The NEW and IMPROVED mullet

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, I discovered the new mullet today. No longer is it the in-your-face, impossible-to-miss mullet. You know what I'm talking about:







Oh no. Those days are long past. Unless you live in Alabama (or Louisiana or Mississippi or West Virginia . . .) of course, but that is a post for another day. No, today's mullet is a tad less intrusive. A tad less obvious. But it is still there. It still exists. Even here in Tallahassee, FL. Yes, you read that right. I saw a living, breathing mullet today at the Capitol. Let me explain.

As I was walking through the Capitol, minding my own business, I see this woman facing me. She is a decent looking woman, definitely not the "mullet-type." Or so I thought. As she turned to walk away, I almost didn't see it. But then I caught a glimpse. And realized this may be an even more obscene mullet than the kind shown above. Because this woman was trying to be inconspicuous. It's like she didn't even realize she had one. That's right. She had a skirt mullet.

Her skirt was an acceptable length in the front. Maybe a tad too short, but not completely unprofessional. But then, when she turned to walk away, she had a slit up the back of her skirt. And it was such a looooong slit, and the skirt was already short, that . . . you do see where I'm going with this right? Sort of like this, except, imagine the skirt a just a tad longer and the slit in the back:



Yup, business in the front, party in the back. That's right, you could basically see her who-ha. And who needs to see that?!? Definitely not me and definitely not anyone else at the Capitol today. So there you have it folks. The skirt mullet. A new phenomenon. Watch out - it may take you by storm.

Amy and Jeremy's Wedding

Catherine and I had the pleasure of shooting Amy and Jeremy's wedding on Friday. In all honesty, they paid us the biggest compliment in the world: we shot their engagement photos and they loved them so much that they asked us to come shoot their wedding as well. It was truly an honor.

Amy and Jeremy are one special couple. The love they have for each other showed in every movement they took on Friday, especially when they kissed. And they sure do like to kiss - a lot! :-) But I love that about them!!!

Anyway, I just couldn't wait to post two of my favorites from the evening. But, please beware: these are straight out of the camera! I can't wait to see Catherine work her magic in Photoshop!

Congratulations Amy and Jeremy!!

Busy Bee

Sorry for not updating in awhile and I'm sure I will get a lot of groans, but this isn't really an update either. I just don't have the time right now! But I wanted to write and say "hi" and let everyone know (you know, the handful that follow me! I love you guys!) that I have not forgotten about you and that I will write as soon as I can breathe again!

Only 29 more days of session!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Black Bean Tacos

We enjoyed these - Jeremy a little more than me. But they were still quite tasty and something different.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked black beans (I used 1 15 oz can, drained)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp olive oil
1 lime, juiced
2 c. coleslaw mix
2 green onions, green part only
1/3 c. cilantro, copped (I used a cilantro paste - not a full 1/3 c.)
6 corn tortillas
1/2 c. feta cheese
Hot sauce or salsa to top (optional)
Sour cream or plain greek yogurt (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Place beans, cumin, cayenne, and garlic powder in bowl and partially mash. In a separate bowl combine coleslaw mix, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, and 2 tsp oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place bean mixture in tortillas and place tacos on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until tortillas are crispy (15 min almost burned my tacos, so I say go for 8 minutes and then leave in longer if need be). Remove from sheet and stuff with feta and coleslaw mixture. Serve immediately. Top with hot sauce or sour cream.

Chicken Taco Soup

Sorry, no photos. But this was quite delicious and easy to make - I love when you can just throw everything into a crockpot and be done with it.

Chicken Taco Soup
Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid oz) can or bottle beer (anything but light) - I used Stella
2 (10 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 oz) package taco seasoning
2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in half (I used 3 chicken breasts)

Directions:
1. Place the onion, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients.
2. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
3. Remove chicken from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 1-2 hours on low.

Ashley Daniell, P.A.

P.A.? you ask. Well, it could mean the obvious: professional association. I am an attorney after all and therefore, by law, I am legally able to use P.A. behind my name. It has a nice ring to it doesn't it? Not too long ago (and when I say that, I literally mean like 2 minutes ago), I used to think that P.A. behind an attorney's name stood for "personal attorney." If I'm being totally honest here and laying my soul on the line, I have to admit that I prefer "personal attorney" over "professional association." But, alas, no one came to me to ask my advice when they decided the initials.

But that is neither here nor there (Isn't that a funny saying? Sometimes I like to throw it in conversations just for the fun of it!) because the P.A. behind my name does not stand for "professional association" OR "personal attorney." No, I have found an entirely new way to use the initials P.A. See, upon some water-cooler chatter with my coworkers, I have come to find out that there is a whole group of people out there who are paranoid. And, I freely admit that I am one of them. Yes, that's right: I AM PARANOID. And recognizing that you have a problem is the first step to recovery.

Have you figured out what my version of the P.A. stands for yet? That's right: Paranoids Anonymous!!

Needless to say I think I should start a support group for other paranoids out there just like me. We can get together, gather in a circle, and discuss our woes of the world. Granted, I'm sure at the end of the day, each of us will go home thinking "OMG, why did I tell them that??? They probably think I'm an idiot!" And those people will then come back to the next meeting to vent about how at the last meeting they laid their heart out there and the rest of us thinks he or she is a complete moron. And then nothing really gets accomplished. But, hey, 12 steps right? Or is it 10? Well, whatever the number of steps, the point is you take them one at a time. So I will start by announcing that:

My name is Ashley. And I am a paranoid person.

Great. Step 1. Check.

Anyone know what step 2 is?

Brandman addition

In my sneak peek post I did not have a photo of sweet Evelyn yet. And I can't leave out any member of the Brandman clan! So here are two photos of Evelyn. Isn't she adorable?!

*Well, as I was about to attach my photos I realized I had a couple more of Aiden and Eloise I wanted to add as well. So enjoy!*