Miss M

asked if I could take her photos tonight!! She put on her "fancy" dress & asked me to put her hair in a pony & put a bit of make up on her. I let her do her own posing. Of course, it ended up with her doing her favorite thing. Reading. She thought that the "Frosty" book went well with her dress...so, she started reading it. :) I am so proud of her. She is in the highest reading group in her class. She is in Unit 30 in the Read Well program.
Then, I turned the camera on my little Imp. He was relaxing on the floor w/ his B. I took a snap of him & he starts giggling & saying, "mama, I'll let you take my picture if you give me an m&m". I said, "ok...just one". So, he gave me a cute little grin. I could photograph those eyes all day!

Sex in the City

Or Country.... :)
Alex & Jessica's wedding was so unique & beautiful! Jessica took great care with the details & it showed! Her "matron" of honor described Jessica's dress as totally Sex in the City. I'd have to agree! Sassy & elegant. Alex & Jessica have been together off & on since Jr. High. It is so evident that they are best friends, as well as totally & completely smitten with each other. My only regret is that I had a few shots in mind...of Jessica, in her dress in the doorway of the bridal cottage at Romantic River Gardens. Time didn't allow tho...that's how things go sometimes. Note to future brides: if you are planning to have your makeup done at Macy's...make sure that they don't have anything else going on...such as; homecoming. Weddings seem to be low priority for Macy's. If you are getting your makeup done & a customer walks up...they wait on the customer & then come back to do the makeup. I had several customers walk in between myself & the bride while she was getting her makeup done. I don't think that the big 'ol camera in my hand was an indicator that I might be taking photos of someone getting ready for their wedding. Macy's was running at LEAST an hour behind which put us WAAAY behind schedule...we had about 10minutes after the ceremony to take the formal photos. I have to add...Erik & I got married at Romantic River Gardens...9yrs ago. It was beautiful then & it's even more gorgeous now. Chuck & Sandy Hester have made several additions since we were married there. They have the bridal cottage, the (Erik & Sheila Nielsen), inspired pavillion for those rainy weddings. Apparently, we've gone down in history because our wedding was referred to several times on Saturday. :)

Cute models in lovely jammies

Tanya, from BugN'Belle made these great jammie sets for the kids to model, (click on the link below to check out my kiddos & more of Tanya's great childrens wear). They are so soft & beautifully made. The kids were so excited that they got to keep their soft jammies! They didn't even care that their boxes were empty because their pj's were their gift. :) Check out the kids at BugN'Belles etsy shop & Tanya's beautiful products. I can't even tell you how thrilled the kids & I are with the quality of these pj's!

Adorable totes!

Check out these totes!

What a fabulous treat tote! M would love it!

Christmas Cards, Holiday Mini Sessions....

I have 3 openings left on October 25th for Holiday mini sessions at Lehne Farms. I have 9am, 11:30 & 2pm. Email me if you would like to book a spot. I am contemplating doing another day of mini sessions. There have been several families that are interested, but can't make it on the 25th. I'll keep you posted.
So, with the holiday sessions in mind...I have been playing using my friend, Kathy's family photos.... Here are a few cards that I have put together....a couple are still a work in progress. :) I love vintage & retro...so, I did a bit of both. They look pixelated because they have been resized for web.

Lehne Farms & CSA

Has been so beneficial for our family! Here are just a few reasons.

1. It's convenient. We pick up our box (every Saturday) at our local Farmers Market. Just 5 minutes from our house.

2. We love to try new recipes. With every box comes a newsletter with recipes. Or, I go online & find a recipe.... We've tried several recipes (new to our family) & they have been a hit with the entire family.

3. We believe in the importance of not only buying locally, but supporting our farmers.

4. It is so important to buy in season produce. Eating food how God intended them & when God intended them is so beneficial to our bodies.

I picked up our box yesterday & noticed that there was cheddar cauliflower. I've never eaten cooked cauliflower, so I thought that I would give the newsletter recipe a try. Roasted Curry Cauliflower. OH. YUM! Erik was working outside & came in to get a drink & asked what smelled so good. I told him & he looked at me like, "I hope that it tastes as good as it smells". It was finished roasting, so I took it out of the over &, after waiting for it to cool, we each tried a bite. SO GOOD!

1 Head Cauliflower. Florets cut.
1 large onion, peeled, quartered
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 1/2 tsps curry powder
1 tbspn Hungarian hot paprika
1 3/4 tsp salt (I always use sea salt)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I'm a nerd & put the cilantro in before I roasted everything).

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place cauliflower florets in large roasting pan. Pull apart onion quarters into separate layers; add to cauliflower & any optional items like summer squash or peppers. Stir coriander seeds & cumin seeds in small skillet over medium heat until slightly darkened, about 5 min. Crush coarsely in mortar with pestle. Place seeds in medium bowl. Whisk in oil, vinegar, curry powder, paprika & salt. Pour dressing over veggies; toss to coat. Spread veggies in single layer. Sprinkle with pepper
Roast veggies until tender. sturring occasionally, about 35 min. (can be made 2 hrs ahead. Let stand at room temp. Re-warm in 450 degree oven 10min, if desired) Mound veggies in large bowl. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve warm or at room temp.

Here is a link to the Lehne website....

http://www.normlehnefarm.com/csa/

Family

This family belongs to my good friend, Kathy. We had a fun session at one of my favorite spots, (on the river, of course). All of my river sessions end with some fun in the water...which typically means the river...this time it ended with their daddy showering them in the drinking fountain. :) Kathy is also our realtor. So, if you're looking to buy or sell...let me know & I'll hook ya up with her number! :) More importantly...if you're looking to buy OUR house...I'll hook ya up! :)

Sick Day

Well, we've been sick & cooped up for a few days. We were all feeling a touch of cabin fever this evening...so we played in the backyard. K was so excited to be out getting dirty. M & J were being "creative" & making the best of J's Jeep with the dead battery. Check the photo of K. M likes it when we use our "chumba" voice with K. We usually say things like, "me Chumba & me like fooood". In our best caveman voice. The drunken walking photo totally calls for that voice. :) He has been walking for about a month now & has it down pretty well. He loves to just walk all over...he doesn't need toys. Just space to walk. :) That outfit is getting a smidge small. It's a little Zutano outfit that I found at Cellar Doors. I had to run down today to drop off some prints at a new shop downtown, (Renee @ Occasionally Yours asked if I could hang some work in there - I am so excited!), She is on Jackson & she is fabulous! Look her up if you need any party planning needs!)so I stopped in Cellar Doors & saw that she was having a sale. I needed an excuse to buy some See Kai Run shoes, (I am a See Kai Run & Pediped junkie) & a new Zutano outfit for K. I also picked up a couple of Christmas gifts for the big kids. Look at Blu & his "lovey". He drags that nasty thing everywhere. Silly puppy! The kids love to play with him & the shot of he & M was a quick snap that I caught when I turned from taking photos of K.

My Etsy

I don't know if any of you have checked out my Etsy shop . I have just added a couple of new series to my shop. I am currently having a sale that if someone buys 2 prints, they get a third free. My new favorite series is the Vintage hydrangea series. It has a bit of emotional value. :) I lurve my purple hydrangea. My sweet hubby bought it for me a few years ago. The best thing about hydrangeas is that they flowers change colors as they go through their cycle. I love the variety!

Here is a sneak peek!

Brothers

I didn't have brothers, so the dynamics of brothers is new to me. J has been sort of apathetic to K until about two months ago.... Sort of, "ya, I like him, but I don't want to get too close cuz he might urp on me or do something equally gross". Then, all of a sudden J became K's biggest fan. Holding his hands and helping him walk around the house. Cheering him on in his attempts to walk, cheering him through his first steps. "LOOK MAMA! K walking! How many steps did he take that time?". So, he started counting K's steps. J is only in school 2 days a week, so on the days that he is home, (M is full time, of course), he is excited to teach K new things. I love that they are becoming buddies. If K is fussy at night, J gets out of bed & goes to K's bed & starts acting silly until K laughs. This would be great, if K would actually settle down & go to sleep. It ends up with me putting J in M's room to get the boys to quit playing together. Here is a photo of J pushing K in a box. :)

Tyler & LaRelle

I LOVE THIS FAMILY! Seriously, I do. I want them to adopt me. I took wedding photos for one of Tylers sisters earlier in the season. Their family is so warm & welcoming. The ceremony took place at the grooms grandparents ranch. I am trying to convince them to make their ranch the areas newest wedding venue. The location is beautiful & the family has the whole "wedding" thing down. The whole family (cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, sisters) is involved in every part of the day & they are so loving & helpful with eachother. So, here are a few photos from the day...including the delish turkeys being cooked! :) Wow...these posted all crazy & out of order.....