Bloggie Babes

bloomShoot Photography = Weddings, Families, and FREE Newborn Photography

2010-09-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

I'm only a bad blogger on blogspot...I've kind of been focusing all my attention on bloomShoot Photography - a business I started recently. Blog, Website and Shoots are so much fun!!!

Yep! It took me until I was 33 to figure out what I really love to do. Crazy what a year and a great camera (actually, I'm on my 3rd great camera by now) will do.

So forgive me for neglecting my personal blog, but I may return someday. For now, head on over and see what the buzz is about...
Don't forget to check out babyBloomers - FREE newborn photography!

www.bloomShoot.com

www.bloomShoot.com/blog

vandaceous studios

2009-11-20T17:58:00.000-08:00

We live in the same town. We work together. We are both from Texas. We are both photographers.

Wait. No. She's from Texas and she's a photographer.

I, on the other hand, grew up in CA, have lived in UT for 17 years and technically own a digital SLR camera that is currently being shipped across the country. I have never taken a picture from a decent camera in my 32 years of living on this earth.

But...

she's inspired me to be something of a photographer, though the term I've dubbed for myself is foto-grapher. (for reasons I will soon explain in an upcoming post where I do the unthinkable and feature my OWN blog.)

Anyway...

Her name is Jerrie Haskin and she's got the sweetest southern accent your pretty little ears have heard in a long time.

Together with her adorable friend, (the wife of yet another co-worker) Tera Thompson - hairdresser extraordinaire, Jerrie created Vandaceous Studios - a sort of one-stop-shop for professional photography. Tera will style you and Jerrie will shoot you. Style & shoot! Brilliant.

You can see more of Jerrie and Tera's work HERE at Jerrie Haskin Photography

3 words for you girls...

UP and COMING!

all images copyright jerrie haskin photography unless otherwise noted

winkfotosblog

2009-11-18T22:32:00.000-08:00

the blog in the previous post is now aged and wrinkled. there's a new kid in town. check out emily's flix at her new and ever so sleek blog.

oh, and look for me, cause my family should be coming soon!

can.

not.

wait.

but good things come to those who wait.

sneak peek: who's feet are whose?

i'll give you a hint.

the feet belong to daelan, jespen, kierstyn, kiel, jr and karynn.

did that help?

get it right and i'll take a picture of you with my new slr camera.

doesn't mean it will look a thing like emily's, but it's yours to keep! i need some practice!

all images copyright wink fotos by emily clark unless otherwise noted

bowlicious boutique

2009-11-18T22:25:00.001-08:00

i heart this blog, too. cute bows, headbands, etc. for your baby girl, and mine.

http://bowliciousbowtique.blogspot.com/

What's a blog without a blogger?

2009-10-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

This is a blog without a blogger.

Be back bloggin' as soon as life slows down a bit.

Givoogle

2009-09-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

Set this as your home page. You'll see why when you get there.

Good site vs. Bad site

2009-09-17T23:13:00.001-07:00

Apparently there is a website that is called "F" My Life AKA FML (yes - the whole word and I'm SO sorry for awakening that nasty word in your mind) where people complain about how terrible their lives are.

Someone created Gives Me Hope or GMH out of sheer rebellion and retaliation. Bless them. It's pretty hard to get tears to shed from these eyes lately, but shed they did. Let's click on this link once a day! They have a blog, too.

Wombfruit

2009-09-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

OK, I realize I am getting to be of a "certain age", which is not typically a child-bearing age amongst most of my friends, but because I recently had a baby, I am still in "that" mode. So if there are a whole slew of baby blogs featured, just go with it. Who doesn't LOVE babies and all their "necessities".

There are a few modern baby necessities that were not available to me just 5 years ago. One is the Bumbo. Google it if you don't know what it is. Sheer brilliance. Another, though it's technically been around for thousands of years internationally, is the wrap. It's a not-so-new trend called babywearing and I'm proud to wear my baby. She LOVES it.

My favorite spot to get a wrap online is called Wombfruit Wraps. How cute is that?

And here I am wearing her. Please, PLEASE excuse the horrible picture of me.

Babies are from Heaven. Blood clots are from Hell.

2009-09-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

My newborn is closing in on 5 months. I guess that makes her less of a newborn and more of a baby, huh? She's still quite new to me. Her name is Kierstyn and she is a buttery ball of the softest, squishiest, sweetest smelling flesh. In the words of a co-worker, she's CRAZY soft. Pick-me-up-and-just-try-not-to-take-a-bite soft.

Before I whine about the trouble she's caused, I must declare her a miracle. Actually, she's a few miracles all wrapped up into one.

Miracle One: She's a she. I have an 11 year old, a 9 year old and a 5 year old - all boys. Enough said.

Miracle Two: She was conceived immediately after a miscarriage.

Miracle Three: I bled. For the first three months. Clots and all. And yet here she is.

Miracle Four: And this is a good one - my husband was done. I mean, DONE. But Kierstyn was no accident. He not only conceived one, but TWO times to get her. After 4 years of begging, bribing and still unfulfilled promises (by me), he consented, I removed the IUD and by the next month - PRESTO. Unfortunately that ended at 10 weeks with a traumatic miscarriage, but my Fertile Mertyl body got preggo right away. Which was a blessing, if not the longest pregnancy in recorded history. We're talking a year, here. With a 3 week break between pregnancies.

Miracle Five: She's a she.

I wasn't going to complain IN my Miracles, but hey, that's me. Good intentions.

So after the pukiest, bed-riddenest, thyroid failingest, bleedingest, nauseous-til-deliveriest, worstest, debilitatingest, water-retainingest, not to mention LONGEST pregnancy in the history of human kind, I went into labor on my own. Induction had always been my friend, but this time my body gave me a little gift - a month early labor without Pitocin to start it off. What a beautiful thing. And she was still a she. Who could ask for more? It was all gone - the nausea, the stuffy nose, the 30 pounds of water, the prison bed. I was free! I could walk again, bend again, pee like a normal person again. And I had this tiny 5 lb. 12 oz. friend to take home with me. She was a little jaundiced but someone delivered this awesome blue light that made her look like a Glo-Worm and un-tanned her pretty skin. And that was that. We were all so delighted with our miraculous bundle and life was perfect. She was straight from Heaven.

Wait. Life was almost perfect because who wants a perfect life? Apparently I had not opted for one in the pre-life.

10 restful, springy, lovely days after I delivered my sweet baby girl, I developed a massive blood clot in my left leg. We're talking hip to knee length Deep Vein Thrombosis. And the perfection ended right there. Soon to follow would be hospital stays (without the Miracle) and breast-pumps and shots I had to give myself in the stomach! Oh, and some pain. Enough that it took 20 minutes to crawl to my bathroom that is 10 feet away and 20 more just to pee. I hyperventilated quite regularly. It was great.

Surgeries. Crutches. A walker (yep - the Granny kind). Compression stockings. Blood Thinners. Physical Therapy. Daily blood draws. Pain. Pain. And then some progression. I could walk with the walker rather than lean on it. And before I knew it I could walk with a limp. And then NO limp! And then the swelling went down and I could actually exercise. There was hope and light ahead.

Aw, bummer. It didn't last, but I won't pretend to be all put out about it. I'm thrilled to have a leg still. Legs are good and quite useful from time to time. I'm thrilled I have a filter that will prevent clots from going to my heart or lungs to kill me. Cause that would really suck. I'm thrilled I can walk - limp. pain, stiffness and all. I don't even mind the Formication (google that one -it's pretty cool. Just make sure to get an M in there instead of an N)

But for some reason, I just can't get excited about the 40 pounds that are haunting me daily. 4 0. Do you know how many bags of flour that is? Put 40 1 lb bags in your shopping cart and push it around for a while. Let me know how comfortable that would be TWENTY-FOUR/SEVEN!!

Maybe I should have titled this Baby Fat is from Heaven. Baby Weight is from Hell.

Wink.

2009-09-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

winkfotos.com

Miss Iron County

I am hoping my appointment in October will cure my obsession with this extraordinarily talented photographer and her blog. I literally refresh at least twice daily hoping for new posts. Wink. Wink Fotos. winkfotos.com. Go there. Because Emily's got it. Whatever it is, Emily's got it. If only I could see the world the way she does through that lens.

I mean, look at her! Check out Emily Clark - Mommy Model, hottie and photographer extraordinaire:

And these are her Oh So Adorable little girls. I want to squeeze them! And put that chair in a cozy little corner.

A friend of mine was a Mommy Model and posted about it on her blog. That's how I found Emily. When my sister, Kelly, was struggling to find a photographer for her August wedding (last minute in July), I pulled up winkfotos.com and shared my latest and greatest find. One look is all it took - she booked Emily right away and got some pretty amazing results:

The first one is a little sneak peek from the wedding. We're waiting anxiously for the rest:

The rest are some of Kelly and Logan's engagement pics. The first two are my fave:

At Kelly's wedding I was honored to be one of her Bridesmaids. A close second was the opportunity to see Emily in action. If funnest was a word, she'd be the FUNNEST photographer you'll ever meet, but the real kicker was the look on her face, captured by an amateur, as she was snapping away. She LOVES her job. Her pictures are so amazing because she sees something we don't. People in their raw, happy, candid moments. Not to mention her skill with color and Photoshop. Her style is one of a kind. I am absolutely dying to see the wedding pictures, which are a week or two out.

I want to post more, more, more! Why!?! She has a blog! And a website. Get over there QUICK - you'll see. Now that I've booked my shoot, I'll share her. :wink:

all images copyright wink fotos by emily clark unless otherwise noted

Hunky Dori

2009-09-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

Everything's Hunky Dori at this fantastic blog full of fabulous finds, clever ideas and cheery observations about her life and life in general. You'll find yourself smiling, nodding your head, laughing or even getting a little crafty.

I've known Dori since, well, infancy or shortly thereafter. Her sense of humor is witty and dry - not unlike my own, so look for it. She's one funny Bloggie Babe. And a beautiful, athletic and incredibly smart cookie, not to mention an accomplished piano player. Dori's tales about Zoom, her busy little 2 year old guy, are hysterical. Get on over there and find out just how Hunky Dori life can be.

The Conoco Chic Boutique

2009-09-07T23:48:00.000-07:00

Tucked away in the back of the Salem, UT Conoco is the sweetest collection of boutique goodies. Handmade pillowcase dresses, giant flower clips, crocheted headbands, sparkly chic jeans, newsboy caps in a multitude of colors and my personal favorite - sQUeaKy ShOEs! A mother's invention, I have no doubt.

a fEW oF mY pURchAsES:

Sophie's Chic Boutique has a few locations. And many more must-have wardrobe staples for you to "invest" in.

Lucky me, I discovered this hidden treasure, located in the unlikeliest of settings, whilst stopping briefly to buy sugary treats and chilled water bottles to get my 5 year old through a weekend of his brothers' baseball games. I ended up with $8 worth of candy bars and beverages, then managed to somehow rack up $50 in sheer boutique extravagances. I came up with some excuse (and squeezed the visit in between games) for a second trip a few hours later. I went back for more the next day. My excuse? I have three boys and a new baby girl who NEED these things. I "needed" a new T-shirt and newsboy cap, too. I mean, bad hair days are a new mother's nemesis. I won't disclose the final tally. I'm not sure I even know what the damage ended up at.

Check out the goodies yourself and see if you can restrain yourself any better than I did. You deserve an award if you can.

all images copyright of Sophie's Chic Boutique

Yum, yum, yum...Prudy takes the cake

2009-09-07T23:20:00.000-07:00

Summer Thyme Corn Chowder

Creamy Lime Pies

With very little self-control, I salivate as I scroll through these beautiful, appetizing recipes and wanna-reach-out-and-grab-it images. Prudence Pennywise is the first food blog I became addicted to - thanks to my friend Dori's post about Prudy on her blog (which will soon be featured pending her approval). If you can make it past the first page without experiencing hunger pains, consider yourself super human.

Grab YOUR button straight from Prudy herself. Oh, did I mention she's beautiful, skinny, has a super cute home and the cutest family you've ever seen? And man, can she cook, bake, grill, photograph, garnish, present, you name it.

What I love about Prudy is her ability to take a recipe that calls for pounds of butter and make it healthy. She is the queen of fat and calorie reduction AND makes sure you're saving pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. As a (non) talented cook devoted to substituting healthier alternatives for ingredients, I aspire to cook at least one of her recipes each week. This week will be the Secret to Perfectly Grilled Pork Chops since all the ingredients are sitting in my fridge. It's like they were just waiting to be put together by Prudy herself. I'll try, little pork chops and peaches, I'll try.

all images copyright of Prudence Pennywise

Follow this blog to Freedom - My Mom is preparing the way

2009-09-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

My mom with Kelly (my sis) on her wedding day last weekend. Gorgeous, aren't they?

BAUGH HUMBUG!

THE LIGHTER SIDE - THE REALITY OF LIFE, LIBERTY

AND THE PURSUIT OF TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION

This blog is one of my all-time favorites for more reasons than one. The blogger is my mama. My mama used to be less conservative. Now she's fighting nationwide for causes I can stand behind. She's a righty - a fellow ConservaDIVA as are her two eldest daughters. And I couldn't be more proud.

Find out what she stands for and how she and the foundation she works for are changing the nation and the world. I'll keep my guns, freedom and money, you can keep the "Change". I proudly present my mother - Jean Baugh - blogger extraordinaire. This is one talented lady and I didn't get any of Jean's good genes. Dang it.

Pantry Eats

2009-09-06T21:58:00.001-07:00

PANTRY EATS

I actually KNOW this most resourceful and creative blogger. We've been dear friends for years - I'm lucky to have her! Rachelle is a jack of all trades, master of MANY. There was an unfair distribution of talent in heaven and she made out with more than her fair share. A loyal and caring friend, a captivating writer, an eye for photography, a creative decorator, a master budgeter, a patient and faithful wife, sister and daughter, and a TERRIFICLY talented cook. To name a few. (Hey, is terrificly a word? Spell Check seems to think so.)

Authentic Beef Sopes

Chocolate Zuchinni Cake With Berry Cream Cheese Glaze

As food blogs go, I have yet to find one with such resourceful (did I already say resourceful?) ingredients and mouthwatering images. Quick and easy meets healthy and flavorful. Check this blog out before you hit the grocery store - you'll be making some changes to your list.

Grab this tasty button at Pantry Eats!

all images copyright of Rachelle Hughes and Pantry Eats

I Read Nie Nie

2009-09-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

Nie Nie Dialogues

She's on my mind lately. It's just not fair. Perhaps she would frown on me for saying that, but that's how I feel. So much was taken from her, and yet she gives to us daily by way of encouragement, inspiration, example, faith, unconditional and pure love. She gives her words freely and opens her heart to readers.

Read Nie Nie. Choose your super cute button and tell your best friend about Stephanie. She can stir the soul as she lifts it. Clarity, purity, graciousness, gratitude - I absorb as I scan the deeply personal and heartfelt posts. And on the way she shares some incredible and touching photography, great finds and a style as unique as her ability to inspire.