I photographed this session on Halloween of last year and figured I should post this as I have completed Tate’s Nine Month Session. Tate’s parents are documenting Tate’s first year as they did with their oldest, Ansley. I love going to their house and seeing photos hanging and sitting on tables. They buy small prints and Kaelin displays them with larger matts and beautiful frames. Must be her interior designing skills!!
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I found these beauties while cleaning up my hard drives the other days. They were in my personal edit folder. It was so fun to find so many images in there that I had only browsed once or twice and put away for a rainy day.
Here is Carnton Plantation sometime in the fall of 2006.
Nature as art! What waits for the warm weather and brings happiness to us once it is warmer! This weekend here in Nashville our temps reached the mid 60′s. In the side yard of a neighbor’s house on Riverside I saw these little beauties coming out to bask in the warmth and sunshine. Thank you for such a lovely, artful gift!
Ladies and gentlemen I present to you the Tomasinian crocus (crocus tomasinianus). A beautiful pinkish/purple flower with little orange stigmas that look like itty bitty daffodils. They grow to 4 inches tall.
After going to a whole food diet and avoiding processed foods, sugar and cow’s milk dairy I was missing things like egg salad and chicken salad. I had found a recipe for home made mayo made with 1/2 coconut oil and 1/2 olive oil. I had also started reading and following Michael Pollan and have been enjoying reading his Food Rules book. One of the rules is to the effect that if you want to eat junk food make it yourself. I consider mayo a junk food so why not make this myself without any canola oil, sugar or preservatives.
This recipe calls for expeller pressed coconut oil (I get mine from Tropical Traditions) Tropical Traditions has alot of information about coconut oil. Not all coconut is good so if you are going to use this please read the information and do not get your oil from WalMart. They also carry alot of other food products that I have not tried as I really want to keep the majority of my food purchases to local resources.
This recipe also calls for Olive Oil. Again not all Olive Oils are created the same and they all have different flavors. I had purchased some olive oil at Trader Joe’s that is fine but too rich for my taste. I bought it because it was half the price of my regular EVOO of choice, Lucina Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The second time I made this mayo I went back to Lucina. You can purchase Lucina at The Turnip Truck in East Nashville, Publix also carries it.
Other ingredients in the recipe are organic dijon mustard (I use the Annie’s brand), lemon, sea salt, white pepper and eggs (I use local farm, free range, grass fed eggs from a farm in Franklin). The recipe is super easy to make and last about 10 days. Now I can make fresh egg salad and chicken salad and feel good about what I am eating!
Click here for the Coconut Oil Mayonnaise. Be sure to follow the recipe exactly!! The blending is very important.
Yummy eggs from Mamushi Nature Farm. I get these from my local health food store, Orbit. They are also available at The Turnip Truck.
Melting the coconut oil. It's melting point is 76 degrees. I just boil water, take it off the burner, put some oil in a glass and put that glass in the water. In the summer the oil stays liquid.
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yummy ingredients... that is an organic lemon!
I add the EVOO to the 1/2 cup mark and then fill up to a cup with the coconut oil.
The finished product. I store mine in an airtight glass container.
Just what the title indicates, I am ready for spring. I realize we have been spoiled the past few years with milder winters and this winter is making up for it as I fear the next few winters also will. The spring can not come soon enough for me. I can’t wait to get out in the garden and see it thrive. I read somewhere that the spring will be very active and so I will have to take extra measures to keep my little plants safe. Things are changing and that is good sign. I still have heat and electricity, that is a good thing! And I have been able to get some beautiful images that would not be possible without the snow. Winter, I can not wait to say goodbye and see you next year!
doggy prints
car shadow
beautiful birdbath
tire tracks and foot prints
picket fence
tree at rachel's walk
black & white scaredy cat
I am not sure what this is... but I liked the lines
tree shadows at rachel's walk
leon checking out the snow
my neighbor's super sweet dog, Mollie
sparkly ice
Over the holidays I went to the Baltimore Aquarium with family. I had not been there in maybe 15 years. So fascinating…. too bad I am claustrophobic otherwise I would be snorkeling, scuba diving and swimming around with these guys!
The lion fish.
Puffer fish
underwater abstract...inspiration for a new painting?
Fish portrait
Totally fascinated by these weird things!!
Love the midnight blue and spiky thing on the right.
Puffin
splish splashing
putting on a show
going under water, watching all the people laughing
going for a dive!
froggy camo
view from the escalator
graceful stingray
So relaxing to watch these creatures swimming around
smiley face
the jellies exhibit.... me and 200 other photographers, it was crazy!
And these remind me of flowers.
dangerous beauty
I absolutely loved this session. Sweet, beautiful little baby, an adoring big sister, cool mom and dad and a wonderful clan of three dogs!
Such a sweet little face!
A beautiful madonna.
Sisters!
A kiss from Bella.
Great mayhem!
lovely
camera shy Duke waiting for a treat
everybody loves the baby!!
Singing on the rock!
Smile!
Bella looking for a pet.
Shorty on look out.
With mom on the swing.
I am not going to sugar coat this, this winter has been rough and depressing. As much as I like to think that I like change, I realize it is anticipation of change and what it will bring, the not knowing, or what will happen…that is what I do not like. Life IS ever changing, transforming and all I can think about to give myself hope is, the butterfly and spring rolling around the corner. Life is a journey and I guess I have been stagnant and suffocating her for too long. Here I present some hope and beauty that winter gives to us:
Winter with it's soft palate and beauty little sculptures, yes, this makes me happy.
The cardinal couples who grace the "drunk tree" outside my living room window.
A favorite wire for the birds to perch upon. Would you look at how plump this little guy is!
Bear searching out smells under the snow.
Snow baby!
Snow princess!
Creative uses for recyclables!
Riverside drive in the village.
A sweet pup named Duncan who could be the offspring of Bear.
My backyard garden.
Frog and chair with snow.
Full moon light in the backyard!
I recently met Gail at my house to produce some images of her for use in her business. Gail owns a company called, Change Magic Interior Design. She is truly a magician offering her clients a fresh perspective on their spaces. I know just having her in my home for an hour I could feel her energy and insight. She inspired me to change the color of my walls in the kitchen and dining room and to change the color of my cabinets. Sometimes all we need is a little color change to make things all good!
