This past Sunday, our Sunday School class had a lunch cookout at the park.... and of course I brought along my camera. We had so much fun fellowshipping with each other. However, I think my favorite part was all of the GEESE. I've never seen so many geese in one spot before... and I've never been that close to one either. I saw a goose attack another goose before and it wasn't pretty. After that episode, I have kept my distance.
I was little scared while taking this pic. The goose in the middle started running toward me. LOL!
I think Alicia is trying to be a goose/flamigo?
And I think Kat is trying to be a baby goose.... a gosling.
Have a blessed day!

Last Friday, I had the privilege of going to Elisha's birthday party. If you know anything about me, you know that birthdays are VERY important to me! There is just something about presents and cake that I can't resist. Take a look at some fun pics from his birthday party.
Boys will be boys!
Mrs. Aluna is so cute!
My favorite one from the day. When I think of Elisha, this is how I think of him... always laughing and cuttin' up!

I would normally delete this picture, but when I say Annie and Alicia's faces, I had to keep it! LOL!

I'm glad I wasn't the one responsible after they were filled up on SUGAR!
Have a blessed day!

A couple of weeks ago, I read an article in Good Housekeeping about a little girl who was making bracelets to raise money for the people in Haiti. A few days ago, mine came in the mail.... I think they are my new favorite thing.
Check out her story on her blog!
Have a blessed Monday!

While I was in Louisiana, the Dowling family booked a session with me! Oh how I love this family! :)
This family is so silly and I think these next couple of pictures prove it! :)
Have a blessed and wonderful weekend!

I designed these for a client who has the same last name as me! :)
Have a blessed day!

I wanted to post a new item that I am offering to my brides... a wedding guest book. It holds up to 40 pages with spaces for signatures as well as pictures from your session(s) with me. I had a bride also put shower sign-in pages in the back section of her book (saves on the number of books you have to keep track of). It is a 7X7 book, up to 40 pages for $90.
Have a blessed day!

One of our youth at church was raising money to go on a special trip, so I donated a photo session to his cause. The Putt Family bought the photo session and I photographed their family a little over a week ago. They were so much fun to be around... and the dinner afterwards was wonderful. A true Italian dish with REAL sweet tea. It doesn't get much better than that.

Take a look at some of my favorites from our time together!
Have a blessed day!

I received an email from a dear friend a couple of months ago about a canvas that she wanted me to for her mom. Her mom is one of the sweetest people I've ever met, but I didn't know how truly special she was until I read this email. I have a totally new respect for this lady and I hope to one day be a fraction of how amazing she is.


"You know my mom.  She is a rare breed.  I'm not sure quite how to tell you what I'm looking for, other than we want to give her a canvas that means something to her. She birthed me and my two sisters.  And 2 years ago, she and my dad adopted Zac.  So, by all common standards, she has 4 children.  She said after they adopted Zac that she always knew that she would have 4 children; she just didn't know this was how she would get her 4th. 

Zac's story in itself is quite special.  Zac came to my mom as a ward of the state.  She keeps new born babies for Volunteers of America and has for over 15 years.  She picks the babies up from the hospital and keeps them until they are placed in adoptive homes.  It's an incredibly heroic charge to care for a baby as if it was your own for months and months, and then simply hand it over to it's new adoptive family.  My mom however, does it with such grace and love that she makes it look easy.  She has said numerous times, "I just give them what they need and love them while I have them."  Zac was a unique case, in which my mom gave him and his birth mother necessary physical needs and loved them both.  Due to choices and consequences, and some unavoidable circumstances, Zac's birth mom was not able to care for Zac.  Our family's life unfolded into what bared a strong resemblance to a tragic Lifetime Movie.  The only difference was, if it had been a movie, I would have changed the channel.  This was happening in our kitchen, and there was no escaping it.  The most dramatic, heart breaking moments left most of us tightly wound in an obnoxious panic.  My mom, however, would just return herself to a state of prayer.  Although, I am sure she was stressed and saddened by the situations, she continued to lean on God for guidance and protection for those that she loved.  The end of the story is such a ‘happily ever after’.  Zac is legally a "Folse "and we’ve never looked back. 
Another stand-out story is the Fuqua's.  The Fuqua's came to my mom as an emergency respite situation.  They were dropped off at our house as a 5, 6, and 7 year old sibling group.  My parents reworked the bedrooms in our house and spent hours in classes to qualify as a temporary foster family so that the Fuqua's would not have to be split up.  My mom said, "We'll make it work, or we'll run to Canada, but I'm not going to let them split these babies up." So, of course we figured out a way to make it work.  The Fuqua's were also adopted by one of our most favorite couples ever.  Ten years later, I don't remember what our life was like before the Fuqua's.  They live down the road from us, call my parents "Aunt Kim" and "Uncle Rocky", and have grown into phenomenal young adults. " 

Needless to say, I cried when I read this... and I cried a few tears (of joy) as I was painting this as well. So if you see a random dark spot on the canvas, it's just some extra lovin' that i didn't want to get rod of. I am always honored when people ask me to paint for them, but I am especially honored to be able to say that I painted this one. God is so good! I just think of amazing people like Mrs. Kim and the fact that she will be hanging this painting up in her home. I hope that this painting is as much of a blessing to her and she is to everyone else.

This painting allowed me to experiment with a new painting technique.... the art of aging. LOL! "Nothing in my mom's house is new.  She built the house to look old.  Her colors are all sort of muted.  Beige and browns.... but then, think very bold golds, reds and greens - muted.  Perhaps they appear muted because of age...  If she buys something new (which is RARE), she'll beat it with a hammer and chains and abuse it with a sander until it looks like it has "character". True.  Sad. But true." I didn't want Mrs. Kim to take a hammer to my painting, so I tried to age it for her. LOL! There are 4 sets of initials on the fleur de lis, representing the 4 Folse children.... the 3 Folse girls and Zac (adopted). Then the 4 green circles represent Henry and the 3 Fuqua children.

I LOVE this painting! I think God did a good job on this one! :)
Have a blesse day!