Individual Worth

I did a photo shoot! Technically, it wasn't my first, but its the first one I'm actually posting! :0) I was one of three photographers (if I can even call myself one lol) who was asked to lend their services to the Young Women of the Taylorsville 6th Ward. The focus of their activity this past Saturday was one of the YW Values: Individual Worth. The first thing I noticed when I arrived was the table of goodies. Lol Just kidding. On the table was a frame which read the words, "You're Worth It". The YW leaders set up stations where the girls could get "dolled up" for their photo shoot. They did hair & make-up and each girl was to bring two outfits that reflected their personality and represented who they were. One of the girls even wore her prom dress because she said she loved it. :0) How cool is that?

Lita and I went around the chapel trying to find a good place to take our photos. We had to be a little bit creative because, after all, we could only choose spots around the chapel. It was freezing cold outside and despite the crazy...crazy wind, the girls did an awesome job (and the photographers too)! I had so much fun taking photos of them and even brought along white pieces of paper to do some photoshop'n fun after I started editing. Each of these girls was unique and beautiful with all the promises in the world of becoming truly amazing women. Ü Here's how some of them turned out!

My Temple Recommend

I received this poem in RS last Sunday and thought it would be nice to share. Ü


Many cards will fill your wallet
traveling through this life.
A card that lets you borrow books,

a card that lets you drive.
A card to call long distance
and a card to buy your gas.
A punch card for the bread store,
and a discount movie pass.
A card that lets you cash a check,
get money from machines.
Cards that make is possible
to live beyond your means.
What's the most important card
you're ever going to hold?
It's not American Express; it isn't Visa
Gold.

It's the card that lets you enter
where no unclean thing can be.
Where wealth is gained in gifts that last,
through all eternity.
You can use this card with frequency
and never get a bill;
All that's asked is worthiness,
just try to do God's will.
Treasure this card always, never let it
slip away.
It's your key to peace and safety
in this harsh and troubled day.
Other cards my get you all around the
world,
but in the end-
The card that gets you furthest
is your Temple Recommend!

Photoshop Compulsion

Lately, I've had the itch to create something...anything on photoshop. I LOVE photoshop. I will honestly make an invite for anything! hehe Hey, it's good practice! :0) I started playing around with photoshop a little over 4 years ago and even though I've learned so much already...I know I've only scratched the surface of it's capabilities. I am self-taught and if there's something I don't know how to do, I look it up and find online tutorials. Photoshop definitely comes in handy for creating everything from goody bag tags and church handouts to invites and collages. I've always loved taking photos and I've been dabbling in photography for the past year or so as well. Ü Photoshop and photography seem to go hand in hand so it's double the fun! I've been wanting to take classes for both, but if only I could find the time. Lol I guess for now...I'll just have to keep on reading tutorials. :) Here's a handful of the random things I've created!

(This baby shower tag was created for Leti's awesome idea...it went with a little goody bag of popcorn Ü)

(Yes, I'm a dork for misspelling Surprise...not once, but twice! Lol)

Sugar Cookies

I think I have a new obsession. I've been going through a sugar cookie crazy ever since we had our Cookie Night over at my best friend, Gloria's house. They tasted really good that night and after buying my totally awesome 100 pc. cookie cutter set Ü (totally cheap at Bed Bath & Beyond), I've been obsessed ever since! I think we've made sugar cookies about five times in the past week and a half (great for the sweet tooth-terrible for my waist lol). I've found two recipes that I want to try but I haven't gotten to the second one yet. The first recipe is my bf's recipe and it's so delicious! I tried out an icing recipe really quickly one day and it turned out great too (it was just enough to ice a few cookies)! The girls love using the cutters and we're excited to get down to some serious cookie decorating soon! :) Fred loves them plain and thinks they compliment his koko perfectly! Ü

It's Not Delivery...It's Homemade!

I never would have thought that I could make homemade pizza...but we did! And it was YUMMY! Lol After being inspired by The Food Nanny and especially after watching her demonstrate how easy it was to make pizza dough, I just had to try it! I love cooking and baking but breads have always been something that I thought would be way to hard and complicated to actually make...and get right! After trying (and succeeding!) at making pizza, I'm so excited (I know, kinda lame? lol oh well) to try my hand at making breads! The recipe I used was enough to make 2 medium pizzas so I'm glad I didn't have to make the dough more than once. Sariah wanted to help and had fun rolling out some of the dough. The first pizza we made was Canadian Bacon with pineapples (Mady's favorite). Being that it was our first shot at making homemade pizza, we didn't have any pizza pans or a pizza stone but the baking sheet worked out just fine.

The pineapple went in first and the girls were pretty anxious to see how it turned out. It was delicious!! The pizza crust was really good and tasted just like delivery pizza! The second pizza was your classic Pepperoni pizza (Sariah's favorite). Mady was suppose to help put the toppings on, but when her turn came up to help, she was too busy enjoying her pizza! :) The pepperoni was Sariah and Daddy's favorite! Everything turned out great and you can bet that we'll be getting a pizza stone soon! No more ordering pizza for us! Ü

For all of you asked...here's the recipe I used:

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil

3 1/3 cups flour

Directions:
In a bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar with the warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Stir in salt and oil into the yeast solution and mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour (not the whole 3 1/3 yet)

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead in more flour until it's no longer sticky.

Place the dough in a bowl brushed with some olive oil and cover with a cloth.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Let the dough sit and rise until it doubles in size (about an hour). **Side note: I only let it sit for about 30 mins the second time I did it and it still came out just fine Ü The Food Nanny says if you don't have an hour you can just use it right away**

Punch down the dough to form a tight ball and roll it out.

Place it on an oiled pan. (Directions say to let it rest for another 15 minutes but I skipped that part. lol)

Top the pizza and bake it for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly! Enjoy!