sNOW dAYS…

So what have you been doing to keep your kids busy? And from driving you crazy? =o)
Here’s what we’ve been up to….
We played in the snow the day it was sunny…it’s been rather cold since…

We finger painted – see the wall behind Araya – that’s why they’re in their paint shirts.
TIP: I put old t-shirts on the kids, and pull the backs back with a safety pin. Because they are so big
they cover the kids clothes and skin REALLY well for some good old messy fun! And they love to put them on!

We also made Snow “Ice Sculptures”. I admit I did not come up with this on my own, though I wish I had, because it makes me so happy!

I got this idea (and the snow ice-cream idea) from another photographer in VA. 
Here’s where I saw it on Alissa’s Facebook.   Here’s her photography site!

She didn’t have any directions, so we had a bit of trial and error….but I think they turned out great!
Add Wax Paper to a cookie sheet or plate. Get your favorite cookie cutters and fill them with snow.

I added water to the kids eating bowls, then added a few drops of food coloring to the water. (I tried just adding the color
straight to the snow, but it was wasting the color too quickly.) We used one of the kids medicine droppers to add the color to the

snow. If some of them seemed like they were melting I added more snow. I did a little too much, so you don’t need to go over board.

Then I put them in the freezer until fully frozen, (though I could have just set them out on the porch too, since it’s so freezing outside!)

These below I tried to do more water, less snow…it did not work as well, and they didn’t turn out as well or as brightly colored. 

Arn’t they SOOOOO adorable? I just love them and they make me SO happy every time I look out into the blah and see our little

cutie Ice Sculptures!

This I just put snow in a cup, poured the remaining dye into the snow, then added more snow – then the next color,
then more snow, then the next color, etc…. I added String into the snow before I put it in the freezer so we could hang it
from a hook on the porch. The kids call it the Rainbow cup! =o) Very cheerful!

We also made Home-Made Snow Ice Cream
1 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

 

6 Cups Snow  - I put a bowl outside when it started snowing and let it snow into the bowl

It was fun…but I thought it was too much vanilla…
More fun than yummy. The kids got a kick out of it though!

We’ve played Memory, Candy Land, Memory, Hungry Hippos, Memory, Elefunt Butterfly catching and more Memory!

Ezra beat us every time! I was really trying too! Look! His ate so much, it was so full they were falling out of his mouth!
Crazy!
 
This is the EleFunt game the kids LUV!!!

The butterflies come flying out of the elephants trunk, and
you catch them with your net….HUUUUGE hit!

More ideas to keep things fresh – use cookie cutters to make sandwiches fun!

And finally, I made cookies ….if you know me at all…you know I’m no Lanie Chuang when it comes to cookies…
I make the pre-made….but my kids don’t care – yet!

Have you ever had your pictures look like the one above when they should look like the one below?

(The difference is the clarity….see how the one above looks all glowy?) It’s fingerprints on your lens, glass, etc.
We let our kids use our point and shoot cameras – they’re the shock, drop proof…any ways…their little fingers can make
quite a mess of the lens….resulting in the above picture…just wipe it off and you’ll get the below photo! =o)

The Laundry Epidemic

Speaking of things I should be doing instead of blogging…
So, recently two of my friends, Kate and Jennifer have both posted recently about laundry. How it quickly over takes your house, it’s always there to do, etc…

So, I thought I’d just chime in and say – ME TOO!

 

I am usually pretty good about getting the laundry cleaned! I can get the laundry into the wash and dryer great…then it sits…I used to bring it up to our room to work on when I got a chance, but our room was getting out of control. Now when it’s done getting clean I just leave it in the basement until I know I have time to sit down and fold it. (and then putting it away is another story)! =o)

 

So…here’s all my CLEAN laundry waiting for me to get to it….hmmmm.
A load waiting on the couch….
I think that’s 8 loads altogether…just waiting….

My Personal Blog

First things first….why am I even blogging? Well my friend Jennifer posted on my Facebook, that I REALLY need to update my blog ,”you have such great stuff to share”.

Hmmm….I am not sure about that, what she means, or who even reads (or would if I actually posted) my blog.

I Twitter to keep up with my photographer colleges and help keep clients know that I am an actual person instead of just some vendor for their wedding, I Facebook so my Mom knows what’s going on with us, and to keep up with my friends. I now post photos of the kids on Flicker so that my Mother in Law who is not on FB can see the kids, and I also  update our Locke Innovations business Blog and our Locke Innovations Business Facebook Page 

  in hopes of keeping up with current Brides and getting new clients….how does one keep up with all this stuff, I mean REALLY? =o)

 

When it comes to this space…I definitely feel like this is where I can say whatever I want, show whatever I want (even un-edited photos straight off the camera – Shhhh don’t tell anyone) so why don’t I blog? Besides the obvious…that it takes time? I always feel guilty, like aren't there a million other things I am suppose to be doing besides sitting writing, and posting pictures of my kids?

Answer: I don’t really know the social rules of blogging….a lot of times I think, Oh, I should blog about that…but usually it’s just my critical thoughts on something, or complaining about something…and who wants to read about me complaining all the time?

 

I think I need a class on Blogging 101…the Do’s and Don’ts!

 

 

 

 

 

I DO really enjoy reading my friends blogs…I just put them all into Google Reader and when I get a chance to peruse through, I do!
A couple of my favs…
EEK! I have a Blog!
Here Only

Plaid Zebras
Savvy Little Women

Tifandtheboys

 

I enjoy keeping up with my friends and family and I have I have a lot of other blogs I read to learn things from, etc…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soo….I guess I’ll try this all again. Is anyone out there listening/viewing?

Fresh Pumpkin

So, yesterday I made some VERY yummy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies! I got the recipe from my friend Kate’s blog!!! SOOO yummy! Here’s the recipe again:

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts(optional)
Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.
**Making mine with fresh pumpkin, they were more soft and cake like – might of had too much pumpkin – yet so yummy!

 

Yesterday, I used the last of the fresh pumpkin I had made from last year and froze it. I was actually really surprised that after being the freezer for a whole year, how wonderfully delicious and very pumpkin-y it still tasted!

Have you ever bought a pumpkin that is grown for actually eating (not a carving pumpkin). I thought I’d try it last year. I asked the lady at the Pumpkin Patch what kind was good, and she set me up.

She said, once you try Fresh Pumpkin, you’ll never use Canned Pumpkin again. I have to agree!

This year, I tried a different variety than last year, to see if one was better than the other – I am not sure I really will be able to tell the difference, but we’ll see.

This year’s cooking pumpkin looked like a Giant Pickle (said Araya) but it was light orange, slightly pinkish. Note: Cooking pumpkins arn’t always in a traditional “pumpkin” shape – It’s okay! And makes it easier to cook it.

How to cook Fresh Cooking Pumpkin:

Cut the pumpkin into big chunks, either just in half, or in quarters.

Scoop out the seeds and ‘guts’. Then place in a baking dish. Add about an inch or so of water. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. You should be able to pierce with a fork very easily.
In the photo above I needed extra space so put two pieces in a ceramic baking dish, and those pieces took about 20 – 30 mins longer to bake than in the glass dishes.

Once it is cooled enough to handle (it will still be hot, but you’re not going to be burning your fingers.) Use a spoon to scoop the ‘meat’ out of the pumpkin, away from the skin.

 

Just put it in the food processor and blend until smooth.

 

Then I get freezer bags, either the kind you suck out the air, or just normal freezer bags. Weigh it on a scale. Put 15 oz in each freezer bag, so it matches the amount of a can of pumpkin, so it will work for your recipes. 
 

Simple huh? =o) And from experience, it lasts at least a year in the freezer!

Also, and this is the kicker… The Pumpkin I bought cost me $3, and made 8 ‘can-sizes’ of pumpkin! With this years’
 ‘can pumpkin’ shortage from last year’s poor crops, I am set and saved a pretty penny when Thanksgiving and Christmas roll around, and I want to make Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Muffins, Bread, Pumpkin Rolls and of course more Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!