I love a parade.

Some friends invited us to go downtown last night to see the Christmas parade and we couldn't say yes fast enough. We all piled into our minivan and found a place to park. When we staked out our spot on the parade route, Audrey had the best seat. Until John got tired of holding her.

Margret and our friend Ella had good spots, too.

My favorite part of any parade is the marching bands. Because I was a band geek. And I married one. And we will sit and watch DCI any day. I have zero musical talent but I loved being in Band. Trivia: my high school was also the "warriors".

If I'm not clapping for a band I'm taking photos of them.

It was also cool to see a Nutcracker float.

And I don't remember the organization that these horses belonged to, but I loved the outfit.

Of course Santa showed up at the end. The bad part was when he hit me in the face with a handful of candy. Lots of the parade participants were tossing candy. It was fine if they did it underhand, but some of them were winging it into the crowd. Hard. I think they were just trying to throw it far enough, but let me tell you that a peppermint in the eye hurts. Take it easy, Santa.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a quick note to wish you a happy day, wherever you are. We've already started celebrating with cinnamon rolls and we'll have a wonderful dinner with family later on. And I'm officially taking the day off.

Bit 'o scrap.

I haven't scrapped/paper crafted in quite a while. So I like it when I get to sneak in a project here and there. Today I asked the girls to make placecards for our Thanksgiving dinner and they were all excited. They got their box of stamps and inks out and I got these leaf stamps out. We got off to a rocky start, with Audrey wanting to use kitty and penguin images. Okay, okay. I can let it go. I just wanted placecards made by children. I wasn't interested in perfection, I swear.

And then it devolved into Margret using the square yellow stamp on a piece of scrap paper so she could turn it into SpongeBob. And then they got bored. So I told them to scram. And I did it myself. And then Margret told me how nice they look. Um, thanks.

This is a super-easy project to do. Cut cardstock to 4x4 and score down the middle. I used a set of clear stamps by R.S. Tapestry. I picked five ink colors (tan, brown, green, red and red-orange) and used seven stamps. I tend to use lighter colors with bigger stamps and darker colors with smaller stamps. And I did it assembly-line style. I did the big leaf in tan on all the cards before I moved on to the next color. Some stamps were used just once; other were used three times on the same card. I left some space in the middle of each side for the name. Which I wrote in black pen. You could fancy these up with paper flowers, rounded corners, rub-ons, or you could just do them quick, like this. Happy Thanksgiving!

Gratitude Journal.

For the past few years, I've taken the time to write down our "thankful for" things in this journal. It's great to look back and see, for instance, that Margret is grateful for kitties and bunnies, and that Audrey appreciates hot cocoa.

Here's a peek at last year's. Click to enlarge.

What are you thankful for?

Thanksgiving Lunch.

I had the pleasure of attending Audrey's class Thanksgiving Lunch today. At 10:45a. They eat early in kindergarten.

The parents all brought food (I made homemade rolls -- recipe is on my Facebook page) and it was delicious. The kids made their own placemats that showed things they are thankful for. They also made Native American vests and necklaces and headbands (they are studying Native Americans right now). And on their headbands they wrote their Indian names. Audrey named herself "Heavy Ape". And she thinks it's hilarious.

Am I still Grocery Gaming?

Yep. Is it still working for me? Yep. I just looked at my receipts for September and October and I have to say it's still worth the time involved.

Kroger - Sept.
Shelf: $558
Paid: $385
Savings: $172 (31%)

Walgreens - Sept.
Shelf: $196
Paid: $82
Savings: $114 (58%)

Kroger/Schnucks/Aldi - Oct.
Shelf: $542
Paid: $421
Savings: $120 (22%)

Walgreens - Oct.
Shelf: $150
Paid: $97
Savings: $53 (35%)

In October, I added Schnuck's to my list. I don't buy much there, but they've had some great sales on baking products that I've gotten. And because of they way their receipts print out, I don't have the shelf price available -- just whatever price I've paid and whatever coupon savings I get. So I'm saving more than what is shown. I also go to Aldi's every once in a while. You can't use coupons there, but prices are generally low on staples.

I've almost completed November's numbers and the trend in spending is continuing upward. But in October we had company and I naturally spent more on groceries and treats. I also had to supply snacks for Audrey's class and she wanted clementines. I bought a lot. Without coupons. And in November I've bought a lot of baking supplies (note: the sales are now; don't wait til next month). I'm also on the lookout for Christmas items that might be found in grocery or drug stores. So I'm fine with the money I'm spending. I do expect it to go down in January.

As far as our stash goes, we typically have enough in the house that we don't have to go out, although sometimes we choose to because of lack of time. I've been so busy with photography that I don't always want to cook at the end of the day. But we have some low-cost options, like $5 Little Caeser's pizzas. I expect I will have more cooking time (and more energy) in December. And I'll be using a lot of the baking supplies then, too.

One more GG note: I got to meet a fellow couponer and blog reader at a neighborhood meeting last week. While we excitedly talked about recent deals, a few people around us looked like we were nuts. I no longer care! If no one else is couponing it just means more on the shelf for me.

Baby names.

No, I'm not pregnant. I was just thinking about how I wish I had saved the lists of baby names that we talked about when we were expecting. My memory is not so great.

I know with Margret we had picked "Davis" if she had been a boy. Can't remember the middle name. But then friends of ours had their baby a few months before I was due and they had a boy. So we weren't going to use "Davis" but I can't remember if we had found something else. I knew I wanted a girl to have an "M" name, because there are so many "M" women in my family: Marci, Monica, Mary Joy, Marlena, Makaran, Madison, Makayla and my maternal grandmother, Margaret. I wrote down "M" names: Molly, Mia, Marisol, Manon. And John didn't like them. I finally came up with "Margret" as a variation on "Margaret". It means "pearl" and his grandmother was named "Arbie Pearl", so I felt like it honored our families. He agreed. And then I was reading a magazine one day and saw the name "Elise" and thought it would be a good middle name. Again, John agreed.

With Audrey, I let John take the lead. We knew we were having a girl (we didn't find out with Margret), so that cut out half the available names. I recall making another list: Lucy, Sabine, Sabrina. Many more I can't remember. Audrey was on the list and John took a liking to it. I think he was thinking of Audrey Hepburn and her grace and elegance. He then decided that she needed a middle name that started with "C". Caroline, Courtney, Corinne. I think those may have been on my first name list, too. He liked "Caroline" so "Audrey Caroline" was the name we picked and we kept it secret until she was born. We had already told everyone we were having a girl so we needed to keep something a surprise.

It's silly for me to be pining over scraps of paper, but I do wish I had kept them. Perhaps just to remind me of that wonderfully exciting time of welcoming a new person to the world. And no matter what we wrote down and considered, I think the girls are perfectly named.

Self-portrait.

I was on a shoot downtown this morning and happened to catch my reflection in front of the Cannon Center. It took a few snaps to get it right. The sad thing is that I could not find my own hat, so I'm wearing Margret's, which is on the tight side. And when I was driving home I noticed that my red gloves are actually two different gloves, one adult-sized, one child-sized. Sigh. I'm wondering how long that has been going on.

What? It's Friday already?

I swear the other day I looked at my calendar and did a double-take that Thanksgiving is next week. I was sure that Nov. 1 had just happened and now suddenly it's the end of the month.

Several weeks ago I said to myself "if I can just get through the next week then life will get a little easier." And I ended up repeating it for about two months. My body has decided to pay me back by giving me a sore throat and a general run-down feeling. I don't feel awful. Just tired.

I've spent a good part of the week working on work: editing the weekend photo shoots and ordering more preschool prints. I've also ordered holiday cards for us and for my business (John and I combined efforts on the personal card -- it's awesome). And I've squeezed in a few Christmas shopping trips in between making deliveries to clients. Oh, and I went on a field trip with Margret. It was the Shark Lab at the Pink Palace and it was very cool. And then I read to Audrey's class this morning, and will read to Margret's this afternoon. And we went to Family Fun Night last night and we baked stuff for the school bake sale. And I kept up with laundry and homework. And I went to the dentist and also hung out with some neighborhood girls and painted pottery. And tonight I will take Margret to her last Nutcracker practice.

And this is why I'm worn out.

I am positive that the easy time is coming. Positive. I only have two shoots this weekend, along with a lovely girls' lunch on Sunday. It's a short school week next week and I get the supreme pleasure of having Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws. And I've done a lot of my Christmas shopping already. See, it's coming. Hang on, body. Not too much longer til you can lay in bed and watch Christmas movies.

Sweet Annabelle.

If you live in Memphis, surely you have heard about Annabelle Hulgan, the little girl whose custom wheelchair was stolen on Monday. Her mother, who is Audrey's kindergarten teacher, was taking her into her caregiver's when someone grabbed the chair. The wheelchair was recovered the next day, in a box and in a million pieces. The thief was probably going to try to sell the scrap metal but perhaps had a change of heart.

The local news media have jumped on the story. Annabelle already had connections -- she was featured on Ch. 3 earlier this fall as part of fundraising efforts for LeBonheur Children's Hospital. If you saw her, and weren't totally charmed, then there is something seriously wrong with you.

I met Annabelle last year, when her older brother and Margret were in the same first grade class. The kid is hilarious. Spina Bifida has done nothing to her spirit or personality; they are fully in tact. It's bad enough that some thug stole a kid's wheelchair. But when you actually know this kid, it's absolutely maddening. Infuriating. Ridiculous.

This morning the girls brought in envelopes for Annabelle, with money they had been saving for charitable contributions. Mom and Dad had an envelope too.

You can read more about the story and ways to contribute here:
Offers pour in
Help for a little girl
Annabelle Hulgan
Annabelle Wheelchair Fund
FoxNews video
Video of Ms. Hulgan's class (with Audrey in the background)

You can contribute at any First Tennessee Bank. Just ask about the Annabelle Wheelchair Fund.

Sometimes I like the b&w.

Sometimes when I'm editing a shoot I end up liking the b&ws better than the color.

This sweet two-month-old was wonderfully expressive.

And she stayed supersweet, even in the chilly air. Later we took her inside to do some nekkid baby shots. Wish I could post them, but it seems too intrusive on her privacy.

And every little girl needs an adoring big brother. He was not going to miss out on holding his baby sister.

I think she likes him.

Girls playing outside.

Today after school the girls wanted to play outside. Probably because we walked down to say hi to our neighbors and it was quite nice out. I needed to get some work done, so I said they could stay by the swings and the deck so I could see them from the window.

And here's where I tell you that I never let them play outside by themselves.

I am too much of a scaredy cat to let them be where I can't see them. Too afraid of freaks and pervs. Too worried they might decide to go through the gate and wander down to the street.

So I half-worked and half-watched. Terribly torn. Because I want more than anything for them to be safe. But I also liked watching them play like I used to. Just out in the yard, swinging and stirring up leaf stew in a big tub and making antlers out of sticks. Using their imaginations exactly as they should. And still, I call them inside. So they are safe.

More family photos.

Okay, these people are my favorites too. Can't help it. I've known them for a few years now (back when there were only three of them) and they are such a happy family.

Of course I like to get a nice posed shot of everyone. But I also love, love, love the candid moment.
I did manage to get both kids looking at the camera, but I really love this shot of them interacting.
Same with this one. Sometimes kids this age will over-smile. I like to wait and capture a beautiful expression.
Generally I like it when everyone in the photo is looking at me, but I break that rule all the time. I love the way mom is looking at her boy. Like he might always stay that little. This photo is going to be great at his rehearsal dinner slide show. Right, mom?

Brother and sister.

This shoot was a challenge, but fun. The sister looked like this:

She's gorgeous, self-assured, does exactly what I tell her to do. Her little brother looks like this:

'Cause he's little. And a brother. And way cute.

And when you have a very young child who needs to be photographed with others, you just have to look for the right opportunities.

It's not a traditional portrait but I think it says something about who they both are.

Overheard.

Margret: "Audrey grabbed my nuts!"

Audrey: "Margret took my berries!"

This would be funnier if I had little boys.

Family photos.

I know I have a lot of favorite families, and these people are no exception. I have known the mommy for years and years and she's one of the greatest people on earth. I am not exaggerating. Now she has this beautiful family and they are always so much fun.

See this kid? Ever since she was a baby she has had the ability to whip out a smile as soon as I whip out a camera. She is amazing.

And while I love photographing the kids, I also love getting shots of parents. Because once you become a parent, photos of you and your spouse become an endangered species. I always make couples pose. And even if they don't love doing it, they usually love the result. I think these two have posed before.

Spontaneous moments are awesome. I'm always looking for them.

Sigh. So cute.

Margret is Terrific, too!

I was thrilled to get a phone call from Margret's teacher this morning. She said she forgot to send the paper home earlier, but that Margret was the Terrific Kid in her class for this six-week period. It was great news. Margret has had some struggles with second grade but it seems like she had finally gotten settled into the groove. And honestly, she took it a bit hard that her sister scored this award in her first six weeks ever in school.

All is forgotten, I think. And Margret truly is a Terrific Kid.

Christmas gift ideas.

The other night John had a conversation with his mom about the upcoming holidays. She smartly suggested that maybe we do without gifts for the grown-ups this year and concentrate on the kids. Fantastic! he said back. And then he mentioned another idea: if we want to give to adults, let's make something for each other. I had already brought this up with some close friends of ours. We normally exchange gifts and last year they gave us a small box full of laminated questions to ask each other. Things like: what is your favorite movie? What food would you never give up eating? What is your favorite thing about a sibling?

This is one of my all-time favorite gifts. It sits on our kitchen counter and we often open it up after dinner. Even if we've answered a question in the past, it's still fun to revisit it to see if our answers are the same. It's a gift that is meaningful and fun for the whole family.

So I told my friend that this year I still want to exchange with her, but let's just do a family gift that we make. And she's thrilled with the idea of still giving, yet getting to cut her budget a bit. Me too. I already have a great gift planned for them.

And so John told his mom the same story. Now some people may be put off at the idea of having to make something, but you don't have to be super-crafty to make a thoughtful gift. I started envisioning getting a bunch of family recipes from John's mom (who makes the world's best Thanksgiving dinner) or a story from John's dad's past (last Thanksgiving he had the kids mesmerized with tales of his Indian heritage). My in-laws have always been crazy-generous with us, especially around the holidays and I've always loved what they've gotten me. But when I think about a personalized gift like the ones mentioned above, I get all tingly! A gift that I've asked for is great; a gift from their hearts--well, isn't that what Christmas is about? I feel like we are on to something big here.

Are you feeling the economic pinch? Do you wish Christmas could be less of an obligatory present swap and more of a meaningful expression? Maybe it's time to have the conversation with your family. Chances are they feel the same way. And here's a little nudge to help you brainstorm some meaningful ideas. Maybe you, like me, will find some real joy this holiday season.

Margret's Christmas list.

Once I get through the Fall rush of photo sessions, I can't wait to focus on Christmas. I'm looking forward to making lists, going shopping with John for the girls and baking, along with several other traditions we have.

Apparently Margret is looking forward to Christmas too, as she brought home a gift list she made at school. In case it's not clear (and it continues on the back), here is what she wrote (spelling and capitalization hers):

• A Ameraican girl Doll (Mia)
• Some clothes for Ameraican girl doll
• Nicki's horse (Jakson)
• The New Magic Tree House Book
• All the New Webkinz
• A real bunny
• A doll like you gave Audrey last year
• Richland School and turn it into a Party Palace!
• Moon Shoes
• Move to the Beach in Hawaii
• Flat Sceen TV
• For no Homework to be a law
• Time Machine
• Barbie and the Diamond Castle
• Wii
• A million dollars
• Halloween every Day (I'll be the fatest girl on earth)

Well. I certainly do like knowing what my kids want, but I did tell Margret that her list was a bit, uh, ambitious. When I remind her that certain things are expensive she just says she'll ask for them from Santa. Dude, Santa's feeling the economic crunch too. Trust me.

Calmer.

I knew once I wrote all that stuff in the previous post that I would feel better. I immediately took care of all the business paperwork and crossed that off the list. I answered outstanding emails. I picked up the girls, but all the exchanges didn't happen for various reasons. None important.

We've done homework and we made some brownie mix. There's pumpkin in the microwave that will soon be pumpkin bread. Chicken and potatoes are roasting in the oven. Laundry is progressing. Beds are made. Dishwasher is empty. I booked another photo session. Girls are happy. I am calmer. Photo editing will happen tomorrow.

Can't think.

After a busy, hardworking weekend (where I had three photo shoots in two states, cleaned the house and did the grocery shopping), then came Monday. A day where I spent about three hours in my car doing errands, from the Pink Palace area to Bartlett to Costco in Cordova. I picked up my beautiful girls, helped them with homework and we made sugar cookies together (Pillsbury slice and bake; sometimes you gotta take the shortcut). I changed all the sheets on the beds, emptied out the dishwasher, folded laundry and finished up two client disks. I made tacos for dinner, and corndogs for the girls. I read books with them, and finished my own book. And fell asleep in front of the tv.

Today was more of the same. I got up and took a shower right away. There was a PTO meeting at school, so I took the girls (after fixing their breakfasts and lunches and picking out their clothes). The meeting finished up early and I knew Margret's teacher needed some help in the classroom so I spent about an hour with them. Then it was off to the PO (thank you, self-service postage machine), FedEx Kinko's to run copies for the neighborhood meeting, and Kroger to return a movie and buy Diet Coke.

Now I'm at home, trying to figure out where to turn first. I have a stack of business paperwork (receipts, deposit slips, cc bill) and three client sessions to edit before Friday. I have email that needs to be answered, beds to make, a dishwasher to unload and laundry to start. And I don't feel smart enough to do any of it!

In few hours it'll be time to pick up the kids (and remember to drop off some gesso to Margret's teacher, give Jean her credit card back and exchange preschool photos with Dylan). We'll do homework, and we're going to bake again so I can take some snacks over to the teachers tomorrow for a big meeting they are having. There's dinner to make. Girls to bathe. And what am I doing? Blogging. Because it is so much easier than everything else on the list.

Please tell me you have days/weeks/months like this? And then tell me everything will settle down soon and I'll be able to enjoy the holidays and not have to go in 30 directions at once. Because I really want to enjoy the holidays.

Posers.

Yesterday I had a client (friend) coming over so we could do a few portraits of her daughter in her Christmas outfit. I set up a makeshift area in my studio: a black drape, a chair and one softbox for lighting. Before they arrived, I asked my models to come sit for me so I could check the lighting. Actually, Audrey is so used to being a stand-in that she asked me if I needed models before I had the chance. Yes, yes, I said. Come sit.

And while I'm not really worried about what my girls look like -- after all, I'm just checking camera settings -- this is what I get. Like twenty times over. The craziest faces they can come up with.

I'm wondering if they will form a comedy team when they're older.

But at the end, I'll say "give me sweet" and they'll pull this one out. And I just want to go kiss them.

My public apology.

Dear Aunt Nancy,
Clearly my life is whizzing by at way too fast a pace. Because I completely forgot your birthday. And I am so, so sorry! I have tried to be good about remembering birthdays, but the truth is, unless I birthed you I'm not so good at remembering. One year I wrote in my planner "call Dad" on his birthday and I didn't even notice it until late that night.

It has nothing to do with how much I care (or do not care) for a friend or family member. It's all I can do to keep up with who has tap and who has ballet and what I'm going to cook for dinner and how many photo shoots I have scheduled for the weekend (just for the record, I have three this weekend, and still need to edit two previous sessions). I know it's a sucky excuse, but it's the only one I have.

So please know that I love you and hope that you had a great day. You are exceedingly wonderful to me and my family so it makes it all the more painful that I am a big, birthday-forgetting dork.

Love,
Marci

Baby love.

This is from my latest baby session. In the fall I have mostly families wanting photos for the holidays, so it's always a nice break to get a different type of job. Look how totally sweet he is.

Of course he has adorable feet.

And tiny little fingers.

And a mama who loves him. Thanks for reminding me how small newborns are!

I just bought stamps.

How boring is that post title? I just wanted to say that I think it's cool that the USPS has Nutcracker stamps this year. Good timing.

Still here!

Yes, I'm still here. Just trying to organize my work life. Not so easy. Instead of just dragging all the documents from my old computer onto the new one, I'm making the attempt to really think about how I want things organized. So everything is taking longer than I expected. And I'm waiting for one more box of software so that I can be current on everything. Don't give up on me -- I'll be back soon!

Introducing the new iMac.

I took a quick pic of my current set-up. Yes, it's that dark in the office. John has repeatedly told me to turn off the lights when I'm photo editing and he's right.

So right now, the big shiny new iMac is on my desk, and taking up most of it. The old laptop is down on the right. I still don't have all files and apps moved, so I'm working on disk packaging down low, while copying client images up high. I'm guessing it will be another week til I'm fully functional on just one computer. And Margret can't wait, because we are moving the laptop to the den for the girls to use. AFTER John installs some kid-safe software. Margret already knows how to Google. She was checking out Graceland yesterday.

Gotta run. More later.

Progress is sometimes slow.

I spent a great deal of today chained to my computers (btw, this is not my first Mac; I've been using since the mid 80s and I'm hopelessly addicted). I'm making progress, but it's slow. I was able to edit a photo session today and it went pretty quick. I'm so, so happy about that. Still need to get it packaged up for the client, though.

I'm still working out some kinks with email. If you emailed me recently and haven't heard back, please try again. I may have lost a few things. I'm hoping all will be right with my world by Friday.

Please stand by.

My new iMac has arrived and John and I have spent the last two days, off and on, setting it up. I love the superfast speed and the giant monitor. I don't love having to transfer/update/sort through my old stuff. Plus, I have a bunch of sessions that need editing.

So. Be patient with me. I should have some great pics to show you soon.

A happy Halloween.

All around, it was a pretty good Halloween. The weather was wonderful -- mid 70s and mild. We were invited over to a neighbor's house for pre-trick-or-treating chili. Not only did we get delicious food, but the kids got to on on a mini-hayride and see some friends. And I forgot to braid Margret's hair so we had to borrow hairbands.

Once darkness fell, we started our candy-begging over there. Our street is pretty dead (ha ha!) on Halloween. We barely get any kids and more than half the people turn their lights off anyway. But the street behind us knows how to serve it up. Especially the neighbor who sets up a fire pit and bar in her driveway.

We went up and down in that part of the neighborhood and then made our way back to our street (John came back early to pass out candy. To three kids in the hour or so we were gone). Margret counted 56 pieces of candy, which I think was a pretty good haul. Audrey made me carry her bag toward the end because "it's soooo heh-bee!"

And as promised, here are the Halloween costumes. Margret would like you to notice that she is wearing Halloween socks. Probably not true to the Native American tradition, but still cool.

Audrey was a great little witch. Princess witch. Please note the tiara. And the black cat in the black purse. Please do not note how we did not carve our pumpkins. And now it's on to November.