A Mother's Love

Happy Valentine's Day lovelies! The day is upon us at last, and how perfect that it should fall on a Friday. Since it's Friday, I thought that today's photo Friday post should be all about love. A while back I had the incredible honor of shooting one of my closest and oldest friend's baby shower. A mother's love? What bond could ever be stronger than that?  

Believe it or not, the cake tasted even better than it looked.

Probably the most photogenic baby I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA BATMAN!

I'm pretty sure this picture's my favorite just because of the expression on Jordyn's face.

"Everything in life I share, except of course my teddy bear!"

G is for Grayson Charles Scott Campbell

This was probably one of my favorite shoots to date. The amount of love this family has for each other is unparalleled and unlike anything I've ever seen before. Grayson is incredibly blessed to be entering into a family as awesome as theirs. His life will be filled with nothing short of love, respect, and incredible achievement. Grayson, Auntie Bri loves you so so much, and I can't wait to meet you (soon)! Jordyn, thank you for being such an incredible friend through thick and thin. I love you. But please, no siblings anytime soon.

Valentine's Day

Good morning lovers! I hope you all had a great weekend and are geared up for a week of love, because it's Valentine's week here at Matilda Makes! Since Valentine's Day is Friday I figured I'd spend the week gearing up for it by posting Valentine's Day related everything! So get ready for a week filled with pinks, reds, and lots of love. And since it's Monday let's kick off this week with the Monday movie which is...

Movie poster courtesy of IMP Awards.

Valentine's Day! How appropriately fitting, right?
A dozen lovers wake up in Los Angeles  on Valentine's Day only to find their lives and their relationships turned upside down because of the holiday. Three couples awaken together, but each relationship faces it's challenges. And and "I Hate Valentine's Day" threatens to bring the lonely and the lied to together and make it all come crashing down. Can Cupid finish his work by midnight?

Check out the trailer for Valentine's Day below:

The story of intertwining couples facing day-to-day relationship struggles is something I'm sure we can all relate to. Who hasn't felt the pressure to give the perfect gift, or christen the night with that special someone? Featuring one of the largest ensemble casts in box office history including Julia Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, Taylor Lautner, Queen Latifah and Jamie Foxx among others, Valentine's Day is sure to leave you laughing. Who knows, Cupid may even aim his arrow right at your feels.

Valentine's Day is now available on blu-ray and DVD.

Wonderful Weekend v.2.3

Valentine's Day is coming up! Use fancy craft or wrapping paper to make some special valentines for a friend. This Girl's Life has some great free Valentine's Day printables. It's not the gift, it's the thought that counts, and they'll love the thought so much they'll hopefully forget all about not having that special someone (besides you) in their life.

Feel like the cold winter will never end? Hold a soup party with friends. Everyone can bring a favorite variety to share (or make my spicy black bean soup). Complete the evening with a fun film. You'll feel warm and cozy in no time!

Plan a clothing swap with a group of friends. Bring all the totally chic clothes you haven't worn lately, and trade with each other. It's just like shopping for brand new outfits - for free! What's better than that?

Grab a girlfriend and take a belly-dancing class together for a guaranteed night of exercise, laughter, and stories to tell for years to come. Check out US Belly Dance Classes to find a course near you.

Photo courtesy of We Heart It.

Plan a family heritage night with friends. Have everyone bring over family photos and keepsakes. You can create a family tree or just share stories. You'll learn a lot about each other's family history and have fun in the process.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. What are your plans?

Conquering Stone Mountain.

Good morning and happy Friday lovers! I don't know about where you're at, but down south the weather's been uncharacteristically freezing. We even got a few inches of snow last week which is completely unheard of in Atlanta. That's why when the weather's warm even for just a day I take full advantage of it. The one warm day we got I used to push my best friend to do something he had never done before: climb Stone Mountain.

One of the downsides to being best friends with a photography student is that every outing is cause for a photo op, and you're always the subject whether you're ready or not. My best friend Joseph is kind of shy and not really a people person (see the shirt) so getting him to agree to this was monumental! But he's not aware that he's on the blog (yet). Check out this week's Photo Friday pics.

Little puddle we found on the way up which I appropriately called 'Crater Lake'.

Getting tired. We had to stop for a break about halfway up.

"Started from the bottom now we here."

Enjoying a well-earned cigarette.

Nap time at the top of the mountain.

My view form the top.

Okay, so I may have snapped a selfie or two.

Seeing is believing.  Observe. Read between the lines, but don't swallow everything.

We cheated and took the sky lift back down.

We did it. We conquered Stone Mountain. What will you conquer this weekend? Have a fantastic Friday everyone!

The Wine to Die For.

Hailing from Armida Winery in Healdsbug California, brothers Steve and Bruce Cousins have been producing wines in Sonoma County for twenty years. Some of their most coveted wines include Maple Vineyards Pinot Noir, Durell Vineyard Chardonnay, and Gold Mine Ranch Zinfandel. 

Well, from their seven acre estate comes a wine that's simply to die for. Packaged in a hand etched and hand painted bottle complete with wooden coffin, PoiZin is the Cousins brother's 2011 hand-crafted Zinfandel. An intense and deep maroon color, this full-bodied wine features a nose of plums, raspberries and blackberries. The mouthfeel is sharp, but never overbearing with flavors of red-vine licorice, anise, mocha, strawberry and red currants just bursting to connect with your taste buds. The Petite Sirah and Grenache grapes lends black pepper spice, pungent acidity, and pastoral charm to the slightly spicy flavor generally associated with the typical Zinfandel varieties. Aged for eleven months in equal parts American and French oak, it's moderation contributes to it's smoky nuance and long vanilla finish. 

Perhaps what I love most about this wine is it's fun bottling, slightly unorthodox blend and brooding personality that shows that the Cousins brothers aren't afraid to take risks and have fun - even with their wines. 

This medium-bodied wine is diverse and pairs well with a wide variety of foods including roast meats, lamb and beef dishes, as well as wild game or a tomato based pasta sauce. Stored best at room temperature, and cooled for 15-20 minutes in the fridge before serving, enjoy this supple, velvety wine. And for only $25 it could easily be yours. Enjoy with caution however, because this wine truly is to die for.

Vineyard picture courtesy of Armida Winery and wine bottle image courtesy of total wine.

Happy Birthday Bo!

Happy birthday to one of the sweetest, goofiest, lamest, and most intelligent people I know! I can't believe we've known each other for six years now, and no matter how much I change, you can still read me like your favorite book. I hope your day is filled with love, laughter and lots of smiles because no one deserves it more than you. So celebrate, because even though you're the youngest you're ever gonna be, you're getting old. 

Happy 24th birthday. I love you kid!

xo

Angel Chicken Pasta.

I've never understood how people do those low and no carb diets. To each his own, but I love bread, rice, and pasta entirely too much to ever be able to give them up for good. Not too long ago I happened upon an amazing chicken pasta recipe, and it was just too good not to share.

Ingredients: 

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

¼ cup/59ml butter

1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix

½ cup/120 ml cup white wine

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup

4 ounces/113 grams cream cheese with chive and onion

1 pound/450 grams angel hair pasta

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C)

2. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Blend in wine and golden mushroom soup. Mix in cream cheese, and stir until smooth. Heat through, but do not boil. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over. 

3. Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Twenty minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta. 

This recipe is not only simple, it is delicious as well. I realized the only thing that could make this recipe better would be bacon bits (because bacon can make anything delicious). The flavors are wonderful and compliment each other beautifully. So grab a friend (or lover), light some candles, pop in a movie and enjoy a quiet night in for two. 

Capote.

Good morning and happy Monday people of internetland! I hope you've had a beautiful weekend and a wonderful 2014 so far. Over the weekend we've had one of the first notable losses of the new year. Academy Award winning actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman passed away at the tender age of 46 from a drug overdose. An incredible actor, Hoffman was fearless with his role choices as well as ambitious and awe-inspiring as one of the greatest actors of the generation. So for today's Monday movie, I've chosen one of my favorite Hoffman flicks based on the life of one of my favorite authors.

Movie poster courtesy of imp awards.

Based on Gerald Clarke's autobiography and originally opening on September 30, 2005 to coincide with what would have been Truman Capote's 81st birthday, Capote follows the events leading up to the writing of his best selling novel, In Cold Blood.

After the murder of the Cutter family, Truman Capote travels to Kansas with best friend (and famed novelist) Harper Lee, to begin work on what would be his most famous novel. In the beginning Capote only intends to interview those people involved with the victims. However after making nice with Alvin Dewey, the lead detective on the case, he gets the inside scoop on the case and even begins making visits to see the murder suspects. He develops an unlikely relationship with one of the suspects, Perry Smith. Smith's story intrigues Capote, who eventually gets the material he needs to write his iconic novel. Check out the trailer for Capote below:



They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but more often than not biographic movies with major potential end up a sad parody instead of an inside look into the life of a legacy. Phillip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of Truman Capote was less a cheap imitation and more a channeling of America's great nonfiction writer, a man whose oddities conceal immense intelligence and deep damage. Hmm, maybe Hoffman was more like Truman Capote than any of us could have ever imagined.

Capote is a film of extraordinary insight regarding a man who stopped at no means to get the scoop of the century, and in the process loses all sense of self-awareness.

Capote is now available on blu-ray and DVD.