Flandy and Luke

This shoot is exciting for me because it is the first time someone has returned to me for more pictures. Mandy has also been a key person in encouraging me pursue photography. She is the perfect lunch buddy also she is an AMAZING cook and baker which she sweetly shares these talents and I'm always grateful for that.
She also is one of the craftiest people I have ever met, if you haven't been to her Flandy's Fancy Creations Facebook page you need to look through it. I am getting a few Christmas gifts from her and I am pretty pumped about that.
Finally, we have to address Mandy's son Luke because this adorable pup did an amazing job posing for us!

Turkey with a Side of Horse

     I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. Mine was the perfect mixture out-of-town family and in-town friends.

This is all of us in our impossible-to-get-everyone-to-look-at-the-same-time glory (also hard to crop as you can tell by the awkward amount of wall space behind us)

This is the ample amount of food we had. We weren't a huge group but through our combined efforts and the genorsity of the people in my parents Sunday school class we had more food than all of us could have eaten in a week but we were grateful for it and enjoyed every dish.

My dog Cleo :) so cute

Just when it seemed like this was going to be the most uneventful holiday with the fewest pictures opportunities ever. My cousin's dog mysteriously got out. And by mysteriously I mean Ashton let her out. This mishap was followed by literally running down the street, illegal trespassing, and climbing through barbed wire only to get a phone call that they had caught the dog. That's the short version Ashton can handle the long version if she feels up to it.

Anyway, when we got back the house my sister had brought her horse, Topaz along with a pony that stays at the same barn named Amanda. This was the perfect picture fodder I was looking for. 

Cousin Allison. Notice the Aviators, scarf, and iPod touch all while on a horse. Kids these days are so trendy

This my sister with her first love and her boyfriend.

I told Ashton she could come ride completely expecting her to say no. To my surprise she walked right out the door and jumped on.

The second shocking equestrian was Mrs. Robin. As you can see the helmet was not going over well.

Topaz with an adorable Horsey smile

These aren't perfect by any stretch by I'm glad I had my camera ready to take them. I'm off to go Black Friday shopping and the best part is I get to listen to Josh Groban Christmas now!!!!

Gearing up for Holidays

         If your family is anything like mine then the holidays have descended upon your house. We put up a small tree today in my parents room but for the most part we usually keep Christmas at bay until after Thanksgiving.

          I also spent a good portion of today making sausage balls. These things are so simple and disappear so quickly. Also they are something you can get people involved with so everyone can have fun in the kitchen.

Ingredients

1 Package Sausage (Hot is my favorite)

10 ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese Shredded

3 Cups Bisquik 

2 tablespoons Honey

Shred the cheese. I used to combine the ingredients and just mix it with my hands but one of my mom's friends Linda advised me to use a standing mixer and it worked perfectly at a slow speed. I made a double batch and I just wanted to show ya'll what 20 ounces of cheese looks like, because it made my stomach hurt just to look at.

Now just roll in 1 inch balls and place on a pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or the usually golden brown. I would be sure to cut a few open and check that they were cooked all the way through.

This is only a small fraction of them but you get the idea






I ended the night at my friend Ashton's house which I was particularly excited  for because she had put up her tree and I love photographing Christmas Trees :)

If Ashton ever becomes senile in her old age, 87% of her belongings will remind her of her initials and 13% of them will remind her she is an Auburn fan.

Shine On

As a girl I love to play around with makeup. Even though I probably don't wear it more than twice a week one of my favorite splurges when it's on sale and I have a coupon is eye makeup. Eye shadow, liner, and mascara can completely change how I feel that day. In normal girl fashion I am never satisfied with what I have to work with and one of my biggest wishes is always to have longer eye lashes. Which is why I was so excited when I happened by this article. It's just a few steps that I had never heard and they have great results. But I really recommend using the eyelash comb, skipping that step will leave not pretty clumps.

The three ladies in my second family shoot are people who never hesitate to give me their advice on anything. Our friendship started because they go on the same mission trip I do every summer where we all lose our hearts to the kids in Conyers, Georgia. Chelsea and I always referred to ourselves as "Best friends by Association" because of our mutual friend Ashton. But this summer I have really gotten to know Chelsea, Kayla, and Leslie and I can't get enough of them. Each of them are beautiful and inspiring. Along with their good looks you will notice their dog, I have literally never seen anyone who loved their dog so much. They keep me laughing and I'm so proud of the moments captured these photos.

I am absolutely obsessed with these colors

Chelsea once did a school project describing herself, her paragraph on Coco was the longest one.

I've never met siblings so close. They are polar opposite but the sweetest Best Friends

Kayla's sassiness shines through no matter where we put her

My other obsession....

      I do love photography. It's makes me so happy to look at my work and other peoples work and see what I could be better at but... I highly enjoy food.
      Anyone who knows me, knows that a Leah that is anything less than full isn't very fun to be around. So around senior year I discovered that there is this awesome hobby called cooking that results in food. So cool.
      I also love to share successful recipes because I highly encourage people to make me food. This is a variation of Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms that I made for my Small Group of 10th grade girls today and they ate them all (they had a little help from our youth pastor but still impressive for 14 year old cheerleaders). I first made these cookies with my friend Devi and was blown away how good they are for a recipe on the back of a candy bag. But now they have replaced the broken down recipe with a the boxed cookie mix (I like to make things harder on myself and make them from scratch). So I want to the instructions here to make sure I always have it.
     Also you notice I used Mini M&M's this time instead of the Hershey Kiss. I recommend both ways because they are equally awesome.

Notice the empty spaces on the cookie sheet? That would be my sister who claims they weren't that good then ate seven. No joke

• 48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Granulated sugar

Directions

1 Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates. 

1. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. 

3 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. 4 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

For the cookies in the picture I just squished the M&M's onto the already baked cookies but it didn't come out pretty and I wanted more chocolate but for the second batch I skipped the roll in sugar and rolled the cookie dough in the M&M's, then baked and I like the results better. If you come up with a better way let me know!

Here is the website of the original recipe and it has nutrition facts but personally when something is homemade I prefer to believe it has no calories :)

Howdy!

          My name is Leah and I am new to blogging myself but I have been following several for sometime now. I have profound interest in photography and spend hours reading books on digital photography and most recently I began interning with a local professional in my area where I am learning more than I ever could from any book.

When it comes to my own work I am both critical and proud. I hope blogging can help me grow as a photographer by allowing to me to see what needs improvement and it's progression as well as allow me to get feedback.

Helping me get my footing in this third and hopefully final (doubt it) social media outlet is my friend Ashton <---Her blog is found here. We have been friends for over fifteen years because our parents wanted us to sit together.

This is one of the most loving couples you'll ever meet, for that reason I have so much respect for them.

Their dog Lucy was the perfect model I love this photo. That is a milk crate my dad used almost thirty years ago when he was a milk man.

Ashton is a poser in the best sense of the word. Meaning it doesn't who else is ready for the shot,  she is always prepared with a pose and a smile.

They are all good looking people with great style but I love they chose to match in cowboy/girl boots rather than going for the all matching shirts. It was creative and adorable.