SUMMER GIVEAWAY

Start your summer off with not one but TWO awesome GIVEAWAYS! My friends over at WOODSNAP are gracious enough to not only give my fans a chance to win a 16x20 if you enter the giveaway on Facebook... BUT you can also enter to win a collection of FOUR 8x8s on INSTAGRAM! Go join us simply by following the rules per post (FB: like the post AND woodsnap, share the post right off my page, and win! IG: like Woodsnap share the image and hashtag #spanksters to enter)

Not only do I love my own woodsnaps but my clients LOVE them as well. I have several clients print their images on wood and are always so pleased with the compliments they get from their art piece. AND as you know, I am an iPhone lover and when I travel I always try to print a few of my phone images on a woodsnap. Now you have a chance to get your very own images printed on wood and see what you have been missing! They take an average image and make it a piece of ART! My walls can't get enough!

Winners will be announced Monday June 16th. JOIN US.

Spanki's FAMOUS Chicken tacos....that aren't really famous

Years ago a friend gave me a recipe for her simple chicken tacos...and my kids LOVED them. They are an easy weeknight favorite for us and over the years turned my kids have named them "Spanki's FAMOUS chicken tacos"...

which is funny because A)  they are not MY tacos. and B) they are NOT famous... BUT they ARE indeed chicken so I guess one out of three ain't bad right?

so here is what you need:

• 1 bag of chicken breast boiled in stock.
• 2 cans of Rotel (I used mild because my 8yr old thinks regular is too spicy...okay so I am blaming it on her...it is really me, I am a sissy)
• minced garlic
• ground cumin
• salt + pepper
• tortillias

Boil the chicken breast with either the chicken stock from a can or add a bouillon cube or 2 and S+P to liking.

I usually just shred my chicken with 2 forks, or you can dice it with a knife.

add in some of the stock, the rotel, about 2 spoons of minced garlic, S+P and lots and lots of the ground cumin (to taste)

bring it to a boil and I just let it go until it cooks down...

while the chicken is cooking I start the tortillas.

and there you have it... my kids add shredded cheese and that is it, but we add lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Make enough for leftovers because the second day they are even better!!

enjoy. In the comments below will you please share or link your "go to" easy weeknight favorite!

*disclaimer: I am in NO WAY a cook or food photographer so there you have it.

Why not...the tales of last minute.

"babe, can we REALLY make this happen in ONE day"? For some very strange reason…had nothing to do with the fact that we have FOUR kids and we lost our thought process a LONG time ago… I just assumed my kids got out of school for the Thanksgiving holidays on Tuesday just like the rest of the surrounding schools. Never did it cross my mind that they actually got out on the Friday before! The minute we figured it out, we…as in ME…started scheming a last minute trip.

Now many of you that know me, know I am NOT a planner and I rarely commit. I am not sure what it is about those two words but they give me the hives. I am a FLY BE THE SEAT OF MY PANTS kinda gal. My mother HATES it and I have given my husband more gray hairs than he cares to mention that he will point out as named SPANKI. I just like to live on a whim. Why does that have to be a bad thing? Okay so yes, a few things in life are better planning, but when I say I am NOT a planner I MEAN it. Not one of my children were planned, HECK even my marriage to my husband wasn't planned, my business wasn't planned….nothing. But they have all worked out. It just works for ME…and I like it.

So Friday when we realized our kids were getting out for a long holiday I started searching my weather app to find the nearest predicted snow. We live in Texas and it is HOT all the time, and yes a cold snap was coming in but lets face it cold just isn't as much fun without snow. Once my oh so logical husband caught on to what I was scheming, he started doing the math (another word that gives me hives) and for a family of six to drive 12 plus hours would cost a pretty penny. And that is when my husband of fourteen years said something I NEVER expected to come out of his reasonable mouth… "why don't we search flights somewhere". The words no sooner came out of his mouth and I was already on Expedia. We searched our favorite spots... California, Vegas, Colorado, Chicago…what! CHICAGO tickets for TOMORROW are less than I have EVER seen them. but it is for TOMORROW!

so my friends, we booked a flight for the six of us, called and got a hotel reservation and picked the kids up from school with HUGE news… we are leaving on a jet plane.

Our flight landed and we got checked into the hotel about 9pm and decided to walk the streets to visit Gino's East for some deep dish Chicago style pizza…I will have to admit that night we were thinking we were NUTS, it was 20* and with the windchill it was a feels like -2*. We honestly didn't know how we would make it through the next few days… But surprisingly enough, it wasn't bad at all! Sunday morning we headed to The Magnificent Mile for a heavy jacket for Paysli and we were off to explore the city!

We finished the evening off with a stop at a hot chocolate bar our friend had told us about, it was so fancy and fun for the kids, you got to add your own toppings…and Heath and I got to add our own alcohol. SCORE.  We HAD to vist the American Girl store for Paysli, she got her very FIRST American Girl doll for an early birthday present, the boys got to hail us cabs, and we ate dinner at Portillo"s Hot Dog and finished the evening off with some indoor swimming at the hotel. Every meal we ate we did off recommendation from native Chicagoans and they KNEW what they were talking about!! 

Years ago when my husband had to go to an Allstate conference, He and I stayed in a little town outside Chicago called Glenco. From that moment on I was in love with this little city and knew I waned to go back. So Monday we took the train (those of you who ride trains often don't low how exciting it is for us Texans to see an entirely different lifestyle) we got us a few bags of Garrett's Popcorn and headed out! As soon as we got on the train we started seeing snow flakes…again us southerners were EXCITED!!!

My heart skipped a beat to get to watch my kids experience such an amazing time on the shores of a great lake while it was snowing! We got back on the train and headed right back to the Bean for more iceskating and MORE deep dish pizza, this time at Giordanos. 

Seriously I loved Chicago before, and I knew I wanted my children to experience it with me, but i had no idea it would turn out to be such a PERFECT trip…see, sometimes living on a whim is a GOOD THING! ;) Have a fun, safe, and Happy Thanksgiving friends. I know I am blessed beyond measure and truly thankful for each of YOU.

a few of my favorite things

I am often asked questions that have absolutely nothing to do with photography... such as what makeup I use or where I buy my clothes or accessories, etc. So I have decided to start doing a "favorite things" post for the 3 of you that even care what I love! haha I have always been the type to obsess over fun finds. Like I should get paid to promote things I love because I yell it to the world and think everyone should be as excited as me about whatever it is! So for those of you who follow me on Instagram (and if you don't you should) ;)  you have heard me raving about BB cream and then the makeup market decided to one up BB and come out with a CC cream...so naturally I HAD to get that too! Today I will tell you about it.

Basically BB cream is a primer, foundation and sun screen in one. and well CC cream is all that and a bag of chips... no really it is a the primer, foundation, sunscreen AND a dark spot corrector, apparently is evens out your skin tone AND works on healing it too. yay for youthful skin!

As I have graduated into the "middle aged" bracket (vomit) I have realized that my tinted moisturizer just isn't cutting it anymore and I need to really up my makeup game. So like any women needing makeup tips and how-tos...I turned to YouTube and got my cosmetology license! ;) Kidding. I know cosmetology school is not easy and takes a ton of dedication, but I will say I now feel like I am a legit makeup artist! ;) So the first thing I learned, it DOES matter how you apply your makeup. I have always used a sponge (you know, one of those white round ones that come in a packet of 6) but I have always noticed how much of my foundation was left on the sponge... was it even getting on my face? According to YouTube, the better way to apply is with a brush...who knew?

1. My brushes. I love MAC brushes, but was introduced to Sigma brushes and have fallen in love...with the quality and price tag too! ;)

2. So when starting out with the BB cream, the Garnier cream was my favorite (although it was extra dewy and left my face a little sticky) But I'd mix it half and half with a foundation (or my CC cream to get the color I liked and to cut down on the dewy-ness).

3. I put a pea sized drop on my hand and blended it there. (here I have Garnier BB cream mixed with Makeup Forever foundation)

4. This is the F80 flat Kabuki Sigma brush ($18.00) apply is swirls and you have flawless skin.... some say this is better than airbrushing! wow

5. Then I use the Eye Roller by Garnier to conceal under my eyes...and those STUPID dark spots I have just gotten...at first I thought they were sun spots but I now think they are hormonally related... none the less, I do have an appt with a dermatologist AND esthetician!! those babies need to GO!

6. I have also learned how important it is to highlight and contour your face... um again WHO KNEW! (different post will show the difference it makes)

7. My new favorite eye shadows... Urban Decay Naked Pallets... I have the original and Naked 2. and love them BOTH.

8. Again, BRUSHES make such a HUGE difference!!!

9. here is my BEFORE face (I seriously can NOT believe I am posting this... my dark spots make me want to run and hide) but for you guys I did it.

10. and the AFTER face. That is a pretty good difference the BB/CC cream made!!!

So what is next? you name it!!

any questions... I am very aware I am NO professional, just a momma trying to stay young looking as long as I can and from the looks of my makeup post on IG many of you are as lost as I am so if I can help I am HAPPY!

yep, our house was amazing!!!

The Austin, TX photography workshop was ah-maaazing. It started the minute I stepped foot into the house. EVERYTHING I had dreamed of and more. I searched high and low for a house that I felt was the heart of my brand... THIS WAS IT. everything I am and everything I want my business to model was right here in this little 1,000 sq ft house that rested on a curvy tree lined road. even complete with the adorable kittle that just sat in the window seal the entire weekend. P.E.R.F.E.C.T.

staying on TASK

There is NO WAY I can get through a day...well I should say PRODUCTIVE day, without my TIMER (these are from Anthropologie). I like to call this little guy my "task timer" because...well, he keeps me on task! I start each Monday with a blank page. I make two list... "this week" and a "today".

I have come to realize I need to treat myself like a first grader if I truly want to get anything accomplished. When I start making list of things I need "to do" I seem to add completely random things, it is almost like my "to do" list turns into my "to dream" list. I get completely overwhelmed and then get little of it done. So I have decided to keep it SIMPLE.

I am like a dog that needs a reward for completing the most simple of tasks. My reward comes in the form of a simple line . I have this strange obsession with CROSSING THINGS OFF MY LIST. I have been known to...and don't lie... you do too... write something on my list that I did that wasn't even on there just so I can CROSS IT OFF. So I start my day off with a list, and I give myself a time limit to get it done. Editing for example, I know that my poor little brain can only edit in about 30 minute intervals. Emails I allow about 15 minutes at a time for. SO. What I do it set my timer and get after my task. Once it goes off, I cross through that task on my list and maybe add to the list something like "finish editing so and so gallery" Yes, I added to my list, BUT I see the fruits of my labor with that simple yet so rewarding CROSS THROUGH. Then I allow myself to get up and walk away. I will call a girlfriend, put a load of laundry into washer, maybe take a shower...ha nothing extravagant, but hey who said my life was glamorous?

I will come back refreshed and ready to be focused again on the next item on my list. I know you are all thinking it... so lets address it... I hear you saying "where is your facebook time girl" I know, I know... I have it and I have it without guilt. What I do (and somedays better than others) my facebook time is when I am drinking my coffee, or when I eat a snack or lunch, THAT is my free time. But once the food/drink is gone, it is back to work for me. It is like dieting. I do not deprive myself of the JUNK, but I try my best to do it in moderation.

I know it sounds simple, and some of you are now thinking I have the mentality of a twelve year old... all I can say to that is "I am rubber and you are glue, whatever you say bounces off of me and..... :P)

I also get asked quiet often what are the papers on my desk... well, they are what I like to call my looove notes (could you tell I said that in my best Barry White voice?) They are sweet letters from my fans/friends and little pictures of places I have been that make me happy. I like to surround myself with as much HAPPY as I can. I work best when I am happy. My office is my happy place.

**DISCLAIMER: I have a TON of these timers because I give them as gifts.... I do not recommend setting them all at once...tried it... all it seems to do is make the wine go down faster!**