Erin Ashley Photography

I'm Moving...

2010-09-15T22:21:00.001-04:00

So I've decided to shut this blog down. But have no fear...I'm starting a new one. I'm calling it, "Better Than Doing Laundry." Why the new blog? Well, as much as I love photography, I can't make it even a part time job right now because of my work schedule. So, rather than give the impression that I'm open for photo jobs (thank you to all who have inquired!), I'm moving my random thoughts and photos to a new home.

Join me over at Better Than Doing Laundry, please? Pretty please? With a cherry on top? And sprinkles too. Because sprinkles make everything happy.

~ Erin ;-D

Portobello Pizza and Mesclun Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette

2010-09-05T10:15:00.000-04:00

Hope you are enjoying a beautiful Labor Day weekend!

I made a yummy dinner tonight, as you can see from the above photo taken with my super awesome iPhone. I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

Mesclun with Parmesan Vinaigrette {recipe from EatingWell.com}

8 cups of mesclun salad mix (approx 2 bags)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Whisk together Parmesan, oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss with salad greens.

*I made the dressing and used it to dress an individual portion of greens.

Portobello Pizza

1 large portobello mushroom, cleaned and stem removed
2 tbls pizza sauce
5 turkey pepperoni slices
2 Tbls part skim Italian 4 cheese blend shredded cheese (or mozzarella)
pinch of oregano, optional
pinch of hot pepper flakes, optional

Preheat the toaster over (or oven) to 350 degrees.

Line a small tray with foil; spray with cooking spray.

Place trimmed portobello mushroom on pan and cook in oven for 10 minutes.

Pull mushroom out of the oven. Spread pizza sauce on top of mushroom and top with pepperonis, cheese, and oregano and pepper flakes if using.

Bake for another 10 minutes until cheese is brown.

The Face Off

2010-08-31T15:34:00.002-04:00

I picked up my purse and started to walk out the door.

"Wait a second. You're not leaving the house like that, are you?? Did you sleep in those clothes??" she asked me, horrified at the thought.

"Mom, I'm going to WalMart. It's fine. It's only 7AM. It's not like anybody is there. Besides, I'll fit right in."

She stared.

I stared back.

She arched her eyebrow.

I lifted my chin in defiance.

Suddenly, I was 10 again, and we were facing off in the living room. That time, it was over my perceived right to fix my hair. She wanted to french braid it. I wanted to do whatever it is that I wanted to do, which amounted to, "I had no clue what I'm going to do but it's totally going to be the opposite of what you want."

I squirmed.

I cried.

I howled.

I wailed.

She cracked me on the backside with that old pink hair brush that used to be hers when she was a teenager.

The minute that hair brush connected with my bottom, I knew what I was going to do. When she got done braiding my hair, I stood up. I stalked out of her bedroom to the living room. She followed behind me. It was my moment. My moment of defiance. There was no turning back...I knew the consequences.

I grabbed a pillow off the couch, and I turned around to face her. I took the pillow and rubbed it all over my head to mess up my hair.

Yes. Yes, I did. There was something oddly thrilling about it. I had willingly crossed the line. Punishment be cursed! This was my hair on the line.

My mother, bless her heart, could have killed me.

And I knew it.

But she said, "Fine. Do your own hair." But she said it only like a mom could say it. She only said five words out loud, but what she really was saying was, "Fine. You do that, missy. Just you wait. Your hair is gonna look awful. When we go out, I'll get sympathetic nods from other moms who know. I smile and wink back at them. Because they all know what I know. In 10 years you'll look back at the pictures and you will regret it and you will ask me why I ever let you leave the house looking like that and then I'll be happy."

But now, I'm 29. There is no cracking me on the bottom with a hair brush. Funny all the thoughts and feelings that run through your mind in a split second, isn't it?

And then Mom shook her head and said, "You and your father...that's fine."

I WON!!! I WON!!!! HA!

By the way - I count winning as "not getting my backside cracked with a hairbrush."

But in the end, I was a total loser. She played the "Mom-game" on me. Those two words that could be interpreted so many ways plagued me the whole time I was shopping.

"That's fine."

As in, "If you want to look awful, be my guest."

It was one of the most miserable shopping trips ever. I kept thinking about how I looked. Did I look that bad? Does anybody know I didn't change before leaving the house?

I hope she's happy.

She won.

And I hate every photo of myself from age 10 until about age 15. It was like my arms weren't long enough to reach the back of my head to brush my hair or something.

The Waiting Game

2010-08-16T12:13:00.004-04:00

Do you sometimes feel like you are in a perpetual state of waiting?

When I was a teen, I remember Josh Harris sharing something at a conference that has resonated with me years after (You probably know Josh now as the guy who wrote I Kissed Dating Goodbye (although he's written so many more since than). You may have attended one of his New Attitude conferences (now known as NEXT. He may even be your pastor - he's now the Senior Pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg.).

"Joshua," his mom Sono told him, "You need to hustle while you wait."

I'm reminded of that message even more as I get older. I feel like I'm still waiting on God for things and I'm getting tired of waiting. How about you?

Maybe you've been waiting on God for your spouse's salvation.
Maybe you've been waiting for God to intervene in your child's drug abuse.
Maybe you're single and tired of waiting for God to bring you your mate.
Maybe you're waiting for God to answer your prayer for a pregnancy.
Maybe you're waiting on God to give you an answer for something deeper.

At the root of the waiting on God is the feeling of His absence. He's not responding to our request and it makes us wonder if He's even listening and hearing what we put before Him. And so, in frustration, we stop hustling. We stop praying, we stop asking, we stop talking to Him. We think He's abandon us. We couldn't be farther from the truth.

I thought I'd share this with you. This is a passage from Chuck Swindoll's book Great Lives From God's Word: Esther.

Don't think for a moment that God is whiling away His time, busy with other things. Remember, He may be invisible, but He is at work. That's the beauty of His invisibility. He can be moving in a thousand places at the same time, working in circumstances that are beyond our control. During a waiting period, God is not only working in our hearts, He's working in others' hearts. And all the while He is giving added strength. Remember Isaiah's words about waiting?

Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
The will mount up with wings like eagles,
The will run and not get tired,
The will walk and not become weary.

-- Isaiah 40:31

Even though the prophet's pen put these words on the sacred page centuries ago, that verse of Scripture is as pertinent and relevant as what you read in the paper this morning - and far more trustworthy.

From this verse we learn that four things happen when we wait:

First: we gain new strength. We may feel weak, even intimidated, when we turn to our Lord. While waiting, amazingly, we exchange our weakness for His strength.

Second, we get a better perspective. It says we "will mount up with wings like eagles." Eagles can spot fish in a lake several miles away on a clear day. By soaring like eagles while waiting, we gain perspective on what we are dealing with.

Third, we store up extra energy. "We will run and not get tired." Notice it's future tense. When we do encounter the thing we have been dreading, we will encounter it with new strength - extra energy will be ours to use.

Fourth, we will deepen our determination to persevere. We "will walk and not become weary." The Lord whispers reassurance to us. He puts steel in our bones, so to speak. We begin to feel increasingly more invincible.

We'll gain new strength. We'll get better perspective. We'll store up extra energy. We'll deepen our determination to persevere. All that happens when we wait. And at the same time, during that period of waiting, nothing is happening - at least nothing visible. You could easily tell yourself at the time, I'm waiting in vain. Nothing's going to change That's what the adversary wants you to think: "Waiting's a waste."

Don't you believe it! When the enemy's message roams into your mind you need to kick it out. Reject it. Look at another verse in Isaiah, just a few verses after the "eagle verse."

Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

"For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'"

--Isaiah 41:10, 13

When you wait, you listen. You pore over a favorite passage in His Word. You quietly give attention to His presence and to His direction.

--Charles Swindoll
Great Lives From God's Word: Esther

If you're in the waiting game, I recommend reading the book of Esther, and maybe even take a trek to the library or your local Christian bookstore to get Charles Swindoll's book. Interestingly, God isn't mentioned in the book of Esther. But He's there. He's all around. He's in the tiniest of details. Be encouraged. The same God who made an orphan girl queen so He could use her to save His people is the same God who is working out the details in your life. Keep hustling, keep praying, keep waiting.

Praying for you,

Erin

Anytime Peach Coconut Cobbler

2010-08-14T10:57:00.004-04:00

I love frozen foods.

Seriously.

I love the convenience.

I could fill my cart to the brim with frozen broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, butternut squash, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, strawberries, peaches...

Frozen veggies and fruits are frozen at the peak of their freshness, so you're guaranteed great flavor. Unless, of course, you've had the bag sitting in your freezer for 2 years. Not so tasty.

I love it when I buy stuff at the grocery store because I have a coupon or it's ridiculously cheap, cram it in the freezer, and forget about it. It's almost like Christmas when I go shopping in my own freezer and discover the delightfullness hidden inside.

I discovered that I had purchased two bags of frozen peaches. I guess maybe I bought them to make breakfast smoothies? I don't know. I had no idea what I was thinking when I bought them. All I know is I found two bags of frozen peaches, it was a cool and breezy morning, and I was ready to turn the oven on.

I ran through a list of what would go well with peaches that I might have on hand. I remembered some toasted coconut that I had left over from a dessert that I had made a month ago. Peaches? Coconut? Yup. That works for me! Here's what I tossed together...

Anytime Peach Coconut Cobbler

Filling:
2 16oz bags frozen peaches
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 Tbls dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp corn starch

Crust:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted coconut
1 Tbls brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 Tbls shortening
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp coconut extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Make the Filling:
In a large saucepan, combine the peaches, lime zest and juice, and brown sugar (I like my filling on the tart side; if you'd like yours sweeter, by all means add more sugar). Cook over medium heat until the mixture is hot and bubbly - about 10 minutes. Mix the cornstarch with a little bit of water and pour into peach mixture. Let boil for one minute and remove from heat.

Make the Crust:
In a medium bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, toasted coconut, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the shortening until mixture looks like fine crumbs and holds together when squished in your hand. In a small bowl, stir the coconut extract into the milk. Pour milk mixture over flour mixture; stir until combined.

Let's Make It Happen:
Pour the hot peach filling in to a 2 quart dish. Drop large spoonfuls of the crust over the hot peach. Pop in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust is brown. Try not to eat it all at once, OK?

Why I Won't Drink OJ Before Bed Again

2010-08-05T13:20:00.000-04:00

They blended into the dirt hill. I dropped the bag of groceries I was carrying so I could slam the trunk shut. It landed with a THUD. As soon as the trunk hit the car, their eyes popped open. I caught the movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked at them; they looked at me, and then they stood up.

I grabbed the bag of groceries and ran to the house straight ahead. They ran after me. I threw the groceries over my head and that satisfied one of the alligators chasing me. But the other kept coming, fast.

There was a tree near the door. I jumped, catching the branch hanging over the doorway. The other alligator caught up with me. I lifted my feet, but he kept snapping away. I managed to wiggle off my shoe. I tossed it at him and he started chomping on it like it was a Tasty Kake.

I saw my opening.

I wiggled off the other shoe, tossed it at the hungry alligator, swung my body over his head, let go of the tree branch, and landed on the front porch. I swung the door open so fast and ran inside, slamming the door behind me.

The End.

Three thoughts.

1. I'll never drink orange juice before going to bed ever again.

2. This is why my feet MUST be completely covered by blankets while I sleep. I know I wouldn't be dreaming about alligators eating my feet if my left foot had been completely covered.

3. I know I'm dreaming of alligators because that kid found one in the Patapsco.

Trois Pesto de Basilic

2010-08-02T20:28:00.001-04:00

There's been a silent duel over the backyard for years.

Years, I tell you.

Some day he decided the backyard was his.

And that was it.

No contest.

The backyard has been my big brother's since that point. He's done a good job, I'll give him that. Except for the blackberries. He kinda lets them die. But it's not like he hasn't been busy being a police officer and all.

My dreams of planting my own veggies, fruits, herbs in the ground have gone unfulfilled. I've worked around not being able to plant in the ground. I've been planting my herbs in containers. They've survived, but there is something about planting directly in the ground that is so...so...earthy.

When he bought a house this spring, my first thought was, "The backyard is miiiiiiine!!!"

I swooped in faster than a seagull on a french fry at the boardwalk. That plot of land was mine. I hoed that thing. I tilled that thing. I weeded that thing. I poured myself into that plot of land and pulled a hamstring in the process. But it was beautiful. By the time I was finished, I had the most gorgeous herb garden. Not Martha Stewart gorgeous - it's my first year - but it's on its way. I planted 4 varieties of basil (sweet, cinnamon, thai, and globe), parsley, cilantro, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and peppermint. I haven't checked on it for a few days and I nearly fell over when I saw my basil had grown to small bushes. There is no way I was going to use all of that.

The only thing I know of that uses up that amount of basil is...pesto.

I've never made pesto before, but the one drawback for me is the amount of oil. Even though it's good, healthy oil, it's still a lot of fat if you're trying to lose weight. After reading through a number of recipes, I decided to pick my favorite parts of the recipes, smoosh them together, and create my own. I used three varieties of basil from my garden: Sweet Basil, Thai Basil, and Cinnamon Basil. I'm calling this "Trois Pesto de Basilic," which means "Three Basil Pesto." See why I went with the French?

Trois Pesto de Basilic
8 cups loosely packed basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup grated Romano
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup walnuts
3 Tbls garlic
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

These are the three varieties that I used.

I gathered more basil than I thought I would need and it turns out I actually gathered the right amount. I stripped the stalks and dropped the leaves into a bowl of water to rinse the dirt. I washed the basil three times to be extra sure no one was going to get a surprise bite of dirt. Ew.

After washing and drying the basil, I loosely packed the leaves into a giant measuring bowl.

Then I used the food processor to chop/grind some parmesan and romano cheese. There was no way I was going to do that by hand.

Then I poured in a 1/2 cup of pine nuts.

I also added a 1/2 cup of walnuts. You could go all pine nuts or all walnuts if you wanted.

I pulsed the nuts until they were ground. I added 1/2 cup each of the parmesan and romano cheese, and then added a giant handful of basil leaves on top.

I flipped the food processor on and slowly drizzled in the half of the olive oil. After a quick taste, I realized I hadn't added any garlic, so I threw in 3 Tbls of chopped garlic.

I kept adding basil leaves and the rest of the oil until it all came together. Delicious! I purchased some 4 ounce canning jars at Wal-Mart for about $8. I love those little jars. Aren't they adorable?? They're sooo shiny and sparkly.

I packaged them up in small portions so I could give them away at work. The little labels came with the jars thankfully. You could be uber creative and create your own tags, but I'm happy with the little sticky labels.

So what do you with the pesto? Well, you could use it over hot pasta noodles, over gnocchi, over grilled chicken or steak, over fresh tomatoes and mozzarella. You could also stir it into some mayo or sour cream and use as a dip/spread. You could spread it in place of pizza sauce on pizza dough - top with tomato slices and fresh mozzarella and bake. The possibilities are endless. Either way, pesto is a great way to use up a major overabundance of basil. I think I've got enough to make another 3 batches. And I'm not complaining :).

Longwood Gardens

2010-07-31T21:40:00.000-04:00

I've been dying to get back up to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. I went there for the first time over a year ago and it was in the dead of winter with a friend who was doing engagement photos for her friends (who are now married and expecting twins!). The architecture was beautiful but I was really looking forward to seeing it surrounded by summer flowers.

My parents, knowing I've been itching to get up there, gave me a trip and overnight stay at the Brandywine River Hotel. The hotel was nice and convenient, but it wasn't a place I'd go out of my way for. The instant I opened the door to my room, the scent of "old and musty" hit my nose. Sure enough, I found a patch of mold in the corner of my room over the window. My parents have stayed there numerous times and they said they must have had some heavy rain to cause it. They love the hotel, so they'd go again. Me? I didn't find it remarkable and it could use some updating (in addition to taking of the mold). The bed was comfortable...and that's half the battle in a hotel room :).

More importantly, it was just quality time spent with my parents. We had such a beautiful day. After many 100+ degrees day, it was in the mid-80's and just a fantastic day to walk around. The flowers were beautiful and the gardens are ornate. If you decide to go for a visit, make sure to go before November 21 to take advantage of their exhibit Making Scents: The Art and Passion of Fragrance. Flowers with fragrance are marked throughout the gardens with a special sign. Plus there's an exhibit where you can learn the art to making perfume and how flowers' oils are harvested to make scents. It's a great, interactive display and worth experiencing. Here are some photos I snapped while walking around...

DIY Greek Yogurt

2010-07-17T17:36:00.000-04:00

Greek yogurt is the new hot thing right now.

Have you noticed?

First there was yogurt with fiber.

Then there was probiotic yogurt.

Now there's greek yogurt.

What makes greek yogurt all that? It's rich, creamy, tangy, and truly delightful. It doesn't feel like you're eating yogurt; it feels like you're eating a treat. But it's a ridiculously expensive treat. A 5-6oz container of greek yogurt costs $1.50 - $2.00. I could get four 6oz containers of regular yogurt for the price of one. That is soooo not happening. There is no way I'm paying that much for a container of yogurt.

So I googled greek yogurt so I could see why the stuff is so crazy expensive. I feel like such a doofus.

It's yogurt cheese.

That's all.

Just yogurt cheese.

I used to watch Graham Kerr all the time and he always made yogurt cheese to use in place of mayo or sour cream. Yogurt cheese, or "greek yogurt" as it's now known, is made by straining the whey from yogurt.

Here's how to make greek yogurt:
Put a sieve over a bowl, line the sieve with cheese cloth, paper towels, or a coffee filter, dump a container of yogurt in the lined strainer, pop it in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. The whey will drip from the yogurt and you'll be left with this wonderful creamy mixture. You can flavor it with extracts, fresh fruit, jams, herbs, you name it. Try it in place of sour cream. I like to keep it simple. For every cup of plain yogurt, I mix in 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp honey, and some fresh berries. It's simple and delicious.

God Is On Your Side When Everyone Else Isn't

2010-06-04T09:01:00.003-04:00

There are some days when it's tougher than others to be in control of your emotions and your responses to people.

Isn't that right?

I just gave myself an "amen" and a "hallelujah."

When you're stressed out and are barely holding it together, that always seems to be the time when people want at you. Everyone gangs up on you at the same time. People you haven't heard from in 15 years suddenly appear and jump on the heap! That's just how it happens. Inside your head you're screaming for them all to go away!

Yet nobody does.

The problems keep coming.

You don't even know what to do because that's how mentally exhausted you are.

Here's a little encouragement from me.

Take a deep breath.

Smile.

Accept and acknowledge that God is on your side and walking with you every step of the way.

Thank Him for being there - for being the only One who is listening to you and the only One who doesn't have it out for you.

The problems and the people causing them won't necessarily go away, but you'll have your battle plan to gain control of how you respond to others...regardless of what they throw at you. Remember, God is always and will always be on your side when everyone else isn't. Here's the proof:

"Who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture...None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us."

- Romans 8:35-39, The Message

The Definition of Selflessness

2010-05-31T13:59:00.006-04:00

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic.
It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”
~ Arthur Ashe ~

I saw the news headline this morning: "7 Die In Holiday Weekend Shootings In Baltimore." The news stunned me. On a weekend where we are remembering heroic acts of men and woman who put it all on the line to serve others, something like this happens.

Seven people die.

Seven people are murdered.

Why?

For what cause?

Was it the "urge to surpass all others at whatever cost?"

It makes me angry. Really angry. Sadly, those who did the killing this past weekend will be viewed as a hero in someone's eyes. Those who were gunned down will become martyrs in someone's eyes. It's all part of gang life. They have no clue what it means to be a hero. A real hero. A person who serves. A person who comes to the defense of others, not the defense of themselves. A real hero doesn't fight for their own right to be right, but for the right of others to have the freedom to be right.

There are men and women fighting to protect us. Men and women who sign up knowing they could be called into action and never return. Men and women who sacrifice the comforts of home. Men and women who don't see their loved ones for months or years on end. Men who miss seeing the birth of their child. Women who don't get to see their child's first steps. They're the real heroes.

Thank you to the men and women who died fighting so I could be free. Thank you to the men and women who died fighting so I could go to church on Sunday and worship as I please. Thank you to the men and women who died fighting so I can own a blog and freely express my opinion. Thank you to the men and women who died fighting so others in oppressed nations and countries could have the same freedoms we are blessed to have in the USA. Thank you for being willing to serve at whatever the cost.

Below are some of the faces of military heroes, ordinary people who became extraordinary when they chose to become selfless instead of selfish like the city murderers. This was the Memorial Day ceremony at the Crownsville State Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville, MD. Thanks to my grandfather, Clifton Golden, for his years of service.

Congressman John Sarbanes

Cooking With Granny

2010-05-30T20:44:00.006-04:00

"Di, Denise, Sarah, whoever you are, go into the icebox and get the carrots out of the vegetable crisper," my grandmother said as she poured vegetable broth into a large stock pot on the stove.

It was a given; Granny would run through the names of every member of the family before she'd get to your name. It made life interesting.

"You mean the refrigerator?" I smirked like only a twelve year old can. I always thought it was odd my grandmother called the fridge an ice box. Little did I know that's what it was called when she was my age. Granny shot me a look that said "you know what I mean." I laughed, opened the fridge, and peered inside the vegetable crisper. I shoved aside a head of lettuce and found two of the most dreadful, pitiful carrots I'd ever seen.

"Um, Gran, these carrots look bad," I said scrunching my nose.

She was busy chopping cabbage. "We're just making soup, dear. How bad?"

"Ummm, like, really bad. Look." I picked up one of the carrots and it bent over like it was forming the letter "C".

"Oh, that's fine. Bring it over here, Denise."

"I'm Erin," I sighed rolling my eyes.

"Yes, you are Erin. Here, we'll chop it up and put in the soup. No one will ever know," she said confidently.

"GRANNY! We can't put that in the soup!"

She grabbed some spices from the cabinet and said over her shoulder, "Sure we can. Trust your grandmother. We're giving these carrots a new life. They'll be happy in the soup, and everyone will love it. No one will know what they looked like. Trust me."

I reluctantly peeled and chopped the carrots, dropped them into the stock pot where they joined heaven knows what else my grandmother put in there. In a few hours the soup was ready. Within that time, I had told the tale of the carrot to everyone I could find. When we sat down to eat the soup, all I could think about was the carrot bending over before my eyes. But I still ate it, and I think my grandmother was right. The carrot had found new life in the soup and it tasted quite good.

One thing I learned from grandmother about cooking is to throw the rules out the window. I prefer exact measurements; my grandmother goes by feel. Granny rarely follows the rules. That's one of the things I love about her. My grandmother is also an incredible gardener. When we were younger, she and Pop had six acres in Howard County. We called it "The Farm." In the spring she grew strawberries, asparagus, and rhubarb. In summer she grew grapes, blackberries, tomatoes, peppers, and lots of other vegetables. In fall, we'd grab a basket and pick apples right off the trees. I was always fascinated by the rhubarb and asparagus because we never had it. My mom didn't like them, so we never had it. The first time I had asparagus, I bought it from the grocery store and sauteed it in a pan with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and a splash of lemon like I had seen on the Food Network. I liked it and decided I would include it in my repertoire.

I had my first taste of rhubarb last year. My grandmother grew her traditional spring rhubarb. I went to the garden to pick it for her, but she decided she didn't want it. She told me to make something with it. I wanted to make a pie, but I decided to go with something I was more familiar with: a crisp. It turned out pretty good and I became a rhubarb fan.

This year, I decided to try rhubarb again. And I decided to make a pie. I'm not a pie person. I like pie, but making them scares me. Either the filling doesn't get cooked all the way or it's too runny. Pies are hard to control. I like to bake cookies and cakes because they are consistent. So, I purchased some fresh rhubarb along with fresh, local strawberries and put a call in to my grandmother last weekend. She told me what size pieces to cut the rhubarb, and she also told me the secret to a good rhubarb pie.

"Rhubarb's tart, so use just enough sugar to take the edge off the rhubarb. It's tart, but people who like rhubarb like it because it's tart." She suggested 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of sugar. I opted for 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons and it was perfect.

The pie was a success, so I decided to try a different combination this weekend. I found frozen rhubarb, frozen raspberries, and frozen dark, sweet cherries. I tossed them together with corn starch, vanilla, and sugar. The result was a delicious pie that my grandmother and grandfather both loved at our Memorial Day celebration this afternoon.

Rhubarb Cherry Berry Pie
Yield: 8 generous slices

INGREDIENTS
1 10oz bag frozen rhubarb
2 10oz bag frozen raspberries
1 10oz bag frozen cherries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbls corn starch
1 Tbls vanilla extract
1 Pillsbury "Just Unroll" Pie Crust, or your favorite pie dough recipe for 2 crusts
1 egg yolk
1 tsp water
additional sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together the first 7 ingredients (rhubarb through vanilla extract) and set aside.

Unroll one pie crust, and use a rolling pin to stretch it out a bit more so it will leave a 1/2" - 1" overhang when placed in the bottom of a 9" deep dish pie plate. Once rolled out, line the deep dish pie plate with the dough.

Dump the frozen berry mixture into the lined pie plate.

Unroll the second crust, and use a rolling pin to stretch it out a bit more to cover the top. Feel free to make a lattice crust or use mini cookie cutters to punch out portions of the dough (like this). Lay the dough over the frozen berry mixture and crimp the edges to seal.

Beat the egg yolk with the tsp of water. Brush over the crust and sprinkle with sugar.

Place the pie in the pre-heated oven and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350, place a pie shield or foil over the crimped edges, and bake for 1 hour longer or until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown.

Let cool and enjoy!

Welcome To...The Double Down

2010-04-13T20:11:00.003-04:00

Just a little sumpin-sumpin that happened at work today.

You don't see me in the video though.

Well, other than that stellar picture of me, in the opening, that looks nothing like me.

I'm OK with that.

Wanna know a secret?

I took the photo myself.

In my bedroom.

In front of a window.

And I gave myself a tan in Photoshop.

Yes I did.

Now watch the video and listen to the sultry sounds of my voice :-)

He's Always The First

2010-04-10T21:09:00.004-04:00

"It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love."
- Linus, "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

He's always first.

The first to graduate. The first get his license. The first to get a job. The first to buy a car.

I could go on and on what he's been the first at...but then this would sound like a Hallmark card.

And that's not really my style.

I prefer the funny cards.

Not the sappy ones.

Sappy ones make me squirm.

Anywho, he's the first born, so he's going to be first at just about everything anyway, right?

This time, he's the first to buy a house. Not just any house. But a house. A ginormous, historic Victorian house. The price was right, it needs A LOT of TLC, and he's the guy to do it. He got the keys yesterday and we all - and I mean ALL...grandparents and aunt/uncle - trekked down to his new place to scope it out.

It's a treasure trove of awesomeness. The family left behind furniture, old records, lamps, books, serving dishes...it's quite something. My 5D wasn't charged, so I settled for the best camera that I had with me: my iPhone. I shot all of these on the iPhone using the Hipstamatic App, which rocks in a really big way. For those who want things a bit more detailed, I used the Helga Viking lens, Pistil film, and Lemon gel flash. Boom!

Oh, and congrats, big brother.

Why I'm Faux Suing E! TV For $19.98

2010-04-09T07:33:00.005-04:00

Mr. Darcy: What endearments am I allowed?

Elizabeth Bennet: Well let me think...”Lizzie" for every day, "My Pearl" for Sundays, and...”Goddess Divine"
...but only on *very* special occasions.

Mr. Darcy: And... what should I call you when I am cross? Mrs. Darcy...?

Elizabeth Bennet: No! No. You may only call me "Mrs. Darcy"
...when you are completely, and perfectly, and incandescently happy.

Mr. Darcy: Then how are you this evening... Mrs. Darcy?

---------------------------------
One thing TV should never do.

It should never mess up/edit an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

Never ever.

Last night I was the victim of such an atrocity. I had to take another day off of work because my allergies have been horrific, and I have felt even worse (it's hard to talk on the radio when you can't talk, you know?). So I was consoling myself with the TV when the 2005 Pride & Prejudice adaptation with Kierra Knightly and Matthew McFayden came on. It's not my favorite version, but it would do.

This scene is one of the most beautiful parts of the whole movie. It's the ending.

THE ENDING.

It's a wonderful ending. They use the word "incandescently." When was the last time you heard that word? Yeah, me too. It's such a beautiful word.

And they cut it.

They cut the entire scene out.

They cut the entire ending out.

How could they?? Why would they? It's a tragic travesty!!!!!!

I know it was cut by a man who had no appreciation for Jane Austen.

It was probably cut by a man who doesn't recognize what true love is.

OR, even worse, it was cut by a Jane Austen purist who said, "It wasn't in the book, it's not going on TV."

I'm faux suing E! TV $17.99 for the cost of me buying the DVD to finish watching the scene plus $1.99 for the box of Junior Mints I plan on eating while I watch it.

Cherry Blossoms In DC

2010-04-03T21:06:00.006-04:00

If you're planning on going to DC sometime in your life to see the cherry blossoms, let me offer some advice.

1. Never go on a weekend. Never. Ever. Evvvvver.

2. Never go on a weekend that happens to be Easter weekend. Never. Ever. Evvvvver.

3. Never go on a weekend that happens to be Easter weekend and spring break. Never. Ever. Evvvvver.

Now that I've established that, here are some other tips in case you decide to go on a weekend that happens to be Easter weekend and spring break...like moi.

1. Go with a friend. A good friend. A good friend like my friend Tatiana. You can't have her because she's already mine, but you get the point. You will need someone steady, not easily prone to claustrophobia. Someone with a sense of direction. Someone who will gripe with you about people not knowing how to walk on a sidewalk and then laugh at a little kid the next second. You will need that person to help keep you sane.

2. If you don't know how to ride the metro, this really is not the weekend to figure it out.

3. Leave your dog at home. If you want to take your dog for a walk, take it for a walk around your neighborhood, not around tens of thousands of people. Your dog will get stepped on...like I saw happen to one woman's dog. Seriously. For your dog's safety, leave it at home.

4. Yes, the trees are lovely. That's what you're here for. But for the love of Pete and all that's holy, KEEP MOVING. If you want to take a picture, step off on to the grass. Do not stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

5. The tidal basin is 1.81 miles long. You do not have to stop at the first tree you see to take a picture. You also don't need to take a picture of every tree. It's tempting. But really.

And there you have it. Those are my 5 simple rules on how to survive the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC. It was packed, but taking in the cherry blossoms is worth it. Everything looked gorgeous, the memorials and monuments look just that more majestic and impressive surrounded by the blossoming trees, and I got to spend time with my friend Tatiana. Happiness! More photos after the jump...

Mini Brain Explosion

2010-03-31T09:02:00.005-04:00

It's no biggie.

It's really nothing major.

I just had a mini brain explosion this morning.

It's just pretty sweet that you can take a photo in one direction and have such gorgeous, soft, almost monochromatic tones and then turn in the opposite direction and have such punchy, bold, vibrant colors.

Like I said, nothing major. I'm just having a little creative geek out here. This is what happens when you lay your creativity down for awhile and pick it back up again.

Probably shoulda slapped my "Warning: Photography Geek Out About To Happen" warning label on the front of the post.

Have a lovely day :-)

- Erin

PS - you can see the above photos larger here and here. But the invite is only open to those who wish to geek out further. You are warned.

Learning The Light

2010-03-27T20:33:00.005-04:00

Warning: photography geek alert.

You have been warned.

Proceed with caution.

So I've been a photography slump of late. I haven't felt very creative, nor have I really had the time to get out and shoot. I've decided to "get back into it". Instead of blindly shooting, I've started to focus on observation and technique. Lately I have been doing a lot of reading on the topic of light: the color of light, the brightness of the light, how light interacts with the camera, etc. Frankly, it's all things I know, but I've never purposefully set out just to experiment with it. This evening I decided to go outside while the sun was setting and just observe the color of the light and how the light played off the trees and fell onto the ground.

Have you ever noticed the midday light? It's very bright, white, and harsh. Try taking a picture of a person outside during the midday. What happens? Since the light is coming from above, it casts dark shadows under a person's eyes. The light feels blinding and using a flash becomes necessary to fill in and blast away the shadows. Since I stink majorly at using a flash, midday light is not for me.

I really need to start experimenting more with flash.

But I'll do that another day.

When I feel like it.

Which could be never.

Hmmm.

Anyway, if you wait a few more hours, closer to sunset when the sun is lower in the sky, you'll notice that the light is warmer, creates a nicer atmosphere, is softer, and the dark shadows are virtually eliminated.

So here are some examples of my experiment tonight. I've noted the angle from where the sun's light is coming for you. By the way, the above image was made while the sun was setting with the light coming in at a 45 degree angle.

(50mm - f/1.8 - 1/640 - ISO 250)
The light is coming from a 45 degree angle - can you see it shining through the bluebells' leaves?

(50mm - f/2.8 - 1/250 - ISO 250)
The light is coming from a 45 degree angle again.

(50mm - f/1.4 - 1/1250 - ISO 250)
The light is coming from behind me.

(50mm - f/1.8 - 1/800 - ISO 250)
Here's another one with the light coming from directly behind me.

(50mm - f/1.4 - 1/250 - ISO 400 - +1/3EV)
The sun was almost below the horizon when I took this. I was shooting into the direction of the sun...but it was pretty much gone. Notice how cool the tones are.

OK - so you if you feel so inspired, go outside and practice. Do a "case study". Look at the light and see what happens when you shoot into the sun, when the sun is at your side, when it's behind you. Try it during different times of day too. This was an enlightening exercise for me.

Enlightening.

Get it?

Ha ha ha!

C'mon now! I didn't give you a photography geek alert for nothing! Boom!

The Awake Tonight Tour

2010-03-21T20:42:00.007-04:00

I was around 12 when we got cable TV. Cable was THE awesome-est thing in the world. I was introduced to the Cartoon Network, Food Network, and Z Music Television. Z Music Television played music videos from Christian artists, and I was in heaven. All my life I had grown up listening to Christian music. Sandi Patty, Twila Paris, Steve Green, Michael Card, and Glad were all I knew. Along came Z and my little Christian music bubble suddenly burst. There was this young guy with floppy hair singing about life being a great adventure (Steven Curtis Chapman); a group of four guys singing about getting back to the basics of life (4HIM); these four gorgeous girls singing about a cross to bridge the great divide (Point of Grace). But then there were these three guys. They looked young, hip, and cool. I didn't think I liked them at first. They seemed a bit..."worldly" if you will. They were rapping, doing hip-hop...it just wasn't for me. Then, one day, it clicked. They were singing about Jesus, they loved God, and they were having fun. I became a lifelong dcTalk fan. I had to battle with my dad over them. He couldn't understand the lyrics, but I could. I learned from dcTalk that "L-O-V-E ain't all that junk that you see on TV". Toby, Michael, and Kevin taught me that "love is a verb". Almost 20 years has passed and while dcTalk disbanded years ago, the guys are still making music individually. Kevin is on his own, Michael is now fronting the Newsboys, and Toby is still doing his thang. Toby has always been one of the most creative, diverse, and talented artists.

On Friday night we brought the Awake Tonight Tour to 1st Mariner Arena (in Baltimore). If the tour is stopping in your neck of the woods - run, don't walk, to the box office and buy tickets. It is hands down one of the coolest rock shows you will EVER see. Skillet was absolutely incredible. Toby brought the funk. This show will rate as one of the best shows I've ever seen. I asked my friend Joe to take photos for the station for me so I could watch the concert (check out his set here)...but you know I had to take a few for myself to remember the night.

Red & Green For Spring Full Kit

2010-03-12T07:19:00.004-05:00

I'm anxiously awaiting spring's arrival in Baltimore!

Have you noticed any of your spring flowers blooming in your yard yet? So far, my daffodils have popped out of the ground and I'm waiting from them to bud. No tulips, hyacinths, or lily of the valley yet.

I know spring is when we tend to see and think pastels in terms of color - pinks, purples, yellows - but I love the punchy, bold color of red tulips and red azaleas against the brilliant, strong green leaves and branches. It's one of those little things that makes my heart happy.

So, I started working on this kit last year and decided to make the time to finish it. Keep reading to download the papers and embellishments. They are free as always!

CLICK HERE to download the embellishments

CLICK HERE to download the paper pack

AW Mannequin & The Apology

2010-03-08T15:55:00.005-05:00

I'm dipping back into the nostalgia files. Here's a series I did with my little character AW Mannequin... circa July 2007... when I was keeping it real with my Canon Rebel XT and 18-55mm kit lens. I totally was working it!

Disclaimer: Any similarities to my parent's marriage of 30 years is purely coincidental :-D

Here's the photo that started it all.

I'm practicing my portrait skills, so I called Mrs. Mannequin (I still don't know her first name) up to see if she would pose for me. As you can see, she graciously agreed. Well, while we were taking photos, AW started acting up.

Mrs M. told him if he couldn't behave properly, he could leave and go in the house. Well, he settled down for a little bit, but then became rowdy again (I think he was bored). The next thing Mrs. M. and I know, we hear a crash, and I look over to see AW, feet in the air, laying in the shrubbery.

As you can imagine, Mrs. M. was not happy with AW. The two of them sat not looking at each other for awhile.
Can I tell you how awkward that was?

I tried to talk with Mrs. M, but it was to no avail. Mrs. M was quite steamed.

I told AW he should apologize, because he was behaving poorly. So, he glanced over at the missus to see if she was still fuming.

Yup, she's still not happy.

Finally, he gave in.

Scootch, scootch, scootch

"Honey?" said AW, "Will you talk to me?"

"Please?" said AW as he reached over to touch her hand. "I'm really sorry for interrupting your photo session."

"Don't touch me," huffed Mrs. M.

Oy, this was going to take more work than I thought!

AW, being the charmer that he is, reached over and picked up the flower Mrs. M and I had been using as a prop.

"Please forgive me, sweetie," AW said with big puppy dog eyes. "I'm sorry I interrupted your portrait session. I was behaving badly, and I'm sorry. I'll do better, I promise. Here's your flower back. I love you."

I think it was beginning to work because Mrs. M's expression began to soften!

Then Mrs. M half chuckled and half sighed saying, "How can I be angry with you?
I'll forgive you, you crazy thing you. You'll behave?"

"I'll behave."

The End.

Cheeky little fellow, ain't he? :-D

The Mannequins Go To Williamsburg

2010-03-08T14:38:00.004-05:00

My parents are Williamsburg officianados.

The parental units should really retire and move there and give tours. They know every single thing there is to know about Williamsburg. As a child, we would take the occasional vacation there. My brothers would whine. I would whine. Kind of. I could be easily bribed with a gingerbread cake and a Kings Arm Tavern root beer. As I got older, I started to recognize the cultural significance and discovered a new appreciation for the town. For my 21st birthday I asked to go to Williamsburg to have dinner at The Trellis (insert harp music here).

The Trellis.

Sigh.

The Trellis is owned by one of my culinary heroes, Marcel Desaulniers - the Guru of Ganache. It's thanks to Marcel and his "Death By Chocolate" show on PBS that I learned how to temper chocolate and make ganache. I have every one of his cookbooks. It was a birthday dream come true.

Anywho, my buddy Jack just made his first trip to Williamsburg, VA. It got me all nostalgic and made me think about this photo story that I did a couple of years ago. The EXIF data says I did it in 2007...so don't hold the corny dialogue or bad photos against me, OK?

A.W. and the Missus loved their stay at the Williamsburg Lodge. They were in walking distance to the historic streets. Mrs. Mannequin was highly impressed with the bathroom! The extra toilet paper was bound with a red ribbon which was quite an unusual touch. A.W. couldn't have cared less, but as long the missus was happy, so was he!

The "Christmas card photo" in front of the courthouse.

Or should this be the "Christmas card photo"?
In front of the Governor's Mansion...

The missus made A.W. stop to take a picture of this bride they passed.
As best they could tell, she was on her way to the College of William & Mary to get married.

The Missus: "Awwww, remember our wedding day, AW?"
A.W.: "Yup. Can we get something to eat now?"

The Mannequins still haven't picked out their dinnerware. They can't seem to compromise on a pattern. Frankly, AW doesn't care, but the missus refuses to purchase anything until he is fully on board. What do you think about the informal look?

While the missus was making some final purchases, AW decided to hide in a bucket and surprise Mrs. Mannequin. The surprise was on him - he couldn't get out of the bucket without her help...and she wasn't helping until he apologized. Oops.

AW doing his best Queen Elizabeth impersonation. Helllloooo!

The loving couple decided to climb a tree so they could get out of the way of a touring school. The children were everywhere! They decided to let them have the right of way, and then continue on their sightseeing adventure.

Mr. & Mrs. AW Mannequin say "see you around!"
They enjoyed their short stay in Williamsburg and can't wait to come back!

An Exercise In Creativity

2010-03-06T19:29:00.009-05:00

"Chaos in the world brings uneasiness,
but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth."

~ Tom Barrett ~

you'll want to see this image larger
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Today I challenged myself. I haven't had "me" time with my camera in quite awhile and I feel like it's showing.

I feel like my mad photo skillz are slowly going down the drain.

I feel like my mad creativity skillz are slowly dying.

The only way to revive them...is to get out there and do something.

The challenge I gave myself: pick a spot, don't move, and only shoot what's there.

I went to the side of my house, laid down on the sidewalk, and shot what was in front of me. It's pretty incredible all the little details that are sitting in plain sight. It's also oddly fascinating how my neighborhood can be completely still one moment. But lay down on the ground? Suddenly, everyone comes out of the woodwork.

"What's she doing?"

"Is she OK?"

"That girl is cuh-ray-zee."

I could tell by their stares that's exactly what they were thinking. It's a good thing I wasn't dying 'cause no one was coming to my aid. Anyway, this was a fun exercise and it made me feel like I did something, like I was a taking a step to regain my creativity. Try it yourself - I'd love to see what you come up with.

FREEBIE: Layout 18

2010-03-05T07:59:00.002-05:00

...Click here to download...

FREEBIE: Red & Green For Spring Quickpages Set 2

2010-03-04T07:56:00.005-05:00

Howdy! If you're just discovering my blog because of my digital scrapbooking freebies, then consider yourself welcomed! If you click on the "digital scrapbooking" tab at the top of the page, it will take you to a bunch of my freebies. If you like today's quickpages, then you may want to grab the two quickpages I uploaded yesterday and the Red & Green For Spring paper pack. The full Red & Green For Spring Kit will be coming soon. If you're just starting out in digital scrapbooking, freebies are a great way to get going.

Here are some of my favorite freebie sites:
Craft Crave
Creative Busy Hands
Lori's Freebie List
Digital Scrapbook Faves
Blog train

Here are some of my favorite designers:
Sweet Tomato Digital Design
Raspberry Road Designs
Scrapping With Liz
Li's Scrapping Blog
Clickphoto Designs - Lien
Jennifer Fox Designs
Funky Time Designs by Amber

For printing, I LOVE Blurb. Blurb now has a 12x12 book size. Hint: it's cheaper to print a 12x12 book through Blurb than it is to individually print 12x12 pictures.

Happy Scrapbooking!

FREEBIE: Layout 14

2010-03-03T09:01:00.000-05:00

Roses are red, violets are blue, here's a little free digital scrapbooking download for you!

Click here to download.

FREEBIE: Red & Green For Spring Quickpages

2010-03-02T07:56:00.006-05:00

Roses are red, violets are blue, here's a little free digital scrapbooking download for you!

I just realized I haven't done any digital scrapbooking since June. There are lots of things I want to do, but finding the time to get to 'em is a whole different story. You know how that is! I'm learning the value of priorities.

I often struggle between my logical and creative self. The logical Erin says, "You don't have the time to sit and create. There are other things that you need to be doing! Like laundry! Like...laundry! Did you hear me? Do your laundry!"

The creative Erin says, "Awwww...c'mon. Laundry can wait another day, can't it?? Besides, you need to be creative get rid stress."

Obviously, the creative won out today and my laundry is still sitting on a heap on the floor. I mean, in the laundry basket...where it belongs...

I've slowly been working on finishing out my "Red & Green for Spring" kit. I started the papers some time ago and you can get them here. I'll have more papers and embellishments coming soon. Here are two quick pages I made to give you a sneak peak of the upcoming papers/embellishments (thanks to the fabulous Li - get the original templates here)

DOWNLOAD the Red & Green For Spring quick pages here.

Run, Turtle! Run Like The Wind!

2010-02-25T21:21:00.005-05:00

I wanted people to know that I'm not a runner and I never have been.

I only said it to encourage our listeners.

I revealed a childhood nickname.

Turtle.

My childhood softball coach, of all people, gave it to me. Isn't that a great way to build self-esteem in shy little girl? Turtle. I could throw. I could hit the ball. I could catch. I was a GREAT catcher. Man, I could block the plate.

But I couldn't run.

It's haunted me all these years. I've actually avoided sports where I had to run because I didn't want to get made fun of for my lack of speed. By the way, that means I've pretty much avoided every sport. I'm closing in on 30 and I still have that stupid comment ringing in the back of my mind. It's a pretty strong reminder I should carefully choose the words I use and the power one little word has to a person.

But I've decided that I'm bigger than a stupid comment. Sticks and stones, right? Last year I started training for the River Valley Run 5K held at our "sister ministry" River Valley Ranch. I've photographed the run for the past 3 years, but decided last year I was going to run it...until I got the call that they needed me to do photos again. Oh well. This time around, no matter what happens, I am doin' this thang.

Which brings me back to the beginning of this post. I've got 6 months to train and to get myself in motion and ready. I'm starting at zero. I found the Couch To 5K site which has a ton of great resources for people who are just starting out. My favorite find is a set of training podcasts that a guy named Robert Ullrey has put together. Each podcast has techno/pop/energetic music and Robert gives cues when to walk/run. I'm loving it. I'm loving it so much, I decided that I should pass it along to our listeners.

That's when it happened.

I revealed my nickname. I hadn't planned on it, but I wanted people to know that if I can do it, they can too. And then...I got made fun of. By my show partner. And it was probably one of the funniest things I've experienced in a while.

Take a listen for yourself.

Motivation and Muffins

2010-02-24T07:04:00.005-05:00

I love health and wellness meetings at work.

No.

Seriously.

I really do.

I have so much fun at them. We're very blessed that the speaker/leader of our meetings, Jimmy, is the Executive Director of Health & Fitness for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes living in our own backyard. This guy has spoken at FCA meetings all over the nation and the world, and he lives right here.

We usually have healthy little snacks to show how "good" we're being. This time around, I decided to go all out.

I brought with me...the chocolate box.

Yes. Yes, boys and girls, THAT is a box full of CHOCOLATE! HOLLA!

I got that bad boy for $10 the day after Valentine's Day. I call the day after Valentine's "National 50% Off Valentine's Day Candy So I'm Gonna Go Buy My Own Chocolate Heart Because No One Ever Gets Me One But I'm Not Bitter About It" Day! It's not really a national event, but it only takes a spark, right? Next year, it will spread like a wildfire. Just you wait.

When I casually walked in and announced I had snacks for the meeting, the horror plastered upon Jimmy's face was priceless. Score. He's got a great sense of humor though and it played perfectly into his little motivational speech. And it was motivational. Let's just say that it was so motivational that it motivated me to reconsider eating breakfast again.

I'm not a big breakfast person, but I recognize that my body needs fuel to get it going...the question is what fuel to put in. With hypothyroidism, you're not supposed to have dairy or fortified items within 4 hours of taking your medication. That rules out cereal. I like eggs, but I don't always feel like making them, cleaning up the pan, etc. It's nice to do something that's a no-brainer.

Breakfast muffins are easy to make and even easier to grab and go, so I decided to start messing around with recipes for them. My goal is to pack as many nutrients as I possibly can into one muffin: whole wheat, flax, wheat germ, sprouts, protein, broccoli, if it looks/sounds healthy, I want it. I feel better about myself when I know it's got stuff like that in it. Seriously. Don't you? I hear "whole wheat-wheat germ-blueberry-pecan-muffins" and think, "That must be good for me. I'll take two!" But since I'm being healthy, I only eat one and save the second one for my dreams.

Here's the first of a few that I've tried out. Thankfully, these are full of fiber, whole grain, Vitamin E, antioxidents...and there was no need to add broccoli. The original recipe can be found here. Naturally, I've tweaked the recipe, so feel to try mine out and do some tweaks of your own (just don't tell me; I'm a middle child and I'll hyper-focus that you didn't think my recipe was good enough).

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pecan Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup raw wheat germ
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 Tbls baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a different bowl mix together egg, milk, and applesauce, then add to the dry ingredients and mix lightly. Gently fold in blueberries.

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, and fill cups about 2/3- 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20- 25 minutes until edges are brown and muffin tops bounce back when pressed lightly.

Makes 12 muffins.

Hello! Cheerio!

2010-01-15T20:03:00.004-05:00

Healthy food is healthy food no matter what, right?

I mean, like, say I had a friend who was strolling through Wal-Mart, minding her own business. She was just happily strolling along, humming a happy tune, trying not to get run over by the older man driving the electric cart scooter thingy, when all of the sudden this ginormous display of CHOCOLATE CHEERIOS made with REAL COCOA appeared in front of me. Err...I mean, my friend.

So, um, my friend considered it her duty as a woman and as a social media junkie to toss a box into her grocery cart. Or trolley, as her European friends call it. Trolley. Isn't that cute? Anyway, when she got home she had a little nibble.

"Hmmm," she thought. "I wonder how these taste with a little milkety-milk?"

So my friend poured herself a little bowl of the chocolate Cheerios with some milk. She thought they tasted much better combined with milk. They had a distinct whole grain Cheerio taste, yet a sweet chocolatey flavor a la Cocoa Pebbles.

"Not bad," she thought as she polished off the Cheerios. "Uh-oh. There's still more milk. Should I drink the milk? I don't like to drink the milk. But I don't want to throw the milk away. What do I do? I know. I'm adding more Cheerios to the milk. That's what I'll do."

So my friend poured more Chocolate Cheerios into the remaining milk and scarfed 'em down like a 5 year old eating chicken nuggets.

Later that day, when she got home from work, she was ravenous. She searched and searched through the cabinets, hoping to find something edible. It was then that she saw it: the brown box of delightfulness.

"BINGO!" my friend thought to herself. Cereal, bowl, milk, check. Dinner was happening.

So she poured a heaping amount in the bowl, splashed on some milk, and she chowed down. This time, she decided to drink the remaining milk in the bowl. She picked up the cereal box to put it away...but she was expecting it to be heavier than it was.

That brings my friend back to her original question: healthy food is healthy food no matter what, right? So, if you consume large quantities of "healthy food" like Chocolate Cheerios, it's OK, right? RIGHT? Because, like, my friend has seen the commercials from Cheerios saying if you eat 2 cups of Cheerios a day, you'll lower your cholesterol. If that's the case, than I, um...I mean, my friend...uh, is banking on having GREAT cholesterol when she wakes up in the morning.

How To Make A Jean Purse

2010-01-09T22:54:00.005-05:00

"THIS IS STUPID! I'M NOT DOING THIS!!!"

And with that, my 14 year old self stood up from the sewing machine, launched the pieces of the pillow across the dining room table, and ran crying up to my bedroom. Aaaah...the dreaded home economics sewing assignment.

When my brothers and I were little, my mom used to make us clothes. She'd make these cute stuffed bunnies, cows, and she even made me my own Care Bear. It was pink and had hearts on the tummy with the letter "E" in the center of the hearts. My mom is amazing on the sewing machine. Me? Not. so. much. I liked to cross stitch all right, but the sewing machine had it out for me. For real. Every time I sat down, it was something new: the power would suddenly cut off, the needle would break, the thread would somehow come out of the bobbin. My mom would sit down at the sewing machine? It'd run perfectly. I'm telling you: the sewing machine had it out for me.

I haven't used a sewing machine since that time. I've thought about making a quilt or doing something crafty, but all my plans involve the sewing machine. That pretty much sealed the deal that I wasn't going to do those crafts.

So how do you make a jean purse and not use a sewing machine?

Easy.

Needle, thread, and time.

Seriously.

You could use the sewing machine.

If you want.

Have at it.

Me?

I'll pretend to be a prairie woman.

Watch the video...and feel free to make fun of my zig-zaggy stitches.

Fruit & Pecan Granola Bars

2010-01-03T19:16:00.004-05:00

Nothing, and I mean nothing, is getting in my way this year.

Last year I promised myself that I would participate in the River Valley Run 5K. After photographing it for the last two years, this was the year that I was actually going to participate. I went to the gym, trained my little heart out, lost 20lbs., and I was feeling great. Then I got the call. They needed me to photograph the run. There was no one else. And so...I said yes. But this year? Nope. Not happening. Nuh-uh. It's my resolution. I am training for the run again.

I feel great when I'm exercising, eating right - strange coincidence, isn't it? I've loved baking cookies, but since they're not going to aid me in my goal, the butter/sugar/flour has got to be replaced by healthier options. My biggest struggle is breakfast. I have hypothyroidism and, because of the medication I take to control it, I can't eat any dairy for 4 hours after taking the medication. Plus, I just don't like to eat in the morning. However, research has shown that eating breakfast revs up the metabolism helping you to burn more calories. It's definitely a necessary part of the day. So...what to eat? These granola bars are not only super easy to whip up, they're low calorie and low fat, easy to grab and go, filled with heart healthy whole grains, and they're easy on the budget. The original recipe can be found at EatingWell.com. I've tweaked their version to save on more calories.

FRUIT & PECAN GRANOLA BARS
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
1 egg white
1/4 Splenda Brown Sugar Substitute (or 1/2 cup brown sugar)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 1/2 cups toasted old fashioned oats
2/3 cup chopped dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread oats on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast the oats for approximately 15 minutes or until they smell "oaty" and "toasty". Pull out of oven and let 'em cool down.

Drop oven temperature down to 325 degrees.

Now, line an 8 x 11-inch pan with foil and give it a good, solid coat of cooking spray. We don't want these bars to stick.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg beaters, egg white, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, salt and vanilla in a large bowl.

Stir in oats, dried cranberries, pecans and flour. Once it's all mixed together, dump into the pan and make sure to press and pack the mixture in really good.

Bake until golden brown about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool and then cut into 16 bars. Wrap the bars up in plastic wrap, tuck 'em in your purse, the kids' lunchboxes, your snack drawer at work...

By the way, here are a few variations you may want to try:

...use dried cherries, almonds, and almond extract

...use dried blueberries, walnuts, and vanilla extract

...use dried pinapple, macadamia nuts, and coconut extract

...use dried strawberries, peanuts, and vanilla extract

...use golden raisins, walnuts, and rum extract

Danish Jam Ribbons

2009-11-30T13:10:00.003-05:00

This is one of my favorite cookies to bake at the holidays. They look so pretty, so festive, and they are so light and delicate. One year I may switch things up and roll the dough into little balls, press my thumb in them, and then fill them with the jam. But for now...why mess with success? You can use any flavor jam you want. I love strawberry, but have used raspberry, apricot, and blackberry. Yum!! Here's the recipe straight from the cookbook, "Best Loved Cookies"...with a few side notes from moi.

Danish Jam Ribbons

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 TBLS milk
2 TBLS vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
6 tablespoons jam

Glaze (recipe at the end)

DIRECTIONS
1. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, milk, vanilla, and almond extract until well blended.

2. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups flour. Beat at low speed until well blended. Stir in enough remaining flour with spoon to form stiff dough (I usually get add all the flour). Form dough into disc: wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until fir, at least 30 minutes or overnight (I usually shape mine into a rectangle - it makes the next step easier).

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut dough into 6 equal pieces. Rewrap 3 dough pieces and return to refrigerator. With floured hands, shape each piece of dough into 12-inch-long, 3/4 inch thick rope.

4. Place ropes 2 inces apart on ungreased cookie sheets (I always line my cookie sheets with parchment paper - makes clean up a snap!). Make lengthwise 1/4-inch-deep groove down center of each rope with handle of wooden spoon or finger. (Ropes will flatten to 1/2-inch-thick strips.)

5. Bake 12 minutes. Remove from oven; spoon 1 tablespoon jam into each groove. (I place the jam in a Ziplock baggy, snip the end off, and pipe into the grove - much easier.) Return to oven; bake 5-7 minutes longer or until strips are light goldne brown. Cool strips 15 minutes on cookie sheet.

6. Prepare Glaze. Blend 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 TBLS milk, and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth. Drizzle strips with Glaze; let stand 5 minutes to dry. Cut cookie strips at 45 degree angle into 1 inch slices. Place cookies on wire racks; cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Store tightly covered between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.

The McFerran Family

2009-11-22T09:22:00.006-05:00

We were chatting on the phone at 10:30 at night. Both of us were doing laundry when Shannon mentioned that they couldn't get their usual person to take their family photo for this year's Christmas cards. "Uh, hello.." I said. "What's this Sunday look like for you? I actually have this weekend off. I'll come up and do 'em!" With that, it was settled. We met last Sunday at Jerusalem Mill Village, a fantastic historic site off Mountain Road in Joppa. I had never been there but I plan on going back up to explore further. After 3 days straight of rain, it was a brilliant day filled with unseasonably warm temperatures (70 degrees!) and lots of sunlight.

Cranberry Maple Nut Scones

2009-11-20T09:49:00.008-05:00

I think it's safe to say that I heart Starbucks Maple Oat Nut Scones. I haven't had one in a long time though. Mainly because I'm cheap, I don't feel like the calories, and I'm cheap. Did I mention that I'm cheap? The other day I got Betty Crocker's Bisquick eNewsletter and I suddenly had a craving for maple oat nut scones after seeing this recipe in their newsletter. I've tweaked it to make it more moi. One bite and I was pretty stoked. These are pretty close in taste to Starbucks' scones. Yippy Skippy.

Scones
2 1/2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup maple-flavored syrup
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
1 egg

Maple Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons maple-flavored syrup

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix all scone ingredients until soft dough forms. Turn dough onto surface dusted with Bisquick mix; roll in Bisquick mix to coat. Shape into ball; knead 10 times.

2. Pat dough into 8-inch round on cookie sheet (If dough is sticky, dip fingers in Bisquick mix.) Cut into 8 wedges but do not separate.

3. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully separate wedges.

4. In small bowl, beat all glaze ingredients until smooth. Resist the urge to add more liquid - glaze should be thick. Drizzle glaze over scones. Serve warm.

Apple Spice Cookies

2009-11-08T18:47:00.005-05:00

ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!

FRUSTRATION!!!!

GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

What happened?? Seriously! The Ravens looked amazing last week...and this week, a bunch of middle schoolers showed up in their place. The football game was going so badly that I actually turned the TV off. Typically, my "Sunday thing" is to bake during the game because it relaxes me and helps me not to shout at the television. To cope, I stormed into the kitchen, pulled out my cobalt blue Kitchen Aid mixer, and got to work making these cookies. They taste like fall with the apples and spices. I love nuts in cookies, but if you're not a fan (or you're allergic), feel free to leave them out altogether. Or you could use butterscotch chips in their place. Or caramel bits. Or white chocolate. Seriously, who would turn down the opportunity to toss some chocolate in a cookie?

Apple Spice Cookies
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp maple extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsps ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped dried apples, divided (I used one 4.5oz bag)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening.

Add in dark brown sugar and white sugar and cream.

Add eggs and maple extract extract and beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine the all purpose flour, wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt; stir into the butter/sugar mixture until just combined.

In a large bowl, mix the oats, raisins, dried apples, and walnuts. Dump into the butter/sugar/flour mixture until combined.

Line an ungreased cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or a large spoon, form into a walnut-sized ball and place on a the lined cookie sheet. Place a small piece of dried apple on top of the dough, and flatten into a patty.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes, until light and golden. Do not overbake. Let cookies cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool completely.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Jessica Hamilton + AJ Ballentine

2009-11-01T20:14:00.004-05:00

Taste of Fall

2009-10-31T20:04:00.003-04:00

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

~George Cooper, "October's Party"

Speaking Louder Than Before Tour

2009-10-25T22:38:00.005-04:00

Speaking Louder Than Before Tour
Jeremy Camp, Natalie Grant, Bebo Norman
October 24th, 2009
The Lyric Opera House
Baltimore, Maryland

White Chocolate Coconut Lime Cookies

2009-10-18T11:45:00.003-04:00

Well, another Ravens loss, and that means another day in the kitchen for Erin. Actually, it helps my nerves while I'm watching the game. The family likes it because my attention is semi-diverted and I'm not shouting at the television quite as much. Besides, if I get my frustrations out in the kitchen, it'll save Jack from having to deal with a moody Erin, so really I'm helping his sanity too - ha ha! So this week I poked through the cupboard to see what I had on hand. It was either straight up chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip caramel cookies, homemade marshmallows, or these. I decided to spice things up and try something different, so white chocolate, coconut, lime cookies it is! These cookies include the zest of the lime. That's the outside, green part. You'll want to use something like a microplane to shave the zest fine. Feel free to omit it if you want, just know you'll lose some of that awesome limey flavor.

COOKIES
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest and juice of 1 lime
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup flaked coconut
1 bag white chocolate chips

GLAZE
1 cup powdered sugar
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening.

Add in brown sugar and white sugar.

In a small bowl beat eggs, coconut extract, and vanilla extract.

Add to butter/sugar mixture.

Beat in lime zest and juice.

Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix the oats, coconut, and white chocolate chips. Form mixture into walnut-size balls, flatten into patties, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until light and golden. Do not overbake. Let cookies cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool completely.

Stir together powdered sugar, lime zest, and lime juice. Drizzle over cookies.

Store in an airtight container.

Rebekah & Shane

2009-08-03T19:46:00.006-04:00

The last time I saw Rebekah, it was 1998. It feels way weird to say that we haven't seen each other in 12 years because it doesn't feel anywhere near that long. We met through our home-school high school. Rebekah was (and still is) a petite bundle of energy and laughs. She was always very welcoming and out going. I was shy but eventually came out of my shell during my senior year (no one believes me when I tell them I was shy - I used to hide under my bed when company came over). She was one of my high school friends that unknowingly helped me through that process.

Rebekah, myself, and a whole host of other girls forged friendships that year. We were all part of our school's production of "The Sound of Music". Rebekah was one of the postulates and I was Mother Abbess (yup, I sang "Climb Every Mountain" and hit the note...I can't watch that part of the movie with Julie Andrews to this day!). Thanks to the wonder that is Facebook, we've been able to get in touch again and it's like time hasn't really passed. She's been married to a great guy, Shane, for three years and they're expecting Baby in September. I had a blast catching up with Rebekah, meeting Shane, and capturing Rebekah in her beautiful pregnancy glory. Seriously, isn't she practically the most gorgeous pregnant woman you've ever seen??

Convoy Of Hope

2009-06-05T10:13:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it's really here. We've planning for the Convoy of Hope for months and last night was our planning meeting before the big day. This photo was taken by head of the committee, Kelly Harrison. Times are tough and poverty is something that isn't happening just to the people we classify as "poor" in our city - it's happening to people we would have classified as "rich" as well. My own father lost his job two months ago and I praise God that my parents are doing all right. Tomorrow we'll spending the day at a park in Baltimore City serving our fellow Baltimoreans. This is simply a day for us to serve our community.

We'll be giving groceries, hair cuts, health screenings, clothes, and family portraits. Plus we'll have an area for the kids to play and adults to get resumes written and on the spot job hiring. Football players and hometown guys Tommy Polley (New Orleans Saints), Tony Covington (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and Keion Carpenter (Atlanta Falcons) are going to be dropping in to meet and encourage people. Local television, newspapers, the mayor, and major organizations are all contributing. It's going to be an awesome day! Most importantly, our goal is simply to love people and serve them and give them some hope. As you can imagine, an event of this magnitude requires major people power. Over 1000 people have volunteered and we're expecting to serve 10,000. Tonight is the volunteer rally where we'll have a chance to come together as a group, get last minute instructions, and pray over this event. I am so excited to see how God is going to use this day to shower His love on this city!

Freebie and Tutorial

2009-06-03T18:53:00.005-04:00

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So yesterday I gave away a set of brushes I called, "Defining Thoughts". I received a few emails wanting to know how I made them, so I thought I'd share my process with you. Today's freebie includes the brush we're going to create together in this tutorial, plus a bonus alternate version. Keep in mind that I am using Adobe Photoshop CS4, so you may have to make adjustments.

Create a new document with the following measurements:

Width: 2500px
Height: 1000px
Resolution: 300
Background Contents: Transparent

A brush can be a maximum width or height of 2500px, so we're going to go all the way.

Grab your Text tool (PC: Ctrl + T / MAC: CMD + T) and choose a sans serif font. I'm using Helvetica Bold, but something like Arial will work. DaFont.com is a great resource for free fonts.

Type out the word "determination" in lower case letters and set the type.

Go under Window and make sure to that Character is checked and open the Character palette.

Highlight the word and in the character palette, we're going to move the letters closer together. I have no idea what that little feature is called, so I'm going to call it, "The Squisher" because that's exactly its function in this case! I used -100, but depending on your font you may need more or less. Hit the check mark to commit the type.

Right click on the word and choose, "Convert To Shape". This now converts the text to a shape and gives you a crisp looking word no matter how large you stretch the font. You could even save the shape and use it again in the future.

Stretch the text to fit the document by holding down the Shift and Alt keys. This will keep you from having distorted text. Your text should be quite large and fill the document.

Now we're going to write the phrase below "determination". Select the Text Tool again (or hit the letter T as a short cut). Select another sans serif font. This time I'm using Helvetica Neue Regular. My font size is 35pt and I've changed "The Squisher" to -80. Instead of turning caps lock on, check the TT feature in the Character bin. This will instantly turn your lower case letters in upper case. Type the phrase, "NOTHING CAN STOP YOU".

Move the text to the far right and line it up under the last letter. Looks pretty sweet so far, doesn't it?

Now we're going to draw the lines, so create a new layer.

Select the Custom Shape Tool (hit the letter U for a shortcut) and then select the line tool. My line weight is 20px. Hold down the shift key and draw a line spanning the width of the document.

Now hit CTRL + J (CMD + J for MAC) to duplicate the layer. Hit V to select the move tool. Hold down the Shift key and drag the duplicated layer below the text. Feel free to move your lines around to get them just right.

Select "Merge Visible" from the drop down menu in your layers palette.

Now, you can trim away the extra pixels if you'd like and save it as a PNG file. For now though it won't matter be we're now going to turn this bad boy into a brush. Go up to EDIT and select "Define Brush Preset".

Create a name for the brush - I called it Determination - and hit OK. You now have a brush!

Select the Brush Tool (hit the letter B for a short cut) and you'll see that your brush is loaded and ready to go!

To save your brush, select Preset Manager from the drop down menu on your brush palette.

Highlight the brush (or brushes) you want to appear in the set. Hit Save Set, create a name for your group of brushes, and save them in your brushes directory.

Now you can go wild - try different fonts (I used Jane Austen and American Typewriter here) and change the line. You are only limited by your imagination!

FREEBIE: Defining Thoughts Brushes

2009-06-02T20:50:00.006-04:00

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Just want to say thanks to the many people who leave comments when they download. Props to Andi from Canada who downloaded just about everything I've done AND left a comment on each one! Wow! I really appreciate you taking the time - it let's me know my work is appreciate and that you enjoy using my designs :D. Soooo, I guess what I'm saying is thank you for thanking me :D Enjoy the freebie!

FREEBIE: Diamond Overlays

2009-05-31T19:03:00.004-04:00

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I hope you had a great weekend! I sure needed the time to rest and relax and get ready for a busy week. I've got to get all my camera gear charged and ready for the Hillsong United concert tomorrow night. Right now it looks like we're going to have 6,000 people at the concert, so it's sure to be a great night!

Saturday (6/6) is the Convoy of Hope. We've been preparing for this for so long it's hard to believe that it's here. Please pray that we don't have any rain this week. The park we are using to host the event holds water and we just can't have a wet ground. As of now, 120,000 fliers have been distributed to the homes around Clifton Park. By the end of the day, we'll have 900 volunteers expecting to serve 10,000 people. We'll be giving them groceries, hair cuts, medical screenings, family portraits, food, and much, much more. I'm looking forward to it and I'm so excited to see so many churches and local organizations come together for this amazing event.

FREEBIE: Feel The Love Brushes

2009-05-30T19:14:00.002-04:00

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Oy. That's the last time I ever do that again. Yesterday evening I skipped dinner because I wasn't hungry. Come 8PM though, I suddenly felt very hungry. Instead of eating a meal, I hunted for what looked good to eat in the fridge. I found some macaroni salad and ate the remaining bit, about a 1/2 cup. Note to self: never eat macaroni salad without finding out the expiration date.

I woke up at 1AM with a rock in my stomach and I knew I was no good from there. You can guess what happened! Let's just say that my Saturday plans have been royally messed up. So instead of doing what I planned, I've spent virtually the whole day on the computer. I put together a kit all about ice cream (I'm putting the finishing touches on it - you'll see it in the coming days :D) and some other things...including these brushes. Probably the brightest spot in my whole day was finding out that BLURB has just unveiled a new 12x12 book!!!!! I squealed when I saw it!!! A 40 page book is 59.95 which works out to $1.50 a page; an 80 page book is $70.95 and works out to about .90 cents a page. Seriously, can you get any better than that? You can't even print an 8x10 picture for that price! I heart Blurb in a big way.

Download the brushes and enjoy! Don't forget to leave your blog link when you comment. I'd love to visit it!

FREEBIE: Beautiful Words Brushes

2009-05-29T19:44:00.004-04:00

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This week I've been off my show and have been filling in on the morning show. I've hated getting up at 4:45AM every morning (I have noooo idea how they do it day in and day out), but I have enjoyed having the entire afternoon to do whatever I want! My brother and I went to go see Night At The Museum 2 and it was super cute. Hank Azaria as the villain was just pure genius. On the way home, I flipped on the radio to hear how my show partner was doing. I was greeted with static.

I felt instant panic. Radio and dead air do not go together! Unfortunately, some very severe thunderstorms rolled through our area and the studio was hit by lightening and virtually everything electrical was fried. My show partner was fine - just wigged out a little when it happened! We are blessed to have an auxiliary tower and studio. They don't have near the amount of power and clarity of the main studio, but when you broadcast to 126,000 people daily, it's better than nothing! Our engineer says it's the worst lightening strike we've had since 1989. If you would, please pray that we can find the necessary parts and finances to replace what needs to be replaced (or else I'm going to have to start selling some of my scrapbooking supplies for donations!). The damage is pretty significant and the replacement pieces cost MAJOR money. God knew lightening was going to strike our station, and while it caught us off guard it didn't catch Him. We know he's already got this one figured out, so we're going to trust in Him to make the repairs and finances work out.

Here are some brushes I put together today. Enjoy and download here!

FREEBIE: Retro Overlays Set 2

2009-05-28T16:58:00.001-04:00

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I heart ice cream. There's the plain and simple truth. I don't eat it too often though because if I'm going to eat ice cream, I'm going to eat. it. As in throw everything - hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts, cherry - on top. If I don't do that, then I'm going to spend an exorbitant amount of money or a super rich pint of something. But I don't do that, like, ever...because I'm cheap and I'm losing weight.

So last Friday, the "top floor" offices were practically empty except for us girls. Rebecca, one of my co-workers, happens to be with child and is craving everything under the sun. We decided, since it was a holiday weekend, we have a mini celebration. I ran to the store across the street and grabbed some Breyer's FREE Slow Churned Vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries. It was awesome!! It took us all of five minutes to do and was a pleasant break in the day. I decided to put on my Facebook that we were having a "secret" party...I really wanted to see how long it would take one of my co-workers from the bottom floor to notice. Sure enough, it didn't take too long! Chris, my show partner, surprised us with the video camera :-D.

FREEBE: Retro Overlays

2009-05-27T19:55:00.003-04:00

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Crazy. That's what this week has been already! We've busting our tails to get a new project done for its launch date...today. I'm glad to say we made the launch on schedule for our new internet radio station called FUEL Music Forward. It's geared to teens and features Christian music from artists like Skillet, Kutless, TobyMac, Fireflight, and more. Most importantly, it's music that has a positive and encouraging message that our youth needs to hear today! As much as it pains me to admit it, I'm well out of the teen years, but I love that style of music.

Here's a little freebie for you today! If you use the overlays, I'd love to see what you create with them! Download the overlays here.

FREEBIE: Template

2009-05-26T20:42:00.006-04:00

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I love looking at graphic design sites. They're always a great source of inspiration. Love looking at the colors, layouts, use of text, color combinations. One of my faves is Line 25. As a matter of fact, one of their posts featured this website that served as inspiration for this template.

A few posts back I asked what pages use used most in your digital scrapbooking. I would say it was 50/50 those who use 12x12 and 8x10. With that in mind, whenever I offer a template, I'll be sure to offer it in both sizes. I personally have all my books made through Blurb in the 8x10 size, so I use a custom size to fit the book. Here's a page that I created using the template - it needs some work for sure - I'm sure you'll come up with something better!

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T16:53:00.006-04:00

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I haven't been down to the veterans' cemetery where my grandfather is buried since the day of his funeral. Grandfather was a strong, stubborn, obstinate, mean man. He had few friends and was blessed to have had a woman who loved him for the better part of 25 years. My grandmother and he divorced when my mom and her sister were in their late teens, but my grandfather had stopped being their father long before that. As a matter of fact, it's hard to even believe that my grandmother and grandfather were even in love and married at one point. He could be so hard and critical and at other times do something so kind and genuine it would knock our socks off. Take for instance the summer he dropped by our house with a brand new air conditioning unit. Our house didn't have air conditioning and my parents couldn't afford to buy a window unit. They never said anything about it to him. Buy my grandfather came for a visit and saw the need. He just dropped it off one day and said, "It's for the kids - they need it."

My mother's relationship with her father grew over the years, thanks to having my brothers and me. She wanted us to know our grandfather. She and my father also started following Jesus Christ. If Christ could offer her forgiveness, then she could forgive her father and try to move on. Christmas was "his" holiday. Every year he and Miss Carol would come over dinner. He'd tell the same war stories and each year they got a little more outlandish. He always talked and we always listened. He never asked us how we were doing or what was going on. We always asked him and that would set us up for a two hour one way conversation (his way) with occasional comments thrown in. Then we'd exchange gifts - he'd whip out the pen knife from his vest pocket so he could carefully open the wrapping paper. Half the time he didn't like what we got him and told us so. We finally learned that you couldn't go wrong giving him good old country music and some socks.

At Christmas 2007, things changed. He didn't talk so much. We carried the conversation. He had a hard time breathing, standing up, sitting down, walking. It was that Christmas that made me wonder how much longer he would be with us. In January we took him to the hospital and the doctors said he had a couple of blood clots, prostate cancer, and congestive heart failure, but they were confident he would be all right. By March we knew it was only a matter of time. After being in a nursing home for rehabilitation, the nursing home unfortunately accelerated his illness by giving him the wrong medication with the incorrect dosage. We brought him to his home and had the most wonderful hospice nurse walk us through his final days. God used that time to prepare us, to heal past hurts, and help us move on. What a better way to forgive someone than to serve them. I am so happy I was able to spend time with my grandfather during his last days. He passed away on Good Friday last year with the entire family - literally everyone who loved him - by his bedside.

I never told him that I appreciated him serving our country. This morning, I went to the veterans' cemetery where he is buried to honor him. I arrived just in time to see their Memorial Day ceremony. I felt pretty overwhelmed with gratitude for him and for the other men and woman who fought so I can worship, vote, and speak as I please.

FREEBIE: Create Your Own Tags

2009-05-24T18:22:00.003-04:00

I hope you are able to enjoy this Memorial Day weekend! I am fortunate to have the holiday off. My grandfather, a war vet, passed away just over a year ago and is buried at a nearby veteran's cemetery. I have yet to go and see the headstone, so I was thinking about doing that tomorrow. The cemetery places American flags on each of the graves and I'd like to see that.

How do you spend your Memorial Day? Does the thought of our veterans cross your mind? I confess that sometimes it feels like it's just a three day holiday. However, I am grateful for the sacrifices that our armed men, women, and their families have made on my behalf, and I will be pausing at 3pm Monday during the national moment of silence to offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

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Here's a little something I put together today. I've made these tags roughly 6in x 6in so you can use them as a photo frame, for journaling, or even shrink them to create some alphas.

DOWNLOAD Create Your Own Scrap Tags

FREEBIE: Photo Masks Set 2

2009-05-23T18:39:00.003-04:00

If you as parents cut corners, your children will too. If you lie, they will too. If you spend all your money on yourselves and tithe no portion of it for charities, colleges, churches, synagogues, and civic causes, your children won't either.

~ Marian Wright Edelman (president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund)

Yesterday, my show partner and I got a lesson in generosity from a 9 year old. We received a phone call from a mom who wanted to invite us to her daughter's lemonade stand. Morgan, age 9, won the stand from a local grocery store in a contest. She also won the opportunity to set it up in front of the grocery and keep any money that she made.

Being the little entrepreneur that she is, Morgan (I'm sure with a little help from Mom) picked Memorial Day weekend to set up her Sunkist lemonade stand. She planned on selling cups of lemonade for a $1. Chris (my show partner) and I were floored when Morgan's mom told us that Morgan planned on GIVING HALF of her earnings to our (non-profit) radio station. She was surprised - but proud - when Morgan told her what she wanted to do. To a 9 year old, $20 is like $100! We couldn't have been more humbled. So, today, I cleared my schedule and made the 40 minute drive to meet Morgan and her family so I could say thank you. I happened to have arrived right when Chris and his family did, so it was great to meet Morgan and her family together. The words "Thank You" didn't even begin to convey the gratitude I felt. This is a lesson in generosity I will carry with me for quite some time.

DOWNLOAD Photo Masks Set 2.
If you missed Set 1, click here to check 'em out.

FREEBIE: Grungy Textured Overlays

2009-05-20T21:05:00.004-04:00

I'm watching the American Idol finale right now. It got off to a pretty slow start, but it's definitely picked up.

The Idols singing with the artists is definitely a highlight. Enjoy the freebie - I'm off to keep watching!

DOWNLOAD Grungy Textured Overlays

FREEBIE: Colorful Film

2009-05-18T20:42:00.004-04:00

I spent the weekend happily scrapping away. As I was scrapping, I realized that I wanted to do something different to my photos. Some of them had an almost vintage feel stylistically and I wanted to enhance that look.

Here is a set of actions I made in CS4. You should be able to use them in CS and up. All the layers are adjustable, including the film grain. I am working on a set for Photoshop Elements. I'm a former Elements user so I know how hard it can be to find actions! So tell me - what program do you use to edit your photos and make your scrapbook pages?

DOWNLOAD my Colorful Film action

Here are a couple of photos using the actions:

Wonderful Weekend

2009-05-18T08:22:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week. The first day back at work - indeed the first week - was a doozy! We've got A LOT of concerts, promotions, and events in the hopper. One of things I'm most excited about is Convoy of Hope. Area churches and organizations are partnering to bring this event to Baltimore's north east district. We're expecting 10,000 people to show up. Each person/family will receive 8 bags of groceries, plus we're offering HIV/AIDS screenings, family portraits, resume writing, hair cuts, job opportunities, entertainment (I'm assisting on the entertainment), kid fun, food, and tons more. The mayor, city police, local TV and newspaper are all working with us. It's pretty exciting to see so many hands come together for the good of our city.

So with all of this going on, I decided to chill out this weekend and do nothing. I'm finally working on my digital scrapbook. I've got pictures from 2007 that have never been scrapped! This weekend I focused on a trip my friend Tatiana and I took to Maryland's Ocean City. I thought I'd share a few of my complete pages (all papers/embellishments/templates are my own designs).

FREEBIE: Photo Masks

2009-05-11T22:26:00.002-04:00

Thanks for all of the comments on my last freebie. It was definitely enlightening to see how many people actually scrap in the "non-traditional" format. I was really surprised to see how many people actually design for their digital photo frame! I don't have one, but I'm sure if I did I'd be scrapping for that too!

Photo masks look like they are the hot thing right now. Have you tried them yet? They're a fun way to liven up a picture. I decided to create some with words and phrases. Here's the first batch. If you've never tried them before, all you have to do is open up the mask in your editing program, put the photo on the layer directly above the mask, and then clip (I've seen it called "group" too) the photo layer to the mask layer (typically by using CTRL/CMD + G or CTRL/CMD + ALT + G). You may find that the lettering gets a little lost if the photo is light where the words are. I added a dark gray gradient to the letters and then changed the blend mode to suit the photo. It enhanced the letters just enough so they stood out but didn't look unnatural. Here's a pretty simple layout I did to show you how I used it. I used a paper from my (free) Grungy Poetry and Red & Green For Spring kits. I wish I could give credit for the grid element, lace, and ribbon, but the artists didn't mark them so I can't track them back. If you recognize them, let me know!

DOWNLOAD Photo Masks Set 1.

FREEBIE: Grungy Edge Brushes

2009-05-09T23:56:00.005-04:00

True confessions: When I design digital scrapbook papers, I design them for the standard 12in x 12in. The truth is, I don't print them off as 12x12 pages or use Shutterfly to make my books.

I use Blurb. Have you heard of it yet? Aside from the fact that is WAY cheaper than Snapfish and Shutterfly, beginners and pros can use Blurb to make fantastic photo books. If you're not a digital scrapbooker and just want your digital pictures in a book, then no worries. If you're a little more creative and like to work on pairing color schemes and fonts, you'll be happy to know you choose custom colors and use your own fonts. If you're a pro, then the sky's the limit. You can check out my books here.

Right now Blurb has an 8x10 book and then a larger "coffee table" size at 13x11 (they also have a 7x7 and 5x8 Black & White Text book). I've been modifying my papers to fit the 8x10 and 13x11 books. All this work has made me wonder how many people actually use the 12x12 size. With that in mind, I've made some edging brushes, so you can add that little extra something to your own specially designed pages.

DOWNLOAD the grugy edge brushes. When you download, would you leave a comment and let me know if you stick with the 12x12 or if you venture to different sizes? Thanks!

FREEBIE: Grungy Poetry Papers

2009-05-07T23:14:00.003-04:00

I am exhausted. I just got in from my former high school's semi-formal event. I've been helping out the past few years as their event photographer. It's always fun to see the girls and guys gush over each other. It's a talented group of young adults - some of the girls actually make their own dresses!

Before I completely unwind from the night, I did want to post a little something. I was cleaning through some of my antique books that I've collected and I found a book of poems by John Greenleaf Whittier. I decided to incorporate some of the poems into these grungy papers. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD Grungy Poetry Papers here.

Always Laugh

2009-05-06T18:50:00.003-04:00

My vacation is half up and all I can do is laugh. It has done nothing but rain for 5 days straight. My show partner is enjoying the sunshine and a cool Bermuda breeze while I am cooped up with more rain than I can shake a stick at.

The rain is a welcome sight - our state is always in a drought it seems like. The grass certainly has enjoyed the rain. It seems like it's grown a foot in the past few days! This afternoon I've been been busy going through my very full 250GB hard drive and seeing what I haven't scrapped...and that's pretty much everything on the hard drive. I'm working my way through 2007's pictures right now! Yiy!

Here's a little freebie for you...

DOWNLOAD Always Laugh Overlay and Word Art here.

FREEBIE: Jane Austen Papers

2009-05-05T21:08:00.006-04:00

So what if it's raining cats and dogs on my vacation? Darice, one of our frequent callers in the afternoon, always calls on rainy days to remind us that rain is "liquid sunshine". Because of the rain, I've been spending my vacation indoors becoming best friends with Jane Austen and my very comfortable couch.

I admit it - I am an A&E Pride & Prejudice version only junkie. Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth are the only Elizabeth and Darcy. Sorry to Kiera Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen, but they just can't touch them. Have you heard about "Lost In Austen" yet? It's basically Pride & Prejudice fan fiction come to life. It's finally out in the US - you can order the set for $15 from Amazon.com. I did manage to find the first episode on Japanese YouTube. I've got my DVD set on order and I cannot wait for it to come in.

While I wait, I figured I'd make some "Jane Austen" papers. These papers are ready to go - all you need to do is tint them. By the way, if you'd like to download Jane Austen's handwriting font, go here.

DOWNLOAD papers here.

Change Of Plans

2009-05-05T11:10:00.005-04:00

"This art of resting the mind and the power of dismissing from it all care and worry
is probably one of the secrets of energy in our great men."

~Captain J. A. Hadfield~
Well, going to the beach was a great idea...until it decided to downpour Sunday...and the Weather Channel said it was going to rain for two days straight. There was no sense driving 3 hours to the beach and having it look like a giant, wet litter box, so we opted for something different. My parents frequently get away to the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and have been dying to take me there. Since it's only 90 minutes away, it seemed doable. I threw some stuff in my hot pink suitcase and the parents and I made the rainy trip to the Bavarian Inn.

Doesn't this place look so European? I felt like I was in the Alps when I first saw it from the roadway.

My room was nothing short of incredible...a fireplace, a private balcony with an incredible view of the Potomac River...I felt totally luxurious.

My room had a king bed with the most comfortable mattress and bedding EVER. Seriously. If it wasn't against the law, I would have taken the whole thing out of the room and carted it home!

On the coffee table in front of the fireplace was a basket with two red apples. I thought it was a unique and thoughtful touch.

On the way up, we stopped at Barnes & Noble because I needed a book (or three!) to read. I found this delightful Pride & Prejudice mystery series by Carrie Bebris called, "The Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery Series". I'm going out to the library today to see if I can borrow the rest. Fans of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice will no doubt like it :-D. I listened to Greg Maroney on my Mp3 player while I read the entire afternoon away!

One final photo - this is for my dad the still life artist. Love you Dad!

Going To The Beach

2009-05-02T13:03:00.005-04:00

One of the great things about being a part of a radio duo is when one person is off, so is the other. The bad thing is, when one person wants to take off the other has to as well. I'm horrible at taking time off - I'm a work-a-holic - but my radio partner has a family, so days off are precious to him. I'm single, so I'm just not at that stage yet. It actually works out well because he pretty much forces me to take time off for myself! So Chris is hopping on a plane with his wife today to go on the Music Boat Cruise. They're going to cruise around the Bahamas while watching some great concerts on the boat from artists like tobyMac, Mercy Me, The David Crowder Band, BarlowGirl, Jars of Clay, Matthew West, 33Miles, Hawk Nelson, and a bunch of other Christian music acts. I have to admit that I'm a teensy-weensy jealous. It is partly a work cruise as Chris will be emceeing a lot of the concerts...but seriously, it should not be considered work when you're in the Bahamas with a 24 hour sushi buffet and 24 hour soft serve ice cream. I'd be in heaven!

So while Chris is gone, I'm also taking the week off to do...wait for it...nothing! I'm going to go down to Ocean City (or as those of us from Baltimore say, "Goin' downey o'shun, hon!") to relax for couple of days. I just might get a facial or go to my own local sushi place or take a long drive...I'm planning on doing everything and nothing all at the same time!

Here is a set of beach themed brushes I forgot that I had made. No sense letting them go to waste, especially since they fit my current mood! Each brush is high res and I've also included a set of PNGs. Enjoy...and I'll see you in a week!

DOWNLOAD here.

An Evening With Mark Schultz

2009-05-02T10:45:00.002-04:00

An Evening with Mark Schultz
Friday, May 1st, 2009
Mountain Christian Church
Joppa, MD

Genuine, honest, hilarious. He says that he's not the greatest singer or the greatest piano player. He says he's such a bad piano player that he only plays the black keys because there are less of them than the white keys. Mark Shultz's gift is story telling. Each song takes the listener on an emotional journey: a parent whose child is dying of cancer and is begging God to let his son live in his place (He's My Son), an elderly man who promised his wife's father when he was a teenage that he would always walk his wife home including placing her in the arms of Jesus (Walking Her Home), or the personal story of his great-grandmother whose son was lost at war yet she never gave up hope that he was alive (Letters From War). If you have time, grab a box of tissues and watch the music video for Letters From War. Mark was invited to the Pentagon to play it for the officers and since then it has been used in the US Army's Be Safe - Make It Home campaign.

Photographer's notes: like the Natalie Grant show last weekend, this was another straight forward shoot. There were no frills, no lighting displays, and no need really. It was just Mark and the keyboard with the background being washed in blue and occasionally purple.

Make It Matter Tour

2009-04-29T20:14:00.011-04:00

Make It Matter Tour
Natalie Grant, Chris Sligh, and Meredith Andrews
Saturday, April 25th, 2009
Bridgeway Community Church
Columbia, Maryland

As I mentioned the other night, the Make It Matter Tour with Natalie Grant and guests Chris Sligh and Meredith Andrews was uh.may.zing. Each artist has a very distinct style and message in their music. Natalie is a combination of life stories and worship. Chris is deep and you can hear his ponderings in his lyrics. Meredith has a genuine heart for worship. Their personalities and styles combined created a terrific show.

Photography notes: the lighting was as great as could be for a church show. The back of the stage alternated in magenta, purple, green, and blue washes of color. A white spotlight lit the artist but the light wasn't as harsh it usually is. It was a straight forward, no brainer kind of shoot.

Before the concert, Natalie took time to talk to a group of youth workers and teen girls about a conference she's involved in called The Revolve Tour. Revolve is the "little sister" to the Women of Faith conference. It's thousands of girls, gathered in an arena, hearing messages that encourage them and let them know that they are valued and have worth.

Meredith's husband Jacob used to be Jeremy Camps key board player.

Chris Sligh

Natalie Grant

FREEBIE: Dot Overlays

2009-04-29T17:40:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the lack of scrapbooking freebies. I've been hard at work finishing up the photos from Saturday night's concert with Natalie Grant, Meredith Andrews, and Chris Sligh. Plus, the season finales of Chuck and Heroes were on Monday night and I definitely could not miss them!

So, here's a little something I've put together just to let you know I haven't forgotten about you! I'll be posting photos from the concert tomorrow, so feel free to check back then :D. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD the dot overlays.

Make It Matter Tour

2009-04-26T00:52:00.004-04:00

It's 12:54AM and I can't help myself. Tonight's concert with Natalie Grant, Chris Sligh and Meredith Andrews was UH. MAY. ZING. I've only download one CF card, so here's one of faves on it.

FREEBIE: Beauty Overlay

2009-04-24T18:01:00.004-04:00

I'm calling it an early night. Tomorrow will be a loooong day. We've got Natalie Grant, Meredith Andrews, and Chris Sligh in concert, so I'll be at the venue all day long. I'm pretty excited though to break out the camera and photograph the concert!

Here's a little something I whipped during my downtime this afternoon. Since everyone seemed to like the page overlays from the day before, I decided to make another one. I've also included 4 papers that I created using the overlay so you could see the many ways the overlay can be used. The top left has had a style (courtesy of the Scrappin Cop) applied to the overlay. The top right has a gradient applied to the overlay (apply the gradient and then clip it to the overlay). The bottom left has the overly applied as is. The bottom right has the overlay applied, and then a grunge brush was used to erase parts of the overlay.

Enjoy! Download here.

See you in a few days with photos from the concert!

Sunshine Salad

2009-04-24T13:10:00.006-04:00

This is the final day of working split shifts. I have to admit that I have enjoyed seeing the best parts of the entire day. I've been up at 5AM each morning and seen the sky just before sunrise. The moon has been a sliver of a crescent and the sky has been a brilliant dark blue. During the lunch hour, I've been at home soaking up the afternoon sunshine. In the evenings, I've seen the warm sunlight as it sets over the city. I have definitely enjoyed it, but I'm ready to go back to my normal 10-6PM work schedule! So today's my final day to be at home and enjoy making lunch.

On today's menu, a light salad of butter lettuce tossed with some sweet, juicy organic apples, chunky gorgonzola, and walnuts. Yum! Definitely try this with butter lettuce. It's sometimes called boston lettuce and it has a softer texture than romaine or iceberg. I got a bag of butter lettuce mixed with some radicchio (a red leaf chicory that has a peppery taste) at Trader Joe's for $1.99.

Sunshine Salad
2-3 cups butter lettuce
1/4 sweet apple, sliced (fuji, gala, golden delicious are great)
1 TBLS crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 TBLS walnut pieces
1 TBLS golden raisins
1 TBLS red wine vinaigrette (use your favorite)
2 tsps apple juice

Place lettuce in a large bowl. In a small cup, mix the red wine vinaigrette and apple juice together. Pour over the lettuce and toss to combine. Turn the dressed lettuce on to a plate and top with the apple slices, cheese, nuts, and raisins.

Serves 1

Circles and Dots...Oh My!

2009-04-23T17:22:00.001-04:00

I cannot wait for it to get warm. We keep getting a tease of warmer weather and then we get sucked back into chilly temps. Today was around 55 degrees, but this weekend it should be 85 degrees.

The warmer weather makes me think of going to the fair. I love it when our state and county fairs roll around. Each year I try to enter some of my photography in the competition to see if I can come away with a few bucks. Actually, my hope is that I'll win just enough to cover admission into the fair and maybe some cotton candy or a funnel cake. Yum! Course, if I were to take home the $25 grand prize, you won't hear me complaining. ;-D

Enjoy the paper pack! Download it here.

Creamy Tomato Gnocchi

2009-04-22T15:03:00.005-04:00

Waking up at 5AM, delivering the morning traffic, getting some work done for a few hours, going home around 12:30PM and coming back at 2PM for the afternoon show...you know, if it wasn't for the fact that I'm tired out of my mind, a girl could get used to this split shift thing! I've actually enjoyed being able to go home during a "normal" hour and making lunch. I remembered that I had some gnocchi in the cupboard and some fresh roma tomatoes were sitting on the counter. Oh yeah...and some cream in the fridge. So I whipped up some creamy tomato gnocchi. Warning...this is a meal to make when you just don't care about the calories. Seriously. Close your eyes when you eat this...and don't think about the calories!

Creamy Tomato Gnocchi
1 lb of fresh, vacuum packed gnocchi
6 slices bacon
4 ripe roma tomatoes
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried basil leaves
½ cup heavy cream
pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

Set a pot of water on the stove and let it begin to heat to a boil. Set a saucepan on medium heat. While the saucepan heats, we're going to tackle the bacon. Two words: bacon rocks. Don't use “healthy” bacon on this – you need to use something stellar, something you would serve to company. An applewood smoked bacon would be totally awesome. I only had plain old center cut on hand and it wasn't as awesome as applewood smoked, but it did the trick. I like to separate my bacon slices into stacks of three. Slice in half lengthwise, then stack both haves on top of each. Then run your knife through it crosswise, roughly chopping the bacon. Do that for the other three strips.

Drop the bacon into the hot saucepan. Hear that sizzle? Yeah...bacon rocks.

While your bacon is sauteeing, grab your onion.

Slice both ends off, remove the paper, and dice 'er up. Don't forget to stir your bacon! When the bacon is crisped up, fish it out of the grease and plop it on a paper towel lined plate. Drain the bacon grease, but leave about 3 TBLS of grease behind. Add the diced onions to the bacon grease. I told you this wasn't healthy.

Grab two cloves of garlic. Smash those puppies up and toss them into the onions once the onions are cooked and brown.

I prefer to seed my roma tomatoes. Simply slice the tomato in half lengthwise and then run your fingers through the middle. That should loosen up the seeds – go ahead and toss the seeds. Give the tomatoes a rough chop. No need to have a pretty dice because the tomatoes are going to cook down.

Dump the tomatoes into the onions and garlic.

Add 1 teaspoon of dried basil. That's all I had on hand, but if I could have used fresh basil, I sure would have!

Add a pinch of red pepper flakes...if you like the heat.

Stir it up and let it cook down, approximately 5 minutes.

While your tomato mixture is cooking, your water for the gnocchi should be boiling. Open your package of gnocchi and dump the little potato dumplings into the boiling water. Once they float to the top, let them boil about 2 minutes longer. Double check your package directions, but that should be universal.

Once your gnocchi is cooked, fish the gnocchi out of the boiling water and add directly to the tomato mixture. It's OK if you get some of the liquid with it because that will help thin out the sauce. Don't stir it quite yet. Now for the cream. See? I told you this was definitely not healthy! I happen to have a bottle of grade A table cream on hand. You can use heavy cream, half & half, or evaporated milk if you want. But seriously? Go with the good stuff. I didn't measure the cream...I just poured till it looked right. It was more than likely a half a cup.

Stir together, let it simmer for a minute, give it one final stir, and you have a finished meal. It should serve 4 modest portions, but if you're hungry...

...I won't tell ::wink wink::

FREEBIE: Page Overlays

2009-04-22T05:58:00.002-04:00

They call is Gospel Music Week. All genres of Christian music plus Christian radio, retail, managers, artists, promoters (you name it they're there!) converge upon Nashville, TN. Our morning show is broadcasting live from the week. It's fun to hear what makes our listeners favorite artists tick, what the artists' family life is like, and what kind of people they are a part from their music. It's an opportunity to know the artists a little more personally.

The morning show has been sending back videos so we can give our listeners a different point of view, and I've spent almost every hour since Saturday editing and uploading clips...in addition to my afternoon show and getting up at 5AM to announce the morning traffic. I've gone the past 4 year, but because of budget cuts, it just wasn't possible. I'm actually pretty happy to be sleeping in my own bed and getting more than 2-3 hours sleep (which is what I typically get each night of GMA week!). If you're a fan of Christian music, you'll probably enjoy watching the videos. We've got informal clips of Big Daddy Weave, Mark Schultz, Jeremy Camp, and plenty more.

As creative as making videos has been, I've been feeling the need to be “scrap book” creative. So, I've decided to make a few page overlays for you. If you've never used an overlay before, they're very simple and can change the look of a page in an instant. Simply place the PNG file over the background paper or background color. You can leave it as is, change the blend mode, or change the color using the Hue/Saturation slider. Check the box that says “Colorize” and adjust the hue, saturation, and/or lightness sliders to the desired color. There are lots of ways to use it! Have fun!

By the way, if you download it, would you leave a link to your blog? I'd love to see your work!

DOWNLOAD the page overlays here.

Freebie: Red and Green For Spring Paper Kit

2009-04-19T12:23:00.003-04:00

...Red tulips with bright green stems...
...Azalea bushes with their red pink blossoms and delicate olive green leaves...
...Hot pink dogwood blossoms with sage green leaves and tan woodsy branches...

Red and green are considered "Christmas" colors, but someone forgot to tell that to nature! I love SPRING! I'm so excited to see the greens, blues, yellows, pinks, reds, and purples. The colors are so brilliant, yet so soothing to me. One of my favorite spring color combinations are shades of red and green. So, I've decided to create a paper pack with those colors and share it with you. Enjoy!

Download Red & Green For Spring Paper Kit here.

Citrus Mahi-Mahi Tacos

2009-04-18T15:32:00.004-04:00

The last thing in the world I would order off a restaurant menu is fish. Unless of course said fish is battered, deep fried, and served with awesome french fries. If my health and fitness instructor knew I was ordering something battered and deep fried, I think he'd have a heart attack. So, in order to prevent him (and myself eventually) from having a heart attack, I skip the battered, deep fried items. When my friend Shandi introduced me to The Cheesecake Factory and their fish tacos I just about fell out of my seat. I haven't eaten another item off their menu because they are that good. Here's how Cheesecake Factory describes their fish tacos: "Three soft corn tortillas filled with fresh grilled fish, spicy avocado cream and a spicy citrus salsa served with black beans, rice and guacamole." I've been craving them lately, but just haven't felt like battling the crowds to get a seat. There's always a 45 minute wait! So, I decided to create my own version to satisfy the taste buds until I can get the real thing.

Citrus Fish Tacos

2 mahi mahi fillets
3 TBLS canola oil
1 TBLS chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp cumin
4 6-8in flour tortillas

Citrus Slaw
4 cups shredded coleslaw mix
2 mandarin orange fruit cups
1 TBLS fresh chopped cilantro
1 large lime or 2 small limes

Southwest Cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp (heaping) cumin
dash cayenne pepper

We're going to make the marinade for the mahi mahi first. You'll need 3 tablespoons of canola oil (or vegetable, olive oil, whatever you prefer).

1 tablespoon of cilantro...you'll also need a tablespoon of cilantro for the Citrus Slaw, so you might as well do all of your herb chopping now.

1/2 a teaspoon of salt (I prefer Kosher salt to regular old table salt)

1/2 a teaspoon of cumin

2 nice mahi mahi fillets. You can use any firm fish like tilapia, cod, or orange roughy for this. Costco has a bag of mahi mahi for $14 bucks or so. The fillets are already pre-portioned and vacuum sealed, so all I had to do was pull two out of the bag and let them thaw. I dropped the frozen (vacuum packed) fillets into a bowl of cold water and they were defrosted in about 20 minutes.

Dump the oil, cilantro, salt, cumin, and mahi-mahi into a freezer baggie and shake it around so the mahi mahi gets coated. Set it to the side while we make the Citrus Slaw.

You could chop up a head of cabbage for this, but the pre-shredded stuff is so much easier and it only cost $2 at my local Walmart Supercenter. Measure out 4 cups and dump into a medium sized bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro...

2 mandarin orange cups. I've got one pictured here and I have no clue why. I promise I didn't eat the second cup. You can use a can of mandarin oranges if you've got that on hand. I like the cups because I'll take the 4 unused cups to work to fill up my snack drawer, plus the cups only cost a tiny bit more.

The zest and juice of one large lime. I only had little ones, so I used two of the little ones. The thing the lime is resting on is called a microplane zester. You can easily find them at Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Le Gourmet Chef, or anyplace that sells kitchen wares. The microplane very finally shaves the zest so that you can get the essence of the citrus flavor. You can also use the microplane to finely shave parmesan cheese and even chocolate.

Stir the cabbage/cole slaw mix, mandarin oranges, cilantro, lime zest and juice together and set aside.

Bring a non-stick skillet up to medium heat. Once your skillet is hot, lay the mahi mahi in it and let it cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. I like to scoop out the rest of the cilantro from the marinade and put on top. No sense letting good herbs go to waste!

While the mahi mahi cooks, we're going to make the Southwest Cream. Measure out (or eyeball it) 1/2 cup of sour cream.

Stir in a heaping 1/4 tsp of cumin...

...and add a dash of cayenne pepper to your liking. Stir it all up and set that just off to the side.

In the time it took you to make the Southwest Cream, your mahi mahi should be cooked on one side and ready to flip. The bottom should have a nice brown crust!

While the last side of the fish is cooking, let's heat up the tortillas. I like to run a paper towel under water, squeeze out the excess water, wrap the tortillas in it, and pop the stack in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Lay one heated tortilla on a plate. Cut one of the mahi mahi fillets in half lengthwise and place in the center of the tortilla. Doesn't that fish look awesome?? You shouldn't even half to cut it - it should flake apart very easily. That's how you'll know it's done.

Top with a dollop of the Southwest Cream.

Give the Citrus Slaw a final toss and then spoon a generous portion on top. Oh man...my mouth is watering now!

Now all you have to do is eat and enjoy!

Preview: Worship Together Live

2009-04-16T21:43:00.004-04:00

A one day worship leader conference featuring Matt Maher, Brenton Brown, Kelly Minter, and Michael Gungor stopped into the First Baptist Church of Laurel. FBCL recently moved into a new church that they built. I was pleasantly surprised to see their sanctuary/auditorium. It appears to have been built with goal of hosting events. The lights were great and so was the sound.

More pictures to come...

Freebie: RockStar Collection Quickpage

2009-04-15T22:52:00.006-04:00

I love digital scrapbooking. I used to do scrapbooking the old fashioned way and I have regrets. I regret that I took old photos and cropped them into stars and octagons. I cropped out backgrounds because I was told in scrapbooking classes that the backgrounds were too busy and would clutter up the spread. If I could go back in time and yank the krinkle kut scissors out of my hands, I would. Alas, I can't.

Two of my favorite things about digital scrapbooking are that it's low cost (even free if you're creative and know how to make supplies in a program like Photoshop) and I can alter papers/embellishments to any color I want and need. It's so much more flexible. I still enjoy "real" scrapbooking, but will definitely sticking with digital as my primary means of scrapbooking.

Here's a quickpage I created tonight to share with you. It's a 12x12 PNG. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD RockStar Collection Quickpage here.

Check out the RockStar Collection Kit here.

Tuesday Night Italian Meatball Soup

2009-04-14T20:15:00.007-04:00

Tonight was another late night, but I was determined that I would not eat junk for dinner. I wanted a REAL meal! I rummaged through the freezer and cabinets to see what we had on hand that I could throw together to make a delicious, healthy meal.

In the freezer, I found a giant bag of Kirkland's meatballs (straight from Costco - I heart Costco) and some frozen spinach. Some beef broth, canned tomatoes, beans and spices make up this fabulous, easy Italian soup. The longer you let this soup simmer, the richer the flavor. Whatever you do, don't skip the parmesan. It makes the soup extra fab. Besides, you don't want the Parmesan Police showing up at your door, right?

Tuesday Night Italian Meatball Soup

Ingredients
2 14.5oz cans of beef stock (or 4 cups of water with 4 beef bouillon cubes)
1 14.5oz can of basil, garlic, oregano diced tomatoes (like Del Monte)
1 15oz can of white beans (also called cannellini beans)
12 pre-cooked, frozen meatballs
10oz frozen, chopped spinach
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
4 tsps grated parmesan cheese (the real stuff! the stuff you get from the cheese section!)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Dump all ingredients, except for the cheese, in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a medium high. Let soup bubble away for 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. The longer the soup simmers, the more flavor it picks up from the meatballs.

Ladle into 4 bowls with each bowl receiving 3 meatballs.

Top with parmesan cheese, serve, and enjoy!

The Hello Love Tour

2009-04-12T21:17:00.006-04:00

The Hello Love Tour
Chris Tomlin and Israel & New Breed
1st Mariner Arena
Baltimore, Maryland
Saturday, January 24, 2009

In an article in 2006, Time Magazine referred to Chris Tomlin as the "the most often sung artist anywhere." I was in Wal-Mart a few weeks back and while waiting in line heard the woman behind me humming "How Great Is Our God". Chris Tomlin truly is everywhere! Chris has 10 Top 100 CCLI songs, 6 of them are in the Top 25, and he has sold over 1.5 million albums. Chris is one the most humble, quiet men you will ever meet. You would never know that he is one of Christian music's sought after and influential artists. He doesn't look or sound like a man who has reinvented the sound of Christian praise music. He's just Chris. We've been working for the better part of 2 years to have Chris come back to Baltimore and his schedule finally lined up. We were even more excited to hear that Israel & New Breed would be joining him on tour. Israel Houghton is a two time Grammy Award winning worship leader of Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Texas. Israel & New Breed accompanied Alicia Keys at the 2007 MTV VMA's for a performance of George Michael's "Freedom '90." Israel was also invited by the Grammys to perform alongside Bebe and CeCe Winans and Aretha Franklin in a segment saluting Gospel music on the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. When I heard that Israel was on the ticket, I practically happy danced the whole day long at work. I was so excited that two unique and diverse styles of praise and worship were going to be represented in one night, because it's such a representation of Baltimore. We are a very diverse city, and I can't tell you how awesome it felt to see 8,000 people - African American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic, Indian - packing out 1st Mariner Arena. So many different and diverse backgrounds all united together under one roof for a common purpose. It will definitely go down as a concert to remember.

By the way, I must give a shout out Tasha Schalk of Redwall Photo. Tasha is an INCREDIBLE and creative concert photographer who graciously shares her photography knowledge with others. I used her Photoshop actions on a few of these photos. I want to be her when I grow up.

Crescent Bear Claws

2009-04-11T23:06:00.003-04:00

I was wide awake at 5AM this morning.
Wide.
Awake.
Why? Why? Why? Seriously. Today was the perfect day to sleep in. It was a casual day, I could go in to work late if I wanted to, so why in the world am I up so early? Once I finally realized that I was not going back to sleep, I decided that I would make a special breakfast treat for the family. Now, I haven't baked in for-ev-er. I peeked through the fridge and the cabinets to see what ingredients we had on hand. I saw some Pillsbury crescent rolls that were close to their expiration date, so I popped on Pillsbury's website to see what breakfast recipes they had using crescent rolls. A recipe for bear claws stood out among the rest. I LOVE almond flavoring, so I figured I'd give them a shot. I found the recipe pretty simple to make. The flavor was just incredible. When my dad bit into the finished product he said, "Umm...look out Panera!" These bad boys look like they took hours to make, so feel free to fool your friends and tell them you slaved over a hot stove making them!

Crescent Bear Claws

Filling
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons almond extract

Glaze
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Rolls
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
1/3 to 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Icing
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. In medium bowl, beat egg lightly with wire whisk. Place half of egg (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) in custard cup; beat in milk until blended. Set aside. To remaining egg in bowl, stir in remaining filling ingredients until well blended.

2. Meanwhile, in heavy 1-quart saucepan, mix glaze ingredients. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat.

3. If using crescent rolls: On lightly floured work surface, unroll dough; press into 12x8-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: On lightly floured work surface, unroll dough; press into 12x8-inch rectangle.

4. Spoon filling into 12x2-inch strip lengthwise down center 1/3 of dough. Fold 1/3 of dough over filling. Fold filling-topped section over last 1/3 of dough so seam is on bottom of folded dough. With hand, gently flatten 1-inch-wide strip of dough along one long side of folded dough. Cut folded dough crosswise into 6 (2-inch) pastries. Along flattened edge of each pastry, cut 1-inch-long cuts about 1/2 inch apart.

5. Lightly brush egg-milk mixture over each pastry. Place almonds on plate; turn each pastry upside down onto almonds and press gently so almonds stick to dough. Place almond side up on cookie sheet, spreading each cut slightly to form claw shape. Sprinkle remaining almonds over top of pastries.

6. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to cooling rack; cool 5 minutes. Drizzle cooled glaze over each pastry. In another small bowl, mix icing ingredients until smooth (if icing is too thick, add 1/2 teaspoon water at a time until drizzling consistency). Drizzle icing over cooled pastries.

The United Tour

2009-04-03T18:15:00.010-04:00

The United Tour
Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman
April 2, 2009, 7:30PM
France-Merrick Performing Arts Center (Hippodrome Theatre)

Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman are two Christian music veterans. Together, MWS & SCC have eight GRAMMY awards, 96 Dove Awards, 78 #1 singles, and more than 30 gold and platinum albums. Their music has impacted millions of lives over 20+ years. The United Tour made its stop in Baltimore's historic 95 year old Hippodrome Theater and MWS & SCC played to a sold out crowd of super fans. Earlier in the evening, there was a backstage opportunity for members of Michael W. Smith's fan club to meet Michael. I had just arrived at the Hippodrome and was making my way back to the backstage area when I came across the fan club. Many of the fans recognized me so I stopped to chat and I decided to stick around to help them get personal pictures and keep the line moving. When Michael arrived, the group went nuts! Grown women were screaming, and I honestly thought one woman was going to faint. I think they would have eaten Michael alive if his handlers and our stage crew weren't there!

The concert was nothing short of spectacular. There's something about seeing 2300 people joining together in worship and singing along. Perhaps it's because I'm so intimately involved in the event, but I was just overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the night. MWS and SCC pulled out the favorites (and those are hard to choose when they have 78 #1 singles combined) and introduced the crowd to new songs, which the crowd warmly welcomed and sang along. Photographing the night was a bit of challenge. MWS & SCC were on the stage together during the first 3 songs of the night and that's all I was given to shoot. There was no room at the front of the stage and the aisles very slim, so it was very challenging. I used my 70-200 f/2.8L for everything as I needed the length. I stayed on the right side of the theatre for most of the shooting since it would have taken too long to get to the left side. Their was an intense, harsh, white spotlight on both MWS and SCC, while mostly blue and green spotlights lit the back.

Rock Star Collection

2009-03-15T23:10:00.005-04:00

There are some times, no matter how busy life gets, you just have to take time out to do something you enjoy. My day job has kept me incredibly busy, and I'm blessed to have a job that I love. Unfortunately, it hasn't left me much time to spend with my camera or be creative. Creativity is a big part of my job and I've been feeling dry lately. I've spent quite a bit of time lately doing the "administrative" work (which is just as vital as the creative work). This past weekend I had a few precious hours, so I decided to put away the work and do something fun for me....

Since I haven't done any scrap booking in a while, I decided to create a new digital kit. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to photograph the Baltimore Blast Christian Youth Night with Thousand Foot Krutch (check out a video here). I think my ears are still ringing from TFK and the 2,000 screaming teens! Thanks to that night for the inspiration. Download my Rockstar Collection here. Love to see what you create with it - please leave a message or link to your creation!

Baltimore Blast Christian Youth Night

2009-03-07T19:32:00.010-05:00

Baltimore Blast Christian Youth Night
Thousand Foot Krutch
March 6, 2009, 7:35PM
1st Mariner Arena

An intense soccer game + awesome music = a crazy fun night for local youth groups. The Baltimore Blast is our indoor soccer league that plays at 1st Mariner Arena. They are a great team that hosts many nights for the community, including Christian Youth Night. Our station, 95.1FM WRBS, partners with them every year to present this night. The kids practically race up and down the hallways in excitement. This year's act was Thousand Foot Krutch. Their songs "Rawkfist" and "Move" have been used at a ton of sporting events, including being used by the NFL.

The Blast have yet to lose a Christian Youth Night. The ended up beating the Monterrey La Raza 16-9!

All the churches and youth groups are read aloud during the game. It's always fun to hear the different youth groups cheer for their church when their name is announced.

During the 4th Quarter of the game, the youth groups line up on the lower level of the arena and after the soccer game, they are allowed to watch the concert on the soccer field.

This Brody Bond of Blood:Water Baltimore. Blood:Water works to help make people aware of the water crisis in Africa, and to raise money to build clean-water wells.

Let's just say, when the security pulls the first line of gates back, I don't want to be anywhere near the stampeding teens!

Thousand Foot Krutch rocks the house!!

Longwood Gardens Part Two

2009-02-14T23:03:00.005-05:00

Part Two of my fun at Longwood Gardens. Click here to see the engagement photos I had the opportunity to second shoot on.

Engagement Photos and Longwood Gardens

2009-02-14T22:32:00.007-05:00

A friend sent me a note on Facebook to tell me that she was going to do engagement photos for a friend of hers at Longwood Gardens (in Pennsylvania)...using a Hasselblad. I did what any self respecting photographer would do, I invited myself along just so I could touch it. We had a great time and I am so glad Shannon let me tag along as her second shooter. This was my first time going to Longwood Gardens. It's gorgeous! If this is what the place looks like in the winter, I can't image what it will be like come spring! I'll be posting all the photos of the gardens separately. The soon to be bride and groom deserve to have a page all their own!

First, we took some photos inside the BEAUTIFUL conservatory.

Then we moved outside...the grounds were very sparse since it's the dead of winter, but that allowed the architecture of the buildings to be the perfect compliment.

Thanks so much for inviting me to tag along, Shannon! It was such a fun day - let's go back to Longwood Gardens in the spring!

33Miles at Mountain Christian Church

2009-01-12T21:38:00.007-05:00

It was great to see Jason, Chris, and Collin - the guys who are 33Miles - once again. A few months ago, they dropped by the WRBS Studios to hang out with the morning crew and a month later were in town and dropped by to hang out for the afternoon show. This time, they weren't passing through. The guys were here specifically for the WRBS Listener Appreciation Concert. Tickets to the free night were gone in a heartbeat. If you've never seen 33Miles live, I'd encourage you to find their nearest concert and go! They are probably one of the best bands I've heard live. It was such an encouraging night - their lyrics are so uplifting and everyone came away feeling like they were a part of something bigger than themselves. By the way, Collin is the most amazing t-shirt folder I have ever seen in my life. You have got to check out his technique - words don't do it justice! Lots of photos - enjoy!

A Southern Maryland Tradition

2008-12-23T20:33:00.012-05:00

My great grandfather, who lived in Southern Maryland, loved to make a stuffed ham at Christmas. It's a tradition we haven't kept up, mainly because stuffing a ham is an event on its own. We decided this would be the year we would make my great grandfather proud. We made it a family event - my grandmother got the ham, my mom got the greens, and we stuffed it together. I took pictures of the process in case you feel like attempting to stuff your own!

This is the recipe that we use as a guide. We've had this recipe clipped from the Baltimore Sun for years.

A Southern Maryland ham is stuffed with lots of earthy, thick greens: kale, collard, and cabbage. We also add in onions and celery.

My mom is removing the tough veins and stems from the kale and collards. We like to leave the pieces rather large. My grandmother prefers to chop hers up fine in the food processor.

Yeah...you don't want to chomp down on one of those things!

We had three bowls filled to the brim with kale, collard, and cabbage. They seem to multiply!

We had some new wooden spoons, so we're going to use them to help push the greens into the ham. Sometimes, if we don't have the spoons, we'll use wooden dowel sticks.

A large amount of cheese cloth is also important. We'll wrap the stuffed ham in this.

We need to combine all the greens together and since there isn't a bowl big enough to do the job, we used a laundry basket lined with a trash bag.

Gran and Mom layer the green with the spices, onions, and celery.

The ham is the star of the show! This is a 20lb corned ham. My grandmother trimmed off the skin and left about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of the fat for flavoring.

After the ham is trimmed, deep X's are cut into the meat.

The greens mixture is jammed into the holes just created.

My grandmother and mother used their fingers and the ends of a wooden spoon to stuff the greens mixture deep into the holes they've created on the top and bottom of the ham. It's quite messy but fun!

The stuffed ham is placed inside of cheese cloth. Extra greens are packed around the ham and then tied up inside the cheese cloth.

The ham goes into a ginormous pot. During the year, this pot is used for steaming crabs, but right now it's all about the ham!

As you can see, we still had some greens left over. These got tossed into another pot with some water and ham flavoring to cook down.

This was such a fun, "making memories" kind of day. I love my grandmother and am so glad that the three generations could do this together.

Christmas Cookie Baking

2008-12-21T12:45:00.005-05:00

The past two weeks have been pretty intense. In addition to the general busyness that is my job, I've had two work parties that I have catered. So it was so wonderful to relax today and simply spend time with my mom. It's been forever since I've spent time with my family and I've missed them! Mom and I had a marathon baking day to get ready for Christmas. We didn't get all of our cookies made but we got a head start. We baked from 2pm - 9pm and we were exhausted! All of the cookies we made are going to our neighborhood Christmas party. I've been wanting to host a neighborhood party for a while but haven't been able to make it happen because of my work schedule. One of our neighbors must have been reading my mind because they called a few weeks back to see what we thought about "having a little neighborhood get together." Yes! Our contribution to the party will be Maryland crab dip, semi-homemade meatballs, a veggie platter, and (of course) tons of cookies.

"You don't really need all of that, do you??" asked my dad. Yes, Dad, we do.

No matter how many cookie baking books I have, I always come back to these two.

I begged my mom for a cobalt blue Kitchen Aid mixer a few Christmases ago. She managed to find it on sale at Kohl's on Black Friday. I think I just about cried when I opened the box that Christmas.

Sugar cookies aren't my favorite cookie, but my mom's are pretty tasty. Her secret is to roll them out using a 50/50 mix of flour and powdered sugar...and she rolls them thin!

I always line my baking sheets with parchment paper because it makes clean up super easy. Another one of my "secrets" is using a cookie scoop. It makes all the cookies uniform so they bake evenly. I like to use a scoop on my chocolate chip cookies. After I scoop them, I flatten them slightly and they bake up perfectly.

This is first year I tried to make these chocolate mint ribbons. They were very buttery and delicious!

Mom and me :D

Second Snowfall of the Season

2008-12-07T08:50:00.007-05:00

Today was spent decorating the house for Christmas. As my mother and I were putting up the Christmas tree, my brother (who was "supervising") suddenly yelled, "LOOK! It's snowing!" Can you ask for a more perfect day? Decorating the house while it's snowing? How awesome! When it was time for a break, I ran outside and took some photos to share with you.

Back inside, I finally finished decorating the tree. It looks a bit haphazard because I had to use three different varieties of lights, but at this point I don't care anymore! I love to hang the Christmas ornaments. I love the history of the ones that have been passed down. I love the new ones that create new memories. Here are my current favorites.

Point of Grace Winter Wonderland Tour with Ronnie Freeman

2008-12-01T00:11:00.012-05:00

Two Christmases ago, Point of Grace and guest Scott Krippayne came to the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore for the Winter Wonderland Tour. It was a big affair and felt much like an old TV Christmas special: gorgeous set, Christmas feeling, and fantastic music. This year, they were back with a stripped down version. Much can happen in two years. In 2007, Scott Krippayne wrote "This Is My Now," selected by American Idol to be sung by Jordan Sparks and Blake Lewis on the finale episode of American Idol. Heather Payne, longtime member of Point of Grace, had her 4th child and decided to retire. This leaves us with Shelley, Denise, and Leigh, who are seeing a resurgence of Point of Grace thanks to their song, "How You Live." It's taken off at country radio (even though they are not a country trio and don't sound it) and opening doors they've never gone through. This concert was an opportunity to celebrate Christmas, play some #1 hits from their 17 years, and get acquainted with new fans.

Denise Jones

Shelley Breen

Leigh Cappillino

Ronnie Freeman

Benney Mitchum Wedding

2008-10-05T23:37:00.012-04:00

Carrie and Preston were married this past Saturday and it was an honor to be their photographer. It was the perfect day to get married. The sky was blue and there was hardly a breeze. The ceremony was held at the historic Dorsey Chapel in Glenn Dale and the reception at the Snow Hill Manor in Laurel. Here are a few photos from the day!

Eye Pop Action

2008-10-04T16:49:00.001-04:00

Here is a little present for my photographer friends. I've turned Pioneer Woman's eye pop instructions into an action. This has been created in CS3.

Download here

Go here to read the thread on using the action.

Comedy Night with Anita Renfroe

2008-09-29T15:02:00.003-04:00

You may recognize Anita Renfroe as the official comedy correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America. She also tours with the Women of Faith conferences and has one of the most recognizable You Tube videos among women called, "Momsense". Anita was in Joppa, MD, on September 13th. A surprise guest was her son Austin, who is a self confessed starving artist. He was hoping to sell enough CDs to buy Taco Bell for lunch the next day.

33Miles Visits Baltimore

2008-09-03T12:55:00.008-04:00

This morning, Christian artists 33Miles stopped by the WRBS studios to promote their new CD, One Life. Jason, Chris, and Collin visited with Tracey, Mike, and Jeff (in for the vacationing Dave) and indulged us with a live version of "Thank You" and their newest single, "Gone". One Life will be in stores September 16! Check out 33Miles' music at their website or MySpace.

L-R: Jason, Mike, Tracey, Collin, Chris, and Jeff

Monday Blues Action

2008-08-04T09:42:00.001-04:00

I don't have the whole week off, but I do have today and tomorrow! Wheeeeeeee!

Since I'm so happy, I thought I'd give a little freebie. Try my Monday Blue Action! Love to see what you think!

2008-08-02T00:31:00.002-04:00

Pete of Sanctus Real with his new gold PRS Guitar.

2008-08-01T14:07:00.002-04:00

I watched the Maltese Falcon last night. I had never seen it before and it was recommended to me. It was quite a good movie and drew me in from the very beginning. There was one line that cracked me up...

"When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it."

~ Sam Spade, The Maltese Falcon

Alathea At River Valley Ranch

2008-07-28T20:14:00.014-04:00

Garden Rose ACR Preset

2008-07-23T09:46:00.002-04:00

Here's a little bonus - free download of my ACR preset Garden Rose I used in this image (works best on images with a lot of red). Let me know if you use it? I'd love to see what you create!

2008-07-09T08:35:00.001-04:00

2008-07-08T07:33:00.000-04:00

Shopping tip:
You can get shoes for 85 cents at the bowling alley.

~Author Unknown

I'll admit to stalking them until the price came down. I got mine for $4 at Payless on BOGO!

Erin Ashley Photography

I'm Moving...

Portobello Pizza and Mesclun Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette

The Face Off

The Waiting Game

Anytime Peach Coconut Cobbler

Why I Won't Drink OJ Before Bed Again

Trois Pesto de Basilic

Longwood Gardens

DIY Greek Yogurt

God Is On Your Side When Everyone Else Isn't

The Definition of Selflessness

Cooking With Granny

Welcome To...The Double Down

He's Always The First

Why I'm Faux Suing E! TV For $19.98

Cherry Blossoms In DC

Mini Brain Explosion

Learning The Light

The Awake Tonight Tour

Red & Green For Spring Full Kit

AW Mannequin & The Apology

The Mannequins Go To Williamsburg

An Exercise In Creativity

FREEBIE: Layout 18

FREEBIE: Red & Green For Spring Quickpages Set 2

FREEBIE: Layout 14

FREEBIE: Red & Green For Spring Quickpages

Run, Turtle! Run Like The Wind!

Motivation and Muffins

Hello! Cheerio!

How To Make A Jean Purse

Fruit & Pecan Granola Bars

Danish Jam Ribbons

The McFerran Family

Cranberry Maple Nut Scones

Apple Spice Cookies

Jessica Hamilton + AJ Ballentine

Taste of Fall

Speaking Louder Than Before Tour

Speaking Louder Than Before TourJeremy Camp, Natalie Grant, Bebo NormanOctober 24th, 2009The Lyric Opera HouseBaltimore, Maryland

White Chocolate Coconut Lime Cookies

Rebekah & Shane

Convoy Of Hope

Freebie and Tutorial

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO DOWNLOAD

FREEBIE: Defining Thoughts Brushes

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO DOWNLOAD

FREEBIE: Diamond Overlays

FREEBIE: Feel The Love Brushes

FREEBIE: Beautiful Words Brushes

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO DOWNLOAD

FREEBIE: Retro Overlays Set 2

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO DOWNLOAD

FREEBE: Retro Overlays

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO DOWNLOAD

FREEBIE: Template

CLICK ON PICTURE TO DOWNLOAD

Happy Memorial Day

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO DOWNLOAD

FREEBIE: Create Your Own Tags

FREEBIE: Photo Masks Set 2

FREEBIE: Grungy Textured Overlays

FREEBIE: Colorful Film

Wonderful Weekend

FREEBIE: Photo Masks

FREEBIE: Grungy Edge Brushes

FREEBIE: Grungy Poetry Papers

Always Laugh

FREEBIE: Jane Austen Papers

Change Of Plans

Going To The Beach

An Evening With Mark Schultz

Make It Matter Tour

FREEBIE: Dot Overlays

Make It Matter Tour

FREEBIE: Beauty Overlay

Sunshine Salad

Circles and Dots...Oh My!

Creamy Tomato Gnocchi

Speaking Louder Than Before Tour
Jeremy Camp, Natalie Grant, Bebo Norman
October 24th, 2009
The Lyric Opera House
Baltimore, Maryland

The United Tour
Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman
April 2, 2009, 7:30PM
France-Merrick Performing Arts Center (Hippodrome Theatre)

Baltimore Blast Christian Youth Night
Thousand Foot Krutch
March 6, 2009, 7:35PM
1st Mariner Arena