His Word Wednesday

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

I Heart Faces Week 26 - Pets!

So, here's my point..."Prince" might be a great name for a dog, but what are the odds of him actually becoming one? I'd go with the frog!!

I Heart Faces celebrates "Pets" this week. Be sure to check them out here.

Take my hand and we'll make it...I swear!

How could you not trust this face?

Thankful Thursday - Meet Emily!

When I was a teenager, my mother always told me, “You are who you run with.” It was her way of reminding me to maintain positive friendships. She wanted me to make friends that displayed strong morals, motivated and inspired, built me up, and kept me laughing.

I want the same for my daughter, and so I am thankful to report that she “runs with” Emily!

Meet Jessica!

Her Facebook page reminds us, “Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections." An afternoon photo shoot with Jessica proves that she believes this to be true.

Partly cloudy. Scattered thunderstorms. (Lightening on the horizon.) Heat index readings 100 to 105. Feather-light beach ball props racing to freedom. Thorny hitchhikers (the kind that draw blood) grabbing her ankles. Overzealous skirts flying waist-high in the breeze.

Alas, the perfection of imperfection!

I Heart Faces Week 25 - "Celebrating Teens!"

Whew! By the skin of my teeth I am submitting this photo. But, once this photo shoot got under way this afternoon, we didn't want it to end. So, literally 20 minutes prior to I Heart Faces' deadline, I inserted my photo disk and was delighted to find that Photo Number 3 was perfect! No edits necessary!

At the lovely age of 14 years, Jessica is a beautiful model...I love the innocence and the willingness to take direction from this crazy photographer!

And, guess what?! Jessica happens to be a rather skilled photographer herself. And, it is my hope that in just a few weeks, she will take the opportunity to share with I Heart Faces her amazing talent by submitting her own work.

Thank you Jessica (and my other teen models of the day--Jenny (of course) and Emily!).

Check out other amazing teens this week at I Heart Faces here!

Meet More Feet

The sport is timeless, but I must admit that when I think of bowling, I think of the fifties and sixties...hence the processing.

Did you know...

• Over 100 million people in more than 90 countries practice the game of bowling, making it one of the most popular and universally loved forms of recreation on the planet.
• The history of bowling can be traced back to the Stone Age.
• The first written mention of the game was made by the King Edward III in the year 1366. In this reference, he allegedly imposed a ban on playing this game among his troops because it was distracting the troops from archery practice.
• In America, the very first mention of the word “bowling” is found in the book Rip Van Winkle, a famous story by Washington Irving, who gets woken up by the sound of "crashing ninepins" that was published during 1812.

Neither did I.

But, after enjoying an exciting game of bowling with friends and family this evening, I decided to check out some facts.

No matter how hard I searched, however, I could not find the answer to the question we all want to know:

Who invented these sexy shoes? Oh yes...and why?

Wordless Wednesday - When Feet Meet

I Heart Faces Week 24 - "All About Babies"

Where Did the Baby Go?

I’m told a baby lived here.
The proof is on these pages.
But, I’m not sure that I believe it,
‘Cuz I’ve been here for ages.

He looks somewhat familiar.
He has my Mommy’s eyes.
I know that is my teddy bear,
and the big brown chair I recognize.

Some things are hard to understand,
‘Cuz I am only three.
Like, why did the baby go away,
Before he could meet me?

When I grow up, I’ll look for him.
I’m sure I’ll be happy to know,
The answer to my question,
Where did the baby go?

This photo and poem was inspired by my favorite Little Golden Book of all time, Where Did the Baby Go?, by Sheila Hayes.

It has been a few years since I have had the opportunity to capture a baby in my portraits. I too must admit, I often wonder where my babies went. Fortunately, I can get my baby portrait fix this week at iheartfaces. You should too!

I Heart Faces Week 23 - PLAY!

So, what's on your PLAY list?

Find out what others are playing this week at I Heart Faces here.

Yana and Pete - A Sneak Peek

Yana and Pete didn't just "melt" in eachother's arms, they SIZZLED--and, not just because the temperature was 95 degrees. This shoot has been a long time coming, so we finally just picked a date and decided to stick with it. Florida has hit its rainy season, so we knew that the sky might open up on our shoot, but we didn't really consider the HEAT...oh the HEAT.

Stating the obvious quote of the day--"I'm really hot." Yes, Pete, I know. Now, stand over here and try to look cool.

I really love these two.

Recent technical difficulties (ie: cup of coffee meets laptop keyboard) makes post-processing a little frustrating lately, so be sure to check back later for more "heat" from Yana and Pete.

I Heart Faces and Soles 4 Souls Deliver Kindness

To know us, is to know that we love Chucks! If either one of my children is wearing shoes, you can almost rest assured they are Converse brand in one form or another. As you can see by this photo of Nicholas displaying "some" of his favorite footwear, when it comes to feet, we're covered. My favorite thing about these shoes, is they clean up beautifully. We can just "chuck" them into the washing machine and they come out shiny and new. The only drawback is, they don't grow with Nicholas. So, what can we do with these "gently worn" shoes when they no longer fit?

DONATE THEM! Soles 4 Souls can help.

Not every foot is "covered." Throughout the world, there are many individuals in desperate need of shoes. Created to facilitate the donations of shoes to those people who desperately need them, Soles 4 Souls is an amazing organization that is "changing the world one pair at a time."

This week, I Heart Faces is celebrating Feet, while delivering an important message of kindness. To see how others are delivering the message, go here.

And, to find out how you can get involved, go to Soles 4 Souls. Find out how you can make a difference.

And because this is a non-competition week at I Heart Faces, we can post as many photos as we like. We had such fun with this photo shoot, I just had to share more.

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." JM Barrie

Slip 'n Slide into Summer!

Remember the Slip 'n Slide? Wham-O, Inc. first released this warm weather wonder in 1961. I loved mine! Slip 'n Slide is still around, but I believe my mind's eye remembers it with nostalgia, and not as it really was.

Perhaps because then, I didn't live in Florida, with the luxury of a backyard pool. Perhaps because our house had hills, and my Slip 'n Slide allowed us to actually slide (we didn't have to use a dog leash as a pulley). Perhaps because it wasn't my job to set up, clean up, or pay the water bill. For whatever reason, the Slip 'n Slide doesn't hold the charm for me that it used to.

I must admit, however, I am enjoying the photos of my children enjoying the Slip 'n Slide. They will remember it fondly.