Light Scoop

My new toy!  I love it - it's a light scoop.  Basically a mirror to deflect the pop-up flash so the light, well - actually serves a function.  I snagged the light scoop from one of my new favorite photo sites - photojojo.  I highly recommend it.​

Here is an example of what the light scoop can do:

You can really see the difference between the three.  It's great in artificial lighting too, keeps things from turning yellow - which saves time on the back end in post.  It's not super bulky as you can see in the pic, nothing like the big accessory flashes.  Here is a shot I took in terrible indoor lighting of Soren.  It's during bath time which next to meals is his favorite daily activity.  But our lighting in the bathroom, especially at night is awful.  I thought this actually came through as a stunning improvement!​

​The light scoop comes in at a cheap 30 bucks.  I snagged this new strap as well.  Much easier camera access and control with a toddler to chase!

09/52

'A portrait a week of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013'

I couldn't pick just one this week - both expressions are so quintessentially Soren (scarfing his spinach smoothie!).  These are some of our last shots from the old place.  We are still settling in - the reason I am late with his portrait.  But here is bubs - best toddler moving buddy a gal could ask for!​

We're Moving!!

We found a sweet carriage house in a great neighborhood and so... we are MOVING!!  We are super excited if you couldn't tell.  I have already started the 'moving book' (my own, seemingly ridiculous book of pics and ideas for the new place) and started cleaning our new home.  It has 2 bathrooms and 2, legitimate bedrooms​!  

The big day is next Tuesday, so this week has been all about packing and we are just a couple rooms and few snid-bits away from being ready for the movers.  Yes! Movers!!  We are doing this right​ this time.  After, well - let's just say a copious amount of moves - I have racked up enough U-haul/van/hauling my crap on a dolly down the street - experience to last me a lifetime.  This time - movers.  They will tear down our furniture, carry ALL the boxes and place them in the correct places in our new ​home.

Next - boxes.  And this time - no scouring all over creation for them.  I snagged some cheap - CHEAP moving boxes online and we are just a little more than half way through them.  It worked out perfect!  And who better to help me fill them than my trusty sidekick - Soren! ​

I can't wait to start setting up our new place!​

08/52

'A portrait a week of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013'

This week's choice was SO hard!  So many cute moments and pics.  I choose this one because he really looks like a little boy in it... and he is - not a toddler and definitely not a babe.  He opened the fridge and pulled out the orange juice himself, poured a cup of it and asked for help to get the lid on.  So, SO big!

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Paleo Diet.  I feel like we have tried just about every (fad) health diet: RAW, Vegan, Pescatarian and now Paleo.  Although, I have to admit - I really like this one.  We have yet to really add red meat and pork to the diet, but I am super happy to have poultry back on the pallet!

Soren still eats some gluten products (sprouted bread) and cow's milk from Snowville Creamery or RAW from a local herd share - but Rick and I have almost phased that part of our diet out.  When we do indulge - boy! do we feel it!  Like our date night this past weekend - my ears are still stuffed from the gluten in our beer and breaded mushrooms.  However, the food and beer were quite tasty.  We primarily keep only Hard Cider and Wine in the house now and only indulge from time to time.  We have even cut back significantly on ice cream - which if anyone knows me, is next to impossible!  I love my Jeni's!!

That being said - I was happy to comply when Rick asked me for Paleo cookies.  I found this recipe and I have to say, this Paleo thing is really growing on me!

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies:

3 ¼ cup almond meal

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract (or regular if you don’t give a damn)

½ cup honey, local preferably (maple syrup or agave nectar works too)

½ cup coconut oil, melted (I am going to try NOT melting it next time - my cookies end up a bit too cakey)

1 ½ cups cacao nibs (pure chocolate chips and vegan chocolate chips work too)

1.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Combine 3 and 1/4 cups of almond flour with a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking soda.

3.  In a large bowl, combine 2 eggs, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 cup of coconut oil and 1/2 cup of either honey, pure maple syrup, or agave nectar (I like honey).

The Paleo Diet.  This is a new one in our household.  I feel like we have tried almost every health (fad) food diet out there - RAW, Vegan, Pescatarian and now Paleo.  I like this one though.  We still have yet to introduce red meat and pork into our diets but I am super happy to have poultry back on the pallet.

4.  Combine wet and dry ingredients then add 1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips.  The darker the chips the more paleo friendly they are, but the dairy free ones taste pretty good.  Haha! *(The dough will look pretty wet, I placed my dough in the fridge to firm up a bit before rolling them into balls, but you can just pop them into the oven as is)

5.  Spoon them onto your parchment and pop them in the oven.  This recipe makes about 24 cookies, and i usually do 2 rounds of 12.  Bake ‘em for about 8-10 minutes (the tops will start to get golden brown).  If they go longer than that the bottoms burn because of the sugar in the honey.  No good at all.

6.  When I pull them out I let them cool long enough to get them off the parchment and put them in something sealed to go into the fridge.  I like them better out of the fridge because there’s no flour and they tend to be a little sticky at room temp.