Peanut Blossom

Gearing up for the Disney photographer

A huge portion of what makes me so excited about our trip to Disney is the photographic opportunities I'm going to be given. Our time with Handyman Tim is so limited and precious, I can't wait to document him having a fantastic time being playful with our girls. This is truly an adventure for all of us and it is something I hope to remember for a long long time.

So yes, I'm feeling a lot of pressure here. I debated long and hard whether or not to drag my full DSLR into the parks with us. In the end, it really just wasn't an option not to. While I may be jealous over other hobbyists who have more expendible income to afford professional gear, now is the time I'm actually quite grateful for my relatively small and light Canon Rebel. 

If you'd like to see the 7 items I found essential for my camera bag for our big Disney trip, head on over to Develop where I'm reviewing them all.

5 ways to surprise your kids at Disney World

Yesterday I talked about how to get your kids excited before you go to Disney. Today I have 5 tricks up my sleeve for once you get there! The best benefit of these tricks is that they'll help you save a little money in the process because you'll be taking advantage of sales vs. buying at the inflated prices on site.

1. Pre-shop for souvenirs at the Disney Outlet: We are lucky enough to have an official outlet near us. If that doesn't apply to you, start stalking the clearance bins at your local Disney Store. When I first popped into the store with this goal in mind, I was so confused. Isn't the whole point of a souvenir that you picked it out on your trip and brought it home? It made no sense to me to pre-shop for these items even if they were significantly cheaper than at the parks. 

Enter the nicest sales clerk I've ever met. This kind lady gave me SO many ideas for our trip. She talked me into picking up Disney character bubble blowers for entertaining the kids while we stand in line. I plan to keep them in our backpack and only pull them out as a surprise at the last minute. I also got each girl a light-up battery operated fan for cooling off during the hot days and for light sticks during the evening parades. Each of these things was priced at less than half what we would have spent at the park.

2. Character T-shirts: Where is it more fun to wear a Mickey Mouse shirt than AT the park? All the fun of it is in wearing it on vacation, right? I'm a stickler for washing all items of clothing before the girls wear them, so this had a sanitary benefit to it as well! I got clearance priced shirts at the outlet mentioned above, but I know that Kohl's, Old Navy, Target, and Walmart all carry Disney-themed apparel as well. I wrapped up the Peanut's t-shirt as one of her birthday gifts and used it to announce that we were going on our trip but you could easily sneak these into suitcases only to be given upon arrival or for wearing on the trip there.

3. Character Pajamas: My girls LOVE love love to wear matching pajamas. I thought they'd be over the moon about wearing Disney jammies on our vacation so I picked up a pair of them at the outlet as well. I'm going to wash them all up and hide them until our first night in Orlando.

4. Swim Gear: I lucked out and hit the outlet when they were having a sale on swimming gear. I picked up Mickey Mouse goggles for the Peanut and a tote bag for swimming gear for $6 total. I also found red and white polka dot sunglasses and sunhats at Gymboree (thank you Gymbucks!) Thankfully the Disney color palette makes it super easy to find things that feel like "official" gear at a much cheaper price! Just think Red, White, Black, and Polka Dotted and you're all good! And with our trip just before the start of summer, they'll be using these items all summer long. Practical!

5. Don't forget mom and dad!: The biggest surprise of all for our kids will be the morning daddy shows up with a big bright Mickey on his shirt. Handyman Tim does NOT dress like this but agreed to wear a themed shirt I found at the outlet during our vacation. I love his playful attitude, anything for his girls! I know the Peanut will be thrilled to be matching her daddy. This is such a special phase and I know it won't last forever. I'm so grateful we're taking advantage of her sweet preference for dressing alike now while she loves it. 

5 Ways to Kickstart the Disney Magic

I am so excited to share with you that we are taking the girls on our very first trip to Disney World next week. Handyman Tim has been working an insane schedule that has been hard on every last member of the family. We've all had to sacrifice precious time together and it has definitely taken it's toll. I decided that we all needed a little Family Togetherness Bootcamp type experience and where else is a better spot to do that than Disney??

Tim has never experienced the Disney Parks before. He has no idea what he's in for. The Peanut knows we are going but can't even imagine what she is about to see. Little Pea is just happy to be along for the ride. I'm the only one who knows and appreciates what this trip will be like so I've been doing my best to get everyone excited for this big unknown. 

For the last two months, I've been looking for ways to give the girls little teaser items to be used on our trip. So today I'd like to share:

5 Ways to Kickstart the Disney Magic Before Vacation!

1. Matching outfits from Etsy: According to friends who have visited the parks far more recently than I have, it is a pretty big deal to let your little princess dress up to play the part at the parks. Neither of my girls are overly into the Princesses, we don't own any of the costumes already. I couldn't imagine spending the money on expensive costumes just to dress them up in hot and scratchy tulle and satin for an amusement park visit.

Luckily for me, both girls LOVE Minnie and Mickey Mouse. I was able to find these adorable halter tops and ruffled shorts outfits on Etsy.  They are all cotton and much more comfy and breathable than any costume would have been. I love the cheerful polka dots! I know my girls will love wearing them this summer even after our trips. Money much better spent!

2. Disney Pin Trading Lanyards: This is another new-to-me item that didn't exist during my last visit to the parks ages ago. Disney has been offering these adorable metal pins for trading since 1999-ish. The kids (or parents too) can trade pins with anyone else they find willing at the parks. There are castmembers that walk around wearing lanyards of Official Castmember pins that are looking to trade with guests. This sounded like something the Peanut would love to experience but starter sets of 4 pins and a lanyard ran about $30. That seemed super high to me and the sets came with such cute pins that I knew the Peanut wouldn't want to trade! Kind of missing the point, right?

I took to Ebay and was happy to discover several sellers offering huge lots of pins for a fraction of the price. We acquired a random assortment of 25 pins for about $15. I didn't care if they were cute or not because they are meant to be traded away. To make it more fun for the girls, we put a single pin inside of each plastic Easter egg along with a few coins for our Disney Jar. They hunted for their pins on Easter morning and it was a huge hit.

The day before Easter, I realized they still didn't have anything to pin the pins on since I hadn't purchased lanyards. In a fit of inspiration, I decided to sew my own. I used this tutorial from Simply Cotton here and followed it almost exactly. The only difference was that I cut my fabric 3 inches wide and instead of folding each side in half way, I only folded them in 1/4 way so that the final width of the strap was a full inch. It's the perfect size. I cut them to be about 24 inches long so they are just right for my girls' necks.

3. Birthday Pins from the Disney Store: The Peanut's birthday was on March 28. Little Pea's will be just a few days after our trip on May 6. When a sales clerk heard I was there shopping for supplies to announce the trip to the Peanut on her birthday, she told me about their special birthday pins. If you're going to be celebrating that occassion on your vacation, you can pick these up for your child. Write their name on the space and have them wear them to the park. I'm told they'll receive special Birthday Girl treatment. I'll have to report back as to just what that might mean!

4. Disney Gift Cards for Special Occassions: The Peanut just lost her very first tooth last week. The Tooth Fairy in her infinite wisdom decided to bring a gift card from the Disney Store in just the right amount for the Peanut to pick out the stuffed animal she's had her heart set on ever since she heard of the trip. (It was her first tooth afterall. I'm sure the Fairy won't be this generous next time.) The gift cards can be set for any amount and can be used at any Disney Store on or off the parks. I've even heard they can be used for snacks and beverages and anything sold at the parks so it would be a great stocking stuffer, birthday treat, Valentine gift, Easter basket filler, etc. etc.

5. The Birnbaum Disney World Guide for Kids: My neighbor just recently told me about these adorable guidebooks made specifically FOR kids. They release a new one every year and her daughter has one for each of the years their family made the trek. It is part guide, part activity book, part scrapbook. The Peanut was thrilled to receive her very own copy since Mommy has had a mile-high stack of guides sitting on the living room table for weeks. At age 5, I feel she is just a smidge too young to get the most out of the book, but I don't regret the purchase at all. Ages 7+ might enjoy it far more. 

Three ways to turn your kids into book lovers

As an avid reader myself, I worry sometimes about how to instill that love of reading in my girls. I've been told that they will just naturally pick up on it since I model that behavior but I'm skeptical that that is all it takes. I know too many people who profess that they can't stand reading and with the number of available distractions in today's electronic world, how can a quiet paper bound book compete? 

I stumbled on Jim Trelease's "The Read Aloud Handbook" in a display at a bookstore during one of my browsing dates with Handyman Tim ages ago. That title stuck with me and I finally decided to get a copy from the library last summer. There were some eye-popping statistics in there about just how important reading is for building skills for school and life in general. If ever I was convinced about the importance of this task, it was after reading the first few chapters of that book.

But more importantly, "The Read Aloud Handbook" was invaluable for giving actual advice on getting kids to love reading in a very natural non-pressured way. I've implemented several of the tips and 6 months later, I can definitely say they seem to be working. Here are just three of my favorites:

1. Have books available!: Store baskets of books in every single room of the house, including the bathroom and dining room. Ok, truthfully the bathroom idea skeeved me out, but I did follow this tip and put them in the dining area as well. We are virtually swimming in books of all kinds. There is always something to read an arm's reach away. It isn't something that is contained to a bookshelf in the office or on a shelf in the living room, they are scattered in (neat) little piles on every table. I catch the girls browsing through pages all the time.

2. No television during meal times: This is a rule we have always strictly followed in our home. But with the amount of time that Tim is gone traveling, dinner table discussions can definitely fade when it is just me and a 4 year old. By following rule number 1 above, I can just reach over and grab a book and read to the girls while they eat! Captive audience, wholesome entertainment. This has been by far my favorite tip from the handbook.

3. Don't shy away from reading more advanced materials: Maybe it makes me a horrible mother to admit this, but there are just so many rounds of Curious George I can handle. The Peanut may be only 4 years old but we have started to read chapter books rather than picture books during our reading sessions together. Not all the time, and Curious George still appears plenty, but the Peanut has definitely been capable of reading Winnie the Pooh (the classic version) and a couple Roald Dahl selections (my Favorites!!)

Some of the language may be over her head, she may not grasp the entire plot, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how much she was hanging on to even when it took us a couple weeks to finish the story. We chat after each chapter and I ask her questions about what just happened and what she thinks might come next. We refresh our memories before starting again. It has been an amazing experience being able to share a little more advanced story with her and holds my attention far better. If the reading session is fun for mommy too, you're much more likely to have more sessions!

I highly recommend getting a hold of a copy of Jim Trelease's book. The second half is a lengthy digest of reading suggestions for different ages and different interests. I came away very inspired with reading ideas I may have held off on longer than necessary. 

How about you? Do you have little book worms in your home? How did you help that process along? Any tips or book suggestions you'd like to share?

A tip for cookbook lovers on iPad/eReaders

I obsessively love cookbooks. I love to sit next to a tall stack of heavy hardcovered beauties and flip through the gorgeous photo-laden pages. When I'm planning a party or a special meal, that is how I get my inspiration for the menu. I swore up and down I would never ever convert to reading cookbooks on an eReader.

Never say never.

When I wanted to start focusing on homemade soups this winter, I found a fantastic book of soup recipes on Amazon. The only drawback? It was only available as a Kindle edition. The print version is too old and was a rare find starting at $100+. No thank you. So against my better judgement, I downloaded the ebook to the Kindle app on my iPad.

I was desperately disappointed that there were no photos for the recipes (so I quickly decided to start taking my own) but was thrilled with the recipe content itself. Normally, I'd flag the pages of recipes I want to try but other than scroll back to the table of contents, I didn't know how to index the things I wanted to keep. Particularly because the bookmark function stores it by location and the first words on the page, which didn't always reference the recipe I wanted.

That's when I decided to use the Notes feature:

Under, "My Notes and Marks", I highlighted the recipe title, added a note, and then typed the title into the notes section. Now when I press that little bookmark button up pops my own index of just the recipes I want tagged by location along with the title. I LOVE this! It is so much easier to quickly scan the titles of just the things I found appealing.

Have you tried a cookbook on your eReader? It's too soon to tell whether I could be a potential convert, but that photo is just a smidgen of my stash! It might be a space-saving effort alone!

*Thanks to Florabella for the adorable Valentine template! I used them last year for a Valentine with my girls and they print beautifully. Get your own set here!

Tuscan Chicken Soup

During a recent trip to visit family in the Twin Cities area, we stopped in at a cafe called D'Amico & Sons for a quick lunch. Too much heavy food and greasy fast food on our trip had left me with an upset stomach so all I wanted was a light and veggie-laden soup. When the server brought my bowl, I immediately knew I had picked a winner.

This soup is a tomato-based broth with just a hint of creaminess without being a full-fledged cream soup. It is thick with veggies and teeny tiny pasta but still brothy enough to be a soup and not a stew. It might possibly be the most perfect vegetable soup I have ever had. The little bits of chicken give it that nice savory taste but it is truly the carrots and zucchini that are the heroes of this dish. 

I could NOT stop thinking about this soup for days. I'm not exactly a soup fantatic but it hit the spot and kept me wanting more even after I returned home. In total desperation, I hunted the internet for a similar recipe. I found nothing that came close until I finally decided to just search for the restaurant's name and the name of the soup. Sure enough, an employee who's grandmother's recipe is used for the basis of the soup posted it on their blog last year! Score! I literally yelped with excitement.

My version of the soup was not a dead-on match but it is my own fault. Next time I'll take the time to dice my veggies smaller. I may consider adding more tomato and more broth (or less pasta). I added too much pasta in my original attempt and it soaked up too much of the broth. (The recipe below is adjusted with that in mind, no worries!)

Serve this with some fresh warm bread and butter and it is total cold winter day heaven. Even the Peanut gave it two thumbs up. She practically licked her bowl clean and I couldn't feel better about the ingredients in it. 

_________________________________________________________

Tuscan Chicken Soup

adapted from "Grandma Mary's Soup" a.k.a. the Tuscan Chicken Soup from D'Amico & Sons

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 medium yellow onion (medium dice)
4  carrots (peeled, washed, and medium dice)
4 stalks celery (washed and medium diced)
2 zucchini (washed and medium diced)
3 cloves fresh garlic (chopped finely)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil 
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
28 0z can crushed tomatoes 
6 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt-to taste
Fresh ground black pepper -to taste
1/2 cup Acini de pepe pasta 

Method:

In a large pot add 2 tbsp olive oil and saute onions, celery, and carrots over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes.  Add zucchini and garlic.  Saute until tender about 4-6 minutes.

Add chicken stock, tomatoes, basil, oregano, chicken. Simmer soup for 20 minutes, vegetables should be tender. Add the pasta and cook right in the soup for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.  Add heavy cream if using and allow to simmer for 6-8 minutes.

Top with grated parmiggiano reggiano or pecorino romano cheese and serve!

NOTE: I let my soup set in the fridge overnight and the pasta absorbed far too much of the liquid. I just added a few more cups of chicken stock when I reheated it to make it more brothy and soup-like.

So you got an iPad for Christmas, Now What?!

  

Let's get one thing very straight: You are never too old for toys.

When my mom and dad would confer over what to get my sister and I every year for Christmas, my dad would always stop to ask, "But what toy will we be giving them?" That question is posed each and every year and has instilled my love of all manner of gadgets and techno gizmos. I still love to find clothing, perfume, kitchen items under our Christmas tree, but Handyman Tim knows the fastest way to my  heart is to give me a toy.

It was with great glee that I accepted an iPad a few weeks ago. Tim had been the owner of it for over a year but just didn't enjoy using it. Often it sat quietly in his hotel room untouched. He finally decided to put it in more eager hands. While I stared in disbelief as he passed it over, he said, "I thought it would be a great replacement for my laptop and I just haven't enjoyed using it like I thought I would." 

And then the angels wept.

I hope Handyman Tim never reads this post. He may regret handing me this awesome toy. But for your sake, I knew I had to share this. Did you get an iPad for Christmas? It seems most ladies in my Facebook feed seem to have unwrapped one of their very own in the last few weeks. Some were greeted with glee like me, but I did see a few, "What do I do with this thing now?!" exclamations. 

I'll be sharing different iPad tips over the coming weeks but today I wanted to start you off with the number one thing you absolutely need to put on your iPad right this very second:

Stop what you're doing and download Flipboard to your iPad right now. They have a version for iPhone too but the display size of the iPad is what makes this truly magnificent.

If you're an avid blog reader like I am, you're probably used to the list-style display of most feed readers. Hook up your Google Reader account to Flipboard and it turns your blog reader into a print-style magazine:

You can display your blogs by folder, by feed, or all of them mixed together:

My blog feed is extremely photo based. I buy my cookbooks based on the photography included, I make my decisions on what to cook based on the photo. Why wouldn't I want to see my blog feeds by photo?! I LOVE this easily scannable format. You swipe the screen and it turns like pages of a magazine. 

No internet browser works this way. This kind of interaction with your blog feed can only  happen in a unique app such as Flipboard. Why would you want to go to the Safari browser window to read via a traditional web site when you can have them fed to you in this gorgeous display?? 

And Flipboard doesn't just hook up with Google Reader. I set my account to grab my Facebook, Twitter feed, LinkedIn account, Instagram feed and Flickr photostream. Instead of seeing all the text based links and hashtag mess of a normal Twitter feed, look at how it pulls the images right out of the links themselves:

When I discovered how much more fun it was to read my social media outlets via Flipboard, I sat quietly squealing in our living room. Handyman Tim noticed and just shook his head and groaned. 

Stay tuned for more iPad tips and suggestions in the weeks to come. For now, Flipboard should keep you plenty busy. But are you interested in having that super cute Valentine's wallpaper for your very own iPad or iPhone? Check out Zina's post over at Let's Lasso the Moon and download yours there!

How to spell "Mom": S-U-C-K-E-R

I have been at my wit's end with both my girls and their sudden and forcible pickiness. During the last couple months they seem to have clamped down on the selection of healthy fruits and vegetables they allow to pass those sweet little lips. 

So what's a mom to do? Pull out all the stops. I cracked open an Annabel Karmel cookbook I've had waiting. The thing I love the most about her books is the variety of produce she manages to work into each dish. The photography is gorgeous and super appealing as well. Knowing full well that the recipes take quite a bit more time to prepare, I sat the Peanut down with "Finger Foods" and allowed her to pick ANY recipe she wanted. Her dish of choice was the Welsh Rarebit Rabbit.

We talked about how if I went through the effort to buy the ingredients and put it together, she absolutely HAD to eat every last item on the plate whether she liked it or not. I got a slightly scared, slightly skeptical look but she agreed. Off to the store we went. 

Have you ever had Welsh Rarebit? I have not. Even I was a bit skeptical about this one: It involves shredded cheddar, an egg yolk, a bit of milk, and worcheshire sauce mixed together then spread over an english muffin and broiled. I put my doubts aside and started prepping the veggies.

The plate in the picture above is exactly what I served each of my girls for lunch this afternoon. And shocker of all shocks, both plates were CLEAN when the meal was over! My fussier than fussy girls each ate: snow pea pods, cherry tomato, raw carrot, green onions, and two servings each of blueberries. Are the quantities tiny? Yes. Does it even count as a single serving of vegetables? Probably not. But they tried it. 

I asked the Peanut what she thought of her meal when she was done. "Mommy, I didn't like it." I laughed out loud at her response. But then she surprised me with, "But some of the parts were ok." I asked her which ones: "The tomato, bunny ears, bunny eyes, and the carrot." So apparently the Welsh Rarebit part was the part she didn't like. Even funnier if you ask me.

I told her how proud I am that she cleared her plate of all the things she had been nervous about and promised that since she was so adventurous we could experiment with another recipe from the book sometime.

Do I cook like this every day? HA! No. Was I willing to try this crazy experiment to get some new veggies in? Definitely. I count it a success.

So I may be a sucker for those gorgeously unattainable serving suggestions, but there is definitely something in the magic of presentation.

Stock Your Stash: 5 last-minute gifts under $15

With Christmas just over a week away, I know you might be starting to feel the panic for those last few tricky people on your list. Today's Stock Your Stash series is focusing on the special people in your life and I'm here to share my list of 5 last-minute gifts under $15.

1. For your kids' teachers: Spice Assortment gift box $8 - 12

Long-time readers know my love for Penzeys Spices. This year I'm stocking up on their mini gift boxes for the preschool teachers at the Peanut's school. They even have a teacher-specific box that includes a sweet apple themed print and a booklet inside with an ode to teaching. Check out their gift boxes page and you'll find baking, grilling, and essentials themed gift boxes as well.

 

2. Anyone with small children: Precious quotes journal $12

For the new parents in your life, consider this five year journal. Each page records 5 years of the same day in list format. Perfect for comparing the growth and milestones of the family. I wrote an entire post about it here. I'm just finishing up our first year and this has easily become the single thing I'd save in a housefire.

 

 

3. For the college student or possibly an adult struggling with unemployment/workplace discontent: The Art of Nonconformity $10

Times are tough out there and I would not be surprised if every single person reading this post has at least one person on their list who is worrying about their job future or is wishing they could make a major change. I read this book last summer and it is no small part of why I've had the courage to go after some of my bigger dreams and goals. Super inspiring book with very practical tips on making the most of your life. Even more perfect for anyone who loves to travel and is a superfan of education and lifelong learning.

4. New iPad owner: Magazine subscription. Everyday Food $12

It really seems like the iPad is THE hot gift this holiday season. I know several families getting one this year. If one of those people are on your list, consider gifting a digital version of a magazine! The interface is gorgeous on the iPad. There are many magazines available for varying interests but I love that Martha Stewart's magazines also include the snail mail printed version. Buy a hardcopy at a store for wrapping up in the gift box.

5. For the lady in your life: Red stripe slippers $15

I saw these adorable striped slippers at Bath & Body Works the other day. They are fantastic in person. Whimsical, slightly ridiculous, but fantastically festive. My Peanut begged for these but they were just too big for her. I think they'd be pretty darn popular with any girl on your giving list from young child right on up through a grandma with a sense of humor. Just perfect for Christmas morning.

None of these seem just right? Be sure to check out the other Stock Your Stash lists at:

Diet & Ridicule: 7 fitness accessories under $20

Let's Lasso the Moon: More great teacher appreciation gifts

 

Stock Your Stash: Beginner DSLR gift guide

Today's edition of our Stock Your Stash series of holiday gift guides is focusing on that special lady in your life. There are many women I could choose to focus my contribution on but I'd like to take this opportunity to be a little bold. Today I'm sharing a gift guide for You!

If you've been watching my photo projects unfold for the last couple years and you're yearning for better equipment, now is the perfect time of year to take that leap. There are so many great deals out there on camera gear.

If you don't know where to start and are overwhelmed, today I'm not holding back. I want to tell you exactly what I would buy without sugar coating it! Because even though I'm a big proponent of needing to know how to use your equipment, sometimes it really is the better equipment that makes the photo.

Peanut Blossom's Official Gift Guide for the budding photographer wanting a DSLR:

Camera body: 

Canon T1i, T2i, or T3i series (I'm not even going to discuss Nikon. Not because they're not wonderful cameras but because I'm a Canon girl and don't want to steer you wrong with something I don't know enough about.)

 This series of camera bodies is a step up from the absolute beginner Rebel series. It is a fantastic place to start and has plenty of features for you to grow into. In the end though, it's not so much the body as it is the lens you put on it. The lens makes a far greater impact on the image, so keep on reading here. 

 

Lenses:

There are pros and cons for buying the "kit lens" that comes as part of a camera package. This decision is ultimately up to you. I did purchase a kit with the 18-55mm lens. I don't really regret it but I almost never use the lens. If money is an issue, just buy the camera body and then follow the next recommendations:

 - 50 mm f/1.8: CRUCIAL if you really want to experiment with photography and capturing that blurry background. Your kit lens will NOT give you that look because the aperture doesn't open wide enough. You want the f-stop number to ideally be below 2. The smaller the number the better (also the more expensive.) This is a fantastic and affordable place to start with the higher quality lenses beyond the kit. It's running about $100 right now and is by far the cheapest option available. 

- 35mm f/2: If money isn't as tight for you, splurge and get the 35mm lens. If you can afford it, you can skip the recommended 50mm altogether and just go straight for this lens. On the Canon T1i you will really appreciate the extra wiggle room this lens provides. For more info, you can see my entire post about it here. I LOVE this lens and I'd say the majority of the pictures of my girls you see on the blog are taken with it.

- 85mm f/1.8: If you're going all out, THIS is the dream lens I'd put on my wish list. The focal length is TIGHT on a crop sensor body like the T1i but it is an amazing lens. It is definitely a secondary lens though. Be sure you have either the 50 or the 35 listed above first. Most of my food photography was taken with this lens but I've also used it for some beautiful portraits. It's known as an outdoor portrait lens but I use it indoors as my "stealth lens" meaning I can capture my peanuts from so far away they don't know I'm taking their picture. Great for candid shots of real moments.

NOTE: All three lenses I'm recommending to you are prime lenses, which means they do not zoom. To "zoom" you need to move physically closer to your subject or back up and away. It takes a little getting used to but I don't even think about it now. It all becomes worth it when you find how incredibly crisp your subject becomes with these lenses as compared to most zooms in simlar price ranges.

A bag to put it all in:

Handyman Tim bought me the Kelly Moore 2 Sues bag in raspberry when it was on sale for Black Friday. I love love love it. It's big enough to fit my camera, 2 spare lenses, my new planner, my wallet, and tons of other purse items without being too big. For the hobbyist, the 2 Sues or the B-Hobo are exactly the perfect size for an every day purse/camera bag.

I'm addicted to the bright fun colors she offers but she has the standard black, grey, and brown style bags if you're more of a neutral girl. 

 

Polish those pictures:

Lightroom 3: This software by Adobe is truly the only software you really need. It is amazing, user friendly, and relatively affordable. It serves as an editor and a photo library organizer. I discuss it in far more detail here.

Photoshop CS5: If you already have Lightroom, Photoshop makes for a great piece of design software. I do blog layouts, our annual Christmas card and digital scrapbooking with it. You also can't beat it for major edits (like swapping heads and cloning out objects in the background.)

I could (and probably will) go into far greater detail on the items in this list over time. This guide is meant to be a quick and easy shopping list for someone overwhelmed by all the options out there. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, just send me a note or leave a comment and I'm happy to clarify anything!

And be sure to stop by and check out the other gift guides for the special women in your life:

Diet & Ridicule

Let's Lasso the Moon

Flee Fly Flown

Stock Your Stash: What to get your traveling man

 

Today is week 3 in the Stock Your Stash series and we're focusing on that special man in your life. If you'd like to get caught up on previous weeks, you can check them out here and here.

My contribution for this topic is as close to a post written by Handyman Tim as y'all are probably ever going to see here on the blog.

I really struggle every year to come up with ideas for my guy so it came as no surprise  to me when this was a difficult subject to write about. In a bolt of inspiration, I decided to just ask Tim to give me his approved list of items. As he started rattling off ideas, our theme became very clear. 

Behold!

The 100% Handyman Tim Approved Gift Guide for the Travelling Man:

1. iPhone/iPad: This is really two separate objects, but Tim insists these are essential items for any husband/dad on the road. The iPhone has become a crucial lifeline for Tim and our girls when he has to be out of town. We video chat with him every night and he can help virtually tuck the girls in at night and blow them kisses face-to-face. No, it's not nearly as good as the real deal but I've seen it send the Peanut to sleep with a smile on her face enough times to agree with him about it's "essential" categorization. 

The iPad has been a portable movie theater, library, laptop, photo album, and gaming center that keeps him entertained and relatively happy when sitting in a lonely hotel room or on a plane. Pricey though it may be, it has been worth every penny to provide a bit of comfort to a man who has to spend so much time away from home. 

2. Subscription to Audible.com: Tim is an avid reader, of the audio version variety. Whether he is on the road or even at home traveling to the local office, he spends a long time in his car commuting. He has managed to read 200+ books in the last 4 years all thanks to Audible. While his headphone habit may occassionally drive me crazy, I can't argue that it has been a great source of pleasure for him and I love being married to someone who is so well read.  

3. Bose noise cancelling headphones: This is something Tim has been begging for for years. Sadly, he still does not own them. He insists these would be heaven sent on more than one flight he's had to endure. If you can find it in your budget, I'm sure your travelling man would adore these.

4. Swiss Army Backpack: Forget the rolling luggage or briefcases, Tim swears by a laptop backpack. It was a running joke in our family that every year another bag would be on his wish list. He's tried out more than his fair share of them. The backpack takes the cake. It's easy to carry, easy to get through security, easy to store above or below the seat on a plane, and easy to tote when rushing to miss a close connection. 

5. Cordless Drill, 18volt preferibly Dewalt: And what would a gift list be from a handyman without a tool?? When I asked him, "Why a drill?" He responded: "Why Not?" Well ok then. Of course he had to clarify: "Not just "a" drill, but a cordless 18 volt Dewalt." He sounded a little like the kid from A Christmas Story asking for his Red Ryder BB Gun if you know what I mean. I guess this item speaks for itself. Apparently.

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None of these feel "just right"? As always, you can check out more ideas from my partners in crime:

Zina at Let's Lasso the Moon

Carrie from Diet & Ridicule

Colleen from Flee Fly Flown

Capture the season: Macro shots of your decor

Over the next few weeks, I've decided to share some photo tricks for capturing great holiday moments throughout the season. I'm not talking just The Big Day but all the little things that make this time of year so sweet and memorable. Some tips (like today's) will be more for the DSLR owner and run more advanced but I promise to share some easy peasy tips for the point & shoot owners as well. 

Today I want to share my first attempt at true macro photography. I was inspired over the last few weeks by the ladies on the Bloom Forum to give "Poor Man's Macro" a try. I've seen that method mentioned here and there but never really dug into exactly what it entails until now. After playing with it over the weekend, I'm kicking myself for holding off for so long!

The true macro lenses I've had my eye on run between $450 - $700. Not exactly in my budget. But $6 sure is! There are two ways to manage this effect:

1. You can mount 2 lenses on your camera using a coupling ring. I mounted my 50mm lens onto my camera body as I would normally do. Then I screwed on the coupling ring on the front of the lens. Then I mounted my 85mm lens to the end of the 50 with both faces touching each other and the back of the 85mm lens facing out. You can see the ring I purchased here. Total cost: $6.95.

This system really gives you an intense amount of magnification if you're wanting to capture something truly tiny. When I flipped the lenses around so that the 85 was attached to the body and the 50 was on the end, it was even more intense. Look at these comparisons SOOC:

85mm 1.8 lens attached to the body of my camera with a 50mm 1.4 lens reverse mounted on the end:

50mm 1.8 lens mounted to my camera body with an 85mm 1.8 lens reverse mounted on the end:

That is the same ornament in both images. You can see just how seriously close the double lens method can get you to your subject. Unfortunately, in the second example, you see the harsh vignetting that is nearly impossible to avoid. In the pinecone image at the top, I just edited it out as best I could by cropping. 

2. You can mount a single lens onto your camera body backwards using a reverse ring adapter. I haven't tried it yet but I'm hoping St. Nick will stuff my stocking with this one next week. From the examples I've seen, it appears you can get even more of your subject in the frame with the single lens. You also should be able to avoid the vignetting. I'm very excited to play with this method next.

If you know how to shoot in manual and have one of those rings, you can definitely play with macro. Here are my tips:

Look inside the cap: In order to figure out which size ring to get, look inside the cap of the lens you want to use. My 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.8 were both a 58. BUT, my 50mm 1.8 was a 52. Be sure to double check.

High ISO, low aperture: Light is going to be the biggest issue. In order to get enough of it into these shady pictures, I had to shoot at ISO 3200. My aperture was set at f/5. Any lower and focus would have been a significant problem. This particular tip might change if you're attempting the single lens method.

Be sure to have enough light: I took a few of the light bulbs from the string of lights and tucked them around the pinecones to provide plenty of light.

Shoot Very Very Close!: The tip of my lens is almost touching the pinecones I'm shooting so close.

Forget autofocus: To focus the image, I moved my camera back and forth microscopic movements until the area I wanted in focus became clear.

Brace yourself or better yet use a tripod: I was able to brace myself against the wall and the tree branches helped cradle the camera to keep me steady for all my ornament/decoration images. 

With these tips in hand and an adapter on your camera, just imagine all the holiday images you can capture! What would your tree trimmings, floral centerpieces, Dickens village houses, wreaths or even the snowflakes outside look like up close? Images like these give texture and fantastic detail to any  holiday album or scrapbook and make fantastic screensavers for your computer! I know I am going to be looking at everything differently from here on in.

Finding my sanity

The Peanut likes to play "Detective." She comes to me with a notepad and marker and says, "So, what's the trouble? I heard you lost something and you need me to find it."

So on one particularly busy evening, I told her, "I've lost my sanity."

"Ok, ma'am. What does your sanity look like?"

I chuckle. "It's . . . round. And . . . fluffy. With. . . purple spikes on it." before turning back to the casserole I'm prepping.

And lo and behold, look what she finds!

"Mommy!! I FOUND it! Here's your sanity." 

So the puff ball is blue and not purple. I say close enough. Like any good mother, I squealed with joy and promptly placed "my sanity" on the fireplace mantle so I don't lose it again.

And there it sits now in it's place of honor. This is one childhood treasure I am hanging onto for sure.

Stock Your Stash: Gift guide for kids

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? I have several friends who are already done but I haven't been quite that on the ball this year. Since I know I'm not alone, I've partnered up with some blogging friends to bring you a fantastic gift buying guide starting today and running right up until the end of December.

We'll be featuring guides by recipient, today's theme is what to get for your peanuts! Or, should I say for the peanuts on your list.

For years, I've taken the route of quality over quantity with my girls. They have more than their fair share of toys, but I try to limit the clutter and find more memorable items even if it means spending a little more and buying a little less. My list of suggestions will not necessarily be found on Amazon or Toys R Us but if you're looking for something memorable or unqiue, I hope you'll be pleased with what you find here.

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Pint-sized Paparazzi:

My 1st Camera: Think your child is ready for their own camera? I wrote an entire post about our experience here. Christmas is a wonderful time for this very special gift. 

Custom Camera Strap: With that first camera, this is nearly essential. If you can sew in a straight line, you can do this project in an hour. See my DIY camera strap tutorial here.

Just Like Mommy Camera Bag: Is mommy toting a fancy camera bag purse? Why not let the little one join the fun? Vera Bradley carries tiny padded purses (the Little Betsy style is featured in the photo to the left) that are just the right size for her to tote her camera and other small items. Be sure to check out the colors on sale for the best deals. This turquois one is available for $29. 

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Kitchen Helpers:

The Right Tools: Every kitchen helper needs the right tools for the job. I'm a big fan of these adorable aprons from Chasing Fireflies. The Peanut loves her kitchen apron and at some point I'll be buying a set of personalized ones for the girls to match. I also love this tiny tool set from Paula Deen. They are the right size for little hands but are actual kitchen utensils, dishwasher safe. You can buy similar small and colorful items from World Market if you're want to customize exactly which tools come in the set.

Cutie Cupcake Kit: Assemble a cupcake kit for your tiny baker and fill it with cute paper liners, candy sprinkles, a small frosting spreader, and a sweet little plate to put her masterpiece on before it is devoured. I always wanted an Easy Bake Oven but a brightly colored kit like this along with the promise of baking together would definitely suffice.

Kiddie Cookbook: There are tons on the market but I have my eye on You Can Cook by Annabel Karmel. I love Annabel's books and used them when feeding the girls their first foods. Most recipes were big hits and the photo/illustration stylings are so sweet and appropriate.

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Art vs. Craft:

My 1st Sewing Machine: Ever since reading Fanny to the Peanut I've been waiting to give her a very first sewing machine just like Fanny receives for her birthday. We're not quite there yet, but I've bookmarked this tiny sewing machine for when the day comes. Include her own copy of Fanny and some fabric and thread and this would be an amazing holiday gift.

Coloring Outside the Lines: Another book on my wishlist for the Peanut this year is The Coloring Book by Herve Tullet. The reviews on Amazon are fantastic and I love the concept of teaching her color theory. She is such the little artist and spends hours with her art box. I bought an old-fashioned metal lunchbox with Hello Kitty on the front and filled it with crayons, colored pencils, and markers in every color. She has a safe "Little Pea-proof" place to store her tools and totes it all around the house. Make your own art box and include it with this book for a fabulous kit.

Paint Your Own Fairy House Kit: Collect an unpainted birdhouse from a craft store, some paints and some glitter and label it Tinkerbell's new abode. Perfect winter craft that can be saved and put outside in your garden come spring time.  

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Simple Stocking Stuffers:

Stripey Straws from Shop Sweet Lulu: The Peanut went NUTS for these when I got a care package of them from my mother-in-law for my birthday. Santa will be bringing a package all her very own in her favorite color. 

Doodle Roll: Perfect for tossing in your diaper bag or purse, this Doodle Roll is the perfect solution for your artist on the go. 30 feet of paper rolled up into the dispenser with a spot to stash some crayons. 

Flower headbands by Banner Boutique: I stocked up on a few of these last winter and the girls look darling in them. Unfortunately, ours are all pink and clash with their Christmas red outfits. I'm scoping out the sweet white and sparkly versions they have available, we just love them.

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Looking for more inspiration?

You're in luck. Go check out:

Zina at Let's Lasso the Moon who's sharing her educational take on children's gifts today.

Carrie at Diet & Ridicule is sharing her fitness themed gift ideas for your kids. I love the creative ideas for keeping the whole family healthy!

And be sure to come back again in the coming weeks as we cover the rest of the recipients on your list! 

Make the most of your iPhone camera: My fave photo apps

Welcome to the final day of "We {Heart} iPhones Week!" I hope you have been enjoying the shares from our guests the last few days. Now it's my turn to chime in on apps. In honor of the cute phone case from ClickinMoms (the winner of which I'll be announcing in just a few more hours--last call to enter here), today I'm giving you a peek at my favorite photography apps. 

When choosing my apps for this list, I had a specific audience in mind:

Busy mom on the go who may or may not have photography as a hobby.

I have found that most apps listed under the "photography" category in iTunes are for people who have the time and interest in editing and putzing around with their images. I most definitely do not. If I'm going to spend time editing, it's going to be on images from my DSLR in Lightroom on my desktop. My camera phone is for fun snapshots. They are what they are, I'm not even remotely concerned with white balance or exposure.

So with that in mind, here are my absolute favorite apps for making the most out of your phone's camera:

Instagram:

I love love love this app. It is fast and fun. There are other similar apps out there (Hipstamatic, I'm glaring at you) that attempt to turn your phone into a fun camera with filters and "lenses" but they are all painfully slow. With Instagram, you snap the photo and then can select your filter later which really speeds things up. I love that this allows you to see which filter looks best on your particular image. Once you've chosen, it is easy as pie to share that photo to Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. 

Something to keep in mind: Photos you take in Instagram are saved in your Photo Album as well. I've been known to take the photo there and then hop over to my social media channel of choice to share through that app instead (Flickr, Facebook, email, etc.) I think this is a super neat feature of the app.

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Batch:

This is a new to me app. I don't have a ton of experience with it, but from what I've tested I love. The peanuts' grandparents have a nearly insatiable lust for more more more photos of the girls. With Batch, I can easily select a whole collection of snapshots and send them as a group via email. They display like a little photo album. Very handy. Even handier for those of you who may enjoy sharing photo albums on Facebook (which is also an option within the app.) You can even tag your people right in the app before it loads to FB. 

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Flickr:

The Flickr app is far from perfect, but I do enjoy it. I'm really active with my photo project participants over there and I love being able to look for their most recent uploads via my phone. I can also check in on comments made to my own images. If you join me for Project 2012 (more details coming soon!), you can rest assured I'll be keeping up with you via this app. 

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Golden Lite:

This app is so useful for natural light lovers like myself. All my backlit images from my natural light workshop were taken during the "golden hour"--2 hours after sunrise or 2 hours before sunset. Golden Lite tracks those times for you so you can plan to be on location at just the right moment. I really gave the app a workout during my class and what a difference the right timing can make!

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Postcard on the Run:

I so wish I had this app when we were in Mexico earlier this year. I can't wait to go on a real family vacation to try it out. Basically, you snap a photo with your phone, load it into the app, type out a message and add a snail mail address and they print and create a one-off postcard to be mailed to your recipient. Prices range from $.99 - $1.69. LOVE this.

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Cam Scanner with Evernote:

I'm an ex-magazine hoarder. I have such a hard time recycling my Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes & Gardens magazines. I discovered Cam Scanner a while ago and it has made it far less painful to rid my house of the clutter. I use my phone to take a picture of the article I want to remember within Cam Scanner. The app then cleans up the image so it is more readable and I can then file away the image in Evernote. You can read more about Evernote here. So handy!

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ClickinMoms: 

I was obsessed with the ClickinMoms' forum before, but now that they've released their app I'm a goner. The app only works if you have a forum membership, but it brings the tutorials and conversations into your pocket and on the go. I confess most of my downtime spent in doctors' waiting rooms or drive-thru lines is spent reading up on things here. It may not directly use your camera, but it is one of the best photography apps out there.