sweet baby shots

I found these cute kids at the Recreation Center and I couldn't resist, I am sure their mommies thought I was some kind of wierdo following their kids around snapping shots, but come on, if you have cute kids....ok, that sounds wierd...not that you should expect wierdos to follow your kids taking pictures, but...oh nevermind! I am just a photography wierdo.

Love the Drool!

Shanelle and Asher

My sweet friend just had her fourth boy! I took her pictures in my dining room and threw up some material to add some flair to the background. I love how these shots turned out.

Here They Are: Robert and Amanda!

Who doesn't love making out on a harley?



This shot is my favorite! I love the lens flare, isn't it romantic?

These last two are my just for laughs shots. I love the country farmer couple look of the next two!

Look at this darling baby girl. I have resigned myself to the idea that I will never have a girl of my own, but I sure can still coo over them. This little baby was so tiny...but she was a handful! I had a hard time getting a shot that I liked. She squirmed and squawked! But in the end, I loved how she stretched out her legs so much, so I kept the first picture. I don't think I have ever seen so much personality in a 2 week old baby. Isn't she sweet?

Amanda and Robert: Installment 1

Here is the first peek at the wedding I shot yesterday. These two crazy in love cow(folk), got hitched yesterday on Leap Day. Here are three that I loved as soon as they uploaded from my camera. There will be more to come soon after I spend some time in my digital dark room (aka. office and laptop).

Just another reason to 'shoot' your kids

I felt as though I would die, that is, perish right in front of the entire church congregation. My husband and I are fair weather friends of the church choir, we go when we feel they need the moral support. By all means, I am no great singer, and although my husband can carry a tune, he would agree that we are merely there to fill in body space. Our church choir is small in numbers and often has as little as 3 men singing. On this particular Sunday, we were singing a beautiful hymn for the congregation. We had worked on this number for quite some time, and we were preforming with our newly called choir director.
My youngest son has deep attachment issues, so my husband opted to bring him with us onto the stand. He fussed a little so Mark let him sit on the chair on the stand as we stood and sang. 1/2 way through the song I heard a low toned deep sound emanating through the building. At first I thought a plane was flying overhead, and then when I heard the low boom again, I thought perhaps a large diesel truck was passing by. It wasn't until I heard the disrupting sound the third time that it occurred to me to sneak a quick glance over to where Teddy, my youngest, was sitting. HE WAS GONE! No, that's not quite right, he wasn't quite gone. He was at the organ pounding away as hard and as loud as he could. A woman out of the audience rushed up and grabbed him, which immediately sent him into a screaming fit (remember he has attachment issues). At once the entire congregation followed him out the door with their eyes and then burst into muffled laughter.
If I had my camera on hand, I definitely would have shot him in the act! Here are some of my favorite kids shots I took over the last 6 months. Have you caught your kid in the act lately?

Cookin' again!

I made these last night for a friend and YUM!

Butterscotch Choco-oat delights

2 1/2 sticks butter
1 C brown sugar
2/3 C white sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
2 1/2 C oatmeal
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 C butterscotch chips

Directions:
1. Cream butter and sugars together.
2. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until well blended.
3. Sift together flour, salt, soda, and cinnamon and add to wet mixture until evenly mixed.
4. Fold in oatmeal, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl for even mixture.
5. Fold in chocolate and butterscotch.
6. Bake at 410 degrees for 10 minutes.
EAT!

Something Sweet for Friday: Lemon Lusts

I have a friend who is an unbelievably amazing cook! In fact, if I get even the slightest hint that she is baking, I make a point to stop by and 'see' her. She made these scrumptious treats the other day and I had to post them. Thank Tammy for the dish!

Lemon Lust
Crust:
1 cup (8 oz.) cold butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour
Filling:
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbls. lemon zest
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
In a food processor: Cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces and return it to the refrigerator. In the bowl of the food processor fitted with the metal blade, place the confectioners' sugar, salt, and flour. Pulse until well blended. Add the chilled butter and toss with your hands to coat the pieces with flour. Process the mixture until it looks like a fine meal, about 15 seconds.
Transfer the crust dough to a 15x10 inch glass baking pan and press firmly onto the bottom. Place the pan on the center rack in the oven and bake for 15 minutes
While the crust bakes, make the filling. Combine the baking powder and flour. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a handheld whisk until they are well mixed. Add the sugar and beat until it is fully incorporated. Add the baking powder and flour in small amounts, beating after each addition. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest.
Pour the filling over the hot crust and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the filling has set and is golden brown. Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack. When completely cool, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Part II: Young Love...

These teenagers were the best and I have to admit, they put up with a lot while we were working on this photo shoot that I was completing for my photography class from Nicole Hill. I love her website because she profiles great photographers and her awesome photography. Since breaking into the 'photography' world is not that easy, I am sooooooo grateful that she has taught so much. I try to read up as much as I can, but there always comes a point when I don't quite understand the exact mechanics of the problem. This class has been a great class to take. My other favorite photographer...and perhaps probably my most favorite...is Mrs. Natalie Norton! Natalie is also a 'new' and exciting photograher that really pushes the creative limits. I could spend hours stalking her blog...and to be honest, I probably do. So Thank you to these two awesome photoghers: Nicole Hill and Natalie Norton!

Young Love's Ups and Downs

A Cute girl... meets a cute boy...
together they hang out with cute girl's BFF...

Cute boy finds more interest in BFF...
Cute girl finds another cute boy with a different hair do'

New hair do' cute boy likes cute girl...
Cute girls still BFFs!

Thank you to these 'cute' teenagers for this super cute photo shoot!