intimate wedding in brooklyn center. { frost on flower }

Almost two weeks ago I photographed a very intimate wedding at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

 Both the bride and groom flew in from out of state for their wedding day which made their wedding day the first day I met them! I typically prefer to schedule a face to face meeting with my wedding clients before their wedding and at their venue, if possible. But when working with out of state clients this, of course, is rarely possible.

I toured the venue the day before with the wedding coordinator so I knew that two other weddings were taking place there on the same day but when I spotted the bride I was sure she was the one. :)

We introduced each other and got to work - our time together was short and the weather wasn't overly conducive to a bride in a wedding dress.

 Here are a few of my favorites:



There is a big fountain on the Center grounds and just as we headed over there for photos the sun came out from behind the clouds. We eventually found ourselves in a decent lighting situation but the wind was blowing sprinkles on us from the fountain. It made for a few neat photos. :)







These were possibly the only few trees left with trees in all of the Twin Cities metro area.





















































The bride made genealogy trees for both herself and the groom.  During the ceremony their mothers were asked to come up and place them on the mantel.





The ceremony was quick, to the point, emotional, and quite entertaining.  :)

















They literally tied the knot. :)





And sealed it with a kiss!





Congratulations!!  :)

no bake pumpkin coconut bars. gluten & sugar free.

I repinned a recipe for coconut bars a while back. We've been low on interesting snack these days so I wanted to give them a try. All I needed to buy was shredded coconut, so that was easy. As I was gathering what I needed I decided to take it a step further and do a little experimenting with the great season of fall in mind.

You'll need:
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup agave syrup (you could do 1/4 of one, or use water and stevia, but I like this combo this best)
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until blended and smooth (the coconut will still be a little chunky)

If you want to make it thin, more like a holiday bark, and make a lot of pieces:
Plop it down on a piece of parchment paper, smooth it out until it's between 1/4 and 1/2 inches thick with your hands, cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour and then cut with a pizza cutter into whatever shape you desire.

If you want fewer but thicker bars:
Plop it into a square or rectangular container - a baking pan or a food storage container works, smooth it out, cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour and then cut with a knife into whatever shape you desire.

The bars cannot be left out of the refrigerator for too long, especially in warmer climates or homes. The ingredients are held together by the coconut oil which hardens when cooled. Thus the bars become a little squishy when warmed up.

#nononsense tights & leggings: style made easy!

This post brought to you by No nonsense. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

If you know me in person you may have noticed that I often wear dresses.  As cooler weather approaches, as it is now, I add another piece to my wardrobe - tights.  I also like to wear tights rather than have bare legs when I'm photographing a wedding or event while wearing a dress or skirt.  I wear a lot of solid colors and a lot of black and grey and it's really nice to have bright colored tights and/or a sweater for color.

I received a pair each of No nonsense tights and leggings.  This is what I did with them:

I'll start with the leggings.  Unfortunately I didn't love them and Tyler didn't either.  They're really comfortable and I'll certainly wear them around the house but they don't pass for cords well enough… I would rather just buy corduroy pants.  The horizontal corduroy pattern is actually rather subtle so when you're far away from someone wearing them you can't really tell, they appear to be more like velour pants from 2001 and that is certainly not at all what I'm going for.  They're also a little loose on me but that isn't surprising given the sizing recommendation:  S (4-6) M (8-10) L (12-14) XL (16-18).  So I'd say if you're smaller than a 4 probably avoid these.  I would also suggest a different color.. there is something strangely iridescent about this fabric and color that adds to the velour-ness.  But, like I said, they are super comfortable.  I think I prefer them as around the house pants a lot more than regular leggings as they appear more pant-like.  So if people pop over unannounced I don't feel as… exposed.

The tights are great.  They fit well and seem really really durable, which is important to me - I'm either on the floor and have a child climbing on me or I'm on the floor and climbing around while photographing something.  The tights didn't get stretched out or form any pills.The sizing for tights goes by heigh and weight.  I typically don't fit a size for tights as my weight is usually "small" and my height is "medium" but these worked.  I typically find myself pulling tights up so the crotch isn't saggy or walking around with my tights flapping in the wind.  Not cool.  The sizing recommendations are as follows: S (4'11"-5'8" 100-150lbs) M (5'3"-6' 120-170lbs) L (5'2"-6' 165-200lbs) XL (5'2"-6' 205-250lbs) XXL (5'2"-6' 255-300lbs).

I always remember No nonsense as being the kind of weird brand that would save me in high school when I suddenly needed nylons for something or mine had a hole.  They were always available at basically any food/drug store as well as larger stores so it was always easy to find some if needed.  The great thing is they've updated themselves and offer this neat colors and leggings and are still available in the same convenient locations.  

And just as they were a great and affordable option for frazzled high school me.. they still are an easy to find and affordable option for frazzled mom me.

No nonsense has teamed up with Jill Martin to share style ideas and tips to consumers.  She is stylish and modern and can relate to a lady like myself.  She will be featured in vignettes online that will showcase No nonsense colored tights and leggings along with tips on how to incorporate them into the latest style trends.  I'd be interested to see what she could do with these khaki corduroy leggings.  I could totally just be missing something.

Don't forget to check out No nonsense on Facebook and follow them via Twitter!

 

 

 

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/49024245 w=500&h=281]

 

back-to-school BOGO at famous footwear.

This post brought to you by Famous Footwear. All opinions are 100% mine.

Honestly I have never been to a Famous Footwear. I have always lived relatively close to a Payless shoe store when I've been in need of cheap shoes (which is basically any time I need shoes).  That doesn't mean I think less of Famous Footwear, honestly I don't even know much about them.  My history with them has been purely based on chance.

I know I currently do not live near to a Payless so it's possible that Famous Footwear is more convenient.  I'll have to check it out soon because there is a Buy One Get One half off back-to-school promotion with an additional 15% off of that.  I was just telling Tyler today that Olive will probably need some shoes between her fancy Striderite Mary Janes and her Saucony gym shoes.  In addition to some dress type shoes for the fall and winter.  I can't pass up a BOGO plus 15% off.  :)  Be sure to print the BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon and redeem it now through August 18th.

I peeked at Famous Footwear's website and they certianly have a wide array of styles to choose from.  They can even help you order the shoes you want if you can't find them in store.  They can be shipped to your home or to the store for a store pick-up at no charge.

Famous Footwear also offers a free rewards program that can give you awesome perks like a discount offer when you sign up, special discounts and perks, and accumulating a point for every $1 spent which can be redeemed for certificates.

I don't know about you but I'll be adding this sale to my to do list over the next week or so.  :)

 

AstroBrights back to school crafts #goastrobrights

This post brought to you by Astrobrights Papers by Neenah Paper. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever had an office job?  Maybe back in high school or in college?  I did.  And I fondly remember AstroBrights papers.  I always enjoyed when I was able to make choices about which color to print something on.  I would also often save scraps and use them for personal notes or crafts.

I didn't realize... AstroBrights comes in 23 different colors!  I assume you can find the perfect color for your flyer, presentation, or craft project.  They make it pretty easy to be creative, have fun, and make your project look good.  

As you probably know we're right in the middle of the "back to school" season - school supplies are on sale, clothing stores are advertising must have outfits that your children, and teachers are gearing up for the fall!  You can help your local teachers at your local elementary school by entering the "Give a Brighter Year" sweepstakes.  Your school can win a bunch of school supplies valued at $30,000!  And you can also win a cash prize!

Keeping in line with back to school season AstroBrights is hosting a family-friendly design challenge. Make sure to harness all of your family's creativity and enter the "Make Something AstroBright" challenge.  Share photos and videos of your project and make sure to use the hashtag #goastrobrights if you share your creation on Pinterest or Twitter.  You can win AstroBrights paper and other awesome prizes.  

I actually think I have a couple of stacks of AstroBrights paper in my craft room.  If I get a chance I'll get Olive to work and we'll share with you what we made!

what are you putting in your body? { food dyes }

Without knowing too much of the specific science behind it we tend to avoid food dyes in our family. Olive has had very little thus far in her short life and I hope that, especially in her childhood, it says that way. Overall we easily avoid food dyes within our home because we eat very naturally. Very little to none of what I buy each week is processed or contains more than 5 ingredients and those that do, do not contain colors.

When I look through sources of inspiration for crafts, snacks, and meals I am blown away by the amount of "kid friendly" food that is so disgustingly bright colored. Maybe it's pretty? To me it just seems gross - food is not naturally BRIGHT blue. Yes, you can naturally find bright colors, but in terms of our food it's a little more rare. I'm also easily annoyed by artificially colored foods and treats because it's actually really easy to color things without them. Did you know that? People seem to think that kids need bright and exciting food in order to eat - think Lucky Charms or something of that sort. Fortunately a few companies that still seem to think that have at least sought out natural sources of color. But I wish we could just skip that whole trend all together. Kids don't NEED neon food. They just don't.

So, why do we avoid artificial food dyes?

Many food dyes have come and gone from availability in the US. Most of those that have disappeared are due to the harmful effects they have caused which were apparently not known at the time (sounds familiar, doesn't it?).

The current food dyes used in US are listed below along with their main uses, toxicity findings, and in what countries they are banned.

RED 3 - Candy, Desserts, Baked Goods - Thyroid tumors, Chromosomal damage
RED 40 - Beverages, Candy, Desserts, Pet Food - Lymphomas - Banned in European Economic Community
BLUE 1 - Beverage, Candy, Baked Goods - Chromosomal damage - Banned in France, Finland
BLUE 2 - Pet Foods, Candy, Beverages - Brain tumors - Banned in Norway
GREEN 3 - Beverages, Candy - Bladder tumors - Banned in European Economic Community
YELLOW 5 - Pet Food, Beverages, Baked Goods - Allergies, Thyroid tumors, Lymphocytic lymphomas, Chromosomal damage - Banned in Norway
YELLOW 6 - Beverages, Candy, Desserts, Sausage - Allergies, Kidney tumors, Chromosomal damage - Banned in Norway, Sweden

Blue 1 was not found to be toxic in key rat and mouse studies, but an unpublished
study suggested the possibility that Blue 1 caused kidney tumors in mice, and a
preliminary in vitro study raised questions about possible effects on nerve cells. Blue
1 may not cause cancer, but confirmatory studies should be conducted. The dye can
cause hypersensitivity reactions.
Blue 2 cannot be considered safe given the statistically significant incidence of tumors, particularly brain gliomas, in male rats. It should not be used in foods.
Citrus Red 2, which is permitted only for coloring the skins of oranges not used for
processing, is toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors of the urinary bladder and possibly other organs. The dye poses minimal human risk, because it is only
used at minuscule levels and only on orange peels, but it still has no place in the food
supply.
Green 3 caused significant increases in bladder and testes tumors in male rats.
Though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it safe, this little-used dye
must remain suspect until further testing is conducted.
Orange B is approved for use only in sausage casings, but has not been used for
many years. Limited industry testing did not reveal any problems.
Red 3 was recognized in 1990 by the FDA as a thyroid carcinogen in animals and
is banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs. All uses of Red 3 lakes (combinations of dyes and salts that are insoluble and used in low-moisture foods) are also
banned. However, the FDA still permits Red 3 in ingested drugs and foods, with
about 200,000 pounds of the dye being used annually. The FDA needs to revoke that
approval.
Red 40, the most-widely used dye, may accelerate the appearance of immune-system
tumors in mice. The dye causes hypersensitivity (allergy-like) reactions in a small
number of consumers and might trigger hyperactivity in children. Considering the
safety questions and its non-essentiality, Red 40 should be excluded from foods unless
and until new tests clearly demonstrate its safety.
Yellow 5 was not carcinogenic in rats, but was not adequately tested in mice. It may
be contaminated with several cancer-causing chemicals. In addition, Yellow 5 causes FOOD DYES
A Rainbow of Risks
vi
sometimes-severe hypersensitivity reactions in a small number of people and might
trigger hyperactivity and other behavioral effects in children. Posing some risks, while
serving no nutritional or safety purpose, Yellow 5 should not be allowed in foods.
Yellow 6 caused adrenal tumors in animals, though that is disputed by industry and
the FDA. It may be contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals and occasionally
causes severe hypersensitivity reactions. Yellow 6 adds an unnecessary risk to the food
supply.

What are some natural means of coloring food? You want to make a trendy rainbow birthday cake... so how do you do it?

elimination communication { update }

getting a co-op in my 'hood. please read! please vote!

I don't have much time to say much of anything about this...

But please watch this video and vote for it.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCovt8OqP24?rel=0&w=690&h=420]

Wirth Community Co-op is seeking funds to finally start a co-op in my neighborhood - in north Minneapolis. The twin cities are filled with co-ops but good food, and many other things, are severely lacking in north Minneapolis. People need better options than corner stores with sodas, twinkies, and people selling drugs out front. So please please take a moment to watch and visit this website.

Thanks!

natural plant food from whitney farms.

This post brought to you by Whitney Farms. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you know me you know that I love to eat and cook with fresh fruits and vegetables. The majority of my trips to our local co-op involve a cart full of mostly produce. It's such a pleasant and rewarding way to eat and cook. I can't wait for my garden at home to start producing. I'm also doing a work share again with a local urban CSA called McKinley CSA and, when I can, I help out with and harvest from our neighborhood community garden a few blocks away.  

I'm hugely disappointed though that Minnesota's growing season is so short. I hope one day to live somewhere with a much longer or year round growing season. Just think of the savings in terms of buying groceries? That is one of the big reasons, in addition to health and community, that I like to garden in the three ways I mentioned above.  Our grocery bill continues to inch up a little every week because so very few things are in season right now. But soon!  Soon there will a bountiful harvest! :)

Our CSA uses very natural and organic practices and I do at home as well.  I don't use pesticides or unnatural fertilizer. I only want to grow the best for my family.  I recently learned about Whitney Farms® plant foods and it seems to fit the bill for what I would use to nurture the food I grow to nurture my family.

Whitney Farms provides a full time of 100% natural soils and plan foods.  They do not contain anything artificial, which is very important to me. Whitney Farms has over 25 year of experience and their product high points include things like low to no dust soil with no manure order, protein-based blends to adequately feed your plants, beneficial microbes, and more.

I typically don't use things like plant food because I don't know what's in that food or where it comes from. Labels are often vague or I just don't trust them completely. Whitney Farms products seem like a perfect solution.

I haven't been able to plant things in my garden plot quite yet - I currently have sprouts growing in my sunroom waiting for another week or two. Outside though I've already planted some cool weather crops in pots.  Here are some photos of kale in spinach on our back patio.

Click here to get a $3 coupon for Whitney Farms organic soil and organic plant food to try it for yourself. It's the perfect time to get started on growing vegetables and planting flowers!

a tasty mashup, #CoronaRita

This post brought to you by Chili’s Grill & Bar. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love word mashups. How about you? I have been pretty amused by them.. basically forever and I've always gotten a kick out of making them up.  I am usually less amused by mashups involving food or beverages actually coming to life but I think this situation is an exception to my "rule".

Have you heard of or enjoyed a CoronaRita at Chili's? What is a CoronaRita, you ask?

Corona + Margarita = CoronaRita! Wow!

Is your mind blown? It should be! It's made with Jose Cuervo Especial Tequila and Coronita.

If you are into holidays.. or you look at a calendar.. or you are a person who exists in the world.. you are probably aware that it is nearly Cinco de Mayo!  Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? If you are anything like me  you are not prepared for holidays that are no Christmas or your child's birthday. 

Also, if you are anything like me you probably do not have any tequila, let alone Jose Cuervo Especial Tequila. And if you are anything like me you probably don't have any beer either.

So why not let Chili's take care of the complicated part of Cinco de Mayo for you? Grab family and/or friends, enjoy a meal, and a great mashup of a drink - a CoronaRita Margarita!  But don't let a lack of holidays stop you from going out - enjoy a meal out for a special family event, time away from home with friends, or simply on a whim - it's important!

I am sure you've heard of Chili's $20 Dinner for Two promotion.  I know that if we ever find ourselves in Chili's we would most certainly choose that.  Due to my current diet restrictions I would probably play it safe and order the Tostada Chips and Fire Roasted Corn Guacamole and the Quesedilla Explosion Salad (with corn tortillas, of course). Tyler would probably pick something gluten filled, since he typically can't eat that at home. The Classic Bacon Burger or the Cajun Chicken Pasta would do the trick. But no matter what we would order I am pretty certain it would pair quite nicely with a CoronaRita!  

What is your favorite dish at Chili's? What would you order along with a CoronaRita?

Remember... You must be 21 years or older to drink alcoholic beverages and, as always, please remember to drink responsibly. 

 

scotts snap spreader system.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Is your lawn beautiful?  Ours sure isn't.  We haven't patches of nice lush green grass.  But we also have patches of dirt. And patches of weeds. And some dead grass thrown in.  Basically, our yard is a mess.  It honestly doesn't bother me too terribly (okay, the bare dirt does bother me) but our overall motivation with our home is to prepare it to be sold.. whenever that might be.  I'm almost certain that a beautiful green lawn will bring more viewers to our home than a spotty half dead lawn.  Unless, of course, it's winter.  

Since we've lived in our house we haven't done too many things to better the lawn.  We've used fertilizer a time or two.  And used some weed spray once.  But with a dog and a toddler I don't really want to use those things anymore.  We haven't yet used new seed in our yard.  

Scotts® Snap® Spreader System seems like a useful tool for people like us.  Whether or not you have experience caring for your lawn or have spread new seed before this system takes all of the guess work out of the process.  It doesn't make a mess, there is no measuring or pouring, you just snap, lock, and go - perfect!  :) 

Take a peek at the Scotts® Snap® Spreader System and check out Snap perks on Facebook as well.  Perks?  Yep!  "like" Scotts Facebook page and you can enter to win prizes and become a part of their community.  Find ideas and inspiration to get your yard looking beautiful this year.  

See that icky grass?  I'd love to tackle that project this year and get it looking more uniform and pretty.  :)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-CArPub9j8&w=420&h=315]