Two and Blue Take Two

Last week this little guy came to my studio and things did not go so well. Yesterday I went to his home to try again. What a difference! I got such sweet, precious images of him playing with his toys and just being in his natural environment. Things were going so well with him and his brother jumping in his crib--until he hit his lip. Then the photo shoot was over :( Luckily, I had already gotten a bunch of great shots. Here is a sample of just a few of my favorites.

Valentine's Day Movie List

Because tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I thought I would share with you my list of not completely-obvious Valentine's Day movies. These movies just make me happy, and they're perfect to snuggle up with your honey and watch together. As a bonus, they're all rated PG, so you don't have to worry about any awkward moments. Can you think of a movie that should have made my list? Leave a comment with your favorite Valentine's Day movies, and tomorrow, we'll have a vote to determine the best one!

1. Leap Year
This is the most recent of the movies I'm recommending. When I first rented this movie, I was afraid it was going to be dumb and slapsticky. I found it instead to be completely charming and lovely. I can't get enough of Matthew Goode asking for a bit of mercy in his Irish accent. Love, love this movie.

2. Win a Date With Tad Hamilton
I know, I know. The name alone sounds so stupid. I thought it would be a huge waste of my time to even watch this movie, but I was wrong. My husband even loves it. Topher Grace delivers a wonderful deadpan humorous performance and seeing his scrawny little body next to Josh Duhamels, uh, not scrawny little body is just so funny.

3. That Thing You Do
Warning: These songs will be stuck in your head for a week. But they're all awesome, so it's really not a problem. While not technically classified as a "romantic comedy," this still has a sweet romantic element to it. I love Steve Zahn correcting someone who calls their group "The O-need-ers" (it's spelled Oneders, as in Wonders) by saying, "Hey, that's O-ned-ers to you."

4. Penelope
You can't get much sweeter than this movie about a girl who discovers true love while having a pig's nose. I've even forgiven the movie makers for casting James McAvoy (who is SO not attractive). You get over it by the end.

5. Strictly Ballroom
I believe this was the first movie done by Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrman (who also did Moulin Rouge, which I absolutely hate. I thought everyone involved in that movie was on drugs). If you love ballroom dancing and Australian accents and way over-the-top hair, you will love this ugly-duckling-turns-into-swan-movie. This is the first movie I saw after my mission, and as soon as it was over, I rewound it (yes, this was in the days of the VHS tape) and watched it again. One of my all-time favorite movies.

So, there you have it. Something a little different for Valentine's Day. If you have any other favorite movies to add, please let me know in the comments!

Chocolate Mint Brownies (The Best Brownies You'll Ever Eat)

Take away the mint from these brownies, and you're left with the best chocolate brownies ever. I don't think I can ever make brownies from a box again. The texture of these is perfect. They're rich, dense and moist, but hold together to make serving a breeze. Add the mint, and you have something divine. You can also make these with other flavors, such as orange (yum!) lemon, raspberry, etc. They'll always be amazing. I got this recipe from Our Best Bites.

Brownie ingredients:
4 one-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate, or 3/4 cups chocolate powder plus 4 Tbsp. oil
1 cup butter
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting ingredients:
1/2 Tbsp. milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
Green food coloring

Chocolate glaze:
6 ounces (about 1 cup) semisweet or dark chocolate chips
6 Tbsp. real butter

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil, making sure the foil extends over the edges. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

Chop the unsweetened chocolate and butter into chunks and place together in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between until just melted and smooth. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally. (I have never done it this way. I take the easy way out and just do the next step--mixing together the butter with the eggs and sugar, etc., and then add the chocolate powder and oil).

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla for 2 minutes. While the mixer is running, add the melted chocolate slowly. Add 1/4 of flour and the baking powder and mix. Add the remaining flower and mix until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool completely on a metal rack. Combine all the frosting ingredients, starting with 1 1/2 Tbsp. of milk and beat until light and fluffy. Add more milk by teaspoonful as needed. Spread frosting evenly over cooled brownies and chill the brownies in the refrigerator.

While brownies are chilling, prepare the chocolate glaze. Place chocolate chips and 6 Tbsp. butter in a small pan on the stove. Melt over medium-low heat. When all melted and stirred together, remove from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes. Then carefully spread on top of the frosting layer. Return to refrigerator. When chocolate has hardened, use foil to remove the entire sheet of brownies from the pan. Cut and serve. Store leftovers in the fridge. (For a Christmas treat, use red food coloring for the frosting layer and sprinkle crushed candy canes on top).

Two and Blue {Parker baby photographer}

I've been photographing this adorable boy since he was born. You'd think he'd be used to getting his portrait done by now, but actually, now that he's old enough to know what's going on, he doesn't like it very much :( After trying all the tricks we knew, his mom and I decided to try again next week at their home where he is likely to feel more comfortable. However, I did manage to get some super-cute images of him, in-between the tears and escape attemps!

Getting Baptized

My daughter, who just turned 8, will be getting baptized on Saturday. (In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we baptize our children at age 8 rather than in infancy). We got a gorgeous dress for her and had a photo shoot with her wearing it. She also wanted to have some pictures in her new swimsuit, so I made up a fun montage of her jumping. She is a willing model, and a natural in front of the camera. I love the black and white where she is just staring into the camera. We are so proud of her, and so excited for her upcoming baptism!

What's Wrong 4--Discussion

This is from the second wedding I ever did. A friend of the bride called me up at 8:00 the morning of the wedding, said that the other photographer had bailed, and would I do the wedding pictures at 12:00. Since it was a desperate situation, I agreed. I did this wedding for only $100 or $200 (I can't remember) and gave them all the images on disk. This image just goes to show you that you get what you pay for!

I had no clue what I was doing at this wedding. Quite a few images came out like this, and at first, I couldn't figure out why. It all has to do with the sync speed of my on-camera flash. What this means is that my flash will only fire at a maximum 1/200th of a second. When your ambient light requires a slower shutter speed than this (say, 1/60th of a second) there's no problem. But in my case, I had my aperture set to f 2.2 (very wide, thus letting in a lot of light) and my corresponding shutter speed should have been something like 1/2000th of a second because of the outdoor light. However, since I used my flash, this automatically set my shutter speed to 1/200th of a second, thus letting in WAY too much light. So I did what any amateur photographer would do--I changed it to black and white and pretended I did it on purpose to be "artsy."

Now, do you want to trust your wedding pictures to someone like me? (I mean, someone like I USED to be?) Make sure you get a PROFESSIONAL who has lots of experience, and who is preferably a Certified Professional Photographer. Yes, you will pay more, but it's your WEDDING. It will happen ONCE, and when it's all over, your photographs are all you will have left. The flowers will die, the cake will be eaten, and you'll probably never wear your dress again. But you'll look at the images of your special day over and over and over. If you have to, skimp on the cake and the flowers--NEVER THE PHOTOGRAPHY! (Since I don't do weddings, I can refer you to fantastic wedding photographers. I do bridals and engagement shoots, though, so don't hesitate to ask me about those!)

What's Wrong Wednesday

Here's where I once again embarrass myself by posting a "professional" picture from my early days in which I really screwed up. It's up to you to discover how! Tell me everything that is wrong with this picture, and for a bonus, how I achieved this "artistic effect." Just leave a comment at the bottom.

Music I Can't Stop Hearing in My Head

I don't know if any of you saw these guys on The Sing Off on NBC, but they are AMAZING. I got our family their latest CD for Christmas and we have listened to it pretty-much non-stop since then. This means I can't sleep at night because a different song from the cd is stuck in my head every night. But oh, what songs!

The CD is called "Back in Blue" and the group is Vocal Point. They are an all-male a capella group from BYU. If you are thinking "amateur," think again. These guys are polished and professional and just a joy to listen to. Just click on the link to listen to samples.

Track 5--Remember When it Rained (Tribute to Josh Groban). Just close your eyes and channel Il Divo. So rich and luscious.

Track 9--Opera #2 (Tribute to Vitas). I had never heard this song before. Be prepared to be amazed. My girls cannot believe it is a man singing.

Track 6--Grace Kelly (Tribute to Mika). What the heck kind of a song is this? It makes absolutely no sense. But it is so much fun and I must admit this one has kept me up at night more than any other on the cd.

Track 13--Telephone Opera (Tribute to Sesame Street's "Telephone Opera.") This one is aboslutely hilarious. It chronicles a young man's efforts to get a date and all the ridiculous excuses the girls give him as they decline. Be prepared to laugh and laugh a lot.

The whole cd is uplifting, and you will be amazed at every turn by the vocal gymnastics being performed. Catch the base line in Track 4 and wonder how a human can do that, and do it in tune!

Vocal Point is not paying me for this endorsement. Vocal Point has no idea who I am. But I have an idea who they are, and I love them! You will, too! Guaranteed.

Thai Chicken Satay

I don't know what I ever did before I knew how to make this. My life was incomplete and I didn't even know it! This is an amazingly delicious combination of chicken, vegetables, peanut butter, honey and ginger. Are you salivating yet? You should be. Even my kids love this (well, all the ones who aren't allergic to it). Make this for dinner tonight and you will be a star!

Stir Fry
2 cups chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tsp. garlic or 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed (can use less if desired)
1/2 cup sliced yellow onion
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into chunks
6 green onions cut at an angle in 2-inch pieces
1 cup shredded carrots


Sauce
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
6 Tbsp soy sauce
6 Tbsp honey
1 tsp ginger (I like to use fresh ginger if I have it)
1 tsp garlic (or one clove, minced or pressed)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (I used red pepper flakes)

Instructions
For stir fry, heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp. of oil if desired. Cook vegetables, garlic and onion until tender-crisp. Remove from pan and add chicken. Stir fry until cooked through. Add the vegetables back with the chicken just before pouring on the sauce. For sauce, heat in a separate pan over low heat until combined. Pour over stir fry just before serving. Serve over rice.

And the Winner Is....

Congratulations Andrea and Dallin! You just won $100 to spend on another session, more prints, or accordion albums!