three (plus!) years ago...

(July of 2007 if you want to be exact..)

i started working for bare escentuals.

well...

i also started gaining a family (of sorts) there that i absolutely love love love.

and today, sad day of days, was my last day.

let me tell you what was not easy about that last statement:

1. all the "last times" i did today. "last time clocking in.." "last time wearing my name tag..." "last time doing someone's makeup.." dramatic? maybe. but im allowed to be for this one.

2. cleaing out my locker. weird. just really weird.

3. trying to make my shaky hands stop shaking and my watery eyes stop watering as i pack up at the end of the day and hug my friends goodbye.

3. typing this blog post.

i brought my camera today to take a picture of my "family." its too bad i forgot until the end of the night when there were only a few of us left. So..Brandi and Selena made the cut. (im a little embarassed at how much of a towering giant i look like in this picture?!)

so now that ive sobbed my sob story, i should tell you why i left: my photography business!! this is the happy part. Working retail on saturdays just doesnt and cant work with photography.

..Saturday is wedding day...

..Saturday is picture day...

..Saturday is the day dads have off for family pictures...

..Saturday is the day.

soo it is a happy thing too. I am so beyond excited to use this opportunity to do what i love and make more time for photography. soo excited.
but its bittersweet. those three years are stuffed full with such fun memories, lots of black clothing, long holiday hours, and a lot of laughing. and i love them.

but....
change is good. and exciting. and fun. and needed.
so i will be happy:)

setting up shop??

hello friends. i have an announcement!

i will be "setting up shop" for purchase of my photos made into greeting cards.

its all still a brand new idea...so the actual "shop" is still in the works and has yet to be fine tuned..

but heres a look at what im thinking??

yes? no? thoughts?

if you are interested in a set of cards, (selling in sets of 10) just email me for now at tegynfriedman at yahoo dot com :)

we finally did it.

we finally finally got around to pumpkin carving this year.

darren's came out pretty cool.

and are you ready for the cheesiest of cheesey pictures?? here you go:

dont judge my "owl." thanks.

on the photo blog you'll find...

my day with Tonya Joy and the wedding of Britta & Alan. :)

peanut butter cookies. yum.

its not very often that i make cookies that dont involve some sort of chocolate. but...i did promise the boy that id bake him something. and we were out of chocolate chips. sooo what better cookie to make than a peanut butter one?? im almost kind of glad i was out of chocolate. (thats not normal, by the way.)

Peanut Butter Cookies (Martha Stewart's recipe.)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter --i used Trader Joe's organic peanut butter...and loved it.


1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Dry-roasted, salted peanuts, for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:

1.Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

2.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, peanut butter, and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and mix on medium speed until well combined.

3.In a medium mixing bowl, sift flour and baking soda together. Add to the butter mixture, and beat just to combine.

4.Scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough, shape into a ball, and place on one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, placing scoops 3 inches apart. Dip the tines of a fork in warm water; press the dough balls lightly with the back of the fork to flatten them slightly (dip the fork back in the water for each dough ball, to prevent sticking). Sprinkle with a few peanuts, if desired.

5.Transfer to the oven, and bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets between the oven shelves halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

over the weekend..

i was SO lucky enough to be able to come second shoot a wedding for Tonya Joy. I love Tonya! While there, (san diego) one of our veiws was this. can you believe those clouds?? pictures from the wedding to come soon!

cinnamon rolls..(?)

i wanted something to taste like fall today. and darren loves cinnamon rolls. soooo i took a shot in the dark.

and this is what i got...i dont really know if theyre supposed to look like this?? in my sweet-tooth-cinnamon-craving-baking-loving mind, i was hoping for something more doughy. bready. with much thicker icing. 

but.

they tasted really really good! i promise! if you trust me even a little bit to try them, here is the recipe:

Cinnamon Rolls (adapted from this recipe)

Rolls:

2 1/2 c. flour (+ extra for the counter)

2 tbsp white sugar

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 c. buttermilk (i made a buttermilk substitute of milk and lemon juice)

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted.

Filling:

3/4 c packed brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Generously coat a 9 inch round cake pan and a wire cooling rack with vegetable oil spray.

2. Make the filling: combine together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated white sugar, cinnamon, salt, and the 1 Tablespoon melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand.

3. Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour; 2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and 2 Tablespoons of the melted butter together.

5. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until absorbed, about 30 seconds. The dough will look shaggy.

6. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.

7. Press the dough out into a 9 by 12 inch rectangle using your hands.

8. Brush the dough with 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Press the filling firmly into the dough.

9. Loosen the dough from the counter using a bench scraper or a metal spatula.

10. Starting at a long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log.

11. Pinch the seam to seal. Slice the dough into 8 even pieces.

12. Place the slices in the greased pan.

13. Brush with the remaining 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

14. Use a knife to loosen the buns from the pan. Flip the buns out onto the prepared wire rack, then turn buns upright and let cool for 10 minutes before frosting withcream cheese icing. Prepare the icing while rolls are cooling.

tea time!

more here!

ha! what??

i found these two in the garage last night. like this. sleeping. comfy? apparently?

today was a rainy day.

spooky

truth:

what makes me happy today:

i have to admit...

that i never saw my photography business taking me here!
-in the bathroom of a hospital.
-wearing scrubs.
-a mask.
-a hair net.
-and shoe covers.

oh..
or the part where i was taking pictures in an operating room?  during a SURGERY?!
it was awesome. :)

tea time!

here is just a snip of where all my time has been going lately. (hence the cake plates, etc..) Shannon is getting married and what better way to celebrate other than a tea party bridal shower?? She asked me to do a little photo shoot and put some images together to make an announcement to mail out. i will be back with more!

today i painted.

i needed cake stands for a little photo shoot im doing for a bridal party. preferably pink. buuut i didnt really want to pay $50+ dollars a piece.

so i did a little cheating.

i found old china wear from a local thrift store, along with a few goblets. they were each only $1!

i super glued/gorilla glued the edge of the goblet to the plate and let dry. the cookbook was added for extra weight to help them stick better.

then it was time to spray paint!

ta da!!!

i left the yellow plate unpainted because i just cant paint over the yellow. i need to get some yellow spray paint to touch up the goblet.

so there you have it.

each cake plate cost me $2 plus cost of the spray paint.  it was fun!

note: dont really put a cake with full contact onto the actual plate. Either line it with a doily or use as cupcake stands since the paint isnt fired.

robin's egg

its my new favorite color. i cant get enough of it! so obviously its the color i chose to spray paint my letters for my vendor station ill be hosting next friday and saturday (october 15&16) at the Fall Boutique. Remember?
Where i'll attempt to sell things i made. like skirts? and quilts? and  a teeny bit of jewlery?
Why?
Because im professional. 
Because im having so much fun!

if you dont have anything to do on a friday night or happen to have a lazy saturday...please come!!
There will be over 30 vendors with everything ranging from baked goods to purses to jewlery to headbands , to baby items, and more fun things. See you there!!

for a peek of whats in store, click here.

lovers.

ive been busy lately with some love birds and their engagement shoots... head over the my photo blog to seem them!

1. Constance & Matt

and 2. Kendra & Mark

i like this.

its time..

..for pumpkins!
which means that its also soon time for:
-hot chocolate
-warm sweaters, scarves, gloves..[that is if it wasnt 100+ degrees outside??? what is happening?]
-pumpkin flavored/scented everything!
-peppermint in chocolate.
-cider.
-cozy.

i think that this year i will make more time for seasons. because i realize that by the time i turn around, its january! i will carve pumpkins. i will bake lots of cookies. (tough, i know) i will also eat lots of cookies. (darn:) and i will fill my home with smells of apples, cinnamon, and pumpkin spices...and i dont care what the weather has to say about it.