le mie foto

finally ... the launching of my photography website

2016-03-14T20:42:00.002-07:00

after months of hard work, i'm beyond thrilled to announce the launch of my new photography website, tishoconnorphotography.com! i'm so happy to have a beautiful space to display my work!

so, i invite you to go grab a mug of something warm and sit down + stay awhile. take a peek around and even send me a note to say hi or what you like about my site! be sure to check the blog frequently, as i will be adding sessions from this past year as well those coming up in the near future.

thanks for taking the time to check it out. also, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support, encouragement and love through the years!!

xo, tish

first signs of spring

2016-03-09T13:14:00.002-08:00

the temps have been amazing here this week! i was overjoyed when I looked out my front door this morning and saw these beauties blooming away! the first signs of spring! they brought me such joy,

i wanted to share that joy with you! and more exciting news ... we change the clocks this weekend!

xo, tish

Best Face of 2016 | I Heart Faces

2016-03-09T07:54:00.002-08:00

my entry for I Heart Faces Best Face of 2016 photo challenge. be sure to stop over to their site. there is so much amazing talent! xo, tish

To My Girls

2014-05-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

I took these photos a few weeks ago. If you are on Facebook or Instagram, you may have seen a few here and there. I have finally finished editing them and am excited to share them with you. As I finished posting them here, I realized that Sunday is Mother's Day. As I looked back through each and every photo, I am blown away. My girls are truly growing into beautiful young ladies. They truly amaze me. Their sweetness and kindness envelopes them. I am so proud of who they are becoming. In some ways they are alike, but in many ways different. I admire the quiet determination Addison has. She is a hard worker, sets goals for herself and works hard to achieve them. While quiet at times, she loves to laugh and is very witty. She can laugh at her mistakes. She is also sweet and sensitive. She has a heart gold, full of compassion, wanting to help those in need or less fortunate. Morgan is a spunky girl, she knows what she likes. Her style is her own. She is a social butterfly who loves to be around others. She has a smile that can light up the room. She is imaginative and creative. She is a lover to both people and animals. Both of my girls have so many special qualities and gifts. We are working to raise strong young women who will leave their mark in this world. They may each do it on their own sort of stage and in their own unique way, but I am confident, they will touch many hearts on their journey.

To my girls:
Stay strong always. Let life's trials push you to push back harder.
Don't ever lose the sweetness and compassion you have.
Laugh a lot. It's good for you, but also for others who hear you laugh.
Smile. Your smiles can brighten anyone's day. Never stop.
Be giving, share what you have.
Be accepting of others.
Complain less, be grateful more.
Know that I will always love you. I am proud of you every single day you live.

Love, Mama

Linking up with Little Things Thursday Favorite Photo Friday Friday Photo Journal

Homework

2014-04-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

I don't often post candid photos of my girls, mainly because they don't let me. These days it seems every photo needs their approval. Today happened to be an anomaly. I started snapping and surprisingly didn't get much flack.

I could have probably found a much more comfortable spot for her to read her book ...

... but she seemed pretty content right where she was.

My session didn't last long. As you can see, my luck ran out. :)

Happy Wednesday!

Linking up with Little Things Thursday Favorite Photo Friday Friday Photo Journal

In the Kitchen: Making Alfajores

2014-04-04T06:02:00.001-07:00

My daughter has been learning about Argentina in her seventh grade Spanish class. She had an assignment to make some sort of Argentinian food and bring it into school. This week's schedule was a bit on the busy side as we had our first high school track meet and first middle school soccer game, so I knew I wouldn't have time for anything too complicated. I found this recipe for Alfajores, from 2 Sisters Recipes ... by Anna & Liz, and adapted it.

Alfajores

For the Dulce De Leche:
4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour the milk, sugar, corn syrup, baking soda and salt in a heavy-duty 8 quart saucepan or Dutch oven. Place over medium-high heat and bring just to a boil. Be sure to watch closely, and as soon as the milk begins to foam up, stir with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat until the milk is just at a low rolling boil. Continue cooking milk, stirring the bottom and sides of the saucepan frequently, until the mixture becomes very thick and sticky and caramel colored (this will take about 40-60 minutes.) It is important to frequently stir the milk so it does NOT burn.

As the milk continues to cook, it thickens and gets darker in color. Once the Dulce de Leche has been reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, remove from heat and strain. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cool before covering and storing. The Dulce de Leche can be stored in the fridge for up to a month.

Shortbread Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (2sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and salt. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently beat in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Using a lightly floured 2-inch round cookie cutter (I used a flower-shaped cutter), cut out rounds. Place on the baking sheets. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until cookies are brown around the edges. Cool on a wire rack. Shortbread cookies will keep in an airtight container for about a week.

My husband preferred the shortbread cookies alone. We also used Nutella to fill some of the cookies, which Morgan preferred as she is our resident chocoholic. They were easy and yummy! I'm happy to have found and tried this recipe and will be adding it to my collection.

Have a great weekend! xoxo

Linking with Serendipity is Sweet
Long Road to China

Spring is in the Air

2014-03-14T03:37:00.000-07:00

This week brought us hope.

We finally saw temps climb out of the 20s this week and even had a few mild days in the 50-60 degree range!! It's really amazing what some sunshine and warmer weather can do for your mental state. I couldn't stay in the house. I found anything I could do to be outside. I took an extra walk, I took down the rest of the Christmas lights I hadn't been able to get to due to ice and snow, I shot some basketball hoops with my daughter and sat on the porch drinking an iced mocha latte.

And after all that, I got the itch to do a little planting.

I had the opportunity to attend the Philadelphia Flower Show for the first time with a group of friends last week. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time and it sure didn't disappoint. All the beautiful flowers and greenery sure kicked my spring fever into high gear! It was wonderful to see the spectacular art exhibits made with flowers. Seeing all the bright colors, smelling the fragrance of the flowers and even touching the green grass; it was exactly what I needed!

I found this adorable little pot from one of the many vendors and thought it would be the perfect addition to my kitchen windowsill. Then I bought these tiny potted greens to fill it with. I decided Tuesday was the perfect day to transplant them. It gave me just another excuse to be outside.

I gathered all the supplies I would need and got started.

It felt good to be out in the fresh air, working in the soil and planting, even if it was only for a short time. It made me even more excited for spring.

I put some potting soil into the bottom of my little urn ...

... and gently took my plants from their pots, transplanting them into the urn.

After adding a bit more soil, my little project was complete.

I love it! The plants are so cute and the pot is just the right size to sit on the windowsill in my kitchen. It's the perfect spot for me to see the plants everyday and enjoy their beautiful greenery.

I think we may finally be on the downhill side of winter. I, for one, am certainly looking forward to spring and putting this miserable winter behind me.

Enjoy your weekend!

Serendipity is Sweet
The Long Road to China
Little Things Thursday

Saying Goodbye to February

2014-02-28T12:22:00.001-08:00

I don't have much to say this week. It's been a slow, uneventful week. The weather has been bitter. They say we could get at least a foot of snow Sunday into Monday. But, today is the last day of February. I will be glad to say goodbye to this month. I'm holding out hope that March will bring us some warmer days. I'm ready to see the grass again and watch for signs of spring. Hopefully we don't have too much longer to wait ....

Linking up with Serendipity is Sweet and The Long Road to China

Embracing the Snow

2014-02-22T14:07:00.000-08:00

This week has brought more snow, some sleet and yesterday some rain. It seems this winter is never-ending. The weather man tells me that average temps for this time of the year should be hitting 40-degrees by next week. We've barely even seen 30s!! We are in a warming trend 'til Sunday, but then the "Polar Vortex" is suppose to be return. Really?! Ugh.

So, in an attempt to embrace the snow, I ~~begged~~ talked my youngest into a photoshoot in the snow. Once I talked it up, she got on board and actually got into it. My oldest was out for the day, but I did manage to get her out for a few minutes after dark for some night shots.

I'm happy to get these mini sessions with my girls. Time is really flying by. I'm glad for the rare opportunities when they allow me to pull out my camera and capture them.

Do you remember when your kids were born and everyone told you the time would fly by? I have always known that to be true, but never thought it would go by this quickly. Marking the halfway point of her middle school years, Morgan is blossoming into a beautiful young lady, discovering who she is and finding her place in this world.

She is naturally bright and is bubbling with life and personality.

It has been a joy to watch Addison blossom since starting high school last year. She has grown from a shy, quiet little girl into a confident young lady. She is determined, self-motivated and bright. Her laugh is contagious.

She is in the process of figuring out what she wants to do with her life and starting to think about college. It is a crazy time and it's all happening too fast!

It sure is a busy time in our lives, but I'm enjoying every minute of it.

I love being their mom.

Linking up with Serendipity is Sweet

Black & Whites and Cold Gray Days

2014-02-12T15:55:00.002-08:00

Well, the bitter cold is still hanging on, it hasn't let up, not even a little. So remember my last post and how I was trying to focus on the bright side? Yeah, I am having a hard time focusing. The cold and snow seem to be zapping it right out of me. We got eight more inches last week and they are telling us we are in for another 4-8" tonight and all day tomorrow. Ugh, I am so over winter!

Black & White seems to be how how I'm feeling these days.

(I used my tripod and remote to snap these photos.)

Yes, I am feeling a bit trapped. I'm anxious for blossoms and warm, fresh air. But, my mom told me to take heart - spring is 35 days away. I know that's when it is marked to start according to the calendar, I just hope Mother Nature remembers that too!

xo,

tish

Linking up with: The Long Road to China

Orange You Glad ...

2014-01-24T20:47:00.000-08:00

We are in the deepest depths of winter here in PA. The weather has been brutal. We seem to get some snow every couple of days and the temperature has been in the single digits, hitting negatives at night and early mornings. Personally, I do not like winter. Its long and seems never-ending in the midst of it. BUT, I've been trying to not let it get me down. I'm trying hard not to focus on it too much. I've been trying to exercise more regularly and eat better. Its a slower time for photos, so I've been reading and studying photography more. I planted a small rosemary plant as well as some rosemary seeds - having green, living plants indoors can help reduce stress and provide a feeling of well-being. I'm all for that! I'm catching up on my nursing CEUs - I have to earn 30 credits every two years to renew my license, and have only earned 3 so far (due in October) - you could say I'm slacking a little bit in that department. Finally, I'm trying to keep my family healthy through this winter season ... so far, so good. (knock on wood).

I've also been eating lots of clementines. They are about as sweet as candy with a little bit of a tang to them. They are juicy and a decent source of vitamin C. Also, they are orange; nice, bright orange. It's such a cheerful color ... "the happiest color", as Frank Sinatra said.

Looking on the bright side, January is almost over. February is a short month and my daughter's spring (yes, spring) track starts in March. That means warmer weather should be soon to follow. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

So here's to trying to focus on the brighter side! :)
xo,
tish

French Onion Soup

2014-01-17T17:07:00.002-08:00

I'm a little late on this post, but as promised, I'm sharing the French Onion Soup recipe I used last week. I adapted the recipe from allrecipes.com. This recipe was easy and the soup was fantastic!! It makes a mild, somewhat sweet broth, not quite as dark as a traditional Onion Soup. We loved it, as it reminded us of the French Onion soup at one of our favorite little French Restaurants in NYC, Parigot, located in SoHo.

The ingredients I used include:
4 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
48 oz organic chicken broth
14 oz organic beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 thick slices French or Italian bread
8 slices Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced, room temp
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese, room temp
4 pinches paprika

First, melt the butter in a large pot over med-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. (I used a mandolin to slice my onions thin enough). Cook 35 minutes until the onions caramelize and form somewhat of a syrup, continue to stir.

Next, mix in the chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and worcestershire sauce. Bundle the fresh herbs, the parsley, thyme and bay leaf, together with twine and place in the pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, continuing to stir. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce heat to low, add vinegar as well as salt and pepper. Cover and simmer while bread is prepared.

Preheat broiler. Arranged bread slices on a baking sheet and broil for three minutes, turning once, until toasted on both sides. Remove from heat, leaving broiler on.

Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each 2/3 full with soup and top with a slice of toasted bread.

Thinly slice Gruyere cheese and place on top of toasted bread. Sprinkle 1/4 of the asiago over it. Sprinkle each with paprika.

Broil for 5 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve hot.

My crocks are small, so there was quite a bit of soup left over. I toasted extra slices of bread and stored them in an airtight container for the next day. I reheated the soup, placed the toast on top and added the cheese. I then placed them under the broiler and it made for an awesome lunch the next day! I hope you give it a try!!

have a fantastic weekend!
xo, tish

Staying Warm & Cozy

2014-01-10T05:34:00.000-08:00

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably already seen this photo this week. I received this most adorable red polka-dotted mug from my bestie for Christmas. I love mugs, pottery and anything with polkadots, so she completely nailed it! :)

Anyway, we are slowly warming up from the effects of the Polar Vortex. It's been a bitter week here in PA. We've done everything in our power to stay warm including bumping up the temperature in the house, dressing in layers, wearing scarves to keep our necks warm, drinking warm beverages and eating soup for dinner. My husband isn't exactly a soup-lover and even he was on-board with soup for dinner! We made homemade French Onion soup for the first time ever. I did document the process, so hopefully there will be a post coming early next week. Last night I made a version of the Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana. That is one of our all-time favorites around here. I've made it several times over the last few years. You can find the recipe I used at TuscanRecipes.com.

Anyway, we are finally on an upswing. Today is actually suppose to hit 35-degrees which seems much more bearable and temps are suppose to be up in the mid 40s tomorrow! It will be a nice reprieve from all this bone-chilling cold we've had lately. Sending warm thoughts your way!

xo,
tish

Linking up With:

Thursdays Favorite Things Blog Hop Little Things Thursday The Long Road to China Serendipity is Sweet

A New Year

2014-01-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all!

Our family likes to ring in the New Year at home with our girls. For several years now too,

we've celebrated with our besties. It makes for some fun times and great memories.

This year, I had the idea to use my black backdrop and create a photo booth. I am so

glad I did too! We had a blast!! I found these adorable New Years Printables over at I Heart Naptime by Erin of Strawberry Mommycakes. I printed them and the girls did an

awesome job of cutting them out and adding that extra touch of sparkle with glitter.

The photo booth added a new level of excitement to our NYE celebration. As an added bonus, we captured some great memories. I think we found ourselves a new NYE tradition!

I used my tripod and remote to capture a group shot as we rang in the new year. What I didn't expect to see was Miley Cyrus photo bombing our picture!! We laughed hysterically and still find this so crazy!

A NYE must: Ringing in the new year with a family kiss.

So, from me to you: I wish you a happy, healthy & safe New Year. May it be full of joy and all the best for you and your families.

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”

— Oprah Winfrey

Happy New Year,

xo, tish

2013-12-30T10:47:00.002-08:00

Taking a few minutes out of our busy holiday schedule to
wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
Amidst all the hustle and bustle, remember to cherish the time with your
family and friends and also the true Reason for the Season.

Merry Christmas,
Love,
The O'Connors

{Frame This} Photography Workshop Part II

2013-11-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

I am short on words this week, but as promised last week, here is the second installment of photos from my {Frame This} Photography Workshop with Lisa of The Long Road to China. Every model was just gorgeous and did an awesome job. It was so fun to have such a variety of models to pose and shoot.

Please take a minute and stop by Lisa's site and check out her post from last week. She featured a few of our photos we shot and edited from the weekend with links to our blog sites. Be sure to stop by their blogs and give them some love. They all did incredible work!

I hope you all had a great week and enjoy your weekend! I'm looking forward to our first free weekend in awhile!!

Happy Friday,
xoxo,
tish

{Frame This} Photography Weekend

2013-10-23T20:24:00.002-07:00

Well, hello there!!

It sure has been awhile since I've done a blog post! I decided to take the summer off and I'm so glad I did. I actually don't know if I would have had time to blog anyway. Our summer was wonderful ... loaded with lots of family visits, a trip to our beloved Wrightsville Beach, a trip to Hampton Bays, NY, a few day trips, swimming, sports camps and just a lot of fun. Why does summer have to go so fast? Hopefully sometime in the future I will be able to share some of our summer adventures.

But, I couldn't wait to start sharing some of the photos I took at a recent workshop I attended, the {Frame This} Photography Workshop hosted by Lisa of longroadtochina. About 1-1/2 weeks ago, I made the trip to Bethlehem, PA. This was not a far drive for me, but quite a trip for most of the other ladies that attended. They traveled from as far as Utah, North Carolina, Chicago, Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, etc. The weekend was just fabulous. Lisa thought of everything, right down to the cutest little detail. We had workshop time where she spoke about the business side of photography, a review of some photography techniques and her editing process. We spent all of Saturday out shooting. Lisa had a total of 9 models lined up for us to photograph throughout the day including some tween girls, a teenage couple, a teenage girl with a pink Schwinn bike, a gorgeous middle-aged model and sweet little triplets. The models did amazing with all 17 of us holding our cameras in their faces!! We wrapped up Friday and Saturday with dinner at two fabulous local restaurants and capped off each of the nights in Lisa's suite. Oh the stories and laughs we shared!!!

I wish I could take time to tell you about each and every one of the ladies in our group. I am just so happy to have had this experience. I had gotten to know some of them through blogging and it was awesome to finally meet them in person. I loved all of them. We had so much fun together, we bonded quickly and I have come home with so many memories, fun stories and new friendships.

I learned so much from Lisa over the course of the weekend! I couldn't wait to get home to upload my photos and start editing!! Here is just a small sampling of the photos I took. I took sooo many, I will probably blog them in three separate posts, ending with the triplet's shoot in the apple orchard.

If you're curious to see more pics from our Workshop Weekend, we shared photos on Instagram with the hashtag #framethisweekendworkshop. I'll also be adding some photos I shot and edited there. My user name is tishoconnorphotography.

Thanks for stopping back in! I have missed you all and blogging!!

hugs,

tish

Sparkles!

2013-06-13T06:28:00.001-07:00

I'm back! I've taken a few weeks off from blogging ... life just got crazy. Between end of school sports and activities as well as photo shoots and editing, I needed to take some time away - time to reorganize the house from school year chaos, time to get our yard weeded, flowers planted and time to be with my family. But I'm back and sharing a mini shoot with my youngest. She wanted to play with sparkles and was trying to take some selfies with her iPad. It proved to be a bit difficult taking a photo and blowing sparkles at the same time, so I certainly didn't hesitate when she asked for some assistance. I ran in the house and emerged with my big girl camera. It's not everyday that my girls willingly volunteer themselves for a photoshoot! If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen the last one in this series already.

"Don't let anyone dull your sparkle."

You can stop by and check out some of the shoots that have been keeping me busy lately on my Facebook page.

Thanks for stopping by!

Zane | Class of 2013

2013-05-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Zane is not only a handsome young man, but also extremely talented in music and theater. He will be heading to Point Park University for Musical Theater in the fall. I had the pleasure of meeting Zane and shooting his portraits at the family farm of a friend of his. The location was amazing. He was so much fun and really a natural in front of the camera. Congratulations on graduating, Zane, and best of luck to you! Break a leg! (but not literally).

hugs,

tish

Favorite Spring Photos 2013

2013-05-17T07:47:00.001-07:00

Yellow | Easter

Turquoise | Splash

Green | Nature

Lilac | Flowers

Ivory | Dream

Pink | Home

I'm so happy for Spring's arrival. Hopefully we've left the last of the freezing temperatures behind us this week. Looking forward the remainder of spring and cannot WAIT for Summer! Have a great weekend!

xo,
tish

Homemade Granola Bars

2013-05-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was searching for a healthier after-school snack I could make for my girls. I came across several recipes for homemade granola bars. I settled on this one for a couple reasons. First, they were no-bake (I was a bit short on time), second, I liked the honey in the recipe and lastly, I had all the ingredients on hand.

The recipe I used I found on Lauren's Latest. I didn't have mini chocolate chips, so I crushed regular-sized chocolate chips in their place. I suppose I could have used them as is, but I prefer smaller pieces of chocolate to larger.

No-Bake Homemade Granola Bars Yields 10-12 bars

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups QUICK-COOKING oats (not rolled oats)

1 cup crispy rice cereal

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, stir together the oats and rice cereal. Set aside. In a small saucepan, melt butter, honey and brown sugar over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 2 minutes. Pour in vanilla and stir. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients. Pour into lightly greased small jelly roll pan (12 x 8 x 1) and press bars to about 3/4-inch thickness. Press them down well so they stick together. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over top and press down lightly. Cool to room temperature for two hours or until chocolate chips are set before cutting the bars. Store at room temperature in an air-tight container.

Everyone here loved them. The bars even made for a good out-the-door-no-time-for-breakfast breakfast.

xo,
tish

Nurture Photo: Pink | Home

2013-05-10T06:42:00.001-07:00

What makes a house a home, is the family that lives there and the love they share. I am so thankful for my family. Our lives can be extremely busy a good portion of the time, but I have learned to love and embrace the busy-ness. I also cherish the quiet times we share ... the conversations at dinner, our private talks in the car as well as quiet times before bed. What a special privilege I have to be a wife and a mother. Feeling very grateful for my family this Mother's Day weekend.

Wishing all your mothers a very special Mother's Day and all of you a happy weekend.

hugs,
tish

WW | Goin' to the Chapel

2013-05-07T08:45:00.003-07:00

I'm finally finding a few minutes to post some photos from my sister's wedding day. It was truly a perfect day. There was not a flaw, not a snag. She was beaming the entire day and I can't even tell you how many people came up to me and said they've never seen a happier bride!! Of course, the groom was thrilled as well! I am so happy for my sister and we welcome her husband into the family!!! May God bless you both and your marriage! Much love to you, Z & S!!

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If you're new here, get connected! You can find me on Instagram at @tishoconnorphotography or if you don't have a smart phone, you can find me here. You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+.

Happy WW!

xo,
tish

Spring Nurture Photo | Ivory

2013-05-03T05:49:00.001-07:00

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

It's loveliness increases; it will never

pass into nothingness."

-John Keats

Enjoy your weekend. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful one here in central PA!

xo,
tish

Flowers | Nurture Photography

2013-04-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

"Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit." - Khalil Gibran

xo,
tish