An un-recommendation, and news

In the past I've been very vocal about my support and recommendation of Ingrid Hurrell of Red Maple Photography. Well, I'm officially un-recommending her. STAY AWAY. She shot my wedding, and I've never met a more unprofessional "professional". The wedding was six weeks ago, I've ordered my prints but we are still having issues over digital files AND she has begun stalking us. She has Facebook messaged my husband, and now brutally offended one of my best friends (well, I'M offended for her, she's more sensible than I so may not have been as offended as I am), also by Facebook message.

And, frankly, Ingrid's skills as a wedding photographer are lacking, and her unprofessional attitude was a real stress on my wedding day (and since!) Many of her images are unuseable to me due to light, colour, composition or other issues, while my good friend took better pics with her entry-level SLR (the same camera I have!) Ingrid gave me a super "deal" and even then it wasn't worth it.

So don't even think about using her, you'll regret it-- unless the experience at my wedding causes her to learn about how true professionals act.

IN BETTER NEWS! Lots of good things going on. The Supermodel is kicking ass and taking names, she's advancing in leaps and bounds. She's lonely by herself and goes through phases where she won't eat, but her weight is staying good and she's perky so I'm just keeping an eye on it. She's gaining muscle as she gets worked more so she actually looks pretty good right now-- except for the piles of hair she's shedding. Hooray spring and all, but the shedding is always such a pain!

Derek is working on an iPhone app for horse people that I'm pretty excited about. I think it's going to be very useful for us regular horse folk, something that will enhance my recordkeeping and help keep things organized.

Last weekend my in-law family threw a huge party to celebrate our wedding, since so many of them couldn't make it. It was wonderful, and I am very grateful to them for putting it together, and for everyone who came to commemorate our special day. I know lots of pictures were taken, I will have to get my hands on some of them to share.

My mom came which was a very happy surprise. She has started working as a personal chef (check out her site here) and we are going to work together, with my business Pink Bakerie providing the desserts. I'm really excited about this and can't wait to be challenged!

Other than that, I've been spending much of my (limited) spare time working on my photography and graphic art. I have begun posting prints on my etsy store, who knows if it'll go over well, but I'm having a blast. I have many ideas for future prints and cards, I just need more hours in the day!

Here's an example taken from the store:




Guess that's really all the news for now...

For those looking for a Poodle fix

Just a quick shot of Tiko on our mini-honeymoon in Victoria last weekend...

Showing!!

So, now that I am post-wedding and things are beginning to settle down (well, that's the goal, anyway), I am starting to think more about my horsey ambitions. The Supermodel is now officially mine, and I'm so happy!

I've known this horse for a year now, and I have to tell you, when I met her I HATED her. She was ditzy and spooky and just seemed freaked out all the time. She would throw herself over backward in the cross-ties and broke several halters. She would run over you or in circles around you if you led her to or from her turnout. She was incredibly herd-bound, screaming her guts out if you took her away from her pasture mates. She paced in her stall and made a huge mess.

I was a bit apprehensive about bringing her here to The World's Smallest Equestrian Center (TM), but she's been here almost four months now and the turn-around has been HUGE. Seriously unbelievable.



A formerly stand-offish and ill-mannered mare has become the little princess I always suspected was inside her. She loves attention and is curious about everything we do. She's really blossomed, and even the herd-bound-ness has gone, in fact she is currently living alone and seems to be doing just fine.

Over the last couple of months I have managed to start her under saddle, a pretty incredible feat considering what little spare time I have had because of the wedding. But, she took to work like a duck to water.



These pictures were taken of her sixth ride ever. I'd already ridden her down the road at that point, very successfully. I am SO excited about what this year will bring... the idea of getting back into showing again makes me squeal with joy.

I have met up with a large Arab barn up the street that I can take lessons at and show with. They compete at major Arab shows in the area, which I don't necessarily believe we are ready for this year, except perhaps the in-hand classes. There are also several A-rated open shows, and TONS of schooling shows... Langley really is the promised land for those obsessed with horse showing, such as myself :)

I am setting up my goals for the year, and trying to keep them small, for two reasons: time and money. I am lacking in both. So I want to make the most of them and still feel fulfilled at the end of the season. I think the best way to do that is to compete in some bigger shows in in-hand classes and MAYBE some walk-trots, and do some smaller schooling shows in walk-trots initially, moving up to canter classes and/or Training level dressage.

Here are the major open and Arab shows in the area to choose from. I want to have my schedule firmed up by the beginning of the show season (April-ish):

BC Half Arabian Spring Show, Cloverdale: April 15-17

All-Arabian Horse Association Classic Show, Thunderbird: May 12-15

BC Sport Horse Summer Show, Cloverdale: June 18-19

All-Arabian Horse Association Jr/Amateur Show, Thunderbird: July 28-30

All-Arabian Horse Association Fall Frolic, Thunderbird: September 1-4

BC Sport Horse Fall Show, Cloverdale: September 23-25

My goal is to do 2 big shows (even if only in-hand) and 1 schooling show, preferably dressage. More, if possible. Even without a trailer, both Semiahmoo Stables and Sunnyside Saddle Club are within riding distance, and both places have jumping AND dressage series' through the summer.

Wow... even just thinking about it kind of blows my mind. I've never been in a place like this before!

I can't wait until the weather gets better and I can start taking lessons and start on the path toward showing. I am dying to see how far we can go! :)

Wish us luck... I will keep you all updated!



Elizabeth and Gia

I'm a Mrs!!

Yep, it's true. After almost 32 long years of single life, after a handful of long-term relationships, one broken heart and two babies, I'm a wife. Derek and I got married yesterday... and what a day it was!



First off, the pictures I have are from various friends and relatives. I haven't gotten the pictures from the professional photographer yet, but I will share them once I do.

Anyway! Yesterday was by far the most intense day of my life, and not just because I was finally getting married! It went kind of like this:

7:30am: Wake up exhausted, having gone to bed appx. 2am, after frantically finishing my wedding cake (pops) and packing everything up on my own. (Plus I couldn't sleep to save my life.) Throw on the same clothes from the day before, pack up the car.

8am: Receive text from bridesman (my bridesmaid was a guy, Matt) that he won't be able to meet me before I go to get my hair and makeup done. This brings mixed feelings, because a) I didn't really expect him to get up so early, but b) this means I am left alone at the salon with the photographer... and I was already nervous.

8:15 am: Head for salon. Get there early enough that I can run and get Starbucks first, thank god. Still feeling nervous but things are still okay at this point.

9am: Hairstylist arrives. Hair begins. Hair goes incredibly well.

Appx. 9:15am: Photographer arrives, takes various photos, leaves to catch the 11am ferry.

10:30am: Thrilled with my hair, head over to the makeup artist. This is where things start to go downhill. Makeup artist is very nice but pushy and chatty. She comments several times on how nice it was to have so much time to work on me, all the while I am trying to explain to her that I have a ferry to catch. Nonetheless, she takes an eternity to dump an entire bottle of glitter on my arms, chest and shoulders, even though I told her (more than once) that I had brought a glitter bar and would apply it AFTER I put my dress on.

Appx. 11am: FINALLY get to the makeup. Makeup artist takes FOREVER, makes me check her work appx. every 45 seconds. Comments on how calm I am, while inside I am FREAKING OUT. Begin to feel that my internal organs are melting.

11:30am: Look at clock and almost die on the spot. I have to go NOW. Actually, I had to go half an hour ago. Go to pay, nearly faint at the price, drive home as fast as humanly possible. Notice I don't say "legally possible".

11:50am: Run up the steps to the house, shouting directions as I go. (Picture a woman with perfect makeup, a tiara and sweatpants sprinting up the walkway.) Carmen and Matt frantically grab the leftover items and the dog, jam them in the car and away we go.

11:55am: Carmen realizes she left her suitcase in the car. I inform her confidently that this was no issue considering that Matt left HIS suitcase in Calgary, and HE survived. Of course I had to buy his clothing for the wedding day but I didn't care at that point.

12pm: Race frantically to the ferry, occasionally driving at twice the speed limit, topping out at 150 km/hr. The horn in Derek's car is broken, which doesn't stop me from beating it mercilessly. Carmen shouts obscenities at the other drivers from the backseat which helps greatly. In between shouting, our conversation covers such topics as cats that make you horny, pimps, suicide, and Matt's problems with his ex-girlfriend. Matt texts obsessively the entire trip, getting gloomier as we go along.

12:36pm: Scream into the ferry terminal, grateful to have made it (and not been pulled over nor caused an enormous accident). Ask the lady at the ticket booth if my reservation is still good... the teller says no, but the ferry isn't full so we're okay. She asks if any of my guests were behind me, as they were closing boarding soon. Throw money at her and shout "No, I'm the last, I'm retarded" out the window as we drive into line.

1pm: Board ferry and nearly pass out from relief.

Appx 1:30pm to 2:30pm: Take plastic wrappers off of 100 candy flowers that make up my bouquet and Derek's bridesmaid's. Answer several texts that all say either "where are you?" or "did you make the ferry?" Manage to eat some food, and try not to fall asleep (again). Matt still texting, still gloomy.

2:45pm: Depart the ferry (or as Carmen explained it, "abort" the ferry) 10 minutes behind schedule. Attempt another exhilarating race into Victoria but am thwarted by bumper-to-bumper traffic.

3pm: Officially late for my own wedding. Groom and friends waiting patiently... apparently looking like the Mafia?



3:15pm: Carmen decides we will blame Matt for being late. Her excuse involved his... digestive functions. Laugh like morons.

3:25pm: Pull up the front entrance of the Empress and explain to the porter that I was supposed to be getting married half an hour ago and I didn't know where to go. See Derek's brother Brad and shout for joy. Grab dress and let Brad take the car to the parking garage.

3:27pm: Realize that Brad had just taken my wedding shoes with him. Dispatch Carmen to the parking garage.

3:30pm: Undress from the inside out in a room full of women because Matt (the only guy) has confiscated the bathroom. Too stressed to care. Trying to put dress on but the photographer keeps draping it over various things to take pictures of it. Karen wrestles it away from her and we manage to get it on and laced.

3:50pm: Dressed, makeup touchups done, and impatiently waiting for the photographer to get enough pictures when Matt comes out of the bathroom... he doesn't know how to tie a tie. I told him to Google it... didn't work. Photographer tries to help him, no luck. I shout "DON'T CARE!" and race out of the room.

4pm: Get down the hall only to be stopped by Kerry (Derek's bridesmaid) with the news that our marriage commissioner has LEFT. Oh god. But she'll be back at 5. Quick powwow, and we decide to take advantage of the extra hour of daylight and take our pictures. It is arranged that Derek and I will meet on the spiral staircase-- he'll come up from the bottom and I'll come down from the top, and we'll meet on the landing. Very sweet. I am VERY nervous.

4:10pm: See my daddy. Squeal. Try to give him a hug but apparently he doesn't feel like being covered in glitter.

4:15: Get set up at the staircase. Super, super nervous (shaking). Get the signal to go.

4:16: :)



4:20-5:00: Race around the Empress hotel taking pictures in the most amazing places. Get a chance to do our first dance (to QUEEN?) in the Palm Court, an amazing ballroom.



5pm: Marriage commissioner is back, hastily assemble for the ceremony.

5pm-5:30pm: Ceremony. Ignore the fact that the groomsman (and woman) walk too fast and there are long pauses in the processional while the rest of us wait for our musical cues :) Ignore my almost-3-year-old son's incessant commentary. Burst into tears at the end of my vows.

5:30pm: MARRIED!! Am informed by Jimmy (groomsman) of the candy bars he placed on the windowsill. Well, I guess the Library needed some decoration to go with our "sweet" theme.

5:30pm-6pm: More pictures. Many more. EXHAUSTED.

6pm: Walk to restaurant. In wedding dress and heels. It's appx. 40 miles away. WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS???

6-whateverpm: Restaurant looks GORGEOUS, I am thrilled. Karen and Krystal did an amazing job setting it all up. Take off horrible (but freaking cute!) wedding shoes and put on slippers. Sigh in relief.

15 after 6-whateverpm: Chat, eat tons of candy, try not to fall asleep. My brother orders us shots... my only comment: "phew, that's warm!"

Wheneverpm: Dinner comes. Start to eat. Toddler son having a fit because he's over tired. Grandmother decides to leave with toddler son. Start to get upset until father and new husband tell me to calm down and let her.

A bit after whenever: Bring out wedding cake (pops). Go to do our "cutting", wonder why the photographer is not taking pictures. Jimmy begins to take pictures on his iPhone which luckily gets the photographer's attention. Derek and I feed each other cake (pops) and try not to die of a diabetic coma because of how sweet they are.

9ishpm: Pack away dinner and face the thought of that 40 mile walk back to the hotel and our car. Kerry to the rescue, calls a taxi. Fantastic restaurant staff hands us a bottle of champagne as a gift.

Way, way too late: Finally get back to our hotel... and you don't need to know the rest :)

All in all it was by far one of the most intense days of my life. Derek keeps saying it was fun... I don't think "fun" is how I'd describe it. Perhaps in a few months it'll be "funny"... but until then... boy, I'm just glad it's over. On to the great blue yonder... married life!

Now that all the planning and stress is over... maybe I'll actually have time to blog! :)

More pics coming soon, I promise...

Happy 2011!

Hi there! Yes, I know, I've been missing for a while. I always have a good excuse, don't I? :) Want to know what my excuse is this time?



This is Tiko, the new addition to our family.



He is a 3-month-old toy poodle puppy, and the biggest sweetheart snuggler you've ever met. What a great Christmas present for all of us to have the opportunity to adopt this adorable little guy!

He is not the only excuse I have for not blogging, I have many but will spare you. The holidays are nuts for everyone, right? (If they weren't nuts for you, I envy you greatly, email me and tell me your secret!!)

At any rate, the big announcement today is that I am going to be doing all the recipes from here on in on the Pink Bakerie blog (my new business). I am really excited to finally be taking the plunge into my own baked-goods business. My etsy store is set up, just waiting for yummies to fill it... but that won't be the bulk of the business, hopefully. I really want to do sophisticated, adult desserts for special occasions locally. So if you need a wonderful, impressive sweet treat for a date night, anniversary, adult birthday, etc, just drop me a line!

The website will be up shortly. Right now it's just a placeholder. But someday I'll get a chance to work on it :)

This blog is going to become more of a personal/photography blog. I am really excited about how the Supermodel is doing and can't wait to share... plus pictures of Tiko and the family... all that fun stuff.

Until then, wish me luck in 2011... with two kids, horses, a full-time job, an upcoming wedding, being right in the middle of a move, and now a new puppy... I'm going to need it!

My True Love Gave To Me: Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

Today's recipe is so easy that I actually hesitated putting it on here. It's almost TOO easy, if there is such a thing :) But, the mission of this blog is to bring you recipes that are "easy and amazing", and this is certainly one of those.

Everyone knows how important our canine friends are to us, and how much they deserve their own gifts at Christmas! What better way to treat them-- and also to know that they are eating something that is completely healthy and natural, with no by-products or unpronounceable ingredients? AND, this is an adorable, impressive gift that will be truly appreciated by both the human and canine recipients!

So, you wanna see how easy this is? Preheat your oven to 375, then gather up:

2 cups of whole wheat flour-- as an aside, this stuff is fantastic for dog biscuits, it makes a thicker, heartier texture than regular flour.



1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup milk

See, only four ingredients, and in easy measurements!

In one bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.



In another bowl, stir together the peanut butter and milk until smooth. I found a wooden spoon to be the best tool for this.



Then, add the flour mixture slowly to the peanut butter mixture...



... and stir it all up. If it seems too dry to form a dough, add a bit more milk. It will never harm your baking to add a bit more milk or water, just don't go too far-- you can always add more, but you can never take it back if it becomes soup :)

Once it's all combined, collect it all into a ball and plop it onto your counter. "Plop" is a technical baking term, by the way. Oh, and I do recommend wax paper to keep your counters clean.



Flatten your dough ball, using your rolling pin or just your hands. Then, get out your cookie cutters and have at it! I often use a mini dog-bone shape, but in the spirit of the holidays, I went with my mini Christmas shapes. You can make these in any size, depending on the size of the dog receiving the biscuits.







Aren't they cute, all ready to go into the oven?



Bake for about 20 minutes, or until brown. Then let them sit out for an hour or so-- they will harden as they sit.



Now you package them, any way you want. Personally I love these adorable little Martha Stewart treat bags:



But a clear cellophane sack tied shut with some ribbon would be cute too, and easy!

I KNOW you want to try this, so I'll let you go :) Your puppies, and your friends' and family's puppies, deserve a treat!

My True Love Gave To Me: Chocolate Chocolate Biscotti

Well, I promised you I would be bringing you gift ideas for the holidays... I was going to save all the holiday treats until December but I couldn't wait to get started :) So we begin the series I will call "My True Love Gave To Me" with something I adore: biscotti!

Biscotti is Italian, it's a form of twice-baked cake or cookie. It's wonderful for dipping in coffee or cocoa, so you see it quite a bit at fancy cafes, often fairly expensive. It's certainly one of those treats that seems difficult to make. In fact, an Italian ex-boyfriend of mine went on and on about how NOBODY can make proper biscotti... sounds like a direct challenge to me ;)

I looked around the interwebz for a while checking out biscotti recipes. It did begin to seem like many of them were complicated or used fancy ingredients (anise seed? Does anyone actually LIKE that stuff??)... not my style. So when I found this recipe for a wonderful quadruple-chocolatey version, I was thrilled and couldn't wait to try it. And it turned out fantastically, if I do say so myself!

The recipe is not complicated in the slightest but is a bit time-consuming. But the results are very professional looking... totally worth it.

To get started, we preheat the oven to 375, and gather our ingredients.

You will need:

1/3 cup softened butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tbsp water
1/2 cup dark chocolate wafers
1/2 cup white chocolate wafers

First, line a baking pan with parchment paper.



Parchment paper is great stuff. A paper you can bake in the oven without setting your kitchen on fire? Don't ask me how it works, I have no idea. It's easy to come by, it'll be in with the plastic wrap and aluminum foil in your grocery store, or in the baking department of any craft store.

If you don't have parchment paper, you can grease your baking pan instead... but parchment paper is so much tidier!

Note: do not, I repeat DO NOT use wax paper. It's NOT the same thing, and if you don't want a horrible smell to emanate from your oven, you will take my advice!

Moving on!

Start out by creaming together the butter and the sugar until fluffy.



Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. The batter will be quite runny, but never fear.



In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.



Slowly add to the batter. It will get really stiff, so you are better off mixing by hand rather than with an electric beater.



Once it's all combined, add the chocolate chips. Now, I used regular sized chips, but you really are better off with the minis. (Think about it this way-- you get more of them!) But... in my world... when you are shopping with a toddler and a newborn, it's just so much easier to grab whatever works and go, lol. So regular sized chips it is.



When the chips are well mixed in, separate the dough into two equal sections, and roll into logs-- about 6-8" long and 2" wide is good-- and flatten. Make sure to place the logs as far apart as possible, as they will spread a bit.



Mix together the beaten egg yolk and the tablespoon (or so) of water, and brush onto the top of your dough.



Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the logs are firm. They look amazing when they come out... and they smell great too :)





Using a serrated knife, slice diagonally into 1"-ish strips.



Separate the strips and place them on their sides.



Put them back in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, time to make the decoration.



Get out your trusty chocolate wafers. The wafers are great because they are made for melting... sometimes actual chocolate chips or chunks can be delicate to handle. If they get too hot, or get the slightest hint of moisture in them, they will crystallize and become grainy. Chocolate wafers are your friend.

I used both dark and white chocolate for drizzle, because it makes a nice presentation. You can try anything you want... peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, mint chocolate chips? The chocolate biscotti makes a great base for any flavour.

Melt your wafers (I did dark chocolate first, then white) in a glass bowl in your microwave, 30 seconds at a time. I have a pretty weak microwave and it only took me 2 rounds to get the wafers smooth and melted. If they don't seem quite done, stir like crazy instead of putting them back in the microwave.



Once they're melted, drizzle over the biscotti. I used a small-holed frosting tip and it came out beautifully.



In fact, they came out SO beautifully, I just kept taking picture after picture of them.





Okay, okay, I'll stop before I bore you silly.

Anyway, once the chocolate is dry, you can chow down, store in an airtight container (NOT in the fridge), or wrap to give as gifts. I suggest putting one or two pieces in a decorative plastic bag (you can find those anywhere-- Wal-Mart's holiday section, or again the handy-dandy craft store), tying the top with a piece of ribbon and adding a label or tag. They are great to give with homemade cocoa mix, too.



But definitely save some for yourself. These are fantastic with your morning coffee... not too sugary, just a bit of sweetness to get you going.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe, I sure enjoyed making it :) Stay tuned for more!