In yesterday’s mail came a copy of The Knot’s 2008 Best of Weddings and I was thrilled to see this photo from Ben and Sharon’s Astor’s Beechwood Newport wedding make it in under the "must have shot:  the wedding party"!  I was contacted by The Knot who had seen the photo on the blog and they weren’t sure it would make it in until they did they layout.   This was such a fun shot to shoot and I love flairs!

Well, I’ll just tell you a few fun things about our friends, Kim and Travis Lytle, that are very interesting lately…

First, last weekend I was asked to film their audition tape for "My House is Worth What?" which is a show on the HGTV network that evaluates all the improvements you’ve done to your home and estimates the selling price.  Now, I don’t think I’m ready to video a wedding yet…but they did get chosen for the show and are taping April 4th!!!  Congratulations guys!

Next, I’ve been meaning to share the recipe for "Kim Lytle’s Amaretto Cake".  I like to cook but don’t do it much these days, but if you want to bring a dessert to a party that people will RAVE about and ask for the recipe (and it’s pretty easy to make), here it is:

Kim Lytle’s Amaretto Cake (she says she got it from somewhere else, so this is my own name for it)

 Cake Ingredients:

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
1 Pkg. Vanilla Pudding
3 Eggs (for a cakier
cake, use 4…this is more dense)
½ C. Amaretto
½ C. Vegetable Oil
¼ C. chopped almonds

Glaze Ingredients:

4T butter
¼ C. Amaretto
½ C. brown sugar 

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2) Grease and flour bundt pan
3) Cover bottom with chopped almonds
4) Stir together cake mix and pudding
5) Beat eggs, oil and Amaretto
6) Stir together until just mixed and pour
into pan
7) Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour
Boil glaze ingredients for 1 minute on
stove top
9) Remove cake from oven, poke holes in,
and pour glaze over
10) Cool in pan

While we are on the subject of the Lytle’s, I don’t want to sound like a Trekkie, but I do love to talk to Travis about LOST theories and I’ll just throw mine out — I’m convinced Jacob is a 12-year old boy…enough said.

And, finally, we’re all big American Idol fans (yes, that was Mike and I in the 11th row of the tour in Hartford last August…the only adults who didn’t have children with them!).  So for this year, I’m loving Michael Johns and David Cook .  I like Carly and Brooke.  Jason Castro is kind of interesting too in a very mellow way too.

Look out for the West Hartford couple on HGTV!

All I can say is it so great to be shooting little Landon…as soon as I saw him this time at 4 months, I could see him as a future little boy – whereas shooting him at two weeks old …he was so new!!!  Thanks Lindsay (of the wonderfully stylish, fun and nice pair at Sixpence for Your Shoe wedding planning) and Stephen for another great shoot!

1st fashion shoot…doc martin booties!

Just got word that I am number 20 on the ‘Top 100 WPJA Photographers For 2007’ list…kind of excited!  WPJA is the Wedding Photojournalist Association.  Yay.

I think these pics speak for themselves on how fun and sweet and full of personality little four-year old Allison was to shoot!  This is also why I love to shoot in people’s homes – in a little over an hour we had so many different backgrounds and lighting situations at our fingertips … and it’s really comfortable for babies and kids … and great for them to look back on when they have the photos as grown-ups!

Amy and Thad…thank you for making me feel so welcome in your home!

Just wanted to pass on a great organization in Hartford for anyone who may be looking for something worthwhile to support…The Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford….they teach adults (not kids) to read – about 2/3 are immigrants learning English as a Second Language and about 1/3 are adults who speak English but never learned to read. 

I sat in on a class in December and was really impressed with how professionally run the organization is and also how committed the students were – some hoping to read to their grandkids for the first time, some hoping to start a business, some working to go back and get their GED. 

There are several ways to help:

1)  Become a tutor – this is a commitment of teaching a 1.5 hour class one evening a week or in the late morning (for mom’s who find themselves with a break while their kids are at school!).  They ask for a year commitment.  My husband, Mike, is currently doing the training for it.  There are other ways you can volunteer your time too, with less of a commitment.

2)  Buy a seat at the CeleBRAINtion Charity Evening on Tuesday, April 29th at the West Hartford Conference Center in Blueback Square from 5:30 – 9:00.  It’s $150 donation to go and should be a great night!  Mike and I will be the photographers at the event!  Drop us an email if you decide to go!

3)  Send in a donation.

I think it’s easy to take reading for granted until you visit an organization like this.  It’s a great way to get involved in Hartford and I think impacting one adult with the ability to read will have a ripple effect we can’t imagine.  Please feel free to contact Mike, me, or the organization if you’d like to hear more about it.