BRRRRRRRRRRRRR!! Ok, I thought it was cold at 35* lows....now it is 24* lows with 38* highs! I am not ready! I have a fire roaring in the fireplace and paper is flying in the workshop. Things are surely heating up around here! Thank you to "K" helping me get it all done. She is an angel and doing a fantastic job! I also have two little "elves" posting my Holiday Show postcards......yes, some of the stamps may be sideways and some of the addresses a little crooked, but they were put on with love by my two sons! It is getting to be busy and I am looking forward to seeing you at the holiday show. Those of you who have procrastinated your holiday cards can pick them up ready made. I am loving the new paper lines just in for the holidays! I am already thinking about next season-look out for some holiday packages with photos and holiday cards as well as prints for gifts!! We will begin booking for this in the Spring. That's it for now....gotta get back at it!

Taking a break from the flurry of activity to blog. TGIF! I am so excited for the weekend-it's shaping up to be THE PERFECT weekend. Last night played cards with the girls and I have not laughed that hard in a LOOOOONG time. It was hilarious trying to keep track of the last card played. My stomach ached this morning-must be have been that and all those brownies I ate. B, you must make me work hard on Wed!! Tonight get to catch up with our friends from Manhattan at a new restaurant in Greenwich. I also got a surprise call that my niece is visiting! Can't wait to see her and her boyfriend. What a treat. Saturday some time finally spent with our neighbors. Can't wait! As for work, my print shop is kicking out my goodies faster than fast-thank you, T, S & J at the shop!! They have been hustling-doing such a great job that my deadline next year might be extended to give you procrastinators more time to............procrastinate!! The next couple weeks will be crazy, but will try to take some time to post more photos. The O family asked to be shot-looking forward to it-BEAUTIFUL family, inside and out! xo

With the fall coming to an end, I thought these shots were appropriate. Our pumpkins are fading and the tree I snapped at a cemetery has lost most of its leaves. I will try to keep up with blogging, but I might be a slacker in the blog department over the coming weeks. (Comments DO keepme motivated to come back, however!) I have many card orders and prints to do as well as product to create for the holiday show. Many of you are already "pre-ordering" before the show. VERY SMART!! Those teacher, bus driver gifts begin to stack up in December-before you know it, piano lessons are over and you forgot a little treat for your instructor! xo shawn

Now that the sports are winding down, the work is heating up. I am so thankful to those clients that let me "play" at photographing their children. How I enjoyed connecting with the innocence of youth. If you are "procrastinating" your holiday cards because you don't have a photo-I am offering a special package for the pre-made holiday cards. Email me for details....I really enjoy the opportunity to snap some more pics and if the weather cooperates, have had some great shots at Weir farm. Let me know if you are interested. xo

After this week, I will never underestimate the power of a cup of coffee, or a phone call, or a quick note or email. The week was a tough one, for reasons I won't bore you with. But, after reaching out and catching up with some friends, I feel re-charged. Thank you to all the friends that made me feel better-you know who you are.

As the fall leaves rain down on the ground, I feel winter coming on. The grey branches of the trees are looking stark in contrast to the golden leaves covering the grass. Our last little holdout-the pear tree is showing her magnificent fall colors in a burst of yellows, oranges, peaches and crimson. Football ended this weekend in a disappointing loss to our competitor, and soccer wrapped up the season as well. A little quieter on the weekends for a few weeks. Thanksgiving is right around the corner........where has the time gone??

Some favorites from yesterday. L looked just like her mom when she got out of the car. Simply beautiful. G shows so much personality when he smiles. The two together are pure sweetness! As always, I so enjoy the time I spend trying to capture the personality of each client. These two looked so cute when photographed together....I couldn't resist sharing these!

cheese, cheese, cheese

This may not look appetizing to you, but my son Regan only eats cheese. String cheese, cheddar cheese, quesadillas (with cheese), mac n cheese, cheese pizza (no sauce)......if it's cheesy, he will eat it. The only thing without cheese that he eats is chicken nuggets (in the shape of dinosaurs). So, as we were trying to broaden his little horizons, we came up with the ingenious idea to put cheese on top of a chicken patty (sold to Regan as a giant chicken nugget). Well, the idea took off and he LOVED it. We have tried this with pork tenderloin and he gobbles it up. The broccoli, however, dripping in cheese, was not a success. Still trying to come up with new ideas. Thanks to K for the secret "zucchini" chocolate chip muffins....always looking for ways to add veggies! I do think we are getting there! xo

weekend update!

Another beautiful weekend here in CT and we were lucky to share much of it with our good friends P&K from CA and their children. They celebrated HALLOWEEN with us Friday night and had a sports-filled weekend. We kicked it off with a nail-biting soccer match for my 6 year old and they WON (though we are NOT keeping score). We then went to a YALE game where we watched the children of a friend play some great defense against Columbia. It was a very festive atmosphere hanging with the parents of these players and now all three of my kids want to go to YALE! We hurried home for a playoff football GAME for my 9 year old. It was another nail-bitter but with some great plays and excellent blocking they won! We capped off the day with dinner at our favorite local restaurant the Schoolhouse at Cannondale. Check out their blog: http://schoolhouserestaurant.wordpress.com/. Chef TIM is cooking up some yummy things-I thought the LOBSTER Risotto was out of this world! While this is a busy month, I am looking forward to all the creativity that will flow with the holidays. I also look forward to family, friends, cooking and relaxing over Thanksgiving! It's going to be a great month. xo shawn

holidays

Has this happened to you? The kids will say something so sweet and precious and you promise you will write this down, but forget? It happens to me ALL THE TIME! This time I thought I would share it with you as we are approaching the holidays and as a way of preserving the innocence of children. I know it's possible that the economy will make many decisions for the holidays challenging, but I thought you might enjoy this conversation with my youngest as I was tucking him in last night. It reminds me that the holidays are best enjoyed through the eyes of a child.

Me: "Regan, what do you want for Christmas?"

Regan: "Hmmm, I don't know..."

Me: "You should think about it and write it down for Santa."

Regan: "I know, when I do, he always brings me what I want."

Me: "Well then, we should really think about what you want."

Regan: "But I like your gifts better because you always surprise me."

Hmmm.....I thought for an almost 7 year old that this was pretty profound. Our kids don't need everything on their "list" to feel the magic of the season...we simply need to surprise them....I am going to try to remember this and make this season magical. I am going to find something special to surprise them with!