oh December
We are only 4 days into December, a month where I rarely see daylight, and I am already looking forward to January. Not that I dislike my job, but I am really looking forward to less stressful work days {ie: less yelling and fewer Christmas cards} and more time at home. One thing that is going to be great is that in my ‘down time’ this month I have fun things to do! Snow to play in, skiing to do, photos to take and photos to have taken, plays to see, kitties to love, presents to make, presents to wrap and beer to bottle. Yahoo 2010!
Last night marked a {lovely} snow storm that caused my 20 minute commute home to be 60 minutes including 40 of those coasting at less than 10mph. That sort of snow storm leads to one thing – fun fun photos! {Surprised by that answer, aren’t ya?}
Mur and I got up nice and early this morning, made coffee, dressed for a blizzard, packed up the camera and took off for Lake Harriet.
It was excellent! The sun was peeking out. The wind was crisp. And I was able to get some {seriously needed!!} exercise.
… oh yeah, and got some more ‘epic’ shots of the Mur-ster. He is really a good sport about the whole thing – especially if he has already had a cup of coffee.
… and what’s a nice day without a keepsake. We now have images for our newest album, soon to be released. Thoughts?
Happy December!! And if I can stay awake, have an energy left and can think straight I will make sure to keep posting through the month of December …. No promises though
oh snow!
There is something about a fresh snowfall that makes me want to get outside and play… play with a sled, play with snow balls or play with my camera. It looks pretty sunny and warm, so I’m pretty sure I’ll freeze my buns off when I walk out there. Can’t wait! I’m hoping the sun stays all day because it’s gorgeous!! And with the sun and it being so cold, the snow will stay pretty. And THAT means more photo ops.
Horah.
ps … Happy Thanksgiving! Eat pie and be Thankful.
pie day sunday
I think I’ve said it before, but I really enjoy baking tasty treats because who doesn’t like something warm and delicious right out of the oven. I should really bake in tiny batches just so I can eat everything as soon as it out that golden warming box. Meh – instead I’ll just eat more.
As my family probably knows, I like to keep secrets when it comes to tasty desserts and what I’ll be making at upcoming events. But this one I just can’t keep a surprise. It was too awesome. So without further adieu, Dear Family, welcome to the deliciousness you will taste on Thanksgiving …
Last weekend I cleaned, cut, scraped and cooked a pumpkin to make a pumpkin pie from scratch. It was very time consuming but oh so rewarding!!! Just look – num!
I typically don’t toot my own baking horn but this was a darn good pie …
Here is what I remember of the recipe …
Cut the pumpkin into a few pieces {the more pieces, the faster it cooks}. I found a really great way to cook it was to steam it. It made it so soft and easy to scoop. I then blended the pumpkin to make it smooth and not too gritty. I scooped that into a cup and put it in the fridge while I made a target run. $55 later, I returned to finish the pie. I then mixed the ‘goop’ together with all of the tasty spices and sugars.
Baked it at 425 for about 15 min then turned the oven down to 350 for 45 minutes. Now, please excuse the grit in the photo above and to the left. The rest of my kitchen is a lot cleaner than this oven dial and surrounding area. I promise.
In the end I pulled this out of the oven …
… delicious! My taste tester liked it, so it was a complete success. And all the while the kitties kept my recipe from blowing away. Thanks girls!
… the OTHER photographer
Every once in a while i pass my camera off to mur if A. it’s ripped out of my little hands, B. he wins the footrace to the camera itself, C. he asks nicely or D. i am in a spot that doesn’t allow me to get the shot … This time, believe it or not, it was B. Not bad though, huh? Maybe he missed his true calling by going into the tree business. Maybe he should have gone the art route …