I had the pleasure of photographing an awesome family on the 4th of July. No sorry there are no fireworks just a bunch of cute kids 
Nana lives on a lake so we tried to spot fish, none, just some creepy deceased crawfish looking thing. I have to give a big hand to the kids they didn’t complain a third as much as my kids would have- it was sticky & hot during that shoot even at 9am. Glasses and lenses were fogged up. But we had fun & Popsicles regardless of feeling like we were running around in a sauna. Thank you guys for being patient on the sneak peek- the rest of your gallery is currently loading and you should receive the link tomorrow view them.
Baconboy is on the cusp of turning 7. Holy crap I have a seven year old. I’ve done the math 3 times it still comes to 7. Oh my. Anyhoo, Baconboy is obsessed with a cartoon called Johnny Test (Cartoon Network). He really wants flame hair and who am I to say no- currently I have pink and blue hidden in my mop. Also it’s the summer time which means time to have fun! So I had some wacky tattoos printed up, dyed his hair and we had a little photoshoot. We both enjoyed our special time together, hopefully he’ll remember it when he’s 16 and calling me a horrible mom because I won’t let him pierce his nose/ear/eyebrow/tongue/whathaveyou.
The “A” family are transplants from St. Louis (MO). Momma needed a couple of pics of the kiddos before they’re off to see their dad back in St. Louis. They’ll be gone for the whole summer, what will she do with herself? Personally I see her lounging by the pool and indulging in mani/pedi’s I hope you guys enjoy the sneak peek!
Good news! So far all of the fosters we have…uh…fostered have been adopted. Niki (who I never got a chance to foster) went to a great home with kids and dogs to keep her company. Blue went to laid back couple with a brand new baby to love on and Ollie… well he’s staying here
Back to our new foster. Penny is a three year old merlequin (kinda a mottled grey & black harle). She is super sweet and incredibly loving. Penny positively loves kids and wants to be wherever they are, including the pool. She hasn’t quite gotten up the nerve to get all the way in the pool but she does venture to the first step. So if you have kids and you’re looking for a Great Dane you should seriously consider adopting Penny from the Central Florida Great Dane Rescue. She’s waiting for her forever home so get going!
The “S” family was here on a short visit. Dad just got back from Iraq (his 6th tour I think? Maybe 7th…) Hopefully by the time they get this post they’ll have safely arrived back in NC. Then they’ll have another long haul to Twenty-Nine Palms, CA. If you haven’t guessed yet he’s a Marine (OoRah!). We were lucky enough to catch the last little slivers of light for a quick family shoot. I hope you guys have a safe trip home and look for an email I’ll have your family treasures out to you lickity split
I’m helping out a local Great Dane Rescue. Great Danes are very near and dear to my heart (I met one of best friends thru mutual Dane love). When I was 18 (a long long time ago) I convinced my parents, that I was still living with, that I NEEDED a Great Dane. So I scoured the paper and found a Great Dane puppy for sale. He was completely wonderful. A playful puppy at 10 weeks old with huge feet and a beautiful blue Merle color pattern. It was true bliss and I was in love.
My god that dog ate everything in the house.
He devoured at least 10 pairs of shoes, a couple pairs of underwear, a full pot-roast and lord knows how many loaves of bread. He peed on every inch of the carpeting in my room and decimated my mom’s wicker basket collection. I’m surprised they didn’t kick me out the house within 48 hours of bringing him home.
Anyhoo, he truly was my best friend baby and nemesis to the future Mr. Bacon. I believe he prepared me for kids (I’ll tell y’all the story of how he vomited into his head collar after being neutered- later) and eventually loss. I swear there’s a point in here somewhere. He lived a fruitful life on the couch, lounging in the pool and hanging on my dad’s boat. When he turned 5 he got bone cancer. It’s very common in large breed dogs and totally unfair. For goodness sake Great Danes only live 8-10 years. He battled it for 2 years- he even got to meet the Pet Psychic Sonia Fitzpatrick- I cannot thank the doctors at the University of Florida enough, Go GATORS!
During that time I had moved out and my parents longed for a Great Dane of their own. They contacted the Central Florida Great Dane Rescue. They adopted Dixie a harlequin who had had a rough life. She too lived a ripe old life. A couple years after my Dane (Surge) had passed I longed for another Dane. We adopted Bogart thru the same rescue CFGDR. That dog was clueless and happy all the time. A month after living with us he moved in with my parents. I’m not even kidding I got dumped by a dog. Bogart passed a couple months ago. My parents can’t live without a Dane (or two) in the house so they decided to foster. They’re on their 3rd foster. His name is Ollie. They’ve fallen in love with every Dane they’ve fostered so far. They’re hoping to adopt this one. And then foster another one (or two). I’m helping out CFGDR by taking portraits of the Danes in Rescue. There are a lot of Danes that are in need of homes. If you’re smart you’ll skip the demonic destructive puppy stage and go for one in the 2/3 year old range. Trust me the moulding on your walls will thank you.
And here’s a couple pics I snapped of Ollie, the current foster at my parents house.
So do me and them a favor and check out their site, see if there’s a way you can help too. Maybe you’re not in the market for a Great Dane right now but you never know.
It’s teacher appreciation week at baconboys school. The school sent out a notice asking for fresh baked goodies. I read it to mean fresh baked from the Publix Bakery. I had every intention of stopping by to pick something up…until Nana intervened. She saw something on the Today show about cupcakes (What’s New, Cupcake?). So of course I had to try something after seeing the show. My predicament my oven is broken *sob* and my toaster oven likes to cook everything cajun style i.e. burn it. So I purchased a mini Cupcake maker (Big Lots $30). Yes folks if you don’t want to wait a full 12-15 minutes for full sized cupcakes to cook in a regular sized oven then try the Babycakes Cupcake Maker. It bakes 8 mini cupcakes in 5-8 minutes. It’s like a George Foreman grill for cupcakes.
So I didn’t have the exact directions for the Apple shaped cupcakes so I had to wing it. Basically it’s a cupcake with a doughnut on top (use icing to cement doughnut to the top of the cupcake). I used mini doughnuts bc I was making mini cupcakes. I also made the mistake of using powered doughnuts. Don’t used powered the icing will slide right off your cupcakes. It’s very frustrating. I then microwaved a can of frosting, tinted it red and dipped the whole cupcake doughnut setup in the icing. You get a smooth covering of icing this way. I then dipped it into red sugar.
The stem of the apple is a pretzel stick and the leaves are green fruit roll-ups. Hint- refrigerate the fruit roll-up for easier cutting, it also makes it easier to peel off the plastic backing. Then stick the leaf to the pretzel and shove it into the cupcake.
Voila!
The only problems I had with the Babycake Cupcake Maker was the horrible burning plastic smell during first use (the instructions do warn of this). Also the consistency of the cupcakes are a bit weird. Kinda spongy instead of cakey. But they tasted fine so I guess it doesn’t matter. Also the size isn’t truly mini. They’re in between mini and large. I’m guessing it’s because you can use the Cupcake maker as a tart maker. I’m assuming tarts are bigger. Anyhoo all the teachers loved them. They said they almost didn’t want to eat them because they were so cute
This is a special post for Courtney and Cody’s daddy. He’s currently on his (7? 8?) tour with the Marines in Iraq. It’s been a long time since he’s seen his kids. I bet he won’t even recognize them, they’ve grown like weeds They just received some letters from him and were so excited that they begged for a mini photo shoot to show him just how much they’ve grown. We hope he’s doing well over there and comes home soon safely.
On a side note it’s Courtney’s 11th birthday today!! So please leave some birthday love in the comments I know she’d be elated to see wishes from the interwebz.
I’ve had quite a few maternity shoots since the new year *note to self do NOT drink the water in Celebration, FL. Both my clients from Celebration are pregnant with twins! One had a boy and a girl the other had girls (yeah I’m a little behind on posting- their 3mo session is next week). I have to say there is nothing more beautiful than a big round belly with babies kicking around inside Especially if it’s momma J and her handsome hubs. Seriously even in my best days I never look this good. I’m so envious of her.
8 Comments
DUDE! YOU LOOK SO AWESOME!
OMG LOVE!
What amazing photo’s. And what an amazing young man!
OMG. I LOVE HIS EYES. I want them (the color – not his actual eyes)
Awww, so cute! His eyes look so blue. I bet he had fun doing it all with you : )
He gets his good looks from his Daddy!
He’s too cute for words Alison!
love the last one! And love the hair!