Photography Tip

I am obviously not a professional photographer, and this may be a widely known trick, BUT I discovered a secret to getting real smiles out of kids (as opposed to CHEESE-y grins)!

I was taking pictures of some nieces and nephews and asked them to smile...

Without being prompted, they started cheesing.

And then I asked them to laugh...

SO much better! It worked like a charm every time I pulled the camera out. By the end of the day, they were laughing for the camera before I even asked them to!

Summer Night

Almost Over

Winter is hanging on a little late this year, but it's almost over! The older I get, the more I realize how quickly time flies. I'm trying not to wish the time away, so this is me trying to be more "in the moment."

Ready for Spring

vintage seed packet garland tutorial, free Easter printables, framed vintage hankies

People ask me all the time if these lemons are real. The answer is no; they came from Walmart. Ha!

dining room table centerpiece

salt dough robin eggs tutorial

Is anybody else ready for spring?

Savvy Southern Style
Gingersnap Crafts
House of Hepworths
Dear Lillie

Photo Op

My sister-in-law called me several weeks ago and asked if I could take some family pictures for her.  I didn't hesitate one moment!  She and my brother have the most beautiful family, and of course, I'd take any opportunity to snap pictures of the world's cutest kids.  Marshall and I joke that the Gap models better watch out.

It's no wonder they have gorgeous children!

The setting they picked out was incredible, and the kids loved running through the trees.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous going into it.  I read up on all kinds of child photography tips, and I kept reading that with kids under age five, you might as well just hope for some nice candids.  With four kids five and under, I was very skeptical of the outcome.  For the most part, they were eager to smile for the camera, even though it was freezing outside.

That is one good looking family!

Thank you to everyone who prayed for Taylor yesterday!  The surgeons were able to get the entire tumor out!

For the Beauty of the Earth

For the beauty of the earth,

for the glory of the skies,

for the love which from our birth

over and around us lies;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

Great River Road- Wisconsin side

For the wonder of each hour,

of the day and of the night,

hill and vale and tree and flower,

sun and moon and stars of light:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

 For the joy of human love,

brother, sister, parent, child;

friends on earth and friends above;

for all gentle thoughts and mild:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

Effigy Mounds hiking trail

 For Thy Church that evermore

lifteth holy hands above,

offering up on every shore

her pure sacrifice of love:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

Effigy Mounds lookout

 For Thyself, best gift divine,

to our race so freely given;

for that great, great love of Thine,

peace on earth and joy in Heaven:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

Great River Road- Iowa side

Marshall and I took a little trip along the Great River Road to admire the autumn splendor.  It was incredible!  Only God could make death and dying look so beautiful.  We stopped at Effigy Mounds and hiked up to a couple of the lookouts.  The view was breathtaking!  And for those of you who think that Iowa is just a bunch of corn... Think again!

This Week {illustrated}

This week has been exciting, crazy, overwhelming, and not at all what we expected it to be.  But we we're rolling with the punches and even took a little time to enjoy the gorgeous outdoors.

That's all for now... I am worn out!  Enjoy the gorgeous weekend ahead!

This Week {illustrated}

I hope you have enjoyed a lovely first week of Autumn!  We kicked ours off with a hiking trip at one of the state parks close by, and it was beautiful!  Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest.

Just as we were driving back into town, we saw this gigantic cruise ship, The American Queen, going through the locks.  It is SO pretty!  People around here refer to it as "the floating wedding cake."

This Week {illustrated} and Another Clever Tip!

We came home from our roadtrip to a lot of garden produce.  I've been working away in the kitchen this week to can pickles and freeze tomato sauce.  In the process of preparing the vegetables, I sliced part of my thumb off with the mandoline slicer.  As in... more than an 1/8 of an inch.  It involved lots of bleeding, a frantic call to my sister-in-law, and a worried husband.  We tried to save my thumb...

...we did the best that we could...

...and my thumb is...

...going to be ok.

Bahahahaha!  Sorry, I couldn't resist...

If you don't want to add sugar to salsa or tomato sauce, just broil your veggies on high for 20 minutes or until browned.  It adds a wonderful, sweet and smokey flavor!

We adopted a Milk Weed caterpillar.

He is very hungry.

One box of wildflower seeds from Walgreens for about $.50...  Amazing.

Loving our zinnias!

The sky was incredible last night!  These photos are completely unedited!

And now for the clever tip you've been waiting so patiently for...

Have you ever been to an ice cream social or some other event where ice cream is being served to a large crowd?  If you have (especially if you've ever been on the serving end), what automatically comes to mind?  Sloppy, sticky scoops and puddles of melted ice cream, right?!

Not anymore!

We attended a wedding last week, and they served brownies and ice cream at the reception.  The ice cream had been frozen in individual scoops that were placed on everyone's plates as they went through the serving line.  No scooping, no melting, no messes!  Whoever thought of it is a genius.  I asked one of the ladies how they did it, and it's very simple.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper.

Scoop your ice cream onto the baking sheet.  I could have easily fit 12 scoops but only did 9.

Put the baking sheet back in the freezer for at least two hours, or until firm ALONG WITH the serving bowl.

When it's time to serve, simply put the scoops in the chilled bowl.