Here's a photo I snapped (with my phone) from my upstairs window on 11/09/11.
For the first time (that I can remember in my 20 years) there was a huge snow storm that went through on my birthday. It was the first time I'd ever made a snowman that early in November. However, due to the extremely warm temperatures in the days to follow, it did not last long.
With Thanksgiving being only a few days away I'm getting quite excited for the holidays!
I took this last year at Devil's Lake State Park. Because this month has been so crazy I haven't really got out much to take fall-time photos. Now most of the leaves have turned and fallen.
Exactly one week from today one of my best friends will be getting married! I'll be shooting her wedding, which I'm pretty stoked about. We've been living together since June and I'm kind of sad that I'm moving out next week (where did the last 5 months go?!), but she's starting a new chapter of her life. I'm so excited and happy for her!
Hopefully next month things will slow down and I won't be quite so busy. Maybe I'll be able to do my one-blog-post-a-week plan like I originally intended. ;]
It's been a good day.
My good friend Frida is visiting from Germany. We spent the morning and afternoon drinking coffee, eating flavorful vegetables ("weggies" ;) ), searching small shops for treasures and walking about. The weather has been wonderful! The clouds have been so varied and are constantly changing... they sure are beautiful.
I've officially broken out my tights, boots and scarves. One of the things I love about fall is how I can wear so many layers and be a bit more creative with my wardrobe. Today's outfit was fairly simple, but comfy.
Other things I love about fall: The leaves change into brilliant colors of red, orange and yellow. Candles add a lovely glow on those cloudy, dreary days. A hot cup of coffee, tea or apple cider will always warm your bones. You can curl up with a good book and bury yourself under a heap of blankets.
Cooking is something that I've always enjoyed, but lately I learned how much more fun it is for me if I can cook something that is delicious AND pretty enough to photograph. The photos below are of a simple vegetable recipe I made up for dinner one night. In case you're interested in trying it I'll include the ingredients and how I did it below.
(Because I love to listen to foreign music when I cook...)
Ingredients:
one small eggplant
one small zucchini
one medium, thinly sliced tomato
a garlic clove
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups of shredded (I used Dubliner) cheese of your choice
a few leaves of basil
1 cup of flour seasoned with salt + pepper in a bowl
a bowl of water
olive oil
Directions: Preheat over to 300 degrees.
Peel the eggplant and slice it into half inch pieces. Thoroughly wet slices in the bowl of water, then dip into flour mixture and lay on a greased cookie sheet individually. Proceed by cutting the zucchini the same and then lay on top of the eggplant. Drip a bit of oil on top and put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until it browns slightly. While that's baking, mince the garlic and sauté it with the onions until it's nearly done, adding the mushrooms at the end so they aren't over cooked.
Take the cookie sheet out of the over and begin to lay a slice of tomato on top of your eggplant + zucchini patties. Next, sprinkle your shredded cheese on top. Put it in the over again for about five more minutes or until the cheese melts. When it's done, take it out of the over and transfer to a plate, put the sautéed mix over the top of the patties and garnish with a leaf or two of basil.
I've been really bad at this "updating the blog every week"
thing. BUT my excuse is reasonable, seeing as the last couple
weeks have been my busiest work wise, and I've been a
little sleep deprived. So now (finally) a post:
A few weeks ago I met a couple who owned a blue vintage car.
I asked if they'd be willing to let me use it in a photo shoot
sometime, and they said yes!
While visiting a local shop I found a cute blue + white striped
dress from the sixties that I knew would go perfectly.
My good friend Bethany had wanted to do a vintage shoot so
we picked a time, I did her hair + makeup and we had
ourselves a fine, fun time taking photos.
These next few photos we took the same day out in a sunflower field.
You can view all of the photos from the shoot here: Flickr.
We're getting older. I appreciate our times together more now than I did when I was a child, ignorant and care-free. Sometimes I wish I could return. Go back to those days of basking in the sun, building forts in the woods and pretending to be indians. Having slumber parties. But there's so many privileges that go along with growing up. Given the chance I don't think I would go to Neverland.
Our beloved Sierra will be coming home from India at the end of next month. Then the four sisters will be reunited... for a little while. Life pulls us in all different directions. Anna will be getting married this fall. Who knows what God has in store for all us.
