On the 2nd day of Christmas my photographer gave to me a high resolution CD from a past session of my choice!

I so enjoyed all the emails I got yesterday.  I wish I had time to reply to them all, but that just isn’t going to happen today.  I love you all!  I wish you all the Merriest Christmas ever.  Maverick picked the winner for me yesterday.  Kimberly Huston!  It was very scientific.  I had 77 emails and I told him to choose a number from 1 to 77.  He picked 20 and Kimberly’s email was the 20th I had received.  So, now you know my secret.  If you want to win today’s giveaway you need to be buttering up Garrett or maybe Kevin (could I figure out a way for Abby to pick a winner, I will work on that).  Garrett wants some gymnastics lessons and Kevin likes anything from the Harley store!  Kidding.

So, just email me again, I am not asking for any tricks or jumping through hoops (yet) today.  Just an email.  fotobydeedra@aol.com. 

Had a few people asking about expirations…yes, they expire.  Some of the gift certificates I send will have specific expiration dates.  If you won last year and have not used your prize, I am sorry, but it is expired.  I mentioned that last year in the beginning of the giveaways.  So, now I am saying it again.  If you win!  Use it by the expiration date or before the next year’s giveaways start!!!!! 

What else?  I am at the office.  The last order pickup scheduled so far is at 1:15 and I would like to leave at 1:15 today.  I am not working this weekend.  I am putting in all the last orders this morning.  I will work on the last cards after the orders are done.

On the first day of Christmas Maverick said to me “Hey mom, this kid at school told me Santa is not real.  So, Mom, be 100% honest and tell me the truth now.”

Wow!  What a great start to the day!  What did I do?  Well, I can tell you what I wanted to do.  I would like to tell that kid at school (and yes, I know his name, but don’t think this is the place to scold him) “put a sock in it kid!”  I did exactly what Vikki told me to do and told him “as long as you believe son, Santa is real”.  He didn’t buy it, so I told him to get out of the bathroom and finish getting ready for school. 

I don’t know about you, but I BELIEVE in the Spirit of Christmas, I BELIEVE in giving and not receiving, I BELIEVE that Jesus is the reason for the season and I BELIEVE in FAMILY!  So today I am giving away a family portrait session.

So, if you still BELIEVE, just email me and we will pick the first winner tomorrow!  fotobydeedra@aol.com

 Just some updates on orders, deadlines, and other fun stuff.  All orders are placed and coming in everyday.  The office is full of orders to be picked up.  I designed the last card request just a little bit ago.  I am leaving in about an hour to go to Fort Worth for the day.  I will be gone tomorrow too.  I will be in the office on Friday (December 10th) morning until at least lunch time.  I have not tried to hide the fact that I don’t want to work after this week, so get yourself off the naughty procrastinator list.  If you need something let me know…and please don’t wait until Friday at lunch to do it. 

Can you still order?…yes, but do it quickly.

Can I still design a card for you?…yes, but let me know quickly.  I won’t print them, but I can tell you exactly how to do that yourself.  They are not taking long at all to get here. 

Can I still take your pictures for Christmas?…ummm, no.  Catch me next year.

Now for the NICE stuff!  The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways start tomorrow!!!!  I am very excited.  The information will be both here and on Facebook.  You don’t want to miss a day! 

I will also be having the Christmas card contest on Christmas Eve or Day just like the last few years.

I will also be going through some of the shoots that didn’t get blogged and blogging those and also I plan on finally blogging that last wedding that didn’t get my love because of the Christmas season crazytime!  My apologies for that! 

And, yes, I will be giving a wedding package away for a wedding in 2011.  I will start taking those entries next week.  The deadline for entries will be after New Years Day.  I don’t want to leave any of you out who might be getting engaged on that special night and day.  There will be rules also.

And….thank you to all of my couples who chose to do a first sight.  I need you to let everybody know how awesome it was, why you wouldn’t change it, all the gory details, because I am not doing any weddings any other way.  And couples who don’t understand it or don’t want to do it, need to really consider it and they need to hear that from someone other than me.  Now, I know it is a crazy busy time, and asking you to send me a small essay is a lot of work (I promise I won’t check your spelling or grammar!), so if you can do this for me to help me out, I am throwing in a free 8×10 print for your troubles.  Emails only, be specific please, let them know how much fun it was, how much it made the day flow better, how much better your pictures were, etc.  fotobydeedra@aol.com  Thank you all so much!!!!!  I can only remember 3 weddings all of 2010 who didn’t do it, so there are a lot of you out there who I would love to hear from! 

What else?   Okay, here are some pictures of a sweet boy from yesterday!!!!! 

Everybody enjoy your Wednesday.  

Maverick says last night in his big boy voice “Mom, I know you have been super busy, but do you think we could put the Christmas tree up soon?”  OUCH!  Yah, that hurt and was so seriously sad and true all at the same time.  Then Garrett tells me this morning in his “I’m almost getting ticked off” voice “Miss Patricia told me if you don’t put the tree up, she’s going to come over here and do it for you!”  WOW.  I really am a bad mother this time of year. 

So, today God said…Abby is going to have an accident in her cage and Kevin is not going to have time to clean it up at lunch, so DeEdra is going to have to come home early from work, then after she cleans up Abby’s cage and gets it back in the house, then she will have some extra time to sit down and then it will hit her that she has time to put the Advent pockets up!  Thank you God from all of us here at the Folmar house.  As you can see (Omi will be proud 1 day early even!!!!) I got a little stuff done for Christmas.  The tree is in the living room and we will start decorating tonight. 

Omi made them.  One was Kevin’s when he was little and then she made a new one for Garrett to have one too.  I complain about them too much.  It really was fun putting them up today and deciding what went in what day’s pocket.  The boys will be so excited when they get home. 

Reminds me to keep it simple and slow down a little.  Merry last day of November to everyone.

I have deadlines and I am going to be strict on them. 

If you want pictures by Christmas and don’t want to pay a rush/late/shipping fee, your orders are due by 5pm Friday December 3, 2010.

I will still be working next week, but that rush/late/shipping fee is $31 ($25 dollars for me to make me happier about working next week and $6 for shipping).

I am not ordering anymore cards.  I am more than happy to design a card for you ($25 fee) and you can print them.  I will not be responsible for your Christmas cards being late.  I am mad that mine aren’t in the mail yet!!!  ugh!

I will not be working after December 10th for anything Christmas related other than the Folmar Family Christmas.  Yes, I am self-employed and I can do that.  I get one week to regain my sanity, clean my house, shop for my kids, etc., etc., and more etc.  My Christmas tree has to get put up sometime too and as you already know, my cards need to be mailed. 

Now, because I am super nice, if your pictures haven’t been taken yet and are scheduled this week, you will have 24 hours after your pictures are posted (proof on Picage) to place your orders without any rush/late fees.  There will be a shipping fee though.  It is $6 and totally fair for the late appt. times.  Your pictures will come directly to you, not to me, so we don’t have to figure out a pickup time at a closed office. 

Always remember…DO NOT ORDER ON PICTAGE!!!!  Those are proofs.  I tell everyone that when I take their pictures, so no excuses.  Spread the word.  Pictage is for proofing only!!!!!!!!  Those images are not edited and won’t be edited if you manage to figure out a way to order something from them.  Do not call them.  They are an independent lab, and I don’t use them for anything other than proofing. 

Back to cards.  I love to see them!  My mailing address is POB 4032, WF 76308.  Feel free to put your payment in with them. 

Yes, I do design free cards for my bride and grooms and their parents.  Thank you and we so much enjoyed being with you at your wedding.  But please let us know if you want one asap. 

Also, we do not have regular office hours (one more perk of the self-employed photographer).  Contact me to set up a time to meet at the office if you need to come in for anything.

Okay, that was painful, but necessary.  I love you all, but please be respectful and don’t wait until the last minute to place your order or call or email questions. 

Now for the good stuff….only 9 more days left before the 12 days of Christmas giveaways!!!!!!  It’s going to be so much fun.

Maverick could have photographed these two.  Seriously, they were almost sickeningly too cute and so comfortable with the camera…they were so much fun!  Loved them!  And her due date, December 28th, was my due date with Mav.  Thank you for letting me document this wonderful time in your lives! 

She is already 8 months old!  Brings a little tear to my eye.  As always she was so good today when we took her pictures.  We are going to try leaves later next week when the wind is not blowing 100 mph!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!  I am so Thankful for all of you. 

Okay, we all know we (chicks that is) dig pics, but what I love is when the dude tries to steal the show!  They dread it, their friends tell them how horrible it will be, and then the day comes and they end up saying “that wasn’t so bad”.  Of course, I think I have a lot to do with it.  I am a pretty good time and I let them do whatever they want (within reason and appropriate for their bride)…to include having a little pre-picture adult beverage.  That’s how I win them over and let them know I am friend not foe!  But more seriously now, Blair and Hayden were troopers and we had a pretty good time today.  I hope it wasn’t complete torture for anyone other than the poor puppy left in the truck!  (don’t freak out, it wasn’t hot, windows cracked and he looked like he was doing fine when I peeked in the window.  No need to call the puppy protection authorities or anything.)  I expect to see that cutie pie poochie at the wedding!

Just do it people.  You may not think you want to do this, but I promise, there will be a day in your future when if you haven’t gotten a big family photo every chance you get, you will regret it.  Wow, that sentence was so wrong in so many ways, but I hope you understand what I mean.  Took this after church today.  It was the end of their family reunion at the new Coyote Ranch Resort.  They were so funny.  “We just need one photo of all of us”.  So cute!  Yes, you need the big family photo, but take advantage of everybody being there and ready and take all the other little pictures you need too.  They even…

let the dogs out for a few photos!  Go Saints!

I am currently trying to coordinate 3 different family photos for our families right now.  And I took some pictures of a family yesterday that do it every year!!!!!!  EVERY YEAR.  I have been Blessed to be their photographer for the last 4 or 5 of those years.  Stepping down off the box now.

Engagement, wedding, baby #1 and baby #2, Christmas pictures every year…I prayed that this year would not be any different, pictures are so important and sadly my friend learned this year how important hers really are.  She is so strong and was ready to continue taking her and her boys pictures…

she will have their faces to remind her everyday…such beautiful reminders…I am so proud of her, her strength is amazing.  I am Blessed to know them and to photograph them.