Diva Night

Christmas season was a special one, indeed, this year! It's been over a year but the Divas finally united once again for fabulous food, drink, and fun! Mom, or rather Vanessa Deen as we like to call her . . . like Paula Deen, really put on the ritz for this special occasion (sending a formal invitation and everything)!  In the past, everyone just knew to meet at the house at 6 PM every Thursday night for a themed dinner and fellowship.  However, unfortunate circumstances caused a snuffing out of our parties.  Although things may never go back to the way they were, it's nice to have a reunion from time to time.  Diva Night is open to girls and women of all ages. It's so fun to hear about everyone's lives because many of us are in different stages.  We laugh, we cry, we dream, and advise.  Oh the chatter! And all around at our feet playing together are our toy poodles (and sometimes a yorkie or dachshund on occassion).  Yes, the ladies even bring their dogs!  This particular evening, all the food was prepared out of Southern Lady Magazine.  We also ended the evening with coffee, pound cake, pumpkin souffle pie, and an ornament exchange.  I was the proud recipient of a little bird ornament from Anthropologie! Enjoy the pictures! 

HD Powder: Getcha Some!

If you've ever been on the set of a TV show, most make-up artists will tell you about the power of HD Powder! Since we live in a "high-def" world, it only makes since to wear high definition make-up, right? Right! For all my shoots, I recommend this powder! It works wonders on the skin and you can use it everyday! It's a translucent, mineral-based powder that can be applied to all skin colors. That's right . . . no matching of skin color because it only comes one way. Even guys can wear it without looking like they're wearing make-up! And they do on TV. So if you want a powder that sets your foundation, slightly mattifies your skin, and evens tone, then visit Sephora and GETCHA SOME!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

So yesterday was my daddy's birthday! Normally, I might post a picture.  However, daddy rarely likes having his picture taken so I'll refrain from posting one here.  I must say that I hate January mainly because the weather and because Christmas is over and now I have to take down all my decorations. Boo! On the upside, however, January has always been a month full of birthday celebrations for me.  It's my dad's birthday (6th), my sister's birthday (22nd), my papaw's birthday (22nd), and my best friend's (23rd)!  Since I've been stuck inside due to all the rain, I began to think about what each of these people's lives have brought to mine.  I'm a strong believer that everyone in your life can teach you something.  So here are just a few memories and life lessons from my father:

1. Moss will not kill you if you eat it.

2. Riding my bike with no training wheels

3. How to draw Snoopy sleeping on his doggie house

4. How to bake a cake without getting eggshells in the batter

5. Roller coasters are fun not scary

6. There COULD be a boogie man in my room.  I still sleep with my closet door closed.

7. How to give appropriate surgery to a stuffed animal (aka sewing up loose parts)

8. How to wrap a present with the least amount of tape

9. "Blitzing" means Christmas Eve shopping, parking as far away from the mall as possible and walking.

10. How to drive

11. How to be generous through example

12. Have fun because you'll spend the rest of your life working

13. If love is hard before you're married, it doesn't get any easier over time.  Choose wisely.

14. Being happy is easy if you continue to make the right decisions.

Behind but Improved!

So I had this GREAT idea to get caught up on all my blog posts today but . . . that's probably not gonna happen.  Do you notice anything new about my blog?!? I sure hope so or I just wasted a few hours! Ahh! Well, if you haven't visited here before, I just increased the size of all the pictures I posted here. YAY! It's really easy ONCE you figure it out.  I think it looks a LOT better! I love learning new things but get annoyed with the amount of time it takes me to research everything to figure it out!  Some days I just wish I had a magic wand and POOF everything is just the way I want it.  However, DO check back sometime next week because I should be getting some posts up from the holidays! From Diva Night to Christmas and Christmas to celebrating the New Year in Nashville, the posts should be rather interesting.  I'm also planning on making a few enhancements to my website! January through March are going to be super busy but I love what I do so no complaints!

The Long Family

Last Saturday I got to hangout with the Long Family to take some long overdue family photos. Despite the cold weather, they were all smiles and laughter! I loved their 35 acres of land! We'll have to thank their neighbors for allowing us to use their rustic barns as a backdrop!  Here are a few photos from the shoot:

A Wee Little Success!

Last Sunday Kysha Winters and I hosted our first "Wee Little Christmas Party!" Children and their parents joined us for an afternoon of cookie decorating fun! We made Peanut Butter Blossoms, Sugar Cookies, and little Reindeer heads using Nutter Butters dipped in melted chocolate.  Pretzels were used as the antlers, red hots for the nose, and white or green round sprinkles for the eyes.  In addition, the children made snowflake ornaments using colorful gumdrops.  Fruitloops and lifesavers were also used to make a tinsel type ornament for the tree.  Here's a sneek peek from the event.  It was so hard to choose which pictures to post.  All the kids were SO cute!

The centerpiece for the event.  I made the gumdrop tree :)

Gumdrops on the craft table

Caroline arriving to the party.  Precious!

Caroline's in her pointing phase.  She wants everyone to see what she sees :)

Canon was quite cute.  He had a ball rolling all over the living room floor, stopping at intervals to give me his best model face.  

Ginger and Emma making the dough for the Peanut Butter Blossoms.

Emma being her beautiful self!

Even the adults had fun!

Hudson, amazed by ALL the sugar! 

Hudson was like the cute kid you see in the Pillsbury commercials.

Kysha and Michael making the reindeer cookies!

Michael kissing Caroline.  We've been plotting their marriage since they were zygotes.  LOL!

Michael caroling with the carolers! Too cute! He must take after his mother.

And who are these kids??? That's my older sister and me about 18 years ago making Peanut Butter Blossoms with mom :) I'm thankful for a mother who could give us such special memories and traditions.  LOVE YOU MOM!

And as promised . . . there was a special drawing for those that attended the party! Congratulations to Diane MaGee! She is the winner of a FREE private photo session for her family! 

I can't wait for this year's Spring event.  I'm thinking of bunnies, flowers, and colored eggs! Hope to see you all there!

A Wee Little Christmas Party

In less than a week, Kysha Winters and I will be hosting "A Wee Little Christmas Party." This party gives children and their parents a few hours to cut loose for the holidays, baking and decorating Christmas cookies! All the while, I'll be clicking my camera for adorable candid shots! Formal shots for Christmas cards will also be available upon request.

What's the beauty of this type of party?

1. You get to have all the fun with none of the clean-up!

2. There's no sitting fee for this type of photography session.

3. You can view all event pictures online via a private gallery at lorilinephotography.com.

4. If you like what you see, you can purchase the pictures!

5. Attend and be entered to win a prize valued at $125

Moreover, I'm very excited about the decor for this party. It'll be a child's Christmas dream! In fact, I'm already considering a Spring party event as well. Check back for pictures from this party.