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July 30, 2007

Weekend at the Ranch

Mills and I just got back today from our weekend in Brenham at my family's ranch...where I grew up...where I choreographed musicals with my Barbies and tortured my younger brother by making him play Laverne and Shirley (he was Laverne...the ugly one...sorry Penny Marshall!) and putting sponge rollers in his hair...where I lived on my mom's comfort food and ran around in the pastures and screamed at the top of my lungs BECAUSE I COULD.  It was home.

Now that I have my own home with my own little adorable family (love you, Bobby & Mills & Noops), the ranch is merely a getaway to see my mom.  Some of you know my folks are going through a JR Ewing/Sue Ellen type of divorce (my mom hates that word, but we can't find anything prettier), and the ranch will probably go by the wayside.  This getaway was a last hurrah of sorts on that whole front, but it was really more than that...

It was the first semi-annual Camp Hermanas!  My mom, my very best friend Sarah, and I decided that we needed a girls' retreat (with Millie, our mascot) at least once a year...we are going to try to do it 2x if it can work out...of course, seeing that Sarah (BFF) and I are COMPLETE workaholics, we talked about that, but we also devoured gourmet salads, chocolate, and great red wine!  We did a portrait session (stay tuned) and played in the garden and just gossiped like good girlfriends or SISTERS do.  Here are some highlights of the ranch and Camp Hermanas!

Home is DEFINITELY where the heart is.

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Here are Sarah, Mills, & Mom checking out Mom's rad herb garden.

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Basil is MY FAVORITE!  (and mint and rosemary and cilantro)

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There were mushrooms in the grass due to all of the Central Texas rain...

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Feeling like you are in the jungle?  Well, step into my mom's antique rose garden!

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And here is my little gardener herself swingin' with her Uncle Joe (who came by for a brief visit) & her Nanny...loungin' in her pajamas...oh, that's the life!

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July 27, 2007

I'm On Break, Y'all!

Hola, everybody!  Just wanted to let you know that I am taking a small break down in Brenham for the weekend.  If you need to get a hold of me, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT  kate@juxtaposephotography.com because I will not be answering my phone...the reception is gawd-awful, plus, this workaholic needs to chill.  I WILL be answering emails, though, as I am just so addicted that it is hopeless.

I will be back and raring to go on Tuesday with fun photos to share from my weekend!  Hugs to you all, and have a safe and fabulous weekend!

July 24, 2007

Little Baby Plant Killah

Yep.  If Mills was a rapper, that would be her name.  Let the evidence speak for itself...

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And YES.  That is HER little hand pulling her "baby plant" out of it's container.  Every afternoon that we are home, we go outside and check on her "baby plants" that we planted a month ago.  We started out with sunflowers, oregano, basil, and something else that is long gone, but the sunflowers (above) are the only remaining babies.  We look at them, and talk to them, and kiss them and say, "Grow, baby, grow!"  We give them a drink of water, and then put them back in their little plant corner with all of their friends so they can commiserate about the Texas heat, the mosquitoes, and our dog Noopsy.

After about five minutes of playing post-plant-routine, I usually find Mills in the above position...standing over her baby plants, yanking one out from its family home.  So sad.  She has no idea that she is basically slaughtering it.  I try to pull out my best parenting tricks to ensure we don't have a Michael Vick protege on our hands, but then give up.

I guess at 22 months (almost), there is a fine line between getting it and NOT getting it.  Just thought I would document the things we find adorably insane about Millie's grasp on this world...here goes!

A recent favorite is the "Yeah, okay"/"No, okay" conundrum.  Apparently, sometimes they mean the same thing.  I can handle the "yeah, okay", 'cause she just sounds cute when she says it, but to ask a child a question and have her respond with , "No, okay," can drive you a little batty.  We have finally gotten to the point where NO really does mean NO, and the OKAY is just for decoration, but means nothing.  Oh, the confusion!

Another cute saying is, "No, uh-uh, I'm fine."  I mean, WHAT 2 YEAR OLD says, "I'm FINE"????  Hilarious.

She is positively obsessed with our dog Noopsy.  The leash.  The harness.  The treats.  The food.  Toys.  Blanket.  Ob.  Sessed.  She wants to walk him day in and day out and if we let her he would be the next Lance Armstrong.  Fit as a fiddle.  At LEAST 27 times a day, we hear, "Leash walk Noopsy hold tight side" or "Noo-hee (her nickname for him when she's in a hurry) kiss hands/feet/fingers/shoes/head/toe" or "C'mon, Noops" or even "Bye-bye, Noopsy...love you!"

Any song sung in unison is "Happy Birthday" and she is celebratin'.

Bathing suit is pronounced BAY SOUP and if there is water nearby, beware because she will all but poke your eyes out to get in it.  WATER.  BUG.  FOR SURE.

It SLAYS me when she says, "Sorry!" when she bumps into inanimate objects.

Her favorite indoor activity is reading.  Books are everywhere in our house, and she is constantly asking to read a "new one" or "different one".  Currently, we (meaning she, because Bobby & I are about to throw it out of the window) are loving Mrs. Wishy-Washy's Farm and she seriously knows half the words.  Yikes.  She's almost as smart as me.

When she burps or the other, she says, "Mickey," instead of "Excuse Me".  Not sure why, but she does.

She calls potatoes "mee-hoes", though I think she picked this up from Noopsy who is an Irish pimp, apparently.

And HOW oh HOW can I forget her favorite food???  MOCKWIE!  (Otherwise known as guacamole!)

Homegirl loves her some Hannah Montana and she knows just the right moments in the theme song to say "C'MON!" and "Rock out the show!"  She dances and laughs like a little maniac whenever that show comes on (which is often because summer TV sucks).

When Mills wants to be held, she looks up and says, "Mommy, hold you?"  Love it.  I will hold her till she is my same body weight as long as she asks like that!

She is still WAY into accessories, and can often be found in our gameroom, dancing in front of her dress-up vanity looking like a little bag lady with 48 different bows in her short Mia Farrow hair.

Though we are struggling with the on and off of potty training (totally led by her hiney---I mean her highness, Princess Millie) and my personal favorite (grrrrr)---throwing things, she does have one little gem in her bag that can make ANYONE melt at the drop of a hat...

She curls her top lip up to her nose and says, "Sssssss.  Ssssssnnnn.  Sssschnuggle?  Mommy schnuggle?" 

Though I may be one of the busier humans on this planet, I will gladly stop ANYTHING when I hear those words.  Mills, I will SCHNUGGLE YOU till the cows come home, my sweet baby girl!

July 23, 2007

Trying to Decide...

Karen at Spoons Cafe just got a killer frame (it is actually the frame for a mirror for an antique vanity) that we are going to use in the new restaurant space.  Karen was thinking that it would be great for the wall behind the bakery part of the cafe, but we need your help in figuring out which image to use!

Want to help?  Take a look at these and gimme your vote, por favor!

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July 19, 2007

Sunkissed

It has almost been a year (around ten and a half months) since I first met these kiddos.  And here they are again...lookin' like the summer has been quite good to them.  They've got the golden skin going on and mischievous looks in their eyes combined with longing glances toward the swimming pool.  They're older, wiser, but still just as lovable as they've ever been.  Let me re-introduce one of my favorite brother-sister duos in the whole wide world...

Here's the little princess...
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I love how the lighting makes her look like a surfer chick in this next one...

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Here is her oh-so-cool older bro...

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Check out those puppy dog eyes!

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This next one may not be a conventional bro/sis portrait, but there is something about it that I love.  I can't put my finger on it...their expressions seem so thoughtful. 

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Thanks for a fun shoot, my dynamic little duo!

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July 17, 2007

Country Music's NBT

So, what is an NBT, you ask?  NEXT BIG THING, my dears, and Miss Amy Elizabeth is IT!  Hailing from Fort Worth with the voice of an angel, Amy is a hands-down favorite for Most Likely to Win You Over in a Heartbeat.  Not only is she incredibly photogenic, but her bubbly personality and passion for all things music create a warmth that just makes ya want to kick your boots off and dance barefoot in the grass!

How in the world could I have only picked a few from this session to show you guys?  Narrowing down my favorites from Saturday's shoot with Amy Elizabeth was nearly impossible.  I decided to post all of my faves with no limits.  If this post is as long as a wedding post, even though the session was of one person, so be it...she deserves it, through and through!  Thanks to Wendy of Each & Every Detail and my mom & kick-arse 2nd shooter, Susie, for helping with the shoot and to Storybook Ranch for letting us take over for the afternoon.

Here she is...Amy Elizabeth!

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I'll keep you updated with Amy's career...stay tuned!

Big hugs,
Kate

July 13, 2007

Mom & Pop-to-Be!

Here are Stephanie & Tim, perhaps the sweetest and most easy-going clients I have ever worked with.  Thanks to their amazing friend (in Boston, no less) Megan, I had the wonderful chance to meet them and get to know them and delight in their excitement of their baby boy, Jake, who is ALMOST HERE!

We had a ball (pun intended, since Tim is a pro baseball player) today, and it was SUCH a homerun of a session.  We pigged out on popcorn (Steph's fave food) from Mom & Popcorn in Downtown McKinney, strolled around the square, and then hung out with a herd of crazy kids at a neighborhood park.  SCORE!  Thanks, Megan, for setting this up, and thanks to Steph and Tim for just being so darn cute.  Can't wait to meet Jake!  (Feel free to click on the images to make them bigger...they look bettah!)

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July 11, 2007

My New WEDDING SITE...

...is live!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE NEW SITE!

All ya hafta do is click on the square that says WEDDINGS, and you are golden, but don't forget to TURN UP THE VOLUME!

Tell me whatcha think..

July 10, 2007

A Spoonful of Sugar

I am so honored to be able to show you these next images.  This is my good friend, Karen Klassen, of Spoons Cafe legacy.  She is the cafe's owner and creative genius behind everything that the cafe touches. 

I admire her for so many reasons, but above all, I admire Karen for living her dreams.  So many of us dream big, but allow others to squash our vision.  Karen has been a great influence for me in plowing ahead with Juxtapose...leading by example that if you can envision your dream, for heaven's sake, GO GET IT!

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And her trademark Converse low-tops...my new fave image of the moment...

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July 09, 2007

Wanna Chat?

Look to the right of this post at the bright and sunshine-y new CBOX.  If you want to say HI or ask a question, all you hafta do is fill in the blanks, and bada-bing---we gotta conversation.  Don't be afraid to HOLLA BACK!

July 08, 2007

Tired of the Rain?

Yeah.  We are too.  The on-off-on again-off again attitude the weather is throwin' at me is starting to get to me (rescheduling shoots is becoming the death of me!), and Mills isn't thrilled either. 

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However, in the midst of what I can only imagine is the sky's premenstrual syndrome (take some Midol, already!), I have found my latest addiction...Entourage.  Yes, I know the show started several years ago, but we didn't have HBO then, (we still don't but we are rockin' the Netflix) and the weather must not have been as sucky as it is now.

Bobby has joined me in this journey of infatuation with the show, and our living room has quite easily morphed into den of slack.  It is like the ultimate sick day over here.  We have watched 18 episodes in the past couple of days, and we aren't finished.  It is BEYOND sick, I know, but we feel it is something we are compelled to finish until Bobby's plane leaves on Wednesday for Hotlanta.  So, holla back if you are a fan of the show.  Please somebody tell me we are not alone in our love for Vince, E, Turtle, & Drama, god bless his goofy-arse.

July 06, 2007

Fireworks...

are about to go off in Juxtapose Photography's office!  My new kick-arse WEDDING SITE is going live in what might be mere hours (let's hope not days).

It is truly reflective of my vision for JP Weddings, and I am so excited to be able to show it to you guys!  Not only will the site feature TONS of wedding images, but they are super organized.  Another kick-arse feature is that each slideshow can be set to it's own song, so be on the lookout for some soundtrackin' action.  We've got some amazing music that will melt your heart, make you smile, and get your booty shakin', no doubt!

Stay tuned for that...but in the meantime, if you are bored and need some eye candy, go check out my Kansas City friend, Dustin Steller's new blog. Not only is he an amazing graphic designer, but his photography skills are killer, too!  The fact that he is the nicest guy in all of Missouri doesn't hurt, either.

July 04, 2007

A Walking Rainbow

Meet Julie, a fantastically fantastic Juxtapose bride.  Here she is with her husband-to-be and their new cute little family...bright, sunshine-y, and full of pep...all at 8:30am on a Saturday.  I LOVED that they all wore bright colors and totally BROUGHT IT as far as personality comes.  We had a blast, though I have an inkling that some of them had a nice long afternoon nap that day.  =)

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Just walking...walking...wait for it...wait for it...and attack the photographer!

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The kids are really bee-yoo-ti-ful!  So photogenic!  They must have good genes, huh?

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Love this yellow piece o' wall...frames them just right!

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Can't wait for their November wedding!!!

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And an easy favorite (though I have many from this session)...

Stay cool on this 4th of July!

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July 02, 2007

Hungry?

Head on over to Spoons Cafe's blog,  The Daily Spoonful to get a heapin' helpin' of the most gorgeous comfort food you've ever seen.  YUM! 

Here is one of my absolute favorites...their Chicken Salad plate with fresh fruit!

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My other favorite food is ketchup, but we've already been over that.  What's your favorite food?  Leave me a comment and lemme know!

Juxtapose Photography

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