pretty pictures

When I think of my favorite photos, 

they are usually the ones 

caught in an in-between moment.

You know the ones 

when no one is paying attention to the camera,

and there are no fake smiles 

or squinty eyes.   

The ones where everyone is just being,

for a quick second,

before the next picture,

just themselves.

Recently, I've had several people ask

if I would recommend a good photographer.

Of course, I will!

How about 5?

-------------------------

I'll start with Brooke Rainey.  

She is an amazing photographer 

with a special talent for "capturing personalities." 

This little guy has some of the best "expressions,"

and I still can't get over how she was able 

to capture so many of them.

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When I asked Wendy Hardin 

to do a maternity/family session for us, 

she was so excited

that I wanted to have a bed out in a field

that she showed up 

with a couple of feather pillows!

Who doesn't love a pillow fight?

If you are looking for fun and creative, 

she's your girl! 

-------------------------

The next ones are by Lisa Slate.

I call her the "baby whisperer"

because newborns are definitely her specialty.

-------------------------

...also by Lisa Slate.

She is so dedicated that

even a severe thunderstorm didn't stop her from

getting these fabulous photos!   

-------------------------

I just couldn't wait 

to have photos of our newly expanded family, 

and these taken by Laurel Pankratz

made me so happy!

It was just a fun and relaxed afternoon at the park.

-------------------------

Lastly, I am eagerly awaiting a session with

Monique Porter scheduled for this Summer.  
After looking at her portfolio, 
I'm completely confident 
in recommending her beforehand!

-------------------------

So, now, you have my top 5 recommendations.
Who is your favorite photographer?

you bet your blarney

Here's to the one day a year 

when it's perfectly acceptable to 

drink lots of Guinness, 

eat green mashed potatoes, 

and pinch people!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

flower "bed"

My new raised Strawberry "bed!"

I've had the idea for quite a while, 

and my cute, little hubby 

was been busy all day yesterday making it happen.

My friend, Christy, over at The Strawberry Patch is going to love this!

I'm so excited!

Let's plant some strawberries!

I'm a Spring

I love all the beautiful, bright colors
emerging from the dreariness of Winter's end.

be my buttercup

sweet forsythia

my army of daylilies

 crazy about a sunflower!

UPDATE:  

I am still wearing my flip-flops, 

and, yes, my toes are cold!

adventures in baby-food-making

That's right!

I'm still in the
onlythebestorganichomemadebabyfoodformybaby 
stage!

I was a little intimidated at first, 

but just like everything else related to babies, 

there is an infinite supply of information out there.

Surprisingly, it's so super quick and easy!

Here are a couple of different recipes to get you started.

Pears

*peel, core, and cut into chunks

*steam in a covered pot with 1 inch of water for about 7 - 10 minutes

*put them into the blender and puree until smooth

*if you need to add water, use the leftover water from cooking the pears

*freeze

Sweet Potatoes

*stab them with a fork a few times and bake them at 400 until they are soft (about an hour)

*scoop out the inside into a blender

*add water 

*puree until smooth 

*add more water to get the consistency you want

*freeze

You can freeze it in these handy little cups...
 

or you can use a specially designed for freezing baby food tray,
and you will have lots of these to put in a freezer bag.

I like them both.
The cups are great for on-the-go feeding,
and the freezer tray can be used over and over.

These are very basic recipes
that can be used for any number of fruits and vegetables.

So far, I've made
butternut squash, spaghetti squash, peas, and green beans
as well as the sweet potatoes and pears.

There are a few veggies that tend to contain a higher level of nitrates,
and it's recommended that they not be used
to make home-made baby food:
carrots, beets, spinach, and turnips

Seriously, who's going to make their baby eat turnips? 

Anyway, it's best to use it within 1 month,
but they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Happy Baby Food Making!

flip-flops

My toes were clinging to the sides of my shoes begging to stay out!

So, I had to dig deep into my closet to find a pair of flip-flops, 

and then, we were off to get our first pedicure of the year!

H.C. CARR

This past Summer we completely remodeled our kitchen.

When I say "completely,"  

I'm not kidding - 

the floors were torn out all the way down to dirt.

The ceiling and walls were all torn out as well, 

and that's were we found this...

"H.C. CARR Sep 15, 1884"

I asked the workers if we could cut it out.
I had some doubts seeing as it was on an outside wall and all,
but they said, "No problem."

So, now, I have this wonderful piece of our home's history,
and I can't decide what to do with it.

Any suggestions?

And, if you know anything about Mr. Carr,
I'd love to hear about him as well.