Ode to Photoshop!

Photoshop, Photoshop, how I love thee!

You trim off the excess and make me look skinny.

Under eye circles? Ugly, crossed eyes?

It can all be fixed--even Aunt Bertha's huge thighs!

So, now when you see a picture on someone's website

You may have to wonder if everything is quite right.

Okay, so I don't know that Photoshop actually made me look skinny in this photo since I was facing the camera dead on, but thanks to A TON of help from my friend Jess, we have three head changes, glasses removed from the pocket, my sister in law's finger erased (Lauren's middle finger was looking a little suspect) all things removed from the wall, general brightening of all colors and under eye circles deleted and voila! We are a gorgeous group of people! Witness the before first and the after next.

For those of you wondering who this group is--it's Derek's family--his parents, their children, children's spouses and children's kids. We're almost getting too big for one shot. This is going to look so gorgeous on my Mother in Law's wall!!!

And, here's our little family portrait from that same shoot. Aaahhhh so sweet.

The Sc-Poop

Snatches of recent conversations heard around our household.

Last week I had to change Owen's poopy diaper--

Me: Owen! Yuck, this is the hugest poop!

Owen: Yeah! And Santa Claus brought it to me!

Me: Oh yeah? (laughing)


The next day and another poopy diaper--

Me: Holy cow Owen! This is a huge poop!

Owen: Yeah! A Huge Poop and Santa Claus brought it to me.

Me: He did huh?

Owen: (Gauging my reaction says) I'm a clever boy huh?

I have to brag a second here and say, "CLEVER???" How many two year olds know that word let alone know how to use it in correct context? His vocab always floors me.

Yesterday

Ryanna: Mom, I want to get out my scrapbook.

Me: Okay, that's fine.

Owen (who always parrots what Ryanna says): A Crapbook? You want to do your crapbook?

Me: No, it's ssssscrapbook.

Owen: Oh, sssss.......crapbook.

whatever... I do have to say that he doesn't know that was funny and I tried not to laugh to let on either.

Spice it Up!

I love to cook. I love to eat. Sounds like a Dr. Seuss book huh? My grandma is one of the best cooks I know. Seriously, the woman invents her own salad dressings and can cook anything and everything. She is a master gardener and grows the huge bulk of her own produce. Given her credentials and experience with cooking, when she told me that she thinks that Penzey's Spices are some of the best around, I had to see for myself.

About two years ago, she took me to one of their stores which is located in a strip mall in Scottsdale. If you've never been spice shopping, it's a lot of fun. In fact Penzey's in general is a lot of fun. They send out a free catalog that lists all of their spices, detailed descriptions of what each spice is good for and there are always free recipes as well. They also publish a cookbook magazine that comes out 6 times a year. Put that on my list of magazine subscriptions to get.

In the store, there are glass jars filled with each of the spices they sell, so that you can have a whiff. Trust me, if you've never smelled two different cinnamons next to each other, you wouldn't understand. I love cinnamon, so I bought the strongest one. I also bought some ground white pepper, Apple Pie spice (I put it in the waffle batter I made on Sunday and it gave them a little sweet kick which was yummy), taco seasoning, cocoa powder and got a free jar of their chili seasoning which is also good for meats in general.

I also have to applaud the company for their packaging. Both of the spices I've opened up are so packed full that some of the spice spilled out as soon as I opened them. You know how you open up a bag of potato chips and--surprise!--they're half missing. Not with this company. You get your money's worth for sure. Also, you can buy in much bigger quantities that those little jars that you get in a normal supermarket.

If you enjoy cooking at all, you should at least go to the site and request a free catalog. You won't be disappointed.

Granola--The Healthy Snack

So, the granola I mentioned in the post below has been requested by several readers who want a new addiction. Who am I to stop them from finding a little bit of happiness--or a lot depending on your will power. Here it is:

2 1/2 cups uncooked regular oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sunflower seeds or chopped nuts
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup bran or wheat germ
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup raisins

As you may note, this doesn't make a huge amount, so if you have little hands that will want to share with you, I would suggest doubling it. And I've only used sliced almonds (no sunflower seeds yet and wheat germ instead of bran and I don't put the raisins in 'cause my kids don't like them).

Preheat oven to 325. Combine all ingredients except raisins. Bake in a 13 x 9 pan for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in raisins. For cooling, I suggest combining the granola into a big lump, so that it stays moist. If you spread it out to cool it will still taste warm and delicious the first day, but if you have any left by the next day, it will be drier. It's up to you.