So, um…I guess I quit my 52 project? In my defence, it was a lot harder than doing a 365 project! That doesn’t even make any sense when you hear it, but trust me. The confines of working with a weekly theme was so hard to deal with. It would nag at me every day, while I was busy with a host of other things, and I’d say to myself, “I’ll get a good shot tomorrow,” until the week came and went. The week’s themes aren’t even being given until Monday, usually mid day, and by the time I got my mind around what I might try to shoot the week was nearly over…I could give you excuse after excuse, I am sure. At the end of the day, it just wasn’t working.
So anyway, here are some pictures. The kids and I made granola a few weeks ago. We found a recipe online with rave reviews, and after explaining the concept of rating systems to them, they were eager to cook and eat so that they could deliver their own rating. Five stars all around for Megan’s Granola!
Aprons are a must.
Mr. Meticulous. He is so helpful in the kitchen already.
My little messy-haired princess.
A granola bake is not complete without a marching band!
Deacon. Pure trouble.
Finding the light.
I feel like I’m stretching the theme a bit here. I wanted to do something very creative. Something involving sunlight and warm feelings on a cold day. But you know, sunny days don’t come consistently in the great white north in January/February. So I say this photo still works, because I got some awesome catch lights in Deacon’s eyes.
This boy sure loves his Grandpa. Since he refuses to say anything that contains more than one syllable, he calls my dad, “Pa”. It’s pronounced ‘puh’, and is not to be confused with his word for my father-in-law, which is “Pa” (short for Pappy).
I will make an effort to take photos of my other children in the coming weeks…this guy is just so much easier to get candid photos of. The others are always giving me goofy grins: which are great, but not really what I am going for in shooting lifestyle photos.
A different perspective.
Soft, round nose. Squishy, rosy cheeks. Expressive eyes. My baby boy is growing up fast.
I realize I am not following any rules as far as post processing goes on this project. Black & white one week, colour the next. It’s my project, and I’ll do what I want to.
This makes me wish I could freeze time.
Good help is hard to come by, but I’ve got it in spades. I am never wanting when it comes to an extra set of hands in the kitchen. They are all too eager to get their hands in and get dirty. While I was busy kneading pizza dough, a certain little someone was busy grabbing a spatula so he could dig into the flour bin. Admittedly, my first thought was, “Oh no! What a mess!”; however, I then paused and realized it was a perfect time to grab this week’s shot. How quickly the days of eager hands will escape me, and I will be left wishing I had someone to make my task more difficult. Praise God from whom all blessings, big and small, flow.
This makes me laugh.
Wyatt is an incredibly affectionate boy, and to say that Deacon is showered with love from this big brother would be an understatement. Wyatt loves to pour his love on his little Dekey, and baby brother loves to resist. It is hilarious to watch them battle it out! Deacon puts up a big fuss but there can be no doubt in his mind that he is well loved.
Hey everyone! I remembered to shoot my Ten on Ten today! Welcome to a day in our home.
Watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I cook lunch.
Markus has been a big help to me in the kitchen the past few days. Here he is stirring hot milk to cool it down before we add yeast and honey for baking buns.
Muffins baking.
The kids played with play dough for almost the entire afternoon. I am amazed at the amount of imaginative play that comes from some squishy dough and a few toothpicks to assist in building!
Wyatt, mastering the maze ball. He and Markus each received one for Christmas and they have been their most loved toys since they got them.
This boy is so intelligent. Despite his lack of vocabulary he is very capable of communicating with us. With a lot of inflection in his voice, the right hand motions, eyebrow raises, head nods or shakes, he feels he is telling us everything we need to know. When I ask him to repeat words for me, he laughs at me!
I figured it was time for a self portrait. Hi.
This was my first time planting an amaryllis. What a lift for my spirit!
It was so wonderful to watch it come to life while winter raged outside its comfortable windowsill.
We are now enjoying the beauty of its bloom.
Bedtime Bible story time.
I love Jesus, and am so blessed by the work I see the Holy Spirit doing in the lives of my precious kids.
This was Deacon’s vantage point for story time. This kid is so funny!
I thought I’d share another muffin recipe. These are adapted from a recipe I got from my sister Jude, as most of my muffin recipes are. She is a master at packing heaps of goodness into every bite. Originally they had a lot of bran in them, but that seems to go straight through my toddlers so I have scaled back on the bran.
Orange Cranberry Muffins
2 1/2 c whole grain spelt flour
1 c toasted wheat germ
1 c ground flax seed
1 c toasted pecans, crushed
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
Whisk above until combined. Then stir in
2 c fresh cranberries, chopped
In a blender:
1 whole orange, cut into pieces (don’t peel it!)
1 c yogurt
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c fancy molasses
1/2 c canola oil
2 eggs
Blend until smooth.
Fold wet ingredients into dry, and bake at 375F for 20 minutes.
Makes 24 muffins.
Evening rituals.
What’s more fun that snuggling and goofing around with Daddy?
Showing off your new glasses, of course!
After 2 years of doing 365 Project, I was well intentioned last year to continue blogging and posting photos without the project keeping me accountable. That fell flat pretty quickly. My desire to take pictures quickly waned, and with nothing to show, I had less to say. I was faced with two options: start another project, or stop blogging.
Start another project it is!
My sister Sherry did a 52 photography project last year, which is appealing to me. With the help of a weekly theme, I like that it still requires discipline in shooting, without the expectation of it being a daily post. I’m in!
I’m joining up with This Is Our Life, a Let’s Do 52 Project by Paint the Moon. Annie Manning from Paint The Moon is an incredibly talented photographer. I first ‘met’ her on 365 Project. Her photos always left me in awe. She has an amazing ability to capture everyday life and make it sparkle. This Is Our Life is a project centered on lifestyle photography. What does that mean? Essentially, lifestyle photography is about capturing the beauty in everyday life. The moments that shape your days that you don’t want to forget. It’s the type of photography I want to excel at, and I am really looking forward to being challenged by a photographer that I think so highly of. Stay tuned!
Well the new year is upon us, and we all know what that means. It’s time to get serious about everything. You ran 5K last year? This is your year for a marathon! You used your credit card too much last year? Time to snowball that debt and take charge of your money! You bought too much food through a window? Time to start cooking at home!
No, these are not my resolutions. Well, not all of them. I will let you guess which, if any, are true.
I baked muffins yesterday. Wholesome, honest-to-goodness good-for-you muffins. Because it’s 2013. And because I made a resolution to eat more vegetables. Vegetables in muffins? Oh yes! This recipe comes to you courtesy of a bunch of different recipes mashed together. I am always foggy on giving credit for recipes. If I take a Jamie Oliver dish, change one ingredient, do I get to call it my own? Apparently I technically do. I don’t get it. These are not Jamie Oliver’s muffins, for the record. They are (sort-of) my own brilliant concoction. The beets I used were a treasure I discovered in my freezer, leftover from the summer. You could swap 2 grated apples. Swap some different dried fruit. Throw in some nuts. Go crazy!
Carrot, Beet, and Chia Muffins
2 c whole grain spelt flour
3/4 c ground flax
3/4 c brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
Stir with a whisk to combine.
1/4 c chia seeds, soaked in 1/4 c water until gelled
2 grated carrots (about 2 cups)
2 c cooked beets, grated
3/4 c raisins
Blend together.
1/2 c Greek yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c canola oil
Blend together, and combine with veggie concoction.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and bake at 375F for 20 minutes.
This yielded me 12 regular sized muffins and 27 mini muffins. Sorry it doesn’t make a normal, even amount. That always annoys me. I’ll just say it should make 12 regular and 24 mini. That’s better.