blogworthy: MY OWN HIPPO

my hubby & i have started a new little phrase around the house, "now, that is blogworthy." i have realized so far these moments have dealt with crazy or cute things the kids have done & yesterday was no exception!

i had the joy & honor to meet a new artist friend & sister in Christ, sherri, yesterday as i welcomed her into my home to "talk shop" & fellowship & encourage one another & as we talked the kids were playing in the backyard.

now, i must say i periodically peeked out back & our yard is fenced in, just so you know i am not that terrible of a mom to neglect her playful children.

so, i walked sherri out & headed to the backyard & the above image is what caught my eye.

pumpkin-poos BEAMED with joy & exclaimed,
"i a hippo mommy!"

she LOVES hippos. and baboons. and doggies. and zebras. and daddy's dolphins. and grandma's kitties.

ok, i had to stop.

should i be mad? or swallow my own advice which i recently dished out to my hubby: kids need to be kids, let them PLAY! {note: my hubby does not even like a crumb on their face, much less their bodies covered in mud}

so, i had to choose to laugh, get the camera to document the hippo occasion for daddy & then hose them down all before lunch.

here is our swingset swamp.

oh & another funny thing about pumpkin-poos is that she loves water. even ice cold water hosing her mud off!

here is another swamp monster.

i also this week had an important talk with "the big kids" about including their little sister in their play & well, today they obviously took my advice & you should have seen her smile at ALL of their AMAZING attention, egging her on to put more mud over her body.

and, here is the other culprit.
{more on sunshine girl later}

after looking at the mud that covered them, it also later made me think about how Jesus' blood washes us clean, perfectly clean, of all of our dirty sin. wow. thanks be to God.

more coming... i've been super busy over here. lots of fun work & fun play!

grace & peace,
julie

behind the scenes: be like Christ -Philippians 2

{PHOTO © SLAVOMIR ULICNY,
i assume it was taken in eastern europe}

Philippians 2:5

Your attitude should be
the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider
equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant . . .

we often have heard these words of the apostle paul in regards to Jesus Christ and His ultimate humility in servant hood, and this past sunday i ran across an article in the chicago tribune that has challenged me to the core and brought to life in modern context a couple who is truly being Jesus to others.

please follow the link, as long as it is live, watch the interview with jimi & be as humbled & challenged as i have been.

jimi & kate allen have graciously opened their lives to an alcoholic homeless man for the past 5 years. 5 years & going. they have reached out to him, though as the article states, it is not always smooth sailing. i am so impressed by their love and selflessness through their acts of compassion and love to fellow man, as they are truly doing life with tony.

you see, my family supports the poor through prayer & giving to compassion international and world relief, but bringing them into your home, even inviting them to sit at the head table of your wedding banquet is a whole other level! wow. i love how in jimi's interview he compares their wedding to the banquet in heaven in which Jesus will seat us at the head table, though we truly do not deserve to be there.

i love how there is such honesty in the article of trying times & that it has not been a magical overnight success, but rather selfless love & giving shown without any expectations in return. they are changing a life for eternity.

now, what on earth does this book cover have to do with helping the poor & being a humble servant?

i know jimi allen through my work at tyndale house publishers & chose him to photograph these darling girls for my cover design.

jimi allen is an amazing photographer & visionary all around. you can view more of his work here and here.

oh & you can see more of the photo journalist's work on this story here!

{little side note: i think it is SO FUN that jimi married his assistant, kate, as back when we did the cover shoot, they were not "together" at least that i knew of}

ok, back to the moral of my story: your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus: humble, serving, looking out for others interests, sacrificial, loving . . . Lord, change my heart to be more like yours.

{art available here}

may this story challenge you & encourage you as it has me!

grace & peace,
julie

3 generations

a few weeks ago on a soggy saturday morning, i had the joy of photographing some of my husband's childhood friends, now all grown up & parents themselves.

they chose the Downers Grove History Museum grounds which is a lovely location giving a variety of styles (beautiful landscaping, homey porch, and structured architecture of a barn).

i loved seeing the 3 generations interact, especially how those cute babies love their ama & agong!

here is the brother, his wife, and their little darling.

and here is the sister, her hubby (who are both architects so i wanted
them standing by the linear structure to frame them :),
and of course, their sweet boy.

cousins with arms around each other!
too cute.
{of course, this is before they poked each others eyes out}

i could not get enough of those deep brown eyes & chubby cheeks!

and, she was just like a little angel
in that soft flowing dress & bare feet!

i created a few family portraits in my life verse design style:
love the tender way this mommy is gazing at her baby boy!

lots of love & giggles were shared with this sweety.

thanks for another great shoot!

if anyone out there has a high res image they would like me to re-create in my life verse style with their favorite verse, saying, or poem, let me know by contacting me through my shop and i will get you some quotes of cost & sizes.

grace & peace,
julie

blue eyes & tons o' fun

i did a fun little photoshoot last weekend of a family with ... get this ... BLUE eyes! {as a mommy to chinese lookin' babies, it is rare that i get the privilege to shoot blue eyes}

just adore with me these sweet sisters, whom my daughter immediately fell in love with too.

so, you will note a progression in these portraits which also reflects how i learn something new in each and every photoshoot i do.

my number one lesson in this session was:
get to know your client.

you see, i had spoken to them briefly {in fact, i went to college with them many years ago!} and based on work they had seen me do, i felt i had a good idea of how to capture them.

but, when mommy D. showed up with WHITE pants, i thought to myself, "uh-oh!"
as i had been thinking of making them hog pile on the ground, straddle rocks, etc.. etc...

little did i know how game she was to do anything i asked them to do & how totally fun & relaxed they were! the girls loosened up and danced and ran like wild, which was just what i wanted: to show energy, true personality, and magic.

one of my all time favorite family portrait shots happens to be the above shot, which daddy D. gets all the credit for. when he mentioned jumping like the old toyata commercials, i was totally game, as was the entire family! look at how high daddy D. can jump! {btw, to all you photographers out there: this is indeed one frame & i did not have to swap bodies or heads to get it... a true miracle}

oh, and i cannot forget to mention the beautiful wardrobe choice by mommy D. look at those colors! and how they all work together & yet are different!

and, lastly here are the sweet sisters again & what i have created in my life verse style out of their image.

priceless. timeless.

thanks for a GREAT shoot!

grace & peace,
julie

FREE shipping in JUNE!

to officially celebrate the wonderful, long awaited arrival of summer, i am offering in my shop FREE shipping off any purchase for the entire month of june!

when checking out thru etsy, in the coupon code box, just write in JUNEFREESHIP

feel free to pass this coupon code along to all of your friends, use it as many times as you like, but it is for domestic shipping only. an especially great deal on canvases & cafe mounts!

if you want to order directly through me, just include it in your email.

i have lots to show you all. been quite busy with work & play. a few family photoshoots to edit, new stuff with life verse, and of course, playing outdoors with the kiddos. ahhh. love the sunshine.

grace & peace,
julie