{ Childhood Sweets: Food Photography}

Chocolate chip cookies, how classic.  Growing up my mom always required us to drink a glass of milk whenever we ate cookies. To this day I can't imagine eating them any other way, though I generally opt for almond, soy, or rice milk instead. 

I'm always amazed at how these little candies are called "mints". Mints? They're pretty much just a candy so let's go ahead and admit it folks. Growing up, I always loved the sweet, buttery mints the fish camp restaurants served on our way out the door. 

Remember eating donut holes, aka munckins, as a kid? I can't believe I used to see these as a breakfast item, but now I think of them as dessert. Same goes for Poptarts, Toaster Strudels, and Lucky Charms. My husband LOVES munchkins and I can rarely bring them in the house or they'll be gone in no time. 

Which sweet shot is your favorite and why? I always appreciate a little photography feedback! 

{ Farm Photos }

Here are some farm fresh photos I hope you enjoy. I went for a sort of film-like inspired effect. I thought it suited our rustic backdrop quite well. 

I'd love some photo feedback: Which photo is your favorite and why?

For more check out my Facebook Page

And if you live in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Cary area I'd love to do some photos for you. 

{ Carob Candy }

Carob. Ever heard of it? It's a substitute for chocolate that fades in and out of popularity in the health food world. Many praise it because it doesn't contain the caffeine that chocolate does so it's often favored as a treat for kids in lieu of chocolate.

My mom was the coolest earth mama back in the 1970s. No, I promise that was not a totally random statement. Allow me to explain...my mom was the type who made her own yogurt and granola from scratch, fed my oldest brother carob bunnies in his Easter basket, and had a cookie jar of whole wheat fig newtons. I. So. Aspire. To. Be. That. Mom. My kids are going to know the difference between organic and genetically modified by the time they are school aged. Or at least that's my idealistic hope. *sigh* Back to carob...while I missed the years of carob Easter bunnies (I got the traditional chocolate kind which always suited me quite fine), I have just now discovered this tasty chocolate-like treat. 

One of our local Whole Foods (the Raleigh Whole Foods off of Wade Avenue) has THE BEST bulk section. And these carob covered malt balls are one of the jewels in the treasure trove that is the Whole Foods bulk bins. I know, carob covered malt balls? Doesn't sound tasty and that's what I thought when my nutritionist friend first introduced them to me. But oh, they trump the chocolate ones. Yes, they do. 

Have you read this far? I'm officially proud that you got through that much of my rather circuitous blog post about carob. (I blame it on the head cold I just came down with). 

Now my charge to you, champions of carob: have you ever eaten carob and if so in what form and did you like it? I'd love to try more carob confections but want to know what works and what doesn't. I don't want a bad taste in my mouth for this treat, literally. 

{ Painted Baby Name Nursery Decor }

Remember that blog post with the painted baby name letters? My sister-in-law, Katie, had the idea to paint wooden letters in the baby's name to decorate the nursery. Here's how we did it...

 Plain white wooden letters from Hobby Lobby. (Less than $2 a letter with Hobby Lobby coupons)

Katie chose colors that would incorporate different elements of the room such as the drapes, crib, glider chair, and baby crib bumper. 

Some of the darker paints came out a little bit splotchy on the letters, so we used a sponge painting finish. Perfect creative problem solving!

Katie painting away. See that wall art behind her? She made that too. Just canvases and fabric from a craft store, another DIY. 

The finished product. It was so much fun to do this, and I thought it turned out really well. Katie did the "E" and I love that "E". I think it's my favorite letter design in this whole set. 

I got spiral happy on the letter "C"

I hope Caleb is enjoying his new wall decor. Well, maybe he'll be able to appreciate it in a few years. 

{ First Day of School...Well Sorta }

First days of school. Do you remember yours? If only I had the photo to show you my first day of preschool. I still remember it...decked out in a pink dress with a pink bookbag (which looked almost as big as me) I stood next to my brother in front of the mini-van. I was so proud to be going to school.

Today is one of those days I want to remember. And why not scrapbook it right here on the blog. 

A few memories and photos from my (sorta) first day of school...this time as an assistant teacher- part of the transitional kindergarten team. And I say sorta because it wasn't actually the first day of school with the kids. But it was new faculty and staff orientation. So to me, that sorta counts as my first day.  Just roll with me here.

The classic "First Day of School Photo". Seeing as this is one of my three good teaching outfits I'm in need of more. Any good ideas? I've hit up Old Navy and Target for some good finds. However, it can be a little tricky to find something that is nice enough to look professional, yet casual enough for sticky fingers, markers, and kindergarten craft projects. Seriously, I could use some inspiration and recommendations. 

And I came home to this...one of my husband's famous napkin notes...

He surrounded it with a few flowers and on the edges of the napkin he wrote words to describe me such as "wife", "blogger", "photographer"...

And these were waiting for me on my bedside table. I'm a huge fan of white flowers. Huge fan. 

My husband is great at celebrating new beginnings and making them special. Me...not so much. How did I celebrate this day? I went grocery shopping. Case and point. Luckily I have him.

How do you make new beginnings, fresh starts, and first experiences meaningful and memorable?

{5 Things Painting Taught Me About Marriage}

1) Bite your tongue instead of saying "We could just ask my Dad". 

2) Painting, like marriage, is never naturally perfect on its own. It's how much effort you put into it that counts. Sometimes that requires paint touch-ups and a second coat, or a heart to heart and quality time together. 

3) Your bed's dark leather headboard will be magnetically attracted to light colored paint splotches. Much like a man's dirty socks have a magnetic repellent to the clothes hamper.

4) Divide and conquer. You do it while painting a room, do it for all life's other responsibilities as well. He wins the bread, I bake it. 

5) How you go about doing something is just as important as the result, whether you're completing a weekend bedroom paint project or tackling a disagreement.

What's the best piece of marriage advice you've ever received?