Fruit shapes!

This isn't a recipe, per se, but a fun idea! I was reading Better Home and Gardens Magazine (of course!) and saw this totally cute idea.

Now, none of these pictures really does it justice, but you get the idea.


Take your fruit, generally a melon. Slice it into about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wedges. Probably closer to 1/4 inch. Then, take a cookie cutter (the metal ones would work better), and cut it into the fun shapes!


How awesome is that?!?!??! I love it! I just need to steal some kids to feed fruit shapes to. ;)

THE Jars, pt. 2

Remember a few weeks ago when we transformed our pantry? The pantry provides a great spot to put all of my glorious jars.

Here is what Erik has to say about the jars:

Cupcake party :)

I was tickled pink that Andrea thought enough to invite me to her girls' party. :)

It was a CUPCAKE Party! How about that? Tasty!


This micro shot is a little fuzzy, but there were a plethora of types. Um, yeah. Nice.


A variety of icing and toppings, too!


They hung questions to answer about/for Andrea from ribbon from the ceiling. I liked it.


And the glass placeholders? Really clever!

Kiddo II

Another photo, so you don't think I've forgotten/neglected the blog!!!!!

Kiddo

See? I'm such a good girl! Another photo to share!

I've been crazy-busy, and am just keeping my head above water!

Posting :)

Jess is my new friend in D.C. I just adore her. :)

She told me that when she was little, one of those cheezy school photographers told her she "had a funny smile" or some such rubbish. Hogwash. So she's been self-conscious about photos ever since. Unfortunate that she was so self-conscious, because she's just lovely!

Cool Composter

Hi bliggidy bloggidy world!

Ok, so after yesterday's "Debbie Downer" post, I could help with some solutions.

I know I've previously blogged about composting HERE.

So here's the deal, my friend, Juno. Well, her compost bin is better than MY compost bin and now I have compost bin envy. Go check it out HERE and see why I'm jealous.

Let me remind you what MY compost bin looks like:



Way less cool.

And now I want to build one like Juno's. But I have about a million other projects in line before I get to this, so it'll have to wait, and I tip my hat to Juno and her cool composting bin (and the idea for 2 doors? Genius, Juno! You WIN!)

Trash Talk

Would you believe an average of 100 people a week stop in on our blog? And I suspect that doesn't include those who have it on their RSS feeds. Really? I say something at least 100 people want to read? iiiiiinteresting.

Anyhow, knowing there are people who stop by to see what rant I have gone on, and to find no new posts, well I feel like a slacker. So here we go! ;)

A few months ago, I went to something regarding environmental issues here in Salina. And I was SHOCKED to see the numbers. Are you ready?????

- 24% of the trash in the U.S. is from yard trimmings and food waste. In Salina, it's 23%. SERIOUSLY .... nearly a quarter of the trash going to the landfill is yard clippings or food that we could compost???? wow. I am stunned.

- 61% of Salina's trash includes the following: wood waste, paper products, yard waste and food waste. MORE THAN HALF???? REALLY????? How much could we be recycling?????

Let's pause for a minute to reflect. IF residents of my fair city would 1) recycle paper and 2) compost, we could cut our landfill contributions by MORE than 50 percent??? Woah. That's heavy. And stunning.

I have to be honest: One of the things I miss most from living in Hays was the ease of which I could recycle. You just put your stuff in a blue bag and it was collected every week. Every household paid some nominal fee ($4-$5) and everyone could recycle.

Here in Salina, we have to pay for a bin, then everything has to fit INSIDE of that bin. Ugh. Fortunately, when I asked, they were awesome and gave us another bin for FREE. :) One of my brides here in town has THREE bins, which she tells me is the max you can get without extra fees. I have to say, using three recycling bins would be something I aspire to. But for the time being, I'll settle for the two.

SO ... rambly post (didn't I warn you?). But here's the message: If you ever thought "Oh, it's just the junk mail" or "What I do can't make that much of a difference" ... THINK AGAIN. Look at the above numbers and think again. Even if you do just ONE thing, it would be way better than nothing.

Start by getting an extra trash can. Designate it as your paper bin. Toss the extra junk mail, fliers and handouts from church into there. I honestly think you'll be surprised at how quickly it fills up. And if you haul it to the recycling center, then it won't go into a landfill!!!! If the 100 people who read this blog all start recycling paper ... think of how much paper that is!!!!

Last interesting fact, then I'll close. Recycling does take energy, but requires less energy than starting from scratch. Here are the numbers: "Recycling aluminum can cut energy consumption by 95%; plastics by 70%; steel by 60%; paper by 40%; and glass by 30%."

Be well. And if you recycle, leave a comment! If you don't but can commit to start, even if it's just paper, leave a comment!

The 4th "R"

I know Earth Day was a few weeks ago, but I heard something related to Earth Day that I liked and wanted to share. Well, two things.

1. We all know "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." But I heard someone pose a 4th "R" to the mix. REFUSE. As in refuse to take another plastic bag at the store.

I'll share an amusing story with you.

Once, I was at the grocery store and all of my items didn't fit into my reusable bags. And the bagger started to put it into a plastic bag. "Don't you dare give me another petroleum-based product to take into my house." I shrilled at the poor 15-year-old boy who clearly was trying to make a buck at his first job. Embarrassed, I sort of recovered "I'll just carry that satchel of apples out." .... yeeeeeeah, classy, Karen.

Speaking of fruit/produce, I no longer bag my items .... celery? Just toss it in the cart. Leeks? Same thing. Unless it comes bagged, I don't take another bag with me ... just coz I'm crazy like that.

Extreme example, but just say no. To a tiny bag when the only item you get is a Mother's Day card. Or a box of candy. Or whatever. I don't know about you, but those plastic bags multiply like RABBITS in our cupboard.

Which brings me to item No. 2.

2. Plastic bags in the cabinets. I was reading a magazine a few weeks ago, and read of a clever way to corral them. Take a Kleenex box that is empty, then just shove the little buggers in there. Viola! A repurposed use for the Kleenex box (prior to recycling) and the bags are contained.

We did this, and it worked fairly well. The only trouble is we have more plastic bags than fits into a Kleenex box. I guess this means I should take them to the dropoff at the grocery store.

Ok, that's it for today. I have tons of info about composting and recycling relative to Salina, and I'll share in a day or two ... but in the meantime, do you have any tricks to help recycle or reduce???? Reuse??? Anyone? Share, share, share! :)

Clients into friends

It seems on many photo blogs I regularly read that the photographer talks about how their clients become friends. In the last year, I've been so blessed to really experience this in a whole new way.


Take Andrea. You might recognize her from our bedroom painting extravaganza here.

Andrea and I met just one year ago at Lori and Derek's rehearsal dinner. But boy howdy, did we hit it off. Seriously, two peas in a pod.

Over the last year, we've exchanged tons of email and I have to say how enriched I am. Blessed to call her a friend.

This last year has been difficult on a personal level for me. Growing apart from friends who I've known for years has slowly been happening, and I have to admit, I have been pouty, selfish and jealous about it. But my confessor said to me "perhaps God is making room in your life for new friendships to blossom." Andrea is a beautiful case in point. :)

This weekend, Mike and I hit the road to Manhattan to photograph Andrea's marriage to Larry. Isn't she a seriously stunning bride????


But she knows how to have a *little* fun. ;)


There were these killer columns, and we just had to use them. But man were they difficult to work. I think I found an angle I eventually liked. But it was no easy feat.

So, there will be a formal post on the Heartland Blog in a few days or so ... but I have been grossly neglecting our personal blog, so I thought I'd put something personal up. :)

I still have a ton of editing to do from my trip to DC a few weeks ago, and have all sorts of other stuff to share ... but I hope this is a first step in resuming more regular blogging over here! I have finally found some much-needed time in my schedule and this afternoon has been uber-productive. I look forward to more productivity this week! :)