“These are my jewels” says so much about how I feel about motherhood!  i’m soooo excited for this mini session on mother’s day weekend…it’s perfect to do with your kiddos, amazing to do with your mom, and it could even be ideal if you have a bun in the oven and would like a few maternity images :)

bonus: you can save your husband gift anxiety with an email containing a link to this post and an added ‘pretty pretty please’!  clearly a win-win ;)

many moms are almost absent from family photos (because you’re taking them) so here’s a chance to rectify it!  plan to read a book, play ring a round the rosie, tickle, giggle, come with a new joke or two up your sleeve and we’ll make darling images of hugs and laughter…can’t wait to see you!

when: saturday, may 12th – mother’s day weekend.
where: tbd

kindly pick your preferred time

friday

3:00

3:30

4:00

saturday

10:00

10:30


11:00


11:30

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30


3:00

3:30

since you’ll be looking so cute, make some plans to go to lunch/early dinner afterwards!  best.mothers.day.weekend.ever!

details: a 15-20 minute mini session, $150
a mother and 1-2 children, for additional children just add $25/person.  in 4 weeks, we’ll present 5 too cute images.  email lindsay (info@melaniemauer.com) for a spot as soon as you can!  these go lightening fast!

if you’d like advance notice of our mini sessions, sign up for our newsletter at the very bottom of the blog (or homepage) – it says ‘email sign-up’ and has a cute little envelope by it!

Love, Splat  by Rob Scotton

It is the month of love and I HEART Splat the Cat.  Splat has been a special part of our little family since our beginning.  Baby Pierce LOVES when my husband reads him Splat books. He’s completely enthralled with the drawings of a little black cat with big worried eyes.  The author, Rob Scotton, has a story for Splat at each of the major holidays and while I adore Scaredy-Cat Splat!, I think Love, Splat is the sweetest:

A nervous Splat gets ready for Valentine’s Day at Cat School.  He has a very special Valentine in a pretty, red envelope for a certain cat in his class.  While his insecurities (and a competitive suitor) threaten to get in the way, Love always seems to persevere.  I think Rob Scotton has such a great way of showcasing a child’s wide range of emotions and how important those “little moments” can be.

I look forward to reading these books for a long while.  And I am hoping to have a little Splat, the Cat at our house this Halloween (let me know if you see a costume in a 2 year old size!).

just back from a couple days away at blackberry farm!  it was a christmas-and-you’re-the-most-amazing-team-ever gift so we could 1) spend time together since ashleigh & lindsay mostly telecommute and as a huge thank you for all they do and 2) so we could soak up lessons on exceptional service (because blackberry is hands down, the most capable creative team i’ve ever met).

photo descriptions:

1 – the boathouse
2 – the day before we arrived they’d just wrapped up a stave puzzle festival…i was clueless about what stave puzzles were but we worked one for a few minutes before lunch and they are exquisite (handcrafted from wood in ct, lots of the pieces have stories to them – like the lamb and flowers that were a part of this one made for blackberry farm, and there’s NO picture on the box – ack!!)
3 – we learned how essential ashleigh’s morning cup of coffee is ;)
4 – exploring the garden, greenhouse and where they host farm to table dinners in the summer
5 – ashleigh & i with italian truffle puppies!!!!  you know those pigs that search in the forest for truffles?  well, after the pigs find them, getting them off the truffles is apparently quite a feat so these truffle dogs are an alternative.  and we’re smitten. clearly!
6 – lindsay with a horse that was about to get a new pair of shoes
7 – lambs and chicks had just arrived and the cheesemaker who was in to check on the lambs handed this chicken to katie on a stop during our bike ride
8 – the yallarhammer pavilion – a favorite stop of ours.  we had a group yoga session here overlooking the pond and went back and made a fire and chatted one evening after dinner.
9 – the barn!  dinner is here each evening and to say it’s a sublime experience falls short! (make sure you ask for a peek at the gorgeous wine cellar below)

so, if blackberry farm is on your list of to-do’s GO!  i was encouraged by katherine greene-owens and i’m forever grateful…they have special winter rates (all meals are included) and also an annual 2-day sale where there are discounts close to half off.  it’s nothing short of spectacular even in the winter!!  2 nights here feels like a week somewhere else because it’s so peaceful & beautiful!  and they host weddings (wink wink)!

distance: 3 hours (so nice to have a true getaway you can get to so quickly!)

color has such a huge effect on me.  and given that i prefer calm to rowdy, maybe that’s why i love muted colors like ivory & grey so much :)  here’s a little color study of one of our favorite colors!

we’re already half way through february – oh goodness!!  well then, here’s hoping you have the best valentines day ever.  and a quick heads up, the mmp crew is going on a little roadtrip next week (all together – so exciting!) so our emails might be slightly delayed…we’ll be back in the swing of things on thursday!