Grace, A Gift From God

I was so in love with this family and their beloved dog. They were in town visiting relatives and booked a photography session while they were here. These images of Grace just melted my heart. A little back story (grab a tissue)...Grace had belonged to a woman in Nebraska and she was pretty much kept crated all day, every day. Her new owner Barbie heard about her from her sister, who knew about Grace's situation and the rescue society there talked the owner into giving her up to a new family who would be able to spend time with her. So Barbie and Mark rescued her and at first she didn't even know how to play she was so used to being crated. Barbie fell in love with her, this was her new best friend. A few months after getting her, Barbie found out she has Chronic Leukemia and I think that's where Grace comes in...Grace went totally blind not long after Barbie's diagnosis. I truly believe God sent Grace to her new family because they needed her, Barbie needed something to love and take care of so as not to dwell on her illness. A true love story of the best kind. Both are doing well, and except for a few bumps in new, unfamiliar surroundings Grace gets around great. I can tell you, she can hear a Frito bag from another room!

Family Treasures

This is my Uncle Gene...a nicer, kinder man you will never meet. He celebrated his 81st birthday last weekend and we had a big family celebration out at his son's ranch. I call it the compound...many acres and several houses on the property for the various family members. It was a great day and so relaxing! I could move out to the ranch right now! My uncle is married to my mom's twin sister and he's always been one of my favorite relatives...he has a gentle sense of humor and he and my dad used to give each other little ribbings when we all got together. I'm so glad I was there and able to get this image of my uncle...we also did a "real" session for their family...all the sons, wives, grandkids etc.

On a sadder note, my cousin on the other side today said my aunt had had some debilitating strokes and the outlook wasn't good. This is the aunt that I definitely got my wicked sense of humor (and housekeeping skills) from! And my uncle by marriage on that side is also not doing well. He's another one of the great "gentle giants." I was blessed with a great family and now that I am in my 50's its sad to start to lose our elder members. Not trying to drag this post down, but I lost my dad in 1995 and I so regret that I wasn't doing photography then because we have so few pictures of my dad. It's very important to take their pictures now, while you still have them in your lives. I got a great image of my mom (77) walking hand in hand with Gigi (17 months) at the picnic...its truly priceless especially since we almost lost my mom last year. Gigi will always have that picture to remember her great grandmother by and how much she was loved by her. Images of our family are simple treasures, something to cherish forever.

So, if you have any prayers to spare, my aunt and uncle and their families would appreciate them.

Short and Sweet Session {Southlake Childrens Photographers}

Sometimes you just need to capture in pictures a special milestone like losing that first tooth, a birthday or a new haircut. That's where the Short and Sweet Photography Session comes in.

It's just $75 and you get a 25 minute session and 10-15 images in an online gallery. But here's what makes it even "sweeter"...if you book and have a session now through May 15th, you will also get 20% off my normal portrait prices! Sweet!

Check my website (The Boutique gallery) for more detailed info as shown in image above and call to schedule your Short and Sweet photo session today!

New - Mommy Cards!

Have you heard of Mommy Cards yet? They are the newest (and handiest) thing to hit a playground near you!

So what are they? Well they are the modern mom’s “business” card. Mom's these days not only have to keep up their social calendars, but their kids have them too! Today's Mom is constantly organizing play dates, parties etc, and need a quick and easy way to pass on their information. So when you're standing in a parking lot trying to arrange a play date with a new friend, it is much more convenient (and fun!) to pull out a Mommy Card than to dig around for a pen and paper. These are also great for leaving information when your child is at an outing that you are not, in case they need to reach you. They are business card size and easily fit into your wallet.

Mommy Cards can be ordered from your session (or a past session). Love 'em! Here is just a quick sample to give you an idea...the design possibilities are endless.

Shabby Birth Announcements - New!

Love, love, love these new birth announcements! I purchased the templates from an awesome designer and am so happy to be able to start offering these. The first collection I will post is for boys...but the cool things about these is that the elements in the design (background paper/colors/fonts etc) can be changed up so you are not locked in to the design as shown...but honestly, they are so adorable they are ready to go as is!

I will post the girl collection shortly but for now, enjoy these. If you'd like more information on them simply email me (cjzee@sbcglobal.net) and I can give you the 411!

Boys and Girls and Puppies

You know I love it when I get to do photo sessions where they also include the pets! One of these images is a "where are they now" shot. This boy and his dog were photographed in January and their image won 1st place in the photo contest (a previous blog entry below). Look how that little puppy has grown! She's an adorable Cairn terrier named Dixie and is a cutiepie. "P" who's her owner, has grown so much too, lost his first tooth and got $5! That tooth fairy pays way better than when I was his age.
His sister, also "P", has the most gorgeous curly hair and the tinted/sepia image her, one of my favorites from the session. Mom kindly brought her beautiful bench out to the yard and we put it to good use with this beautiful petti image.

Okay, now the other kids and dog are cousins to the first brother/sister. They just got a new puppy named Marley who's 12 weeks old and adorable! She posed quite prettily for me and was very patient...but when she was done, she was done and off that bench in a flash! Her owner "D" has just lost his two front teeth and mom wanted to make sure we captured that important milestone in his life....he's such a sweet little guy and very well mannered...mom and dad should be very proud of him! His little sister "P" modelled this hat for me before running off to go play with her cousins and the dogs. She also has gorgeous curly hair and she's the little girl that's on my blog header (I told mom I get a ton of compliments on that shot, its one of my absolute favorites ever!).

Johnny Depp comes to Oshkosh and goes back in time!

My brother emailed me a link to his hometown, Oshkosh WI, where they are filming Johnny Depp's new movie Public Enemy. They hired extras from the local people and Johnny Depp (hubba hubba!) is renting a house somewhere in town. My brother is quite talented in set building as he has been an artist his whole life and does video work for his company along with the sales portion. He sent me this link...I would have loved to have seen them transform 2008 Oshkosh back to the 1930's. I so would work in set design if I was in Hollywood....love it!