Last night I was at Mops (Mothers of Preschoolers) we had a great speaker named Joan Webb who wrote a few books. The Relief of Imperfection & It's A Wonderful Imperfect Life: Daily Encouragement for Women Who Strive Too Hard to Make It Just Right. . and more.......Here is her website...http://www.joancwebb.com/

She talked to us about being a Mom who doesn't have to be perfect. After my son turned a year old I hit a wall where I realized that I just couldn't get the everything accomplished in ONE DAY.

There is laundry, the dishes, cleaning the house, spending time with my son playing with his toys, taking the dog in and out, emails, phone calls, disciplining my son, potty training, going to the grocery store, clothes shopping, doing the bills, quiet time, exercise, doing my photography business and taking care of everything for my family. I got to the point where I said to myself I am not perfect nor will I ever be. All I can do it just do is lean on God for my strength and do the very best I can each day. This was tremendously helpful for me to feel much more relaxed and able to accomplish greater things. I didn't have that added pressure daily.

Lately I have been making lists for the week and for each day. This way I can cross off things I have accomplished and see that I am getting further in my goal setting. I love lists and goals, they have always helped me to stay focused. I am defiantly a A.H.D person. If I get distracted I have a hard time remembering and staying focused.


This past year after my son turned 2, the lesson I learned is that I need to give myself more time, love and devotion to Leslie. I was devoting the past few years to my family and nothing to me. What did I want to do? What did I desire? What would I enjoy doing by myself? No free time, no hanging out with friends only work, work, work. So I started going back to the gym and going to Mops and playdates!! To be a healthy Mom we need to love and care for ourselves just as much as our family. Or else they suffer. There is so more I need to learn so these books sound like exactly what I was looking for.

We don't have to get everything done each day to be perfect with our house and family for us to be happy.. We can rely on God for help and give ourselves more credit for what we actually do accomplish instead of thinking we have to be this perfect Mom. I can't wait to read Joan's books.

Take a minute to look at what Amazon's book description says about

Amanda hired me to do a surprise photo shoot for their Mom, I think it was her and her Dad's idea.
I love when people do photo shoots for a gift. It is such a sweet idea and meaningful rather than a gift you buy at the store, that you might just throw away someday.

Photos last a lifetime, it is one thing you will always remember and treasure. Look at your walls I guarantee if you have a family your walls are filled with family photos. It's such a great investment!!

This family was a ton of fun. The parents had 3 beautiful young girls. Two of them are in college. Amber who hired me is going to college in Flagstaff for nursing. Wow what a beautiful place to go to school. I was jealous that she gets to live up there. We love it up there it's so beautiful.
The family was really laid back and easy to photograph. They were laughing and joking around a ton. Which was nice, instead of it being so serious. Who said life has to be so serious anyway. Life is to short for seriousness. I haven't had as big a group as this in a while. It's been a long time. So I learned a fast lesson.
I need to schedule my sessions an hour and half earlier because with bigger groups you need more time to do separate poses and the sun goes down fast in
fall.
I forgot to say, their family got out of their cars and I was actually matching them with jeans and a black shirt. We were all laughing.

Thank you all for being so much fun and a joy to work with.

I have seen this done on photographers blogs and have always wanted to do it.
But who has the time? I had to make it for me and my family. I have always been one to write down my goals. But it's been years. By doing this you can keep focused on your goals this has always helped me conquer them.


Green I have done
1. spend more quality time with my 2 year old
2. spend more time with my family
3. get our bills in quicken and stay on track
4. go to the gym 3-4 times a week
5. get my house to stay clean for more than hour, like a week!
6. read the bible daily for at least 30 minutes
7. hire an accountant
8. ride the bike 3-4 times a week
9. build up our savings
10. take my son to a museum
11. join Mops
12. go up north hiking (Payson 3xs and Sedona once)
13. have 1 romantic night a week
14. teach him to count to 20 (he is at 13)
15. buy Lightroom
16. donate my photography to children in need
17. get into a bible study
18. find new fun things for my son to do artistic wise
19. donate time to serving the Lord
20. get my son potty trained out of diapers!
21. Mom time (take a bath once a week and read a good book in quiet) 2 in Sept
22. teach my son more with in good preschool books
23. take 2-3 walks a week with husband to spend quality time together
24. play a game once a month with family (not just when family comes into town)
25. do flash cards more
26. donate photographs to military families
27. go to play dates with other Moms at least twice a month (1 so far )
28. save for trip to Italy
29. be an assistant for weddings
30. see Prescott
31. take my 2 yr old to Sea World
32. take my 2 yr old Disney
33. Drive to up the west coast to San Francisco
34. Visit friends in Seattle
35. Visit Virgin and take family photos
36. Visit Pittsburgh
37. read more books on the Lord (started Come Thirsty need to finish)
38. join a daily bible study
39. visit friends in LA
40. visit old people in nursing home (at least a few times a year) it's been 2yrs
41. meet new friends
42. buy a new DVD player
43. buy a new couch
44. save for new cars
45. get new cars before they start breaking down
46. buy new office chair
47. find a new way to send my clients CD's
48. build our credit to be perfect
49. go on vacation (going in Nov to Flagstaff & Grand Canyon in a cabin)
50. save up for a house down payment
51. find time for Leslie alone 1-2 hours a week (with friends or alone)
52. go to borders by myself
53. draw more (at least sometimes)
54. videotape my son more (he is growing too fast) other than when family comes in town
55. get rid of things all over the house.
56. organize house
57. visit Colorado
58. read at least 3-6 books to my son a day
59. take my son to the park 1-2 times a week
60. take my son to more kid things to do in Phoenix
61. practice photography with other photographers
62. go to more PUG meetings (2 this yr so far)
63. do better with the business part (doing a little better in Sept)
64. pray more throughout the day for other people
65. buy new lens
66. journal ( twice in Sept) daily
67. meet more photographers
68. go to more photographer meetings
69. visit Lake Tahoe
70. make cookies for husband
71. go to hospitals and pray for people
72. buy a new desk
73. teach him the alphabet (he can say a-c)
74. make dinner every single night of the week (getting better, never remember till I am hungry LOL)
75. make Chocolate truffles (never did always wanted to)
76. bake more (favorite hobby)
77. do Halloween craft with my son (before the holiday)
78. print photos for family of my son
79. get our family photo taken this year
80. read more books on photography
81. take a photography workshop next year 2009
82. save for a new camera
83. buy a new camera
84. write a letter to my Mom
85. take my son to the fire station
86. get rooms ready for new baby
87. make special presents (started a month or two ago need to finish)
88. listen to a sermon once a day
89. spend less time on Facebook
90. paint something on canvas for my son's room (started something last year)
91. paint something on canvas for my little girl
92. go out to eat with my family at least twice a month (usually only go once)
93. get a family photo on canvas
94. new logo (Oct)
95. take a 2-3 naps a week while pregnant (was taking one everyday lately it's been 2 a week)
96. travel to Yellowstone
97. travel
98. buy more organic foods (I buy lots just not all, would like to buy only )
99. stop eating processed foods
100. eat more veggie and fruit a day (getting much better lately)
101. side business more income (started need to spend more time in it, at least 15 hours a week)
102. stop judging others forever
103. try to say one nice thing to everyone you talk to
104. send Christmas cards early this year
105. buy a cabin up north!!!!!
106. buy a log cabin to live someday

Are you getting your family photos taken by me soon?
I thought I would write a little something to help you out:

Well one thing I want you to know about me before hand is that I try to make my photo sessions as laid back and easy going as possible. I am a full time stay at home Mom and totally understand how kids act. So not much surprises me from crying, and not wanting photographed. I am really up for new ideas, poses etc. You are welcome to bring photos or a list of poses you have seen in magazines, holiday cards, photos. It helps if you have an idea of what you want done. This way you are happy with what you are getting.
I am up for whatever you would like to recreate. I love suggestions and spontaneity.
I love people so this is my favorite thing to do is meet you and capture this special time in your life.

The biggest thing I want for you to be taking away in your photos is joy and happiness of the love in your family. I love shooting candid photos so I try to have you just act normal as though you are hanging out, take photos and just act like I am not even there. Then we can do the poses after this way you are more relaxed comfortable in front of the camera. Just try to be as relaxed as possible. Because I am mostly looking at the lighting, composition etc, and the technical aspects. Not how you look until after I take the photo. This should help you relax a little, plus whatever emotion your feeling shows up. So the more fun your having makes the photos much more beautiful!

We bought an ice cream maker attachment for the KitchanAid one Christmas one year.
It's only $80 and makes the best tasting ice-cream & Gelato you ever had. So worth the investment!!!
It's worth the time and is fun to make if you are having company or taking it to a party.
Last night my husband made Dark Chocolate Gelato (above) with my 2 year son and it turned out so soft, rich and creamy. He whipped it for an hour which gave it a better consistency.
We get our recipes off William -Sonoma.com
A lot of people don't know that Gelato is actually LESS FAT then ice-cream because it uses milk instead of half and half. I have been trying to only have desert only on weekends and have been trying to watch not to eat to many sweets. But since I am pregnant I have been CRAVING something rich and sweet lately. This was really prefect.
Here is another ice-cream that looked good for the holiday peppermint bark ice-cream. Recipes are on the links above.

Amber and her husband Mike hired me to capture their new sweet baby little Mr. H into the world. He was just born 3 weeks ago. 8lbs 6oz. Oh what a sweet baby, this doesn't surprise me in this couple were such nice people.
They are both in the financial field and Amber decided to stay home with little Mr. H. I was so happy to hear that cause today their aren't as many woman that have that option or choose it. I just love being a stay at home Mom full time and it's so rewarding each and everyday there are new challenges.
It just warms my heart to hear woman decide to stay home with their little ones.
This sweet little baby was so good for the shoot. At the end he even gave me a little smile for the camera. Well at least it came out in a photo looking like that.

Since I am pregnant I am starting to notice that my hips are getting sore and my body isn't just leaping off the ground from shot to shot. The pregnancy is kicking in.
I am getting pregnancy amnesia, I made a mistake my clients name and forgot to ask them if they wanted to be in the photos till the very end. I never forget stuff like that..Thank God because it was just enough time to get a few really cute photos of their whole family together. I have never forgot about the whole family. This is usually the most important to me because if it's their first child I am so excited to get the whole entire family in the photos together. What a memorable experience it is having your first child. You will never forget those dear moments. Thank you again being so wonderful to work with and thank you for your patience.
Please enjoy this beautiful family and their new little arrival from the stork!

My sister-in-law came into town a few weeks ago from Texas. She brought our sweet little nephew little Mr. J. He was 4 months old and so adorable. I couldn't help but take tons of photos of him. He has such beautiful blue eyes, pretty lips, and soft beautiful skin. He is going to be a good looking boy when he gets older. He was so good, he only cried when he was hungry. He has such a great disposition, he was really calm and sweet. We all were so thankful he came to visit because really we didn't get to see him but for a few minutes after he was born.
He looks just like his Daddy. When we saw him we said wow he was like a tiny little David.
This is their first baby and they are doing an amazing job with him and how he is turning out!
His Great Grandma was standing behind me making him smile and laugh. Which really helped!!
Please enjoy his cuteness!!