Welcome to my humble little blog! This is where I come to post photos and random musings about my three favorite things: My family, my photography and my newly-revived hobby of knitting & crocheting! I can't always guarantee that
I'll update daily--or even weekly--but I do try.
Since 2007 I've been self-employed part-time as a child & family lifestyle
photographer, although I've been on hiatus for a little over a year
now. I'm not certain yet that I'll begin taking paid sessions again in
the spring, because it's quite difficult to keep up with marketing,
scheduling & rescheduling session appointments, shooting the
sessions and post-processing the photos, all while working a full-time
day job and taking care of--and being with--my family.
That's not to say that I don't enjoy the process, however, but at
this point it's becoming clear that photography needs to remain
a hobby.
As for knitting and crocheting, I learned to crochet from my grandmother
when I was eight years old. I've enjoyed it on and off throughout my
lifetime, and I've recently started working on a variety projects. I
also taught myself to knit several years ago, and I'm currently
studying some techniques that go beyond just the basics, such as cabling & knitting in the round.
Thanks for stopping by & I hope you enjoy seeing what we've been up to!
Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending and photographing my niece Ella’s dedication at her church! She was so pretty in her dress, and was very well-behaved through the service (although a little sleepy LOL!)
Ella with Dad:
Snoozing before the service 
:
Ella and Pastor Joe:
Another snooze with Grammy :
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
As I was going through last summer’s photos, I came across this photo of a huge Dobson Fly I found last July as we were coming out of the Colonial Commons movie theater in Harrisburg. We had just taken the boys to see “Journey to the Center of the Earth”. Not only do I love bugs – especially the more unique and uncommon ones (I know, go ahead and say “Ewwwww!”) – but I also *must* photograph my unique finds! So, here I was at the theater, without my camera, so what’s a bug-loving photographer to do in this situation?!? Why, grab a random paper bag out of the car and bring the critter home to the camera, of course! Although this female Dobson Fly did not enjoy the 30-minute ride home in the least, she was quite happy once I let her out and started taking photos!
Trevor has been taking Kung Fu lessons for about 2 months now at the Carlisle Kung Fu Center. Contrary to popular belief, Kung Fu is not the same as karate, but rather, is one of many various forms of martial arts. An excerpt from the Kung Fu Center web site states: “Pai Lum Kung Fu, also known as White Dragon Fist Style Kung Fu, is a traditional Chinese martial art that has been passed down through generations of the Pai family. The late Grandmaster Daniel K. Pai had devoted over 50 years to the development of the Chinese martial arts. His family’s system of kicking, sweeping, punching, blocking, and joint locking techniques provides a means for development as a complete martial arts practitioner.”
“The emphasis of Pai Lum is on achieving maximum results with minimum effort. Pai Lum develops:
* A healthy mind in a healthy body
* The ability to defend oneself
* Increased self confidence and self discipline
* A peaceful way to vent tension and aggression
* Patience in all aspects of life
* An understanding of the body and it’s unlimited potential”
In the short time that Trevor has been studying Kung Fu, we have noticed a marked increase in his self-discipline and respect for others around him. These were two issues he was previously struggling with, in school as well as at home. I recently took my camera along to class to catch Trevor and some of his peers in action. He looks forward to each and every class!
Chi Kung breathing exercises:
Practicing the reverse thrust kick:
We are hoping that Trevor will continue to enjoy Kung Fu as much as he does now!
I can say it’s now officially spring at our house, as we finally made our annual trek to Home Depot and Lowe’s to buy flowers and hanging baskets for our front porch! The “find” I’m most excited about this year is my pot of purple and cream calla lilies with speckled leaves. I’ve never before seen callas of this variety…they are gorgeous!
One of the many random mushrooms that keep popping up in the garden:
This is the little “garden guy” that was left behind by the previous occupants of the apartment we moved into when we got married. When we moved into our first house 2 years later, we decided he had to come with us. When we moved again to our current house, he, of course, came with us once again! I like to think of him as our little “good luck in life” charm since we found him when we were first married and he’s still with us.
Happy spring!
Every year we have Easter dinner at my grandmother’s house down in Waynesboro, which is followed by an egg hunt for the boys. This Easter was special since it is the first Easter Ella was with us!
Aaron taking a break to check out his loot:
My grandmother’s squirrel feeder made for a tricky little hiding spot!
Of course, there are always the difficult-to-find, out-of-reach eggs to keep the boys “on their toes” ha ha!
Our sweet little Ella:
Making a silly scrunchy face for Memaw:
“I see you, Aunt Kristi, with that big black thing in front of your face again!”
Next Easter should be fun when Ella will likely be able to find some eggs of her own!
I recently had the opportunity to babysit my niece Ella (like my bro and sis-in-law really had to twist my arm!) and of course, there was no way I was leaving without photos! Here are a few from the evening:
The boys both enjoyed holding Ella for a bit:
Getting sleepy!
Peacefully sleeping:
Blowing icky milk bubbles!
The monkey on Ella’s cute little crib mobile!
I took these photos nearly 3 weeks ago when Ella was about 9-1/2 pounds. She just had a checkup this past week and the little stinker is now 12 pounds! I have some photos from Easter that I want to post this week, and her face is looking much fuller than in these photos. Even though I’ve raised two of my own babies and know all to well how fast they grow, Ella seems to be growing even more quickly because I don’t get to see her everyday. Time for another babysitting gig, I say! 
Before I finally (after a month!) get around to posting some photos, I have an announcement to make. I’ve already told my friends, family, a few colleagues and a client I ran into at the store…but it’s time I make it known to everyone. This year I will not be taking any paid photo sessions. My original goal for this year was to cut my work hours back and gradually work in more photo sessions; however, with several huge projects being taken on at my day job it’s just going to be too difficult to run my photography business. I refuse to try and spread myself too thin and get myself to the point where I’m giving less than 100% to my clients or my day job. Not to mention my family!
Another factor that weighed heavily into my decision was the fact that I have neglected my own personal photos for what seems like forever. I would really like to take the time this year and get caught up on personal photo editing and (gasp!) perhaps even get them scrapbooked!!! I’ve also been dying to get some coffee table books printed up featuring some of our recent family adventures!
I certainly hope no one gets the impression that I’m going away forever. It’s just for this year only! Next year I will most definitely be cutting my work hours back and putting a huge effort into getting my business back up and running. This will also give me the time to get some of my coworkers at my day job trained in some of my responsibilities so that I will be in a position to cut my hours back when the time comes.
Anyway, without further ado, I wanted to post some photos I took of Ella when she was a week old (a little belated, I know 
). Enjoy!
A nuzzle with Dad (notice the red hair connection!):
Ella and her beautiful mama:
Gotta love those tiny fingers:
Yesterday I babysat Ella while her mom and dad could go out for their first “post baby” date. I took lots of photos with my new 5D MarkII which I hope to be sharing in another day or two!
I’m excited to announce that I am now officially “Aunt Kristi!” Ella May entered the world at 11:30 AM this morning, weighing in at 6 lbs. and 3.8 oz. and 19.5 inches long. She has brilliant red hair, too!
Gotta love those tiny newborn feet and toes!:
The nurse had just awakened her for her first bath. She was not at all happy!:
Hair washing:
“Is this craziness over yet?!?!?”:
Proud Dad holding his new daughter:
Mom, Dad and baby are all doing very well. Many more photos of this little princess will be appearing here in the near future…stay tuned! 
In keeping with my goal to continue posting unblogged photos from 2008, here is a mini session I did with Aaron at Thanksgiving. Aaron and I had dinner at my grandmother’s in Waynesboro (Corey and Trevor had dinner with his parents since his stepbrother was visiting from NYC) and I was determined to get some photos of Aaron at the little brick Mennonite church across the street. After a “slight” bribe that had a little something to do with…ahem…a new Bakugan toy, he heartily agreed to pose for me. I must say he did a fantastic job and more than earned his bribe!
A slight vintage effect using a combination of Totally Rad Actions:
Another vintage effect:
Have a great weekend!
I am absolutely loving my new set of actions, Totally Rad Actions 2: The Revenge. I decided to play around and apply a few of them to some of my Phoenix images. I love the look I got by running “Pool Party” and “Wish You Were Here” to the palm tree shots:
They remind me of on old, faded vintage postcard! A lot of awesome vintage looks can be achieved with the TRA2 actions. If you are a pro photographer, or even a serious amateur, I highly recommend this set of actions. I also have the original Totally Rad Actions set and in combination with TRA2 the possibilities are endless!
by Kristi
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