Kamden and Casen | Children

I love photographing kids!  They make my heart so full.  Some kids are just so creative and love taking picture, while with others I am constantly chasing them around!  That is exactly how this session went.

Kamden and Casen are the children of Drew’s (My husband) cousin.  It is crazy to see the similarities between Kamden and Reagan.  They are both SO outgoing!  Kamden loved taking pictures and was telling me how she could lean against the tree for one pose.  It was adorable.  Casen on the other hand, was terrified and didn’t want to have anything to do with a camera.  He thought it was going to get him.  His session was a little more difficult, but I think we still got more than enough pictures for his birthday.

Their birthday theme is trucks and tiaras, so for Casen we took pictures with his bulldozer toys and some actual bulldozers.  For Kamden, we took pictures in field and had a tea party all while she wore her princess crown her mom made.  On a side note, this crown was beautiful!  Her momma is extremely creative.  The pictures turned out great and the kids were such troopers.  We hiked around a field and construction equipment in middle on June in Texas.  That is some heat y’all.  So without further ado, check out the preview I have for Miss Kamden and Mr. Casen.


Maple Bacon Cupcakes|Sweets


Let me preface this by saying that these cupcakes were amazing!! I was searching through Pinterest the other day and I saw several different maple bacon cupcakes recipes. After looking through them, I decided that I could make my own version! 

This recipe is extremely easy. It’s semi-homemade, filled with a good maple flavoring, and is topped with a healthy portion of fried bacon. I mean let’s be real, who doesn’t love fried bacon? My husband loved these cupcakes so much that as soon as he was finished with his first cupcake he was already reaching for a second. It would be perfect for a brunch baby or bridal shower as well as just to eat. 

I started with a box of French vanilla cake mix. I added the eggs and oil that were needed as well as a box of instant French vanilla pudding mix. Once all of that was mixed together I added 1 tsp of maple extract. 

Line your cupcake pan with cupcake wrappers and spray the inside of the wrappers with non stick cooking spray. Fill the wrappers with your cake batter and bake according to the box of cake mix that you used. I baked mine @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes. 

When they are done baking they will be a nice golden brown on top. Take them out and let them cool before icing. 

While the cupcakes are cooling, fry up your bacon and drain it on a paper towel. 
To make the icing I just used store bought vanilla ice icing and added 1 1/2 tsp of maple extract and 2 tsp of bacon grease. 

Once your icing is mixed and and your cupcakes are cooled, frost your cupcakes! I used my Wilton icing gun but you can just as easily use a piping bag or just use a knife and cover the top. Honestly, these are so good it doesn’t matter how you ice them!!


Next, take your bacon and crumble it on top of your cupcakes and enjoy!! 


Maple Bacon Cupcakes 

Box of French vanilla cake mix 

Ingredients for cake mix (eggs, oil, water, etc.)

Can of vanilla icing

2 1/2 tsp maple extract

6 slices bacon

2 tsp bacon grease

Preheat oven to 350 degrees or whatever temp your cake mix directs. Mix together your cake mix following the instructions on the cake mix box. Add 1 tsp maple extract. Fill cupcake pan with cupcake liners and spray liners with a non stick cooking spray. Fill liners with cake batter about 2/3 full and bake according to box directions. 

While your cupcakes are baking, fry up your bacon and drain on a paper towel. 

Once cupcakes are golden brown, remove from oven and let cool. 

While cupcakes are cooking mix up your frosting. Empty your icing can in a bowl and add 1 1/2 tsp maple extract and 2 tsp bacon grease. Mix until well combined. 

Once cupcakes are cool ice the top off them with a spatula, knife, piping bag, or piping gun. Crumble your bacon top and enjoy!!

Captured HOPE |Photography

There is a project that I have had in mind for awhile now.  I have been wanting to set it into motion, and I just figured why not now?  It is very dear to my heart and I have prayed about it quite a bit.  I really feel like God has put it on my heart.  So without further ado, let me introduce you to my project:  Captured HOPE.

Captured HOPE is a session that I am now offering to patients who have cancer, patients who have beat cancer, children with life-threatening illnesses, and children with genetic/chromosomal abnormalities.  This idea came to me one day after I read an article on one of my favorite photographer’s blog (Here is the link to the article:  https://amandahedgepethblog.com/2016/05/24/i-prayed-for-creativity-saltwater-grace/).  After reading this, I just really felt like I wasn’t using all of my creative talents to the best of their abilities and more importantly for God.  So, I started thinking of ways I could help.  I saw that there are several nonprofits that photographers can join and be a part of that take pictured of people for various reasons ( cancer patients, military families, etc.), but I didn’t want to be limited in who I would offer my services to.  I also wanted to make sure that people would even be interested in my idea.  I called several cancer centers and spoke with them, talked to my cousin who works at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Ft. Worth, and I talked to a woman from ECI.  All of them seemed to think that this idea was a really great thing.  With that feedback, I decided to offer my Captured HOPE sessions.

I am really excited about this!  I just feel like this is a great thing for families.  There are so many families that don’t even think about pictures when they are in rough situations.  This allows them to get prettied up, laugh and smile for an hour, forget about their circumstances for a small while, and to have some great memories.

Why the name Captured HOPE do you ask?  Well, it’s quite simple really.  Scripture tells us in Hebrews 6:19 “For we have this hope like and anchor for the soul, firm and secure…”.  Hope doesn’t mean that nothing bad will happen, but it is simply having faith in something greater.

Captured HOPE is something that is very dear to my heart.  If you or a loved one or maybe even just someone you know of might be interested in participating in a Captured HOPE session let me know!  I can be contacted through a couple of different ways.  My facebook is either https://www.facebook.com/briana.whistler or https://www.facebook.com/raisingarrowsphoto.  I also have a website for my photography that is http://www.raisingarrowsphotography.com that has a contact page that  can be filled out.  Or if none of those work, comment below and I can give you my cell phone number.  Any of the ways mentioned above will do.  Like I said, I am super excited about this.  I look forward to hearing from you guys.  Have a blessed day!!

Logan|Seniors

This girl right here should be a model.  I actually believe I told her that.  She was amazing!  Logan is an amazing young woman who is graduating from Corsicana High School.  I was so excited to take her pictures.  It took us awhile to finally find a time that worked, but I am so glad we did.

Logan was so great during this session.  It was so nice getting to talk to her about her future.  I love it when I hear that a young person has a plan and wants to go to school.  It is always encouraging to follow your dreams.

Take a look at her preview!  If you want to see more of my work got to my website http://www.raisingarrowsphotography.com.13266105_499765403551473_2536739814189369582_n

Chili Verde Chicken Stuffed Shells|Dinner

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I love Mexican food.  It runs through my veins.  Well, I guess it is more like Tex-Mex, but whatever it is, I could eat it at every meal.  I also love me a good pasta dish.  Anything with carbs was sent from heaven to my make my life just a bit brighter.  One night I was wanting Mexican food, but also craving my carbs so I thought why not combine them?  I have made Mexican Stuffed Shells before, but I really wanted something with a white kind of alfredoish sauce so Chili Verde Chicken Stuffed Shells were born.

I started by boiling my jumbo shells in water.  While those were cooking I boiled 4 chicken breasts in water.  When they were finished cooking, I shredded them up really good and added it to a skillet.  To the skillet I added about a 1/4 c of our favorite salsa (which is the Joe T. Garcia brand found at Walmart), 1 block of cream cheese cubed, and 1 can of green chilies.  It is very hearty and the green chilies add such a great flavor.  Once the shells were cooked, I strained them and sprayed them with cold water to cool off.  To a 13X9 baking dish I spread the remaining 1/4c of salsa just so the shells wouldn’t stick.  You could probably also just butter it or spray it with cooking spray.  I then stuffed the shells with the filling mixture until all shells were stuffed.  I placed them in the 13X9 baking dish and got to work on my blanco sauce.

For the Blanco sauce I started by melting half a stick of butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat.  Once that was melted a can of green chilies and stirred for about one minute or until it stared to thicken a little.  Once the sauce was starting to simmer and thicken, I added about 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream.  I reduced the heat to medium and stirred it occasionally until it started boiling.  While that was cooking I shredded up about 1 c of pepper jack cheese and cut up about 8 slices of White American Cheese.  When the sauce mixture started boiling, I added my pepper jack and White American Cheese.  Let that cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the cheese is melted which is about 7-10 minutes.  Once the sauce was done, I smothered the stuffed shells with it.  I then covered the top with mozzarella cheese and placed it in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.  Really it was just until the cheese had started to melt and barely turn brown on top.

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I am really horrible at taking pictures of my recipes and creations.  I normally don’t think about it until I am finished and by then it is absolutely too late, but the recipe is delicious.  My husband loved it.  Heck even my two year old loved it!  The pepper jack cheese adds a good spice to it.  I didn’t add a ton of pepper jack because I really didn’t want it to be too spicy for Reagan, but if you like spice then I would say definitely add more pepper jack.  You most definitely will NOT be disappointed in this dish if you make it.  So good!!!

Ashley and Chris|Couples

Wow!  What an amazing couple.  Ashley and Chris were my first ever engagement session.  We actually took these pictures on a ranch in Blooming Grove, TX.  It was literally five minutes down the road from my house and I had absolutely no idea it existed.  This ranch was incredible.  The scenery was just so beautiful. Tall trees, a pond, and tall grasses.  It was every nature photographers dream!

Ashley and Chris were great.  I got to meet her dad who was incredibly kind and their two little boys.  Talk about adorable!  Since this was my first engagement session, I was a little slow to come up with different ideas, but they were great sports and did anything and everything that was asked of them!

Take a look at their preview! If you want to see more of my work got to my website http://www.raisingarrowsphotography.com.

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Chad and Carmen|Seniors

I had the great privilege of taking these seniors pictures.  We took them in Downtown Corsicana, TX.  There are so many fun spots for pictures when you visit downtown areas. There is so much history that it is just easy to let your creativeness shine.  These kids were awesome!  I barely had to tell them what to do.  It’s always so exciting to take senior pictures. That is just such a big time in a person’s life.  These kids have such great futures ahead of them!

Take a look at their previews! If you want to see more of my work got to my website http://www.raisingarrowsphotography.com.13166116_498046993723314_8090772112640215565_n

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Scott and Laura|Maternity

I just LOVE this couple.   They have been with Drew and me since the beginning.  Scott and Drew have always been super close.  They were amazing friends growing up.  They went to the same church and played all the same sports.  Laura and I, met through our sisters.  They were best friends in Elementary and so Laura and me became fast friends during their Little Dribblers practices.  We used to sneak into the boys’ bathroom after school because we were such rebels.

Anyways, I love this couple.  I love their hearts, their souls, I just love them! I cannot wait to meet their precious little girl.  When Laura said I could take their maternity pictures I immediately was ecstatic.  It is such a blessing when one of your amazing friends has a baby.  I couldn’t have been more honored to take their pictures! 

Take a look at their preview! If you want to see more of my work got to my website http://www.raisingarrowsphotography.com.

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Ripley’s Birth | Lifestyle

On April 1, 2016 I had the absolute pleasure and blessing of being able to photograph the birth of my beautiful niece Ripley.  My sister-in law did amazing.  She made childbirth look easy.  With my own two children, I had to have c sections so it was amazing getting to experience childbirth in a different way.  Ripley entered this world at 1:45pm.  She was 7 pound and 1 ounce and was 20 inches long.  Ripley is also the spitting image of her mother.  I mean it is uncanny how much they look alike (Sorry Cody).  I was so thankful that they allowed me in the room to take pictures.  Seeing the love and joy on their faces was priceless.  Please scroll down to see their beautiful story.

If you want to see more of my work got to my website http://www.raisingarrowsphotography.com.

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Morgan | Senior

First of all, let me just say that Morgan made my job super easy.  Seriously. She should be a model.  Second of all, her beauty is in no way skin deep.  Her heart was so kind and beautiful.  You can just see that in her smile.  Her mom came along with her to the session, and let me just tell you…WOW!  She is a rock star.  She is a single mom which is amazing in itself.  Kuddos to you single moms out there.  But she has also raised such a talented and kind young lady.  She should be very proud.

Morgan wanted to do the pictures in downtown Corsicana.  We have a place called the pocket park and it has some greenery and a waterfall.  It was perfect for some cap and gown pictures.  We found a feed store that had an old brick wall, silo, and wooden doors behind it.  There are so many neat spots when you find a downtown area.  There is so much character that comes with older venues.  I love the way these pictures turned out!

If you want to see more of my work got to my website http://www.raisingarrowsphotography.com.

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