Time flies {Columbus, NE infant photographer}

It seems like I just had Mr. F's 6-month session not too long ago. Today I found myself meeting up with the little guy for his 9-month pictures already. We took advantage of the gorgeous morning and did today's session outside. The best part of being an on-location photographer is that the scenery always changes. The landscaping was beautiful and made a perfect background for us.

For Katie {Columbus, NE Engagement Photographer}

My usual clients are generally under the age of 18, so shooting engagement pictures is not something I normally do. However when my best friend of 15 years asked me to do hers there was no way I could turn it down. I had a fabulous assistant come along who was a huge help to me. We all had a blast together and I am very pleased with the results. Hope you guys enjoy them!

Monkeys and tigers and gorillas, Oh My!

We went to the Henry Doorly Zoo a few weeks ago. The weather was perfect and all of the kids behaved amazingly. It was a great opportunity for me to snap a few pictures which the kids now love looking at. It was incredible the amount of eye contact that I was able to get from the animals. The gorilla that was outside was so much fun and behaved much like my kids do when they see the camera come out. He looked at me and cooperated for a little bit, and then stood up and turned his back to me. :-)

For the love of nature

Bleeding Hearts have always been one of my favorite flowers. My grandma use to have rows of them planted next to her house and I remember sitting there studying each and every tiny pink heart and being simply amazed. Grandma passed away a few years ago, but seeing these plants in bloom always bring back special memories of her.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

I have turned into a total food junkie lately, and felt the need to share the recipe for these delicious cookies. I stumbled across the recipe awhile back, and had jotted it down but of course forgot where I found it. That recipe didn't call for frosting, but seriously, everything is better with cream cheese frosting.

Cookies
*12 ounces strawberries diced into 1/4" pieces
*2 teaspoons lemon juice
*1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
*2 cups flour
*2 teaspoons baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*6 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
*2/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking sheets with non-stick spray.

Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 Tablespoons of sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into the flour until course crumbs are formed. Stir in heavy cream until the dough starts to come together, then gently fold in strawberries.

Use a spoon or cookie scoop to drop 1-1/2" piles of dough onto the cookie sheets. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Let cool, and then frost. Cookies are best eaten the same day, which trust me, isn't that hard to do.

Cream Cheese Frosting
*1 package cream cheese (straight from fridge)
*5 Tablespoons softened unsalted butter
*2 teaspoons vanilla extract
*2 cups powdered sugar

Mix together cream cheese, vanilla and butter until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar and mix until combined. {At this point I recommend you grab a spoon and take a taste to make sure it is sweet enough. Then you better take another spoonful just to make sure you are positive it is right ;) }