July 27, 2008

Don't Put Dry Beans In The Microwave!

So, before we left for Atlanta my son told me that him and his buddy were going to put the dry beans from Vacation Bible School in our microwave for a "science project" at their sleepover we were hosting. I had told him that that would not be a good idea and that the microwave could BLOW UP. :) While I stepped out to run an errand and my husband stepped outside to wash the patio, the two scoundrels decided to try out their "science project". When my husband walked in the house a few minutes later...the entire house smelled of smoke, the microwave quit working and the two boys scattered from the microwave as soon as dad walked in. Hmmmm...we continued to let them have their sleepover but told Sloan that punishment would start the next day. Let me be clear on this part...the punishment was for not listening NOT for blowing up the microwave. We took ALL his toys out of his playroom and he had to earn them back one by one by completing chores. Now in the midst of all this hubb-ub (is that a word?) I decided while the playroom was empty I was going to paint it. We have been in this house for 6 years and I've been wanting to make that room super cute but it's just remained a rat hole filled with endless toys since we moved in. So, it's been an on going project for a few weeks but I finally finished it yesterday. Now, Sloanie wants to sleep in there b/c he loves it so much! In the end, all good came from the whole situation. Here's a few shots of the playroom empty before the painting started.




So, then it turned into a family affair and nearly a divorce when LeRoy helped paint the arch way over the steps. Lord, please forgive the insanity that happened at that point! Ha! I won't repeat all the profanity that happened during this time. And, Sloan helped out (not by choice) by vaccuuming the baseboards.







Finally, the finished product AND the whole family is happy again. By the way, the microwave didn't blow up thanks to the auto switch off built into the microwave. The moral to this story is don't put dry beans in the microwave unless you want to remodel your playroom!





July 16, 2008

I'm heading to Hotlanta!

We're off of on yet another 14 hour roadtrip...it seems to be the theme this summer. We've got a wedding in Atlanta and it's going to be fun to see some new territory driving East. I'll be back in the office on Thursday, July 24th and returning all calls and email then. Vroooom!

Bea turns 2!

I photographed Cicily Bea during her 1st birthday party last year and it's hard to believe an entire year has zipped by. We had a fun, casual shoot at their home where little bit felt very comfortable. We even managed to get a few with her favorite lovies right now...Mr. Peeps, Bunny and oh, we can't forget Pink Kitty. How cute are the ones of the entire family? Love them.





July 12, 2008

The Ullmanns

A few weeks ago I photographed the Ullmans at their beautiful home they've built themselves on the shores of one of the local lakes here in Austin. They have done an amazing job and put lots of labor of love into their new home. We had a great time photographing in all the different places on their property and I love the shots where their cat decided to join us...classic!





July 11, 2008

Wedding Photography Summer Special



So, I don't concentrate the majority of my business on shooting weddings like I used to but I still enjoy capturing the emotions and details about one's wedding day. I thought I would run a small summer special and see if anyone out there is interested in little ol' me to photograph their wedding. My "Veils Package" consists of 6 hours wedding day coverage, 500 4x6 prints in a custom photo box and 3 months online viewing and is normally priced at $2700 HOWEVER for the summer special I'm offering all that for $1500! What's the catch you ask? Well, I have 3 openings left for 2008 weddings only and this special expires this Wednesday, July 16th at 5:00pm. Spread the word to any of your friends or loved ones who may be getting married and let them know about this fabulous deal.

July 9, 2008

Family Fun on the 4th

Just a few shots from the 4th.
Giddy up!




Baby Brynley

How adorable is this little chica? I had a great time photographing her and her parents at the park last week. She's a busy bee at 18 months old and kept me on my toes running around the park. Luckily, we found some really sweet kids that let her play with their buckets and those managed to slow her down for awhile.






July 4, 2008

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone has a great Independence Day. We actually celebrated Brazilian style last night with my friend Tammy whose boyfriend is from Brazil. It was a fun party with lots of yummy food, good fireworks, swimming, dancing and goofy outfits! Today, we're off to good ole' Bastrop to celebrate the day with Grammy with more yummy BBQ and fireworks.

July 3, 2008

All About the Beachball

Last week I photographed the Anderson family and they have the 2 cutest little boys (almost as cute as mine). Ha! I happened to take my son's beach ball thinking that maybe it would occupy the boys in some shots. Boy, did it! Their little one, Kash, was loving that beach ball. It was the ultimate soccer ball that he could kick out of the ball park! I ended up incorporating the beach ball into a few shots and thought they turned out super cute.






July 1, 2008

When it rains, it pours.

Have you ever noticed how life has it's "Up" cycles and it's "Down" cycles. Well, I have to tell you that this past month has been in the crapper to say the least. It all started on our trip to Mexico last month which we had a great time until the last morning we were there. My husband choked on his tortilla at breakfast. He couldn't clear it, he said I screamed, the whole restaurant went silent and I had to perform the Heimlech maneuvre on him. It was the most terrifying experience to watch my husband helpless and unable to breathe. Gosh, I'm getting emotional just thinking about it again. The man sitting right behind me came to my rescue and moved me out of the way and continued to perform the Heimlech on Leroy. He was an angel sent from God. I have no idea what this man looks like...and then shortly after we thanked him...he was gone.

Shortly after we returned home, I got a ticket for running a stop sign. What the *&$#? No, I didn't run the stop sign.

Then, my husband get's sent to the ER in North Dakota and gets diagnosed with Diabetes. That's a life changer for the whole family!

Two weeks ago, we were leaving for our trip back to Missouri and the upstairs air conditioner goes out right before we left. Luckily, we were able to get it fixed while we were away (cha-ching).

Well upon our return home, we were welcomed home to an 85 degree house...the downstairs AC went out while we were away (cha-ching). Oh, it gets better...I went to wash a blanket that my cat had pee'd and pooped on because he got locked out of his kitty box by the neighbor checking on him and I broke the washing machine b/c the blanket was too heavy (cha-ching-ching)!

AND, yesterday morning we ended up back at the ER because Leroy ended up having 3 kidney stones (ching-ching-bada-bing)!

So, what's the moral of all this complaining you ask? Knowing that this rut will eventually end (hopefully sooner than later), I came across this homeless guy while on my way to a shoot.


I had to laugh because God really does have a sense of humor. I know that that was His way of telling me that, "You think you have it bad, sister? Need I remind you how blessed you really are." I got the message loud and clear and chuckled to myself.