Happy Little Tree
Why You Should Hire A Pro!
Gather round my children.
Today's tale has tragedy, tears and an unexpected happy ending!
It all starts one fine Sunday two weeks ago.
I have a fabulous baker that makes my smash cakes for me, Cake Creations.
They close at 2pm on Sundays. I got there at 1:45pm, just in time to pick up my smash cake!
As I was standing there talking to the owner Tonya, there is one lone cake left in the pickup fridge.
She goes on to tell me the photographer hasn't responded back and it looks like it would go unclaimed.
Smooth white frosting, Tiffany blue drizzle down the top, sprinkling of shiny bling candy and two mini donuts.
That is when I got the bright idea to buy it from her.
"Here let me take it. If the photographer gets ahold of you give her my name, if not I'll use it!"
The day wore on. The girls and I at the studio were thinking of ways to use it.
I thought I would call a friend of mine, pop some champagne and do a "Donut cha think I'm sexy!" Session.
Well no one called. I turned to my coworker and told her, "Hey if you can think of a use for it, it's yours."
I closed up shop and drove home.
That is when my Facebook pinged.
"Hey Tree Tonya says you have my cake."
"Oh yeah, I might."
"Might?"
"Give me one minute!"
I immediately call back to my coworker.
"Hey you still have that cake?"
"Yeah we just ate it! It was awesome!"
@#$%^&*
I messaged back the other photographer, I am not sure why I said it either,
"Yeah come pick it up in the morning!"
I swung by the store. Blue drizzle, some bling, how hard could this be?
I was gonna buy an already made smash cake and redecorate it. The store was cleared out of cakes.
So I went to the baking section and bought all the ingredients.
I get home. It is now 10 o' clock at night.
I toss in an egg, some water and pop my box mix cake in the oven.
While waiting I go chop a piece of cardboard into a circle and cover it with foil to put the cake on.
An hour later after I pull it out and let it cool, I go to flip it over onto the plate to decorate.
It was undercooked.
So undercooked that the middle of it fell out like it had been shot by a cannon.
Ok Round 2!
The next cake is so over baked I have a hard time sawing off the edges to get it flat.
I take my store frosting and try to extra whip it to make it fluffier.
By this point I have watched a hundred youtube videos on frosting and am pretty sure I got this.
Dump extra on top and start to spread it around.
Add more, and more, and more why is it still crummy?
All I need is this flat tool, spin it around and it will be smooth right? Just like in all of the videos?
WRONG.
By now it is 2am, there is not a clean dish in my house, it looks like a war went on in my kitchen, there is frosting on the walls and I am crying over a cake.
Screw this. I head to a different store. They too are all sold out of smash cakes but in the corner of the case I see a white cake, with white coconut frosting.
BINGO!!!!!!
I buy it and head home!
This will be so easy! All I have to do is take off the coconut and decorate!
I scrape off the coconut and add more frosting to it and try again with the scraper thingy to make it smooth.
Looking like the craters of the moon I decide that is gonna have to be good enough.
The blue drizzle on top? Well all the videos tell you to melt down white chocolate ganache over a bain-marie, color and drizzle.
Ain't nobody got time for that!
I open my container of white frosting, add dye, pop in the microwave for 45 seconds and dump over the top.
Kind of gloppy, not bad, could of been worse.
Bling? The store did not have bling, I even checked the candy section. But they did have shiny nerd candy in the shape of game controllers and Bunsen burners!
Who knows maybe this will inspire the tyke to be a scientist!
Throw on top.
Two donuts, all I could find were the large ones in the bakery.
Then my brain starts working and I head back to the store to the snack section. They have mini donuts!
I place them on top and TADA! DONE!!!!
It is now 5:30am. My husband is waking up for work.
He looks in the fridge and says, "Oh honey it's cute. You did a good job."
At this point if looks could kill my husband would be a goner.
I mumble under my breath half laughing to myself, "Thanks, but you didn't see the original."
It looked like it had been so simple of a cake to make. WRONG!
I get the kids to school.
The other photographer messages me and says her shoot is at ten, but she is not sure she will have time to drive over to get the cake.
"No problem! I will drive it over to you!"
I stop by the studio. I pull out everything I've got. Banners, stands, confetti, balloons.
EVERY FREAKIN CUTE THING I OWN SO THAT SHE WILL HAVE A BEAUTIFUL SMASH SESSION for her client and take the focus off this HIDEOUS CAKE!
As I pull out from the studio and start to head her way she messages,
"Tree my client just cancelled. The little one is sick. I am so so sorry!"
"Oh no! That is ok! Just message Tonya when she reschedules to make you a new one. Have a good day!"
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!
I ended up giving the cake to my sister. In which she later told me it was so inedible my little nieces wouldn't even touch it.
A few morals to this story.
I later told it to Tonya and the girls at her store in which they all replied in unison, "Why didn't you call me?"
If you need help, just ask someone, even if they say no you are no worse off.
Second moral.
There is a weird psychological phenomenon that shows if you watch a video your brain tricks you into thinking you can do it as well as the Pros.
Please don't fall into this trap!
I am actually putting a link here to an article.
Along with a side by side photo I am posting this hilarious skit from Saturday Night Live that I related to way to much!
Now remember folks! These people have taken years, blood, sweat, tears and time away from their loved ones to hone their craft!
THEY ARE WORTH IT! LOLOL
Oh and don't ever ask me to make a cake. LOL
.
the days have worn away
Instead of just giving away sessions or products at Christmas I decided I was going to do something with a twist.
Yes I would give away sessions, but they would be sessions I have been dying to do that I could not get people to commit to!
Our 12 Days Giveaway was born and I have had a blast doing it for 2 years now.
Enter Miss Havashim.
For those of you that do not know her she is a character from Charles Dickens Great Expectations.
Also a spunky detective in the Jasper Fforde Thursday Next novels.
She is jilted at the alter and wears her wedding dress everyday for the rest of her life.
I love Dickens and have been dreaming of doing a Miss Havisham shoot.
I have seen many shoots of her later in her life.
What if it is not so long after the tragedy?
What if she has no more tears and is going slightly mad?
Wandering the dark, moody manor you see winter and holiday cheer but you notice something slightly off.
The dress she is wearing is meant for spring and happiness.
Hair askew, pale and wandering.
I love how everything turned out!
You may recognize our model from our past charity events! The lovely and charming Syrah Andrews definitely had to "not be herself" for this shoot.
Model Perfect Airbrush, LLC - brought my mood board to life with HMU.
The incredible silk parachute dress was provided by Alice Andrews Designs.
Link to images: Miss Havisham Shoot
My only regret? When we arrived at the manor to shoot the docent informed me I should of been there one week earlier. The great-great-great grandson of Charles Dickens had been there giving a presentation and could of been in the shoot! My heart is forever a little broken!
"Break their hearts my pride and hope, break their hearts and have no mercy. -Miss Havisham" ~ Charles Dickens
Scary Times
A short time back I pulled into my garage and shut off my car.
I had the news playing through bluetooth on my phone.
Another shooting.
One of the Carolinas.
I just sighed, shook my head and started to get out of the car.
A there it was on my phone screen.
"Mom there is a shooter in the next room. Come get me please please."
It was a text one of the young students had sent their mother.
And then I lost it.
I spent the next twenty minutes sobbing in my car.
The light turned out.
Snot running down my face, hyperventilating until I couldn't cry anymore.
I got that exact same text a few years ago from my daughter.
I was a lot more fortunate then this mother.
I was driving home from lunch with a friend when my phone went off and there was a text I had to read twice to believe.
"Mom there is a shooter in the next room. Come get me please please."
I drove as fast as I could.
As I passed a strip mall on the way to her school I saw dozens of police cars surrounding a parking lot.
I would later learn that was where the shooters life would end.
I sped past and pulled into my daughter's high school parking lot and got out.
My mind racing trying to think of a way to get past the police and to my girl.
I didn't make it inside.
I was herded with the rest of the parents into a church next door.
We waited so long.
My daughter stopped texting me.
I could feel my chest constrict.
Trying not to think of what this meant.
I would later learn that her Aunt had told her to turn off her phone and keep quiet.
I hear a bing from the lady next to me. She stands up and starts freaking out.
"There's a second shooter. Oh MY GOD There's a second shooter."
There wasn't. This was enough to make everyone in the room nauseous though.
We waited.
Suddenly there she was.
They released the students as they went through the building room by room.
Lives were lost and it was a truly horrific day.
As I type this I feel like I can't get enough air into my lungs.
I feel utter sorrow for so many parents going through this.
The one thing I didn't expect was to feel so much sorrow for the shooter as well.
As a teen I messed up A LOT. I remember not knowing who to turn to.
High School Counselor? Yeah right that is just a phone call to my parents.
My Parents? No way. We don't talk.
My Friends? They had no life experience, were just as clueless as me and gave me truly terrible advice.
What was left? How do I get out of this? Is taking my life the only answer?
Obviously it wasn't.
With luck and a family that rallied around me, I have led a truly wonderful life.
I have never forgotten how lost, desperate and hopeless it felt at that age though.
So when it came time for me to choose a charity for my Halloween Bash I had a few rules.
*They work with teenagers.
*It be a local organization.
*They accept everyone. Every gender, race, religion, LGBTQ etc.
(This last one was tougher then I though because quit a few charities are religious based and will not work with LGBTQ)
As always my son's godmother to the rescue!
She informed me about a wonderful group call YES- Youth Emergency Services that fit all of this criteria.
Please come out this Sunday!
Come tour the new studio.
Come say Hello to the Merida and the cool balloon artist!
Come in costume and get your photo taken!
Most important, come donate any amount to a truly worthy cause!
See you there and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Sunday October 21st 2018 at 3:30pm
5701 South 108th Street
Omaha NE 68137
***When asked what three things my daughter loved for her senior session she replied, "Japan, outdoors, my Grandpa." Below is a photo of my baby and her Papa Pete during her senior session a few years ago.
Match Maker!
Caught your eye?
Thinking this blog was gonna be about Bumble or Tinder?
Well not quit!
I am trying to play matchmaker.........with bone marrow.
I have one friend. Yup just one.
Let's be honest, I'm very busy and kinda a b*itch so I don't know how she puts up with me.
Her sister developed cancer and needed bone marrow.
My first thought was, "Well she has lots of family, one of them must be a match!"
Nope, partial match.
Then someone half a world away donated to her without evening knowing her.
Then in the last year alone I saw it happen three more times.
Cancer.
These wonderful, beautiful souls waiting and waiting for a match so they could get better and live their lives.
So I signed up!
I knew nothing of the process so I imagined nurses, thick needles and sterile rooms.
Imagine my surprise when an envelope and a cotton swab end up on my door step.
Yup.
That was all it took to sign up to be a bone marrow match for someone in need.
It was easier and less time then cooking, getting my driver's license, changing oil, painting my nails, washing my hair, calling my sister.
You get the idea.
It is pretty darn easy to do.
So just take one little, tiny minute and go to the website below and they will mail you a kit!
No paying for postage, no needles and big rewards.
Not only will this make you a better human being it will make another human being better!
LOVE YOUR FACES!
www.bethematch.org
All The Single Ladies......
Baby Animals
Day 7 & 8 of our 12 days of Christmas Giveaway was a photoshoot with a baby animal.
Spring came late and only lasted a week.
Then I was gone the month of June.
So we are finally getting around to the baby animals!
First I had to figure out how to get the animals.
Lots of my clients have farms and offered up there animals.
I just had Easter so I did not want to do bunnies, chicks or goats.
I had a lot of people offer their puppies but couldn't travel.
I called the Wonder Woman who comes to my studio with her bunnies and she had a solution.
Kittens.
I called up my clients at the last minute and they agreed on a spot!
Well I should of scouted the location before hand. There were two charity walks going on there that day.
We found a clear patch of green and made it work!
Of course the kids loved it.
I couldn't help but laugh. These tiny little fluff balls were stalking around the grass in full pounce mode trying to act much bigger then they were!
I feel like I should do kitten sessions every week they were so adorable!
The biggest lesson I learned was before the shoot though.
Chelsea and I were setting up across the parking lot, away from the charity run chaos.
We walked back to her vehicle to get the kittens.
As we approached the back of the open van there were no less then five extremely ripped, glowing, tanned, well muscled men that looked like they stepped off a firemen's calendar.
All of them in a semi circle around the van clutching a small kitten to their burly chests like they had found treasure.
You know that cartoon where they set a trap with a box and they pull the stick on a string when you reach for your prize?
It felt almost like that.
So all you single ladies I wish someone had told me in my twenties you just need to go to a random parking lot with a van full of kittens to snag a man!
You're Welcome!
