Mmmmm... fall cooking. Am I right?Last night, I had my good buddy Margaret over for dinner and a business meeting. You see, she's redesign my website, and I cannot wait to show you what it looks like! It should be ready to go right around the new year (fingers crossed!). If you've ever designed (or redesigned) a website, you know this is a big deal. It's so much more work than anyone anticipates... especially when it involves things like a daily blog, many portfolio galleries and archives of old galleries and posts. I'm sortof a pain-in-the-ass that way.However, my web guru just rolls with it, proving again how great it is to have her on my team.Aaaaanyway, back to the food! I wanted to offer the lady a hearty meal, so I roasted up three pans of winter veggies (butter and thyme were used generously) and then we used them in a hearty and delicious salad which I will share the recipe to later, I promise. I know it's been awhile since I had any recipes on here, and I'm gonna fix that. But it's gonna have to wait until next week because I want to take a photo of dressing being poured onto the salad, and I don't have anyone to do that while I shoot during daylight hours.Complications! I know!And you know what else? Tonight I'm gonna get to photograph a rap show! I KNOW! IT'S LIKE MY OLD LIFE IS COMING BACK TO ME! I am super excited :) You'll get to see those photos next week as well (or tomorrow morning in the Star Tribune, if you so desire).For your internet share of the day, I liked this post on things you should do at least once a year for yourself. Happy weekend, everybody!

Yesterday, Leah up there geared up for the weather and drove an hour away with me to search for my phone in the woods. That right there is a true friend, people.We had so much fun chatting and catching up on the drive, and then we got there and I told her where I thought the phone might be. We hiked out to the area and I turned to her and said something like, "So this is where I did a lot of the shooting -- " and she interrupted me, pointed at the ground under a nearby tree and said, "Look! There it is!" Just like that. We were there for like 10 minutes max (and 9 of those minutes were spent hiking from the car).I could have kissed her, I was so thrilled! We all need good luck charms like Leah in our lives.To celebrate, we then went to Kramarczuk's for lunch (yum!).Also, after much testing and watching and waiting, I determined that our Christmas tree stand is not, in fact leaking! Yay! It turns out that my sleep deprived husband or myself (who is obviously sleep deprived as well), must have just poured an entire pitcher of water into the space between the tree skirt and the tree holder instead of, um, in the holder where the water belongs. See? I am not exaggerating when I talk about our exhaustion. Dear Ezra: YOU NEED TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT NOW.Ok! Now for your internet share of the day! I love photo contests and gazing at the winners, but I really loved these because No. 4 was taken with an iPhone out an airplane window. Amazing! Also, I loved this artwork made from typewriters.

You guys, I am having one hell of a week.On Monday, after only about 3-4 hours of sleep the night before, I slipped down the stairs, landing on my back and head pretty hard. Nothing serious was hurt or broken (thank God!), but I am black and blue and sore all over. And cranky about it.Also? While I have been working very hard to slowly lose weight after Ezra's first birthday (now that I'm not starving all the time from nursing), I gained 3.5 pounds over Thanksgiving weekend. Damn my weakness for pie.Then, on Tuesday, I had this amazing photo shoot out in the woods with a family choosing their Christmas tree. I was so excited for this one! We had fantastic weather and it was so gorgeous out there! And then when the shoot wrapped up, as the sky was darkening, I realized I had lost my phone. In the snow in the woods.I stayed there for 40 minutes retracing all of my steps, but no luck.I got home, used "Find My Phone" and the software located it... as a blip in the woods. Not exactly helpful.I'm heading back out there in an hour or so with a wonderful and dear friend to search some more. Not only is it my phone, but I carry my driver's license and all my credit cards in the case. So this is a Big Deal. Please keep your fingers crossed that I find it.Then, this morning, I went to water the Christmas tree and found the floor and tree skirt (and surrounding presents) soaked through with water. I am now testing to see if I have a leaky Christmas tree stand or not. And if so, won't it be fun to get the fully decorated tree out of it to replace? Ugh.To say we are exhausted around these parts is a huge understatement. We really need some solid sleep so we can a) fight these colds b) stop being clumsy and c) keep our electronic devices in check. Also so we can be more patient with the very demanding toddler and dog. Please send us warm wishes and patience.For your internet share of the day, I enjoyed this gift guide for things to buy yourself under $50. And I also love looking at the most popular baby names -- I have three friends who are knocked up right now, and there are some gems in here!

My little girl is three years old today. Happy Birthday, Mags! I plan on spoiling her later with a romp in the snow and a glazed doughnut. Normally, we give our dogs ice cream on their big day. But Magda here is our first winter birthday, and ice cream doesn't sound as good as doughnuts, so there you go.On one hand, I feel like we just got Magda a year ago. Not because time has flown by so fast with her in our lives (although it has), but more because those traumatic days of her puppyhood seem still so fresh in my mind. But... then I remember that when she was a pup, Merlin was with us (and healthy). And there was no Ezra. And my dear friend Alby was still with us, and still undiagnosed with cancer. When I think of all that has transpired since we brought this girl home, it's more like she should be seven or eight years old today. Time is weird, eh?For your internet share today, I'm sending you over to Still Kickin. Today is Giving Tuesday, which while I think falls way too close to "Give To The Max Day," I still support fully. The story behind this month's hero over at Still Kickin is a tear jerker, and what better way to support that cause than to purchase rad t-shirts for yourself or your favorite kid.

Merry Christmas to ME!One of the amazing guys I work with on all the Scotch shoots also runs a side business making hand-made leather goods. He carefully chooses the hides, designs all the pieces, and hand-stitches it all. And besides that, he works full time. And he's a dad with two kids -- one an infant. I seriously have no idea where he finds the time or energy, but color me impressed.Dan (that's his name), mostly makes purses and satchels and fantastic work bags. But I thought maybe he could make me a camera strap, so I pitched it to him a little while ago. You guys! It's soooooo beautiful! I am completely in love. The leather is so soft and light and flexible, and it's just what I needed.If you'd like to buy something fabulous for you or a loved one, you should check out his online shop here.One more thing: I'm taking Thanksgiving off from blogging. My parents are coming to visit, and I want to give them my full attention. So you'll get a nice, fat post on Monday, but until then I suggest you stay off the computer and snuggle with the ones you love (whether that be animals or people).And speaking of that, I loved this.Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I have to be honest, I am feeling the exact opposite of this photo regarding this year's holidays -- I am almost giddy with anticipation. But still, this dog (named Delilah), made me laugh with her look of defeat.I am really looking forward to the holidays this year as a) it means more time off with family, which I have been really missing b) I love pie and c) I feel really thankful for everything in my life right now.That said, I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm pretty upset with the state of the world at the moment. I'm particularly bothered by the racial events in my city as of late, the Syrian refugees and the bombings in Paris. There seems to be turmoil everywhere, and frankly, it is bringing me down. Maybe that's why Thanksgiving and Christmas are so appealing this year. Cozying up to the fire and eating delicious food and being with wonderful friends just sounds so blissful right now. I know the problems are in no way going away, but taking a break from the news and the internet for a day or two sounds pretty great.But! If you want to stay online, I promise this will keep you smiling. C'mon! You have to laugh at Darth Vader brushing his teeth! That right there is internet gold!

Since my big photoshoot ended early this week, I added in a session with 5-week old twins this morning. (Rest? What's that?) But it was so, so great to be back shooting photos of people again. Look at how these two are holding hands! And no, I did not do that -- they did it on their own.For your internet share today, here is something to make you laugh (especially if you adore Joseph Gordon-Levitt like I do).And on a much more serious, but important, note:  Here are some things you can donate to help refugees who are on their way to Minnesota this winter. And if  you would like to do more, you can mentor a refugee or family to help them settle into their new home and new country (like help get their kids enrolled in public school, or help teach them English). More information on that can be found here.

Today we finished the shoot a full day early! Woot! This was awesome news because now I have a very short break before my 9-hour shoot on Saturday.This photo is of our stylist, Liz, perfecting the details on set today while rocking the messy bun.What else happened today? It snowed! Just flurries, but still exciting!And lastly, for your internet share, I am in the middle of this article about dying alone, and it is FASCINATING. Enjoy!