Love it.

I have been busy (read: stressed the freak out) this week because of my giant workload. I finally caught up with preschool photos tonight, but I still have a family session to edit, with two more planned for this weekend. And I hate getting too far behind in the editing.

Still, after dinner tonight, I was aching to use my new camera. So I told the girls we needed a 10-minute shoot outside. They agreed. And that's what I got.

Actually, I got a lot of good shots. But those made me laugh so I figured I'd post. I've done very little editing to them. Click to see larger. And I promise to post more later.

House Party this Sunday!

One of my dear friends/client is holding a crafty Open House this Sunday from 1-5p, and I'm extending the invitation to you. Come to see vendors with gifts appropriate for Mother's Day (feel free to drop hints to your husbands) and enjoy the company of some very wonderful women. Let me know if you are interested and I'll forward the details to you. The location is in Cordova, near SuperTarget. I'll be holding a giveaway for a free Mommy Card session.

The new baby is here.

I picked up my new Canon 5D this morning. They handed me the box and I was only slightly less happy when I was handed my newborn daughters. I think I've gotten all I can out of my old cameras and I'm ready to step it up. Of course I'll need to spend a few days with the manual to get it set up the way I want, but I couldn't resist snapping a few pics this afternoon.

Aren't those roses pretty? I had no idea they were in my backyard until I noticed them from the car this morning. I mean, I knew we had rose bushes. I just didn't know they were all bloomy. In fact, I was thinking of ripping them out. I was also thinking about how I saw similar bushes trained to grow along a pretty wooden fence. We don't have the pretty wooden fence, but now I'm seeing some new possibilities.

Anyhoo. Love the new camera. Can't wait to push it a bit farther and start seeing the results. Can't wait to make May clients super happy.

Still on the three-day posting schedule.

I so hit the wall this weekend. Hard. Exhausted. Couldn't think straight. Wanted to nap, but then heard dripping water inside the walls and had to attend to that (all fixed, no biggie). Finally passed out Sunday after doing the grocery shopping.

Can I just say that I have the best husband in the world? He's always around to pick up my slack. And to make dinner. And throw in a load of laundry. Awesome.

Last week I launched a gallery of preschool pics with my new online proofing company. Today I spent some time processing the print orders. I like the system, but there are some things to work out on my end. I also found a great deal on a Canon 5D, so I ordered it and will pick it up tomorrow. I'll be selling an XTi with a 50mm lens soon. Just watch this space.

Now I'm trying to decide if I'm going to work a little longer (Margret needs birthday invites done) or whether I should just hop in bed and paint my toenails. I'll let you know tomorrow...

Naps.

Margret just told me she's going to go take a nap. I hear ya, sister. I'm beat. Beat down. Worn down by life.

Over the course of the last two weeks, I've done photo sessions at two preschools/Mother's Day Out programs. It is great fun to see all those kids (some of whom I've photographed several times already), but it is hard work. And this year, all the files are going into online proofing galleries for ordering. This should relieve my workload a bit, but it increased on the front end, as I had ordering guides printed up for both places. And I've created some photo collage options, which, I must say, are awesome.

I figure I have about three more days of an insane schedule. And then maybe I can take a nap, too.

And once again, it's been three days.

This is what life looks like today. A friend asked me to photograph her pottery and of course I said yes. I set up a make-shift studio in the dining room, including a king-sized blanket as seamless paper. I had lights on either side and used pieces of foamcore as reflectors. We finished up right about the time we both needed to pick up kids from school, so I was only able to break down the lighting.

As soon as we arrived home, the girls saw the white blanket and hurled themselves onto the table and started wrapping up in it. Granted, the blanket is very soft. And I have promised to get them twin-size versions of the same thing. Still. This is a bit nuts.

Pausing for a blog break.

I clicked over here this morning to see when my last blog post was and I was shocked to discover it was Wednesday. Really? Wednesday? Okay, I did do two days of preschool portraits, and had a Mommy Card mini-session, and worked on another card, and created a preschool portrait ordering guide, and met with a new potential client, and spent some time with a friend in her backyard while the girls played. All since Wednesday. So I'm not sure how I could neglect the blog?

To remedy the situation, I went looking in my photo files to see what I could come up with.

This is Margret, on Easter, holding the lovely Anna Kate. And guess what? I completely forgot that I had taken photos of Anna Kate (Margret and Audrey's third cousin on John's side; is that right? Their great-grandparents were siblings.) and promised to send them to her mother. I was in baby mode from the previous week's sessions, so I rocked the sweet girl to sleep in my arms then started positioning her. I didn't ask her mom if it was okay. I pretty much just told her that I was doing a mini-session right then and there. So now I have one more thing on my list. And shouldn't really be blogging at all.

Don't tell anyone I was here.

Mini-cupcakes.

I'll be dropping these off at school today. The teachers have an afternoon meeting and several parents are supplying snacks. These are strawberry mini-cupcakes with chocolate icing and sprinkles.

I decided to try to pipe the icing through a ziplock bag, since I really hate the way cupakes look when I spread icing with a knife. And now I'm screwed because this took forever but I can never go back to the old way. But I think I need something better than a ziploc bag.

Best $1 I've ever spent.

I picked up this duster at the dollar store yesterday. And it's awesome. No, I haven't cleaned a thing with it -- I used it at my preschool shoot this morning. I waved to kids with it. I tickled them on the hands and toes. I waved it over my head. And things could not have gone better. Even with some chill in the air, the kids were so great. Sometimes, it can be tough to get kids to smile, but I have no complaints about this group. Let's hope tomorrow goes as well.

Happy Easter!

It's been a happy whirlwind of activity here. John and the girls were off on Friday, which went something like: each of us taking a kid out to do errands, meeting up at McDonald's for lunch, making cupcakes, having a friend come over to dye eggs, going over to another friend's house for pizza (and cupcakes), coming home and dropping over into bed. Saturday involved John taking Audrey to a birthday party and me taking Margret to a family friend's birthday party which I also photographed. Home for lunch, then over to a friend's for an egg hunt. I left that event to meet up with a photo client, then went grocery shopping and picked up takeout for dinner. We filled plastic eggs with candy, because we have another egg hunt today.

But I have loved every minute of it. I feel fortunate to have a great group of friends who want us to be part of their lives. Nothing is better than that. Hope you have a great day.

Jury duty selection is not as horrible as I thought.

A few weeks ago, I got a notice addressed to me from the "Office of Sheriff". My first reaction is not postable. I ripped the envelope open and saw that I had been summoned for jury duty selection. Agggh!!!!

I was not happy about this. I have a pretty full shooting schedule for April, plus I pick the girls up from school every day. I was very concerned that getting called for selection would mean that I had to serve on a jury next week. Not really a good time for me. Or the next week. Gah!!!!

So I made arrangement for the girls to go home with friends today, and I packed a bag of reading materials and trudged downtown. Traffic jams (from the other 3,999 people trying to get to jury duty selection) did not calm my nerves. I found a space in the garage across the street, and proceeded to leave my phone in the car. I was sure I'd return to a smashed window and no phone. More anxiety.

The room that we were in (all 4,000 of us -- I'm not making that up), was unbelievably depressing. Concrete floors. Mid-century plastic chairs that have probably been there for fifty years. Awful lighting. Rows and rows of dour-faced people. I felt like a cattle. A depressed cattle.

But then a miracle occurred. The jury coordinator addressed us. "Good afternoon," he said. Pause. Then, "it's your turn now," he added, as we said it back. Made me smile. He proceeded to tell us the rules, injecting humor in little doses. Then two judges arrived and we were all sworn in. The first judge spoke and this sounds a little goofy now, but I was moved by his words. He sincerely thanked us all for being there. He told us that he knew jury duty requires sacrifice and hardship, but he said it was the bedrock of our legal system. It's our civilized way of resolving disputes. He said he very much appreciated us being there and that he couldn't do his job without us.

And I was just ... wow! I felt appreciated. I felt that I was doing something important. I wanted to do it. I'm still reading the book, "A Whole New Mind" and just finished a section on empathy. That judge was able to show that he knew how he felt. And was able to inspire us (at least me) as well.

The coordinator read us a list of dates available for jurors to serve. Thankfully, they weren't even starting until June. And he said if you were able to serve on the first date, stand in a line by the wall. He and an assistant handed out cards with that date. He stopped, read another date, and said to stay in line if you could serve, but get out of line if you can't. We repeated that cycle several times.

I finally got a card, on a week that works for me and I left. Wish I could tell you what happened to the people who waited to see if they could be exempt, but once you got your card you could go.

I love that. Those who choose to step up get rewarded with a margin of control of when they serve, and they get finished earlier. Those who hang back just prolong the experience. I'm glad I got my card, because if I do serve that week, I'm done with jury duty for ten years.

So. That's it. Crisis averted. This summer I'll just plan some playdates for the girls, serve my time and be done with it. I never thought I'd come home from this experience and tell people how enjoyable it was. And my cell phone was safely tucked into my non-vandalized car.

Mommy cards!!!

Yes, I did just use three exclamation points. I'm excited. See the first set of designs by clicking here.

More green chair.

I asked for a model this afternoon and this is what I got, among other pics. She was wonderful and took direction so well. I may need to pay her in more than just Smarties.

Delicious baby photos...and more.

Over at the photo blog. Go take a look. Tell me what you think.

Live from Memphis.

Just wanted to let you know I've joined a local arts page called "Live From Memphis". It's a great resource for area talent in visual and performing arts. Right now I'm on the home page of the Creative Directory. If I'm no longer there, you can look me up in the Ms.

How to paint a green chair.

I was dropping off disks to clients last Friday and passed by a yard sale in my neighborhood. A little wooden chair caught my eye and I pulled over. It was a child's chair from Pottery Barn, marked $3. I didn't even dicker. I just handed the money over.

I knew it would make a great prop for photos. It was already painted green, but it was a little too mellow for my tastes. I picked up a sample-size can of paint at Lowe's for $3.99. Kinda funny that the paint cost more than the chair. I debated over the neon-y Sonic Lime and the more apple-like Green Gecko. I went for neon.

Before I started, I hammered in some push pins on the legs. This keeps the legs from touching the ground/paint getting on the newspaper/generally sloppiness.

See? Like this. I'll pull them out when the chair is dry.

I start with the bottom of the chair, and paint everything I can reach.

Then I flip it over (because I didn't paint the back yet) and do the rest.

And there you have a little green chair. I'm envisioning a toddler sitting to one side. Or a tiny newborn curled up on top. Or a bigger kid straddling it. I think it was worth the $7 investment.

Good advice.

While I'm not currently looking for a job (I really love my current employer!), I do have a lot of empathy for those out there who are. I've been laid off twice, and both times sucked. Even so, I got through both times and ended up with better jobs.

It seems that job searching now is a lot more complex than it was last time I was looking. But with social media, it's a lot easier to get the word out to people much faster. Of course, if you're looking, you really need to make sure you are presenting the best image. I know that if I were hiring, I would certainly see if I could look you up on Facebook. And if I see your party girl photos and your quiz results from "which swear word are you?", I'm going to think twice about making an offer. Just sayin'.

Here are a few articles from others who have something more to say on the subject:
The power of a tiny picture
Your fly is open
The favor bank (good advice for everyone, not just job-seekers)
5 Things to do when you're unemployed

Holy Cow!

How did it get to be Friday already? And Friday afternoon at that.

This week has been wonderfully busy. Each day I've edited a photo session from last week. I'm pleased with my workflow and my new systems seem to be working out. Next week I'll post some of the images here and on the photo blog. In addition, I've done laundry and cooked dinner every night (except last night when I begged John to pick up pizza). The house is still a wreck, though. Can't do it all.

Today I mostly did errands (delivering photo disks) and I picked up a few new props: a gorgeous fuchsia cube (good for laying babies on, or putting older kids on or in) and a great small wooden chair. It's currently a light green. I think I'll paint it a little bolder. And it may be used at my upcoming preschool shoots. Still working out the details on those.

I'm also working on my first Mommy card. Only it's really a "networking card". A friend of mine has been laid off and wants something above and beyond the typical business card. So we are showcasing her talents on this piece. I think she's so smart for thinking outside the box during this difficult time. It sets her apart from the crowd and shows off her fabulous personality. And it's versatile enough to be handed out to friends, acquaintances and business contacts.

I've been reading "A Whole New Mind" and pondering how I can add more context to my work, and it's pretty exciting that my friend has figured this out intuitively. Finding a job right now is going to take some creative thinking. I'm happy to be a part of it.

Really?

All I'm saying is that the person who sends my kids seven boxes of Peeps needs to come over and put these sugared-up children to bed.