CUPCAKE PHOTOGRAPHY

 

There's rarely a time that I don't have a camera with me. If it isn't my DSLR then it's my point and shoot that I always have in my purse. Somewhere in time I began taking photos of my food. After all, the making of and serving a plate of food is an art form in itself. (I'm seldom in a restaurant that has their food plated like you see on the Food Network ... like never.) Chefs consider themselves artist as much as photographers do, so why not preserve the masterpiece before you devour it. Today I had the opportunity to take a cupcake photography class at our local cupcake shop iSparkle, https://www.facebook.com/isparklecupcakes. The instructor, Spyros Heniadis, https://www.facebook.com/selfhelpphotographer was patient with our blank stares when asked technical questions. He worked one on one sharing his knowledge to enrich our quirk for food photography.  The class was a success for me as I had several "ah-ha" moments ... and we got to take our "models" home. I just had another "ah-ha" moment ... I'm going to take what I learned today and use my favorite beers as my "models".

GRIN

 

What's the difference between beer nuts and deer nuts? 

Beer nuts are $1.69 and deer nuts are under a buck.

 

(Disclaimer: I realize this photo is a doe and not a buck, but I wanted to use this joke so work with me and laugh ... or at least grin.)

HOW TO TELL IF YOU'RE MIDDLE AGE

 

Middle age is when you suddenly find that your parents are old, your kids are grown up, and you haven't changed.

 

Middle age starts the morning you get up, look in the mirror and admit that you are who you are going to be. Frightening moment. No more hero, composer, author, athlete or superwomen. This is it. You are who you are. The first challenge is to prevent this moment of truth. Let us keep doubt, paranoia and realism from seeping through the wall of fantasy and adolescent behavior that has kept us moving and laughing all these years. "Middle age" describes a state that does not have a chronology but rather a set of preconditions. One of the reasons we react strongly to it is because it defines a person who has a set of symptoms for which there is no disease. Is there a cure? Here's the bad news: There is no cure. No one is even working on one. The only way to avoid middle age is to become prematurely old or stay in a "forever young" state of mind.

 

Words inspired by the book Middle Age Rage by Fred Shoenberg

PUFF BALL

 

Who remembers spray painting these to preserve them? I usually "borrowed" my moms Aqua Net hairspray for a natural look.

PHOTO CHALLENGE

Take those cameras off AUTO mode and start using them for their possible potential. Whether you're using a Point and Shoot or a DSLR, both cameras give you endless options. The photo on the top was shot in full AUTO mode. For the one on the bottom I only changed my setting to CLOUDY ... because it was a cloudy day. A simple change for a better photo. Get you owner manuals out and start exploring the potential of your camera. 

 

MUSIC CLEANSING

 

I knew I'd enjoy the Don Williams show at the Crystal Grand in the Dells but I didn't realize it would be a "music cleansing" experience. I attended the show with my husband and parents who are life long Don Williams fans. Half way through the first song I had goosebumps and felt as if all the questionable music I've exposed my ears to had been flushed from my soul and I was left with this simple and pure sound to absorb. Music is part of my daily life and I enjoy all genres, but for this week anyway, I'm tapping my toes to Don.

TASTE OF CHICAGO



A trip to visit Prairie and Luis found me on an hour train ride, a 30 minute walk and a stroll into Grant Park for A Taste of Chicago ... and the spinning of my head began. Sometimes to many choices isn't a good thing but I was determined to rise to the occasion. Prairie and I started off with a cob of corn and then Luis stated, "You should be trying things you've never had before." Hmmm ... he's right. Next "taste", watermelon-mint-cucumber-feta cheese salad. How's that for stepping out of my comfort zone? Up next, mustard fried catfish. Time to wash those "tastes" down with a Shock Top Honeycrisp Apple Wheat beer. I then slipped back into my old ways and had a pulled pork slider with cilantro and a Bud Light. I didn't stay in my comfort zone to long as we listened to the free FUN concert in the park. Although I was only familiar with 2 songs from this band, I enjoyed the summertime atmosphere and the people watching. It was a wonderful day spent with great company. Thanks kids for letting me share your day off.  Oh yeah ... with a unanimous vote our favorite "taste" of the day was a gingersnap s'more. Next campfire these will be on the menu.

FAMILY, FUN, BEER and even some WHISKEY

 

A few weeks ago I got to enjoy a trip to Nashville that my sister Vickie planned as a gift for our mom and me. (We took our husbands as our +1) The title of this post explains it all but I'll indulge, or bore you with more details. My brother-in-law Jeff piled all 6 of us and our luggage into his Ford Explorer and with his race car spirit, had us arriving in Nashville in record time. Our first evening consisted of  social time at the Fat Bottom Brewery and Edley's Bar-B-Que. We all enjoyed a flight of beer at Fat Bottom, with the exception of my whiskey drinking husband who wet his lips with a mug of root beer. Throughout the next 2 days we laughed, shopped and sang. We wondered through the Opryland Hotel and enjoyed the gardens and a traditional Irish dinner of Bangers and Mash at Findley's Irish Pub washed down with a Guinness Harp. We loaded onto a camouflage Redneck Comedy Bus tour and took in sights around Nashville. (This is where there was a lot of laughter. Especially when we cracked open a Busch Light from our cooler and our comedian/guide stated that he's not even that redneck.) What's a trip to Nashville without an evening at the Grand Ole Opry where you can feel the history in the music. The temperatures reached into the 90's but we never complained except when we stood in line to get into the Bluebird Cafe only to be cut off because of full capacity. (The manager was nice though and let me in to take a peek and snap a few pictures.) We didn't let that bum us out as we found the last 2 barstools at Toostie's Orchid Lounge where we perched our parents and proceeded to drink our supper while singing loud enough to drown out the band. A little bedtime snack at the hotdog stand on the corner completed our night. With these memories and many more in between we piled back into the Explorer and headed home. Jeff's one request was to eat at the Waffle House. We indulged him and I have to admit, I enjoyed my hashbrowns "covered" and "peppered".

PUSHING UP DAISIES

 

I ended up with ants in pants taking this photo. The End.

SUMMER READING

Some were gifts, some are borrowed and some I bought throughout the year. All together I call them my Summer Library. Tomorrow is the last day of school so I will have 83 days to read 11 books which would be at the rate of 1 book a week. There are a total of 3560 pages which means I need to average 43 pages per day. When I break it down to numbers like that it seems feasible, but realistically I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen. I'm not a reader who can skim through paragraphs or read with the TV on or music playing. I need to have a quiet corner and a comfy chair to be able to devour each word. Mornings with a cappuccino on the front porch in my red chair can prove to be productive with few interruptions as long as the mosquitoes stay away. I enjoy reading but I can be easily distracted by mundane things like laundry, weeding, dishes, blah, blah, blah ... but I also get distracted by things like sunshine, float days with the girls, going for a bike ride, beer ... I think you get the picture. As I end this post I'm going to go iron my "last day of school outfit" and do a little "sunshine dance". Happy Summer Everyone!

 

UPDATE: I'm happy to say that after 3 days of summer vacation I've read 202 pages. Phew, I'm not sure I can keep up with this pace. Side note: I think my "sunshine dance" helped a bit ... going to get out and enjoy some right know.

UPDATE 2: JULY 15: I'm happy to say that I'm really enjoying my summer but I've been having to much fun going places that I haven't taken the time to read. I've only totaled 438 pages so far. That's only averaging 12.5 pages per day.