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Hello It’s me again .. 8 years later ❤

 

WOW. Sometimes life seriously flies by and you’re here looking back at the last 8 years going what happened.. and it’s A LOT. Feeling so darn blessed to call this my life and more importantly to re-discover writing again. I have always had a lot to say and a lot on my mind {too much for one person} so I need to share with the world. Since my last blog post was almost 8 years ago, it’s going to take a while to catch y’all up. I may have to start where I am at and occasionally post some reflection blogs because that is something I consider very important and it should really be a dedicated subject on this blog.

Speed catch up here. We now have TWO little girls {ALREADY age 7 & 9!} and we still have Tank and Cache {already 11 years old}. So about a year ago now we moved to Nashville, TN from Folsom, CA. We have been traveling here for over 9 years for my husbands work wanting to settle here at some point and just not knowing when the right time to make that move would end up being. About two years ago as we were casually looking at the sweet town of Mt. Juliet, {about 25 minutes from downtown Nashville}. We stumbled across a developing neighborhood that just did us in. @Jacksonhills and @signaturehomes in Mt. Juliet have been the sweetest place for us to land. Our girls are thriving in school and loving their new friends and we feel so thankful to have found this community and town. The best part was that we downsized to a smaller house. We never really utilized the space we had in our last house and although this might not be our forever house it’s definitely perfect for us now and for our lifestyle. We are now often back in California – so a home with less up-keep allows us to travel more and not worry as much.

In the meantime since my last post I fully jumped into the wedding scene and started photographing weddings. It happened so fast I had zero time to even reflect and so this is my main inspiration to restarting this blog. I crave helping others and I truly want to do that in my life in whatever way I can. Since I have now almost 10 years of experience running my own business essentially from home while being a mom and wife as well as being a photographer – I have a lot to offer others who may just be starting out wanting to learn as well. I was never the type that counted how many shoots I have done but I do keep every single shoot I do, so I could probably figure out the exact number but it is far into the hundreds between weddings, lifestyle, family headshots and newborn photography. I also have plans to evolve my brand so stay tuned for those posts. It’s really exciting.

One thing that has been eating at me lately is not just sharing about owning and running a successful business as a mom, wife and woman but figuring out that just by “doing” and working hard and being a good person you can accomplish a lot in life. The motive to “take over the world” I have seen in a lot of people lately just really tears at my soul. Rome wasn’t built in a day. We are all here in the same place, trying to do the same thing, something important and meaningful in our lives. There really is enough room for all of us in this thing called life. Take time to connect and be real with those around you. No one else on the planet earth is Jesus besides Jesus. Also, no one else is YOU. We all have our own path to venture down. That is the greatest blessing in life, you just got to find and do what you love, unapologetically and get to work. That is all. I’ve learned a lot more in the last 10 years both in life and in my work than any other time in my life, but I think that’s a good spot to leave this post with. I am exciting to start sharing tips and things I have learned as well as a little more about my life and where I see my business going next!

 

Happy Friday from Mt Juliet, TN, y’all

{It’s been rolling off my tongue pretty natural these days}

❤ Kim

Well it has already been a month and I have not been keeping up with my “weekly posts” but as long as I get on here once a month that is doing alright I guess! Baby K is now 4 months old {almost 5!}. She is talking up a storm and watching her {dare devil} sister’s every move! Today is Valentines Day and us girls have something special planned for Daddy/Hubby. We will post pictures on the next post, but for now, I am just watching these milestones fly by! The last almost 5 months have brought so many milestones, I cannot believe how quickly they come and how easily I forgot this from my first. K is rolling over both ways {time to take off the crib bumper!}, talking up a storm, pulling herself up while in carseat or swing to look for me {I find this so adorable! “Mommy’s girl” all the way}. She is definitely making eye contact with me, her sister, daddy, the dogs, anything that moves really. 🙂 She is a major drool monster and mommy changes her about 3-4 times a day {Just waiting for that first tooth to appear}! She is soooo smiley and giggles at just about anything. I just adore my girls!

Lady S has also reached many milestones the past few months! They don’t stop coming quickly after age one! She was fully potty trained, starting around 2years, 6months. She can repeat multiple word sentences, and pretty much fully communicate with me now {The best stage ever, “mommy’s built in little girlfriend”}. She also started gymnastics a few weeks ago and has learned, somersaults, jumping on both feet, Merry go rounds on the trampoline as well as bouncing to her bottom, walking the balance beam, and pulling her feet up on the bar! I tried gymnastics with her two other times, at 18 months and then again at 2, and 2 1/2 is the perfect age. They are not quite listening fully but they are much more cooperative. Although it could also be my child who is very independent, and it could also be the actual place we tried. The first class we tried, it was structured and smaller, where 18 month olds were told to “wait their turns AND go in order”…which are both almost impossible to communicate to a little one of that age… I really like the place we go now, because it is not structured to go in order, it’s more free play, but it gives me the freedom to help guide her to help her learn order, but if she get’s out of order it’s not against the rules and in fact they encourage it, because it helps their “exploratory motors” kick in. I’m very thankful for that! I bring baby K along and she just sits in my little kangaroo pouch while I help sissy. Daddy comes along as well and sometimes grandparents. I am so thankful that I am lucky enough to stay home with my kids, and able to take them to classes like this.

These moments and milestones just fly by so fast. I of course wouldn’t know just what I was missing if I had started out going back to work, but I would be sad knowing that it was possible I’d be missing out on so much. I’m very thankful for starting my own business from home, it has helped our family and has given me my creative outlet I crave so much. I will be cherishing these last few months before S goes off to Pre-school a few days a week this fall. It will be nice to have some individual time with Baby K though too, since her sister got a few years all to herself. 🙂

Here is Baby K’s 4 month photos that I took, and Lady S at Gymnastics! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Love K {Boots and Bubble Baths}

I love fun activities with my little miss. We were outside and she saw the “bubbles” bottle in the outdoor activity bin, which happened to be empty and S just did not believe me… So we decided it would be fun to make our own! Good ole’ Fashioned home-made bubbles! We sorted through the crafts box to find left over pipe cleaner. I figured that was stable enough to make a cutout for the bubbles. Since Valentines Day is just around the corner… we thought Pink & Heart shaped would be appropriate… 🙂

Since it was a cold day, little muffin decided it was best to stay in her warm Footies PJ’s for our fun! Those are the best… you can only get away with wearing those so many years of your life right?

Just a little dish soap, water & Ceramic Ramekin, and voila! Entertainment for hours for a little two year old.

{Boots & Bubble Baths}

It’s been awhile since I posted anything… in fact I think I have only really blogged on here a few times. I run a photography business and blog every shoot I do {I just so happen to be a little behind on that as well – excuse the new baby syndrome, it only lasts a few months!} and realized I’m horrible at blogging for my self. I started to think, in the wake of the school shooting in Connecticut… how valuable each and every moment we have on this earth is; Including each memory as a mother. When I became a mom for the first time {even the beginning stages of pregnancy}, I remember referring to my mom, mother in law, and everyone I knew for tips, tricks and any words of the wise they had to offer. What I didn’t realize is sooner than I knew it, I would also become a victim of the “Mommy Memory Syndrome.” I’m a mom, and some days I cannot even remember my purse, let alone what I did or felt yesterday! I try hard to collect myself a few times a day, but we all become a victim of this eventually and loose it at any given moment.

When I was pregnant with my first, little Lady “S” I will call her, I remember asking my mom and mother in law for details about what they remember when they were pregnant.  The answer… almost NOTHING! I found this astonishing, being that my 90 year old Grandmother can remember every grocery item she stuck into her cart yesterday on her grocery store run {Grandma Ruth! Oh I will need to devote an entire blog just for her one day soon…she’s amazing}, let alone moments when she held her first born for the first time! Soon enough I realized that a year had flown by since the birth of Lady “S” and I could hardly remember my birth story accurately! So it took a lot of contemplating and convincing of myself, but I have finally decided that this is reason number one, that I will start blogging my “mommy hood.” Not just for myself but for our now, two beautiful little girls, that one day, will ask me, and I will have no recollection besides these posts and maybe a book that I decide to make from these posts, of just how amazing every moment was of watching them blossom into the mom’s they will one day become.

I was looking back at a this photo below of baby S and it was of her at a beautiful place called Daffodil Hill. It was a photo I had posted on Facebook, and she was only 9 months old. I was reading the comments people had posted and realized that my comments back then… I didn’t even recognize!!! I could not recall the funny faces she use to make at me at that young age, in which I was describing to someone! The way her eye brows would move up and down reminded me of myself… She of course still does this, but on her two year old face, it’s just so different now. I found myself unbearably sad that those teeny tiny moments in which we wish we could bottle up and hold forever and ever…just disappear like that… in one little blink! This is why I will do nothing more before I start consistently documenting my babies as they grow. I have had a few friends do this already and after having baby K, there is just no excuse. Time will pass before I know it, and they will be off to college, {TEAR} and all I will have are these photos and nothing which to surround them by but my poor memory. So for now I will leave you with this photo… my precious first born {and no, just because she was first, doesn’t change how much I love my second and any others that may follow}…but seriously isn’t she the cutest??? I cannot wait to share more and be able to look back at my teeny little girls and their precious memories together!

Love K  {Boots & Bubble Baths}

So before I delve into my blog full blown with my thoughts on life, love, family, everything in between and my love of boots and shoes, I wanted to start out with where my life really began. I was born in 1986, but as everyone else knows and probably feels, your life, the one you build, starts when you meet that person. That guy or girl, that really completes you and has no other better name than soul mate. That day for me was on January 11, 2006 when I met my now husband and father of our daughter and now new baby on the way. It was Flight 586, Southwest Airlines, leaving Sunny San Diego headed back to our home town. Keep the numbers of my flight in mind; Ironic story about that… to come.

Let me first tell you, my husband and I really have two very different stories of how this whole “few ours of our lives” played out, so I’ll tell you mine and as you can imagine almost everything was probably opposite in his story. Well I was early to the airport, of course, I’m always late to social events, but appointments, vacations, etc, I’m always way too early and ironically that day, he was too. He is THAT guy, that never likes to be anywhere any earlier than he has to be. Fate had something in mind for him that day. He made a random Wednesday evening flight at 9:30pm when he really could have left that day any time after 9AM! He didn’t even think about changing his flight. {I honestly think he intended that because he figured he may have a hangover… 😉 } He was there on business but spent a few days after with his friends who had moved down there during or after college. I was there, well to have fun, I was still in college, he was now a professional {adorable/handsome} business man, who really dressed himself well {minus the neglected stubble on his face} . He figured I had gone there to party, when in reality I was actually there working…scouting out the town looking to move. My good friend had been attending UCSD and I had planned to move in with her if I did move down to San Diego, so I spent a few nights with her, going to classes with her and scoping out the beaches. I knew it was for me. I wanted to be a nurse at the time and was hoping to get into SDSU. After a few days of Sunny San Diego, I had pretty much packed my bags {mentally} and I was already plotting and planning my getaway. That was up until he asked for my number…

We of course eye flirted, here and there before hopping on the plane, but I avoided him at all cost… I had just been broken hearted and I had just departed an emotional roller coaster not wanting to get back on any time soon. After {what seemed like an eternity} waiting in the terminal before it was our turn to board, everyone started getting in line  {we of course made eye contact again} and on my end it seemed as if he was just playing games. He told me a few years later that he had tried his hardest to get closer to me in line… it didn’t work. I wasn’t too concerned with missing an opportunity to say hi or make conversation since I was trying to avoid Mr. Handsome all along, although a part of me couldn’t help but look around once boarding the plane to see where he landed. As my eyes wandered the plane, all the sudden I caught a bright eyed white teethed face staring straight at me. I bashfully looked away thinking crap he totally saw me looking for him… {he totally did}. I spent my walk down the rows debating, how awkward this would be if I asked to sit next to him… especially since he parked his bags on the isle seat {secretly hoping I’d ask him to move them}… I was so close to not even looking at him but something pulled me in his direction {I still cringe thinking how awkward this could have turned out, had he had a girlfriend, or was so not interested}. So I asked… “Is anyone sitting there?” {Of course they weren’t…he was hoping I would be!} He literally had his hands on his bags and hopped out of his seat to move them above before I could finish my sentence! This is when the butterflies came full force and I was a little surprised since I really had no idea why I was even asking him, It was like something came over me and pushed the words out of my throat! {A little something called fate} After I got settled and he helped me with my bags I looked around to see how empty our flight really was {How embarrassing! I could have literally had my own row!} He didn’t seem to mind that much. So we were on our way to getting to know each other and as we talked I really couldn’t believe not only how comfortable we felt talking to each other but how many mutual people we actually knew, we grew up almost a decade away from each other in age, but growing up a town away makes that not matter very much… small towns… everyone knows everyone somehow or another. Long story short he asked for my number at the beginning of us getting ready to depart the plane and asked if he could take me out sometime. I {instinctively} said yes, and the rest is history. Fast forward 3 years later to us planning our wedding. I was sitting there plotting out the cake, the flowers, the photographer, etc. When ordering the cake, the baker had asked me what I wanted written on the cake, or if we had a theme… I started thinking about how we met, and how we could incorporate something to do with that into our wedding/theme. I thought about all the significant things about the day we met. I remembered I had kept my luggage tag from the flight and glued it in our scrapbook. When I looked at it closer, I remembered that our flight was flight 586. I don’t know why I never paid attention to this before {probably because most normal people wouldn’t think this was odd} but the numbers 586 were not only the month and year of my birth but when you add all the numbers together {19} it equaled my age that I met my now hubby. I’ve always had a strange tie to numbers. One of my favorite numbers has always been 2 and our daughter was born at exactly 2am on the dot. So needless to say this became the fundamental theme of not only for our wedding day, but when our lives began.

Well, no pun intended on this one… I like to frame, well… everything…for that matter hence my love for photography, but this post is about frame’s as in the one’s you hang on your wall, not the kind you capture with your camera, I like to call those memories frozen in time!  If you’re actually curious about the other frames… take a look at my work at the following places… here and here! I also have a fanpage on facebook you can find under KBP Kimberlee Brooke Photography. Anyway. I wanted to share the frames that I have been obsessed with since I started a photography company back in April of 2011! I actually discovered them before I started a business… and I swear they were one of the reasons I decided to start it… I had been debating starting a business in Photography for about 5 years prior to the time I actually did it, although my whole life I knew this was something I wanted to do eventually. I have many reasons why, but my best reason was that I had too many obstacle’s in my way. Life, (lack of time) really and doubt in my own talent I guess were two big obstacle’s. I also felt that If I had started 5 years ago, it just might have become a huge flop. Different companies, like this one, The Organic Bloom (The most amazing framing company ever!) are what have made it possible for people like me, who feel it’s about “the whole package” , to make a partnership of their product and add it to my packages as a photographer or provide it’s availability separate. The way I look at these frames are like dressing up without putting on nice shoes. If you’re going to showcase beautiful photos, and not put them in beautiful frames, it sort of defeats the purpose of adding “art” or Photography to your walls. (I hope that metaphor made sense)

Since I started small with my photography company by providing the disc of digital images, and prints if needed, I wanted something they can stick those pretty photos into and give them more the reason to want to hang my work on their walls. Here are the following reasons I love The Organic Bloom so much… Reason number 1)… (of 300 that I will spare you) is that they are made of solid wood. That high quality makes me feel as if I’m adding art to our walls rather than just another plain black or white frame with a photo in it; Reason number 2) They use Kelly Moore paints to paint their frames and I think that’s amazing. They are gung- ho about consistency and it shows… there is absolutely no variation in one frame to the next with the same exact color… (trust me I’ve checked…yes I’m OCD), 3) They have various styles and unique versions of each including their “Double stack Frames”… see example here and even better their “twin double stack frames!!!” here!  I am sure they will come up with more amazing combinations as they continue to flourish. Reason number 4) They provide a search engine in which the consumer interested can find a local photographer that sells their product! I am on there… which is so awesome! I am sure I will find ways to use this to my advantage, but for now I just like that I am easily found on the list of vendors in my area! 😀 See here! Reason number 5) They are highly supportive of local business. For instance, they insist that if you are interested in selling these frames as a photographer, to simply only sell to those who are paying for your photography services. They also ask that as a consumer you only buy from those you are purchasing photography services through. I am not sure how they enforce this, but my guess is that it might feel odd as a “photographer” to only be reached out to for the frames you carry and not your actual services. This is why I include them with my packages sometimes or I may offer a freebie as a reward for a client, etc, I also sell them separately to clients who have just purchased a package with me. The list could go on forever (like I said there are 295 more reasons why I love The Organic Bloom – Oh ok number 6) Their name alone? How could you not love something so fresh sounding?, so that leaves 294 but who’s counting!). So moral to this post is, if you’re going to frame, do it well and use The Organic Bloom! 🙂

Here are some examples of their 3×3 “Ornament Frames” in Clover Leaf, White & Flamenco Red!

 

 

Boots and Bubble Baths {My two favorite things}

I usually spend quite a bit of money on Holiday Cards every year and after starting a photography company this year I’ve had the hardest time paying full price for holiday cards from places like Shutter-fly, Minted, tiny prints etc, Although I highly believe in these sites, I can’t help but let my creative wheels turn on just how they make these. I’m big on DIY projects because I’m so intrigued with figuring things out on my own. Well the one thing I learned well this year in photoshop is how to collage photos. I am still very much in the learning process {hence the non artsy finish} so these didn’t turn out the clearest but I think as I get better our family and friends will be more pleased every year with the clearer they become and hopefully more creative! So I have officially turned our kitchen table into an assembly line today and I’m determined to finish! Hubby is in charge of mailing them… So you shall receive one soon if you’re in my address book! Hopefully they will make it there before next week! Stay tuned for more photos (better ones hopefully) from my DSLR, these were just taken with my iPhone. P.S. This is what you may or may not need..

~ Shiny card stock {at least heavy weight pearlized card-stock}
~ A printer that prints quality photos {we have the HP office-jet}
~ A decent paper cutter {Michaels or any craft store}
~ Photo shop {I used Elements for this but will probably try next one via CS5}
~ hole punch {I used a snowflake shape one by Reflections from Michaels}
~ Last but not least Tweed! {The tweed was my way of distracting from the non artistic-ness of this years card :-D}

Hearts!

{KBT}

So in the beginning I said my posts are going to vary. Well today I have decided to blog about my very favorite reality show. I am a sucker for reality TV, namely the Bachelor/Bachelorette, CMT Cribs, Real Housewives, etc, but my most favorite show to watch (that is when I even get 20 minutes in my day to do so), is Tori & Dean on the Oxygen Network! Not only was my favorite show growing up 90210, but Tori Spelling has always been one of the most inspiring celebrities for me. She was my favorite character on 90210 because she was always so spunky and witty and always very fashionable. Now that she is a mom, who works from home constantly creating work for herself, I find I have a lot more in common with her than I ever thought I would. As much as their story of how they met, is not something I would ever condone, they were both in a situation where they found the wrong person the first time and were extremely un happy, which I think happens to some people when they are eager to settle down, and maybe think that whomever they are with when they feel that way, is who they should end up with.. You can really see their kinship/spiritual connection and know they were really destined for each other, reality TV or not, I don’t think they would be on air if they didn’t have that natural chemistry, they truly are best friends. I just can’t help but love Tori’s creativity and fashion sense. Beyond my days working as an artist manager, & Photographer, I am always coming up with new crafts and always thinking of ways to start another business. Most of these “ideas” are for fun right now because I only have so much time in my day to really execute, but while I’m mostly being a mom right now, Tori continues to inspire me! You should watch Tori & Dean if you ever get a chance. Their show aires (On U-verse – not sure on other satellite/Comcast) on Tuesdays at 7PM on the Oxygen Network. Currently they are on baby number 3 born this past October, but here is a photo I found (Of their two older children Liam & Stella) at :

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1273&bih=686&tbm=isch&tbnid=LRTCkM7Mxpvm0M:&imgrefurl=http://theknottybride.com/tag/wedding-photography/page/3&docid=AuFC8pRnd8eisM&imgurl=http://theknottybride.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/tori-and-dean-ema-e1277280872811.jpg&w=425&h=566&ei=loPfTuaCFsXiiAKezY3qCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=900&vpy=137&dur=848&hovh=140&hovw=105&tx=101&ty=123&sig=115442053022204251303&page=10&tbnh=140&tbnw=105&start=171&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:171

 

 

Enjoy your Wednesday!

 

❤  Kim

Hello,

My name is Kim, which most of you know already, but if you don’t know me, thanks for stopping by at boots and bubble baths! I decided to start a blog because I have fun sharing with family that I don’t see all the time, but I would prefer to create a post about something that happened or something I discovered or created rather than posting it on another outlet like facebook. I feel like sometimes people who really don’t care, get more annoyed than anything, so I will spare them and leave it to those who do find fun in reading my posts on here. I have one amazing husband (who I adore) and one amazing daughter who literally completes me. She is such an angel and baby hugs & kisses from her are like nothing else! She is a beautiful little soul inside and out and I can’t wait to watch her grow up and add to the pack, she will be an amazing big sister! We also have two (adorable), sometimes “challenging” beautiful dogs. One is a puggle… his name is Tank… enough said. The other is a Viszla, named Cache (pronounced “cash”) who pays more attention to reflections and shadows than us calling his name… I love my life and everyone and everything in it! I hope you find it fun and intriguing yourself.

Why “Boots & Bubble Baths?” I chose this name on a whim of creative thinking. I love boots (& all shoes for that matter), and of course bubble baths are my sanctuary on a hard day. Being a “stay at home mom,” as well as a “work -at- home mom,” and of course, devoted/loving wife, sometimes it is a challenge to juggle it all. When I need a break I like to dream of boots via Pinterest and soak in my daily bubble bath. 🙂

I hope you enjoy my posts, they will most likely range from days at home with Summer, to a fun find, maybe a little bit about my crazy life as a band manager, and most definitely some of the photo’s I take as a photographer. I own two businesses from home and when one isn’t busy the other is going a mile a minute. Besides my family, friends & work, I like to stay active, be creative & enjoy life. Please feel free to leave comments, it’s always nice to get feedback! I hope you enjoy your stay at Boots & Bubble Baths! Thanks for stopping by!

Love,

Kim