Key Ring

I got to shoot Key Ring recently.  Key Ring stores all of your loyalty cards ON YOUR PHONE. Brilliant idea and super fun team!

34 Weeks

We've had our 34 week Baby Lucy checkup and all is healthy and well.   Lucy is head down and clocking in at an estimated 5 pounds! Our doctor exclaimed, "I think this is going to be your biggest baby yet!"  This is exciting and daunting, from a natural labor standpoint. Penn and Margot were 7.3 lbs. and 7.7 lbs, respectively and I am a 4' 11'', normally 90ish pound mom! Mmm, I do love me a fat baby. Yesterday I couldn't decide between size 0 - 3 months or 3 - 6 months. "Newborn" sized items do not last long around here.

Her size is obvious by the way she feels as she squirms around. The ninja kicks are gone as there's no more room in there. She feels like a bony octopus.

I am booked through November 1st. Then I'm taking those last few weeks to deliver what I've shot and finish the nursery and the fun remodel project we have going on in our bedroom.

I'm tired. There's still so much to finish. I can't wait. 

Scardellos in Modern Luxury

I shot one of my favorite stores, Scardello Cheese Shop, for Modern Luxury Magazine to illustrate an article about  packing a decadent food basket for a trip. Everything here is delicious and I learned you can buy or rent one of these beautiful baskets!

Lakewood PTA Raises over $40,000

Lakewood PTA raised over $40,000 this year without selling any of that darned wrapping paper!  That is a ton of money and we haven't even had the Fall or Spring Carnival yet. To celebrate, the whole school got a snow cone party.

I never thought I'd be a PTA mom. I don't think I knew what a PTA mom really was. These moms work hard. It's not a cookie baking volunteer position. I'm talking grant writing, fund raising, wall painting, landscaping, lunch monitoring, teachers aid, reading, copying, assembling class materials, room decorating, teacher appreciation and building an entire outdoor learning area of trails and ramps through nature. There are meetings upon meetings to work with the principal. They pay attention to curriculum and schedules and work to achieve the best balance for the students. They work around their multiple kids schedules and "real-world" jobs. They care about all of the students and work with the public school system to make it the best it can be. I'm most impressed at how they work with the system instead of just throwing up hands and complaining a lot.

This is a society where so many communities give up on or don't believe in their pubic school and opt to pay pricey tuitions for private schools (not that there's anything wrong with that). I'm so proud to have such an encouraging and smart and involved community of parents who work all year round to make our school a great place to be.

Since I'm on the yearbook staff you can look forward to lots more photos of these school events.

Dough Pizzaria for Modern Luxury Magazine

I shot Dough Pizzaria Napoletana for Modern Luxury.  The first line of the website homepage explains the greatness of this restaurant:

...is to date one of an elite 54 restaurants in the United States and #292 in the world to receive the prestigious certification from L'Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana for serving authentic Pizza Napoletana.

Happy Anniversary

Today marks another year of being in love. Happy Anniversary to the most amazing and wonderful man in the world. Marrying you is one of the most important things I"ll ever do.

*photo by Dylan Hollingsworth

Apple Fritters

Apple fritters fall towards the top of my nommygood list. When this recipe swept through Pinterest I thought YOU MEAN I CAN MAKE THEM AT HOME? These are too good and easy not to share. Mine were best right when the glaze turned into a sugary hard shell. 


Sometimes I wake up in the morning and start cooking. Pajamas and eye crust make things taste better. Since Penn didn't have school Friday morning, this was an ideal occasion.



1 heaping cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
dash salt
1 tsp. 
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 T. butter, melted
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped apple, your favorite kind for eating, peanut sized or smaller
oil for frying
milk and powdered sugar glaze for dipping or just powdered sugar for dusting
(About 1 cup pwd. sugar + 1 T. milk or more) 


Mix all dry ingredients together. Slowly add the wet ingredients, minus the apple. Carefully mix until well combined but not overly beat. Gently fold in apple pieces. The batter should be the consistency of a light cake mix. 


Once the oil is ready (when a test drop of dough floats to the top of the oil) then using a cookie scooper or soup spoon, place a few balls of dough into the oil. Be careful not to overcrowd and watch carefully for the underside to turn golden brown, then gently flip over and continue frying until done. I cooked mine about 45 seconds per side, but they were the size of golf balls. Adjust cooking times based on size of fritters and temperature of your oil. It is always a good idea to test one to ensure it comes out like you are expecting.

My first knit hat

I am pretty adept at crocheting, but knitting anything besides flat objects is still a relatively new endeavor. I recently knit my first hat for Lucy! It's a soft yarn and salmon pink and while my new knitting-in-the-round skills make for imperfect products, it's still adorable. Unfortunately I didn't turn out a newborn sized hat. Good thing I have the cutest niece, LilaMai, to give it to! Look at those Korean blue eyes. That's ridiculous. How can anyone compete with that?

*LilaMai's photo by my sister via iphone.