Cambria Photoshoot

If it seems like I've become obsessed with taking pictures and editing them, its because I am. I dream in vibrant color that will make my picturesn pop out, and I am constantly in wait for the next time I can get out ofthe house and do a photoshoot. I mean, when you have all your pictures edited the next morning by 10:00 am, you know there has been some neglecting of your child. But hey, at least his childhood will be well documented ; )

Well, who can blame me when I have the two cutest boys ever to take pictures of??

Just as a side note, I shot all these in Manual, a huge accomplishment for me that I've been working on : )

Bye Bye Sleeper

Jackson has always been the kind of kid to completely sprawl out when he's sleeping (must get it from his mom). Even from just a couple weeks old he would rather sleep with his arms above his head than swaddled up in a blanket. Then we found the most amazing thing to get him to sleep while keeping him bundled up.....

The sleeper.

We found it at Target (my safe haven) one day and since then we have never been able to find one just like it with a hood and long sleeves and everything. The second we put it on him he starts rubbing his eyes and he knows its time to sleep. When Jackson started getting too long for it where he couldn't stretch out his legs, I sewed on an extension with similar spare fabric that I had and lined it a soft blue minky material. Problem solved. Now the summer is approaching and its getting way too hot for him to sleep in. Slowly we are trying to ween him off this amazing blessing that was sent to us, but alas Jackson is too attached to it. So goodbye amazing sleeper, you've been good to us, and hello to trying to reform great sleeping habits (again).

Breakfast Recipes

I've never been the kind of person that loves breakfast. In High School I probably wouldn't even eat it most days, and going out to breakfast seemed like such a waste of time and money on a meal that I never feel good after. This was a hard adjustment for Brian who absolutely LOVES breakfast because I never wanted to make it. So I found some breakfast recipes of meals that at least sounded kind of decent to me and made them for three days, and let me tell you I am now a converted lover of breakfast. They were so easy and had at least one healthy alternative to some fatty meal I had made before. They have all been added to "the list" of meals I will make again. I absolutely love cooking but I'm also picky about the meals I will make on a regular basis, and more often than not I'll end up making a few adjustments of my own to get them just right. Here are the recipes:

Pumpkin Pancakes:

Trust me, I was as hesitant as anyone about this recipe. For one, pumpkin is pretty bland and pancakes are too (without anything on top). For two, I got this recipe while reading an article about sneaking veggies into your kids food, which didn't build much confidence for me that you had to sneak it in to get your kids to eat it. To my surprise these were extremely moist and very flavorful!

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbs. sugar

1tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 Tbs. unsalted butter, divided

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk (I didn't have buttermilk so I mixed 1 Tbs.

lemon juice with 1 cup of milk

and let it stand for 5 minutes,

its a great alternative!)

1/3 cup canned pumpkin

1. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Melt 1 Tbs. butter. Whisk in egg, buttermilk, pumpkin, and melted butter.

(Note: Because I thought it would be a little bland, I decided to mix it up and add a sprinkle of nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves. We thought it was just what this recipe needed)

2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp. butter, swirl pan to coat. Spoon on batter and flip just like a regular pancake.

3. Cover with syrup (the recipe says maple syrup but the regular kind was just fine) and raspberries if you have them.

I also made bacon and eggs on the side, and for a healthy spin on eggs add some red bell pepper! Its so delicious and such an easy add. If you're feeling crazy that morning, go ahead and add some mushroom and onion too, and I season with Santa Maria Style Seasoning.

Pancakes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Okay could there be an easier recipe? All you need are some fresh strawberries,

Some pancakes and whipped cream,

Smother them with syrup,

And enjoy : )



Whole Wheat Breakfast Crepes

Don't be intimidated by the name, trust me these are so easy and so delicious. Anything that says "whole wheat" has always made me nervous, I've always thought it meant so much extra work but really all I had to do was buy whole wheat flour, go figure! ; )

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (Little hint: Look at the ingredients list and make sure the first ingredient doesn't say "enriched" anywhere. You can also use all-purpose flour)

3 Tbs. sugar

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup skim milk (I only had 1% and it turned out just fine)

2 large eggs, beaten

2 Tbs. butter, plus more for frying

1. In a mixing bowl, blend flour, sugar and salt. Gradually whisk in milk. Add beaten eggs and continure mixing until the batter is smooth and creamy, with no lumps. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight). When ready to make the crepes, melt 2 Tbs. butter, add to batter and mix thoroughly.

2. Heat a small pan over medium heat. Brush the pan lightly with butter or oil (repeat for each new crepe. Pour 2 Tbs. of batter into the pan and tilt to spread evenly. Flip once browned.

For these berry crepes, just heat up a package of frozen mixed berries and add about 1-2 Tbs. sugar. In a separate cup mix together about 1/2 cup water and 1 Tbs. cornstarch and pour in while stirring berry mixture. (Sorry this is a recipe that my mom made up so I don't have exact measurements, I just go by what feels right). Fold and put a dollop of whipped cream on top. You can also sprinkle powdered sugar on top and any fresh berries you might have.

For these Nutella and banana crepes, simply spread on nutella and sliced fresh banana, fold, and enjoy! (Trust me, they'll change your life) If you have extra banana slices left over, put in a ziploc bag and freeze for a smoothie later on!

Surf Day

No explanation needed for these pictures. Brian loves surfing. I love taking photographs.

I do love California......

I Love You Through and Through

So as most of you probably know I'm a huge reader, and I really thank the Harry Potter books for that. I started reading them when I was in 5th grade and just read them over and over and over (would it be ridiculous to admit I probably read the first 4 about 20 times each??) So once I realized that there were other books out there besides Harry Potter I just went crazy, and am now proud to say that I have a small little library of my own that fills up 2 bookshelves. Naturally I really want Jackson to pick up that same love for reading that I grew up with, so I've started reading to him whenever possible. The first few times were a little discouraging because he would lose interest within, hmm, about 2 seconds, but lately he has absolutely loved it when I read to him. He gets quiet and starts touching the little pictures, and he even helps mom turn the pages now! His favorites are:

and

No matter what Jackson will almost always stop crying and pay attention and smile whenever I open these books, they saved my life on the 10 hour car drive to and from Arizona! I hope that as he grows up he learns how amazing reading is and get transported into different worlds just like I did when I was little! Something tells me he will : )

On a similar note I've been re-reading the C.S. Lewis books The Chronicles of Narnia. I read some of them when I was little but I don't think I retained very much because I don't remember anything I've been reading! Anyways I was thinking about the question that is often asked, "If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be?" (This is excluding prophets, of course) I finally have my answer: C.S. Lewis. First of all, what a cool guy to just hang out with J.R.R. Tolkien and decide to write books that have underlying Christian themes! I know some authors have attempted the delicate art of relating their characters to Christ, but sorry J.K. Rowling it take more than that to write a great analogy of Christ. Secondly, you just don't see his writing style these days anymore. I think the reason why my favorite books are from authors that are no longer alive is because they have a feel to them that you just don't see anymore. I don't think authors today could capture the intricate revenge plot of Edmund Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo, the lovable characters of The Princess Bride, or the pure magic and wonder of the Narnia series. (And yes, I do read books besides the ones that are made into movies, its not my fault they've made the best ones into movies! Haha) Anyways, back to C.S. Lewis, I honestly think he must have known something, you don't write books like The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity without a greater knowledge of the Christian Church than most have. If you want an awesome short story that can be related to Christ on so many different levels, read the chapter in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader entitled "How the Adventure Ended" and you'll see exactly what I mean when I say, "He knew something." I can just picture the amazing stories he would tell and the great bits of wisdom he would say if I were to meet him, and while I myself wouldn't add much to the conversation, just to sit and chat with the man that prophets and apostles have quoted countless times would be the most amazing experience.

Lazy Tuesday Afternoon

Today was a lazy sort of Tuesday. Jackson's been sick with a neverending cold and I feel like I've been constantly suctioning out his nose every 10 minutes, but because of course the weather in California has been BEAUTIFUL I decided a little trip to the great outdoors was necessary. I then spent a good portion of the afternoon taking pictures of my handsome little guy and then editing them. I was really proud of myself because it was the first time I've shot in Manual, and because I want to seriously start a little photography business its definitely a goal of mine. Of course I didn't get it totally right but its a baby step : )

This is the lion that Brian used to play with when he was little