Another Bachelor Finally Married!

OK, we got an invitation in the mail in the middle of June for a surprise wedding reception and was shocked to see the groom was our friend Branden! He has been a friend of the knight's forever and I have known him for a while (I dated him before I met the knight)! Crazy I know but we have been friends for a while now!

Anyway, Saturday evening we gathered to surprise Branden and his beautiful bride (we honestly thought he would never get married)! They were truly surprised! We had a nice dinner with them and then we left so the party could really get underway! We had the diva with us so we were home by 8:00 or so. She will share more pictures with you tomorrow!

I ♥ Faces Week 25, Wedding Bells

I have not gotten many wedding shots yet! My busy wedding season is just about to kick off so I had to dig for this gem! This was taken at a 20 Year Wedding Reaffirmation Ceremony and these lovelies were the attendants who helped make the day possible. Happy jumper, second from the right is actually my great niece and it was here mom and dad who were the bride and groom! It was a beautiful ceremony and I cried more this time than I did when they first got married 20 years ago!

Now hop on over to I ♥ Faces and check out the other great entries!

I Know What I Said!! But............

I just had to share! We had a great shoot last night and I got up early, not by choice and decided to put this shoot to bed so I could enjoy the rest of my weekend without this hanging over my head! Besides, I was excited to see the finished product and so was my client! There were, after all, the first professional shots the little one had taken! Enjoy!

Bank With Cryo- Cell

Are you or someone you know expecting? Have you been thinking about banking your baby's cord blood?

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Taking Picture and A Break!

I think the title says it all today! I took some photos this afternoon of this cute little guy and tonight we are adding mom, dad and a motorcycle into the mix! So I have a lot to keep me busy and I really need a small blog break! Never fear, I will be back to normal on Monday! Ha! OK, as normal as I can be! If you need me, my camera and I will be out and about enjoying the sunshine!

In the meantime, enjoy these shots of a handsome 8 week old! See ya Monday!

Friday Flashback

The moody teen & the diva being fish!

Wow, taking the diva to the pool has brought back some memories of me taking a then two year old moody teen to the pool! He adored the water, still does! I remember chasing him around the baby pool when it was time to go home! He would run one way and then dodge me as I went the other! It usually ended when the life guards, whom we had come to know very well, would help me wrangle him! He would kick and scream the whole way out!!

Fast forward 14 years and the moody teen and I are chasing the diva to leave! Like her brother, kicking and screaming the whole way until I promise her that we will come back again! She adores the pool and I am happy to take her because I want her to have the great summers that I experienced growing up! My mom always made sure we had pool passes and there were trips to Rockome Gardens and Six Flags and Voorhies Castle!

Yup, I have some great memories and I hope to give my kids some great memories that they can pass on to their families! I wish everyone could have those great family moments, but it took me getting married to someone who was raised very different from me to realize that is not always the case and we don't always see eye to eye on those family moments that I hold dear! The solution, do it anyway, with or without him! My kids are GOING TO HAVE those memories with me because I think it is important that I invest my time in my kids!

Are you investing your time in your kids? What are some of the fun things you like to do together? Now, go make some memories and don't forget to take pictures!

Summer Fun!!

Under the mushroom with bubba!

Playing with my toys!

Just a really cool shot!
I LOVE water!

Does this not look like a ton of fun? Well, it was! We love the pool and have so much fun while we are there! The diva has been in the water since she was 5 months old and has no fear what so ever! I have to keep a close eye on her or she would be on the diving board! Ha!

Today's photos were taken on a...........point and shoot, gasp! I know, right? Yup, I said a point and shoot! So to all you point and shooters out there, see what can be done with any camera!! My new camera is a Canon (gasp again, I know I am a Nikon DSLR girl) and I love it! Not to mention that it is the prettiest color of hot pink! OK here is the model number in case you want one too: Canon Power Shot SD 1200 IS digital ELPH and it is 10 MP! It is always with me in whatever bag I happen to be carrying since I never want to miss a shot! The SLR is wonderful but tough to lug everywhere so the little Canon fits the bill perfectly!! Did I mention that it is hot pink? Sorry, I just love pink (it has a pink case too, sold seperately)!

OK enough, now go take some cool photos to share with everyone!

The Diva Reviews Piggy Paint

I love to have mommy paint my toenails! I especially love bright pink piggies! The other day we got a package that had some pretty blue polish with a pig on it, mommy said it was from piggypaint.com and that we were going to try it out and then write about it here on the blog! Cool for me since I love painted nails!

First mommy took my old polish off with the Piggy Paint Polish Remover and I really didn't mind because it did not smell bad like the stuff she uses. Well she actually said it was "natural as mud" and it is non-toxic, odorless and kid-friendly! Perfect for me!

Piggy Paint is water-based, environmentally friendly and made right here in the United States of America! Mommy says that these are very important things but I just like all the bright colors that I know mommy will order for me at piggypaint.com!

OK, so here is the best part for you: a 15% discount and your chance to win a $20 gift code to piggypaint.com! I wish I could win but since I am the Tiniest Editor for Sited and Blogged I am not allowed but I am telling you that the job has lots of perks! First, the discount code is: CONTEST15L and is good at piggypaint.com until August 15, 2009. Now for the free part, just go on over to The Contest Hub after you visit piggypaint.com and leave a comment as to what you would use the $20 gift code for! Make sure that you leave us a way to contact you! The contest will run through July 6, 2009 when the winner will be chosen by random.org!

Wow, that was a lot for my 2 year old brain to spit out but everyone always tells me how smart I am and I guess they are right! Now, you be smart and go to piggypaint.com and then to The Contest Hub to enter to win!

Love,
The Diva

Princesses, Competion & Little Stalkers!

Little did I know that when I showed up to shoot a 90th birthday party I would be stalked buy the cutest future photographer!! Ha! She grabbed her folks camera and followed me around and even caught me taking a photo of her!!

This party was a multi-generational shoot where the generation gap was more of a canyon than a gap! The youngest great granddaughter was three and the guest of honor was turning 90 on Sunday!

I love this shot because the tiny princess in from is very independent and she decided not to jump so the camera focused on her while her sisters and cousins are out of focus! I am going to play with this photo some more and will share the result with you later!


I know this was a 90th birthday but the girls kept calling me to take their pictures and I obliged! Now before you get carried away, I did my job shooting almost 300 photos of the rest of the family and the guest of honor! You can click here if you don't believe me!

I ♥ Faces Week 24, Let's Hear It For They Boys!

This is one of those moments that just happen! This little guy was making lots of faces at me during his baby dedication and this is one of my favorites!




Here is a shot of the knight during a recent bubble evening with the diva! She loved the bubbles and I love the funny faces I was able to capture while he was entertaining her! Now hop on over to I ♥ Faces to see all the other great entries that pay tribute to our guys!

Papa & the Grand Kids & I ♥ Faces

It is not often the grand kids are all together because one lives in Florida but he is home on a visit so we got a rare photo op! The two teens were not really prepared for this and the diva had to be roused from her nap to get the shot but it worked!


My photo from last week made the I ♥ Faces collage! Third row, farthest to the right! Yup, that kissing couple is mine! Pretty cool, huh? My self portrait made it a couple of weeks ago!

Silent Sunday says Happy Father's Day!

This is one of my favorite photos of the diva and the knight! OK, she was only 4 months old here are we are in desperate need of a new family photo! There is one coming soon I promise! A photog friend and I are getting our broods together and I will do their photos and he will do ours as an even trade! Pretty cool!

The photo above was taken by my friend Jana who is a wonderful photographer!


This is one of my favorites that I captured! Come back tomorrow to see another photo of the knight playing with bubbles!

Happy Father's Day to all you dads! I hope you have a great day! We are off to spend the afternoon with the knight's dad!

Troubled Skies

This was the view from my driveway last night as round one was passing over our fair city! Yes, there was a small break in the rain where I felt comfortable somewhat OK taking my camera out! Funny thing is, it was raining in the street but not on my driveway! I was not totally safe because the lightening show was still going strong and I was scared peeing my pants when a strike was close enough that I felt it!! Needless to say I went ran for my life back to the safety of the house! Ha!

I ♥ Faces Fix-it Friday #17

I always have fun with this! I like to see what everyone else does and I just like to play. Here are my ideas for this week! What a cutie for a model, makes the job that much more fun!

Here is the original.

Here is my first fix (in LR2). I just brightened the photo and then used a Holga and Kodachrome preset to "shine" the light on our little beauty!

Next I added another preset in LR2 called Pink only! I love this preset and use it frequently! I have several that highlight other colors also!
Now off you go to I ♥ Faces to join in the fun and check out some other great fixes!

Lookin' At The Sky

Lately, I have noticed some really cool clouds and have been trying to capture them! This was taken on Tuesday, when it looked like it could storm but nothing ever materialized! We are keeping an eye to the sky today because there is a big possibility that we could get some strong storms later!

I am in preparation for a shoot I have tomorrow over close to EIU. I will be working a 90th birthday party and doing family photos of this gentleman, his kids, grand daughters and great grand daughters who will all be in one spot for the first time in a long time! I have known this family for a while so it should be a fun day! I know seeing all the generations together will be awesome!

Have a great weekend!!

Put An End To Your Dog's Shedding Problem!

Did you know that a healthy dog does not shed year round? I had no clue our beagle's constant shedding was the result of a potential health problem or a nutrient deficiency in his diet! Yikes, I needed to find a solution fast and I did that with the help of the solutions center
at Dinovite. I was able to go to the site and answer a few questions about my furry little friend and his particular shedding problem and the status of his current eating regime and they were able to give me the solution to help him stop shedding and to help me regain control of the house and all the extra hair that I have been sweeping up!

So just what what going to help my furry friend? Well, after answering the questions, it was recommended that Boscoe needed the Carnoyum package which would provide him with the nutrients that he is lacking including: Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, amino acids, highly absorbable form of zinc, live direct fed microbials, digestive enzymes and antioxidants. Wow, who knew he was missing all of this from his high priced dog food that is one of the best on the market? I really thought he was getting all he needed but I was proven wrong! The cost for a three month supply for my four legged fur baby was reasonable and if I could end the shedding cycle that we are constantly stuck in, then it is worth it for both of us!

Do you have a fur baby that could benefit from some help in the shedding department? Check out Dinovite today! Your pooch will love you for it and you will be so happy when you notice a decrease in shedding!

A Walk To Remember

Yup, that is the name of a book and a movie by Nicholas Sparks but it also takes me back in time to the walks that I will always remember! You know, memory is a funny thing........some memories get pushed into the dark recesses of our brain never to be seen again and other memories can be brought to the surface by the tiniest of triggers!

My trigger, you ask? A strawberry!! I was cutting strawberries for shortcake and ice cream topping the other day when I got to thinking back to when I was 6 or 7 years old and we would go for walks around the country mile with my sister Marcia's friend, Randi! My brother and I liked Randi and always had fun with her during these little jaunts! While walking we would look for wild asparagus and wild strawberries, we always made it home with some if we didn't eat them all first!! This was how Randi got her name! We called her Strawberry Randi, and I still do to this day even though she has grown daughters and grand kids of her own!

These walks are times that I hold very dear in my memory and I got to thinking about what special memories I am making with the darling diva that I love so much! There is the growing of our beloved tomato plants for the second year! She loves tomatoes and taking care of the plants is something special, just for her and I! Then there are the craft projects that result in handmade tutus and hair pretties! There are trips to the pool and the Scoville Zoo in Decatur and just going for long walks that always end at Twisty Treats for an ice cream cone! In the long run she will not remember the countless toys that I have bought her or all the pretty clothes that she wears but what she will remember is that I cared enough about her to invest my time in her 100%! She may not remember the tutu or the hair pretties until she is reminded by a photo that we worked together to make these things and that she was a part of it all!

What are you passing on to your children? What will they remember 20 years from now? Kind of makes you think, huh?

It's Here by The Diva

Here I am with my new ride!!

The pictures were taken with mommy's new camera! It is a Canon PowerShot SD 1200 IS, 10 MP and is hot pink! She puts it in her purse so she is never without a camera and does not have to lug her big one out when we go shopping or whatever!

Summer Fun by The Diva

I just love summer!! I think it is my favorite time of the year because of sun, sand, water, bubbles, painted toes, ice cream and my new favorite thing........Popsicles!! Mommy buys the fruit kind with no sugar but they sure are yummy to my tummy!! Daddy and I can go through a whole box in a day! They are perfect on a hot day!! The photos today are all about that icy treat that I love so much!!




In other exciting news, I am getting a car!! Yup, Mommy used her blog money to buy me the car of my dreams (that is until I turn 16 and want one with a motor)! It should be here this week and I cannot wait to take it for a spin around the neighborhood! Bubby is jealous but Mommy showed him pictures of his first car that he got when he was two! It was a red sports car with a battery! All he could say was OH!

We got to go to the Depot yesterday!! I always love to go there! Daddy was shopping for things to finish the bathroom that he started the day I was born! Ha! He has been working on the room for over 2 years now but he is ahead of our neighbor who took 7 years to complete his bathroom! We looked at new tubs, shower doors, lights and paint! Mommy has had the paint picked out for a while it is called Almond Toast (she saw it on HGTV or TLC when I was a baby). Mommy is excited because that will be one more room done plus the dog room will get done at the same time! This is a little room outside the bathroom that will have the cages for Zoe and Boscoe to sleep in.

Off to play again!

Hugs N Kisses,
The Diva

The Spoiled Rotten Diva

I'll admit it, my little diva is spoiled and I am the one who made her that way with a lot of help from daddy! She is a little shopper who loves clothes and accessories that go with them like shoes and hair bows!

I love to do her hair and put pretties in it as a finishing touch! She has hair accessories that match almost every outfit she has and we have recently ventured into the world of hair bands with flowers on them! Now, I did my fair share of research on where to buy these lovely creations and gasped when I saw the price on some of them!! My first thought was: Who in their right mind would spend that kind of money? My second was: I can make those here at home!!

So I set off to the local Wally world where I bought headbands, clips and flowers! It was as easy as snipping the stem off of the bottom of the flowers to make them flat then attaching them to the clippie with a hot glue gun and then putting it on the knitted headband! The cool part about putting them on clippies is that you can also just put them in the hair without the headband for a different look! I have made four of them so far and the cost was under $20!!
I know I have promised shots of her in her new handmade tutu that I made a couple of weeks ago but I have not had the opportunity or the help from the moody teen or the knight to help wrangle her for a photo shoot! Hopefully, we will get that done in the near future! I vowed that I would never again do a photo shoot of her by myself because it was waaaaaay tooooooo hard! So for now y0u will have to settle for the the flower headbands! Happy Tuesday!