1. CDP News. Well, we have pretty much booked up sessions for the rest of 2013 (there are a few options open for shoots during the week) and it has me already planning for 2014 — this year has flown by, am I right? With 2014 comes a few exciting new options for my wonderful clients, including switching from CDs to flash drives for the digital collection (hello convenience!) and a fun new referral system. I am also looking into offering one-on-one mentoring sessions for camera enthusiasts wanting to take better photos. Lots in store for 2014!
2. Rough Patch. My sister is coming into town this weekend from Chicago (yay!!) and I have been on the hunt for a fantastic place to take everyone to pick out pumpkins and have a little fall fun. It hasn’t been as easy as I thought though; there seem to be a few ‘big’ places like Dewberry Farm and Blessington Farms, and a lot of churches with pumpkin patches, but I need help finding the BEST place with the BEST experience 🙂 And you know the photo ops have to be pretty great too! I am sure many of you have been to the local patches, so I need your help finding the perfect spot to pick out our pumpkins! Which places are your favorites, and which places would you avoid??
3. Lessons Learned. I have been at this whole parenting thing now for nearly four months and I have already learned a thing or two so I thought I would share the top 10 lessons learned from my first ‘quarter’ as a parent: 1) Trust your Gut. You will be right almost all of the time, so have enormous faith in yourself. 2) The best remedy for bad diaper rash hands down is a baking soda bath and a corn starch paste. Rash was gone the next morning! 3) Always have a camera/phone/video camera nearby; babies grow so fast and accomplish new milestones in the blink of an eye. 4) You will get peed/pooped/spit up on…a lot. It’s not so bad 😉 5) Allow yourself an errand or two by yourself. Walking around HEB alone is one of the most magical feelings ever, but if you can’t get away to the store, driving the car slooooowly to and from the mailbox while blasting Avicii isn’t a bad substitute either (#suburbanslowride). 6) Having a little girl is expensive. Can’t. stop. shopping!! 7) Your husband becomes the most attractive guy in the world when you discover that he has taken the morning feeding, changed the kid’s diaper, and has her dressed for the day…all before you get out of bed. 8) Your house will slowly be overcome with all things baby, despite your best efforts. Embrace it. In 18 years you will surely miss it. 9) Friends with kids are an invaluable resource. Like chocolate. Or yoga pants. 10) Life has never been better. Ever.
4. Decking the Door. Have any of you ever made a burlap wreath? You know, the puffy ones with the fancy shmancy wire base and the layers of cute burlap and ribbon? During my last trip to Hobby Lobby, I bought all of the material I thought I would need to make one but I keep finding different tutorials on how to actually put it together, and some take quite a while. Also, I noticed that many of the wreath tutorials require using pipe cleaners to fasten the ‘bubbles’ and I am not a fan of how they look. At all. My door has been burlap-free for far too long and it’s time to adorn it with a new wreath, so would you mind sharing how YOU made yours, especially if you found a way to make it sans pipe cleaners? I’d be ever so thankful 🙂
5. Fall Fashion. It’s 65 degrees outside today and I can’t get out of this house fast enough! It’s chilly and windy so that means mother nature is giving me the thumbs-up to dust off my boots and fluff up my scarves. Of course those are the season’s staples, but I am particularly excited about introducing a few new items like colorful tights, leather jackets and accessories, and maybe even a little faux fur…no? I am also loving the fall patterns this year: aztec and geometric designs, and the classic houndstooth and plaid. Despite what Vogue says however, I will not be jumping on board the trend train by wearing a cape, oversized button-down, or pleated skirt. Ya, that just ain’t happenin’ y’all. Kudos to those who can pull it off! I am excited to see how you all apply the season’s fashion trends to your photo sessions in the coming weeks!
6. Thread Tunes. Yesterday I was attempting to catch up on all of our recorded shows and while watching The Voice, I ran across Caroline and Anthony’s version of Justin Bieber’s As Long As You Love Me — soooo good, y’all. I personally think it’s better than the original and it makes me think that team CeeLo is in it to win it this season. What do you think??
We have been out of town the past few weekends so I haven’t had many sessions to share with you lately, but we will be back to the grind this weekend with some of my favorite families (weather permitting!) and I can’t wait to share what we capture. Until then, have a great weekend and stay warm/dry!
