tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62995787644878814082024-03-12T21:59:43.514-06:00PinstrosityMarquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.comBlogger894125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-37093328018444067502017-02-09T06:00:00.000-07:002017-02-09T06:45:37.972-07:00Pinstrosity 2017 News (and a video!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello!! Miracle of miracles...we're here! </div>
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It's been forever! We ended up taking an unexpected hiatus, and we're here to explain it all, so we thought we'd do something a little different. Today you get to see us in all our adorable awkwardness. </div>
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Oh boy. We recorded a video for you all with some crazy news. We're awkward, we're real, and we say um more than we meant to...but we felt like you deserved to hear this straight from the horses mouth. And now we're apparently horses.</div>
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<u>Links you might be interested in: </u></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/vicarioushair/" target="_blank">Emilee's Instagram</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/marquettelaree/" target="_blank">Marquette's Instagram </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.marquettelaree.com/" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.marquettelaree.com/" target="_blank">Marquette's new site</a><br />
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Today is bittersweet for us for sure. We can't tell you how much we have loved this adventure with you all. It is very much a part of who we are now. The things we learned and experienced, and the friends that we made are invaluable. Thank you for following along two crazy ladies as we discovered Pinterest, projects, and really as we discovered who we are. You have been amazing. This has been such a big part of our lives, and we have loved having you here with us in our Pinstrosity community! We hope you'll follow us along in our new adventures.<br />
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Lots of Love,<br />
Em and Marquette, the Pinstrositeers</div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-78101969806090202982016-10-31T09:44:00.000-06:002016-10-31T09:45:38.345-06:00Pinterest Moms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After working on Darrow and Ione's Halloween costumes and Trunk or Treat decorations, Cameron told me "You know, you can't post that online. Your Pinstrosity people will hate you. You can't be one of the Pinterest Moms" And I got a little offended by his comment. But I knew it wasn't meant harshly, and it wasn't worth getting worked up, so I brushed it off. Then last night after laughing over the results of Darrow's birthday cake (he requested a black cake) he said, "You can show this one!" I wasn't offended this time, but it did make me stop short. </div>
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Can we talk about "that Pinterest Mom" for just a minute? </div>
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You know her. The woman who just blew up your feed with the pictures of her perfectly executed themed birthday party fit for a rock star. Or she's the woman who is always posting pictures of the cute and educational things she is doing with her children. Or she's the woman who is posting about her kids quietly playing in their room while she does her hour of yoga and meditation. Or she's the woman who always looks on point and gorgeous. Or she's the woman who always has the cutest date night pictures of her and her "bae" (really...where did that come from?!) and their cute and perfect relationship. See, you do know her. </div>
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We all know her. Or a few "hers". And for some reason so many of us feel threatened by her. Enough so that "Pinterest Mom" is becoming a derogatory term.</div>
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Now I know that there are some exceptions, but really for the most part, I don't think these "Pinterest Moms" are out there doing their thing to make any of us feel bad. That's not their point at all.<br />
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And you know what...none of them have it all 100% together. I know I don't. I know that none of the amazing women that I know have it all together. Some have it more together than others, but none of us are spotless and we all are hot messes in various aspects in our lives. But we compare our hot messes with our other's shining successes all too often. Of course there is going to be a disparity in that comparison! </div>
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We have to stop it. Stop the comparison. Stop the "Pinterest Mom" shaming. Her success is not my failure. Say it with me. Her success is not my failure. We each have strengths. Every single one of us. We also all have thing we're not so good at. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2T_tmXDDS9lQiaKLOdDRz5P-OB2aLdosj1OgqguaQqnIdIGZwNxiLP8h4iXaf0Xfo_2bWIPDxeUC5TmA_qgACFmphlpwkgGlgsBxydK4lnx8CQsQx6Sjd1guHkEI_sE8iqScrvsuS3MWF/s1600/14876337_10153805908736876_653483400_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DIY Cardboard Mater Costume" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2T_tmXDDS9lQiaKLOdDRz5P-OB2aLdosj1OgqguaQqnIdIGZwNxiLP8h4iXaf0Xfo_2bWIPDxeUC5TmA_qgACFmphlpwkgGlgsBxydK4lnx8CQsQx6Sjd1guHkEI_sE8iqScrvsuS3MWF/s1600/14876337_10153805908736876_653483400_o.jpg" title="DIY Mater Costume" /></a></div>
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I make a mean cardboard Mater, but can't make a pretty cake. I take my family out on day trips, but I really dislike sitting and reading stories to my kids. I love making bouquets and wall hangings, but I can't keep my house clean ever. Would I like my weak points to be stronger? Of course! But just because I am a crappy housewife, doesn't mean that now I can't buoy up and cheer on those that are fabulous at that. </div>
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"Real" is such a buzzword right now. I love the movement of showing real life and not putting up a fake front, but don't get so enamored with real that you forget that talents are real too. It's okay to be a Pinterest Mom. It's okay to not be a Pinterest Mom. We all have our differing abilities!</div>
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So here's your Pinstrosity homework: </div>
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If you find yourself putting anyone down for something they did well...stop. Stop immediately, and find a sincere compliment you can give. Even if you were just putting them down in your head, stop, and tell your Facebook friend that you love how happy her kid looks at her party, or how beautiful the quilling was on the card she just made, or how fun the sign is that she holding at her child's game, or that you are so glad they get to go on date nights. Be sincere. And soon you'll find that your outlook will change, your mindset will morph, and you will be happier! </div>
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We can do this! We can lift each other up instead of tearing each other (and ourselves) down! </div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-20290521737561043982016-10-18T05:00:00.000-06:002016-10-18T05:00:25.215-06:00Pinstrosity for Dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last night was a double Pinstrosity night at our house. Let me set the scene for you. </div>
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After a week on the road I'd collected quite the excess of water weight and car munchy flub. So I was determined that this week I'd get back on track and eat right, starting with a few days off of carbs to get my carb addiction curbed a little. </div>
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The kids and I went to the grocery store, stuck to the grocery list, and I didn't even take a "Mommy tax" bite of Darrow's maple glazed donut. I was going to rock this. </div>
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All day I was good. No sneaking treats, keeping up on my water, eating small meals every 3 hours. I had it down. Even when my salad for lunch was just ho hum, I stayed strong because I had a plan for dinner that was going to rock. Eggplant Parmesan and Curried Carrot Soup. Two of our favorites, both from Pinterest! </div>
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Everything went great until I pulled out the ingredients to start making dinner and realized I'd have to improvise a little. There was only 1/3 c. of parmesan cheese left. But I'd already sliced the Eggplant and had the eggs beaten, so I was committed. Running to get more from the store would be a 20 minute venture and we were hungry now...so I decided to just run with it and make it work. </div>
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I only coated one side of the eggplant in parmesan, but still only got 2/3 of the way through before I ran out. So I just seasoned the rest with garlic powder, onion powder, and Caribbean Jerk seasoning and popped them in the oven. </div>
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It was then time to get the soup going. I sauteed the onions without burning them and knew this was going to shape up to be something tasty and filling. I'd been looking forward to this all day. Just as it was time to add the final ingredients for the soup, the timer dinged that the eggplant was done. All I had left to add to the soup was the cayenne pepper, so I figured I'd throw that in really quick and then grab the eggplant. </div>
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And that was my mistake. </div>
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In my hurry to just get the cayenne in I figured I'd eyeball it rather than pull out a measuring spoon. So I opened the cap and went to add a few shakes of cayenne and realized that unlike most of my spice canisters, this one didn't have the handy little shaker/filter top. It was just open. So in dumped about 1/3 of my cayenne pepper container...which was about 20 times the amount the recipe called for. </div>
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I quickly grabbed a spoon and went to scoop out the cayenne to see if I could salvage it. Cayenne dissolves FAST! I couldn't get it out. So I stirred it all in and then drained off 3/4 of the liquid and added the last of my chicken broth in, adding a little water to make it stretch some. </div>
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And then I realized I hadn't pulled the eggplant out! Eek! Last time I left it in too long it was gross and burned bad. But this time...with the lack of Parmesan, they were just kinda slimy and meh. But I flipped them and added sauce anyway. Maybe they'd still crisp up. Maybe. </div>
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I finished making everything, got it served up and we went to dig in. I'd been waiting for this all day. </div>
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And then nearly burned my throat off. I muscled down a few spoonfuls of soup before I stopped. I like spicy food, but the only thing I could taste was the cayenne and the heat. Pushed that aside. The eggplant parmesan was edible, but just meh. Without the Parmesan to soak up the excess moisture and crisp up, they were just kinda mushy and weird. </div>
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I downed the rest of my water for the day, cleaned up dinner, and then Cameron and I sat and ate Peanut Butter M&M's while playing board games because so far I haven't found a way to mess up the system of opening the bag and getting that orb of peanut butter goodness in me. </div>
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Wait...yes I have. That one time I was opening a bag in the movie theater trying to be quiet and the bag ripped down the sides and M&M's went flying everywhere and you could hear them rolling down the slanted floor and hitting the wall/screen in front. </div>
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Yeah, you can Pinstrositize anything. Or at least I can, bahahaha! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfo_bKpD_xjR5ZPF7HEtwdjdLUwWSumP3OKBJpEb1e1jVMSFtn3eBmZoPcPc9LdfotUlsPWP7pcRVBqCYJOQA18_5hiTcO25WmnDehFsd9PhBshNp_HLY6TnCo_06A8mGdDUAmcU_WLKe/s1600/pinstrosity_detail_line.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfo_bKpD_xjR5ZPF7HEtwdjdLUwWSumP3OKBJpEb1e1jVMSFtn3eBmZoPcPc9LdfotUlsPWP7pcRVBqCYJOQA18_5hiTcO25WmnDehFsd9PhBshNp_HLY6TnCo_06A8mGdDUAmcU_WLKe/s640/pinstrosity_detail_line.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-89376842952655571372016-10-13T10:40:00.001-06:002016-10-13T10:40:13.382-06:00Pipe Cleaner Curls FAIL <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Guten Morgen Pinstrosipeeps! </div>
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Remember the hair trend where you do no heat curls overnight?? We wrote several pieces about this disaster, you can find those <a href="http://www.mypinstrositylife.com/2012/09/chaos-and-curls.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://www.mypinstrositylife.com/2012/04/crummy-curls.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://www.mypinstrositylife.com/2013/08/no-heat-curlswill-we-ever-learn.html" target="_blank">here</a>, or <a href="http://www.mypinstrositylife.com/2012/09/hairy-situations.html" target="_blank">here</a> . </div>
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Apparently it's been long enough since we featured those that I had forgotten the catastrophes at hand...because this was my thought process. </div>
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"I should do cute curls in my hair, yeah, that would be cute! Like little ringlets. But I don't want to curl it in the morning, so I'll just do like rag curls tonight while its wet and I pull them out in the morning and they'll be great! Sweet, I think I have some pipe cleaners! Let's do this!"</div>
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Mind you, I have a pixie cut. And it's only kind of long enough to do stuff on top. </div>
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Here's how this went...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyurEwt13Me8E4FubLwgmCI5Piw8wP9Zl443ZGStAW2b58qt8dhshtGI2AxX-JSuUAZcNQi2qDFB5K0S-EOVz5sQrEyvXxkoXf_sVWFZEmGBq5Z8mjxqQZDlQBorEPZwXHwLiFLqG7toWw/s1600/twisty+hair+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyurEwt13Me8E4FubLwgmCI5Piw8wP9Zl443ZGStAW2b58qt8dhshtGI2AxX-JSuUAZcNQi2qDFB5K0S-EOVz5sQrEyvXxkoXf_sVWFZEmGBq5Z8mjxqQZDlQBorEPZwXHwLiFLqG7toWw/s640/twisty+hair+1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I used two pipe cleaners and just wrapped my hair around them as I weaved it zigzag in the top of my head. I didn't feel it at all when I was asleep so it was pretty comfortable. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0l8zOeyNigVvVWiGyahmFRpOMLnAoajYb9PrdmRURaeLkKehjvHysR3RFgm_dGzQJyfmmrTuRgaxGPPfcKAkhcOfyVi8rUUbkjIziJdmJNlnxJXj7hSvhGd0TgQ83fuqzdTeDx8-mr6Av/s1600/twisty+hair+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0l8zOeyNigVvVWiGyahmFRpOMLnAoajYb9PrdmRURaeLkKehjvHysR3RFgm_dGzQJyfmmrTuRgaxGPPfcKAkhcOfyVi8rUUbkjIziJdmJNlnxJXj7hSvhGd0TgQ83fuqzdTeDx8-mr6Av/s640/twisty+hair+2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The next morning I pulled them out. </div>
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Not good. Really not good. Pinstrosity to be sure.</div>
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I actually looked better with the pipe cleaners in it! This was straight up medusa! It was fuzzy and there was no rhyme or reason to the curls, just a jagged mess. </div>
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And of course I didn't leave myself lots of time to make it look nice, so then I'm scrambling to make this workable. </div>
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I caved. I pulled out my tiny flat iron and basically curled the whole thing all over again. It was actually more work to fix it then it would have been to just curl it in the morning in the first place. So much for saving time eh?? Also, it was already sticking straight up, so we just had to go with that. I think it ended up having a Ducky from Pretty in Pink feel to it. Not awful, but I'll admit I got a few looks lol It's not the most popular style on the market, but I could do worse!</div>
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Here it is after I fixed it! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjBqrQwMvXxSuiia7jELEjAQFZ1bxZRGUYn3YRzKVPLILAG-cyazxfj89_47AcSROpcfgbduvhX3Etw7VAb3JEKmHctu2YZWz_97EPhRnjM5Apu1-UErXiyRd5jSwHokDmBiBVOtzR8UOf/s1600/twisty+hair+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjBqrQwMvXxSuiia7jELEjAQFZ1bxZRGUYn3YRzKVPLILAG-cyazxfj89_47AcSROpcfgbduvhX3Etw7VAb3JEKmHctu2YZWz_97EPhRnjM5Apu1-UErXiyRd5jSwHokDmBiBVOtzR8UOf/s640/twisty+hair+3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I feel a little bit like Hercules here lol </div>
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Zero-to-hero in a lot of time and unnecessary hair grief because I saw something like this with long hair on Pinterest once. </div>
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So there it is. It was a mess two and three years ago, and its still a mess today. So much for being a professional hairdresser and knowing what I'm doing here lol Anyone do this style regularly?? Have any secrets to share!! Let us know!! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfo_bKpD_xjR5ZPF7HEtwdjdLUwWSumP3OKBJpEb1e1jVMSFtn3eBmZoPcPc9LdfotUlsPWP7pcRVBqCYJOQA18_5hiTcO25WmnDehFsd9PhBshNp_HLY6TnCo_06A8mGdDUAmcU_WLKe/s1600/pinstrosity_detail_line.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfo_bKpD_xjR5ZPF7HEtwdjdLUwWSumP3OKBJpEb1e1jVMSFtn3eBmZoPcPc9LdfotUlsPWP7pcRVBqCYJOQA18_5hiTcO25WmnDehFsd9PhBshNp_HLY6TnCo_06A8mGdDUAmcU_WLKe/s640/pinstrosity_detail_line.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR6TjeP8DsHzX2nUekUHVhtuzz2xmg09WER-KxH55_FSLj8Zn_1uKWVwDfe-4qa0J1fxFXwuOvcCu7Mofg0WdXhvsgKJC32fcIJyRl-i_udwv-qZOMiMP7zdmmjpAT8Ch91gMHG_XngjA/s1600/Emilee.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR6TjeP8DsHzX2nUekUHVhtuzz2xmg09WER-KxH55_FSLj8Zn_1uKWVwDfe-4qa0J1fxFXwuOvcCu7Mofg0WdXhvsgKJC32fcIJyRl-i_udwv-qZOMiMP7zdmmjpAT8Ch91gMHG_XngjA/s320/Emilee.png" width="219" /></a><br />
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Pinstrosityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11647945298736302127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-4518156244382984142016-10-07T16:01:00.001-06:002016-10-07T16:12:11.273-06:00The Autumnal Equinox Tradition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Traditions are some of my favorite things to learn about. I love knowing what people do, and why. I love seeing the bits of heart put into things, and how these traditions bring people together. </div>
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When we were first married traditions seemed hard. We hadn't been married long enough to have any traditions together. We borrowed traditions from growing up and from what we saw people doing, and tried them out. Some we loved. Some didn't work. </div>
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But one tradition that has stuck around, and that may be one of our favorite traditions now, is our annual Autumnal Equinox Dinner. This dinner tradition started as a spin-off of a tradition Cameron's family had. </div>
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On the Winter Solstice, the Mowers would all get dressed up in their Sunday best and come together for a traditional Christmas meal, as Christmas day they had the traditional New Mexican feast. For the solstice they'd have ham, potatoes, and the whole works. We wanted to carry this on, but as students we weren't likely to be home for the Solstice each year and we wanted this to be a tradition we could do at our house. So we chose the Autumnal Equinox, because it's smack in the middle of the semester and we knew we'd be home the new couple of years and could do this as something special for us. </div>
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A few weeks ago we had our 6th Annual Autumnal Equinox Dinner. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdS9IniOYeBShm0FA8AJ24AiWHMSLN_XWeL3-JrlIhzAMkAJIFQjJyHuHf10x06sdwhM5fWBVz759mJXzJ0LE14kHCAw8Im-VTcOjSqP3w8HQEuxCdfHjkkZcECCRX93as92TfOj7XDDJ/s1600/Autumnal+Equinox+Dinner+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdS9IniOYeBShm0FA8AJ24AiWHMSLN_XWeL3-JrlIhzAMkAJIFQjJyHuHf10x06sdwhM5fWBVz759mJXzJ0LE14kHCAw8Im-VTcOjSqP3w8HQEuxCdfHjkkZcECCRX93as92TfOj7XDDJ/s1600/Autumnal+Equinox+Dinner+%25286%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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Last year it fell on Day 2 of the Keeping Up Appearances challenge and I definitely bit off more than I could chew. So this year we tried to keep it a little more simple with the food prep. No<a href="http://www.mypinstrositylife.com/2015/10/the-kett-files-KUA-Day2.html" target="_blank"> crazy melted cake</a> this year! We ended up with some super yummy parts of the meal, some meh parts, but somehow thankfully no Pinstrosities other than me not starting food prep early enough and us starting about 40 minutes later than planned. But that's doable.</div>
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Instead of getting the whole meal from Pinterest this year, I decided to mix and match. I turned to our favorite cookbook for the chicken, because <i>every single recipe</i> we try out of the America's Test Kitchen cookbook (with every recipe they've tried from 2001-2014) turns out phenomenal. We've never had anything not turn out. Well, except the time I forgot to make the sauce. That time the meal was meh...but that was my fault. I trust that book over anything I find on Pinterest.<br />
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But, I can't throw a party without Pinterest being involved somehow of course! </div>
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Pinterest successes #1 & #2: The Pumpkin Shaped Buffalo Ranch Cheeseball</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCffttHYA9JVcuI81fjBbwHqzEjLaKfw3fwujlyG5VWECyvpz_1f-cVZh6zxErury-IO6S4fpmO8x-dAeKBGwEqUYGrtAry1vnq2zWaT_nWKriEQgH049GtLRvfag4OZ6BL_AScEGMM-iT/s1600/Autumnal+Equinox+Dinner+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCffttHYA9JVcuI81fjBbwHqzEjLaKfw3fwujlyG5VWECyvpz_1f-cVZh6zxErury-IO6S4fpmO8x-dAeKBGwEqUYGrtAry1vnq2zWaT_nWKriEQgH049GtLRvfag4OZ6BL_AScEGMM-iT/s1600/Autumnal+Equinox+Dinner+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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This one is a double win! While looking for cheese ball ideas (because that in and of itself is becoming an Autumnal Equinox Dinner tradition), I came across <a href="http://www.thecountrycook.net/2015/11/pumpkin-shaped-cheese-ball.html" target="_blank">a pin for a pumpkin shaped cheese ball</a>. I was sold.<br />
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I made the cheese ball from <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/whats-cooking-love-10333537/buffalo-ranch-cheese-ball-appetizerweek-oxo-2223861665" target="_blank">this recipe</a> and tasted it. Super salty and intense! So I added another block of cream cheese, and then threw in more grated cheese to get a better consistency. After that it was just right. I rolled it in finely grated cheddar cheese to get the orange color on the outside and because there were nut allergies in our guests.<br />
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Then it came time to shape it. I didn't have rubber bands on hand, but I did have yarn. So I cut three lengths of yarn, and then used each one to tie around the plastic wrapped cheese ball, tying it tight enough that it cut into the cheese to create the divot. When it came time to put the platter together I cut the yarn, took the cheese ball out of the plastic wrap, added in the stem from a bell pepper, and it was ready!<br />
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This one was fun because it looks fancy, but is super easy. Our friends thought at first that I'd molded it or spent a long time getting the shape right. So A+ for this pin!!<br />
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Pinterest success #3: <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/curried-carrot-soup-recipe.html" target="_blank">Curried Carrot Soup</a><br />
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This was one we'd actually made before from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/curried-carrot-soup-recipe.html" target="_blank">a pin we'd found on Pinterest</a>. It's simple to make, but so so so yummy! No pictures from that night, but here's a picture from when we made it before:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sh0MHTv3DrlWrplSIcdMys-BuWg0nSqOhRPFc-16JKyNJuI3IkQrqtlwYxxWQ46rGJYhVWy-VBAu1qQR8WLATeTtNZ3rGnUJGzeUSo00X9iW15sMrKoYHm7Y9Df4FNXzLvJB7-v80iNN/s1600/+7+Course+Snowman+Dinner+(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sh0MHTv3DrlWrplSIcdMys-BuWg0nSqOhRPFc-16JKyNJuI3IkQrqtlwYxxWQ46rGJYhVWy-VBAu1qQR8WLATeTtNZ3rGnUJGzeUSo00X9iW15sMrKoYHm7Y9Df4FNXzLvJB7-v80iNN/s1600/+7+Course+Snowman+Dinner+(6).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Pinterest Success #4: <a href="http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/a_fanciful_twist/2012/08/prickly-pear-lemonade-treats-for-you.html" target="_blank">Prickly Pear Lemonade</a></div>
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And by the time this got put together and out to serve, the party was in full swing and my camera was safely stowed away from the kids. But, it looked <a href="http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/a_fanciful_twist/2012/08/prickly-pear-lemonade-treats-for-you.html" target="_blank">just like the pictures in the original link</a>. And we "dirtied" it up redneck style with Almond Joy creamer (our grocery store here didn't have plain coconut cream creamer, so we went with the Almond Joy, and that touch of chocolate flavor was yummy)!<br />
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And the Pinterest Meh: <a href="http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/snickerdoodle-pie/" target="_blank">The Snickerdoodle Pie</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNKiosznb4d3rZ1asaUqG-0VyNl-F267DLZzQ37N72S0TTb9W40hKkOOvEzpbtFTHfNdk9KSdRfTcnZOqy78EWwu9cE-NdOVBFj1xV9un4QVf0CmpklLQGuVxF_oL5UbHbLZY9-jJSHMD/s1600/Autumnal+Equinox+Dinner+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNKiosznb4d3rZ1asaUqG-0VyNl-F267DLZzQ37N72S0TTb9W40hKkOOvEzpbtFTHfNdk9KSdRfTcnZOqy78EWwu9cE-NdOVBFj1xV9un4QVf0CmpklLQGuVxF_oL5UbHbLZY9-jJSHMD/s1600/Autumnal+Equinox+Dinner+%25283%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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I was pretty excited about this one. Super excited. Which maybe is why it ended up meh, because I had it built up so much in my head. I even did a series of pigs running around the outside for the crust (because naturally I have a pig cookie cutter, but nothing remotely fall-ish likes leaves or anything). </div>
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First thing that went weird was the amount of filling. It didn't even fill the crust half way. I made a deep dish pie (as always), but normally even regular pie recipes come up higher than that on my deep dishes. I reread the recipe and the comments and it didn't say anything about it puffing up or anything, so I decided to make another batch of the filling to get it to the top of the pie. </div>
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And in the oven it went. But of course because there was double the filling, it took much longer to bake. But the crust didn't burn (wrapped it in foil), and it smelled and looked delicious. Anticipation was high! </div>
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Dinner got over and it was time to cut into the pie (and just now as I am sitting here typing this I realize that I completely spaced getting the whipped cream out for it!). I cut the first slice, pulled it out and it was a pake! For anyone who's not a Drop Dead Diva fan, that's a pie and a cake combined. The filling was cake basically. It didn't taste bad, but it was just kinda meh, and a bit of an odd consistency. I think I was expecting more of a baked custard pie for some reason. No one disliked it, but it looked yummier than it ended up being sadly. </div>
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So I might try tweaking it a little and seeing if I can't come up with my own snickerdoodle pie that's more what we were expecting. We'll see.</div>
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But altogether it was a fabulous meal!<br />
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Menu:<br />
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<li>Peruvian Garlic Lime Chicken (for a subscription fee you can find the recipe <a href="https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/6391-peruvian-roast-chicken-with-garlic-and-lime" target="_blank">here</a>, or in the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Americas-Kitchen-Cookbook-2001-2017/dp/194035269X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1475876596&sr=8-3&keywords=americas+test+kitchen" target="_blank">cook book</a>, which is totally worth buying!)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/whats-cooking-love-10333537/buffalo-ranch-cheese-ball-appetizerweek-oxo-2223861665" target="_blank">Buffalo Ranch Cheeseball</a> shaped <a href="http://www.thecountrycook.net/2015/11/pumpkin-shaped-cheese-ball.html" target="_blank">like a pumpkin</a>, served with Smoked Gouda Triscuits, Ritz crackers, and blue corn tortilla chips</li>
<li><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/curried-carrot-soup-recipe.html" target="_blank">Curried Carrot Soup</a>, served with blue corn tortilla chips to crush over the top</li>
<li><a href="http://mowercooking.blogspot.com/2011/02/oatmeal-dinner-rolls.html" target="_blank">Oatmeal Rolls</a> (these are Cameron's favorite rolls! I burned the bottoms slightly on accident, but they still weren't bad)</li>
<li>Fresh corn on the cob from the neighbors fields (a kind neighbor with a field full of corn opened up his fields to all of us, and our friends brought down a basket of steaming fresh corn! It was super yummy!)</li>
<li>Red Cabbage Slaw (I need to get the recipe for this one from our friends who brought it! It was super yummy!)</li>
<li>Prickly Pear Lemonade</li>
<li><a href="http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/snickerdoodle-pie/" target="_blank">Snickerdoodle Pie</a></li>
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The "rule" (or tradition might be a less harsh way to put it), is that the fall decor doesn't come out until the day of the Equinox dinner. It was fun to pull out my wreath, garlands, and table runner again! But then I got an idea and before everyone came Cameron and I ran around the yard and the empty lot across the wash from us and gathered bits of nature for a tablescape. We cut down some of the sunflower stalks to make a table garland for the center. Cameron also found an Osage Orange tree (also known as a hedge apple) and we picked a few to go into the decor (because I think they look so funky and cool! Topping it all off was the gorgeous autumn bouquet my friend Wendy brought. The colors were perfect! It's still on my kitchen table and other than a few flowers we've had to pull out, it's doing beautifully! </div>
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Overall, each portion of the meal and the evening was simple, but when combined all together it was such a nice evening and a yummy meal! We loved the time we had to visit with our friends and celebrate the goodness of life. I can't wait for next year's dinner already!<br />
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What is your favorite tradition? How'd it come about?<br />
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-74438051334188230372016-10-05T12:34:00.001-06:002016-10-05T12:34:30.936-06:00Prickly Pear Barbecue Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Some of you may have noticed that Prickly Pear Week came to an abrupt stop with no explanation. </div>
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Well, it turned into a Pinstrosity of it's own. Without going into details (because you don't want them)...I forgot one important thing about Prickly Pear fruit. They are very high in fiber. And I totally didn't think of that when I was putting the prickly pear juice in everything we ate that week (morning smoothies, lemonade, cupcakes, waffles, marinades, etc). So for the sake of our internal systems, it had to stop immediately. </div>
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But I did want to share one recipe with you that we came up with that we LOVE! Prickly Pear Barbecue Sauce! </div>
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<br />That's not all it makes...that's just what's left and only because I had to save some to take a picture of. </div>
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This sauce is tangy, slightly sweet, and has an amazing flavor and color! After reading a number of barbecue sauce recipes, we combined tactics on some, used a <a href="http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-bbq-sauce-recipe-basics/" target="_blank">regular barbecue recipe </a>as our base, and then jumped in! </div>
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Ingredients: </div>
<ul>
<li>1 can tomato sauce</li>
<li>1/2 c. apple cider vinegar</li>
<li>1 TBS flour</li>
<li>3 TBS brown sugar</li>
<li>3 TBS sugar</li>
<li>1 TBS Worcestershire sauce</li>
<li>2 tsp garlic powder</li>
<li>1/2 tsp ground mustard</li>
<li>1 tsp paprika</li>
<li>1/2 tsp onion powder</li>
<li>1/2 tsp salt</li>
<li>1/2 tsp ground black pepper</li>
<li>2 cups prickly pear juice</li>
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Directions: </div>
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<ol>
<li>Mix all ingredients together in a medium saucepan until combined. </li>
<li>Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking until smooth. </li>
<li>Simmer the mixture for 50 minutes, or until the sauce reaches your desired thickness</li>
<li>Store in a sealed, glass jar in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. </li>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-12653036657578073582016-10-03T01:00:00.002-06:002016-10-03T01:00:49.171-06:00Keeping Up Appearances, a Year Later <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's been one year since we relaunched the blog. One year since the rebrand. One year since our "<a href="http://www.mypinstrositylife.com/2015/10/Keeping-Up-Appearances.html" target="_blank">Keeping Up Appearances</a>" Project. One year with the new Pinstrosity!</div>
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Last week, which was supposed to be my week for posting on the blog and Instagram, I took a "sabbatical". It was the opposite of the Keeping Up Appearances project. I wasn't trying to show how ridiculous it is to try to live up to social media standards (the point of the KUA project), instead I was forcing myself to take a step back from it all because in the months following the KUA project I got sucked back into the "I can do it! I can live an Instagram/Pinterest/Facebook perfect life! And if not, I obviously don't have anything worth sharing."vortex. </div>
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It wasn't consciously. It definitely wasn't on purpose. But when I realized what was going on it felt like I'd been sucker punched. I wasn't even living up to our own "preaching". I'd meandered away from "Life isn't Pinterest Perfect, and neither are we!" mantra. </div>
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<br />This collage of photos pretty much sums up a large portion of my life. If I had a picture of one of them crying to put in the collage, it might have made it more real life. I love these people and I truly do love the life we are building. But it isn't all pretty days and happy trails. And often when things are smack in the middle of diapers, grocery runs, bills, keeping the kids fed, getting people to sleep, and building a business, it is hard to look at it all and feel like there's anything to share (because as cute as I think my kids are, I'm pretty sure you all don't need or want daily doses of my children and their pretty normal antics ). It gets easy to see all the very non-glamorous parts of life and feel like that's all there is. So then hopping on social media and you see everyone else's best 5% of life that gets posted, it's hard to remember that they are sloughing through the mundane parts of life too. It gets hard to feel like what you're doing is going anywhere. </div>
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So I took a week off. Well, sorta. It ended up being a crazy week, but I didn't blog. I didn't post on Instagram. I didn't post on Facebook (well, beyond a few groups I'm in when I needed to ask a question). I didn't plan posts or blogs. I just lived. And it was great. </div>
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The week took me all over the state, and gave me a lot to think about. Directions I want to go with my online posts. Messages I want to rally behind. Things I want to incorporate into my life. Stories I want to share with you all. </div>
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I follow a great account on Instagram called <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ahomemadeforhosting/" target="_blank">A Home Made for Hosting</a>. This account follows the home building dream and story of a photographer husband and wife team I follow. She just did a blog post about fear of showing their house online because they are afraid that people will judge their house. This home is beautiful, and will end up being a huge blessing to so many people (they are incredibly giving and have serving hearts, and have designed their house so that they can use it to bless others). But without knowing the heart and the why, some people may send nasty-grams their way about it (which really is ridiculous that people do that). I feel much the same way, only on the opposite side of the spectrum. </div>
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I feel fear about posting about my life because too often I tell myself that I don't have the experience I need to have a voice. I fear that people will look at my life and dismiss this "redneck" girl from the sticks. I fear that I don't really have anything to share, and that everyone feels that way too. </div>
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But, as this same photographer stated, fear is the opposite of faith. Fear holds back. Fear restrains. And in this case, I'm using fear as a pity party. I'm using fear to tell myself that I don't have anything worth sharing. </div>
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We did the Keeping Up Appearances project to show just how ridiculous it is to try to live a "perfect" life. We didn't realize the opposite end of the spectrum though. The Keeping Up Appearances project wasn't just to say "We can't do it all, and that's okay!" but it also was to say, "Our lives have worth and meaning, even when they are not 'perfect' or dazzling!" </div>
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This past week wasn't "beautiful" as far as imagery goes. But it was exactly what I needed. It gave me perspective. It gave me time. And it gave me motivation. I didn't get ahead on blog posts in the least bit. I didn't plan out social media posts. I didn't keep a perfect house, make amazing meals, or try new make up. But I did spend more time with my kids. We just got done with an at home game night date night. I finished an audio book. Skeins of yarn were actually used. And the neighbors got to witness the crazy lady running around the yard in her pajamas at 6:30 in the morning because there was fog outside and it had to be documented accordingly (fog in AZ is not a common thing).</div>
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And sitting here typing all of this I'm realizing that even with all the craziness that was last week (16+ hours in the car for eye appointments, hair appointments, grocery runs, etc), I wouldn't trade it for a week full of "social media worthy" activities or life. I lived life not worrying about how to blog what I was doing, or how I could show it on Instagram in a way that would fit into my feed aesthetics, or worrying about what people would think if I showed my life. I lived. I put myself back into my life, and it was glorious. </div>
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This past week reminded me about life, about family, and really about the heart of this blog and the heart of the new direction we took with it last year. Life isn't Pinterest Perfect, and it doesn't have to be Pinterest Perfect to be worth sharing about. Our lives won't resonate with everyone. It's just not possible. But through sharing our lives, our fears, our goals, our failures, our triumphs, our quirks, and our love, maybe we can find a tribe of people, our sweet Pinstrosipeeps, who might need our voice (and who's voices we'll need in return, because you guys blow us away with your love and support and we are so grateful for you! You buoy us up!). </div>
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So welcome to Year 2 of the "new" Pinstrosity, in which we relearn old lessons, grow in ways we didn't expect, try new things, fail a few times, laugh a lot, cry a little (because we're girls and that's just what we do), and adjust our tail feathers. We're so glad you're here on this ride with us! Buckle up, keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times, and hold on tight, because we're not exactly sure what this ride is going to bring, but we know it's going to be worth it! </div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-69604376859973914062016-09-21T00:00:00.000-06:002016-09-21T15:17:00.077-06:00DIY Phases of the Moon Shirts! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So if you haven't seen our <a href="http://www.mypinstrositylife.com/2016/09/diy-geode-cake.html" target="_blank">DIY Geode Cake post, you can find that here</a>! I mention it because while my cakes were cooking Manny (my New Mexico BFF) and I made shirts! They were quick, easy and SUPER CUTE! </div>
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The whole project cost me $7.88, what?! </div>
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I saw this pin a couple months ago and have been saving it for just this occasion! </div>
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<a href="http://www.livemaster.ru/topic/1363123-takaya-raznaya-luna-25-idej-dlya-dekora"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.livemaster.ru/topic/1363123-takaya-raznaya-luna-25-idej-dlya-dekora</span></a></div>
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Unfortunately for us the instructions were in Russian, and seeing as I don't speak Russian we just went off the picture, it seemed pretty straight forward. *Famous last words*</div>
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We had our shirts, our paint, some paper, scissors, tape, a pencil, plastic grocery bags, a circle to go off of, and little round sponge brushes.</div>
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The hardest part of this project was making the circles even in terms of how far apart they were from each other. We used two pieces of paper taped together and the bottom of a glass as the stencil. </div>
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We placed grocery bags inside the shirts to keep the paint from bleeding, we used straight white acrylic craft paint. </div>
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After cutting out or circles we taped the stencil to the shirt and started to paint! We mostly went off of the picture, but there is a little bit of artisticness to it. It only took about 20-25 minutes in all and I seriously freaking love this shirt! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuDhPp39d8XgyhfTI9uRnVNLBhH34XE0wZsn_FAMDrHxINJM3OcYF_k_zE-zigWueFuuJp0HumWfkUDwor__i3dFERAYs19QUmAgoB1RM2jTW458ECBI9oX2gi6_NWsJNZNPnGDVknYPA/s1600/IMG_6288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuDhPp39d8XgyhfTI9uRnVNLBhH34XE0wZsn_FAMDrHxINJM3OcYF_k_zE-zigWueFuuJp0HumWfkUDwor__i3dFERAYs19QUmAgoB1RM2jTW458ECBI9oX2gi6_NWsJNZNPnGDVknYPA/s640/IMG_6288.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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We did 4 circles down, 4 circles across. At one point in my life I knew all of the phases of the moon, but that "phase" in my life has come and gone obviously (I know Marquette would know this one!) I have no idea how many phases there are, but the 4x4 method is very aesthetically pleasing, so we went with that. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzAB3L0SSRJo9HatUrHMKz5O4HTC5nAwB2CNAhuefuIDC7xwb9RNRrlOsSlJdv5MRHelQIVDzN3Vq3KF7cEV55oCRtxpQsXnIJ9Hee_6WRkD1mf8rJMo6mlbbDLUWgY4KeyOnH1bQ04lJ/s1600/IMG_6289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzAB3L0SSRJo9HatUrHMKz5O4HTC5nAwB2CNAhuefuIDC7xwb9RNRrlOsSlJdv5MRHelQIVDzN3Vq3KF7cEV55oCRtxpQsXnIJ9Hee_6WRkD1mf8rJMo6mlbbDLUWgY4KeyOnH1bQ04lJ/s640/IMG_6289.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVN-p0CD1hUG20beF8snaa9MrezpOVwSJ47s1_6I_KP0N2G3eqtuJHerB1jswgeEgJCCv27jrms1HEk8m9hPJuJWtWvdOvr0bJjRJ3La48uktESWWUjHmBW6xRSSPidXW0I-Su_XId4_5/s1600/IMG_6291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVN-p0CD1hUG20beF8snaa9MrezpOVwSJ47s1_6I_KP0N2G3eqtuJHerB1jswgeEgJCCv27jrms1HEk8m9hPJuJWtWvdOvr0bJjRJ3La48uktESWWUjHmBW6xRSSPidXW0I-Su_XId4_5/s640/IMG_6291.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BaIp7w6yZz2Mmv2VElT9o-kct9YsB-jKyCLo9P2JFlGYDdK14B0qXZazKfMwW8j7kstrjDcwLARzlg8HfV69ZJmP4D5_uygn7_0Z83z_kDCr0Q0nq4ryCG3SVW2VSY0h9eLvGU4D0Fs5/s1600/IMG_6294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BaIp7w6yZz2Mmv2VElT9o-kct9YsB-jKyCLo9P2JFlGYDdK14B0qXZazKfMwW8j7kstrjDcwLARzlg8HfV69ZJmP4D5_uygn7_0Z83z_kDCr0Q0nq4ryCG3SVW2VSY0h9eLvGU4D0Fs5/s640/IMG_6294.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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One thing I would suggest is to make sure you keep your paint within the parameters of your stencil or messy paint gets where it shouldn't. I missed and have two tiny white spots that aren't moon, but I just Sharpie markered over them and we're good to go.</div>
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We let them dry for about 2 hours and they were ready to wear! </div>
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Now we have BFF t-shirts and we are over the moon excited about them! Oh! I kid, I kid.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHyQsSOk6Rgk5aOIP3d9PNgWx9IANaGqYpV2pl5VhAOn3ky0pjYpy8enBGmUvzxxepe_TpeUKYM99Dcm-BTXtKISrByG050KL5mDit0Rmx_OzOc-c3Q-RXHAhpJZtar3RQQonbIu_pRKQ/s1600/IMG_6360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHyQsSOk6Rgk5aOIP3d9PNgWx9IANaGqYpV2pl5VhAOn3ky0pjYpy8enBGmUvzxxepe_TpeUKYM99Dcm-BTXtKISrByG050KL5mDit0Rmx_OzOc-c3Q-RXHAhpJZtar3RQQonbIu_pRKQ/s640/IMG_6360.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This would be a great idea for a birthday party, craft night or quick gift. Super super easy and they look really nice! </div>
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Happy Hump Day!! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfo_bKpD_xjR5ZPF7HEtwdjdLUwWSumP3OKBJpEb1e1jVMSFtn3eBmZoPcPc9LdfotUlsPWP7pcRVBqCYJOQA18_5hiTcO25WmnDehFsd9PhBshNp_HLY6TnCo_06A8mGdDUAmcU_WLKe/s1600/pinstrosity_detail_line.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfo_bKpD_xjR5ZPF7HEtwdjdLUwWSumP3OKBJpEb1e1jVMSFtn3eBmZoPcPc9LdfotUlsPWP7pcRVBqCYJOQA18_5hiTcO25WmnDehFsd9PhBshNp_HLY6TnCo_06A8mGdDUAmcU_WLKe/s640/pinstrosity_detail_line.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR6TjeP8DsHzX2nUekUHVhtuzz2xmg09WER-KxH55_FSLj8Zn_1uKWVwDfe-4qa0J1fxFXwuOvcCu7Mofg0WdXhvsgKJC32fcIJyRl-i_udwv-qZOMiMP7zdmmjpAT8Ch91gMHG_XngjA/s1600/Emilee.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR6TjeP8DsHzX2nUekUHVhtuzz2xmg09WER-KxH55_FSLj8Zn_1uKWVwDfe-4qa0J1fxFXwuOvcCu7Mofg0WdXhvsgKJC32fcIJyRl-i_udwv-qZOMiMP7zdmmjpAT8Ch91gMHG_XngjA/s320/Emilee.png" width="219" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6uDrkG5AmGoV5ZaTIjHitPskKSV2DRwQ7mK_hwtO7eJSCweeb4k2YYGkp09VhLH57S6Vhayu2a1EFz9LgsGG0P7xxSuSn4-s3bjZZxMSsnCXXJXUYznkVs7JuyK3oVq6efLFt6wgqJTw/s1600/Marquette.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6uDrkG5AmGoV5ZaTIjHitPskKSV2DRwQ7mK_hwtO7eJSCweeb4k2YYGkp09VhLH57S6Vhayu2a1EFz9LgsGG0P7xxSuSn4-s3bjZZxMSsnCXXJXUYznkVs7JuyK3oVq6efLFt6wgqJTw/s320/Marquette.png" width="217" /></a></div>
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Pinstrosityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11647945298736302127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-74579800553944490992016-09-19T00:00:00.000-06:002016-09-19T00:00:14.853-06:00DIY Geode Cake <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Pinstrosipeeps! </div>
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I literally have THE coolest friends. They are so good about sending me pictures that remind them of me, and most of the time they are funny and cute,but every once in a while they speak to my soul. Marquette sent me a Instagram a few weeks back that was like my soul in a cake. And I just HAD to have it. </div>
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Fast forward to one of my other BFF's coming to visit, and we decide that we are going to tackle said project even though it may be way over our head. We fear no fail. </div>
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This is what we decided we wanted to recreate:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVHCpf8mIW8_WlbmWs1xCRf-URSAJhTf8F_luRlTu6RHB7yCGjJojfrThUt3GZj0SrLcTGw02wFT6v2suQE5dcd-_-HcSBCvqgnBLD_QeIM9SEX3nvNTpkuLPQMzXO18Icd3O_R_I5Ex0Z/s1600/IMG_6984.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVHCpf8mIW8_WlbmWs1xCRf-URSAJhTf8F_luRlTu6RHB7yCGjJojfrThUt3GZj0SrLcTGw02wFT6v2suQE5dcd-_-HcSBCvqgnBLD_QeIM9SEX3nvNTpkuLPQMzXO18Icd3O_R_I5Ex0Z/s640/IMG_6984.PNG" width="360" /></a></div>
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Photo and Cake Credit: Charla Chouinard Instgram handle: charkala_</div>
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Fun fact of the day...I didn't even realize until right this very instant that this was a girl I went to high school with?! What?! Small world! This isn't the first first picture we saw of Geode cakes, but it pulled up when I did a search and was similar colors and super pretty, this was just an idea Marquette had seen and showed me on google when she came to visit. When I did the search of images for this blog post a few days ago, this is one of the first ones that popped up and just happens to be made by someone I know! </div>
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Isn't that fantastic?! So beautiful! So I went to work, I called around town looking for gold leafing, I went to Michael's and Hobby Lobby looking for edible gold leafing and priced some of their baking tools, and I even called some places in Salt Lake. </div>
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Manny my New Mexico BFF came and we got to work! We went to all our stores to pick everything up, we even went to three different stores to get all the rock candy we needed for this! </div>
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As for the gold leafing...I called 5 stores and went to 3 different stores and only found ONE place that had edible gold leafing. Here's the kicker...it was $75.00 for 3 ounces!! WHAT?! So...we went with a gold luster dust and gold faux leafing alternative that we found at Hobby Lobby for about $3 a piece instead. Apparently gold leafing is really only for super fancy occasions...because at my house Thursdays just aren't good enough for $75 cake décor. </div>
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Here's our stash:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYl-8067iULaCHznw8-x-U91uV3vO4SCJbbn7e3GKZy9HDboCv_wJJNYEKq1sweSK8X_B1ZgSJqO5UesVrY_5-enrI7SL6O3xMgZo4Kl_6d87cPkHiEB9rUooHvS-reoaJpH92AftMTIi/s1600/IMG_6275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYl-8067iULaCHznw8-x-U91uV3vO4SCJbbn7e3GKZy9HDboCv_wJJNYEKq1sweSK8X_B1ZgSJqO5UesVrY_5-enrI7SL6O3xMgZo4Kl_6d87cPkHiEB9rUooHvS-reoaJpH92AftMTIi/s640/IMG_6275.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We bought rock candy in light blue, dark blue, white and purple. They were SO yummy, of course we sneaked some during the process! </div>
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We also had blue and white fondant, generic frosting and rainbow chip cake, and then some of the supplies for the cake itself. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhubuUHTFCbUuGpkz9QeCjWc_JfFYf5qn4lBYxtEuzyUWuphf19W4gV0U6_1EemX2Er1f-AA80xMrTIJUe762aRmkJfYwoe8icNHiL7MFgEsrCjfNvdq90kB60R2jKvZokwTJA7fExwZg_W/s1600/IMG_6279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhubuUHTFCbUuGpkz9QeCjWc_JfFYf5qn4lBYxtEuzyUWuphf19W4gV0U6_1EemX2Er1f-AA80xMrTIJUe762aRmkJfYwoe8icNHiL7MFgEsrCjfNvdq90kB60R2jKvZokwTJA7fExwZg_W/s640/IMG_6279.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The fondant was probably the hardest part, we followed the directions and rolled it out, kneaded it and then we roped the two colors together to create a marbled affect when it is all rolled out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdaGFmTz1EOEJ9qVBOkQuZwpSSPUPlQ_aT0vaSlA4snXsHqHqez3qqRzZknYPUrQdJwSIvUoEZ7wg9aePOEUs5gMsuApeeDAZ0z4J3khfgke4_cu8F8UZIDvLLHnTtKMc75XWF-xlOe9i/s1600/IMG_6298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdaGFmTz1EOEJ9qVBOkQuZwpSSPUPlQ_aT0vaSlA4snXsHqHqez3qqRzZknYPUrQdJwSIvUoEZ7wg9aePOEUs5gMsuApeeDAZ0z4J3khfgke4_cu8F8UZIDvLLHnTtKMc75XWF-xlOe9i/s640/IMG_6298.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We baked the cakes beforehand and crumb coated them and then put them in the freezer so they would be easier to work with and not crumble-y. When we had the fondant where we wanted it, we pulled the cakes out of the freezer and threw it on there! Getting a smooth coat on the cake was really difficult. Did I mention this is both of our first foray's into fondant?! Because it was. </div>
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We used powdered sugar to keep the fondant manageable, you can also use corn starch.</div>
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Then came the really fun part, decorating! </div>
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We pulled all the rock candy off the sticks and put them in ziplock baggies and then used the rolling pin to crush them to a more manageable size. The air smelled sweet during the beating part lol </div>
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We cut out our desired geode cave shape with a small knife, and then covered it in frosting before placing our rock candy.</div>
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Lastly we put our "gold leafing" on the cake and threw some luster dust on there for good measure. </div>
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Here is our final result!</div>
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Not too shabby for our first fondant cake EVER. It's not perfect by any means, and the more I look at it, the more I tend to find faults, but it's a cake not a Saint, so who cares if it isn't perfect?! It was REALLY sweet, but it was good and it was just really fun getting to do this project with a friend!</div>
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Are any of you mavericks with fondant?! What are your secrets?! Share below!</div>
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Happy Monday all!</div>
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Pinstrosityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11647945298736302127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-14693417201387175892016-09-14T08:35:00.000-06:002016-09-14T08:35:23.866-06:00Prickly Pear Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In my plan for the week, I actually didn't intend to make Prickly Pear cupcakes, or much by way of desserts. But things change. </div>
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For a few weeks I'd casually mention to Darrow that if he'd use the toilet I'd make him any treat he wanted. He'd say "Nope!" or "No, thank you." and we'd leave it at that. Well yesterday it happened and he promptly remembered the promise of treats and cupcakes were the prize of choice. So I got to looking for Prickly Pear cupcakes (because he doesn't have a preference yet). </div>
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I almost just did a substitute in a cake mix like I did for the waffles, but wanted to find something that might have a stronger Prickly Pear flavor. Through Pinterest I found a <a href="http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/04/prickly-pear-cupcakes.html" target="_blank">great recipe by Cupcake Project</a>. It looked like it'd have good flavor and would be very doable. And it was! It was easy to put together and baked up beautifully. I got 23 cupcakes out of my batch. Weird. But oh well. </div>
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But then it came time for the frosting. I didn't wan to make the prickly pear lemon bars to blend into the frosting that she had, and it sounded like there wouldn't be much prickly pear flavor, so I went on the hunt for a frosting that would do the flavor justice. </div>
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In my searching, I remembered reading about a flour frosting, so I searched it and found <a href="http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/thate28099s-the-best-frosting-ie28099ve-ever-had/" target="_blank">an easy recipe</a> quickly. It involved combining flour and milk, and cooking until you get a thick batter before adding vanilla, butter, and sugar. With the recipe calling for 2 cups of milk, I got curious if I could substitute the prickly pear juice for the milk in the recipe. I wanted to use as much juice as possible in the recipe, and this one fit that bill. I figured it was worth a try!</div>
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And it worked!! That was the best frosting I've ever had. Light, but so totally yummy! The substitution worked perfectly! I only did a half batch because a full batch covered 3 dozen cupcakes and I didn't need that much frosting.<br />
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Now, I'm not an expert frosting applicator. So my frosting looks meh...but we weren't going for pretty, we were going for yummy! Taste before beauty!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrrEvbwIscISqsqoblNmUYo8_zz6P5AO3XinIlRuzSQayheM8Yq86XzVWg-XcYE4bUXXe2qi4LU5mQuFDJnoul-5qJ7zmmmNgUKj6s8I8vKG06ca1mw-5ay6ObSCasuYlkvBJc1TzehIk/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Cupcakes+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrrEvbwIscISqsqoblNmUYo8_zz6P5AO3XinIlRuzSQayheM8Yq86XzVWg-XcYE4bUXXe2qi4LU5mQuFDJnoul-5qJ7zmmmNgUKj6s8I8vKG06ca1mw-5ay6ObSCasuYlkvBJc1TzehIk/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Cupcakes+%25282%2529.JPG" /></a></div>
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So they baked fine, and the frosting held together. But if it doesn't taste good, what's the point?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5zFmls4TY0HYpNSVQHKT0FRIvPBhDUEv3uDfEKBTatMv1Pi7G8RzuDynQZPzWAyXuAI3BoB73OHDUF06PcWkm1pnl6dmXDj6Y48OOoJ445fnT5oZtm3SjhELsF_D_0vkqsmk7eX_SU8V/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Cupcakes+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5zFmls4TY0HYpNSVQHKT0FRIvPBhDUEv3uDfEKBTatMv1Pi7G8RzuDynQZPzWAyXuAI3BoB73OHDUF06PcWkm1pnl6dmXDj6Y48OOoJ445fnT5oZtm3SjhELsF_D_0vkqsmk7eX_SU8V/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Cupcakes+%25281%2529.JPG" /></a></div>
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Luckily these taste great! There is a subtle fruity flavor without being truly fruity. Great description there, huh? The frosting was light, fluffy, and had the perfect flavor without tasting like sugar! It was sweet, but not overwhelmingly so like many frostings. The cupcake was moist and yummy while being fluffy and cohesive. These are definitely some new favorites!!<br />
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So there it is! Prickly Pear recipe test #2 done! And it was a success! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfo_bKpD_xjR5ZPF7HEtwdjdLUwWSumP3OKBJpEb1e1jVMSFtn3eBmZoPcPc9LdfotUlsPWP7pcRVBqCYJOQA18_5hiTcO25WmnDehFsd9PhBshNp_HLY6TnCo_06A8mGdDUAmcU_WLKe/s1600/pinstrosity_detail_line.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfo_bKpD_xjR5ZPF7HEtwdjdLUwWSumP3OKBJpEb1e1jVMSFtn3eBmZoPcPc9LdfotUlsPWP7pcRVBqCYJOQA18_5hiTcO25WmnDehFsd9PhBshNp_HLY6TnCo_06A8mGdDUAmcU_WLKe/s640/pinstrosity_detail_line.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6uDrkG5AmGoV5ZaTIjHitPskKSV2DRwQ7mK_hwtO7eJSCweeb4k2YYGkp09VhLH57S6Vhayu2a1EFz9LgsGG0P7xxSuSn4-s3bjZZxMSsnCXXJXUYznkVs7JuyK3oVq6efLFt6wgqJTw/s1600/Marquette.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6uDrkG5AmGoV5ZaTIjHitPskKSV2DRwQ7mK_hwtO7eJSCweeb4k2YYGkp09VhLH57S6Vhayu2a1EFz9LgsGG0P7xxSuSn4-s3bjZZxMSsnCXXJXUYznkVs7JuyK3oVq6efLFt6wgqJTw/s320/Marquette.png" width="217" /></a></div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-53327904335424163292016-09-13T06:00:00.000-06:002016-09-13T06:00:23.911-06:00Prickly Pear Waffles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The first food I decided to try out for Prickly Pear week was Prickly Pear Waffles! I did a quick search online for a recipe and didn't see one come up, so I decided to just go for it and see how it came out! </div>
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I thought about going completely from scratch, but then I decided with the lazy and easy route. Krusteaz mix for the win!! We actually really like the Krusteaz mix pretty good. It's yummy on its own and easy to tweak if you want something more. </div>
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So I did the basic recipe, just substituting Prickly Pear juice for the water. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIVbSzoerKViBfW0WmWb4GEH0qWDBaoH10dz9zFvsBNs1AZvyACrhBWp041OU-ZwZWwp96Tjk0mQAWXIh6afNfEkLnyUK5leG813mBI2Zak8Zz7C-LUFbKN80Yygpi0W_UfvQ3A5FU3lp/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Waffles+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIVbSzoerKViBfW0WmWb4GEH0qWDBaoH10dz9zFvsBNs1AZvyACrhBWp041OU-ZwZWwp96Tjk0mQAWXIh6afNfEkLnyUK5leG813mBI2Zak8Zz7C-LUFbKN80Yygpi0W_UfvQ3A5FU3lp/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Waffles+%25281%2529.JPG" /></a></div>
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It mixed up nicely and looked like normal batter, only prettier because of the natural color of the prickly pear!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KAR9EViOAL51I3O1u0IBwHizUV8TOyTswTYI9mEwFZwz_EkdVxw-FG4Ok821zF8E0vd0icszgGMztjkN2u4QtBD3dlL1PjNK-NvNDTXuUHRQ9BDoclanuuCYQOZjzffcX7LPWdDHGw9I/s1600/14315487_10153683423276876_2027736873_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KAR9EViOAL51I3O1u0IBwHizUV8TOyTswTYI9mEwFZwz_EkdVxw-FG4Ok821zF8E0vd0icszgGMztjkN2u4QtBD3dlL1PjNK-NvNDTXuUHRQ9BDoclanuuCYQOZjzffcX7LPWdDHGw9I/s400/14315487_10153683423276876_2027736873_o.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />But we all know that something can look good and taste bad. And we still had the cooking to do. I was worried that somehow the juice would change the consistency and that it'd crumble or stick to the waffle iron bad.<br />
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It was a slightly thicker batter than normal but not by much so I left it thicker, scooped some onto the waffled iron, and crossed my fingers.<br />
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This is where I left you all off on the Instagram Story. What's your guess...fail or yummy goodness?<br />
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Okay...here were the results:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvUgJvaPLh4kpktR3KlhIVnRo9euZvqqf8anTk-xBVUvQvqS-VgYHKalAga0BQP9qmv4s24ubiuUjEywhyphenhyphenY_HD58EPQqPf9ko5E0GQIdkxT4EoNe0ccCqQxCS0AfBtUXtdBLHN5VafZas/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Waffles+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvUgJvaPLh4kpktR3KlhIVnRo9euZvqqf8anTk-xBVUvQvqS-VgYHKalAga0BQP9qmv4s24ubiuUjEywhyphenhyphenY_HD58EPQqPf9ko5E0GQIdkxT4EoNe0ccCqQxCS0AfBtUXtdBLHN5VafZas/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Waffles+%25282%2529.JPG" /></a></div>
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<br /><br />Beautiful pink waffles that held together perfectly (better than normal waffles in fact)! They were a little more dense than a normal waffle, but I like that. I served Darrow's to him with regular maple syrup and that tasted good. The waffles sucked up all the syrup faster than normal. If you've had a whole wheat pancake or waffle, think of that syrup suction action! It was the same.<br /><br />The flavor of the waffle wasn't as strong as I'd hoped, but it was definitely different from a normal waffle. It had a slightly sweet after flavor, and an almost watermelony taste to it. That's the closest I can describe it. But it was good! After that bite of Darrow's I knew I needed to get me a plate made up!<br /><br />But then I got to thinking. This needed a different flavor of syrup to complement it better. Something less sweet and more subtle. So I found a <a href="http://www.thisgrandmaisfun.com/vanilla-pudding-sauce/" target="_blank">vanilla pudding sauce by This Grandma is Fun</a> on Pinterest (where else!) and whipped that up. I discovered I didn't have any corn starch though, so took a risk and substituted flour. It worked! And it was the PERFECT flavor combination with the prickly pear waffle. Yummy yummy!!<br /><br />Prickly Pear Recipe #1: Success!! We will be having these again! P</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfo_bKpD_xjR5ZPF7HEtwdjdLUwWSumP3OKBJpEb1e1jVMSFtn3eBmZoPcPc9LdfotUlsPWP7pcRVBqCYJOQA18_5hiTcO25WmnDehFsd9PhBshNp_HLY6TnCo_06A8mGdDUAmcU_WLKe/s1600/pinstrosity_detail_line.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfo_bKpD_xjR5ZPF7HEtwdjdLUwWSumP3OKBJpEb1e1jVMSFtn3eBmZoPcPc9LdfotUlsPWP7pcRVBqCYJOQA18_5hiTcO25WmnDehFsd9PhBshNp_HLY6TnCo_06A8mGdDUAmcU_WLKe/s640/pinstrosity_detail_line.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-32856554615651314292016-09-12T17:00:00.000-06:002016-09-14T01:46:04.635-06:00How to Juice Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you saw our Instagram story today, you know that this week is devoted to Prickly Pears! All across the Southwest the Prickly Pear cactus fruit are either ripe or very rapidly getting there and it's time to harvest and enjoy! </div>
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I have quite a few jars of prickly pear juice that I am going to use to make meals with this week. I have sweet recipes, savory recipes, and experiments I want to try out. Prickly Pear is one of my very favorite flavors and my favorite cactus. We've read different processes to getting prickly pear juice from the fruit, worked at it and combined ideas, and have come up with our process that we feel yields the best juice. What makes this the best juice? The intense color and the AMAZING flavor!<br />
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Too often we get prickly pear products from restaurants or stores that leave us feeling a little disappointed. It's basically just the prickly pear coloring with a smidgen of flavor. But nothing true to the fruit really. If we're going to eat Prickly Pear, we want it to taste like prickly pear! Because the flavor is like nothing else!</div>
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Our process is more labor intensive, but we like the end results much better and find it well worth the effort. So here is what we do!<br />
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This is a post I wrote up last year with our process when I went to visit my parents and to restock our Prickly Pear supply.<br />
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Bountiful Baskets in their area was offering a 12lb box of red prickly pear fruit that week. I put in an order, but I wasn't really sure that 12lbs would be enough. So my parents went up to the family ranch in the mountains and picked me a bucketful the week before I came down. Now, when I saw a bucketful I really should saw a Bucket Full. This was a 5 gallon bucket <i>packed to the gills, </i>along with a 1/2 gallon bag that wouldn't fit. They called and asked if one bucket was enough. We thought it might be, but if not we could go pick more. I didn't realize how packed they got that bucket though. We definitely didn't need more! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbVFTtEMC2BO52NdEuzr1wk_2YtJVB_uOw7B_wAjHVMy6G3Gpf-AO4QrU2iEuE81WMeGWj1YMdcaYf8C3uc4reCtI6wujT9dGU31_96mI4hzqTdz2zlLEnSuhvPxfzqIA6ncCuTRZgXx0/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbVFTtEMC2BO52NdEuzr1wk_2YtJVB_uOw7B_wAjHVMy6G3Gpf-AO4QrU2iEuE81WMeGWj1YMdcaYf8C3uc4reCtI6wujT9dGU31_96mI4hzqTdz2zlLEnSuhvPxfzqIA6ncCuTRZgXx0/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25281%2529.JPG" title="Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODU6k_yqC6Ci5MKf2AdjoIFzlDfvpPiGYVbQju6UZT5Wwz-BEo-pt7hekzpk2hVUP3ezTUAYYgEqsPkkM66r7YfHT8PohAJGhksR31b0sWkWd_FVWV6jCi413jeF8QLDlv7DV8jwmhDrH/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODU6k_yqC6Ci5MKf2AdjoIFzlDfvpPiGYVbQju6UZT5Wwz-BEo-pt7hekzpk2hVUP3ezTUAYYgEqsPkkM66r7YfHT8PohAJGhksR31b0sWkWd_FVWV6jCi413jeF8QLDlv7DV8jwmhDrH/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25282%2529.JPG" /></a></div>
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They put the whole bucket in their freezer to keep these perfectly ripe fruit all ready for me. It took forever to thaw those out, but they sure were pretty!<br />
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But then it came time to juice these babies. We've used electric and commercial juicers before, but they gave a watered down juice, and we like ours to be nice and concentrated. Cameron read different techniques and ideas online and we've come up with our own method to get the juice as concentrated as we like it without having to spend hours boiling off water and ending up with minimal juice.<br />
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Once I finally got the prickly pears thawed enough, I put some in the big pot and added about 2-3 inches of water. I figured out later in the day that smaller batches worked better than big batches, but by then I was on a roll and didn't take more pictures...so these are pictures of the first big batch. I steamed these until they were completely soft and mash-able.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSrWByPBQak8W6CyIjHbsWcqndZxHZ_fC0s3CLvGiyHQG15V5LYnxWcGQUNLHVf6a8okblbE1al4F-5e9ahLodN6XY3PLClmNfPRv2hFackfcJf0MdxgaGAOFSqR5uEbah2wu_vqc7DgZ/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Juicing Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSrWByPBQak8W6CyIjHbsWcqndZxHZ_fC0s3CLvGiyHQG15V5LYnxWcGQUNLHVf6a8okblbE1al4F-5e9ahLodN6XY3PLClmNfPRv2hFackfcJf0MdxgaGAOFSqR5uEbah2wu_vqc7DgZ/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25283%2529.JPG" title="Juicing Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit" /></a></div>
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Next comes the straining, mashing, and more straining. We tried using cheesecloth at first but it let through more fibers than we wanted in our juice, so we use a clean pillowcase (of course I had to use an orange one). After washing and sanitizing a five gallon bucket, we put the pillow case in and slip the edge over the lip of the bucket to hold it on. Well, that's what I did. When there are two of us at home I can help hold the bag while Cameron pours or vice-versa but I was all alone this day and this is the method I came up with to do this flying solo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aDjdz5L48l8Ironc4ArxNAlxFNg_O0Jfw5Dvpto1IaSaaT5MHuqKhEXp_YGNN1VSXgcx1UF8amQrKlcyd8tajCAW0koArbDsebNo5dmmHhoBnrvZbmhKiVgQtlYNAdQcftVju2HsP0Hj/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aDjdz5L48l8Ironc4ArxNAlxFNg_O0Jfw5Dvpto1IaSaaT5MHuqKhEXp_YGNN1VSXgcx1UF8amQrKlcyd8tajCAW0koArbDsebNo5dmmHhoBnrvZbmhKiVgQtlYNAdQcftVju2HsP0Hj/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25285%2529.JPG" /></a></div>
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Once the pillow case is in place I pour off the juice in the bottom of the pot, trying to not pour off any of the fruit or pulp. Once the juice is out of the way it is really easy to mash the fruit. We just use a potato masher.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAZiKMGFhBf70pfZ5DTKbfRoxu4vbwo27-vr7um6n6oZC_I3kJquHPou0AesELuWFSnKDeyUT0wpYSEsUAq2kqbZriEul332cbEoI4vOMQNFA7sziC8RxIymNWQirN7Cc-KwAgAI0Pv2K/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAZiKMGFhBf70pfZ5DTKbfRoxu4vbwo27-vr7um6n6oZC_I3kJquHPou0AesELuWFSnKDeyUT0wpYSEsUAq2kqbZriEul332cbEoI4vOMQNFA7sziC8RxIymNWQirN7Cc-KwAgAI0Pv2K/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25284%2529.JPG" /></a><br />
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You want these as mashed as you can get them. The skins won't mash down too much, but the insides should be pretty much pulp. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5J7tl8k1qWUcP0w9ewtWw9fV8y_IUIHeURcYtx-O_le5_YPBXOdEIqM197nqlCc0kPQJkG61Igf7DvrueqwSVSuSG4fnHSjzgS82lmu_6no0sZs3KZ6_zfU5mncFr7cgFPE75LqdhLk8/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Juicing Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5J7tl8k1qWUcP0w9ewtWw9fV8y_IUIHeURcYtx-O_le5_YPBXOdEIqM197nqlCc0kPQJkG61Igf7DvrueqwSVSuSG4fnHSjzgS82lmu_6no0sZs3KZ6_zfU5mncFr7cgFPE75LqdhLk8/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25286%2529.JPG" title="Juicing Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit" /></a></div>
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From there carefully (this is very hot prickly pear pulp!!) pour the prickly pear pulp into the pillow cased bucket.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwJ2Qq8FeHRsbxZdea6hziFk7PdKteqX3zzepBp4yxjQAYkOB1kGAdp84eUUCN542-FhIkOtJuhEzoZ4ARB2CywfrHXcpK6V7pw29AQijis_v_qyMyDampG_51pOhApVV3po_MAnIrMz1/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Juicing Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwJ2Qq8FeHRsbxZdea6hziFk7PdKteqX3zzepBp4yxjQAYkOB1kGAdp84eUUCN542-FhIkOtJuhEzoZ4ARB2CywfrHXcpK6V7pw29AQijis_v_qyMyDampG_51pOhApVV3po_MAnIrMz1/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25287%2529.JPG" title="Juicing Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm, doesn't that look appetizing. </td></tr>
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Now it's time to squeeze. Again, I realized I couldn't do this like we normally do. With two of us one can hold the bag while the other twists and squeezes. With only two hands, I couldn't really do that, and you do need both hands to squeeze the juice out.<br />
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So if you're flying solo on this, here's how I figured this out. I went and found a good sturdy broom and tied the bag to the top. This was a little tricky to do without splattering all over the place, but I finally got it. I put the bucket up on a little chair (regular dining room chairs were too tall, but I found a little kids chair and that was the perfect height for the bucket. With the bucket on the floor there were too many splatters going on; having the bucket higher caught more juice and made less of a mess (but you will still get some splatters). I propped the broom up on the corner of the cupboards so that the bag hung into the bucket on it's own.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHu0hBVhPO0IZgVmZP4uBGxVRRQUDflDON0IMaZhimO2Y4xc9rJdPJ9dMUaPoU8LldnR4XIW5wmPuisuKK7sS7lADufroB-FNA0vyOK8YyYjZMSqJ2fUfvtKGibdooZRPaXep_Q8kTwA4/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25288%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Juicing Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHu0hBVhPO0IZgVmZP4uBGxVRRQUDflDON0IMaZhimO2Y4xc9rJdPJ9dMUaPoU8LldnR4XIW5wmPuisuKK7sS7lADufroB-FNA0vyOK8YyYjZMSqJ2fUfvtKGibdooZRPaXep_Q8kTwA4/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25288%2529.JPG" title="Juicing Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit" /></a></div>
The prickly pear juice doesn't stain cloth (at least not easy at all...I used a white washcloth to wipe the counter and there's not a speck of color on it after rinsing it out), but I didn't know if it would stain wood and didn't want to find out, so I was careful to quickly wipe up splashes on Mom's nice hickory cupboard doors and protected the chair with an old towel.<br />
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From there I needed all hands on deck and the pictures had to stop, but it's pretty easy to explain from here. You will want some gloves on (I just used regular cleaning gloves, but you can go thicker if you want). The spines and glochids get soft in the steaming process and most of them don't make it through the bag, but a few will. The gloves will help protect your fingers from stickers (not 100%, but much better than bare hands). The gloves will also help protect your hands a little from the heat. I wore a pair of gloves and then used another pair out loose as "hot pads".<br />
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Once your gloves are on start twisting the bag slowly and squeeze out the air until you get the bag tight around the pulp. From there then just keep the pillowcase twisted up tight and squeeze that pulp as much as you can. You may have to loosen the pillowcase a little and move the pulp around some here and there. You want to get as much of this pulp juice out as you can as it's the concentrated good stuff.<br />
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And that's the juicing process! Once I had every single prickly pear juiced I ended up with nearly 5 gallons of juice!! We definitely didn't need to go pick more fruit.<br />
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Having two different varieties of prickly pear fruit was fun to try out. The one has a much deeper and more vivid color, and has a stronger flavor, but the other is more naturally sweet and has a mild flavor. I personally prefer the wild prickly pear (the stronger flavor and color), but the cultivated prickly pear was yummy too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZn9Pcs53AQOfKwqdyAcnTC1JH0qsmHk2pxIm23lymasoD3_z9eK-AFYxiGKi-0QFFGcS8PV24iZB8NZIRFbhHV3zDl98zE4PsYNjQ2SegO61_HpTBu_9f1epIeIDCmFG7RVuUwk3AmnY/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Juicing Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZn9Pcs53AQOfKwqdyAcnTC1JH0qsmHk2pxIm23lymasoD3_z9eK-AFYxiGKi-0QFFGcS8PV24iZB8NZIRFbhHV3zDl98zE4PsYNjQ2SegO61_HpTBu_9f1epIeIDCmFG7RVuUwk3AmnY/s1600/Prickly+Pear+Jelly+%25289%2529.JPG" title="Prickly Pear Jelly" /></a></div>
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I spent the rest of the evening making 28 half-pint jars of jelly (recipe at the end of this post) before I decided to call it quits for the night and put everything away for the next day. I had one batch set up really good, one batch set up okay, and one batch stayed syrup. Prickly pear jelly seems super temperamental, but luckily if it doesn't set up the syrup is super yummy anyway!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Prickly Pear Jelly Recipe: </b></span><br />
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<i>Ingredients</i><br />
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<ul>
<li>2 1/2 c. cactus juice</li>
<li>1/2 c. lemon juice</li>
<li>1 pkg pectin (we like Surejell)</li>
<li>4 c. sugar</li>
</ul>
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<i>Directions:</i><br />
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<ol>
<li>Dissolve the pectin in the lemon juice. </li>
<li>After the pectin is dissolved in lemon juice, stir in the cactus juice. </li>
<li>Bring to a rolling boil. </li>
<li>Add sugar. </li>
<li>When it comes to a rolling boil (stirring occasionally), cook for exactly 3 minutes. </li>
<li>Pour into jars and seal. (You can get <a href="http://www.freshpreserving.com/tools/preserving-jam-maker-recipes">sealing instructions here</a>). </li>
</ol>
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This will fill 5 half pint jars. A single batch sets up really well usually. A double batch is iffy. The chemistry gets off when you double this. I need to work on tweaking this and figuring out the correct proportions for a double batch so that this doesn't have to be made in single batch quantities.<br />
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I'm so excited to try out all these new Prickly Pear recipes this week! Stay tuned for fun new recipes!<br />
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-38204085093572283702016-09-09T06:00:00.000-06:002016-09-09T06:00:22.994-06:00Kett Files: Mowers Make a Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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In case you didn't know...I have a deep love of Pinterest. ;) I use it as a search engine, a vision board, an organizational tool, a planning space, and on collaboration projects. It's one of my online BFF's. </div>
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After moving into our current house at the beginning of June, I wasn't too worried about decorating as we'd be gone most of the summer. I knew though that when I got back that I wanted to hit it hard and really get the place put together. This time though, I told myself that I didn't have to put things up on the wall just because we have them. I want to choose what will look best, what represents us the most, and what fits the style we like. </div>
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And then I froze. </div>
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What style do I like? What do I put up? What do I make? How do I do this without spending a fortune?! </div>
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I just wasn't sure how to go forward. The place felt meh. Not bad, but not anything special or truly us. </div>
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And then the other night I was scrolling through kitchens on Pinterest and found this picture: </div>
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And suddenly the heavens parted and ideas started coming!<br />
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My kitchen won't look like this (being in a rental I'm thinking maybe we shouldn't go in and repaint everything they just remodeled, nor do we need to as it's all well done), but I can take aspects of it and integrate it in. Did you see our <a href="http://www.mypinstrositylife.com/2015/12/1-bedroom-house-bedroom.html">big crazy bed</a> that got us through our one bedroom wonder this past year? We designed it so that we could take all the components apart and use it as regular furniture some day. Well, that day is just around the corner. We're getting a bed frame again, leaving the dresser in the room, and then moving the other pieces into the dining area as a hutch and the mudroom as shelves. And I get to paint them!! Guess what color?! No, not orange. I still can't figure out how to make it not so garish in decor. I'm going sage green with touches of copper and orange. It's perfect!<br />
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I've never painted furniture before, but I'm excited to give it a try! As I jump more into this adventure of decorating intentionally, I'll share more of the journey. I know there will be successes and Pinstrosities with it all. But that's part of it!<br />
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I was a little hesitant at first at the idea of sharing this part of my life. While I love our little single wide trailer rental, it's not glamorous. It's not something most people would aspire to live in. But, we are happy here. We are thankful for it. And really it's not about curb appeal or being fancy for guests. Building a home is all about building a haven for my family, a place where we can be together and feel safe, loved, and comfortable. And that is what I'm setting out to do! I hope you'll join in along the way as I try to figure this all out!<br />
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-2671785801714039572016-09-07T07:59:00.000-06:002016-09-07T07:59:11.504-06:00What College Taught Me About the Peril of Forgetting Keys with a Communal Bathroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's been a while since I pulled something out of my "<a href="http://www.mypinstrositylife.com/search/label/What%20College%20Taught%20Me" target="_blank">What College Taught Me</a>" book! Let's get back to one of those. And today's "episode" happened this time of year. Just enough into the school year to feel like I was really getting the hang of things. Just enough time to let down my guard. </div>
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My first year I lived in the dorms on campus. This particular dorm had a wing on the south for the girls and a wing on the north for the guys. Each wing had two floors, with one long hallway housing the community bathroom and the individual dorm rooms. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="https://www.eac.edu/Campus_Life/Housing/h_optcost.shtm" target="_blank">via</a>)</td></tr>
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Those communal bathrooms were interesting. It was great to not have to clean my own bathroom, but it was also awkward to share the bathroom with so many other girls on a daily basis. But at least it was just girls (well, usually...unless someone broke the rules and sneaked their boyfriend in and then it was really awkward). </div>
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One morning I got up to shower. My roommate was already up early and gone for the day. I usually just took my clothes in with me and changed in the shower, but no matter how careful I was I always ended up with a big wet spot on my pants or shirt or something. So I decided since the bathroom was just across the hall, I'd just wrap up in my towel to across and back. It was early, most the other girls weren't up yet (I've always been quite private). </div>
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Everything was fine until I got back to my dorm room and realized that my normal ritual was to put my keys in my pants pocket when I walked over to the showers. Since I deviated from the norm and didn't have my pants, I also didn't have my keys. I was locked out, and all I had wrapped around me was a towel. </div>
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Now this was before most college kids had cell phones. I didn't. My roommate didn't. I had no way to get a hold of her. The only choice was to go downstairs and get the RA to come open the door.Luckily when I got down the stairs it was empty. I went to the female RA's door and knocked and knocked, but she never answered. I was there, dripping wet and cold, with nothing on but a towel down in the common area. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.eac.edu/Campus_Life/Housing/Photos/Allen_Commons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://www.eac.edu/Campus_Life/Housing/Photos/Allen_Commons.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="https://www.eac.edu/Campus_Life/Housing/Photos/Allen_Commons.jpg" target="_blank">via</a>)</td></tr>
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So I then went to the male RA's door, who was also one of the Football coaches and knocked on his door. I'm sure I was beet red. He answered quickly and was grumpy at first, but as I explained my predicament, he chuckled and went back to get his keys. </div>
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It all seemed like it would only be minimally awkward until right then. That exact moment was when the door from the guys side opened and out came half of the male residents on their way up to practice (this dorm housed a lot of the student athletes). I froze. There was no where to hide. No where to go. Total mortification. </div>
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After what felt like eons (which I'm sure was just a few seconds), the RA came back out, the guys all thankfully were pretty polite and didn't raz me while I stood there, and I got back to my room with only my pride hurt. The RA even said that he wouldn't put that unlocking on my chart, "I figure this has been traumatic enough that you won't do it again." he laughed.<br /><br />And I never did. After that my keys went with me everywhere. </div>
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A few morals from this story:<br />1. Take your keys with you everywhere. </div>
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2. Wet spots on your clothes are infinitely better than having to run around a dorm with just a towel. </div>
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3. Getting up early to shower isn't worth it. Just sleep in. </div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-28878446729776356922016-08-29T09:05:00.000-06:002016-08-29T09:05:05.170-06:00The thing I realized my toddler craved: Control<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Facebook showed me a memory from 2 years ago yesterday. It went like this: "Darrow may look like Cameron, but I'm pretty sure that just now when I pulled him off the bookshelf for the 10th time in a row in a series of 2 minutes and yelled, turned his back to me, banged his head on the floor, and then gave me a dirty look as he crawled back to the bookshelf, that it was 110% me. Neat."</div>
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And that statement has been proven true time and time again over the last 2 years. But, I realized something about a month ago that is making a huge difference. And I feel like a dork that it took me nearly 2 years of butting heads with a toddler to realize. </div>
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<br />It's all about the control, ('bout control, 'bout control -just channeling my inner Meghan Trainor there).<br />
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See, I like when I have everything under control in my sphere and with things relating to me. I like to plan my own day, have my space the way I want it, and things going the way I planned. It took me 2 years, but I realized that if Darrow is like me (and he's proven that over and over again), then it only makes sense that he's feeling the same way! He wants control. He doesn't want to be directed. He needs to feel like he's in charge of his sphere.<br />
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That light bulb was huge for me. I don't know why, but it was. You'd think that'd be an easy one, but it wasn't.<br />
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So I've been working to make some changes around here, and guys...it is hard! Giving him some control means me giving up some control. But isn't that what Motherhood is about, giving up what we want because what your child needs is more important?<br />
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Now, we're not just giving him carte blanche around here. There are things that are non-negotiable, such as staying in the yard, not playing with the oven, no throwing toys at Ione, not running away when we call him, etc. But I've found areas where if I give up some of my control over the situation, he can then exert his control. And it has made a world of difference! This is a much happier boy lately.<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYr4y9b68g7QFy8gfYdiPAjEl-e_-5cSGV0KPlQdd1UDIHmXxfji_WVcxNRY5bNSCexdd7BJDIMWWvJRo9J3s-60Ck-YDm3mYzgQUq2aV3c1F-KwnLTGydLFa9eZtkTnwR3cQx28PjveLz/s1600/10633362_1052513411472940_2933478051234504810_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYr4y9b68g7QFy8gfYdiPAjEl-e_-5cSGV0KPlQdd1UDIHmXxfji_WVcxNRY5bNSCexdd7BJDIMWWvJRo9J3s-60Ck-YDm3mYzgQUq2aV3c1F-KwnLTGydLFa9eZtkTnwR3cQx28PjveLz/s640/10633362_1052513411472940_2933478051234504810_o.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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The first big one was bedtime and naps. Darrow is a night owl through and through (also a trait he got from me). Bedtime was often a huge fight. We'd put him to bed, he'd get out. We put him back in bed, he'd get out. We tried all different methods over the 2 years from various articles. Silently putting him to bed with no eye contact, calmly explaining why he needed to stay in bed, spanking, lying by him and wrapping our arms around him so he couldn't get off the bed until he cried himself to sleep, sitting down the hall and getting after him every time he got off the bed, and the list goes on. Nothing worked. Naptime was the same. He needed a nap, but it was a huge fight. </div>
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So no instead of bedtime and naptime he has afternoon quiet time and bedtime quiet time. The rules are he stays in his room (in the afternoon it's a designated 2 hours-which is how long he usually naps). That's it. At night we get him in his jammies and do his nighttime routine (brush teeth, read a book, sing a song, prayers, kisses, milk, water, you know covering the excuse bases), and then he goes in his room for nighttime quiet time. During quiet time he gets to choose what he does and it's fine as long as he's in his room. The first 2-3 days he didn't nap, he just played in the afternoon, and at night he stayed up playing until 10 or midnight. But then the novelty wore off. </div>
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Now for afternoon quiet time he plays for a little bit and then probably 4 times out of the week he'll climb in his bed and take a nap. At night he goes in and plays and probably 4 nights a week he is asleep by 8:30 or 9, with the others being up playing until 10-11. And then he sleeps later! Hallelujah! We moved Ione out of the room (she's an early riser and would wake him up before he's ready), and that's made it all even better. </div>
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Everything we read said that kids needed a firm bedtime and a firm routine and having that nighttime schedule was important. So we tried to get that in place for 2 years and it just never worked. Darrow needed to feel that control. That one change has made the biggest difference out of everything lately. </div>
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Beyond that I try to remember to let him choose things as much as possible. Are we playing in the front yard or backyard. What he eats for breakfast (I decide dinner and half the time lunch, but he gets to choose what he eats for breakfast). Which way we go when we take walks. Stuff like that. And it is enough that he feels more in control of his surroundings. </div>
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On my end it means a lot of biting my tongue to keep from getting after him for things that are minor or trivial. Like smashing his sandwich flat before eating it (wiping up the bit of mess is easy, I can do that), or dumping all his toys out in his room just after we put them away, or flipping the curtains around, or carrying our shoes all over the house. I'd rather he didn't do those, but he's not being bad, he's not being destructive, and it's something I can just relax on and not be so uptight. </div>
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So that's it, that's been the magic trick to a much happier, more well behaved, and much more rested Darrow: me giving up complete control so that he could have some control of his own!</div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-52568975784315847142016-08-24T00:50:00.000-06:002016-08-24T00:50:06.477-06:00Simple DIY Luau Decorations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Not too long ago I was helping come up with the decorations for another youth stake dance (this seems to be a reoccurring theme in my life, but I sure love it!). This time, the theme was a summer luau. Pulling ideas from Pinterst, past dances, the store, and the closet of old decorations that was passed down from previous youth leaders, we had more decorations than we had time to put up. </div>
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Time. Now there was an interesting part to all of this. </div>
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I was excited for this and headed into town to do my errands, pick up final supplies, and head to the church cultural hall to start decorating. I got all the way to Walmart (because that's our choice around here), 20ish miles away, and discovered that I didn't have a cent on me. My wallet was back at home. </div>
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I couldn't really do anything without it, so back home I went and got the wallet. That was nearly an hour wasted. </div>
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But finally I got the last supplies, got to the church and began unloading my car and searching the closet for any luau supplies (which there were buckets full...literally buckets). About half an hour after I got to the church, our President arrived and I went out to help unload her car, only to discover that I'd let the door close behind us, locking us out. See, being the only one at the church for just a little bit I'd only unlocked the one door long enough to get in and then closed it behind me. We were locked outside with no keys to get back in. Along with the church keys were our car keys and our cell phones. There was no way to get in touch with anyone who could help! </div>
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So I went to a nearby house where I knew a church member lived hoping they'd have keys. And they were gone. We were getting ready to start canvasing the neighborhood when out of the corner of my eye I saw the missionaries leaving a back door of the church. We'd had no idea they were even in there! We dashed over there like crazy ladies (which we might have been getting close to at that point), and they let us in the door so we could get back in and decorate. More time lost. </div>
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So in the end I didn't end up making the palm tree, or the palm leafy backdrop, or a few other things. But you know what...the kids had a great time, they ate almost all the refreshments, and it was a positive activity, so it's okay! </div>
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I did get a few decorations made though! I want to share two of them with you because they are super easy and super cute! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJaJt-GoVtdLKqgyyZ8SjY4ygaJ39NBu1G7orGTbsx1ahxfxVc2wbTv6U22v-n04j7PudnxLcO0PSA122WXFwo2MgvD6gAOlEIgE4wN2j78RVGXEzOn6OWkqutFCWDeIskd1BOHdFbfZ4/s1600/luaudecorations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJaJt-GoVtdLKqgyyZ8SjY4ygaJ39NBu1G7orGTbsx1ahxfxVc2wbTv6U22v-n04j7PudnxLcO0PSA122WXFwo2MgvD6gAOlEIgE4wN2j78RVGXEzOn6OWkqutFCWDeIskd1BOHdFbfZ4/s1600/luaudecorations.jpg" /></a></div>
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The first was our tiki pole. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBaAfYjh7dF_HnUf_Wunv2NlHZl5WYNd0XcUrEYVQvIjp-6_awZXE2xx2E83GJUUFUvX2HN-UYE37XeS8HSiQ1CUO5a23XzUIVBA2fp38PJ_ImYihdFUm9ab1JqoaV16Tp8ZyTuyAKo-Y/s1600/DIY+Luau+Decor+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBaAfYjh7dF_HnUf_Wunv2NlHZl5WYNd0XcUrEYVQvIjp-6_awZXE2xx2E83GJUUFUvX2HN-UYE37XeS8HSiQ1CUO5a23XzUIVBA2fp38PJ_ImYihdFUm9ab1JqoaV16Tp8ZyTuyAKo-Y/s640/DIY+Luau+Decor+%25281%2529.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />I found this idea on Pinterest, linking back to the <a href="http://designsprinkleideas.blogspot.com/2013/07/homemade-luau-party-paper-bag-tiki-guy.html" target="_blank">Design Sprinkles</a> blog. Not wanting to ruin the paper bags, I used masking tape in a loop on the back of each face part to attach them to the bag. Beign in a hurry, I didn't make all the cool different shapes you see on the original bags, but these did the job well!<br />
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I had the idea to drop battery operated lights in them to make it a glowing tiki pole. Great idea, but it didn't work. The bags were too thick. I think next time instead of doing a tiki pole, I'll do tiki heads, luminary style with lunch bags so that they can glow all around the room. How cool would that look?!<br />
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We also found that if you stacked more than 4 of these up, it fell. So we ended up with 2 small stacks rather than one large one.<br />
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The other quick decoration I want to show you are our mini tiki torch lanterns.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODhJOFe6SLX3BM_U13Cu05CzZHWFnnUq2agWoL7BYKXUxgci61wpXWM1bYPRjxEHA6jPzdr6MVX5IIKRFAMV9ARclm7dcTqiuWqZhijOD2KRXP5ZETw_P2JihcJr6gd-loWSa55JMNuG2/s1600/DIY+Luau+Decor+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODhJOFe6SLX3BM_U13Cu05CzZHWFnnUq2agWoL7BYKXUxgci61wpXWM1bYPRjxEHA6jPzdr6MVX5IIKRFAMV9ARclm7dcTqiuWqZhijOD2KRXP5ZETw_P2JihcJr6gd-loWSa55JMNuG2/s640/DIY+Luau+Decor+%25282%2529.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />These were a mini version of the lanterns found on the <a href="http://designsprinkleideas.blogspot.com/2013/07/homemade-luau-party-paper-tiki-lantern.html" target="_blank">Design Sprinkles blog</a>. I had a stack of 5" squares of scrapbook paper that I used for this. I followed the original instructions (folding in half to get a crease, and then cutting strips evenly around the paper, leaving a margin on top and bottom). Next I wrapped one margin end of the paper around a battery operated tea light and taped it in place. I couldn't find our scotch tape and didn't want a chunk of masking tape visible, so I stapled the tops closed. Not the smoothest look, but it sure did the job fast to use the stapler. These looked really cool out on the tables and glowed nicely!<br /><br />After the dance we threw away the face parts of the tiki pole, but were able to keep all 6 of the bags for future gift giving, and the paper from all the tiki lanterns. It was all easy to put together and quick clean up!<br />
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-5405992917392468532016-08-10T05:00:00.000-06:002016-08-10T05:00:00.193-06:0010 Years Down! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As a photographer, I get to tell stories. Stories of families with worn out but happy parents. Stories of new love. Stories of college anticipation. Stories of those who have passed on. No two stories are ever the same. I coach clients on adding in memories and meaning to their sessions, because that will make them more special. I encourage people to dive deep into the shoot and get everything they can out of it. </div>
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And then it came my turn and I felt a little paralyzed! About a year ago we started talking about doing something special for our 10th Anniversary, and I knew as a part of that I wanted photos (just like we did for our <a href="http://www.marquettelareeblog.com/2011/11/our-5th-anniversary-portraits.html">5th Anniversary)</a>. But then I got stuck. How do I plan that? Of the millions of ideas, how do I narrow it down? It was overwhelming at first and I had a Pinterest board full of gorgeous ideas. But then I realized I wasn't even taking my own advice. If the encouragement is there for my clients to add meaning in, then shouldn't I? And after that everything started falling together, and we ended up with such a magical and meaningful Anniversary Session with <a href="http://www.trishashelleyphotography.com/">Trisha Shelley Photography</a>! </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_2Z8552xLmJzEf4kFGvbrDpEybt0JjGgMGLWH6AUGJMeW1PAwHaM_Jf1gV2XI7ksNy2BeEfL_WAUUmhNTJopJRW0CwKq8kP5_duTltsSPdBN_2uSn5aPCj61OcMjjrDqPFqr-efeoP0/s1600/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%252828%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_2Z8552xLmJzEf4kFGvbrDpEybt0JjGgMGLWH6AUGJMeW1PAwHaM_Jf1gV2XI7ksNy2BeEfL_WAUUmhNTJopJRW0CwKq8kP5_duTltsSPdBN_2uSn5aPCj61OcMjjrDqPFqr-efeoP0/s640/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%252828%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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When it came to the location, I wanted it to be beautiful but have meaning. Narrowing down a spot was hard! Do we do it where we live now? Do we do it back home in New Mexico? Down in Tucson in the Sonoran Desert we miss so much? We just weren't sure. And then as I was talking plans with my friend Trisha, we realized that we would be up in Idaho at the exact same time. Light bulb! That was it! Something new for us as far as scenery for photos goes, but something so completely embedded in meaning for Cameron. Cameron's Mother's family is from Idaho, and Cameron spent a few summers living in Idaho working for his Uncle. It was perfect. So Idaho was set (more on the specific location later), and we started getting all the plans put together after that.<br />
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I wanted there to be meaning with everything possible. Right now my wedding dress does not fit (2 kids and a ton of cookies will do that to a girl), so I spent HOURS online looking for just the right dress. I wanted something orange, and I wanted to feel completely elegant and classy. I wanted it to embody who I am! As most of you probably know already, orange is my all time favorite color. At first I had truly orange dresses picked out, but they wouldn't quite have the soft feel I was going for, so then I went with peach. And found this beauty! (links for all pieces given at the end of this post)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85fNTvbpA8QX8IKsQ-vnOidHbbXE3GZ2m-TzuOslgBghM4MrxE6DzFswzqywm1p5Ja2SAPZhXyMEva_lAIXw58Aw8MUF90R6siNYtHvzg775aTfoosyvFQOXyJOmCPsK-InGE8nENlK8/s1600/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85fNTvbpA8QX8IKsQ-vnOidHbbXE3GZ2m-TzuOslgBghM4MrxE6DzFswzqywm1p5Ja2SAPZhXyMEva_lAIXw58Aw8MUF90R6siNYtHvzg775aTfoosyvFQOXyJOmCPsK-InGE8nENlK8/s640/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%25285%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was nervous. This was a dress I ordered from China. <a href="http://www.mypinstrositylife.com/2016/02/a-pinstrosity-dress-dyeing-day.html" target="_blank">I've already had my China dress problems</a>. I've seen so many others that order dresses from China that have problems. A few vendors offered this dress, but I made sure to find the one with the best reviews, the best grammar, and the best ratings, and then just hoped that it would work from there! I put in my expedited order, added in my measurements and just hoped. The dress wouldn't get here before we left on vacation, so I shipped it to Emilee and just hoped that it would get there in time. The dates on the shipping estimate ran from 2 days to before the scheduled shoot to 3 days after. There was a chance it wouldn't come in time. And then 3 days before the first estimated arrival date Emilee sent me a picture of a package sitting on her doorstep. It was the dress! And it was GORGEOUS! So it was here on time (fear #1), and it looked phenomenal (fear #2). But I wouldn't get to try it on until the night before the shoot (fear #3). When we did make it up there and I could slip it on, I was ecstatic. It fit <i>perfectly</i>. Seriously amazing!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_i0BqZb26nCjIxC4tcsi6vL1w2kr69PzBRJQx9JxbZRC0mBYU6KL6qNbGO9E-hYWSQpMHPwxR9Wr_qK2auA4jrBDrasjJs_ip_PJ2_BTXtFyw_zE_MFQV6X9sVansI1KjF0_Tw48_ic/s1600/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%252845%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_i0BqZb26nCjIxC4tcsi6vL1w2kr69PzBRJQx9JxbZRC0mBYU6KL6qNbGO9E-hYWSQpMHPwxR9Wr_qK2auA4jrBDrasjJs_ip_PJ2_BTXtFyw_zE_MFQV6X9sVansI1KjF0_Tw48_ic/s640/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%252845%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Cameron would like to point out one extra added meaning in the above photo. He built that water feature that you can see behind the dress. Pretty cool huh?!<br />
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After that, even though it wasn't a wedding, I decided to incorporate the "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue" poem as a way to get intentional with what I was bringing and wearing.<br />
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<i>Something Old: Black Hills Gold necklace. </i></div>
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This necklace was a gift from Cameron on our honeymoon. It's one of my sweet treasures. A piece from the very beginning. It was perfect!<br />
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<i>Something New: The Shoes</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzthx3hrsCnGt_MoAAjXNcM-3Z6qHPxkM4ErXzPz_KHn-hyMfkuXNTp4wFr6dYzJ0m013rp9s6AQd-2n1Kw9_rF4iRDwGJ2cCzW0M0WpjVevn6YnIVmP0RuPE5d2uPxJYThBTLH9Q4nDg/s1600/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzthx3hrsCnGt_MoAAjXNcM-3Z6qHPxkM4ErXzPz_KHn-hyMfkuXNTp4wFr6dYzJ0m013rp9s6AQd-2n1Kw9_rF4iRDwGJ2cCzW0M0WpjVevn6YnIVmP0RuPE5d2uPxJYThBTLH9Q4nDg/s640/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%25286%2529.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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Alright, so these ones don't really have embedded meaning. My wedding shoes are pretty hashed by this point, so I wanted some new pretty shoes. I fell in love with them the moment I saw them online and they fit the look so well!<br />
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<i>Something borrowed: Emilee's Lipstick</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT3LjEzsT8TDsOVrlcgB7CQ-jWa4zx8ImmjAYFAIJoaA6nvZvDjT4i-XdJtQWbIfaQgoKeQiLM0aHCqNFH5LD48vC661QHrdCL19J0xsISC5jrrlUfVleRr9uCsb1ZxcVEnrSKYc2G18/s1600/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%252812%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT3LjEzsT8TDsOVrlcgB7CQ-jWa4zx8ImmjAYFAIJoaA6nvZvDjT4i-XdJtQWbIfaQgoKeQiLM0aHCqNFH5LD48vC661QHrdCL19J0xsISC5jrrlUfVleRr9uCsb1ZxcVEnrSKYc2G18/s640/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%252812%2529.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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For me, the meaning was not in the lipstick itself, but that Emilee, one of my dearest friends, was there to help me get ready. She drove 3 hours (one way!) just to come do my hair and make up, and that meant so much to me. She's such a sweet friend and talented cosmetologist. So really, I borrowed Emilee and just used the lipstick as her proxy in the detail shots. :)<br />
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<i>Something blue: My Tanzanite Wedding Ring</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptXri6XuMqIk4BZGroSTz_iHBgF4h5b8PZoDHGusY9gKFFpeoco4cuPJcRL7wly9K4zC6y6ombZOH3YvQatVwonUy9ZRVrfMoniJn7s2frSh58zGy9FUh2aUamMHQfeCm27ZOOZeT5iQ/s1600/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptXri6XuMqIk4BZGroSTz_iHBgF4h5b8PZoDHGusY9gKFFpeoco4cuPJcRL7wly9K4zC6y6ombZOH3YvQatVwonUy9ZRVrfMoniJn7s2frSh58zGy9FUh2aUamMHQfeCm27ZOOZeT5iQ/s640/10th+Anniversary+Portraits++%252811%2529.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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<h1 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My something blue is and forever will be my Tanzanite wedding ring. A few months back I realized that there is a big chip in the side of the stone and showed it to Cameron. "Well, I can get you a new one after the summer maybe?" But I won't hear of it. This is my wedding ring, and it is such a perfect representation of our marriage. "Something blue" stands for fidelity, love, and loyalty. Always. Not just when it's easy and pretty. Not just when things are shiny and fun. Always. Through ups and downs. Through trials. Through chips. Through hard days, weeks, months. Through disagreements. Through triumphs. Through life. Our marriage isn't perfect. It's not pristine. It's chipped and dinged. But it's there and worth keeping and polishing. If anything, that chip reminds me even more what a special thing our marriage is, and how grateful I am to have this man stand beside me still after 10 years.</span></span></h1>
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And now the flowers. Oh the flowers! I knew I wanted a bouquet, and thought about getting a real floral bouquet, but with the delivery of the dress being up in the air I didn't want to order a bouquet and then have the shoot not happen up in Idaho but still have this bouquet wilting without use. So I decided to make my bouquet, just like I did for our 5th Anniversary Shoot! This time instead of making all the flowers I ordered most of the supplies from <a href="http://afloral.com/">afloral.com</a>, got the orange ranuculus silks from Walmart, and then the giant Poppy and some white ranunculus from Hobby Lobby. My Mom also supplied some of the greenery and a few random white blossoms from her stash. I modeled it after <a href="http://katelynjamesblog.com/a-laboratory-mill-wedding/">a bouquet I'd seen on Katelyn James' blog</a> (I'm just slightly obsessed with Katelyn James), and only pulled it apart and redid it twice. I love how it turned out! The pops of orange are so fun, and I love the giant poppy in the middle with the delicate french anemones mixed in. It's so me right now!<br />
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While Trish took all the above amazing details shots, Emilee worked her magic on me. Confession here: I'd never had my hair and makeup done professionally before! It was really fun! I felt so pampered.<br />
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I'm in love with this photo of Em and I! I miss her so much. It was so special to have her there after not seeing her for a year!<br />
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And then it was time to head out and go meet up with Cameron! We were slightly late, but Cameron took that chance to go fly fishing. When we drove up he was out there on the river with his rod and it just made me smile. That's exactly the man I married.<br />
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For Cameron's outfit we wanted to get pieces that he could wear to teach in, but that would still look dashing. He wanted it to look like a gentleman fisherman, and I think he pulled it off nicely!<br />
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Apparently the bottom button is supposed to be left undone on these vests? I had no idea, but Cameron informed me of the protocol when I drew his attention to it. He's so full of random trivia, I love it.<br />
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We chose this location carefully. Cameron's Grandfather was the Water Master in Rexburg for years and years, as was his father before him (I sound a little Star Warsish there). This spot on the Henry's Fork is where the water is diverted out and where his Grandpa spent a good amount of time. Cameron has great memories here with his Grandpa. This river means so much to him and his family. That is why we chose this spot. Not only is it beautiful, but this spot holds so many memories and feelings for Cameron.<br />
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One thing I loved while planning this was how "all in" Cameron was. He was excited (but wouldn't admit it to anyone else of course). He even asked, "Can we do a First Look?" You bet! Trisha was so good to work with us and to get this all documented for us. It was fun to have the whole experience!<br />
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Bahaha, in spinning around, the veil end floated off behind me and landed in the river. It was heavy and all stuck together, so Cameron fixed it. :) Centrifugal force for the win!<br />
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As we stood there in the river together, we could hear the fish jumping and watched an ibis fly away. It was pure magic.<br />
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We never had a first dance at our receptions. At the time we didn't even have "Our Song" picked out. But we do now, and we love dancing to it. So there on the river rock, in our bare feet, with Jay Ungar's "The Lover's Waltz" playing on the phone we danced. Or at least we tried to. The dress was a little to much and, as Cameron put it himself, he has Princess Feet. But we got in about 30 seconds of dancing! Baha.<br />
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Wrapping up Cameron's Herpetologists heart was made happy...a little snake swam right up to us. And he catches anything he can. So of course this little guest made his cameo in our anniversary photos.<br />
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This whole experience was amazing. These photos are treasures. Trisha did an absolutely beautiful job preserving this time in our marriage, and in capturing such great emotion. I loved getting to pour all the meaning I could into the shoot, it's made it all the more special to look at the images. Most of all though I loved the time with this man, and getting to celebrate 10 years together. 10 years! Parts have been easy. Parts have been tough. Parts have been sweet, and parts have been sad. Marriage is not easy, but it is worth every ounce of work, tears, joy, and heart that it takes to make one work. One decade, many disagreements, plenty of moves, a plethora of memories, a bucket of tears, and of gallery of smiles in the bag...now there's eternity to go. And I'm so grateful to go it with him!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />---<br />Photographer: <a href="http://www.trishashelleyphotography.com/" target="_blank">Trisha Shelley Photography</a><br /><br />Dress: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ethel-Womens-Applique-Bridesmaid-Dresses/dp/B01EHRHBYO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469131493&sr=8-1&keywords=ethel+women%27s+tulle+v-neck" style="color: #999999; margin-left: -5px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">Click here</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Shoes: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SVL2T2M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)" style="color: #999999; margin-left: -5px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.175s ease-in-out;">Trends SNJ</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hair and Makeup: Emilee Goutcher of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vicarioushair/" style="color: #999999; margin-left: -5px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.175s ease-in-out;">@Vicarioushair</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Floral Supplies: <a href="http://afloral.com/" style="color: #999999; margin-left: -5px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.175s ease-in-out;">afloral.com</a> or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/afloral/" style="color: #999999; margin-left: -5px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.175s ease-in-out;">@afloral</a> and Hobby Lobby</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Suit Jacket: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014PGO75I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" style="color: #999999; margin-left: -5px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.175s ease-in-out;">U.S. Polo Assoc.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Vest: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018IHD5HQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" style="color: #999999; margin-left: -5px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.175s ease-in-out;">Cavani</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Suit Pants: <a href="http://thekatershop.com/" style="color: #999999; margin-left: -5px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.175s ease-in-out;">Kater Shop, Logan UT</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Location: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrys_Fork_(Snake_River)" style="color: #999999; margin-left: -5px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">Henry's Fork River near St Anthony, Idaho</a></span></div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-47389642918092478582016-08-09T00:00:00.000-06:002016-08-09T01:23:09.709-06:00Trauma and the Creative Process<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello!</div>
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My name is Em and I am the other half of this team. </div>
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"Wait, what? You don't blog here! I have been reading this blog for months and I don't even know you!" </div>
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If you are new, or if you are one of our long time faithful followers, you may have forgotten or didn't even know that I blog here. I do blog here though I promise! I have been on somewhat of a hiatus.</div>
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Let's chat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTx-CqKfZaIerNAPRa-yvpGMuGOr2ka8FrqBO5-JgKtd_DlhxfDDdWXbHbSUQRoUs7qd7bpqCGHIoY2WBOMw0NZjeWIKMGHMoVkCunUXf9aeLZ3a9NK7zeaiLyYIDZv-5252HZhL8zVp9/s1600/Silver+Lake+Anniversary+Pictures+with+Dog+Engagement+Pictures+%252857%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTx-CqKfZaIerNAPRa-yvpGMuGOr2ka8FrqBO5-JgKtd_DlhxfDDdWXbHbSUQRoUs7qd7bpqCGHIoY2WBOMw0NZjeWIKMGHMoVkCunUXf9aeLZ3a9NK7zeaiLyYIDZv-5252HZhL8zVp9/s640/Silver+Lake+Anniversary+Pictures+with+Dog+Engagement+Pictures+%252857%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some of you may remember my husband Chip, he's legitimately the best. I don't know who I bribed to get such an awesome partner in life, but man I did good. Chip and I have been married a little over 5 years. They have been both the best five years of my life and at times some of the most trying. Some days life throws some really difficult challenges at you. Lucky for me, Chip has been right by my side through them all. </div>
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Over the last three years, and more prominently over the last year one of those challenges for us has been infertility. </div>
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Infertility.</div>
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I said it. </div>
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It's funny how one little word can have such a huge impact on our lives. </div>
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I have been MIA from the blog mostly because of this life challenge. Now, this post isn't to ask for sympathies, or tell my sob story, this post is about what is going on in my life. Real time. This blog is about us, our journey, what we are learning, what we are struggling with, whatever we need it to be. Today I need this blog to be a conduit for my process.</div>
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We had been suspecting that infertility was a very real thing happening to us for a while. We had been to one doctor, had a horrible experience and shied away from that route for a while because of the bad experience. We finally drudged up the courage to go back at the beginning of this year and our fears became our reality. This process of starting a family was not going to happen by our own accord. </div>
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For us, this was devastating. There is an entire world of infertility that I won't go into (at least not at this time), but all this to say that this whole process of doctors appointments, tests, waiting, research etc. has completely <i>and I mean completely</i> zapped my creative process.</div>
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Every spare inch of energy I had went to being ok, to being happy despite our circumstances, to keeping up with this time intensive process. All of this left little to no room for my soul to express itself creatively. </div>
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How do you create and make and craft and enjoy when at the time it all feels really frivolous and every waking second you are constantly thinking about something that you aren't capable of accomplishing?? </div>
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You don't. </div>
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Your creative process ceases to exist. Your body goes into survival mode. </div>
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Trauma doesn't have to be a car crash, or anything of that nature. Your body, mind, and soul can go through trauma in other instances as well. Say, three years of mourning something that won't happen, that would definitely be considered trauma. </div>
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I know that at one time or another each of us has had some sort of trauma. Whether it be losing a friend or relative, having to have some sort of long recovery surgery, chronic illness, divorce, infertility, having loved ones who are seriously ill, financial burden, loss of job, natural disaster, family issues, childbirth, big or frequent moves, being in the throws of being a parent can often be traumatic, etc. </div>
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Any of these scenarios would be one that could very easily zap your creative process. We go from care free and easy going to merely trying to survive in the blink of an eye.</div>
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I am here to tell you two things:</div>
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First: It is 108% OK to not be creative during this time of stress and healing. </div>
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Heck, if you can get up and put on pants, you deserve a cookie. Life can be really really hard. There is pride in getting up, dressing (up), and showing up. Don't let anyone tell you different. There may be a few days that it is all too much to get out of bed. We all have days like that, and if I didn't have a job, that would have been me for some of the last three months. It's ok to take a day or two to do that, but don't let it become a habit. Beds are quicksand for our get up and go, don't let them suck you away.</div>
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Second: TRY. Try being creative, you may be one of those people who thrive creatively during times of high stress. Think of Van Gough, all of his work thought to be genius, and he went through serious bouts of mental health crisis in which he still painted. Despite how he felt on the inside, his outside creative work was stunning. I imagine he felt some therapy from painting, as many do. Give your creative self a try, you may just be a creative crisis thriver, one whose work is even better during times of high stress and trauma because you use it as an outlet for yourself. </div>
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I am not one these people. When it feels like everything around me is crumbling, I feel the need to be in control of something and when my current project isn't pure perfection I have a breakdown. Recognize if you are one of these people and know your triggers. </div>
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Please know that even in worst of the worst, the depths of the muck, and hardest of the trial, that at one point you were in another trial and eventually, despite all the odds, it passed. Something changed and it eventually ended. I can't tell you how it will end, but I know that in some way shape or form, things will get better. Until then, strap in, hang on tight, find a good support system, and weather the storm. I'm pulling for you. (Think High School Musical) We're all in this together! </div>
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All of this to say, I'm sorry for being so out of the picture here, but please know I am doing my best. The blogging Em had to take a beat so that pay your bills, remember to eat food, still go to work Em had a fighting chance. I am 110% ok with that. </div>
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There are ebbs and flows to life, and right now my life is flowing in a direction of survival. With that being said, now that I have recognized that I was in a creative process crisis I will better be able to deal with said crisis, and can start to get back in the saddle. I hope that maybe this post helped someone. Please know that for you who are struggling, I see you. I wish a post like this had been here for me over the last year, so if any of you are in a creative crisis right now, know that I am pulling for you! I am cheering you on! I am you! We are here for each other. We can do hard things. We will prevail!</div>
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I love you guys. I have dearly missed my Pinstrosity family. This blog is an important part of me, and I am blessed to have the platform that I do. I hope that this can help someone, even if it is just one person, that one person is so unique and important! If you know someone really struggling and you feel like this could help them, please share. </div>
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I love you Pinstrosipeeps!</div>
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-Em</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Picture Credit </span><a href="http://www.marquettelareeblog.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Marquette LaRee</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span></div>
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Pinstrosityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11647945298736302127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-15786340888486180032016-08-08T01:26:00.000-06:002016-08-09T01:22:13.725-06:00Kett Files: My Magic Routine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Guys, I think I've found the magic routine for the day. It makes a world of a difference. I discovered it a few months ago and was going to wait until I had the routine down to habit and was doing it all the time and could tell you the great things it's done for my life as a whole. </div>
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But let's get real here. I haven't even had a full week where I've stuck to my routine perfectly. And I'm realizing I probably never will have a perfect routine week, because that's life. </div>
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What does this routine do for me? I'm able to keep the house from being disgusting, Darrow behaves better, I can get my photography business done, and even have a little family evening time. Boy, I sound like a commercial. Sorry. But really, this routine is a life saver and I know if I'd just stick to my guns and get up and jump into it every day that everything would go more smooth...but the lazy shoulder angel sometimes shouts the loudest and his idea sounds best. Darn it. </div>
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This routine isn't perfect. There are still things I want to implement in. But for now, I'm seeing good results from it (when I do actually do it). So let me tell you about it. </div>
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The main rule that all others fall under is no computer before noon. That's it. If I had an office job, it wouldn't work, but I'm at home so this is key. Before noon is my time to clean the house, organize, make appointments, get some one-on-one time in with Darrow (why is that so hard?! Mom guilt.), and making things for the house. At noon we have lunch, and then Darrow has quiet time in his room, Ione sits in her chair or swing by me, and I get to work on the computer with editing, doing my classwork, behind-the-scenes business work, bills, and anything that needs to be done on the computer. </div>
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And that's the main idea of it! I want to refine it more to get in specific exercise time, and specific couple time...but for now I feel like I'm doing really good if I do this routine 3 days in a week. </div>
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It's crazy how much this routine helps, but man it is hard. I didn't realize just how addicted to technology I am until I tried implementing this. It's so easy to just tune into the world wide web and to let your duties, responsibilities, and life just kinda blur in the background. If I get on the computer early in the day, the rest of my day is just shot. It's done. Darrow's picked up on that too! If I get on the computer early in the day, his behavior tanks. If I stay off until noon, he is generally much better behaved. </div>
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So, this week I'm going for 4 days out of 7 following the routine (lets see if I can get my posts pre-written and scheduled so I can really stick with this). Because I know it helps make my day better. I know I'll be more productive and efficient. I know my kids will be happier. I know I'll be more likely to cook and that will make Cameron happier. It just makes us all happier. I can do this! </div>
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What is your magic routine? I know this won't work for everyone, so I'm excited to hear from you what works in your home and your life! Maybe there'll be ideas you see from others that feel like something that would work for you. We'll help each other build magic timelines! </div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-44079061537840360502016-08-03T13:37:00.000-06:002016-08-03T13:37:04.486-06:00Lesson Relearned: Find Joy in the Journey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For the first time in a year, Emilee and I got to spend time together. It was pretty much a live version of "Chicken Soup for the Pinstrosity Soul". There were snow cones, hugs, laughs, late night pizza, amazing root beer, dogs in tutus, a floating lantern, a husband running after the floating lantern to catch it before it went into the trees, hair coloring, real and raw conversations, tulle dresses and skirts, and breakfast burritos. Could it get any better? Only if there'd been more time. </div>
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We've both experienced things the last little while that left us feeling drained, uncreative, and unsure of what to do here on the blog. Do people really want to hear our life? Do we really have something worth sharing? Are we doing any good? It's been a bit of a blogging identity crisis after the first few months of the relaunch. I know I have gone through weeks where I felt like I really didn't have anything worth writing about because my life is just not really exciting. </div>
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But that time spent together retaught us so much. The whole point of this blog is to remind all of us that life isn't Pinterest Perfect, and it doesn't have to appear so to be worth living and sharing. We don't have to have fast paced, mountain climbing, world traveling, daily DIYing lives before we have anything worthy to share or find joy in. </div>
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What we do have is our journey. Our journey through life. Our journey through adulthood. Our journey through marriage. Our journey through family. Our journey through creativity. And you know what. They are amazing journeys. Just like yours! No journey is too ordinary, too mundane, or too "normal". Every journey has growth, and every journey has joy. Sometimes the joy is easy, and sometimes we have to really work to make it. But it's there. </div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/handcraftedbrunette/">Sign by @handcraftedbrunette</a></div>
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And that is what we are excited to share with you and experience with you. We want to share in your joys, and share our joys with you. </div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-17655533897518825652016-07-23T11:37:00.001-06:002016-07-23T11:37:12.477-06:00Life isn't Pinterest Perfect, even in Yellowstone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Guys! I have a story for you!! Bahaha. </div>
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So for those following on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Pinstrosity/">Facebook </a>or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pinstrosity/">Instagram </a>accounts, you probably know that Cameron and I (and Darrow and Ione of course) are all on a long family vacation road trip. Well yesterday was Yellowstone Day, and things definitely didn't go Pinterest Perfect!<br /><br />Let's start at the very beginning. </div>
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(Bonus points if you then just sang "a very good place to start") heehee</div>
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On the way up a small whine in our car got worse. We were planning on getting up early in the morning on Friday and heading to Yellowstone, but decided to take the car in to get it checked so we didn't end up with a dead car in the mountains with no cell signal. Well, by the time they checked the car, let us know it wasn't anything in need of fixing, and we got packed up to go, it was 3pm. We hemmed and hawed and finally decided that we'd go over, get a camping spot and then do the park all day on Saturday. </div>
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So we ask Siri how to get to Lewis Lake Campground, the one the website said is usually the last to fill up. Siri shows up the regular route up through West Yellowstone, but then she also shows a route that is half the miles, and only 10 minutes longer which would spit us out right below the park and Lewis Lake Campground rather than traveling down through the whole park. The shorter route seemed like the good idea because I hate backtracking. </div>
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So we get going on that route and end up on a 30 mile stretch of mountain dirt road, bumping along. </div>
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But no biggie, we can do that. And we actually shaved 15 minutes off the estimated arrival time Siri gave us. Shorter and Quicker! Hooray! We pull up to the southern gates of Yellowstone only to see a sign that says "All Campgrounds Full". Great. It's 6pm, and we had nowhere to stay. We then had to decide if we were going to try and find a way overpriced hotel for the night or not. We opted for making a very fast tour of Yellowstone, only stopping at two spots and briefly, and then going back to Cameron's uncle's house to sleep.<br />
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So we drove through trees. And more trees. And more trees. Let me tell you, the southern part of the Park is not that exciting. </div>
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And finally we got to Old Faithful. I'll be honest. I wasn't super excited about Old Faithful. I wasn't uninterested, but I didn't feel like I HAD to see it or my life wasn't complete. But we were there and the geyser app showed that we happened to get there just 10 minutes before it was supposed to go off. Can't pass up that awesome of a coincidence. So we pulled in, got the kids out, and ran over (me in my sandals, no backpack carrier for Darrow, just the cell phone for a camera, and only the sling for Ione...because we weren't planning on staying long). </div>
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We sit and wrestle Darrow (who doesn't want to sit and wait...he's 2), and finally Old Faithful begins to "erupt". It was neat, but kinda anti-climactic to tell you the truth. I expected a good roar, or a higher column, or something. It went off, and after the initial "oohhhhh" of the crowd it went silent. And that was it. Cool. </div>
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<br />So before it was done we got up to let Darrow run around and decided to just see where the boardwalk went to try and get a little energy out of Darrow before we went back in the car. We started around to the right side of Old Faithful and ended up on the greater geyser trail. It looked like there was a little loop we could do, so we set out. </div>
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And then things got cool! Not all of the geysers are super predictable, and some take hours or days between eruptions. Somehow we just happened to get there when so many of the eruption times coincided and things were going off all over the place. That was awesome. </div>
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And then we got to the Beehive Geyser that went off 15 feet in front of us and it was exhilarating and so cool!!! </div>
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We were pretty excited after that and decided to go on and take a longer route to see the other geysers that we could see going off in the distance. It was pretty spectacular! </div>
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But as excited as we were, Darrow was getting done. So at a T in the path I told Cameron to just run up the trail to the right to see the Morning Glory pool he was dying to see and that I'd start down the trail to the left back to Old Faithful with the kids and we'd catch up. </div>
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This is where things turned. </div>
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I got going down the trail with both kids and Darrow finally got to the end of his rope. He was D.O.N.E. But I knew Cameron had to just be a few minutes behind me, so I picked him up on my hip and carried him (with Ione in the sling). Well you can imagine how well that went. It didn't. So I tried to carry him piggy-back style. Well, that didn't work either. So Finally I got him up on my shoulders and started down the trail, a mile and a half back to Old Faithful with both kids hanging off me...literally. But I figured any minute Cameron was going to catch up and pull Darrow off my back and we'd be on our way. </div>
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Well he didn't catch up and he didn't catch up, so I kept plodding along. In my sandals. With both kids. I'd had my hair all pinned up, but Darrow spent the time picking the bobby pins out of my head one by one releasing the Kraken hair. By the time we're nearing Old Faithful the teenagers and young adults are making a wide berth around the crazy lady with Kraken hair and two crying kids, and the old ladies smile at me and say, "Oh, I remember those days! How cute!" and I tried my hardest not to growl at them. </div>
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And then I got back to Old Faithful (in time for the next eruption an hour and a half later). And then I realized that I'd just done a mile and a half with two kids on my back. And Cameron hadn't caught up. I started to wonder. But surely he'd just spent time pondering at the pool. </div>
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And then an hour went by, and he didn't show up. </div>
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It was 10 o'clock, dark, and my husband was off somewhere in Yellowstone Park. I was getting pretty afraid. Headlines of a man eaten by a bear went through my head. I borrowed a cell phone from a nearby family to try calling him and it went straight to voicemail. So I finally decided it was probably past time to call the Park Rangers. </div>
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So I went into the Inn, the closest building to Old Faithful, and explained the situation to the concierge. He called the Rangers, gave a brief explanation, and then handed the phone to me. 15 seconds into giving my report, Darrow went dead weight, pulling his hand out of mine and took off running down the hotel hall. "Hold on, I have to catch my 2 year old!" I dropped the phone and went and caught Darrow again (with Ione in one arm). He then of course starts throwing a royal tantrum. So I set him on the floor and pinned him between my legs and pick the phone back up. The next few minutes I'm trying to pay attention to the Park Ranger and the questions he is asking, while also trying to wrestle Darrow with just my legs to keep him from running away. Eventually I end up sitting on the floor, with my legs pinning Darrow down as he screams, with the cord of the lobby phone stretched as far as it will go. </div>
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But finally I get the report made and tell the Ranger that I'll stay put in that hotel lobby until either the Rangers or Cameron comes. So we then go hang out on the couches and work to get Darrow calmed down. This poor kid was way way done. So I sat and sang songs to comfort him, and myself. He was out there. He'd come back. I wasn't going to be a Yellowstone Widow. </div>
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And then finally the Park Ranger pulls up in front of the building, and in comes Cameron through the doors at 10:45. "Hey! I didn't get eaten by a bear!" Best sight of the whole entire day! </div>
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So now let's jump back to Cameron. On the map the paved biking/walking path is marked in black and the driving road in gray. Cameorn had thought from a glance at the map that the road went to the morning glory pool, but once he was there he found it was the bike path, not the road. So he looked at the pool, and then decided it was time to head out. </div>
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He's not sure why now, but in his head then he then thought, "Well shoot, I need to book it down the path to the road and wait there for Marquette." So he ran in the opposite direction as I was going. He got to the end of the path and waited and waited and I didn't show up, so he decided he's just cut the time down and start walking on the road back towards Old Faithful. </div>
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So he starts running down the road in this heavy fire fighting boots (after working as an emergency wildland firefighter one summer with the Forest Service, he fell in love with those boots), hoping I'd drive up. Well, I didn't. And it was dusk and getting darker and darker quickly, and he was running down the road. Suddenly he realized that he was along in Yellowstone, no one knew where he was, and he was running. If there was a bear nearby he was totally going to wake up the bear's predatory response by running, and he'd get eaten. So he kept his eyes on the woods and walked quickly along .</div>
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He got back down by Old Faithful, but didn't know where he was in relation to the geyser, or where we parked. So he went into the first building he found. He figured at this point that I'd probably called him in as missing. As much as he felt like a goober for having to report himself as missing, he figured it was time. He went in to the lady at the front desk and explained the situation and she was a little odd. "Oh, that's horrible! I wish I could help. I can't call anyone for you." OKay. So Cameron went back outside and went running around looking for someone who could help him. </div>
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He finally saw a Park Ranger driving up and started waving his arms to flag him down. And the Ranger drove right by him. Luckily though, someone was driving the wrong way down a one way street and the Ranger pulled him over. So Cameron ran and caught up and stood off to the side waiting to talk to the Ranger. </div>
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"Do you need me?" the Ranger asked. "Yes sir, I do." So the Park Ranger told hi to go sit on the steps and he'd be with him in a minute. Cameron turned and walked a few steps and the Ranger turned around and called after him. "Wait. Are you looking for your wife and kids?" </div>
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"Yeah. That's me." The Ranger chuckled and had him wait. After he was done with his business he got Cameron in the car and they headed off to the lodge. They went in the lobby all excited to reunite a family and I wasn't there. They asked the lady at the lodge and she had no idea what was going on and there wasn't anyone there looking for a missing person. That confused them until they remember there was the new Old Faithful Inn, so they drove over there. </div>
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They hopped out, Cameron came in the door and Darrow shot over to him, "Daddy!" </div>
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"Hey...I didn't get eaten by a bear!"<br /><br />And with all the cool geysers going off that we saw, him coming through that door was the best sight I'd seen all day. </div>
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We got to pack up in the car, passed out the cinnamon rolls we'd bought for breakfast the next morning, and drove (in the dark) through the park (dodging Elk), back to Cameron's uncle's house to sleep. </div>
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So there you have it! There's our Yellowstone experience. It was crazy then, and kinda scary, but now we're laughing! </div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-13866668358121219542016-07-05T11:25:00.004-06:002016-07-05T11:25:52.209-06:00Tried it Tuesday: Pie Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yesterday we were invited to a neighbor's house for a Fourth of July Barbecue. Not wanting to show up empty handed, I looked around to see what I could make and kept coming back to a pie. I love making pies! Pies can be a mess though and only go so far with a crowd. </div>
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And then I remembered some pins I'd seen in the past few years. Pie Cookies. That sounded yummy and easy and I figured that'd be perfect. Kids eat cookies great, they require little serving utensils, and it'd help the pie stretch more to give everyone a bite. </div>
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So I searched on Pinterest for "pie cookie" and a plethora of pins popped up. Most of them were apple pie cookies, but I did see a few cherry or strawberry pie cookies as well. I opened up 5 of the recipes at random and read through the instructions and found they all were basically the same. </div>
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Roll out the dough. Cover in pie filling. Top with dough. Bake. Stuff your face. </div>
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I could do that. </div>
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I used my normal pie recipe and did a double batch so I'd have enough for a bottom crust and a top crust. All the recipes said to use your favorite recipe or buy the pre-made dough from the store. Either is fine!</div>
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If you are a video kind of person, the video below will explain the rest of what I did (and next time I'll dig out my tripod! I've totally got to work on my video skills if I'm going to do more of these-and make sure it's not a shaky hands day for Cameron). If you're not a video person (like me!) and would prefer to read, just skip and I'll explain what I did!<br />
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Once I had my dough rolled out I sliced one into thin strips for the lattice top. I tried to go with 1/2" strips so that the lattice pattern would be visible on the cookies. After the crust dough was all prepped, it was time to add on the pie filling. I was pretty sure one can of filling was going to be too much, but it fit well and spread out much more thin than I thought it would.<br />
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And then it was time for the lattice top. I forgot I don't like doing lattice tops. So time consuming and frustrating, lol. But, I got it on and done. And then it came time to cut the cookies. </div>
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I was sure this would be one of a few places where problems would arise. It just didn't seem like it'd cut neatly without the filling oozing out all over. But I was wrong! They cut nicely and the top and bottom stuck together well! </div>
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But then I ran into a problem I hadn't thought about. All the in-between pieces of crust. Normally with cookies I could just squish it back together and re-roll it, but now it had apply pie goop all in it. So much pie crust and filling there wasted. :( I used my 3" round cutter and got 11 cookies out it. </div>
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I went to pull out the parchment paper to keep the mess contained and found we were out! So tin foil had to do. It worked, but not as good as parchment paper would have. I plopped the cookies on the pan with a metal spatula and then put them in the oven at 475. </div>
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This is where I expected the next mess to come from. I was sure that the filling was going to leak out the sides and create a horrible goopy mess. But when I opened the oven about minutes later I was shocked. There was little mess! They'd worked! Perfectly! They popped off the foil easy and went to the cooling rack intact. I couldn't believe it! </div>
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But then I had the problem that I only had 11 cookies to take to a barbecue. So I decide to try a second batch, only mix it up a little. I did the double crust again, but this time I didn't cut the 2nd layer into strips, I left it intact. And for the filling I opened up a jar of my homemade blackberry prickly pear jelly and spread a good thick layer over the crust. Once the jelly was spread out I then put the top crust on and pulled out my 1 1/2" cookie cutter. I got way more cookies out of that and had much less waste. Before popping them in the oven I cut a slit in the top of each cookie, and even took a fork to some of the edges to try and seal them together and make them look more pie-ish. </div>
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These leaked a little more than the apple pie cookies, but I made sure to take them off the pan and foil and transfer them to a cooling rack immediately after pulling them out of the oven so that the leaked jelly didn't have time to adhere the cookies to the foil. </div>
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These ones were a HUGE hit and were gone well before the apple pie cookies. And fast enough that I realized that I never got a nice styled finished picture of them, darn it! But real life shots are always good, right? </div>
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So, a pin (or set of pins) that I expected to be problematic totally turned out! And they were yummy!! I think I'll make more of these more often! </div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-11541784438002159632016-06-27T23:02:00.000-06:002016-06-28T09:28:00.471-06:00Home with Hyer Wools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week was a special week for us as we got to go home. Home to Cameron's parents house. Home to where I spent my childhood. Home to where we were married. Home with people we love.<br />
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When my family moved from Edgewood, I thought for sure I'd never find home again. My 14 year old heart was broken. Through the years and the moves though I've learned that home isn't just a place, though it can be. Home, for me, is where my loved ones are. Home is where my heart is. So now home for me is Northern AZ with my little family of 4. Home is my memories of EAC. Home is visiting my parents. Home is being with Cameron's parents. Home is The Ranch. Home is all over. And that makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world to get to call so many places Home.<br />
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We're smack in the middle of Cameron's first summer off as a teacher and we are LOVING it! Time with family. Time to do weddings. Time to travel. Time to be together. So often we only had a day or two to spend with family, but this time we were able to stay a whole week. And it was wonderful! </div>
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Kerry and Kathleen, my fantastic parents-in-law, run <a href="http://www.hyerwools.com/">Hyer Wools</a>. Kerry hand shears sheep, together they spin the wool, Kerry knits, Kathleen crochets, and they work together on this dream of theirs. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">It's so fun to take Darrow out to see the flock and to introduce him to the sheep. He's not so sure what to think about it all, but he'll get used to the idea as we return again and again. </span><br />
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Aren't these little lamb faces precious?!</div>
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The latter half of the week we were joined by Cameron's brother and my sister (for any blog newbies...2 sisters married 2 brothers! But...we were totally first!). Watching the cousins run around together was such a fabulous part of the time there!<br />
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If the lamb would stay small and sweet forever, I'd go get one for Darrow right now. This little bottle fed lamb followed Darrow around the pen, and it was so sweet!<br />
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I love the landscape there. This is where the high plains hit the mountains. It is often dry and windy, but there is beauty in it! <br />
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The cholla were all in bloom while we were there, spotting the land in magentas and yellows, reminding me that it's time to celebrate my Aunt Jossie's Birthday!<br />
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(And now you really should go check out Hyer Wools! Along with <a href="http://www.hyerwools.com/">their website</a> they are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hyerwools/">Facebook </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hyerwools/">Instagram</a>!)</div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-71641164964165138532016-06-14T04:00:00.000-06:002016-06-14T04:00:12.132-06:00Tried it Tuesday: The Great 2016 Zucchini Bread Catastrophe <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While we have expanded the scope of our blog to more than just "Pinterest Projects Gone Wrong", we definitely don't want to get rid of those all together! We still have them. We know some of you still have them! </div>
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Most of the crazy pins have been debunked...but sometimes, despite best efforts, even these normal pins turn on one of us every now and again. </div>
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Today, we have a Pinstrosity for you from Rachel in the Sonoran Desert!<br /><br />"<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">There are so many places where I could start this story, but I guess that I'll begin it at the point in which my friend Liz gave me like eight zucchini from a stash she bought from a local non-profit called Produce on Wheels - Without Waste (POWWOW) which sells 60 pounds of produce for $10 each</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_366298160" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Saturday</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">in rotating locations in Central and Southern Arizona. There are many mass production farms here in Arizona and over the border in Mexico, and POWWOW "rescues" the extra produce from these farms, sells it to individuals, and then uses those funds to supply food for Borderlands Food Bank. This produce is close to expiration, so you have to use it quickly. Liz saddled me with lots of zukes, so I needed to come up with something quick.</span></div>
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Flash backward about a week when, at my work's end-of-year (school teacher, here!) potluck, a colleague made the most delicious zucchini bread EVER. I mean, I had to physically restrain myself from eating too much of it. It had the perfect level of spice, and sweetness, and it was moist and...I could go on.</div>
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When Liz gave me the zucchini, I had a certain level of excitement usually reserved when one finds a $10 in the pocket of a pair of paints that just went through the wash. I didn't have my colleague's recipe, so I headed to trusty Pinterest. No one's ever had a pin go bad from Pinterest, right?! ;-)</div>
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I looked through a bunch of recipes and found<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://reallifedinner.com/the-best-zucchini-bread-recipe/&source=gmail&ust=1465946925531000&usg=AFQjCNEeyOh6uFHFANsXJ3R8ejgfdhA6Ng" href="http://reallifedinner.com/the-best-zucchini-bread-recipe/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"> this one</a>. The lady literally calls it the best - even better than her own mother's recipe. I don't know about you, but there are few people who can only come close to recipes my mother (grandmother and aunt, too!) perfected. After reading through everything - even the comments - this seemed fairly fool-proof, as I'm an adept baker (I worked in a bakery for five years in high school and college). </div>
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I double and triple checked the ingredients and method. I tasted the batter, and it tasted delicious! I set my timer for 30 minutes, though the recipe calls for 45, because oven times vary. I wound up resetting the timer for the additional 15 in five-minute intervals. I did the toothpick test, and it came out clean. The bread looked set, there was no jiggling. I thought I had serious success. And I clearly did not anticipate failure because I took no pictures along the process.</div>
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I let the bread cool on the counter while I packed up the kiddos and went grocery shopping, daydreaming of the zucchini bread I was going to try to sneak while my kids weren't looking (because, let's be real, it should be called zucchini cake not zucchini bread).</div>
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We got home from shopping about the same time as my husband from work, and as he's helping to bring the groceries into the house, he made an off-hand comment being sorry. I thought he meant about not being able to go shopping with us.</div>
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What he really meant was the Grand Zucchini Canyon."</div>
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That is a straight-up cavern. The ENTIRE center of the bread collapsed on both loaves. It was as hollow as my zucchini-bread-desperate heart. I tasted a piece of the baked, non-deflated portion, and it did taste delicious. </div>
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I have no clue what happened, as I followed the recipe verbatim. I will not let this deter me, though, as I'm on the hunt for a new, fool-proof recipe (please send them my way!).</div>
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I'd never had this happen to me either! So I took to Google and found a number of excellent articles about why quick breads may fall in the middle!<br /><br />For a great "diagnostics" on a zucchini bread that just kept falling, check out <a href="http://baking911.proboards.com/thread/937" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";">this link</a>!<br /><br />The three main culprits I'm reading about for sinking quick breads are:</div>
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<li>Too much moisture. </li>
<li>Too much batter in the pan</li>
<li>Over mixing the batter. </li>
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1. Too much moisture</div>
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This can come from the zucchini itself, or from too much sugar in the recipe! Again, check the link above for a great conversation about this very topic. Try pressing the zucchini between paper towels to reduce water content, and reducing sugar (1 1/2 cups for 2 loves often does the trick). </div>
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2. Too much batter in the pan. </div>
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As the bread rises, it clings to the sides of the pan and then forms the top crust from there. If the rising bread runs out of pan to cling to too early in the baking, it won't have strong enough sides to support the middle an you'll get a bread canyon. </div>
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3. Overmixing. </div>
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Hand mixing or slow mixing until the ingredients are just combined is the way to go. Too much air introduced into the batter makes for uneven rising and can cause a collapse.<br /><br />But, as Rachel said...even though it's not pretty...they usually still do taste great! You know what I'd do with that cavern? Fill it with a cream cheese or custard filling like that was the point all along. ;) </div>
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Thanks Rachel for sending us your Pinstrosity! </div>
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Marquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09112633611070405863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299578764487881408.post-16960201580252055792016-06-10T05:00:00.000-06:002016-06-10T05:00:19.941-06:0010 Tips on How to Be an Adult<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Raise your hand if, as a child, you ever said, "I can't wait until I'm grown up!" or "Grown ups have all the fun!" </div>
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Okay, now that we most of the internet with their hands raised, let's ask this question. </div>
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How many of you want to go back and slap 10 year old you because that kid had no idea what was in store! Good, I see I still have many of you with me. </div>
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Adulting is hard. Adulting is rough. Adulting really should be it's own verb. It's not what most of us dreamed of as kids. But is it all bad? No! Is it tricky? Heck yes! Which is why sometimes you'll still find me in a blanket for with my teddy bear and some ice cream. </div>
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But, despite all the bad rap it gets, being an adult can be pretty awesome. Granted, I only have 12 legal years of being an adult to back me up, but I've come a long ways in those 12 years. I wanted to grow up, got a taste of growing up and decided I didn't like it, tried to pretend I wasn't growing up, and then realized that growing up really doesn't have to be bad!</div>
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I've been thinking on this for the past month after receiving an email from<a href="https://www.personalcapital.com/"> Personal Capital</a> about this very topic. So many people want to stay in Neverland, but it's time to embrace adulthood and get our grown up on! It's not as bad as it seems!<br />
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So, here are my 10 tips to being an adult that I <i>try</i> to follow. I'm not saying I'm perfect at doing all of these all the time. Far from it. But I find that as I try to follow these tips, my life is better, as is the life of my family. Some are fun. Some are just logical. </div>
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1. Don't Feed the Drama Llama</div>
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Drama Llamas. Trolls. Chip on the Shoulders. Haters. Whatever name you want to give them. We all know them. There's often one down the street. And we all have them on our social media accounts here and there. And all we want to do when they post up something offensive, ridiculous, or contrary to your beliefs is to comment and right the "wrong". Don't. Don't feed the Drama Llama. It is always hungry, no matter what. Raise you hand if your convictions were ever changed by an argument on Facebook? Not many hands I see out there. How many engaged in one and left with hurt feelings, anger, or even damaged relationships? Lots more hands just shot up. Don't feed it. Show restraint and maturity and just don't. </div>
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2. Budget</div>
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Oooh, the B word. "Dave Ramsey is ruining my life!" a friend joked on social media the other day. Budgeting is hard. Budgeting isn't fun. But budgeting seriously saves your life. We are horrible budgeters. Horrible with a capital H. Why? Because it's hard and we get lazy. Not a good excuse. I know that. So we are working on it. Reading Dave Ramsey. Setting up rules. Trying to do better! Living in a tiny house taught us a lot. It was worth it to save that money. "Live like no one else now, so later you can live like no one else!" -Dave Ramsey And now we live away from the fast food and quick trips to Walmart...which is <i>really</i> going to help us learn to stay on budget better! </div>
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3. Take a road trip. </div>
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Grab your family, your kids, your best friend, your mom, your dog, or your Grandma, and go. It doesn't have to be far. It doesn't even have to be overnight. But get out and go. You've <a href="http://www.mypinstrositylife.com/2015/10/living-life-you-love-tip-1-explore.html">heard me talk before </a>about how doing and seeing new things bonds people together. It's true. Put some good tunes on the radio, grab something yummy (and legal behind the wheel!) to drink, and get on the road. A big key to this one though...put down the phones. You can't make memories if you're staring at your phone the whole time. Talk. Laugh. Enjoy! </div>
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4. Apologize. </div>
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This one is huge. It doesn't happen much these days. When you've hurt someone, physically or emotionally. Apologize. Sincerely. Without excuses. Excuses cheapen the "sorry". Be the first to apologize. </div>
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5. Learn that you don't find Happiness, you Make It! </div>
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Too many get out of college with their big bad degrees and hit the world, thinking they are walking into dream jobs and dream lives. For a few, it happens. For many, it doesn't. And for some this is completely soul shattering. They based all their happiness on landing their dream job with their dream spouse in their dream house. And they can't be happy until they reach their next milestone. If you're waiting for something to make you happy, it won't happen. Choose to be happy now. </div>
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6. Buy a piece of furniture, without going into debt. </div>
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I can't tell you how grown up I felt when we bought our first brand new piece of furniture. Well, something not from Walmart. Choosing the color, the style, and the fabric of the couch felt like such a grown up decision. But even more, buying it and paying cash. Knowing our limit and sticking to it, even though that put the most BEAUTIFUL couch off the list of possibles, was key. We felt proud of ourselves that we'd saved enough to get us a new couch, and one that looked good, and didn't put it on a credit card or start store credit for it. </div>
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7. Plan for the future. </div>
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Make a rainy day fund. Put 72-hour kits together. Set up a retirement account. Learn to can tomatoes. Don't have those resources yet? Keep you car gassed up so you can get to a friend or family member's house if disaster does strike. I'm not saying go mooch off your family and never prepare! I'm saying to do what you can at the moment, always taking steps (even if they are baby baby steps). Gas in the tank can be step one. A rainy day fund can be step two. Take it bite by bite! But plan ahead, because life has a way of stirring things up when we get too settled. Broken pipes and a flooded house. Extended unemployment. Foreclosure. Natural disasters. Retirement. Big family vacations. Nest Eggs. Just plan, and then do the work to make the plan doable! </div>
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8. Bake a cake. From scratch! </div>
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(I did not make this cake! Trust me, mine would look disastrous. You've seen our cake attempts! This was made by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cakeswithtlc/?fref=ts">Cakes with TLC</a>). </div>
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Most of us aren't chefs. Many of us bake a cake that you pour out of a box (and I know I'll burst a few people's bubble here...baking a cake from a Betty Crocker cake mix is not baking a cake from scratch...start with the cookbook and pull out the bag of flour!). Some of us even are able to burn ice. Even if it's not pretty (and most won't be - this is Pinstrosity after all), you'll feel accomplished. And bonus points if you give it to someone. They'll love the extra time and thought that went into it! </div>
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9. Build people up</div>
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Think of two groups of people, each stuck in a pit. In pit #1 the people are all climbing and clamoring over one another, pulling each other down in an attempt to climb to the top first and to get out ahead of everyone. The are all worried about themselves. In pit #2 they are all working together to help everyone climb and rise. They give boosts and before long they are all out of the pit. Which pit do you want to be in? Me? #2 all the way! Don't tear people down. It doesn't make anyone stronger. It doesn't do any good. Be the Good in the World. "A rising tide lifts all boats." -JFK</div>
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10. Keep building blanket forts. </div>
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Keep your heart young. Growing up doesn't mean putting away your adventures, suppressing your joy, getting stuffy, and living a boring life. Growing up is just the opposite! It's an adventure all on it's own. One that has twists and turns, bumps and bruises, joys and heartaches, and sometimes the GPS doesn't quite work right. It takes work to be an adult (because I believe that being an adult is way more than just turning 18), but all good things take work. And this, this wonderful life we've been given, is worth the work! </div>
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