C is for Cyclone

Our good buddy, Andrew, taught us how to make a 

cyclone in a bottle. We had hours of fun! 

Instructions: fill one 2-liter bottle nearly to the top (leave about two inches of space) with water. Hold the other bottle upside down on top of the first bottle and tape the two bottles together using four or five layers of duct tape to avoid leaks. With all of the water in the bottom bottle and holding the bottles as shown above, use a quick stirring motion to get the water moving. Turn upside down, set bottles on a flat surface, and watch your cyclone appear!

Elizabeth Mitchell

Do you know Elizabeth Mitchell's music? She is one of my favorites. I love her album "You Are My Little Bird." E listens to "Little Bird, Little Bird" on repeat for nap time. Elizabeth has such a soft, soothing voice. Her version of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" is great.

Many Months, No Post

I haven't posted for ages!

It's a good thing you are so much better than I am, Audrey!

I've always found silhouettes so enchanting. My mom had some beautiful silhouettes done of my three older siblings when they were about 5, 7, and 9. An immensely talented woman looked at their profiles and created the most perfect likenesses of them - freehand!

I could never accomplish such a task, but I have always wanted to have silhouettes of my children. Since we are in school (and my budget is tight), I decided to make some of my own. I was inspired by NieNie, who makes silhouettes of her family each year to document how they have grown. Of course, I am inspired by her for so many reasons. She is truly a miracle.

Above is the new header for my personal blog. I am going to make black silhouettes from these to hang on my wall. Below are miniature versions for our family home evening board. I glued the silhouettes & patterned paper onto some scalloped chipboard and painted them with Mod Podge (so they'll last longer). It was a fun little project - even though I promised my husband I wouldn't do any more projects for awhile. :) I can't help myself!

Black and White

These are a couple of my favorite black and whites. I sometimes prefer that my photos look a little overexposed. What do you think?

Bella Movie

My sister recommended the movie Bella a little bit ago. I just watched it this weekend and found it so thought provoking. It shared a good message and made me cry a lot. I pondered death and life and how to make the most of what I have been given. I definitely recommend it while caution that it deals with the death of a child.

C is for Cookie

I am always in search of the perfect chocolate chip cookie. I currently have 4 or 5 recipes that I really like - one has ground oatmeal, another a combination of white and dark chocolate chips with a touch of almond flavoring, another calls for toffee chips. Some have all butter, and others use a portion of shortening or margarine.

I just got my hands on a great recipe. It is my current favorite. I love my cookies to look like this (see above) - blobby, thick and soft instead of flat, thin and crisp. 

This recipe is a definite must try! Do you have any great chocolate chip cookie recipes you'd like to share? I'm always looking to add to my collection. :)

Sozel Flake's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter

1 c. shortening

2 c. brown sugar

2 c. white sugar

4 eggs

1 Tbsp. vanilla

5 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

4 1/2 - 5 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet, milk chocolate mixed together are the best)

Preheat oven to 375 - 400 degrees. Beat butter, shortening, and sugars together. Next add eggs and vanilla and mix. Then add flour and the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix well and add chips. Bake 8 minutes. Drop the pan onto the counter when you take it out so that the cookies fall. I always cook them at 400, but if you know your oven cooks hotter, then use 375. If I have cooked some cookies on a pan and I am using it again for more cookies, I will adjust the time to bake them for 7 min. 45 sec. or 7 min. 30 sec.

What a Pout

I caught the sweetest little pout on my friend's little girl. Her mom is in trouble! How could you say no to that sweet face?

Happy Haunting!

May the force be with you!

Fall Fagoli

It's fall and time for good soups! My friend, Lindsay Poulsen (who is an excellent cook), gave me this recipe. It's delicious.

Olive Garden Pasta Fagoli
1 tbsp. oil
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion
2 carrots shredded
1 cup celery
30 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. red kidney
2 15 oz. white bean
5 cans beef broth
1 tbsp. oregano
2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
30 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
small pasta

Sauté beef in oil and onion, drain excess fat.
Add carrots, celery, tomato simmer 10 min.
Drain and rinse beans, add with remaining ingredients.
Simmer 10 or more min.
Cook pasta, then add pasta.

Lindsay's personal notes: This makes a large quantity of soup. I usually just put a small portion of noodles in our bowls, pour soup on top, and mix instead of mixing the noodles into the soup (because I usually freeze a portion to use later). When we want to use the frozen portion, I only have to make the noodles.
Jana's notes: I don't use all of the Tabasco or pepper because my kids don't like their food quite that spicy.

Dorie's Cupcakes (courtesy of my sister)

photo by Mary Ann

My sister told me about these cupcakes while I was home visiting in August. She posted them in a different form today on her blog so I thought I would pass them along. They are the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever had. I absolutely loved them and I am not a die-hard cupcake fan either. 

Here is the recipe:

Dorie's Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes- makes 12 cupcakes from Baking by Dorie

Greenspan, pg. 215-16

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin tins or use paper liners. (I used Crisco with Flour spray)

Whisk together the flour,cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until it is blended into the butter. Add the egg, then yolk, beating for 1 minute, after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the vanilla, then reduce mixer speed to low, and add half of the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear. Scrape down the bowl and add the buttermilk, mixing until incorporated, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix it in with the rubber spatula. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin molds.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes are dry and springy to the touch and a knife inserted into their centers comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes, before unmolding them. Cool to room temperature before frosting of glazing.

I topped them with a glaze from her friend Clara's blog

For the glaze

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (Valrhona bittersweet 70%)

1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

To make the glaze—

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of shimmering water. Transfer the bowl to the counter and let stand for 5 minutes.Using a small whisk or rubber spatula, stir the confectioners’ sugar into the chocolate, followed by the pieces of cold butter. 

Afternoon Hike

These are a few of my favorites from our Sunday walk into the trees at our little playground.

Any thoughts? I thought the light was pretty and I love the way the leaves in the background blur to gorgeous specks of color. Happy Fall!

Attempts at Black & White

Usually I feel like my black and whites turn out brown and white or gray and white. Here are a few recent attempts to get black and white.

The Blue Castle

I loved Anne of Green Gables growing up. I wanted red hair. I loved Gilbert. I wanted to live in British Colombia and basically be and do everything that was 'Anne'. Last Christmas Melissa sent me this sweet book. It is by L.M. Montgomery and was the perfect chance to slip back into the world that only Montgomery has created for me. It was sweet, short and a great little escape. Have fun reading!

Capturing Will

It is tricky capturing photos of a two year old. I usually only get shots of the back of Will's head as he runs off in pursuit of a new adventure. The few that I do get of his face are when he slows down. But when he slows down it is most likely becuase he is frustrated about something, which results in crying, which ruins my shot. Thus you see my dilemma. Either we see the back of his cute little head or we see tears and a runny nose.

Taken just after some tears
After more tears

Sunrise

I woke early this morning. I was at a retreat for our church's women's organization the Relief Society. I was hoping to sleep a little past 7am, but it looks like my boy's early mornings have set a permanent alarm clock for me. That's ok though. I am always happy when I get up early enough to catch the sunrise!

We were out in the country and two of these deer were clashing their antlers. The sound was quite impressive and quite opposite from the photo which looks very peaceful.

Baby Cassia

I did a little photo shoot for my friend's one year old. It is tricky getting focused on a fixed 50mm when your subject moves as much as this little girl does! I wonder if there are any tricks I don't know about.

Peter and the Wolf

First of all, it is harder to post a photo a day than I thought it would be!!

I grabbed this photo of O while we were playing Peter and the Wolf. This is the expression that he wore for Peter.


Sasha- The Duck

And of course, the Big Gray Wolf!

A Photo a Day

I'm just going to shoot whatever catches my eye!

This was O hiding out in the forbidden spot - behind the sofa!

Fun with Flubber

Have your kids played with flubber? It's awesome! (Sort of a cross between slime and silly putty). We collected our first flubber at my son's school carnival this weekend, and the kids have had a blast with it. J made a flubber worm that ran from the table across three chairs and a stool and down to the ground - and that was all with the small blob of light blue goo you see in the picture!

We are definitely going to be adding to our flubber collection this week. Here is our teacher's recipe for flubber:
1. Mix 2 cups Elmer's glue and 1 1/2 cups warm water. Add food coloring. Stir to dissolve.
2. In a small bowl mix 3 tsp. Borax with 1 1/3 cups warm water. Stir to dissolve.
3. Pour Borax mixture into glue mixture. Do not stir. Wait at least 10 minutes. Stir slightly after it sits. Remove excess water (throw away in trash, not down the sink).
*You can find Borax in the detergent aisle at the grocery store.

Since You Asked For More...

I know you like Feist, Aud. I just think the writers on Sesame Street are incredibly clever. Wouldn't it be a fun job to come up with lyrics for all these songs?!?