The Schaffner Sideshow

2011-08-23T21:19:00.001-04:00

The theme this week is "Pets", and being that I have the best Irish Rock Hound (okay, okay, she is a wiener dog mix) in the world, I thought I should join in the fun.

Yay and an Oh No!

2011-02-23T20:08:00.002-05:00

Yay - Some of my pictures were featured on a BRIDEface's blog! They featured some of the fabulous make up that the amazing Nancy Dawson can do.

Oh No - They linked here instead of to my site! Now the fact that I haven't updated this blog is going to be exposed to the world!!!

I have shot a ton of stuff since October - lots of shows, portraits, weddings and even a few head shots. I really need to get on the ball! I will start to share all of these...tomorrow. I promise...

All f these are from an engagement shoot I did before my friends eloped to Paris. I told them I would work for food, but they still went with out me!!!

PS - My site can be found here!

Halloween is kinda happening I guess.

2010-10-14T20:52:00.000-04:00

As a freelancer, you take the work when it comes to you and you are grateful. This year the universe thought it would be hilarious to force me to be grateful about missing my favorite holiday. Oh well, as Tim Gunn says,"Make it work!"

So last year I became obsessed with haunted pictures. I wanted cool ones, not those terrible ones in fake, cheap, glued on plastic frames. I was thrilled to find two at Michaels in good frames, but two frames does not a mantle make. Imagine my excitement to find these pictures at the dollar store, then follow that with the thought, "@^#% , those ugly frames again!" Luckily I had an epiphany before I left the store - cut off the frame! The dollar store pictures are a perfect 5x7. Once I noticed this, I walked over to the frame section, picked out two frames and left with a ton of creepy cloth and a bill under $10.

Here are the finished products. For all of $4, I got two more of these cool pictures that the kids love.

Halloween finds. Part 1.

2010-09-17T14:44:00.000-04:00

So I went by one of my thrift stores today and found this little troupe of plastic vintage looking pumpkins to hang on the kid's Hallween tree. I also found some window clings from the 80's and a vintage candle. The piece my daughter loves the most is this skull:

It looks like one of those plastic Christmas candles, except black and with a skull in top. The best part? All of this cost under $5. Love the thrift store!

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Cakes and what not.

2010-08-30T22:07:00.000-04:00

I am the kind of person that loves to bake a cake from scratch. Quality counts and all that. But there are times in our lives when a box cake is necessary - like when you have a bridal shower, meetings with clients, photo processing and a birthday dinner all in one weekend. With all of that said, I have found a few cheats that have made me a box cake believer. The picture above is of the cupcakes I made for my sister's bridal shower. It is the simplest alteration in the world: nutmeg. The cake is a yellow box cake that was prepared per the instructions with 4-5 heavy dashes of nutmeg added (test the batter, add until you can just taste it). I call them my doughnut cakes since nutmeg is the spice used in yeasted doughnuts. They were amazing. It spruced up the cake just enough to make it special without it getting so frou frou that a guy wouldn't eat it.

For the birthday party I altered a devil's food cake. This one is also pretty simple: instead of water I used milk, and instead of oil I used melted butter, slightly cooled. It made a denser, richer cake with very little extra work. A word of warning - the cake will not be the came color you are used to - it will be lighter in color due to the milk. The batter actually looked like my home made cake batter. Fabulous and fast.

One last tip - if you have a stand mixer, allow the batter to mix for 5-8 minutes. It gives the batter a uniform texture that makes a soft, velvety cake.

So since I can't always be like my friends from Posh Nosh below, I can fake it pretty well now.

Had to share this lovely video!

2010-08-14T20:09:00.002-04:00

One very cool little man turns one!

2010-07-10T09:00:00.009-04:00

Lesson number one in photo: sometimes there are happy surprises. Here is the picture I intended to take:

Cute. Look at that curl, those rosy cheeks. Adorable, really. Yet...

So much better!!! I told you he was cool. He makes the best faces.

LIzzi is Broadway bound!

2010-07-09T09:08:00.000-04:00

This girl has no bad angles. She is a dream to work with: pleasant attitude, takes direction and willing to try anything. She has a face the light loves. Hire her!!!

Some babies come to us so easily...

2010-07-07T23:33:00.002-04:00

...and some are hard fought for. This is one of the latter. This little girl's parents have ran a marathon for her. They had a lot of tough luck trying to have a baby on their own, so they decided to adopt. They had a birth mother back out at the last minute. After three plus years of heartbreak and sadness they get the call : a birth mom is due on Tuesday, are you ready? They were. It is amazing how mountains of pain can crumble in the face of the first moments of true love.

She is the smallest baby I have ever held - 5 lb 8 oz at birth.

Feet are my favorite - can you tell? She is terribly expressive for a 7 day old:

She is perfect. Everything a parent can ask for. I can't wait to see how she grows.

Happy 4th, everyone!

2010-07-05T15:01:00.006-04:00

I hope you all had more fun than my girl - she thought the fireworks were loud and she looks a bit unsure of the sparklers. She got over it once she realized it was cool.

We grown ups had a great time!

So good I had to write it down before I forgot...

2010-06-30T22:47:00.000-04:00

Meet Strawberry Lime Sorbetto. It is sweet and friendly. It is also pink, so I can get my daughter to eat it... counts as a serving of fruit, right?

Strawberry Lime Sorbetto

1 pound of strawberries (a bag of prepped frozen will work)

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

1/4 cup of key lime juice

Simmer the water and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves (make a simple syrup). Allow to cool.

Once the syrup is cool, puree strawberries with the lime juice and the sugar syrup.

Add to your ice cream machine and follow the machine's instructions.

And there you have it. Sweet but complex enough to make a foodie happy. Yummy.

Boxed Cappuccino Brownies; or sometimes quick and easy is okay.

2010-06-24T09:52:00.000-04:00

I decided to make some tasties to take with us to the Opera last night. Since we had 5 hours to kill, I thought eating might be a good way to fill a few of those hours. In an effort to not spend my whole day in the kitchen, I used a box brownie mix (gasp). I still stand by Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies as the best out there and well worth the effort, but sometimes a girl's just gotta get the job done.

Here is what I did to make 40 brownie minis:
Start with 1 box of dark chocolate brownie mix (family size). Make it per the instructions, but add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Fill a mini muffin tin with papers and use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to fill them. Bake for 25-30 minutes. That simple.

They must have been good because I sat the plate out on the table, there was a flurry of children, then no brownies.

My boy is in an opera! Or another excuse as to why I am neglecting my blog.

2010-06-21T16:17:00.001-04:00

We are excited that my boy gets to be on an opera this summer. We are not excited that there is a 5 hour gap between his first appearence on stage and his last. I will update about my marathon shooting this month soon and my new obsession with an ice cream maker.

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Back in the day...

2010-05-07T20:14:00.000-04:00

I used to have piles of proof prints lying about the place. Now so many of my images only live as electrons and bytes. These images were captured by my phone! Times have really changed since the dark ages of the early 2000's.

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Baked Doughnuts

2010-04-03T13:30:00.000-04:00

I have been watching Jamie Oliver and reading a whole lot of food blogs over the past year, all in an effort to really feed my family well. I have decided to cut out fried foods. After you lose an entire evening to onion rings, you are more than willing to do such things.
Doughnuts are a favorite of my daughter's. She begs to get one every time we go to the grocery store.I decided this has to stop. I don't want her to have the same bad habits I do! So I looked into baking doughnuts instead.
A quick Google search has 101 Cookbooks' recipe at the top. She alway has such great stuff that I deiced this was a good place to start.

The husband melted and the kids begged for more. I am going to call them a success and highly recommend them. The next time I make them, I am going to replace half the flour with White Whole Wheat Flour to see if I can make them just a touch more healthy.

A few tips:

- The recipe calls for a pinch or two of nutmeg. Be generous - it really gives the dough a nice flavor.
- To save on fat and calories, I only used 4 T of butter to top the doughy little circles. I dipped the tops in the butter then dropped them in the cinnamon and sugar to coat. I still have a bit of butter left using this method. It was really all the toping they needed.
- Speaking of butter, I topped them with salted instead of unsalted butter. It boosted the flavor and sweetness.
- She isn't kidding about the holes disappearing.

- Save all the extra dough. The doughnut holes were just as good as the doughnuts. They bake for the same amount of time as the doughnuts.

We got a new puppy!

2010-04-01T13:40:00.000-04:00

We have a new addition to the family. Her name is Murphy. She is a lovely Dachshund / Golden Retriever mix. I love a mutt! We got her at the League for Animal Welfare. I can not say enough good things about these people. For one thing - they rescued the perfect dog! Look at her - isn't she awesome?! The lady taking care of our adoption told us Murphy was a day away from being put to sleep when she came to the League. Thank goodness they took her. She is our perfect fit. The LFAW makes sure that all family members meet with the animal in question, and you answer a lot of questions. When we left, we really felt that we had a good fit. The League wouldn't have it any other way. If you are looking for a furry and are in the Cincinnati are - look here. They were amazing.

Here is her first bath:

Isn't she sweet! It took about a week, but boy did her personality and puppy-ness start to show.

She barks at her reflection in the dishwasher! Cute. She loves to run with the kids, loves her tennis balls and her rope toys - I guess that is her retriever side showing through.

She has the body shape of a wiener dog with the soft fur of a retriever. She is so fun to cuddle. While she is playful, Murphy really likes long naps. Like I said - perfect for us. Playful but pretty laid back.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

2010-03-17T09:46:00.002-04:00

Since having kids, our celebration of all things Irish has gotten much more tame. This year it is a dinner with the family and an adult beverage once the kids are in bed. Boring, I know. At least I have the pleasure of being of Irish desent everyday.
So have one for me if you are heading out and please be careful - it is amateur night out there!
(the image was edited using PS Mobile for iPhone. It is a nice tool to help clean up those iPhone pics before sharing with the world. Best part- it is free!)

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Kids love candy.

2010-03-08T11:14:00.001-05:00

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Hand Scrubs for Gardeners or excellent hand-made gifts!

2010-03-04T21:38:00.004-05:00

I have been experimenting with making my own bath products for a while. Look here to see my lemon scrub. I became interested in it at the same time I started to make my own cleaning supplies. I like the idea of being a bit more self sufficient and hand made toiletries are easier on the environment. I also love that I don't have to worry about calling poison control (wait until you find your child eating your lotion and you'll understand this one!), and I can't even begin to tell you about the money you can save.

Here is a scrub I made for my Mother - in - law's birthday. It has a lovely aroma and leaves your hands soft and clean.

Orange Lavender Hand Scrub

Zest of two Oranges
1 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup Olive Oil (or Grape Seed, or Sweet Almond Oil)
5 drops Lavender Essential Oil

-Combine the zest and the sugar with a whisk in a large bowl ( that way you can stir vigorously and not make a mess.)
-Mix in the oils, stir to combine.
- Store in a pretty glass container near the sink where you wash up after playing in the garden!

(To finish off the gift, I took a spoon and bent the handle to fit inside the container for use as a scoop.)

Here is another version I made with sanitizing in mind:

Grapefruit Tea Tree Oil Hand Scrub

Zest of a Grapefruit
1 cup Sugar
8-10 drops Tea Tree Oil
3-5 drops Lavender Essential Oil
1/4 cup Olive Oil (or Grape Seed, or Sweet Almond Oil)

Same process as above.

As you can see, this is really easy to make. It takes less than 10 minutes. I really feel like I am using more of the fruits I eat as well. I paid for the whole fruit, so I might as well put it to work for me! Our skin is our largest organ and absorbs chemicals like a sponge. If I am making a grand effort to pay more attention to what I am putting in my body, I should match that effort and make sure I know what I am putting on my body as well!

(Disclaimer - I am a photographer, not a skin care expert! I have done my research, but it wouldn't hurt to do yours. Also, if you are allergic to any of the ingredients, please don't use them.)

The view across the river

2010-02-25T17:30:00.000-05:00

This is the view my husband and I enjoy when I pick him up from lunch every now and then.

More?! How can there be more?!

2010-02-17T11:09:00.001-05:00

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Snow!!!

2010-02-15T13:22:00.002-05:00

It is a bit white here. It has made for an exciting morning. Be careful out there everyone.

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Portraits, ala iPhone.

2010-02-13T11:23:00.000-05:00

I am not going to replace the thousands of dollars of photo equipment with a smart phone, but it sure is fun.

Baby Yawn. Awesome.

Working on his Jedi face.

Elven grins.

Happy Birthday, baby boy

2010-02-12T20:14:00.002-05:00

When you came along, I started to become the person I always wanted to be- patient, kind, contemplative. I started to stop and marvel at life. Thank you, my sweet baby boy. I am forever in your debt.

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I am so bad...

2010-02-10T17:44:00.002-05:00

About posting my work here. It really has become just a personal site and really not enough of tooting my own horn. Here is Baby G, who really isn't much of a baby anymore! I was there, snapping away within hours of her birth. What an amazing honor it is to watch her grow!

Sledding (as seen through the iPhone)!

2010-02-10T00:22:00.002-05:00

There is only one thing to do when the snow dumps on you and you live in a valley with hills every which way you look: go sledding.

I married a ninja.

Swinging while the rest of them sled.

A rare image of me. The iPhone captured my hair as the color I wish it could be.

Oh - there is one more thing to do:

So excited!

2010-01-30T13:43:00.002-05:00

I love seeing my work in action! One of my recent headshot clients has plastered my shots all over his website! Click here to check out Jonathan Zeng's website (and his resume - very impressive if you are in the market for a singer or coach!)

The Big Snow of 2010, though the iPhone.

2010-01-22T17:27:00.002-05:00

So this first round of White Death resulted in one snow day, a lot of unfounded panic and a whole lot of wet. Still dealing with the wet.

Above is one of my gargoyle buddies shivering in the snow.

I let the kids play out in the snow a bit, but it wasn't really good for anything. When you are a kid, it doesn't seem to matter.

My mini-fire bowl. It puts out enough heat for mommy to stay happy so the kids could play!

The thaw made icicles form on my pretty sun catcher.

So, um, hi.

2010-01-12T14:18:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been away for a while!

Well, Christmas happened. The babies got spoiled and I got an iPhone. Yay! I am having this mini photo renaissance with it. At first I couldn't stop taking pictures with it. I even said that camera phones are the new Holga (toy camera for those who didn't have Photo II with me!)

My white Christmas tree, a gift from a friend this season. (Thanks. Kira!)

The Death Star on top of our tree. Why? Because I needed a new tree topper the year my daughter was born, since a star with my son's picture in it had been our topper for the past few years. I told my husband I wanted a new star for the tree.

"Any star?..."

My daughter standing next to the toilet seat cover that has been at my Nana's house for as long as I can remember. She really wanted her picture with it.

Inside the kaleidoscope my son got in his stocking.

Well, after about a week, I heard about the app Hipstamatic.

O. M. G.

Love it more than I can tell you! Now when I say, "Wait, don't move. Let me go get the camera!" I grab the iPhone.

There are alot more where this came from. I will share soon. This app is a blast! I now kill time by taking pictures. Okay, that really hasn't changed much, but now it is a lot more convenient.

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-01T21:00:00.004-05:00

The kids had a great time out Trick or Treating. Please and Thank You's were used. Lots of candy was given. Most people could not resist this little witch's charms.

(Iron Man, not Ron Burgundy ;) )

I was a bit dismayed at the lack of people participating in Beggar's night this year. We were the only house on our side of the road handing out candy for about a mile. Once you got off the main drag only about one in five homes had their porch lights on. I was sad. The kids still cleaned up, but I walked home a bit disappointed. One more thing - who gives out old fortune cookies? Really? At first we thought it was a cute idea," Oh look, they found a really original thing to hand out!" Oh. no. Those things were stale! Who hoards the free cookie they get with their dinner to hand out to kids? Karma is a female dog, my friend. End rant now. On to our new tradition.

We will be having candy pancakes on the morning after Halloween from now on. Wow they were soooooo goooooood.(Yes that many O's were necessary) All I did was add chopped Reece's Cups and Kit Kat's to my favorite pancake recipe. Serve with whipped cream and you have heaven. The Reece's pancakes had that wonderful salty/sweet quality and the Kit Kat's had a nice crunch. Don't make a whole lot of these - a little goes a long way.

Now for the pictures for the grandparents.

The last of the Halloween decor posts (for now)

2009-10-31T13:34:00.001-04:00

So here are the paper mache pumpkins my husband ( I helped a little!) made for this year. This is Frankenpumpkin. He was pieced together from a bunch of different gourds to frighten and delight.

Here is a detail. My husband used bits of twine pressed into the paper clay to make the stitches. Yes that is a piece of watermelon. You use what you have when making a monster.

This is Mr. Longnose. My husband was inspired by the carrot nosed pumpkins that Martha makes.

I love his teeth.

This is our Day of the Dead pumpkin. Fun.

While trolling for Halloween sales, I found these ice cube molds that I just love!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Haunting!

Happy Trick Or Treating!

A trip on the Pumpkin Express

2009-10-26T19:29:00.038-04:00

I get a little psychotic around this time of year where family type events are concerned. I am normally a pretty laid back mom, but come October I start really trolling for the family friendly activities.

We went on the Pumpkin Patch Express and loved every minute of it. As far as family events goes, it is a bit pricey, but it is sooooo worth it.

The trip includes a 45 minute trip to a pumpkin patch by train, an hour at the farm (complete with petting zoo and pumpkin picking), and then the ride back. It was a great afternoon, made better by the company. We went with another family and had a little picnic while we were there in celebration of our friend's little man's birthday.

The kids got really muddy and worn out. We came home with at least three pies worth of pumpkin and a lovely pumpkin grown by the amazing Kira, who not only has a green thumb, but 9 other green digits as well.

(Isn't it loverly?)

( He is going to be embarrassed, but I love a Daddy-Daughter pic. Look at how much he loves her. Makes me happy. My husband will be glad that for once I am not posting a picture of him!)

TIM CURRY!

2009-10-24T18:27:00.002-04:00

This was my favorite Halloween special when I was little(er). I think it was when I fell for Tim.

This is not of the season, but Patrick Stewart is always in season.

2009-10-20T15:00:00.002-04:00

I love this man.

Science Vs Superstition

2009-10-19T21:05:00.001-04:00

Cool extra from the Batman vs Dracula DVD. Gives a lot of trivia about vampires, facts and fiction as well as some history.

Why do I do this to myself?

2009-10-13T23:58:00.001-04:00

So, I can't just do anything the easy way. I can't just cut a few simple shapes out of a pumpkin, noooooo. I have to do Celtic knotwork. The downside is the pumpkin below took about 3 hours to do. The plus side is that I used craft pumpkins, so I should have them for awhile.

I got the pattern for the square knot from Martha. I also used her method, and it was wonderful. I recommend watching the video if you plan to do any intricate patterned pumpkin. It really helped to see someone carving.
Here is the first pumpkin I did as a learning experience:

Now for what will hopefully be the last time I mention my Apothecary jars.We picked up battery operated LED lights at Ikea, and they made all the difference. Now I can't wait for the sun to go down so I can see these jars sparkle.

Baby D, very wee.

2009-10-05T08:00:00.015-04:00

WARNING: The next image is so cute it could cause intense cooing.

(I love baby yawns!)

A pretty little girl came for a visit.

2009-10-03T08:58:00.014-04:00

I think I am done with jars now.

2009-10-01T20:37:00.000-04:00

So, the jars are filled, labeled and in place on the piano. I have to admit, I was not terrible happy with the results until I added the label with red ribbon. A little color was needed to make the whole thing pop.

The labels are made with chipboard labels I found on sale in the scrap booking section of my local superstore. I dry brushed them with a mix of acrylic paint (raw sienna) and pearlescent medium. Then I added copy paper that I had tea stained to look like parchment to the back. I used a black pen to write with. I wanted a "mad scientist" look. I was sorely tempted to do labels like these, but I really wanted this to look like a personal stash of supplies.

So here are the much agonized over fillings, many of them came from my gardening leftovers:

Monster eggs - large pearl tapioca, a few drops of green food coloring and cooking oil.
Graveyard dirt - peat moss
Zombie dust - vermiculite
Straw from the tail of a witch's broom - hay
fairy skulls - skull vase filler from Target
Eyeballs, assorted colours and sizes - chocolate eyeballs
Feathers from an Angel's wing - feathers I picked up at a local theatrical supply house.
Giant's blood - test tubes filled with corn syrup colored with 5 drops red, one drop green food coloring
Vampire Fangs - Sculpey fangs
Pixie skulls - plastic skulls from the dollar store (9 for a dollar!)
Ashes from the Library of Alexandria - a bunch of my son's spelling word practice that I burned in a mixing bowl on the front porch
Werewolf fur - hair from a puppy dog ( the dog got a good brushing and we got a prop. Back off PETA.)

In the rest of the house...
Facing the piano is our mad scientist's desk.

The mantle is full of finds.

The bell jars, the frame hanging above the mantle, the brass candle holders and the cool candle all came from the thrift stores.

I love this little candle. I paid all of $.05 for it!

I have been stashing creepy cloth for a couple of years. I love the way it looks over the bookshelves.

In the hallway, I have a collection of things I have picked up along the way, as well as a branch with prints of vintage Halloween postcards hanging on it.

In my boy's room there is a Halloween tree with some ornaments that the kiddos and I made hanging on it.

The tree is black with little orange lights on it and a skull base. How cute is this?

Here is my husband's first paper mache pumpkin. A liitle scary, yet cute at the same time.

I think that about wrap up all of the exciting things going on inside the house. I am getting my silhouettes out from last year and draping the dining room chandelier in cheese cloth (if I get around to it), but all the new stuff is here! I am pretty happy all around. This is probably the closest I will ever get to living in Halloweentown, so I better make the most of it.

Halloween apothecary jar update.

2009-09-22T14:51:00.001-04:00

I have most of my jars filled now. Here are my vampire fangs (made of Sculpey - no vampires were harmed in the making of my Halloween!) ready to bake.

Here they are in their jar. I put a bit of black cheesecloth in the bottom of the jar for contrast.

As for my other experiments...

The tapioca jar is just fine. Stable as can be, still freaking people out. As for the rice, well, I think I made sake. We first noticed bubbles in the goo, then we noticed floating rice. Then came the smell. Oh God the smell. If you left the lid on, you were fine - but heaven help you if you took that lid off! So to sum it up: Tapioca, good. Rice, a one week only decoration.

A tale of six lemons.

2009-09-14T21:59:00.003-04:00

So my local fruit and veg market sells lemons by the threes (3 for $1). It takes 4-5 lemons to make lemonade, so I must buy six. The cheapskate in me hates to waste half of the usable lemon when I only use the juice for the lemonade, so here is the plan I have come up with to really get all I can out of my two dollars that satisfies my craving for good lemonade, my fascination with making my own bath products and my love of baking.

First off, zest 5 of the lemons and set it aside, preferably in a large mixing bowl. I use a cheese grater and this takes no time at all. Now cut all the zested but whole lemons in half. Next go get your nearest three year old to juice your lemons. Set juice aside.

Throw what is left of the lemon in your compost bin. It is the best the bin will smell, well, ever. Here are the recipes for what to do with all that zest and juice.

___________________________________________

Sugared Lemon Bath Scrub

This is great for smoothing elbows, feet and knees. The oil leaves the skin so nice and soft.

Ingredients:

Zest of 5 lemons

1 cup sugar (adjust scubbiness to your taste)

1/4 to 1/2cup Olive, Grape seed or Almond Oil

1. Mix zest and sugar together.

2. Add oil until the consistency is to your liking. It is really a matter of preference, but I find 1/4 gives it a nice flow.

3. Put in an airtight container and enjoy with your next shower, or open the bottle and sniff for some aroma therapy. Next time I plan on adding some fresh basil. I think it will give it a nice autumnal note, since this is definitely a brighter summery scent.

Caveat: 1.The tub will be slippery when you use this. Be careful!

2. I have had great success with this recipe, but you can adjust it as you'd like. It is a starting point, that is all. That is the great thing about making your own bath stuffs - make them exactly to your specifications instead of having to settle for someone else's.

3. If you can't eat one of the items in this recipe due to an allergy, then you had best avoid slathering it on your skin. I daresay the results will be the same as if you ate it!

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Lemonade

There really is a difference between homemade and the powdered, high fructose corn syruped restaurant stuff. This recipe doesn't give me a stomach ache for starters.

Ingredients:

Juice of 5 lemons

3/4 cup of sugar

cup of water

1/2 gallon container

1. Mix the sugar and one cup of water together. Bring up to a boil then remove.

2. Put the juice in your container and fill half way with cool water.

3. Slowly add the simple syrup. You don't want to shatter your glass container.

4. Fill the rest of the way up with water, give it a good stir and chill.

Caveat: This is really just a starting point. Adjust the lemon and sugar to your taste. The original recipe we found called for a cup of sugar, but we found that to be way too much. Play with it and see what you like!

All of this takes about half an hour, but you get to enjoy it for days. And feel like you outdid Martha.

Now you may think that I have forgot about that poor, lonely sixth lemon. I haven't. If you have guests coming to enjoy your lemonade, you can slice the lemon to garnish you drinks or you could impress them with these lovely Lemon Basil Scones. I have done both and I highly recommend the scones.

More Halloween prep.

2009-09-11T21:04:00.001-04:00

My husband is at the paper mache again. He loves it. He is working in a few small pumpkins, a large one and a pet spider.

The big stuff we have left to create is outside stuff. We need to make our roof spider and our human cocoon. I have already made a few egg sacs.We saw the Grandin Road version and decided to make an outdoor version.

Pretty easy all told. I made balls out of shopping bags, newspaper and masking tape. I put those inside a clear garbage bag. I wrapped that in a bag made from cheap affordable Ikea curtains, using the rod pocket as a drawstring.

I cut the curtains to the desired length and tied off a knot.

I wrapped this in cheese cloth and whip stitched it into place.

(this is the second sac sans outer webbing )

The final step is to coat on a few these with spider webbing and stitch on a few spiders.

It sounds really complex, but the whole process takes less than an hour and looks so cool. All of the layers of sheer allow just enough light through to look a little gross.

The total cost to make these is roughly $20, and I should have enough to make the body to match the Grandin Road set. So to sum up:
Grandin Road set cost $39 for three indoor only egg sac and $49 for a cocooned body.
I made all of this, and outdoor ready, for $20.
How's that for DIY.

Halloween prep is in full swing, or how we spent our Labor Day weekend.

2009-09-11T17:48:00.004-04:00

I guess Halloween prep is a constant thing in out house. We are firm believers in leaving a little Halloween around the house all year. Early in our courtship my husband visited a friend's apartment and there was a skeleton hanging on the door. It was May. When questioned, the friend stated that he believed that a little Halloween should stay up all year. Remembrance. Balance. I liked it. Halloween is the one day a year you don't have to be yourself. Some days it is nice to know that Halloween is out there, waiting to release you for the day. It also is a nice counter balance -dark to light. Good to remember. Halloween also lets you give in to your dark side. Sometimes it is just really fun to scare people or freak someone out. You can't do that without nasty looks in June, oh no - only in October.

We have gone into Halloween prep a bit more prepared and a bit earlier this year. Still not early enough (see here and here to see people who go a bit crazier than I do! I will get there someday!) I have always loved Apothecary jars, so we decided to make a little mad scientist supply area on our mantle this year. Not wanting to spend too much money, I started haunting thrift stores in June to find them. I actually found too many, so we have moved the display off of the mantle and we are planning to put it on our piano. I found these silver serving pieces (pre- tarnished saves me time!) to complete the display. I got the whole thing for a whopping $21! Love it!

You may notice that a couple of the jars are filled already. They are experiments. The greenish one is going to be "eye of newt" or eggs of some sort. It is made from large pearl tapioca that I soaked in water just enough to make slimy but not soft (5 minutes). Then I put it in my jar of choice, filled the jar the rest of the way with cooking oil and added 5 or so drops of food coloring and gave it a stir. Since I used the water based color, it sunk down to the tapioca and settled all over it. I grossed my kids out with it, so I think it was a success. I used the same process with brown rice and red food coloring to create these bloody maggots here. In theory, this should make it though the holiday season without mold incident since the food stuffs are completely sealed in oil that is in a sealed container. I'll let ya know. So far, so creepy.

How I spent my summer vacation, part 1

2009-09-08T16:57:00.012-04:00

I had the opportunity to photograph a Southern wedding. It was in North Carolina. The drive was amazing, the wedding was even better.

Her dress over the bed in her childhood room.

Very "Grace Kelly"

Bridal Portraits

2009-08-17T22:51:00.007-04:00

This is a southern tradition that I had yet to participate in. Up north, people get engagement photos taken. In the south, evidently the wedding can't go on unless there is a portrait of the bride taken to display at the reception. I got to try my had at these and had a great time, and now that the wedding is over I can share.

Been a little crazy here...

2009-08-17T08:47:00.002-04:00

Starting this afternoon, I am going to start posting some of the millions of pictures I have taken in the past couple of months!

How did I miss this in 1993?

2009-07-02T18:23:00.001-04:00

Wow.

2009-07-01T00:10:00.002-04:00

Willem DaFoe, vamps and all that. Can't wait!

Buffy vs. Edward ( Hint: Buffy does what I dream of doing!)

2009-06-21T23:12:00.002-04:00

Click < here to watch > some serious fun. Love ya, Buffy!

More to come, but here is a bit of Disney magic.

2009-06-08T17:19:00.001-04:00

Mullet with headlight? Yes, please.

2009-06-02T23:59:00.001-04:00

Testing out my new backdrop.

2009-06-01T22:21:00.004-04:00

(This is what bad looks like, in case you were wondering.)

Right now, I do not have a living room, I have a studio. I have a bridal portrait and another, em, more private shoot tomorrow. My husband painted this glorious backdrop for me this weekend. Love it! The color is very flattering for all types of skin. The problem - it isn't really all that mobile. At 9' x 18', this baby pretty much has to live at my house.

One crazy cat.

2009-05-24T00:09:00.003-04:00

Do you like her hat? She insisted on wearing it all the way through the grocery store yesterday. It was awesome.
These are currently her favorite shoes. She claims they give her fire feet. First she announces her fire feet, then kicks her feet up, makes a whooshy noise (to simulate a flame source) and then screams. Gotta love this girl's fashion sense.
Her brother described her as a "festival of badness." She is so cute that she gets away with it all!

Beside myself with joy!

2009-05-22T10:09:00.007-04:00

Tim Gunn and Iron Man? This makes me super happy!

Take note...

2009-05-19T00:10:00.000-04:00

This is what true love looks like. These guys are the real deal. All of these kisses, all of these laughs are real - not done at my request. These two know how to laugh together, and I am starting to think that is the secret to an amazing marriage. Can't wait to spend their wedding day with them, I think I better bring some Kleenex - either for tears of joy or because I'll be laughing 'til I cry!

Congrats Andrea and Scott!

So excited

2009-05-18T20:59:00.010-04:00

About this:

and this:

I have not been this excited about cast lists since I found out Simon Pegg was Scotty! Looks like Alice will be out in March of 2010. Yay - this year I got Watchmen for my birthday and next year I will get Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman in the same movie. And Matt Lucas as Tweedledee/dum? Perfect. Yep - it's gonna be a good birthday.

And just heard about this!

Quote of the week

2009-05-17T18:12:00.005-04:00

"I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
— Marilyn Monroe

(This is how I have felt all week)

It sure has been a rough week. On more than one occasion I had to warn my husband that what was about to come out of my mouth is mean and most likely un-called for, but it was coming out whether he liked it or not. I can handle stress like a champ, I just need to have a private breakdown later on. When you are married with children, private time is something you really don't get. Luckily I have a husband who is more than willing to ride out my breakdowns and cheer me up later. Thank goodness for him.

There's one more angel in heaven...

2009-05-08T22:13:00.004-04:00

Sweet little Corey passed from this world tonight at 8:30pm. He will be missed.

If you haven't already, please sign the petition to raise awareness for pediatric cancer here.

My kids are weirder than your kids.

2009-05-06T18:47:00.004-04:00

My picture window needs a good scrubbing now.
Thanks, kids!

I love to shoot dancers.

2009-05-01T21:56:00.007-04:00

Okay, that title was just meant to sound silly, but it is the truth. I look forward to the NKU Dance performance all year. Photographing dance live is such a challenge. You see, most of those awesome stop action dance shots in magazine are done in a studio with very controlled situations. Live dance is a toughie do to high action and low light. But when you get it - oh there is nothing like it. I love shooting dance. Lighting designers also go wild with dance shows. Lighting dance is all about highlighting the line of the body not the face : this leads to much more artistic designs. Love it all.

I got blisters on me fingers!

2009-04-28T12:48:00.009-04:00

It has been awhile since I have posted some of my theatre work, so I thought I would share some from the week that shall live in infamy - 4 shows in three days. My hands ached and my eyes were bleary, but I made it. I shot the YES Festival (a series of new plays done in repertoire at NKU) and a fantastic show at New Edgecliff Theater called Angry Housewives.

First up - Angry Housewives, since it is still running through May 2nd. Please go see it! It is a fun romp about a group of housewives that, for varying reasons, start a punk band to compete in a battle of the bands. Did I mention it is set in the 80's? My perfect musical!

(The last song in the first act is called "Eat your F@&#ing Corn Flakes." How fab is that?!)

Next is the YES Festival. These are all new, previously unperformed works. Some great stuff, some stuff that need a bit of retooling. Overall every show was well acted and technically gorgeous.

Shock and Awe is about what our troops are going through at home and abroad. It was touching and disturbing to see the headlines acted out in front of you.

Next is Nightjars. It is a study in group dynamics and FBI interrogation techniques. Who watches the watchmen, people?

Last is a touching (yet a touch long) study of a family living with Autism called Love and Communication. It is about a young couple trying to navigate the system to find the best possible education for their son.

(Dad used some not so great techniques to get the headmaster of a school's attention.)

Two more show this week, one of which is a dance concert. I can wait!

Yummy!

2009-04-21T08:00:00.002-04:00

Normally when offered an oatmeal cookie, I politely decline and secretly think that it is just not worth the calories. This cookie has made a believer out of me. It is made from one of those batters that I almost hate to ruin by baking it, but thank goodness I did. They have a light autumnal flavor to them- due to the cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg- that also scents the air in the house for quite a while after baking. I altered the recipe a bit (a recipe that I found over at A Dash of Sass, that she found in The Joy Of Cooking) by adding an extra teaspoon of vanilla and I used white chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet. I also left out the nuts. The kiddos won't touch a cookie with nuts in it. As A Dash of Sass says, the base batter is so adaptable - what you throw in is really up to you.

Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tablespoon milk

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

1 cup uncooked quick rolled oats

4 oz white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Oven at 350

2. Cream sugars and the softened butter

3. Add in the egg, milk and vanilla, beat until smooth

4. At this point you are supposed to sift together all of the dry ingredients except the oats and the white chocolate chips. Truth be told, I am pretty lazy so I just added them to the mixing bowl as I measured them out. The cookies are still really good!

5. Now add the oats and the chips.

6. Using a small cookie scoop (if you don't have one, go get one. I love this tool and use it all the time! I have a small one and it is great for controlling portion sizes.) drop dough onto a lined cookie sheet.

7. Bake for around 12 minutes. Mine were perfect at 12 minutes - not too hard, not too soft. My oven runs a bit hot though, so keep adjust accordingly.

Using the cookie scoop, I got 46 cookies out of this recipe. Accoring to my calorie calculator, these cookies are roughly 70 calories a piece. Not a bad little snack to have with a cup of tea!

I won something and it is really cool!

2009-04-20T21:11:00.008-04:00

I read The Steampunk Home religiously. I love steampunk as a style and it is something my husband and I can both agree upon. This blog helps you Steampunkify (is that a word?) your home. TSH's blogging style is fun, accessible and has encouraged my husband to help me- even get excited about- home decor.

Now the give away was products from London Particulars. I got an amazing print that I could gush about all day and a great ring. The print has the loveliest colors in it. It gently glows. You really have to see it in person to appreciate it; the color is so delicate it is really hard to truly see its intricacy through a computer monitor. I love it. My boy looked at it and asked if people can really fly like that in London. It is already matted, framed and on my wall (having a mat cutter helps.) The ring speaks for itself. See the pictures! As for he store , the ring and photo were nicely presented, well wrapped and shipped promptly - everything you are looking for in an online shop. I highly recommend both the blog and the store.

Sometimes you have to take a picture for dad.

2009-04-20T08:00:00.004-04:00

Yes, she is that tough.

I have done my job.

2009-04-19T21:31:00.006-04:00

As a stay at home mom you don't really get job reviews. You are kinda flying blind as to whether you are doing a good job or not. Tonight, after my boy was officially put to bed, he came upstairs (the living room attached to our bedroom) while I was watching a show that was not appropriate for small ears.

me: What are you doing? You are supposed to be in bed.
him: I needed a hug and a kiss.
(I pause the show then grab him and pull him into a bear hug on the couch)
him: I am more important than any show!

Mission accomplished. My kid knows he is important to me.

Quote of the week

2009-04-18T12:28:00.006-04:00

Once you make it past the scales and blindfold,Justice is a woman with a sword. - Y the Last Man

I have been reading a lot of graphic novels lately and Y: the Last Man is one of the series I am devouring. I have a love/hate relationship with it. The story is very cool - everything with a Y chromosome dies at once save Yorick and his monkey. Society falls apart.

I have a problem with the society falling apart part. The feminist in me gets a little fired up when I read about the grid being down and a lack of food. Women know how to care for ourselves, and we also know how to do every single job out there. We are not living in the dark ages when all women did was care for the home. We are trained in all technologies currently available. Sure, there would be a time of confusion and sadness, but I really think we would pull it together.

Anyway, I am so thrilled that my library carries such an amazing collection of graphic novels and manga. Funny side note: I was photographing a show this week and the director asked me what I was reading. I told him it was "From Hell" and held the book up. At this point he gets the biggest smile, points to the library bar code and asks where did you get it? Turns out he is the librarian responsible for stocking all of the graphic novels and other specialty books at my library!

These boots were made for walkin...

2009-04-11T17:35:00.000-04:00

I am having trouble coming up with a title for this post. Sorry.

2009-04-10T16:57:00.010-04:00

I have always loved the look of these tree branch things. You know, Martha and every craft show under the sun makes one for every holiday. They stick a branch in a flowerpot of some sort and proceed to decorate it according to the season. I finally gathered all of the components for one and decided to get a lot of use out of it - I used it for both St. Pat's day and Easter.

For St. Pat's day I found a bunch of vintage St. Patrick's Day greeting cards and made little ornaments out of them. I loved it so much it pained me to take it down. The shamrocks are from a project my boy made at school.

Now for Easter I blew some eggs (and made a fantastic pound cake) and used a Martha marbleizing technique to decorate them. I glued ribbon around them and I was done!

(Egg Noir)

Ok, so I did this technique form memory and I probably should have taken the time to go re-read the instructions, but I was worn out after dyeing eggs with the chicklins. I think the eggs are pretty though. and I will be saving them for next year. Since blowing eggs is a bit nerve wracking, I figured I can do a few every year until I have the pretty display I want.

(Here is a detail so you can see both the hole made from blowing the eggs and how I attached the egg to the base.)

(Here is what my fingers looked like at the end of the night. I had my husband take a pic because I was afraid to touch my camera!)

Had to share.

2009-04-05T23:27:00.006-04:00

What you are looking at is potentially the most fattening thing on the planet. Well, it isn't so bad if you cut it small enough. This cake is the result of quite a silly journey. I wanted to "blow" some eggs to make decorated eggs that I could hang on my mantle. Now I hate to waste food, so I started looking for recipes that called for lots of eggs. I found this amazing recipe for cream cheese pound cake over at Smitten Kitchen. It tastes glorious and the house smells sooooo good for hours after baking it.

The cake has a velvety texture and a wonderful delicate flavor. SK makes her cake in a bundt pan, but I opted for the traditional loaf pan (it makes 2 loafs) for ease of splitting the cake into small serving sizes ( I always cut bundt cake pieces too big!) I also changed the coulis (the sauce you see on the cake above) recipe a bit. The recipe calls for fresh strawberries, but all I had on hand were frozen blueberries. I thawed the berries out a bit by running them under hot water then I processed them according to the recipe. I also added an extra tablespoon of sugar, but I don't think it was necessary. I am glad that I tried the coulis - we have already found other places to use it. My husband poured it over ice cream (it has to be better than chocolate sauce, it is berries after all) and I want to try it on waffles. Oh - I bet it would be good mixed into yogurt as well...

Happy Birthday, baby.

2009-04-01T23:19:00.002-04:00

Happy birthday, handsome man. I have known you since you were 25. That was a while ago...

Pudding Pops!

2009-03-31T22:10:00.009-04:00

Heaven, I thought thy name was pudding.

So creamy and chocolaty. Oh so easy to make. The time investment to make you is so small but the flavor payoff is so big.

Then I found Ikea (another name for heaven. I swear they pipe oxygen into that place to make it so blissful, but I digress...)
And within Ikea I found these wonderful popsicle molds. My mind raced with the possibilities. I saw a blissful summer with my children eating homemade goodies instead of store bought, artificially colored, corn syrup ridden frozen treats. As soon as I got home I made grape juice pops (fab), green tea pops (sweetened with Agave nectar, also fab) and a green tea/ grape juice mix (super fab.)

Then like a bolt from the blue it hit me - put pudding in them! Heaven. Just heaven. The recipe* I use to make pudding freezes brilliantly - no frosty yuk on the outside, firm yet easy to bite into, oh did I mention they are only 120 calories?

They are also kid (and husband) approved. Yes that is pudding on her face - shame on you for thinking otherwise!

*So the recipe I use is from Smitten Kitchen. Very easy. Three steps, that's it. Take that instant pudding! I make a few changes when I make this for my family, though. I am the only member of my family that likes my chocolate as dark as I can get it, so I cut the chocolate back to 4oz and I use 2% milk. This is why my calorie count is down a bit from the original recipe. I also don't use the double boiler to cook the pudding, I just put it straight in the pot and stir constantly with a whisk. This process cuts about 10-15 minutes off the prep time. This recipe will make 12 pops.

Crazy, yet cool...but kinda not.

2009-03-27T14:10:00.002-04:00

What you are looking at in the image above is condensation on the back of my car this morning. All of those little curly lines in the wetness are from small beetle larvae that are currently raining from my giant tree. I thought is was cool because, well look at it! It was gorgeous in the morning sun. It is not cool because 1. Those beetle larvae also fall on you when they are hatching, and 2. they are killing our tree. We will be spending some quality time with the extention service this summer trying to save our favorite tree!

Below is a pic of my little girl just because. She makes me smile, so I thought she might help you out. she is wearing the perfect shirt for our household: Spiderman holding a camera.

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-03-24T11:42:00.004-04:00

It was my birthday yesterday. It was a quiet affair. My husband made a dinner of foods I never get to enjoy guilt free ( BLT's and mashed potatoes) but since it was my birthday, I enjoyed both. We had considered going out to dinner, but nothing sounded good. We have a slight problem in that I have been cooking more. I have figured out most of my favorite foods (except for Indian!) so the best that can be said for a lot of the restaurants we usually go to is"At least I didn't have to clean up!" Eating out just doesn't happen often around here anymore!

Here is my girl enjoying her cupcake!

Here is my solution to the icing on the Guinness cupcake issue: over fill the centers! Alright, it looks a bit like poo, but it is really good - I promise!

My Irish eyes were smiling.

2009-03-19T21:30:00.005-04:00

I took the kids into the back yard in an effort to take some pictures of them on St. Pat's day. They were not amused.

Grumpy.

Daddy's girl.

Up to something.

This will be their first album cover.

Happy St. Pat's day.

2009-03-17T08:33:00.004-04:00

Oh, I miss Ireland. It is my most favorite place in the world. If I hadn't had children, my husband and I would probably be in the Celtic lands now instead of the Midwest. Oh well, I can't complain I gave the world two more Irish! I wanted to post the song I heard on WNKU today by Gaelic Storm called " Don't Let the Truth Get in the Way of a Good Story." I think this is becoming my son's theme song. Like all good Irishman, he loves to tell a tall tale. I have another Bard on my hands. Since I couldn't find a good copy on youtube, I'll share this:

Getting ready for St. Patrick's Day.

2009-03-16T13:50:00.004-04:00

So I found a recipe for Guinness cupcakes over at Smitten Kitchen , and decided that a St. Pat's potluck was the perfect excuse to make this decadent little treat. Three words can describe these cupcakes : Oh My God.

The cupcake itself is flavored with Guinness and cocoa powder. Very soft and delectable. Then you hollow out the middle ( I used the Jameson lid and a melon baller) and fill that space with an Irish whiskey ganache. I love this process because, well, do you see that little pile of cake forming in the back of the image above? Guess who got to eat it! Waste not, want not and all that stuff.
The recipe also includes a Bailey's Irish Cream icing. I went with a run of the mill vanilla with green sugar to make it all purty. I was afraid the Bailey's icing wold be too much. I don't know if I will do icing at all next time. Don't get me wrong - I love icing - but it pretty much took over. I loved the delicate flavor balance of this cupcake before it was iced and I think it got a bit lost. I also really like how the cupcakes look pre-iced as well. They are as pretty as a thumprint cookie.

Special Girl

2009-03-12T21:21:00.006-04:00

All girls are special. I should just put that out there.

But this little girl is daddy's girl. Wrapped around her tiny three month old pinky, he is!

She has a very special name. One that she shares with her father's close friend who was taken from us shortly after we learned she was on the way. The tattoo on his arm is in honor of this friend.
(Not to change the subject, but don't you just want to eat up that belly?)

I will post more pics of her soon, but I just had to share these.

Twitter?

2009-03-09T14:39:00.002-04:00

I laughed til I cried while listening to this on NPR. It pretty much sums up why I don't Twitter.
"What are you doing right now?"
" Nobody cares!"

No one needs to know every time I change a diaper!

So awesome.

2009-02-27T13:40:00.001-05:00

Bored this weekend? Have I got a couple of shows for you!

2009-02-26T14:50:00.012-05:00

So I have been really bad about updating. I have signed up at Facebook. 'Nuff said.

I have been a bit busy. Between preparing for two birthday parties, I shot two shows. One closes this weekend, and the other next. Both are very much worth the price of admission.

First up is Working at NKU. It is a musical based on interviews with people who do any kind of work - construction, housewives, stockbrokers - really cool concept that is brilliantly executed.

This show was a tough shoot. The lighting is very dramatic (read very dark and very bright at the same time) with lots of action happening in the dark. There is a lot of dancing in the show which also made it a hard shoot since low light ( requiring slower shutter speeds) and high speed (the dancers) don't mix. I managed, but my trigger finger hurt by the end of the show! I also think I am going to start charging hazard pay for my equipment. It is hard to try to keep the camera out of the way of your tears when it is up on your eye or hanging from your neck!

Next up is Hamlet at Falcon. Don't let Shakespeare scare you off - the show is vibrant, accessible and even better - it is so well acted you can follow along! Shakespeare just requires that you give your mind a scene or two to catch up with the language. After that, you'll be fine and you may find you enjoy it. The other thing I forgot about with Hamlet is just how many phrases originated with this play: the plays the thing, sweets for the sweet, every dog shall have his day. Shakespeare left such a mark on our language, you owe it to yourself to see the play presented they way it was meant to be presented - on stage, not in a book. Oh - my husband and I did some scenic painting on this show - our first in quite a while. Come check out our handiwork.

(Look at how fab that wall and pillar support look! They must have been done by experts!)

(must include a Hamlet with a skull)

(obligatory Weedy Ophelia)

I have just given you your weekend to do list. Go see these shows! Support the arts and stimulate the local economy by going out to dinner afterward.

My girl hates the paps.

2009-02-17T09:15:00.003-05:00

Fun with light.

2009-02-16T14:52:00.005-05:00

I love having a house with tons of windows. I see the coolest things.

The reflection off one of my Jack Skellington mugs.

My afternoon tea.

Cool shadows of eyelashes and curls.

My cute kids.

My girl making a mess.

Valentine's day.

2009-02-13T09:15:00.002-05:00

I will be painting a set on Valentine's day. I really think the whole thing is such a sham. You should tell those you love that you love them all the time, not because the marketing department at Hallmark told you do to so. I guess there are a lot of people who share my point of view! Go here for a good laugh and send an e-card or two.

7 years.

2009-02-12T15:33:00.004-05:00

I have officially been a mom for 7 years. Wow. It's been a good 7 years - I hope I get a lot more. This guy is one of the best things to ever happen to me! I love you, boy.

9:18am 2002

9:18 am 2009

Dead City at New Stage Collective

2009-02-10T12:19:00.003-05:00

New Stage Collective is currently running an amazing piece of theatre. It is kinetic and touching all at once. Dead City is a re-imagining of James Joyce's Ulysses, with a female protagonist. It is hard to explain. The show is part play (an incredibly well acted one), part rock concert ( amazing lights and multi-media elements) and part dance ( well oiled movement throughout the scenes.)
The story about a women trying to make an emotional connection, decide where is she going now and figure out what she actually wants out of a marriage really spoke to me. It was thoughtfully played out by the ensemble cast, no small feat with everything going on. The show as a whole really conveyed the feeling of how hard it is to find anything real in this fast paced world where people whirl around us briefly then disappear.

Craving a certain auntie's pretzels?

2009-02-10T09:15:00.001-05:00

The only reason my boy begs to go to the mall is for Auntie Anne's pretzels. Those things are addictive! Well, my man was sick today so as a treat I dug out a knock off recipe that I have had some success with before. I have since learned a bit more about baking, so I thought maybe it would be even better this time. I was right! I have learned the importance of temperature and yeast, the patience to allow for a proper rise, all that good stuff. I also have a better understanding of flour, so I knew I (probably) could switch out the high protein bread flour for high protein wheat flour and feel a bit better about giving these to the kids. Here is the recipe.

Hot Pretzel Recipe ( it was an Auntie Ann's knock off, but I altered it a touch.)

dough:
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/8 tsp. active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups all purpose flour

wash:
2 cups really warm water
2 tbls baking soda

1.Combine the water and yeast in the mixer bowl with the paddle attachment. Mix to combine.
2. Add in the sugar and salt. Mix to combine.
3. Add the 3 of the four cups of flour, mix to combine.
4. Add the 4th cup of flour, mix a bit then switch to the dough hook attachment and knead until smooth and elastic. Add a bit of water if there is any flour residue at the bottom. I had to add about two tablespoons of water.
5. Allow to rise at least 30 minutes ( I waited about 40.)
6. Mix two cups warm to hot water with 2 tablespoons baking soda. Make sure to stir periodically.
7. When dough has risen a bit, knead it for a minute then begin to pinch off pieces to make the pretzels. Make dough ropes somewhere between 1/2 inch to and inch thick and shape into a pretzel. It is really up to you as to how big or what shape you want. I made 12 traditional shaped, medium sized pretzels with this recipe. Dip in the soda bath to coat and lay out on a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet. allow to rise for another 1/2 hour.
8. Heat oven to 435-450 ( I did 435 because my oven runs a bit hot). Bake for 10 minutes.
9. Move to a wire rack to cool.

It is now up to you how to flavor. My kids love them with cream cheese. My husband loves them brushed with melted butter and sprinkled in kosher salt.

If made into 12 portions, each pretzel is 158 calories before topping. I will let you know if they freeze well, as I will be freezing some for later.

How cool is this?

2009-02-09T23:02:00.001-05:00

Coraline

2009-02-09T10:03:00.004-05:00

(My girl her 3-d glasses)

We loved it! It was so breath-taking, made even more so when you know the entire movie was hand-made. The 3-d was really cool. My daughter (who is three) shivered every time it seemed as if something leaped out at you. I rarely go to the movies, but I will be going back to see this again. I just have to see it in 3-d one more time. I want to live in Coraline's world. I love the old painted lady she lives in, I love all of the old wallpaper and the crazy garden that came with the house, I love the side show/circus vibe that runs throughout it all. I am amazed and grateful that the film makers embraced the darker edge of the book while still allowing my children to enjoy the movie. Below are pictures of the kids with button eyes. We made these at the Coraline website. The kids spent two hours on the site playing around after we got home. They just couldn't get enough.

We went to see the film with friends, so of course lunch was in order after we emerged into the light. To keep the kiddos happy, we headed to Chipotle. Our family has a sort of tradition at this hallowed house of the baby sized burrito - daddy makes sculptures out of the foil for the kids to play with. One of the heads actually survived the trip home, so I thought I'd share.

For Kira with a big "Thank You!"

2009-02-09T09:46:00.005-05:00

The kids love the dollhouse sooooooo much. My girl is to my right, playing with it as I write!

As you can see, it was a hit even before it was put together!

Here is C3PO in the stroller.

Luke taking a break.

This is why you should never invite the Emperor over - he always shows up with uninvited guests and he trashes your house.

The balcony became a lookout for awhile.

Here is the look my girl gave me when I mentioned it was time to put the house away and get ready for bed.

Here is the requested pic of my glorious table (please forgive the mess - I need to sort out all of the stuff the husband has dropped in it's spacious cubby) :

Snacktime

2009-02-09T09:23:00.002-05:00

I'm a good mom...

2009-02-07T10:28:00.005-05:00

Allowing the kiddos to watch a movie, let's say Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the subtitles on makes it educational, right? I am creating a print rich environment and all that stuff.

Cats fit on the windowsill, children fit in the snow...

2009-02-04T12:41:00.008-05:00

So when there is this much snow, what else can you do but open the back door and let the kids loose? They loved it. Played on the swing set even though it was COATED in ice. We also went sledding, but I left the camera behind. It was my first time ever on a sled and I decided not to put my digital baby in harm's way. The analog babies have snowsuits, the digital one does not.

In case you're wondering about the title of this post (since there are no cats in windowsills in any of the pics) it comes out of the lyrics of a song from one of my favorite shows, Pippin. The song is called "Corner of the Sky" and I have sang it as a lullaby to both of my children.

It's a bit cold.

2009-01-28T09:42:00.006-05:00

It was eerily quiet for 8:30am on a weekday around here. When I went outside to take these pictures, all I could hear was branches snapping every time the wind blew and a few stray tires spinning. People were trying to get out, with most of them giving up and going back inside. All I have today is a photo shoot with a local theatre company at 6pm, but I have a feeling rehearsal might be canceled.

These won't be chiming anytime soon.

I live on a very busy street, and it looks like this.

Aren't branches supposed to point upwards?

Civilized.

2009-01-27T14:07:00.003-05:00

Civilized. That is how I feel now that my husband has switched to tea in the mornings rather than soda. I love asking" Should I put the kettle on?" and hearing the soft boil of water rather than the pop of a can opening and the fizzing of bubbles against the sides of a glass. It is a much more zen way to start the day.

Toasty.

2009-01-22T20:50:00.009-05:00

We enjoyed two toasty (and tasty) things this evening: bread and marshmallows.

We toasted marshmallows in the fireplace over sticks the kids help collect in the backyard.

The bread is a very simple Irish soda bread recipe from joyofbaking.com.

This bread was pretty easy to make. It came together in minutes and bakes in about 45. I added the optional oats, and it really gave the bread a nice body and texture. This is a hearty bread that is great to pair with soups and stews. I will definitely be making it several more times this winter! I can't wait to have it in the morning with some blackberry jam and tea.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated white sugar (optional)

2 tablespoons old fashioned rolled oats (optional)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (360 ml) buttermilk (soured milk)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, oats, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add most of the buttermilk. Using yours hands, or a wooden spoon , mix (adding more buttermilk if necessary) until you have a soft moist dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough into a 7 inch (18 cm) round that is about 1 inch (2.54 cm) thick. Place the round on your prepared baking sheet and then, with a sharp knife, cut a 1/4 inch deep "X" across the top of the bread.

Bake for about 40 - 50 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. You can also test that is fully baked by tapping the bottom of the bread - it should sound hollow. Remove from oven. This bread is wonderful when served warm with butter and jam. It also makes great toast.

From Joy of Baking. She hasn't steered me wrong yet! I have tried her buttercream icing (wow) and her Fairycakes ( scone - like cupcakes. Heaven in a paper cup.)

More cookies!

2009-01-20T21:29:00.003-05:00

This is a recipe I found on Martha Stewart's website. It is the "Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookie." Now as you might be able to tell from my image, I did not make the cookie "giant" as instructed. Martha said this recipe makes 8 cookies. I made 40. Martha's recipe makes a 446 calorie cookie (as calculated by this very nifty online recipe calculator), my cookie is 89 calories. Much more manageable and reasonable.

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup good-quality unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, substitute 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in shortening (or additional butter). Add egg and vanilla; mix until creamy. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
Using a 2 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 4 inches apart. Bake until edges are firm, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 days.

I used more butter vs shortening. Delicious! I used a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop and I reduced the baking time to 10-12 minutes.

This is a very nice, mellow cookie. Not too sweet, not over-chocolaty. Great with a cup of tea. What I am curious about is how can it be altered? Since it is such a basic flavor, I am wondering what a dash of cinnamon or cardamon will do for it. I also wanted to toy with a light citrus glaze, but I was out of powdered sugar. Oh, well. Next time!

Well look at that!

2009-01-20T21:27:00.004-05:00

President Barack Obama! I was thrilled to tears by his speech, respect his honesty and wish him all the best!

Confession

2009-01-15T20:20:00.006-05:00

Even though I have seen this movie a million times, I still cry at the end of Wall-e. I love Peter Gabirel's song. It gets me every time.

Wall-E Down To Earth from Anthony Meadows on Vimeo.

Thought this video was cute, and that is the same toy my kids have. "Play Wall-E Mom!" is all I have heard for weeks now.

A tale of love (and head shaving by children)

2009-01-15T19:12:00.006-05:00

Here is the tale of my latest family sitting:

Once upon a time there was a grandmother who had 11 grandchildren!

Of those 11 grandchildren, only 4 of them were girls.
(Aren't they adorable!)

One these little girls has Leukemia.
( Don't go shutting down on me - She is getting the best medical care available, she is well loved and has an amazing support network - see below!)

This little girl has 4 uncles, all of whom vowed to let her shave thier heads after the family pictures!

Each of the grand kids took turns shaving their dad/uncle's head. It was an amazing sight. I have never seen a family so tightly woven together as this one. It was a beautiful sight to behold and I am so grateful to have been a part of this day with them!

(If you have any Holiday money left, and a bit of cheer to go with it, the family supports the Make a Wish Foundation. The do great work. Just sayin'!)

Yummy.

2009-01-12T19:10:00.004-05:00

Since we have been trapped at home by a puking 3 year old (she's just fine, we're worn out), I made a treat for Husband that he has been longing for since we watched Alton Brown make it - blueberry muffins.
Alton had a very specific method to his muffins that results in a wonderful texture. He doesn't over mix the batter and he doesn't fully heat the oven on the pre-heat. He says that over mixing leads to a few large bubbles in the final product instead of a lot of small bubbles that make the perfect muffin texture. He doesn't heat the oven all the way until the batter is in it so as to guarantee the burst of heat needed to make the muffins rise.
The recipe itself is what I want in a muffin - velvety and sweet. If I am going to eat bread for breakfast, I will make it a multi-grain that is healthy. If I am going to eat a muffin, by god it better be soft and tasty.
Now as far as execution goes, I think I am missing a key component in Alton's plan - a good set of muffin tins. I have silicone and I don't think it worked as well with this recipe. My muffins don't really look anything like Mr. Brown's. Don't get me wrong, still yummy - just not as tall and a little more brown on the top.
All and all, I will be making these again, only I will make them with chocolate chips - the kiddos and I aren't huge fans of the blueberry. I will post that little experiment when it occurs.