A Few Photos and a Few Randoms

1. Both times I have done serious photo shoots I try to pick out my favorites, edit those, but then also give the person a CD of ALL the shots that I took, even if they're total outtakes. One of the most interesting things (to me) about taking pictures is comparing different people's favorites. Often times, the pictures that aren't MY favorites because the lighting isn't just right, or the focus is just a little off, end up being OTHER people's favorites. I guess for the most part, it isn't necessarily about capturing the perfect picture, but about capturing life. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures that I didn't post before that are some of Renee's favorites (and I love both of these shots too). Check out her blog to see the others she liked (ps- for some reason I can only view her blog in IE and not Mozilla, so if you can't see anything, switch browsers!).

2. After a terribly failed attempt at Smothered Chicken the other night, I decided to make it again last night. Success! Justin ate almost four chicken breasts all by himself, and then started making toast so that he could continue eating the sauce. It's easy peasy--grease a small pan, and lay about 4 chicken breasts in it. In a separate bowl, combine 3/4 Cup BBQ sauce and 3/4 Cup Ranch dressing (I use Fat Free Ranch). Pour sauce over the chicken. Top with a few onions or chives if you want. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Remove, and cut into a piece to make sure there's no pink. Then, add a cup or so of grated cheddar and some bacon pieces to the top and pop back in for another 5 minutes or so. Delish!

3. I have to say that I felt like a stud yesterday. My MOTHER actually called ME for cooking advice. She wanted to make my pulled pork recipe because she loved it, and had questions. She called right after Justin had been flipping out about how good the above recipe was, so it was a MAJOR boost to the cooking ego, which was nice. Justin usually just inhales food and doesn't often make too many comments about whether or not he actually likes it, so it was nice to hear that I make at least TWO dishes well.

4. I have been so good about going to the gym at least three days a week. I don't know that I've actually lost any weight, but I am starting to feel a little better and I might be getting a little more toned. I don't look in the mirror and want to throw up as much. However, Justin and I are both off today, and I think that if I have to do another 35 minutes on a bike, I might scream. So, we might climb the mountain with Renee and her kids today if the weather holds out. Last time I climbed the mountain, it was a NIGHTMARE. See, I'm allergic to almost everything on the mountain, and was having some serious trouble breathing. J and his brother were racing to the top, so it felt like no one was waiting for me and they all just thought I was out of shape. At that time, I was spinning almost every day, so I WAS in shape, I just couldn't breathe. Now that I've been on allergy shots for almost 9 months, I want to try again. And we can't race to the top anyway because of my knee and the kids. Which is really nice! J also wants to take the camera and see if we can get some nice shots.