It’s a New Year and a New Way
Posted on January 30, 2012
Well, I haven’t blogged since November! *GASP* Ever since last year I’ve been trying to make big changes to SugarSnapps. I’ve debated on hiring someone, moving to Hawaii, changing my software, quitting(just kidding, I’m too addicted). Nothing worked last year and I have needed a change of massive proportions to make my life roll smoother, less hectic, less frustration, and just flat out easier! Nothing with pricing so no worries! I will be announcing some exciting additions to SugarSnapps in the coming weeks as I have implemented many changes already! Thank you to all of my clients who have been ever so patient with me while I have been looking for my head and getting things together over here so that everyone will be happier! I can not thank you enough to my patient clients who have been waiting so patiently for their pictures!! Thank you thank you thank you and thank you AGAIN!
Changes coming soon or already implemented!:
I now accept Paypal! Hooray!! So, it will be SO much easier for all of you, no more worrying about mailing a check or anything like that! Also, you will be able to pay for your session through paypal as well if you so choose to do so!
New schedule of business: I will be posting a new schedule and I will have set days that I do sessions and set days that I do not so sessions. As many of you already know, I am a mom of 3 very busy children whom are also home-schooled. Yes, I am that crazy, to attempt to run a business, homeschool and be all 19 other occupations that I am required to be as a wife and mommy. So, the new schedule will hopefully allow me to operate this business sanely and be Mama/Teacher/Wife/19 other occupations as smooth as possible and as nicely as possible! Nobody likes Mama McNasty!
After many conversations with God about my schedule and my CRAZINESS and my stress level, He and I came to an agreement. My children need me more than any of you do. I still love you, but they come first. So I will be implementing a strict schedule, which if any of you even remotely know me, you know I will struggle with this at first. I am NOT a scheduled person. I am also not the fastest either, but I’m working on it!
If you would like to call me: regarding a session slot, about an order, about what’s for dinner, or to just chew the fat with me, please do so on my business line- 770.597.2753 If I do not answer, please text me. That way I have it “in writing” it’s easier for me to remember things in writing.
All of these changes will be posted here on the site! Here’s to a REALLY fun year ahead!
I can not wait to meet those of you who I’ve not met yet, capture special pictures for all, offer spectacular deals, enjoy superb fellowship, meet new babies and their families, and most of all provide memories that will last for generations to come!
A Step Back In Time
Posted on June 13, 2011
So, I did this session with 4 vivacious children. Cute as cute gets, and eyes bluer than the sky. This was a super fun session, for me anyway. I think that Katie would disagree as I think her feathers were a little ruffled at her children “being children.” But I know she did have fun too. However, that’s when I get the most memorable pictures, it’s when I get the ones that will be looked back on time and time again with thoughts like, “Oh, I could have pinched your ears off that day! But this picture is a total picture of you inside and out at that age” or “Of all the days you choose to be in a grumpy-smug, you chose picture day?!” and “Yep, that is totally 100% Gabriel” or “Wow, look at how much fun they were having.” These are my favorite kind of pictures. And I know for most of you they will be yours years from now. They reflect childhood, the pickiness, the grumps, the giggles, the dirty faces and the pure happiness and silliness of being a kid. Not a care in the world, not even for sitting and smiling all at the same time when you’re told to. And on behalf of all the children I photograph, it is rather hard to smile naturally on command without looking all posed and un-child-like. These are fun fun kids! I could have watched them and snapped pictures all day
My title of this post, A Step Back in Time, yes it was. These children are the grandchildren of my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Farmer. Funny thing is, to this day I still feel the need to call her Mrs. Farmer. I really didn’t call her anything though the other day. I was feeling all moobly about calling her Ann. It just doesn’t taste quite right. She still seems like my teacher even though that was oh twenty something years ago. That sounds funny. I still think of myself as a kid.
These kids are also the children of a childhood friend whom I kind of grew up with. I can’t say we got together for so called play-dates, but we had a mutual friend named Leigh Ann who I am still proud to call my friend even though I never see her and I haven’t talked to her in many years. Katie was very very dear friends with L. I always admired this group of girls whom I really didn’t hang out with except for Leigh Ann, as she was my neighbor growing up. These girls were always at Leigh Ann’s birthday parties and such. But all of these girls, Leigh Ann, Katie, Twila, and another girl named Amy, could all sing like nobody’s business. I SO wanted to be able to sing like they did. I LOVED hearing them sing, and to this day I still wish I could sing, but I am content with the gifts and talent that God blessed me with on the other end of the art spectrum from the musical end. The quiet, reserved, behind the lens photography end. That is the end I was blessed with, which is my passion and my God called mission all at the same time.
I hope that I captured Gabe, Grayson, Sophie, and Grady! (I think I got all their names right!?)
It is still a little bit funny to me that Mrs. Farmer is Katie’s mother-in-law. It’s just a small world. This is a beautiful family! They definitely have something extra special as such a beautiful family inside and out.
I could not decide on which pictures to post and I may still post more! They are all so cute!!
There maybe more coming!
Fall Specials and nothing mini about it!
Posted on September 10, 2010
I have had several of my “favorite people’s” contact me asking me about fall mini sessions and Christmas cards. So, here are the beans and rice! Listen up, and don’t immediately turn your back when you see I am not doing mini sessions. . . are you still here? Okay, I hoped so.
I am offering “Sessions with a Friend” this means that you schedule a session and invite a friend(preferably your bff, or sisters family, in-laws, your brother, your grandmother, someone you dearly love). I will be doing a double session and about a quarter of the session will be fun, funky, silly pictures. Who else can you act silly with, who else knows your most embarrassing moments that could be exposed! (what a priceless picture, but we wouldn’t want to do that as I would never want to cause a friend spat). Pictures with cousins are awesome, pictures with best friends are priceless, pictures with your families together are great. So, there is always a catch right?
The catch: I only have a few spots available, so if you would like this spot you must start asking your friends, relatives, cousins, in-laws, whoever you would like if you can get it scheduled together? Time’s a wastin’, so hurry up and start calling friends and family and then schedule with me. This is a first come, call, message, email however you choose to contact me basis.
The Rice:
Here are the days: October 16th at 9am-11am and then again at 3:30pm-5:30pm; October 23rd at 4pm; SO, this means that 6 families can get a day, a spot, your own spotlight session.
Now for the beans: Packages-
Budget Baggie: per family- $165 due at time of session: Session, private gallery, 35 custom Christmas Cards w/envelopes, 3 mounted ready to frame 5×7′s and three accordion wallet books(makes wonderful gifts). So, normally this would cost a $75 session fee, 5×7 are roughly $22 each, and Christmas cards run around $2.00 each, and then the accordion wallet books are $65-70 would normally cost about $275-280 so that is a savings of $100! Whoo Hooo!
The Full Stocking: per family- $265: Session, private gallery, 50 custom Christmas Cards w/envelopes, 1-8×10 mounted and ready to frame, 2-5×7′s mounted and ready to frame and a 4×6 of each image. Savings of $145.00+
The Loaded Trunk!(get all your shopping done here): per family- $400: Session, private gallery, 50 custom Christmas Cards w/envelopes, (you choose: 1-11×14 mounted and ready to frame, 2- 8×10′s, and 3- 5×7′s all mounted and ready to frame and 3 accordion wallet books-
OR
3- 4×8 accordion custom brag books, 2- 8×10′s and 2- 5×7′s all mounted and ready to frame, and then 1 4×6 of each image)
a CD of images with a custom case. Savings of too much to even think about, it hurts my brain (FYI a cd of images is normally around $500)
So, I will now wait to hear from you. The race is ON!
Friends that God Sent
Posted on September 8, 2010
This is going to be a long post. I have so much to say. This weekend was just amazing. Wonderful new friends for life, we now have. I had the honor of meeting and photographing the most wonderful family! This was definitely a meeting set up by God. The story of this family is amazing. They have three beautiful children. T is 6 and just like my son Brayden, very spirited, a quiet side, and a teasing and giggly side; and he is so very handsome. Then S is 4, and he is a ham! He loves the camera, is very very loving, and has just the sweetest spirit and the greatest red hair. And then there is baby C. There are no words to describe the miracle that this precious baby is. She has had the fight of her life basically since she was born. A brain tumor was discovered when she was just a few months old. She has most definitely been touched by the hand of God and just glows with peace and sweetness! God led me to this special family through C’s caring page. I read her Mommy’s journal daily, as well as the guest book, and I signed the guest book on occasion as well. I could not imagine having to go through what this family has been through. It is a parents worst nightmare to discover that one of your children has a life threatening illness. I can’t comprehend it. I did live however, vicariously through J while reading her journal, and I feel like I could feel their pain; even though I know it wasn’t even close to the degree of pain that they were feeling. There were many times tears leapt from my eyes while reading and feeling a piece of their pain. I was friends with them before I even met them and before they even knew of me. I knew that this was a special family. I have prayed daily for this sweet family and I know that literally thousands of others have been praying for C and her family as well. I was “emotionally attached” to this family when I started reading baby C’s caring pages. I felt an instant connection. Possibly because my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2006; which about did me in. It was one of the scariest times of my life. I can’t imagine as a mom having to go through that with your baby. I knew what I needed to do and what my heart wanted to do as well as what God was leading me to do. I wanted to meet our friends that we’d never met. I know that pictures are priceless(and can be expensive) and on top of everything they have been through- I was determined to meet them and capture some special memories and special pictures for them as a family. They had been a somewhat fragmented family while baby C was in the hospital. The boys have a wonderful Aunt and Uncle that took care of them while baby C and their Mommy had to be at the hospital for so many months. Daddy, traveled back and forth between the two places. The boy’s have witnessed way to much loss and tragedy in their little lives that they have since questioned, time and time again. They had friends at the hospital that they came to know and also came to know that sometimes those friends were called home to live with our Heavenly Father; a very hard thing for two little boy’s to wrap their minds around; especially while knowing their new baby sister was also in that hospital fighting her illness. I wanted more than anything to provide this family a fun time, with happy pictures all together as a family. Not, pictures where you sit in a studio with a fake background and bright lights, but a time to just be family and celebrate the fact of being all together again. Finally, all of them together as a family, a baby healed by God, a family whose faith is so very strong and who have also been touched by the hand of God, and a family still healing from the experience with their most difficult and trying walk of faith with Jesus Christ. What a journey with God they have had. Just this past weekend, Labor Day weekend our families were able to meet. It was as if I’d known them forever. Our kids, just jumped right in, they weren’t shy(this is a miracle in itself also), they talked and were instant friends with T and S. Tom and I also were instant friends with A and J. There weren’t any uncomfortable moments of silence, and none of not knowing what to say, as many times there is when meeting someone new, especially two whole families meeting for the first time. Everyone was at home with each other. It was a feeling of “home” when we met. So much in common that we had discovered as well as so very different, in the fact that we’d never been apart as a family, we’d never had the worry, anxiety, and terror of the possibility of losing a child. But, we got to spend two days together, laughing, talking, getting to know each other, the kids played, laughed and got to know each other while also having an occasional “grumpy moment or two.” We explored a park, walked, talked, and I got to love on all of those sweet kids! We went to lunch with them yesterday(Labor Day) to a wonderful peach orchard and we were also able to meet “MeMa and Grandad”, J’s parents. We had a wonderful lunch together, as well as more fun and playtime for the kids. And of course you know I was snapping pictures. I didn’t get as many as I would have liked to of the grandparents, but I will be doing more of them next time, you can count on that. We are going to try and get together again next month to do a corn maze and enjoy the fellowship and love of our new but old friends for life. I am so very thankful for the new friendship, and especially God’s healing hand on this family and their sweet baby girl.
We love you B family and can’t wait to see you again soon!
There are hundreds of pictures and the choice was VERY hard as to which one’s to post. I posted more than I normally do because this family has crept right into our heart! There is a very extra special picture at the end, that to me seems very symbolic of the journey that they have all walked together. They walked in the light of the Lord and kept their eyes on His path, and had constant faith through the dark times, the light times, the happy times, the uncertain curves in the paths and He has led them through. This picture was a one in a million chance of catching this light shining through the trees, almost as if God was saying, yes I am still here walking with you.
Enjoy the pictures, and I will narrate a little bit;
Fun time rough housing with Daddy!
This is Baby C’s new trick she’s learned.
Oh, all the sweet little dirty tootsies! I love ‘em!
A fun game of duck duck goose! C’s turn!
This picture is the one, it brings to mind the song that we sing at church, “Oh how He loves us”
See you soon! We love you B family!
Morning Dew With an Angel
Posted on September 1, 2010
This session, started off great! I was thrilled with the lighting, did you hear me? THRILLED! There could not have been better morning light. I met with this very very sweet Mommy and baby early one morning. It was kind of questionable because this was supposed to be right in the middle of her early morning nap. After the first few takes, she did not want to be put down, and she hated my baskets and blankets. . .all except for one. She loved the ivory doll cart. She also loves her mommy! Baby S became very fussy, which was fine with me. I love the squished up little faces, creased noses, and pouty lips. No, she didn’t squish her face up so I could get a shot, she just didn’t want to be put down. I think that mom, may have been doubting we were getting anything for a little while, and even suggested that we pack it up. I knew that this session wasn’t over. I was just delighted to sit and chat with T and hang out in the nice (for once) weather, and I was throughly enjoying her company. This is when I get the best pictures! It was so relaxing- for me anyway, T would probably argue that one. LOL Baby S even decided to take a little front porch “snap.” That’s what it was just a little itty bitty nap on the porch, it was a “snap.” I LOVE a snap! She woke up so rejuvenated and ready play with her mommy. What FUN pictures! It was a delightful morning!
My oh my at that sunlight! GOD is great, huh!
Oh my, the silliness and the love!
Posted on August 27, 2010
Yeah, so I’m not sure I even spelled silliness right. Looked right, but then it didn’t. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter anyway right? You know what I mean. Okay, so this baby and this little A were just so much fun! I had the greatest time and the biggest laughs at this session, and really, I could have stayed and stayed until they kicked me out because I was having fun photographing and playing and laughing(especially at “shooshoo” and that is something I really can’t remember what Miss A calls her, so sorry if I got it wrong!!) I got so caught up playing with Miss A and she is just contagious, that I wish I’d done a few more inside of Miss OK. But, none the less there are LOTS of pictures! What an awesome family! My family and this family have some LONG time connections that go back at least 50 years. However, I don’t know this particular unit of the family like I do some of the others, but I feel like I can claim that I do! Hehehehe! Okay so take a look at the cuties!
Rain Rain Go Away
Posted on August 5, 2010
So, the last time this family had a session, it rained and poured, we finally got the session in. This time, guess what? It rained, it poured, it thundered and it was dark. The lighting for this session was horrible. It was so very dark and it was a challenge! But, the beauty of this session is that we did the session at their home. So, the kids were able to play and relax. It was a very very relaxed session and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Little T just crawled right into my heart. We compared iphone games and played. We had several discussions about angry birds(the game). Miss M is just a little diva, she is a precious and as sweet at a little cup of chocolate pudding! She danced and she sang and sang. And girl can sing too! I think she just might be a singer one day. And then there’s baby B. She is just a little puff. She’s snuggly, soft, smells deliciously of baby, and is gorgeous! This is the beauty of having a session at your home. Just keeping it relaxed, letting the kids play, playing with the kids, and I hope that they will have wonderful memories one day when looking back on their pictures. I had many giggles at this session too!
Sweet Sweet Boy!
Posted on July 25, 2010
So, I met a really sweet family the other day. They were introduced to me through a very dear friend of mine and they are sister-in-laws. Baby J didn’t really know what to think of me. Bless him, he was probably thinking, “who is this crazy lady making noises at me, making me sit in weird places and making weird faces?!” This is one sweet little peanut, and yes, he is a peanut! I LOVE LOVE his creases! Mom and Dad were also just great. They were very patient and willing to just let me hang out with them for a while, as we had to stop for Peanut’s snack and a little snuggle time in between all the different shots I wanted to capture. Not only is the family awesome and precious, but Biff is also a sweetie! Biff is their “first son,” a boxer who also crept right into my heart. He was forever wanting to give me kisses. I’ll quit babbling now and let you get on with the pictures, if you haven’t already peeked at them.
Sweet Pea’s
Posted on July 20, 2010
My mercy me. I love these babies. I love the parents too, the love in this family is evident and they have a wonderful sense of humor; as well as an overwhelming love and adoration for their precious babies. I could have photographed them all day. I can’t believe how much these baby girls have grown since I first met them when they were only three weeks old. This was their three month session, and wowy they are chunked up and so very sweet, cuddly and just delicious! I couldn’t decide which pictures to sneak peek so I just picked a bunch of them. It’s like eye candy. Enjoy this sweet treat for your eyes!
Coming Soon. . .
Posted on July 13, 2010
I know, two posts in one day! Wow! I’m either MIA in the blog world or in your face blogging all day! So, I wanted to announce something very special coming soon! I am now offering canvas wall art that can be ordered through my website (not available on the site yet, but soon). I will have children’s art consisting of a Big Truck Series, A Frog Fairy Series, A Kitty Cat series(available Winter 2010) and the next series to be announced soon. I will also have an abstract series and a floral series. The prints will vary in price from $45 to $125 each and the entire series ranging from $175-$650 depending on the size and the series selected.
Here is a peek of one of the six in the flower series:
More information coming about the canvas wall art as well as more peeks- until then. . .night night!