Candid Reflections

July 31, 2008

From the Garden

Filed under: Life in the Sticks — Tags: , , — candid reflections @ 6:27 am

We’re beginning to harvest the first fruits of our labor in the garden!

Lettuce
Lettuce
Green Beans
Green Beans
Purple Cabbage
Purple Cabbage
Green Pepper
Green Pepper
Brussel Sprouts
Brussel Sprouts
Pumpkin
Pumpkin
Beets
Beets
Carrots
Carrots

We enjoyed green salad, steamed beets, and steamed beet greens on the table last night.  Yum.

July 30, 2008

Lunch With Some Chicks

Filed under: Life in the Sticks — Tags: , — candid reflections @ 12:01 am

The Historian, my oldest little fella at 12 years, has a fondness for a particular group of red-heads.  And I just gotta tell ya, these red-heads have a fondness for him in return… seriously, they flock around him! 

We have a bunch of red heads that live down the hill from us, and the other day the Historian decides he’s gonna prepare some lunch for them.  First he asks if he can take some lettuce from the garden to make a salad from.  On his way out of the garden he grabs a few radishes.  Then he gets this notion to get all epicures and pick some fresh dandelion greens to add to the mix.  I would have served the dandelion in a tea myself, but he didn’t have time to mess with brewing tea.   Did you know that dandelions are quite nutritious?  Honestly, dandelion greens have more nutrition than broccoli, and more vitamin A than carrots.  They also have laxative and diuretic properties.  A weed, go figure!

Anyway, by the time he arrived at the red-heads’ gate, he found them gathered and waiting.  He presented them with the salad he’d made; most of the girls dug right in, and to the ones who were a little more reserved, he hand fed them himself. 

 

Such a gent he is, he makes his mama proud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just had to grab a shot of this pretty little red-head, aren’t her highlights dreamy?  If I could get color like that, I’d definitely go red!

July 29, 2008

Newborn Photo Session With Baby Thor

Filed under: Photo Sessions, Photography — Tags: , , — candid reflections @ 11:30 am

Just look at this little guy… he’s as adorable as can be.  Strong too!  I kept expecting him to get up on all fours and start crawling away!  With a mom who’s 5′8, and a dad who is over six and a half feet tall, this little guy is gonna grow up to become a strong, strapping fellow… maybe he’ll even enjoy playing baseball like his dad.  Then, one day when he goes pro, I’ll be there, cheering in the stands and holding up a banner of his naked, baby self sitting in his dad’s baseball glove.  Everyone will want an autographed copy of his picture… then they’ll ask who took it and then I’ll become famous… oh yah. 

July 27, 2008

Coconut Macaroons

Filed under: In the Kitchen — Tags: , , — candid reflections @ 10:17 pm

These yummy little cookies are golden and crispy on the outside, tender and chewy on the inside.  Yum!

Coconut Macaroons

7 extra large egg whites, room temp.
1 cup sugar
1/8 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
3 cups unsweetened coconut
1 Tbsp. flour

Preheat oven to 325º.  Line baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a double boiler combine eggwhites, sugar, honey, vanilla, and salt.

 

Whisk over medium heat til frothy and warm (120-130ºF)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a spatula, fold in coconut and flour until just incorporated.  Careful not to overmix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place rounded tablespoons onto prepared pans.

Bake on middle shelf until golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

July 24, 2008

Photos of a Recent Wedding

Filed under: Photo Sessions, Photography — Tags: , — candid reflections @ 8:28 am

Here are some more shots of a recent wedding of which I was second shooter.

July 23, 2008

An Artist… Could I Be???

Filed under: Photography — Tags: — candid reflections @ 12:08 am

Something happened the other evening while I was out snapping shots with my camera… my camera transformed into a paint brush, and watercolors, and oils!  Believe it or not, except for a very minor adjustment in levels (darks and lights), these pictures have not been altered in Photoshop.  I think I should prop these babies on an easel, whadayou think?

July 22, 2008

Cute Cousins

Filed under: Photo Sessions, Photography — Tags: , , — candid reflections @ 10:10 am

Just look at these precious little ones!  Their sweet grandmother wanted some pictures of her little cuties, and of course, I was more than happy to oblige!  I’ll never pass up the chance to photograph a newborn baby!  And his older cousin was as adorable as could be… fun, fun, fun!

July 21, 2008

One of Life’s Lessons

Filed under: Everything Else, Life in the Sticks — candid reflections @ 9:28 am

I was out the other evening, walking the back forty (more realisticaly – back four, I’ve just always wanted to say that) when I came across these two marked graves.

I’d never noticed them here before, but I was pretty sure that I knew the occupants of these two resting places. 

Do you remember back in May when I posted pictures of our adorable baby chicks?  Well, you can’t tell it from the pictures, but two of our baby chicks came to us deformed.  And if being crippled wasn’t bad enough, they had the rest of the brood attacking them… just because they were a little different and weak… ruthless, I tell ya!  I guess it dosen’t matter what walk of life you’re from, there’s always gonna be a bully… just waiting to come out of the woodwork (or wood chips in this case.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway,  my kiddos had great compassion on these two little gals.  They made them their very own living quarters, seperate from the others.  They named them (Love, and the other, Club for her club feet), nursed them, held them, and loved them.  Unfortunate for the little gals, this was not enough to keep them in the land of the living… they both passed away leaving my children feeling down troden.  My two eldest set off to bury the little chicks and that was the last I’d heard of it.  Until I happened upon this…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and this…

 

I just love my little boys, and their great big, tender, compassionate hearts! 

I payed my own respects, then walked away with a smile in my heart.

July 19, 2008

Photo Session With Melina

Filed under: Photo Sessions, Photography — Tags: , — candid reflections @ 1:55 am

I did a photo session with the lovely Melina a couple of days ago.  We had a fun time at the park!

Melina is in a jazz quartet called Zona Calda (Italian for Hot Spot) and let me tell you, her singing will knock your socks off! 

God bless you Melina, and all of your musical adventures.

July 18, 2008

And the Winner Is….

Filed under: Contests — candid reflections @ 7:42 am

Thanks to everyone who participated in my little contest yesterday.  It was fun to read the different exclamations that you came up with for my baby girl. There was a nice variety of entries, as some of you interpreted the look on her face as having a sense of urgency, while others saw it as pure glee.

So, last night, my husband reclined in the judges chair and I read each entry to him, leaving out the name of the author to keep his selection completely unbiased.  After carefully listening to your entries, a couple of times, he concluded that Lucy’s entry, “Weeee… ha ha ha….weeeee.  Do it again daddy… please, please, please!!!”  is his favorite.  When asked why he chose that entry he responded, with a smile on his face, “Because that is exactly what she says.”

Congratulations Lucy, you are the winner of yesterday’s photo contest!  I will be contacting you soon to find out which print you’d like me to send to you, and what size you’d like it to be. 

To everyone else, thanks for your creative captions… I really enjoyed reading your entries.

And there we have it – the answer to the question that has baffled me upon this initiation of each of our babies into toddler-hood.  Why must he scoop our baby up like that, and then fling her eight or nine feet up into space… away from her mama, away from this hard, rocky, unforgiving surface,… away from safety and civility?!!  Well, why else?  Because she delights in it… she pleads for it, and then squeals in absolute bliss.  Many evenings, when her daddy pulls into the driveway, she runs to the front door to greet him, ”Super jump daddy…super jump!” 

Why, just look at the little rascal…What’s a mama to do!

Thanks for stopping by y’all…have a splendid day!

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