It's hard to believe it's that time of year again! It's time to gear up for the busy holiday season and this means marking your calendar to get some holiday photos done. I'm so excited to be offering mini sessions this year at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens! Holiday Mini sessions are SO much fun. For me it's the beginning of the festive holiday season watching everyone dress up, enjoy some holiday goodies, and get into the spirit of the season. Sessions are limited so please contact me today to reserve your time slot!
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Holidays
For weeks and weeks you heard me talking about the Holiday Mini Sessions I was going to hold at Riverdale Elementary School. Well the day finally arrived and it was such a wonderful, fun day! I loved seeing all the cuties out in their holiday outfits as well as capturing so many fun family moments.
I had so many favorite from this day! I think everyone enjoyed playing around in the gym as well as being able to go outside thanks to the beautiful weather. Thank you to all my amazing clients for being willing to travel some for these mini sessions and for showing up for such a fun time. I will definitely be offering this again next year and am already thinking of different possibilities. Until then, I hope these help put you in the holiday spirit!
Holiday Mini Sessions are right around the corner! Can you believe it?? I am so so so excited for this opportunity and to see what these sessions will bring.
For some of us it's too early to be thinking Jingle Bells, Hot Cocoa, and a chill in the air. For others of us, that's all we're thinking about! Whether you are a Holiday Fanatic or like to give the holidays their due time, this is a great opportunity to get updated and cherished photos of you and your family for a great price. We are so lucky to have a unique venue all to ourselves! Riverdale Elementary has given us the space for the day and this includes their awesome gym, classrooms, outside, and beautiful architecture of the building. We will have holiday set ups in some areas but we also get to just explore! So even if you're not ready to put on those tacky sweaters, we can get some lovely shots! Contact me today through the contact page on my website (www.runawayalice.com) for more information!
Our holiday sessions are filling up quickly! I know its early to be thinking about the holidays, and you may not want to yet, but just think of already having your pictures done and getting your cards ordered before everyone else this year! What a load off to have one thing done and be ready to concentrate on fun stuff like, shopping! (Have I mentioned I'm a little bit of a shop-a-holic?) Our holiday session is filling up quickly, so contact me today to reserve your time slot!
Happy Monday all!
I am super excited to be offering Holiday Mini Sessions this year! This is the perfect opportunity to get great family photos as well as those fun shots for Holiday Cards. Break out the tacky sweaters and hot cocoa! I will be offering a great holiday set up at Riverdale Elementary in Strawberry Plains. If you haven't heard of Riverdale, it's a historic building that has been restored by Connie and Wayne Whitehead and is now available as a photography venue. Its got a lot of character and I'm excited to be able to offer my clients a new location that we can use for Mini Sessions no matter what the weather is like. Spots are limited so please contact me to reserve your time slot as soon as possible!
The holidays have been fantastic. I really have enjoyed every minute, and I hate to say that I'm sad to see them go. They've also been a whirlwind of presents, paper, food, traveling, family, and friends. So as we head into the new year (can't believe it's going to be 2011) I'm going to try to do a little catching up.
The week before Christmas we had all of Speed Racer's side of the family over for dinner and presents. It was the first time since we really got a lot of work done on the house that everyone had been there at once.
So we pulled out my Grandmother's china, decorated with cheer, and cooked a ham.
The day of was a bit of fiasco until everyone got there. I had been having terrible headaches every night the week before that were keeping me up at night (more on that later). I was tired, moving slow, and just downright not thinking. I was feeling so bad at work that I knocked off a little early and came home to take a nap, knowing that I had plenty of time to put the ham in before people got there.
Oh what a lie that was. In my tiredness I had misread the cook times, and there was not enough time for ham. So, I ran back to the store...in the rain...and bought another, precooked, smaller ham. As I started cooking everything became a disaster, the potatoes, the ham still wasn't cooking fast enough, things still had to be done...I was on the verge of giving up and going back to bed. But who came to my rescue? None other than my Speed Racer.
He kissed me. Told me everything was going to work out, that the mash potatoes were bad but fixable...put on some Christmas music and got to work. He ironed the table cloth, started the fire, and then helped me in the kitchen. It was teamwork and just as people were arriving, we pulled a beautiful ham out of the oven.
Everyone started tearing into their presents, and the kitties were glad to play with all the paper.
It truly was a wonderful evening. I love having family and friends in this house, it brings me complete joy and reminded me that this is what Christmas is all about.
I woke up this morning to snow. I'm sure many of you did. Snow in Knoxville, Tennessee though is a big deal. People freak out a little bit about it, and not just like, "OOO snow!" more like, "We may get stuck in our houses forever." There was not even an inch this morning, and by this afternoon it had all melted. There were still hundreds of cars in the grocery store parking lot...no joke. However, it was very pretty this morning and put me in a great holiday mood.
This is what it looked like on my walk to work...
...I'm a very fast walker, but the guy in front of me was movin'. It was really cold.
And of course all the morning commuters.
This is one of my favorite statues. It's of a man rowing a boat, but the way the sculpture is done he is rowing it into pavement, and it looks almost like he is sinking. The irony of this is that he is right outside the building where I work, and sometimes when I walk by I feel like I'm sinking in there too. Ahem, in a non-emo way of course.
When it was snowing on Sunday, Speed Racer and I were tackling our Christmas decorations. It was pretty perfect, Christmas carols were playing, christmas lights were not working, and the fire was beautiful and warm.
Ah, perfection. I mean, the lights, not the handsome redheaded man right....there. But I'm getting distracted. It does puzzle me how every year you can buy new Christmas lights, when they are done put them into a safe, dry box, and then the next year half of them do not work. What is the deal?? I want answers Christmas light industry. In the end we went out and had to buy some more...these were gonners.
Now we just need the star!
These cute little owls are some of my favorite ornaments. I got them at Le Target when we first moved here and I just think they are adorable. They make me smile every time I see them.
Speed Racer on the other hand...
...thinks they are weird and creepy. It's Christmas by gosh and it's not Christmas without...Christmas owwwwwllls??? As I say with most things, "Whatevs, I do what I want." Le. End.
As the holiday season rushes at me with hurricane wind force, I find myself a little dazed. I woke up the other morning completely stunned that it was November. Wasn't it just May? Wasn't it just sunny? Don't get me wrong, I love the holidays. I love getting together with family, decorations, food, and of course we have discussed my addiction to presents. But right now when all the planning lies ahead, it's a bit overwhelming.
I started this tradition about two years ago and I really find it a joy. I keep a white board in my kitchen, so I can list, plan, put up recipes, figure out menus, etc to my hearts content. But from now until Thanksgiving, and possibly until Christmas, I work on filling it with things I am thankful for. A lot of times Speed Racer and I fill this out together, just adding something here and there as it strikes us. It helps me refocus on what is important and how blessed we are for every little thing in our lives. I challenge you to create your own thankful list, whether it's on a white board, pieces of scrap paper, or even toilet paper...just as long as you're keeping track. Try to put up one thing everyday, even on the bad days. You'll be amazed how it changes your mood when you look at the board at the end.
P.S. Please excuse the plaid wallpaper. I am thankful that we are about 90% wallpaper free at this point in our house...I'm going to get you kitchen and bathroom wallpaper, just you wait.
about Fall. Fall has taken hold of my heart and it won't give it back. I know that it's a cruel mistress because really it's just the precursor to winter, but I'm going to enjoy it all the same.
So because I am enamored with fall right now...
And because someone greeted me with "Buenos Tardes" today...
I'm dedicating the next couple of posts to fall. Hopefully there will be fall photos, fall dishes, fall deserts, fall colors, and anything else that pops into my twisted little noggin'.
10 Things I like about Fall.
1. The colors of the leaves. I know this seems like a given but every year it amazes me. It's like after August, the summer has burnt everything up and then finally, it all catches fire with a glory of colors.
2. Snuggling. This is a trick I learned from my Grandfather, Chief Bald Eagle. Colder weather means an excuse to get just that much closer to the one you love.
3. The food. Do I even have to say it? Pumpkin Pie. Any kind of pie! Sweet potato casserole. THANKSGIVING.
4. Fluff. We keep our house pretty chilly and in the fall our cute little kitties become little fluff balls, and for whatever reason, it really cracks me up.
5. Clean. Everything just feels cleaner. Is that weird? The air is crisp and fresh, after a rain everything just seems squeaky clean.
6. Planting bulbs. This year I'm making an effort to really plan the garden for spring, so I'm excited about getting out there and getting my hands dirty.
7. Hot Spiced Tea. Nuff said.
8. Fires. Obviously not the destructive kind, but bonfires, and fires in the fire place. :see snuggling:
9. Sky. To me a fall sky is bluer, deeper, and could go on forever.
10. Holidays. This one is a little selfish, not because of presents actually, although they are nice. I love that fall has several holidays close together (I'm going to lump Christmas in there too even though I know that's technically winter) because I love the opportunity to see my family. I love that when it gets colder outside, and darker, we all huddle closer together, find reasons to celebrate, share in the bounty we have, and just try to make it through the winter.