting together outfits for a session can sometimes be very stressful. It doesn't have to be though. Take some ideas from Inspired: Fashion Friday's color palettes.

I set up this still-life to photograph thinking of my friends in Georgia. After processing it with a warm autumn action, I was able to paint this lovely palette. Hope you enjoy these color combinations. They remind me of peach cobbler after its been taken out of the oven. Yum!

Giveaway at Confessions of a Homeschooler

Confessions of a Homeschooler is a blog that I've been following since this summer. I discovered that I'd be homeschooling my 4 year old when we moved to a new location in June '11 because we missed the registration deadline for the preschool we {my hubby & I} intended to send Julian to. Even though homeschooling was not something I anticipated on doing, I now feel that the Lord allowed this for several reasons. Since having our second son, John, I really struggled with the lack of time I was spending with Julian. I prayed for God to show me how to be a better mommy to him and to provide quality time that we could spend together. It has been a blessing for me to teach Julian the thorough curriculum that Erica provides through her blog. Most importantly though, I am blessed because God chose me to be Julian's mom, to teach him about Jesus. What greater blessing is there than to have the privilege to introduce your child to your Savior? I get goosebumps thinking about that visual.
We are on our fourth week of homeschooling. Julian loves doing "school work". One day this week, I was late in starting our day due to some extra chores around the house I couldn't let go of. I walked by the couch where Julian was sitting; he let out a deep sigh as he put his fist under his chin. "What's wrong Julian?", I asked.
"I'm ready to do some school work mommy." Julian stated with furrowed eyebrows. I laughed inside. The fact that only after 4 weeks of being at home with mommy to be homeschooled, he desires to learn.
Our morning routine is the boys' favorite. Even lil' John gets in on it. Julian knows the Pledge of Allegiance by heart now. He counts out the calendar date. Resights his Bible verse. He was just marching through the house this morning chanting,"I am the way and the truth and the life." It's amazing. If I were to send him off somewhere, another teacher would have the privilege of teaching him. Another teacher would have the opportunity to watch his delight as he discovers & masters new things. I want that privilege. I am very thankful that God saw fit to allow Julian to stay at home with me. And who knows, maybe this homeschooling thing...will be OUR thing.

P.S. I went off on my soapbox without announcing that there is a Giveaway on Erica's blog. Go check it out and enter!

More Cookies Please!

Milk & Cookies...yes, please!

Dino Cookies are perfect for a little boy's birthday party.

Pumpkin Cookies for the Fall Season.

You think about Fall without some football. Go Gators!

Amber at The Pink Panda has done it again! She sent me some more of her yummy cookies. Hope you've gone over to check her out. She is also on facebook, which is linked to her blog. So just click the highlighted link above. Thank you Amber. Love ya girl! xoxo

Remembering 9-11-01

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I was attending my Western Civilization class at a local community college. I walked into class, took out my folder, and waited for others to arrive and for class to start. A friend of mine walked in frantic while talking on the phone with her husband. "Did you hear? Did you hear? turn on the TV. The Twin Towers...a plane crashed into them." Our professor looked around the class, shook her head in disbelief, then quickly turned our classroom television set on. There it was. The news reports had worry painted on their faces and in their voices. The newsflash on the bottom with bold text streaming from left to right with the explanation of what had happened and what was still occurring. I remember thinking, praying: God help us! God help them!

Matthew 5:3,4 ~
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Inspired: Fashion Friday

I have a confession to make...I made this jar :)  How about a little "HONEY" to inspire your wardrobe for your next session. Fall is quickly coming upon us. I have some very beautiful palettes in the coming weeks to share. So stay tuned. If you are interested in having your next session with me, please check for available dates here. Thank you for stopping by.

Motivation for Monday

I love this little man. He is enjoying a cookie from The Pink Panda. These cookies are amazing. I highly recommend you order some for your next special occassion. Amber is so sweet and easy to work with. All her cookies are custom & homemade.
While we are on the subject of sweet things that taste good, I thought I'd bring up God's Word.

Psalm 34:8 ~ Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Proverbs 16:24 ~ Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

God's Word, the Holy Bible, is to act as food for our spirit. {I am speaking to myself here} I don't know about you, but when I don't spend time with God I tend to totally wreak of bad attitude and sour spirit. Being a busy mom, a football coach's wife, teacher, housekeeper, the lists of duties for all of us add up and then there is no time for reading anything. Even if we really do need it to uplift our day, the Bible just sits on the shelf or in the bag that we bring to church with us on Sundays. I think of the women in my life whom I know for a fact wake each morning purposefully to spend time with Jesus before they start their day. Me? I covet sleep. I want to get in as much sleep as I can because I am a sleep deprived woman. I will share a little Christian Mommy trick though. Devotions. They are short. They are sweet. They are a nibble of God's Word to tide me over until the next little nibble. One that I have used recently is Beth Moore's Audio CD. This is a compilation of excerpts from her various Bible Studies. I have listened to this many times recently in the car while the boys sit in the back watching The Wonder Pets :)  Since we live in the country now it takes about 20-30 minutes to get anywhere, so I get a little bit of God's Word and it is so meaningful for my day. Another one I loved using was an actual devotional magazine called Journey. This is a monthly magazine that you can subscribe to. It is filled with daily Scripture verses and a story by an author. It always touches me and I often find myself texting the verse to various people in my family or circle of friends because I want to share what I've just read. Journey also displays a pretty photograph on the front cover along with photos on the inside that are pleasing to look at. That's a bonus for me :)
Despite your busy day, week, life, you can still be filled with the goodness of God's Word. It's not the quantity of time, but the quality of time. The Lord knows you and all you have on your plate. He wants to help you with that plate. He wants to take the heaviness off of it so that it is light to carry. He will meet you right where you are; He will give you all that you need for the coming day. Be Blessed today Sweet Friend.

Holiday Cards {take one}

I thought I would leave you today with 2 new Christmas Card templates that I will be offering this Holiday Season. They are very traditionally styled cards; I love that about them. Both cards are 5x7 and have a front and a back design. More to come...

Inspired: Fashion Friday

Lately, I have been inspired by a few photographers who have offered their clients a little something extra. The Color Palette above is derived from a photograph I took of a still-life. If you plan to have your family photograph updated soon, I encourage you to think outside the box. Blue jeans and white shirts has been done. Black shirts with khaki pants has been done. Dare to be different. Don't be afraid of bright color, a bold accessory, a little umph (for the lack of a better word). I hope this Fashion Friday addition will inspire your wardrobe for your next session.
I absolutely love fall. It's my favorite time of year. The colors are beautiful. The air is crisp. The weather is cooler. If you're interested in having a session with me, please contact me asap. If you already know the date your whole family is free for a session, GREAT, click here to schedule. My Calendar is filling quickly. I have lots of fun unique products other than prints to offer for the Holidays. The Gift Giving Season is almost upon us.
Enjoy! There is more to come!