In the Kitchen

One of Dad's coworkers brought him some fresh raspberries recently, and I don't know how he resisted eating them on the spot, but he handed them over to me for my baking pleasure - under one condition - that I bring him some of the product!  

After perusing my stacks of cookbooks, I went with Williams-Sonoma's Fresh Raspberry Sour Cream Crumble Cake.

I was so excited to eat it that I didn't even get out my flash for the picture.  And I don't regret it one bit.  Totally worth the low quality picture.  You'll just have to trust me. 

I've been needing a reason to use the cheese knife I bought at the gouda cheese factory in Holland...

...and this recipe gave me the perfect excuse.

Penne with Two Tomatoes and Mozzarella is a super easy summer dish.  Just cook the penne pasta reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid.  Cook a pint grape tomatoes, 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, some garlic, and pasta water until the tomatoes soften.  Add to the pasta with diced mozzarella and snipped chives.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Even better served cold the next day!

KARM Project

I wish I could say I had been thinking for weeks about a way to use photography to do some good, but that's just not the case.  At one point I tried to join Celebrating Adoption, an organization that offers free photo sessions for families who have recently adopted, but they aren't accepting new photographers.  Unfortunately, that was really the last I thought about it.  

About two weeks ago, I was driving down the road and an idea that obviously wasn't my own popped into my head.  I would take credit for it if I thought I could, but there was no thinking involved.  It's like God opened this here brain and just set this whole project in there for me.  I didn't have to brainstorm, plan or connect any dots.  It came as a whole.  But I do need your help.

I'm so excited to be taking family pictures for the people living in KARM's Residential Recovery program.  I hope to provide each family with a framed 8x10 and a photo album of about 20 4x6's.  At first I thought I would do this on my own, but then I found out they house 18 families!  I went to Walmart today to estimate the cost of a good quality frame and album and altogether the cost should be about $20-25 per family.  If you are interested in helping with the cost, just shoot me an email at sarah@sarahcphoto.com.  The volunteer coordinator at KARM is working on the schedule right now, but it should happen sometime mid or late July.  

I know there are so many charitable organizations out there that you might already be committed to, so if you are unable to help financially, I would truly appreciate your prayers that this will be a meaningful and spirit-filled ministry.  I pray that God will reveal himself to each family through this small gift.

Good People

The last two weeks have been packed full of good people.  Friends, family, strangers - all of them, good people.  

Good Person #1: Mom who graciously went with me to Arkansas for the photo fundraiser even though she was just there two weeks before.

Good Person #2: Nana who worked for weeks advertising and scheduling for the fundraiser and had water on hand whenever I needed it.

Good Person #3: Taylor who was the best model I could have asked for.  Click here for my favorites from the weekend.

Good People #4 & 5: Luke and Kristin visiting from Dallas.  I don't know what it would take to get them back here, but we're willing to do anything.  (Apparently I was so exhausted from Arkansas that I forgot how to take a decent picture.)  Hurry back Luke and Kristin so I can take a frameable one!

Good People # 6 & 7: Callie and Makenna for being so darn adorable.

Good Person #8: Angelina for bringing brownie cookies with - are you ready? - chocolate chips melted on top.  You can make those for me anytime!

Good People # 9 & 10: Andrew for running all over town before get-togethers that I haven't planned well, and Kenny for entertaining Andrew the entire weekend I was gone.

While the house was already clean, I decided to have my family over for the European celebration - only about a month late!  The menu included champagne straight from the Moulin Rouge and a crepe bar.  Then I showed pictures and handed out gifts.

The most popular crepe of the evening was spread with nutella and topped with strawberries, whipped cream and powdered sugar.  How bad could that be?

When everybody left, I treated myself to crepe number two, an imitation of the French Market's cinnamon sugar crepe.  I have some work to do on this one, so it's a great excuse to keep making them!

Back to my good people.  Good Person #11: Mama Ese for being my kindred spirit.  (Due to my photo laziness, her picture didn't turn out either, so I thought I'd stick in this one instead.  Pictures are always better with these two anyway!)

Good People # 12 & 13: Mamaw for teaching me all about being a hostess and Papaw for his sweet smile and for always calling me "sweetheart."

Hello David Cole in 20 years.  Don't you think Dad's going to look just like Papaw?  Hopefully he'll have that pure white hair.  Love it.

Good Person #14: Papaw J. for making me feel like that ship was the best gift ever.

Gotta give another shout out to Mom for actually putting it together.  I gave up after about five minutes.  Good Person #15: Dad for fixing our toilet for the millionth time so our guests could actually use the bathroom.

Good People # 16 & 17: Andrew and Kristi for entertaining us in Indiana for the holiday weekend.  Huber's Winery was such a cool place and totally made up for the fact that we took the boat out on the lake in the rain!  Just kidding - even that was a blast - especially since we didn't see any snakes!

These two Andrews have been besties for life.  What a good looking pair.

Sometimes I'm overwhelmed with the amount of good people in our life.  As I was washing dishes from the crepe meal, I actually teared up just thinking about how lucky I was to be cleaning the plates of those, say it with me, good people.  Seems a little crazy I'm sure, but God has blessed us so abundantly that I hope it isn't wasted on us.  These lyrics from Starfield's "I Will Go" have become my prayer:

Let the blessing You've poured out on me
Not be spent on me in vain
Let this life be used for change

Stay tuned tomorrow for an announcement about an exciting upcoming project that desperately needs your help!

Whew!

Goodness. I can't believe I haven't blogged in almost a week. I've just been so busy - you know, going to the pool, reading, baking, redecorating. I just don't know if I'm gonna make it through the summer; it's such a hard time of year for us teachers. We sleep too late, our schedule gets all out of whack, and we just can't decide which book to start with! What's a girl to do?

How about march down to the courthouse for a business license! Sarah C. Photography is now official!

This weekend I've been in the booming metropolis of Osceola, Arkansas doing a photo fundraiser for the museum Nana supports. I have had a blast meeting all kinds of sweet families, couples and babies, but I must mention that yesterday and today have been unbelievably hot. Come on, I know I didn't get your sympathy before, so a little now won't hurt!

We woke this morning to yet another day of heat advisories and temperatures over 100 degrees. Funny that I don't even notice the sweat pouring down my back and my dirt-caked feet until I'm finished taking pictures. My mind must have no room for complaints while I'm working, but as soon as my subjects (My subjects? I guess that means you can call me Queen Sarah. Or is that Queen Sarah C.? I digress...) drove away in their car, I realized how hot and tired I was. Mom and Nana were ready with a cold bottle of water after every session, and they have spoiled me with my favorite blueberry salad and my new indulgence, fried pickles. Someone please tell me where I can find these in Knoxville. My life and, if I may be so bold to assume, my mom's life just won't be complete without these as part of our weekly menu.

Back to Normal

Sarah C. has had a blast taking pictures this week.  Just kidding.  I'm not gonna go all third person on you.  Saturday morning in the blazing heat of the Tennessee summer, I did an engagement session for the wedding I have coming up in November.  Like most people, they were a bit nervous about being in front of the camera, but they are so in love that they quickly forgot about me and the big black camera in front of my face!

This picture ended up being one of my favorites even though it's a bit blurry.  Sometimes the imperfect ones (not that there ever are any perfect ones!) end up conveying more emotion.  Chris was whispering something to Burke, and it was such a sweet moment.

Click here to see more.

With all the photo editing I've been doing, okay and some wasted time on Facebook, Milly probably doesn't even realize it's summer.  

It was fun pretending to be a full-time photographer last week, but this week I just have one session.  I will be catching up on a few things though - playing tennis, sunbathing (or is that sunburning?) at the pool, cooking, cleaning, and finishing all the redecorating I started two weeks ago.  I found this cool local artist at the Farmer's Market in Market Square yesterday and hope to buy a couple of her prints to freshen up our walls.  

**Special thanks to Becky Cole of Blue Luna Photography for the new watermark.  Strangely enough, we're kind of related, she works with Dad, and Andrew now works for her brother - no more sorting coupons!  Powell sure does makes this world feel like a smaller place!  And the watermark makes me feel even more like a real photographer!

Say Hello To My Little Friend

I was so excited to take this family's maternity pictures because I grew up with Rebekah.  I even named one of my dolls after her.  I'm glad I didn't scare her off at four years old - that is some pretty creepy behavior!  Our families went camping together several times, so we share some pretty funny memories.  Anybody remember gravy butt?  Okay, it's just rude of me to hint at a funny story without sharing, so here goes.... (Hopefully Bekah won't kill me for this!)

Both of our families are sitting around the campfire at Cumberland Mountain State Park, probably listening to the Vols or the Braves on the radio, and we are just about to eat the breakfast that our Moms likely spent an hour preparing.  Bekah forgot something - a fork, a knife, a napkin, I don't know - I don't remember because the next few moments are the ones that became sealed in my memory for eternity.  She walks back by the fire, sits down in her comfy camping chair, and prompty asks, "Where did I leave my plate?"  About that time, she realized she was, in fact, sitting on her plate - her plate of biscuits and gravy nonetheless.  It couldn't have been the morning for dry toast or scrambled eggs.  She had to plop her tail down in a plate of warm, thick, greasy southern-style gravy.  In that moment, she earned the nickname "gravy butt."  If you're not laughing your head off right now, I must have not done the story justice because to this day, it is one of the funniest moments of my life.

   

Click here for more.

By the way, this old beat up truck is my new best friend! Anyone with a photo shoot in the near future should expect to see this in their pictures. I stumbled on it the other day, and I'm already so worried that it won't be around very long, so I plan to use it as much as possible!

Sarah C.

Hooray for the biggest week so far for Sarah C. Photography!  (My family totally makes fun of me for the Sarah C. thing so I figure I'll just use it as much as I can - so there!)  I have had three sessions scheduled this week, and I've had a blast with the first two and am looking forward to the third.  Here's a sneak peek of Haylee M.

Click here for more.

Well, I better get off here and say goodnight to Andrew L.  Sheila B., hope you have fun at your conference tomorrow.  I'm not sure what I'll do all day with you out of town and no babies to follow around!