Today my girl turns five!  Time rushes by us.  I've said it before and I'll say it again this year.... She is a phenomenal person. This year she's gotten funnier....like on purpose funny....sarcasm has even been involved.  She asked me last week to make a pancake in the shape of Sunset Shimmer (a my little pony).  Then when I told her no way, she nonchalantly replied, "Mom, I was just kidding."  She's so creative.  She loves arts and crafts.  She can do addition and simple subtraction.  She likes to take things apart so she can put them back together.  She's cool!
I did her session behind the Greenville News building downtown.  I choose it because it was a very different scene than I've done with her.  Plus, it will be gone soon.  Like all sessions with Ada it was quick, but not so quick that she didn't annoyed.  You'll see that in one of the below pictures.

Before we get to the pictures a couple of side notes.  I'm in school...Phase 1 of the physical therapy assistant program.  The summer semester was awesome...both classes As.  This semester is Anatomy and Physiology and Human, Growth, and Development....so prayers are appreciated.  :)

Also, Jeff started a woodworking business, Elephant Shoe Woodworks.  He found a new hobby after he built a farmhouse table for us.  He's gotten so much better in the last year.  He's a perfectionist so he works until he gets it right....real right.  Here's a link to his Facebook page: Click on this link and like  Here's his Etsy store:  Click on this link and buy something.  A few pics of his stuff below too.

I briefly came out of my photography retirement Friday to visit my friend Paige at Breezy Quarters in Abbeville, SC.  Paige makes wonderful soap, lotions, lip balms, and other goodies.  So I went down to do a few head shots and a little product photography....and chat.  It's funny, I don't think I actually met Paige until I moved to Greenville, but I'm so glad that I know her now.  Ada is the same age as her oldest son.  It's fun to see how similar Ada and Wesley are at the same age.  And let me just tell you her products are so awesome!  -I cannot emphasize that enough-  I started using her soap a few years ago, and haven't turned back.  I wanted something that didn't have all the nasty chemicals in it, and I knew her soap was the answer.  Then she started making more stuff.  The lotion...just stop...it is so creamy, without being greasy.  The lip balm is perfect, and it doesn't melt in your car in the summer.  She started making a facial lotion that has prevented my face from being flakey this winter, and hasn't made it break out either (a challenge other products never met).  She just gave me a sample of her shampoo bar, and I gotta say....I think I'm kicking Pantene to the curb.  There's also scrubs, bath bombs, and apothecary items.  Then of course candles....I love, love, love the harvest apple wax tarts.  I just feel good about using these products.  I know that the ingredients are not going to hurt me or my family.  Ada loves her BQ soap....what girl wouldn't want to bathe with cupcake soap.  Every time I give Breezy Quarters products as a gift the response is always...that is the best stuff! Stop what you doing right now go here to buy some: Breezy Quarters  By the way, if you have a shop she does wholesale, and can make something specifically for your shop. She also does fundraisers so if your organization is looking for a great product...ahem.

2015 began as any other...Seriously, so far everything was pretty normal.  Jeff's autonomic issues were still around, but he was doing better.  The low blood pressure still reared its ugly head every now and then, but overall he was doing better than last year.  The day before Valentines Day (yes, it was Friday the 13th, but we're not superstitious) he was outside doing a project, and fell of a ladder onto the concrete patio, and broke a hip.  After a rod, and a hospital stay, he began physical therapy.  So as of three weeks he has done tremendously well.  He started using a cane yesterday.  So when this first happened....honestly, I was pretty ticked.  Another thing.  Another reason for me to have a load of work dumped on me.  Another thing for Jeff to overcome.  I mean...like we needed another challenge to his health.  I'm so grateful that his recovery is going so smoothly.  It's like I can breathe again.  If you know his struggles, you know that the past couple of years have been rough for us all--for a good chunk of it most of the daily tasks lay on my shoulders, and he had gotten to the point where, for the most part, he could do what he needed to do.  He could do a project every now and then.  Driving wasn't an issue.  Going on a quick errand was usually okay.  He could give Ada a bath.  He could get her a drink.  He could fix his own breakfast.  All these, and scads of other things that you may not think is a big deal.  As a married couple you usually don't even think about all the things you do separately to make everything in a household function.  You figure it out when someone is sick or gone.....and especially if it's longer than a few days.  (I have to insert here that this has given me a huge respect for single parents...because they do it all, and not only that they don't have that emotional support from the other spouse.  God bless them!)

I hope you all had a great Christmas.  We are still in waiting to see when we will get to celebrate with Jeff's family.  The flu has hit all of us here in Greenville.  Thankfully at our house we got Tamiflu right away, and Ada, who had it the worst of the three of us is pretty much back to normal.  Jeff and I, who just had aches are feeling like we never had it for the most part. Jeff's parents are still pretty rough.  The hardest thing right now is staying home, and not contaminating the public....although, I feel the public is probably getting contaminated fairly frequently.  This is especially hard for Jeff and Ada, who both wake up asking, "Where are we going today?"  They are not homebodies.

We had a good 2014, and made the most of it as much as we could.  We are looking to do the same in 2015.  A silly thing, my house made me restless in 2014 and continues in 2015.  I'm tired of everything being brown.  You see, when Jeff and I married over six years ago we both came with furniture and decor, and didn't feel the need to get new stuff, or if we did we matched it to what we had.  So a lot of Jeff's stuff was very neutral tan/brown, and since we lived in his house after we were married, everything leaned that way....and then when we moved here it carried over.  It was cheaper and easier to use the same than to redo.  So this year I have been adding color, and will continue to do that in 2015.  I can't wait for our bathroom to get redone, and to repaint our master bedroom.  The end of this year has made me want to declutter.  Now, I am a pretty organized person...and little ocd actually with that sort of stuff.  Still, things pile up before you know it, you hang on to things you think you might need, but never do.  So hopefully we will be getting rid of some of that.  A food thing, I tried to be even more conscious this year of what I (we) ate than normal.  After reading Grain Brain at the end of last year, it put a desire to cut down on carbs/grains/sugars to lower the chances of diseases...particularly Alzheimers, which prevalent in my family (my mom's side, including her).  We've all been gluten free for a couple of years, Jeff for longer.  I have cut out bread quite a bit.  Breakfast used to always consist of PB toast.  Now it's eggs, greens, cheese, avocados...and such. I have noticed that as I cut back, sugary things really do a number on me.  A couple of weeks ago I had half a apple fritter, and a couple of doughnut holes, and had a headache the rest of the day.  I'm hoping to continue that, and to ease Jeff into it.  He wants to do it, and is more aware, but has found it harder to convert.  I don't know how to get my picky four year old into it...maybe I can figure that out.  A giving thing, a culmination of studies/sermons/lessons at a church, as well as personal bible studies seem to have pointed Jeff and I in the direction of trying to be more aware to those who need help.  We've talked about different things that we'd like to do...one of which is doing more shoeboxes.  That is something that seems like a small thing, but means a lot to the child that receives that gift, and shows and teaches them about Christ.  Ada can also be involved with that one, and she had a ball packing shoeboxes with us this year.  We would like to do at least a box a month.

I think our/my Christmas card has been posted every year that I've blogged, and I haven't done that this year.  We had family portraits with M.C. Bonds Photography at the Burk Stark house in Abbeville, SC back in October.  I got the idea for the card just by living life....I think so many of us now days have our faces in technology too much....(another thing to cut back on, I suppose). The first image was cut with rounded corners to really mimic an iPad. :)

Today I cancelled my PPA membership.  It makes me sad.  I haven't really done anything professional in over two years.  When Ada was a baby, I was very torn over missing any of the firsts that she would be having in those first couple of years.  I had thought that as she reached about two that I would sort of revamp, and get back into photography more vigilantly.  Then Jeff got sick..really sick, and there was no way I could take care of all the duties needed in our household, and do photography.  Although, Jeff is better than is has been, there are still things he can't do that I have to take on.   (As I sit here trying to blog something coherent, Ada is singing to the top of her lungs right beside me, breaking all concentration.)   Photography, if you don't know, is a TON of work.  It's not just hitting a button on a camera every now and then.  It's session planning, scouting locations, coming up with new ideas for sessions, gathering props, meeting clients, marketing to possible clients, marketing to current clients, help with styling, posing, lighting, culling images, editing, editing, editing, posting on every social media outlet, posting on a viewing site, emailing, messaging, ordering, packaging, doing layouts for albums, answering email/messages, taking calls, returning calls, photographer's education, workshops, conferences, expos, continuing education classes, meeting photographers, chatting with photographers, critiques with photographers, reading photography magazines, blogs, posts, keeping up with industry trends, following industry news, learning new products, learning new techniques (in shooting, lighting, editing--on multiple programs), keeping up with new software, keeping up with all the actions to go with new software, keeping up with all social media, posting something in various social media outlets (often/daily), keeping your website up to date, knowing how to build/edit your site, blogging, getting permits/permission to shoot in certain areas, client education, maintenance on equipment, about twenty thousand other things, and then actually taking the pictures (with the right exposure, crop, focus, etc.).  During my hiatus the last couple of years, I've sort of lost my passion for it all.  That's sad to admit because I love photography.  I like looking at good photography.  I still enjoy shooting.  I still get excited to think about taking that perfect photo.  However, I have lost the passion for the rest that comes with running a true professional photography business.  I'm just not willing to devote the time and energy it takes, and the truth is, as of this moment I don't have the time because I'm still dealing with Jeff's health situation.  It's very true that there is quite a saturation of photographers (or those pursuing it, however good or bad they may be).  I don't want to get into the fact that everybody starts somewhere, and new have to come in to take over for old.  I will say that when those are coming into the industry sometimes (often) have very low prices, either because they feel they aren't worthy to charge professional rates, or they don't know that those rates are what they are because if you want to actually earn something in photography you have to charge those rates, and because of low rates consumers misjudge the value of photography.  It hurts photographers that are actually making a living on professional photography, those who want to make a living from photography, and it will ultimately hurt the consumer when their expectations are so skewed.  I have no desire to try to restart the fight of building a business to compete with that mentality, and keep up with all other photographer duties.  Right now I WANT to, and need be with my family.  I don't know when you'll stop seeing Lisa Bell Photography in places.  For now my website will be there, my Facebook page will sit, the blog will remain, and I still hold my business license.  I might be making a few changes, and updates from time to time, but as far as doing work it will be very few are far between.