So how about I show you guys some more of my basement remodel, eh? This is the photo studio, and this room was pretty much just cosmetic changes. We put in the new floor, ripped out the drop ceiling (and painted it), added the closet you see up there (along the wall) to store stands and lights etc, and added a desk and some shelves. My favorite part might be the open, unfinished ceiling both because I love the way it looks and because it's the perfect storage spot for rolls of studio paper.
I also love this beam on the right. It's holding the entire house up, so it had to stay (obviously). The light coming in through the doors is from my bright and sunny laundry room that I'll show you later.
Something else I love about this space is that I have three rolls of seamless paper hanging at once! Putting hooks on the wall so I could stop the backdrop-stand usage was a fantastic move.
In the back is a long table for props or a laptop or whatever. Just a nice workspace. Instead of buying a table, I bought a butcher block countertop from Ikea and mounted it to the wall (along with a table leg from Ikea that cost like $4). And the door back there leads to our furnace room (and a bit more storage for more chairs, step ladders etc).
And here are a few of the fun props I have on hand! You guys, having this studio at my disposal is gonna be awesome. You should book a session with me. We will have so much fun!For your internet share of the day, first I want to show you the outtakes from my shoot with Magda earlier this week. Getting a dog to wear glasses is hard! Second, I'm gonna send you to a blog post by @CheyCab, one of my favorite twitterers. She's a young, female cab driver in the city and she is always on an adventure. Her first post involves a duffle bag of cash!
So earlier this week, when I posted the photos of Magda in my sunglasses, I mentioned that we had to lure her into the poses with chicken skin. In case you thought it was easy, I thought I'd share some of the hilarious outtakes. Enjoy!
Today was one of the rare days when Jamie and I decided to take the afternoon off for a little culture. The weather around here is still The Suck, and we wanted to have some fun. So we had lunch at the Swedish Institute (fabulous!) and then hit up the Matisse exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. This is a piece of glass sculpture that hangs from the ceiling in the museum. I love the whimsy of it.For your internet share of the day, how about this 
Aw, poor Magda had no idea how much she'd have to work it when she was adopted by us almost a year ago. But look how far she's come! This was one of the toughest shoots because she *really* didn't like having to look through the sunglasses, but nothing like a little chicken skin to get a girl motivated, eh? And bless my man Jamie for stepping in as the dog trainer extraordinaire.I don't know about where you guys live, but here in Minneapolis it's been raining for days and days and days and days. We tried to get Mags into daycare a few times, but they were full! So she has a reservation tomorrow. And yes. I have a reservation for my dog at daycare. When did I become this person? When I adopted a Vizsla, that's when. I don't know who will be more thrilled about that, Mags because she can play all day or Merlin because he'll finally have some peace and quiet around the house.And speaking of Merlin! He had his annual vet checkup today and is doing great. He's in a touch more pain now though, so we're going to try some mild pain relievers tomorrow. And we're waiting until tomorrow morning to try them because apparently they have the unfortunate side effect of causing hallucinations in a small percentage of dogs. So, you know, Merlin could start barking or howling at the wall tomorrow. Ah, should be entertaining around here at least.
For your internet share of the day, how about we all go check out 
Today's post is one of my very favorite salads, but it doesn't look like much so you guys have to trust me. Seriously. I have been waiting a while to cart this recipe out because I know it looks boring and tedious, but it is so delicious, and if I had a teenager or child who was trustworthy with knives in the house, I would force them to make this for me at least once a week.I first had this salad at 
You'll need some apples (Pink Lady apples work fantastic for this) and a large hunk of Manchego cheese. You'll also need a handful of fresh chives, a dash of olive oil and a dash of salt. Oh! And if you are making this an hour or so ahead of time, squeeze some fresh lemon on the chopped apples to stop them from browning.In terms of proportions, I use one apple for two people and then I try to keep the cheese/apple ratio at a little less than (heavier on the apple) 1:1. So for a party of six, you would want three apples and about as much cheese as you see above (or maybe a touch more). For Jamie and I, I use one apple and about 1/3 of that chunk of cheese. Make sense?
Now, for the tedious part. You chop the apples into matchstick slices. Like so.
Next, chop the cheese into matchstick-shaped pieces. It will crumble. That's ok. It is still delicious.Oh! I should also mention that once the cheese is divided, you should put the remaining hunk away in the fridge so that your Vizsla doesn't steal it from the counter because Manchego is her very favorite (just like her mama).
Mix the apple and cheese slices in a medium bowl and then hold the chives over the bowl and use your kitchen scissors to cut the chives into the bowl. The amount of chives is really up to you -- I love garlic and onions, so I do about as much as you see here -- but you could do less.After adding the chives, add in 1-2 tbsp olive oil and salt to taste and toss.
Voila! Sooo delicious. I wish I could tell you how it holds up for leftovers. But I never have any.This is about 360 calories a serving. AND WORTH IT. You can also use a bit less cheese to take the calories down, but good lord be careful about that. Manchego is a gift from the Gods, people.For your internet share today, how about a link to this 
There's my guy. He had a rough week last week (lots of deep sighs, sleeping all day and limping around), but he had his acupuncture on Tuesday (it had been about 6 weeks since his last appointment), and he's on the rebound! He's happy, wagging his tail and back to barking at neighborhood dogs out on their walks. But on the odd side of the coin, he has stopped eating from his bowl.I can hold his bowl, he's not interested. I can put it on an elevated surface, and he's not interested. We can put his food in a different bowl, and he's not interested. Want to know how he likes it? Spilled out across the floor.What is THAT about? Honestly, I don't know if he even wants the food or if he just feels bad about the mess and eats it up to make me happy. Regardless, he has his annual vet checkup on Monday, and hopefully we'll know more then.For your internet share today, Jamie found 
Last night, after a glorious nap and a quick dinner, we headed out to First Avenue to catch Temples and Drowners. I was super excited for this show as I love both bands' new albums, and I knew a ton of my buddies would be at the show.This, above, is the lead singer for Temples. They sounded fantastic, but I, personally, was much more enamored with the spirit and energy of Drowners who made me giddy behind the camera. But who am I to complain? I am so fortunate to get to photograph all of these shows and to work on something that I am so passionate about. The rest of the photos can be seen 
Yeah. There's been a lot going on in the Plesser household this spring. We're adding to the pack, and stunningly it's not with a new collie puppy (yet).I really was torn on blogging about being knocked up (oh, in case you didn't pick up on that, the photo above is the soon-to-be Kid Plesser), but I'm at that stage where people don't seem to know that I'm pregnant despite me having an enormous gut, and I just can't have you all thinking I've simply let myself go. This belly of mine? It's growing a human life. I did not get it from having too much beer (believe it or not).Now, before you get all panicky, please don't worry about this becoming some sort of sappy mommy or pregnancy blog. You should know by now that's not who I am. But this is a pretty big deal going on in my day-to-day life, and it seems weird to never mention it and then one day be like, "Oh hey! Look! I had a baby! Let's see if it poses as well as Magda!" (We all know Magda would win that contest hands down, right?)And the reason *today* seems appropriate in bringing all of this up is that I am due on Sept. 12. And today The Replacements announced their first Minneapolis concert IN DECADES for Sept. 13. Sooooo..... that's frustrating. But I am now just so, so happy that I made the trip last fall to see them play in Chicago. And maybe this kid will hang on for an extra day or two so that I can wobble over to see one of my all-time favorite bands play. Who knows. But I *do* plan on getting tickets just in case the kid is late. And I also have a healthy dose of realism in that I likely won't make the show.Now, a few questions you might have:1) We do not know the sex of the kid, and even if we did we wouldn't tell you because we don't want any pastel crap in the house.2) This was a surprise to us as well, but a very happy one.3) It looks like I am winning the war against naming said child after a KU basketball player (for now).4) If you approach me and rub my belly without warning, I will do the exact same to you. Boundaries, people.5) Yes, I will meet you for hamburgers any time, any place. (Also, you now know why my Paleo diet seems to have gone by the wayside for a bit.)For your internet share of the day, how about