Have a Good Weekend....Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Portrait Photographer

I thought these would leave everybody with a smile to start off the weekend. (Ok, I'm a bit early but I'm heading to DC and can hardly wait to get there!) Hope everybody has a good weekend and GO STEELERS!

Dexter & the bone.... Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

Dexter got a special treat last night...some bones to chomp on. He absolutely LOVES treats! Of course, though, when he has the treats, he pays no attention to us. So, as you can tell, I think he was getting a little "annoyed" while I was trying to get some pictures. (my favorite is the bottom left...the bone rolled off his bed and he had his cute "puppy" look)

10 Things About... Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

MY SISTER…

1) She is my best friend.
2) She has two of the cutest kids ever!
3) I talk to my sister 10x/day – at least (her husband & my fiancé have come to accept this although they don’t understand)
4) She is always re-decorating. (Lets see how long it is before the paint colors at the lake house are changed) ☺
5) We’re identical twins (although I look just like my mom’s side of the family & she looks like nobody)
6) She’s my favorite person to shop with b/c we have the same taste and she can try something on for me & I’ll know what it will look like on me!
7) She’s always running late….drives me CRAZY!
8) She has an incredible family – very fortunate!
9) I’d be lost without her!
10) TOMORROW IS HER BIRTHDAY! (She’s actually older than me by two minutes-Ha!)

Happy Birthday!!!! Hope it’s a good one! Miss you & Luv ya!


Here are a couple of pictures from when we were younger....

Ugh....A Little Bit of Snow in Delaware Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

Look at what we woke up to this morning....and one of my favorite things about Delaware is that I thought they didn't get snow. I guess I was wrong!

Happy Birthday to my future sister-in-law! Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

I just wanted to with A a very HAPPY Birthday. (It's a milestone birthday, but I'll leave which one it is out!" I hope you have a wonderful day. We miss you guys so much!!

Look What I Got In The Mail Today! Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

For those of you that read my blog, you know that I love Lisa Leonard Designs...specifically her necklaces. I love giving them away as gifts, BUT I have never gotten one for myself. Well, I mentioned it a while back that I would like to get one and sure enough, somebody was listening! My sister got me this necklace for my upcoming birthday (her birthday, too since we're twins), and I had to share a picture of it!! Thanks, Jen! I absolutely love it! ** Oh, and if you click on the title of this blog post, it'll take you right to Lisa Leonard's website.

The "NEW" Green Chair Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

I just purchased this "new" or rather "old" green chair for a little bit of nothing. I know...you're probably wondering why I would want this chair??? Well, to answer your question, I thought it would be a fun chair to take out to use as a prop for some of my mini-photo sessions. Also, can't you see a little girl on here with her bright pink tutu up against the green....how cute would that be!!! And you guessed it...Dexter is the first one to try out the chair.



Dexter with the "vintage" effect to go along with the chair

Valentine's Day Special Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer, Julie Schmucker Photographer

Meet Sabrina the Cat Julie Marie Portraits, DELAWARE PHOTOGRAPHER

Meet Sabrina...isn't she a beautiful cat! On Friday, the husband contacted me to see about taking some pictures of their cat because the cat is getting very old and not in the best shape. This cat is extra special to mom. When I got there, the cat was just the sweetest cat ever and so were it's mom and dad. I was able to get some shots that hopefully they'll be able to treasure. It's funny how attached you can get to your pet. I ended up telling Sabrina's mom that after I hung up the phone on Friday, I quickly went to take some shots of Dexter (hence the Friday post). I can't imagine not having Dexter by my side every day. Pets are just the greatest thing in the world and the one thing that can't be beat is their unconditional love.

Dexter says Happy Friday! Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

The Big Stretch...

Can you tell I'm missing them? Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

Save The Date Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

Oops...Forgot that I wanted to show you my new save the date card that I created myself. As you can see the colors are going to be black, white and apple/chartreuse green. I can't wait to get them as I just sent them off to the lab. It's hard to believe that it's only a little over 4 months away. Boy, do I have a lot of dieting to do so that I can fit into my sister's wedding dress!

Before/After..... Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

Happy Wednesday! I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to share a before/after picture. I follow a lot of photographer's blogs, and a lot of them share their "before" picture and the processed "after" picture, so, I thought I would just show you one that I did and you can see for yourself which one you like best!

Happy Birthday, Mr. J!! Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

Tomorrow is my nephew's birthday, and I can't even believe he's going to be "3" years old. I remember when my sister found out what she was having....I so was not expecting that b/c I only wanted a niece. It wasn't that I didn't like little guys, but I had no idea what you did with a little guy nor buy a little boy. Well, that afternoon, I went shopping and was able to find some "cute" little boys clothes, so after that, I started to like the idea of getting a nephew! Well, needless to say, J was born, and he has been more than I could ever expect out of a nephew. He's just the greatest little guy in the world, and I can't imagine life with out the little rascal! He has certainly made these past three years the best times ever! So...Happy Birthday, Bubba! (my sister will be mad that I referred to him as "bubba", but I always say he's my little bubba!) I miss you and love you so much!!!! Aunt JuJu




The picture below is a typical one of J...he hates the camera and will do anything and everything to try & avoid it!

Grandma's Memory/Recipe Book Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

When I got home on Christmas Eve, my mom said there would be one present that would make us cry (and of course, she had tears telling me about it). I had no idea what it could be, but then, as I opened the package, I realized why she said it would make us cry. My cousin, Tina, (who by the way is a phenomenal professional scrap-booker) made each of us a memory book filled with pictures of my grandma and some of our favorite recipes that came from grandma. This book is extra special because this was the first Christmas without my grandma as she passed away back in April. I can't even imagine how much time my cousin put into making each of these books, but I will forever treasure it. Thank-you, Tina!

Here are a few pix of the book...



This is a picture of my mom and her siblings with my grandpa and grandma. The baby in the top picture is of my mom. It's funny because when we were looking at it, we were like..."wow...sisapoo looks just like her"! (Don't you just love the note paper that the recipe on the top left was put on!)

My mom on her wedding day...

My Grandpa & Grandma on their wedding day.

This is an old one of all the grandchildren & 3 of the great grandkids. (My cousin, Tina, who made the book is in the back left)

I thought I would share one of the recipes. Her yummy sloppy joe's that are so easy to make!

Who's the Hunk?... Julie Marie Portraits, Delaware Photographer

Well, if you're referring to the handsome dog, that's Dexter! If you're referring to the other hunk...well, that's my fiance! :)
Dexter and I wanted to show J our new favorite field. J was a trooper and went out back to play with Dexter, and he also let me get a few pix.

The picture below is my new favorite of J & Dexter:

Dexter... out in the backyard Delaware Photographer, Julie Marie Portraits

Dexter and I went out back of our house exploring today...On the other side of the property line is a big open field...

Our New Home....Delaware Photographer, Julie Marie Portraits

I thought I'd share some pictures of our new home and show you my lovely decorating talent....or lack of!

The family room which is right off of the kitchen.:

The Kitchen:


The Living Room

The best part...The Pool! My nephew would ask to go swimming in it everyday. He would end up settling for a swim in the bathtub, though!

The Dining Room Area...this area has yet to be decorated, but I wanted to show you my new dining room table & chairs.

The dining room table and chairs actually came from my dad. I had mentioned that I was going to finally have a dining room in this house and my dad said he had 8 ugly chairs that he had bought at an auction a long time ago for around $10 (total), and he had a table too that he bought for a little bit of nothing. I told him to send me a picture and this is what it looked life before:


And After: (i bought the material that I used to cover the chairs probably 5 years ago & my dad painted the table/chairs black) It turned out pretty nice, huh!

Hope you enjoy the pictures. (If your wondering...not only did the table and chairs come from my dad, but most of the other items in the pictures above came from my dad from various auctions, etc...! )