Most of you, even those who don’t live in Oklahoma, are aware of the crazy amount of Tornadoes we experienced on Monday.  Unfortunately, it has affected our community and Ty’s school in a big way.  Many of our friends and families that we know have lost their homes.  Even our grocery store was hit!

I’ve been trying to think of ways I could help that would make a big impact quickly. Today, I received an email from Ty’s school explaining how many children have lost their homes.  The school is wanting to help.  They are accepting donations that will go directly to the families we know and love.  If you’d like to help, please donate.  Even a $1.00 donation will help.

All funds will go directly to Ty’s school where a Visa gift cards will be presented to each of the families who lost their homes.

If you need more information or have questions, shoot me an email.

Here are a few photos of the destruction taken with my iPhone or P&S.   They really don’t begin to show the true devastation our friends are facing.

As promised, I have decided on a winner for the Snapshot Moms FREE spot and because I had so many entries, I’ve decided to give away TWO 1/2 OFF spots, instead of one, to our May 15th workshop.   If you are a winner and cannot make it to the May 15th class (this Saturday 5-8pm), please let me know asap so I can choose another winner.

Okay, without further ado, the winners are:

The FREE spot goes to Jessica Talbott.  Her story was simply heart wrenching.  This chick deserves some good luck!

The two 1/2 OFF spots go to Brandi Moore and Tiffany Adkisson.  You two ladies can mail or Paypal the 1/2 registration fee of $62.50 to reserve your spot.  If you choose not to accept the spot, let me know so I can offer the gift to another person.

AND, remember, those of you already entered can referr a friend this week and receive $50 off your own registration.

Have a great Monday!

I will also be awarding one 1/2 OFF  spot to a lucky runner-up.   Keep an eye on the blog Mother’s Day Sunday for the winning announcement.

Remember, write to me explaining why you deserve to win a spot at our Mom’s workshop OR you can write nominating another Mom.  The winner will be announced Mother’s Day.  Good luck!

Here’s a little more information for those of you “out of the loop” regarding my SnapShot Mom’s class.

If you aren’t the winner of the free spot, we do still have a couple slots left for May 15th.  You can register now by shooting me an email.  It’ll be a fun girls’ night out!

AS A BONUS this Mother’s Day:  Get a friend to sign up for our May 15th class and get $50 OFF your enrollment fee (this includes folks already registered – just send me an email telling me who you referred).

Man, oh man.

“Your body is a wonderland…”

There are TONS more pics to share since I couldn’t put the camera down for more than 30 seconds.  BUT, this will have to hold you over.  I have a wedding to finish proofing for a REALLY cool bride who’s been very patient. 

I’ll see you peeps in the funny papers…

Have a totally RAD Tuesday!

Our first Snapshot Moms workshop is scheduled for…

April 10th from 4-7pm

Choctaw, Oklahoma

Those of you on the “I’d love to attend” list get first chance to reserve a spot.  Sign-up is on a first come-first served basis.  Payment in full guarantees your spot.  If payment is not received within 5 days of enrolling, the next person on the list will move into your spot.

Payment can be made in the form of cash, check, or Paypal to shannongurneyphoto[at]yahoo[dot]com – if you are confused on how to send money via Paypal, let me know and I’ll send you a money request.

Total due is $125.

Extra Info:

Dinner and drinks will be provided.
Laptops are welcome.
Bring your camera(s)
Wear comfortable clothing – a jogging suit is perfectly okay.  Do not dress up, we may end up on the ground outside shooting pics.
You do not have to be a mom to attend.  If you have an older child that is wanting to learn photography, feel free to enroll them.
8 spots are available including the hostess.
Count on being photographed at some point during the evening.  How else will we practice what we’ve learned?

Snapshot Moms

a workshop tailored specifically for moms who want to capture better photos of their children and family.  This is a BASIC workshop to help get you out of AUTO mode.  You don’t have to have any camera knowledge or an “expensive” camera.  You’ll gain TONS of information even if you show up with your point and shoot.

Snapshot Mom workshops are limited to 8 women ensuring you get a personalized experience.  At the end of our time together, you’ll have the opportunity to ask all your questions – pick my brain, so to speak.  Each participant will also go home with a cool new book to help out during the learning process.

Snapshot Moms will be offered a minimum of once a month, until enrollment starts to dwindle.  After that, it’ll be on an as-needed basis.  Every month, I’ll be asking a different mom to host the workshop in her home.  The reward for being a great hostess is FREE enrollment into the workshop itself.  If you’re interested in being a hostess and would like more details, shoot me an email.

At this time, I’m developing a list of moms who would like to attend a Snapshot Moms workshop.  The list is already quite long, so email SOON if you’d like to add your name.  When the first workshop date is decided, you’ll be the first ones notified.

Because Snapshot Moms is limited to 8 people each month, mom’s will have the option to plan an extra workshop by filling 8 spots on their own.  Basically that means, I’d be happy to help out more than once a month, if the need is there and you have 8 friends that want to attend.  If you aren’t able to fill all 8 spots, I’ll fill the remaining spots with gals from MY list.

Let’s say the group thing is not your style. I will be offering PRIVATE one-on-one workshops starting in April that can be scheduled at your convenience for $150 an hour.  Think how much you could learn!

Alright, without further ado, here’s the nitty gritty information…

I promise to do better…

Today, I wanted to do something a bit different for me.  I’ve been writing various ideas/cool things down for months thinking I’d eventually share them with you.  The problem is I never get around to it.  So now, I’ve have this big list of all kinds of random “stuff”.  I figured it’d be easiest to do a 10 on Tuesday post and get ‘em all out there.

Here goes….

10 on Tuesday

1.  HEADS UP!  I’ve got a BIG “End of February” session sale in the works for folks who book AND shoot their session before the end of the month.  Keep an eye on the blog for more info.  I’ll be posting the details THIS week!!  For those of you who’ve been waiting around and hoping for a sale, this’ll be the one you don’t want to miss.  Just sayin….

2.  I’ve been wanting THIS print ever since Christmas when my sister had the brilliant idea of purchasing it for my mom.  It’s completely killing me that it’s on sale right now.  The problem is I don’t want to actually buy it until my house is finished.  I figured if I had to wait, I should at least let you guys check it out.

3.  I’ve said this on Facebook, but I’ll say it here, too.  I really want to find a great place online to back up my personal photos.  I already have two external hard drives for my pro stuff.  But, it’d be nice to know that no matter what, I’ve got all my stuff safe and sound online somewhere.  Please share if you know of a super cool site that’s easy and quick to use.

4.  I found Red Letter Words through Erin a few weeks back and  I’m so glad I did!  I seriously love everything about them.  First of all, I really LOVE letters and words in any form.  But, these are so high in “cool factor” that I simply can’t resist.   In fact, I’m pretty sure there are about 10 different ones I’d like to have.  Here’s just one shot I stole from the Etsy site.   I will definitely be purchasing it in the near future.

5.  I admit to having an extreme addiction to journals (any size or type – I love them all), but lately it’s been really bad.  I discovered, over the holiday break, I can find them really cheap at Ross.  Yep, I’ve just discovered Ross.  I know, I know.  Many of you have been shopping there for years, but for those of you who know me, you know how much I HATE to shop.  The fact that Ross has all these great discounted journals may cause me to change my mind.

Sadly, the local (small-town) pharmacy happens to carry journals, too.  It’s causing me a bit of trouble…

uhm…the princess one is actually a purchase I made for my niece.  It just hasn’t found her yet. 

6.  She is causing me to GAIN all the weight I’ve lost in the past 6 months!  Anyone else having the same trouble?

7.  Does anyone else know about Half.com?  I may be a little behind, but I just discovered it and I’m in love…  I can purchase books at drastically CHEAP prices!  I mean it – it’s cheap, really cheap.  Have I mentioned how much I love to read?  Well, I do.  When I don’t have a book around and one waiting in the wings, it makes me kinda sad.  This site ROCKS!

8.  My boys have discovered Lincoln Logs.  I have, too.  I mean, I knew they were around, but I never really played with them before.  I spent more than a couple of hours building various barns and such today.  What fun!

More on that later…

9.  I’ve been looking like crazy for some fun design books or magazines.  The problem is my style is a bit old west/country with some modern thrown in.  I love antiques, mixing things up – instead of matching, and finding an awesome bargain at a flea market that needs a little love.  Any of you wanna share your favorite design magazines or websites?

10.  I’ve been looking like crazy for an ice machine that can go in our new kitchen or even in the garage if I can’t make the kitchen work.  It has to be the good ice, though, and a small to medium size machine….nothing industrial, please.  Those of you who actually have one of these, PLEASE tell me where to look.  So far, I’m having a bit of trouble finding exactly what I want.  I’m thinking it may save me a whole lot of money in the future, if you know what I mean…

Gosh, I have a bit more to share, but if you’re still reading at this point, I hate to bore you with EVEN more.  I guess I’ll hold the rest for another time.

Have a spectacular Tuesday – check ya later, dudes! 

Happy Monday!

Ice Storm 2010… duh duh duh *cue dramatic music*

It’s always so funny to witness the drama from newscasters right before a big winter storm occurs.   Now, don’t get me wrong.  I love me some Rick Mitchell.  After all, if the newscasters weren’t so dramatic during the winter months, what would we do for entertainment?  I’m pretty sure I’d be bored stiff.  (no pun intended… heh heh)

At the slightest mention of ice or snow, we Oklahomans run in droves to stock up on much needed items like food, water, batteries, flashlights, generators, etc.  You name it, we buy it.  In fact, I’ve been to three stores in just the past day and a half.  Of course, my most needed item was Diet Dr. Pepper (and diapers, I guess).  Really, who could live without  soda during a total black out?  Not me, thank you very much!  I am still very sad I may have to live without my Sonic ice for a few days, though.

I’m already bored.  Being shut in puts me in the mood for baking…

then eating.

That does not equal diet success.  So far today, I’ve made PW’s Homemade Salsa (which was absolutely delicious), BBQ beef in the crockpot for sandwiches later, I have chicken thawing for chicken and dumplings (thanks to a Facebook buddy), and my mom sent over a big pot of beans before the roads were too bad.

Man, they ARE right. This ice storm IS dangerous…

for my figure anyway.

BUT, not for my camera…unless you count the damp, wet lens.

If you look closely in the above photo, you’ll notice the white glow at the top.  That’s just the towel I had draped across my HUGE lens to keep it dry.  It sorta gave the photos a cool look, though.  Don’t ya think?

I know I joke, but the truth is things are only beginning.  “They” say the storm will continue throughout tomorrow and the ice/snow COULD get really bad causing major power outages.  I figured it was best to joke now since losing my electricity won’t be very funny.

I was starting to feel a little sorry for all the birdies around dealing with pellets of ice pelting them on the backs.  So, I decided to fill up the bird feeders and even sprinkled fresh seed on our deck.  I wasn’t even planning it for the purposes of a photograph, but I simply couldn’t resist.

It’s been sleeting now for the past few hours, so obviously there’s nothing in the rain gauge, but I couldn’t pass up a photo with the John Deere logo.  HA!

I guess I should find something productive to do instead hauling my camera around outside in the sleet, rain, and dampness.  Still, as it gets worse, I’m sure I’ll be adding some more photos. 

Happy Thursday!

I’m scared to death I’ll step on one and squish it!

They don’t exactly hold still long enough to get a photo that’s in-focus.  So, you’ll have to make do with these slightly blurry versions.

For those of you interested, the pups will be selling for $850 each.  The “kids”, as I refer to them, were mostly bred for hunting purposes or field trials, but will make awesome pets, too.  Most of you have heard me talk about our momma dog, Zipper, who’s nothing short of amazing.  Josh has trained her so well, she could pass for a well-behaved human.  HA!

The daddy of the bunch, is actually a field trial champion.  He’s the top rated dog in the state of Oklahoma, which is pretty cool.  I’m really not very good with all technical mumbo jumbo, so if you have questions feel free to email me and I’ll have Josh send a reply.

The pups got their teeth a couple of weeks back and anything around here is fair game for chewing, including toys the boys use in the sandbox.

Having these ornery little pups has sure made things fun, though.  I’m gonna miss them when they aren’t around anymore.   That means whoever ends up with them better send updates FREQUENTLY…

Luckily, we’re planning to keep one of the little girls.  Still, who can choose?

Seriously, who could possibly resist the charm of these playful pups?

Even the runt of the litter is spunky!

She’s half the size of all the others, but has the sweetest personality.  She’s definitely one of my favorites.

Okay, that’s all the cuteness I’ll torture you with today.

Have a marvelous Monday!  Mine will be full of puppy kisses and little boys with big grins!