Late last Spring, early Summer, after we had completed our pool, ThrillCam installed a raised bed for me in our backyard. My first “crop” was, well, meh. Not much to write home about.

With the exception of the bell peppers, not much else grew with gusto.

Yes, I had corn (about 3 ears) and yes, I had peas (without the actual fruit! The plants grew like mad, but never did I find a pod…).

Oh, wait! I did have an abundance of basil.

But, my carrots, cilantro, and green beans never made it to the show.

We won’t even talk about my tomatoes…

I blame the poor response mainly to the fact that I planted it all WAY too late in the season.

And because we had zero rain.

And because I have no idea what I’m doing.

Fast forward to this Fall.

I decided to try a couple Winter type vegetables.

Guess what?! I’ve been somewhat successful!

Look at my broccoli!

Why, hello there, beautiful! How are you, today?

And, looky here!

Lettuce!!

Knock, Knock!

Who’s there?

Lettuce.

Lettuce, who?

Lettuce in and we’ll tell you…

And, Italian Oregano…

Ciao, Bella!

I’ve been renewed!

My confidence has been fortified!

So, because I believe I’m now a Grade-A Certified Farmer, I have ordered new seeds from Burpee! Of course, I ordered way more than my little garden can hold, but that’s okay. I won’t plant them all.  Just a few. Just to see.

I’m very, very excited!

Off to hoe, or dig, or harvest, or something…,

E.

P.S. My broccoli has gotten HUGE, like a donkey huge. In fact, some of the broccoli is actually flowering. For those of you who actually know what you are doing in your garden, have I waited too long to pick it? Will it taste awful if I pick it now and try to eat it??

The first class was taught by Kibbie Walton of Artisan Portraits. (click on his link to see some of his work) His Senior portraiture is really spot-on and lovely.

He worked with us on lighting and posing, but covered a gamut of photography-related topics. I loved that he was so approachable and knowledgable.  He also possessed a quick wit.

Imaging USA provided us with two models for the morning session, which was quite helpful.  It allowed us to practice what Kibbie was teaching. It was good to hear him and watch him work with the models as he moved them through different poses and such.

Here are two photos I took during the class:

(I added my copyright mark, but only because I was using a particular action in Photoshop that adds it. I need to make it clear, if I haven’t already, I took these portraits in a teaching/learning environment.)

The only touchups I made were slight brightness adjustments, contrast and adding pop to the eyes. I did re-touch, very minimally, the female’s skin. But, barely. She had beautiful skin to begin with, but her hands were a bit splotchy, so I touched up that area.

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Then, after a lunch break, we returned to find a new teacher, Chuck Arlund. This guy was a trip! VERY artsy and creative. In fact, when he first began speaking, I honestly thought to myself, “There’s no way I can sit through this for 3 hours and follow him; he’s all over the place!” But, I’m telling you, after about 30 minutes of a hit-or-miss introduction, we left the classroom and got to work. He was great! Very personable, like Kibbie Walton, and effective in helping me understand some lighting/flash techniques.

I liked him a lot.

Please check out his work, as well. It’s amazing! (Please note: Chuck is a high fashion photographer. His work includes some shots of models in small articles of clothing, sometimes not big enough to cover all the parts. Please do not look at his work if you have small children at your knee.)

For this class, we were given another young model to practice with. Chuck was walking us through some lighting set-ups, but to practice with his set-up, we had to wait our turn to use his equipment/flashes. I decided to snap a couple shots of the model without the flashes. I wanted to practice some backlit situations and this is what I got:

I did not re-touch this model’s skin. I only played with the contrast and darkened the blacks a bit. Very minimal re-touch. (Again, the above two portraits were taken in a learning/teaching situation.)

The teachers/photographers at the convention were all fantastic. In fact, it was somewhat over-whelming receiving so much information is such a short amount of time. I am still sorting through hand-outs, ads, tips, dvds, photos, etc., etc., etc.

Even though I am still combing through all the information I was given, I am so thankful I got the opportunity to attend. All the piles of papers and sorting is worth it.

I’ve already begun saving for next year!

Have a super day!

E.

Photo Title: I Wish. I Want. 

Whew! I am still trying to catch up after being gone for 5 days to New Orleans for the Imaging USA 2012 convention.

Why does laundry seem to expand and multiply after a trip? And, it’s not even all MY laundry??

I needed a break from the laundry, so I thought I’d show you a couple shots I took with my phone while in New Orleans.  They are mostly food pictures. But, I promise you, we did more than just eat.  In fact, we didn’t really eat that much. I just made sure I took pictures of some of my favorite spots/meals.

Photo Title: BBQ Shrimp and Grits: You Complete Me.

We walked over to Bourbon Street to eat at Red Fish Grill (basically at the corner of Canal Street and Bourbon Street). I had the most delectable, creamy, mouth-watering shrimp and grits I’ve ever tasted.

I’m telling you, even if you don’t like grits, you would swoon over these babies. Ahhhh-maaaazzzz-ing.

Marie and I liked Red Fish Grill so much, we returned the next night!

We were told the night before by a waiter named Scott, that we missed their signature dessert and we should come back just for that. Oh, and for their steak. He was so convincing, Marie and I returned only to find no Scott the waiter working. Fortunately, Jonathan was much obliged to serve us. (I didn’t take a picture of the steak on the second night, but let me tell you…I could cut it with a butter knife. Oh.My.) The Double Chocolate Bread Pudding (they are “famous” for it) was divine. Worth the trip back. (I’m not a huge bread pudding fan, but this was tops in my book.)

By the way, if you ever visit Red Fish Grill, I can safely and highly recommend the BBQ oysters, the Zapp’s fish (crunchy potato chip topping), BBQ shrimp and grits, their steak, and, for sure, end with the bread pudding…but, share it; it’s very rich and filling.

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Photo Title: I wish I were as creative as the people who think to advertise between the escalators. Genius.

It has been a long, long time since I’ve been to a convention of any sort. I was truly amazed at the creative displays and advertising that happened all over the convention center. There was not an empty space without some kind of ad plastered on it. I get hanging signs and booths, etc., but it takes a keen eye and quick imagination to be able to spot places like the center of the escalators, to place strategic advertising.

I rode up and down those escalators for 5 days and I stared at the MpixPro ad every single time. All the way up.  All the way down. Finally, I snapped a picture on the way down.

M r smart people, m r.

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Our first night in New Orleans, we took a chance and tried Mandina’s in the Garden District. My friend Robin was told about this restaurant while flying to New Orleans. It was worth it. Packed with people wearing all their Saints garb and filled with smells of good Creole food.

I had a fish filet covered in crawfish etouffee. So, so good.

Photo Title: Mandina’s, until next time.

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Robin and Marie and I walked around the Expo for a little while on Sunday, the day it opened.  There were a trillion booths with an absolute over-load of eye candy for the photographer. Everywhere you looked, there were beautiful set-ups with furniture and chandeliers all meant to sell their photo albums, or booths full of lens and cameras, photo jewelry, printer companies, etc., etc., etc. It was hard to land on just one booth; they were all so appealing.

But, this one booth stood out from the crowd and held us captive; they had the most unusual “hook” for grabbing our attention: snakes and an albino alligator.

Unfortunately, their hook was more attractive than the actual product. None of the three of us could remember the product they were selling!

(For my neighbor Stan: I could have wrapped myself in two boa constrictors, along with holding the alligator, but I refrained.  You’re welcome.)

This was a good learning lesson: never have too good of a distraction/attraction that it takes away from the product you are selling!

Photo Title: No, I was COMPLETELY sober! And, yes, she’s ALIVE.

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Okay. So you cannot visit the Big Easy without making a trip to Cafe Du Monde. It’s a must.

(I’m not keen on posting so many pictures of myself on my blog, but, golly, it is what it is. I was making memories with good friends and I’m so glad we had some pictures taken.)

We did not have to wait in line on that Monday night, but even if you visit and it’s got a line forever, stand in it. Wear good shoes. Wait. You will not be disappointed!!

Have beignets and some of their Chickory coffee, or hot chocolate, or, like me, milk.

Be sure your hands are clean, because you WILL be licking your fingers.

Also, do not wear black, as seen above. You will leave with a fine dusting of powdered sugar all over you.

Order more than one beignet order.  You will want to eat more than one beignet. I promise.

Photo Title: Happy. Bliss. De-lish. Oh.My. More, please?

I’ll post some more, soon, from the hands-on class Marie and I took during the pre-conference classes.

Now, back to the laundry.

Have a super Monday!

E.

It’s been a little quiet here, lately, because I’m in New Orleans for a photography convention called Imaging USA.

I am completely exhausted. My friends Robin and Marie and I have slept very little while here. Combine that with days full of educational classes, walking trips to the French Quarter, and a HUGE expo, more walking…

Walking, walking, standing, walking…

…and you get bone-tired bodies.

We’ve had a ton of fun and laughs while doing it!

Even though I’m tired, I’m so glad I came. I’ve been inspired by some fantastic photographers & business people, whose advice will help me take better pictures and run a more productive business.

You know what?

I hope that in whatever you are doing in your own personal life, you, too, are finding opportunities to continue to learn and be inspired. All while having fun. (Learning new things isn’t always fun and laughs, but it good.)

Look around for opportunities to grow in whatever you love and/or do for a living: go online (webinars, tutorials, etc.), attend workshops/conventions, find a mentor, take continuing education classes at a local college (or ask to audit a class), etc., etc., etc.

Don’t stay put! Continue to grow and learn. And while you’re at it, smile and laugh a lot!

E.

The tip was, if you place a wooden spoon over a pot with boiling liquid it will prevent it from boiling over.

I said it was silly, a myth, and did not hold water.

Snort! I crack myself up…did not hold water…get it? huh? huh?

In the comments, my neighbor and good friend, Stan, questioned my results, basically accusing me not following the rules.

He pointed out the utensil I used was not a wooden spoon, but rather a wooden handle with a plastic spatula.

Now, I will say in my defense, the plastic was not over the water, but Stan was right.

I’m a little on the competitive side and felt I needed to prove to the world (or to the 3 people who actually read this drivel) that I was right.

I knew, KNEW, there was no way the wooden spoon thing was going to work.

Wives tale. Myth. Hogwash.

I re-tested it at home and without giving you all the gory details, I found it to be inconclusive. I used a fully wooden spoon and I boiled the snot out a pot of water.  I even added a piece of chicken. But, as I said, it was inconclusive. It did, in fact, boil over, but it was a miniscule amount.  The problem: it boiled over–that very same miniscule amount–both WITH the spoon and WITHOUT.  There seemed to be no change.

Fast forward to Christmas.

I’m at my sweet mother-in-law’s house and we are discussing the whole wooden spoon thing while preparing Christmas lunch. I told her it was inconclusive.

My mother-in-law saw that as a challenge.

So, when she made the macaroni and cheese, she tested the wooden spoon theory while boiling the macaroni.

Low and behold, the water never boiled over!  And, I’m telling you, it wanted to. Real bad.

I believe her test worked like it was supposed to.

So….I’m hear to say a couple of things:

1) I was wrong. I admit it.

But don’t ever expect me to admit that ever again, on any topic. Ever.

My apologies to the writer of Kayotic Kitchen, where I first read about the stinkin’ idea. (Her blog is a neat cooking site.)

2) I had read some research on the topic, and yes, it has been tested and found to work.

If I remember correctly, it has something to do with the bubbles holding in heat and the wooden spoon allows the bubbles to attach themselves to the handle, thereby popping the bubbles. This, in turn, prevents the boiling starchy water from boiling over. (I am in no way, shape, or form a scientist, so please forgive me if, by chance, a really, really smart person stops by to read this drivel–because, really, you can’t be too terribly smart if you actually return to read this blog on a daily basis…wink/wink/smileyface/jk!!– and he/she reads the above sentence, and freaks out because I did not describe it correctly, or give the proper terms to the scientific happenings, blahblahblahblahblah….)

3) I saw it work with my own to eyes.

Pinky promise.

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Now, you try it! And, please, let me know your findings. I’m really curious if it ends up working for others.

Yours ’til the par boils,

E.

P.S. Look the question up on the internet.  It’s interesting!  I think this would be such a cool science project (with adult supervision!).

I am so excited, I can’t stand it!

I am headed to New Orleans for the Imaging Expo, a photography convention that promises to be all that and a bag of chips! I’m riding along with a fairly new friend Marie (we’ve known each other for a couple of years, but just now growing our friendship), who is launching her own High School Senior Portrait business.

And, we’re meeting up with my longtime friend and college classmate, Robin, who has a wedding photography business in Nashville.

When I say it will be fun, it will be F.U.N.!

I will tell you more about our trip later. But, for now, I want to show you how I packed for the trip.

I know. Weird.

And, who cares?

I do!

I purchased packing cubes back in 2010 a little before our international trip to Jordan. I bought green for me and blue for ThrillCam. He was beyond excited. Not.

BUT, I used them with great success.

Since then, I’ve packed in the little zipper pouches mainly for bigger, longer trips. I believe they allow me to pack more and more efficiently. But, they’re great for short trips, too.

For this upcoming trip to New Orleans, I sort of took it to a new level…at least, for me.

I designed the outfit I wanted to wear for, say, Monday…

…made a little sign to remind me which day I wanted to wear it…

…snapped a picture with my phone-camera…

…and zipped it up.

I did that with each and every outfit.

I even had an extra packing cube to put all my “evening” outfits in, for nights out on the town.

Now, when I get to New Orleans, and I’m sharing a room with two other ladies who will each have enough clothing and items for 5 days, I can keep all mine stuff in one place, ready to go.

Easy-sneezy.

I purchased my packing cubes from Ebags (via Amazon), but you can find versions of them on TravelSmith’s website, as well as so many other places. Just Google “packing cubes.”

I am not an organized person in any form or fashion, but these little packing cubes make me feel like I am.

E.

P.S. None of these sites or companies know me from the man on the moon. They did not pay me–wish they had–to advertise for them. I just like the things!

I’ve told you before about the app, Instagr.am. It is a favorite of mine and I’ve found that I use it almost daily.

Well, I use it daily, now, for sure.

You see, I’ve decided to participate in the Instagram’s 366 project.

Okay, here’s where I show my stupidity: I didn’t understand why it was called Instagram366…

But, I just went along with it, because I figured the folks at Instagram knew what they were doing when giving the year 366 days.

I figured we would take one last picture on the first day of January 2013, for some odd reason.

So, did YOU know 2012 was a Leap Year??

Hence, 366.

Duh.

I’ve found using my iPhone to snap a picture daily is easy.  There’s no list of topics to take pictures of, so there’s no pressure to “make” a shot.  On the other hand, there are just so many shots of Starbucks’ cups and my dog that I can take before it becomes boring and redundant.

Boring and redundant equals quitting.

So, I think I may loosely use the list I saw on my friend Lana’s blog.  It’s a list to help you be more aware of the gifts, joys, blessings around you. And, you can use your camera to help capture those gifts (the book encourages you to write the gifts down, daily).

Check out the book and app, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  (I am hoping to start reading the book in a couple of weeks. Join me!)

And, thanks, Lana, for making me aware of this book!

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And, before I leave you, I had to post one last picture I took with my phone and posted on Instagram yesterday.

I follow Trey Wingo of ESPN on Twitter, who also happens to be a Baylor grad. He tweeted “Adios, RG3,” or something like it.

No official announcement has been made, yet, but an ESPN reporter broke the news that Robert Griffin III was going pro.

The Baylor Nation will be sad to see RG3 go, for sure. It’s been a great run with him at the helm, but he will go on to do great things for Baylor by being in the NFL. He will be such an important and positive ambassador for Baylor, for which I am glad.

I’m really happy for him.

Keep an eye on this kid. He’s one to watch…

Sic ‘em RG3!!

E.

I was recently made aware of the following blog post written by Jeanine Thurston, a wedding photographer from another state, whom I have never met. I hope you will take a moment to click on the link to read a letter that was written to her by a client. 

E.

http://fototails.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/a-letter-on-my-doorstep-portraits-are-more-than-paper/

P.S. I am in no way saying high priced portraiture is the only way to preserve memories…far from it.  Just take pictures, or pay someone to take them for you…either way, take them!

Enjoy!

E.

June:

June brought the end of school and the completion of our pool.  It was also the month of ThrillCam and my wedding anniversary–do a search in June if you’d like to read the bizarre story of our great-grandfathers.

Those were all fun to tell you about, but the most alarming, I think, was the day I was violently attacked, right in my front yard…

July:

July was busy for our family; we were traveling a lot for our sons’ summer baseball season and summer camp. But, for me and ThrillCam, the highlight was our anniversary trip to Chicago.  The purpose? Yes, to celebrate 20-something years of marriage, but mainly to see our combined crush: Bono U2. It had been a longtime dream of ours to see them in concert.  So we did.  And, boy, were we not disappointed.

August:

August was so doggone hot.  As was the rest of the summer.  It cooled off, though, the day our son and his friend decided to go mud-diving…

I had to choose another favorite for August, simply because it continues to get a lot of hits from viewers.

My neighbor, Stan, despises snakes.  With a passion….

The Honey Badger Controversy.

September:

September was the beginning of football season, which meant Homecoming, which meant mums.

This was my favorite post about Homecoming mums, simply because I was so astounded by the enormity (in many ways) of the mum world…

The last installment of 2011 coming soon…

E.

Grab a cup of coffee, or a sweet tea, and kick up your feet.

Read and enjoy.

And, thank you.

Thank you for giving my little alcove of the internet the time of day.

E.

(to read the posts, click on the months above the pictures)

January:

Who did you have hanging on your wall? This post has actually continued to generate quite a bit of traffic.  Weird what folks are searching for on the internet…

February:

February is always filled with stories from our neighborhood’s annual Hunks vs. Punks Game. And, every February I worry my husband and his Hunk friends will land themselves in the E.R.

So far, the old guys have beat the odds.

This particular post is “interactive!”

March:

My mother passed away on the 1st of March.

My father had already passed away in 2008.

Then there were two.

April:

Even though I was still feeling sucker-punched after my mother’s death, there were some joyful times to follow.  Like my youngest’s birthday.

You can’t help but laugh and have fun with HUMONGUS boxing gloves…

May:

There were some fun posts in May.  (At least, I thought they were fun.) In fact, I had a hard time choosing which one I wanted to highlight, but eventually I settled on this one.

I got a lot of feedback from this particular post.

To be continued…

E.