pumpkins

he's been coloring pumpkins, spelling pumpkins, talking about pumpkins and dreaming of pumpkin pie.  and finally he joined his class on a trip to the pumpkin patch!  it's that time of year folks, and ashley broomall & co are simply in heaven.

cinderella pumpkins in color or black & white...which is YOUR fave?

xoxo.ash

our giveaway winner

thank you everyone who participated!  we had an awesome turnout and i just want to let you all know that you're amazing and i soooo appreciate your kindness and support as i pursue my dreams. 

xoxo.ash

cool autumn evenings

we are going to make the most of these cool autumn evenings.  they've been a long time coming and we are oh so grateful they are here.

xoxo.ash

pure awesomeness

these are my two guys on their first day of school.  they're so handsome and fun and they don't get much airtime on this here blog.  therefore, i must share these sweet smiles with you all.  i had time to snap just one picture as we rushed out the door that morning and i was pleased as punch to see that it captured their very sweetest sides.  i love these little men.  even when they're tearing my house apart with their killer wrestling moves.

happy almost-hump-day!

xoxo.ash

giveaway time

It's giveaway time and I am super excited to choose a winner!  To participate, get yourselves over to my Facebook page and follow the directions.  You can get yourself TWO entries, so don't miss out!  I'll announce the winner via Facebook on October 4th.

***Does not include prints or travel fees. (No charge for travel to Longview/Marshall/Hallsville, TX)  Session time is 1 hour.  The winner will have until January 31, 2013 to collect their prize.***

family photos || limited special pricing

hi everyone!  check out this sweet deal i'm offering on family photo sessions.  i'm filling up fast so if you are interested let me know asap!  i'm so excited for all these fun sessions!

xoxo.ash

don't forget you can find me on facebook HERE
don't be shy!

also, thank you Birdesign for this adorable free template!

darling doodles post || what to wear

happy friday my dears!

go check out my post at darling doodles this month!  i'm sharing a few of my thoughts on styling your family for holiday photos.  there's lots of fun idea boards and i would love to hear your thoughts.  plus, make sure to browse through the rest of the blog.  brie is awesome and she has tons of fun gift ideas and free printables that you will love!

enjoy your weekend.  i'll be packing!

xoxo.ash

autumn for breakfast

i am getting achy for autumn to present itself to us here.  one morning last week we woke up to a chilly fifty-something degrees.  the boys practically thought we had moved to the yukon.  {they've adapted to this warm weather much better than i have.}  but it was only a ghost of colder days.  it was gone before lunch time.  the next morning the sun was shining and the a/c was running as i chauffeured them to school once again.

this morning i opened the windows to find that a mist had settled itself over our backyard in the early hours.  it looked like the kind of mist that nips your nose and tingles your cheeks.  it looked like it could be autumn out there.  so i set off to the kitchen to make a breakfast fit for the season, not daring to open the door and find that the beautiful fog was actually warm and soggy.  in our mostly empty dining room, we sat around the table and enjoyed homemade cinnamon raisin oatmeal, orange slices and cinnamon toast.  it was delicious and i still haven't opened a single door.  i decided i should make autumn for breakfast more often.  it might just pull me through these final days of slummer.

happy weekend.

xoxo.ash

good morning sunshine

yesterday morning after dropping the boys off for school, k and i came home to the most beautiful sunlight shining through the trees beside the house.  being that i haven't taken her ten-month-old photo yet, i saw this as the perfect opportunity.  so i ran inside and grabbed my camera and got some sweet shots of her all bathed in the morning light.  bed head and all!

oh how i love this sweet baby girl!  i haven't updated the blog like i promised and my baby is ten months old.  how does time get away from me so quickly?!

happy wednesday!

xoxo. ash

it's me, just checking in

hello friends!

i have so much catching up to do on the blog right now.  our arizona trip was a huge success!  i enjoyed it so much that i have really been struggling to get back into the swing of things at home.  with school starting soon it seems like my plate is good and full but i'll be squeezing in time here and there to share some of my favorites from my undocumented sessions.  including my session with this sweet doll.

i hope august has met you all without a hitch. 

happy tuesday!

xoxo.ash

a good six years.

it's hard to believe that i have been a mother for six years and one day.  but it's true.  this sweet boy celebrated his sixth birthday yesterday.  we woke up early to pickup fresh donuts for breakfast.  he took his brother and cousin along with him to lunch and a movie.  he has been so anxious to see madagascar 3 and boy did he love it!  all day long he has been repeating "chimichanga!  these pillows are filled with baby birds!"  i laugh hysterically every single time.  we finished off the evening with family, pizza, gifts, cake and ice-cream and some good old fashioned fun outside with his new bike and roller blades.  it was a good day to turn six.  and it's been a good {and by good i do mean awesome} six years.  and i love this boy like crazy!

a change of scenery

i'm trying really hard not to beat my head into a wall right now.  i have spent so much time trying to decipher html codes and figure out just what exactly css is and i feel like i have just been running in ittty bitty circles.  for the time being let me know what you think of the new blog.  apparently i am still trying to find something that suits me.  and who knows!  maybe it will be different tomorrow.  you just never can tell with me.  i never did have a favorite anything growing up.  i just like what i like when i like it.  pretty simple.

it's off to bed for me now.

happy {early} thursday morning!

xoxo. ash

summer photography || darling doodles post

are you ready to capture all kinds of fun this summer with your camera?  i posted some little tips and thoughts over at darling doodles today.  zip on over and check it out!

xoxo. ash

where i find inspiration

i had a family session in downtown marshall this past saturday and on my way home i drove by this little gem.  i've passed it over and over again but have never felt like braving it with children or haven't had the time.  i went off of a whim and decided that i couldn't keep putting it off.  so i parked my car and made my way up the sidewalk.  it's an amazing home known as the starr family home, built in 1871.   the grounds are beautiful and the inside is amazing.  i wish i could show you pictures but there is no indoor photography allowed.  it is overflowing with history and gorgeous 19th century furnishings and paintings.  all of the colors and textures of the home are just amazing.  i literally could have stayed all day.  i love places like this.  they are so warm and full of character.  i couldn't help but walk away feeling inspired. 

what inspires you?

b family sneak peek || longview texas family photographer

i had so much fun with this session tonight!  this is my brother's sweet little family and they are sure a good looking bunch.  i want to stay up all night editing, but i think i'll have to use my willpower and walk away from the computer tonight.  there will be more to come!

don't forget i have special pricing on my family sessions for the month of july!  check it out here and let's talk.

night night.

xoxo. ash

special pricing for june

if you are in the tyler/longview/marshall area, now is the perfect time to have your family pictures updated by yours truly!  get in contact with me and we'll make it happen!

xoxo.ash

embrace the new normal

here's my little mini photog in training.  you can see the focus on his face can't you?  i love this boy!

it seems like for the last five years i have been telling myself "after such and such event, life will get back to normal."  normal being not so crazy busy.  it finally hit me yesterday that there is a new normal around here and that new normal is completely, insanely busy.  so now that i have made this profound realization maybe i can work on embracing it.

we are gearing up to sell our house right now which will mean attempting to keep a house looking show worthy while tending to two wild boys and a baby girl who happens to love momma's full attention all the time.  we'll be building a home out on eight acres of gorgeous property right next door to my brother and his family.  all of us, including tilly pup, are so thrilled for all of the opportunities this will open up for us.  i am definitely excited and definitely a little overwhelmed at all that we will be taking on in the next several months.  so have patience with me please.  i may disappear for spells at a time but i'll be back!

happy monday!

xoxo. ash

oh what do you do in the summertime?

one of my favorite things about the summer months is that i can corral my two little hoodlums out into the backyard after supper and watch as they burn off all kinds of energy.  it works out well for all of us because they get to enjoy themselves and i get to enjoy an easy bedtime.  it's a win win!

what are some of your tricks to staying sane in the summer?

xoxo. ash

az session schedule

 

I am so excited about this, I can't even tell you!!  Email me if you are interested in scheduling a session.  We will have a grand time!

And if you aren't already, you can follow my photography page on facebook.

xoxo. ash

meet me in AZ

more details to come!  i'm so excited i can hardly wait!!!

xoxo. ash

a mother's heart

{saturday morning baby blues}

it's been almost six years since i first became a mother.  my mothering methods continue to change.  it seems i've had to make adjustments with each of my children to be the mother that they need.  it's amazing to me how i can feel the same amount of love for each of them, yet i love them in different ways.  gage is the boy who made me a mom, yet garrett and kelsie have both played their part in shaping me into the mother that i am today.  motherhood is truly such a blessing to me.

happy mother's day to all of you women who carry around with you a mother's heart.

xoxo. ash

p.s.  i did a four part mother's day post on my personal blog last month.  if you would like to read it you can start here.

reading a book print

this is a photo i took while surveying the property that our future home will be built on.  it was a beautiful evening and the sun was setting with brilliant colors.  i felt like i could very well be experiencing an elizabeth bennet moment.  are book characters real people to me?  certainly.

i adore a good book.  i adore a character who i can fall in love with.  and that is where the idea for this print came from.  i've seen this quote floating around the web at one point and i just thought it was perfect for this photo.  now to have it printed and to find a happy place to display it in my home.

what's your favorite book?  i have too many to name but i can tell you that i do thoroughly enjoy all of jane austen's work.

it's nearly the weekend!

cheers. ash 


free 5x7 download

 

mr bright eyes | east texas childrens photographer

i think that yesterday i may have come across the world's most photogenic child.  i had such a fun time editing his session, all except for the part where i was stressing over which shots to use.  there were SO many!  i had a great time with this cutie and his momma and am so pleased with the results.  have a little look for yourself, and i dare you to not get lost in those beautiful eyes!

eyelashes for miles

this beautiful girl is my little sister.  one of seven sisters in fact.  she is gorgeous inside and out and i'm so happy she was willing to let me barrage her with my camera while she was here in texas.  she laughs at me when i tell her how pretty she is, but i hope she looks at this picture and realizes that it's true.  i sure love this girl!

congratulations on getting through high school in one piece elsie lou!  i'm so proud of you!

xoxo.ash

good morning! 

i did a guest post over at darling doodles today for you to check out! back in april, brie, the creator of darling doodles threw out the idea of me having a monthly segment on her blog and of course i couldn't resist. she is an awesome woman who i have known since girlhood and she has done an amazing job with darling doodles. it's a fantastic blog with lots of fun free downloads and great ideas. i'll be giving some of my own little helps each month, mostly on photography, but likely with a few other little things mixed in. so come take a look! 

xoxo. ash

may bookings:: east texas photographer

my blue eyed morning glory

miss k's blonde haired brother helped her out with her hat this morning. there she sat on my bed looking quite doll-like and i just couldn't resist a quick photo. i love her expression, i love the simple background and i love the pop of bright colors. without any planning i was able to capture a sweet and timeless moment of my life. now i will always remember the morning that garrett accessorized his baby sister. it's the small things that make my life.

what makes you happy?

xoxo. ash

a momma and her babies::east texas family photographer

this is my beautiful friend, and fellow photographer, lacey. and these are her two beautiful children. i can't tell you how much fun it was for me to photograph them together. she is a wonderful friend, wife and mother and her babies just adore her. i feel so blessed to have become her friend.

see more from our session here.

xoxo. ash

wow have i been away for a while! a lot has happened during my absence. namely, we added a sweet new addition to our family. we call her miss kelsie jane and she is pure juicy sweetness! five months later and i'm finally getting back into the swing of things! i and am updating my sections with new photo sessions so go ahead and have a look around. i hope you enjoy yourself!

xoxo. ash