Design Eat Play

So long blog!

2010-03-04T12:54:00.001-08:00

So long sad little blog. This will be my last post here. I just launched my new blog yesterday so please redirect your links there. The pics will be bigger! Much, much bigger!

www.designeatplay.com

Evan and Natalie

2010-02-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

This weekend we took an annual trip with a group of friends over to the coast for the Newport Seafood and Wine festival. While there I did engagement pics of two of our good friends. They came all rockin in those outfits. I LOVED!

And the winner is....

2010-02-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

The winner of these saucy little sterling earrings (picked blindly by my husband) is post #7. Melissa Niu CONGRATS! I actually went to high school with Melissa. I hope you enjoy your new bling. Have fun at the wedding.

Melissa, I will contact you to get you the goods.

Thanks to everyone for playing. I will definitely be doing this again soon.

And the rest of Tucson

2010-02-24T13:57:00.000-08:00

Ok...before I get too behind on this, I am just going to post the rest of my Tucson pics now. I am on my way to the Oregon Coast so if I don't do this now...it will never happen.

The rest of the days there, we went out to Bisbee, an old copper mining town, Tombstone, Tubac for the art festival, San Xavier Mission, took pics of my photog cousin's monkey, went to the zoo and took a hike in the foothills with my parents on the way out of town. It looks like I still need to get my Bisbee, Tombstone and Tubac pics up here. Oh boy.

Day 4 - Old Tucson Studios

2010-02-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

We started Tuesday with a nice round of tennis at some courts that we poached in a nearby neighborhood. We grew up poaching courts and I secretly love it. Living on the edge. Look at this view! We are right in the foothills. My dad (aka tennis pro) was giving everyone lessons.

Look at those legs!

Today we all packed into a few cars, I think there were 10 of us. The thing you have to understand about Tucson is that no matter where you are going, something across town or the restaurant down the street, it will take you 30 minutes to get there. It is some sort of magical power but I swear it is true. Anyway, we all headed out to Old Tucson Studios, and 30 minutes after departure we were there! It is an awesome drive through Saguaro National Monument. Honestly one of the prettiest things I have ever seen. Gates Pass.

I haven't been to Old Tucson since we lived there in the 80's. It's just 12 miles and a hundred years from town. Wink. That's the old jingle. Old Tucson Studios was built in 1939 for the movie, Arizona, and has since been used in over 300 movie and tv productions including Tombstone, Three Amigos and Little House on the Prairie. In middle school I was once told that I looked like Laura Ingles. I don't think it was meant as a compliment.
Recognize this from the Three Amigos?

Anyway, in the 1990's part of Old Tucson burned down. Arson. And, leave it to the Hardy's to show up on the 2 days out of the week that no rides are running, no gunshows etc. It was still awesome.

Yeahhhhhh

We roamed the streets taking millions of pics, ate ice cream, rode in a stage coach, went in the graveyard and saw the one mini-show they were running that day. They picked my bro's gf, Amy, to be in it. Trooper!

I owe you lots more pics from Old Tucson! Oh it is SO neat! Coming soon....

Oh, and here's a Tucson sunset. Pretty standard really. If standard means the most amazing thing you have ever seen.

Jewelry Giveaway

2010-02-22T16:27:00.000-08:00

Hmmm...this could be fun. This weekend my brilliant friends gave me the idea
to give away some jewelry on my blog. Sounds fun, why not! Should I have
used a question mark there? Nahhh....I write by my own rules in case you
can't tell. My poor high school English teachers, my mom and my grandma
shudder.

I am giving away a pair of earrings to one of my blog followers. I just made these after returning from the gem show. These are texturized, sterling silver drops that dangle from dainty sterling chain. Handmade french ear wires. These are really fun. Can dress up or down any outfit.

Eeks, blurry.

How to enter:
I should clarify...you don't have to do all of these but each time you post it is another entry for you. :)

1. Leave a comment on here about what your favorite kind of bling is and why
(earrings, necklace, bracelet, ring, etc).

2. Spread the word about Design Eat Play. Tweet and/or post to Facebook about the contest then come back and leave a comment letting me know you did. (Want to make sure you get your entry!)

I will have my husband pick one comment at random to win. Contest closes
this Sunday at 6pm. Winners will be announced later that evening. Happy
bling blinging and good luck!

I hope to do many more of these so stay tuned!

To see all of my jewelry visit my etsy store http://www.izzypdesigns.etsy.com. I will be adding LOTS of fun stuff soon.

Day 3 - The Barrio

2010-02-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I had mentioned this before but this trip marked the first time I was meeting my brother's girlfriend, Amy. What better way to get to know someone than to book them for a photoshoot. After she got out of class we all piled into the minivan rental and headed down to the Barrio. Oh it is so cool down there. Painted doors galore. My sister and I both took our cameras and got up in their grill. It looked like an engagement session or something but we were really glad they were up for it. John had to give his thumbs up on any photos before they would be seen by the public for fear of his friends totally tooling him out. Amy's eyes are so pretty. She was really natural in front of the camera.
Here's boy wonder himself. Isn't he great?

My niece Maddie was our "helper." In a few shots we would start to see a little purple coat slowly sliding into the frame. I had to use some photoshop skillz to remove her. Pretty funny. She hates getting her photo taken when you want her to but when it was of someone else, moth to the flame. Moth to the flame. I had her carrying my reflector which we ended up not needing. She did not like that one bit. She wanted to use it bad. So...low and behold, we are shooting away when I hear a big pop. I turn around to see Maddie hidden by a massive reflector, larger than she is. She looked scared to death. I don't think she thought something in such a small little bag would be THAT BIG!

After the sesh, we met my mom for some pizza down by the university. It was really cool. They brought all of the kids their own dough to roll and play with on a pizza tray. Then one of the "chefs" came out and did a big pizza dough show like you would see on the food network competitions. In the end he jumped through it. I was too mesmerized to get out the camera. Use your imagination. It was so neat.

After lunch my mom took the rugrats home for some much needed naps while the big kids went up to La Encantada, an outdoor shopping mall. It's really nice up there. All of the best stores that I can't afford piled into one little area. Matt spent the afternoon getting the rundown on some insane BOSE system. The poor schumk salesman probably thought he hit the big one. We rescued Matt before he made his home a theater. I believe that afternoon we also went to the gem show. Quicky. I had one hour to run to a few vendors. I was literally running.

That night my rents made mexi food. It was sooooo good. I REALLY love Tucson. Did I mention that before?

Day 2 - Super Bowl Sunday

2010-02-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

And somehow, on one of the best days to have my camera out...it stayed in the case while all of the family was over. WHAT ON EARTH???

Anyway, Day 2 was Super Bowl Sunday. My mom had invited all of the family over. Her side and my dad's side. I hadn't seen everyone in 2 years so it was wonderbar! The family portion of the day was the Super Bowl pre-party so we all just ate grub and chatted. Definitely made me miss living there, a ton!

In between the party and the game we went for a little walk (photoshoot).

Note: You NEVER want to FALL on one of these cacti. Every cactus has specific reasons why you want to stay the heck away. Others look like soft hairs that you want to pet so you do but put THOUSANDS of prickers in you that are impossible to get out (um, or so I hear). Or some actually jump on you if you get too close. All painful. But oh the barrel cactus. When I was young I tripped and fell on one outside of our old house. The ends of each of the thick, rigid thorns have hooks and it is like removing oodles of fishhooks from your skin. Whether it is true or not, I am pretty sure each thorn has been dipped in old Indian toxins. That's my theory. They FREAKING HURT. But aren't they pretty from a safe distance?

Ok, my mom will honestly murder me for posting this tidbit. She raised a lady (she would say). haha. I laugh.
So, I was taking pics of Maddie and they all had that sad, but adorable and annoyed face that you see in the first pic of this post. She she told me I needed to make her laugh. I knew I couldn't pull out any appropriate, funny jokes on a whim at that moment so I "passed gas" loudly. Or as my grandma would say, "had a misfortune." haha. Anyway, it worked. Yes I am remotely mortified but a little proud that it worked. It would have been cooler if she didn't walk into the house and announce it. Whatever. I can't believe I am posting this info. Sorry Mom. You did good, I promise.

Everyone cleared out with a little time before the game started. My grandpa, aunt and uncle (on my mom's side) stayed over for the game. I didn't even know who was playing. Honest. I show up for the commercials. I was slightly disappointed this year. I did however, LOVE the bud light commercial where the town all runs to make a bridge for the delivery truck. Pretty great.

The nights are blending together but I think that night we played Apples to Apples with everyone. Perhaps. And if that is what we did that night, it was fun.

Oh, my nephew, Sam, did get a bath that night.

Day 1 in Tucson - Gem Show

2010-02-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

My first full day in Tucson was spent shopping at the gem show. The gem show
was my ultimate reason for heading south but having all of my family in town
too made it really rad.

My Aunt Janet taught me to make jewelry years ago. She makes really, really
great stuff. I would love to send you to her link on Etsy but she still
hasn't started her store. Ah hem. Janet?

She picked me up that morning and we headed to breakfast at the Hungry Fox.
A cute little breakfast joint. Then...dun dun dun. Off to the show. Ok, this
was a completely different ballgame than I remembered from the last time I
was there. It literally goes for miles and miles along the freeway. Of the 3
days I was at the show, I made it to 3 tents. The tents are bigger than
football STADIUMS. Row after row of gems, pearls, silver and gold. To say it
is overwhelming is a tad bit of an understatement. With our passes around
our necks we headed in. Then I died. A little. I was in gemstone heaven. I
probably bought stuff at the first 5 tables we passed. Just too much
excitement. Kind of like the guy in the race who sprints in the beginning
but runs out of steam by the end. Only instead of steam it would be
money...and I didn't want that to happen so I tightened up the reigns on my
horsy. (My horsy was me).

I can't even tell you about the prices. UNREAL! We had to take a trip out to
the car and grab a beer at halftime. You weren't allowed to take pics in
there so we got one outside of the tent. And my sister was "texting" and
snuck a few more. This is just ONE booth. They all look like this. For
miles.

I came home expectedly broke and completely happy. I had a grocery bag FULL
to the brim with goodies. Time to create! And sell.

I'm BAAAACK

2010-02-16T09:06:00.000-08:00

After what felt like a very short, 10-day trip I am back home in Boise. I had the most amazing time down South, despite the frigid 60 degree weather. I ate some of the best food of my life, was totally overwhelmed at the gem show (in a good way), went to all of our favorite places and played with my family all day long. I even got to have a 10-day slumber party with my niece Libby. She's 14 months'ish so she provided me with a natural alarm clock. Who wouldn't be happy waking up to giggling every morning. So cute. You will get the day-by-day rundown later with photos. But for now...

Only a photo of the most amazing breakfast burrito known to man. Thank you Nicos. Thank you.

What do these 3 things have in common?

2010-02-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

My hopes and dreams for the next 10 days.
Allow me to elaborate. This might get long. I can talk for days about Tucson.

1) The Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion. Love them (from a safe distance). I grew up in Tucson and lived there until I was 11. I have the greatest memories of my childhood. My grandpa owned 21 acres of untouched desert property in the middle of Tucson, right along the Rillito River. For those of you who have never had the privilege of seeing the rushing rivers of Tucson...

We lived on this property with our whole family. It was a much less sketchy version of a family compound. Or maybe that's exactly what it was but I swear it was normal. We lived there with the whole Hardy clan. Here were the houses 1)My grandpa 2)Us 3) Aunt Pam, Uncle Jeff, Clay and Amy (which was featured in Home and Garden or something like that back then) 4) Aunt Susie, Uncle Mark, Logan, JJ and Jessie 5)Uncle Wendel and MaryAnne 6)And GG (just recently deducted that it stood for Great Grandma. This was it. One big happy family.

My sister Hollan, bro John, JJ, Logan, Jessie and I spent our days building fort after fort, riding the go-cart and most importantly, hunting scorpions...barefoot. It's really misleading calling it "hunting" but it sounds cooler. Really all we did was kick over any log, piece of scrap metal or board and you would find one. When you rearranged furniture in your house they would be dead on the floor. They were in the skylights and even once, sitting in my mom's face towel hanging on the wall. BUT...one time we found the biggest, fattest, juiciest Hairy Scorpion I had ever seen. So we did what any normal family would do. We put it in a mason jar and took it to show and tell. I don't think our teacher appreciated it as much as we did.

My point to these ramblings was to tell you that I have a goal to find ONE scorpion and photograph it on this trip. I feel like it isn't as easy as it used to be. My sister and I have tried to show our husbands on various trips but have never proven successful. I have high hopes for this next week.

2) Le piece de resistance: Eegees. Eegees is one of the greatest establishments in Tucson's history. It's a sub shop that also sells frozen, heaven-in-a-Styrofoam-cup, real fruit slushies. They always have Lemon, Pina Colada and Strawberry. Back in the late 1980's when the Teenage Ninja Turtles ruled the streets they temporarily brought "Cowabunga Cooler" to the normal menu. It was divine. But sadly, as the turtles faded from popularity, so did the lime. Never from my heart though. Eegees also sports a flavor of the month that changes...get this...monthly. My all-time favorite flavor of the month is called Banana Blush. I have never in my life loved anyone or anything as I love this flavor. They use real banana and real strawberries and I love them for it. Throughout most of the 90's Banana Blush was the only flavor that graced the flavor of the month charts 2X a year. In January and again in July. I am 97% positive that they made it in July because it is my birthday. STOP THE FREAKING PRESSES! I just looked on Wikipedia and Eegees is under new ownership and will NO LONGER BE SERVING BANANA BLUSH. This item of great disturbance WILL be discussed on all of my Eegees visits in the upcoming week.

I am going to go into storyteller mode now. Some to all of this may not be true but I am telling it from memory. Questionable areas will be listed in quotes. Back in 1971 2 dudes were in the process of starting Eegees. They were building their first store which was to be a sub shop. My dad and uncle were "friends" with one or both of these fellers and while "helping them get the store ready" my dad and uncle "suggested that they serve slushies." And my favorite place was born. About 8 years ago, from Idaho, I contacted the owner and told him my story and who my dad was. He immediately put Eegees t-shirts in the mail for my entire family for Christmas. That has to mean some to all of this story is true right?

Did I mention Eegees is ONLY in Tucson? Throughout the 1990's after we had moved to Boise, my aunt and uncle would carry the Eegees Party Pack on the plane with them for us to enjoy hundreds of miles away from the mothership. For this reason alone I have an uncontrollable hate for Bin Laden and the "no liquids on the plane" rule. We will be dining here 5-8 times next week.

3)The Tucson Gem Show My dad has always been really good at doing something special with each of us. For me, it was rocks. My dad and I would tumble rocks together. His dad did it and so my dad did it with me. We would go out to the lapidary to pick out our rough stones, come back home and start the polishing process. I think my parents still have the rocks my dad and I did together. While living in Tucson and during our "rock phase" my dad took me down to the Tucson Gem Show to look at all of the huge geodes.

Fast forward to my senior year in high school. My aunt Janet had started her jewelry making business and I was down visiting she and my uncle Bill for my graduation gift. While there she taught me to make my first wire wrapped, link necklace. I was so proud of it but it was pretty jenky. I used 5mm turquoise, onyx and pearl beads. And so began my love for making jewelry. Throughout college I dabbled a bit. I was able to go to the gem show once during college and this time it was to shop for jewelry supplies. I was blown away. Room after room of STUFF!!!! I momentarily got so into it in college that in our strict, no candle policy in the sorority...I busted out the blow torch in the dining room in front of the house mom. She said nothing. Life's a breeze. haha.

Then I took a break for no other reason than ADD set in. I must have it. I must. When I was home for Christmas in 2007 (did I mention my parents moved back?) I started making jewelry again with my aunt. A month later started a company Izzy P Designs (named after my grandma Issie who made jewelry) with a friend of mine. It is going well and I totally LOVE it! I don't see stopping this anytime soon. I hope to keep growing and building the business. And now...this week...I shop. I shop like crazy to stock up on all of the neatest supplies found around the world. They expect over 27,000 people to attend the 2 week show. And I am one of them. Finally!

Miss Nelson and the Industrial Park

2010-02-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

I would like to take a moment to thank Dave and Daleen Nelson of Boise, ID for making such a photogenic daughter. Ok...creepy. I retract. But I am so so so grateful for one of my best friends, Katie. She is really comfortable in front of the camera and is always up for anything. Katie and I met our junior year of high school. She had just moved here from New Mexico and we became great friends immediately. Hmmm...come to think of it, I don't really remember how we met. Before doing anything with anyone we always made sure the other was available. We called each other TT (terrible twins).

The other week I was up driving around near my house and found this industrial location which is pretty rad. Katie loaded up a ton of clothing as well as her boyfriend's trumpet. It wasn't warm either. How lucky am I?

We/I had a blast. Can't wait to get back out there with her again.

Ella Avery Maka-dang-dang

2010-02-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay. I assure you I have been here lingering. Two weeks ago I took a trip to Seattle and stayed with my good friends, The Maki's. You might remember them from such episodes as...I took pics of Cindy's belly this summer.

Well, as of late November her belly is empty and rock hard again. And new to the party is little Ella Avery Maki. Although my sister, sister-in-law and other friends have had babies, Cindy is the first in our tight little college group of friends to procreate. And I cried when she gave birth. Literally. Well, I didn't sprout any official drops buy my eyes did well. I took a cell phone pic to prove it. I deleted it for obvious reasons.

Cindy and Aaron are the sweetest parents. Aaron just gets right on in there with the diapers and the dirty work. And he cooks. Ella is one lucky girl to have them.

Ella just kind of chills. You can tell she has her parent's temperament...just eats, sleeps and stays happy. She basically only cries when she's hungry so I guess she somehow has a little of me in her too.

Both parents have bright blue eyes and bright blonde hair. Well...HAD. Sorry Aaron. But I did know him in his hair days and I can attest that it was bright blonde. It was no mystery what their little monkey would look like.

While there Cindy and I created a little makeshift studio in her bedroom. We played dress-up with Ells Bells (which I enjoy singing to the tune of Hells Bells). Not to get confused with the other song I sang tirelessly to her, "You can stand under my umbrella ella ella eh eh eh."

Love this family. Thanks for the great weekend guys. High-res files can be downloaded or purchased here.

I DID IT! I DID IT!

2010-01-11T17:41:00.001-08:00

Last week I went to Pottery Barn to spend a Christmas gift card. While there I fell in love with this great, rustic console table. Great, yes?

Now, unfortunately I don't have a spare $400 lying around but I still couldn't shake the table from my head. I started studying it online. Thursday night I stayed awake into the wee hours of the night planning and designing my "project" in my head. The next morning I redesigned it because nothing can be trusted that happens in my brain past 10 pm. (I should add here that one of the best gifts my husband ever got me was a compound mitre saw a few years ago. Melts my heart and I mean it. Nothing like sawing through something.) Friday night, my husband and I went to Home Depot. He only kicked and screamed a little but was a really good trooper. I believe the supplies cost me about $130. I could have come in QUITE a bit below that but I decided to use a harder wood than pine.

That night, I made the jenkiest part of the table, the top. For the record, I have no idea what I am doing. I am a self-taught, furniture "maker." I am embarrassed to even type that word because I REALLY don't know what I am doing. I watched a few youtube videos and did my best. For the top I just laminated some pieces together. I know I should have attached them more securely but notching is not in my repertoire. The next morning, all dried and somewhat secured I moved on to the base. I think I actually did ok. It feels incredibly sturdy and is VERY heavy. Once the screws were countersunk and the holes patched and sanded, I beat the crap out of it. haha. So fun. I sanded the edges, beat it with a wire brush, a hammer, chain and a sock full of bolts that tore and flew through the garage.
Before Nick was home from his enginerding outing I put on my first layer of stain. When he got home he decided it wasn't distressed enough. So he put that table in its place. A couple more coats of stain and 4 coats of polyurethane (sanding in between) later, I had a table.

I have made furniture in the past but I rushed it and, while they work, they are embarrassing. I am quite pleased with myself. Pay no attention to the paper on the wall. I designed those tonight and am trying to decide if they are worthy of framing.

On top of it, I found a hidden treasure behind home depot. Some friends told us about this awesome imports place. I kind of want to tell all 11 of my faithful readers about it but at the same time, there is this bench there that I MUST own, can't afford and have no room for. You take it and you die. Impact Imports is a small warehouse type situation out by the freeway. Everything is from India. The husb/wifey pair travel to India a few times a year to buy all of this stuff. I LOVE it all. Totally my style. I got that mirror over the table and that carved wooden bowl there as well. Seriously, leave my bench alone.

Holy Chocolate Meringue Pie Batman

2010-01-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

This weekend I rented "Julie and Julia." It was pretty cute. Not amazing. In fact, it didn't really inspire me to cook the way "Chocolate" made me dip chocolate while watching it or "Waitress" made me create lots of pies. BUT, they did make a point in there to talk about the glories of butter. In the movie, Julie, makes a Chocolate Cream Pie for her husband and talks about how no matter how bad her day is at work, she knows that if she adds yolks to chocolate and cream, it will, without a doubt, thicken. Well I could care less but it sure made me hungry.

And so was born, Chocolate Meringue Pie. I found a recipe online that was from Ebony Magazine. I added a teaspoon of chili powder to the dry ingredients to bump it up a bit. And as usual, I used a Marie Calendars pie shell. Someday. Mark my words. Someday I will make my own.

It was absolutely divine. My husband, who hates chocolate, (I know, right?) said it was good, and I believed him. He ate the whole thing. It was so pretty too!!! And then I cut it and it fell apart. Hmf. I am actually eating a slice while I write this. It's my lunch. I am fine with it. What? Look at those heaping peaks of perfectly golden meringue. Humina humina.

1 9 inch baked pastry shell

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks slightly beaten
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla

Meringue Topping
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar

Combine sugar, flour, cocoa, chili powder and salt in medium saucepan; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils; remove from heat. Stir half of the mixture into beaten egg yolks; return mixture to sauce pan. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until mixture boils; boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool for 10 minutes, pour into pie shell.

Heat oven to 350° F. Meanwhile, prepare meringue topping: In a small mixer bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread this on warm pie filling, carefully sealing to the edges of crust.

Bake 5 to 8 minutes, or just until meringue is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature; chill for several hours. Refrigerate leftovers.

Jeeeeewels moi ha ha

2010-01-05T21:07:00.001-08:00

This weekend was long overdue. I was able to tackle a few of the items on my resolution list. I went to the gym and I cooked. I didn't really do any photography except for documenting my weekend. Just snapshots. Nothing fun. BUT! I did get out my torch and solder a little jewelry. So fun. I need to REALLY work on it. Takes me far to long but I am happy with the results. I also made some gold necklaces. I love just creating to create. Fun times. I guess after busting through a few resolutions I should take a few months off. I would hate to burn through all of them in January. Dare I?

Reduced Fat Bolognese

2010-01-03T15:48:00.000-08:00

Last night we had some friends over for dinner. Jon and Toby used to work with Nick but a few months ago moved to a new company. Boo. They came over with their wives, Natalie and Brooke and one of their wee ones, Olivia. I totally spaced taking photos when everyone was over or even of our complete meals so be imaginative.

I got the coolest new dishes from my sister for Christmas. They are pasta bowls and a pasta serving bowl, painted by an artist in Seattle. Totally had to rock some pasta last night. I have been dying to use them. Aren't they the coolest?

After attempting my first New Years Resolution...the gym dun dun dun...I got bored and decided to head home to start the sauce.

1 lb low-fat Ground Beef
1 lb Turkey Sausage
2 Tb Olive Oil
3 cups Carrots, chopped
2 cups Celery, chopped
2 lg Sweet Onions, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
5 cloves Garlic
1 cup Fresh Basil, chopped
2 cans Prepared Spaghetti Sauce (it's ok to cheat)
1 cup Red Wine
1 cup fat-free Milk
2 hand fulls of grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tb Sugar
Salt and Pepper

Brown beef and turkey in a large skillet, drain, set aside.

In same skillet, saute carrots, celery, onions and bell peppers in olive oil until cooked.

Put whole garlic cloves on cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and place under broiler until roasted. This will bring out the sweetness. Try not to be jealous of my cookie sheet.

This makes a ton of sauce so you may need to do this in 2 batches. Add meat and one can of sauce to food processor and puree until well blended. Pour into a LARGE sauce pot. Add vegetables, garlic, basil and last can of tomato sauce to processor and blend until well mixed. Add this mixture and remaining ingredients to sauce pot and simmer for 3-4 hours. (Not necessary but the flavors will totally rock if you do).

Here is the pesto going down.

I made some homemade fettuccine noodles and pour ample amounts of sauce over the top. Put a dollop of some fresh pesto over the top and grated some fresh Parmesan cheese to finish it off. YUMMO!!!! This pasta maker was a gift at my mom and dad's wedding. Isn't it the coolest? I stole it from them. I swear it is going to good use mom and padre!

Makeshift drying rack

Nick made Caprese sticks for appetizers and we served our Hardy family's secret recipe Sour Cream Beef Dip. HEAVEN! I would tell you but I would have to kill you.

My sister gave me this little salt pig for xmas. How cute is he?

Go Mighty Vandals!

2010-01-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

I am a bit behind on my posting so let me backtrack a few days. Back to the day when the Vandals ruled the world. It was Wednesday of last. A glorious day. We were offered FREE tickets to sit in the sky box with our friends Evan and Natalie. It was a really difficult decision but we decided to go for it. haha. Totally awesome. We were on the 40 yard line in our own little booth...and a heater. They serve beer up there and have a free buffet. Royalty. The game was exciting the entire time, especially when they served up the big W. It was freezing but totally worth it. We got to go down onto the field after the game to get all up in the grills of the team and the crowd. SO great. I will remember this one for a long time!!! Woop woop.

We must have been winning here. Nick LOVES this pic. haha. Sorry dude. Had to.

A Very Hardy Christmas

2009-12-28T16:54:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year we went to my sister's house in Eugene, Oregon. The weather was chilly but foggy which felt really cool. We had almost the entire family there, minus my brother who had to open a golf course at 5am in Arizona. Sad bro! My parents were there from Tucson as was my grandpa from Wisconsin. It was glorious. We ate like kings. Literally. Filet mignon, ribs, ham. HELLO!!!! It was so great.

We went to a lackluster church service Christmas Eve. I call it that because I had to imagine what was being said as we watched it from the freezing vestibule. Honestly, didn't bother me. Kind of preferred it. Christmas was a blast. All was fab. The kiddos got their very first 4-wheeler and LOVED it. I want one. We helped put together our first toy kitchen. My nephew Sam, nearly 3, totally took it over. Next year he will be enrolling in the Cordon Bleu Academy. Oh! We saw Avatar in 3D before we left. Holy mother drop whatever you are doing now and see it in 3D. Now. Still reading? Seriously? What did I say?

Here are a few pics that I snapped this weekend at my sister's house.
Let's start with my absolute favorite, shall we? Happy on. Happy off. Happy on. Happy off.

And then we have Libby with the crazy blue eyes.

Sisters, sisters.

Mr. Sam

The big guy himself

Santa came!

Hol's new camera

2010 Resolutions

2009-12-28T08:41:00.001-08:00

AKA, things that might never happen.

1. Take my gym membership from FAT TAX (once a month payment to the gym but never going, hence large badunkadunk) to actual membership. This means I will have to be an active participant. I am hopeful.

2. Study and finish MLKs online photography class. Actually do the lessons. Learn to use my flash.

3. Make jewelry for fun again. Not that filling orders isn't fun but I want to start designing new things and expanding my shiz. I want to solder more and be good at it.

4. Set-up and learn to shoot indoors in a studio setting.

5. Shoot one senior photo session. Not hate myself for it. Feel good'ish about it. Note, must find DARING individual with low to no expectations.

6. Finish Boise Ad Fed website.

7. Cook more. Plan ahead. Make meals for the week. Eat out less.

8. Give this "saving" thing a go. Cough. Sorry, it's a hard word to say.

9. Put at least ONE stamped letter in the mail and send it. Don't find it in a pile on your desk. Just one.

10. Say no. Slow it down a hair. Just a hair though. No need to go gettin all crazy.

Alright, those are the top 10. We'll see what happens. Stay tuned. Xmas photos coming later.

Lots of champagne and a new dress size

2009-12-21T18:27:00.001-08:00

This weekend was my good friend Lindzee's Annual Champagne Cookie Exchange. It was glorious, fattening and liver damaging. Everything wonderful about the holidays. Her blog is one of 24 featured on foodbuzz.com. I always love it when people get on facebook to complain about how busy they are. I always think, then why the heck are you facebooking about it? So in an effort to not be them, and actually get my WORK done...I will just direct you to the wonderful words of dear Lindzee. Here are some pics of the night/day/morning.

Here I am on my 3rd trip through.

HO HO HO

2009-12-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

One of our friend's at my husband's office asked me to take photos of their little people Christmas party at the office. Assuming that since I own a camera and enjoy "photography" that I would be a good fit for this job. Oh for the love. I am SOOOO bad at indoor photography. It is definitely high on my list of priorities for things to perfect next year but next year was not tonight. No sirry bob it was not. It was in a really high room so I couldn't bounce the flash off of much. The kids didn't really look at me. I felt slightly awkward but I also had a good time and hope that they didn't notice that I was clueless. Maybe next year I will be better!!!! Fun night though.
Here are a few of the munchies.

Tis the season for JEWELS!

2009-12-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping my hands quite busy lately filling numerous jewelry orders. It's a really good problem to have and I have been having all sorts of fun doing it. In fact, in one of the photos you can see what sort of fun my hands have been having. They are chapped and disgusting. But I LOVE it. The custom orders have been the biggest hits from both friends, significant others of friends and plenty of random people. I had to make the photo below a little blurry in case any wandering eyes stumble on this blog and see their xmas present before xmas. I would sure be in trouble!!! Yupsy daisy. I am trying to stockpile my jewelry money for my trip to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show in February. It is the largest gem show in the entire world. CRAZY cool. It takes a couple of days to get your shopping done and obviously, fundage. Working on that part. Anyway, rambling now. Conan is on in the other room keeping me rocking. Why am I blogging right now? Back to the jewels!

Still married

2009-12-15T19:30:00.001-08:00

Well...we beat the odds. Nick and I went shopping together last night at Target and managed to respect our sacred vows throughout the night. We are still married folks. Anyone who has stepped foot inside a store of any kind with my husband will understand that this is no small feat. I really wanted to go xmas shopping with him for whatever reason; chalking up some quality time when we don't have much time for it. In order to make it a, dare I say, pleasurable experience I had my list organized by department so we were able to cruise the aisles like the lady mall walkers. It was actually fun. I can't believe we made it to the end of the night with our marriage intact. I expect to be knighted for this. I have to stay off the phone, pretty sure the queen will be calling any minute to schedule my appointment.

The Thomas Clan

2009-12-13T14:25:00.001-08:00

This afternoon I took pics for some friends of ours. It was downright toasty today at a whopping 28 degrees. I much prefer that to the -3 we have been waking up to. So I threw on my bikini in celebration and stepped out to meet them. That last sentence is a dirty lie. A dirty lie. Will you look at those dogs, er I mean reindeer? How flipping cute are they! (Not a question). They were so preoccupied with the ducks on the river that we had a hard time wrangling them in but we managed to get a few.

This makes me happy.

Are you not seriously dying laughing right now? Look at that SMILE!

Duck huntin'

Local Cookie Exchange goes Global!

2009-12-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

Every year one of my best friends, Lindzee, hosts a cookie exchange. She started this tradition years ago in Seattle and with a move to Boise, brought the party to us. It is SOOOOO much fun. Each guest brings a few dozen cookies and an apatite for some mid-morning bubbly. (Bubbly portion of the party has been known to last into the night). Lindzee makes her award-winning quiche (I dub her quiche award-winning) as the ladies take their cute cookie tins, supplied again, by Lindzee, and fill them to the brim and then some with a few cookies from each collection. You get the occasional Pepperidge Farm bag but mostly some really creative old family recipes. Oh so good. Oh. OH! And last year, compliments of bubbly punch, the hostest with the mostest entertained with a tap dance. She kick-ball-changed her way around the kitchen and ended with a shuffle, brush click TADA!!! Yes, she still owns tap shoes.

This year things are getting serious. Lindzee has her finger on the foodie buzz and after submitting her party to FOODBUZZ.com she was selected to be featured on FOODBUZZ's 24 24 24. SO GREAT! Congrats Miss Frei! I can't wait to be there for the big party next weekend! And the tap dance.

London

2009-12-01T16:36:00.000-08:00

This is London, who I shot a few months back.
Remember her?

Look at her now! Already a different person. She is the daughter of my husband's best friend. She is the baby that makes you want to have babies. She just chills, smiles and sleeps. So adorable!

The fam

2009-12-01T16:33:00.000-08:00

These are my incredibly photogenic people. My sis-in-law, bro-in-law and modelesque niece Kaylee. We literally had 1.5 minutes to run out onto the golf course and snap this before people were hitting into us over Turkey Break. I really want to spend some serious time shooting them next time! So fun though.

The Norskog's

2009-11-21T16:12:00.001-08:00

I just got back from snapping some pics for our friends, Brooke and Toby and their two high-falutin pups, Jet and Helo/Hilo? It was a really nice, brisk day out! Trying to think of poses for babies and little people was much easier than dogs. Um, go kneel there and put the dogs in front of you. Ok...um good. Now kneel over there. Good. Ok, and there too.
Had fun with ya'll!

Holiday Party at River Quarry

2009-11-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

A few friends and I met this morning for a nice, intimate holiday party at my old apartment complex. Tara made the world's best bloody marys and I enjoyed them. Natalie and I sold our jewelry and Tara sold her Gigi purses. Fun times! Natalie's family and Tara's friends came to complete the guest list of 10. We had fun though. And I enjoyed my bloody mary(s). Did I already say that? Well they are still fresh in my mind. Thanks ladies!
mmmmmmm

Boise's Coolest Alley

2009-11-20T18:55:00.000-08:00

Two of my friends just got new cameras. YAY! I don't have to be an obsessed freak alone. I will drag them down with me. Yessss....that's my plan. We met in the dark, back alleys of Boise today to start learning and practicing more. Ok, only not dark. It was like something out of...I have no idea. But totally cool. There is one alley downtown that is completely muraled out. Head to toe. Doorways, garbage containers and walls. The works. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot more time here. Pretty rad tad!

We sat on a baby

2009-11-19T10:13:00.000-08:00

Oh wait, sat for a baby? Whatever. The other night our friends dropped off their little dude, Landon, while they went to a volleyball game. I had the backdrop all set up to experiment with him but he lasted MAYBE 10 minutes at our house. No pics. We put him on a blanket on the floor in front of Leno, like any good pretend, clueless parents would do but he wouldn't chill until I sat down there with him. Awwww. He crawled on my legs and fell asleep. So naturally, the whole "never wake a sleeping baby" gig isn't a reality to us yet so we brought out the uber powerful flash and snapped some pics of him. Once he was bombing through his REM cycle I snuck out from under him. I was almost thinking...hey, I could do this. Then I remembered he was sleeping and it is a whole 'nother ballgame when they are awake. Gus is really cute when he is sleeping too. Just darling.

Today is a very good day.

2009-11-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

Well, for a few weeks now I have been waiting in anticipation for my new iMac to arrive. Finally, Monday it shipped from China. I have been refreshing my tracking info every 15 minutes for the last 3 days. I knew today was the day. I tried to play it cool. Nothing big. Just another day at the office.

THEN...on the way to work...I thought, let's just check 107.9. Once they start playing xmas music they don't stop until New Years. Odds weren't in my favor, but knowing what the mail man was bringing to me today made me feel like a 7 year old on xmas morning. Magic happens on xmas. We all know that. And today felt magical. So...sure enough...XMAS MUSIC!!! I called my friend after the second syllable to let her know. She was also ecstatic.

The computer ETA (3 days ago from China) was 10:30 and not kidding...10:31 I had a ginormous box sitting in our office lobby. Thank you to the wonderful men and women of FedEx for making today possible.

I took an early lunch to set up my second born. She is HUGE! Almost have to crank my neck up to see the top. Oh and the new magic mouse is magic indeed. Seems to be the theme of the day.

On top of that...tonight we get to try out a new pizza place 1 minute away from our house with my father-in-law. If things keep going this way, Santa himself might pop out of our chimney tonight. Wait, we don't have a fireplace. Well, 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

Santa's big fat helper.

2009-11-17T14:02:00.000-08:00

Ho ho ho. Tis the season to become THAT person and wrap your dog in xmas lights for a photoshoot. Hey, I didn't dress him up in a hoody this year so it can't be that bad.

Nick's aunt JE sent us a photo of a lab wrapped in lights. I couldn't resist the challenge. I think this turned out pretty junky...lots of learning to do...still. But isn't he the cutest, most unhappy dog you have ever seen?

The antlers went QUICK! He was like, what the heck are these? I would like them removed now or eventually.

Meet Mr. Fuzzy Head

2009-11-17T13:03:00.001-08:00

I don't think that I can ever do the dust in our house justice. It is downright NASTY and impossible. I don't know if it's our dog or just the luck of the draw but our house can get a solid film of dust in less than 24 hours after dusting. I actually just went home at lunch today and saw a little bunny made of Gus fur sitting in the very spot I swept yesterday. It is the death of me. And I hate cleaning which makes it worse. So needless to say, a few areas get neglected. One of them being light bulbs. Who actually DUSTS their light bulbs? Please say nobody. This was about 2 mos of buildup. Nick went to change the light, asked for a sharpee and moments later introduced me to our new house buddy, Mr. Fuzzy Head. Isn't he cute?

I was a personal fan of the goatee and mustache that Nick chose to give him.

Ooh, color

2009-11-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

I read a tutorial last week on how to bring color out of an otherwise lifeless photo. It is SO easy and makes a huge difference. Check it.

See it here.

SOOC
(Original file, no editing)

And here it is with a slight crop and some color kablooooooey!

The men in my life

2009-11-11T08:22:00.001-08:00

That's right. There are two of them under my roof. And here they are in all of their post-run-on-the-greenbelt glory.

Rewind a few weeks. I had been eying an inexpensive studio set-up to get started. I asked some opinions on a forum that I belong to and one woman kindly offered to sell me hers for a fraction of the cost. It arrived last night. It was about 10 when I got it set-up but I just couldn't sleep until I had tried it. I don't know what I am doing and will need to play a lot more with my light but sometimes I like the dramatic look. Aren't these men handsome? My husband and our firstborn, Gus.

The Bartos

2009-11-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

Today I got to photograph some friends who, coincidentally ALL look like models. Rough isn't it? Hello...look at those kids!!! Ladies, beware. The middle boy, Tanner, was missing a tooth. It was the greatest! I had a great time guys!
Their little guy, Carson, is only 2 months old and was the sleepiest little guy. We could barely get him to open both eyes.

Fix-it-Friday - I heart faces

2009-11-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

There is this great photography blog I recently started following that is a great resource and also lets its readers have a little fun. Every Friday they post a photo that you then download, play with and re-post on your blog. The more I practice, the more I learn...or so someone once told me. (Not sure that is the case just yet). Check out the blog and other people's plays at http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/

Anyway, here are my plays. The first is SOOC (straight out of the camera).

This is my first play. I played with her eyes and adjusted the levels to brighten her up. Then I went in and ran MCP's color burst action.

For my second play I played with her eyes and again adjusted the levels to brighten her. Then I went into ACR and ran an azalea preset and then in PSD honey.

Day 6 - Great Stirrup Cay

2009-11-05T11:17:00.002-08:00

I could never figure out why I couldn't find information on this island. As it turns out it is the cruise company's private island. I think it is pretty close to the coast of Florida but you still felt like you were in paradise. We had to be taken by little boats over to the island this time which always means lots of waiting. The waiting is made much more enjoyable by the people watching.

Once on the island...ohhhhhhh. Yeah. All of the other places the boat had the option to go where they wanted. But here. 1 beach. Thousands, and I do not stutter when I say THOUSANDS of people are all on one beach. Sardines. But we were sardines in paradise. I ordered an overpriced froofy rum drink on the beach reading my book while Nick found a shady hammock and took a nap. It's a hard life down there.

Thar she is from the beach.

The water was still crystal clear and totally aqua. They had a guy in a tuxedo walking around with a tray for photo ops in the water. We purchased ours for the bargain price of $15. UGH. Stay tuned for our xmas card! Shoot...where did I put those anyway? After an entire day on that beach we headed back to the boat. Once I had ONE foot on the ship I was tossing elbows left and right to get to the buffet. I needed something light to hold me over until dinner. We had reservations for sushi and chinese food. I went to the buffet alone, yet again. Boy. Tonight was a good night for a light snack. I had some roast, pizza, pasta - made-to-order, chocolate croissants and potatoes. Just something light. Nick wanted to take a nap so he didn't join me but did request I bring him something to munch on. I filled up a plate for Nick with 4 pieces of pizza. When I got to the room I gave him the one slice that survived the walk. What?

Later he ate 50'some odd pieces of sushi and I had some beef dish. He was one happy boy! I did, however have more creme brule...this time it was 3 mini ones. Green Tea, Regular and Ginger. Heaven isn't too far away. Closer to it every day.

Day 5 - Day at Sea

2009-11-05T11:17:00.001-08:00

See Day 1. Repeat. The come, they eat, they leave.

DAY 4 - Tortola, Virgin Gorda

2009-11-05T10:54:00.000-08:00

Ok...sorry for the delay! I am back to report a bit more on the cruise. I hope I can still remember some stuff. We woke up that morning and like any other morning I was chomping at the bit to eat my feast and get into town. We docked that morning so you could get off the boat at your leisure. My leisure was as early as I could drag the husband out of bed. We had decided that we wanted to go to the Baths. All we knew was that it was some neat beach with huge rocks and good snorkeling. We thought we would just take a taxi to that beach. We walked a short distance into town via some instructions to the guides when you get off the boat. Tortola is a really cute town with virtually no unemployment so it had a cleaner, safer feeling than some of the other islands we visited.

When we got to the place that the man told us to get to we realized we would need to purchase $40 ferry tickets to go to Virgin Gorda. We really had no idea where this place was, or that it was another island. The ferry ride was a little over 30 minutes. Once on the island we took an open-air cab ride to The Baths. This island felt different than the other lush islands we had been on the past few days. It was still very tropical but had more of a desert feel with cactus and lizards. The walk down to the beach reminded me of hiking in Tucson. Down big boulders with geckos scattering about. At the bottom of the trail was a little snack bar and some little things for sale.

The site was spectacular. You have to hike over, under and through mammoth size boulders, through little pools and up ladders. It was an amazing experience. Then we got to the beach area which I affectionately named "Jellyfish Bay" about 10 minutes after entering the water. Nick and I snorkeled around for a bit. I thought this had the best snorkeling that we had seen due to the boulders. It made for much more interesting terrain to swim through and explore. Then came the itching. And the ever so slight stinging. Nothing like a bee but it was noticeable. Suddenly I look up and smack dab in the middle of Nick and I is a HUGE jellyfish. The next thing I knew I was on the beach. I can only assume I teleported or ran on top of the water like the big Je-sus. I was outa there. And my homeboy Nick was by my side, if not a little faster.

We scaled a few more boulders to another beach just a bit further to an overcrowded beach. We snorkeled out a bit more, eyes peeled. The thing is that there are some MINI jellyfish about the size of a tablespoon that you don't see and they are EVERYWHERE. After a bigger one wrapped around my ankle causing me to kick Nick in the face we decided to just wade on the beach. Did I tell you this beach was totally crowded with people from our boat so we just kind of kicked it and watched people swim where we swam waiting for the freak out when they realized that they were in jellyfish city, and they were the mayor.

We went back to the little snack bar and had some local beer while waiting for our ferry back to the main island. I don't think anything crazy happened the rest of the day. Shoot my memory. I mean...you can be sure I ate 3 dinners, watched a show and fell asleep too early for our age.

Me being selfish

2009-10-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Alright, this is me being selfish. As if you haven't seen it before. An amazing photographer is giving away one of her workshop workbooks which are worth a lot in both money and that other intangible stuff. And it is good stuff. And I want it. I have to post it as many places as possible to increase my chances of winning so here I am. Take a look yourself. Priceless right? Then scroll through my photos. I NNNNEEEEEDDDD it right? I know. I totally agree. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

http://www.soulographer.com/blog/2009/10/workshop-workbook-giveaway

Congrats Evan and Natalie

2009-10-26T09:50:00.001-07:00

FINALLY! After years of dating our good friend Evan popped the question to his lova, Natalie this weekend. I was completely clueless but his plan has been in the works for months. I am sure he got sick of me prodding but oh well, it's me. The two of them had planned a weekend at the beach house with both his parents and hers. I was suspicious then. Evan has always been someone to really go all out for things so I knew that when he popped the question it would be a great story. Sure enough.

My re-hashing of the story should be somewhat accurate but I can't guarantee everything. All Natalie knew was that their parents were all coming. Meanwhile Evan had secretly planned to have her sister and his sister and bro-in-law there. Evan surprised Nat by taking her over to the beach house a night early before the parents got there. The following day they went out to the beach to search for glass floats. The city plants them there each year for people to go find. Really cool. Out looking around Natalie spotted one and in my mind she squeeled and bounced up to it thinking she got lucky...that's what I would have done anyway.

She picked up the glass float and underneath it sat the ring. She said she almost fainted. Evan got on one knee and popped the question. They said that she was freaking out so much crying and screaming that she forgot to answer.

Meanwhile the ENTIRE family was walking up to them on the beach. Evan's bro-in-law had video taped the whole thing. Evan's dad was hiding in the bushes taking photos of the event. So exciting!!! They got into town last night and came over for some champagne to celebrate. Poor Natalie hasn't even digested it yet and I was already throwing my old bridal mags at her, telling her where pretty dresses were and showing her some really good photogs. I can't help it! I get so excited!

No dates/locations are set yet but we can't wait to hear!!!

Congrats you two!

The Wing's

2009-10-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

The Bryan's

2009-10-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

Day 3 | St. Thomas

2009-10-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

St. Thomas was our anniversary, Oct 13. (Although a few times I thought it was the 10th or 17th when picking lotto numbers). By 7:30 I was antsy in my pantsy to get to the buffet so we could then get OFF THE BOAT. Finally I drug Nick out of bed. Most of our breakfasts were spent at the buffet which you could then take your plate(s) to the back of the boat and eat outside. I think it was this day that I realized my obsession with these small, chocolate filled croissants. Quasaa' as my mom calls them in her best french. The options were a little overbearing, or maybe it was just perfectly bearing?? I think this day I had biscuits and gravy, 2 chocolate quassa's, honeydew, oj, hash browns (no, not done), scrambled eggs, bacon (crispy please) and eggs Benedict. What? I had a big day ahead of me.

It was much easier to get off the ship today as we just pulled right up to the dock. You could come and go as you pleased. One of Nick's coworkers had spent some time on the island so he told us to head over to Coki Bay. We took an open air taxi with some incredibly rude people over the hills, through the barbed wire, past the chickens and next to the overgrown cemetery to the beach. Upon arrival we were scurried off the boat by Mambo. He offered us chairs for the bargain price of $5 each, well worth it. Moments later Nick and I realized we were in Gangsta's Paradise. I love Coolio. It turns out these gents are quite territorial and some people down the beach accepted chairs from his business enemy, although the way they were screaming you would have thought one had killed the others mother. I don't know if I can properly convey the volume of screaming. At any moment we expected gunfire. F this and F you and you stole my people and get the F outa here. Meanwhile both holding machetes. (They were cutting coconuts). At no point did I ever feel that we were in danger though. I just figured that tourism was their income and one slip-up with totally bosh that. It was the great battle between Mambo and Likity Spliff. You heard me. Nick went up and ordered two beers, which they failed to open and they were not screw-off caps. I told him to get back up there and have them take them off. He must have been affected by them because he was completely apprehensive. I guess that he had to walk by a bunch of unfriendly local gangstas who wouldn't look him in the eyes to the bartender who was 15 and talking on her phone.

Ok, anyway, the beach was the prettiest by far. It was what I imagined the Caribbean to be like. Powder sugar sand, turquoise water. I was in heaven!!! We snorkled around a bit. Gorgeous. We both want to go back to St. Thomas. It was my grandma and grandpa's favorite place when they went to the tropics. My grandpa said that my grandma loved the shopping there. That brings me to my next point. I guess that I forget that normal people with class have different taste in shopping than I do. I was anticipating streets full of locally made junk and t-shirts – 4 for $10 so we could score some great souvenirs. Yeah, no. It was literally streets lined with over 250 jewelry stores from Cartier to Tiffany. We stumbled into one of the shops where I bargained down a beautiful ring with a 10 karat Caribbean Topaz stone to $200. About to make the purchase I remembered that I only had $47 in my wallet and left my card on the boat. Doh! Not to self, next trip bring money. Plan to spend it. I walked out of the shop quickly with my head down and tail between my legs. The jewelry was totally awesome!!! You can definitely get the kind of pieces that you plan to keep in your family for years and for a good deal.

We stopped for a quick bite to eat at a place called Coconuts. It was down a side street, or was it an alley? Although it was kind of raining we opted to eat outside. I had something that I don't remember and Nick had a sandwich. Maybe I had a pizza? I think that was it. Must have been awesome. We each had some locally brewed beer. Our server had to have been in his early 20's and spent the morning with his bong. He couldn't stop saying dduuuuude and talking about how much he misses Taco Bell. He did tell us that he got rid of his dog (that he thought was a chihuahua but ended up being a chocolate lab, yeahhhhh) because it ate his marijuana plant. Just your standard lunch/server talk I suppose.

After lunch we strolled the streets. It was so cool. In addition to the fact that people drive on the left side of the street (yes, US Virgin Islands, they just never made the transition) it had a European feel which Nick loved and missed. Tiny little cobblestone streets with little passages and old buildings. It was really awesome. I see the draw to Europe. We just bopped around exploring the streets. Before getting back on the boat we had some drinks made with fresh squeezed juice and did a SMALL bit of overpriced souvenir shopping.

Once back on the boat I headed straight for the buffet to get a bite to hold me over for dinner. I get that from my dad. He would stop for Mexican food on the way home from work just so he could make it to dinner. Once asleep he would wake up at midnight for his third feeding. You could often hear the fridge open in the middle of the night. Anyway, back to the boat. I had made reservations for us to eat at Cagney's, the steakhouse on the boat with a $25 cover charge. We got dressed up and headed to dinner. Since it was our anniversary they gave us a free bottle of wine. One thing I loved is that although you are paying, you can still order whatever you want on the menu. I had the wedge salad, soup, asparagus au gratin, french fries with truffle salt and parmesan and le Pièce de résistance, the 10oz (not the 5oz) fillet Mignon, medium rare. Nick had a bunch of things that are of little to no importance to me because they all came from the sea. He loved it all but I think he preferred my steak. For dessert, I am sorry folks, it keeps going downhill. We EACH had a raspberry brulé and split a cheese plate with fresh strawberries and fig spread. And the cheese plate had 2 LARGE slabs of cheese on it. Slabs I tell you. I inhaled it all. If that isn't bad enough...they brought us an entire CAKE for our anniversary. It was really sweet. They came and sang to us at our table. Something about me being his sweetheart. If I wasn't so sunburned my face would have been red. I am pretty sure I also told them that.

After dinner we went to see another show on the boat. This time it was Sharkbait, a juggling/comedy act. Pretty funny. Kind of creepy and annoying but mostly funny. Oh! The best part, we went back to our room to find our first towel creature. It became our nerdy tradition to photograph it as it stood and then take pics of each of us playing with it. I think we missed Gus. haha. Nighty night.

Day 2 - Samana | Cayo Levantado

2009-10-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

Day 2 we were to be heading into Samana, in the Dominican Republic. We had heard that it wasn't the best place with not a lot to do so we booked an excursion through our ship that would pick us up at our ship and take us to a small island called Cayo Levantado. It has been described as Bacardi Beach because it looks like the photos on a Bacardi bottle.

It was a rocky start that day. Due to bumpy water we ended up stuck on the boat waiting for our excursion for 2 hours after we were supposed to leave. We had to sit in the theater and just wait. It was worth it though. When we finally got there we were greeted with rum punch, parrots and a pirate. For real. Some poor smuck had to dress up but being a pirate at heart, I sure appreciated it. Yo ho ho and a pineapple filled with rum.

We walked a short way to the beach but just long enough for Nick to smoke a cigar and buy a pack for a gift. Probably overpriced but oh well! Once we got our chairs I hopped straight into the water. It was like bath water. The warmest water we would be in that whole trip. The sand was white and everything I dreamed. We even got drinks served in coconuts and pineapples. They were so yummy. I plan to make them here soon. It was just blended up pineapple, rum and coconut milk. And they had an umbrella. I was sold.

After enough time in the sun with our SPF 45 we headed to the little bar/hut in the center of the beach. Beer was the cheapest we would see the rest of our trip. $5 for a large, local beer. We each had two. I loved the spelling on the signs. Draff Beer. Miamy.

Right as we were leaving a little mist came through. Just enough to make a rainbow appear. It was pretty rad. It was that day that I started planning our next cruise.

Day 1 - Day at Sea

2009-10-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

The first day after embarkation was a day at sea so you pretty much just bum around and do whatever you like. After breakfast I hit up the pool deck while Nick went in to log a few study hours. While waiting I realized that there was food below and it was free and you know, why not? So I went to my first solo in-between-meal. I called them those because it wasn't breakfast, nor lunch, nor dinner. I had them often. I had them alone.

When we got to our room the first day we had a bottle of wine and $25 in casino chips waiting for us as a gift from our friends the Casters. It was the neatest surprise ever and made us glow! It was totally awesome!!! We felt it would be rude to wait so we marched right downstairs with our bottle and drank it on the pool deck while watching the sunset.

That night we ate at our first "cover charge" restaurant. The ship has many free places to eat but the food is just average. Tasty but nothing special. Then they have a handful of restaurants that you pay a small cover charge for and can still eat anything on the menu. We went to Mambo that night which is a Mexican restaurant. Yes and yes. It was heaven. The restaurant opens up to the main lobby area where they have live music every night. While eating we heard the performer mention that she was from CD'A Idaho. Small world! We chatted with her later and found out that she is a few years younger than us.

That night we watched a comedian perform. He was friggin hilarious. We ended up watching him a couple more times that week.

Bienvenido a Miami

2009-10-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Wahoo!!! It was such a fun relief stepping off of the plane into 80% humidity, and I am serious. Nothing says you have left the frigid potatoes for the tropics like that. It was sick in a bad way and sick in a good way. We got a free upgrade when we got to our hotel so we ended up with an awesome view of Biscayne Bay, a neighbor to South Beach.

I was FAMISHED. I had already gone into cruise mode expecting my free buffet but nothing in a "safe" walking distance (to me safe was the lobby) was open so we settled for an $8 beer and called it a night. With promises of a great Cuban restaurant down the road I fell into a light sleep with cuban sandwiches and pineapple dancing in my brain.

That morning we got into our second of many sketchy magoo cab rides and headed to Latin Cafe. It was tasters but didn't knock my socks off. What did were the people. One 92 year old woman gave our 23 year old, and completely unamused waiter, her phone number on the back of a receipt and instructed him to give her a ring (accompanied by a ravenous laughter). Then came the outfits. The theme for Miami is tight and illegal. I saw a tank top that had spent the night being shredded by a tiger, then thrown into a shark tank only to be rescued by Edward Scissorhands. She showed more skin than tank. But I was down with it. I wasn't so sure about her underwear made out of denim. Clearly they were underwear. Had to be. Nobody would make "shorts" like that. But I fear the worst. Someone has made them and even worse, people, large people buy and wear them to BREAKFAST! Ok, ok...Will Smith did not mention this in his 1998 hit single. I was misinformed.

After digesting our new friends and food, we made our way to the port to stand in line for a couple of hours. That was a crack-up in itself. All of these funny people who don't understand why one line is moving and theirs isn't but think they deserve the world. Agh. It was funny. I think. And sad.

Finally we boarded the ship. It was AWESOME! Our rooms weren't ready for another hour so we headed straight for the pool bar and ordered a bucket of beer for the bargain price of $25. WHAM! I had heard but wasn't prepared. No worries. It wasn't real money until the end. You just rack it up on your card and pay for your week of gluttony and sins on the last day. Gluttonous I was.

Before we pulled away we practiced our evac procedures in case we hit an iceberg and sank. They said we had enough life boats for everyone. Sure. I know how this one ended. No thanks. Being on the 5th floor (AKA Steerage) I know we wouldn't even get to hear the string quartet playing as we plummeted to our deaths with Jack and Rose.

The ship was fantastic. I think it is a pretty new one. Totally rad with 12 restaurants, bunches of bars, lots of pools and other fun things. That night we just ate at the free buffet and relaxed by the pool. As you can see Nick got really relaxed as we watched the sun set pulling out of Miami.

The Donley's

2009-10-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

Nick and I got to take the night off a few nights ago to take some pics of our good friends, the Donley's. Nick was my handy-dandy reflector holder. We went out to the park to get pics of their little buddy, Landon. Doesn't he have the sweetest eyes? I LOVED his lumberjack outfit.

The Budell Family

2009-10-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

KABLOOYYYYY. Ok...I am REALLY bummed about this one. My friend asked me to photograph her family of 7 and I was happy to accept. Slap me now. They all got dressed up, including the men who you know were just overly stoked to be there but were total troopers. We tromped around downtown and the Bishop's House. I felt like we got some really fun ones. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

I get back to my computer and low and behold...almost all of them were blurry with camera shake. I was totally mortified!!!! Shot with too low of a SS. Days later I bought a book on exposure and enrolled in my first photography class. (Starting in a couple of weeks). Should have been days before. I think a few of them turned out ok but I wish they all did.

500'ish hours + 250 necklaces for 250 AMAZING women

2009-10-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

Where have I been the past month? Shaped like a cashew bent over my kitchen table with sore hands and getting caught up on ALL of my favorite and not-so-favorite TV shows. I logged me some goooood tv hours.

One of my good friends up north, Jen Haas, is the CD'A Komen Race Chair. Late spring/early summer she gave me an amazing opportunity. She was going to be hiring me to make all of the necklaces as survivor gifts for the race. It gave me a few months, an achievable task but it was made worse by late or missing supply orders and short orders and ladi-da....life. I got a good head start on the designs in August but the chain ended up being backordered for a month and a half until...oh...say 2 weeks before they were due. Needless to say I spent many a long hour those last few weeks putting the final touches on the necklaces.

The best part of the entire project was completing each piece and knowing it was going to a strong, inspiring woman with an amazing story. It gave me chills, the good kind, to be a small part of it. I was totally bummed to have missed my first CDA race since we started Think Pink but I know it was an awesome event. I might be crazy but I am already hoping to get to work on some more projects like this next year for our local chapter...and CDA. You never know. I am sorry to my hands, back and neglected, hyperactive dog. I just love it too much.

Unfortunately, by the end I had packaged up all 250 without taking a completed photo. I guess that means I will have to make one more. But for now...

The necklaces each had a sterling disc, hand-stamped with the word "HOPE." Along with the disc was a rose quartz gemstone, all hanging on a sterling silver chain.

Hello again

2009-10-05T10:33:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the brief hiatus from the blog. I have a gajillion posts to catch up on. Lots of fun things have been going on lately. Stay tuned....

PB Brownie Bites & my first frosting rose

2009-10-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend was my friend Michelle's 29th b-day so I made her some cupcakes to eat at the bowling alley. Later to find out they won't let us take them inside. Anyway, they ended up being quite tasty if I do say so myself. Instead of chocolate cake I used a box of brownie mix and added a little peanut butter. I also put a reeses PB cup in the middle of each cupcake before baking. After they cooled I frosted the cupcakes with peanut butter cream cheese icing. My friend, Lindz, and I recently enrolled in a community ed cake decorating class. I used those skills and watched a youtube video on how to make roses. They turned out pretty cute (insert pat on back here). And are now gone.

Core Concepts - sneak peak

2009-09-18T16:06:00.001-07:00

Last night I got the opportunity to shoot 2 of my best friends in the flat-out rockin'est (yes, I went there) outdoor gear around. And the cool part is that it's apparel from a local company born and raised by our friends, Noah and Erin Bryan. All UofI Vandals so you know everything and everyone are the best of the best. Check out their stuff here. The new stuff from these pics will be up in a few weeks. Don't I have the coolest friends? I know. And models? How lucky could a girl with a camera be? We cruised around the City of Trees last night, AKA Donkey Nation, and played around. Here's a sneak peak of a few shots.
Don't you wish your friends were hot like mine? Don't you? Don't you?

Jen and Nick Haas

2009-09-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

You know when you have that friend, that one friend that you want to find true happiness? Not that all of your other amazing and glorious friends don't deserve pots of gold with leprechauns and everlasting bliss, but this one person that you want more than anything else to find that person who absolutely cherishes the ground that they walk on? Loves all of their faults and makes them a better person...if possible? Well, that's Jen, one of my good college friends, old roomies and Think Pink partner. And her new homeboy for evermore is Nick Haas. I haven't had the opportunity to get to know Nick as well as I hope to but from the speeches at the wedding I know that they are going to have the happiest life together. It sounds like they are both the luckiest people on the planet to have found each other, just as it should be. Her dress was a rockin' vintage style which couldn't be more Jen and she looked STUNNING, which I told her 18 times. And I believe her flowers should be featured on the cover of Bride mag.

Dear Bride Magazine,
Lock it up. Make it happen.
The end.

Congrats you two!

No worries, I wasn't the real wedding photog. That is laughable. I was the creepy person in the crowd, which is becoming a standard for me. But I did get the opportunity to corner her hired one and drill her on things that I have probably already forgotten. Dang! Something about 70mm and 2.8 but which direction? And I believe there was a hood. Oh dear. Practice practice practice. This was the first time I was using my new 430EX II so it was messy. But hey, I gave it a go and got a lot of noise in return. Saw a lot of old college friends I hadn't seen in awhile. They all let me take LOTS of pics of them, compliments of the bar. You may notice that all of the pics are of the same handful of people. No, it wasn't the world's smallest wedding, that's just who I felt comfortable accosting with the camera.

If you would like to download high-res images or purchase prints click here.
Theresa

Tessa Shamberg

I think I'll be in trouble for this one. She was just so into it!

Nick and Scott

Mi amore

The Adams and Shambergs

R & P

Mel getting down and her dad watching, proudly.

Miss Mari

The Moyer girls.

The Moyer girls.

And wait for it...the Moyer girls.

Hmm, this is getting creepy.

Katie and her pops

Smielenburg

Father/Daughter dance

Cold. As. Ice.

Did I mention it was on a ranch?

Get low. Get low. Get low.

Courtnay and Shamalamadingdong

Magnums on each table. Herein lies the problem.

Bret and Mel - both were my roomies at one point and Mel is also a fellow Think Pinker

OUCH!

2009-09-10T10:23:00.001-07:00

I think I just threw out my shoulder...sitting at my desk at work. They didn't warn me back in school that this would be such a dangerous job. That I would suffer many cuts, bad eyes and now this? A bum shoulder? My lack of grace and finesse had nothing to do with it. Plain and simple...it's just a dangerous job. Graphic designing you know.

Now I remember why I prefer to move about the office in nothing but bare feet (and clothes). This ONE time I decide to leave my heels on and SLAM! Slipped at my desk. Ouch. I should probably head home for the day. Workers comp? No? Nothing? Uh, fine.

Roasted Zucchini, Tomato and Goat Cheese Flatbread

2009-09-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

Oooh I love that stinky cheese. I know that doesn't sound appetizing but that's just how a feel about goat cheese and to be honest, I consider that a downright compliment to the goat. I love the stuff. And it's stinky. It just adds a little SHEZAM to whatever it is on. As mentioned before, our friends dropped off a bag of romas and cucumbers the other night. I used the rest of the romas in this recipe. It was quite tasty if I do say so myself. And crazy easy to make. Even easier to eat.

1 ball of prepared pizza dough from grocery store or pizzaria
3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of goat cheese
Olive oil
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 450ª
Roll out dough on floured surface into about a 12X12 circle/square
Place on parchment covered cookie sheet
Poke dough a few times with a fork
Drizzle a little olive oil on the surface to help it crisp up
Crumble and spread goat cheese evenly over surface
Layer zucchinis and tomatoes on top of flatbread
Drizzle olive oil over the veggies
Sprinkle with a touch of sea salt

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crust is golden brown and zucchinis are caramelized. Mmmmm. Dig in.

Fiesta Lime Salsa

2009-09-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

I love how this salsa turned out. If anything looks like a party, I am in and this salsa most definitely looked like a party. It was delish and fresh and zesty. Loved it on chips but would be great on chicken or tacos or anything your little heart desires. I personally enjoyed the fight to the bottom of the bag with my husband. He won. He always wins at the chip game.

We are growing some green and yellow tomatoes in our yard but came home to a bag of romas and cucumbers on our porch this weekend. Thanks Brooke and Toby! The cucumbers will meet their destiny later this week but I sure loved those romas. I have a few left so I will think of something fun for them later as well. You have to treat donated produce with love. :)

5 cups diced tomatoes in all colors - I used roma, green grape, yellow pear and another golden one that I can't remember the name of.
1 sm red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 Serrano pepper, seeds in
1 tsp. lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp salt or more to taste
Mix it all up and enjoy. No need to be dead on with the ingredients. Just do what tastes good to you. Add things in if you like. Have fun with it.
Enjoy!

Pat and Kat, part 1

2009-09-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

Pat and Kat, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. The singer of Nick's band married his sweetie this weekend. The wedding was at St. Marks and the reception was at Ste. Chapelle winery in Nampa, ID. Not to be confused with NAPA. Everything was wonderful. The priest was one of the best I have ever heard and Kat was absolutely STUNNING. I got to make the jewelry for Kat and her crew and she totally rocked it. After the ceremony our little VIP group (kidding) rolled to the reception in our PIMP limo. So pimp that the air didn't work. I almost didn't make it. Deep breaths. But once we were there it was so beautiful. Perfect weather. Perfect wine. Flip flops for a gift. (Note, totally awesome). Wonderful friends and my terrible dance moves. Agh yes, and some of those poses in there....just trying to be on America's Next Top Model. We wanted to make Tyra proud. I don't think we did. Anyway, we had a wonderful time! Congrats Kat and Pat! Enjoy Oregon!!!

Cheeeese!

We noticed our friend, Trey, and Pat's bro-in-law, Guy, look a lot alike. But then I noticed a third...

The Best Man, Matt, watching Pat sing his song to Kat.

Ava Lyn Martin

2009-09-04T11:13:00.001-07:00

AKA: Cheeks-magoo
LOVE HER!
A friend at work had her own little munchy last year and OH is she sweet. And a potential future in modeling, I might add. When I have tried to shoot friend's babies in the past, catching their glance is second to impossible. Little Ava Lynn would not take her eyes off of the camera lens. She just stared right down it the entire time, no matter where I was, unless of course she wanted to do her "look up" pose. Tyra would be so proud. We just snapped a few yesterday in the parking lot of our office but we are trying to hook-up to do a real deal shoot sometime.

Grilled Ribeye Steak with Onion-Blue Cheese Sauce AND Soy Garlic Green Beans

2009-09-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Pioneer Woman, you are my hero.

The end.

Yesterday, one of my favorite blogs, ThePioneerWoman.com posted this recipe. If her photos didn't sell me enough her descriptions did. She writes like I think and I love it. Let's just say she captured my sentiments EXACTLY on her post. It has nothing to do with that big, red, juicy piece of meat sitting on a bed of cream and onions. Nothing. PLEASE check out her site here for more photos. You will die. I did.

Her recipe was INCREDIBLY simple to make with only a few ingredients. HIYO silver. This was da-bomb.com as my friend would say. Let's also say I am wearing something with a stretchy waistband this morning.

I accompanied the heart attack with a side of green beans inspired by my sister.

Recipe from thepioneerwoman.com

Grilled Ribeye Steak with Onion-Blue Cheese Sauce

2 ribeye steaks
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
Pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1 very large yellow onion
3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Salt and pepper both sides of the steaks. Grill in 2 tablespoons butter until medium rare.

Saute onions in 4 tablespoons butter over high heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until dark and caramelized. Reduce heat to simmer and pour in cream. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Stir in blue cheese until melted. Serve steaks on generous portion of sauce.

Soy Garlic Green Beans

2 cups fresh green beans
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 T. soy sauce
4 T. water

Saute all of the good stuff together for 5-8 minutes until tender. As an addition I deglazed my steak pan from above recipe with the only alcohol on-hand, Bud Light Lime. I reduced it and poured it into the pan as well. I then won my 3rd wife of the year award. Enjoy.

Raspberry Nectarine Crisp

2009-09-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

3 summers ago, when we had just moved into our house I was totally inspired to plant all sorts of fruit and vegetables. And being the **fruitarian that I am, purchased a golden raspberry plant from Home Depot. It spent its first summer as a McDowell in the corner of our 100º yard in the original plastic pot that it came in. Laziness got the best of me that summer. Despite our unintentional efforts to kill the plant, the next summer (yes, even too lazy to throw it away) she showed signs of life. My husband planted her, let's call her Ruby, on the side of our yard, sure to get full light. Last summer we got a few berries. But THIS summer I am picking a bowl a day of RED fruit. From the "golden" bush. Looks like it was another case of "someone put the wrong plant in the wrong spot."

I had a ginormous bowl of these perfect, ruby raspberries in my fridge and no agenda for them. On my way home last night I stopped by the grocery store to be greeted by the most perfect, locally grown nectarines I have seen this season. Raspberries and nectarines? Sure. Sounded like a good combination to me so I picked up a few and settled on making a fresh fruit crisp.

I didn't sugar the fruit because I wanted them to keep their tart flavor. Oh and tart flavor they did keep. But with the crust on top — humina humina. She was a beaut' Clark. A reaaalllll beaut. Recipe below.

**NOTE: Fruitarians eat fruit. Fruitarians eat vegetables. And most importantly, fruitarians eat meat. I actually just made it up. Let's say it means you have a crazy passion for fruit. I am the president of the club. It is a club of one.

2 lg. nectarines - sliced into chunks, skin-on
3 cups fresh raspberries
1 cup flour
1 cut rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter

Pre-heat oven to 350ª
Spread fruit mixture over the bottom of a 13X9X2 baking dish
In bowl combine dry ingredients, mix well. Cut in butter. Chunks should be the size of peas. Spread mixture evenly of the top of the fruit. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Serve with ice cream (if you wish, I prefer it plain and heavenly) to your family and hide the rest for yourself.

Caprese Pie

2009-09-03T08:04:00.001-07:00

Tuesday night I made a tomato pie, inspired by Smitten Kitchen's recipe. (I made hers last week which was really yummy but wanted to change it up).

I got this new sea salt and was really excited to use it so I totally over salted but it was still tasty. (I revised for this recipe). This is a take on the Caprese Salad.

Pre-heat oven to 450.

2 pie crusts (I used the store bought because it was 8pm and I was starving).
4 cups tomatoes – seeded and chopped (I used roma and heirloom tomatoes).
1/4 cup fresh basil – chopped into ribbons
1 clove of garlic – minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup feta
1 cup fresh mozzarella – large dice
1 egg – beaten

Brush beaten egg on the bottom of the pie crust to prevent from getting soggy. Place remainder of egg and all of the other ingredients in bowl and toss to mix and coat evenly. Pour into pie crust. Top pie with second crust and pinch edges together to prevent the pie from spilling out. Cut slits in the top of the crust so your little pie can breath. On bottom rack of oven place a cookie sheet to catch the drips. Put your pie on a rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Cover with foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes. If you cut into it and it is really runny, leave it in a little longer. Also, the more it cools, the less runny it will be. Yummo.

I made a balsamic reduction and drizzled it over the top. Heck to the yes. My white balance is way off, again. Darn!

Drip. Drop.

2009-09-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

I always loved those awesome shots of the good ol' water droplet. I thought I would give it a try. I failed. I don't think I failed miserably but still, F+. E for effort. Neither good nor crisp. Totally blurry but maybe all that means is that NEXT time, when I use a tripod (I know, the tripod is always "next time") it might be better. MIGHT. I think if I had sprung for a tripod that cost more than $11 and wasn't made of plastic I may be more inclined. I guess that means I should add a new one to my wish list. I did like how I was able to capture the bulbous drop and the air bubbles in the water. Tip o' the hat to myself. Now back to the drawing board.

We MADE this.

2009-08-31T16:47:00.001-07:00

I know this is totally lackluster for most people but if you knew what we went through to make this peach....

3 summers ago we planted a tiny (don't underestimate my tiny...this thing was a twig) tree that I bought online. Couldn't have been more than a foot tall. Gus the terrible saw it as a chew toy for his little 3 month old razor teeth. We actually planted 3 trees; a peach, cherry and what we think is a pear. We forgot. Gus took the cherry tree down at the same time that he tried to murder the peach and mystery/pear tree. But we said, what the heck. Let's see how this plays out. 3 years later the trees are about 9-10 feet tall. The mystery/pear tree was all leaves this year but our GLORIOUS peach tree produced one, fuzzy, medium sized and darn near perfect peach. Isn't it pretty? It tasted even better than the peaches I bought at Pikes Market in Seattle the previous weekend. Agh fruit. How I love thee.

HDR Summer BBQ

2009-08-31T15:16:00.001-07:00

So Nick's work had their big summer ordeal this weekend. We floated the Boise River and ended up back at the park for the best BBQ I have ever put in my mouth. I had 4 sandwiches. I wanted more. In fact, I want more now. Nnnnnow. The other reason it was a great event was because there were a few little babies there so I got the opportunity to creep out. That's at least how I feel but I just can't help it. Babies are so fun to take pics of. I just hope their rents are down for the cause. Here's to hopin! SO cute though. Landon didn't take that "what the heck are you doing crazy person?" look off of his face the entire time. haha. I love it.

La Grande, OR with the Kunz clan

2009-08-31T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from Nick and my trip over to La Grande yesterday to visit friends. We started off at the most important place, New York Richies. DAAAAANK pizza with hot sauce. It was eaten far too quickly to document. I also didn't think about it. We headed out to Shaun's place next which is way out of town on a farm/ranch. They share the property with Tara's parents who live right next door. It is pretty awesome and relaxing out there. They have the whole kit-and-kaboodle with horses, dogs, cows, chickens, bees, frogs and other crawlies. They sent us home with a dozen farm fresh eggs and some chives. Heyo. Ready to eat them now.

I was totally blown away with how photogenic Tara's kids were.

It was strange. They were super sketched out about me trying to pack their new infant away with me. I was like, ok ok ok. Fine. Keep her. I didn't get it. :)

London de Angeli Kunz

2009-08-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

My husband's very best best best friend, the best man in our wedding, just gave birth to his first baby girl Saturday, August 15, 2009. Shaun & Tara (love her mucho) were married in Reno last November. Reno was a story within itself and I am thankful no such camera existed then. Tara already had 2 kiddos, Trayce who is 10 and Mercedes, 7. SUCH adorable and might I add, photogenic kids. That's for the next post though. So Nick and I loaded up $30 worth of black velvet (brilliant purchase), my camera and headed over to La Grande, OR yesterday for the day to visit them. I will add some more photos of the rest of our day later. For now...here are pickies of their 15 day old baby girl, London. Tara was already an amazing mom and Shaun seems like such a natural.

More fun with Cin and Aaron

2009-08-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Seattle

2009-08-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some more fun pics of our weekend in Sea-town with the Maki's.

The Makilakilaki's

2009-08-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

My friend Lindzee and I took a little trip to Seattle this weekend to visit one of our favorite couples in the history of couples, the Maki's. Just look at them! They are the greatest thing since sliced bread. They are expecting their first little girl this December and Cindy was totally showing. Yay for us! She isn't saying the name but I will put $10 down on Crissie. Fun for all. They were such troopers. We drug them out around the fields of Kent, WA for a little shoot. And knowing nothing about photography and posing, my ahem, art director, Lindzee, helped pose them.

Just look at these two. Have you ever? I really am not exaggerating when I say that they are my favorite couple ever, hands down. They just make everyone feel wonderful! That's one lucky little bean in there!