I'm Just a Girl.......

Who is potty trained and loves her glow in the dark jammies!

Who likes to make faces so you will laugh!

I love to play at the park on the slide.

Who pretends she is a monkey from time to time!

Who is brave enough to stand when the merry go round is still moving!

Who likes to let let her hair blow in the breeze while playing with a boy on the teeter totter!

I am also a girl who chases the local kitties....

until she catches it and......

picks it up, like it or not kitty!

In the end.....

I am just a girl who likes to have lots of fun at the park with my mommy!

Week 38 at I ♥ Faces - Blue

I have tortured myself to death over this entry!! I had it narrowed down to three but you can only use one!! AAAAAAAAH! So, since I really liked all three it came down to my beautiful model's favorite shot and this is it!! By the way, this was shot at night with the lights from four vehicles for lighting! How is that for creativity! LOL!

Now that you've seen mine hop on over to I ♥ Faces and check out all the wonderful "Blue" entries!

New Family Photos

Yup, I was able to wrangle the Knight and the Moody teen long enough to have some family photos done! After all, it had been 2 years since the last one and the Diva has changed a lot!! Like, then she was bald and now she has lots of long blond hair!! Anyway, I did a shoot with the Moore family and dad, Mike, is into photography too so he did some shots of us! I did the posing and he did the shooting! Well, he shot the ones with me in it, which, by the way is proof that I do exist in front of the lens and not just behind it!

Saturday Silly!

YOU HAVE JUST BEEN MOONED!

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!

Did I really just do this??

Hi, Gap is holding a nationwide contest to find the next faces of babyGap and GapKids, and Sadie B. is entered into the contest. Check out Sadie B.'s entry here:	Contestant # 914876010
This email was sent to you by your friend to refer you to the Gap Casting Call. You have not been added to Gap's marketing list.

Hey everyone we decided to enter the Diva in entered in the Gap casting call! Please vote for her! You can vote once every 24 hours! Thanks for your help!

The Diva and the Potty Training Saga!

Today is day number three of the great potty training saga! Let me bring you up to speed: about a week ago, the Diva told the moody teen "I don't want to potty train!". Yeah, we got a good laugh but in the back of my mind I was calculating the cost of Depends for a teenage girl! Seriously, I was thinking this girl does not want to do this so it is not going to happen any time soon!

So, we started on Tuesday (NEVER start anything on a Monday) we put on her new Dora the Explorer underwear and I took her to potty every 15 minutes! The girl did not potty once! Not in her potty or her underwear that is until 4:30 PM when after sitting on her potty, she pulled up her pants and peed! Ugh!! She did it again 15 minutes later after getting off the potty! Sigh, this is never going to work! End of day one we put a diaper on for bed and called it quits for the day.

Day two, put on Tinkerbell underwear and started the process over again. She went in the potty chair and we celebrated with a potty dance and a new butterfly sticker! Then before lunch she comes to me with something on her hand that looked like very thick brownie batter! OH NO, she had pooped in her underwear and stuck her hand in it! EEEEEEEEEWE gross! So we put a fresh pair of Tinkerbell's and continued. She ate lunch and took a nap (woke up dry) and went in the potty chair!! Potty dance and Tinkerbell sticker for a reward!! She even went to Praise team practice with me and stayed dry and clean!

Day three, woke up dry, used potty, got dance and sticker (Nemo), put on big girl underwear with hearts and that is wear we find ourselves as I type! She is getting it! There will be no Depends for my girl when she is a teen! Wow, I am just glad we are both stubborn and I can go head to head with this toddler who is wanting to do things her way or no way!

By the way, stickers are not her only collateral! I told her she has to be potty trained before she can go to dance class!!!

A Closet Full of Clothes and Not a Thing to Wear!

We all have this problem at some time or another, right?? Well, it is like 150% worse for me right now!! Why you ask? Uuuuuum, well, er..................we are having our family photo taken on Sunday and I am trying to coordinate my family so we look like we belong together!

Before you ask, NO I am not taking our family photo myself but I will be doing all the editing on them! You see, a friend of mine sent me a message saying that his family of 6 is needing a new family photo since the youngest child is not in one family photo! He is also a photographer so I suggested a joint shoot with both of our families and swap it out as a trade! Good for both of us, right? Right!

I picked an urban location for some great casual family photos that both of us would love! We are all jeans sort of, casual type people so it will be perfect for both families!! I am excited, except for the picking out the clothes thing!

Things not to wear for a family photo:

1. White shirts with jeans. - Too yesterday and way over done!
2. Black shirts with khakis. - Ditto!
3. Anything that is too matchy, matchy. - You will look like you just left work where you all wear the same clothes!
4. No huge logos on t-shirts!

Things to look for in outfits for family photos:
1. Items that coordinate! Say mom is in a brown dress with blue shoes, then make sure everyone has a hint of that same blue somewhere in their out fit.
2. Do Not be afraid of patterns such as stripes or polka dots!
3. If you have little ones, start with their outfit and then build the rest of the family around them because it is usually easier to find a bigger color selection in adult clothing!

So I have picked the Diva's outfit which includes a dress with leggings, boots and a hat to match. Here is what I am building from:
So here is how it will roll! Daddy will wear a white button down shirt with blue stripes (there are blue dots on the dress that are not reading well in this photo) and jeans. I will wear a brown jacket with a light blue shirt under it, jeans and some fun shoes to match! My biggest problem is the moody teen because I want him to look like himself in the photos, meaning I don't want to put him in clothes that he would not normally wear. I know he will be in jeans and either an off white or blue shirt depending on what I can find when I go shopping. By the way, the teen is the only one I have to buy a shirt for! Everything else came from what we already own so you do not have to spend a fortune on clothes for a shoot if you plan accordingly!

I just love brown and blue together so I am excited to see how these turn out!! Not to mention the fact that the Diva was only 4 months old the last time we had family photos done! Stay tuned to see the outcome!

Blog Hop - Why Read My Blog?

Well, that is not easy to say! In my opinion you should read my blog because I am real and I share my experiences in parenting a teen and a toddler! I also share with you my passion for photography as well as music that revives my soul!

I am a real person who just wants to share my experiences in the hopes of helping others! I am a stay at home momtog! My main job is to chase around my very active 2 year old daughter and my passion is photography! I always have a camera in my hands ready to catch that special moment! Stop by again to see what I capture next! Now get to hoppin'!!

Special thanks to Grace Jacobsen for sponsoring this blog hop.

Week 37 - Completely Candid at I ♥ Faces

I know that I have not participated for a while due to life but I could not resist this time! I love candid shots when no one knows I have the camera pointed at them poised for the perfect moment! The diva had no clue I was about to snap this or she would have turned her face away and what a messy face it was! She had been playing in Daddy's new shop all afternoon and it showed! When we got home she was being prepped for a tubby and I grabbed the camera as she took her shoes off and sang the clean up song!



Now hop on over to I ♥ Faces and check out some other great candids!!

Friday Frenzy - Stanley & The Diva

OK, I recently remembered that I mentioned that the Diva has a new boyfriend and promised to tell you more but life got in the way and I never quite got back to it! Yup, I forgot! You know how crazy my life has been recently so I think I have a good great excuse!

Anyway, the Diva has been seeing Stanley for some time now! He is short and cute with a dark complexion! His eyes are stunning and bright! Some might say that they light up the room! He is adorable and the Diva loves him, in fact, she has to hug him everyday! She has been known to invite Stanley on some of our adventures and he never says no.

She recently asked Stanley if he wanted a baby of his own!! Oh my!!! A parents worst nightmare right? Not really, she had seen Stanley's mini me in a flyer in the newspaper and thought he might like a little twin of his own! Would you like to see a picture of Stanley who is the light of my little Diva's life?? Here goes:



Are you laughing yet? I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Did Someone Say Giveaway?

Oh yeah, I did! I am giving away the best prize ever (in my opinion)! I contacted Color Inc. and told them that, as a photographer and blogger, I would love to do a review and giveaway of one of their products and I am so glad I did! Here is a little about Color Inc. in their own words:

My name is Tim Kasberger, president of Color Incorporated (ColorInc). My wife and I started Tim Kasberger Photography in March of 1998. In spring of 1999 we attended PMA, and what interested us the most was the digital technology. At Tim Kasberger Photography we embraced the technology and began to shoot digital. In 2001 we shot all digital, and by 2002 we were handling all of our own color management and retouching. In the spring of 2003, we helped several local photographers make the transition from film to digital, upping their profits and providing a better understanding of the technology.

In January of 2003 the Lord put on my heart to start a full service digital lab that is founded on helping other photographers experience the same success as we have through education, networking, and marketing. Our commitment to you is to provide you with the best digital product at the best possible price. We welcome you to the ColorInc family.

If there is anything that we can help you with, be it white balance issues or how to get started in digital photography, please - don't hesitate to call.

God Bless,
Tim & Deanna Kasberger

Now on to the good stuff!! I decided to review a gallery wrap because, as a photographer, I am always looking for a great way to display my art. I am also looking for cutting edge products to offer clients as an add on service. So, I set up my account and began uploading photos that I was considering for the wrap (I had several). The beauty of the site was the ease with which I could see which of my photos would work for a wrap and which would not! I placed my order and then waited (not so patiently) excitedly for my print to be delivered to my door!

When it arrived, I was like a kid at Christmas! Seriously, I could not get into the box fast enough especially since it was packed in such a manner to protect the precious contents inside! A+ on the packing! When I got the package open I was amazed at how great my photo looked! I was so happy! The craftsmanship was second to none! A+ all the way around for Color Inc.

They offer lots of other services like prints, books, retouching, etc. They are a full service lab and I will be sending them all of my work!!

So, get to the giveaway already!! OK, here we go!! One lucky reader will win a 20x24 gallery wrap print!! So what do you need to do to win? Listed are all the ways you can earn entries but please leave a separate comment for each thing you do! Entries will be verified and a winner will be chosen by random.org on October 1st! Good luck!

1. Leave any old comment on this post. Make sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win.
2. Visit Color Inc. and tell me what your favorite product is.
3. Follow this blog.
4. Blog about this giveaway and make sure to leave the url of your post in your comment.
5. Tweet about this contest. Leave your Twitter name so I can find it!

Pretty easy huh? Now get busy and tell all your friends to come enter this great giveaway!!

alt="MckLinky Blog Hop" longdesc="http://www.mcklinky.com" />

target="_blank">Click here to see the entire Blog Hop List....

A Fun Shoot with Savanna

This girl ROCKS!! She and her dad scoped out locations for her senior shoot and she planned her outfits to the tee! This girl knew what she wanted and I was happy to help her achieve the look she wanted for her senior portraits!!

This is one of my favorites!! What you do not see is the little frog that is about to hop into the frame with her!!


This her with her dad's 57 Chevy! Very cool car, in my opinion!


This shot was done on a hill above a dry river bed! She said it reminded her of Winnie the Pooh! All grown up but still a kid at heart!

We got carried away and lost track of time! Not to mention that we had to drive to various locations and there were outfit changes! So I had to get creative with the lighting when it got dark!! The shots with the car and the Harley (which can be seen here) were done using the headlights of several cars! One car for the motorcycle shots and four cars for the 57 Chevy shots!! I have wanted to use this technique for a while and finally got the chance! We were all very happy with the way it turned out!!

Tutu Cute!

This is how the diva wanted to dress for Papa's funeral and he would have LOVED it!!





This one is my favorite of all of them! I thought she looked adorable and everyone else agreed!

My Blogiversary and a Giveaway!

With all the chaos around here this week, it snuck up on me like a sneaky snake! Yup, it caught me unaware, I had forgotten all about it! My little ole blog is one year old today! To all my bloggy buddies: thanks for your love and support of my little corner of the blogosphere! I love you all and will be dropping by soon to show you some bloggy love!!

I am still tying up some loose ends from the passing of my Father in law so I will be off most of the weekend unless I happen to post some photos from last weeks wedding which is highly possible!! I also have a senior session on Saturday so I will have more to share with you!

The biggest news is that MONDAY I will be hosting a new giveaway for a gallery wrap print from ColorInc. I got mine last week and I LOVE it but I will share more on Monday!!

At a Loss for Words......

We lost my Father -in-law this morning so I will be attending to family business this week! I just wanted to share one of my favorite songs with you!!

I Am My Beloveds and He is Mine.

What does that title mean to you? It means a couple of things to me! First, the love between my husband and I, we belong to each other! Not literally, of course, as in ownership but in the spirit of love, unity and family! We love each other and belong together for eternity! We do what it takes to make it work in good and bad times.

There is another, more important, meaning! Gasp?!! Yes, to me it means that I belong to God and that He will always be my Father! I love Him and He loves me! In the good times and the bad! No matter what kind of mess I have made of things, He forgives and forgets my transgressions! I am one lucky girl to have two amazing loves in my life.

As we are sitting with my father-in-law as he makes his final journey from this life, my mind is ever working on grasping the situation at hand! However, I am also spending time in quiet observations that give me hope and make the title of this post even more apparent. You see, God has blessed my father-in-law with a wonderful woman who has been his companion and love for over 10 years and she really loves him! She is selfless in her caring for him night and day. She does for him what a son or daughter could not.

We know that we could never in a million years express our gratitude to her for all her acts of kindness. We do know that without her, we would not have been able to care for him. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do! We love you more than words can express. We are thankful that God brought you into our lives and the life of our loved one!

If I am MIA for a while, it is because the care of my father-in-law is more important than anything else right now! Thanks for understanding.

Thoughts On Labor Day

Yea, I look forward to long weekends just like anyone else except for these days most of my weekends are full of photo shoots and this weekend is not exception! I am happy to be photographing Stesha and Nate's wedding on Saturday which means Monday will be spent in editing mode! Oh well, who needs a long weekend anyway? Not me because I keep doing this to myself! LOL!

I hope you all have a safe weekend and come back here to check out some beautiful photos! Remind to me fill you in on the diva's new boyfriend!!

And Now a Message from Jo's Laptop!

Do you have any idea what I go through in a normal day? The endless checking of Face Book, email and Tweets in an endless cycle! This is all between photo editing, of HUGE files, in not just one, but multiple programs! Need I mention the endless hours spent blog hopping and commenting and posting and on and on I could go!

Then when you want to work on the go, I get stuffed into a form fitting case (that does nothing for my 17 inch figure) and hauled off to destinations unknown! Sometimes I go short distances across town and then other time you stuff me in with your camera gear to hop a plane for some cross country wedding shoot for a relative! I get banged around and have even been dropped a couple of times! Do you even care that you are abusing me? I think not! To you, I am just a means to an end and money in your pocket!

I am not that old but I have logged thousands of hours and my CD burner no longer works! I still look good in burnt orange. I could use a tune up but you are in need of my services daily so I have to wait until Wedding and outdoor photo season is over! Do I ever complain? NO! I keep thinking one day I will just stop helping you altogether and give you the blue screen of death! Oh, you would love that!! Then what would you do?

Here let me tell you! HP has some great deals going on! See how helpful I am to you? I would really like to be the HP HDX 18t Premium series because that will allow you to do all you need to be able to do in the photography world! There I said it! Are you happy now that you know how low my self esteem is? Sorry, I let my emotions get the best of me!

Here is a great offer that I think would sweeten the deal for you: a $30 stackable site-wide coupon ($30 off orders $150 or greater at HP Home Store.) Use coupon code SV2132. Valid through 10/31 or while supplies last. Restrictions and exclusions apply.

Just surf on over to HP, I can take it! I am a big laptop! Sniff, sniff!

A Word to the Wise

Ok, this is a bit of a rant and a bit of advice for all you camera loving people!! NEVER BUY YOUR VERY FIRST DSLR CAMERA THE DAY BEFORE YOU LEAVE ON VACATION! I feel better! Let me explain:

I know this guy who was going to Disney, it would be his 4 year olds first visit and he wanted to capture all the fun! So he decided to go buy a brand new SLR without ever having touched one in his life. He had been a point and shoot guy to this point! Anyhoo, he buys the camera on Monday and I happen to bump into him at Walmart on Wednesday before he leaves on Friday for the trip. He tells me about his new purchase complete with a second lens, extra batteries, memory cards and carrying case. He also tells me that it is still in the box and he has not had the guts to open it. "Besides" he says "I thought I could just pull it out of the box and shoot!"

I am trying hard not to laugh at this point! "UH, NO!" I say, "You need to attach your lens, charge your batteries and figure out your settings. Not to mention formatting your memory cards."

"Oh, I had no idea!" he says dumbfound by the minimal information I have given him. He points out the camera that he purchased and asked me to show him some pointers so, eventhough it is a Canon and I am a Nikon girl, I look over the camera, find the auto mode and tell him to put it on this setting and treat it like a point and shoot. Informing him that auto does all the work for you and he really would not have to think about it! I also told him to get out his manual and read it cover to cover!

Now, I am not against people bettering their equipment and wanting to learn more BUT what I am against is people who think it is easy just to pick up some high tech camera and expect it to behave like a point and shoot! Did I not say in one of my first Tip Tuesdays to get to know your camera? Yup, I did! OK, I am done with this rant!