Photo Class 101

I'm talked a little bit about my new camera but today I wanted to share a little more!  For about two years I've been saving my pennies to get a Canon Rebel T2i camera.  Yep, one of those "fancy" cameras with lenses and even extra flashes.  I love to take photos because photos are memories.  You may not always have those special outfits or birthday banners but you can remember the moment through photos.  I was beyond thrilled to finally be able to order my camera at the beginning of February.  I was not so thrilled with this camera when I got it - I could not get it to focus for anything, the pictures were over exposed - it was not pretty.  About the time I bought it, a photographer friend of mine sent out an e-mail about upcoming classes she was offering on photography.  It was perfect so I signed up and hoped she could figure out what was wrong with my camera!  The fist class was about a week and half ago - she handed my camera to her assistant and said "figure it out" . . .and guess what?  She did!  At first even she thought the camera was broken and I would have to return it but then, she took the lens off and put it back on and then. . .it worked!  Apparently, when I put the lens on, I didn't turn it quite far enough to click and therefore it didn't work right.  WHEW!!!!  Then, I LOVED my camera.  The class was awesome - I learned more in that first class then I have learned my entire life about taking photos.  What a true thrill! 

Our first assignment was to set the camera on "P", use natural light, get close (and then closer) and take 100+ photos to learn how our camera reacts to light.  What fun!  Here are some of my favorite photos that I've taken over the last week or so and are the photos I plan on taking to class this coming Thursday.

 This is my cat Misty taken in our kitchen with a ton of sunlight - by far one of the best photos I've ever taken of her in the 15 years I've had her!

I loved playing with the light - the animals were almost better subjects because they don't move but my kids did pretty well too :-) 

I'm so excited about class on Thursday - I know I will learn more that I can use in our every day life.  One of the best things about this class?  The last of the 4 sessions is the week before my niece's wedding . .. and my boys are her ring bearer's . .. . I am confident I'll get some awesome shots!!! 

Homeschool Haven

Just as clarification with this post - sometimes ideas may seem "old" due to being associated with a Holiday but I add to this post over several weeks until I have enough ideas to make it worthwhile to publish so . . like with the first item I am posting, it is just an idea to remember for the future even though the holiday has already passed us by!

This first idea is from Mom to 2 posh lil divas and is a perfect idea to do along with President's day - it is a penny experiment.  Considering how much my kids love pennies, I know they would enjoy this idea.

Sometimes I just like to save a post because I like the ideas and don't want to have to search for it (because, lets be real, if you think you can actually find a post you want to find 3 months later, you are dreamin'!)  So this idea is for Tot Boxes and comes from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

I know I've shared an idea from this series from Spell Out Loud before but this Humpty Dumpty idea is just too cute not to share. 

I think this book is so adorable and Totally Tots shares some cute ideas to go right along with it.

I really do love the idea of sensory tubs and have made a few of my own over the past year or so.  I want to do more to go with our homeschool plans this fall so I love finding cute new ideas like this Bee Tube from Counting Coconuts.  (As a reminder to myself - March would be a great month to do a butterlfy theme since the Butterflys are blooming at "The Garden" . . .it's a great place to visit!)

One of the favorite books in our house is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - the boys can "read" it out loud they love it so much.  When I saw this great idea over at Thats What Che Said, well I had to post it here both for my sake and for yours!!

I really like this idea for a journal, even for a child who can't write yet, from The Princess and the Tot.  I think that I might add this idea to our curriculum for this fall.

You may remember that last summer we planted a small garden so when I saw this idea from A Pumpkin and a Princess, it struck me as something perfect to get before the beginning of summer.  What a great project for the boys to work on!

I'm not really sure how this fits into teaching but it would be just a fun activity to do with the boys . . maybe Art? HA!  A little while ago I came across this great blog called All for the Boys - she offers up some great all boy ideas; this one included - smash 'em up cars!

One of the problems I haven't solved until now is how to store printables especially since I want to start preparing them soon for the start of preschool this fall.  1+1+1=1 has come through again with this perfect solution.  No more trial and error for me - I'm going to be picking up supplies soon!

One final idea for this post comes from Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and it is really just some great ideas for homeschooling.  She gives a list of 10 great helps for beginner homeschoolers as well as many links to other resources. 

I didn't realize that I haven't posted this since February so there are some "old" ideas on here to use for next year! 

Our Weekly Menu - March 24th

Last week did not go quite as planned - it was hot.  I'm talking July hot - 80 degree days and humid.  Therefore one evening, my husband brought home a pizza, another night we made hamburgers on the grill.  This week made me remember how hot it gets in my kitchen and also reminded me of why, every year, I saw to my husband, "The house will be clean again in September" HA! 

The past few weeks/months our grocery bill has slowly crept upwards.  I'd like to blame it on prices but I know that a big part of the problem is me :-)  I enjoy cooking and finding recipes so as the weeks go by, my meals get more elaborate and therefore cost more.  This week I'm trying to cut way back and also try to plan meals that can be cooked in the oven or cooked on the grill if it is a warm day.  We'll see how this plan goes :-)

Saturday: We are gathering at my Mother-In-Law's house for the afternoon for a cook out.  It's always nice to gather with family and I don't have to cook!  (Just have to bring some hot dogs - someone else will cook them :-) )

Sunday:  My husband has an afternoon concert so we'll eat an early lunch - I'm going to do the little crescent wrapped sausages, Ro-tel dip and chips.  Then, I'm planning on him making it home for dinner (or at least a late dinner) so I'm just going to cook up some pork chops, make rice and veggies and throw in some biscuits :-) 

Monday: One of our favorites - Root Beer Pulled Pork,  oven roasted green beans, and, I'm going to cheat . . I'm going to pick up some Amish Macaroni Salad from Walmart.  We love the salad and it is really inexpensive!!

Tuesday: Another family favorite - we are going to have Teryaki Chicken Thighs, Rosemary Potatoes, Corn and Biscuits

Wednesday: I think Darryl is going to practice so the boys and I will get a treat. . .if Darryl is home well, we'll probably still get a pizza or something :-)

Thursday: Stuffed Shells, Asparagus, and garlic Bread.  This is a carry over from a few weeks ago that I need to make so I don't waste some of the ingredients!

Friday: Taco Soup and Beefy Roll-ups . .. this was on the plan for last week but, who wants soup when it is 80 out?  Not me!! 

After that heavy cake I made this past week, I'm going to go lighter for our dessert of the week and make a pie.  I haven't decided whether to try a Lemon Meringue Recipe I found or go back to the Lemon Blueberry or Raspberry Ribbon Pie that we love.  We'll see when I go to the store :-)

That's all :-)

Food Friday - Bacon Double Cheese Burger Dip

If you have followed this blog for long, you have learned that we enjoy little appetizer parties therefore I am always looking for new recipes.  I've tried a lot over the past year and only a couple have made the cut.  When I came across this recipe - well it looked hopeful, and it did not disappoint.

Bacon Double Cheese Burger Dip
adapted from Closet Cooking

I have to apologize - I took this photo on the second helping of the dip.  So yes, it is THAT good!  Wow.  I am a huge fan of worcestershire sauce so when I saw that as an ingredient I knew it had to be good and I was not disappointed at all.  My husband and I ate this for dinner one night after church - it was just as it promised, a burger in a dip!

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 6 strips bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoon ketchup

Directions

1. Cook the ground beef in a pan over medium heat, set it aside and drain the grease from the pan.
2. Cook the bacon in the pan until crispy, about 6-10 minutes, set aside and drain all but a tablespoon of the grease.
3. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
5. Mix the ground beef, bacon, onions and garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, mozzarella, cheddar, worcestershire sauce and ketchup and pour it into a baking dish.
6. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the top starts turning a light golden brown and then sides are bubbling, about 20-30 minutes

What I'm Reading!

You may remember that last week, I mentioned this book but I hadn't finished it.  This was a great book - the story was fun yet left you guessing.  The one downside is there was one thing that didn't get resolved in this book, book one, but I'm assuming that the author did this to carry her readers into the next book, which I will have to pick up soon!

This is book that I picked up for free through The Literature Lady on facebook.  I tend to forget that her page is not a Christian page but, rather, it includes all books.  So I'm torn on this one because, I though it was a great story but, honestly, it is a little "Rated R".  It starts out really rough on that front . . .I almost stopped reading but by the end of the 2nd chapter I was hooked and read the whole book in a day.  It gets less offensive the deeper in the book you go and the story really keeps you guessing.  I find this author a great writer - just wish she was a Christian writer :-) 

Normally I try to read the synopsis of a book before I read it (just like I used to read the back of the book I could hold in my hand) but I didn't on this one or some odd reason.  This is a true story of Kenneth Tingle, written by Kenneth Tingle.  He grew up in a rough area, in a tough home, and fought his way through his childhood and teenage years.  This is a true story of hope and what hope really means.  I would recommend this book for reading.  It does have language throughout the book but it is too be expected considering where and how the author grew up. 

Of course, I know you are all wondering if I read anymore Stephanie Plum books and the answer is . . YES!  I picked up a couple more Amazon gift cards from Swag Bucks I had earned plus there was on offer on my kindle and I was able to get a $10.00 card for $5.00 (Leaving me an additional $5.00 to use this month in cash!!)  So I actually picked up two of her books.  I finished one and just started another one.

Pinterest Challenge . . .and then some!

Welcome back to another weekly Pinterest Challenge!  But first, I wanted to share something else I made!.  You may recall seeing this cake in a recent Too Cute Not to Toot.

I said I was going to try it and try it I did.  I spent pretty much all day Monday working on putting this cake together - it is not a quick - throw it together kinda cake. 

First of all, I have to say that I do not have great success with layer cakes.  I like to blame it on my cake pans . . .I think they are slightly larger than what I need but I think the problem is really me.  I made the cheesecake and then made the cake.  Let everything cool and attempted to get them out of the pans unsuccessfully HA  I need to really get some parchment paper to use in the pans - I'm sure that would solve the problem.  My cheesecake layer and the cake layers were not the same size. . the cheesecake was probably about a 1/2 inch wider all the way around.  I'm sure a profession baker would have cute them to size but not me :-)  I just frosted that baby and let it go.  Now, my frosting . . .I lost count on the number of cups of powdered sugar I put in . . .it called for 6 and I did somewhere between 5 and like 8 . .. it was pretty sweet so I'm leaning more toward the 8!!!  I know you are dying for a photo so here ya go.

I know you are laughing so let me share another one for your viewing pleasure

HA!  What a sad cake.  Now, here's my honest opinion of this cake.  It is over. the. top.  I personally really liked the layer of chocolate cake and cheesecake but really didn't need the butter cream or the chocolate on top - the cheesecake adds enough moisture.  The chocolate cake is a great homemade recipe that I would use again by itself too.  The buttercream was not my favorite but maybe it was the extra powdered sugar ;-) 

If you want to improve on my attempt check out the recipe over at Bird on a Cake - she gives great instructions on how to put this together.

My one Pinterest attempt this week was a failure.

I found a recipe for a copy cat recipe for Olive Garden Dressing.  Wow, it was awful - very tangy and over powering on the salad.  Neither my husband nor I could eat our salad it was so strong.  We LOVE Olive Garden and this just did not measure up!

Enjoy!

Too Cute Not To Toot

With Easter coming up quickly, this first idea is one that is too adorable not to share (and there is even still time to do it!).  How Does She?  shares a super cute idea for growing your own Easter Grass. 

Girl Loves Glam shares a great idea for an organization center.  As I'm decorating my kitchen, I'm trying to set up an organization center that is clutter free and I like this concept.  It at least gives me a starting off point.

Ok, I apologize for the lack of ideas but in trying to finish this up on Monday night - my Internet is giving my issues!!  There must be some interference here because our Dish is also searching for signal.  So, enjoy these two ideas and hopefully it will be better next week!