love. LIFE.

Hello Friends!

Over to the left you'll see all of the categories that you can check out.

If you're a photographer make sure to check out the For Photographers page.  I just launched the new Family GTKY kit and the NEW Insight Kits Blogsite!!!  Click here to see the new site!

    LOVE. LIFE. TIPS.  These posts will help anyone who is trying to keep or get back all of the things that they love in their life and/or business. The tips are packed with ways to manage a hectic life, kids, business, meaning, love...and more. Also, make sure you check out the new Women and Business series! (Click here)  Also, see how Day with Davina can come to you. (Click here)

My favorite pricing guide (that I wish I had when I started my business over 8 years ago).  You need this guide!

 

Easy as Pie.  Click here to visit Served Up Fresh. (affiliate link)

Thanks for stopping by...and don't forget to leave a comment...or two...I want to hear from YOU!

And make sure to TELL A FRIEND!

 

Entries from June 1, 2009 - June 30, 2009

Fish Tacos.

Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 04:53PM by Registered CommenterDavina in | Comments5 Comments

 

another delicious recipe.

 

So I'm really not going to be posting a new recipe every day...it just seems like it!  I just love the freshness of this recipe and the surprise of fish tacos being so delicious.  I know it sounds kind of strange but these are so tasty!

 

Fish tacos

1 lb. fish fillets (I like tilapia best)

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

1 doz. corn tortillas

1 ripe avocado

Bag of shredded cabbage

Cider vinegar

 

The amazing sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayo

2 tspllime juice

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro

salt

pepper

 

First, combine about 1/2 the bag of shredded cabbage with about 3/4 c. of cider vinegar.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Mix the awesome sauce by combining the sour cream and mayo.  Add 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro and 2 teaspoons of lime juice.  This sauce is what makes the fish tacos taste so great.

Warm up the corn tortillas by wrapping them in damp paper towels and putting them in the microwave on high for 1 minute.

Cut avocado into strips.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan.  Place tilapia in pan.  Salt and pepper.  When one side is translucent flip tilapia until other side is translucent.  The fish should come apart easily.  Break into pieces sized for tortillas.

Put each item into bowls so that everyone can put together their own fresh fish taco.
These are my favorite tacos!

I got this recipe here.

And here is another fish taco recipe that I want to try out.

 

delicious. LIFE.

 

Summer Grilling.

Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 02:04PM by Registered CommenterDavina in , | Comments6 Comments

delish!

Oh baby! We had the best summer dinner last night.

All of us worked together to get this beautiful piece of colorful artwork and bursting flavors onto the table. Through out the entire dinner out on the deck as the sun was going down everyone kept saying, "Oh my gosh! This is soooo good!" I have to admit I said it the most...because it WAS!!

I got the base for this recipe at Cooks.com (I've completely butchered this recipe and have put my modified version below.)

The menu:

Grilled chicken with Grill Master Chicago Seasoning

Veggie Kabobs with Amazing Marinade

Grilled Corn on the Cob

French Baguette

Our Veggie Kabobs:

Red Potatoes

Red, Orange, and Yellow Peppers

Eggplant

Cherry Tomatoes (absolutely Bursting with flavor:my fave)

Yellow Squash

Zucchini

Red Onion

 

Here's my modified marinade recipe:

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp. fresh basil

1/2 c. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Cut potatoes into chunks and boil them for about about 6 minutes (they need to be hard enough to go on a skewer and not fall apart).

Cut the zucchini, squash, onion, and eggplant into chunks.  Cut the peppers into squares. Mix marinade ingredients and marinate vegetables 4 to 6 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator (I totally did not do this.  I poured the marinade over the already skewered veggies and let it sit for about 10 minutes) . Thread onto skewers and grill over coals or broil in the oven, approximately 5 minutes, basting with marinade and turning often. Spoon leftover marinade onto kabobs as a sauce. Serves 6.

yummy. LIFE.

Move it Monday.

Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 at 01:43PM by Registered CommenterDavina in | Comments34 Comments

new contest.

We're already half way through the month!  How did that happen?

We need a new contest. 

This month we'll go with the person that is the most consistent with posting in the comments on Move it Monday.  You need to post every day from now until the end of the month.  The winner will get a $50 gift certificate to their favorite place to shop for summer fashion.

You win.  You name the place.  I'll send the gift certificate.

summer. LIFE.

 

Summer kit sale ENDS Tonight.

Posted on Friday, June 12, 2009 at 08:39AM by Registered CommenterDavina | CommentsPost a Comment

get in on the summer kit sale!

So...summer is finally here and it's time to get out the lemonade and games and vacations. It seems like a fun time for a kit sale.

Our kits are usually $99 each. We're running this summer sale especially for our blog readers! You can get a special limited time price on all the kits grouped together or on just one kit. The sale will only be going until Friday June 12th at midnight eastern time.

These kits will be sent to you within 24 hours of ordering via email as a downloadable PDF file.

Important: When you are purchasing more than one kit make sure to tell us which kits you are ordering in the section called: instructions to merchant.

For more info on each kit just click on each kit picture at the top of this post.

*ONE kit: $89



*Choose TWO kits: $170


*Choose THREE kits: $250



*Choose all FOUR kits: $325

 

 

Women and Business: Michelle Anderson

Posted on Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 10:32AM by Registered CommenterDavina in | Comments3 Comments

 

***All images in this post are copyright Michelle Anderson***

NEXT WEEK: TBA

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

Make sure to check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

Michelle, you are a very busy woman!   You have a photography business as well as a thriving design business. You also havea little girl and boys.  You know what it's like to try to juggle so many things and it's wonderful that you're here to share with women who are possibly thinking they are the only ones trying to keep everything in the air and not come crashing down.  Thanks so much for being on Women and Business.

 

How long have you been in business and how did you get started? When my first child was born, I left my job in marketing to stay home with my kiddos. But about three years ago, I realized my clock was ticking and I was eventually going to have to go back to work. I was working part time at a department store and I hated it. One day, I called my mom in the parking lot and just bawled, "I have a degree in Communications. What am I doing with my life?????" She asked me what I really wanted to do in my heart and I told her that I wanted to be a photographer. So, I put in my notice and within a month, I had bought my first SLR and started a business.

You have two businesses, two kids, and a new baby, what do you do to keep things simple in your life and studio? I'm NOT very good at managing it all. Baby number three really made me take a step back and examine exactly how and why I was functioning and managing my time. Truth be told, I realized I'm NOT very good at managing everything at it all. So, every day I streamline more and more. I'm constantly trying to think of ways to make processes more efficient and still building in time for my family. Because I don't have a studio, I found I was working round the clock with no dedicated time for the different aspects of work and life. So, I recently instated office hours (duh! Why didn't I do that before??). I still do work more than a typical 40-hr a week job, but my kids know that they have me all to themselves on Tuesdays and Thursdays and when I'm done shooting on the weekends.

What do you think are the top three things you must do as a mom and wife every day? Laundry, laundry, and laundry. ;-) I think as a mom and as a wife, I need to practice being a good listener...giving my kids/husband their full attention when they need me. I try to multitask too much, but at least once a day, I need to sit down with each of them individually, give them my undivided attention (even if it's just for a couple of minutes) and really engage in what they're telling me. There is one other thing I try to do every day. This advice comes from a good photographer friend Lyndsay: take pictures every day...you don't necessarily have to edit them or print them right away, but at least the moments have been snapped forever.

What three products or things help you stay organized? They all come from google: Google, Google mail, Google Calendar. These are always open on my computer. Always.

For women who are thinking of starting another business in addition to their photography (shooting) business, what 3 tips do you have for them? It can and will pull you away from your shooting time and time with family, so seriously consider if you have the time and drive to do it all.

With so many things on your plate, what do you do to market your businesses? How does that fit into your busy schedule? My blog drives my business. Truly, my online presence is the driving force of it all.

What does your workflow look like? How do you keep all of your clients straight and deliver products on time? I'm actually in the process of typing out my complete workflow for members of my photography resource site (www.pinkletoes.com/pt4p). It's taken me about a year to iron this all out because each day, I discover new things to help make things more efficient and secure. (When it's finally ready, I will put a notice up on the PT4P blog.)

What plans do you have for your business this year? How will your plans impact your family? Actually, I have big, big plans for big, big changes in my business that will greatly affect how I do things and how we operate as a family. One big change is that my husband recently left his job to homeschool our children. But that is only the tip of the iceberg for Pinkle Toes 2009...

What did you do when you were pregnant and getting ready for your baby’s birth to get your family ready as well as your businesses? Truth be told, my baby girl took us quite by surprise and so I was very, very, very shocked and unprepared for what to do with my business that had just exploded. With severe morning sickess and then the aches and pains that came later on in pregnancy, physically, shooting and keeping up with the work demand got really tough. I was just very open and honest with my clients and the closer I got to my due date, the fewer sessions I was taking on. The last 6 weeks or so, I decided to not take sessions with children under the age of 5 because I couldn't promise kind of pictures I like to take of the little active kiddos.

How much time do you spend on the computer? WAAAAAAAY too much. I'm working very hard to cut down on the internet surfing and photographer browsing and constant e-mail checking.

Are there times that you feel overwhelmed? What do you do? I get overwhelmed at least once a day. Sitting down with my baby girl or visiting with my husband outside or wrestling with my boys gets me back in check.

To see more of Michelle's work:

Blogsite

***All images in this post are copyright Michelle Anderson***