Photography Resolutions

The theme at The Creativity Project this month is Photography Resolutions.  This one was really difficult for me to narrow down.  There are so many things I want to learn, and I have so many photography goals, but in the end I decided to keep it simple.  2012 was a big year of change for me.  With so many things going on and so many changes happening I feel like I lost a little bit of ground with my whole reason for photography to begin with.  My first photography resolution is to get back to capturing more moments like this one.  I want to get back to basics and capture my family and the memories that we will create in this year.  It's my favorite kind of photography and I don't want to let any moments slip through my fingers this year.  That being said, I will be dusting off the blog and posting a lot more of our daily life.

My second priority when it comes to photography is to notice my surroundings more.  When I take the time to notice the beauty around me in all of it's forms my days always go better.  I'm going to do better this year at slowing down long enough to not only notice it, but to capture it as well.

Last but not least I would love to work on my portrait skills.  Last year I was fortunate enough to have several people trust me with the opportunity to take their pictures.  It's something that I really enjoy, and I would love to grow that passion into a small (emphasis on small) business.  It's something I'll definitely be focusing on throughout this year.  In the meantime, my hooligans make pretty good subjects to practice on.

Oh yeah.  One more thing.  I would love to stretch my food photography skills and take more pictures like this one for one of my favorite local restaurants.  Food photography is one of my favorites, and there is so much more to learn.  Please hop over to my friend Julia's blog to check out her photography resolutions for this year.  I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

More

This is a glimpse of more of our summer.  It's one of the best ones I've had in a very long time.  We are spending as much time together as we can.  Swimming, bike riding, sleeping out, eating popsicles, playing at the park, and most importantly sharing lots of laughs.  Oh and we can't forget the berries.  We can't get enough of those either!

Today

Today I stayed home from work.  My daughter had a fall on the ice at school and she needed some TLC.  

Today I met my little man outside in the driveway when he came home from school.  I watched him jump down from the bus and run on the sidewalk as fast as his legs would carry him in an effort to beat the bus down the road.  He didn't win the race, but he smiled the whole entire way.  

Today I baked banana bread.  I cleaned up the kitchen, and I used up the old brown bananas for a tasty treat.  It made me feel like my mom.  It was like stepping into the picture I remember in my head of her and walking in her shoes.  It felt good.  

Today I played Hot Wheels with my boy.  I picked my favorite car out of his box and I entered the imaginary world that he loves to visit on the kitchen counter.  We drove our cars through the jungle, around an eagles nest and across an old wooden bridge.  We raced and we crashed and we smiled more than anything else.  We only played for a half an hour or so, but it felt like more than an hour had passed when we cleaned up.  It was good fun.  

Today I enlisted the help of all three hooligans to finish a set of gifts for the new women on my visiting teaching route.  We all sat around the table and put everything together so they would be ready for delivery.  Having them share in my service was a good choice for all of us.  

Today I set my studies aside and played cowboys and outlaws with the whole family.  We turned all of the lights off in the house and crept around until someone got scared enough to scream.  We shot our pistols and we laughed out loud until someone said, "Let's do it again!"  It's the best family night we've shared in a really long time and I know that for certain because the hooligans told me so.  

Today I felt like a mom.  Today I was present in my own home.  Today I felt productive, and today I felt like I made a difference.  Today was oh so good.  I'm looking forward to many more days just like this one.  This is exactly what I've been waiting for for such a long time.

Days at Home, Holidays, and Traditions

Days at Home. 23|30

My gratitude on day 23 revolves around days at home.  They don't happen often for me.  I have always dreamed of being able to quit my job and take care of my family as my main line of work, but it just hasn't ever worked out.  When days come along that I get to stay with my children and take care of my home, I am transported to another state of happiness.  I love everything about it, and I appreciate the times when it happens.  On this day I'm grateful that I was able to stay with my kids and see my girl sing in her first choir concert of the school year.  She easily stood out with her reindeer antlers and she danced and sang her heart out.  I'm so grateful I could be there to witness not only her talent, but her happiness.  Days at home are simply the best.

Holidays.  24|30

Today I am grateful for holidays.  Especially this one.  Thanksgiving is my favorite.  I just love everything about it.  The fact that family gets together to share the entire day without any expectations other than to enjoy one another's company is awesome.  And the food.  Who could forget the food.  The smells that fill our home the day before the actual holiday and all day on the day of are glorious.  I love holidays mostly because they revolve around family and there is no place I'd rather be than spending time with my family.

Traditions.  25|30

Today I am grateful for traditions.  They help us to create memories, and each year there is just a bit of a variation from the last.  We spent time on this day hiking all over the mountain to find the perfect Christmas tree to cut down.  The snow was deep and the blizzard raged on while we were there softly falling quietly on the trees.  We laughed, we wore ourselves out, and once again we created another memory to be filed away and talked about for years down the road.  The kids found the perfect hill to sled on and we ended with a fire and hot cocoa before leaving.  It was beyond fun and one of my favorite traditions.

Books, Enough, and Firsts

Books.  14|30

Today I am grateful for books.  For the opportunity to read and enter worlds that I never would otherwise.  For the privilege that it is to read and understand the words.  For the things that I learn by doing so, and for the never ending books available to take me away when I am stressed out.  On this day I am grateful for this, one of my favorite pastimes.

Enough.  15|30

Today I am grateful for enough.  Enough food to eat, enough money to pay the bills, and enough clothes to get through the week before having to wash them again.  It isn't construed as glamorous to live and just get by sometimes, but right now I am so grateful for it.  It's not much, but it is definitely enough and that's more than some can hold onto right now.  For this realization I am truly grateful.

Firsts.  16|30

Today I am grateful for firsts.  First homes, first glimpses of a brand new baby, first steps, first words, first jobs, first kisses, first anniversaries, and first trips to Disneyland.  So many firsts that happen in our lives, and the repeat of any of these events is just not the same when done over.  Firsts leave a mark on our heart and our memory much more so than anything else, and today I am grateful for the opportunity to experience so many of them.

Peaches

Last weekend we spent the day in the kitchen.  I love fall for many reasons, but the onset of fall is my favorite and this is one of the reasons why.  We all gather in the kitchen together to bottle up the last bits of summer and place them on the shelf to enjoy later.  I love it.  I love that when it gets too hot in the kitchen we can open the window and let the cool air drift in.  I love the way it feels to see the fruit in the jars sitting on the shelf like we have captured a bit of time and held on to it.  I love how pretty they are throughout the process and most of all I love how they taste when the cold winter sets in.  The juice of the peaches seems to hold a bit of the sun and tasting that on a snowy day just makes life better.  I love that by doing this I feel like I am holding on to a bit of my mother and a bit of my childhood as well.  Doing this myself always brings back images of her standing over a hot stove in her apron when I was young.  I guess I just love everything about it, which makes it time well spent.

Little Beauties

Look at these little beauties.  Straight out of the garden, and often times straight into our mouths.  My mom didn't plant these when I was a kid.  We just grew the large ones for the table and salsa, but we decided we would attempt to get one of these plants to survive this year.  They didn't only survive, but they abundantly produced.  We spent some time picking them off of the vine last week.  We sent many of them home with a friend, and the rest have landed here on my counter in the colander.  I can't help but look at them every time I enter the kitchen.  They are such little beauties I can hardly bear to eat them.  I think the fact that we grew them as a family makes them even prettier in my eyes.  I felt the need to photograph them before I add them to a recipe, and we devour them once and for all.  Until then they will act as a beautiful decoration and a wonderful snack.

Comfort

We had a bit of a rough week last week around our parts, and by the end of the week I was exhausted. I was tired enough that I didn't want to do anything. All I really wanted was to find a nice quiet place to relax. I needed some comfort, and so I loaded up my family and headed out of town. We landed in a secluded spot where rest and relaxation are always waiting and we did just that. In this place I found comfort. In this place I found a bit of peace. In this place I was able to relax and take a break from the intensity of the week. The time with family, the delicious food, and being away was the best comfort I could have hoped to find, and while I was there I picked up my camera. I have discovered that next to photographing my family and our life, food is my next favorite subject to photograph. There's comfort in discovering this new obsession as well!

Three Amigos

Yesterday my "Today" statement was, "Today I will make cookies with the hooligans. We will have fun and make a mess. When we are through we will clean up, and prepare to eat dinner as a family so we can have cookies for dessert."

Here is the proof that we did it.

Now on the part of the statement where I said we would make a mess and have fun, I was thinking more along the lines of not getting upset when things were spilled a little bit here and there. I was not however thinking in any way of hitting the wrong lever on the mixer and shooting powdered sugar around the entire kitchen. That is exactly what happened. It was on the ceiling, the floor and I was completely covered. Lou and Doop stood on the sidelines in amazement with their jaws resting on the floor waiting for my reaction, and just when I was ready to explode I thought back to my statement for the day. Although it wasn't what I meant when I said it I did accomplish my goal for the day and we had a good laugh about it. That isn't the reaction that I would expect from myself, but I'm trying really hard to stay relaxed these days.

And you'll be happy to know that we followed through with the rest of the statement as well. After we cleaned up the huge mess we prepared dinner and ate as a family followed up with cookies for dessert. This morning this tiny plate of cookies was all that remained from our fun filled hours yesterday. Three lonely cookies waiting for my three little amigos to come home from the adventures of the day and gobble them up, and that's exactly what happened!

The hooligans had tons of fun helping me make these, and they are really easy. Try it!

1 Devil's food cake mix

2 eggs

3/4 c. shortening

Mix ingredients together to form dough. Roll into balls and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Frosting:

1 8 oz cream cheese brick

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 square butter

2-4 cups powdered sugar

Apples & Seeds

Yesterday the kids and I spent the afternoon making more fall treats. First up, caramel apples.

I love caramel apples. For me they are one more reminder of fall. I remember my mom making these when I was young. The more gooey they were the better.

And yesterday they were just the way I like them. We added some embellishments to a few of them for the kids. Nuts, M&M's and butterscotch chips, but for me a plain old caramel apple hits the spot.

Next up, roasted pumpkin seeds. As you might recall we spent Monday night carving pumpkins with the hooligans. We saved the seeds from 2 of 3 pumpkins, and today we roasted them to perfection!

The kids are enjoying our afternoons in the kitchen, and enjoying the results even more. Add these to your list of things to try. It will be worth it!

Caramel Apples

Melt one bag of caramels with 2 tbsp. milk. Dip cold apples in caramel and garnish with toppings if desired. Cool in fridge and enjoy.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Thoroughly rinse pumpkin seeds. Allow to dry completely. Add olive oil and season salt. Roast at 275 degrees for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.