Last Minute Christmas Shopping & Year Round Gift Ideas

Thanks to one of my blog followers (and former classmate) for this awesome idea!  How about the gift of memories for Christmas?!  A gift certificate for a photography session! 

Just let me know how much you want to spend.  Want the whole package?  Just an hour?  The CD with printing rights?  The recipient doesn't have to know how much the gift is, I'll just include the details. 

Who is it for?  I'll even personalize the gift certificate!

And now you can cross off that hard-to-buy person off your list.  ;)

Big Bro

Ok, so technically he's my 'little' brother...but when he towers a good 6-7 inches above me...he's not so little.  :) 
Ah...Chris...the instigator of turmoil from a young age.  Mom could tell you stories how I would innocently be playing by myself, unaware of the sneak attack about to take place.  The capture of my beloved 'bibi'  aka: blanket.  And that's when it all started.
I started to retaliate. I was the older, taller, stronger, smarter one (hey, when there's 2 years between you, that's 2 more years of smarts) .  Pinning him to the ground and tickling until he almost (ok, so maybe he did) wet his pants and lose his breath from laughing so hard.  That lasted until I was about 13...and then I got thrown across the room. 
So then I lost the brawn...what else did I have?  Eating utensils!  After swim practice one summer, one our chores to cross off the list was the unload the dishwasher.  Somehow it turned into a gladiator match and someone got a fork stuck in their arm...not me!  To this day he hasn't let me live it down.
When Chris entered into high school he joined the swim team; I had been on for 3 years.  As the 'big' sister with the driver's license it was my 'sisterly' duty to take him to swim practice.  Do you remember those awkward, hormonal teenage years??  Yeah...I try to forget them...  I would absolutely LOSE IT when Chris said he couldn't find his goggles.  I mean, really...a pair of goggles...I had the same pair for all 5 years I was on the swim team.  How hard is it to keep up with them?!  He couldn't find his goggles...which meant we could be late for practice.  I. Hate. Being. Late. Period.  Hormones?!  So for my Senior Will and Testament before I graduated, I gave him my goggles.  I figured there must be some sort of luck with them, I had them for 5 years and they were never 'lost.' 
After all the years of torture and being known as "Amanda's little brother" I never really knew the feelings my brother had for me.  Brotherly love I guess you could call it.  When I graduated from UK he wrote a memoir for me.

Lil Sis...

I was going to buy you a car, I was going to buy you a silver ring with three diamonds cut into it, I was going to buy some really expensive clothes, and I was going to buy you an apartment.  You know I wanted to buy the most expensive things anyone could afford.

As you know, I was a freshman this year, and I am growing short on funds.  So I decided to make you something that you could remember the good times by, something that you could remember the things we did together. 

You might not remember some of these things, but I remember them because they showed me what a big sister is for.  You have taught me so much through the years.  You showed me how to be romantic, you showed me how to survive my freshman year in high school, and you showed me how to survive a broken heart.  You taught me how to be myself around people, and to not give into what people want me to be.

You never had to help through my tough times, but you did.  You showed me that I am worth something and that I have things to live for. 

You are one of a kind sister that I wouldn't trade for anything else.  You couldn't have been better to me through the years.  We had our fights, our disappointments, our triumphs, and our stabbing of forks in the kitchen after Waterford swim practices.  I wouldn't trade our past for anything.  You have been a teacher for me, a great teacher.  I thank you for everything you said and did for me.  I love you and I am very proud of you.

-Big Bro.

(enter: tears streaming down the face)

note-he was the first person to make me cry on my wedding day...more sentimental words scrawled in a card

And in the book he wrote a few poems and some other sentimental messages.

Feelings I never knew he had.

Memories I thought were faded, tattered at the edges, and accumulating dust. 

From him I learned to never underestimate the words you speak and the actions you carry out. 

I am so proud of him.  His talents have been hidden for years.  The guitar...he plays from sound, not reading music.  The songs he writes tug at your heart.  They pull hard because the lyrics take you back to your dark past and into today's light.  They are inspiring, refreshing, and relational. 

He has the biggest heart I've seen.  He's more aware of the people in need...in need of someone to invest in them emotionally.  He's a listener, a lover, and a leader.  So many traits I don't have, but wish I did.  You can't just 'learn' how to be empathetic, it is rooted and woven into your being. 

And so here he is...my brother...



Wee Bit Wednesday!

{one} did you buy a christmas tree this year?no. i tried to convince hubby, but he won based on the fact our lil man is crawling... {two} what is your favorite holiday tradition?not sure that we really have any...but i'd like to start a few for our family.  new pjs on christmas eve...an ornament as a gift each year to the kiddo(s)...baking cookies (right now bourbon balls have been popular for the past 3 years) {three} do you open your gifts on christmas eve or christmas day?christmas day.



{four} at what age did you stop believing in santa claus?the spirit of santa claus lives on forever. {five} do you fill stockings?i don't, santa does.  and santa pays a visit to our house this year!!! {six} handmade presents or store bought presents?both...it depends on the person.   pecan pie for my father in law.  crocheted christmas stockings for our nephews and god-son. {seven} do you have a favorite christmas meal?turkey, stuffing, mashed taters, sweet potatoes, early peas, olives and pumpkin pie {eight} is your christmas tree real or artificial?artificial.  lights only.  we figured ornaments were too much of a risk this year. {nine} what is your favorite christmas song?song?  singular?!  only one?!  i'll have to say anything on trans siberian orchestra or manheim steamroller. {ten} did you send out christmas cards this year?not yet, envelopes are addressed, stamped, cards signed, just waiting for the picture to include.  i know...sad...and i'm a photographer! ps. if you have questions that you’d like to see featured on wee bit wednesday, email me!

ONE Commitment

There was some big news in the past about Southland Christian Church purchasing the old Lexington Mall property.  Well, if you're interested in reading about the potential ministry and the opportunity to serve the people of this town, check out their blog.

Since our family calls Southland 'home,' we were asked to make a commitment for the future of this site.  Through a series of very powerful and moving sermons and bible studies, we were compelled to reconsider our financial status as a family and think sacrificially for this building project.  Nate and I sat together for a few nights looking at our budget and thinking, "What can we give above and beyond our tithe?"  We crunched numbers, we shaved off in certain budget categories, and we thought about what else we could do to help invest in other's futures. 

And now you're probably wondering what this has to do with photography, well...I thought how I can use my gifts and talents sacrificially.  And so we brainstormed and here's what we came up with...

*any wedding I'm hired to shoot at SCC, my earnings go toward the ONE campaign.
*any photo shoot to take place at SCC (ie: family, senior, etc) my earnings will go toward the ONE campaign.
*I can schedule seasonal family sessions (just like fall and winter mini sessions) on location at SCC, and guess what I would do with my earnings...that's right, to the ONE campaign.

So if you call Southland home, have another church home, don't have a church home...here's one way to help the communities of Lexington and Nicholasville.  Just another way for our family to give back to the community.  :)

And the Winners are...

Congratulations to the following people!

{Stephanie WC}: free one hour session and disc with printing rights in 2011
{Christa}: free disc with printing rights with any session booked in 2011
{Joni}: half off any session in 2011 (not to exceed 2 hours)
{Pam}: free 20 pg 5x7 photobook with any session booked in 2011

E-mail or send me a facebook message to redeem your prizes!

And I hope you weren't chomping at the bit; hitting the refresh button on your browser...yes, I know I'm revealing the winners a day (technically 2 days...it is Monday) late.  Thanks for your patience, we at the Mitchell household haven't had much sleep the past nights...lil man has been sick.  :(  He's doing MUCH better now!  Not to mention I've had a SLAMMED weekend...family session on Friday, Winter Mini-Session make ups on Saturday, and another day of Winter Mini Session on Sunday.  Whew...I might be able to rest easy by Christmas Eve.  :)

And for the Mitchell family Christmas card...the winner is 'Oh What Fun Christmas!'

And it may not be a family picture...just the lil man.  Have you ever wondered who takes the pictures for a photographer's family?!  Can you tell I haven't started my cards yet?!  I still have time, the 12 days of Christmas aren't over until Jan. 6!!!  :)

Wee Bit Wednesday

seriously...what happened to wee bit wednesday last week?  Um...dunno.  So this time I REALLY added a reminder to my yahoo calendar each week.  :) 

{one} if you were granted three wishes, what would they be?1. sugar wasn't bad for you2.  everyone was a bit more understanding of each other3.  my son to start sleeping through the night again.  :) {two} who is your favorite author?janet evonavich.  read the stephanie plum series for a serious ab workout. {three} what crowd were you involved in during high school?the 'i'm just myself, doing the best i can, keep my nose clean, no drama for me, lay-low' crowd.  i'm not sure very many people knew me; even though i was on swim, track, and cross country teams. {four} what is your favorite thing to do when you have time to yourself?read (which includes blogstalking), crochet or take a hot bubble bath. {five} do you have any hidden talents?i believe the photographer in me was revealed.   {six} can you fake any accents?german.  its pretty easy, just pretend you're clearing your throat, right?!  i did take 5 years of it! 
{seven} have you ever been mentioned in the newspaper?yup, when my dad's cousin was running for office and results from track/cross country/swim meets. {eight} have you ever been arrested?nope.
{nine} what is your favorite job you’ve had?the one i have now.  :)  mom, husband, and photographer. {ten} do you have any scars?don't we all?!  probably the two most noticeable are the one on my elbow i got from scraping it on a rock pile and my knee...countless times from falling during hurdles practice.

Amanda Mitchell Photography's *NEW* Additions!!

That's right, we're growing!  On Baby A's post you may have briefly read about my new props.  Well, I had a chance to give them all a try!  Take a look at how I'm incorporating my hobby of crocheting with photography...

Newborn Nest

Elfin hat (more colors to come!)

Cacoon and beanie

(more colors to come!)

I'm even contemplating taking special orders for colors.  Of course,  I would need ample time to purchase materials and create your special prop. 

Some other props on my wish list...

Wooden Trenchbowl

Galvanized Tubs

Various baskets