Good Night Sweet Prince.

Today is the 20th anniversary of my dear dad's call to heaven. Stanley Sarganis And, honestly it has been a really hard day for me. You would think after 20 years the sting of his loss wouldn't be so strong. But, it is and will always be. The love for a parent will never go away.

I feel robbed of not having the last 20 years with him and that my kids were too young to remember him. He would have had so much fun being a Pappou. I envisioned him teaching my kids to ride a bike just like how he taught me. We spent hours out front of the house with him running beside me so I wouldn't fall. He wouldn't quit until I mastered the art of bike riding.

My dad was very talented in many ways. He was an upholster, mechanic (he could fix anything), artist, wood worker, able to make designed items out of leather (I still have a beautiful purse he made for me), a great cook and just a wonderful, caring, loving man.

All I have is my memories like ones of him teaching me to ride a bike and of course photo's of him. Though, I wish I had more photographs of him to cherish. He didn't like his picture being taken and I was still so new to the photography industry and busy with two small kids.

How I wish I could go back and fix that. I have one photograph of the two of us that I took during a photography class and experimenting with lighting. I also have one photograph and my mom and dad together when they were younger.


And, I'm professional photographer! You know the saying the cobbler's wife has no shoes. So, I'm begging you take photograph's of your loved ones.  I don't care that they don't want to be photographed. Beg, plead, tell them my story, whatever it takes. You will  never be sorry having those precious photographs.











Here are my favorite photographs of my dad that I would like to share with you. These are from 1945! I love these so much. Look how   Handsome! :)

Here is the photograph I got my dad to pose for me while I was taking a photography class. I'm estimating 1980ish. Oh, how I cherish this. Love his unruly eyebrows and curly hair. 

These two photographs are from the end of my wedding and my absolute favorites. And I know the exact date! June 1982. I've never seen my dad in a "party" mode before. He was having a good time dancing and goofing off. 

Thank you for letting me share my wonderful dad with you and in doing so I hope that I can save someone else the pain of not having photographs of their loved ones. So get the family together NOW and make some wonderful memories to cherish.

ps - Write the date on the back! 

Santa & Me Special Holiday Portraits!

Can it really be that time of year again? Yep, it is, and I can tell because I am already working 10 hour days. lol I do love this time of year and I do love to be busy.

What's new and exciting this year is I have connected with a beautiful children's boutique in Old Downtown Rockwall named Peek-A-Boo Avenue. The boutique is owned by a mother/daughter team, Cindy and Kinzie.  They are delightful to work with and the clothes they specialize in are fun, unique, and adorable. And, dare I say perfect for portraits.  I'm really looking forward to this year's Christmas Portrait Special.

November 8th & 9th

104 E. Rusk Street

Rockwall, Tx 75087

Here are the details:

Yes, you are Santa or your spouse. Whoever is more in the Holiday Spirit. While you are putting on the Santa Suit I will photograph the kids in a more traditional portrait and then switch gears to you wearing the Santa Suit with the kids. Don't worry, I'm only using your arm, partial lap, etc to give the hint of Santa. But, it is fun to capture mom or dad dressed like Santa too. And think how much more your children will be relaxed not posing with a stranger. If your kids have outgrown wanting to be with Santa, no worries, we will just photograph them.

We have also added a Santa & Me Contest into the mix for a little extra fun.  Please read the flyer below for more details on our Contest and Specials.

 I have captured some wonderful images from past years that I would love to share with you!

This cutie wanted to be Santa herself!

All sessions will be by appointment only and photographed at Peek-A-Boo Avenue. Prepayment for the creation fee is required to reserve your time slot. Creation fees start at $75 for a mini session and $95 for a mini family session. Packages start at $90.

November 8th & 9th

104 E. Rusk Street
Rockwall, Tx 75087

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment please call me at 469-338-5904 or email karyn@ksfphotography.com. 

Or if you looking for wonderful newborn and children's accessories, bedding, and clothing

please stop by 

Peek-A-Boo Avenue in Old Downtown Rockwall.

Merry Christmas!

Happy 23rd Birthday to my Sweet Girl, Cate.

I can't believe it has already been a year since I blogged her 22nd birthday. Seems like just a couple months ago. lol

Well, today is her 23rd and we played around in the park across the street from my house this morning trying to capture a new headshot for her portfolio.  We only had time for a few quick shots and here is my favorite.

 July 2013

You have blossomed into a wonderful, caring, talented young adult. Love you sweet girl.  So happy you decided to come to Texas to celebrate your birthday. Always glad to have you home.

And for fun.... here are a few younger images of her.

July 2011 Her 21st!

July 2011 Her 21st!

I love how much of a goofball you are. I love that you are not afraid to have fun wherever  you may be and not care about people seeing you.  I took her to the liquor store on her birthday and she was grinning from ear to ear.

Sept 2011

August 2008 First day of School

My mom would always take a photo of me with all of my brothers on our first day of school and I have kept that tradition alive every year that the kids were in school. Love it. Thanks mom.

2002 Cate and Conner with their cousins, Sarah and Hannah

2008ish Cate with her Dad 

I love that you write me cute little notes on my desk for me to find. Makes me smile. I love that you still sleep with Elmo. I love that you skype me regularly. I love that you are an animal activist. I love you.
Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Do you Believe in Soul Mates?

Do you Believe in Soul Mates? I do! Especially, since I am celebrating my 31st wedding anniversary today. Thirty-Six years total. I was only 17 and Russell was 19. Ok, stop it, don't do the math on how old we are. lol

I crashed a Terra Linda High School Party with two of my girlfriends and Russ was the first person I saw when I walked into the party. My heart did a fast pitter-patter. I thought he was so "foxy".  lol

We talked that night for a long time and I bought up how I use to own a horse and how much I missed horse backing riding. He casually asked if I would like to go horse back riding with him. That was our first date, and years later I found out how terribly afraid he was of horses. Poor guy. He put up a good front for me.

I thought it would be fun to take a stroll down memory lane like I have done in the past for our kid's birthdays. I wish I had access to more photo's to publish but we are in New Hampshire and Boston this week celebrating our anniversary. So, I apologize for the iphone photo's.

Prom.

Halloween. 1979-1981 ish

June 19, 1982

Greek Orthodox Church, Ignacio Ca

What you can't tell from the picture is that Russ broke his ankle the weekend before the wedding and he is hopping around on one foot to get into the car. And yes, that means we got married with him on crutches.  He was a real trouper. You should have seen him trying to Greek Dance.

Strumming by the campfire. 1982-1983 ish

We would go camping and sit by the campfire and he would play guitar and sing to me. Russ taught me to love The Beatles. He still plays the guitar everyday and occasionally serenades me.

Sax Player for the band Common Men 83-85 ish

I photographed the band and also captured this one of just him. Always been one of my favorite photo's of him. I would guess 83-85' ish. Be sure to put the date on the back of your photographs. You think you will remember... but you won't.

One of our many trips to Lake Tahoe. 1983-86 ish

Russ also introduced me to the love of sailing. We eventually bought a 16' Hobie Cat Sailboat and towed it to Lake Tahoe to go sailing. So peaceful sailing on that gorgeous clear blue water. 

Lake Tahoe. 1983-1985 ish

My wonderful, sweet family. 2009

We are so blessed to have two amazing kids. I couldn't image our life without them. Love you more than you will ever know. My sweet kid's Cate and Conner.

The lion and the lion tamer. Halloween 2009.

Still singing. 2009

He's building shelfs for my new studio. Again. This is my third studio.
Thank you honey, you are the best. 2012

 

Family portrait 2012 with Zero and Zeus. Love those dogs!

Punta Cana 2012.

New Year's Day 2013

  I will have to add more photo's between the early 80's and 09.  Lots of fun and love between those years. We are so blessed to have grown in the same direction at the same time. We will visit an art gallery and always love the same piece. All of my memories include him.  I have been with him more than half my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you more than when we first got married. You are my love, my life. I look forward to many, many more.  You are my soul mate.                                 

Banana Oat Cookies...The Bomb!

You know how I love my healthy food and especially healthy cookies. Let's be honest everyone likes to snack on junk food, I just like mine to be healthy.  lol

I found this recipe on Facebook and made them today. Omg, they are the bomb. Here is the recipe:

As you can see there is no "how to" instructions on this recipe, so, this is what I discovered.

1 - I made it using my KitchenAid Automatic Mixer, well it mixed too well.
     So I added:
     1 additional cup of oats and I mixed quick and rolled. (3 cups total)
     3/4 cup Gluten Free Flour - probably 1/2 of cup would have been fine and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Again, I only added those two ingredients because it was too "mushy".  Perhaps, if I used a wooden spoon instead it would have been fine. But, I was glad i did, it produced more Cookies! 36 to be exact.

2 - I added 1/4 cup brown sugar and half a bag of Trader Joe's Chocolate Chips. Come on, it's a cookie and I only added half of the bag. And, I'm so glad that I did. It was the magic ingredient.

3 - I sprinkled Shredded Coconut on top.  I'm a sucker for Coconut and I add it to everything. Even my broccoli!

4 - I used an 1/8 cup as my scooper to put the mix on a greased cookie sheet and for the first batch I didn't pat down the batter and they were quite thick. For the second batch I squished it down with the bottom of the scooper and it was perfect.

5 - Mine cooked for 15-17 minutes.

I dare you to only eat one! So, delicious and healthy. Well, minus the Chocolate Chips and they are super healthy. Enjoy!

Kadena Tate - Dare to Prosper!

I'm so honored to call Kadena my friend. We were neighbors when we lived in Murphy and she was one of my first friends after our big move. I have watched her grow and prosper. She has taken me under her wing and has shared her knowledge with me over the years.

The biggest thing she has taught me is that you need to develop income that you don't have to work 9-5 to earn. What? Let me explain, investing in real estate and collecting those rent checks while you are on the beach or writing and selling the popular ebooks that you write once and collect monthly checks there after.

Sound interesting? This is only the top of the ice berg on what she will share with you.  She has organized this wonderful seminar called, "Dare to Prosper". If you would like help, insight to your business this would be a great opportunity for you to learn and grow.

Here is a snippet from her website:

I highly recommend checking our her website and her seminar. http://www.kadenatate.com  You might just thank me one day. 

Peek-A-Boo Avenue, Children's Boutique ~ Rockwall, Tx

I love to share when I find a rare gem, and something that I think my clients will love. I'm often asked,"where do you suggest I look for children's portrait clothing?" Well, I can now say Peek-A-Boo Avenue! It is a new children's boutique that opened up in old downtown Rockwall.  She previously was in another location in Rockwall and I'm so glad she decided to move to old town.

It is run by Cindy Weadon and her lovely daughter Kinzie. I would love to work with my daughter but we have different ideas. lol The first thing you will notice is how warm and inviting they both are the second you walk into the door. Aren't they adorable?

Cindy and Kinzie

 I love the non chain stores, the mom and pop places. I will always support them first. They have the cutest clothes for newborns and all the way up to 6x. Plus they have tutu's. Who doesn't want portraits of their little girl wearing a tutu? And, who can resist these clothes? I can't wait until I have grandkids!

Have you heard of BlaBla's? Well, they are the latest thing, and they are adorable. A soft washable doll or animal. Rockwall is so lucky she carries the line otherwise think beanie babies: hard to find or it just retired.  

BlaBla's

Here is their website: http://www.blablakids.com Am I too old to want the Mermaid and Licorice the Dog? So dang cute. You have to check out their website.

Cindy and I are talking about a joint venture of my photography and her store. We are brainstorming. So be on the look out for an announcement soon. You may like her page on Facebook to read all the latest news and to stay up to date. https://www.facebook.com/PeekABooAvenue

Happy Shopping!

Beautiful Reflection!

I had a wonderful opportunity to photograph the beautiful Kristen. She is a Professional Preforming Arts Dancer and an all around sweetheart. She is also studying at The Acting Center to add acting to her long list of talents.

We photographed two looks for her.  This first one is a headshot for auditions. It is also the very first snap of the shutter. That never happens, where I use the first image taken! lol

Then we played around a little by walking up and down the street and stopping where the mood struck.

Gotta love Kissy Face!

After our session was over and we were walking back to her home I noticed this glass door. I stopped in my tracks and shouted, "Can we photograph a few more?" I must have taken around 30-50 images at this location. I went a little crazy! It reminded me of "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall."  Kristen rocked It! Thank you Kristen.

Cool App Sat! - Fooducate

I found this app through my Fitness Magazine and I'm so glad I did. I thought I ate healthy and knew how to read labels. Well, I was WRONG. I love this app because it reads the labels for me and grades each product.

Fooducate App

The first photo below is the opening screen then once I scan the bar code the photo on the right below will appear with a grade and what's the good news and the bad news about the ingredients.  I love the alternatives button that will show me better options too.

The are tough too. Things that I thought would grade an A register's as a C. Mostly because it has too much salt or sugar. When a do scan something that registers an A I really feel like a scored! I literally get a big ole smile on my face like a discovered a gold mine!

Not only does it grade your food it also helps you with a daily meal plan and a weight lost plan. I use this app every time I go grocery shopping. My hubby has the patience of a saint as our shopping time has doubled with me trying to choose the highest score. lol But, it does get easier the more you use the app and it will keep a history for you.

My only complaint... It's not available for my iPad. Happy scanning and happy eating.