and they lived happily ever after..

So this past weekend was one full of milestones.. it was my 5th anniversary with my wonderful boyfriend on Friday, and my beautiful sister got married on Saturday. It was a gorgeous wedding, and I had a ton of fun being one of her bridesmaids! I got to take a few pics at Colours of most of us girls getting our hair and makeup done, and a few at the reception when I had time. I wish I could have taken more!! But luckily my sister had the wonderful Kim Chorney taking pictures throughout the day.. she couldn't have chosen anyone better to photograph her wedding! It's hard to remember to stop and capture the moments when you're busy being a part of their special day. But here's what I did have time to capture.. Congratulations again Alicia & Ryan.. love you both!

kylie

So this here's my "little" cousin Kylie. She just had her sweet 16th birthday in September, and let me tell you this; she is such a little beauty. She was a breeze to shoot and has such a natural smile.. and I can't get enough of how her eyes would change colour from an aqua blue to a sea green from picture to picture! I truly enjoyed this fall session, and was happy that we could find some beautiful places to shoot. Thanks Kylie (and Brody for cooperating too!), I will take your pictures anyday!

caramel apples



So for my sister's upcoming wedding, I decided to do a trial run of some caramel apples that are going to be made. Needless to say, I was totally scared to even attempt this caramel and was seriously considering bailing the attempt midway. But don't be like me! Don't be scared, don't get impatient (like I did), and have fun with it. It's not as hard as it looks!



Yes, I didn't have sticks..
 and I was impatient with my caramel!



Caramel Apples

(adapted from pressed4time's recipe)

12 whole Apples

¼ cups Butter

1 cup White Syrup

14 ounces Eagle Brand Condensed Milk

2 cups White Granulated Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Wash and dry apples, insert sticks, and butter a cookie sheet before starting to cook. Also, on plates, spread out any toppings you might want to roll your caramel apples in (chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, etc).



Heat all ingredients except vanilla in a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly to avoid burning the caramel! When caramel reaches the "soft ball stage" (235°F–240°F using a candy thermometer) remove from heat and add vanilla. You can also test the "soft ball stage" by spooning a small amount of the caramel into cold water. It should form a soft  ball that you can squish with your fingers. Now let the caramel cool a few minutes.

Using the stick inserted in the apples, dunk the apples in the hot caramel and twirl slowly away from the heat for a couple of minutes. It’s nice to have a helper or two at this point.

Roll the caramel apples in your toppings, and place on a buttered cookie sheet.



**Extra caramel from the bottom of the pan:
1. Can be scraped out with a spatula into a buttered plate or dish to be cut into individual pieces when cool.
2. Can be thinned in the pan with half-and-half and eaten warm, as a dip for apple wedges.

rylee & caiden

This was from a prom session I did back in June that I never got the chance to post on my blog. One of my first real shoots, I had a great time getting to see everyone all dressed up, but really enjoyed getting to photograph two kids that are so near and dear to me. I recently revisited this session while photoshopping some others, and redid some of the edits I had previously done. I think they look much better this time around! And it was really nice to look back on this session and remember how new and fun it was!

twins

I always love when I get the chance to spend the day with my friend Kim Chorney, helping her out with a photo session. I especially love when she gives me the chance to bring my camera and practice my skills. So thanks, Kim, for helping me grow as a photographer! Kim's blog, butterfly-photography.ca showcases her wonderful talents for her beautiful photography business - go check it out! Here are a few of the shots I took while helping Kim photograph these adorable twins!

Thanks Krista, Madison & Ainsley!

the jenson's

Love this little family! Baby Ryker brings the family tally to 4, and what a sweet little baby he is. Talon loves being his big brother, and was so hilarious to photograph! He's such a ham in front of the camera! I can't wait to do part 2 of this session!



raspberry lemonade cupcakes

I know, it's been over two months since the last post. But forgive me! Being the last semester in my fourth year of school, it was so crazy that I didn't even have time to make a piece of toast. That being, I came home in late April for the summer, and had made some new recipes that I intended to post on here. But another wrench in the plans: my computer died. Completely crashed, taking all my files and my ability to upload my pictures. So here I am, two months later, finally giving you guys another recipe that I love. These cupcakes are sweet yet tart, and flavourful with a nice texture. Fresh raspberries and lemon juice give them a special, fresh flavour that make you completely forget that these cakes came from a box mix.

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

1 box French Vanilla or Yellow cake mix
Additional ingredients following cake mix box

(generally 3 eggs, 1 cup water, 1/3 cup oil)

1 package (4 serving) Lemon instant pudding mix

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

2 cups fresh raspberries

Icing:

1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar (additional if needed)

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners. Beat together cake mix, eggs, oil and water until smooth. Mix in lemon pudding mix and lemon juice until completely smooth as well. Gently fold in raspberries, allowing them to break apart a little bit. Make sure each raspberry has at least been halved (you don't want any raspberries to remain whole). Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 2/3 full, and bake according to cake mix package directions (usually about 20 minutes). Let cool completely.

Icing:

In a mixer, beat butter until fluffy. Beat in cream cheese and vanilla extract. Mix in powdered sugar gradually, adding a cup at a time until smooth. Add in additional powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency (more sugar = a stiffer icing). Ice cupcakes and garnish with whole raspberries, if desired. Store in an airtight container. Makes 24 cupcakes.