Today I had a really fun family shoot in the studio, which I moved into my dining room so we could have easy access to the kitchen for important things like hot cocoa, candy canes and buttered popcorn. I like to keep things festive!The little girl I was photographing with her family was smitten with Merlin right away because... well... she's a girl. And frankly, aren't we all just head over heels for my boy anyway? So about halfway through the shoot, I brought him in so they could meet and she immediately began petting him, and when he laid down she snuggled right in for a hug. ADORABLE. I am doubting her parents want photos of their child snuggling with a random dog, so I'm using my favorite shot here. Although now that I ponder that, I think every living and breathing human should want a photo with this majestic guy.For my internet share of the day, I'm sending you to some fabulous holiday drink recipes. I, myself, don't have much patience for drink recipes (my not eating sugar cuts a lot of these out), frankly because I'm always happy with a glass of red wine. But should you be entertaining or looking for something different and delicious, look no further!
I try to make note of the first day each year that the lake is completely frozen over (this marks my own first true day of winter), and today appears to be the day. The interesting part is that normally the ice is covered in snow, so you don't get these reflections. I took a close look, and it's thin enough to where you can see through the ice to the bottom (near the shore), so clearly the only thing standing on this ice is the birds.I'm hoping for a fun and relaxing weekend ahead. I have a few shoots, but besides that I would love to cook some more delicious food and catch up on my movies. I still haven't seen Gravity yet, and that one is high on my list. Besides that, I usually work in some fire-side gin rummy on holiday weekends as well. Do you have Thanksgiving weekend traditions? I'd love to hear about them in the comments.For your internet share of the day, I am going to melt your heart. Seriously. Are you ready? 
Happy Thanksgiving! Here is what I was most thankful for today:• My amazing husband and a day off to spend relaxing together, cooking and watching television.• The fact that we learned today that Magda is terrified of the oven exhaust fan and when you are cooking and want her out of the kitchen so you don't have to worry about her stealing the turkey all you have to do is flip the switch. WIN.• My uncanny ability to make delicious gravy. Mmmmmm....• The fact that HBO is having a free weekend preview and I got to watch one of my favorite movies, "Sliding Doors."• The fact that Merlin is happy and healthy and if you happen to be holding some turkey skin in your hands he acts just like he did when he was 4 years old.• The amazing sweet potato latkes that we invented this morning to celebrate Hanukkah and Thanksgiving together. And you guys? They were so good! So below is the recipe. Enjoy!Ingredients1 large sweet potato, gratedRoughly 1/3 cup Matzo Meal1/2 onion, dicedSalt and pepper to taste2 eggsCombine ingredients in a medium bowl. Heat 1 cup olive oil in a frying pan. Once hot, spoon the sweet potato mixture into the pan and flatten a bit with a spoon. Cook until crisp, remove from oil and towel off excess grease. Let cool and enjoy -- maybe with a dollop of sour cream? Just a thought...
Today I was on my way to meet a good friend for lunch when I spied nine swans on Lake Harriet! I had gotten a tip from one of my blog readers that she had seen a swan there earlier today, but I certainly wasn't expecting nine of them! And some gray ones! How pretty are they? Just swimming around the ducks like it's no big thing.For today's internet share of the day, I'm sending you to this 
Tonight I shot 
So those images up there? They cost about $400, in case you were wondering. But! The fact that we don't see Magda's chew toy lodged in her intestine made it all worthwhile. Apparently the dark shading in her intestines is gas (which I am suffering the effects of today, trust me).On Thursday, this kiddo ate a big part of her nylabone during the day. Nylabones are her favorite, which is good by us since it keeps her chewing on things that do not belong to us. Also? They keep her occupied for a good 20-30 minutes, which is bliss when you own a puppy. But on Thursday, I noticed more than a few small pieces were missing from the bone. The entire middle section was gone. Sure, she could have chewed it all into tiny pieces that she would digest just fine. And that's what I assumed happened.Then Friday she ate the block of Boursin garlic and herb cheese, and by Saturday she was not feeling well. Not at all. By Sunday, she hadn't eaten in more than 24 hours, was vomiting up straight water, was later acting like she wanted to vomit but couldn't get anything up and was also having trouble with other bodily functions. So off to the vet we went. I was frankly worried that she had, in fact, swallowed a huge portion of the toy, or that she had