{Bohemian Flower Child}

The sun was peeking in and out of the clouds so quickly, sprinkling one moment and dry the next but that didn't stop our plans to play and shoot in the desert.  Brielle asked if she looked like a  'Bohemian Flower Girl', as I placed a succulent crown on her head when we were getting ready.   She asked if she could try some of my make-up.  I let her with some guidence as she experimented with my brushes and shimmery glosses.  And we clipped in some hair extensions, which she loved. {Please don't judge, it was for a shoot and she knew that}. ;-)   As she looked in the mirror and carefully applied gloss to her lips, I had visions of her being a teenager.  It made my stomach sink with mixed emotions… pure happiness coupled with a pang of sadness knowing that my girl is getting older and it was happening right before my eyes.  I'm not ready for this but I think she'll turn into a lovely young lady.  I pray she makes better decisions than I did when I was younger.  I pray I can protect her from the pains that come with being a teenager.  I pray that I'm the one she runs to when she needs advice or help.  I pray I don't mess up.  I pray all the time for my sweet girl that I want so badly to protect.  

{The 5 Instagram prepping apps I can't live without}

Instagram is my go-to Social Media tool.  I still like Facebook but I'm not on it as much.  Instagram….well that's different.  Ha!   Because it's all about images and short descriptions, it's easy and organized.  So the title of this post is a bit strong, of course I could 'live' without these apps but when I'm Instagramming these are my go-to, must have apps.   IG is something that I'm on a lot….but usually for super short stints at a time.  It's not a time suck like Facebook can be, so it's super easy hop on and hop off.  Since I started delving deeper into a fit and healthy lifestyle I have two accounts, one for my business/personal photos (@karaphotogirl) and one to post fitness stuff (@karafitgirl) since I know not everyone wants to hear what I ate post-workout and what I did for leg day  ha ;-) 

So here are my go-to apps for getting my images Instagram Ready:

1) SquareReady:  Since Instragram shows images in a squared format, this app allows you to 'square' your photo by adding a canvas to your image so that the results are square.  You can choose your color.  I always choose white since the background since IG is white and I want the image to be the focus and not the color of the edging surrounding the image. 

2) Snapseed:  I LOVE this app for getting my unedited iPhone images pretty.  ;)  This app allows you to adjust the strength of it's filter options.  Its like a mini photoshop in an app that's more user friendly if you're not familiar with curves, levels, greyscale, channels, etc.   

3) VSCO Cam:  This app allows you to create deeper tones and film touches to your images. It has an easy interface with a variety of filters to choose from as well as a manual tool to alter all aspects of your photo too: exposure, contrast, saturation, shadows, etc. 

4) FilterStorm:  This app utilizes terms familiar in Photoshop such as curves, color correction, noise reduction, etc.  If you're comfortable with complete control over your photos rather than just canned filters, this is an app to have.  

5) Frametastic:  This is just what it says, a framing app that allows you to make a variety of diptych photos with clean, edges.  This app allows you to incorporate videos as well.  So I love this for my fitness page when want have a different video in each frame.  There are similar apps out there but this one is my favorite due to it's variety of functions and clean lines.  

There are so many great Apps out there and I've tried tons but these are the ones I find myself using most often.  Thanks for checking this out, I hope this helps your Instagramming experience.  

For this image I used SquareReady so I didn't loose any of the photo in cropping as well as Snapseed.  

This iPhone image taken at a local coffee shop was edited using VSCO Cam. It was quick and easy. 

My sleeping girl iPhone pic was edited using Snapseed. 

Above edited using FilterStorm.  Minor tweaking since the sky created its own beauty.  

Edited with SquareReady and FilterStorm 

Edited with Snapseed

Edited with Frametastic to add two pics in one and with Snapseed.

Tyler's bedroom, edited with Snapseed. 

Edited with Square ready and VSCO cam. 

Edited with SquareReady and VSCO Cam

Snapseed Edit

Underwater edited with Snapseed.

Sinful treats edited with FilterStorm.

{What_______looks like} Rememberlutions

I'm so thankful to be in this group and surrounded by such wonderful ladies that encourage personal posts on 'What_____looks like'.  That could be anything and allows for such a variety of topics to share.  So this month I thought Rememberlutions would be a perfect way to start.  

It' a new year!  A new year means a fresh start and new ideas and memories to be made.  Our family does't really do 'New Year's Resolutions'.    So we've started to do 'Rememberlution Jars'. What are they?  I found the idea on Pinterest here and thought it was a cool thing to start and my family was excited about it too.  Jeff was nice enough to play along and I think he enjoyed making his jar too.  :)  So it's a jar that you start at the beginning of the year and you put memories, nice thoughts, accomplishments, and anything you want to remember about that year that makes you smile.  You place little notes in the jar throughout the year and on January 1st the next year (or on New Year's Eve) you open your jar and share the memories.  How fun is that?  We've put little cut pieces of paper on our bulletin board that we can rip off and write for easy access.   We'll remind each other periodically to put something special in the jars. We all wrote a note after making them.  Pretty fun!  

Now click through to complete the circle.  Next is a treat with (she's amazing!!)  Roxanne Bryant :)  Thanks for popping by. 

{3 things I want my kids to remember about Christmas}

Can you believe it?  Its' Christmas Eve!!  We're going to blink and it's going to be Christmas day.   I think we should ease in and out of this holiday personally.  We spend so much time preparing for one day and then it's over just like that.  I know there's more to Christmas than the day…but in today's busy world it's easy to forget that. It's such a special time.  Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, there's a magic in the air that I hope everyone sees even with the hustle and bustle of today's busy living.  Each year, I tell myself that I want to savor every moment, celebration, and activity with my family and each year I find myself getting busier and a little more stressed than the Christmas before.  So there are some things I want to remember in all of this and I hope my kids cherish these as well.   

1)  I want my kids to remember the feeling.  Not the feeling of mom and dad being stressed.  The the feeling that mom is too busy photographing clients to make memories with her kids   The feeling of magic in the month of December.  I know…sounds lame and cliché.  But really.  I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach about the magic of the season and from the sounds of it, my children do to.  Sometimes they can't describe that feeling but they feel it!.  Right now, they are full of excitement and giddiness, I just want to soak that in!

2)  I want them to remember the traditions.  Right now my kids want to celebrate each day.  Sometimes we don't get around to doing a specific activity but we enjoy talking about it in hopes we can do that soon (or some other time this winter).  We have an advent calendar - actually we have an 'in-process' advent calendar that we started to put together but like some things, they don't get finished….maybe next year.  Despite it being incomplete, we've done many activities on a whim and it's even more fun without the pressure of making sure we conform to what activity the calendar tells us to do.  We've baked cookies, wrapped gifts, made Candy Christmas trees, looked at Christmas Lights, made hot chocolate, roasted marshmallows, hosted parties, watched movies and just had quiet time together.  Every one of these moments I want to cherish (and more importantly, I want them to as well), even the non-eventful quiet times.  

3) Lastly, I  want them to remember is to be thankful.  Sure it's a happy time of year.  But it's also a stressful and pressured time.  A time when even though I love it, my spirits can be low with so much to do and so little time.  I don't want my kids to feel those blues during the holidays.  The pressure of the season can take over and I know it's a hard time for many people.  So if we remember the meaning of Christmas, give to others (especially those in need) it puts everything back into perspective. We have my family, friends, health and loving support…there's just so much to be thankful for that we take for granted some days.  This is the season we have to keep that in the forefront of our minds.  And I hope I can teach my kids to remember this during the holidays and everyday.  

Merry Christmas Friends!  Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog on  this busy day.  xoxo Peace.

{On our short road trip out of town}

This time of the year it's hard to get out of town for many of us.  Especially when your busy season is smack  dab in the middle of November/December.  But this one particular weekend had been scheduled for months and it was perfect timing for my sanity and my need to be with my family and friends.  But the last thing I wanted to think about was packing for our little adventure to the 'North Pole' {Flagstaff's North Pole Experience} and how I was going to squeeze in a session with my family along the way?  It nearly gave me hives just thinking and trying to plan it.  The outfits weren't working at ALL (since i had no time to go to the mall) so I did what I could (next year I will plan in the summer).   We packed ourselves with warm clothes to meet up in a cabin with friends and headed out with snacks, books, and charged phones.  It was a Friday and I hardly had time to shower so I got ready in the car. Pictures from our family session (tripod style) will be in another post.  But I wanted to share a couple of my kids in some cute areas we stopped at on our way.   We tried to make it an 'adventure' for the kids…with the excitement of shopping for s'mores supplies once we were done.  You have to have something to look forward to when it's all done right?  It's only fair and the kids were satisfied, kinda.  Ha!  

We had a blast with friends at the cabin where we roasted s'mores (of course), sipped a 'mystery' hot chocolate made by the kids (chocolate, orange juice, marshmallows, onion dip, and pretzels - yes, I go suckered into taking a sip not knowing what this mysterious drink was.  All eyes were on me to see my reaction.  Fun stuff.  #gross), did 2 photo shoots, visited with Santa at the North Pole and sat by the camp fire.   We had a blast and left tired but happy.  :)  

{Stripes. They will always be in fashion.}

Who doesn't love stripes?  Was there ever a time that stripes weren't popular?  I've always been a fan of horizontal stripes - particularly black and white ones.  So when Faith, the talent behind FaithWorks4U, sent me this striped dress, I was immediately in love.  The higher waist, retro, 1960's style dress was meticulously made and comfortable too (according to Brielle).  She added this dress just in time for the holidays and it's available in sizes 1t through girls size 12.  She also ships world wide!   This dress is perfect for Holiday Photos, Holiday Dinners, Parties, or most other occasions.  And Faith is amazing to work with, she and I have worked together since Brielle was a toddler.  If you have any questions, she's also on Facebook.  Like her page for updates, new design releases, and special promotions.  

Check out her shop, it's full of Retro styles that have modern twist.  

{What ______looks like} Fall Break Mexico Vacation

I have to start by saying that I love being a part of this group.  I think this group of women are talented, creative, and supportive of one another.  And this pushes me to post more.  I need to blog more and this is one push that I need.

So this is what my October looked/looks like.  During the kids fall break we headed to Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico for some sun, sand and time with my Mom and Dad.  It was great seeing my parents and my kids always get so excited to spend time with their 'Seattle Grandparents'.  

We enjoyed being lazy and venturing to the small town of Bucerius and visiting the restaurant and seeing the local kids we see each year who sell homemade goods on the beach.  

Ahhh…normal faces…a rare thing for us.

Brielle always annoys Tyler with kisses.  And she was really mad at him here and he was trying to push her buttons further so he gave her kisses knowing she'd be mad about it.  She squealed and then finally said…'okay, kiss me'.  So funny!  #siblings

Chillaxin' at the pool with Grandma.

Endless chips and guacamole.

Pool time during happy hour.

Activity time poolside.  BINGO!

Thanks for taking a peek, the next photographer in the circle is the talented, Ashley Jennett from the The Stork & the Beanstalk.  

{Halloween Birthday Party} my boy is growing up.

Yep, it's true.  My little boy is not so little anymore.  My first born…the little man who made me a momma is turning 12!  And to celebrate, he wanted to invite some school friends for a Halloween themed birthday party.   We made plans just before heading to Mexico for fall break and did brain storming there in preps for his fun day the day after we got home from our trip.  Once we got home, we started decorating and getting the games and food ready.  It was fun and strange making jello brains with worms coming out with our brain mold (I didn't get a picture of it - boo.), concocting fun drinks, and getting dry ice to make a witches brew.  That turned into a pretty cool science experiment with the kids seeing how warmer water makes the dry ice sizzle and erupt with gasses and cool water calmed the ice.  We had a bunch of games planned too.  I was relieved that the kids were enthusiastic about the games since these are all tweens and the party had to have a 'cool' factor.  Ha!  I loved watching them have fun and was relieved to see smiles on excitement on their faces. ;)  

Craziness begins. 

 Silly girls ;-) Brielle was a little shy.  She just met these sweet girls and instantly they all got along and hung out together.

The food and beverages were fun to plan.  I didn't photograph everything and we ordered pizza and breadsticks to make it easy - I totally cheated.  We had these fun apple mouth sides (pictured below), a festive drink of Sprite Zero with green food coloring and fun straws that we added peeps and a floating eyeball, brain jello (not pictured)  and lots of bowls of random halloween snacks (not pictured - there's a lot not pictured).  

Prepping  the drinks…Tyler always on the move.  

Apple Mouths

Festive drinks - peeps, fun straws, floating eyeball, food coloring and a clear drink of your choice.  

The first game we played was the 'Marble Toe Game'.  Each player was timed for 30 seconds and had to get as many marbles into a bowl from an icy cold pool of water with only their toes.  The player who collected the most marbles won.  Since we didn't have a kiddy pool, we used a metal bin and timed two players at a time and kept track of their scores.  At the end, there was  tie between Tyler and Greer so we had a tie breaking one minute challenge.  The kids were such good sports with this game.  

Grace and Tyler getting timed during the marble game. 

Lots of great competitors in this game!

Another favorite was just the good old fashion 'Mummy' game.  They did it twice and and the results were pretty entertaining for Jeff and I.  Oh and the amount of TP lint floating in the air and landing was unreal.  My vacuum was full this morning with just lint after vacuuming the house. #youvebeenwarned #itsworthit

Mid-first round.  The kids are finding their way and by round two they were much quicker and more creative.  

Post game mess.  We were covered in toilet paper lint.  Kids were tired and needed a breather before the next game.  

After a bunch of games and a break to eat, it was time for the cake.  We ordered the cake - it was supposed to be a Minecraft Creeper face cake but the bakery messed up a bit so we added a lot of edible bloody fingers.  So it transformed into a Creeper zombie cake - yay!  Who knew that everyone wanted a piece that contained a bloody finger? We know how to please. :)  I didn't get a photo of the cake close up - it wasn't very pretty so I figured it was best left to be eaten.  

We ended with 'Murder In The Dark' which was accompanied by the sound of thunder outside. The kids asked wide-eyed, if the thunder was real.  I told them I ordered it in…lol.  Mother nature was working with me on that one, but that meant foregoing the piñata we had.  The wind, thunder and lightening were a sign for us to stay in the rest of the party.  Plus it was dark and it made the final game pretty fun.  

The kids seemed to have a great time.  If they didn't, they faked it well #butithinktheyhadfun  ;)  I had to send them off with a goody bag.  Ty and I put some Halloween things that I know they're a little old for but we still thought they were fun.  And the gummy body parts were a hit.  The older they get, the creeper they like things. :)  Thanks to those of you who were able to join us in celebrating Ty's birthday.  You made it a very memorable and wonderful birthday celebration.    

{little bit of this & a little bit of that}

5 years ago this month, I joined an organization that was newly formed.  Their mission grabbed me and I knew that I needed to be a part of it.  It's for both seasoned and new photographers. NAPCP also connects parents searching for child photographers with its members by providing a comprehensive directory and informative articles on what to expect from their professional photography experience.  
It's a valuable resource for both those seeking photographic services as well as photographer wanting to learn more about the Children's Photography Industry.   Their approach is warm, welcoming yet they will challenge your skills while supporting you.  If you're a photographer specializing in Children, this is an organization I would strongly urge you to be a part of.  

Now that it's NAPCP's 5th birthday, they've selected 5 of their charter members to feature.  I'm flattered to one of those 5 members.  You can see the article at http://www.napcp.com/blog.php/2014/09/23/featured-charter-member-kara-may/

{Organization} Surviving Back to School

Week 1 of school is complete!  It can be crazy getting back into the routine of getting up early and maintaining the responsibilities demanded by a new school year.  Each year, with more and more demands, I have to step-up my game and really make an effort to have my kids pitch in, be held accountable and have ownership of their responsibilities.  Thankfully, they are great with lists.  When things are written in a clear and consistent form, they know exactly what to do.  

So this year, I have a few new lists so I don't have to nag them about every little to-do they need to complete each morning, afternoon and evening.  Here's an example of our morning and afternoon lists.  I put it next to them each morning at breakfast, and they have to check each one off with a pen.  I'm thinking about putting them in a frame and using a dry erase pen so we can wipe it off each day and I'd save on paper and printer ink.  #savetrees  But they're really into checking things off and I don't have to nag about each item on the list.  It's there, they see it, and they know they have to do it.  #allofthem

Lunches are another area where preplanning is important.  Last year the kids took lunch to school every day and never bought school lunches, that means a lot of extra work for me, but it's so worth it!!  Living in the Arizona heat means that by the time it's time to eat, their lunch is warm and their ice packs are wet and warm (gross!!).  This year I found these lunch boxes at PaperSource and they really keep things cold for an extended period of time…up to 10 hours.  Yes, 10!  And they REALLY work!!  This has helped eliminated the need for cold packs that sweat and remembering to include one each day in their lunch boxes.  

Have stuff ready:  I have precut some vegetables (yellow, red and orange peppers; carrots; celery; cucumbers; etc) so I can easily pop them into their lunch box each day.   I bought little containers to include in their lunches for any sauces they may need also.  All of it fits into a nice little container that keeps the food separated nicely and prevents anything from getting crushed.   Little preparations done the night before or a couple of days before, really help expedite the daunting school lunch making process.  

These little things have helped the whole process of getting back into a routine so much easier.   Hope those of you with school age kids have a smooth transition back into the rigors of school. :)