Rather than dig through files for photos and recipes I’m going to do it a little different today. Instead today I’m going to share some of the places I find amazing recipes and inspiration

Have you ever heard of The Pioneer Woman? If not you must go to her site right now! No seriously, don’t read anymore until you have seen it in all it’s glory. Ree Drummond is a city-girl turned Rancher’s wife that started a blog chronicling her adventures in her new life and it turned into so much more. She has a book and a cookbook out (that I sadly have not picked up yet) and she even has a cooking show coming soon! Shut up right? I was so excited when I heard that after seeing her Throwdown with Bobby Flay last year that I went right to my DVR to record it and I am so disappointed that it can’t plan that far out Any way, try out the Tasty Kitchen where both Ree’s and reader recipes are featured and her blog, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/05/milky-way-cake/ I think I will have to try this one next because in case you forgot I’m a chocolate addict and it’s making me drool

Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely is a great resource for menu plans, cookbooks and tips and tricks. I was first introduced to her by Flylady, who I may or may not be needing to follow again, through her weekly emails that usually include a great recipe and tips for using seasonal foods or ways to eat healthy for less. I have one of her cookbooks and there are several recipes we cook very often.

Crockpot 365 is a great resource for crockpot cooking. During the summer I try to use my oven as little as possible to keep from heating up the house and the crockpot is a great way to do that. Plus it’s just great to have a quick and easy dinner on nights where we won’t be home until late for whatever reason.

This Lunch Rox is the lovechild of Jamie Schultz, a fellow photographer and mom that makes amazing healthy and creative lunches that are fun for her son to eat at school (and outside). You don’t have to be super health conscious to be inspired by her creativity and could surely take away some great ideas you could modify to fit your family. Not surprisingly she was featured on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution blog in June.

Wine and a Spoon is a collaboration of 5 bloggers posting  recipes and sharing stories from their unique perspective. I happen to know one of the bloggers, Elizabeth Newlin, from her previous life working as an editor in tech pubs with my hubby years ago. I enjoy reading whatever she writes whether it’s about food or her crazy misadventures as a realtor and mom to three boys in the East Valley-she has the perfect amount of information, humor and snark LOL. I plan to make the Chicken piccata recipe she posted Thursday soon, even if it’s just for me when the boys go camping, because who can resist something refereed to as “chicken instead of leaves and chalk”? Not me.

Lately my newest source of inspiration is Pinterest. If you aren’t familiar with it it’s like a digital pin board to put all of your interests in one place-like interactive bookmarks. It’s highly addictive and amazing and invitation only (super easy to get one, I may even have a few *wink, wink*). If you are interested in what I’m finding drool-worthy, follow me here!

What are you making lately? I’m always looking for new recipes to try! Oh and guess what? My 4yo with food intolerances may be outgrowing his dairy issues so a whole new world of recipes is reopening to me! We recently tried small amounts of butter and cheese without any noticeable reaction, so fingers crossed I’ll be adding a whole bunch of recipes that I haven’t made in ages!

I always feel strange on the other side of the camera. Really there is a reason I take the pictures-I feel most comfortable there. As a woman I can pick out at least 10 personal flaws in any photo of myself that no one would ever notice and sadly I really have a hard time liking any photo with me in it. But at the same time I want my children to be able to look back and see that I was there rather than just assuming I must have been or wondering if I really was. I want them to go through photos that evoke memories of times in our lives and maybe even have a laugh at my expense. So I decided to contact a photographer I met online years a few years ago to do just that-capture a special time in our lives as a family.

Ashlie Hilton is a Tucson, AZ based photographer and despite being a couple hour drive while I was 8 months pregnant I knew she was the one I wanted to photograph our family. She was amazing to work with and made it as stress free as family photos can be LOL! I of course stressed over outfits and making sure they all coordinated without being matchy-matchy but Ashlie helped me through it. She put us at ease immediately and managed to get genuine smiles from my boys which is a feat in itself! I nearly cried when I saw our photos-they were so us and captured exactly what I love about our family and I even liked the way I looked

I may be a bit biased but don’t my boys have AMAZING eyes?

I love the interaction she captured between them, total goofball brotherly love!

Thank you again Ashlie! If you are ever in the Tucson area and are looking for a photographer seriously give her a call http://ashliephotography.com

Last year when I quit blogging I was in a confusing place-I was a few months pregnant but not ready to announce and it was so hard not to spill the beans. It was a very much wanted pregnancy but one that we were cautiously optimistic about. You see I’m a mama to two boys that came to us very easily but for some reason things changed after baby #2 and I suffered at least 4 miscarriages. Any one that has been through one knows how devastating they are on so many levels. Your body has failed you and you wonder what you could have done differently. Your mind plays tricks on you. You no longer enjoy those first few exciting months of a pregnancy, instead you wait with trepidation for the other shoe to drop-that first sign something is amiss. Every twinge, every cramp, anything that night have happened last time is enough to send you into tears fearing the worst. Everyone tries to reassure you and comfort you but even the most well-meaning of them can say something unintentionally hurtful. Finally, after a couple years of trying we were blessed to be past that scary first trimester and announced our secret to our loved ones. And then we got unexpected news…we were having a girl! I can honestly say I felt from the beginning that it was a girl but I dismissed that as being hopeful and accepted (and expected) that we’d have three boys. I would have been perfectly fine with that (my husband is the oldest of three boys and most of his family have boys) but I have always wanted a daughter. She blessed us with her presence about a week or so after Thanksgiving and our little family now feels complete. We had maternity/family photos done with an amazing photographer I met online a few years ago down in Tucson and I’ll share my favorites in another blogpost. I also had newborn photos done with one of my close friends who is seriously amazing. I also met her online a few years back when my photography journey first began. I had mentioned to her as a joke that if I was ever able to have one more baby she would have to come take the photos, we made it happen and I’ll share those as well.

It wasn’t all happy times though. We lost our beloved dog of 13 years almost a year ago. He was my puppy from childhood and it was hard to see him go. I wrote a blog at the time but I was too raw to post it. When the time is right I’ll post that as well.

I took on very few sessions including an engagement session and wedding for my sister-in-law’s twin and a newborn session for my husband’s cousin this spring (I will blog those soon too). I haven’t decided when I will start taking sessions again due to family commitments and soaking up as much time as I can with my beautiful baby. While I’m taking this time off I’m considering where I want to focus when I do return so be on the lookout for possible modeling opportunities, I’ll post them here when I feel the need to get out shooting I plan to try to blog a few times a week so be on the lookout!

I want to thank everyone who has been so understanding during this time and I look forward to working with you all again!

Testing testing….is this thing on? So yeah I abruptly quit blogging a year ago and I seriously miss it! I had good reasons to take a leave but I’m ready to be back So be on the look out tomorrow for a post explaining it all and a bunch of catch-up posts to follow! And fair warning, things are going to be getting a facelift around here so when you stop in be sure to let me know what you think of the changes as they happen

Last time I shared one of my photographer friends, Vicki Byerley, with you that is someone I admire and find inspiration from her art. I hope you enjoyed seeing her work. This week I am featuring another photographer I am in love with, Bethany Farrell-Menchaca.

Bethany is a wedding and portrait photographer in the Austin, TX area. She is another incredible photographer that I of course met through an online forum (I’ve met some of the most amazing people that way) and is seriously just as beautiful in person. I also credit Bethany for a lot of the positive growth in my own photography over the last couple years, she and Vicki were placed in my life at a time where I needed a lot of direction. So a year and a half ago when I had the chance to go to Austin for a photographer get together, I jumped on it. I learned so much being in the company of other talented photographers and came home with a few lasting friendships that I cherish. Bethany is someone that I admire for her personal strength and her ability to capture people as they are, no pretenses. Her images are full of personality and emotion.

Who are you? Seriously. What makes you Bethany? Give me a little bio, please.
Way to start an interview. The very first question just happens to be completely loaded, thank you. Who am I? I wake up every morning and ask myself this very question. Ok, maybe not really. But kinda. I know who I am very well, but am constantly on a journey of self-improvement and discovery. Now that I’ve danced around this question, I’ll try to answer it the best way I can. I am Bethany. I am a woman, a mother, a documenter of life, a cook, a housekeeper, a bookkeeper, a chauffeur, a child wrangler, a teacher, a dreamer and a hopeless romantic. I have been blessed with being in the business of photography for 5 years now; it is truly one of the best things that has ever happened to me. My business honestly started as a hobby, something I could call my own. I was a stay at home mother of two boys, and with the birth of my second son, my photography journey really began. Turns out, it was a blessing. My second son was diagnosed with autism at 30 months old, and ironically I had unknowingly documented his slow decline in development. I have also been blessed with documenting the steady growth and progress he makes. Now as a mother of two amazing boys and a beautiful little girl, I am so thankful for being given a talent I love so dearly. I am just a girl, with amazing children, and a kick arse job trying to keep my dreams alive and bigger than me.

What type of photography do you specialize in? Why?
My work has transitioned from strictly portrait work to weddings in the last three years. I also dabble in commercial work, and have started a wonderful adventure in fashion photography….but weddings are my joy. For two years, I wouldn’t touch weddings. There is no do over, and I knew it was of great importance to really know my craft before I took on that responsibility. After a call from an amazing client needing a photographer in a pinch for a friend’s wedding, I decided to help. It was that wedding that planted a seed of love into my work, it was such a high. There is a euphoria that surrounds the day two lives join that simply cannot be matched. There are no worries, the world disappears, and for those hours nothing else matters but the love that is so overwhelming. Words cannot express how much I love, appreciate, and find joy in my work. I will never stop being amazed or thankful.

Why Photography?
Because, for me, it is love. I feel alive and present and aware when I see the world through a glass lens. I feel at home. I don’t know how to describe it other than that, it’s honestly amazing to me.

How would you describe your style?
Just like me…..flipping awesome! Oh. Wait. You mean really? Welcoming. Fun. Urban. Emotional. Creative. Natural. Raw. Organic. Crazy. Me. Did you want complete sentences here? Cause I’m not capable of using them.

How did you come up with Paisley Day?
Paisley Day is a collaboration with myself and my amazing business partner, April Orr. April is a ridiculously talented wedding planner, her eye for design blows my mind constantly. I started by myself 5 years ago, as Bella Amadis Photography. When my wedding business started booming, we ended up working at a ton of weddings together, or referring clients to each other. So, a little over a year ago we started toying with the idea of starting a business together. We saw many brides exhausted by dozens of vendor meetings and recognized a market for providing a “one stop shop” for our target market. A year ago, Paisley Day was born. What started as a side project, has blossomed into a booming business providing brides with some of the most exceptional and talented wedding professionals in the Greater Austin area. We are constantly amazed by the opportunities that have come our way since we combined our arts. Of course, Bella Amadis is still in full swing, driven solely by amazing clients that keep coming to see me every year. I seriously, seriously have the most rad clients. Ever.

What would be your perfect photo shoot?
At every wedding, I require that the bride and groom set aside at least 20 minutes where I can run off with them. That slot of time, beyond everything else, is always my favorite. It is so important to me that they set aside this time, and the images we get in that time are always their favorites. In those moments, nothing else matters. The rush of all of the people stops, the world grows quiet, and the air is saturated with love. I don’t even exist to them, but I am there. Watching them interact, seeing their faces just beam with amazement, listening to the sweet laughter, and the tender conversation. It is truly one of the most amazing things in the world. Love never stops blowing me away.

What can’t you live without? (Besides me)
What else is there??? I mean, you make my heart so happy and the way you speak to me? Wow. You complete me. It’s sort of like this video

If I was being picky, and had spare room in my heart for anything outside of you, it would be the following items. I would also like to note I am always taking donations of these things:
Cheese.
You.
Chocolate.
You.
Camera and a great lens.
You.
Music!!!!
You.
Amazing friends.
You.
Great jeans.
You.
Flip flops.
You.
Love.
You.
Hope.
You.
Faith.
You.
My fantastic family.
You.
My beautiful babies.
You.
Jesus.
You.
And a pocket knife, every girl should own one.

Anything else we should know?
I’m secretly a ninja.

Share some of your favorite images:

Thank you so much Bethany! If you are in the Austin area and want to contact her, and you know you do, here she is Website Facebook