New years WEB CAM

Heres a cool site. Its a New York Web Cam, live whats happening in Times Square. Check it out! (A short commercial runs first then it STREAMS LIVE, only a few seconds of delay, which is pretty fast for the internet.)
http://newyear.earthcam.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

We just got a call from a good friend of ours TAZ! Happy New Year Taz and all our friends! Our wish for you all is health, wealth and Peace and Joy.

A sweet letter from a Jacksboro Brides mother.

Dixie, I had a chance to go to the link and look at Michelle & Troy's album....it is BEAUTIFUL!!!!
You captured every moment of that special day...and all the special touches...like using her gown and the spa robes as a background. And each page tells a story! I know it will be something that they will treasure FOREVER!
I can't wait to see the album in person. We are probably going to go to their house on the 17th of January to have our Christmas...so I will get a chance to see it then.

Thank you doesn't seem like enough. Dixie you are THE BEST photographer around. And one of the reasons that you are the BEST is because you really CARE about your clients. It is not JUST a job to you. It is your LIFE! And it shows with every photo that you take. Thanks again for sharing that special day with us.
We love you!
Crystal

Madison

Meet Madison! Shes a Sr, a Cheerleader, plays Softball and also does Gymnastics. She is so upbeat and fun. I love her personality!

Heres some FUN FACTS ABOUT MADISON!.

Favorite ice cream: Chocolate

favorite band is the Eli Young band,

Pet: a dog-ROXI

Fav Color: PINK

Fav Movie: Serendipity

She wants to attend OU and major in Speech Pathology.

Thanks Madison and Diana, I thouroughly enjoyed getting to know you guys!

The Deeper Meaning

I got a few Email comments about my photos I posted here yesterday. This one was the one I got the most mail from.
Many of you asked, why is the one bird brown and the others blue?

The reason I took this shot, was I saw the sun was setting and it was almost all the way down, and just a little bit of light was still skimming across the ground and there was this one patch of light.
Since I was a little girl I always see the "meaning" of things and the analogies of life. (I dont know why, I think I learned it from my mom.)
To me this image respresents that there are very few of us "in the light" the others are in the cold and dark. This one bird chose to stand in the light, which made him shine and his true colors show. The other birds look gray and dark, but they arnt. they are the same color as this one. Its just that this one chose to stand and walk in the light. Which makes him different and makes him stand out. In more ways than one. I admit, I see myself this way to a degree. Okay enough psychology 101 today. Thanks for your comments. Maybe I will add a scripture to it and order a copy of it for my home. (Its funny my home is mostly gold/brown and blue. just like this image?

My Mondays

I try to squeeze in time on Mondays for myself, since this is the day that the studio is closed. I do computer work half the day and then go and exercise somewhere or see a museum, or do some self assignments to enhance my creativity.

My friend Steve taught me that if you take 1 day to yourself to restore your creativity, that's 52 days a year! Which translates to like more than 7 weeks worth of time to yourself. So today I went to a lake and walked all around it (took me about a hour!) and got these shots. The other pics are from a Church in Iowa Park and the red tree is from Sheppard AFB. It was a great afternoon! I encourage my photographer friends to do this too! Its great for the soul! I feel more centered. Of course when I came home I had to cook dinner, finish laundry, etc... But at least I had a little bit of time to myself.

Pink Darlings

These two young ladies go to Burk High with our son, and they are in the Pink Darlings program.

They volunteer at the Hospital and help out. These girls always make me smile! They are so funny and upbeat.

They were my Elves this Christmas and helped me out with the hundreds of kids with Santa.

They came by today before going to the hospital and so I had to get a few shots of them first.

Thanks Andrea and Caitlyn! It was fun!

George Lopez Tour coming to the Falls!

My favorite Comedian is coming to town. GEORGE LOPEZ! Its his Tall Dark and Chicano Tour

I just love him, hes the best. My family and I watch him almost every night (he comes on at 9 and 9:30 pm) every evening. I love his type of humour and think hes the funniest guy on TV! I wish his show was still in production. I love it! (and the rest of the cast too, including his mom BENNIE)


You can get your tickets through the MPEC at this site. http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase Im excited I got good seats! Call them at 716-5555

The date is February 20Th, 8 PM. You can bet I'll be ROTFLMAO! (Laughing Hard)


I always thought I'd have to go to Dallas to see him, so this is nice.
Now if I could just get a back stage pass and get to meet him for a minute..... A girl can dream cant she???
Heres the Trailor to his hillarious Movie (hes the voice of one of the Dogs in his movie "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTh41nyJfaU

Selina

I'm so behind on blogging my photo shoots, thanks for understanding everyone.

This is Selina! What a precious little young lady! I actually offered her a job after graduation if she attends MSU, because she is so bubbly and friendly and smart! I so enjoyed getting to know her and her mom. They drove over 100 miles here for her photo shoot.

Thank you Selina and Mom for choosing our studio. It was my pleasure! This one I have turned into a digital painting and ordering one for our studio!

Thanks again guys!

Quote for the Day

"You can give without loving; but you cannot LOVE without GIVING."
-Amy Carmichael

Chicken Dish recipe

My Husband and I love to watch the FOOD NETWORK. We like to cook (when we have time) and always like to try new recipes. This morning, we were watching the "BAREFOOT CONTESSA" http://www.barefootcontessa.com and she was making a really good chicken dish with a tomato sauce and Yukon Gold Potatoes. But I didn't have all the ingredients or the time. (She also makes her Chicken stock from scratch, which takes all day. So i found this one as an alternative. it has a lot of the same ingredients, only faster! We are cooking it right now. It smells great!

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless chicken breasts without skin, Cut into 1-inch pieces

(Or a whole chicken cut into parts with skin on. (legs, breasts, thighs, wings if desired)

Tomato Chicken

1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 rib celery, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste pepper, to taste

1 can (about 15 ounces) stewed tomatoes with juices

1 1/2 cups chicken broth (or Stock if desired)

2 cups sliced potatoes (small gold potatoes)

Preparation: Heat oil in a large skillet (or dutch oven) over medium heat. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and oregano. Saute chicken in olive oil, or canola oil, until browned.

Add remaining ingredients to skillet and simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings (If cooking whole chicken with bones, then cook and simmer for a couple of hours for maximum tenderness. .Serves 4.6

Here's the link to the Contessas Chicken Bouillabaisse recipe. I'm gonna try it another time!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-bouillabaisse-recipe/index.html

A very special family and wedding.

I don't do this for all my wedding albums, but this is a special family. So For the Gilley-Morris Family, Ive got a surprise for you, I've posted your wedding album online here. Of course the big 10x10 Heavy and Full color album with the Chocolate cover will be so much more dramatic, (you should have it this week!)
So here's the link, You can drag the pages or you can simply just click on each corner to turn the pages. I'm probably blowing the surprise, but I cant help myself! Hugs! Dixie

Email me for the link, Ive temporaily taken it down. Pdixie@sw.rr.com

Photos from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

We had a great Christmas, and we got to spend it with Bruce's parents. This has been our family tradition for years. They even flew to Japan when Scott was only 6 weeks old for his first Christmas. We had a great time, we went to the Christmas Eve services at our church and then went and saw Christmas lights. Then we came home and enjoyed the evening. We had a very nice Christmas day too. Here are some photos from the day.

My mother in law brought lots of wonderful cookies, fudge and pies! She always outdoes herself!

Since our son is a powerlifter, my husband found this shirt for him and he loved it. He always says that God gives him his strength and he loves to share his beliefs with the other teenage boys who he meets when he travels. I'm sure he will wear this shirt a lot. It was so sweet of his father to get it for him.

This necklace was a gift from my husband! I think its beautiful!

I like what it says in the packaging.

"Let his light shine through you."

This year has been very unusual. I'm so thankful that both my mother came through a very serious surgery and is doing great! And my father in law had heart surgery and hes doing really well too. We had a lot of ups and downs and it seems our faith was challenged numerous times this year. But as the scripture says " "And I will strengthen them in the LORD, And in His name they will walk," declares the LORD." -Zechariah 10:12

The Santa Tracker!

Check this out and you can see where Santa is right now! He left EUROPE and he is hitting the East Coast Here it is. http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I just wanted to write one more post and tell all our wonderful Clients MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I am sorry that a few peoples photos did not make it in today. Our lab was operating at 24 hours a day and full production to get them all out.
I just checked online and we have a wedding album and moms book a 4 orders that are still up in Missouri. I don't know if the airlines had anything to do with it, but I feel bad.

We managed to get tons of others out though, and I'm so thankful for that. But for those who didn't, I'm going to send you something special between Christmas and new years.

Thanks for understanding, and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we appreciate you.
Gods Blessings!
PS we close today at 12 noon and will be back into the studio on Tuesday.
940-761-5111

This made me cry

Letters to Santa
You have to see this. Just endure the little short commercial that THE TODAY SHOW puts before it. Its worth seeing!
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/28379040#28379040

Sleep tight tonight little ones...

I just love this painting. I dont know the artist, Im trying to find out. Our son is staying over at a friends house tonight and even though hes 16 and is a powerlifter, (He can bench press over 300 lbs easy.) But I always think of him as a little boy espically when its lights out time.

And I always think of my 2 grandsons when I go to bed. too. Are they tucked in? Are they wearing their pajamas?

Sleep is when we are the most vulnerable. So thats why I love this painting. Knowing that Angels are protecting our children.

Mardels Christian bookstore used to sell this, but now I cant find it. Click on it once to see it larger and with detail. LOVE IT!!!

Anyone know where I can get one?Goodnight everyone.

Its Etch a Sketch!

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Leave me a post

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MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

We are running full steam ahead here at the studio and will be until the 24Th at noon. So our employees can be with their families. We want to thank you all our wonderful clients for your patronage this year. Each one of you hold a special place in our hearts. We've gotten to know you personally.

In the time I take during the photo session (I never rush) I get to know all about you and your family. Its my joy to get involved and hear about your children's activities, your lives and what means the most to you. Its why I do what I do. Ive laughed with many of you and Ive even cried with some of you.

I think that I'm more than a photographer, I build relationships with you and you all mean a lot to me. Thanks for letting me be a small part of your lives.

In the meantime, stay tuned to the BLOG. The blog will be 3 years old in March. This is the best way to keep informed of our specials or any happenings going on at the studio. We've got lots of things planned for 2009!

I wish you all the best, MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope to see you all next year!

Texas Sized Christmas Gift.

DALLAS — The signature gift in the 2008 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is aimed at football fans with well-heeled friends — a party with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.

For $530,000, the giftee gets an end-of-season celebration in one of the end zones at Texas Stadium, The Dallas Morning News reports.

According to the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book

— To honor battles won and heroes lost over 38 glorious years, you can put 530 square yards of sporting history into your own backyard: An entire Cowboys Texas Stadium end zone. Exclusive package also includes the VIP treatment for the last regular season Cowboys game in Texas Stadium.

Your crew gets pre-game photos in your zone with Jerry Jones, a luxury suite for the game, and a once-in-a-lifetime post-game tailgate party on your soon-to be new backyard (with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, no less). There’s also autographed memorabilia from Cowboy legends, and a VIP package to attend the opening of the new stadium in 2009.

The perfect gift for envious buds? A framed 26″ x 36″ collage with a touchable section of the other end zone for their very own! (It’s a limited edition of 380, to celebrate 38 seasons at Texas Stadium.) To check out this years Neiman Marcus Christmas book go here! http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/sitelets/christmasbook/christmasbook.jhtml?icid=promo1&ecid=NMSGTMNeiman_Marcus_Christmas_Book

Quote of the day

"He who kneels before God, can stand before anyone."

A Photo shoot I will never Forget.

Seeing the Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys last night at the Farewell game at Texas Stadium and seeing Tony Dorsett got me to reminiscing about a photo shoot I did a few years ago.


I got to photograph Mr. Dorsett for a national advertisement for a drink that he endorsed. It was so much fun meeting him, and we had about 45 minutes after he filmed his TV commercial to take some stills for the ad. Then I asked him to put the drink down and let me take a couple of him without the drink in his hand. It was so much fun and we even got some shots of us on the Star on the 50 yard line too. He was/is a great guy and never complained about anything.



(and I shot it with my big Medium Format Bronica GS1 and tripod. That weighed a ton!)


After the shoot, as I was leaving, I found myself in the locker room! It was fun to look around, but I couldn't find Troy Aikmans locker anywhere! But I found Chad Hennings and some others. Then a security guard came in and before I knew it, he took a few photos of me standing in Hennings locker. He could tell I was a fan and he didnt mind at all. Ill miss that stadium. Heres a link to some of the photos of last nights Farewell Ceremony. http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/photos?gameId=281220006 (Oh and I've met Bob Lilly before too! He was a neighbor of my Uncle Toms in Graham for years.)

Farewell to Texas Stadium

Our son in front of the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, which is currently under construction. its like 35 degrees here and the wind is blowing like crazy!)

Well yesterday afternoon I worked half a day and then we left for Dallas at 3:00 pm for the Cowboys/Ravens game. Bruce's father always drives us over, so we don't have to worry about parking. Let me tell you, the cold front hit Wichita Falls about 2:45 and it hit Dallas around 5:30.

It was COLD!

As we were walking to the stadium a policeman and another man told me that I couldn't take my camera into the stadium! They said it was TOO BIG. (They didn't even see my Super Telephoto lens yet either.) So I had to leave it my father in laws car. Well, telling a photographer she cant have her camera is a hard thing to hear. Espically knowing that the Farewell ceremony was going to have a lot of the great legends there, former Dallas Cowboy Hall of Famers. But i didnt want to take a chance. You see my husband is from IRVING. He is a huge Fan and he even graduated high school on that field. I wanted photos for him to keep and for our son to always have too.

But I respected the law, but then what really bugged me was when I got in, and past the metal detectors and the searches, etc. I saw people with professional SLRS like mine. When I asked a few of them, how they managed to do that, they said that the employees didn't search their back packs.
Well, that was annoying, but Id rather be safe than sorry. (back in my reporter days, I smuggled my camera and telephoto lens into all sorts of events where no cameras were allowed. Like concerts and all sorts of places. Thats why my photos landed on the front page so many times!)

So of course i was bummed when all the great Dallas Cowboys came out on the field for the Farewell ceremony. (Which was fabulous by the way!) Fireworks, speeches from Roger Staubach, Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett, Too Tall Jones, Jerry Jones, and dozens of famous former Dallas Cowboys! Also I saw my favorite actor, OWEN WILSON on the sidelines. (This photo of him was taken from the Dallas Morning news web site.)

It was an awesome game, but too bad we lost at the end. That would of been the icing on the cake to win!

It was a great night, except for the cold. We wore turtlenecks and jerseys and our coats, I wish I would of had my gloves too. It was so cold, I had to take my earrings out of my ears, because they were frozen and were making my ears hurt! ha ha.

The FAREWELL CEREMONY WAS AMAZING!!!!! Fireworks and all the greats! You can read about it here.http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/122108dnmetceremony.82b78b4f.html

Today we went by to see how the new Stadium is looking lately. (I saw it back in March) and its going to be great a great State-of-the-Art Stadium, with a 60 yard jumbotron and all the coolest details!

Then we went to the mall and of course my son and husband had to go to HOOTERS for buffalo wings. We got some more Christmas shopping done and had a great weekend. Now I'm working hard on the last minute orders for Christmas.

Hope you all had a good weekend! TO READ ABOUT THE FAREWELL CEREMONY GO HERE!

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/122108dnmetgame.81109c6c.html

My Favorite Snowflake!

This is my favorite little snowflake! Shes one of a kind (like all snowflakes). SHes dainty and precious and unique!

Her mom and dad are smart folks!They bring her in every single month for a portrait for her first year! She looked so beautiful in her little white Christmas dress, with the furry neck and sparkles.

Shes my favorite snowflake this year! By the way, try making your own snowflakes by going to the link at the top right of my blog page. Its fun and you can send them to friends!

Have a good weekend, Im still working hard on Chrsitmas photos and trying to get everything to the lab in time for Christmas gift giving! I love you clients and Im working hard for you!

HALF PRICE SALE STILL ON!

Have a good weekend! I hope you all get your last Christmas gifts and get settled in for the holidays.

One thing I love to give people are books. Books a Million here in town is my favorite book store and you'd be amazed at the awesome books and other things they have there.

Also, you can buy books at this site called ALBRIS. Its pre-owned books that are in excellent condition. (An eBay for books of sorts) http://www.albris.com/

Also remember that we have our gift certificates still on sale!

If you Buy a Gift Certificate we will Give DOUBLE THE FACE AMOUNT. So if you buy a $25. we will Give you a $50.00 one. etc.! Its a Great bargain! and makes your money stretch twice as far!

Just shoot us an email or call and leave a message this weekend and we'll get one to you on Monday!

PDIXIE@sw.rr.com is our email and our phone is (940) 761-5111.

SOOO CUTE!

Oh My Goodness! My friend sent me this photo of her dog Jake! Isnt he soooo cute??? He looks like a little old man to me! hahaha... I wish I could just grab him and love on him. So precious.

Shes got him all decked out for Christmas.

I just love dogs, they are the best. Ive tried really hard not to get one for my son for Christmas. We already have one and shes 10 and we love her, but sometimes she looks sort of lonely and i want her to have a playmate.

Ill take Jake anytime! Hope you guys have a good weekend!

Hugs all!

Sad news.

I never like to post negative or bad news. But my heart is so heavy with the news tonight about the little baby girl Caylee Marie Anthony of Orlando, FL.

They found out today that the DNA is a match and it is her. How could this happen? Why would a mom do that to her own child? I know that they don't know who did it, but isn't it odd how cold and strange her mom acted after she was gone? I mean she went on a shopping spree afterwards and didn't even report her missing for a month, (with stolen checks) and went out to clubs.

I read a book recently called "The Sociopath Next Door." and it talks about how there are some people who just don't feel empathy and only care about doing what they want.

Usually they have a bad relationship with their mothers when they are little. So they don't develop a heart to feel others pain. Sometimes its just genetic. The book states that " Such people often have a superficial charm, which they exercise ruthlessly in order to get what they want."

I just recently had a woman do something very mean to me, and I just could not understand how anyone could be that way. That book explains it! I would guess that Casey Anthony's this way too. Experts think that about 4% of the population has this type of twisted mind.Its hard to understand. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news here. Just wanted you to know about the book and that everyone should get a copy of it, it might explain someone you know in your own life.
Here's the link. http://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Door-Martha-Stout/dp/076791581X

Heres more from the book.

We are accustomed to think of sociopaths as violent criminals, but in The Sociopath Next Door, Harvard psychologist Martha Stout reveals that a shocking 4 percent of ordinary people—one in twenty-five—has an often undetected mental disorder, the chief symptom of which is that that person possesses no conscience. He or she has no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse.

One in twenty-five everyday Americans, therefore, is secretly a sociopath. They could be your colleague, your neighbor, even family. And they can do literally anything at all and feel absolutely no guilt. They live to dominate and thrill to win.
Heres more http://www.cix.co.uk/~klockstone/spath.htm

Making Snowflakes

I cant help it. I used to make these as a kid, I think all kids did. Ive often been told Im just a big kid. Somethings you never outgrow!
so here goes.


How to Make a Paper Snowflake or a Snowflake Card.

Make simple snowflakes from paper. You can tape these snowflakes to a window for a nice winter decoration or paste them onto a piece of folded construction paper for a great winter card.
Supplies needed:

White paper
Scissors
Optional: A protractor
Optional: Glitter or glitter glue

For a card: A piece of colored construction paper and glue

Real snowflakes all have six sides, so the first part of this project involves folding a piece of paper into sixths.
Fold a piece of paper in half.
Fold over one side, then the other, to make two 60 degree folds. You can do this by eye, or you can use a protractor. This is a good exercise in geometry and measuring angles.
Cut off the edges of the paper in an arc - this makes a circle (if you were to unfold the paper).
Cut a lot of the paper away.
Unfold your snowflake carefully.

Optional: Decorate your snowflake with glitter or glitter glue.
Glue your snowflake onto a folded piece of construction paper for a great winter card. Or tape them to your windows at home.
Simple but fun!
You can go to this site to see some diagrams. Or you can make a DIGITAL SNOWFLAKE ONLINE by going to this site. http://www.popularfront.com/snowdays/

Christmas Present!

Isnt Holland precious? This little girl is so much fun and shes grown so much in the past few months.

Shes such a cutie! More pics to come later.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!?

Wow, My husband surprised me with tickets to Saturday Nights Dallas Cowboys game in Irving!

All 3 of us are going and it should be a lot of fun!

He said Cowboys tickets are few and far between these days and Im sure next year it will be really hard to get any.

They are playing the Baltimore Ravens. The tickets came and they are beautiful. Sort of Holographic and they say "FAREWELL 1971-2008." Since this will be their last year in that stadium.
My husband Graduated high school in that stadium and Ive seen many good games there.

It will be sad in a way, but right now Im just psyched about going!

Oh, by the way, he said he got them at http://www.stubhub.com/ its like an EBAY for sports.

Its snowing in Vegas!

Okay, this is wierd. Last week it snowed in New Orleans now its snowing in Vegas. I wish I was there to see it. Thats a once in a lifetime event. How wild! Heres a video of it. Last time I was in Vegas it was 112 degrees. I cant even imagine it snowing there. http://www.lasvegassun.com/videos/2008/dec/18/1317/

Todays quote on "Integrity"

" Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of You."
- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Quan

This young man is a good kid. He plays football with our son. He is both smart and personable and hes got that special something. Its like an air of nobility or something. I cant explain it, but hes got something special.

Hes an amazing athlete and you can talk to him for hours and he can hold a conversation like hes way wiser than his years.

Thanks Quan for choosing our studio and thanks to you father for serving in the Armed Forces. We appreciate you.

Photographer joke

Ive written about this cartoon before, Its for photographers. Its a Duck who is a photographer and the things that happen to a photographer.

I thought this one was cute.

Click on it to see it larger. Im working really hard trying to get all the orders out for Christmas!

Its going to be a long night, but Im happy to do it.