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!

Shower Cake in a Flood

The weather situation in Atlanta this past week has been a little scary. After over a week straight of rain, flash floods wreaked havoc on a number of people's homes and made driving anywhere not only dangerous, but time-consuming.

On Saturday, as I waded through ankle-deep water, holding a cake in one hand, and an umbrella in the other, I thought to myself, "This can't be good". Transporting multiple tiered cakes is never an easy task and is always guaranteed to be stressful, however, the torrential downpour and flash-flooding that has been occurring in Atlanta the past week definitely didn't help the situation! After squinting through a rain covered windshield and avoiding a wreck on the side of the interstate, I finally made it to my destination, cake in tact! Miracle of miracles! I was so thankful that the cake made it safely because not only was this cake meant for a bridal shower, but the shower host was my boss!

Foxes with Big Butts

The title of the blog post is what this dog breed should officially be named. Welsh Corgis look exactly like little short foxes with big butts! These two Corgis are so sweet and full of energy, and I love that they have authentic Welsh names! Gruffyd, the little black and tan boy, is a doll and loves attention. He’s pretty happy-go-lucky and goes with the flow. Gwynned is the tan and white little girl. She's very loyal, but gets so jealous if anyone loves on Gruffyd! She wants all of the attention for herself and even gets upset when people leave the house. She barks like crazy as soon as anyone starts heading for the door. True to the breed, these babies love to herd! If there is a group of people in their home, the Corgis will herd them into whatever room they want them in! Too cute!

Cake Weekend

It rained both days this weekend, which in my opinion, is the perfect weather to make cakes. There's just something about hearing the rain, baking, and decorating that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy! Here are two cakes I worked on this weekend.

The first cake is key lime. Just a note to anyone that likes experimenting with ingredients. DO NOT use frozen juice concentrate to flavor your cakes! I don't know exactly what the culprit was, but I think that the corn syrup in the frozen lime concentrate made the cake have a raw texture. No matter how long I baked the cake, that texture just never went away! I didn't think it was possible to burn a raw cake, but I managed to do so. I ended up tossing the first cake and re-baking it with actual lime juice...WAY BETTER!

The second cake is a coconut cake (my favorite!) with rolled fondant. I used a tool to make the football texture and used white fondant for the rest of the details. Although I am not a football watcher, Douglas had football playing in the background to give me inspiration for this cake! Hehe!

New Blog Design!

So, being the nerd that I am, I spent the entire weekend toiling over the computer and getting html tutoring from my husband, Douglas. I am now happy to say that my blog design is new and improved! Images and slideshows are a lot bigger and the overall look is much more streamlined and organized. No more getting a magnifying glass out to view blog images! I am also using a new slideshow hosting site, so if anyone has problems playing it, please let me know so that I can work out any glitches! Poke around...I've posted a lot of new pictures in old posts. I hope you like it!

Meghan & Joe: Wedding Slideshow

As I've mentioned in a previous post, in August I had the pleasure of photographing Meghan & Joe Spann's wedding. When they said they were up for a session the night before the wedding I couldn't have been happier! It gave me a few hours of shooting without the distractions of the wedding day and we had gorgeous light!

This picture was taken at the park Meghan & Joe got engaged at. It was such a romantic spot and the sunset made it even more beautiful! I wish I had a backyard that looked like this park!

And here is a slideshow of some of my favorites from the evening shoot.

Meghan & Joe had a very small, intimate wedding ceremony and reception. Here are a few photos from the big day.

The Dynamic Duo

Every Labor Day, Douglas and I drive to our hometown, Nashville, TN to visit our family and friends. Going home is always a treat and some of my happiest times are spent there. Although there are many reasons that I love going back home, there are two very special individuals that make my time there even better. These are my little (well, actually big...try 50-60 pounds) babies and I get my fill of cuddle time when I'm with them.

The first picture is of the big bear, Humphrey. Humphrey was a rescue and he has found his forever home with my in-laws. He's such a lover and definitely uses his brute strength to his advantage. He will follow you around the house and just give you this look shown in the below picture. If he could talk, he would repeatedly say, "I looove youuu." in a deep, slow, Southern voice.

And this little girl is Clementine. She is definitely the princess of the house and she can never have enough spoiling! Clementine is extremely curious and adventurous and loves to get in high places. Her favorite place to lay is on the backrest of the couch, just like a cat! If she could talk, she would scream in a high pitch, girlie, but demanding voice, "Love on me!!!".

I love these pups, and I'm counting down the days until we see them this weekend! I will definitely be posting more pictures of them after Labor Day!

Fun At The Park

So, as I have blogged before, I absolutely LOVE shooting pictures of my god-daughter, Chloe. She is so cute and has a perfect little face that the camera just adores! Here are a few pictures of this sweet little girl that I took back in the spring.

Meghan & Joe: Wedding Sneak Peek

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of shooting my good friend's wedding in my hometown, Nashville, TN. Joe and Meghan were absolutely wonderful to shoot! They looked great in every shot and they made my job easy! Here's a sneak peak of a few photos from their day. I'll post a slide show with the rest of the photos within the next month.

Cake Storm

As cliche as the phrase is, it's funny how sometimes when it rains, it absolutely pours! In my case, it was a torrential flood of cake-making! In addition to working at SCAD and teaching my cake class, I made 4 cakes in the past 6 days! Although tiring, they were all so much fun and I was so happy to do them. So here we go....

Cake 1: I made a fun poker cake for my co-worker (and the SCAD mother hen), Theo. I posted that cake in my last blog.

Cake 2: Our friend, Jackie Lewis, had a birthday party over the weekend, and of course, I had to bring a cake! What's a birthday without a birthday cake??? I made her a little personal-sized 4" round cake with roses....simple and sweet!

Cake 3: To help my co-worker, Raymetta, celebrate her one year wedding anniversary, I made her and her husband a two tiered "wedding" cake. It was a white cake with hand-made light blue lilies and pearls. I loved that it was reminiscent of a little baby wedding cake!

Cake 4: I'm not sure how I have spent so many years living in the south and I have never come across "7 Minute Icing". Somehow, this delicious treat has slipped through my hands and only presented itself to me this past week. My supervisor wanted a 7 Minute Icing cake for her mother's birthday. Having never heard of this type of frosting, I was a little nervous to make it, to say the least. After all, the perfectionist in me wanted it to be flawless! I had no idea what it was supposed to look or taste like, but I forged ahead with my mixer in hand. I have to say, this frosting is absolutely delicious. I think it's best described as a mix between meringue and marshmallow fluff...how could you not love it? I decided to not be too ambitious with my first go around with this shiny icing, but I think overall it came out ok! I just decorated it with my left-over lilies and pearls, and voila!

Poker Cake

This week, one of my favorite co-workers, Theo, asked me to make a cake for her son's birthday. She was so sweet and let me do whatever cake my heart desired! Knowing that her son likes card games, I thought I would do a poker themed cake. Everything on the cake is edible and handmade. No cardboard playing cards or plastic poker chips for me!!!

Historic Roswell

One of my favorite places to go at night in Atlanta is historic Roswell. It's an adorable little quaint part of town with a lot of restaurants and boutiques. Here is a shot from my latest visit. This dog was so sweet and acted like he knew I wanted him to pose for the camera. I had to go and love on him for a minute after I took his picture...I'm sure the owners just loved being interrupted while eating!

Joe & Meghan's Wedding Cake

My good friend, Joe Spann, and his wife, Meghan, got married this weekend. I was able to give my favorite wedding gift to the couple...a wedding cake! 2 tiers were white and 2 were coconut, and by the time I left the reception, the cake was gone!!! Yum! I also had the pleasure of being their wedding photographer, so stay tuned for pictures!