"You Smell Like Chips!"

Every Halloween that we've spent in Atlanta, Douglas and I cross our fingers with high hopes for Trick-or-Treaters. Every year I buy bags of candy hoping that it will be the year they will come. Every year, not one Trick-or-Treater has come to our door. Not one in 4 years!

My in-laws have the opposite problem. They get tons of ghosts, goblins, witches, and even one year the Incredible Hulk. As Ramona (my mother-in-law) was snacking on tortilla chips between running back and forth to the front door one Halloween, the doorbell rang, yet again. She ran through the house, avoiding the carved pumpkins on the floor, past the motion-sensor ghoul that shouted "Happy Halloween!", and swung the door open with a smile. Ramona was greeted by three little costumed children on her favorite holiday of the year. "Let's see!", she exclaimed. "We have a vampire, a princess, and are you a Ninja Turtle?" The little boy dressed in all green flexed his muscles, glared up at Ramona, and retorted with a frustrated scowl, "No, I'm the Incredible Hulk and you smell like chips!". I think the Incredible Hulk got extra pieces of candy that year for being extra adorable.

That little Incredible Hulk came to my in-laws' house 6 years ago, but the phrase has stuck in our house. Douglas never fails to tell me I smell like chips when I've been eating them!

Wishing everyone a happy and spooky Halloween with lots of Trick-or-Treaters!

Knock, Knock. Who's There? Lemon Square.

I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the cooler weather or a need for just good food in general, but all of the sudden, I have the strongest urge to bake and cook everything from scratch. FROM SCRATCH??!!! Fresh fruits and veggies at the farmers' market have been calling my name and I've used that as an excuse to cook like crazy! I feel like a 1950's housewife...before you know it I'll be wearing pearls and heels in the kitchen! Although I am by no means a self-proclaimed chef, I can follow a recipe like no one's business, and occasionally I'll add my own little spin on it.

I found the lemon bars receipe on a neat blog called Cannelle et Vanille, but originally it's from Magnolia Bakery. Mmmm...Magnolia Bakery! I will say, it will be a LONG time before I make this again. Even though it was so delicious, it took me all afternoon to squeeze/zest the lemons and make that flakey crust. On the plus side, it made a ton of bars and it made the whole house smell like lemons!

Liz & Chris: Maternity Sneak Peek

Last week I was so excited to shoot Liz and Chris's maternity session. After rescheduling it two times because of the crazy Atlanta rain, we were finally able to make it happen! Although the weather was definitely not cooperating with us (think rain, cold wind, and quickly fading daylight), we decided to work with it! Here are two shots from last Friday. As long as Liz and Chris don't mind, I will post more pictures in the next week or so. Stay tuned!

2 Shows in 2 Weeks

About a month ago, a small wave of panic swept through me when a faculty member from the Savannah College of Art & Design asked me to submit work for an upcoming juried art exhibit. The first thought that went through my head was, "Oh, man...what can I submit???". After all, I couldn't very well submit someone's wedding, dog, or baby photos to an art exhibition. The same wave of panic showed its ugly face when I submitted more work to the "Atlanta Celebrates Photography SCAD Exhibition". Not only did I worry about the pieces I submitted, but a number of other feelings were swimming around in my brain about the actual night of each show.

-"What if no one shows up?"
-"What is someone wants me to explain my work?"
-"What if no one likes my work?"
-"What if I slip and fall during the exhibit?" (For those of you who don't know me, unfortunately, slipping and falling are common occurrences in my life!)

Ugh, it was enough to make a girl go crazy! The shows came and went, and looking back, I realized how silly I was for worrying so much.

-People actually showed up
-I was asked to explain my work. I did and I survived!
-I ended up getting a few small compliments...blush...
-I didn't fall and embarrass myself, thank goodness. Another injury avoided!

Here are the images that were exhibited. They are definitely different from what I usually post on my blog because they are more experimental and in the fine art vein.

The first two images were shot at night with a really long shutter speed. It constantly amazes me how the camera will pick up on colors that I couldn't see with my actual eyes.

This photo was taken in historic Roswell and the little pup was the perfect subject.

I think this picture of Douglas and his mom is hysterical! When people see this photo they question, "Douglas is just watching his mom wash his car???". For those of you that know Douglas, he is a Southern gentleman to the core and he would never just stand around while his mom washed his car! She insisted on doing it herself and he was pouting because he wanted to be the hero. Ha! At the opening, an attendee said this photo was a symbol for the period when boys are growing up but keep relying on their parents because they aren't quite ready to take full control of their lives. That's not at all Douglas' situation since we have been married for over 4 years, but hey, everyone sees something different!

Sinful Crepes

Occasionally, I'll wake up early on Sunday morning and make a big breakfast for me and my hubby. Last weekend I had the perfect reason to get up and get cooking! Kate, from Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails, was doing the neatest give away. Due to her enormous collection of cookbooks, she was giving them away to her blog viewers. This generous gesture did come with one stipulation; once you receive a cookbook, you have to make a recipe from it within 30 days and post it on your blog. I got my book, "Tempted: 150 Very Wicked Desserts", on a Thursday, and tried my first recipe on Sunday morning. Although I had a very hard time deciding what to make (everything looked delicious), I finally decided on chocolate and almond crepes. These were extra special because the recipe called for a brandy sauce, which I added raspberries and homemade whipped cream to. Although I don't typically eat chocolate for breakfast, this was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!! This cookbook definitely lives up to its name...the crepes were sinful! Thanks, Kate, for sharing your love for cooking and spreading around the love!

Cavie-Sitting

Both Douglas and I are OBSESSED with dogs. Every breed, every personality, we love them all! Unfortunately, we can’t get a dog right now due to our living situation. So, as you can imagine, we pretty much smother any dog that comes within a 20 foot radius! Luckily, when our dog-owning friends go out of town, we get to puppy-sit! We recently had Lily and Jackson over for the weekend. They are two of the cutest Cavalier King Charles Spaniels you will ever see! Lily is the tan and white little girl. She is very girly, petite, and timid, and she loves to cuddle around your neck while you are on the couch…just like a cat! Her owners call it the “airplane pillow”. Jackson is the tri-color boy who has an adventurous streak. He is definitely a boy and likes to get dirty and muddy, but he is also the biggest cuddle-bug. We had a great time with them, and I think they had fun too!

Money Cupcakes

When my co-worker asked her son what type of theme he wanted for his birthday party at school, he said one word, "money". I had to ponder this theme for a while and think about what type of money theme would appeal to a 10 year old. After all, I have never had a request to do any type of edible money treat. But after searching my favorite cake supply store, I found the cutest little dollar sign and money bag candy molds. The molds worked perfectly and here are my first money cupcakes!

Happy Birthday Lou!

A pause, and then an, “Oh…”, greeted me when I answered the phone last night. It was my sister, Laura (a.k.a. Lou). That “Oh…” made my heart sink because I knew exactly why she was calling. With high hopes, Lou had called my house hoping that I would not answer…hoping that I was on a flight up to Buffalo, NY…and hoping that I would surprise her for her birthday. As much as I wanted to visit her for her birthday, no matter how hard I tried, I could not make it work out…many forces were against me. I won’t bore you with the details!!

Living in another state makes me cherish every minute I get with my sister, and although I am not in Buffalo to help her celebrate, I’m there in spirit doling out hugs and kisses and wishing Laura a very Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday Lou! I love you!

A French Chateau in Georgia

I recently discovered Chateau Elan when my mom and sister came to visit Atlanta for the third time. Desperate to find something different to entertain them with, I thought, "Why not a winery?!". Chateau Elan is so cute, and although I am not a fan of wine (I’m trying to like it, I really am!!!), the tasting and tour are so much fun! The port wine they make is delicious and I think it’s one of the better ports I have had.

Chateau Elan is located about an hour and a half north of downtown Atlanta, and the time to visit is in the fall when the grape harvest takes place. You can actually watch the wine being made. Although there isn’t a whole lot to actually do on the property, it makes a fun day trip! I think this picture makes Chateau Elan look like a beautiful get-away in France!