Newlyweds and Nesting: Elizabeth Anne Designs Living: A Food, Lifestyle, and Craft Blog » Jenna

The Due Month

Jenna — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:29:17 +0000

Recently I’ve been overwhelmed by baby shower offers, which is an incredibly pleasant thing to be overwhelmed by if you ask me. However, as someone who didn’t really intend on having a shower (maybe an open house type after baby?) I haven’t given any thought at all to a registry. When a close friend brought up the idea once again I said yes and the planning began. I would have preferred to use alternate registry options, such as my personal favorite Wishpot, but the host (who is also a mother to an 8 month old) advised creating one at a physical location as well. I chose Babies”R”Us for its close proximity to my apartment, making returns easier just in case any well-intentioned guests decided to veer off the registry and pick up items we know we won’t use, and set about creating an online wish list of things I’d be able to open with a genuine smile.

My favorite item found on my Wishpot registry. I’m sure my organic farmer father would love to see his first grand-baby wearing this! From seller Twig and Closer on Etsy.

Aside from the daily “registry update” emails I seem to be unable to escape from, creating this second registry wasn’t so bad. Except at the very beginning, when they forced me to put down my due date to continue the sign-up process! Though I’ve been a bit more liberal about tossing it out toward the end, for the most part my exact due date has been held close. I’ve heard the stories from other women, detailing how miserable those last few weeks are, which is often compounded by the endless inquiries dropped in casual conversation by well-intentioned yet clueless strangers making jokes along the lines of “You still haven’t had that baby yet?” Trust me, with cankles, tiny feet in her ribs, trips to the bathroom on the hour every hour, heartburn, and the inability to lift herself off the floor, she would like to be able to provide you with an answer other than “Nope, not yet” accompanied by a rather forced smile.

This is why, on the Babies”R”Us registry… I lied. I pushed the date back by several days, hoping it might eliminate some of those questions for me. When people ask when I’m due, instead of responding with a due date, I give a due month, April. According to the American College of Midwives, only 5% of babies are born on their actual due date. Baby is considered full term at 37 weeks and can bask in my uterus for about 42, and so I think it’s silly to pinpoint a specific date on the calendar. As my belly gets bigger, and I start to look more miserable, I’m going to hold firm to my belief in the due date. There is no magic number, baby will come when s/he is ready and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Will you join me in my anti due-date campaign?

Let’s rephrase the question from “When are you due?” to “What month are you due?”. That way, the woman can decide what route she wants to take. If voicing the actual due date is important to them they can, but if they’re like me they’ll be free to answer however they please.

Oh, and if I respond to your question (no matter how you phrase it) with “April”, please don’t lean in and say “I mean, what day?” I feel bad when I feel cornered into telling lies, even little white ones that save my sanity.

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Posted in: pregnancy

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My Favorite Christmas Gift

Jenna — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:00:29 +0000

Christmas is over and I’m finally settling back into my normal routine. I loved being home and spending time with my family, but by the end of my 10 day stay I just wanted to be in my own bed, with my fridge full of the food that makes up my regular diet, no longer needing to dig through my suitcase every time I needed something to wear. I’ve created a list of the gifts we received so thank you notes can be sent out because if I don’t write it down I’ll forget who gave me what. Yes, I was a very lucky girl this year.

Not to choose favorites but… I’m going to tell you which is my favorite. It’s the gift that makes me smile every time I use it. I think it’s also the gift I can’t stop talking about because I threw it on to my wish list at the last second when my mom asked for ideas. A few things I wanted/needed this year? A toaster. LaraBars. Accessories to dress up my black stretchy maternity dresses. And oh yeah, a robe since I remember making my dad a bit uncomfortable while I walked around in my towel when my parents came to stay for the weekend at the beginning of December.

Yep, my favorite gift this year, out of all the wonderful things I was blessed to receive, is a robe. This robe to be exact.

Source

This isn’t just any robe. It’s the softest, most luxurious, dreamiest article of clothing I have ever slipped into. Wearing it feels like a visit to the spa and I find myself getting excited to step out of the shower each day and slip into it.Thanks mom, this was one of my favorite gifts ever from you.

What about you? What was your favorite Christmas gift this year?

P.S.-Isn’t the model posing this way ridiculous?

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Posted in: christmas, fashion, good things

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2009 Canon Camera Gift Guide

Jenna — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:00:24 +0000

As Christmas approaches I’ve started to receive emails from readers who seem to mistakenly believe I am some kind of camera expert. :) I am most definitely not, although I do have some opinions regarding what cameras I think are the best bet for certain consumers. My recommendations for this post will all be Canon, as I think it’s a great brand and the one I’m most familiar with. I think Nikon has equivalents for each one of these, and certainly with point and shoots you can move to other brands as well, Panasonic, Sony, FujiFilm, etc. I, personally, think sticking with Canon or Nikon when it comes to dSLRs is your best choice because of the long-standing reputation of both companies, the amount of money they have which allows them to quickly develop new technology, and the wide range of accessories that work with those two brands.

If you’re really feeling lost about which camera will work best for you, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to go to a store and try it out for yourself. Hold it in your hand, put it in your pocket (just don’t walk out with it, no one should be blaming me if they get arrested for shoplifting), see if the response time will work for your needs. I think it can get overwhelming to go to an electronics store and see all of the choices, so make a list of what features are most important to you. Will you be shooting in lots of low light situations without flash? Is portability the most important feature for you? Do you want to be able to turn some of the settings to manual and have more control over what your photos look like? What’s the largest size you’ll ever be blowing up an image to, as often sensor quality is more important than a high megapixel count. Choose your top three most important features and find the camera that best fits those needs.

Point and Shoot

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Canon PowerShot SD120-$150

Pros: It comes in a variety of colors, 10 megapixels, compact, movie mode, and reviews say it’s very easy to use.

Cons: It’s not going to perform well in low light situations without the flash, and I think everyone with a camera (no matter what kind) should be using their flash the least amount possible.

Splurge

Canon G11-$450

I have the Canon G9, a fantastic little camera, and the G10 is great as well (and both went down in price after the G11 was released), but it’s the latest model, the Canon G11 that has photographers buzzing. I’ve even heard people claim they wouldn’t be afraid to shoot a wedding with this thing if their main body were to freak out during the wedding day. I think that’s a bit extreme (and you would look ridiculous shooting a wedding with a point and shoot), but it gives you an idea how much this camera is loved by pro photogs.

Pros: The ability to shoot completely in manual just like you would be able to do with a dSLR, 10 megapixels, gorgeous LCD, ability to flip the LCD out from the body making it perfect for self-portraits (you know I love that feature!), ISO settings ranging from 80-3,200. Macro macro macro! This thing has superb macro performance.

Cons: For that much money you really could get a dSLR which would give you the ability to buy and use different lenses (something that can’t be done with a p&s), rather expensive for a point and shoot, very grainy at the high ISO settings.

Entry Level dSLR

As everyone knows, I’m an avid hater of kit lenses and I highly recommend buying body only with any dSLR purchase and then buying the lens that works to meet your specific needs. I wish someone had given me this advice when I bought my first dSLR, as the kit lens is sitting in a corner of my closet, collecting dust, only having been used a handful of times.

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Canon EOS Rebel XSi (body only)-$500

Pros: Fast, good battery life, bright LCD, 12 megapixels, 9-point autofocus.

Cons: Maximum ISO of 1600, feels a bit cheap in hand, continuous shooting mode of 3.5 fps, LifeView mode isn’t that great. It also is very noisy when the shutter is triggered, something some prefer but I find to be annoying and amateurish.

Splurge

Canon EOS Rebel T1i (body only)-$600

Pros: HD video (although it’s won’t be nearly as good as what you will find in the bodies that cost $1000 more), quick startup, quieter, features “creative auto mode”, 15 megapixels (three more than found in the xsi), 9-point autofocus, improved low-light autofocus over the xsi, bright LCD.

Cons: Identical body to the xsi so some may also say it feels cheap, small viewfinder, battery drains quickly in LiveView mode (though this is true for all dSLRs).

Prosumer dSLR

Although I’m snobby and don’t think you should buy any dSLR over $1000 if you don’t know how to use your camera on manual, there are most certainly people out there who work hard and are able to splurge in life. If you’re one of those people, either one of the cameras below should make you very, very happy.

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Canon EOS 7D-$1700

Pros: ISO 100-12800, 19 point userselectable autofocus (twice as many as found in the 5dmkii, one of the huge pluses of this model), great battery life, bright 3″ LCD, 8 fps, noise much improved over the 20D-50D line, wireless off-camera flash system built into the camera, 18 megapixels.

Cons: The biggest con? It’s not full frame. I’ve also picture quality suffers somewhere around 1600 ISO and above.

Splurge

Canon 5d Mark II-$2700

Pros: Full frame! Beautiful HD video! (Can you tell I adore this camera?) High quality images even at higher ISO settings (translation: better low-light photos without the need for a flash), 21 megapixels, beautiful colors (I own it so I’ve seen this firsthand!), ISO range of 50-25600

Cons: No built in flash (I actually consider this a plus :) ), better autofocus on the 7D (which is a less expensive model by $1000), only 3.9 fps, no in-camera wireless flash controller, image stabilization not found in camera (only in the Canon lenses).

Lenses

Need a lens? I personally don’t think that Canon makes a high quality zoom lens for less than $1000. If you think you can get used to not being able to zoom in and out (more exercise that way!) I’d recommend a 50mm lens to start with.

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EF 50mm f/1.8 II-$100

This lens is beloved by those who have a tiny budget, but it’s biggest con is it’s plastic construction and slightly inferior glass to the 50mm 1.4. I’d say it’s better than a kit lens any day, but I’d strongly recommend rounding up an extra $250 for the 50mm 1.4 if you can.

Splurge

EF 50mm f/1.4 USM-$350

The 50mm 1.4 is a great little lens, much lighter than the 50mm 1.2 (which costs almost $1000 more), and almost as good in quality. In fact, I know there are several well known photographers out there who prefer the 50mm 1.4 over the 1.2 because the difference in quality isn’t as noticeable as you would think and the lighter construction makes it much easier on the wrists after a long day of shooting. If you can get used to moving around instead of zooming you are going to love this lens!

The lens that is sitting at the top of my Christmas wish list this year is the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, which would set me back at least $1,840. I’ll keep dreaming until the 25th passes me by though!

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Posted in: gift guides, photography

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Christmas Gifts for 12 for $68.12

Jenna — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:00:45 +0000

Husband and I have a teeny tiny gift budget and so it’s important for me to get creative when Christmas rolls around. We narrowed down our list to the least amount of people I felt comfortable buying gifts for (there are few things worse than receiving a nice gift from someone you didn’t buy one for!), and I went to town coming up with ideas that wouldn’t break the bank. Here’s what I came up with. (And yes I take all credit, I dreamed up and created/purchased every single one of these.)

Our Texas friends? A free photo session with me. We came up with three couples that we are closest with and contacted them several weeks before Christmas to set up photo sessions in case they wanted to use the pictures for Christmas cards. Two session down, one more to go. I really love working with my friends in this way!

His sister (who lives in Poland)? She’s getting a cute set of hair pins from Etsy seller Hot Pink Chick. We’ve only met a few times, and there is a bit of a language barrier, but her hair is curly and I think these will work with her outdoorsy/earthy personality.

Cost to me? $12 because they were purchased on Black Friday when a discount and free shipping were being offered.

My Sister? She’s getting a 1 year subscription to Real Simple magazine. Have you ever been gifted a magazine subscription? It’s like getting a new gift in your mailbox every single week!

Cost to me? $5. It’s a subscription that auto-renews so I need to be careful or she’ll be getting the same thing next year as well. :) I put a notice that updates weekly in my Google Calendar starting next October to remind me to call and cancel the subscription.The information I need to cancel is stored in my inbox with my confirmation email so I think my plan should work.

My parents & his parents? Last year for our wedding I made my husband a Blurb book chronicling our first year together.

This year when I was working on the book for our second year I realized, “Why not gift this book to our parents each year as well?” Kill three birds with one stone, build them a collection of memories revolving around their favorite kids, etc. You can preview it here if you would like to see what I came up with.

Cost to me? $25.56/copy including shipping, making the total for the gift’s for our parents $51.12.

How are you getting creative with your Christmas gifts this year?

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Posted in: gift guides, holidays

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Blissful Bathing

Jenna — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:18:59 +0000

Several weeks ago husband and I celebrated our first anniversary by spending the night at the W hotel in Dallas (we stayed for free with points, woohoo!) where I was introduced to the line Bliss. My wallet has been regretting it ever since! For me, a big part of a good skincare product experience is the smell, and Bliss seems to specialize in scents that make my shower experience blissful. I’m guessing that is where the name “Bliss” came from? :) I got by as long as I could using the hotel size samples (it was getting kind of pathetic how rigidly I was rationing out my nickel size portions of body wash each day, just to use on my arms and chest so I could soak up the smell), but then someone tweeted about 20% off at Sephora and I knew it was time to bite the bullet and get the full sized products. I bought a full skin care lineup, and one luxurious (for me) splurge.

Fabulous Foaming Face Wash, $29

Pore Perfecting Facial Polish, $30

Best of Skintentions Moisturizer, $35

And the splurge, Lemon + Sage Soapy Suds Body Wash, $18. I love this so much that when we had guests spend the night recently I hid it and made them use something else. Awful I know.

I’ve been using the skincare set for a few weeks now and I don’t think my skin is clearer, but I blame that on the pregnancy. It is definitely smoother though, and I get lots of comments on how I am “glowing” lately, although that could be chalked up to the pregnancy as well I guess. The Soapy Suds though, is heavenly. I love the combination of lemon and sage, and I swear the smell sits on my skin even after I get out of the shower.

My Christmas wish list now includes the Lemon + Sage Body Butter Lite to really help the smell last through the day. Anyone have any suggestions for perfumes with lemon or sage notes that would complete the set for me?

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Posted in: beauty

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Portrait vs. Kit: Which Lens is Better For You?

Jenna — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:00:12 +0000

Since I started writing my photography tip & tutorial posts I’ve started receiving emails and Facebook asking

“I want to buy a dSLR. Where do I go from here?”
or
“I have a dSLR but I want to get a different lens, what should I buy?”

My answer is always the same, that I think it’s best to buy down in body and up in lens. If this is going over your head already just remember that dSLR’s have two separate parts, the camera part, called a body, and the lens, and those are interchangeable. In my opinion it’s best to buy the nicest lens you can afford and plan on upgrading the body as needed, rather than buying the nicest body and upgrading the lens as needed. Sometimes though, I think people ignore my advice (which is fine, do what you want with your money and your photos) and get caught up in the megapixels and the nicer LCD screen, causing them to ignore the glass.

I knew that the best way to drive this point home was to demonstrate what a better lens can do for your photos, and I’m lucky enough to own the three lenses, low, medium, and high quality which I knew would be necessary to use in order to show you what I mean. Keep in mind throughout this post that each person needs to buy the lens that fits their needs, and for some people a prime/fixed lens is not going to work. My intent is just to demonstrate that unless you absolutely have to have it for whatever reason you dream up, the kit lens that comes with your camera is absolute crap.

Lens 1, Zoom Lens or “Kit Lens”, Low Quality
Focal Length: 28-135mm
Aperture: 3.5-5.6
Price: $374.95

Lens 2, Prime Lens or Fixed Lens, Medium-High Quality
Focal Length: 50mm
Aperture: 1.4
Price: $399.95

Lens 3, Prime Lens or Fixed Lens, High Quality, L Series
Focal Length: 50 mm
Aperture: 1.2
Price: $1349.95

From left to right, Lens 1, Lens 2, and Lens 3.

At my last hair appointment I crouched on the floor in my friend Jill’s sunroom and took some pictures of her darling little son. I was blown away by the difference I saw between the kit lens and the prime lenses and I think you will be as well. Not all of the photos were taken with the same camera settings, partly because the difference in quality doesn’t allow me to do so, and also because this post isn’t about certain settings, it’s about overall quality.

Above each photo you will see the shooting specs I used at the time the photo was taken. All photos were taken on the Manual setting, giving me absolute control over all of my images. Each photo is SOOC, which means it is Straight Out of The Camera, with absolutely no editing whatsoever, taken with the same camera body, my Canon 50D. I wanted to make sure you knew that Photoshop didn’t give me these pictures, my lens did!

First up, the kit lens that came with my Canon 50D when I bought it from Costco. If I could go back in time I would tell That Wife, before she was known as Jenna Cole, that buying the body+kit lens from Costco was a waste of money, even if it cost $100 less than it did on B&H. I can count on my hand the number of times I’ve used this lens in the last 5 months, and now that I’ve written this post I’d like to get rid of it as soon as possible.

The kit lens has a variable aperture (not sure if that is the right term), so when I zoom in and out the aperture changes automatically (even when I have the camera on Manual) which I find incredibly annoying and it makes shooting so much more difficult. I admire those who are shooting around this limitation while using their kit lens.

Okay, enough educating, let’s get to show-and-tell!

Lens 1
28mm
ISO 320
1/200
f/3.5

35mm
ISO 320
1/200
f/3.5

28mm
ISO 320
1/200
f/3.5

Get ready, because the difference between Lens 1 and Lens 2, lenses with only a $20 difference in price, is going to BLOW YOUR MIND.

Lens 2
50 mm
ISO 200
1/200
f/2.5

50mm
ISO 100
1/250
f/1.8

Are you still there? Or did you just drop down of shock? Because I almost did when I uploaded the photos and got the chance to really see what a good lens can do for the quality of photos. That being said, I was also surprised at how little difference there was between the photos taken with the 50mm 1.4 and the 50mm 1.2, even though there is a $950 difference in price. I’m still happy I own the 50mm 1.2, and I love it, but I’m happy to show so many of you that you don’t have to invest in a $1350 lens to take clear, crisp, colorful portraits.

Lens 3
50mm
ISO 320
1/200
f/2.5

I included this one because it makes me laugh. Babies can go from perfectly content to sobbing their eyes out and then back to perfectly content in 5 seconds flat.

50mm
ISO 100
1/320
f/1.2

Still not convinced? Thinking you just need to invest in Photoshop to “fix” your photos so you can keep using your kit lens? I brought my top three photos from each lens into Photoshop and did a few light edits for color and sharpness to help them pop a little bit more. I actually think I prefer the shot taken with the 50mm 1.2 ($400 lens) over the 50mm 1.2 shot ($1350 lens).

Lens 1

Lens 2

Lens 3

Is the $1350 lens an overpriced waste of money? I don’t think that this experiment necessarily proves that. I caught the shot below with my 50mm 1.2 set wide open on an aperture of 1.2, and I don’t think I could have grabbed this with my lower quality glass and smaller aperture 50mm 1.4. Maybe, but I’m not sure.

If you take away anything from this post I hope it will be “when investing in a dSLR, buy down in your body quality, and up in lens quality”.

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Posted in: photography

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Let the Belly Bump Shots Begin!

Jenna — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:00:24 +0000

We’re gaining a new addition to our home come April 2010!

While planning my wedding I learned about all of these creative and innovative projects people embarked on during the engagement period. So it figures that now that I’m in the pre-natal period I would be dreaming up projects that apply to baby. Nursery decor projects? Those are off limits for single income couples like us that plan on moving 5 months after the baby is born to go to business school. So I had to be a bit more creative with my thinking. What if, instead of working on something tangible, I focused on creating something… bloggable!

Unlike the lovely Julia, I do not have a sexy tight belly with a cute little bump. I have a belly gained through hours spent in front of the computer editing photos and years of bad food choices. But that’s not going to prevent me from embarking on the belly bump slideshow project I’ve been dreaming of for months now.

For this project to happen I need tripod, camera, good light, neutral background, the same outfit for every photo, the same pose for every photo, and all of this happening in as close to the same spot as possible each week.

I chose to wear white because it’s the most revealing color (usually the reason why I avoid it!) as I wanted all of the changes in my body to be seen. I chose to take the photos on Sunday, a day I end up doing my hair and wearing makeup, something that doesn’t usually happen the rest of the week. I picked a spot on our office with good light and a blank wall and set up my tripod across from it. I put duct tape on the floor under each of the legs of the tripod, and also where my feet needed to go.

After I had the settings on my camera where I wanted them I began running back and forth, setting the timer, and then getting back into position. I decided my favorite pose was the typical “hands resting on the small of the back” pregnancy pose, and did a shot of my front with shirt down, side with shirt down, front with shirt up, and side with shirt up. Each week I’ll take a shot as close to this setup as I possibly can, and then at the end of my pregnancy (and definitely as I go as well) I’ll assemble it into a little video where each shot is shown side-by-side so the growth and changes can be seen.

I’ll update you when I feel like I’ve “popped” so you can see the progress!

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Posted in: children, photography

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VIII

Jenna — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:00:27 +0000

Kelli Nicole just told me about VII Photo Agency.

VII derives its name from the number of founding photo-journalists who, in September 2001, formed this collectively owned agency. Designed from the outset to be an efficient, technologically enabled distribution hub for some of the world’s finest photojournalism, VII has been responsible for creating and relaying to the world many of the images that define the turbulent opening years of the 21st century.

Alexandra Boulat, Ron Haviv, Gary Knight, Antonin Kratochvil, Christopher Morris, James Nachtwey and John Stanmeyer were joined in 2002 by Lauren Greenfield and in 2004 by Joachim Ladefoged. Marcus Bleasdale and Franco Pagetti joined in November 2007. Together they document conflict – environmental, social and political, both violent and non-violent – to produce an unflinching record of the injustices created and experienced by people caught up in the events they describe.

On September 9th 2001, VII announced its formation. On the following night, covering for the missed return flight of a colleague, James Nachtwey arrived at his Manhattan apartment close to the World Trade Center. The next morning, he photographed some of the most haunting pictures of the collapse of the towers, at the same time eloquently conveying the destruction of a way of life.

These photo essays are incredibly inspiring. Often gut wrenching. Real.

Some of my favorites include:

The Albino Killings photo essay by Marcus Bleasdale.

BibiAna 10 and her sister Tendyebua 8 wait in the hospital compound in the hospital in Gaita, Tanzania. BibiAna was amputated at night by people who believe Albino body parts used in conjunction with other traditional medicines can help them become rich in the mining and fishing industries. The people who attacked and amputated BibiAnnas leg have been taken into custody. Over 19 Albinos have been killed in Tanzania in the past 2 years.

The Japan photo essay by Gary Knight.

Geisha

The Cheerleaders photo essay by Joachim Ladefoged.

The University of Kentucky cheerleading squad is the best in the United States. The team has won the national championships 14 times in the last 20 years. There are an estimated 3 million cheerleaders in the U.S.

The Child Brides photo essay by Stephanie Sinclair. (Warning: Some female nudity, seen in photos of women having their bandages cleaned in a hospital.)

Portrait of soon-to-be-wed Faiz Mohammed, 40, and Ghulam Haider, 11, at her home in a rural village of Ghor province. When asked how she felt that day, the bewildered girl responded, ‘I do not know this man. What am I supposed to feel?’

The kids + money photo essay by Lauren Greenfield.

Gabby, 16, in her home in the upscale Pacific Palisades, CA, neighborhood with her friend Alyssa, 16. Gabby and Alyssa think kids go overboard by spending “4-digits” on clothes to wear to school, a cost they see as only justifiable for a nice purse.

The Tyra Banks: Media Mogul photo essay by Lauren Greenfield. (I love America’s Next Top Model and it was fun to see some behind the scenes photos).

Tyra Banks, 34, has adjustments made between shooting auditions for the upcoming 11th cycle of America’s Next Top Model, Los Angeles, CA.

The Cuddle Party photo essay by Lauren Greenfield. (There are no words for how much this idea freaks me out.)

Amy, 31, Hugo, Rebecca, 31, and Kenny, 25, at a Cuddle Party.

The Obesity photo essay by Lauren Greenfield.

Marissa, 15, Nicole, 16, Jessie, 14, and Marin, 14, some of the members of the popular clique, during the first week of weight-loss camp, Catskills, New York.

I really loved this one. The American Beauty photo essay by Lauren Greenfield.

After searching for the most beautiful woman she could find on the streets of New York City, casting agent Jennifer Starr introduced me to Sarah Ziff. I subsequently spent several days photographing her in her daily life, exploring the questions “what is life like for the beautiful?” and “is beauty power?” Whether positively or negatively, there is no doubt that it influences every aspect of her interaction with the world. As Sara remarked, “I don’t want to come off as arrogant, but it is a reality of my life.”

Sara steps out onto the street. Her boyfriend usually lets her hail the cabs, some of which even stop for her when they’re off duty.

I’m going to stop now because I think I could go on forever. :)

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Posted in: photography, world issues

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Ring Check

Jenna — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:00:17 +0000

At the wedding I shot on Saturday the DJ leaned over as I was signing the guestbook and asked “When are you getting married?” He inquired, of course, hoping that I was in the middle of wedding planning and looking for someone to provide some music for the big party.

Why would he ask this? Because my left hand still looks like this.

Granted, my plan never involved pairing a band with my engagement ring (because I’m cheap and didn’t want to pay what I knew would be at least $500 for a custom band to match my $850 engagement ring), but I did plan to wear these custom engraved stacking rings on my right hand in a nod to my new Eastern European connections.*

8 months out from the wedding and I hardly ever remember to any of them. As of now my plan is to switch out my engagement ring when I get pregnant for the flat and smooth bands (bought for $100) that won’t run the risk of scratching the baby.

Luckily That Husband doesn’t seem to mind my inability to remember to wear the ring he gifted me last July. Many times I’ve wondered if I would do a better job of wearing it on a regular basis if it had cost more. Not because I would want to show off our “wealth” or “status”, but because it would be such a significant investment that I would want to get the most out of it possible. Do you do that with large purchases? Our latest large purchase was a bread maker. We bought one of the more expensive models, and doing so naturally drives us to want to use it more so we can make the purchase feel worthwhile. Is it so out there to think that the same thought process could apply to my engagement ring as well?

At present, I plan on sticking with my sub-$1000 engagement ring for the rest of my life, although I acknowledge there is a chance that I will start begging for an upgrade in the next 20 years. When that happens, I’ll probably do a better job remembering to wear it, for like the new bread maker, I’ll want to make sure we get our moneys worth out of such a big purchase.

Do you wear your band or engagement ring on a regular basis? Were either of your rings a significant purchase, and do you think you wear them diligently because of this? Do you admit to wearing your rings in part because you think it would please your husband?

*Wedding bands are worn on the right hand in Eastern Europe

© Elizabeth Anne Designs Living, 2009 | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us | StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: newlywed life

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Oats N’ Herbs Chicken

Jenna — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:00:04 +0000

Practically the easiest chicken ever. You’re going to have a tough time with this one if you need an exact recipe though, since I just gathered the ingredients together in quantities I judged appropriate for the amount of chicken I was using.

You will need:

Flour
Quick oats
Egg white
Olive oil
Rosemary
Basil

That Mom bought me some potted plants so I was able to use fresh rosemary and basil, which I definitely recommend doing.

I snipped off some leaves, threw them all in a bowl, and chopped them up with my scissors.

Take pieces of chicken and dip them in egg whites.

Roll the egg white covered chicken in a mixture of flour and quick oats.

Drizzle the bottom of your pan with olive oil, and then arrange the pieces of flour covered chicken inside. Sprinkle the herbs on top.

Cook, covered, until done. That Mom said cooking while covered is absolutely essential because it keeps the moisture in.

Next to what I’ve done with throwing things in a crock pot this was the easiest chicken dish I’ve ever made. And if you use the toaster oven to warm it up your leftovers can be nice and crispy all over again.

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Posted in: cooking and food, dinner, recipes

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