Introducing....

Baby H!   Born 9.1.11 @ 11:10 am.


24 hours old

one month old

                                                                             seven weeks old

Veggie Chips

So, I recently decided to purchase a dehydrator!

I originally wanted to use it to dry all the herbs we are getting from our CSA this year.  I haven't got around to doing that yet, but I've made some yummy veggie chips!

I've had great success with zucchini, beets and kale so far.  

To make the zucchini and beet chips, I simply washed them and sliced thin with a mandolin.  Mine was set to .5 (not sure exactly what that measurement is!).  I then layed the 'chips' out on a single layer on the dehydrator.  Sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and pepper.  I set the temp to 115º and let them dry.  The zucchini chips took about 3 hours.  The beet chips took a bit longer, around 5-6.  Store in an airtight container!

For the kale chips, it took a bit more work.  After I washed and broke the stems off the kale I combined it with olive oil, salt and pepper.  You can use any seasonings you want, but I decided to start of simple.  You want to massage the olive oil into the kale.  It will shrink down significantly.  After massaging the kale, place on dehydrator tray in an single layer.  I started these at 155º for an hour and then reduced to 115º for another 2-3 hours.  They came out so crispy!  Much better than my attempts in the oven!

And the end result!

DIY....disaster!

I don't know what I was thinking.  I'm claiming temporary insanity.  Preggers brain gone wild.

Yesterday I decided we* should get crackin' on that flooring project I've been considering since we bought the house.

*by 'we' I mean 'me'.  Hubby avoids DIY like the plague...mayonaise.

You see, there was some 'el cheapo' laminate flooring in the entry hall and kitchen.  Apparently the previous owners didn't get the memo that laminate shouldn't be used in areas that are exposed to water.  There were lumps and bumps in the flooring caused by water in the kitchen and near the front door.

flooring before 

Oh...and the other thing.  I HATE laminate.  Maybe a good quality laminate with a quality sound barrier would be okay, but I hate the sound of it when you wall on it, or drop something on it....or the dogs nails get to long and start clacking on it.  I weird like that.

I'd been considering getting the newer vinyl plank flooring.  Durability of vinyl (+ for someone with dogs!) and looks and feels like wood floors.  And another bonus, no 'clack' sound!

So anyways.  Back to my temporary insanity.  Have I mentioned that I'm 33 weeks pregnant?  Yeah...  After three hours of prying off quarter round and pulling up the old stuff, I was shot. I felt like an 90 year old arthritic grandma.  Seriously.  Not fun.

oh boy...flooring up, quarter round off 

and

check out that 'quality' job they did on the subfloor!

lovely sheet vinyl in the kitchen *shudders* oh the horror!

I got a 3 x 3 section down and decided that maybe it would behoove me to get a professional to finish this.

looking good!  too bad I don't have the mojo to finish it...

Luckily, we had someone out earlier this year to quote the work.  And lucky for me, he could squeeze us in this weekend.  So it should be done Friday!!

 

Fix It Friday #101

This is my first time participating in Fix It Friday over at I Heart Faces, so bear with me!

Here's the image SOOC

When I first saw this photo, I immediately thought of the darker version of Red Riding Hood that was released this year.

So here's my interpretation

Other than the obvious crop, I did a quick clean edit, adjusted some levels, ran an Everyday Element action (can't remember which one!) and applied a texture from Kim Klassen.  Next time I will take notes as I go so I can remember EXACTLY what I did.

Week Two-Shutter Speed

We all had a lot of fun with this weeks assignment!

I've played with shutter speed before but NEVER in manual.

The first photo is of 'frozen action.'  Our Boston Terrier, Bentley, LOVES his b-a-l-l!  And he's quite good at jumping and catching it in mid air.

f/6.3  :  1/1600  :  ISO 400

Next up is 'implied action'.  Hubby's most recent obsession is R/C helicoptors.  He has two now.  This is his 'outside' one.  It was pretty bright out this afternoon, so I may try this one again later in the day.

f/25  :  1/20  :  ISO 400

And finally....panning!  This is one of those things that practice makes perfect.  And I need some more practice!

This is hubbys' other obsession, and my daily driver.  We took a ton of 'panning' shots and this was the best of the bunch.

f/22  :  1/13  :  ISO 125

Week One - Photo Basics Class

So, I'm pretty sure I've learned more watching Brooke's two tutorials this week than I ever have!

Only one set of photos to show today.  My trusty laptop with all my pictures on it decided to die on me this morning.  Doh!  I was able to retake the singular theme aperture opportunity.

Just a bit of info:  I shoot with a Nikon D5000.  This set of photos was taken with the Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8.  LOVE this lens!

f/1.8  :  1/640  :  ISO 1250

f/8  :  1/80  :  ISO 2800

f/22  :  1/8  :  ISO 2200

Quite a bit of camera shake in that last one.   And I just realized that my camera was set to auto ISO in manual mode.  Oops!  So they are a bit grainy.

If the hubby figures out the issue with the laptop I'll post those photos!

Overachiever?

So, I'm 21w1d today.  We have the big ultrasound on Friday.  On Tuesday we got the crib (thanks Mom!) and put it together!



The dresser/changing table and rocking chair are ordered.  Should be here soon.

We painted (Sherwin Williams Green Vibes) about a month ago.

As soon as we find out the gender I'll be ordering fabric for curtains and the crib skirt.

Oh, and I've been making my own cloth diapers!  So cute!



Two more days and then we can work on finishing the nursery!  I'm surprised I've been able to wait this long!

My very first FO!

That would be Finished Object!

The Little Fire Crochet Soaker
http://withatangledskein.blogspot.com/2008/02/little-fire-crochet-soaker-pattern.html



It's my very first attempt at crochet.  Not bad, huh?!

I've been dabbling in knitting for a while now but haven't mastered it yet.  I have problems with my tension.  But crochet is SO much simpler for me!

Now...on to my next project!

Happy Hooking! : )

Introducing....

Baby K!



Well, the Midwife claims that's a baby!

We're expecting his or her arrival July 27th!

Bokeh! Oh Yeah!

bokeh: n, a Japanese term for the subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photographic image

See how the Cuz is totally in focus and and the rest is out of focus?  That would be bokeh, at least my interpretation.

As a (very) amateur photographer, I LOVE bokeh!  And I just picked up a new lens to help me achieve this look.  The Nikkor 35mm f/18.   

Just a few more examples:

Brandon is not quite as impressed as I am....or maybe he's just tired of having his picture taken!

Farmers Market Baskets

So I was checking out the smitten kitchen blog tonight and noticed the most adorable baskets that look like the containers that berries come in.  I was immediately in love with them!  I had to know where she got them!  Luckily another reader had asked where she got them.  Hers came from Uncommon Goods, but they were sold out.  Thankfully, another reader had found something similar at Velocity!  

I ended up getting two of the smaller ones and one of the strawberry baskets!  Can't wait for them to get here so I will have an adorable way to display all my CSA fruits/veggies!

Bathroom Re-Do!

Ok, so it's still a work in progress, but here goes!

Before-straight up 1998 contractor style!  I will take credit for the wall color and updated light fixture.  But that's it!

We tore up the flooring, removed the vanity and all trim.  Decided to go with a color called Bullfrog by Dutch Boy for the walls.

Next came the tile.  We used a product called SnapStone.  The color is Beige and the grout color is Antique White.  The benefits of this product was the ease of installation.  This is a floating tile system.  Each tile is mounted in a tray that snaps together with the next tile.  There is minimal floor prep and no need to cement these to the floor or use spacers (they space themselves)!  

This was my first time installing tile (well, flooring of ANY kind) but with a little help from my brother, I knocked it out in an hour or so.

                                      

We have to wait about 72 hours for the grout to cure and then we can get the wainscot and trim up!  

First CSA Pick Up of the Season!!

I've been waiting for this day for MONTHS!  We signed up for a CSA (community supported agriculture) in February.  Today was the day to pick up our first share!


Our share included:


buttercrisp lettuce
baby romaine lettuce
russian red kale
thai basil
basil
golden lemon thyme
rosemary
lemon balm
lavender
parsley

Ellie loves the thai basil-smells soo good!

I have a couple of recipes planned for all these great greens and herbs!


The acutal farm is pretty amazing as well.  Hopefully next week I can get some pictures!

What is this?

The truth? Well I'm not sure what it's going to be yet!


A cooking blog? Maybe!

A blog about our family?  Possibly!

Lots of pictures of of family? Defiantly!  


I guess we'll just see what this morphs into!