Chloe has shown particular interest in walking Barkley. I don’t think he’s very enthusiastic about it, but he seems to tolerate it surprisingly well, all things considering.
Archive for March, 2010
When a little discretion is advised…
Published March 29, 2010 Photos 4 CommentsTags: bag, camera, cloak, equipment, photography
Check out the Cloak Bag. The photographer in me is really tickled by this, but if I saw someone actually shooting with it I’m sure I would think it strange. However, it does partially fulfill my desire for a small, lightweight bag to conceal my equipment when I didn’t want to be so obvious (which is often). That is one thing about dSLRs. They are so in-your-face when I’d rather they be as discreet as point-and-shoots. I guess that’s the price we pay for better quality and control.
What do you think? Would you carry this bag? via
Self-portrait plus, week 12 a+b
Published March 27, 2010 baby , Life , Photos 9 CommentsTags: baby, chloe, emily, mom, self-portrait
Berry Rhubarb Crisp
Published March 26, 2010 Cooking , Garden 4 CommentsTags: berry, cobbler, crisp, oatmeal, rhubarb
Another week has gone by. Although there’s been a little rain, this week has been mostly sunny and beautiful. Chloe, Barkley and I have been spending some of every afternoon outside. All of our raised garden beds sit at the ready with rich, dark layers of compost. The rhubarb fills the back of the middle bed and they are already so big! It’s like they sprung up over night. I’m getting an early start on them this year by adding fresh rhubarb to frozen berries remaining from last year, and throwing some of this topping on it. Tastes like summer already.
Self-portrait plus, week 11
Published March 20, 2010 Life , Oregon 4 CommentsTags: beach, family, manzanita, Oregon, self-portrait
Art Exhibit Event Postcard
Published March 19, 2010 Life , Photos 9 CommentsTags: Art, event, photograph, postcard
Check it out! My photograph made the cover of the The Living River art exhibit postcard! I smile just thinking about it, and can’t wait to see the full exhibit in person. You can download a pdf of the postcard which includes accompanying events like a documentary film and speaker series here. Does this mean that I can call myself a real artist now? 🙂
Backpack/diaper bag exposé
Published March 17, 2010 baby , Life 8 CommentsTags: baby, bag, contents, diaper, exposed, purse, snacks, toddler
Top row: Clif Kid snack bar, TJs cereal bar, Gerber fruit strip, 2 lollipops, graham crackers, apple juice box, TJs apple carrot fruit crusher
2nd row: receipts, coupons, Chloe’s sunglasses, large zip-lock bag (with 2 diapers, travel wipes and bib), small zip-lock bag (with Chloe’s birth certificate, insurance card, vaccination record, 2 single use thermometers, her doctor’s business card, emergency cash, and some of my business cards), travel pack of tissues
3rd row: gift cards, Hemp Organics lip tint in Earth, Eyeko’s Raspberry Fat Balm, change, 2 Daim candies
4th row: Kodak V550 camera, ear piece, cell phone, plastic spoon/knife, Wet Ones wipes (both Regular for serious germs and Extra Gentle for Chloe)
5th row: wallet case (with my ID, membership and credit cards), zipper pouch for cash and other cards, pouch with large re-usable fold away bag, post-it notes, pen, Clean Well hand sanitizer
This is a follow-up of my previous post. Please let me know if anyone else decides to do this. It would be fun to see the kinds of things other people carry, and I’ve learned some good snack ideas from other moms, too. 🙂
The things I carry
Published March 17, 2010 baby , Life 1 CommentTags: baby, backpack, bag, contents, diaper, photo, purse, snacks, toddler
David has always marveled at the amount of stuff I carry in my purse. At times, I was like Indiana Jones, always ready with a lighter, flashlight, pen, notebook, can-opener, pocket knife, band-aids, measuring tape, (then, as technology advanced) a digital camera, cell phone, memory stick… you get the picture.
About a month or two ago, I stopped carrying Chloe’s diaper bag around town, and now just carry an old black mini-backpack. It works fairly well, except that the large zipper-pulls clank annoyingly when I walk. However, it carries the right amount of stuff and leaves my hands free. A helpful thing when chasing a toddler.
The other day, while I was tossing my old receipts and replenishing the diaper baggie, I decided to pull everything out and document it with a picture. Yes, I really do carry all that stuff, although the contents does change. And yes, I really am a walking snack bar.
Graham crackers anyone?
Self-portrait-plus, week 10
Published March 16, 2010 Life , Photos 3 CommentsTags: baby, chloe, reflection, self-portrait
Chocolate Chip Cookies :: Aussie-Style
Published March 15, 2010 Cooking , recipes 3 CommentsTags: australian, chocolate, cookie, eggless, nestle, recipes, sweetened condensed milk
Every once in a while I get a hankering for a spoonful of sweetened-condensed milk straight from the can. My husband thinks its gross, and maybe it is, but I love the creamy sweetness of it. Afterward, I have almost a whole can left, so what to do? Sometimes, it goes in the fridge to be added to coffee, Vietnamese-style, or sometimes I’ll make a dessert with it, like 7-layer bars. But this last time I wondered about adding sweetened condensed milk to chocolate chip cookies. Turns out the Australians beat me to it, and they are delicious (both the Australians and the cookies). 🙂
In this recipe, the sweetened condensed milk acts as a substitute for eggs, and turns out a cookie with a finer crumb, more crispy than crunchy, with good flavor. The original recipe can be found here on Nestle’s site, but I’ve adapted it below the way I made it, with American-style measurements. I used my favorite Trader Joe’s organic sweetened condensed milk.
Australian Chocolate Chip Cookies
(about 36 cookies)
15 Tbs butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (basically 4 big handfuls)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line oven trays with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and sugar together and then then beat in the sweetened condensed milk.
3. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl and then mix it into the above mixture until combined.
4. Add in the chocolate chips.
4. Spoon rounded tablespoons of mixture onto prepared trays, allowing room to spread.
5. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned around the bottom edges and golden on top.
Happiness
Published March 12, 2010 Art , Life , Photos 2 CommentsTags: happiness, Life, Mother & Baby, photography
I’ve been feeling a little bad about the last post. Some days are just harder than others, and I realize that there are a lot of people that would happily exchange their problems for mine. So today I’m just concentrating on happiness and I’m finding a lot to be happy for.
Happiness today is…
- Chloe going back to sleep after waking up early
- Spending that extra time snuggling with my honey
- Watching Chloe’s happily explore during her art class
- Driving downtown to pick up my professionally printed photo for the Living River juried art exhibit. Can you believe it?! My photo was one of 80 works (from textiles, sculpture, photography, paintings, etc) selected out of over 350 submissions. I’ve never “shown” my work like this before, which is kind of thrilling.
- Treating myself to a mocha and bressane from the Pearl Bakery.
- Chloe falling asleep on the way home, and then taking a second nap later in the afternoon.
- Finding out my mother-in-law is coming for a visit!
Night Night
Published March 9, 2010 baby , Life 5 CommentsTags: baby, Life, Mother & Baby, sleep, working
Today, while Chloe was sitting in my lap and I was briefly checking my email, Chloe put her head down on my arm. I heard her saying something over and over, and when I gave her my full attention I realized she was repeating “night night.” Fascinated, I cautiously asked her if she wanted to go night night. After all, I didn’t want her to worry I’d lay her in bed, just because she happened to say the words. Well, she didn’t say no, even though I asked her a couple times and walked her into her room. There I laid her down and covered her gently with a blanket, all the while expecting her to protest. But she didn’t. She took at nap.
Chloe’s napping has been haywire lately. I think she’s transitioning from two naps to one. She hasn’t taken two naps for days now, and I have to gauge carefully when is a good time to put her down. I usually guess correctly, and she goes right down, but sometimes, its anyone’s guess.
I already miss the two nap schedule. I have a hard time getting anything done, and working is almost impossible. It has gotten to the point that she cries if I sit down at my computer. She is also more energetic than ever, and very LOUD. She’ll wander around the house yelling Mama! Mama! or More! More! over and over again, or just generally crying at my legs until I get up.
It is really the days when I have work to do that are the hardest. Regular days are fine, where I can give my full attention to just us. David has suggested I give up working from home, but I don’t want to. But I also don’t want him to come home to a messy house, frustrated wife and grumpy child either. I know that something’s gotta give. I just hope to put off whatever it is a little longer. I’m scared that if I stop taking work and lose my clients it will be impossible to get that momentum back. Plus, it is something I enjoy (when I can concentrate) and it keeps my skills updated. Who knows what things will be like if I stop now and try to start again later? The industry and software is ever changing. I could get left behind. But I also want to be a good mom. And a good wife, too.
Why can’t I just have it all?
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