Jennifer's Blog

Last Blog

2010-07-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

Too much too keep up with 2 different blogs - even one blog is too much at this point. Ha. I love writing and journaling, but it's just become low on the priority list.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to contact me with any questions on the website or facebook : )

Sold....almost

2010-04-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

I'm almost hesitant to write about this. We are under contract on our house and we have made an offer on another house!! I am so excited yet so anxious too. We just hope everything goes well with closing and all deals are final.

So what's the next step for us? Good question - planning to close ASAP and then move by the 19th of May. We will have to close shop for a couple of weeks till we can get things back in order as far as the studio is concerned. It will be hectic, chaotic, nerve racking, frustrating and just a hassle - BUT IT WILL BE WORTH IT!!

I will try to keep you all posted on our progress! Pray for us as we transition from one place to another.

Our House - for sale by owner - that's us!

2010-01-06T10:41:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

Burrrr it's cold. Can someone turn up the thermostat to at least above freezing! ha! Guess we are stuck inside for a few a days. Might snow tomorrow!

Anyway, for a while now we have been going back and forth on selling our house. The problem is not the house -we love it- it's just my studio is becoming to small. I need more space for work and there's just no other option but to move if I want to work from home. And I totally want to work from home. It's makes life a little easier with a toddler at home to be close by.

So we decided to sell by owner for now and see how things go. I don't want to give a lot of info out over the web, but I will post lots of pics. It's a 3 bed, 2 bath, 2100 sq foot home. 2 Car attached garage and 1 car detached garage with 600 square foot (the studio) building that has half bath. The studio can easily be used for anything you want - man cave, hobby room, home office or guest house - endless possiblities.

Please let me know if you or someone you know is interested. I will be glad to give them all the details.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-21T11:12:00.001-08:00

Well it's been quite a year. Murphy has done so much this year from sitting up, to standing, to walking and now running. He still loves wheels and books. We just watched "Cars" the other night and he actually watched it and loves it. He's getting lots of toys and books for Christmas. I am excited to see him open packages this year. I hope he gets excited about the gifts.

Also this year we made it through another deployment. Thank goodness Jason is home safe and we are all back together. I was a single parent for 5 months and that's no fun at all. I really had a lot of help from family and friends... they made it so much easier for me and Murphy.

We had a great first birthday and welcome home party for Jason.

We had a fun Halloween with Murphy as a lion

and Thanksgiving was great too. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Please keep our troops in your prayers, especially this time of year.

We are looking forward to a wonderful holiday season. Taking some much needed time off! Thank you to my wonderful clients for making this a year so great!

Jennifer

Quick update

2009-11-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

Been a busy girl these days. I am blessed by so many wonderful clients!

Our family is doing well. Murphy is of course into everything. He loves being outside, looking at books and reading with us, he loves watching wonder pets and yo gabba gabba (weird show but he likes it) and he really loves doing " down, set, hut" with Jason and tackling him.

Jason and my mom have been lifesavers - they have had to watch him a lot for me lately since this is the busy time for the studio. Christmas sessions, fall sessions, seniors and orders are taking up all my time. I can't complain though.We are planning to take a long break during Christmas! I am just trying to stay above water right now.

We had a great Halloween - Murphy was a lion, I was a tiger ( Auburn tiger) and Jason was "the Bear" as in Paul Bear Bryant. I thought that was clever of us!

If I don't get back to this by Christmas I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful holiday season! All we want for Christmas is to be healthy and happy with our family. We have not forgotten the troops either - may they be safe and return home very soon!

Christmas Card Designs and Order Process

2009-11-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

Please Read the Information about Cards and Ordering.

Christmas Card Prices and Packages

All CARDS come with Envelopes

Deadline to place CARD Orders is November 30th!

Deadline for Regular prints is December 4th

Each card design has a name, please specifythe card you want by it’s name.Once you have placed the order we will send you a proof of the card through your slideshow or email.

Please proof the card and let us know any changes.

1. Choose Card Type:

5x7 Linen Cards Front and Back Design:

Front side choose one pose and custom wording

back of card can have up to 3 images/poses

Set of 24: $75 Set of 48: $125

Set of 72: $175 Set of 96: $225

5x7 Matte Photo Paper

One Side CardsOne image/pose only and custom wording

25 -75 count $1.75 each

75-150 count $1.50 each

more than 150 count $1.25 each

Prints in Bulk (same pose)

25 or more 4x6 $1.15 each

25 or more 5x7 $1.30 each

Christmas Special: $225

Includes: 2-8x10, 3-5x7,16 wallets and Set of 48 (5x7) front and back cards

this special can be used from any session at Jennifer Photography

2. Choose a Card Design

Card Name: Season's Greetings

Card Name: Script Christmas

Card Name: Ribbon Christmas

Card Name: Post Card

Card Name: Plaid

Card Name: Round Peace

Card Name: Green Snowflakes

Card Name: Green and Black Front and Back

Card Name: Girl Christmas

Card Name: Candy Cane

Card Name: Button

Card Name: Bow

3. CALL ME WITH YOUR ORDER ASAP!

Wheew! What a month!

2009-10-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ok so by my really overdue blog posts you can tell how busy I've been. Here's what's been going on: Jason got home on the 11th. We had a Murphy's birthday and welcome home Jason party on the 12th. Murphy turned one on the 14th. I had a birthday on the 15th. We took a family vacation to Gatlinburg for 4 days. Jason started back to work. I started back to work. And now we finally are back in our regular routine.

My work load has doubled. I am so swamped! I can't complain though - I was thrilled to get Jason home and take some time off to be with my family. We needed some down time to get back to normal. Sometimes your vacation time off equals double time later when you get back to work.

We had a great celebration - with Jason being home and Murphy's birthday. He loved eating his cake! We had over 50 people at house for the party. So much fun, but exhausting too. Especially since we just got home the day before from picking up Jason. Here are some pictures from all the events.

Thank you for your prayers for Jason's safe return. Praise God.

Yes I made the cake myself - cake rookie - thought I did pretty good though.

Preparing for Double Celebrations

2009-08-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

We are counting down the days till Jason comes home... less than 3 weeks away now. I can't wait to see his face and I really can't wait to see his reaction to Murphy. I know he is so ready to hold his son in his arms! I can't even imagine being away from my baby this long. I can hardly stand being away a few hours.

We are planning a family party for Jason coming home and for Murphy's first birthday. It will be a busy time, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Our family has done so much while Jason has been gone. I feel we need to have a thank you party too.

The last few weeks have been fun - we've been to Birmingham to see Laura Beth, Katy and Chris. I also met up with my old Auburn roommate Melissa and took pics of her new baby girl. We stayed at Ross Bridge (which is fabulous) and took pics there. Hotel rooms make great pics!

We went to the river shack one day and I rode my brothers wave runner...that was so much fun. I needed that - freedom on the water! Felt good to just ride away and let wind blow through my hair.

Other than that we've just been hanging out and working. Murphy is doing so much he actually took some steps on his own yesterday - about 5 or 6 with out falling. He's gonna be running before I know it! He likes to read his books, taps on each page and talks about each picture. He's been rolling a green ball around and chasing it all over the house. It's amazing how much he is doing now. He's such a good baby.... he naps well, eats well, plays well and is friendly with everyone.

I've got a lot to get done in the next few weeks...first birthday and daddy coming home are all big deals! My baby is almost a year old....can't even believe it.

Here are some updated shots of him:

Here he is playing in the hotel room at Ross Bridge.

Playing in the yard on a sunny day...

Proud Friend

2009-07-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to blog on this so I wouldn't forget when it happened and how I felt:

Wow - Whoo Hooo! Josh Willingham hit two grand slams last night in one game! That's rarely done - he's actually the 13th player to have ever done this in baseball history. Ginger and Josh are good friends of mine. We went to Mars Hill, Ginger and I graduated together, and have lots of memories from our days there. They brought Rhett here to the studio for his first year pictures. I am so proud of them and all their accomplishments. Ginger especially amazes me. She lives away from her family and friends Feb - Sept with few visits home. She's also a great mom to Rhett. I admire her strength to move from here to there and go and do all that she does. Sometimes the players get a lot of recognition (and they should) but I know that Josh would agree that Ginger deserves a pat on the back too! I know with Jason just being gone for a few months and not having a husband around all the time is very exhausting. It must be hard with Josh on the road all the time. They've also had a hard summer - Jon Willingham, Josh's younger brother was killed in a car accident in June. I went to the funeral and I was so moved by all the words spoken about Jon. His family will never be the same. But we honor Jon by "doing the next right thing" and by "having joy." The Willingham's are a great example of praising God in the storm. I pray for them.

Denise, Jon, and Josh looking at pics of newborn Rhett

Uncle Jon with Rhett

Rhett at 6 months old.

As for our family, we are just counting down till Jason comes homes. Probably about 6 weeks left. He's been gone now for 3 months and we are really missing him around here. I can't wait till he gets home - I get butterflies just thinking about him getting back and seeing Murphy. He's just going to be amazed at all the things he's doing - taking some steps with my help, definitely crawling and into everything. He loves his class at church and enjoys any music. He dances or jumps when songs come on. He loves the playing with the blinds, cabinets and drawers. We shouldn't have bought any toys. Molly is learning to like him and Murphy just wants to pet her as long as she doesn't bark. He blinks his eyes everytime she barks.

It's not me...

2009-07-14T08:14:00.001-07:00

Ok, so apparently in the newspaper today there was a 29 yr old Jennifer Lynn Tidwell of Waterloo, Al charged with endangerment of her child -something about drugs... not sure. Anyway, THAT'S NOT ME. I'm sure most of you know me better than that. However her name and age are almost exact of mine. My full name is Jennifer Lynn Murphy Tidwell... and I'm 28 and I live in Killen. So, I just wanted to clear the air.

Murphy is doing great. He is 10 months old today! WOW! He's pulling up on things, a little cautious though. He's still army crawling everywhere, and boy can he get places fast. I know as soon as he walks he will run. I've been wanting to get in shape, so I think I'm about to get my chance. He has two teeth on the bottom and is saying mama and dada and some other funny sounds that I just don't know what to call them. He's the best thing and a joy in my life. Jason is missing him so much. We talk a good bit and are able to use webcams about 2 times a week. We are half way through the deployment now so I feel like I can sort of start the countdown.

We had a wonderful July 4th in Tennesse at my uncle Paul's lake house. The have an awesome house on Tims Ford Lake. Beautiful! Lots of boating, swimming and eating... and very little sleeping, but that what it's all about. We have around 25 people there each year - 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms... always makes for an interesting time. Our family looks forward to this every year. This year wasn't the same with out Jason. He loves the 4th more than anyone I know. I'm so proud of him for serving our country and sacrificing his time away from family and friends.

Bittersweet

2009-06-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to journal a little. We've been adjusting to Jason not being here. It's hard not having your partner around to help with all the little things. My mom has really been a HUGE help. I think I would have had to put my business on hold if it weren't for her. She's here at least 2 days a week and then she comes after too so I can do afternoon sessions. I also have help from my neighbor Sarahann - she comes once a week to watch Murphy and then the other times I am usually keeping him. We make it work. My Pop has been cutting the grass for us - and brother helps too. We are so blessed to have our family and friends.

We went swimming at my granny's house this week - Murphy loves the water and enjoys splashing. He wants to just go and swim all by himself. I love playing with him and taking him to do fun things, I just hate Jason is not there with us - it's bittersweet. He got his first tooth this week and there again it's so exciting to see these milestones and new changes, but it would be ten times better if Jason were here too. I've realized how much I depend on him for so many things. I really don't think I will take him for granted anymore. Be thankful for those that serve our country and miss out on their families lives.

We do get to see other from time to time on the web cams. That's a great invention. Jason gets to watch Murphy crawling around and clap his hands. It's the best thing! I'm glad they are able to see one another.

We also celebrated Misti's (my sis n law) birthday Wednesday at Ricatoni's and my brother's bday will be Monday - so HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YALL!

Hope you all have a great week.

Jason is There.

2009-05-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

Murphy went to Murphy Bros a few weeks ago to see his Papa in action. Papa had a special jacket made for him with his name on the front and the Murphy Turf Farms logo on the back. So cute.

Thank you all so much for the prayers and support during this difficult time. I hope the time goes by fast. It's hard without your helper around. He's the one I could count on to "hand me this and that and run go get"...you know when you have a baby your hands are full. So I miss the little things, but I just mostly miss him. Pray for his safe return.

Summer is almost here and we are looking forward to spending some time at the pool. Murphy loves the water. We took him to the Marriott and let him swim for the first time before Jason left and it was great. He's a natural swimmer.

I will try to keep you all posted on Jason and how he's doing. I know he made it there and is doing fine. Just trying to adjust to 110 degree weather, sandstorms and the time difference (8 hrs ahead)

Cost of Freedom...

2009-03-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends.

Hope you all are doing well. I have some news that I wanted to share. I've actually known about this for a while, but have been hesitant to talk about it. Jason (my husband) will be leaving in May for a 5 month deployment to Iraq. We knew this would always be a possibility with him being in the military - I just wish he wouldn't have to miss the 2nd half Murphy's first year. He'll miss so much - crawling, walking, first birthday - you know all those firsts that you can't ever get back. Dads and moms all over our nation sacrifice so much to serve our nation. They miss baseball games, little league soccer, dance recitals and just simply getting to tuck their kids in bed at night. So tonight, after you've had a long day and your kids have been driving you crazy, be glad you were there to witness their life, their day, their tantrums and their smiles. We take for granted these things until they are taken from us.

THANK YOU MILITARY FAMILIES FOR YOUR DAILY SACRIFICE!

Pray for our family! I have a lot of family and friends here to support me. My mom is such a big help with Murphy and I've got people that are willing to stay here with me when I need company. I believe in the power of prayer and I know God will watch over us and bring our family back together. These will be challenging months, but I have faith that it will make us stronger and more appreciative of each other.

MARCH is half over....

2009-03-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Yet again another month is here and I am just now getting around to blogging. Murphy is doing well. Getting bigger - he weighs almost 15 lbs now - which is huge for us because he started out so small and took forever to gain weight. Everyday it amazes me at how much he is learning and all the new milestones he meets. He's rolling over and gibber gabbering alot. He says momma or something that sounds like it. I have it on video if you don't believe me...haha (see video below)He loves to go strolling and his favorite cartoons are Blues Clues and Wonder Pets (to be honest I like the wonder pets just as much as he does) he laughs out loud when they are on. He also loves Moose on the Noggin channel.

This has already been a busy month. I had some new cabinets and desk built for the studio, Jason had his 30th Birthday, and my mom had a bday as well. So lots of celebrating going on here. I'm going to get those pics on here ASAP. I'm so bad about downloading pics from "little camera."

Here are some new pics. We will be taking 6 month pics next week.

It's February?!?!

2009-02-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

I can't believe February is already here and Valentines Day is just a few days away. I am having so much fun with Murphy he is really growing. His new favorite thing is his exersaucer. He loves being able to stand and turn around and look at the fun things to play with. He is sleeping through the night and take a nap in the afternoon for about 3 hours - which is really nice for me too! I love having some free time to clean house, do laundry, get a shower and work in the studio - I guess you wouldn't call that "free time" more like less distraction time. Haha.

He's not rolling over yet. He sure does get close though. Any day now I feel like he take will his first roll. Then I'll have to watch him even more closely - strap him down to the changing table...haha.

Here are some new pics of Murphy. I am planning on taking some Valentine pics this week. He's probably getting tired of me taking his pic all the time. I think Jason and I are going to the Marriot in Florence for a night and just getting of the house for a change. I am looking forward to that.

It's All NEW To Me

2009-01-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had Merry Christmas - Murphy with Santa at the Fire Deptartment Christmas Party.

Happy New Year!

Well this year started off pretty well for our family. We visited some of our family in Birmingham and to ring in 2009. We also stayed at the fabulous Marriott at Ross Bridge. If you haven't been there I highly recommend it - it's beautiful! We are planning to go back in the summer so we can soak up some sun at there awesome pool! Anyway, I hope you all had a great holiday and enjoyed being with your children. We had so much fun with Murphy Alan, even though he's just a baby, we bought a few little gifts for him. We are looking forward to many more!

With a new year comes a lot of new things to consider. Some of us make resolutions - mine are very simple. I want to serve God and give Him the glory in all that I do. This is something that we sometimes forget. We get caught up in "look what I did" or "I'm successful because of what I've done" when really all our blessings are from Him. Praise God for all he has given!

I have a lot of NEW things to share with you. I'm a new mom as most of you know so I'm learning how to juggle work, wife and motherhood. I work from home so I sometimes get distracted with Murphy inside and me outside working. My mom and husband keep him, but I still want to be with him so I catch myself checking in on him quite a bit. My schedule is new because of trying to juggle who can keep can Murphy. I will only be working one Saturday a month. So if you need an appointment please plan ahead and let me know. Another NEW is props. I am starting to shop around for some new props to use in the studio. With the space I have here I sort of have to be smart about what I buy and keep. Also please know that you are always welcome to bring props from home - it's always nice to have something sentimental in the shots.

I will post more later on some new products and new services we may be offering in the spring and summer.

Here are some pics from the Holidays - as well as our Christmas Card and my Mom's Christmas Card too! Quite funny!

front

Inside Spread

back

Just Can't Help Myself

2008-12-04T09:04:00.002-08:00

Murphy is finally getting bigger (10 pounds)and growing into his outfits that I've been waiting for him to wear. I love hats! He has pretty blonde hair, but I love hats on him for some reason. Probably because it's the only accessory available for boys. Girls have some many options of bows, jewerly and waaay cute clothes - but boys sort of get stuck with plain outfits - so I have to spruce him up with a hat every so often. Now that he's in these outfits that I love so much I can't help but take his picture. This is already getting out of hand - but I don't care - it's so much fun. We spent most of Wed before Thanksgiving doing Murphy's 3 month session. He's not 3 mo yet, but I am trying to get something together for a Christmas card. I'm sure I'll take more in a couple weeks when he's actually 3 months. I realize that I put his pics on the site a lot, but there again, I can't help myself. I want everyone to see my sweet baby! Forgive me : )

Thanks Misti for helping with the pics of our family.

Check out more of Murphy's pics on the website - his password is murphy.

We've been really busy here, just trying to get orders in for Christmas and such. We will be taking a break from Dec 22- Jan 5 for the holidays. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. Good luck shopping and fighting the crowds. I think I'm going to be doing a lot of online shopping this year - baby and shopping just don't mix right now.

Long time No Blog....

2008-11-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

8 weeks old here

Ok let's see if I can remember what's been going on the last few weeks...

First of all - my computer has a virus! So the past 2 days I haven't been able to work on anything. My photo shop was disabled along with several other programs. My pictures are all backed up, but it's taking a while to get the software back. What a headache! I know so many of you are waiting on your proofs. I promise one of these days things will get back to normal. New baby, new schedule, and computer problems can really set you back!

Murphy is doing well. He's slowly growing - he's really long and skinny. Just like my brother was when he was little. I've been nursing and supplementing with formula - which is not what I intended to do, but he wasn't gaining as much weight as he needed to. Has anyone else had this problem? Also when we switched to formula he started having trouble going poop and is still struggling with that - does anyone have any suggestions? We've switched formula several times, tried the Karo syrup, warm baths, suppositories , you name it we've tried it! I'll take any suggestions.

Other than that little problem we are doing great. Trying to get back into the swing of things at work - that's been hard, but I'm making progress. I'm blessed that my mom and husband are able to help to keep him so we don't have to worry about daycare expenses. I'm also blessed to work from home and be able to look in on him as much as I want.

We've had lots of visitors and have enjoyed everyone meeting our precious little boy. He's been to church about 5 times - the first church visit was to my grandfathers church where he preaches - Colbert Heights Church of Christ - I thought it was appropriate for his first sermon to come from his great grandfather. I hope we can go hear him more!

We had a fun halloween - Jason was supposed to dress as a firefighter and Murphy was his companion as a dalmation. However, we were doing good just getting Murphy dressed. We made the rounds visiting family and getting pics with everyone. Then after Halloween - Nov 1st was our 5 year anniversary so made a trip to Nashville to the Opryland Hotel - we took Murphy too. It was great to get out of town - however taking a baby on an overnight trip is a lot of work as most of you already know. It takes a lot to keep such a small person happy - stoller, diapers, bottles, clothes, bibs, bags, blankets and all the other stuff for entertaining.

So life has totally changed - it now takes an hour to do something that used to take 10 minutes, I require very little sleep, and I am able to warm a bottle, hold a baby and talk on the phone all at the same time. It's amazing how you just know how to do stuff for your child - the motherly instinct just kicks right in. It's the best thing ever! I love being a mom and I wouldn't trade it for anything. He's our joy and makes everyday special.

Professionally - back to work and trying to get orders and sessions completed. We are not doing christmas sessions this year, but we will next year. It's too much to take that on right now. Hope you will all understand. Right now I am booked through the end of year and taking appointments for January 2009.

Wow....has it been 4 weeks!

2008-10-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how the time has gone by - we aren't sleeping a lot, but other than that all is well. I am lovin being a mom - the hardest best job ever! I love Murphy Alan so much and he is the joy of our life. Most days are spent feeding and changing and trying to get a nap. I was going to post more, but baby needs me.... more later.

Jen

Updates on Murphy Alan....

2008-09-20T12:27:00.001-07:00

This has been one of the best times of my life. I can't believe that tomorrow has been one week since he came into this world.

Ok so here's how it all happened. On Friday the 12th I started having contractions about 10 or 12 minutes apart. Not bad ones, just enough to make me uncomfortable. These continued through Saturday and by Sunday morning at 3 am I was tired of going through this at home. I talked to my doctor and he said to come in and we would get things going. Well they got going in a hurry. We got to the hospital around 7 am Sunday morning and by 2:27 we had a little boy! It was really fast. Thank goodness for epidurals!!

He weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 19 inches long. He has the most beautiful head of blonde hair - it's so soft! I can't keep my hands off him - I could just stare at him all day. Feedings are going well - we started nursing an hour after he was born and he latched right on. I feel so lucky to be able to provide his nourishment. It's wonderful to bond with your baby this way.

We had lots of visitors Sunday night - mostly family and some close friends. We came home on Tues afternoon and have been here just hanging out. He's sleeping a lot, but when he's awake he's so alert and just looks around. He's a great baby and let's us sleep most of the time. We usually have to wake him up for feedings.

There are some pics online - go to proofs and enter password: murphy

Also if you get on facebook I have posted pics there as well.

That's all for now - I'm sure I will have lots to say in the next few weeks.

Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes.

IT'S A BOY! HE'S HERE!!

2008-09-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

MURPHY ALAN TIDWELL IS HERE!!

Born Sept 14th at 2:27 p.m.

6 pounds 2 ounces

19 inches

MORE PICS LATER - these were taken with my cell camera - this was the fastest way to get them online for now.

Patience....

2008-09-04T10:25:00.001-07:00

I WILL BE ON MATERNITY LEAVE SEPTEMBER 18- OCTOBER 24

I went to the doctor yesterday and things are progressing. As of right now I will have a baby by the 22nd of this month. I am so excited, but it's hard to be patient. There's a lot on my plate right now with work and getting ready for this new life. I have a full week of appointments of next week and then I am going to try to get orders out and proofs done before we go to the hospital.

Here's what I need from you - my wonderful clients. I need your patience. I don't know how I'm going to get all this done in two weeks, but I'm going to try. However, if I don't get to your proofs or orders before Murphy gets here I am asking that you please be patient till the end of October or beginning of November to get them.

Misti will be in the studio one or two days a week checking messages and mail for anything that may come in. So you may get a call from her. If you email an order it may not be checked for a while.

Most of you are moms so I know you will understand. Thanks for your patience.

MAKIN ROOM FOR BABY

2008-08-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

YARD SALE - SATURDAY MORNING!! AUG 30th! CENTER STAR _ PLANTATION VILLAGE
Here are some pics from our materity session....

Thanks Jason for being a good sport and thanks Misti for helping take the pics.

View all images at http://www.jenphotography.com/ - Enter site, click on proofs and enter password: jenmaternity

GARAGE/YARD SALE - THIS SATURDAY - the 30th!

2008-08-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

Ok so here's your chance to get in on some great deals! I am cleaning out the house and studio to make room for the new baby. I'll just say "I'm old school" when it comes to yard sales. I want to sell everything which means I sell cheap. I have several studio props that I am selling - chairs, ottomans, benches, etc. I am also selling clothes and home decor items.

PLEASE COME TO MY YARD SALE. It will be at our house - right next to the studio!

RAIN OR SHINE!

What was I thinking????

2008-08-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

Ok this past weekend was absolutely exhausting. I worked on my feet all day Saturday at Mars Hill doing their senior formal pictures. Everything went just fine but I was so tired when I was done. Then on Sunday after church I photographed Show Choir students at Mars Hill for the program. I know I was getting tired because everything little thing bothered me - parents kept taking pics while I was and it was messing up my lights - so I know of one time that I had to raise my voice to them. Sorry! I'm just pregnant and hormonal and tired. When I got home last night around 5 I just sat down and cried. I hope this is normal....haha.

Anyway that was my weekend.

I was looking at my schedule over the next few weeks and I don't have a break except for the weekends. I am trying to decide what to do to alleviate some of the stress I'm feeling. I might be calling some of you to reschedule or postpone your appointment to later. I am just getting to the point where I can 't do this anymore. My body aches and I'm not sleeping at night. If I call ya just please be understanding. It's mostly my fault for thinking I could keep up my regular busy schedule up until the baby arrives....WHAT WAS I THINKING!?!?!

PROOFS - I know some of you are wondering why your proofs aren't posted yet. Misti (my assistant) was out of town for 10 days which left me doing her jobs and just put me behind. She's back now and we are trying to get caught up. Hopefully by the end of this week we will be back on track of getting those out in a timely manner
Hope you all have a nice week!

Jennifer

Takin Care of Business...

2008-08-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

The one bad thing about being a photographer - it's hard to get someone else to take your picture! The blog pic is taken in our bedroom mirror with a cell phone camera.... hahaha.

Just some info I wanted to pass along....

I am now 34 weeks pregnant and it's getting harder and harder for me to take pics. Getting up and down off the floor is not easy and my back is really starting to hurt.... I need a massage! Anyway with that said I am no longer taking any more appointments. I am pretty booked right now anyway until mid September. If you are currently on the baby plan and need an appointment for a 6, 9, or 12 month session call IMMEDIATELY.

Thank you for being patient as well. I hope to be caught up as much as possible by the time Murphy Alan gets here so I won't have as much to do when coming back to work. I will be off the whole month of October with the exception of few appointments at the end of that month.

These next few weeks are going to be crazy - I think I'm getting the symptoms of nesting. We've had 2 showers and our friends have been so generous! I have a lot of organizing to do and just little details to wrap up here and there. I'll keep you all posted as much as possible!

Thanks for your thoughts, prayers, and words of support and encouragement!

Jennifer

This is Murphy Alan's room after our shower at Sherrod Ave Church of Christ.

Soon to be Daddy

2008-07-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks J!

My husband Jason and I are really getting excited about the birth of our son. We can't believe that we only have about 2 months left then all of a sudden we'll be parents. I am so blessed that Jason will be off work for a few weeks to help me with Murphy. We've been together over 6 years so it will be change going from just us to a family, but we welcome it with open arms. Jason has been working extra hard the last few months and I really appreciate all he does for us. Being pregnant is hardest of course on the mom, but I know daddys to be have a lot on their plates as well. Jason you rock and I could not go through this with out you! I love you!

Update: I'm 31 weeks and all is well. Murphy Alan is very active and has hiccups a lot!

Pic taken of me and Jason at my cousins wedding in May - sweet!

Hot Mama...

2008-07-22T09:27:00.001-07:00

No More Outdoor....

Well I knew it was going to happen. It's supposed to reach 101 today - wow that's hot, especially for a pregnant woman. Normally this time of year I cancel appointments when it's this hot just because I worry about the client sweating throughout the entire session. However, this year I have someone else to think about as well - baby Tidwell. I went to my doctor yesterday and everything is going just fine, but we are concerned about me being out in the heat. So as of today I am not scheduling anymore outdoor sessions. If you already have an outdoor session scheduled I will keep you on the book and if something should come up we may have to reschedule, but for now I am trying to keep those appointments. I'm only going to get bigger and it's probably not going to cool off any time soon. So it's in my best interest to stop pushing myself to do the outdoor sessions. Thank you for being understanding during my pregnancy. So many of you have called and asked about me and I really appreciate your concern. I will try to keep you posted as we count down to delivery day!

Baby "Bump" in the Road

2008-07-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone -

Just wanted to update everyone on my pregnancy. Last week (Thursday) my blood pressure became very low and I had to be taken to hospital by ambulance. Apparently I passed out and became unresponsive for about 15 minutes. It scared us all, but I'm ok now. I was admitted to Crestwood on Friday in Huntsville and several tests were run on my heart. Thank goodness all is well with me and the baby. He was fine the whole time - it was me they worried about. It was determined that I was severely dehydrated, had a sinus infection and my blood pressure bottomed out. So I am trying to drink more and rest. I've just been doing to much I guess - so I need to slow down.

Other than that episode everything else is fine. Just got to be better about hydrating myself and resting when I can. I'm sure most of you moms understand. I plan to get back to work on Wed. and see how that goes. Please be patient with me as I am trying to get caught up from being out for almost 6 days now. Call me if you have questions about orders or proofs. Hopefully I can get back on schedule by next week.

Thanks for your prayers
Jennifer

BEACH GET A WAY

2008-06-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

Greetings from a refreshed photographer!

My family and I got a chance to get out of town and head south to Destin for a few days last week. We had a great time and of course I couldn't resist getting some pictures while we were there. My dad and my assistant Misti (also my brother's girlfriend) were able to get some maternity shots of me. I realize it's a little early to be making these pics, but I couldn't pass up the beach scene with my belly. Here are some shots of us. We attempted a jumping picture....haha! I had the camera set up on a tripod and we were trying to time it just right to jump. It didn't work quite as well as I hoped, but still fun!

Pregnancy Update: I am 26 weeks and feeling great. We are working on the nursery and getting the house ready for a little one. My doc says everything is moving along like normal. We have decided to call him Murphy Alan - Murphy(my maiden name) and Alan (in memory of Jason's dad) so it's a mix of our families. I love it! I will keep you all posted on my progress.

BRING YOUR LETTERS

2008-06-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine, Rebecca, had a neat idea for a picture. She took the name letters off the wall and brought them to the studio. I photographed each letter individually with each child in hopes of coming up with a really neat collage that spells out their name. Thanks Rebecca for the great idea and hopefully this will spark some imagination for future clients.

I love these kids, they are always so much fun and keep us on our toes!

Click on collage samples below to see larger image.

Katy and Chris's Wedding

2008-05-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

OH HAPPY DAY(s)
Just wanted to share my fun weekend with everyone and posts some pics of the great time. My cousin Katy got married on Saturday to a wonderful guy we all love. They are a special couple and I was thrilled to be part of the day. We had a bridesmaid luncheon on Friday then rehearsal that night and then of course the wedding was Saturday. Lots of family and friends were there to support them and they had a beautiful day.

My husband Jason and I were in the wedding so I did not photograph this wedding. I did her bridal portrait and I took a few shots here and there at the wedding and other events. I wanted to enjoy the day and not be worried about pictures. A photography friend of mine, Alyson Clemons, shot the wedding. She's from Huntsville and did a great job - she's almost 5 months pregnant with twin girls (thanks Alyson!) The pictures should be posted in a few weeks - this is her website: http://www.erpbyalyson.com/ check her out sometime.

Katy and Chris,
We enjoyed your day so much and it was an honor to stand with you and witness this blessed occasion. Have fun on your honeymoon and we will see yall soon!

Here are some pictures from the weekend!

Practicing their first dance

NEW PANEL - MORE MODERN

2008-05-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

Ok here goes my great idea for the new baby panel. Forget the days of just one picture from each session ( you know the tradtional panel with 3,6,9,and12 month picture) now you can have several pictures to show off from the sessions. My friend Ginger started this with her son Rhett when they came at the 3 month session and we just continued throughout the whole baby plan. At the end of the 4 sessions she had 4 collages that she hung all together on a wall and we call it the new and much improved baby panel. You can do it in color or black and white. It's up to you.

Basically each collage is a square 12x12 print with 9 pictures on each one. Just pick out your favorite 9 and we will design the first collage and then keep that same layout throughout the first year.

Each collage is $110.00 - so that's $440 over one year period - and a regular baby panel here runs $200-250 and it only has 4 images on it. I'm not saying I don't like the traditional panel, but if you are wanting to do something more unique and modern this is the way to go!

Circle of Life

2008-04-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

Friends,

Just wanted to catch you all up on some things that have been going on in my life. First of all I wanted to pay tribute to wonderful man. On Monday the 14th, we lost my father-in-law to lung cancer. His grandchildren called him Pappy, he loved Alabama football and loved to fish. This picture we took at Christmas and is the only we have of the whole family (I was about 5 days pregnant, so that counts as the whole family) He has 3 children and 3 grandchildren, and of course one on the way. He had only been diagnosed 4 weeks prior to his death. We were all there with him when he passed away. Jason was able to say his goodbyes and hold his hand. We will miss you Pappy!

So this week has been especially hard and my schedule has obviously gotten behind. We got back in town Wednesday night and I had over 20 messages on the answering machine about orders and appointments. I apologize for not informing you, but it all just happened so fast. Anyway, I am back in the studio now and working hard to catch up. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

On another note - my pregnancy is going well. I've started to get a little tummy and just the last few days have felt flutters. We were fortunate enough to do an ultrasound at 16 weeks and found out that we are having a boy. We did it early in hopes of finding out to let Jason's dad know. God works wonders, because if we had waited till our next appointment in May it would have been too late to have those memories. I am so excited about this little boy. I can't wait to meet him and just get know his personality. I will keep you all posted as we continue down this path.

Please keep us in your prayers!

Jennifer

BABY ON THE WAY....

2008-03-25T15:09:00.001-07:00

Yep! I'm pregnant! YEAH!! We are thrilled, excited, anxious, nervous, happy, overwhelmed and overjoyed all at once. My due date is the end of September, so it will be a hot summer for sure. Being a mom is going be great just from watching all the babies and kids coming here. I can't wait to photograph my own child and experiment with new ideas.

Many want to know what my schedule will be after the baby gets here. If everything goes as planned I want to start back part time by the end of October. So if you are on the baby plan during that time, don't worry we will get you an appointment as close to the date you need as possible. My assistant Misti will be in the studio working on orders and appointments. Feel free to call her with any questions or orders.

I will get more detailed on this later, just wanted everyone to know our GREAT NEWS!

I will try to post pregnancy pics of myself when I get around to taking some and ultrasound pics too.

HAPPY SPRING!
Jennifer

EASTER SESSION

2008-01-25T11:49:00.000-08:00

You heard it right - EASTER is not too far off. Dates: March 13-14 only about 8 time slots available. Very few props will be used and no live animals will be present. We just want to capture your child in their Easter outfits with their baskets. Call now to make your appointment.

2008 PRICE LIST COMING SOON!

2008-01-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

Well my break is almost over and I'm trying to get back in the swing of things. I am working on a new price card for 2008 that will go into effect in February. So if you have any orders to get in, make sure to do that by the end of this month. Some prices are changing, mostly on the larger prints. Be looking online in the next week or so for new pricing. If you are on my mailing list you will be receiving one by mail. If you would like to be on the mailing list simply email me at jenmtidwell@yahoo.com and request a price card for 2008.

I've gotten some new props and new ideas for 2008. I can't wait to get back to shooting. I miss it after being on a two week break. This break has been just what I needed to get recharged for 2008.

We had a wonderful Christmas with our families. My husband's family came to our home this year for a couple of days. We had fun and even got out in the studio to make pictures of my nieces and nephew. Here are some pics I thought I would share.

Happy New Year!
Jennifer

Break!

2007-12-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Greetings from a very tired photographer!

The holiday rush is almost over and I am thrilled about my upcoming break. We will be closed from Dec 22nd- Jan 10th. No appointments during this time, but I will be available to make appointments or schedule times to pick up any orders or proofs. Just call and leave a message. I will get back to you as soon as I get a chance. We will be visiting our families and possibly taking a short trip to Gatlinburg.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.

Looking forward to serving you in the new year!

God Bless You!

Jennifer

CHRISTMAS CARD PRICES

2007-11-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

2007-11-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS DEADLINE INFO!

CHRISTMAS ORDERS FOR CARDS NEED TO BE IN BY NOVEMBER 26th - MONDAY after THANKSGIVING! CARDS TAKE A LOT MORE TIME TO GET READY SO IF YOU HAVE YOUR ORDER READY CALL IT IN NOW TO AVOID DELAYS!

IF YOU WANT TO ORDER REGULAR PRINTS - PLEASE HAVE THEM IN NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30TH! I WILL NOT GUARANTEE ORDERS PLACED AFTER THESE DATES!!

THE EARLIER YOU CAN GET THE ORDER TO ME THE BETTER!

Thanks
Jennifer

Happy Halloween! & Christmas DEADLINE

2007-10-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

The month of October has come and gone! I can't believe it! Things have never been more busy than they are now in the studio. Christmas sessions are going on as well as Senior sessions. I know proofs have been delayed some and I just want to say thank you for your patience. I am working hard to get them done ASAP.

Christmas is not too far off. If you need prints for Christmas gifts please have your orders in by Nov 30 to guarantee arrival by December 22nd.

Here are some pics....we dressed up for Halloween, even our dog Molly! I was a 1983 Prom Queen (thanks Amber for letting me borrow your costume!) and Jason was an Fighter Pilot (you know Top Gun style) and Molly was a bumble bee!

HAPPY FALL!!

2007-10-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FALL!
Isn't this fall weather great! I was so excited to turn our AC off last night and open the windows. Many of you have called about Christmas cards! Just because you don't have a Christmas session scheduled doesn't mean that you can't use pictures from other sessions on a card. If you want to use pictures from a previous session on a Christmas card please let me know ASAP! It usually takes about a month to design and get orders in.

THE DOG: It's my sister-in-law's weimaraner, Rex! SO CUTE! We went to visit them in Roanoke, Al (that's where my hubby is from) they just had a new baby! Her name is Annabelle and she's a sweetie pie. I wish we lived closer so we could spend more time with our nieces. We have one niece Addison and now Annabelle has come in to our family! Here are some pics from our visit.

Happy FALL!

Jennifer

ADDICTION

2007-10-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hello again!
Just wanted to share what the other link on the site is about. Some of you may already know about this new ladies clothing boutique - it's called Addiction and is located in Downtown area of Florence on East Tennessee Street. The owner Sarah Knight has asked me to display some of my work in the shop. So, by November I will be decorating her walls with some of my fashion photography. Please check out www.shopaddiction.net for more details.

Also on the website you will find a new button called studio. Check that out. It's all about what goes on here at the studio and who's here helping me.

Have a great day!!
Jennifer

Updates and News

2007-09-25T22:13:00.000-07:00

Just some quick news:

Christmas sessions are currently booked. If you would like to be added to the waiting list just call us. We'll be glad to let you know if there are any cancellations.

I am currently booked through January 2008 - now taking new appointments for February.
Baby Plan Members - don't worry your session times are reserved, just call to get on the book.

Closings: I plan to be closed November 21-25 for Thanksgiving and December 22 - Jan 11 for a much needed break during the holidays. Just wanted you to know in advance.

Have a great week!

Don't Blink

2007-09-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

REUNITED....and it feels so good.

I had a great weekend. I went with my husband to his 10 year high school reunion. It was great to see old friends and see where Jason went to school. It was also my birthday on Saturday. So, it was a busy weekend out of town, but we made some great memories. Isn't that what life's all about - the memories! There are so many negative things going on in the world - sickness, war and just daily life stresses - doesn't having the good times make the living through the bad worth it? We all have bad days and even bad years, but remembering the good times and looking forward to more good times is what keeps us going from day to day. It's the small things in life that get you through the rough times. Praise God for family and friends that give you wonderful memories.

Okay, so that was a little deep for a Tuesday, but this past weekend struck a cord in me that 10 years of being out of high school have already past and before you know it another 10 will be near. So, DON'T BLINK, you might miss something. Spend time with family and friends. Don't take the little things for granted.

ONLINE ORDER PROBLEM and When's Christmas

2007-09-05T10:33:00.002-07:00

ONLINE ORDER PROBLEM

IF YOU HAVE PLACED AN ORDER ONLINE USING THE PROOF SYSTEM PLEASE FWD ME YOUR CONFIRMATION. I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT SOME OF THE ORDERS HAVE BEEN SENT TO MY BULK MAIL. THUS BEING DELETED WITHOUT ME SEEING THE ORDER. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN CORRECTED SO ANY ORDERS SENT PRIOR TO SEPT 4TH, PLEASE RESEND JUST TO MAKE SURE I AM NOT MISSING YOUR ORDER. CALL ME IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.

Christmas?!?! Already?!?!

OK, of course we know that Christmas is in December, but we have to start preparing now for photo Christmas cards. Trust me - in the same boat as you - I don't want to think about Christmas either - it's 90 degrees outside. But, it takes about two weeks to see proofs, then another 2 or 3 weeks to get orders ready. Also the design time to make the custom cards takes additonal time too! By that time it's the first week of December!

Here's my suggestions - 2 options:

Option 1- You can schedule a session here during my "christmas time" Oct 22nd-31st and have some cute shots of your little ones playing with ornaments or reading Twas the Night Before Christmas and have cards made from that session as well. This is most fun with kids under the age of 5 - in my opinion.

Option 2 - Another suggestion is to have a regular session sometime before mid November with your kids or with the whole family and use those shots in your cards or have speciality collage cards made by me. Either one is a great option!

The second option does two things, it's gets the new updated pic of your family that you've been wanting and can be used for cards and gifts. The first option is a more seasonal approach.

See the website under storyboards and cards for card ideas.

Call now to book appointments as they are filling up fast. Only 5 or 6 slots left for "Christmas Sessions" in the studio.

What A WEEK!

2007-08-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

What a week! The new site has been a hit...literally! I've gotten almost 1000 hits since it launched. Over 450 visitors! I hope this means you all like the site and are learning your way around. Please email me if you have any questions about the site or want to know how the ordering/proof pages work. I will be glad to explain in more detail.

I had a wedding in Huntsville on Saturday - lots of fun. A BIG wedding with 11 bridesmaids and groomsmen. They had a blast though. Look for their pics online in about 4 or 5 weeks.

Thanks Andrea and Wes! I had such a good time at the wedding and the reception was amazing! The band really kept the party going!

Also this week I decided to photograph myself...I don't why I thought this was a good idea. Anyway, they turned out ok. I'm very critical of myself. I took some of the pics and my assistant Misti helped with the ones I couldn't do from a tripod. Here are some of the pics from my session. I've never had my own session before. It was a real treat for me. Talk to you guys next week!

Jennifer

NEW WEBSITE AND BLOG

2007-08-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today is the day! I am launching my new website. After 2 years of the "book" website I decided to upgrade to a more modern site. This site allows me to have a blog, ordering cart, large format pictures, and just a different look. Hope you all enjoy browsing through the site and get familar with all the new buttons and proofing section. Most of the site is ready, but there are still a few things that need to be tweaked. Please let me know if your password is not working in the proofing section. It will need to be activated. The proofing part is great because you can now order prints online and the order is sent directly to me.

I also wanted to take this time to say thanks! God has truly blessed me with photography and I thank him for the gift. When I first launched jenphotography.com I wasn't sure if I would get a response or not. Within a few weeks I started receiving emails about the site and it was all positive. I hope you like this site just as much as the previous one. I would love to hear your thoughts about the new look!

I plan to post a blog each week - that's my goal. This is the busy season around here so it may not happen as much as I want. This will be a great tool to inform clients about upcoming sessions and just the general happenings here.