22 Jun | 2011

Mad Cow Disease? Not Enough Beef?

Filed Under: Me, Myself, and I

The view outside my office window has recently changed. Sadly they cut down the really large tree that was so beautiful earlier this month after it was struck by lightening several months back. Tuesday morning around 7 AM, I saw a loose cow out in the field and had to share my experience with Cody via text. There wasn’t anyone around to share my view outside my window with.

Me: LOL! I looked out the window and thought the big tree’s trunk was a loose cow- what did you sneak into my coke this morning.

Cody: U starting to scare me.

Me: It was too big to be a deer and with the light/sun was the perfect cow color

Me: Maybe it’s mad cow diseas- think I need to go home sick.

Cody: It will be alright, have not had enough beef for dinner

Me: LOL (as I was almost literally ROFL)

I was telling a co-worker about this later and she did agree with me that it looks like a cow with its head down eating.

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21 Jun | 2011

Birthday Cake

Filed Under: Cooking

Most years, I don’t get a birthday cake and somehow that bothers me. This year, when I told Cody about it, he set out to fix it. We raided the pantry to see what kinds of cake mixes I had and there was Red Velvet Cake. So, Cody set out to make it. I had to laugh when he asked if he needed to split the eggs. It reminded me of just how many things we make from scratch in my home. But, of course, I told him no- it’s a box cake. They’re designed to be easy.

Next it was time for the icing- which happens to be Cody’s favorite icing, lucky for him, right? A little reward for him. Now our family’s red velvet cake icing isn’t hard but you kinda need to know what you’re doing. So, he reads the recipe. . . “5 tbsp of flour” I hear him exclaim. I explained that yes to you take the flour and the milk and you cook them until literally you can’t stir them anymore. Then you let it cool. He asked three times if he was done stirring.

He reminded me while stirring that I wasn’t stalking him with the camera- needless to say, I got the camera out.

When the cake was ready, he got it out. . . and since he knew I was taking pictures, he just had to have the cake tester facing so that you could read “Cake Tester”- he’s a nut as I’m sure you know.

Then it was time for him to study the icing recipe some more. I had to tell him that he needed to wait a bit or else the icing would totally melt.

So, he begins creaming the icing- using the pulse on the food processor. . . . Ah, you got to love him. He brought lots of smiles. And, he learned a few things, I hope- like cream means you let the food processor go for a while. As he was making the icing, he said he never figured his favorite icing would be so difficult.

Then, of course it was time to move on to the icing of the cake. I laughed when I heard him first get aggravated- red velvet cake always seems to crumble while icing it. But, then I noticed he was getting rather chinchy with icing. . . (He couldn’t wait to eat what remained, of course.)

The cake, it was delicious! (Sorry Jacksters, I know you both love this cake. Should have been here.)

PS Can you tell I was on a dish cleaning hiatus for the day?

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17 Jun | 2011

Flashback Friday: New Orleans

Filed Under: Life's Bits and Pieces

Here’s some more shots from 2004- this one is from November.  I happened upon this look for these shots and kinda liked it.

Dad used to go to New Orleans for work on a regular basis.  At first he brought home Beignet from Cafe Du Monde, and as time went on, he began bringing home the mix (which you can now buy in the stores).  We’d go to Florida on a regular basis to see family which meant we drove near New Orleans. . .. Mom, Jack, and I would beg dad to stop but he never would.  Coming back from a trip to Florida in 2004, things were different- Jack and I were adults, Cody was driving.  Mom, Jack, and I made the decision to stop by New Orleans on our way home.  We outnumbered Dad and could put our foot down.  So, Sunday morning, we stopped in New Orleans for Beignet and to see a little bit of the French Quarter.  It was rather anti-climatic but at least we can say we were there (and after Katrina, i was even more glad we’d stopped).

I really did enjoy the little architectural details though and all of us with our cameras did take quite a few shots.  Here’s just a few.

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11 Jun | 2011

We’re All A Little Bit Crazy

Filed Under: Scrapbooking

I believe, no really, I know that all of us scrapbookers are just a little bit crazy. Not because we want to capture our memories. But we will go to “extreme” heights in order to do that.

Here’s case in point:

As a coach in Finding Photo Freedom, I’m doing blog posts for the class. I wrote today’s post about the importance of archiving. And then thought about the two things I would grab in case of fire etc- probably even before my pictures. My quilt that my best friend’s granny made me and my waffle iron. Literally, I’ve been known to put my waffle iron in our fireproof gun safe. I love it that much!

I realized I wasn’t sure if I even had pictures of my waffle iron. And if something did happen to it, I’d want to at least have a picture to remember it by. (And yes, I dread the day it stops working)

So, I set out to rectify that. I made my husband go to Wal-mart and get some buttermilk. So, I could make waffles. Not so I could eat them- but so I could shoot them with my camera. Of course, I did eat the waffle I made for dinner last night and will use the batter this morning for breakfast. I even purposefully over filled the waffle iron so that I could get it to overflow like I remember happening with mom’s when I was child.

The next thing I did as I thought about all the reasons it was so important was go ahead and make this page.

Journaling Reads:  This waffle iron is one of my two most prized physical possessions- seriously, It’s one of the first things I try to protect when a hurricane or wildfire comes our way and would be one of the first things I’d grab in a fire.  You see, it’s probably not replaceable.  It must be over 30 years old.  I got this waffle iron from Aunt Elta’s house- oh how I loved that house growing up.  I knew instantly I’d hit the jackpot when I found this waffle iron- it’s just like mom’s was.  I cringe at the thought of the day that will inevitably come. The day when it won’t work anymore, it’s given me a couple of scares and we’ve had to replace the cord several times.  I have so many memories wrapped up in this waffle iron.  Memories of mom making waffles and watching (and silently hoping for a disaster) when the batter would ooze over as a child.  Mom was good at that.  Her waffle iron gave up the ghost a long time ago but it was nowhere near as perfectly seasoned as this one.  It makes perfect waffles- all I have to do is whip up some homemade batter- never the powder mix.  Mom spoiled us that way and I’ve passed that down to my nephew who can whip up his own batter.  And of course, waffles always make a god dinner.  This waffle iron is so very precious to me.

Supplies: Ali Edwards- template, twill, label; Carina Gardner- ribbon and papers; Anna Aspens- stitching; Splendid Fins- “lace”

 What crazy things have you done to capture a story?

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11 Jun | 2011

Beloved Waffle Iron of Mine

Filed Under: Life's Bits and Pieces, Photography, Scrapbooking

Have I ever told you about my waffle maker. It’s more precious to me that you might imagine. Ask me what I would take if I had 5 minutes to save stuff out of my house and my waffle maker would be #1 or 2 on the list. Seriously, I’m a bit crazy about it and the quilt that my Lisa’s granny made me.  I’ve been known to put it in the fire-proof safe at times

This waffle iron is unlike most any other waffle iron- you’d be hard pressed to find one like it that works today.

Here’s I’ll let the layout do the talking.

Journaling Reads:  This waffle iron is one of my two most prized physical possessions- seriously, It’s one of the first things I try to protect when a hurricane or wildfire comes our way and would be one of the first things I’d grab in a fire.  You see, it’s probably not replaceable.  It must be over 30 years old.  I got this waffle iron from Aunt Elta’s house- oh how I loved that house growing up.  I knew instantly I’d hit the jackpot when I found this waffle iron- it’s just like mom’s was.  I cringe at the thought of the day that will inevitably come. The day when it won’t work anymore, it’s given me a couple of scares and we’ve had to replace the cord several times.  I have so many memories wrapped up in this waffle iron.  Memories of mom making waffles and watching (and silently hoping for a disaster) when the batter would ooze over as a child.  Mom was good at that.  Her waffle iron gave up the ghost a long time ago but it was nowhere near as perfectly seasoned as this one.  It makes perfect waffles- all I have to do is whip up some homemade batter- never the powder mix.  Mom spoiled us that way and I’ve passed that down to my nephew who can whip up his own batter.  And of course, waffles always make a god dinner.  This waffle iron is so very precious to me.

(And yes, mom, I overflowed it just to capture that memory of something you almost always did!)

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10 Jun | 2011

Flashback Friday- A Hop, Skip, and Jump Away & Archery

Filed Under: Family and Friends

I’m realizing that I have so many old pics that I ought to share here. . . . so I’m re-starting Flashback Fridays.

This Friday, I bring you some shots of Cody’s Uncle and Cousin back from April 2004.  Barbara was working toward qualifying for the Olympic qualifiers in Archery and there was a tournament in College Station.  We were really excited that they made the trip from Tennessee. . . they stopped here to visit with us.  Then made the drive to College Station- down Hwy 21- If you’ve ever been down that road you know, since it’s one of the oldest routes in Texas, that there are tons of Historical Markers. . . . Barbara shared with us when we met up with them in College Station, that Uncle Jim stopped at all of them!

Here’s a few of the pics I took in College Station with my then pretty new first digital camera:

I love the shot above- Uncle Jim the coach and dad watching over things from a distance.

LOL and I’m remembering now that this was the trip I felt so lost in College Station- I kept looking for the Olive Garden, which I later learned had burned down. . . . . and it threw me off.

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