"Out of the Office"- Just for a bit....

Hi there!  I was debating on whether or not I wanted to post this, but in the end I decided it was important..  Again, my blog although mainly for my photography is also a way for me to remember things that are important to me.  Wedding anniversaries, birthdays, baking cakes, traveling and surgery....etc.  I am human and not everyday is always rainbows and unicorns for me.  What?  You don't have daily experiences with rainbows and unicorns? :)  But tomorrow I am having surgery.  I will not go into any details, but some of you may remember my little episode back in August.  This surgery is in relation to that and is supposed to make everything better.  That's good right?  That's what I keep telling myself anyways.....  Am I scared?  Yes.  Am I nervous?  Yes.  The whole anesthesia thing bothers me as well as the whole waking up and feeling like absolute crap.  Nobody looks forward to feeling like crap, but it is what it is.  I am just looking forward to feeling better in the long run and not having to worry about this whole thing anymore.  I try to stay as positive as I can, but again...I'm human.  So for now I will be out of the office for a few days.  For those clients who have had recent sessions with me, don't worry!  You will still get your images on time!  And again, feel free to email me if you have any questions.

I am looking forward to cuddling with my dog, watching Forrest Gump a few times, and reading the newest In Style Magazine (love Rachel McAdams) and reading gettyimages of the 1910s.  My friend Laura gave me the reading material above (very sweet of her) and I absolutely love anything dealing with photography and history, so I'm very excited about this book!  Also looking forward to enjoying some of Megan's chicken casserole. :)  Thank you both so much :)

And finally, I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and remember to take a moment and remember what you are thankful for.  I am thankful for my AH-mazing family and AH-mazing friends. :) 

Have a great week!

Rochelle & Kevin- Maternity Session SNEAK PEEK

Hi there!  Today I met with Rochelle and Kevin for their maternity session.  I heart maternity sessions.  Rochelle and Kevin are expecting a baby boy in February, and can you guess what his name is going to be? :)  Here's a little sneak peek of their session.  Enjoy!

Such a cute couple :)

Awwww :)

Thank you Rochelle and Kevin! :)

St. Louis Family/Children's Photographer - Browning Family

I recently spent some time with the Browning Family.  You may remember their sneak peek because they have the coolest house ever.  Oh now you remember! :)  Their son Elliot is the cutest kid ever and they are one awesome family.  Here are a few from their family session.  Enjoy!

Elliot is such a handsome little guy!  Look at those eyes...

SO happy :)

Now isn't this the coolest toy ever????  I think so...I want one...

And now to introduce their fur babies...love fur babies...

This is Basil pronounced "Bazzle"...it's Britsh... :)

The adorbale Oliver

Winifred....hehe I love that name...

And Henry. 

Henry was very curious as to what I was doing in his home... :)

This is AH-dorable....my favorite... :)

Look who's walking.... :)  Go Elliot go!

And of course, had to end with his Halloween costume...hehe...awesome... :)

Thanks again Browning family!  :)

More Holiday Recipes...

So last week I shared a few of my favorite holiday breakfast recipes.  This week I am going to share my favorite appetizer and side dish recipes.  Two of these recipes are from the fabulous Martha Stewart, or as my mom would say "MY MARTHA"...hehe... :)  I think cheese and crackers is a good little appetizer, plus everyone likes cheese (for the most part).  But I like to take it up a notch and make cheeseballs.  This is a Kraft recipe, and one of my favs.  I also make this recipe for office parties all the time. 

Holiday Cheese Truffles
(fancy name for cheeseballs)

Ingredients

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg.  (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 tsp. garlic powder

Dash ground red pepper-cayenne

1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers (I use the red peppers you sprinkle on your pizza)

2   green onions, sliced

1-2/3 cups chopped PLANTERS Pecans

SOCIABLES Crackers

Directions

BEAT first 4 ingredients with mixer until blended. Divide in half. Add roasted peppers to half and onions to other half; mix each until blended.
REFRIGERATE several hours or until chilled.
SHAPE into 24 (1-inch) balls. Roll in nuts.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve with crackers.

Now for my two favorite holiday side dishes (besides my mom's super secret stuffing and garlic mashed potatoes).

Orange Scented Cranberry Sauce
(way better than that stuff out of the can- trust me, and it's from MY MARTHA)

Ingredients
2 bags (12 ounces each) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 wide strips orange zest, plus 1 cup fresh orange juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper
(Makes 3 1/2 cups)

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, orange zest, and 1/2 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange juice. (To store, refrigerate, up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
*Super easy huh?  And I made it the same day last Thanksgiving, I didn't store anything.

Sweet Potato Casserole
(SO good...just sayin)

Ingredients
3 pounds sweet potatoes (about 8), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup whole milk (I use 2% milk)
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups mini marshmallows or chopped regular marshmallows
*Crushed Pecans (I add these on top, not part of the original recipe....but good)
*Brown Sugar (I also add this, not part of the original recipe....sorry Martha)
*Serves 8

Directions
•Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover with cold water by 1 inch; salt generously. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, and return to pan. Heat over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 2 minutes.
•Remove pan from heat; add milk, butter, and nutmeg. Mash until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Transfer sweet-potato mixture to a 2-quart baking dish. (To make ahead, refrigerate, up to 1 day.)
•Top casserole with marshmallows; bake until center is warmed through and marshmallows are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes


And now I'm hungry....  :)

Have a fabulous day!





 
















 




 

Laura- Sneak Peek

Hi again!  Today I had one awesome session with the lovely Laura.  Laura is an AH-mazing photographer and a good friend of mine.  We've known each other since way back in the day.....6th grade to be exact.  But we had a little "lifestyle" session and had a blast!  Here's a little sneak peek.  Enjoy! :)

LOVE it :)

Love purple and lime green together.....oh and Laura, you look great too..... ;)

Laura, remember when I was spazzing out???  This is why!

GORGEOUS!

SO GORGEOUS!

If you're wondering where Laura got her adorbale dress from, it's from Mod Cloth...cutest store ever...

Thank you SOOOO much Laura!  You are absolutely gorgeous! 

I hope you enjoyed your sneak peek and I miss you already!  Next time we are getting dinner and a big bottle of wine! :)

And just because we are cool like that....here a few fun pics after Laura's session....

LOL....yup....that's how we roll..... ;)

Hope everyone had a great weekend! :)

Markus Family Session- Sneak Peek

Hi there!  Hope you are having a great weekend!  I met with the Markus family today for a family session and just wanted to share a few.  Their session was held....on a farm!  WOOT! WOOT!  I love sessions held on farms.  Great scenery, adorable animals, and one awesome family.  It doesn't get any better than that!  Here is a little sneak peek.  Enjoy! :)

This is Wilbur...isn't he just the cutest????  Wilber....love that name....

And this is Gage....in his cute plaid shirt....

He's SO handsome!

The Markus Family :)

Love this one... :) 

Lots of roosters, chickens, turkeys, and hens "on set" today... :)

Awwwww...sweet... :)

Thank you SO much Markus Family!  Hope you had as much fun as I did! :)

 

Eye Candy...

Yesterday I was driving home from work into my neighborhood, when I passed the same set of red trees I've been eyeing for the past month.  Every time I say "those trees are SO pretty!" and then continue on my merry way.  Well yesterday I decided I was finally going to take a picture of them.  I walked in and grabbed my camera, waved at my neighbors (what is that crazy Kristina up to now?) and walked 3 houses down from mine to this gorgeous set of trees.  I love them....  I want 50 of them in my backyard...along with my imaginary Weeping Willows, Cherry Blossoms, and Southern Live Oaks covered in Spanish moss.  What can I say, I like trees. :)

Today, take a moment to stop and look at the trees. :)

Have a fabulous day!

Holiday Recipes- Breakfast

So with the holidays coming up, I thought I would share with you all some of my favorite recipes.  I like to cook and am always on the hunt for new recipes, but I wanted to share a few of my "staple" recipes.  These are the REALLY good ones and I have been making them for years. :)  I am a huge breakfast person to the point where I even like breakfast food for dinner.  Call me crazy, but it's good.  But here are a few of my favorite breakfast recipes.  I hope you and your family enjoy them as much as I do. :)


My first favorite breakfast recipe is from The American Country Inn and Bed And Breakfast Cookbook.  This cookbook belongs to my mother, but I tend to borrow (steal) it whenever I can.  Maybe I'll get my own copy one day?  :)  It's my FAVORITE cookbook!  It's up there with Martha Stewart, Barefoot Contessa, and Paula Deen, yes the recipes are that good.  It's a collection of recipes from tons of top Bed and Breakfasts around the Unites States.  It's the bomb diggity.  Okay, so here is a great breakfast recipe for Strata.  You can make it the night before and then just bake it in the morning, Easy peasy!  And it's delish!

Strata
The American Country Inn and Bed and Breakfast Cookbook

(Submitted by The Pine Tree Inn-Wallace Idaho)

Ingredients
12 slices of bread, remove crust and cut into cubes. (I use a fresh baked loaf of white bread from our local bakery...it's my way of being fancy)
1 1/2 cups diced ham (You can buy diced ham at the grocery store)
1 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup finely minced onion
3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese (I use shredded cheese from the grocery store)
3/4 cup grated Jack cheese (shredded store kind)
7 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons dry mustard
3 cups milk

Grease a 9x13-inch pan and place bread on the bottom. Combine ham, green pepper, onion, and cheese, pour over the bread. Mix together remaining ingredients and poor over strata. Let sit overnight in the refridgerator (this is key). In the morning, bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour. Serves 6-8.

Let cool before serving, strata will be more "firm".  Just sayin... :)

And my second favorite breakfast recipe takes a little bit longer to make, but it is SO worth it.  I made this recipe for my in laws last year and they were IMPRESSED.  Gold star for me.... :)  It's also a Barefoot Contessa recipe.  Ina Garten is a genius!  Love her...

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes
(Barefoot Contessa Recipe)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (I don't use kosher salt...whoops)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon milk
2 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I add more...because I love it)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (this is optional...my husband does not like lemon anything, but I do..he's a weirdo)
Unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
Pure maple syrup (pure maple syrup is hella expensive...Mrs. Butterworth works just fine)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whick together sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan. Add (sprinkle) tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely brown. Flip the pancakes and cook for another minute, until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to pan. Continue cooking pancakes until all batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter, and maple syrup.
*I make these on our griddle, huge time saver and easy clean up.
*And they don't taste like sour cream...they are good I promise. :)

Okay, so there are my favorite holiday breakfast recipes. 

Stay tuned for appetizers, side dishes, and desserts.  Oh my... :)

Have a fabulous day! :)



SNEAK PEEK- McLean Family Session

Hi there!  Today I did a family session with the McLean family.  We did their session at Jon's parents house in the middle of the country.  I heart sessions in the middle of the country.  Great people, adorable little girl, gorgeous horses, and one fabulous sunset.  Today was a GOOD day!  Just wanted to share a few.  Enjoy! :)

They have their very own horses...how cool is that? :)

This is Madison.  She's such a doll....And she has THE CUTEST pigtails ever... :)

Love this family...

Meet Punkin Puss..hehe...

And the handsome Luke :)

One gorgeous sunset today... :)  Loved it...

Hope you all had a great weekend!