Ha! So much for computer work - thunderstorm

Is the only lobster on tonight's bbq dinner with friends. Trying to get some retouching done for the folks waiting from friday.

New Cuties from the ACPS!

There are so many worthy pets at the ACPS and similar shelters. Please visit http://www.dogsindanger.com/

Adopt a Dog

And tell your friends to adopt dogs instead of buying in pet shops. Adopting dogs rather than buying from pet shops will save thousands of dogs from being euthanized in shelters every day. A dog is killed approximately every 9 seconds.

Spay or Neuter Your Dog

Spaying your dog prevents more homeless dogs.

Teach Your Children to Value Dog's Lives
Learning to value life begins at an early age. Studies have shown that teaching children how to stop the neglect and abuse of animals through early humane education stays with them into adulthood.

Thank you for visiting,
Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday everyone, I hope all are rested and ready for another work week. I personally have had a very busy and productive weekend. Retouching for my photographer clients, retouching on my own photography (Jada is such a cutie), ACPS shots yesterday some fun pics of my best friend Carolyn (there is nothing better than showing someone how beautiful they actually are).

So does texting while driving include the time youre parked in a traffic jam? If so... Im guilty.

Vote for my entry in the 2010 Professional Photographer Magazine Cover Contest

Vote for my entry in the 2010 Professional Photographer Magazine Cover Contest

Thank you for visiting,Sarah JusticeCherish-Live-Dream Photography

New swanky crocs

Well, I have finally purchased a pair of Crocs. I would have prefered brown, but the silver is growing on me. So very comfy! i cannot wait to test them with some real walking.

Journal 5/17/10

Well, what a busy weekend. Sorry for not checking in but it has been a frantic few days.

Saturday morning/afternoon, I spent a little time getting my feet wet doing a bit of photography at the ACPS - Jax. I will be volunteering weekly to take photos of the new residents. Check out a couple of the cuties that need a home. Visit http://www.coj.net/Departments/Environmental+and+Compliance/Animal+Care+and+Control/Pets+Online.htm to see them in person and many other furbabies that need homes.

OH! I've been approved to having a meeting with the ACPS so that I can offer free photoshoots for families that adopt shelter pets. I will have one day a month that folks and turn in their vouchers and receive a free mini session and 5x7 portrait :)

Later that afternoon I had the pleasure of taking photos with Jada and her mommy and daddy. Nothing like chasing a 2 year old around a park to get in your Weight Watcher's Activity Points! Major fun!

Sunday was a day of retouching, retouching, and more retouching. Thank goodness for ibuprofen! My hands were about ready to fall off.

So this week will continue to be busy as I keep working on my loads of retouching. Keep in mind that if you need retouching, my turn-around is pushing 2 weeks. (This does not apply to my own photography)

Thank you for visiting,
Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Journal 5/10/2010 Marketing

It is a funny thing that a professional graphic designer and do all sorts of groovy work for others, but when it comes to themselves the creative juices dry up like the Sahara Desert. I finally got some decals and magnets ordered for my car. Not the greatest or the best but I hope to generate a bit more business.

My visit to the ACPS really made an impact on me. It is amazing the amount of work to be done for all those animals with such a small amount of full time staff. I urge anyone with a little free time and a love for animals to volunteer. It can be as simple as petting a kitty or playing a little catch with the dogs. Granted for those that like scooping poop, that is always welcome as well. In honor of my visit, I made a little decal about spaying/neutering/adopting. I've seen many similar and I wanted my own!

Thank you for visiting,
Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Journal 5/9/2010 Happy Mother's Day!

For all you busy moms out there I'm sharing the recipe that I'm trying out today.

Yesterday, I reflected a bit on friendship. Well the recipe today is sorta related. Other friends of ours gave us some HUGE chunks of venison (Thanks Smitty and Donna!). I have never cooked venison and I'm on Weight Watchers, so I consulted their recipe database and found a Middle Eastern spin on a lamb stew. Lamb and Venison are a little similar in their texture, leanness, and gamy flavor. So check out my spin which should only be 7 points. (BTW the cumin, coriander and cayenne was added per my own taste in spices)

Middle Eastern Venison Slow Cooker Stew
POINTS: 7

15 oz canned chickpeas
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 large onion(s), chopped
1 large garlic clove(s), minced
2 tsp ginger root, freshly grated
1 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 pound(s) raw venison
3/4 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 tsp McCormick Ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Place venison in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, except lemon juice; stir well. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.
Stir in lemon juice and let stand for 5 minutes for flavors to blend. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving

Thank you for visiting and enjoy!
Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Journal 5/08/10 Friends

Today I am just having a little self reflection. There are people in each of our lives that we tend to take for granted. So very giving, forgiving, and patient. I am so very thankful for friends that understand busy schedules and still reach out that hand to remind us that they are still there, wanting to spend time with us.

Ted and Riss, we had a WONDERFUL time with you guys last night. Thank you for your patience and friendship. :P

Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Journal 5/07/2010 Dress-Up & Fashion Show in the Park

I am trying to put together a large play gathering at the park with an emphasis on dress-up and an casual fashion show.

What I was thinking was to invite vendors that might need child models and prospective clients for their goods. Vendors would all donate an item or service for a "door prize" that would be raffled off at the end of the event. The raffle ticket can be picked up when guests arrive and after they sign a model release for the photographs. Guests would be asked to bring their children, girls wearing leotards or onesies, boys in shorts (No nekkid kids, LOL!) and perhaps drinks or pre-packaged snacks.

While the children play, vendors can chat with guests, displaying and selling their goods/services. Any vendors needing a model may ask a parent if a child might pose for the camera wearing a specific outfit or accessory. I will be shooting the whole event and taking individual portraits for both the vendors and guests. Vendors will receive photos from the day at no charge. Guests can purchase their individual portraits for $15 ea. from my online gallery.

Guests are encouraged to bring their own dress-up outfits or costumes as well allowing the children to play dress-up. If parents have their own clothing/accessories to sell/trade with other parents, that too is welcome.

All guests and vendors would be asked to help watch over the little flock of children so it would be a fun event for everyone.

If you are a vendor and would like to collaborate, please contact me shoot@cld-photo.com

This is still a plan in the works, so details might change/improve etc.
Stay tuned for dates & location!

Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

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Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Journal 5/06/2010 Upcoming shoot ideas

Well, today has been a productive day. Not only have I cleared my desk at my dayjob (its is filling back up as we speak), I also managed to update a couple gallery pages, fix some meta tags, and added in some Paypal options on my pages.

I am now thinking of what is next on my professional agenda. I would like more natural light samples in my portfolio. I am trying to get a little girl "dress-up"/bow party together to capture the fun of an outdoor party with fairy and princesses running about having tea parties. A friend of mine is figuring out the details. I will attend and take photos, placing them all in a gallery for parents to purchase. There will most likely be a photography door price where one lucky parent will get all their photos at no charge.

I am also trying to build up my senior portfolio. I want to shoot fun, not so traditional images. I'm in the market for some cool locations to really make my images stand out. Granted it feels like it will be a hot summer this year so most shoots will need to be in the mornings or late afternoons (packing bug spray).

With my great outdoors train of thought, I would love to shoot some romance photos of couple or engagements. If you have the need, give me a holler and I will give you a price/quality that no one else can beat.

I am tackling my pet market starting this weekend with my volunteer efforts. I hope my simple lighting solutions will work and I'm eager to see how my first batch of pound pets turn out.

Thank you for visiting,

Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Looking for HS Senior Models - FREE SESSION!

Check me out at Cherish-Live-Dream Photography
Send me a snapshot to shoot@cld-photo.com

Free Session.
As Many Looks as you Can Fit in Two Hours.
Multiple Locations (ie. Studio and Natural Light)
10 Professionally Retouched (note I do not use the word edited - there's a difference) Portraits.
All on CD-Rom with Personal Printing Rights.

Thank you,

Sarah Justice

CLD Pawprints and Holiday Galleries updated!

Please visit my website and take a look around! Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Journal 5/5/2010 Myocastor coypus

Today I had the pleasure of seeing in real live nature something that I had only witnessed on Discovery Channel - A Myocastor coypus (or nutria). From the window of the dilapidated building containing my day job, I watched a mother and 5 babies as they munched and frolicked in the slimy retention pond next to the road. Normally we only get to watch the turtles sunbathing, so this this was actually a bit of a treat.

From Wiki:
The coypu, or nutria (Myocastor coypus), is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent and the only member of the family Myocastoridae. Originally native to temperate South America, it has since been introduced to North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, primarily by fur ranchers.^[2] Although it is still valued for its fur in some regions, its destructive feeding and burrowing behaviors make this invasive species a pest throughout most of its range.

There are two commonly-used names in the English language for Myocastor coypus. The name nutria (or local derivatives such as "nutria- or nutra- rat") is generally used in North America and Asia; however, in Spanish-speaking countries, the word nutria refers to the otter. To avoid this ambiguity, the name coypu (derived from the Mapudungun word kóypu)^[3] is used in Latin America and Europe.^[4] In France, the coypu is known as a ragondin. In Dutch it is known as beverrat (beaver rat). In Italy, instead, the popular name is, like in North America and Asia, nutria, but it is also called castorino (little beaver), by which its fur is known.

Coypus live in burrows alongside stretches of water. They feed on river plants, and waste close to 90% of the plant material while feeding on the stems. ^[5]

Thank you for visiting,

Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Journal 5/4/2010 Baby Its Hot Out There!

Well it definitely feels like summer here in NE FLA. After painful electric bills over the winter I am aggressively attacking our energy consumption. I have decided to start with the thermostat.

Reading http://hubpages.com/hub/Setting-your-thermostat pretty much gives you the overall plan that I am initiating. When indoors, if you feel hot, tun on a fan or put on some shorts. Our AC will only go to 76 at night and other than that it will be set on 78 continuously. I hope it makes a difference, because I think it will be a hot one this year.

As for business: I'm working with a few pageant folks to try to get some summer bookings, I hope to be shooting an engagement session at the zoo (I'm excited!) and I still have yet to hear from the Humane Society.

Thank you for visiting,
Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Journal 5/3/2010

Well, after a very productive weekend, I enter Monday in an optimistic and energetic mood. So many things to do in the next few weeks. I was considering building professional portfolio online. I know many designers use fancy layouts and scripts, but I think I will just build something that is very simple. More like an interactive resume.

I need to think of graphic elements that rather summarize my look and feel. That is rather challenging. It is difficult for anyone to design for themselves. It is much easier to put together graphics for a client. I am a creative sort, having many styles and themes that I personally like. Perhaps I will just go really, really simple and do basic black.

I know this is my photography blog, but until I come into my own, I will need to keep a full time position in order to survive. These days we must all wear many hats.

So stay tuned and hopefully this weekend I will have my new professional port page built :)

Thank you for visiting,

Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Kitchen Parade: Oatmeal: How & Why to Cook It Every Day

Cute page on ways to make oatmeal :)
Kitchen Parade: Oatmeal: How & Why to Cook It Every Day

Thank you for visiting,

Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography

Journal 5/01/10 Turkey Bacon

Living healthy often results in changing out some of your more tasty favorites for substitutes. This morning I had the pleasure of having turkey bacon. Well, I cannot say it tasted like turkey or like bacon, but it did have the consistency of fried Spam.

From Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_bacon):
The meat for turkey bacon comes from the thigh of the turkey and can be cured or uncured, smoked, chopped, and reformed into strips that resemble traditional pork bacon. Turkey bacon is cooked by pan-frying, and has a texture that can range from that of Canadian bacon to Beggin' Strips.^[1] Cured turkey bacon made from dark meat can be 90% fat free, and tastes more like ham than bacon^[2]. It can be used in the same manner as traditional bacon (such as in a BLT sandwich),^[1] but the low fat content of turkey bacon means it does not shrink while being cooked and has a tendency to stick to the pan.^[2]

Thank you for visiting,

Sarah Justice
Cherish-Live-Dream Photography