~ we have meet long lost relatives that now seem like we have known them forever;
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~ we have meet long lost relatives that now seem like we have known them forever;
Friday, 31 July 2009 in Journal | Permalink | Comments (18)
i married the love of my life. we shared the day with 25 of our closest friends and family on the grounds of an ancient mill in tuddenham, england. the day was hot. unusually hot for england - even in the summer. but the heat fed the fever of excitement and the afternoon gave way to an enchanting twilight reception that will forever remain in my clearest of memories. the day our life together began. the day i bound myself to the man who would give us the three greatest gifts we could have ever imagined. the day that we promised one another that no matter the pain, the trails and tribulations - we would remain at each other's side - supporting and loving...
Wednesday, 29 July 2009 in Journal | Permalink | Comments (22)
Friday, 24 July 2009 in Journal | Permalink | Comments (11)
~ there are some new stories here;
Monday, 20 July 2009 in Journal | Permalink | Comments (7)
life is good. and good means busy. and busy means little time to enjoy my favorite blogs and even less time to explore new ones. but today i had some time to do exactly that. what i found was fresh, beautiful and completely inspiring. i receive emails every week asking where to start in the blog world - what to write about - what to do next. my answer is always the same - write from your heart; share what you are comfortable sharing; and use the space as your own visual inspiration board. of course, you want people to stop by, read, hopefully comment. but that will only happen if you are true to your own vision - that blog is your space, your vision - fill it with love and light. these women do:
some of my favorite daily reads:
Thursday, 16 July 2009 in Journal | Permalink | Comments (15)
am i killing you with the recipes yet? i am just trying to make up for all those months that i didn't post any - fair? my husband's birthday was yesterday and i made myself a little promise some months ago. i wanted to start a tradition to bake a birthday cake from scratch for my family on their respective birthdays. ayla's was a disaster. so much so, i bought cupcakes for ari rose. feeling a bout of confidence, a decided to give it another go. while my husband will tell you today that his favorite color is blue, but tomorrow it could be red - one favorite has remained steadfast and true... tiramisu.
the tiramisu birthday cake:
the cake:
~ 13 T butter
~ 1 c. sugar
~ 1/3 c. honey
~ 2 eggs
~ 3 yolks
~ 1 t. strong brewed espresso
~ 1 t. vanilla
~ 1/2 c. milk
~ 2 c. flour
~ 2 t. baking powder
prepare two 9-inch baking rounds with butter, flour and parchment paper and set aside. beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. add the honey and continue to mix. in another bowl whip the eggs, yolks, espresso, vanilla and milk - set this aside. in another bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together. add a bit of the egg mixture to the butter and then a bit of the flour - continue this until the batter is thoroughly mixed and ribbons when you pour it. divide is equally between the two baking pans and bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes. let stand for 5-10 minutes before turning the layers out onto a cooling rack.
filling number 1:
~ 1/4 c. marsala {sweet italian wine}
~ 1/4 c. strong brewed espresso
whisk together and set aside.
filling number 2:
part one:
~ 7 egg yolks
~ 1/4 c. sugar
~ 8 oz. mascarpone
~ 4 oz. cream cheese
~ 1 T. strong brewed espresso
whip the yolks and sugar together until they become thick and pale. add the mascarpone, cream cheese and espresso. whip until fully incorporated. pour into another bowl and chill.
part two:
~ 1 pt. heavy cream
~ 1/2 c. sugar
~ 2 T. strong brewed espresso
~ 2 T. marsala
combine all ingredients and whip until stiff peaks have formed. remove part one of filling number two from the refrigerator and gently fold - adding small amounts at a time - the mixture into the heavy cream mixture. be gentle as you do not want to lose the air that you whipped into the cream.
filling number 3:
~ 6 oz. roughly chopped semi-sweet choclate
~ 1 t. espresso grounds
assembly:
when the cakes are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to cut off the top round part of the layers - exposing the interior of the cake. place the first layer on a cake platter or serving dish. using a pastry brush - gently brush/dot the espresso and marsala mixture over the top of the cake. top with 1/3 of the cream/mascarpone mixture and spread gently - let it pour over the edges of the cake. sprinkle 1/2 of the chopped chocolate over the mixture - then add another 1/3 of the mixture on top the chocolate. top this with the other cake layer. using the remaining espresso/marsala mixture - brush this layer as well. top with remaining cream/mascarpone and sprinkle the chocolate over the top. using a fine sieve - dust the top with the espresso. let set up in the fridge for at least an hour before cutting into the cake.
xoox~jla
Wednesday, 15 July 2009 in Food & Love | Permalink | Comments (17)
i hope you had a lovely weekend. we are in the midst of some lengthy to-do lists around the house but we had some time to relax and enjoy our days together. we enjoyed a simple {albeit labor intensive} dish of fresh snow crab and penne {recipe below}, a movie night - the dark crystal is a favorite repeat in our house, swimming at my parents house, another lovely meal in the woods and taking the girls out for shrimp tacos and to finally see up - how was your weekend?
the recipe is as follows:
~ handful of fresh basil
~ 1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan
~ salt and pepper
Monday, 13 July 2009 in Food & Love | Permalink | Comments (9)
so apparently strawberry has a crush on basil. and little does strawberry know... basil loves her too. so much in fact that they both call out to me in the balmy evenings and beseech me to make them one... who am i to deny the lovers?
Saturday, 11 July 2009 in Food & Love | Permalink | Comments (7)
more news and some link love. fieryeyed: the originals will be opening on monday, 13 july at 9am CST. it will feature my original polaroids. it is something i never thought i would do - but after a week or two of cleaning house, cleaning studio and cleaning out my head - it is time to move on and let go from somethings - some of those things happen to be either out-take or "hero" polaroids. all polaroids will be hand signed on the back. and as you know... once they are gone - they are gone.
Thursday, 09 July 2009 in Journal | Permalink | Comments (6)
i have something special to share with you. i have a new blog called the short stories. i needed a new places to showcase some of the new work i am shooting - and of course wanted to do it in the most creative way i knew how. i love {heart and soul love} nectar & light, but did not want to compromise the look and feel of this space - it is about my everyday, my joys, my girls, my light. the short stories is about my process. when i shoot for work, i find most creative enlightenment when i create a story within the subject. i am sharing these stories with you - just an image or two and a few words that i hope convey my creative state at the time. i hope you find inspiration there and i look forward to reading your thoughts...
Tuesday, 07 July 2009 in Journal | Permalink | Comments (15)