Last night Jamie and I grabbed a delicious dinner and then came home and went to bed at 8:30 pm... so that we could wake up at 10:30 pm and head out into the country late into the night as we hunted for The Northern Lights. It was all over the news and internet yesterday that the lights would be spectacular last night and Minnesota would have the best views. I was READY. Seeing the aurora borealis has been on my bucket list for years.We were out driving until almost 3 am, and this was all we saw.Now, don't get me wrong -- a beautiful starry night is still romantic and lovely and wonderful. But it is not what I was looking for. Apparently those damn New Englanders got the good stuff last night (which you can see here). Aren't they amazing? Lucky bastards.This morning we were gonna head out to the markets and to get doughnuts and all other kinds of wonderful Saturday fare, but I was still beat from the previous evening's adventures so I sent Jamie out alone. Trying to just stay mellow and relaxed so I'll have my energy stored for the concert tonight.For your internet share today, check out this amazing drawing process for this image of Robin Williams. It completely blew me out of the water.

You guys! My ankles have returned! My feet are still a *touch* swollen up around my toes, but barely. I'll take it! This 40-degree weather in September has been bliss over here at Shuttersmack HQ, and I have my ankles back to prove it.Can you tell I'm excited? Who ever thought a photo of my bare feet would be acceptable blog fodder? Trust me. This is a big deal.So, this post is gonna be a little bit pregnancy focused. If that's not your thing, I totally get it. Go on, head over to Vulture and find something else to read. I don't blame you. But since today I am officially 40 weeks pregnant and fully cooked and ready to go, I thought today would be the day to talk just a little bit about being knocked up.• First off, do you know how hard it was to touch up my nail polish in that photo up there? When your belly reaches this size, it takes near pornographic positions to reach your toes. And you have to hold your breath while doing so. It's really a sight to behold, I promise (but the polish looks nice, eh?).• Second, no. Obviously, I have not given birth yet. If you call/text/email me after this blog post is posted asking me where the baby is, I am writing down your name and number for a free night of baby sitting once the kid starts teething. I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THE BABY IS HERE.• Third, let's not get our undies in a bunch about the kid's arrival until Sunday, eh? Tonight is a stellar Northern Lights display that I would love to drive out to the country and witness, and tomorrow The Replacements are here (remember??). So really. Take a deep breath. I promise the kid will come.• Fourth, can you even imagine the first woman on the planet to ever be pregnant? WHAT MUST SHE HAVE THOUGHT? This question has come back to me over and over and over again during this wild and crazy science experiment. Like, did she think she had the world's largest parasite? (Answer: Yes.) Did she think she was gonna die? She probably did! Did she wonder what on earth she did to deserve this punishment? Did she wonder WHY ALL THIS HEARTBURN? Was the creature going to come out of her MOUTH? I just think she must have been worried sick.• Fifth, Jamie and I started a list last night of all the "classic" movies that we are gonna force our kid to watch on family movie nights so he/she will be a well-rounded, educated and funny person. So far, the list has greats like: Ferris Bueller, The Goonies, E.T., Star Wars etc etc etc. Oh, and we have some for when the kid is super little as well, like Jaws (ha! kidding!). No really, like Disney's original Robin Hood. So can you leave other ideas in the comments please? I think that would be fun.Lastly, how about we revisit that awesome Replacements show from last year as our internet share of the day! CAN YOU TELL I'M EXCITED?! Also, I loved these photos of historical moments, but from different angles. And I want this t-shirt. I would also buy one for my grandmother, but there is nothing silent about her corrections. :)

Oh, this guy. I am just so smitten with him. Still.Because tomorrow is my official Due Date (!!), we took Ms. Magda to doggie daycare today to wear her out should things, um, start happening and she be stuck at home alone for a bit until the house sitter arrives. Which left me and the boy here home alone all day. So while reading my next book, my feet got super cold. (It's still in the 40s/50s here today, and no I am not turning on the heat in September. I have principles.) The chill led me to invite this gentleman up onto the sofa, and then I shoved my freezing feet underneath that furry butt of his. And he didn't mind a bit. The warmth he puts off? Something to be reckoned with. A pretty great day.OK. Change of subject.So, I don't do this very often, but I could really use all the good juju you guys can muster sent my way on Friday morning. Not for me. Not for labor (although feel free to do that as well!). But for my dad, who I absolutely adore despite his conservative leanings (and he would say the same thing about my "liberal brainwashing"). He is having a pretty major surgery on Friday morning that involves opening up his head. Yes, on my due date. It is killing me that I cannot be back in Kansas right now to ask the doctor a gazillion questions and bring my dad drinks and take care of him and, in general, just be there, you know? We just learned the date of the surgery last week, and since it's on my due date I am (obviously) not allowed to travel.Hopefully, I will not be writhing in pain in my own hospital room at the time of his procedure, but rather just biting my nails, pacing the house, waiting to hear from my family on how it all went. Not stressful at all. You see why I'd like your good, happy thoughts? Yes? Thank you.For your internet shares of the day, did you see this rad map of Replacements landmarks around Minneapolis? Yup. Only sorta excited for that concert on Saturday (!!!). But if the 'Mats aren't your thing, this read from a survivor of the WTC on 9/11 is absolutely enthralling. Seriously. Stop what you're doing and go read that now. And people? I've said it a million times: ENJOY EVERY MOMENT YOU HAVE. Life is too short. 

These are just some flowers I bought more than a week ago so that I'd have something fresh and organic in the kid's room. Um, for the photo blog. Um, not because I think the kid needs to come home to fresh flowers. But, hey! Nice perk, eh? Anyway, they are still doing great and it was nice to have them inside today since the warmest it got was about 50 degrees!And I'm not gonna lie, I LOVED IT. EVERY STINKIN MINUTE. I have ingredients for soup for dinner. I am building a fire. You guys, my feet are ALMOST BACK TO NORMAL SIZE. I know that it's not supposed to be this chilly this early -- I do! I get it! But I'm still enjoying the hell out of it.So! How am I spending my days? Lazing around feeling worthless, to be honest. I'm working about 2-3 hours each day (not a ton left to do but answer emails and plan out some future blog content) and today I had some warm drinks (coffee... tea...) and read a book. Yup! I finished Gone, Girl -- and man did it surprise me. No spoilers, so I'll leave it at that. But I am curious to see how they do the movie... (Oh, and pro tip -- if you buy the book at Target right now it comes with a coupon for $5 off your movie ticket).For your internet shares today, some rad advice from Valerie Jarrett (senior White House adviser). And since the weather turned colder today, how about 12 one-pot recipes for fall from Epicurious? Yup. Tasty.

Bah. These clouds are killin' me this year! In 2014, I have tried to get out and take photos of a meteor shower, a super moon and now last night's Harvest Moon, and each time I am met with overcast skies. Foiled again!Jamie and I planned a picnic at Lake Harriet last night so I could shoot the moonrise afterward (when it was big and full), but this was all I got. Sad.Since I can't show you squat that *I* shot of the Harvest Moon, my internet share today is photos that others around the world captured (keep scrolling -- I think they get even better toward the end!). Also, I thought The Atlantic (one of my all-time favorite place to find stunning imagery) would have an essay, but as of this posting they did not.However, their photos of the week last week were just fantastic, so you should check those out as well. If you don't believe me, know that the first image is a wedding photo SHOT UNDER WATER. Yup.

Awwww, look at that cutie.After breakfast and the newspaper (and a very small amount of work), I went to find Miss Magda. When things get super quiet around the house, it means she's either a) getting into trouble b) napping or c) hiding from a small child. I was pretty sure she was down for her morning nap, but I wanted to check because I could only find one of my sneakers. And yup! Here she is, napping with the other one.I would also like to point out that she is in my bed, which was all made up before she arrived. She loves to jump into a made bed, pull down the covers and rearrange all the pillows so that she is nested in all nice and cozy. It would make me crazy except that it's so dang cute. Also? I found her napping today in 1) my bed 2) the daybed in my office 3) the sofa in the living room and 4) the bed in the basement. And in each instance, she had carried this shoe with her. She doesn't eat it or destroy it, she just feels better with it there.This dog, I tell you. TOTALLY ADORABLE.I'm packing in a bunch of internet shares right now in case I go into labor (WHICH WOULD BE AWESOME ANY TIME NOW KID PLESSER), as I like to keep you all entertained.So up first, this appliance could totally make my life easier and at the same time scare the crap out of the dogs. Hmm... entertainment for all? Nah, I'm not that cruel. Yet.Up second, if you think you're having a crap day or things are hard or you're just feeling really sorry for yourself, go check out some of the stories from Humans of New York as of late. This one knocked everything into perspective for me.And lastly! That last one was harsh, no? Let's lighten things up a bit. As photographers, sometimes we do get feedback like this. Aaaah, these are the clients you run from.

That up there? That's Gado Gado. Apparently it's a thai summer salad that was featured in this week's free magazine at Lunds (our amazing local grocer), and I figured I'd put my own spin on it to enjoy some more of this amazing summer produce. You guys? It was delicious.First, my  main ingredients were the following:• 2 carrots• Some chicken. I wanted rotisserie, but they weren't out yet when I hit the store before 8 am (trouble sleeping this week...), so the only option I had were these fried chicken fingers which I sliced up. You could substitute any meat or protein here -- the original recipe called for tofu and hard-boiled eggs.• 1 cup yellow rice. You can make this yourself by adding 1/4 tsp turmeric to the boiling rice (I doubled the rice so we'd have leftovers)• fresh lemon juice• 2-4 radishes• handful cooked green beans• broccoli• thinly sliced shallot• thinly sliced ginger (just a little -- it's mostly for garnish)• handful of cherry tomatoes• a bed of spinach for the bottom of each bowl• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts• red pepper flakes to taste• San J peanut sauce for the dressing (feel free to make your own peanut sauce! I am too lazy.)• bean sprouts• fresh basilWhew! So those were the ingredients I wanted to use, but the recipe called for totally different veggies and the photos used an entirely different set. You could throw anything in here! Peppers, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, corn -- whatever you have on hand. I just try to keep it fresh and colorful. I also added the basil and ginger to keep the asian flavors going with the peanut sauce.And really, you just chop everything up, lay a bed of spinach on the bottom of the bowl, cover that in yellow rice, cover that in your veggies, dress the salad and then throw on your garnishes (peanuts, sprouts, a squeeze of lemon juice etc). It's super easy and super delicious!Because this recipe can vary so much, there's not a real accurate calorie count I could do here. I'm thinking with the rice, the chicken and the peanut sauce, it's probably about 500 calories (or less) but that's a huge salad right there.And for dessert, how about these coffee and beignet ice cream sandwiches? MAN OH MAN do I want to eat that!!

What a glorious day! I had two dog walks, a trip to the farmer's market, a visit from my buddy Stacy who brought Caramel and Cinnamon Rolls from Isles Bun & Coffee (wow!), an afternoon nap, and then we made this amazing fried rice recipe for dinner, and added in a ton of extra veggies from the market along with peanuts. I *highly* suggest you make that. Super easy, fast and filling (and perfect for vegetarians!).Also? Magda was hilarious today! She kept trying to crawl into my lap (sorry girl, not much room these days) and just kissed and kissed and kissed me and snuggled so fiercely. Very affectionate and sweet today. I hope that doesn't mean tomorrow we're doomed.For your internet share of the day, these "missed connections" on Craig's List from the Burning Man festival are all kinds of entertaining and awesome. Enjoy!