Garden Update: What's blooming now

I missed giving an update on my tulips which are now fading and were oh so lovely. (I accidently deleted the photos off my card - Yes shame on me). And I had so many pretty varieties and colors.  Also I missed the Aubrieta which I have in pink and purple in my garden and is quite lovely too. I only wished it bloomed more than once - it only shows it beauty in April into early May. Most people have it in their gardens as border plants or in rock gardens. You have to watch it though because this plant can quickly spread and it will surprise you how much it has grown come the spring.

Aubrieta courtesy of Freefoto.com

However, it is iris season right now and my big beauties are starting to bloom. I have three colors - white, purple, and pink. The white are most abundant in my garden since they are the only iris variety that I have that blooms twice. (I believe there are some non-white varieties that are twice blooming but I have only seen the white.) My landscaper turned me onto them over 8 years ago. They bloom now in April- May and then will bloom again in August and sometimes in September. I love them because they are so low maintenance and require little work and are strong hardy plants. The leaves of the iris will remain green through out the summer and not die down or fade, however, I have planted other flowers such as lilies and coreopsis around them so that part of the garden still has lovely flowers and colors outside of their bloom time. I am thinking that next year I may actually have to divide my irises so they don't completely dominate the spots they are in.  Also my pink lovelies are taking their time and have yet to bloom.

I also have this little beauty which I don't know the name of in both white and purple. If you know what this flower is please leave a comment.

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I feel like a superstar

This was not my planned post for today, however, I was so pleasantly surprised to see my engagement session from last year  featured on  The Fab Bride.

I feel like a superstar ;)

Go on over and check it and the beautiful work from Onada Photography.

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Crate and Barrel Lust

I got to see these in action this weekend at a bridal shower I shot this weekend and now I want them more than ever. They are definitely tres chic and stylish in person.

Crate and Barrel Swoop Bowls $7.95-17.95

And I want to throw this onto the list as well.

Crate and Barrel Agave Bowl $66.95

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Heavenly Dishwasher (and its earth friendly)

I know I am a little late with an Earth Day post but what the hey.

I wanted to share with you a great product that I have been using for the past month which I just happened to come across at Marshall's. (My gosh you never know what you will find in that place.)

Mrs.Meyers Clean Day Dishwashing Liquid is made from essential oils, biodegradable, and a cruelty free product. And OMG the lavender scent is the most heavenly thing. It fills the whole kitchen and dining room and then the dishwasher has the scent for days. It makes me want to run the dishwasher just so I can have the smell. I was also surprised that I noticed that our dishes are cleaner and have fewer streaks and spots than when we were using Cascade.

I have definitely been won over by Mrs. Meyers. Not bad for $4.99!








Photo taken with a 50mm lens (f/1.4 , 1/25 sec , ISO 200)

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Black Bean Soup

I developed a taste for black bean soup late in life. As a girl I would not touch beans swearing that kidney beans looked just like thumbs and totally dismissed all beans as disgusting. When I lived for a year in New Haven, CT and discovered Atticus Bookstore Cafe up the street from my apartment I became enchanted by black bean soup. They served a hearty black bean soup with fresh pieces of white bread with sides of butter and jam. YUMMMMM.

Ever since then I have been recreating my own version here at home making a different variation each time. However, I keep the basic ingredients the same chicken broth, rich black beans, onions, and carrots. From that foundation I build and make  a rich hearty soup. But the great part of it is that its 1) a healthy source of protein,  2) low calorie, 3) can easily be made vegetarian with the use of vegetable broth, and 4) can be made more hearty with the addition of meat.

Black Bean Soup

* Goya canned Black Beans (1-29 ounce can & 2- 15.5 ounce cans)
* 32 ounces of chicken broth (can also do half chicken/vegetable or all vegetable broth)
* Olive Oil
* Half a large onion diced
* 1-2 Diced carrots
* Garlic
* Smoked Paprika
* Chili Powder
* Ground White Pepper
* Kosher Salt
* Fresh Chopped Cilantro
* Southwestern Salsa

Other great additions that work well with this soup:
* Andouille Sausage
* Shredded cooked chicken breast
* Tomatoes (fresh or canned)
* Corn (fresh or canned)


Directions

• Heat about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in large soup pot or dutch oven. Add in onions, garlic, and carrots. Cook until onion slightly translucent.
• Add in paprika and chili powder to taste. Cook 1-2 minutes more.
• Add in chicken broth and beans (undrained).  Cook for 10-15 minutes.
• Add in salsa (if adding tomatoes and corn add in now), salt, and pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes.
• Take half of beans from pot and process in food processor to puree. Add back into soup and cook for 10-15 minutes more. (Additionally I take a potato masher and mash some of the beans in the pot as well. If doing so would also add in meat at this time).
• Taste and add additional seasoning if necessary. 
• Add in hopped cilantro.
• Serve with sour cream or shredded mexican cheese topping.

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Also in an effort to give more info on my photography here is some information on the pictures in this post.

Photo 1 : Taken with 50mm, f/2.5, 1/80 sec

Photo 2 : Taken with 50mm, f/2.5, 1/100 sec

Both photos were taken in RAW format and edited in Lightroom where they were adjusted for white balance, sharpness, contrast, and given a color boost.

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Random Act of Kindness

I did a random act of kindness for a complete stranger this morning and it felt great!

It really made my day.

When was the last time you did a small gesture of kindness or generosity for a complete stranger?

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My Wedding Featured on The Fab Bride!!!!!!

My good friend Bola just launched a terrific new website geared towards Philly brides. In her own words TheFabBride.com is:


TheFabBride.com is an idea that Bola Onada Abodunde came up with to provide Philly brides with a resource that will help them learn who Philly's amazing and talented vendors are as well as inspire them with ideas for their own weddings. As a wedding photographer, the #1 complaint Bola received from brides was that there were no fun blogs out there solely dedicated to Philly brides and it was so hard to find the great vendors in the area. Being a bride-to-be herself she felt it was the perfect opportunity to put a resource together for all the Philly brides that shared the same frustrations and so TheFabBride was born!

I am so excited about her new endeavor and so happy that someone decided to fill the much needed gap here in the Philadelphia area bridal market.

And guess who is the first real wedding highlighted on the website : Moi - lil ole me!

Go over and check it out and all the great inspiration, info, and  wedding prettiness The Fab Bride has to offer.

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101 : Much harder than I thought it would be

A random photo since every post should have pictures. This is one of the tulips in our garden.

When I committed myself to doing 101 in 10001, I thought no problem this should be a cake walk thinking up 101 things I would like to do. Easy Peasy. Oh boy was I wrong. I have struggled to come up with my 101. (Is this a sign that I have a boring unimaginative mind?) I wanted my list to be diverse and not just focused on one or two things that I love to do already. It would have been a cake walk to put cooking/baking and crafting as half of the list. But the intent of this project is to stretch myself, have some new experiences,  work on some things I am remiss in, and challenge myself to tackle things that I am apprehensive over.

So here we go with my 101 in 1001, starting now (16 days behind schedule).

1. Enter a cooking contest
2. Officially launch my photography business (Done - in the process of making it all legal and legit with Uncle Sam and the state)
3. Have a baby or become pregnant
4. Travel to Italy
5. Get a dog
6. Learn to drive stick shift
7. Make a Quilt
8. Run a 5K race
9. Buy a new house
10. Sell my current house
11. Commit to a charity for volunteer work
12. Read 101 books
13. Read a chapter of the bible daily
14. Successfully grow peonies
15. Make a piece of clothing
16. Master making French Macaroons
17. Photograph 15 weddings 
18. Go rock climbing
19. Learn to play pinocle
20. Make a piece of furniture (bench, shelves, etc)
21. Make a piece of art
22. Learn how to check tire pressure and put air in my tire
23. Layout a cohesive color scheme for the house
24. Create a book through Blurb on my family history
25. Research my husband's family tree
26. Go to performance of Nutcracker
27. Go to professional boxing match
28. Go to professional football game
29. Grow photography business
30. Go sledding
31. Design Christmas card
32. Have a birthday celebration
33. Take a walking tour of Philadelphia
34. Take a carriage ride
35. Eat dinner at Philly's top 5 restaurants
36. Make slipcovers for living room chairs
37. Stay at bed and breakfast
38. Go hiking
39. Legally change last name
40. Get a massage
41. Go swimming
42. Go to the beach
43. Gamble at a casino table
44. Visit family in Atlanta
45. Visit family in Detroit
46. Have mother/daughter outing every three months
47. Visit New York at Christmas
48. See a broadway show
49. Join a professional network group
50. Attend WPPI
51. Make a snow angel
52. Go see the circus
53. Drive go carts
54. Get dressed for work the majority of the week
55. Have a bake sale
56. Have a booth at a flea market
57. Do a road trip
58. Finish a complete puzzle book
59. Do a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle
60. Write a business plan
61. Repaint trim work
62. Try yoga
63. Try fitness boot camp
64. Abstain from sugar for a month
65. See the Grand Canyon
66. Complete a craft project every 3 months
67. Volunteer every quarter
68. See the Barnes exhibit
69. Run the Art Museum steps
70. Join a church
71. Learn to apply false eyelashes
72. Take a photography seminar
73. Keep a gratitude journal
74. Do a random act of kindness each week
75. Visit ABC in New York
76. Launch portfolio website
77. Blog at least 2 times a week
78. Finish wedding album
79. Get published on a big blog
80. Finish a 365-day project
81. Write a short story
82. Create my own baking recipe
83. Perfect making apple pie
84. Learn to roast a good chicken
85. Do a destination wedding
86. Have a dahlia garden
87. Plant over 100 bulbs for spring
88. Regularly get pedicures
89. Create a time capsule
90. Write a little note to someone every month
91. Send care packages to my aunties every quarter
92. Give away a free wedding shoot to a deserving bride
93. Mentor someone
94. Get a high end pair of designer shoes
95. Get a very high end pocketbook
96. Lay out on a blanket and count the stars at night
97. Camp in the backyard
98. Put up a hammock
99. Learn to make good lemonade
100. Learn how to spin a top
101. Ride a bike

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Random Post

Just a part of my serve ware collection. Look closely there is stuff in all the nooks and crannies. See bullet below. And yes those glasses still have stickers on them.

This is just a random post with a hodgepodge of stuff that is not expansive enough to be worthy of a separate post but I still want to get off my chest.

•  Traded in my Mini Cooper for an Audi. Right now I am on the fence as to if I made the right decision. Even though my husband assures me its not large I feel like I am driving in a boat. I miss the go cart handling and zippy compactness of Minnie. 
• I am at war with my car navigation system. I don't trust that it is going to get me where I need to go. I guess this brings to the surface my control issues and my inability to have blind faith in something.
• I am obsessed with serve ware. And even though I have 2 sets of good china I want another complete set this one in a basic white. Not to mention that I have my eye on a couple of items from Crate and Barrel (serve bowls, platters, and glasses) [Maybe my obsession is worthy of an entire post].
• My allergies are kicking my butt and I swear Rita's lemon water ice or Eddy's frozen lemon fruit pops helps calm them down.
• One fashion trend I can't wait till it passes is black leggings. THEY ARE NOT MADE FOR EVERYONE PEOPLE!
• I am reading the Thornbirds. I briefly remember the television series with Richard Chamberlain from when I was a girl and it being too adult for me to watch. Why didn't I pick this up sooner.
• I am a Twitter fanatic now. Take Twitter over Facebook anyday.
• Wondering if I should take my summer clothes out of storage. I still hold to the old school rule of no white before Labor day. However, we have almost 90 today and the forecast is for high 50-60 Saturday. WTH. I am so confused.
• I promised my husband that tonight I am buying my last camera lens for a good long time. We will see how long this will last.

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Easter

So I am winding down from a wonderful Easter. This year I did not kill myself cooking a huge spread as I usually do. We were able to sleep in and then go to a fabulous brunch at XIX here in Philly at the Park Hyatt. They put out quite a spread as you can tell from my food baby tummy in these pics. Lesson learned - Don't wear a form fitting dress when you know you are going to make a pig of yourself at a smorgasbord. (And oh my goodness my husband finally took pictures of me. Gasp! I know I post tons of pics of Roe and never any of myself and now you know the reason.)

I know that there is a blaring absence of a mention of us attending church service, which hurts me to admit that we did not do on this most holiest of days. My husband and I currently have no church to call home and we have let this allow us to become remiss in attending any service on Sunday. We have spoken on this a couple of times in the last few weeks and about my desire for us to find a church home. I think that it is important for the strength of our relationship that we worship and pray together regularly and I would like church to provide that structure for us. So this Easter Sunday, as Jesus renewed us through his sacrifice,  I am taking this time to renew myself in my faith and to start actively seeking a church home.

Hope all of you found some renewal on this Blessed Easter Sunday.

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