Photography: An afternoon with two Yoopers!

“ You don’t take a photograph, you make it." - Ansel Adams

My inspiration for photography comes from many people... including my awesome sister. {She's always wanted to be a photographer... and now she basically is! I don't think I will ever be as good as her, but I will still try to capture the images as best I can}

During my time at CMU, I took a photography class and used a 35 mm Nikon Film Camera - now collecting dust on my shelf! Today, I have a Nikon DSLR and I have taken thousands of photos with that camera.

On Saturday, I was able to spend an afternoon with my good friend Kristina and her long-time beau, Matt. They both grew up in 'da UP' - eh, and now live in Petoskey. I wanted to practice with my new lens - and they were the 'picture perfect' models. Here's a few of my favorites from the day:

Baking: An early Easter surprise!

Easter is still about 4 weeks away, but I made these adorable Easter "baskets" last year as a special treat! Simple and cute - if you have about an hour and a half to create.

The Ingredients

• 1 box of cake mix (your choice, I used Funfetti)
• 1 can vanilla or white frosting
• 2 cups coconut
• 1 bag of Whopper Robin Eggs
• 1 bag of Red Licorice
• Green food coloring
• Cupcake liners

Cook the cupcakes according to box directions. Let cool completely. Frost. Take coconut and add 2-3 drops of green food coloring (you can use more if you prefer the grass to be greener).  Sprinkle on top of cupcakes. Take a licorice stick and poke hole in one side, bringing it over to the other side. Add 2-3 Robin eggs in the middle.

Some helpful tips: It's best to add the licorice just an hour or two before serving. Any longer and they crack in the center from being bent over.

Viola and enjoy!

Personal: Why blog?

Third time's a charm! I've started two blogs in the past, one deleted for personal reasons, the other because I simply did not keep up with it. So, here I am with the start of my third blog. I've started one for a few reasons:
1: To write! I miss writing but guess what? Writing is not my strong point and I really need to work on this both personally and professionally.

2: To share! Personal hobbies, things happening in my community and kitchen successes. I have a new found passion to bake & cook!

3: To learn! My career is ever-changing as are most. There are so many different techniques, theories and mistakes that happen everyday, so why not apply them to my own career?

4: To celebrate! Celebrate what? Everything! Simple life moments, not-so-happy moments, career moments and so on and so forth.

5: To inspire through creativity! Everyday I am challenged to be creative. Most of the time it's fun, but just like everyone else I hit roadblocks. I hope I can look back on some of the things I create when I run across these.

6: To be accountable! For the most part, when I say I am going to do something, I do it. However, as of late, I seem to have gotten 'off track' and slacking in a few areas of my life. I will blog at least (if not more) once a week.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my blogging adventure!