A Tree Called Life

Elmhorst Family

2011-03-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

who doesn't love babies??? I mean really what is better than a sweet cuddly newborn baby? today I'll be doing posts for all the little kiddies I did this winter. they are long over due and I can't wait to make you all overdose on cuteness :)

I'm so glad I got the chance to take pictures of this adorable family! I mean s'riously! they are just too cute for words! and oh so sweet! Mat and Jenny were so laid back and I barely had to direct them at all! and their kids? oh em gee! Helena is simply a gorgeous little girl and I almost kidnapped their brand new son Solly :)

mini bow tie <3

Scottie's Senior Session

2011-02-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

I have known Scottie my whole life. Like... my whole life. Our moms were friends and our grandmas too. it's kind of hard to believe that Scottie is a senior this year! We had so much fun the day we took his senior pictures. Even if we almost got into a car accident and there just happened to be a blizzard getting in our way. Scottie kept me laughing the entire time and he is definitely a natural in front of the camera I barely had to direct him!

Scott- You have truly become an amazing young man. you are so funny and one of the sweetest guys I know. good luck next year! I know you will go far with whatever you decide to do!

Brittney and Jace-Styling Your Shoot

2011-01-27T22:35:00.000-08:00

Jace and I went to school together and even though Brittney and I haven't spent much time together I feel like we are old friends. I gave away a shoot a while back on my facebook page and boy am I glad these two won! :) they braved the cold and rocked out this session like no one else could! part of the reason their pictures turned out so well is because Brittney and I took the time to talk a little bit and plan, so Hannah and I could style the shoot. Brittney and Jace love being outside and reading so we incorporated that into the session. Jace even found us an awesome location.
Seriously, if you haven't thought about styling your sessions you really should. please please please people! do something that tells a story and makes your pictures personal.
now styling your shoot is not a necessity buuut if you do it you will get pictures like this

Catch up.. Ketchup... What?

2011-01-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would catch you up on what we have been up to. :)
I'll make it short and sweet though
Like I said in the last post.. I have been getting busy.. which Eden does not like

But she LOVED Christmas

especially the tasty ornaments... wait.. those are definitely not for eating.. oops

and loved all her fun new presents
like her alphabet books

and her ball pit!

and of course... her panda pillow!

My mom's friend Kim came to visit last weekend and introduced Eden to art

this will be a little rudolph picture for christmas next year when Kim is all done with it :)

this is Eden asking for more paint on her hand

this is Eden after we told her we were all done

Kim made us Tikka Masala... yummm

like I said Kim introduced Eden to painting.. and then she gave us this great idea to mix milk and food coloring to paint our toast :) we tried it out today and needless to say Eden loved loved loved it!

that's all for now guys!

**keep in mind these pictures are all SOOC.. I haven't had the time to go through and edit them all... so go easy on me :)

Mark and Megan E-Session

2011-01-21T19:09:00.000-08:00

Um.. happy new year?? haha! I promise guys... my new years resolution is to get on top of this blog!! anyway... things have been getting busier for me and it's super exciting! My wonderful sister/best friend has kind of taken on the roll of my assistant and second shooter. back in November we had the chance to go to Madison and meet Megan and Mark for their engagement shoot. It was soo much fun! Megan and Mark are so funny and kept us laughing the whole time! We are totally stoked for their wedding this fall! here are some of the favorites from their shoot.

love Meg's bling

Chris and Gina

2010-12-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

ok, so no.. this one isn't technically an engagement shoot... but like Hannah and Andy's shoot, from a while back, this is what a typical engagement shoot looks like... that is, if you are as fabulous as these two ;)
Chris recently joined the air force so his mother (hi susan!) thought it would be a good idea for him and his girlfriend Gina to get some photos before he left. and boy am I glad they did! I had so much fun hanging out with them! they are my favorite kind of couple- up for anything, always laughing, and totally, absolutely, crazy in love! Gina told me she was awkward in front of the camera.. but uhhh I am not seeing it! These two are beautiful inside and out! It was such a pleasure to work with them. I am already dreaming of another shoot (possibly an engagement? nudge nudge, Chris) with Chris in his uniform and Gina in pearls... ahhhh... but I am getting waaay ahead of myself.. let me show you the pictures I do have of them!

Gina- could you be any more fierce?

loooooove!

The Delaney Family

2010-12-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

Once again... I'm a slacker.. I really need to get on top of this.

but here are the Delaneys. I absolutely adore this family! and I am super lucky to have them in my life! Steve's Aunt and Uncle have always been so supportive and loving towards us and I can not express how thankful I am to know them and to call them family. I had so much fun hanging out with them! Brenna and Bremen are a riot! I seriously think I almost collapsed in laughter a few times (sometimes it feels like my legs will give out when I laugh really hard.. no big deal.. I'm not worried about it) Ryan and Melanie- I love you guys! you are amazing people and your children are beautiful!

The Hamilton Family

2010-11-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

I know I know! this is looonnng over due! so let me just start by saying how much I love this family! I have known them forever and they are honestly some of the sweetest people I know. I am so blessed to know them! there are so many memories I've had at Mary Lou and Kirk's and I wish I could share them all but that would take foreverrr. let's just say they are amazing people, parents, and grandparents! Mary Lou and Kirk- you have a beautiful family! thank you so much for letting me be a part of it for a day!
Tracy, Bob, Luke, Nina, Cait, Keldric, and of course James and Emma- you guys rocked it out! it was such a pleasure to hang out with you guys and catch up.

I'll leave you with this picture because it says it all

Before and After and More!

2010-11-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

So the other day I was meeting with a client and she asked if I would be willing to send some before and after's of my pictures. until then I hadn't thought of it but I am sure lots of other clients would be interested in seeing these as well. sooo I decided to throw some up on the blog for you guys and give my wedding advice.. not that anyone asked for it but it's just my opinion from the photographers point of view... but first thing's first! here are some of the very favorites before and afters

I try to shoot so that I don't have to do much editing. I don't usually care for all the crazy filters. I just want my pictures to look clean. so usually I just do some sharpening, a little color boost, maybe throw some black and white on there

once in a while if I'm getting the right vibe I'll add a little 70's effect :)

of course if a client wants something special I can definitely do it for them. but in general I like to keep it really simple!

which brings me to my next subject. picking a photographer... when picking a photographer (especially for your wedding) make sure to do a little research, check out their facebook page or read their blog. get a sense of their style and personality. find someone you think you will get along with and be able to talk to and be comfortable around. aaaand of course someone that you know will produce photos you will love.

now... just a few suggestions for the actual wedding day. please please please give your photographer enough time!! I cannot stress this enough! one way to do this is to consider doing a First Look.. I'll let the fabulous Jasmine Star explain it because I just can't do it like she does :) but basically it's when the bride and groom opt to see each other BEFORE the ceremony.. click on the link to read more. I personally think it's an awesome idea. but regardless if you do it or not just make sure there is lots of time between the ceremony and the reception so the photographer can get group pictures, pictures of the bride and groom, family pictures, pictures of the details at the reception... yeah and the list goes on...

now I know you're probably upset cause I haven't blogged in a while and this is kind of a lame way to redeem myself.. but I have been super busy and I promise I will be blogging about 5 shoots here pretty quick. so check back soon! also.. here is my e-mail if anyone needs to get a hold of me to set something up :)
chloeann527@yahoo.com

The Tranel Family

2010-10-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start with these guys. April is Steve's sister, she and Matt were high school sweethearts. awwwww! Now they have 5 (yes you heard me FIVE) beautiful, amazing, sweet children! I could not love this family anymore than I do! Each one of these kids is unique and has their own amazing personality. They are so lucky to have Matt and April as parents. From the moment you meet these sweet, polite, helpful children you just know there are some pretty amazing parents behind it all. I am so glad I got to take their pictures (um because they are beautiful!!!) and so glad they are in my life! this shoot was so much fun! there were pumpkins, caramel apples, candy corn, taffy, reeses pieces, and birthday cake (for baby Ruth's first birthday!) needless to say everyone had a good time :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUTH!!! :)

Potato Dumpling Soup

2010-10-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

It was my senior year of high school. I desperately needed a job. I started waitressing out at the golf course restaurant. That's where I met Kevin and fell in love.... with his soup.... seriously... you've seen Seinfeld right??? well the Soup Nazi... he doesn't have anything on Kevin... this guy takes soup to a whole new level. he's been making it since he was like 8 or something like that. I can't even describe the amazing deliciousness.. there was clam chowder every friday, french onion, cream of mushroom, PIZZA! he would just make stuff up too like beer cheese and they made some italian sausage with mushrooms and potatoes with a yummy creamy base. but my very favorite days were the days when Kevin made his potato dumpling soup... yup you heard me... it's like baked potato soup PLUS dumplings. well needless to say since I left Arrowhead I have been dreaming of and longing after this soup. Luckily I finally got the hookup. My friend Lexi went back to work at Arrowhead this summer and asked Kevin if he could write down the recipe for me. he basically just gave her a list of ingredients buuut it turned out better than expected. not exactly Kevin's but hey it was my first time!

start out by melting about 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pot and saute some chopped onions, carrots, and celery for a few minutes
add 8 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of chicken base
add 4 oven baked potatoes cut into bite size pieces
season with garlic salt, sea salt, celery salt, pepper, and lawrys
bring to a simmer and let cook while you make the dumplings

for the dumplings start out with 3 eggs, some chopped chives or green onions, salt, pepper, lawrys, and garlic salt, and about 2 tablespoons of milk
add in flour until it is a super thick batter but do not over stir or you will end up with super stiff, hard dumplings!
add the dumplings into soup by the spoonful and cook for about 20 more minutes
milk to soup until it's a creamy consistency (probably 1-2 cups)
melt in 4 slices of american cheese and some chopped bacon if you're into that sort of thing
and you are good to go!! serve with some yummy bread and you're in heaven

and here are some pictures of my little love buglet for a week or two ago that I have been slacking on putting up

I have some fun family shoots planned for this weekend so make sure to stop back and check them out!
Happy Friday Everyone!!!

Jamie and Andy

2010-10-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of shooting Jamie and Andy and their two boys on friday as an engagement/family session. I absolutely love them! They are sweet and adorable and felt like old friends. it was sooo much fun to say the least! Even if it was raining at first and my car did get stuck in the mud TWICE! ugghhh how embarrassing!
Jamie and Andy- it was so nice getting to know you guys! I am so excited for your wedding next year!

These last two are my favorites from the day!

Hannah and Rob's Wedding + Eden-Baby

2010-09-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

My big sister is now a wife... how weird is that?!?! it was such a beautiful day! hannah was just gorgeous i wish i had taken more pictures but the day was just so very busy that i didn't get very many.
i am so happy for hannah and rob! i can not imagine a more perfect couple. you guys are amazing! congrats! wish you many many years of happiness! now hurry up and make eden a cousin :]

we drank lots and lots of coffee!!!

my sister in law Jess of Little Dandelion Studios made this beautiful flower pin for hannah's hair

Eli looked so cute in his little suit! he even wanted to do his own hair. what a little man!

like i said i wish i had gotten more pictures.. it really is a shame the whole thing was just beautiful! my mother did an amazing job. she seriously should be a wedding planner/decorator/coordinator! hannah's photographer is wonderful though and i'm sure she captured the day just wonderfully i will make sure to post a link once she puts pictures up on her blog.

today was an awesome overcast kind of day... my favorite for shooting! so i made eden put on a cute outfit and head outside with me she is such a ham!

knee high socks are the best!

this is typical eden- yelling in her crazy baby language that resembles japanese.. she's so silly

my little flower child :] love her

i have to end with these two... they are not "artistic" or "creative" or "technically great" but this is eden... running around, barely holding still for a picture, being completely adorable
i could not love her more! i am so lucky to be her mother!

Fall Food!

2010-09-13T21:11:00.001-07:00

yesss! fall is in full swing! which means lots of yummy food! I'm gonna share with you one of my all time favorite recipes! I got this recipe my freshman year from my foods teacher. we had a unit on chili and while I have never been a huge fan of chili she had me try this stuff and it is honestly UH-mazing! go make it right away!

what you need-
4 chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces) cooked with a little bit of butter, cayenne pepper, and black pepper
1 diced onion sauteed for a few minutes until it starts to brown (go ahead and cook it in the pan you cooked the chicken in!)
2 tablespoons garlic
5 cups chicken broth
1 can green chilies
2 small cans northern beans drained and rinsed
1 pint whipping cream
1 cup sour cream
cayenne pepper
chili powder
salt
black pepper
cumin

what you do-
bring chicken broth to boil reduce to simmer throw all the ingredients in (spices to taste) and let simmer for 15 minutes. then serve! yum yum yum! we like to serve ours with shredded pepper jack cheese and sliced black olives. it's pretty much amazing.

and because I love ya I'm gonna go ahead and give you another recipe right away
stephen brought me home some lovely pears from his coworkers farm

now while I find pears delicious I knew the fam wasn't going to want to eat a thousand plain pears so I found a recipe for pear tarts tweeked it a little bit and they turned out delicious!

what you need-
2 pears peeled cored and sliced into 8 sections each
1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed over night in the fridge
cinnamon sugar
almond paste
sour cream
brown sugar
melted butter

what you do-
preheat oven to 425
cut the puff pastry into four equal sections
roll about 1 tablespoon of the almond paste into a ball then flatten and place in the center of one of the squares of the pastry put a little more than 1 tablespoon of sour cream on top of the paste then sprinkle a tablespoon of cinnamon sugar on top of that. arrange 3 or 4 slices of pear in the center of the pastry sprinkle about a tablespoon of brown sugar over pears fold corners in to center over the pears use tooth picks to hold in place. brush a little melted butter on top of tart then sprinkle some more cinnamon sugar on top of the tart. repeat with remaining ingredients. bake until golden brown (15-20 min)

I think I like this recipe because it's sooo easy. you really don't have to measure anything which is very rare in baking. and it was pretty darn tasty too!

The State Fair...

2010-09-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

the food, the animals, the rides... what could be better? stephen, eden, and i hit up the fair this past weekend and it was super fun! i absolutely L.O.V.E. the fair!

we got to gorge ourselves on some deep fried mushrooms, cheese curds, and fries... not to mention the giant gyros we devoured... and no i don't have any pictures because i was way too busy inhaling my food like it was my first meal in weeks...
we also got to see (about a million) cows, pigs, llamas, goats, and sheep. eden really enjoyed looking at the animals but wasn't too sure about actually touching them... we did get her to pet a few of them..

i love this time year! and i love my little family! eden was being such a daddy's girl last weekend so that's why there is one picture of me and her and about a hundred of her and stephen. but i guess i can't blame her :)

The Keyes Family

2010-09-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

here are some more pictures from the awesome family shoot i did last weekend. this family is so sweet and photogenic. i can not wait to see them all again for Amy and Sean's wedding in April. it should be a blast! i honestly feel right at home with them. thanks so much for being so easy going, fun, creative, and all around amazing in front of the camera you guys!

this next one is too cute!

grandmas are the best!

Overwhelmed to Excited in 1 hour...

2010-08-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

So Jasmine Star (aka my idol) did a free workshop live online. it was 5 days long and she actually taught how to shoot a (real) wedding live for anyone and everyone one to see. it was to say the least amazing. i was feeling so cool taking notes and gaining all this valuable knowledge... then i watched jasmine shoot... and i seriously almost had a panic attack. i started feeling sooo ill prepared for my upcoming wedding in October. i seriously almost had a break down. my chest was tight i couldn't breathe it was awful! i thought "i will never be able to do this like she does" i felt sooo defeated. and to make matters worse i had to do a family shoot yesterday right in the middle of my break down! but then i got to the park, i met this amazing family, and i remembered everything jasmine taught me. and ya know what? the Keyes family and i rocked it out! so thanks to them and Jasmine for rebuilding my confidence and getting me excited to shoot again! :) here is a tiny preview. i will do a whole post on this wonderful group of people once i have all the pictures edited.

Flab to Fab... or How I Got My Life Back... or How I Lost 40 lbs..

2010-08-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

ok... so this post is probably going to kill me.... i knew i needed to talk about it sooner or later... but i've been putting it off...
i had a long post written out explaining how this extra weight came to be and how i found hope and lost it all. but i'll just give you the short version.
i had a baby.
i couldn't stick to any calorie counting diet.
i couldn't lose any weight doing my moms aerobics tapes.
i ate a lot of comfort food.
i. was. miserable.
my relationships were all suffering because i was angry and mean and sad.
i started working out and eating clean and did my hair stylist's magic diet
and in six months i have lost a total of 40 pounds

now... i can't believe i'm even putting this picture on because it makes me sick to look at it... blah. but it has to be done. the after picture is from july and i have actually lost another 10 pounds since then. juuust so you know : )

aggghhh! it's painful to look at

but man

it is good to be back!

Summer Skin..

2010-08-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

summer is coming to an end.. the days are getting shorter.. and cooler (kind of)..
it went by waaay too fast!
hannah's wedding is in three weeks... yup.. only.three.weeks...... yikes.
so those next three weeks are going to be a huge blur.. i don't know if i'll be getting around to blogging until after the wedding so i thought i'd better get on and post a few pictures to tide you over until then. i've been keeping a fairly busy. working on that book list i posted a while back.. hanging out with eden-baby.. going to the zoo.. watching Lost :)... booking shoots.. spending time with my awesome family.... you know the usual..

this little goat was trying to eat my hair at the zoo

see?

me and eden went to visit steve in lacrosse this past week and we went out to eat at this uh-mazing italian place! stephen begged that i not take my "nerd bag" aka my giant camera bag into the restaurant this time... soo i didn't... which is a huge bummer because i wish i could show you pictures of the food so you could try to imagine just how delicious it was... instead you'll have to deal with pictures of my left overs (chicken carbonara.. spinach, sun dried tomatoes, bacon?? yes please) is it wrong to eat pasta at 9:30 in the morning? if so i don't want to be right!

the brothers were home this weekend. so eden got to hang with her super cool cousin elias. they played in the water and ate ice cream and had loads of fun. they are the two coolest kids i have ever met... hands down.

Riley-Sweetie plus her Mom and Dad

2010-08-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

This was an awesome shoot! Riley is such a little sweet heart. so well behaved and a great mini model! I have known Courtney forever. our moms went to high school together so we've done everything from camping in hurricanes, to sleeping on trampolines, to meeting young british creepsters, to making our own teletubbie costumes.... ok i better stop before i say something embarrassing... anyway Courtney, Matt, and Riley you guys are the best! hope you enjoy your pictures!

i love that look. that loving motherly look :)

riley's eyes are to diiie for!

love this one

(pssst! you can get riley's headband from little dandelion studios!)

by the end of the shoot riley had had enough! i love this one though.

I Have a Friend and She's a Butterfly..

2010-07-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

While stephen has been working in lacrosse me and eden have been missing him terribly! so we have been trying to keep busy.. by going to the park... visiting hannah and comet... and going out for lunch.. and of course....

eating ice cream :)

and this... oh man... this is the BEST ice cream you will ever eat!

see look at the smile on Eden's face

she's so excited about her ice cream

i'm so lucky to have such an awesome daughter and bestest friend :)

Hannah and Rob

2010-07-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

a 20 minute engagement session.. in the dark... with my 1 year old running around... it was tough... but hannah and rob pulled it off.

This is my gorgeous sister

And this is her fiance

they are perfect for each other

i love them!

we almost didn't even attempt to take pictures. but i'm so glad we did

i am so excited for their wedding i can hardly take it!!

The Mueller Fam

2010-07-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

this past weekend i had the pleasure of taking pictures of our long time family friends. I have known them forever.. no seriously.. Kim practically caught me on my day of birth. and me and ethan were the best of buds and swore we would always be best friends and live in house boats next to each other when we grew up. it was so much fun hanging out and taking pictures of them. i could not love this family anymore!

they are such a good looking family

Kim is one of the most beautiful people i know.. inside and out! she is so genuine and always a joy to be around. she is always doing things for others. i just love this picture of her

i wish i could tell you why everyone is laughing.. :) i can't take any credit for the smiles though. it was all ethan... or maybe it was all ron...

I "fixed" this one for kim :) she'll know what i mean

I really enjoy this one. Ethan was lovin it

and of course I have to end this post with a few throwback photos :)

Hannah + Andy = hearts 4evaaaa

2010-07-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

hahaha creative title eh? i'm sure hannah will enjoy that one.
the other day i had the pleasure of taking pictures of my friend Hannah and her boyfriend Andy. they really did it as a favor to me because i was dyeing to do an engagement session so no. they aren't really engaged. but that is the category i'm putting this post under. and who knows... maybe someday.. in the future.. i'll be shooting their real life engagement photos :).. ok ok i'm done!!
they were sooo much fun to shoot! Andy was totally into it and had all of his own ideas which was awesome! i love that! and i love the way they interacted with each other. i could really tell how much they love one another. they are absolutely adorable together! ok that's enough rambling here's the pictures.

this next one if for Andy

Andy insisted Hannah climb on this rickety old fence.. it's ok though he was steadying the fence with his hands.. no big deal

i just loooooove this next series!!

Andy's horse... er i mean dog Boomer is probably the cutest thing ever!

thank you guys so much for being my little models and being awesome at it! :) i had a great time!

L'amor che move il sole e l'altre stelle

2010-07-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

Books i basically need to read for my life to be complete

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama

Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination with the Afterlife by Lisa Miller

oh by the way the title of this post is from Eat, Pray, Love and it means "The love that moves the sun and the other stars"

well that's it.. good night all

wait.. what's that? you say you want pictures?
ooooook I guess so

Hey Moon, Please Forget To Fall Down...

2010-07-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

Things have been crazy around here lately! My sister and best friend in the whole world is getting married in two months!! so needless to say we have been scrambling to get things ready for the shower, the bach party (whoop whoop), and finally the big day. also stephen's little brother is getting married this saturday! madness! so Lena (stephen's soon to be sister-in-law) had her shower on friday and i made these delicious lemon raspberry bars.

here's the link to the recipe if you want to make them. they are super easy! Lemon Raspberry Bars

last night we had a farewell dinner for one of my best friends Lexi. She is leaving for Africa tomorrow! i am so jealous. and happy for her. and sad for myself. i'm going to go insane without her! so me, lexi, and three of our other close girl friends all went out to dinner.
here's me and my little lexi

after dinner we went back to lauren's house and sat on her deck and enjoyed some wine and a fire.

Lauren's house is right on the river. it's so pretty!! i could sit on her deck probably every night and not get tired of it.

shortly after our relaxing evening on the deck started lauren's dad thought it was time to light off some fireworks. and we were almost killed. i'm not even joking. the fireworks went haywire and started shooting off in every direction. including the direction of the table we were sitting at. luckily we all made it out alive. lexi almost lost her arm (again, not even joking!) but we got inside the house in time to avoid getting lit on fire or seriously injured. i kind of wish that firework had hit lexi in the head, given her amnesia, and kept her from going to south africa.... ok that time i was joking. but i am going to miss her dearly! i love you Leximus! if you want to read all about lexi's adventures in Cape Town she started a blog and i expect her to keep up with it since i am a blog addict and i pretty much won't have any idea what is going on in her life without it.

Cuties...

2010-07-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

I just know too many of em!

Eden is getting so big.. it breaks my heart! but it's also a lot of fun.
she does kung fu
she spins round and round in circles
she likes to draw pictures
she gives butterfly, nose, and regular kisses
she's just too stinkin sweet!!!

Elias is 3 now... it's pure madness i tell you!
but could he be any cooler??
i mean look at his R2D2 shirt.. awesome.
and he likes to jam to music like the flaming lips and the rolling stones.

and this cutie...
oh this cutie... is supportive and goofy and just "gets me"
and he is sitting next to me waiting for some attention..
so i best be going....

Amy and Sean's Engagement Pictures

2010-06-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

I loved being able to try out my new camera on these two! Amy is just gorgeous! and Sean.. well he didn't even have to try... no really he didn't. haha even though he didn't enjoy getting his picture taken by a complete stranger he was a good sport. it was honestly hard to get a bad picture of these two. they are cute and fun and i am so excited for their wedding next year!

here are some more for Amy :) hope these help

Slacker...

2010-06-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

yup... i'm a huuuge slacker. it's been almost two months?? no way! in my defense i've been working and it's finally nice out so me and eden can leave the house. anyways... let me catch you up on a few things.

i got a new camera!!! it's amazing. i'm actually a little bit... no a lot.. in love with it!

eden is still a dork

and she still loves her big cousin eli

hannah and rob are still in love

eden has curls..?? where did those come from?

i still have the best daughter, boyfriend, siblings, parents, friends... i guess just the best life in general :)

A Very Merry Un-Birthday

2010-04-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Eden is officially one year old..
it's exciting
and it breaks my heart at the same time
I don't really want her to get any bigger.
I just want her to stay little forever

ohh anyways we had a big ol party for the little munchkin
it was super fun!
unfortunately my camera started acting up in the middle of the party so I only got half a party's worth of pictures.

during breakfast we made her wear this skull cap so she wouldn't get egg in her hair before her guests got to the house. what do you think? does she look pretty tough or what?

can you guess what the theme was???
I'll give you a hint I bought Eden Alice in Wonderland on dvd for part of her present
:)

I'm sorry everyone but I have the cutest/prettiest baby ever. I know, I know, that sounds conceited but I was always taught to tell the truth. and really can anyone argue with me? I mean look at that little face!

probably should have kept that skull cap on her huh?

well that's it for now.
me and my mother just got Julia Child's The Way To Cook on dvd so be expecting lots of fun cooking posts.

My Baby

2010-03-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Ok so she's not really a baby anymore.. actually she's almost a year old. and that makes me sad. i don't want her to get any bigger. i want her to stay little and sweet and i want her to always love me the way she does right now. i don't know if i can handle it.

i won't be able to handle not washing her little head of hair

i won't be able to handle it when she has a new best friend

i won't be able to handle it when her feet are any bigger

i won't be able to handle it when i can't tell her what to wear anymore

i wish she would stay this way forever

isn't she just the sweetest?
i love her forever and ever

Best Dinner Ever...

2010-03-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

i can't believe it's almost been a month since i last posted! awful i know. the other week i made steak with whiskey sauce, roasted potatoes, and green beans for dinner. it was amazing to say the least.

it starts out like this
saute some baby bella mushrooms in 1 tablespoon butter adding a few spoon fulls of beef broth whenever the pan looks a little "dry" remove the mushrooms and set aside. now take some nice big steaks sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and garlic salt on both sides. and in the same pan you cooked the mushrooms melt another couple tablespoons of butter and cook the steaks on both sides for about 2 minutes then stick them into the oven at 240 until they're done to your liking. now go back to that pan and cook the whiskey sauce in it. (that recipe is in an older post) serve the steak with the mushrooms and the sauce.

for the potatoes it's super easy! use baby reds or yukon golds, cut them up into bite size pieces, throw into a 9 x 13 baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and season salt, and bake at 350 for about an hour.
the green beans are really easy too. melt a ton of butter in a pan then add a bag of frozen whole green beans. sprinkle generously with season salt and add some chopped purple onion. cook until green beans are soft and the onions are very very brown.

you fly on wings of gold

2010-02-28T19:18:00.000-08:00

i have the coolest kid.
everyday she makes me laugh.

she is a little goofy huh?

and ohhhh so sweet.

hehe
she has big feet
but it's kinda cute

everything about her is perfect

she dances

my heart sings

i can tell that we are gonna be friends

2010-02-19T10:33:00.000-08:00

I
Love
Being
A
Mother

simple as that. i LOOOVE it.
i love waking up and listening to beetlejuice jibber jabber in her baby language about the dreams she had the night before. i love feeding each other cheerios. i love watching kung fu panda over and over and over again. i love snuggling up together for nap time. i love dancing together. i love having my own personal model available every day :) i love having someone that always loves me no matter what, someone who thinks i am flawless, someone who is always happy to see me, someone who always makes me smile.
i can't wait to have tea parties, and play dress up, and go shopping, and dream together, and travel together, and stay up late to watch old movies and gorge ourselves on ice cream, and cook together, and have secrets, and go to the beach, and write stories together.

this is my little bug

this is the little girl who changed my whole life

we will rest upon the ground
and look at all the bugs we've found
-the white stripes

Celina & Joe E-Session

2010-02-12T21:20:00.001-08:00

So I did my very first e-session today. and it was a lot of fun! Celina and Joe were so laid back and I had a great time with them. I can't wait to do their wedding in October! Celina kept saying how she had a terrible smile in pictures but when we looked them over they turned out great! these two are definitely naturals in front of the camera and you can tell just by looking at the pictures how much they love each other.
here are some of the favorites.

Stuffed Cranberry French Toast

2010-02-11T18:47:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from my mom. It's probably the most amazing breakfast I have ever had. I wish I had a regular brunch date thing with friends so I could make this and impress them. but I don't. oh well more for me.

Cranberry sauce:
12 oz bag of cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Place all ingredients except marmalade in saucepan and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer until cranberries pop. remove from heat add marmalade, mix, set aside.

French toast:
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
8 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 lb loaf italian or french bread
8 oz cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 eggs
1 1/2 cup half & half
2 tablespoons orange juice

In saucepan melt together butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over low heat. add 1 1/2 cups of the cranberry sauce, mix, and set aside.
slice bread thickly spread cream cheese on one piece of bread and make a sandwich. continue with the rest of the bread.
beat eggs and add half & half, orange juice, and vanilla. stir together
spread the cranberry/brown sugar mixture in a greased 9x13 baking dish. layer the cream cheese sandwiches on top. and pour the egg mixture over the bread. refrigerate overnight or cook immediately for 50-60 minutes in a 350 degree oven. cover with tinfoil for the first 30 minutes then remove. serve with the remaining cranberry sauce.

trust me, you will not regret making this.

I love breakfast-dinner-food!

2010-02-11T18:36:00.000-08:00

The Pioneer Woman Cooks saved my life! I just love all of Ree's recipes.
Especially these sour cream pancakes. yum yum yum!!!

What You'll Need:
1 cup sour cream
7 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

What You Do:
gently mix sour cream, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. don't over stir them though. whisk eggs in separate bowl. add vanilla and stir. pour egg mixture into sour cream/flour mixture. stir together but again don't over stir. kinda like if you were making muffins, it's ok for the batter to be lumpy. melt a tablespoon of butter (or use cooking spray) in a hot pan or on a griddle. pour batter about 1/4 cup at a time. cook for 1-1 1/2 minutes then flip and cook for another 45 seconds. top with butter and syrup.

perfection

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice

2010-02-11T17:28:00.000-08:00

soooo... my little bug destroyed the power adapter for my laptop therefore i was computerless for what seems like forever! but tonight i finally got my new one! yay!

and even though she cut me off from the world for a while i still love my beetlejuice! i mean who couldn't she is such a beautiful baby!

what do ya think? baby modeling?

after not being able to do this thing (and watching julie & julia) i realized how much i like it! how much i like taking/editing pictures. how much i like cooking. and how much i wish people read this thing....
i am doing my first e-session tomorrow.. wish me luck! hopefully it goes well and i get the pictures edited quickly so you can see them and tell me what you think.

Pork Tenderloin With Whiskey Cream Sauce

2009-12-31T13:18:00.000-08:00

this sauce is amaaaazing
I got it out of my new P-Dub cook book that I got for christmas

I made my with pork tenderloin but the recipe said use steaks.

So to make the pork tenderloin I just put it in a baking dish, slabbed some butter on it, sprinkled it with pepper and garlic salt and popped it in the oven at 425 for 15-20 minutes. about half way through I did pour a few tablespoons of beef broth over the tenderloin.

while the tenderloin is baking it's time to make the sauce!

first melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium pan
add some finely chopped onion (about 2 tablespoons) and let them get nice and golden brown
then turn off your burner for a second so you don't catch on fire and add 1/4 cup whiskey
when all the whiskey is almost evaporated turn your burner back up to medium and add 1/4 cup beef broth
sprinkle in some salt and pepper
add 2 more tablespoons of butter
then add 1/4 cup milk

that's how the recipe goes I added a little bit more butter and a little more milk and then about 1 tablespoon of flour but you do your own thing

it smells so goooood

it draws people in :)

once your tenderloin is done spoon the sauce over it

now don't be shy
take a big ol' bite

All She Wanted For Christmas

2009-12-29T22:41:00.001-08:00

was a super cool tutu
:)
Eden's stylin

Lots To Blog And Be Happy About

2009-12-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

I feel like I haven't done this in forever! I have been so busy working, taking pictures, and getting ready for christmas that this little thing was put on the back burner. so now I have lots to blog about.
last week I took pictures of Eden's cousins. These kids are seriously gorgeous! and they have the most insane eyes!

see what I mean?

I just love kids feet

anyways.. on to something I love

food

mmmmmmm

these little babies are soooo amazingly delicious! I have never met someone who didn't love them

so first you melt two sticks butter
add 1/2 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar

bring that to a boil and add 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
reduce heat to low and cook for 5-6 minutes

then put a layer of club crackers on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan then pour half of the graham cracker mixture over the crackers repeat that and put another layer of crackers on top of the second half of the mixture

then melt 1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
2/3 cup peanut butter
use to frost bars
chill
cut
enjoy :)

yesterday I also tackled the home made meatball
and surprisingly I would say I succeeded!

take 1 lb ground meat (I used venison because it was all I had but ground chuck would be really good)
1/3 cup crushed club crackers
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt, pepper, garlic salt, and italian seasoning to taste
mix it all together
roll into balls
then roll them around in a pan over medium heat just to brown the outside a little bit (don't worry about getting it completely brown)
put them on a baking sheet and finish them off in the oven at 350 degrees

serve with pasta and sauce or on italian bread with marinara sauce and provolone cheese yummmm

so as I said in the title- I have lots to be happy about
yummy food
an awesome baby-daddy that went out and cut down a christmas tree for me in the cold with his gimpy shoulder
an awesome 8 month old who is my bestest friend
super cool siblings (ugh could I have gotten more lucky? no)
amazingly selfless and loving parents and grandparents
a nice cozy home
not having to work on any of the upcoming holidays :)

probably not in that order seeing as though food was first haha

but that's all for today
:)

Let It Snow....

2009-12-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

Because it's Eden's first winter

Because I want to see snowflakes caught in those beautiful long eye lashes

Because I love this little hat

Because Grandma Dorn sent over some of her chicken dumpling soup

Senior Pictures....

2009-12-07T22:23:00.000-08:00

These are my senior pictures that are already 2 years old
for Miz Booshay and anyone else that might possibly be interested

oh how I miss that pre-baby-bod :(

not gonna lie.... Lori made me feel like a super model :)

Lately...

2009-12-05T20:45:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was a week and some odd days ago
I am so thankful for the life I have! honestly I wouldn't want it any other way

I am thankful for a loving family

I am thankful for these two dorks who have become my best friends

I am so so so very thankful for this smile....

I am also thankful for old movies :) and thankful that big poppa has been letting me watch them.
We just watched Paris When It Sizzles this morning
if you don't already know this about me you will now
basically..... Audrey Kathleen Hepburn owns my soul.
The way she looked, the way she talked, the things she did- it's all amazing.
If there is one person I could aspire to be like it would be her.
Classic, Beautiful, Passionate, Giving

Now if you don't mind I am going to go curl up with my man and watch Bing and Fred in Holiday Inn

For me, the only things of interest are those linked to the heart -A. Hepburn

Mini Thanksgiving

2009-11-18T20:36:00.000-08:00

My old small group from high school got together tonight for a mini thanksgiving.
oh how I love thanksgiving!
stuffing and turkey and mashed potatoes!
yum!

Eden was pretty excited too because her best friend Addison was there. I didn't really get very many "good" pictures but I did get some cute ones of the little girlies.

This picture completely explains Eden and Addie's relationship. Eden loves Addison. Addison is annoyed. :)

Eden says "oooh! nice hat!"

"give it to me. best friends share everything!"

that's all for today!

The Best Roast You'll Ever Eat

2009-11-17T21:02:00.000-08:00

Three posts in one day???
man I need a life... but I just had to post this after having a bowl of my famous roast... mmmMMMMmmm

anyway...
I don't usually like to share my recipes. (because I'm weird like that) buuuut since I really don't think anyone reads this thing I will share this one (especially since if you do read this silly ol' thing you deserve to get something out of it right?) my grandma (aren't grandmothers always the best cooks?) gave me this recipe. I played with it a few times until I got it just the way I wanted it. And wouldn't you know everyone that tries it says it's the best they've ever had.

Alright first thing you need to do is melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat
sprinkle both sides of roast (I like the chuck roast) with salt, pepper, and a little garlic salt
sear both sides of roast in frying pan (this locks in all the juices and keeps it nice and moist) then transfer the roast and all those yummy juices from the bottom of the pan into your crock pot.
next add two cans cream of mushroom soup and about 1 1/2 cans full of water to the crock pot
add some chopped carrots, red potatoes, yellow onion, and celery
cook on low for 8-12 hours the longer you cook it the more tender that roast gets! and the more delicious!

about half way through cooking I like to add some fresh sliced baby bella mushrooms because I put mushrooms in just about everything :)

so there you have it! soooo easy and seriously the best roast you'll ever eat!

Children Children

2009-11-17T17:45:00.000-08:00

I love babies, toddlers, and kids
they are so fun and candid

Baby Eden (who is of course the cutest baby ever!)

Addie (Eden's best pal!) pst.. her super cute hat can be found at little dandelion studio (check my links)

Elias Otis

Baby Levi

Mr. Mason

Summer.. oh I took so many pictures of this little beauty it was hard to choose just one. She is honestly one of the most beautiful children I have ever seen

Suddenly My Life Doesn't Seem Such A Waste

2009-11-17T10:50:00.000-08:00

Eden Grace Delaney was born on April 9th
She is such a little angel (most days)
She is crawling all over. She says Mamamama. She has two teeth. She pulls herself up on everything. She loves ice cream.

This is my little beetle-juice's first seven months of life (crazy how someone I have known for such a short amount of time has completely stolen all of my heart)

Check out all that hair!!!

My sister in law Jess made this adorable purple hat for Eden. And she just loves it! :)

re-re-re-re-rewiiiind

2009-11-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

Eli's 2nd birthday....

even though it was in June I feel the need to share these pictures

It was such a beautiful day and there were so many adorable children. It was Baby Eden's (as her big cousin Eli refers to her) very first outing. I think she enjoyed it almost as much as I did :)

Here is the Root of the Root

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

Just to catch you up on a few things-

I had a baby
Hannah got engaged
Elias turned two
Dylan and Kellie had a wedding