In a cabin in the woods . . .

a little deer at the window stood! LOL. I've had this song running though my head while editing these photos. A gorgeous B&B recently turned into a home, in beautiful Canmore. I'm still dreaming about the view they have from their bedroom. Ahhhhh.
Here's one more because I am just in love with their bathroom. It probably would have been weird to ask them if I could take a bath, huh? :)

Cool Families

So I always say I have the coolest clients.
Today was no exception. I often leave sessions feeling like I just hung out with friends for an afternoon instead of working.
My session today was exactly like this, except we even stood talking at my car for another 10 minutes after.
I felt like I was on an awesome playdate, except I had no kids with me, haha.
Anyway, thanks for the fun session today guys. and here's a little sneak peak!

Oh, and Cheryl, if you are reading this, your gallery is almost up and ready. :)

Happy

Isn't she just the sweetest thing? And mom was seriously worried because baby didn't get much sleep.
Speaking of not getting much sleep, I'm back from Las Vegas - unfortunately without my passport.
I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off the past few days trying to make sure I can get a new passport before my trip to Disneyland in 2 weeks. You do NOT want to tick off a 4 year old with a princess fetish.
I'm also hard at work on proofing and getting up your galleries, so never fear! Hopefully things will be back to normal by the end of the weekend.
:)

Fresh Sugar

Where do I even start with this session? Dad is hilarious, mom is super nice, brother is absolutely gorgeous and baby is super sweet and a great sleeper to boot! I had a wonderful time at their home, and am so excited to edit these photographs.
Here is one sneak peek, I was completely in love with their cool kitchen drawers with CANDY in them!
Thanks again for a rockin' session guys.

Sugar Shack Cakes

My daughter Charlotte turned 1 years old last Saturday. Since she is a charter member of the Second Child Society, I procrastinated and neglected almost everything about the party. But from procrastination comes great things!
It was too late to get a cake from my usual place, so I tried something new that I saw at the Calgary's Child fun fair this spring.
Sugar Shack Cakes was absolutely awesome. Not only is the name great (heh heh), but the designs are so cute and the ordering system is extremely easy to navigate. Of course, the proof is in the puddi - er, cake. It was bar none the best cake I think I've ever had. And I am a cake snob. I like cake, and since I don't like frosting, it must be gooood cake. Well not only was this cake delicious, but the frosting was really yummy too!
Next time you need a cake for any reason, check out Sugar Shack cakes. You won't be disappointed.

New Music Tuesday

It isn't the first post about new music on the site, and it surely won't be the last.
The latest song is by Blessed by Brett Dennen.
It's a happy, upbeat song and the girls love dancing to it. I was thrilled to receive permission to share it with you all on the Fresh Sugar website. It's the second track. Enjoy!
(if you love what you hear, you can buy it on iTunes)

New Birth Announcements

There are some beautiful new birth announcement samples on the website under "stuff".
Here is a sneak peek!

More Rolls Than A Bakery!

This little cutie had the most roly-poly little body. She was a complete sweetheart, and very, very serious.
I just wanted to pick her up and cuddle her the entire session! We were also able to go outside yesterday for this session - which was surprising to say the least! Thanks very much to this family for a fun Sunday morning!

Back From Kelowna

Whew! We made it back! We had a great time in Kelowna (or Westbank, more accurately) but I think I need a vacation from my vacation! Good thing I have a girl's trip to Vegas next month, lol!

I thought I'd share a few highlights from our trip before getting back to work. Tomorrow everything starts again, so all your questions/orders/galleries will be taken care of. :) Tonight it's some pizza, and some vegging.

I'll start with the photo that makes me laugh the most, and it's my husband Dave on the kid's playground in Kelowna. We went down to the lake to see the Dragon Boat races, but ended up at the wrong park. So of course we had to play before leaving!





We went to the Mission Hill winery one afternoon. We ate lunch at their outdoor restaurant with spectacular views.
Since I could not for the life of me figure out the menu, I had a salad and Dave had a pulled pork sandwich which of course was to die for. The wine was Merlot.





After lunch we went on the tour and tasting which was pretty fun, even though I'm not a huge wine fan.






We also spent some time at the pool and the beach. We heard it snowed in Calgary while we were gone. Brrr!







Charlotte fell asleep in the pool:



It was a great trip though, and it was really nice to try to recharge creatively.






And here's the whole family the morning before we left. Wouldn't you know that 20 minutes into the drive home Emma throws up all over herself in her carseat, and has been sick ever since. At least we're home now. :)

Tag, I'm It!

The fabby fab Central Alberta photographer Ashley Skjaveland tagged me in a game of blog tag. It's kind of fun!

The Rules.

Post the rules before you give the facts. Post eight random facts about yourself. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag eight people and list their names. Leave the people you tagged a comment on their blog, letting them know that they've been tagged.

#1. I am not a good cook. Actually, I am not a cook at all. I love to bake, but something about spending all that time making something that will disappear in 15 minutes depresses me. I buy a lot of easy to make meal - tortellini and sauce, spaghetti, lots of crockpot stuff.

#2. I am a television junkie. I watch everything I can, and when tv season starts, I have a set schedule of watching every night. Thank goodness for DVRs! Best invention ever! My favorite show ever was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, second was Veronica Mars. I really like shows that get cancelled. LOL! Right now I've been catching up on Heroes on dvd, and I have to say - this show is rivaling LOST for me. It's really gripping, imaginative television. There's still time to catch up on all the episodes before season 2 starts!

#3. I am a bit addicted to technology. Any new kind of gadget, I need to have. Which is why we have a Media Center PC, a laptop PC, a MacBook Pro, and an iMac. You bet I'll be getting an iPhone when they come out in Canada, even though I have two iPods and a Sidekick phone. I waited for hours in the -25 weather for my Wii. If it's new and electronic, I want it.

#4. Guitar Hero is the best game ever. I am a video game junkie. I have every Nintendo system ever made, and I play my DS all the time. But Playstation kicks butt at "cool" games. I first got my PS2 so I could play Karaoke Revolution. (awesome game series, btw), then I got Dance Dance Revolution (my husband's better at it than me) but now it's basically a Guitar Hero Machine. We have face-offs, and everytime we have guests over, we bring out the guitars. Everyone loves playing this game -from my 4 year old to my mother-in-law. I can't wait for GH3 to come out. We got the 80's game, but were disappointed on how few songs there were. And no, I probably won't be getting it for the Wii in a few months. Why? Playstation rocks it!

#5. My favorite soft drink is Dr. Pepper. My favorite fast food is a Mozza burger from A&W. My favorite candy bar is a Wonderbar. My favorite candy is Sweetarts.

#6. I say "zee" instead of "zed". Candy bar instead of chocolate bar. I don't spell neighbor with a "u". I went to school in Los Angeles, California from kindergarden to grade 3 - where I learned the alphabet, how to spell and the only celebrity I ever saw was Elizabeth Montgomery from Bewitched. But yes, I *did* go to school with "Blossom", but we haven't spoken in years and years. Actually I did look her up about 6 years ago, and we exchanged a couple of emails and that's it. I think she was studying neuroscience or something like that. True story.

#7. I think Anthony Wiggle is hot.

#8. I am not afraid of much, but I am deathly afraid of rats. I love that Alberta is rat-free. I can never move away! It's not just rats though, I fear any rodent. And rabbits. I fear rabbits. And birds. Huh. Maybe I am afraid of a lot? LOL!

So now for my 8 blogging coolcats:

Alicia Price Photography

Dooce

Moments Cherished Photography

Life With My X-Men

Bowes Photography

Jenna Slomp Photography

Phreckles Photography

Kylie Banks Photography

Another Recall

It seems like I'm posting about this a lot lately!
Mattel announced another recall today - including a Geo Trax Engine and some Barbie accessories.
You can read more here: Mattel Site
CNN thinks this will not be the last recall we hear about this year due to lead paint, and I have to think they're right.
:(

Rock On!

Haha! This little cutie is gonna be a rockstar, I just know it. I had the pleasure of meeting this very fun and easy-going family last weekend. As what happens sometimes, the weather just didn't want to cooperate with us. Rainy and dreary outside, their kitchen nook had great light. So out went the table. Out went the chairs. Everyone sat on the floor and played with Mr. J. He had a blast, and I think we all did too. :)

The Look of Love

I'm a bloggin' fiend these days!
It's because I'm proofing so many session in so little time, just trying to get everyone their galleries out as soon as possible.
This little guy was feeling a bit under the weather at our session, but was still a trooper, giving me lots of smiles and grins.
This shot is my favorite though, his mama was whispering in his ear, and the expression on his face says it all. Pure contentment!

***Oh, and September is almost completely booked up for weekend sessions. There are only two left! If you want some fall portraits, book now!

Sleepy

I've been really lucky lately, and been getting some super sleepy newborns. It helps when the heat is cranked up in the house, (to the point where we're sweating), and the baby is less that two weeks old. When they get a little older than that, they are more aware of their surroundings and not so keen to be poked, prodded and moved. This little guy stayed pretty sleepy, waking once in awhile to nurse. Perfection!

Best. Hair. Ever.

Can you believe all the hair this little man from today has?
I'm uploading the photos onto the computer and had to grab this one to share with everyone.
It cracks me up - his hair is longer than my 10 month old's!
Thanks for a great afternoon today guys, I had lots of fun.

On a completely different note, Fresh Sugar is having a policy change. Effective immediately, galleries are online for 1 week after posting. An extension of 3 days can be provided under extenuating circumstances. After that time, all gallery images will be archived OFF my main computer, and will require an archiving fee of $50 to be paid to repost the gallery for 3 more days.

I have several galleries tying up valuable space on my computer right now, and with my recent crash, I don't want to hog unnecessary resources. I want to keep things as streamlined as possible, and help everyone through the ordering process.
Please send me an email if you have any questions. Thanks!

New Music

If you keep your speakers on while cruising the site, you probably have noticed that I like to change the music up every so often.
I love finding artists who give their permission to use their music, and my latest find is Ashley Gramins. She has a beautiful voice and such a funky style. You can listen to her version of Rainbow Connection on www.freshsugar.ca, it's the 3rd song.
If you love what you hear, and I'm sure you will - you can purchase her cd Mama Rocks on iTunes.

Book now to secure one of the last evening sessions!

Just a quick update today, evening sessions are only available until the end of September, and are booking fast.
If you are interested in grabbing one of these last few dates to get some nice evening light photos (my personal fave) then check the website for the schedule and email me!

I'm still looking for teenage models for my new site, and need more guys - so if you know any, please tell them about the deal.
Free photo session, a cd of websized, watermarked images perfect for Facebook or MySpace, and 50% off prints.
Also needed, anyone who is interested in "trashing" their grad dress. Check out Drown The Gown to get an idea of what I'm talking about!

Finally, my computer should be ready for pickup today. I've been lost without it. For those waiting on newborn/maternity sessions - I am going to be working 'round the clock the next week to make sure your galleries get up in a timely manner. Thank you all so much for your patience.

Oh, and I've got some new additions to Fresh Sugar's product list. I'll be posting some photos soon! New birth announcements and new collages! Stay tuned!

(and the photo is random, but I can't post an entry without a pic! This is one of the only photos on my laptop, taken with our Canon point and shoot camera. It's Emma's first day at camp, at the wonderful Butterfield Acres)

Mattel Recalls 9 Million Toys

Mattel is voluntarily recalling 9 million of its toys including popular characters such as Batman, Barbie, Polly Pockets and a toy from Pixar's "Cars" movie because of hazards to children, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday.

Today's Recall
Barbie and Tanner - hazardous magnet
Batman - hazardous magnet
Polly Pockets - hazardous magnet
Doggie Daycare - hazardous magnet
One Piece - hazardous magnet
Sarge cars - lead in paint

All affected toys were made in China for Mattel

Wow, that's a lot of toy recalls lately. We didn't have any of those things here, but I do know that some of you have daughters that like Polly Pocket. It's good to know that Mattel is serious about toys hazards though, this is the second recall in a matter of weeks from the company. (Mattel is the parent company of Fisher-Price)

My Apple's Jacked.

So two weeks after getting it back, my computer got fried again. It's back at the "authorized service technician", who is actually super nice - even if I never want to see him again. Now, if I were you, I would probably tell me to get a new computer, obviously my old hunk of junk isn't cutting it. Except this computer that keeps crashing and dying is only 6 months old. I also got it completely tricked out, and it was top of the line. Macs are not supposed to have these problems, and as my Mac tech-guy tells me, "sometimes bad things just happen". Yes, but twice in one month?

I'm waiting to hear back how long it will take, I am still playing catch-up from the last crash, so I may have to find out a way to work without ol' Big Mac.

***UPDATE***
I just got off the phone with Paul from Bexx Systems (the computer place) and I guess the hard drive is fried. So brand new hard drive for me, yippee! Ok, that was a bit of false enthusiasm, but at least it's going to be fixed. The downside is that it will probably take about a week before I get my machine back.
I can work on my MacBook Pro though, so I'll try to continue on with editing sessions as much as I can. Bad for me, and I guess bad for you in return is that I'll need to start from scratch, so it's going to be slow going. To the girls from the Saskatoon Farm, I'm so sorry - they will be done as soon as I can get caught up. Thanks for your patience!

Fisher-Price Recalls Almost A Million Toys

Fisher-Price Recall Page

It was announced this morning that Fisher-Price has recalled 83 different types of toys due to excessive amounts of lead paint.
The recall involves various figures and toys that were manufactured between April 19, 2007 and July 6, 2007 and were sold alone or as part of sets. The toys were sold at retail stores in the US and Canada from May 2007 through August 2007 for between $5 and $40. Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from children and contact Fisher-Price. You will need to return the product and will receive a voucher for a replacement toy of the consumer’s choice (up to the value of the returned product).

Yikes! We have a lot of that stuff, but it's all older - so we're ok. Please check the list for any toys you may own or have bought recently. There are a lot of Elmo/Dora/Diego/Backyardigans stuff there.