What do you think of these fab designs?

xoxo,

Amanda

xoxo,

Amanda

Katie ordered her shoes from Zappos.com – Holla!  (If you would like a 20% off coupon code, leave your email address in the comments!)

Ummm… Katie – You’re gorgeous.

Look at those handsome men!

… and, of course, the ladies looked beautiful…

After some portraits, we headed back to St. Xavier for the ceremony!

and some sweet nighttime portraits… 

And you know your reception will be fabulous when you choose The Bell Event Center!

Seriously?  Is there a more beautiful venue in Cincinnati?  Nah, I don’t think so ….

Father & Daughter Salsa dance! …

These ladies did a fine job of holding down the dance floor!

Katie & Lucas – Thank you so much for inviting April and I to share your wedding day!  You guys were so awesome to work with & we enjoyed every minute!

You should leave a comment to tell Katie & Lucas how awesome their wedding was! 

xoxo,

Amanda

Super Awesome Vendors:

Photography:  Sunny Studios
Flowers: Petals-n-Glass Boutique
Cupcakes: AbbyGirl Sweets Cupcakery
DJ:  CSC Special Events
Photobooth:  Midwest Picture Booth
Ceremony:  St. Xavier Church
Reception: Bell Event Centre

will last forever, until the end of time.

Enjoy these images from a recent Cincinnati wedding and think about your own magic moments…xoxo,

Amanda

Here are the problem areas:

The entryway…

Now, unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about the paint color.  Since we are renting for our first year out here in Vegas (we are making sure we 100% are happy here before we commit to a mortgage), I can only do so much to this house.  Alex lovingly calls it our Miami Vice house – it definitely has an 80′s vibe to it.  So, I’m a little lost when it comes to decorating this space.  I’m stuck with the beige, I’m stuck with the light switch IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WALL (seriously?) & I’m stuck with the beige tile.

On the opposite side, we have:

I’ve already set up a few things that we have and I quite like it.  Go me!

& then we have this corner.  It is sort of in the entryway, sort of in the living room and the modem for the interwebs apparently HAS to be there.  I begged the interwebs guy to put it in the office & he said he couldn’t.  Dumb.  So, in this space, we need some sort of media storage to house our massive DVD collection.  Right now, it’s being used as the ‘homeless stuff corner.’

So, HELP!  What do you guys think I should do with entryway?  I was contemplating putting a beautiful patterned curtain on the wall to break up that beige color ala Anthropologie:

I also love these ladder shelves from Pottery Barn: (but would have to buy them at Target because let’s face it – unless you have a money tree, you can’t afford Pottery Barn)

I also need to find a killer rug to cover up some of that tile.  So help me out by leaving a comment to tell me your thoughts! 

xoxo,

Amanda

Las Vegas has some beautiful landscape, but I sure do miss these colors…

Stefanie & Sam are such great models!  They were so nervous (like most people) but they are much more photogenic than they realize!

What a cutie! 

Stefanie & Sam – Thanks for spending your evening with me!  The wedding will be here before we all know it! 

xoxo,

Amanda

What you will need: onion, garlic, kale, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, Great Northern beans, chicken broth, butter, shrimp, parsley, red pepper flake, oregano, fresh basil (if you can find some), dry white wine & parmesan cheese.

First, heat up some olive oil in a large pot on medium-high heat.  Next, dice your onion or if you are like me, be lazy & use a chopper (said in my best Awnold impression).  Mine came out more shredded than diced but it worked just the same.  You can use a regular old white onion but Alex prefers red onions because he says they have extra kick!  And of course, Alex always gets what he wants when I’m cooking…

Finely chop some garlic and throw it in…

stir and let it cook for a couple of minutes…  It smells gooooooood…

Add in the tomato paste & stir it around too…

Next, throw in the red pepper flakes & some dried oregano and let it all blend together for about a minute…

& now, the good part.  WINE.

let your wine soup bubble until the wine reduces by about half or for about five minutes.  Next, add in your canned tomatoes & stir ‘em around…

Open your beans, drain the gross bean juice & give them a good rinse.  Dump them in and stir!

Next comes the chicken broth.  Once the broth is in, let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes…

While the soup is simmering and making you hungrier, melt the butter in a pan & saute the shrimp with some parsley.  They only need about five minutes to cook – you’ll know they are finished when they are that pretty coral color that would look great on the walls.

Next, tease your hungry husband with the delicious soup you are cooking just for him…

Once your soup has simmered, snap the kale into pieces and add it in.  Give it all a good stir and the kale will wilt right into the soup.  If you aren’t a fan of kale (and I won’t blame you if you aren’t), you can substitute if with bok choy.

I couldn’t find any fresh basil out here in Vegas, so I opted for dried basil.  I’m sure it’s not the same but at least I had basil in some form…

I also added in this secret ingredient – Apocalypse paprika from Colonel De!  I only added in a pinch because this stuff will burn your nose hairs off.  Alex loves spicy food, so I make everything just a little spicier than normal for him.  If you don’t have some nose hair burning paprika, you can add in more red pepper flake to give it more spice.

Let it simmer for another five minutes & then… nooooommmmmms!

Opie says it smells delicious.

& Jarvis just wants me to sit on the kitchen floor so he can sit in my lap.

Time to eat!  Pour yourself a bowl & add some shrimp on top.  I’m working on my plating skills.  Don’t judge me.

Ingredients  |  This recipe typically serves 8 hungry people or Alex – who will eat half in one sitting & the other half for breakfast with a fried egg on top.

• 1 whole medium onion
• 5 -6 cloves of garlic
• 3 cans of Great Northern beans
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1/4 cup of tomato paste
• 3/4 cup (or whatever) of white wine
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 1 bunch of kale
• fresh basil (if you can find it)
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 1 pound of fresh shrimp, peeled and de-veined.
• 1/4 cup of chopped parsley
• fresh parmesan (Alex doesn’t like cheese all that much, so I left this out)

Preparation Instructions:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium-high heat.
• Add onions and garlic, stir, let cook 3-5 minutes.
• Add tomato paste & stir to cook for about 2 minutes.
• Stir in red pepper flakes and dried oregano and let cook for a minute.
• Pour in wine, stir.  Allow soup to bubble until wine reduces, about 5 minutes.
• Add canned tomatoes.
• Drain and rinse beans; add to soup, stir to combine.
• Pour in chicken broth, stir.  Let soup simmer for about 20 minutes.
• While soup is simmering, saute shrimp with butter and parley until they are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Tear kale into bits and toss into soup.  Stir and the kale will wilt into the soup.
• Stir in fresh basil (or dried basil if you can’t find fresh)
• Let soup simmer for about 5 more minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour yourself a bowl & add shrimp to the top!

Have a great dinner!

xoxo,

Amanda

I like to call this masterpiece, ‘Ode to Snot’

So, to my five faithful readers – I’m sorry!  I promise this won’t happen again.

On a happier note, I’ve discovered that Las Vegas has flea market-esque places called swap meets!  Alex and I are going to visit one today and I’m so excited!  If you know me, you know flea markets are some of my favorite places!  I love a good find.  I can’t wait to see the ridiculousness people are selling – I’m predicting velvet Elvis!

Now, look at this adorable picture of Alex and Opie.  Everyone together – ‘awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww’

xoxo,

Amanda

- John Steinbeck.

Actually, I think that’s why I love them.  In a World where I am sure of so few things, it feels nice to freeze a moment that will be sure forever.  I am waiting on a large order of film from my favorite Jewish friends in NYC!  These bad boys are begging to be taken off of the shelf and put to good use.  I’m lucky to have a collection in which most of the vintage styles actually work.  They just need a good cleaning!  I can’t wait to shoot around this new city.  Las Vegas is so young!  I want to photograph it in an old fashioned way.  Now if I only had a darkroom!  A girl can dream…

xoxo,

Amanda

What an interesting and extraordinary thing to do.  She once said this -

“The World is like a mirror.  If you keep smiling at it, it will smile back”

She’s right.

xoxo,

Amanda