Bird's Nest Ice Cream Dessert

Yesterday we had the opportunity to see a magic show at our local library!  What a great experience for the kids and I absolutely love that it was free entertainment for the afternoon.  The magician/comedian was so funny I had tears running down my leg (I gave birth to 3 kids, need I say more).
After that, I decided I would give the kids a shot at making supper and dessert!
When my three jewels are in the kitchen, I always try to use the motto, "don't stress, expect a mess".  On the menu last night, homemade pizza and bird's nest ice cream dessert!   

No big deal if the pizza ends up looking like this...

....Just add some more cheese and your good to go!

Next came the bird's nest

We used waffle bowls for the nest, added our ice cream, then topped it with nuts, pretzels and cadbury easter eggs.

I wish I had of added some caramel or chocolate syrup! Yummm!  I bought some and forgot it in the fridge! Darn!

Good morning friends,
Did everyone survive unscathed considering we all had 1 hour less sleep yesterday?  Why can't "they" just leave the time alone?  Daylight Savings is so logically flawed!!  There's actual studies to prove that Daylight Savings actually results in 1%-4% more energy consumption.  Let's face it, life today aint what it used to be.  I'd say the idea of Daylight Savings was whipped together like a Betty Crocker cake recipe.  Do they not realize we have babies with sleep schedules?  You see, the body has this thing called the circadian clock .  It's basically our internal clock.  Humans were not designed for sudden time change, in particular, babies.  A sudden time changes leads to stress, flared tempers and a lower ability to concentrate on a task. (It's postpartum all over again, YIKES).  It seriously takes us 3 days to adjust to the time change.  Whoever makes these time change decisions should have to spend 3 days in my house and face the wrath of a "sleep deprived mother" aka Me.

Sorry to have started Monday morning with a bitch session, maybe because I'm lacking precious sleep!  Anyway, it's the start of March Break and I'm interested to know what everyone is up to.
This morning we are heading to the local library to watch a magic show. 
Later we are making some pipe cleaner teddy bears.  I worked through these instructions yesterday and it was super simple.

**Note** These are very small and not suitable for children <3.  I think we'll turn our little teddies into key chains to hang on the kids' backpacks.  

 



















 

 
I'm also really excited because I received a package on Friday from a site I've been stalking for sometime now.  It's called garnish.  This site is definitely worth checking out while you finish your morning coffee.

No peeking just yet!  I'll be using the goodies I ordered in several future posts.  Which means you'll have to wait just a lil bit longer!!!

Egg Family Craft Project

I can't say it enough, I have the best mother-in-law in the world!!!  She truly is a gem!!!
Today is her birthday and here's my dilemma, I find her REALLY hard to buy for!
Anyone have a mother-in-law that's hard to buy for?
There's only one thing I know she can't get enough of-her grandchildren!
So, instead of buying her something she probably doesn't need, I decided to give her some daffodils infused with a bit of personality.

Opal

Sapphire  

Pearl

I decorated the tops of 3 plastic Easter eggs.  Each one is suppose to resemble my three jewels.

All you'll need is

• several plastic Easter egg tops
• googly eyes
• ribbon or feathers for hair
• pom poms for the nose
• glue
• ribbon and potted flower

So, be sure to save your leftover plastic Easter eggs.  Why not consider making one of these for Mother's Day or as a cute spring decoration.  

Have a great weekend everyone. 

Photography Tips-Adjusting White Balance On Your Camera

Alright, this is my first photography post so please be kind!  Please note, I am by no means a professional photograher.  I'm still very much in the learning phase, however, I would like to share some of the tips I've learned while on this journey to becoming a better photographer.
Today I'm going to discuss White Balance (gotta start somewhere and this is a very easy adjustment to make on your camera that has immediate results)

Adjusting The White Balance (WB) On Your Camera
Adjusting your White Balance on your camera is way simpler than you may think.  The proper White Balance in a picture can mean the difference in your subject looking natural or totally wrong.  As in jaundice/liver failure wrong.  White balance (WB) is the process of removing unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo.

All you have to do is, find your WB button on your camera, select it, then scroll down to the appropriate White Balance setting.

*note*  You may have to switch from auto mode to manual mode or any other priority setting to access the White Balance settings. (I just heard you gasp.  Scary as it may seem to switch off auto mode, it's really not that bad.  Don't worry, I'll hold your hand through it.  Just leave me a comment if I'm not making sense or if you need more instructions)

You may be tempted to choose Auto White Balance, but what I've found is that my pictures are still far from realistic.

Below is a picture of the back of my t2i, courtesy of google images.  An arrow points to the WB button.  You'll have to search for the unique location of your WB button on your camera

Alright time for an example...

Here's the thing, I personally prefer the warm, creamy tone in the before picture!  However, the more realistic photo is the picture on the right, whereby the WB has been adjusted.  The nice thing about photography, it's a matter of preference.  If you were to shoot a picture of a person's face in the wrong WB setting, the individual may appear sickly, therefore, a WB adjustment may be necessary.

This is a quick and very simple explanation of adjusting the White Balance on your camera.
Some camera's allow you to customize the White Balance.  In other words, you get to tell your camera what constitutes "white".  This involves manually customizing the White Balance and for this, I'll refer you to one of my favorite photography sites, Photography Tuts. 

Before I go, I would like to share a few pics of my spring decorating. (Yes, I started decorating for Spring. I needed to get out of my "Winter Slump" so I introduced some Spring colors into my home decor)

Marriage Advice-The Barter System

Ten years of marriage and we still really like each other.  Pretty much unheard of nowadays!
What do I attribute to our happy and contented marriage?
The "Barter System" of course!  It's the economics of love and marriage.
He gives me what I want {my floors mopped} and I give him what he wants {the opportunity to fulfill his animal instint~enough said} Everyone wins, right girls?
Once our "needs" are both met, we express our appreciation with a big old 'Thank You'!
Meeting each other's needs deposits love units in the love bank.  This results in a wealthy marriage filled with love and in the end avoids an emotional recession!


This is what works for us!  Now it's time to introduce the "peanut butter concept".  Just like peanut butter holds two pieces of bread together, there are people, things, feelings and activities, which can hold a marriage together.  The "Barter System" holds our marriage together, now it's your turn to share.  What holds your marriage together?

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