Lessons from a 4 year old + a Mother's Day Giveaway! Brenham, TX Photography

It’s 4am and I’m up writing a blog post.  About 8 months ago, I dreaded being up this early getting ready to endure the long commute to a job that sucked the soul out of me.  But now, I’m still up at 4am – however, it’s for a much different reason.  I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep tonight.  After letting the dog out at 2am, I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I figured I would watch the DVR’d episode of Brothers & Sisters that I’ve been so looking forward to.  You know, I have loved that show since the very first episode.  As dysfunctional as they all are, they always seem to overcome the issues or figure out how to heal.  Granted, I know their life isn’t real; it’s made up by some writers sitting in a big conference room.  However, I feel like the writers have really found a storyline that obviously connects with me and many other viewers.  Last night’s episode really evoked emotion in me.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m delirious from the lack of sleep, but it really hit home with me.  It talked about mothers.  Mothers that try so hard to be perfect or try to mold their kids to be perfect – and how doing this can actually drive us apart and make us less than perfect.  Weren’t we all created just how we are supposed to be?  

As I’ve laid in bed trying to go back to sleep, the thoughts keep rolling through my head about how I try to teach Addyson right from wrong and it's come clear to me that most of the time I’m stifling her from being who she is.  Why?  I don’t know…maybe I’m trying to protect her from getting hurt… but isn’t that what all mothers are trying to do?  But I think that sometimes getting hurt and being able to live through it is how we learn our biggest lessons…not just for our children – but for us.   I think that there’s so much I can learn from my 4 year old.  How to laugh and act silly, how to ask a 1000 questions, how not be afraid to show people how we feel and to be honest.  I’m reminded of a dance that we attended about a month ago that was hosted by my in-laws.  Addyson was excited to go because she’s become very good friends with everyone in our small little town.  When we walked in, she saw her friend Katie from across the room and ran full speed ahead to the table she was sitting at to give her a huge hug.  Katie was extremely startled because she was in mid conversation with her friends and probably wasn’t anticipating this type of greeting at a dance.  After this happened we told Addyson that she shouldn’t do that – she shouldn’t have greeted Katie with so much excitement.  Because you see, Katie is very elderly and Addyson could have knocked her over if she was standing or have caused her to have a heart attack – at least that’s what Brad and I thought.  But it didn’t occur to me until this evening that we were teaching our daughter to hide her emotions – and that was a mistake.  And if I think about this even further – Addyson probably actually made Katie’s day.  Katie is a widow and lives all alone.  She doesn’t have any children and Addyson has become very fond of her and always makes a point to excitedly greet her when she sees her around town – and each time it brings a huge smile to Katie’s face.  So maybe it’s time for me to learn a few lessons from Addyson.

Now I feel compelled to makes things right and start changing my approach to being a mom.  I’m making a promise to let my child be the person she was made to be – and guiding her to do the right thing instead of making her do things the way I think they should be done.  And this is the first lesson that she taught me - that I wanted to be a photographer.  My very first photo shoot when she was just 2 weeks old

So in honor of all the moms that learned this lesson or they ones trying to….and for those that have gone above and beyond for their children and husbands and friends and family – I’m offering a very special gift.  Mother’s Day is coming in a few weeks and I would like to extend the very best gift a mom could have - Portraits with her kids.  If you know a mom that is exceptional and you would like her to receive this gift – here’s your chance.

Email a letter to britney@homegrown-photo.com telling me about the mom in your life and why she’s deserving of this gift.  This doesn’t have to be your own mom…it could be your best friend who’s a mom and has endured some huge struggles but has risen above it and keeps fighting the good fight …the choice is up to you. 

I will accept letters until Sunday, April 24, 2011.  The winner will be announced on the blog on Friday, April 30, 2011 – just in time to present mom with this gift for Mother’s Day.  Please note, all nominees must live within 25 miles of the Brenham area and the winner’s letter will be posted on the blog, so make sure to make mom proud!  lol

The Mother’s Day Giveaway Package (Valued at over $300)

•            One hour photography session at location of choice within 25 miles of Brenham with Mom & her kids/family (sorry, this is just for the kids/hubby – not extended family)
•            Keepsake album
•        16x20 Standout Mount Wall Portrait (ready to hang)

So if you’re reading this and you think YOU should be nominated…share this with your kids, your spouse or your friends and family!  Oh yeah and don’t forget to tell all your friends about the 2012 Senior Model Search that is still going on until this Friday, April 15^th….all the info is HERE.

Happy Monday everyone….I feel much better now, thanks for letting me share this with you! 

Keepers of the spirit of people | Brenham, TX Portrait Photographer

Rainy, cold, miserable weather....I've never seen or described San Antonio that way before in my 33 years (did I really just type 33 - wow, I'm old!), but that is what it was like earlier this week when I attended Imaging USA, hosted by the Professional Photographers of America (PPA).  But bad weather or good, wild horses couldn't have pulled me away from the amazing classes and speakers that I got to experience.  I'm so thankful to belong to an industry that is so determined to make us the best we can be at our craft.  And where else can you go to a convention where the speakers Love. Their. Job! One of the most emotional classes I went to was presented by Storey Wilkins, an award winning Master Photographer whose speciality is weddings.  I was brought to tears at her class - and of course Brad rolled his eyes at me.    I want to be like her when I grow up!  She has an amazing quote that is so true: "We are the keepers of the spirit of people".  I love this quote because that is what Homegrown Photography is ultimately trying to achieve with each session.  I want to be able to capture the true spirit of people.

So have you ever wondered, why Homegrown?  How in the world did I come up with the name Homegrown Photography?  Homegrown is who I am.  Raised by a Hungarian grandmother and an Italian grandfather who built their life around farming, I learned that the best things in life are homegrown.  Whether it be the tomatoes that they farmed, the friends they had, the good times or the memories that I have of them.   Looking back, I'm so thankful for the summers working in the field and the unique experiences I had on the farm.  Little did I know, these were the things that would make me who I am today.  Thank you PoPo and Granny

The Kitchen That Could - Part One

Back in May of this year I said goodbye forever to my kitchen in Houston so that I could live in the country in the 1860's farmhouse that Brad and I have been remodeling for 20 years.  Just kidding, it's only been like 2 years...but it dang sure feels like 20 years!  Here's a look back at the kitchen when we first started tackling it many moons ago...it was in rough shape.  The kitchen was in a part of the house were the roof had been leaking for a long time and it needed our help B-A-D!

And take a look at the "padding" we found when we pulled up the flooring....check out the dates too!

I never knew that Lane Bryant was around in those days! :)

Anyway, sorry about the trip down memory lane, but the unfinished kitchen in our country home has been a huge source of frustration.  You see, trying to cook in that kitchen is like camping...seriously.  I have a 2 burner hot plate and a microwave to work with.   (sorry, cleaning THIS thing is just not high on my priorities these days)

But now I have this!

Yes, our refrigerator is in there and we have a utility sink...so running water is a big plus, but still, everything is everywhere and trying to cook the smallest thing is a huge undertaking.

Don't ask...not sure how a banjo, guitar and a box of booze got crammed in the kitchen either!

So a couple of weeks ago we decided it's now or never and we decided come hell or high water, this kitchen was going to get finished by Thanksgiving!  I wanted to be able to bake in my kitchen for Christmas dangit!  So we successfully got our cabinets, new stove and a dishwasher.  Now, anyone who's a relative or a friend of the family and has ever visited this house before the remodel, knows that there has never been a Voelkel woman with the luxury of a DISHWASHER in this house unless of course, it's the kind with 2 hands and a heartbeat.  So I am over the moon to know that I will be THE FIRST Voelkel woman to be able to use a dishwasher!

This past weekend my step dad came out to help Brad install the cabinets and stove.  And thank goodness for my step dad who recommended the layout that I wanted for this kitchen...even though our prior measurements determined that it wouldn't work.  Guess we don't know how to use a tape measure too well? :)

With the new layout, we have tons of room, so much that we have a surprise addition that will make you say - holy moly that was a great idea!

On Monday we went to Ikea and spent a good part of the day there.  By the end of the day, my dogs were barking, my brain was mush and we had some pretty awesome stuff.  We decided to use their butcher block counter tops.  I LOVE the look of it and think it will look awesome with the farmhouse feel that we're going for.  We also got a pretty neat light fixture too...but you'll have to wait and see that once we reveal the surprise addition!

Yesterday we got busy doing a little customization on our cabinets.  When we purchased them from Home Depot, they were your average run of the mill oak cabinets, nothing fancy.  But thanks to our friend Beverly down the road, the owner of The Round Top Farmhouses, she gave us a really cool idea to save money and give them a more custom look.  We purchased a sheet of beadboard and cut it into pieces that fit inside the inset of the cabinet and secured them with some liquid nail and tah-dah!!!

 Pretty snazzy huh?  All we have to left to do now is to caulk and paint them.

We've been agonizing over the color for a while now, but we finally agreed on black cabinets and we're going to try to tackle that today and tomorrow.  That's the progress report for now...stay tuned for more updates this weekend or early next week!

Country Girls Will Survive! | Shelby, TX Photographer

When Brad and I moved to the country, we knew we were leaving behind a lot of the things that were so readily available to us - Target, grocery stores, REALLY good restaurants, just to name a few.  Now don't get me wrong...there are some good restaurants here, but we miss some of our most favorites and now they're just places we go for very special occasions - when we're in the big city!  We both LOVE mexican food and we can pretty much size up a restaurant by the type of salsa that they serve.  So since we're so far away from good salsa, I make my own - and you can too!

Now if any of you know me, you know I blog stalk the Pioneer Woman.  You're scratching your head, wondering who one earth the Pioneer Woman is right?  Well, she's Ree Drummond, an awesome woman from the city who married a rancher and has lived to tell about it!  She writes about cooking, photography, ranch/country life and homeschooling.  She's actually become so popular with her cooking, that she wrote a cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks - Recipes From An Accidental Country Girl and it came out last December.

Can you imagine how excited I was when I found out that she was going to be having a book signing in HOUSTON!  Poor Brad...I drug him and Addyson with me.

He was overcome by the enormous amount of estrogen in the room, but he survived and now he's glad that I am making some of her recipes!

I love this book and recently, I thought I had lost it or someone stole it and I was sick about it...but luckily, we found it and all was right with the world again!

One of my favorite recipes of hers is Restaurant Style Salsa.  This recipe isn't in her book, but it's on her blog and it's my #1 go-to recipe for salsa.  So, in true Pioneer Woman fashion, I've photo-blogged step by step instructions for you - so here we go!

Here are the main players:

Some items not shown are: jalapeno (optional), sugar and lime.  Yeah, since the grocery store is such a long haul for me these days, I just had to make due with lemon...and it worked just fine!

Start by chopping 1/4 cup of onion.  Then put 2 cans of Rotel and 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes into your blender or food processor.  Now this is where you can change the heat of your salsa without using jalapeno.  My crazy husband picked up the Habanero Rotel and it was really hot, so if you want to add jalapeno, I'd recommend using the plain jane original Rotel.

Next, add the 1/4 cup of onions and spices (1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt).  Then you'll want to add 1 clove of garlic.  Or, if you're like me, you can add 1/2 tsp of the ready made minced garlic in the jar :)

Then add in your cilantro.  I used 1/2 cup, but you can add more to suit your personal taste.

Then squeeze in the juice of 1 lime or in my case, 1 lemon.  Now, just pulse your blender or food processor 7-8 times or more depending on how chunky you like your salsa....and that's it!  Make sure to taste your salsa with a chip to see if you need to add more salt or any other ingredients to make it to your liking.  Once you're done, please refrigerate for at least an hour before serving so that all the flavors can mix together.  Enjoy!

**************************************************
Here's the full recipe:
1 can (28 oz) Whole Tomatoes with juice
2 cans (10oz) Rotel (dice tomatoes & green chilies)
1/4 C chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/2 tsp of jar minced garlic)
1 whole jalapeno, optional
1/4 tsp each (salt, sugar, ground cumin)
1/2 C cilantro
Juice of one small lime

Barnyard Antics | La Grange, TX Photographer

The little town of La Grange is probably the most widely known as the headquarters for the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, however, I would have to disagree!  Yesterday afternoon our little family decided to visit The Jersey Barnyard.  We've traveled past this place several times during our comings and goings back and forth between going to see Texas artists at Swiss Alp Dance Hall, shopping at the awesome little boutiques on the square and of course, getting our fix of the best Kolaches in the world from Weikel's Bakery.  So yesterday we decided to stop and check it out....and we are SO glad we did!  We decided to take the guided tour and it did not disappoint - in fact, I may have talked Brad into adding some of these barnyard animals to our family!

The guided tour allowed the kids and parents to feed and pet many of the animals.  From the miniature horse named Midnight to the goats, rabbits and chickens.

Then the excitement came when we got to meet the baby calves and actually bottle feed them.  Addyson's little calf sure did get mad when his milk ran out...he tried to plow through the fence!

Next on the tour was the hayride to the dairy processing center.  The hayride was actually pretty long, so it was really nice to relax and take in the scenery.  Their farm sits on right at 900 acres and it's been a working dairy for the last 100 years. 

We made a pit stop along the way during the hayride...and that was to meet this hunk of burnin love!  This dude weighed in at a whopping 600LBS!  Holy moly!  

We finally got to go into the milking center where the heifers line up and are hooked up to the milking pumps.  And then - what I had been waiting for the entire time....we got to try milking a cow for ourselves!  I was a pro... I wonder if they're hiring?? :)

Did you know that Jersey cows produce milk with the highest milk fat content and that is why Blue Bell only uses milk from Jersey cows for their ice cream.  The higher milk fat content makes it the creamiest! AND, you know Belle from those Blue Bell commercials?  Yeah, she lives on the farm...she's a celebrity around those parts....

She wasn't there yesterday though...I think she was out getting her tail washed and a hoof-icure!

Freebird | Brenham, TX Photographer

This past Thursday started a new chapter in my life.  For so long I've wanted to break away from the 20th floor coffin that I was trapped in - also called my office.  You see, when I walked through the doors of my office, my soul died a little each day.  Oh please don't get me wrong, it's a very great paycheck and benefits package, but in return, I slave away at a job that brings me no fulfillment, no joy, and keeps me from enjoying the best years of my life.  It makes me feel guilty for taking time off to be at my daughter's school party or to take her to the doctor.  Once we moved to Shelby, I knew that I had to find a way to break away from the drama, the butt-kissing coworkers and the two-faced management.  This past Thursday - I finally did it - yes, I resigned from my job.  But it didn't happen without a lot of doubt.  I wasn't raised with the notion that you just quit your job with benefits if you don't have another "real" job lined up.  No sir, what would people think? How will you pay your bills...how will you make it - you're going to ruin your life!  Okay - but isn't my life already in ruins because of this job I hate?  So I finally decided to override the voices in my head and I decided that I was going to follow my dreams.  I've been wanting to put alot of my energy into making my photography business better and offer my clients better products.  The only way I could do it was by diving in full-time - without sacrificing my time away from my family.  So as of September 9, "Freebird" will be the theme of my life and I'm hoping my wings will soar.  I have a ton of ideas running around in my head and new opportunities are on the horizon.  Be on the look out for a new blog that will encompass all of my interests - Photography, Cooking and Country-Life.  I hope my readers will enjoy following me on my journey and pick up some pretty neat information along the way.  You see, life just isn't worth living if you can't share it with this sweet little lady

or wake up to this in the morning

Thanks for supporting me and get ready - changes are a-comin!