Sunday's Child

He was born on Sunday... 

12:10 AM to be precise. 

And he is a cutie!

Now both of my sisters have a little bundle of wonderful :)

How I love those tiny toes.
How I love being an Aunt!

Five Items & A Camera

This week started out so well. 

I took "Old and New" on Sunday and I was so pleased with it straight out of the camera that I felt confident this collection would come together beautifully. As the week went on I was filled with doubt- I chose 5 but I kept on shooting, just in case I found something better. 

I uploaded 10 photos instead of 5 and the funny thing is, 

I ended up choosing the ones I took in the first place! 

1. Old & New

 2. Night Photography

 3. Music

4. Cheesy

 5. Sun

Sunshine and Window Markers

Yesterday, my littlest little guy was very restless. 

My "big" kids were doing their workbooks at the table and my little one rejected all my attempts to distract him: water colors, stickers, crayons and markers- he would have none of it. 

That's when I remembered the window markers from my mother in law.

Wonder of wonders, they worked! He was entranced, and I was relieved to have some peace and quiet.

My little girl finished her coloring and matching shapes in her work book so she moved to the window. 

She made a big circle and said "Look Mom, I made a sun! and there's you and me under the sun." 

 Now, I usually resist anything that might make a mess but as I watched them color I remembered the importance of letting them have fun even if it makes a mess. These didn't make a terrible mess but I feel myself turning a corner... a friend once told me that when it comes to arts and crafts, creativity can be measured by how messy you get. Well then... let the creativity begin!

Of all the photos I've taken this week, this is hands down my favorite :)

Underwater Volcano (and other magic potions)

Over the past couple weeks, my son has been staying up late (from nap time) to work on his science experiments. He claims that it is much more fun than school!

He made liquids change color using acids, bases and red cabbage juice powder, he made jiggly crystals out of polyacrylamide crystals, and an "under water volcano" in a test tube. I really love the one on one time with him- I think he loves the pipette, the measuring and mixing all by himself. We have only tried one experiment that he disliked- cornstarch mixed with water to form a non-Newtonian fluid. 

He said it smelled like Ostrich poo. Hmm. Interesting observation.

Here are the polyacrylamide crystals that soaked up colored water.

 Here is his "underwater volcano." The ingredients are: water, baking soda, red cabbage juice powder and oil. We counted down "Three! Two! One!" and then he added a small scoop of citric acid which sank to the bottom and created a chemical reaction with the baking soda. Carbon dioxide bubbles! Color change! Fizz! I think my kid liked it too ;)
I decided to photograph some oil and water experiments of my own. Using red cabbage juice powder, baking soda and citric acid, I changed the color of the water several times, with varying results. I showed you one of the photos from this simple experiment on Monday- here are some more!

All I need now is a potion that perfects my photography!

Roasted Corn with Basil Butter

Simple, Flavorful, Flexible.

A couple months ago, my husband made delicious roasted corn on the cobb for a family cook out. It was so delicious that I still catch myself day dreaming about it from time to time... just last night I thought wistfully about that mouth watering corn as I cooked dinner. Unfortunately I didn't actually have any corn on the cobb and at 6:00 PM it's too late to run to the store with 3 little ones. Apparently I suffer from Planning Deficit Disorder because this kind of thing happens way too often. But, even though I only had frozen corn kernels I forged ahead- and it worked! Who says frozen food has to be bland? It came together very quickly and it can be served with anything (no promises that it actually goes with anything).

Last night it went into a salad!

Bacon, lettuce, tomato, green onions and roasted corn with ranch dressing and fresh ground black pepper.

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Basil Butter

Basil Butter
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Corn
5 ears corn, husked
5 sheets heavy duty foil

Directions
Combine all basil butter ingredients in a small bowl; mix well.

Preheat grill (or oven to 350 degrees).

Place each ear of corn on sheet of foil. Spread prepared butter on each ear of corn; wrap securely. Place wrapped corn on preheated grill on medium heat. Cook 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through, turning occasionally during cook time. Unwrap and serve corn with remaining basil butter. 5 servings.

or if you suffer from PDD, simply heat corn kernels and basil butter in a heavy pan or cast iron skillet until hot, about 5 minutes.

I 'm going to start planning dinner now while I have plenty of time... we shall see how it goes :)

Macro Monday

I ran across some awesome oil and water photos at Chasing Rainbows and I felt inspired to create my own! They didn't turn out like I expected but I had a lot of fun!

F/4.5, 1/160, ISO 800, 210mm

Scavenger Hunt

1. Geometry

2. Brushstrokes

3. Hanging by a Thread

4. Collage 

Summer might be almost over but we're going to squeeze out every last drop of goodness!

5. On the Dotted Line 

Friday Favorite

I love this so, so much- not only because it turned out so pretty SOOC...

 but because she's showing me how many times she twirled in the pool.

85mm, f2.2, 1/1600sec, ISO 500

Little Cowboy

What do you think this caption should be?

Fudgy Buttons

These "candies" only take a couple minutes to whip together and kids really love them... 

not to mention I love them too :)

Like any great recipe, it all starts with melted butter...

...and cocoa!

Add powdered sugar...

...milk and peanut butter...

Form them into little patties and...Voila! You have fudgy buttons!

At this point my little girl LOVES to sprinkle sprinkles... but it adds crunch, which is not my favorite. 

It's your choice.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon milk
1/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:
In a small saucepan, melt the butter; remove from heat. Add cocoa and mix well. Stir in sugar. Add milk and stir until smooth. Add peanut butter and mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper; flatten tops and shape into 1-inch patties. Stick them in the fridge and chill for a few minutes. Yield: about 1-1/2 dozen.

i heart volunteers

I really love volunteers- flower volunteers to be more specific!

This Zinnia is a volunteer.

And so is this!

And this!

Edit: A volunteer is a plant that re-seeded itself and grew up unexpectedly. 
While it is very exciting to find little sprouts popping up, I don't have any tips for how to make your plants volunteer... I guess that's the nature of "volunteering" isn't it?
So here is a way to harvest your own Marigold seeds:

1. Snip off the dead heads

2. Pull off the petals

3. Open the flower

4. Plant your seeds or save them in a cool, dry place for next year.

It just occurred to me that you'll save about $2.00! ;)
Is anyone else laughing? 

Happy Monday, y'all!

Let the Hunt Begin!

1. Against the Light

2. Frame Within a Frame

3. Best Part of My Day

Waking up together, hearing from him during the day, when he comes home at night-
that's the best part of my day.

4. Buttons

5. Ink