This scene is a common one in our house these days.  Not the  playing on the easel, but one sister doing something and the other sister doing the exact same thing.  They are like one another’s shadows, doing whatever the other does.

Emma & Brooke are 29 months apart.  A good space in my opinion, and it has been recently that they are playtime companions more than competitors. However, as I write this post, they are doing a puzzle together & Emma is teasing Brooke & giggling about it.  And Brooke’s response:  “Emma…I’m big now!  I’m big!”  ….back in a sec…………..okay, argument settled.

I am so thankful that they are usually each others’ friends, and not fighting more than they get along.  Emma teaches Brooke all the things she knows, and Brooke is Emma’s constant encourager & hug giver.  I hope that they can look back on this photo one day and see that sisters can be friends too.

Photos:  Stacy Richardson Photography.  Stacy was my friend & mentor in photography for 2 years.  I had the privilege of assisting her with many weddings in these two years and I learned a lot of what I know about the business of photography from her.  Thanks, Stacy.

My girls go to the sweetest little preschool called Asbury Community Christian Preschool.  It is about 5 minutes from our house & we have come to love it over the past 3 years.  This is Emma’s last year here *sniff  sniff* and I was honored to be a part of their killer fundraiser this year.  I mean there is so much creativity & talent among these mothers you just wouldn’t believe it.

I was brought in to the annual fundraiser a little later than the rest of the committee, but when they had me to one of their meetings, I was blown away.  They were talking silent auction, live auction, lettuce wraps from P.F. Chang’s, children’s artwork  hung throughout the school, live music, etc.  Well, needless to say, these wonderful plans we had were thwarted by a TON of snow.  We weren’t able to advertise like we wanted, the weekend of the event was when a ton of other events were rescheduled to happen, and ticket sales just weren’t what they needed to be to make a profit.  So, in their amazing flexibility, these mothers decided to change the fundraiser dinner & auction to a week-long presentation of the kids’ artwork hung throughout the school hallways and place every item up for silent auction in the school’s lobby for parents to see & bid on.

Oh, and we had a little surprise for the parents too (and this is where I came in): next to each and every 209 pieces of artwork is a matted 5×7 photograph of the child that created the artwork.  And I got to capture them all!  I was so excited to be able to do this for my girls’ school!  Over the course of 3 days in November, I got to meet each and every child that attended Asbury, get them to pose for me, bribe them with Skittles, and just firm up how much I LOVE what I do!  It was an honor.

So….back to the fundraiser.  When parents walk down the hall to drop their children off, they are greeted by their child’s artwork and a photograph of their child.  I mean, c’mon, who WOULDN’T buy that?  These fundraiser committee moms are geniuses!  I was helping out with sales this morning and they got so many parents coming to the checkout table saying, “I want that artwork!  Where do I pay?”  How awesome is that!  I’m excited to see all the great things that Asbury does with the funds they raise this year.  Great work ladies!  Here’s a few more photos so you get a little idea of what it all looks like….

“Rain drops on roses & whiskers on kittens…la la la la la la la….these are a few of my favorite things!”  (Sorry about the singing….at least it was only in your head & not in your ears).  This magazine is the ONLY magazine I’ve gotten consistently over probably the last 5 years.  I love it.  I always look forward to getting at it.  I think it’s pretty, it’s crisp, it’s clean, and it’s simple.  It’s what I strive to be.

When I went to the Spread the Love tour with Justin & Mary Marantz they talked a lot about your “brand” and how important it is.  That you don’t want to simply be a brand, but that you want to make your business a love mark.  So that when people see your brand, your logo, or your name, it instantly invokes feelings of love, devotion, need.  When people see the following icons, they invoke immediate feelings (usually good)….

And I think the reason I love Real Simple (magazine, products, e-mails, website, etc), is because they are a Love Mark for me.  They illicit feelings of cleanliness, order, simplicity, calm, and so on…all things I want in my life.  So that brings me to think of my logo, my company, my brand (aka: me).  What do I want my clients, customers, friends to feel when they think of me?  What feelings to I want to come to mind when they think of me and their experience with me as their photographer?  Basically, why would I want someone to WANT to hire me?  Not really looking for any answers here, just thinking out loud.

I was at a meeting of professional photographers the other night and got to talk with the guest speaker.  She basically asked me, “What are you looking for?  What is your goal with this business?”  I suppose that is a simple question, but sometimes simple is good.

Oh, and I really like Real Simple’s tag line:  Life Made Easier.  Think I could copy it?  Could I use it for mine?  People Made Prettier…haha!  Not that one.  What are your thoughts?

Photos:  Just looking through my Real Simple magazines again at their photographs.  They may seem simple, and not very interesting.  But for some reason they speak to me, draw me in, and I need to find out why.  What is it that I like about their style?  Why are they one of my Love Marks?

These are three of the lovely ladies that I had the opportunity to walk the Annapolis Mall with on Saturday night.  All of them are women & mothers of high schoolers in our church’s youth group.  On Saturday we had a scavenger hunt at the Annapolis Mall for our youth.   And while they were scouring the mall looking for little clues, these ladies & I had a chance to just walk for an hour, chat, window shop, & enjoy one another’s company.  It was a really sweet time.  Thanks Kim, Tricia & Kara for letting me tag along!

*pssst – can you believe it’s been 50 days since the New Year?!?!?  Me either!

Occasionally things can get a little crazy in our house.  I don’t know about you, but after dinner, things start to go down hill.  People get tired, little ones who’ve given up naps too early become cranky, and I’ve almost come to the end of my rope.  Then, I spot a bright beacon of light named Play-Doh!  Hallelujah!  Once your kids can stop eating play-doh and start playing with it, you may have up to 45 minutes of pure quiet!  It’s true!  If I pop this stuff out, give out a few plastic knives, a rolling pin or two, I’ve got time to basically clean my whole main floor!  My girls are enamored with play-doh & they love creating with it.  And the teacher in me knows it’s good for their fine motor development, as well as their imagination.  Opening up a can of Play-doh is like opening a window to receive a cool breath of fresh air in a stuffy house…ahhhhh!

During tonight’s picture I took time to have some play-doh therapy myself.  After trying my hand at video blogging, trying to pick up the tornado that has become my living room, and figuring out what to make for dinner, I was a little drained.  Taking this time to just create & listen to Brooke was priceless.  It’s rare that she gets time with me without her older sister & you’d be amazed at how much she blossoms when it’s just her.  Thanks for letting me play with you, Brookie-boo.  Mommy needed that play-doh time.

What do you do to relax?

Photos:  Homeshade Photography.  I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned Tasha before, but she’s just really fantastic.  I am “friends” with her on Facebook & I love seeing the little sneak peeks she puts up for her clients.  I think she may be the queen of the mini session in my book.  I think what I love best about her photographs is the props she uses.  And I’m not talking about the ABC blocks they use at Picture People.  I am talking hand-made goods from Etsy, tattered yard sale chairs, headbands, clothing, and other cool accessories.  The girl knows how to get her clients to work it!