I hope you have a safe and happy New Year. Please be careful with the ice and snow out! the studio will be closed over the weekend and emails and calls returned on Tuesday! Thanks

Happy 2010 & what Ive learned this year.

We at Photography by Dixie, wish all of you a Happy New Year and we hope that 2010 brings you much joy, peace and prosperity!I just got an interesting idea. I want to thank some people for the things that they brought me in 2010. When i say "things" what I mean is lessons, gifts and yes, even painful things. I think of Life as a Learning Lesson. We are all here to learn as much as we can. Heres some of the gifts and lessons Ive learned.<3--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<3

Thank you Janet B. for being there for me in a pinch the past few weeks. Your help and friendship mean a lot to me, especially during a busy time. You taught me I can rely and really trust an employee.

Thank you to my husband Bruce. For your steady, quiet love. For always loving me no matter what. Your work ethic, your always wanting to leave things better than the way you found them, the way that you make me be the best I can be. (and our son too.) Your almost perfectionist attitude and your love. You are the smartest and best man I know, next to my dad.

To my son for being a great son. Words cannot express it all. You know it.

To my daughter, this year you taught me what forgiveness can be, and made me very proud that you are growing closer to Christ and your kind letters and our times together this year have been some of the best ever!

To my grandsons. Tristan and Aaron. You give me hope, you give me courage, you give me unconditional love. And when i look into your little trusting eyes, I know what it feels like to love back unconditionally and deeper than I knew was possible. I would walk through fire for you boys. I feel so protective of you and your smiles are my joy. Your tears are my pain. everything is amplified with a grand child. I never knew that I could love anyone so much.

To my parents, who have given me more than I could ever say. There's not enough words.

To my brother and sister. We formed lots of memories when we were little, but I miss you both terribly and want to form some new memories. I guess Ive learned what longing and a new kind of sadness is that we've let life get in between us and the three of us. We need to fix that.

To my mother in law and father in law, Jerry & Melba who show us and our son what love and dedication can be. They never miss a football game, and have driven all over this state to watch and support our son in his football and other activities!

To L.M. and B.S. that I cant always trust everyone, even iif provide people employment, love support and help,often times they bite the hand that feeds them. I wont say anymore, but this was the biggest disappointment of the year for me.

To C.B. that Christians can stumble and be judgemental and that God isn't finished with any of us yet.

To my former father in law Clifford O. That your dedication and loyalty to those you love are unlimited.

To my Dog Ginger. Yes, I am thanking my dog ! I love looking into your wise sweet big brown eyes every morning, and the way you limp and hobble over to me, (arthritis) lie next to me lets me know that you love me (and all of us.) When i look in your eyes and think about when you are not going to be here someday, it breaks my heart, you've been the best pet a person could ask for.

To my best friend Francie. Your humour, your work ethic, your "never surrender" attitude and your success in all you do inspire me and make me proud that I chose you 32 years ago to by my BFF. Your laugh is infectious. When I'm with you and your husband, I feel like I'm marinating in a hot bath of love and acceptance.

To my friend Renitta. You've taught me to smile and to lighten up when things are hectic or stressful. And to not have such a thin skin and that things always work out for the best.And that I can always count on you when I'm overwhelmed or tired.

To my new friend Scarlett, for reminding me, thatour savior is the most important thing and that no matter how much success we achieve, or the places we go, or the accomplishments we conquer, That our number one reason for living is to Honor God and to serve him.

And that a Little pink in your closet or home is a good thing!

To my friend Walter E. To be brave, keep your chin up and don't let things get under your skin. Be proud of who you are no matter who tries to tear you down or take advantage of you.

To my former mother in law, Linda who passed away 3 Christmases ago. I miss our long talks on life, philosophy, people, places and things so much. You were the easiest person to talk to you that Ive ever known. I met you when I was 15 and 31 years later, I still think about the things you told me and the lessons you taught me. You were like a 2nd mother to me in many ways. You wern't perfect but you were always good to me. I miss you.

To my photographer friends out there. You inspire and entertain me. Especially my friend Jodie G. You all make me laugh mostly. Its great to have zany fun friends and acquaintances out there who think just like I do!

To the people who said or did things that weren't nice to me this year. You make me appreciate all the friends and family that I have. I understand that when you have things that other people want, some people hate you for it. Ill never understand that, but I have accepted that it is your problem, not mine. I wish you well.

To my sons Coaches (Coaches Boswell, Butchee and others) and his great teachers and Youth Pastor Brother George. You are the people that help to shape our only son. Thank you for taking care of him while hes in your care. Thank you for helping to expand his mind, his determination and to believe in himself. Thank you for educating him and for all that you teach him each day. Your efforts do not go unnoticed and your influence will last a lifetime.

To my client. The wonderful people who hire and pay me and entrust me with their family memories. I understand that life is short and that when people we love leave this earth, often the only tangible evidence we have of them being here are photographs and videos.

I'm so proud that you trust me to capture the hearts and faces of your loved ones. Your trust and your dollars help me to continue to do what I love most in the world. Each of you have left a mark on me and hold a place in my heart. I don't take lightly that trust and I value it more than you know.

Each of you have taught me lessons, bestowed upon me gifts and life lessons I'll aways treasure. Both good and bad I appreciate all of it. I would Not change a thing if I could because everything that happened to me in 2009 helped shape who I am and brought me to this point! and lastly but not least, Thank you to my Heavenly Father. Without him we are nothing, and with him all things are possible. I thank you for your grace and love. I don't deserve it but by your wounds I am healed. Thank you to all of you!!!I look forward to what 2010 will teach me.

Our Watercolor Giclee portraits

Oh I completely forgot to post this image of precious little Lauren. This is one of our famous Watercolor Giclee images! It is printed on stretcher canvas and is hand worked by me. Typically I spent about 8-10 hours sometimes up to 3 or 4 days working every tiny detail of these images.I love doing them, as I have a lot of patience and I just get lost and so relaxed mentally while doing these. My father is a jeweler and he to can spend hours and hours and sometimes months working on something and refining it. I must get my patience from him! Well now that i think about it my mom too can spend lots of time sewing and working on things too!I have ordered myself a large sample of this same image for our studio. You have to see it, touch it to really appreciate the beauty of them!

Weddings in 2010

(Photo above was shot in Sugarland, Texas at a very special wedding! Cant you just tell the ring bearer is thrilled to be there?)
Im just looking over my 2010 calendar and realize that I have got some wedding dates still available! Thats the first year that has happened, that Ive come into the new year and not already booked!
So if you are recently engaged and are wedding price shopping, we have new prices for 2010 and several Saturdays still available for 2010.
This will be my 15th year of photographing weddings in Texoma! So shoot us an email or call so we can set up a consultation and discuss your wedding plans!
Ive cut back on the amount of weddings I do for about the past 6 years so that I could spend more time with my family and grandsons. At one time between the years of 95-2003) I was photographing around 35-45 weddings annually!) It was just too much and I was experiencing some burn-out.
But Ive been going to various training seminars (although I'm a Master photographer, I can still learn a new trick here and there, and spend some time with the great Scarlett Lillian) and learned new things, I'm ready to take on more.
Id like to say Congratulations to Shawnda Rasco and her fiance who just booked me for their June wedding!

All is calm, all is bright.

Is there anything better than Christmas evening, when all the presents are opened, snacking on the leftover turkey, lying by the fireplace, smelling the pine and the burning logs on the fire and it so quiet and peaceful outside? The snow creates almost a sound buffer which makes everything peaceful and calm. Hope you all are enjoying the peace. Peace on earth, Goodwill towards men. (and women, and kiddos too!) :-)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

My Mom made this awesome cape for me a few years back. I always wear it to Church on Christmas eve, but services were canceled for obvious reasons this year. I hope you all had a blessed Christmas!

Im Dreaming of a White Christmas!

So.... Yesterday I was out doing some last minute shopping for stocking stuffers, at the Finishing Touch. I was wearing a sweat shirt and was feeling down that it was so warm and didn't seem like Christmas. I was wishing I was in Colorado or New Mexico, we just love the snow, our son cant get enough of it and loves cold weather too.
So last night when my husband told me there was a 90% chance of Snow (Pilots always find out early about weather patterns and storms, etc..) I didn't believe him.
But then i awoke in the middle of the night, hearing ice crystals hitting our bedroom window and there it was!
Like Magic! It really does make it seem a lot more cozy and Christmasy when it snows.
I hope you all stay safe! Ive heard there a lot of accidents in town already.
the only sad thing is that my husbands parents were set to leave from Irving today and now cant get on the roads. Hopefully we can get together tomorrow , as the temps are supposed to rise in the afternoon.
It is going to be 15 degrees in the morning and wont melt till the afternoon.
Be safe and Merrry Christmas!!!

Holland is 18 months already!

Heres little Holland, i cant believe she is already 18 months old! It doesnt seem possible! She came in her beautiful Christmas dresses and we played and laughed and ran around chasing after her, blowing bubbles, eating cookies, etc. What a bundle of energy! Shes such a fun little girl and can even dance! I always look forward to seeing her and her parents.
Thanks guys and Merry Christmas!!!

a baby boy swaddled lying in a manger

A Big hello to the Davis family who brought in precious baby Elijah! Hes so adorable! They are from out of town so I'm posting a few pics for them here, the rest are online in the private viewing area!Thanks to Aunt Erin who purchased them a very generous gift certificate for their portraits! What a sweet Aunt! Thanks guys, it was fun getting to know you, you have a precious baby boy!

Gingerbread cookies with our Grandson!

One of the best things about the holidays is baking! Our grandson and I baked some gingerbread cookies and then decorated them! He loved rolling the dough out and getting flour all over both of us! I hope you get the time to slow down a bit and make some baking memories!!!

OMG! Only 7 more days until Christmas!

Little Abigail is showing how I feel right now! Only 7 days till Christmas and I'm not even half way done with my Christmas shopping!I hope you guys are! We've had a serious hard drive computer crash on our main studio computer and some other hiccups lately. Thank you for being so patient with us! It seems everyone is really in the Christmas Spirit right now and so nice. Everywhere I go people are so friendly and great.I just wish we would get a little of the "white stuff". Happy Holidays! I'm on my way to pick up my grandson for the weekend after working 12-16 hour days lately! You can still get in for portraits next week, just send an email instead of calling, to PDixie@sw.rr.comHUGS!

Abigal coming soon!

As I said I usually dont post sessions in December But I promised pics of Abigal! Coming soon! Sorry Cheryl!

Family Portraits in your Home

Recently I got a call from a very special family! This couple used to live here in Wichita Falls, and moved 6 years ago with the Air Force, They've lived all over including Korea and North Carolina and now are back in Wichita Falls!
I was so excited to hear from Melissa! When they left, she was expecting her middle child and their daughter Brittany was a little biddy girl.
Now they have 3 children and it was so great to see them again! I took my studio lights and set up in their family room and created some memorable portraits of them for their Christmas memories!

Thanks Melissa and Jeff, Brittany, Jet and Sierra! It was fun! Merry Christmas!


You can read more posts from the past 4 years by clicking on the OLDER POSTS BUTTON BELOW!

Hope you are all enjoying the season!

I love this lantern! Its so Christmasy and cute! It reminds me of something you would see in Breckenridge Colorado. Grandin Road has lots of cool things, its one of my favorite stores! Check em out!GRANDIN ROAD

Cody

December is super busy

Its been busy here at the studio, as I stated before I dont post shoots in December, no time, If you absolutely want me to, then I will, but otherwise its just too hectic. Im taking some time for my family and wont be around for a few days, but will return! Thanks for checking in with me, I hope you are all enjoy the season!
Hugs!! If you need to reach me instead of calling the studio, email me at Pdixie@sw.rr.com
Thanks . Dixie

Goodie Goodie Gumdrops!

This was our first Christmas ornament. My mother in law Melba made it for us. She cross stitched it, and its still one of my favorites. Its 18 years old, and weathered and worn, but I think its still so sweet and Ill always treasure it.We have two trees most years, One upstairs on our 2nd floor that is all blue and silver ornaments, very snowy, very cold and blue and icy to remind me us of winter and how my husband and I fell in love. Skiing the slopes of New Mexico, and the wonderfulness that is winter and Christmas. The other is downstairs in our family room and this year its all red and white. I would have a tree in every room if I could!

The Meaning of Christmas

This is artist David Garibaldi, hes amazing! And I love the song "its called The Glory of it all." by the David Crowder band.

Say a Prayer please!!!

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.

Hi Blog readers! I just wanted you guys to please put my grandson in your prayers. He is going through a rough time right now and he is a precious little boy. Id rather not go into the details but I would appreciate it.

I have 2 grandsons and they are both so dear to us.
I know the power of prayer, so if you can pray for Tristan that all will turn out well for him I would so appreciate it.
Thank you!
Christmas time truly is the time for showing those we Love that we LOVE THEM!
Hugs everyone!

Christmas Magic Portraits are all out now!

The Final Christmas Magic Portraits were mailed out yesterday! Phew! We received shipments each day for the past about 10-12 days, we had to sort, double check, stuff and stamp and mail each one out and make sure it was all perfect but the final ones went out. (We over shot our due date by a week.) We really strive to get them in 2-3 weeks, but the final shipment came yesterday morning and we worked hard all afternoon and got them out.

If you don't receive yours by Friday or Saturday please let us know!!!
Thanks again, and it was so great to see all the beautiful children. We are hoping next year to have a fast professional printer there on site. It was our 10th year and we enjoyed it so much.

Thanks for your patience and Merry Christmas everyone!

He warmed my heart....

This sweet man rang my doorbell early this morning and asked me if he could paint our house number and a design on the curb in reflective paint. He had done it about 3 or 4 years ago and it was fading a bit so I went ahead and let him. The temperature was 29 and he set up this whole set up with orange Safety cones, a little stool, he put on knee pads and had all his supplies. He showed me a book and I chose an American Flag to go next to our house number. I watched him work on it for about 35 minutes, carefully taping the stencil and painting very carefully.
I made him some hot chocolate and when he came to have me look and approve it, I invited him in to warm himself by the fire and we both shared hot chocolate. I don't know this man, but I was so impressed by his work ethic, his kind eyes and his ability to stick with something and do it right no matter how cold it was or the wind blowing. How can you not appreciate and be a little choked up by someone like this? He told me he had Hernia surgery just a week ago but needed to get back to work and was feeling great now!

I paid him and he gave me a business card and so I thought I would post his info here.
He does an excellent job and if we ever need an ambulance or firetruck, I know with the reflective paint, they will find our home easily! Thank you Mr. Bryant, you are a good person!
(He even said a short prayer with me as we finished our hot chocolate with him giving our family a blessing for the holidays!) Now that's what Christmas is all about, (and every day should be as well.)
Mr. Ron Bryant, (940)855-2876 Rons Curb Address Service, Reflective numbers and Logos. Quality Work, Guaranteed.

Senior Portraits Gemaldegalerie

Just had to post this gorgeous shot of Stevie. Isnt she just a doll? Senior Portraits dont have to be busy or include a lot of props or background. Close ups are my favorite type of portriats.

For Unto you a child is born...

Ive enjoyed creating these cards, using very simple photoshop shapes, and painting part of it free hand. I hope you enjoy them too!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Christmas Cards by Dixie

Ive been busy making Christmas Cards. These are CUSTOM CARDS. They are not store bought, or even bought from anywhere. I design them one at a time, each customized from scratch just for you! Ive made formal, casual, whimsical, classy, elegant and outdoorsy!This is a whimsical one. More to come soon!For Photographers who might be interested, I am offering some of them for sale, on DVD, in Photoshop Templates as PSD files. (RGB, PSD files -4x6 and ready to drag and drop!) Contact us for more info! So far Ive made 12 designes but working on another 12 to be finished by Tuesday! This card below can be changed to match any color you desire, with the instructions that come with it. Yellow, Red, Green, Blue, etc..

Congratulations to Miss Charity Beaver!

Congratulations to Charity! She was chosen by the readers of D Magazine as one of Dallas Most Beautiful Top 10 Women! I knew she would make it! I'm so proud of her, and she is beautiful both inside and out and a sweet Christian girl as well! Way to go Girl! To read more about it go here D MAGAZINE! To contact me, Dixie for Modeling photography call me at (940) 761-5111 Texas , USA!

Pictures coming in this week!

We are expecting a very large shipment in this week of pictures! We will call you guys when they arrive! And also are expecting the Christmas Magic Photos as well!
Thanks for your patience everyone!!!

I love having Holiday Parties!!!

One of the things I love to do during the holidays is host parties! We entertain some of the students from the base, the European Pilots who are here, and show them how we do it Texas Style! We also usually have a Christmas Party for our employees. This year I'm planning a very special Christmas Party for my staff, who work so hard for us throughout the year.Even though I love to bake desserts, I dont have much time this month (I haven't blogged any of my shoots in a while.) I get more into Mom, Grandma and homemaker mode this month! (Your photos are uploaded to your personal galleries through the site however!)For the party im having in the middle of the month for my girls (My Dixie Chicks) I ordered 4 different desserts from Neiman Marcus (I was there on Saturday) . You can also find them on the Neiman Marcus website here.http://www.neimanmarcus.com/search.jhtml?N=0&Ntt=cake&_requestid=11669Ive ordered a Pumpkin Cranbery Silk Cake, a Red Silk Cake (you cant go wrong with one of those!) several Galaxy Dessert mini mousse cakes and last but not least a Chocolate Lava Cake (I think our son will get that one before the parties start!)I hope you all take time to enjoy the holidays and do some entertaining. There really isn't anything better than having friends and family to your home for some holiday cheer!PS HORCHOW ALSO HAS SOME REALLY GOOD DESSERTS AND OTHER HOLIDAY GOODIES!!!

Quote of the Day

"Loyalty cannot be blueprinted. It cannot be produced on an assembly line. In fact, it cannot be manufactured at all, for its origin is the human heart-the center of self-respect and human dignity. It is a force which leaps into being only when conditions are exactly right for it-and it is a force very sensitive to betrayal."- Maurice R. Franks.