power tools, paint, and one pissed off husband!

so that last part was a bit of an over statement, but it sounds better than an "irritated you neglected your children for 2 hours to paint a piece of furniture we really didn't need but you wanted" husband. let's start at the beginning...

we have a breakfast "nook" and for a long long looooooooooong time, i have wanted a buffet cabinet to go in the bay window of the breakfast nook. i scoured goodwills (3 in one day once), the flea market, garage sales, craigslist, everywhere, for months. nothing was ever what i wanted. all i wanted was 2 cabinets, one big enough for my sewing machine to fit, and the other to hold of my hair chemical bottles (you forget, i'm a hairstylist too). i wanted drawers in the middle to hold all my material and supplies for hair. in other words, it would be my creative station. and i wanted claw feet. so when you have a wish list as long as mine for a piece of furniture- oh, and it had to be under $75- it takes a while to find just what you want. well i found it. on craigslist, but they wanted to sell me the matching table and chairs as well- for $150. i contact the person, and she gets back to me saying someone already said they wanted the whole set, but if she didn't show up that day, it was mine. for $75. SCORE! i hoped. later that day, i got the email, it was mine if i could come get it asap. of course i will, only problem, the hubs worked the next day and i didn't have anyone who could help me move such a massive piece of furniture, while still having the boys in the back of the car with me. grrrreaaaaat. i'm gonna lose out on my dream buffet. i emailed her appologizing profusely that i wouldn't be able to come, but we could be there tuesday. would that work? only if you come tuesday, otherwise we've had a few other people interested in it too. now, i know how craigslist works, and if you really want someone to come buy it, you always say "i've got other's interested in it too" sometimes it's true, sometimes it isn't. i didn't want to sit around and wait.

i convinced the hubs i found the perfect piece, and that we had to go pick it up first thing in the am. my amazingly patient, loving husband said ok, and after a sleepless night at the fire station, came with me to shove this thing in the back of the tahoe, with boys both in the middle seat. i'm still not sure how it fit, but by the grace of god, we did it, and i was the proud owner of my new buffet (and possibly a new family to photograph as well, they had  21 month old TRIPLETS!)

after a sanding, some primer, and a couple coats of paint, i now have the PERFECT buffet for my kitchen! i love bringing new life to old objects, and like they always say, one mans junk is another mans treasure, i am a true believer in that. even if the hubs isn't!

"sweetheart, does it turn you on when your wife uses power tools??"

"terrifies might be a better way to put it"

parenthood tip #364

when bedtime rolls around and your child is too wound up with energy:

there's nothing a little jumping on the bed can't cure!

sweet dreams!

elle styles

i always love to help a friend with a new business venture. my girlfriend shelley, who is an amazingly talented hairstylist, recently started her own business: Elle Styles. she will come to you and do your hair, rather than you having to go to a salon. she is amazing at brazilian blowouts, i've seen some of the transformations first hand. 
but anyways, when shelley first told me she was starting her company, and started her facebook page to help promote herself, i said how great it would be if we collaborated on a photo shoot to show off her amazing skills! it just so happened too, that my amazingly talented australian makeup artist houseguest carlie, was still in town and able to do the makeup for the shoot too. 
so together, with three beautiful friends, we put together our photo shoot. i wish shelley and carlie all the luck in their careers, they are both ah-mazingly talented artists! 
and as for our "models", i think all three of you need to quit your day jobs and go become the worlds next top models. seriously. y'all rocked it for me!! 

if the path to the soul is through the eyes...

then i can see straight to these boy's hearts!

miami, your ami, it's all our ami

we just got back from my husband's family reunion in key biscayne/ miami. it was quite an experience, traveling with a one year old and a three year old. but not only that, we had 19 family members staying in one beautiful shore front house together. it was chaotic and fun all at once. i have never seen such beautiful beaches or sunsets, and every picture looks like a postcard to me! 

one of the nights, i took my nieces out with me to do some night shooting. the house had a perfect view of the miami skyline, so at midnight, we set our cameras out on the dock (because none of us had tripods), and i introduced them to the world of long exposure. i had such a blast with them, and just getting to go out and shoot around the key, that i couldn't wait to share some of the images! and remember, all of the next few images were taken at midnight. in the dark. with no flash.

i think i might turn this one into a gianormous print to hang in my living room. or sell it to ikea for them to mass market it! i love it so much! 

i'll post some more from my trip in the near future, there are too many to pick from not to include! 

long beach, ca family photography: the hattan family

i met joann when i was living in long beach. she was the office manager for the doctor who worked next door to the hair salon where i worked. we spent our lunch breaks chatting and became fast friends. she was one of the first people i told when i found out i was pregnant with E, and when she met adam, i could tell it was true love. she brought him to our couples baby shower, it was their "one week" anniversary. they were googly eyed over each other, and our mutual friend lori, who drove with them, said it was torture watching these two be so in love! when they found out they were pregnant with their daughter frankie, i was over the moon for them! i knew they would make amazing parents, and i was right. frankie is a beautiful little girl with the most spectacular eyes. now, frankie is about to become a big sister, and i was lucky enough to capture their family photos before baby hattan makes his appearance in a few months. 
we had to fight traffic, the wind, and a lack of napping, but i think the photos still capture the day and the love this family shares for each other.

joann, adam, and frankie, thank you for the fun, i can't wait to meet the little man when he makes his debut!