As a parent myself, I cannot even begin to imagine the devastation felt to learn that your child is ill. I’m praying for little Ava, her family…and hope that she will emerge healthy and happy from this horrible situation.

Ava is sweet, loving, and energetic 4 year old little girl. She needs your thoughts and prayers now more than ever. Ava and her parents were recently told that she has a mass on her brain and that they cannot operate. This little girl desperately needs a miracle and hopefully we can make that possible through the power of prayer!! To learn more about little Ava’s story, visit her site here.

Prayers Needed was originally posted at Blueberry Sky Photography

I was so happy when I read this piece about Blueberry Sky Photography.  It brightened my day and made me feel wonderful!

Why baby photography rocks was originally posted at Blueberry Sky Photography

March updates was originally posted at Blueberry Sky Photography

Learn more about this awesome foundation, it’ll be worth the read – I promise.

Strength of the heart was originally posted at Blueberry Sky Photography

And as any person who lives in Los Angeles will tell you – it can be cold one day and warm the next! In which case, lighter clothing (like cottons and soft knits) would be perfect. Spring clothing is also super colorful – which I just love! Color, color, color! This set-up below I particularly like because it’s a wonderful illustration of how a family can “go” – but not necessarily “match”….It’s nice to show some variety – everyone need not wear the same color and match perfectly…clothing like this makes things much more interesting :

Looking spiffy was originally posted at Blueberry Sky Photography

It literally hurts me to watch what is going on in Haiti. Horrible…so much sadness, loss and grief. I’m in complete awe of those brave, giving, beautiful people out there helping put all of the broken pieces back together.

I feel like I should do something, I feel like I NEED to do something. I want to try to contribute in a way even though it may be small. So, I’m teaming up with a group of amazing photographers – lead by Lyndsay Stradtner of Life in Motion Photography and Michele Anderson of Pinkle Toes Photography – and together, we’re going to try to do something to help.  But, we need you, too! Here’s the deal:

You could win a sunset photo session at my favorite outdoor location in the Torrance/Manhattan Beach area!

• This session will be photographed by me (Julie) – It will be in March or April 2010. Date will be confirmed once we have a winner!
• Session is for up to 3 people and will last between 1-2 hours (Family, baby or maternity session).
• Winner will also receive 25 fully processed, high resolution images on CD. Print to your heart’s content!

How to win:

• Make a MINIMUM donation of $10 to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund.
• Forward a copy of your receipt to blueberryskyphotography@gmail.com
• All entries must be RECEIVED by midnight (Pacific time) on January 31st.
• Winner will be drawn at random and announced on February 2nd.
• You can enter as many times as you’d like, but each entry must be the minimum $10 donation.

Other details:

• Session participants must sign a model release.
• Session must be held at photographer’s outdoor location of choice (Torrance/Manhattan Beach area).
• Session will be around sunset (somewhere between 3:00 and 5:00).
• If the winner does not claim his/her prize by Feb. 3rd or cannot claim the prize, then another winner will be drawn.

But wait! There’s more!

PLEASE blog, Tweet or share this link on Facebook! More donations mean more help for Haiti!

Let’s help Haiti was originally posted at Blueberry Sky Photography

So now, on to unrelated things. The Magic Bullet: My Best Friend. I must say, I adore this little machine. Why you ask? Well, it’s quick and powerful…oh, and helps me make yummy nutritious homemade food for my son :) Although my boy is 21 months, he still enjoys fruity shakes for breakfast and soup for lunch. So, I make my own and puree! When my son just started solids at 6 months, I bought jarred Earth’s Best baby food for him. That was good for a while, but I soon realized that I wanted more variety in what he was eating – plus, he was eating 2+ jars at a time – so I needed more. That’s when I started with the Magic Bullet. For breakfast, I just mix in some fresh fruit, 100% fruit juice, cream cheese, Yo Baby yogurt & several cubes of avocado – the result is a very yummy & healthy breakfast shake. MMM. Then for lunch, I might blend some chicken breast strips, brown rice, veggies & eggs –or a whole grain pasta mix for a delectable soup :)  I also blend in bulk…I try to blend enough for a few days…which takes some time but it’s well worth it.

…The result is a fridge full of homemade yummies for my son. So simple, so easy. I debated over getting the Beaba, but decided that the Magic Bullet was a better buy – powerful & versatile…I just use a small pot to cook the food…and save the water to add into the Bullet. Even if your baby is younger and isn’t into complex blends yet, you can just buy fresh fruit or even frozen fruit (they have a great selection at Trader Joe’s for fruit not in season), dump them into the Bullet-frozen, add enough liquid…and you’re good to go – no need to even steam/cook/thaw the fruit! So easy! Plus you can throw in some avocados for a major nutritional boost – or cream cheese to make it so yummy. Here’s my fridge, fully stocked for a few days:

All of this takes me about an hour, but I typically do it when hubs is home. I figure I should at least do homemade for my son since I can’t do it for hubs and I. Chopping raw chicken, working with knives etc. with a toddler getting into all sorts of mischief because he knows you’ve got your hands full is a no-go in my house…I’ve tried it before and it always ends with either raw chicken on the floor…or chasing my son with raw chicken on my hands—and lots of Lysol wipes.  However, hitting blend on the bullet is clean and totally doable – while still being able to pick my son up if necessary. After all of this, there’s always a mess to clean…so to reward myself, I decide to bake cookies…MMM

…and 9 minutes later – still in the oven, fresh & warm!

Just a little tidbit on what a typical day for me is like.  One of my resolutions for 2010 is to document more. Taking photos of my mommy days and create a photo journal of sorts to look back on. This is going to be one of my first entries: The Days of the Magic Bullet…

There’s no place like home… was originally posted at Blueberry Sky Photography

Waking up at 3:45am *every day* to proof galleries,  drinking coffee, designing albums, drinking coffee,  packing orders & going multiple times to UPS,  having holiday photo sessions,  meeting squishibly adorable newborns, oh, and did I mention drinking coffee?

Thus, I am very behind on blogging. I have lots to share and will update this weekend! In the mean time, here is a new and wonderful song by Renee & Jeremy (If you’re a client, you may recognize their beautiful music from your slideshow). Let the Happy in! It’s almost Halloween!

Happy Friday! was originally posted at Blueberry Sky Photography

If you go to the Boden USA website, you can play around and create your own outfits, which is super fun! Then you can buy the outfits elsewhere because Bogen tends to be a tad pricey :)

Does this dress make me look… was originally posted at Blueberry Sky Photography

BSP has been nominated as one of LA’s Hottest Businesses by Fox LA! Please vote for BSP!
You’ll be asked to create a username/password – which is a pain – but every vote counts!
You don’t have to be a client to vote…If you enjoy my work, please feel free make your voice heard :)
To cast your vote in support of BSP, click here.

P.S. Blog posts are coming – It’s been very busy these days! Thank you!

BSP has been nominated by Fox LA was originally posted at Blueberry Sky Photography