I had the great pleasure to meet little Emma today.

She was delicate, sweet, and very awake. She did take a couple little cat naps, but for the most part she had her twinkling little eyes open for the shoot.

I had so much fun chatting with her mom. It’s so fun to know there are other Jane Austen fans as crazy as me out there.

Thanks for a wonderful shoot and I hope you love your sneak peaks.

Two of these three poses she’s napping, can you guess which one she’s only blinking in? So glad my camera was ready. LOL

I love art. It doesn’t matter what the format is, I love it.

It probably goes back to my headaches with school. In all the classes I ever took, art class was the only one I ever felt like I really succeeded in. I love to read, but English involved grammar, spelling, and memorization (non of which I could ever quite master). Math, well is math. Nuf said.

So, when I moved to Marion I searched out the local Art center. I joined as a member and love the people there. It’s a lot of creative minds just kind of jumbled in one location. SOOOO much fun.

This last Saturday we had a fun little event put on to help save the roof on the centre. The idea was to paint 100 faces in one day for $100 each to raise the $10,000 needed for the roof. We didn’t quite meet our goal, but we chugged on like artists do and came to paint, whether it was a commissioned piece or just a painting from home. Although we did not meet our goal, it was still a very successful day of painting, friends, and… food (there’s always yummy food at these things).

Here’s some pictures from the day.

Something is changing. I can feel it right in my bones. The air. The trees. The grass. The sky.

I feel fall. It’s still warm outside, but the way the wind is blowing, the tips of the trees that are showing a hint of color, all make me open my arms wide and welcome it in.

Fall, Autumn, whatever your name. You are welcome. Come quickly, stay for awhile. Bring us vibrant color and cozy sweaters. Bring on the PUMPKINS! WOOO HOOO!

The day was hot.. really, it was crazy hot. So we decided to shoot the C family in their own home. They graciously let me move their furniture around and totally take over their living room, but the results were worth it. The girls were ready to strike a pose, and well T {their teenage son} was just a little more resistant. Over all the family did a great job making it work, making it fun, and making it gorgeous.

I love: families that laugh, families that smile, families that remember it’s memories never to be forgotten.

Here are some of the shots from their indoor session. All of these are shot with natural light from their windows.

This these two pictures totally pull at my heart strings and make me break out in a HUGE smile.

The C family has some serious modeling potential. LOL

Last, who doesn’t love  a little love? Ya know?

As a photographer I look for inspiration everywhere. Some of my favorite places to watch are catalogs. Clothes are not only for wearing, but they can determine whether a shoot should be urban, or country, or posh. I love catalogs that shoot their products in a natural setting. It keeps things fresh, and shows how their clothes relate to real life.

One of my favorite catalogs by far is by a company named  Tea. A unique company to be sure, they travel the world looking for inspiration. Last season they went to the orient, this season it’s Hungary. {If I had a little girl she would be so decked out in this stuff.}

These are really great for showing how to coordinate without being to matchy. Check out there website for even more coordinating ideas.

My LM (little man) had a great day at Kindergarten today and learned a new word.

“Mom my chicken nuggets were a little bit funky tasting”.
Then it was his new friends “Mom I met a boy with big eyes and a funky smile”.

I hope his new friends can appreciate his new vocabulary. I personally love all the funk in the air.

I think I have a little bit of a funky side, and so does he.

When I opened the door this morning I had something sparkly catch my eye. Upon further investigation I found this perfectly spun circle shimmering in one of this mornings rays.
I ran inside grabbed my camera and snap it’s now saved forever. A circle in time that will no longer be there tomorrow. But will forever grace my blog. Have a great day! Kind of looks like a record, don’t you think?

Sometimes it’s hard to be you. Ya know? Especially when others want you to be like them, or you think you should be like them, or your friends… you get the point.  Well I just have to say to all the girls out there trying to get to their inner coolness, just take a look at this sporty, smart, quiet (yes, quiet is a virtue – I know because I struggle with achieving it) young lady. You are beautiful too. Look in the mirror, love what you see. It’s as simple as that.

I had a great time working with Miranda, it was probably one of the coolest mini shoots I’ve ever done. She was so ready to rock it that we just rolled with each shot and BAM we were finished.

Here’s just a few shots of her short and sassy shoot.

Natural beauty? Umm… yeah.

I’ve never seen anyone rock braces the way she does. So pretty.

I knew from the first pictures I saw on Facebook that these two were in love. I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to take their “unofficial” {the ring is coming} engagement pictures.

We started off with a fun little drive over to Walkers Bluff {except for my little detours..he,he – OK, it really wasn’t my fault, there used to be a sign at the turn off and someone took it down, besides I really needed to let Abbey see the beautiful Southern Illinois scenery}. The sky was cloudy, which gave us perfect light for shooting anywhere. LOVE THAT.

When we first pulled up to the gazebo area I noticed there were sheep on the hillside by the vineyard. I thought, “THAT IS SOO COOL!” until about 50 shots in I realized they weren’t moving… wait for it… yes, they were FAKE! We laughed so hard, it was a nice icebreaker for the shoot.

Here are some sneak peaks of Abbey and Kyle beautifying the countryside with their impeccable style. Yes.. those dots in the background are the infamous sheep… baaaaaa. Enjoy.

I love these two photos. The colors remind me of a Fairy Tale and they are the Happily Ever After.

Seriously? They rocked it. Abbey, girl you have got fabulous taste. I love your boots!

Did I see a GQ photographer behind that tree?? Kyle, you are one cutie patootie! Abbey is a lucky girl. ;D

So sweet, so in love.

Last a picture to give you a lil sample of the silliness between these two. Laughter is a great compliment to love.

Yesterday was rough, I’m not kiddin’ you.

My little man (LM) had a bit of trouble in Kindergarten with fists and tantrums erupting. My head said ” hold him and cry with him” as the teacher described my little angel as the devil bully. However, my mommy instincts said “be firm, be loving, he’ll understand”. So I listened to my mommy voice and told LM that his teacher and I worked as a team. We wanted him to learn, and be happy, and be kind. I took away his TV priviledges, listened to the ensuing tearful breakdown and gave him a big hug to remind him that I still, and always will love him.
When we got home he accepted his fate and played with his toys, and yes I even spotted a smile here and there.

This morning I made him a special PB&J heart sandwich. I told him that it’s to let him know I love him. LM looked at me and said “I don’t need that sandwich to know you love me mom.” *sigh* With big hugs and kisses I sent him off this morning to be a kinder, gentler little man. I just pray he has a good day.