Hi, everyone!  In honor of Earth Day, here is an easy way we can all be a little more green - start carrying reusable bags!  Here are a few quick facts (from www.reusablebags.com) that I recently read and found pretty startling:

Introduced just over 25 years ago, the ugly truth about our plastic bag addiction is that society’s consumption rate is now estimated at well over 500,000,000,000 (that’s 500 billion) plastic bags annually, or almost 1 million per minute.

• Single-use bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are the main culprit. Once brought into existence to tote your purchases, they’ll accumulate and persist on our planet for up to 1,000 years.
• Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistake them for food.
• The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store.
• Each high quality reusable bag you use has the potential to eliminate an average of 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime. The bag will pay for itself if your grocery store offers a $.05 or $.10 credit per bag for bringing your own bags.

Okay, so now here is the fun part!  Check out the Green Bag Lady’s website at http://greenbaglady.blogspot.com/.  She has free patterns and even video tutorials showing how to make a simple reusable bag!  I haven’t tried it yet, but at least it looks easy!!  :)  She also has a giveaway going on for earth day…if you leave a comment on her blog you have a chance to win one of 40 bags she is giving away!

Personally, I think carrying reusable bags is a really great (and pretty simple) way to live a more earth friendly life!  I got into the habit of using them at the grocery store while shopping at Aldi (oh my gosh, the bargain hunter in me LOVES that place!), because at Aldi, you either bring your own bags or buy those that you need.  Now I’m realizing that I need to start using them at the other stores that I go to as well.  So who is with me??  I’m making it a goal (and since I’m telling you all it will help keep me accountable) to drastically cut down on our family’s plastic bag usage.  Maybe by Earth Day 2011, we’ll be able to say that we use reusable bags everywhere that we go!

Filed under: News, Personal on April 22nd, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Indy Photog Shoot Out.  (If you pay attention, you’ll see me as well as a few of the images I took that night!)  They are really talented filmmakers so after you check out the Indy Photog Shootout video be sure to visit the Northernlight Filmworks blog.

Filed under: Personal, Special Events on September 17th, 2009 | No Comments »

Well, I haven’t had much time for blogging lately!  I have a good reason why though!  Our new baby boy, Alexander Jeevan Karki, was born March 31, 2009 at 4:00p.m.  He weighed 8 lbs., 12 oz. and was 21.5″ long!  He is healthy and much loved and we are thrilled that he is here.  His big sister Arya was disappointed that he didn’t arrive on her birthday (March 24), but she loves being a big sister and is a great helper!

Here are a couple of photos that I snapped yesterday, when Alex was 12 days old.

Lastly, I wanted to get a quick shot of Arya and Alex together yesterday while they were dressed up for Easter!  Arya loves to hold her baby brother, and she just happened to give me a really sweet smile for this shot!  I am definitely blessed to have these little ones in my life.

Filed under: Children, Personal on April 13th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

Okay, I don’t usually post photos of myself on my blog!  However, I figured that now, if ever, it would be appropriate!!

I think there are a lot of women out there who have considered having maternity portraits taken, but have been too nervous to go ahead with the experience!!  After all, pregnancy is a time when your body goes through MANY changes VERY quickly.  And as exciting as it is, it can also leave a woman feeling awkward or unsure of her rapidly changing shape.  I’ve been through this too, and I know how you feel.  We want to look our best in photos, and may find ourselves thinking, “I’ve never been this shape before…will I look ridiculous in photos?!”  The answer is NO, and to show you that I’m not asking you to do something that I wouldn’t do myself, I’ll post the following photo!

This is me, taken a little over 2.5 weeks ago, when I was 37.5 weeks pregnant.  (Yes, if you’re doing the math, that means I’m now 40+ weeks.  My due date was yesterday and we’re still waiting for this little one to arrive.)

You want to capture this exciting time and the miracle that is taking place in your body, but it is a little scary to be vulnerable.  Don’t worry!  I make it a goal to make women feel as comfortable as possible during a maternity session.  I promise I’m going to make you look your best!!  There are little things that make such a difference in photographing maternity sessions - things like placement of your hands and arms, lighting, and the angle of your body.  Knowing that your photographer is paying attention to these little details like these can give you so much more confidence, allowing you to just have fun during your session, while someone else worries about the specifics!

Maybe you’re wondering, “Who will ever even see these?”  Most importantly, you will!!  Having maternity portraits taken is a way to celebrate this unique time of carrying another life inside you!  You’re working hard and though it may not feel glamorous, what you are doing is beautiful.  Time will pass and you will forget a lot of the little details of day-to-day pregnancy, but you’ll always have a way to look back and remember what this season in life was like!

I was right there with you - nervous about maternity photos during my 2nd pregnancy, complete with more stretch marks, a bigger belly, etc.  I’m so glad that I went ahead with them though!!  And even if I’m the main person who ever looks at them, I’m sure these will be a special keepsake for years to come, as I look back and remember waiting for this new life to enter the world.  I’m sure you’ll come away from your maternity photo experience feeling the same way.

Filed under: Maternity, Personal on March 27th, 2009 | 1 Comment »