Blonde and Irresistible

November 27th

Well isn't she??

Tough Crowd

November 26th

I had some visitors yesterday, and let me tell you they were tough cookies. It all started off fine and dandy. I got some beautiful smiles in the first 5 minutes..... perfection...and then came the snow. We decided to go outside. It wasn't cold enough to keep us inside, so out we went.

He wanted absolutely nothing to do with me the whole time,he cried and cried when I came near him and this is the only thing that made him happy. Little did I know that while I was shooting this I would get pelted in the head by the other one....they tag team you know!!! The joys of winter photography!

Italian Adventure

November 25th

I thought I would post now about Italy. The pictures are done and now I will tell you all about the adventure. We flew into Venice, over the tops of the Alps and landed in the the late evening. We had to take a boat taxi to the Island we were staying on which took a good 45 minutes. When we got there we had no Euros. No idea in which the direction our B&B was, which was only 200 meters from the dock. We walked around lost in Lido (the island) for a good hour before we found our way. That night we met Cody, Gizzy and Morgan, our cousins based in Germany that flew to Italy just to see us. We had dinner and our first Italian experience of gelatto. (ice cream) So good.

We spent the next two days exploring Venice. The stolen city. Gizzy told us the whole story, but I don't want to repeat it as I don't know if I will get it right. The city was quaint and winding and just like a maze for humans. The canals were as romantic as they look in the movies only you get surrounded by other people feeling the romance as well. While we were in Venice Brady fainted in the bathroom. Luckily he didn't hit his head or back on anything. He went down right on his legs though and hurt himself pretty bad. He was able to walk on it and was able to drive so we went onto Tuscany.

We stayed in the little town of Pienza in Cretaiole. This was a working farm/vineyard that rents out apartments on the property. If anyone ever wants to go to Tuscany, please stay there, you won't regret it. It's amazing. Isabelle the owner is amazing as well. She helped us with everything. Gave us wine upon our arrival and just sat down and talked with us about what we could do while we were there but also urged us just to relax. Tuscany was tranquil. It was just what you might think it to be like. I would go back in a heartbeat. The wine flows like water there. Naps are a requirement in the afternoon. Desert and cappicino are also a strongly advised. The pasta was magnificent. The cheese was stinky. I got really sick with a headcold while we were there that lingers even now. I've never been sick on a vacation so I struggled with this one. I felt it was hard to focus on the things I was suppose to.

Next we went to Rome. Busy, busy Rome. We saw everything we could in the couple of days we were there. The basilicas were huge and sacred. The piazza's were full of busy talkative people. Ancient Rome was amazing to see as was the Colosseum.

Just to prove we were there, as I didn't include these in the photoset on flickr, here are a couple photos of Brady and I on our adventure. Here is the link to the rest of the photos. Hope you enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/gp/8125773@N08/605D09

Best Brownies on the Planet

November 22nd

"Families are like brownies..mostly sweet with a few nuts."

I know I promised this yesterday, but I can't seem to stay awake past six o'clock in the evening right now and I had to be dragged out of bed to unpack my suitcase just to repack my suitcase to leave for Thanksgiving break. To my family....I promise I will get back to normal soon.

I did end up cooking up that brownie batter I made and they turned out fabulous as usual. So I will share the recipe with you.

I know it's not the typical Thanksgiving type recipe....but what can I say, I never have been conventional at the right times. (though I am headed to the kitchen this eary a.m. to bake a pumpkin pie.)


These brownies, I must say, are mouth watering. But it's the frosting that really makes them.

So here goes........

Best Brownies on the Planet
2 cubes melted butter

2 cups sugar

1/4 to 1/2 cup of cocoa (I always use the latter if not more to make them ultra chocolately)

4 eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

some nuts if desired (again, I don't cook with nuts, so I never desire them)

Mix these ingredients in order given and put into regular pan used for cooking brownies.....whatever size you desire. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, but keep testing with a toothpick to make sure they are done. Sometimes they take longer.

Mouth Watering Frosting

1 Package cream cheese (I love cream cheese...I think it makes everything wonderful!!!!)

1 cube of butter (softened)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla (sometimes I use more though, I like to mix it up)

some cocoa (I don't want to put a specific amount, because it varies with my mood, so it might with yours too!!)

Mix together until creamy and smooth. Wait until brownies are cooled to frost. Cover the brownies when your done to lock in the moisture and keep them soft and delicious.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Have safe travels if your traveling. Try not to break any buttons on your trousers from eating too much.

In the Kitchen

November 20th

One of my favorite places to sit is on the kitchen floor. I like to sit against the stove while I'm cooking something to stay warm (I get cold often. I even sleep in sweats pants in the summer. Romantic huh?). I like to read while sitting there. Sometimes I like to enjoy a nice cup of Earl Grey. It's just a great spot. Well now I have someone that likes to join me on the kitchen floor. It's our favorite place. And our favorite thing to eat while sitting on the kitchen floor is brownie batter. I rarely make brownies to eat the actual brownies.....I make them just to eat the batter and if I get the brownies cooked that's fine, if not, that's fine too.

Tomorrow I will post the recipe for them. But today I'm sharing with you the fun I get to have with my son while cooking.

It's also a good time to practice singing....we were singing the puppy song here ("how much is that doggy in the window, etc") and it's quite obvious my son is definately into it. Excuse the horrible picture, but this was just too cute not to show.

Next it was time to look at cars going by. A hat was required for this and it took quite a while to find the right one. He tried them all on, but needed the one to match. Wonder where in world he would get that kind of trait from.

Italy photos are in process. It's taking a while. But have no fear, it won't be long.

Home

November 19th

We are home. It's early in the a.m. and I've been up since 1:00am as my internal clock needs to adjust.

For those that don't know we went to Italy for 10 days. We spent three in Venice. Three in Tuscany and three in Rome. It was a crazy vacation full of exciting and new things. I will write more when my head is more clear. But I will leave three images from the three places we visited respectively. They are my favorite shots and I knew they were great the minute I took them. They are all very cliche type photos...but I was blessed to see this with my own eyes. Thank you God for allowing me to see the world. It's an amazing place....so is home though, so thanks for that too!

Feline Companion

November 7th

I had a conversation with a friend today about all kinds of different dogs.....it made we want to come straight home and photograph my cat. I was never a dog person.....until I got one. But I have always been a cat person. I know, I know, that makes some people uneasy and someday I might be thought of as the crazy cat lady....but I don't really care.

Meet Libby. She's a princess. She's aloof. She's kinda snotty. She's prissy. She's mine. I've had her through trials and tribulations. I had her through the happiest moments in my life. She sat next to me in the bathroom through most of my pregnancy. She's slept next to me for ten years in the same spot. She's traveled the country. She head butts me when she's happy. She's caught on fire and survived. (That's a whole other story!) She has survived my brothers rath after scaring him for life. She's run away and returned. She's been lost too many times to count, yet she's still here with me.