Favorite Photo Friday - "Christmas 2012"

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday... it just went by so quickly!
I did not have the opportunity to take too many photos, but I wanted to post the few that I did manage to snap.
Let's start with my Iphone photos from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Top Row: The girls in front of the tree on Christmas Eve
Middle: Some of the gifts on Christmas Morning
Bottom: Reagan playing her new LeapPad 2, The family playing apples to apples before bed, and some of the goodies we drank and ate on Christmas.

I did bring out the big camera on Christmas Morning, but it was quite chaotic with wrapping paper flying off faster than you could imagine, toys all over the place, etc...... but the joy on their faces is undeniable.

I think they were both in a state of shock over the dream house!!


They also received matching scooters for their American Girl Dolls.....


Although Reags had other ideas for hers.
She thought it was for her to ride:)


Nick was at his Dad's this year for Christmas Eve and first thing Christmas Morning. We alternate each year. He arrived just after lunch and got to open his pile of presents. As he gets older, his Christmas list is getting smaller. He only put one thing on his list this year and was pretty excited when he opened it. He has an iPhone, but it is maxing out on memory and he wanted the new Itouch 5th Generation.....so that is what Santa brought him, along with some accessories and new clothes!

My family has been here with us since Monday and they left yesterday to head back to Rhode Island. They took Nick along with them so he could enjoy the holiday break with cousin Eddie. Later today we are heading up to The Cape to see the other side of our family.... we will get Nick on our way home!

I really have not had much time to play online, so these photos are nothing fancy, but wanted to share a glimpse of our holiday with y'all!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and a Happy New Year!!
See you all in 2013!

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Sunday Snapshot- "Merry Christmas"

{Front Cover}


{Front Flap}


{Part 1 of Inside Spread)


{Part 2 of Inside Spread}


{Back of Card}

From our family to yours, we wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Enjoy every minute of this joyous season.
~Blessings to all~

**Special thanks to my friend Launa and her daughter Kendra who made Reagan's vintage inspired headpiece. You can check out her beautiful creations by visiting mylavenderandlinen.com I have also had a few questions about the girls outfits in this series...... dresses were from Persnickety and the boots were from Joyfolie. Two more companies I LOVE!!!


Make sure you pop on over to my friend Stef's blog to see more Sunday Snapshots.

A Sweet Holiday Treat

Just in case you need a last minute cookie recipe for the holidays, I thought I would share one of my favorites!
I have posted this one quite a few years back, but figured it was worth posting again.
They are like a little piece of heaven on a plate:)

Ricotta Cookies

1/4 lb butter
1/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 tsp of Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup of Sugar
1 Egg
2 Cups of Sifted Flour
1/2 tsp of Salt
1/2 tsp of Baking Powder

Mix Butter and Ricotta, Add Vanilla
Gradually add Sugar
Mix in Egg
Sift Flour, Salt, and Baking Powder and gradually add to the mixture.
Makes 36 Cookies
Bake in a 350 Degree Oven for 10 minutes

You can add holiday sprinkles, or your favorite icing.
We chose to make a lemon glaze and used red sprinkles.

Lemon Glaze:
1/3 cup of butter
2 cups of confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp of Pure Vanilla Extract
a little lemon zest
1 TBSP of Lemon Juice
2 TBSP of Hot Water

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the sugar and the rest of the ingredients, if it is too thick add a little more water. Keep stirring and drizzle over the cookies when they come out of the oven.


These are good when paired with coffee, or a good dessert wine:)
Isn't that the most adorable wine bottle holder/chiller?
It was a gift from Pat's Mom and it is perfect for the holidays.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Favorite Photo Friday - "It's Almost Christmas"

These final days leading up to Christmas, although hectic, are usually the most fun.


The girls are as anxious as can be as they anticipate the big day!


Monday morning I finished up my Christmas cards, Tuesday I picked up the last few gifts I needed, Wednesday I built one giant Barbie Dream House and wrapped all of the gifts.


This might be a first for me......
I am usually scrambling until Christmas Eve, but somehow I finished ahead of schedule this year
and now I can actually enjoy the next few days with my family.


The only thing left on my "to do" list is to bake and cook all of our food for our holiday meals!

We already have our bag of special reindeer food to spread on the lawn before we go to bed on Christmas Eve but we still need some cookies for Santa. That is going to be our priority today when the girls get home from school.

Today is their last day and then we are officially on Christmas holiday....HOORAY!
Happy Holidays Everyone....enjoy your weekend!

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Favorite Photo Friday - Getting Into the Holiday Spirit

A little later than normal, but we finally started bringing those boxes out of the basement to spread some holiday cheer.


In our house we have Marshmallows with a "splash" of hot chocolate:))

Next up on the list of to do's.... a visit to Santa and some baking!

Hope everyone has a fabulous and fun filled weekend!!!
And just in case you missed The Sweet and Sassy bundle earlier this week, it will be up until midnight tonight!
Make sure you stop back bright and early Monday morning for the GRAND FINALE of "Fill Their Stockings"..... you will NOT want to miss it!

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I Can Almost Feel the Sand at My Toes.......

Do you remember the blog post I did a little over a week ago where the girls were cooking up a "very special recipe"?

That recipe got me named as one of the top five finalists for the free seat to the Savvy Workshop in Alys Beach!!

The finalists were selected by the Savvy Speakers and now they are leaving it in the hands of others to choose who gets to go for free.

The only thing standing between me and that beach are a few votes!!!
Click the button below and you will be guided to the blog where you can vote in the upper righthand corner of the screen.
Check the box next to "Lisa" and I might just get to dip my toes in the sand this February while learning from some seriously talented child and family photographers!!!

Thank you to everyone who heard the big news last night on facebook and already cast their votes and also helped to spread the word!
You all are the best and if I get to go, I promise, I will "bring you along" with me....... through my lens of course:)

Cyber Monday Special - 2013 Photography Classes

For more info on Visions of Hope or Half the Sky, Click HERE.
Note: With the $25 discount, classes will be priced at $125 for "Get Out of the Auto Zone" and $175 for "Push Past Your Comfort Zone".
UPDATE: CLASSES SOLD OUT

A Special Recipe - "Sunday Snapshot"

You know I love to cook almost as much as I love to take photos and I am always game to try out a new "recipe".

Unfortunately, whenever life gets busy and hectic, I sort of stick to the ones that are tried and true..... the things I know how to make.
The "recipes" that are comfortable and easy.

When you make the same "recipes" over and over again, they start to become boring and no longer have the WOW factor that they once had when you cooked and served them up to family and friends.

With some help from my two cute little bakers, I found a "recipe" that I am anxious to try. We had some fun in the kitchen this weekend testing it out and we thought we would share it here with all of our friends who also love to cook photography.



Have you ever visited The Savvy Photographer?
She has an incredible blog filled with fabulous items and resources for anyone and everyone from the amateur photographer to the professional. She is also known for her love of all things pink and green:)

I have been following her blog for quite some time and each year she hosts a Savvy Sisterhood Workshop. 4 days in a beautiful location surrounded by a group of photography enthusiasts who are looking to soak up every ounce of knowledge and expertise from the panel of super talented speakers with booming photography businesses of their own.

I missed out in 2012, but there is no way I am missing out again in 2013.
And the icing on the cake?
There is a FREE seat to attend up for grabs!
I sure hope I have the winning recipe!!

If you are looking to add these "ingredients" to your "pantry", you might want to join me!
Click the button below to visit The Savvy blog for workshop details.

To receive daily updates and photography specials from The Savvy, head to her Facebook page and hit "like".
When you stop by, tell her I sent you!



I am participating in my friend Stef's Sunday Snapshot....it has been a while, but I am happy to be back:)

Favorite Photo Friday - "A Little Preview"

Is anyone else in complete disbelief that we are about to kick off the holidays next week with Thanksgiving?
I think so many of us were sort of taken back because it is not the last week of November this year.....and we all know that as soon as Thanksgiving arrives, Christmas is close behind.

I will admit, a little bit of panic mode has crept in as I have realized the growing list of things I need to do to prepare. In addition to Thanksgiving, we also have two special birthdays to celebrate next week. Sarah will turn 6 on Tuesday and Reags will turn 3 on Friday. After some thought and input from the girls, we decided that we are going to celebrate by taking both of the girls into NYC for their very first visit to the American Girl store. To say that the girls are excited is an understatement. Two catalogs arrived last week and they are already worn out. Even though they both have a certain doll in mind, I have a feeling when they walk into that store and see the rather large selection, they may not stand so firm on their decisions and that is okay. It is their special day and we will have plenty of time. We are doing the hair appointments for the dolls while there and we are doing the special birthday lunch. To be honest, my Mom and I are almost as excited as the girls. We can't wait to see the look on their faces when they walk in the door.
You can guarantee there will be a lot of photos take that day:)

I have been super busy each weekend taking photos for clients that are trying to get them in before Christmas for holiday cards and we had some fabulous weather last Sunday....almost 70 Degrees.....so I fit in a photoshoot with my kids for our own card this year.

The outfits have been sitting in my closet for what feels like months, but the weather just has been so terrible or I did not have all three of the kids to be able to complete this task. Well Sunday all the stars aligned, perfect weather and three children that totally cooperated and worked it for their Momma.
(PS. A bit of bribery goes a long way...wink wink)

Usually, I will not unveil the Christmas card photos until the cards hit the mail, but I thought I would give everyone a preview of some of the behind the scenes photos I shot in between the ones that I will be using for our card this year.



No faces just yet, but you can get a sense of the vibe we went for and the way I stylized the shoot.
We tried out a new location and it was SUPERB. The light was out of this world and just added to the overall feel of the photos.


The children's old world traveled vintage suitcase was a last minute find at a local antique dealer and I believe it helped set the mood for this series. Reagan loved it and if that suitcase was in her hands, then there was a smile pasted on her face. Unfortunately, you are going to need to wait just a few weeks to see this series in it's entirety......

But do you want to see just one??

See, I was not lying about that big smile on her face!!!

Hope you all have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend.
I am off to go visit some teachers today....parent teacher conferences.
Oh and just one more quick reminder, if you have not checked out our first "Fill Their Stockings" giveaway bundle, you might want to do so before midnight tonight. You can still enter to win and at the same time give back and help the orphans in China by supporting a foundation that is near and dear to my heart, Half the Sky.
For all of you photography fans, this is a bundle you will not want to miss.
Click HERE to view and consider making a small donation.
Thank you.

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Favorite Photo Friday - "Tinkerbell and Rapunzel in the Studio Space"

Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, Halloween did not go exactly according to plan, but never fear, these two princesses definitely did not go without the sugary and chocolatey goodness that every child looks forward to.


They both definitely had their fill....and then some:)


This year they both picked out their own costumes.


We actually ordered them online and when they saw all of the matching accessories pop up, they had to have them.


We ended up with light up shoes and crowns for both of them. A wand for Rapunzel and some wings for Tink.


But as luck would have it.... Tink, was not a fan of her wings, crown, or her shoes.....she just wanted to wear her "pretty tutu".


Rapunzel decided that she did not need her crown complete with long braid.
Besides, who needs a long braid for climbing, when you already have a ladder:)
(truth be told, she loved the crown, but it was huge on her and not very comfortable so she opted for her very favorite shabby flower compliments of Sophia Jane Boutique)


After the girls were dressed up, we jumped in the car and went over to the new studio space above the 2 Hip Chics boutique. It as really the first time I have shot in there and can I just tell you.....


I am in heaven with the gorgeous light and all of the old charm that fills the third floor space...oldistressed hardwood floors, Little doors and crawl spaces, old radiators and lots and lots of windows.

This space will certainly come in handy this winter when it is too cold to shoot outside. It is pretty empty and bare right now, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I have been frequenting some antique dealers in my travels looking for some fun props that we could use up there...... so you might be seeing more of this light filled room and some of the antiques too:)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! It sounds like we might get a bit of a warm up here in the northeast..... it has been bone-chilling cold. If all the stars align, I might even get my Christmas Card photos done this weekend. Fingers Crossed....toes too!

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