South Africa was where I acquired my minor obsession. While on road-trip one of my fellow road-trippers pulled out her hot water bottle and sat comfortably by the fire while my friend Jess and I resorted to doing jumping jacks and running in circles in an attempt to stay warm. that night I vowed to acquire a hot water bottle and keep in permanently on my person.
Since then I have not let a cold night pass me by without my hot water bottle in hand. So my friends, do yourself a favor and go out and get one before it gets much colder. You can thank me later.
I love my hot water bottle, there's something very gravidal/gravida (hmmm not sure that is a word) about it. My question for you is.....wheredga get the fuzzy cover? I must have one! Hugs "o).
(09.09.10)Ohhh the fuzzy cover I found when I was in South Africa. I LOVE it. If I go back and see one I will be sure to pick it up for you! I am sure there is something similar online though.
(09.09.10)
As it turns out, if something happens to your hard drive, all they do is send you a new hard drive. They do not cover repairs. WHAT?!?!?!?! Awesome. What good does that do me? How do I get my images back?
I contacted a company called Drive Savers, they are the best at what they do and I knew that they could help me. I sent my hard drive to them and they were able to get all of my files back. Luckily I am a part of the Professional Photographers of America and had the indemnification trust to help me pay for the recovery. They paid $1500 and I paid almost $3000. Oh, that hurt.
So, that was a hard lesson to learn. But, I certainly did learn it. So here is what I got out of this experience.
1. A RAID system is no good. Having two drives in one casing that supposedly gives you a double back up does not matter if the hard drive looses power. Have your second copy in a separate system.
2. Keep an off-site copy of everything
3. Do not get lazy. Back everything up NOW.
My new system for backing up files is as follows:
1. Everything gets immediately dumped onto two separate hard drives. The backup drive is only plugged in when I am putting new files onto it. The working drive is where I store the second copy and it stays on so I can always access my files.
2.After I edit the images I create jpeg files and burn everything to disc. These discs get stored at an off-site location.
So, there you have it. Please learn from me, if your files mean anything to you be sure to BACK THEM UP!

Hello. My name is Sara and I am addicted to eggs. It is true. I have not gone more than a day without an egg for as long as I can remember. For years now I have only been buying free range organic eggs. As I understood it, that was the best possible egg, for my feathered friends and for the nutrient balance of the egg. Eggs are full of vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin E, omega 3 fatty acids, beta carotene, cholesterol (which is good for you), and saturated fat (also good for you).
Unfortunately, as good as 'organic' and 'free-range' sounds it is still not the best option. The problem is that some producers abuse this term and label their eggs as "free range" when in fact all they have done is open a door to allow their chickens to range in an outdoor area of bare dirt or concrete, with no pasture in sight. So, I am on a mission to find some happy chickens, and as luck would have it I think I have done just that.
Gillham Eggs can be found at several of the local farmers markets, here is what the label on the eggs says:
GILLHAM EGGS - $5.00
1 Dozen Brown Eggs from 14535 County Rd 42, Guinda, CA
These eggs were laid by healthy, respected Black Star and Production Red hens that live in the Gillham's Black Walnut Orchard. Our farm has partnered with the Gillhams for the production of these eggs.
These hens spend their evenings roosting in houses in the orchard where they are protected from nocturnal predators (Bobcats and Raccoons) and they are supplied with chicken food (not organic) to supplement their day's diet from the orchard.
Don Gillham opens the houses with the sun light and the hens exit their bedroom to spend their day scratching the orchard floor eating pasture, alfalfa hay and seasonal produce scraps from Capay Organic's vegetable farm.
Hens return to their home during the day to lay their daily egg, if they need to, but most of a hen's day is spend outside under the walnut trees. As the sun sets the hens return on their own will to their house. Don shows up at dark to shut the door to their bedroom for a safe night of roosting, resting and laying.
Support the hard work of these hens! - Thaddeus
Sounds good. Now, can I really tell a difference?
First, it must be said that the eggs from Trader Joe's are significantly cheaper. But at what cost to the health of the animals? Gillham's eggs come out to about $0.41 per egg. It just might be worth it.

As I broke open the eggs, the first difference was in the thickness of the shell. The pastured eggs are quite a bit thicker, then as the yolk came sliding out the real difference became apparent. The pastured egg was a richer deep orange color.
Finally, the taste. Gillham eggs win hands down. The yolk was full of flavor, and even the egg white was a more intense flavor. The Trader Joe's eggs were just kind of bland. So there you have it, happy chickens lay more delicious eggs. This is one of my favorite recipes, and it is super easy.
Heat oven to 350 line a ramekin with prosciutto and crack an egg on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. Ohhh delicious. It is also nice topped with pesto.
Yumi yumi Gilham eggs for my tummy! Great shoot and I love the egg and prociutto dish! Thanks Sara!
(09.02.10)I knew you were going to love those Gillham eggs. There no denying that the color is different, the taste is much bolder and richer and just overall YUMMY! Love you recipe, now just have to get some ramekins.
(09.03.10)Wow!! I never put this much thought into eggs! Here I am probably eating expired eggs! Haha...I better throw mine out. =T Thanks for such an informative post! I will definitely have to try Gillham eggs one day.
(09.03.10)You really should. They are sold by Eatwell farms but they are pecking around in a pasture not too far from you in the Capay Valley.
(09.03.10)The Fatted Calf butcher shop sells those too - great eggs!
The last photo shows a beautiful plate, where is it from if i may ask :)
thanks :)
Hello Pete! Yes, of course you can ask. My mom actually carried them back from Italy in her suitcase if you can believe it. I LOVE them.
(10.26.11)







One of my favorite parts of the evening, the belly dance. I had never seen a belly dancer before. Oh man was that fun. Now if only I can figure out how to make my body move like that. If you have ever seen me dance (if you are a wedding client you probably have) you know that my moves are somewhat limited to two signature moves. If you haven't seen me dance, well, you should ask =)

I love love love this last photo! And I bet they do as well.....good job Sara!!
(08.31.10)


I Heart your wedding photography. Stunning work Sara.
(09.13.10)Thank you Edward, that means a lot coming from such a great photographer!
(09.13.10)