Photo Shoot:Tea Party

Many moons ago, Lisa Barnum of KAT Barnum Photography, taught a class teaching us how to shoot in manual mode. Sadly, it was the day I realized that my DSLR camera was no where near able to produce the beautiful kind of pictures that it's much (MUCH) more expensive counter part can produce. Sure I can still take a picture, but the difference is like swimming in the California ocean vs. the Hawaii ocean. Once you know how warm and clean and clear ocean water can be, it is hard to settle for cold and murky. I know you know what I mean:)

I saw Lisa's photos and was awed (and envious). When I got home I looked at my photos and was somewhat disenchanted with them. After months of not looking at them (or Lisa's) I feel like I like them again! I hope you do too!

There are a lot here, but if you want to see more, click here.

Chores

Malachi has taken a huge interest in doing chores lately. Why? Beacause he discovered the wonders of the dollar store after Gigi gave him a dollar to spend. His third chore was to put the flatware into the droor.
After he was done he said, "that only took me like two minutes." Gotta love him.

New Family Photo Shoot

Ashley has become a dear friend and I was pleased to shoot her family photos, even more so when she offered her 50 mm lens to me for the shoot. Love that lens. To see more, click here.

So much has been going on in our little world. Someday I'll catch up on it all, but right now I am too busy living it.

Waikiki Meatball Recipe

Sometimes I can still here the wind blowing the leaves of the coconuts trees outside of my bedroom window. I long for the days of laying by the ocean shore watching the waves roll in. I can't be in Hawaii anymore, but I can bring the flavors of the island to my kitchen table. Ready for the taste of Hawaii . . . here it is . . . (This recipe is from my friend, Lori)
Waikiki Meatballs:
You can make homemade meatballs if you like, but I like the shortcut better:
1 32 oz bag of home style frozen meatballs

4T cornstarch
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 cans pineapple tidbits
2/3 c vinegar
2T soy sauce
2/3 c chopped green pepper (optional)

Place frozen meatballs in the crock pot.
mix other ingredients in a medium bowl and add to crock pot.
Cook on low for 4 hours ( I stir it once or twice the second two hours)
Serve over white rice . . .
Enjoy!

Waikiki, Black Eyes and Flowers that Adorn

A little taste of Hawaii from my own mainland kitchen. Waikiki Meatballs. So yummy. Make them in a crock pot and serve them on a hot bed of rice. Your taste buds will thank you. I'll post the recipe soon:) Not enough time right now.
WE had a bit of adventure the other night. Our Friend Lori is heavy with child and spent the night at the hospital (false alarm) and we had her kiddos for a big chunk of time. They had fun jumping on the trap, building a fort outside underneath the palm trees and running around like lunatics. They settled down in the evening with a movie. The girls watched The Night at the Museum

And the boys watched Thomas the Train.

It wasn't all fun and games though. Malachi got another black eye. He fell on the metal ring of the tramp after being bounced a little too enthusiastically. This was the first night. (You can't really see how swollen it is. He kept saying he couldn't close both eyes)

This is day three . . . less swelling more color.

Malachi and Raia actually took a nap at the same time today and slpet for a long time. So I had time to be creative! I made this bib necklace:

upclose:

and this headband:

Tomorrow is Kai's last basketball game for the season and we will be so happy to have him around the house again. Life is always better when he is around. He has been happy to be coaching a winning team this year. It's been awhile.

P.S. I am really missing Hawaii right now.

Valentine Craft Tutorial - Cute and Easy!

I just wanted to let you know that I am featuring some cute and easy Valentine Craft How-to's on my craft blog. My kids helped me do all three and we had a great time! Family crafting is a good way to spend time together:)

Good Questions

I saw this on my friends blog tonight and I loved the idea. She got it from a friend who thought that instead of making a resolution that she would instead ask these questions of herself ever night. I thought they were so simple and yet so profound and could very well make the world a better place to live. So for me it is decided. I am going to join her and make this routine a part of my life. I hope I can live my life as an answer to these questions.

1. Did I feel the spirit today?
2. Did I show my husband love and gratitude?
3. Did I enjoy my children today?
4. Did I take care of my body today?

5. Did I perform a random act of kindness today?

The Hulk Impersonator

Malachi loves superheroes. He spends most of his days trying to imitate heroic acts he's seen in the movies. Malachi has a little sister who adores him. She would rather play with Spiderman than My Little Pony. At the dinner table Kai will sometimes pretend that something has made him mad which causes him to turn into the hulk. He looks just like this:
Yeah, that isn't Kai. But you can tell she has picked up on the action. She is about to turn into The Hulk. Raia is truly hilarious.

Cambria participated in Skipper of the School today. Can you jump rope for a hour? I can last three minutes. The girls timed me. Then I had to run to the bathroom. Cambria lasted seven minutes. The boy who won in her grade lasted just under an hour. Amazing.

Cambria was so funny because she was totally trying to have multiple conversations while she jumped. She was talking to me about her day and talking to other kids about who they all thought would win. She really didn't seem to be exerting any effort.

But, alas, the rope got caught on her hair. She wasn't sad though thank goodness. She was just having a good time:)

We were happy to support her.

Cambria and her friend

In other news, Kiera lost another tooth and now we can't find it. We are thinking that she swallowed it since she noticed it's absence while eating pop corn. I told her I would give her a dollar since the tooth fairy would have no tooth to claim.

And also, I think it is strange where one can find comfort. Today Raia had to take a nap holding a bottle of her Dad's shaving cream. She must miss him. He has been away a lot since it is basketball season:)

Lastly, Kiera had a friend over from school today and we made some quick and easy Valentine's Day crafts. 1. a decorative plate 2. Heart Shaped Crayons 3. Wooden blocks with tissue paper and paint:) It was fun. I used to do this kind of stuff with my kiddos all the time. I need to start doing it again.