We planted a few things at the beginning of summer not knowing if we would really be able to grow anything. This is our first house. First time planting things in the ground for us. We got Zucchini, Mint, Oregano and Parsley! Since we have all the rain this summer (seems like everyday) the Zucchini took off and it's insanely large! I had an animal eating it at some point so I did battle with chicken wire for the first time... I hope to find a better solution next year because I am NOT working with that again! Now that we are warding off the animals, we are finally getting to reap the benefits of our little, tiny garden!
(This is how it started out, I do not have an updated photo but all those plants are much larger now- I should have placed the parsley further away from the Zucchini! It's taking over. The leaves are HUGE!)
OK- ANYWAYS!!! Enough rambles! We harvested our first Zucchini yesterday. I went to the store and picked up a few items I needed to make the Zucchini Chips and made them today! We used the Oregano, Parsley(for decoration) and of course our Zucchini!
HERE WE GO!
You Will Need:
Cooking Spray
1 Zucchini
canola oil
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (3/4-ounce)
1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Parsley (for decoration)
Oregano
1. Preheat Oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and spray pan with your cooking spray.
2. Slice Zucchini about 1/4 inch thick and dice oregano:
3. a. Cover bottom of bowl with canola oil b. Place Oregano, 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup of Plain Bread Crumbs into a separate bowl with some salt and pepper for taste .
4. Dip zucchini in canola oil to cover each slice and then into your mixture and lay them across the pan.
5. Once oven is preheated, bake for 25 minutes.
6. ENJOY!
I used some marinara sauce and then placed some parsley on the side for good looks!
(of a person) in need of special care, support, or protection because of age, disability, or risk of abuse or neglect.
"employees must be better trained in how to deal with vulnerable young people"
So- I really wanted the next photo in the series to be a happier one but it is the end of
my "staycation" and we did a ton of work around the house and I have been feeling so
happy about it...until today. After realizing I had to go back to work tomorrow, I felt very sad, depressed and, well, vulnerable. These are the things that make us human- these feelings- and sometimes it makes me realize there are some major things I need to change in my life. Have any of you ever felt that you couldn't move on from something? How did you? If you are reading this, feel free to leave a comment below.
I feel overwhelmed with work, wedding planning, new house things, my to do lists and then spending time on hobbies, friend and family (the fun stuff). I don't feel a balance and it makes me feel vulnerable and sometimes it's a little much. I really hope you enjoy the new photo- It was fun to do on my last day off for a while.
The paper airplanes signify all of those things in life headed for me or away from me. The things I have to let go and the things that I have to let in. If you are feeling at all this way - It's totally okay! This is life and it's important to understand that EVERYTHING will not always be in a perfect balance. Let it in and let it go!
Some other of my favorites from today:
Some behind the scenes photos:
(below: before I worked with hues and saturation etc.)
a mental condition characterized by delusions of persecution, unwarranted jealousy, or exaggerated self-importance, typically elaborated into an organized system. It may be an aspect of chronic personality disorder, of drug abuse, or of a serious condition such as schizophrenia in which the person loses touch with reality.
I am creating a series of photos that has to deal with emotions. The ones we feel on a daily basis, every once in a while and if you are lucky enough, ones that only some people experience. I have suffered from depression, anxiety and panic attacks for years. I am obsessive compulsive and it drives me crazy but I am also a very happy and out going person. I don't always see the glass being half full but I do sometimes and that's enough for me. I know many people have it worse than I do and I truly am grateful for what I have. I suffer from an emptiness of knowing I am not doing more with my life and chasing more dreams but I am also okay with it at the same time. It's a constant pull/battle in my mind.
I wanted to put together a series of photos that show a lot of emotions I feel and I'm sure many of you do! What better way than to do it through art! I love surrealism and wanted to portray some of these photos in that way but also some more realistically. I hope you enjoy the series. I got the idea when I was thinking about how each emotion is so individual and so complex that it's almost like another person/personality was showing through me during each panic attack or each time I was having trouble with my OCD and even when I was happy with my family or out on an adventure. Life is tough but these feelings are what makes us human. We feel so we can empathize or love or cry....
Anyways, I wanted to start with a darker one- I love creepy, dark, strange things and I got this idea when I took a photo of Chance on the couch and saw his shadow behind him.
This photo is Paranoia.
I know that I suffered from this in many different ways. Thinking ex-boyfriends were cheating or that my co-workers may be talking about me... but also with my OCD. It was like death was coming for me if I touched something that I didn't know what it was (like something spilled on a counter or something sticky on a chart) or that touching a handle on the door was going to make me very sick because of germs. I work in the medical field which is not great for the type of person I am but it also has made me stronger. This photos shows a darker side of my mind and how paranoia can really take over ones self. The dogs are there because they help me get through a lot in life (as does my fiancee but he is out of town). Enjoy guys! <3
I was trying to get back into the mood of taking photos. This one was a little difficult. I only had my backyard which I had to watch for the dogs landmines that I had missed cleaning up and rushing to avoid the storm that was quickly moving in. I don't know how I feel about this one. Truly. Not the come-back I was looking for but hey. It was a lot of work and overall worth posting. I think some of my favorite things about this shoot was the behind the scenes photos that I caught. On a side note- I posted a video under the life tab of our dogs... YEP- we have two now- I don't know if I ever ended up writing about that or not but our second fur baby is little Bear. I'm not going to write about his adoption in the life tab since we have had him a few months now but FYI we did adopt him at the same place as Chance. ANIMAL FRIENDS! We are very happy to have these two little guys in our lives and they are happy they have one another as well!Please DON'T SHOP- ADOPT!
Chance is happy to take photos:
yep- caught Bear peeing during the test shots...
and Finally: The BEFORE:
and THE AFTER!:
Anyways. I'm pretty bummed I haven't kept up with this blog or my photography or anything else for that matter. We bought a house, we are engaged and planning a wedding and we have two fur babies and full time jobs. It just gets hard to do what you love sometimes. MAKE TIME FOR IT THOUGH! It's worth it. Trust me! I am going to try to go back to school after the wedding as well. Thinking of a different path to take career wise... as always. I have so many things in my head I overwhelm myself sometimes. I'd love to blog more of my photography and my crafts or even my food blog that I started and never really expanded on. I'd love to open my own business.... time to figure my S&*# out and get going on something fun and exciting for me- but for today- I hope you enjoy the photo! Thanks for reading this guys! <3
Ah! A blog post! I gotta do this more often. I really want to start crafting and writing. I think it would be so good for me but to be honest- a new house, planning a wedding and adopting a second dog has my hands overly full. I want to blog about so many things and make it an awesome website and get rid of my paid websites (since I'd like to save money) but I really have NO time to do these things. I did, however, find some time to edit this gem. I hope you enjoy and I will be trying to get my life in order so I can focus on my photography and my blog more in the near future. I miss taking photos.
