Thankful

There are a million reasons why I am a lucky girl. Here are some of those reasons...

Some Recent Family Photos

Sugar the Pug has been a family member since I was a kid. She's about 15 years old and stone deaf.

Grandma and Sugar. She sure does love that dog!

I love mums. I think they are an under appreciated flower.

Some Not-So-Profound Observations

1.) Gas is back over $3.00 a gallon. I am so tired of head-hunting the general area for the lowest price on gas. Seriously.

2.) While we are on the subject of things sold by the gallon, let's mention milk. Milk is another fine example of a highly exploited neccessity! In a day and age when milk is the life support of about a zillion newborns, babies, and toddlers, our fine government has doubled the price of a gallon. Who says we're not in a recession?!

3.) I was in Marc's tonight. Everything is Christmas in that store. Everything is Christmas everywhere. I love Christmas MORE than the next guy, but there is something very rewarding about waiting to celebrate it until after Thanksgiving. I resisted all urges to buy Christmas decorations at a bargain. Hmmpf.

4.) Northeast Ohio is having a baby boom! Pregnant women are EVERYWHERE!!!!

5.) I am sorry for the language, but what the hell is happening to Fairlawn?? For reasons that make virtually no sense to me at all, road crews have been dispatched to both Market St and 77 North. This has made my life miserable on several occasions and I am boycotting Fairlawn all together until someone with good sense fixes the situation. I have tried to act out this decision in my mind several times. "Let's tear up 77 North for the holiday season. We don't have nearly enough accidents on this road, so let's have on-ramp traffic merge straight into traffic traveling at 65 mph. And can someone rip up W Market street and toss it in the back of a truck? Great! " I pray that people with power will get good sense, and that people with good sense will get power in Northeast Ohio one day.

6.) Chic-fil-a is nearly open for business. Oh joy of joys! If you've never had it, you will be oh so pleased!

7.) I dislike the new Target. I can't find anything now that the store has been reset and the whole place smells like burnt popcorn.

8.) I miss Kaufmann's. Macy's stinks.

9.) I love going home. And when I say "home", I mean where I grew up. There is no hustle and bustle there. The air is clean and smells fresh and sweet. I could stand and stare for hours at things like this...
10.) At this rate, we are going to be raking leaves in December. About half of the trees still haven't turned. But the ones that have are GORGEOUS!!!!

Imagine This.....

I'm driving down the road at 4 a.m. on a cold, fall morning in October. I'm half asleep at the wheel with Justin quietly snoring next to me. My car is quickly traveling up 77N through the a.m. fog when suddenly the silence is broken by the sound of my rear window exploding into the backseat. And what could cause this explosion you ask?? Why yes, some stupid hillbilly did fire off a semi-automatic weapon into the dark night, which consequently impacted my rear window and nearly killed us both!! The ever- helpful State Highway Patrolmen who answered our emergency call reassured us that, "this kind of thing happens all the time". SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!?! I should feel glad that neither of us were killed by this wayward bullet, but I can't stop thinking about the injustice of having to spend $300 to replace something I didn't break!!! And let's not forget the fact that if I were carrying a passenger in my backseat, they probably would not be with us any longer. I encourage everyone to write their governor and get some sane laws passed in this state that punish/eliminate the selling and use of these over zealous weapons that kill more people every year than deer! If you want to kill a deer, do what everyone else does in this state and hit one with your car!!!

What Did I Do With My Weekend??

I was busy photographing the Koroshazi Wedding! This expectant mama and papa were so much fun to photograph. By the end of the day, I felt like one of the family! Congrats to both of you and I hope you love these pictures as much as I loved taking them!!!!!

I caught this as the bride was saying her vows. Those eyes.....

Any Day Now...

It's going to become fall. Or is it? I feel deceived by mother nature. By this time of year, it should be chilly, day and night. Cold drizzling rain should plaster hundreds of multi-colored leaves to my windows- inspiring me to spend the day cozied up on the couch with a book. This time of year also offers hundreds of products from candles to gourmet blended drinks, all tainted with the alluring pumpkin scent and flavor. Candied and caramel apples call to you from their shelves at the supermarket...mmmm. Autumn isn't all food and chilly-day sweaters! No sireee! It is a time to slow down, to reflect, recollect yourself for another busy year. I put my heart and soul into so many things in my life that I manage to leave a little piece of it everywhere. For the next three months, I can invest myself in my family and friends. I can go shopping for nothing in particular with my mother-in-law or make Christmas cookies with my niece. I can spend a whole afternoon gabbing to my grandma, hanging out with my mom, or taking the dogs for a walk. My job loses much of its expectations at this time of year and I take full advantage of it.
So in short- I guess I want you to grab a sweater, bake a pie and do something you really enjoy and not feel guilty. Because Fall is your time.

Super Easy Cheesecake Recipes

As of lately, I have had mad cravings for cheesecake! If you love cheesecake and want to try a few new twists on this very famous old recipe, you'll love these!

Caramel Apple Pecan Cheesecake

1 (21-ounce) can apple pie filling
1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup caramel topping
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Reserve 3/4 cup of the apple filling; set aside. Spoon the remaining filling into the crust. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs and mix well. Pour this over the pie filling.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center of the cake is set. Cool to room temperature.
Mix the reserved pie filling and caramel topping in a small saucepan and heat for about 1 minute, or until spreadable. (you can heat it in the microwave as well!) Spoon the apple-caramel mixture over the top of the cheesecake and spread evenly. Sprinkle the top with chopped pecans and drizzle caramel back and forth across pie! Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake


1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
¼ tsp Vanilla
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin butter
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust


Combine pecans and 1/4 cup brown sugar; cut in butter or margarine with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
Beat cream cheese at high speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar; beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in pumpkin butter. Pour mixture into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Sprinkle pecan mixture over pie. Bake for 5 additional minutes, or until butter or margarine and sugar melt. Cool on a wire rack. Cover, and chill for at least 4 hours.

*****Both of these recipes are sooo easy! You can substitute 1/3 less fat cream cheese for regular cream cheese, but not fat free!

Do I Have Something In My Teeth?

You Have 75 Shopping Days Until This...

But for the time being, just enjoy this....

Hey Hey....

"I wanna be a rockstar!"

This song is stuck in my head for eternity. But, it's not surprising as I LOVE Nickelback!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmeUuoxyt_E

Peek-A-Boo, Lily Sees You!!!

Hmmm...forgot to edit the red-eye. Whoops.

Vacation to the Beach.......

Achoooo....well, things have become slightly dusty while we were vacationing! Grab a drink and settle in for some highlights from our vacation. Initially, it seemed crazy to travel 700 miles away with a party of six. But, in hindsight we wouldn't have changed a thing!


If you want cheesy and silly, you've come to the right spot!

Every day was just like this!!!! Blue, Breezy and Beautiful!

Justin gave me these lilies for an anniversary gift!

For the record, no one consented to be photographed on this vacation! However, I did get a few shots (about 500) while visiting! It looks like Karen is staring wistfully out into the blue beyond, but the truth is she was trying to see if Ed and Justin were being eaten by sharks! They wandered out past the sand bar where they could barely be seen!

Well, Hello Coal Miner's Daughter!

This may look serene, but in fact Justin has a horrible ear infection as a result!

Floating on your back several hundred yards off shore is not for the faint of heart and these people will agree! Most of us were perfectly content to stand on shore and yell "shark"!

The G-P's, as Justin calls them.

Karen enjoying a cool moment ocean-side! Isn't this a cool shot?

My favorite photo from the trip. Talk about a moment that takes your breath away!

Grandma walking the beach.

I did have to visit alligator adventure while I was there. It is probably my favorite attraction in Myrtle Beach.

Got Raw Chicken????