Jonathan and Mary Margaret: Engagement

Let me preface this photography post with a little comment about this couple. THEY ARE AWESOME! This session was probably one of the longest I've done, but it went buy in a flash because we were chatting and laughing together the whole time. These guys are just so easy to talk to, and I cannot wait to photograph them on their wedding day!

I took all of these photos in Memphis, which I've only gotten to do one other time. Memphis is FULL of great places for photos, and these two picked out some amazing ones. The first couple of shots were taken on a trail near Mary Margaret's house, and that is where Jonathan proposed. I loved getting to shoot them in a place that is so dear to them!

Once again, I just can't wait to see them again and shoot their wedding :)

Professional Patterns

Last Thursday I got together with Margaret to do some outfit pictures at work. It's really just turned into an excuse for us to get together and hang out. I happened to be dressed a little nicer than I normally do for work, so it was perfect. I wear dresses to work only occasionally since I sit down most of the day. Pants are better for me to sit in because I tend to sit crossed-legged (a.k.a. Indian style for the politically incorrect) in my desk chair. I do like to get fancy sometimes though! This particular dress was in my very first StitchFix order (post about it here). I've actually worn it quite a bit, and I love pairing it with this fun jacket, another StitchFix score!

details:

Dress- Many Belles Down (via Stitch Fix)

Jacket- Ark & Co (via Stitch Fix)

Tights- Express, forever ago. These tights are resilient, y'all!

Booties- Target

Leaf Earrings- Etsy (shop no longer open, unfortunately)

Did I mention that this dress has pockets? It does, which makes it pretty perfect in my opinion. Margaret also took a photo of me in this outfit to use for her column in the local paper. She does a "style watch" kind of thing, and I'm so honored to be in it! I just cancelled my paper subscription though, so I probably won't see it unless my mom saves it. Actually, I'm sure I'll see it because every other time I've been in the paper, I've gotten a couple of copies from friends. If I do get it, I'll add it to this post later! 

I hope you're all having a fantastic weekend. I got to cheer my friends on at the zoo run yesterday, which was so much fun! They dressed up as penguins for the race (don't worry, I got pictures and I WILL be posting them). I also just enjoyed spending a lot of time with my closest friends. Alanna tried to take me to a vintage store she found, but it didn't open at the time it was supposed to so we missed it. So sad! But it gives me an excuse to go back to Nashville soon :)

Quilling

Earlier today Etsy posted some photos on their Facebook account featuring an art form called quilling. I've seen things like this before, but I never knew what it was called! It's created using lots of strips of paper coiled and curled into an image. It looks so intricate, and I can't imagine how much patience you would need to create something like this. One of the shops that was featured is YakawonisQuilling. Here are a few of my favorites from her shop

I think Rhett would enjoy the Ron Swanson piece in his room upstairs. That room needs some manly touches! A lot of the pieces in her shop are prints of her originals, so they are affordable. I think it would be amazing to own an original piece though! It would definitely be an investment. I know it's odd, but I'd love the full figure muscular system original...it's just so amazing!

I hope you all are having a fantastic week so far! I guess it's been about a week since I posted, but not much has been going on. I'm very excited about the weekend, though! I'm heading to Nashville with some friends for the zoo run. I'm not going to run it for a few reasons, but I'm going to be the best cheerleader for my buddies! We'll also get to hit up Trader Joe's afterward...which is an essential part of any Nashville trip.

Eat Up: Parmesan Potatoes

One of Rhett's favorite foods (possibly his #1) is the potato. It's not the most nutritious vegetable, but I like them too, so I enjoy cooking them. I went to Trader Joe's with my friend Emily and she introduced me to the teeny tiny potatoes. They're so adorable! I went ahead and bought a couple of bags then searched for a recipe to try with them. In my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, I found a recipe for parmesan potato wedges. I used the little potatoes cut in half instead of wedges and they turned out awesome!

Here's what you need:

• 6 medium baking potatoes (about 2 pounds...or in my case a couple bags of teeny tiny potatoes)
• 1/3 cup of butter, melted
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed

First you line a 15x10x1 pan with parchment paper (I used foil). Cut each potato however you want (wedges, halved, etc). In a large bowl stir together butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Add potato wedges and stir to coat. Place the potatoes on the pan. 

Bake, uncovered in a 425 degree (F) oven about 30 minutes or until tender. 

I served them with some tilapia filets and it was a good dinner! Of course you'll notice there is a lack of non-starchy vegetables. I realized that I've been slacking in that area a few weeks ago, so I've been trying to be better about having greens and other veggies with our dinner. Some of our favorite options are okra, green beans, salad, and peppers (mainly in soup and chili).

If you guys like potatoes, you should seriously try this! It's super easy and really delicious. I put ketchup on some of them :) 

Something New in the Lens Department

The main point of this post is to show off my darling Dudley. Isn't he precious? He sits in that papasan chair pretty much all day. Except when I'm home, he sits next to me on the couch (like he's doing right now). Anyway, last week I got a 40mm lens for my camera. I got rid of my 50mm 1.8 because I had it for a long time, and I was just ready to try something new. There's not a whole lot of difference with this one...but it's nice to be able to get just a little wider! I do feel like it might be a tad sharper, especially if I'm far away. I took some engagement portraits this morning, and the full body shots I took with the new lens are as sharp as with my really high end lens. This never happened with the 50mm!

I hope you've all had a great Saturday! I had a couple of photo shoots this morning, had a run and did some thrift shopping with Paige. It was a great day! I've also been watching a LOT of Parenthood. I just started the second season tonight, and I'm hooked. Are any of you into that show?