Spreading some Christmas cheer!

Christmas is my favorite time of year.   I love everything about it:  the celebration of Christ's birth, time with family and friends, the sights and sounds, the traditions, the parties and decorating the house.   It seems like everyone is starting to decorate earlier and earlier.  Right before Thanksgiving, throughout my neighborhood I saw combinations of  christmas garland/wreaths and forgotten pumpkins.  It was a first!!   I guess it's never too early to spread some Christmas cheer :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 107:1

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

{image from Country Living}

Happy Fall Y'all...

...from our home to yours!

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

- Albert Camus

My Better Half!

After thirteen years with someone it can be easy to take them for granted.  And I know I do sometimes.   

I appreciate my husband for his steadiness, unselfishness, support and for always striving to instill values, character,  and our faith in our children.  Thanks for being my best friend.  

To participate or view other black and white photography, please go here!

B & W Wednesday: One woman's VISION!

It all started with this cute and spunky woman -- Lisa of Visions: A Lifestyle Studio

My friend Lisa, had a vision to share her wealth of knowledge, with a group of women who share her same passion -- photography.  She conducted her first Photography Workshop this past weekend.  And because of the overwhelming response, Lisa asked Marla to join in and assist.  Not only is Marla a great photographer, she is gorgeous!  I love the way the light illuminates her face in this image!

Fifteen ladies gathered in the quaintest town for a weekend of learning and fun.  

Bethlehem, PA - the perfect setting

It was a phenomenal group of ladies...I'm sad I didn't get a picture of the entire group

The workshop was a great combination of classroom time and "field" time where we did a photo shoot with some terrific models

Beautiful Miss "A"

Cute as a bug, little Miss "C"

And this awesome couple

I had the best roomate. I was so glad to meet Denise. She is kind, warm, beautiful, and a great photographer. I wished we lived closer!

If you are interested in learning more about photography and post-processing, I highly recommend Lisa's workshops.  They're a great combination of learning and FUN!!

To participate or view other black and white photography, click here!

{semi} black & white wednesday

Ava loves to play with Legos...and I love to watch her build and create.  I smile at her concentration, and the look of determination on her face.  I often wonder if she'll be an engineer when she grows up, as she's very good with puzzles and figuring things out.   She likes to tell me what she wants to be when she grows up.  I know her choice could change often throughout the years, but as long as she wants to dream outloud, I'm happy to listen...

Legos + Ava = sheer happiness
(Processed with Florabella Luxe "London" action but kept the background black and white)

Focus & Concentration

To view other black and white photography, or to participate, head over to Lisa's here

Not in the Mood

Well I had a subject that just wasn't in the mood, and I had to click fast! Anyway, it gave me a reason to try out some Florabella actions!

Can you see the furrowed brow??

To participate or view other black and white photography click on the pic below.

Hope your subjects were cooperative ;-)

Father's Day

Father's Day we had my sister and parents over.  We grilled pork chops prepared with a chipotle rub, had roasted vegetables, and smoked gouda grits.   I highly recommend a  red wine we had with our meal -  Three Vineyards {Row Eleven} Pinot Noir. It's inexpensive and very, very smooth!! The meal was delish and it was nice to relax and just hang out.

I feel so blessed to have 2 fathers that love me unconditionally 1) our heavenly father and 2) my earthly father.  And Stu, thank you for being a Godly man that's an amazing Daddy to our children.


For black and white wednesday I had to include this image of my parents with the kids.  They sure do love their Grandma and Poppy!  To view other photography or to participate go HERE


Hope everyone has a blessed week! 

Before and After

For this week's Black and White Wednesday, I thought I would post a picture I took of Jake: straight out of the camera, and then edited.

Before  {SOOC}

After {Edited}

I cropped the photo, removed the dark circles under his eyes, removed some dirt off his face...(yes he's all boy), adjusted exposure, tweaked his eyes, applied a Gaussian blur, and used Florabella's Black & White Truffle action (thanks Lisa for your teaching skills!)

To participate or view other black and white photography, go to...

Favorite Foto Friday

I used the patch tool on Ava's arm to remove a big butterly tatoo..obviously still trying to master that technique!!

The Chandelier

I had a great time participating in the I Heart Faces Photowalk.  There's a restaurant/hotel in town that's sort of funky, edgy, and artsy.   People drive for miles, just for their espresso martinis.   I loved the Chandelier outside their entrance. 

I really like it in color, but here it is converted to black and white

Happy Black & White Wednesday Everyone. To participate or view other grayscales, go here

Something about a front porch

There's something about a front porch that says welcome.  A southern hospitality that says come on up, relax, stay a while, and sip on a cold beverage.

A place where a sweet brother reads a book to his little sister. A book he purchased (just for her) at his school's Book Fair!



A place where a little girl giggles and shares her dreams with her mom. Casual conversations when time slows down, and nothing else matters.

A place where family retreats from an early summer rain.

A place I plan to spend lots of time and make lots of memories!  When life gets too crazy, go find a front porch :)  Hope everyone enjoys their summer!

Black and White Wednesday

I've been working on shooting indoor shots in "M"...manual. It just seems much more challenging (to me) than outdoors. In honor of the fastest 2 minutes in sports, on the first Saturday in May....


To participate or view other black and white photography, go here!

Friday Finds

Suave MEN Body Wash -- Refreshing

My husband has been using this product for about a year.  So, it's not a recent find but I had to share anyway.  If you want your husband, boyfriend, etc. to smell good, this is an very inexpensive body wash and hubada, hubada it just smells like a man!  Wow,  I'm just sayin'....

After they've taken a shower, it also makes the bathroom smell really good too!

Black and White Wednesday

This past weekend I had a french inspired birthday party for my daughter Ava.  My friend Melissa (Over the Moon Photography) captured the memories for me.   I love this sweet black and white image of my four year old.

To see more pics from the party, go here

Oh la la...Mademoiselle Ava is four!!

First, let me start by saying it's been a crazy April and I haven't had time to blog...a good friend had triple by-pass, my mother-in-law had surgery...then a stroke on Good Friday, and April 1st my co-worker was in a horrific motorcycle accident and has been hanging on for dear life.   Praying for healing and recovery for all, and I look forward to catching up with my bloggy friends again.

Secondly, for the past couple of months I've been planning a french inspired party for Ava (which she had this past weekend)!  My little birthday girl, you are precocious, love to draw, talk non-stop, need your sleep like your mamma, and are a lot of spunk in a little package.  We love you to the moon and back.

On a related note, I've been toying with the idea of starting a business that offers party accessories, details and planning.  So warning...this post has lots of pics!

The Birthday Girl

F-O-U-R
As guests arrived they were greeted by a "FOUR" sign.  I made each letter to look like a piece of candy

The Tableware and Special Waiters
The girls dined outside! I hung a personalized bag on each chair as a place setting and for the girls to carry their favors home in. We had two french waiters: Pierre (aka big brother) and Jean Claude (aka daddy)

Outdoor Decor
Flowers and Homemade Pom Poms

Le Menu
The girls dined on PBandJs, Fleur de lis and French Poodle Jigglers, Ham and Cheese on Croissants, Macaroni and Cheese, and Pink Lemonade
Birthday Cake

We had cake and cupcakes. I made Ava a little fondant cake that looked like a small round hat

Activities
Instead of a cake walk, we did a prize walk and the girls made necklaces

Friends
Ava thoroughly enjoyed her time with her friends! And loves her french waiters

Friendship (the sweetest gift)
She was very thankful for all the sweet gifts from her friends

The Favors
Ava, Happy Birthday!! I loved planning your special day and am honored to be your mommy. Also, a very special thanks to my friend Melissa, (Over the Moon Photography) for capturing the memories!