Heart to Heart

At Home: Faux Key Lime Pie

I posted this recipe last summer before my At Home series, but wanted to post it this summer with pictures.

Recently, an old buddy sent me home with a divine slice of key lime pie.  I've never really cared to try it, but since that fateful day I've decided to claim it as my favorite dessert.  Until, that is, I purchase my next Strawberry Cheesecake Blizzard.  Haven't tried it?  Don't bother.  It will simply suck you into the vortex of must-have-one-every-day. 

Now, since I'm due for a beach trip in August, I've had to lay off the super sweets and settle for the faux sweets and this baby does the trick.

Just a few simple ingredients, 5 minutes of your day, and you're set.

1 small box of lime sugar-free Jello
1/4 cup of boiling hot water vs. boiling cold water
2 Light Key Lime yogurt containers
1 tub of Cool Whip or Dessert Topping :)
1 ready-made Graham Cracker crust

Dissolve the Jello in the boiling water like so...

I didn't stir fast enough so you'll see that the Jello didn't dissolve completely, but I can handle that.

Stir in the 2 yogurt containers

Fold in the whipped topping

Pour it all into the pie crust and refrigerate several hours before cutting.  I've made this in different flavors and it's good in every one.

Would you excuse my absence for a week?  I hope so.  I'll be making time for fun, friends, antiquing and other activities to refresh my creative spirit.  I'll be back on Monday  the 20th with a blog post a day. 

Just one more I had to share

Justin & Jill : A Maternity Shoot

Talk about a tough momma.  Jill wins the award.  She braved the 100 plus degree weather for her maternity shoot.  However, I think it was all worth it.  B Jane kindly allowed us into her backyard for this shoot.  I had a vision in my head of what I wanted it to look like and Buffy's yard was the perfect place for my dream to come to fruition.  If you're an artist, you know what I mean by making your vision come to life.  You think it, you see it in your head, and so badly you want to make it reality.  Sometimes things don't turn out the way you want.  Sometimes they do.  And when they do, you feel validated.  So validated.

I'll be honest with you.  I was nervous about this shoot because I felt that Jill was nervous.  I decided to just share my vision for our shoot with her.  Once, I told her what I had envisioned she let me take the reigns and let me tell you folks that these are the best shoots.  I love it, I thrive from it, I am challenged by it when a client says I trust you to do what you want.

While I'm on the subject, let me insert my business manifesto:

This business is not a service I'm providing.  It's my art.  If you're looking for a service, I'm not your photographer.  I can direct you to those types of photographers.  I'm very serious about my art.  It's my interpretation subject to your interpretation.  I absolutely welcome your ideas.  They're a good jumping board for me, but ultimately my clients expect me to create art and I love it, I thrive from it, I am challenged by it when my clients trust me.  Trust me.

Now, I totally love the name they've chosen for their little fella. 

 

Jill is really selling the maternity look.

beautiful parents, beautiful baby bump, beautiful day
Thank you for letting me be a part of this.

Sarah & Dax: An engagement/family shoot

Sarah has met a prince.  This prince is named Dax.

 
Prince Dax knew just how to sweep this princess off of her feet.  Check.

This prince comes with a precious boy.  Check, check.

And together, they'll live happily ever after.

Aren't they a pretty bunch?  You'd never know that Sarah was nervous in front of the camera.  She was.  But, lucky for me she's naturally photogenic and so little work was required on my part to take a beautiful picture.

And Daxton knew just how to help Sarah relax.

I love these close up shots.

I feel lucky.  I feel lucky that I get to photograph the start of their lives together.  One day, years from today, they'll look at these pictures and begin, "Remember when..."   What an honor for me.

 
I wish your family a blessed marriage.  I'm happy you found each other.

Bailee and Brynna: A Children's Shoot in Burnet

Bailee and Brynna are our hosts for the week and we have enjoyed a most wonderful, lazy week with the CoVan crew.

This is Bailee.  She is a soulful child.  She is a child that will change this world in a wonderful way.

 

By some miracle we enjoyed an 80 degree day yesterday so we've also enjoyed the docks and the eager perch.

 

Brynna is carefree and the life of the party. And, I should also mention she has an incredible sense of style. Really.  So,  be sure you look your best if you're ever around her.  She is polite enough to not call attention to you, but be certain that she's taking note :)

 

 

I'm thankful  for this week and I'm thankful for the time with my kids and these.  It reminds me of times long gone to see these children play from sun up to sun down. 

 

Texas living is the life for me

Blogging from Burnet

underneath a canopy of trees,

beside dancing lake water,

surrounded by rolling hills,

listening to giggling babes.

Behold, beauty.

At Home: Create with me

In case you haven't checked in this week (for shame) you may be noticing that I've changed the look of my blog.  I'm one for change even though I may tell you that I hate change.  I'd be more accurate if I told you that I hated the transition, but I DO like change.

I've reconfigured the categories over there ------------->>>>>>
you see?

I'll be adding a few more categories in the coming weeks under the 'At Home' section.  I've got a few guest bloggers lined up that will be blogging about things that behoove you and not necessarily recipes.  I needed to tidy up the blog and remove some old categories and add some new ones.  IF, IF, IF  you find my new system over there ----------->>>>>>>>>>>>  too fancy or hard to navigate then please let me know so I can make it user friendly.

We loaded up and went to Mimi's a few days ago to borrow her closet, turned craft room.  Isn't this neat?  I'd like to have one installed in my own home for unruly children and reinforced with a dead bolt. Oh, I kid.

While there, I worked on a little project:

It's so flippin cute that I would really like to add bows and ruffles to the rear-side of my Hanes.  But, I run the risk of turning cute into horrendous so I'll refrain from embellishing my own under-britches and stick to embellishing Natalie's shirts.  Deal?  Or no deal?

I first saw this t-shirt idea on the Family Fun website.  If you've never been on their site and you have small children, you should bookmark it and check it often.  I loved it when I was a teacher and I love it as a momma.

I bought these fat-quarter fabrics at an awesome fabric shop in Old Town Spring a while back and I loved the patterns and colors.  I was going to use them for a different project, but never got around to it so I decided to use them for this.

My theory for mixing and matching is choosing patterns that all have complimentary colors despite the pattern and throwing one that belongs on a totally different color pallette for quirk.  See the green on the far right?  It doesn't really match, but it's green and it works.

To start, you'll need a 1 inch by 12 inch strip of each fabric.  I'm giving measurements for those of you that must have numbers, but I didn't measure.

Next you'll need a plain tee.  Using a marker, make two parallel rows of dots.  One set for each strip.  Just see below because I know I'm not making myself clear.

You can see that I used a ruler to space them apart evenly and this is the result...

Using pointy, sharp scissors, cut a teeny slit on each dot.

Next you'll push a fabric strip across each set of slits like so

Tie each strip in a bow and do the same for the rest of the fabric strips

I added the ruffle at the bottom to balance the shirt a bit, but you don't really have to if you don't want to use a sewing machine.

All done!  Here's the shirt again.

Brock & Liam: A Kid shoot

So, these little guys are now 2, but if you ask their momma they will always be her babies

.

We met up at the park with scooters ready to go and I must say that I have the most sylish of clientele.  I've said it before.  I'm not into "props."  BUT, I hardly consider the things that my clients have been bringing into our shoots props.  How do you guys know just what to do?  I love these red scooters and I love the plaid shorts sitting atop.

Brock and Liam are twins, but their personalities are very unique.  They each possess different qualities that make them unique, but endearing in their own way. 

Liam is the serious one.

But, when you succeed in making him smile you have really scored big in his book.  He's not frivolous in his affection so just one smile from him sends my heart racing.

Brock is the smilier of the two.

And he'll win you over in a New York minute with his jovial personality.

Feet shots are cute, but twin feet shots are exponentially cute.

Speaking of exponentially cute....

How you like them ham bones?

The Jacksons: A family shoot...Americana style

I've always loved Ralph Lauren ads with their East Hamptons, Americana flair so I was blown away by Julie's set up.  It's the perfect 4th of July vignette without being over the top. 

This is my first time to go to the Jackson house for pictures and I've driven past it 4,409 times, but the view from the road does not do it justice.  The home is a 1915 home that was relocated from The Heights district.  I got a tour and Julie has posted a few pics on her own blog, but I still don't think the pictures do the house justice.

I liked this next shot with the blown (over-exposed) sky because it reminded me of those Ralph Lauren ads or the Abercrombie ads.   So, here the over-exposure worked.

But, Cash wasn't so thrilled about the whole photo shoot idea.

So, I had to be quick with the button and ready to capture him when he found me the slightest bit entertaining.  It was worth the extra sweat.

And Taylor is a breeze to shoot with her soft, unassuming smile.

Here's one from Julie's cozy porch.

And a slice of life I couldn't resist

Happy Fourth of July, dear Blog Friends.

Jillian Lee: A Bridal Shoot

The wedding has come and gone so it's officially 'safe' to post a few bridal shots.

 

Need a good photo lab?

I was in a pinch yesterday and needed some enlargements fast.  I called Steve at Kingwood Photo Lab and he was more than willing to help me out.  He printed out several enlargements for me and had them ready the same day.  I was so pleased with the excellent customer service I received there and I can't say enough good things about them.   If you need quality prints and fast this is an excellent place to get them.  He is located on W. Lake Houston Parkway in the little shopping center right next to the Alspaugh's Ace Hardware.

Kingwood Photo Lab
2714 West Lake Houston Pkway suite 170

They have a really neat website, too, if you'd rather submit your prints that way and pick them up later.

www.kingwoodphotolab.com

Thanks, Steve, for the excellent service!