Strawberry Sorbet/Sherbet, with a smoothie on top!

I don't know what really makes something a sorbet or a sherbet. What's the difference????

Anyhow, yesterday I got another BIG bin of strawberries. :)


Erik probably thinks I'm NUTS. There were 3 containers of cut, frozen strawberries in the freezer. But I opted to make one of them into a frozen dessert last night. :)


SO I figured it's easier to blend the strawberries fresh and then freeze it. That's what I did!


It's sort of an experiment, but we'll see how things pan out. :)

AND, in other things regarding frozen strawberries ... I had a raging success w/ my smoothie. Here's the scoop:

1.5 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup other fruit (I used frozen peaches this time)
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 a small can of pineapple (don't drain, add the juice in, too!)
1 Tbsp honey

Blend 'em all together. Now, I have to say my measurements are approximates. I honesty just dump stuff in there. I have 2 mangos, but I'm waiting on them to ripen .... and I've not seen kiwi around, but I think they'd be tasty, too. Just toss in whatever fruit is handy.

You could even toss in some milk if it is too thick for your tastes.


The reason I use FROZEN strawberries is that if I do that, it means I don't have to add in ice, thus watering down my drink.

Oh, and i made it last night and stuck it in the freezer. THEN I asked Erik to put it in the fridge before he went to bed (2 a.m. or so), so when I woke up at 6 a.m., it was nice and frosty for me. Not a solid block of ice. Whaddya think of THAT? :)

Aaaaah, Mike!

Who said wedding photographers were stiff, crusty old blokes? Not me.

Mike shows Lori how he wants her to sit for her portrait.


I think Lori kicked Mike's butt, though. ;)


I don't think I've EVER seen Mike laugh/clown around so much. Here he was showing Derek how to kneel by his bride.

Pride & Power Tools

SO, Sunday night, there was a special deal via our realtor where you get a special percentage off at the local mom and pop hardware store. BRILLIANT idea .... great partnership.

Ok, so I dragged E there because I feel badly for constantly borrowing Coop's radial sander. We need our OWN, I told Erik. So we looked at them, and settled on one. Great. But there was a fella (who I think likes to hear himself talk ... I don't know anyone like that!), and he was talking the EAR off the salesman. Finally, we just interrupted and told the salesman we want THAT sander, and we're told it's the last one.

Uh-oh. Mr. Chatterbox seemed a little ruffled, but we were able to sort it all out. While the salesman went to get the box, Mr. Chatterbox saddled up alongside ERIK and talked his ear off about all things power tools/batteries. LIke *I* wouldn't understand what he's talking about. Humph.

So, yesterday, we went to Lowe's. I got a gift certificate and wanted to get supplies to work on our outdoor patio. First up: a privacy screen to hide the unsightly air conditioner. :) So we looked at the assembled ones, but at $50 each ... and we'd need 3 ... I felt we could build it ourselves. So we rumbled around the store, gathering our materials. We had to do some creative checking out b/c we had a few coupons for "$10 off your $50 purchase." But we made it all work out.

When we got Erik's beast pulled around, we could fit the posts, but not lattice in it. So, we tied it on the top and away we went!

If anyone wants to help us dig post holes, let me know!!! We have 4 to do. :)

# 42 — Make peanut butter fudge

..... CHECK!!!


Oooooooooh my goodness! Yummie!!!!!!!!!!

So Erik and I went to a welcome dinner for new families at the parish last night, and we were supposed to bring a dessert. Ok, I figured it would be a good excuse to knock off another item off of the 101 in 1001.

I'm not sure exactly *where* I've ever had it before, but I remember simply adoring it. There was an opera going on in my mouth! I've wanted to make it, but never had the proper excuse.

CLICK HERE for the recipe! :) I looked at a lot of recipes, so I wasn't sure what was necessary (do I *really* need marshmallow cream?) and what wasn't ... but this one looked good, so I just took a shot in the dark.

Oh, and it makes A LOT of fudge. I'm glad I made it for a large group, because it's a RICH food .... we just kept a tiny amount. Seriously, I cut mine in MUCH smaller portions than either photo shows. Seriously, if I eat more than 2 small portions, I'd probably be ill, but it IS certainly tasty!

Crossover — Lovely Lori

To say I have been looking forward to today's wedding would be the understatement of the century. I was EXTATIC about shooting Lori and Derek's wedding in rural Windom.

Check out the awesome locations we shot at .... her grandfather built that barn in the background. Siiiiiigh.


Loved this one with the flowers!


Lori and Derek are just the cutest couple!!!


Erik's was watching over my shoulder and was like "this looks familiar" ... my response: "she's not wearing pearls." ;)

WAY more to come later on the Heartland Blog. I've only downloaded 1 card, and have TONS to look through...

Time to vote for Cozy!!!!

Ok folks, they're voting on all sorts of "8 Wonders of Kansas" ... and the Cozy Inn is up in the cuisine category. :)

CLICK HERE to go to the voting.


If you'd first like to educate yourself on the finalists, CLICK HERE to check them out. :)

I know it's a free country and all, but my suggestions are as follows:

1. Cozy Inn
2. Hibachi Hut
3. Brookville Hotel
4. Nu Way
5. Free State Brewery

Ones I might vote for b/c I like the name:

1. BoBo Drive In
2. Bare Butt Bar-B-Que
3. Prairie Nut Hut

Can YOU tell us about any of these places in the comment box????

Mike the Conductor

Check out this image I grabbed of Mike. There were some where he was pointing, and he looked a bit like a conductor. A bit out of place on a planter, but you know .....

# 18 — Read one book a month for one year

WHOOOOOOOOIE!!!!!!!!!!

Phew. What the heck was I thinking? Read a new book every month? Ok, it wasn't a terrible idea. I used to read a TON for recreation. But lately, not so much. So, I changed that. I LOVE a good mystery, so I basically chewed through anything written by Carol Higgins Clark. What I like about her books is that generally, there are multiple story lines going on all at the same time. I love to see how things can merge and affect one another.

Here's a list of my readings:

May: "Hitched" by Carol Higgins Clark
June: "Laced" by Carol Higgins Clark
July: "Jinxed" by Carol Higgins Clark
August: "Snagged" by Carol Higgins Clark
September: "Twanged" by Carol Higgins Clark
October: "Burned" by Carol Higgins Clark
November: "Decked" by Carol Higgins Clark
December: "The Poisonwood Bible"
January: "One Fifth" by C. Bushnell
February: "A Groom With a View" by Jill Churchill
March: "On the Shortness of Life, Life is Long if You Know How to Use it" by Seneca
April: "Hug Your Customers" by Jack Mitchell

I did read a few more, but didn't include them all here. :)

Oh, so good to be more than 1/3 of the way through the 101 in 1001.

In Vino Veritas!!!!

EDIT: So I suck and this is now a new Kansas law. YIPPIE!!!!!!! I guess that's what happens when I'm out of town and I don't catch up on the paper. But on the flip side, why was this not in my hometown Salina Journal???? We have a winery in town for goodness sake!!!!!!


Ok, so my blog title is Latin for "In wine there is truth." It's my life's mantra. :)

Once or twice, I've tried to sign up myself or a friend for a wine of the month club as a gift, only to find out it's NOT LEGAL to ship wine in Kansas. Sheesh.

SO ... imagine my excitement when Erik told me Sunday that lawmakers are considering changing it up!


"Doorstep wine

Kansas consumers would be able to have wines shipped to their doorstep under a bill that cleared the Senate on a 39-1 vote Wednesday.

At present, customers ordering wine from out-of-state must have it sent to a liquor store and then pick up their shipments there. State Sen. Dennis Pyle, R-Hiawatha, cast the lone vote against the measure.

Senate Bill 212 would permit both in-state and out-of-state wineries to directly ship wine to consumers in Kansas, provided they obtain a special order shipping license and pay a $50 fee to the state Department of Revenue.

Purchasers could have up to 12 cases of wine shipped to them each year and would be required to pay liquor taxes and shipping costs, as well as the purchase price of the wine.

Holders of the shipping licenses would be required to verify that the individual ordering the wines is age 21 or older.

The Senate's action sends the bill to the House for further consideration."

It's from an article in the Salina Journal ..... CLICK HERE to check out the article.

If/when this completely passes, I'll be able to have a wine cellar that looks a little like this ... or I might be able to FINALLY join that wine club I've been wanting to! :)


I'm absolutely writing my people. If you're not sure who your rep/senator is, you may find out by CLICKING HERE.

And if you're interested in reading the bill in its entirety, CLICK HERE.

Crossover — whirlwind weekend

Whew! It's been a busy weekend. Mike and I headed out to Lawrence for a wedding.

Check out how super-hot our bride, Erin, was on Saturday.


Super beautiful flowers .... and that bracelet was how her hubby proposed to her!


And ... a sweet moment during the ceremony.


I'm working on a TON of stuff right now. Lots of editing, print orders and other tasks to complete.

Mike's working on a blog post for this. Please CLICK HERE to check it out on the Heartland Blog!

A little crunch!

Erik is a MASSIVE fan of salads. And he's done a good job of getting me excited about them, too.


But I tell you what, I have been looking to an alternative to croutons. The little bugers are never easy to spear w/ my fork. Then once I do, they break in half and just fall apart. What a tragedy.

So, here's my awesome solution: crushed almonds.

Yes, almonds are a nut of many surprises. :)

I just buy a large bag, then take a few and place them between parchment paper. THEN .... I take a rolling pin and whack on them to break them up. I do quite a few at a time and reserve the extra in a small container by the salad stuff in the counter. So I don't have to it everyday. But if you want to bang on the counter every day, by all means, feel free .....

# 97 — Lift weights 2x week for 3 months (to encourage strong bones and fight off osteoporosis)

YIPPIE!!!!!!!!!!! :)

I'm RELIEVED to be done with the whole "Lift weights 2x week for 3 months" ... my goal was to just get in a good habit because I'm a slacka in that arena. And I know osteoporosis is a very real part of one of my grannies, so if I know what I could be fighting, why not start fighting it now?

Well, I have been good about about doing it at least twice a week. Sometimes three times a week. :)

Ok, so I don't look like THIS:


But at the same time, I absolutely KNOW my legs are all sorts of stronger. I think the BIG bonus of this is hopefully my rockin' strong legs. When we shoot (especially weddings, as we have the next few weeks), there's TONS of squatting going on to get low for awesome photos. SO with awesome, strong leg muscles, hopefully I won't be so stinkin' sore after 12 to 16 hours of solid shooting.

This is the 30th item I've been able to check off of my 101 in 1001 list. :)

Working on the 101 list — Clean Car!!!!

Attention! ATTENtion!! ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who ever doubted it, there in fact IS a back seat in my car. Who'd have thought?!????!!?!?? It's an absolute SHOCK to me. ;)

So, this starts my clean car for the 101 in 1001 list {46. Keep my car clean (i.e. no junk rattling around in the back seat/on the floor) for 3 months}. (it actually started Wednesday ... I cleaned it out Tues. night).

We (Mike and I) have a few weddings going on in the next few weeks, and it's nice to have a clean back seat so we can tote people around if we need to.

Actually, I thought I would have to keep this up for only a month. But ... come to find out I really set the bar high for myself. 3 months? EEK! We'll see what happens. And just let me add that I was in such a HABIT of tossing trash over my shoulder into the back seat, this is NOT an easy one to break.

Later this week, I'll finish the weightlifting {97. Lift weights 2x week for 3 months} and my book endeavor {18. Read one book a month for one year}. :)

Testing, testing

Ok, so things might be a bit jacked up w/ our blog header today or so ....

I'm trying to figure out how to get a rotating header to go on here. So, when you pull up the blog, or hit the refresh button, a new photo/image appears at the top of the blog. I'll let you know when I *think* I've got it right, so you can comment and tell me if it's working. :)

Oh, and I'm just using dummy photos ... I'll put real ones of us up there once I get it working. And yes, you smarties out there, eventually this will work its way over to the Heartland blog. I just want to get it right here first.

Movie Mania!

It's true. I'm a movie junkie. If there were a 12-step group, I'd probably have to join. ;) But here's the goofy thing: I don't really know many of the movie stars names. If you asked me what movies Jake Gyllenhaal has been in, I would struggle to list just ONE. But if you said "that guy from Zodiac" I would know exactly who you were talking about. Strange, huh?

Erik and I were talking, and we think it'd be super-fun to get a group together sometime this spring/summer to go to the Drive In in Wichita. Anyone game???? It's $10/car! Anyone want to play sardines????

For more information, check out the Starlite Drive In's site HERE. And feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment below if you're interested in our group drive-in night. :)

Also, for anyone who is willing to drive to Salina .... they show classic movies at the Stiefel Theatre here in town. :) It's most Thursday nights at 7 p.m. .... $5 admission. For more info and a show listing, please CLICK HERE

Wanna join?

Today starts the Divine Mercy Novena. The feast of Divine Mercy is one week after Easter.

You can read up on it HERE, as well as get the novena info (you pray once/day for 9 days, and it ends on Divine Mercy Sunday). If you'd like to pray it w/ me, that would rock.


St. Faustina's my most favorite saint EVER! It took me about 9 months to plow through her diary.

Happy Good Friday (or what's left of it).

Hired Help

Robin chats w/ her boyfriend over the weekend. She came down to help me in Oklahoma w/ my portrait sessions. Basically, she was my slave in moving chairs, etc. Thanks SIS!!!! :)

Won't do it!

I know there are all sorts of fancy programs out there to follow the 3,068 blogs I regularly stalk. But I won't use them.

Why?

Because I LOVE that I can go and look at the stats for my own blogs .... I can see where people are looking at them ... when .... and all that jazz.

If people use a reader and never physically visit the blog, I have no idea how many people are reading it. Having this info does a few things. 1) keep me motivated to blog. 2) lets me know when people are reading. 3) lets me know when/where they click off to look at other things.

Random, but it's Thursday. :)

Wedding book ....

My friend, Anne, put together this awesome project .... photographing Vegas wedding chapels on Valentine's Day.

CLICK HERE to read her awesome blog post about it. :)

Lately ...

I've been running around, insanely busy. But that's a blessing. :) I have to keep telling myself that.

Cruise on over to the Heartland blog to check out some super-fun family sessions from Oklahoma this weekend.

And .... today, Miss Sarah and I played dress up. :)


I'm having MAJOR space issues on my computer, so I can't give it a proper edit right now ... but there will be more to come. :)

Beer shower

This post is also a LONG time overdue. In fact, it happened on my birthday last year whilst photographing Shauna + James' wedding.

Well, there was a keg stand during the wedding. Believe it or not, until that point, I'd NEVER seen a keg stand. Yes, I DID go to college, but I'd never seen one. Maybe I missed something in college?

As a matter of fact, I'd seen plenty of beer bong photos, but again, no keg stand photos. SO, I'm sidetracked. At the wedding, there was a keg stand. So Mike takes the first shift at the bottom, taking photos of the person doing the kegging. For the second person, who was the bride's brother, I hopped at the chance to be at the foot of the keg.


Well .... there was a pause.


Then this face ...


Then an even BETTER face ...


And OUT IT CAME.


All over my brand spankin' new 5D camera + me. :(


Mike, of course, kept taking pictures. :)






And everyone was 100% all good in the end. :) He was absolutely apologetic about it, but truthfully, it really cracked me UP.


Strange how my ShootSac seems to be a magnet for beer. Later in the summer, I was shooting a wedding w/ my friend Jeff in Lawrence and the SUV limo .... let's just say the wedding party's beer was not secured and it went flying all over the interior, including my camera bag.

I better wash that thing out before our weddings in a few weeks. ;)

Allison's Baby Shower :)

A few months ago, I trekked out to Hays for Allison's baby shower. Allison and I were co-teachers for CCD class for 3 years, and I was so excited. :)

Jackie threw a book-themed shower, which was appropriate because Allison is a book worm. Isn't the invite cute?

We all were to bring our favorite book/etc. to the party. Allison LOVED checking them all out.


Of course, I had to get books from the best author on the planet, Bill Peet. :)

Also, since she's such a fan of scrapbooking, the party was about making a fun baby scrapbook for Allison.


Check out some of the pages:


Allison the pro checking out our work:


I think she approves:


Of course, it wouldn't be a baby shower without cupcakes!!!


This post is SO LONG overdue ... the shower was .... I can't even remember when it was, but their little guy is almost ... is he really about 4 months old? Woah, I'm a bad llama.

I saw Allison a few weeks before she popped ... and I have to say she was the most ADORABLE pregnant lady I've EVER seen. Allison, you just GLOWED! I can't wait to meet the little fella. :)

Around the house ....

I cannot get ENOUGH of the fresh fruit in the grocery store!!!!! I threw this together a few weeks ago when we had some friends over for dinner. In truth, the fruit was put on a plate intended for deviled eggs ... but it looked nice this way, too. :)

Also, the best deal this week ... 99 cent managers special strawberries at the grocery store! AND to top it off, I had a 39 cents off coupon (WHICH was doubled b/c it was under 50 cents). Man oh man. Strawberries have never tasted so good. Especially for 21 cents:)

I picked up 3 cartons of strawberries ... and the lady at the checkout commented on it ... I told her one of my new favorite things to do with them is to cut them up and freeze them, then use them to make a strawberry daquiri. Yummie!

Erik also tried his hand at taking photos of Esse ...


... but she wasn't interested in sitting still for him.

Erik still grabbed a self portrait with The Boog.


And I wrangled her for one, too. :)


AND last but not least is Esse hanging out with Baby Mac. When Mac and his 'rents came over, she was sleeping in the closet. After dinner, however, Erik pulled her down to say hello.

Erik held onto her pretty tightly as Mac said hi the first time. But he felt her fur once or twice and was done with that. He'd crawl up and want to be RIGHT NEXT to her, but that was it. She surprisingly was OK with that. GOOD KITTY. :)

Then she just wanted to keep an eye on the newcomer .... and he lost most interest in the kitty: