A Public Service Announcement

My blog readers, I love you so much that I (your official 'new ice cream flavor tester'), am here to report on the new Haagen-Dazs flavor:
Carmelized Pear & Toasted Pecan.


I had high hopes for this flavor...I didn't think I could go wrong, afterall, my favorite jelly bean flavor is the one and only "juicy pear". While this flavor didn't completely bomb, in my opinion, it could have been so much better. There was this funky after taste to the pear pieces, and it wasn't very juicy at all. Sigh. Just once I would like to prove my husband wrong and try something new that I LOVE! I guess I still stick to 'coffee' flavor...I don't think Haagen Dazs will ever top that one.

confession: I ate it all anyway. The pint photographed was empty. I put rocks in the bottom of it so that when I lifted up the background paper it wouldn't fall over. What can I say? I'm here to help!

ps. this post is dedicated to Heidi and Christina, my only (other) faithful readers. You guys rock!

going green

I am officially one of those people that takes their own bags to the grocery store. I don't know what took us so long to purchase these handy bags--they are only 99 cents, and they eliminate waste! What a no-brianer! I have two so far...one is beige, the other is right here:


I really want a green one, too. Green is my favorite color. SO, back to being GREEN, I encourage you to buy these! I am so relieved that I don't have to save up my plastic bags and then forget to take them to the recycle bin at Publix every time I go shopping! It's very freeing not to have wads of bags around the house because I never could find a place for the growing mass.

I do have one complaint...I wish the bags weren't branded because I really want to take this to Walmart. Why didn't I buy Walmart bags? The Wal-mart bags are $1.50. Gasp! Publix actually has a less expensive item. I am still recovering from the shock.

ps. This post is dedicated to my friend, Julie. The earth saver. And my (only) faithful reader. Thanks for wanting more posts, Julie!

Random Facts are my Favorite

I love random facts & trivia--I love spouting it off and learning it about my friends. I am a sucker for those "20 Questions" on facebook & myspace...it's a little *too* consuming. So anyway...I'll go first, and then you can comment with something random about yourself.

Here's as random as it gets (for now):
I have always had long hair, past my shoulders at least.

Well....except for twice.
The first time was when I was a child and my Mom handed over the haircut responsibility to my Dad. He let the hairdresser cut off several more inches than planned. I thought it was really cute...until I got home and saw the look on my Mom's face. Then, I cried.

The second time was when I was away in college and I was feeling rebellious. I cut my hair all the way ABOVE my shoulders, got blonde chunky highlights and took a photo of myself wearing a shirt that said: BRAT. I was also sticking out my tongue. This was a little gift for my Mom.

Do you think these two events are related?

I guess we don't have to call in a professional to explain why my own daughter's hair is down to her waist.

ps. Mom, if you are reading this, I am not really not emotionally scarred. And thanks for talking me out of getting a tattoo.

p.p.s. Dad, if you are reading this, thanks for taking me for haircuts. I really did like that haircut.

Now, let's read some random facts about YOU!

(my world)

Cheeks for days...

I just can't get enough!

fun, frilly sneak peek

Here is a little preview to the session I had with my friend, Debby. Debby rocks...she worked magic on my hair and I am beyond thrilled to know her!! When I walked into her house and met her girls for the first time, I knew we were going to have a ball. The camera loves them and oh, do they know how to work it! They need an agent!

{attention to detail}

When I stood outside in my pjs snapping this photo, I was focusing on the sunlight--mostly the direction of it in relation to where I held the flower. I love morning light--it feels so fresh and renewing...it's my favorite time to shoot. But it wasn't until a few days later that I gained full appreciation for what I was photographing. While looking at this photo on my computer screen, it occured to me that God, creator of every living thing, takes the time to precisely craft each flower in detail. The shape of each petal, the perfect circle, the rich color. Then I think of all of the different colors of daisies that exist...and then the hundreds of varieties of flowers out there--and remember that God created them all!

How much more then, does God pay attention to the details of His children? To know that He loves me that much is more than sufficient for me!

{clappy, happy girl}

Miss C's entire face lit up when she started clapping...it was adorable!



Her eyelashes and cheeks here are enough to make me want another baby.



Her eyes say it all here...she was looking at her Daddy!



This smile makes me laugh because she was into my little bag of tricks!



*sigh* I could post on and on with these pictures of baby C, the beauty. Her eyes, her cheeks, her two bottom teeth...it's all fabulous.

Our Apologies!

If you have emailed us using the form on our website and have not received a response, we apologize! It has come to our attention that our email address linked with the contact form on our website was not updated with our new email address.

Basically, your message was lost in cyber space, much to our disappointment.

We would really like to hear from you so please email us again if you didn't receive a personal response from us. (the auto-generated emails don't count). Again, our apologies! We are not ignoring you, we really love email!

Anna...take 2

With a few tricks up our sleeve, we came up with a few more poses with the very precious baby Anna!

Popcorn Winner!

Using Random.org, we plugged in the integers 1-15 and here is the result:

True Random Number Service Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

4

Yes, that means entry #4, Heidi is the winner! Congratulations!

Next month, our prize is going GREEN! More details to come! Be sure to tell your family and friends about our give-a-ways so they can also have a chance to win. Thank you to all who entered--we enjoyed reading about your popcorn habits!

February Giveaway!

This month we are giving away one of my favorite treats ever: Gourmet Popcorn from Dale & Thomas!

Here's what you get:
A six bag sampler of popcorn in the following flavors:

Dark Fudge with Praline Almonds (Brandon's fav)
Hall of Fame Kettle Corn (oh it's ridiculously de-lish)
Country Smokehouse Chedder (my fav)
Blue Ribbon Chili & Sour Cream (spicy & fabulous)
Chocolate Chunk n Caramel (that says it all!)
Almond Biscotti (goes great with coffee!)

To enter to win this totally awesome party for your tastebuds, just leave a comment below this post answering the following question: How many times a week do you eat popcorn? For me...once or twice. And I must eat my popcorn HOT & buttery with red vines. I think it's a west coast thing, but the combo of popcorn and red vines...all I can say is: Yum!

Oh! And here is the link for Dale & Thomas if you are a visual person, like me. popcorn

Comment away! Tell your friends! The winner will be announced on Monday and will be chosen via a random drawing.

{sneak peek}

Miss C...oh did she ever make me giggle! Her outfit was darling, and her pink boots were trashed by the end but they were perfect!

cutest boy ever made.

Meet Anna.

Miss A. Love

Just a few favorites from Little Miss A. Love...whose name I LOVE and would steal if I had anymore kids. ha! There is no threat of that happening, just ask my husband.

Anyway--I was a little "indulgent" here and worked with a bunch of plays on color and texture. Texture is my life.

Big sister will be making her debut soon...

{what we've been up to}

We have been focusing on raising awareness for Child Sex Slavery and Human Trafficking. Here is a flyer that was distributed at a recent networking breakfast put together by WAY FM. Lots of interest was raised, and it became more evident to us that most people have no idea that Human Trafficking, along with Sex Trafficking is happening right here in Florida. If you would like to help, there is an opportunity this weekend! We are participating in an awareness event coming up this Saturday in Tampa. For more information, please contact Brandon via email at: brandon@setfreephotography.com.



Here is what the flyer says:
Our Mission: Set Them Free
Our love might be for photography but our passion is to rescue children from bondage and captivity.

-Every 30 minutes, a person is trafficked into the United States

-80% of those trafficked are women and children

-Human Trafficking Industry has exceeded $32 billion dollars annually, which is second only to drug trafficking.

-Almost half of the human trafficking suspects referred to U.S.attorney's were in the following four states: CA, TX, NY and FL.

-An estimated 2 million children are enslaved in the global commercial sex trade

-As human beings, we have to fight for a world free from slavery.

What we are doing:

-A portion of our profits from each photo shoot goes toward raising awareness and the rescue of human trafficking and sex trade victims.
-We are teaming up with the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking to raise awareness this Saturday, 1/31.
-We are attending training classes for awareness & rescue and invite you to join us!

Pretty In Pink

She's growing up right before our eyes...so blessed to be a part of precious Sydnie's life!

{love is in the air}

Had some fun playing with different colors and textures on the very lovely, laughy, sweet couple & dear friends of mine, Mike & Jaime. Isn't her smile infectious? Her laugh is, too!

Dear Blog,

I have not forgotten about you.
I miss you.

Here are some more photos of the heart-stealing, chubby cheeked, angel baby Colby with the softest skin I have ever touched. Seriously. It's that soft...like silk. The silkiest silk.

New Blog Address!

Happy New Year Everyone!
Just a note to let you know that the domain name for this blog will be changing to: www.setfreephotography.blogspot.com. If you have this blog saved with the current address in your favorites, it will not work when the change is made. I apologize for the invconvenience!

Stacy