Even Professionals Take Bad Photos

Bad Funny photos happen. Just like bad hair days and bad sweaters.

Usually during a session there are a handful of images where the subjects are caught off guard at just the wrong moment. They are not nice candids, just unflattering spoofs. They make me chuckle and then get removed from the mix because who really wants to see them?

Actually....Who doesn't want to see them? Spoofs happen to everyone!

Even to professionals.

A few months back when the trees were still golden, I rolled Devin out of bed at sunrise for our family photo. We had the assistance of a good friend working the camera, but we were the subjects. And we got some bad funny photos in the mix. :) We also have a cat (Leisl) and we had to include him in the family photo (duh.) and as anyone who has tried to do a photo with pets can confirm, the pets are sometimes very similar to unruly children. :) Enjoy our spoofs! Be well, Kaht

"Don't let Leisl run away! I'm getting the settings right."

"I know you have treats!! Give. Me. Now. Purrrrrrlease?"

Up. Down. Up. Down. BUTT!

'I so do not belong to this family.'

"Here kitty kitty. Come to...Oh. Of course you come for your mama...."

"Awww, snuggle me too guys!! Snuggle snuggle snuggle MEEEE!" *snuggles*

"Mraaaaaaaa!!! Put me down! Put me down! PUT ME DOWN!!!"

Fine. We can look good without the cat. :)

Happy holiday photo season! Do you have any funny holiday photos??

Snow-No! Snow-fun.

Kitty McGrumpy is having a real fit today because we woke up to a winter wonderland!

I am all, 'Snow dance hurray!'

And he is all, 'Crabby. Crabby. Snow-No! Grump. Blah.'

He has asked to go out several times and each times he pokes his head out, gets a few flakes on his nose and about faces right back inside. This time he actually got his feet wet, but promptly returned to the snow free indoors.

See the hearts in the upper right corner? Maybe the neighbors did those :) Or magic elves.

This has to be the most depressing time of the year for a cat. I wonder if he understands time and how long winter actually lasts? That would really be depressing then...poor kittay.

But we are all excited! This coming weekend we are going to pick out our Christmas tree, so the snow is a welcome and festive sight! Be well, Kaht

Ridiculous Me

Yesterday the Apocalypse almost occurred.

Almost because the seas did not turn to blood, the sky did not burn and the only dead man walking was Devin first thing in the morning. But the wind!!! It started in the morning and progressively became stronger throughout the day. Before too long twigs started to fall, tree branches started to snap and finally whole trees and power poles toppled over! A good friend actually had a tree fall ON her car while she was driving! We are all so thankful she and her dog are okay, but talk about scary!

Eventually the power went out and I was forced to shut things down for the day. I did what I could in the way of paperwork using my headlamp to see things by, but it always amazes me (and makes me cringe) just how much I rely on electricity, the internet, and my computer to get things done. Even though I try to limit my access and "desk chair time" it really takes up a lot of my life! Must work on that. "Desk chair butt" is so not sexy.

This morning driving out to yoga I got to see the tree carnage. It was insane! Big trees snapped off in the middle or pulled right out of the ground with their roots swinging in the breeze! We are so lucky to have only lost power because I have heard of many folks who had trees fall on their homes and cars. ::Thanks lucky stars::

Now things are mostly back to normal here. Other homes are still without power, so most of the local schools were cancelled today. The kids love it because it is actually a really nice day out! Freeeebie :) I have finally caught up on most of what I meant to get done yesterday and figured I would drop a line here to say "Hey!"

Does anyone else have any crazy wind storm stories??

They say the winds reached 90mph here yesterday!!! Insane.

Despite being a sunny-ish day, it is still kind chilly and here in Vermont we are the epitome of fashionistas! Well, at least I am. Can't speak for my other Vermont-comrades ;) But I am totally rocking out the wool socks+capris today. Even the UPS man commented on them! HA!

Ridiculous me.

Cleaning Out My Thoughts to Make Room for Family

While trying to organize my thoughts, I came up with a few things to share:

*I made spaghetti and meatballs tonight and it turned out fabulous! Photos to come.

*I am officially wiped out. I got up early yesterday morning and have been working madly through my to-do list so that I can enjoy some family time at the end of the week. Good news: I got a lot done! Bad news: I think I might be borderline insane from having been at the computer all day. Isn't it like 72 hours without sleep and you are considered insane? I wonder if there is an equivalent for computer usage?

*When it becomes hard to find a sitter for the cat, it makes me wonder what we will do when we have kids! Big screen TV? For the weekend? KIDDING!! ::shifty eyes::

*I am really excited about a new pie I am going to make for our dinner on Thursday!! If it works, I'll share the recipe :)

*I have a newsletter! If you would like to join the list, you can subscribe here. Thank you! I promise to make the monthly news colorful, if not a little interesting. :)

*If you are not on the newsletter list, then you did not receive the below note. I mean every word of it. Seriously! Without you, what would I be? Another person who is caught talking to themselves in cyberspace. You give my life meaning! And for that I am thankful.

*I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Do you have any food traditions? What? We always have kale cooked with bacon and oatmeal. It stinks up the house like nothing else for the 4 days beforehand as it simmers in the crockpot, but tastes OH! so yummy. Be well, Kaht

November is a peaceful, pretty time of year. The lush greenery of summer has faded to muted shades of nature, and clouds hover above us and speak of the coming winter—not a warning so much as a word of advice from a trusted friend. The seasons are changing, and the pace of life moves to a different rhythm.

We’re entering into the holiday season and are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving. This time of year summons up many warm memories of gathering around the adult table (or being sequestered to the kids’ table) and enjoying a special meal surrounded by family and friends.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday! It’s marvelous to have a day set apart to be grateful for all we enjoy. My good fortune overwhelms me with gratitude, and I want you to know that you are included in my list of blessings. Your friendship and patronage has warmed my heart. I love to see my clients’ smiles and hear the laughter of a family posing for a portrait that will be cherished for decades. Touching the lives of friends and neighbors with my portraiture is a dream come true! Thank you.

I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with love, gratitude, laughter, and sweet moments shared with someone special. Beautiful memories to cherish forever!

Have a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving and a holiday season filled with goodness and joy. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life. I look forward to serving you in the coming year.

Warmest Regards,

Kathleen

A stray after thought:

**Chickens provide endless entertainment.

What are you looking at? Go find a turkey!

Cold...Bring it.

Hello.

Please admire my new gloves.

Thanks to my dear friend Kelly, I will no longer suffer from popsicle hands! And they were just in time for some snow flurries during a recent session :) I think the pink accent adds a little sassy flare, don't you?
All I have to say now is: Cold...Bring it.

Keeping Up with K&D: Yeah, That's Us

Recently I downloaded all the images from my point and shoot camera. You know, the one that I toss in my bag wherever I go just in case Lady Gaga is eating at the same restaurant as me or I get to shake hands with the Queen. You never know! Anyways, I ended up downloading over a thousand images that went as far back as last winter! The best part though was looking back at the images because boy did they make me smile! Are we really that weird? I think we just might be because...

We totally have a cat with her own built in muffler scarf...

We stand in parking lots after bike rides drinking amber liquid out of a BIG Mason jar...

(it is iced tea btw)

We make the most of accidents by turning them in to art!...

We transport things by tying them to the car roof with clothes line and then holding on tight....

And yes, we(I) totally walk around with the cat in a fanny pack, because why the heck not?!

Thank goodness Devin loves me and I love him, because as can be proven, he is just as weird. :) xo Kaht

Keeping Up with K&D: 1 Year Weekend

The weekend of Meg & Mike's wedding, Devin and I decided to head towards West Ossipee, NH (wedding central) on Friday evening in order to take some time to relax and celebrate our one year anniversary. We stayed in North Conway at a cute little B&B that was close to town. On Saturday we walked around town and leisurely peeked into the storefronts, taking our time walking hand in hand and not allowing a schedule to dictate our time. It was really nice!! Enjoy a little visual story of our weekend. xo Kaht

When we headed into town on Saturday morning the town green was bustling with activity. "A market!" I said dancing about. So we headed over ready to revel in local produce. A few steps into said market and we both look at each other with eyebrows raised, "there are a lot of dogs here..." YEP! It was NOT a market but Bark in the Park: a local fundraising event for the humane society! We wandered about totally out of place (without a dog) and enjoyed some of the fun things that were going on. I loved this Puppy Kisses booth!

And this little guy is totally asking for "one more toy!"

It was a warm day, so the doggy paddle pools were very busy!

This little lady cracked me up as she wandered around with one of the freebie frisbees. :)

After the park we went on a little hike around Echo Lake. The leaves in the mountains were positively brilliant!

For lunch we wanted something light and had gone to Delaneys Pub the evening before and saw that they served fresh sushi! FRESH! SUSHI! {Let me clarify real quick that we are not raw fish sushi folks. Yet. We are big fans of the California Roll and other veggie versions though!} :) So we had this amazing lunch that was just so perfectly delicious! Mmmm, I am hungry just writing about it! I wish it were closer by :)

After lunch we wanted to head over to another trail and on our way passed this farm that had an "Open Farm" sign out. So, of course we stopped! It was totally geared towards little kids so we were once again out of place (no kid!), but we did get to hang with the alpacas and feed them snackies. :)

Now, we had ONE item planned for the evening, and that required dressing up. My husband, he is so handsome :)

While we were enjoying pre-dinner wine and cheese on the back porch of the B&B, a friend showed up. So, there is a story here. When Devin and I were on our honeymoon in Maine 1 year ago, we were just falling asleep one night when we heard a *mrow mrow mrow*. When I looked out the window there was a cat! He came right in when I opened the door and settled down on top of the warm dryer. We think he belonged to a neighbor up the road from the cottage we were renting. Anyways, now here we are on our one year trip and we just settle in to sleep when we hear *mrow mrow mrow*. Once again I *hop* out of bed and go to the window and there is this furry black face peering back at me! Again, I opened the door and in comes this obviously scraggly black cat who tours the room and then settles next to the bed. Broke my heart to put him back outside for the night, but we made sure to snuggle him a little first before doing so. So here he is again during out wine and cheese time and he is totally saying...

Will this become a trend?

Although a slightly unflattering picture of me, stray kitty looks pretty good! He sat with me a moment before realizing I did not have any more cheese. Seeya!

Our dinner surprise was a scenic train ride in the dining car of the Conway Scenic Railroad! It was really a lot of fun, although it became dark quite early so the scenery was not very scenic :) A lovely evening though.



And fancy too! Linen table cloths and napkins!

All in all a wonderful weekend between our explorations and Meg & Mike's wedding :)

Botched Workflow

It sure seems like everything the past week and a half has been out to totally botch up my workflow. You know...my jive, my moves, my ultra smooth processing groove. If it wasn't the brand new computer monitor needing to be returned and replaced due to a faulty color sync, it was the power going out, or the house painters poking their heads in my office windows looking to shoot the breeze. HELLO! I'm WOKRIN' HERE!

Can somebody please play a sad little ditty on the fiddle for me? Thanks.

However, despite all the mishaps and mix-ups, I am still trucking along here and looking at a few thousand miles before I sleeeeep tonight. It is better to move forward slowly than to stand completely still.

In the meantime, enjoy this image from a recent session. This couple's wedding is 1 year out and I am already looking forward to it! You'll learn more about them in their upcoming post, but suffice to say, they are pretty cool folks:) xo Kaht

Fall in Love!

As I focused through the lens on the lovely young women who was sitting in front of me, I heard a faint noise. And as she tipped her head to the sky with a small smile on her face, the noise became clear. It was the sound that always signals to me that fall is near. A flock of geese were flying overhead in an ever magnificent 'V' shape. We all paused and watched as they passed overhead.

One year ago I was busily preparing to marry my love. And one year later I am still so happy in love. Fall may signal the end of summer and start of the cold grey winter, but to me it will always be a sign of new beginnings and great adventures. And the beauty of autumn's splendor certainly does not hinder falling in love all over again :) xo Kaht

Oh Bugger...

That's not a leaf.

It's Not a Lie

Time really does fly by at light speed.

Just over a year ago, this little baby was introduced to the world with a bit of a whirlwind entry. A year later and he is cruising about, "talking" and chasing after his big sister and puppy!

Thank God for little boys! Especially this guy.

And for little puppy's too! :)

Unfortunately Jane was at school when I stopped by to visit, but it meant I got to chat with mom, snuggle Ada (the puppy) and give Ryland his birthday gift! One of my new favorite children's books: A Tree is Nice. Beautiful images and a wonderful story!

*Love* those blue eyes!

Reading his new book with mom :)

Vermont Made

Despite not being a 9th generation Vermonter, I stand tall and proud when I say, "I am a Vermonter."

It is true, my folks moved from New Jersey to Vermont when they were first married. And it is true that I married an imported "outta-stater", but through and through from barefoot to ponytail, I am a Vermont-Made girl, even if I am the first generation.

In the past couple months Devin (imported "outta-stater" husband) and I have done a lot of thinking and talking about how we can shop more locally and try to reduce our carbon footprint as well as help out local businesses. Our big goal would be to buy things that are grown and produced locally and not trucked in and travelled from afar. Now, I cannot stand too tall on my soap box here, because I did just buy grapes from California...but I bought them at our local family owned corner market. Baby steps here. The money spent is still going to someone who lives locally. :)

As we looked at local foods, I got to thinking about what else can be bought locally and what clients of mine, specifically wedding clients who are coming to Vermont for a true Vermont wedding, might enjoy and use. And it is amazing as to what awesome products are out there! From chocolate to candles to soaps to candies to art, the list is quite endless as Vermont is chock full of handmade items and crafty entrepreneurs. It is just finding these awesome items that can be the trick seeing as many of them live in tiny towns and only are known via word of mouth. And so I went on a search for some of the best Vermont Made items that are out there and will be featuring them on my blog. It's a little shout out to my beautiful home state and a little lime light for some of the wonderful artists and crafters that make it awesome.

So stay tuned as the first Vermont Made Feature is coming up! Have a great holiday weekend everyone :) Each a hamburger or not-dog (veggie hot dog) for me! And sit back, relax, and be happy. xo Kaht

A while back I mentioned in a post something about red lens-less glasses I sported in high school. Yes, I was that cool. A blog reader requested to see my classy ways so that they could obviously see where such a fashion started. Well, it started in Vermont friends :) Of course. Vermont Made fashion sense? Trust me, our other featured Vermont Made items are much cooler. But, here it is. This is my good friend from way back when Carter and I at a theatre festival in high school. Yes, we were cool. :) You can even see the Duck Tape frame that surrounds this great memory!

My Best Friend's Wedding, Literally

A couple weeks ago Devin and I packed our city clothes and shiny shoes and headed into the grand city of Boston. We were headed to a wedding...as guests. That meant we could eat the expensive food, drink the wonderful wine, and dance to our hearts delights! No shot lists, time lines, or Power Bars. We were strictly there to witness the love of my best friend as she married her best friend.

But, that does not mean I did not have a camera with me. ;)

You might recognize this lovely couple from their engagement session back in October. Sully & Dave met in DC at a bar. WHOA! Yes, this is a boy meets girl in bar story and I just love it! When Dave asked Sully for her number, she contemplated for 5 seconds on giving him the wrong number until Dave, being smooth as butter, said, "Here, call me, then I will have your number in my phone."

Dave, thank you for being smooooth and slightly persistent.

I am so happy that my best friend has found her perfect match! She may be my soul sister, but everyone needs a soul mate and I am so glad that person is Dave! So enjoy a few images from the day as I saw it. Phil of Living Photo was the hired gun and so kindly allowed me to peep around when the photo spirit moved me. Thanks Phil :) Really though, I tried to enjoy the day as best as possible. Congratulations again my lovely friends! I am so happy for you :) xo Kaht

The girls got ready at The Commandants House on Boston Harbor. It was such a beautiful historical building!

Unfortunately the weather was not on our side and the rain came down down down.

My friend, she is so beautiful!

I think Bridesmaid Southmayd captured this for me as we steamed the wrinkles out of Sully's gown. Thank you!

Such an elegant gown!



Wedding portraits from Sully and Dave's family members were set up around the cocktail space. I love when family history is incorporated!

The sun room had such beautiful paintings!

The colors were teal and apple green. A very fun combination :)

Back at the hotel, Dave and his men were watching the World Cup. :)





Handsome groom!





Dave's mom saved the day by finding an extra pocket square when Dave's went MIA.

A good looking group, ready to go!

I just could not resist!



Here comes his bride!



The church was just beautiful!

LOVE all the fun details!





My handsome fella :)

Thank you Devin for capturing this for us!

A little romance before partying into the night! xo