BLOG – Page 38 – the latest in-studio & on-location MO, IL and beyond

November 23, 2017December 4, 2017

| Black Friday | Deal Day, Even HERE at SJP | And Some BF Memories! |

I have to admit every year I get bit just a tad by the sale bug and get the urge to brave the crowds and lines and dive into the chaos that is Black Friday. Getting this itch is a bit of a tradition but the actual Black Friday dash is NOT in my family. Though Ryan and I once, in high school or college, decided to brave black Friday in the early AM hours to stand in line for something (I cannot even remember what) which they ran out of 2 people in front of us in line so we stuck around for a portable hard drive because we were there and were NOT going home empty handed.

Another year, we braved what I recall was a late NIGHT Thanksgiving day (ahhh I know where were my holiday scruples) to get my momma a $200 HUGE TV (that one is probably the best one I’ve done yet since it was all about giving and not getting for us, I also introduced her to the Cassava Bingo which she ended up loving).

And each year we do venture out we inevitably leave the store after hours of line waiting to get in, to get the item, to pay and then to get out of the parking lot and we swear to never, ever, do that again….. well, another year is here and ya’ll I have the itch! I’m not sure if we’ll do it, but I’m looking for a reason to get out and about for some crazy BF deals this year again.

IMG_4787-1

Anyways…. Black Friday shopping at SJP is a bit less hectic (though still full of CRAZY deals – like really I nearly always wonder if I’m nuts for offering this!). I have nothing but GREAT news for you with this year’s sale. For one, it’s SIMPLE – one BIG % off for anything you’d like in 2018! That’s 40% OFF EVERYTHING!!!!! Two, it’s not just for 12 or 24 hours. Nope, shop at your own pace whenever you can NOW through midnight on Cyber Monday 11/27.

So what’s on sale? Your entire portrait experience of 2018 is on sale! Shop small or load the cart full to save even more. Our most popular full experience sessions are on sale: Senior Art Session (reg $195 only $117) or Classic Family Session (reg $95 only $57). Plus, our quick and simple Limited Edition sessions are on sale too for something short and sweet. Personally, I think the LE sessions make the BEST gifts! These sessions are 15 or 30 minutes and are the perfect way for your friends, family, employees, etc to try on the SJP portrait experience for their kiddos, family, pets, seniors, etc. And starting at only $27 (ya that’s not a typo) for the sale it’s super easy for you to give the gift of portraits to everyone on your list.

And lastly, GIFT CARDS are on the BF sale too! Yes, that means you can stock up for yourself and for everyone to buy everything they want in 2018 for 40% OFF (see, this is where I wonder if this is just completely nuts). But hey, it’s out there now so we’re doing it, crazy or not!

Just a reminder, the sale is for 2018 sessions/orders. Gift cards may not be used on already completed or booked sessions/weddings or toward existing balances. Happy Thanksgiving and happy shopping!

SHOP NOW HERE

November 21, 2017November 21, 2017

| Thanksgiving Dessert from My Momma to You |

Do you ever wonder why we don’t make our favorite Holiday meals the other 51 weeks of the year? If you’re like me, you’ve asked yourself this question before and then randomly had pumpkin pie for dessert on Tuesday in June and it just doesn’t quite taste the same. Is pumpkin filling just ‘in season’ in the fall and not quite the same in the summer… probably not, but June doesn’t have the same warm fuzzy (fire, spice, love) that November does.

Growing up (and all through my early adult years even) my trips home, especially over the Holidays) were always preceded by a phone call from my momma asking me what I wanted to eat while home. And though her corn casserole and green bean casserole (the secret is TWO bags of French’s Fried Onions!) were always on that list, the Holiday was never complete without her Pumpkin Cake, even my best friend Courtney started putting in her own request for the yummy dessert to be sure it wasn’t overlooked.

Last year I had to take over this tradition to make it myself and I had very big shoes to fill (you can check out me and B cooking it together below). It came out well, but again just wasn’t quite the same but I’m back at it again this year to try and hone the recipe and hopefully turn making this dish with my kiddo into a tradition she remembers forever. This year, though, I decided not to keep the recipe in the family and instead I am passing the torch to you.

Screenshot 2017-11-21 13.49.51

I will let you in on a little secret I discovered last year though… my momma’s famous pumpkin cake wasn’t HER recipe! I was shocked to learn this and find it actually in a cookbook that my dad’s family has put together over a number of generations and passed down. So while she made it (and made it best) it was interesting to learn that this little gem came from the other side of the family.

If you have a favorite recipe you love at Thanksgiving I’d love to hear it! Comment on the post and let’s spread the love from your family to others this season.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy lots and lots of yummy dishes.

thanksgiving dessert pumpkin cake recipe

November 15, 2017December 27, 2017

| Taylor 2017 Family Portraits | Decatur IL |

I’m so excited to have seen this family again this year. Our last session was in 2014 (you can see it here) and these guys survived a crazy COLD windy miserable day for their session then. So we were all thrilled to have their session on a, still windy, but much warmer day this year! And I cannot believe how much these kiddos have grown. They are so full of personality it was a super fun session!

family portraits, decatur il, illinois photographer, best family photographer, family portraits, family photographs, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, outdoor family portraits, children's portraits, siblings,

And, of course, we had to give each kiddo their own moment in the spotlight to let their personalities shine!

Now that their Christmas cards have been sent I thought I’d update their blog post with their adorable Christmas card!

family christmas cards, cards, card designs, holiday cards, best card designs 2017, christmas cards, do you sent christmas cards

November 7, 2017April 8, 2018

| McCoy Family Annual Portraits | Just the Kids | Decatur IL

I’m so excited to show off this year’s annual portraits of the McCoy Family kiddos! Doing annual family portraits is seriously no joke (trust me, I know we do them too). Every year it feels like you JUST did these and it’s time again to plan for new outfits (that don’t look too much like the past ones but are still your style). Do that for 3-5 years in a row and it just gets exponentially tougher to keep things looking new and fresh.

But is it worth it? YES!!! I absolutely think so but why? For one, your kiddos do change quite a bit from year to year and it’s hard to know just when those big changes will hit and annual family portraits make sure we don’t miss a thing. We’ll catch the year your kiddo hits that big growth spurt. The year the boys finally catch up in height to the girls. The year he lost both front teeth. The awkward haircut year. The year they all of a sudden go from looking like little kids to little adults still doing Squadcopters activities (seriously it happens all of a sudden!).

I’ve been lucky enough to photograph this beautiful family annually for the past few years since Cruz was just a baby and it’s AMAZING to see how much they’ve grown. And I have to give a major shout out to Lori their momma who always makes sure to make time for this session and never fails to come up with the BEST outfit combinations.

Take a look at some of their past sessions: