home is where my story begins...

Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses

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One of the moms, at the school I teach at, recently asked me for the frosting recipe and directions for the gingerbread houses we make in the classroom.  I love hosting a Gingerbread Party for my students and siblings, and I also host a party for my kids and their friends too.

For the past 10 years, we’ve hosted friends and family and created the most adorable graham cracker houses.  Lining the table with butcher paper or wrapping paper is a MUST!  It makes clean up super easy. You just fold all of the garbage right into to paper that is on the table and clean up is done!

The kids have gotten better and better every year and patiently working on their houses.

 


I had a lot of fun with my bokeh pictures too.  (Bokeh is the blurry background that produces the pretty lights from the tree.)

 

I ask every family to bring a candy item to share. My favorite candies for gingerbread house decorating are Lifesavers, Neccos, small candy canes, red hots, red and green M&M’s, Twizzlers Pull Apart licorice, gumdrops, and  pretzel twists. (Pretzel twists make great fences.)


 


 

When the kids were little, I prepared the house bases ahead of time, so all they had to do was add the roof and candy. I still prepare the houses ahead of time for Kindergarten.  (Actually, my parent volunteers prepare them.) Since my kids at home are bigger, we just build and create! Sometimes the candy houses turn into candy fortresses.

Here’s how I build the bases when young kids (first grade and under) are decorating with us.  The only reason I do the base for the kids is that it is very frustrating when you are 4 years old and your house falls apart every time you try to add candy.  Royal icing needs time to dry and harden.  Patience is hard when you’re 4. Building the house bases is really easy.  I start with foil covered cardboard.  They make simple platforms for the kids to create their “yard”. I cut the graham crackers with a bread knife and assemble the house base with royal icing.  I always use the royal icing to “glue” the house base to the platform. This is what an assembled house base looks like when it is ready for the party to start..  I make one for each child and a few extras in case we have an accident. 


I let the kids add the two pieces for the roof and all of the decorations.  Royal icing is best for assembling houses and decorating.  I usually make several batches of Royal icing and put it into individual quart sized freezer bags. (Don’t use sandwich bags because they pop.) When it’s time for decorating, I just snip off a small corner of the bag.

The recipe for Royal Icing is included in the package of Wilton Meringue Powder.  I buy my meringue powder at Michael’s.  If you can’t find meringue powder, I’m sure you can google a recipe for a similar icing that calls for egg whites.  I’ve always used the meringue powder recipe because raw eggs freak me out. (Unless, of course, I’m eating cookie dough.)

3 Tbsp Wilton Meringue Powder
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
5 or 6 Tbsp warm water

Beat all ingredients, with heavy duty mixer, until icing forms peaks. (7-10 minutes)

Here are a few examples from our gingerbread party last year.  

This one was Rudolph’s barn.

This is a gingerbread manger.

If you’ve never done this before, this is the year to give it a try.  My kids always look forward to this day.  I’ll admit, I’ve toned it down over the years.  The first few years we invited about 30 kids and their parents, served lunch, and hosted all-out party.  Now, we just have family.  There are 10 kids and one crazy mom who just loves being the Gingerbread Queen.
Happy Decorating!
 

 

 

 


Happy Holidays!

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Instagram Love

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Sometimes I feel like I post more on Instagram than my blog.  I’ve noticed a trend in blogging lately, and I’m seeing more and more bloggers going JUST to Instragram and leaving their blogs completely.  I’m not ready for that yet.  I enjoy the writing process almost as much as photography.  I do, however, love the fact that I can post pictures and do a tiny bit of writing all from my phone.  I also love the hashtags that I can add, to help find other people with similar interests.
The picture, above, is one of those “small world” kind of things.  My sister and I were driving through Snohomish and saw this beautiful sight.  She pulled over to the side of the road so I could take a picture.  Little did I know, that two of those balloons were filled with families that we know!  So cool!

On International Dot Day (that’s a special day created by author Peter Reynolds) we posted some of our creations.

Since it’s apple season, we made applesauce in Kindergarten.  I made a quick collage to show what we had been up to that day.

I couldn’t resist this photo.  I had gotten to work early and snapped a picture with my new boots and my cool mug.  I never have time to relax with my feet up, but it was still very early and I just had to share with my Instagram friends.
As you can see, many of my posts are school related.  Here is a recent picture showing our sunflowers drying and ready for observation.  I have found lots of great hashtags that other teachers and Reggio Emilia enthusiasts use.
I’d love to find more friends on Instagram.  Are you on it?  Who do you follow?  My username is homeiswheremystorybegins.  I hope you’ll come find me!
Happy photo taking!

Using Light in Photography

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I’ve always been a bit afraid of using direct sunlight in photography.  Everything I read about light says that direct light is a no-no.  It washes out the subject and creates hard shadows.  Well, I’m finding that sometimes rules are meant to be broken, when you understand why you are breaking the rules.  For example, the other day when I walked into my classroom, I noticed that the light was perfectly hitting my rocks and water bowl.  I have a tiny little window on my classroom door and the sunlight was coming in through that one little spot.  The rest of the room was still dark and I thought it made the water and rocks really stand out.  I snapped this picture and I love the combination of light and dark.

On a different day, when the water jars were set up, I noticed how the light really reflected in our water jars. Again, direct sunlight was not supposed to be ideal, but in this situation I really love it.  I also love the transparency of water and glass. In Reggio Emilia (a place in Italy that has inspired teaching in a different way  of teaching from our traditional American approach) transparency is one of the key pillars.  The idea of transparency in education is inspiring in SO many different ways.

I’ve been playing around with collage in my light-filled photos as well.  I think collage is a great way to tell a story.  On the computer I use the collage feature in Picasa, which is a free photo editing program.  On my phone I use Pic Stitch or PhotoGrid.  Both apps have been fun to play around with.

I’m kind of loving these light-filled photos, even though they break all of the rules.  I’m such a rebel!

Happy light-filled photo taking!

Toy Photography – Day 1

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A few days ago I read a great blog post on Clickin’ Moms about a photographer who spared her children the agony of posing for pictures, for a while, and snapped photos of their toys instead.  I loved this idea because I’ve always been a bit sad about favorite toys that were left in the dust.  I knew my first toy photo had to be “The Guys” that my little boy loved so much.
The Guys are Baby and Bubba.  Bubba is the doggy on the left.  My son was given to him by one of my husband’s co-workers when he was born.  He couldn’t say puppy, when he was learning to talk, and it came out as Bubba.  Bubba was his absolute favorite toy and I was always afraid he would forget Bubba at daycare and we’d be in a world of hurt at bedtime.  I thought that we might be able to find a second Bubba to keep on-hand, but the closest thing I could find was a little bear with the same color of fur.  The animal I thought would become a replacement in case of emergency, became the other half of a bonded pair.  The bear was named Baby and he became one of The Guys.  
My son left The Guys behind many years ago, but I’ve always saved them.  He carried them everywhere for years and I still get a little choked up remembering my little boy.
On a photography note, I thought it would be fun to get my son in the shot too.  I knew he wouldn’t pose with The Guys, so I just set them on the porch when he was out shooting hoops.  It kind of shows what he left them behind for. Life for my son is now about sports and not stuffies.  sniff, sniff
Now, I’d like you to meet Bubby.  When my daughter was born, her big brother wanted to bring her a Bubba at the hospital.  We searched and searched… with no luck.  The Ty company had discontinued this type of stuffed animal.  Luckily, they had this great online marketplace called Ebay, and we found it online.  Big Brother brought Bubba to the hospital and gave it to his sister.  Lamby became her Bubba’s mate for life, and somehow it was just easier to call them Lamby and Bubby.  
(Side story:  My daughter took Lamby and Bubby everywhere she went and slept with them every night.  There were a few nights when she had hidden Lamby  and Bubby or put them in a special place and so she had to sleep with something else.  So, we figured Lamby and Bubby were just hiding somewhere when we could find them for a few days.  Well, days became weeks and she was getting distraught.  We tore the house apart looking for those guys, with no luck.  They were missing for about a year, when I was tucking her into bed at her cousin’s house, on the other side of the state from our house.  I peeked over at the stuffed animal pile and thought I saw a familiar tail sticking out.  I honestly think I screamed.  I couldn’t believe we found them after a full year of being missing! At least they were in good hands at her cousin’s house for a year. )

My photography note on Bubby’s picture is that I wanted capture where Bubby lives now.  My daughter is 10 now and doesn’t always sleep with stuffed animals.  Most of the time, Bubby stays tucked under a blanket by her bed (another gift from one of my husband’s co-workers).  I always think it’s sweet when she takes Bubby to sleepover though.
Finally, for my last toy shot, I couldn’t resist the Seahawks Build-A-Bear.  I found him shoved in a drawer and it seems like a perfect time to bring him out.  Now I am officially the only one in the house without a Seahawks jersey.  Even the stuffed bear has a jersey!  (If I buy one, I’m buying a Gilliam jersey.  He’s the guy who caught the first touchdown of the playoff game two weeks ago.  He didn’t get enough credit for that, so I’d buy his jersey.  Go Gilliam!!)

I really did enjoy taking pictures of the kids’ old toys.  I tried to set them up like real photoshoots, making sure I liked the lighting.  It was a really cloudy day, but the tripod helped.
Happy toy photography!

Documenting Life Through Pictures of Toys

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I read the greatest blog post yesterday.  It was on the Clickin Moms site.  Click here to take you to the post. In the post, the author shares several photos of her kids’ toys.  I loved this idea!  It’s just what I needed as a little inspiration. Everything outside is a dreary shade of brown or gray right now and, to be honest, my kids are really sick of posing for pictures. Taking pictures of their toys is the perfect way to document where my kids are in their stages of life, without eye rolling and foot stomping.  I can’t wait to get started.

Be prepared to see lots of pictures of stuffed animals.  I think my daughter may be a hoarder.

Three Best Photos – 8th Grade Photography Continued

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My son is wrapping up his 8th grade photography class and one of his assignments was to choose his 3 favorites from the quarter-long class.  It was really interesting to watch as he scrolled through the photos he has taken in the past few weeks.  He talked about why liked certain photos and how it was hard to pick “favorites”.  In the end, these are the 3 he picked.
This one was from the gym at his middle school,.

Here’s one from our yard on a rainy fall morning.  He’s been really having fun with perspective photos.
Finally, here is one from the football field at his school  This was one of the first pictures he took and it’s been a long standing favorite.
It’s been really fun for me to have him taking this class.  He’s been totally interested in learning more about photography and constantly looking up new information online or watching YouTube videos about different techniques and equipment.  Unfortunately, he thinks he needs a fancy-pants camera now. 

8th Grade Photography Class

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My son is taking 8th Grade Photography as his elective this quarter, and his mommy couldn’t be more thrilled!  I live my life with a camera around my neck and the kids often complain that I take too many pictures.  My son signs up for photography and, all of a sudden, he can’t get enough of it!!
I’ve been finding pictures on my camera card every time I pull them up.  I have to say, they are pretty good! Take a look.

Let me tell you, friends, that he’s shooting in manual and doesn’t even need a tutorial before he goes out.  He sets white balance, ISO, and plays with shutter speed and exposure.  Ummm, I think I had to take several photography courses before I was confident enough to do this! 

By the way, those are root beer bottles for the cowgirl birthday party.  We didn’t serve them beer.  
One last funny story:
In response to a conversation about The Golden Hour, my son told his teacher that this hour is also known as, “The time my mom yells at us to hurry up and change our clothes and get ready because she’s losing her lighting.”
Yep, I’m creating fabulous memories for my kids!
Happy picture taking!

One More Foody Post

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I just had to share one more foody post, since I’ve been having so much fun with food photography lately.  I took these on opening night of our friends’ new restaurant in Snohomish.  
I’m kind of a clam connoisseur, and these were absolutely amazing!  I can’t wait to go back for more.  
Check it out if you are down in Snohomish.  It’s called Roger’s Riverview Bistro.  They love it when people bring in bags and bags of camera equipment and set up tripods in their walkway.  It’s not disruptive at all.  :)
Happy picture taking and clam eating!

Farm to Table Photography

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Last week I got to put my learning from my food photography classes to work.  A couple of friends are opening a restaurant in Downtown Snohomish in a few days.  It’s called Roger’s River View Bistro and it has a local, farm to table, theme.  They are using local farms and shops to buy their meat, flowers, and produce.  It’s just such a “down home” type feel and I can’t wait to eat there.
We headed to four different farms and took a few pictures for the website that is being put together.  It was so much fun to meet the farmers and hear about their products.  I’ve decided that farm photography is my favorite.  I absolutely LOVE taking pictures on our Farm-cation every year, and this was like taking a mini-farm-cation while taking pictures of the farmers in action.
If you love farm to table photography as much as I do, feel free to scroll on through.  If you’re not into the photos, just visit my friends Roger and Shannon down in Snohomish at the end of July.  I can’t wait to have dinner on the deck!

Happy farm-photography!

My Early Summer Garden

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The other day I was noticing how much I love the lighting in my backyard as the sun is going down.  It makes me want to run outside and take pictures of anything and everything that grows in my yard.  Then I remembered that I do that over and over again.  Since no one at my house cares too much about the photos I take, I post them here.  You, my friends, are the only people who really care what’s growing.  Well, maybe you don’t really care, but I’m posting them anyway.  
The strawberries at Biringer Farm are ripe for the pickin’, but mine are just babies.  I will patiently water them and move them around my yard, chasing sunlight, until they are ripe.
My baby tomatoes are as cute as can be!  This is the Sweet 100 variety and I can’t wait to eat them as a snack. I’m hoping I get to them before the little tomato monster in my house.  My daughter eats them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Seriously, she eats a bowl of cherry tomatoes along with her yogurt in the morning.  As much as I love tomatoes, they just aren’t a breakfast food in my book.

If anyone has any idea what this pretty flower is called, please let me know.  I have forgotten the name but I love the way it blooms all Summer long.  The hummingbirds love them too.

My cilantro is growing strong!  I’ve already used some to make pico de gallo and added a bit to our BBQ chicken pizza.

Romaine lettuce is one of my favorite varieties of lettuce to grow each year.  It’s almost ready and I can just about taste our chicken Caesar wraps.
Ooh, I love these pretty little flowers.  This is a perennial geranium that was given to me by Carpooler Michelle.   The dainty little flowers make me happy.

Snapdragons are one of my favorites!  They usually don’t last too long in my yard.  Between the kids and dog, they get knocked down pretty quickly.  But, on the bright side, when they break off I take them inside for bouquets.

It’s not the whole yard, but this is the area that’s the prettiest when the sun is going down.  I played around with my 50mm lens while I was out there.  I’m still not sure if I like the level of blur in the background of most of the pictures.  I guess it’s a personal preference, but I had a good time wandering around the yard and playing with my camera.  Maybe I should start taking pictures of other people’s yards, so you don’t have to see mine all the time!

Happy gardening!