Finding The Lovely part 4

Hello my friends, 

This is my 2nd week participating in the Finding the Lovely endeavor. This innovative project was started by Kimberly Taylor and Jeanne Oliver, two talented bloggers, who wanted to share SmartPhone photos every Friday in February.

Cupcakes, Fruits, veggies, family, art, Florence, Italy, flowers, Spring weather via iPhone, Instagram and PhotoShake

It's actually the last week to my knowledge and the 4th week in February where bloggers can share their "lovely" moments they captured by being present and seeking out the beauty/curious/interesting around them in their world. It's a celebration of living really!

Dungeness crabs on ice via iPhone, Instagram & ToonCamera

I've enjoyed every moment of my two weeks as it's brought me to a heightened awareness of the beauty all around us. Simple things and more complex but taking the time to take a photo of it...of course then I'm also having too much fun "tweaking" it with some newer Apps.

New Rhododendron blossoms via iPhone, Hipstagram & Instagram

For instance, my trip to the local grocery this morning (out of milk for coffee and eggs) brought on many colorful opportunity to commemorate as I parked next to this Rhody newly in bloom.

A sun break through the Spring rain via iPhone & Instagram

I snapped this sepia pic at the stoplight when the sun FINALLY blazed out of the rainclouds for a brief moment. My car window was still soaked from the last squall that had blown threw.

Juniper shrub berries via iPhone & Instagram

Also at the grocery store, next to the Rhody bush brought the Juniper bush with new chartreuse growth, blue berries and grayish buds. The variety of textures were interesting to me, so a pic was snapped.

son Alan with Instagram & ToonCamera

This photo of my son was taken by friend and professional photographer Ann Lindsay. I took a pic with my iPhone of it and then Instagram and ToonPhoto, the result is grainy and yet still retains my son's demeanor at age 4 captured by Ann.

Jersey cow vs. friend Preston
via iPhone & Instagram

The ultimate stare down...man vs. beast at the Dungeness Creamery Dairy. My girlfriend and I had met there with our 3 kids to run around the barns, checking out the cows and calves. Preston had found his match with this heifer waiting to be fed and feeling surly. This is one of my fave pics of all time!

Colored sugar sprinkles on Alan's team cupcakes
via iPhone, Hipstamatic and Instagram

This was my son and his Sequim Youth Basketball League's last week of play so we had a small Awards ceremony on Wednesday to say some kind words, give out our handcrafted certificates. As team mom, I made some chocolate cupcakes with chocolate butter cream frosting and colored sugar sprinkles. As I was shaking on the sprinkles, the sun suddenly beamed through my kitchen window and made the colors ignite. In a "I've had entirely too much sugar frosting" kind of way, they reminded me of stained glass windows and I grabbed my iPhone, snap! I Found The Lovely in a simple sprinkled cupcake.

One of my yummy nieces saying 'Good bye'  at a family birthday
 via Instagram

Here's to the many lovely moments that make up our lives. Woven together and bleeding into each other's, it's a rich tapestry if we take the time to see it that way! Thanks for playing with me in the "Lovely".

Chow for now my friends!

Finding the Lovely-(week 3)

Hello friends!
My apologies for being a bit tardy in posting...I've been learning about Instagram and Photoshake in anticipation of joining in on the Finding the Lovely ladies who have been sharing their smart phone photos each Friday in February!

My understanding of this exercise/connection/group is to be more cognizant of the little things, the "lovelies" in life and capture them in the moment via your smartphones. My learning curve of the new tools took me awhile, but I finally caught on. Tenacity has it's perks sometimes!

They're a very talented and seemingly tech savvy group, so I wanted to bring my "A game" to this post. It's my 1st "Lovely" post although it's week 3 for the group started by Kimberly Taylor and Jeannie Oliver. I might be late to the party but hopefully will add something "lovely" to the mix!

Sunset through the Russian sage @ Crescent Bar, WA via iPhone

Full disclosure: my blog photos have all from my iPhone but I hadn't yet dabbled in Instagram or even heard of Photoshake and was really curious about these tools after following many of the burgeoning group of "Finding the Lovely" ladies' blogs;

1. full senses
2. A Lovely Week
3. Week 2; Object of my affection
4. Finding The Lovely{Week Two}
5. Finding the Lovely
6. Gyspy Brocante
7. Finding the Lovely Part Deux
8. danielle muller
9. Just Pipi
10.Flower Power
11. Dream, Create, Inspire
12. Some Great Photos
13. Isn't It Lovely Part Deux
14. katie @ the terpblog
15. Thefinderskeeper
16. Red Letter Days
17. It's My Life & I Love It
18. Valentines Instagram
19. abundant picnic {love}

Have fun. Be present.  Learn. Be inspired. Bookmark. Add to favorites. Click through. Escape.   


I LOVE to see images and read stories of other peoples' lives. It's entertaining to me to see what they choose to share, what hobbies they engage in, if they have a business or where they live. I'm richer for the experience of blogging and especially by reading others'.

My Valentine's Day cookies via iPhone & Instagram

This last week was lovelier, browsing through the "Lovely" blogs and keeping my iPhone close for those moments that resonated with me.  I hope you find them somewhere between nostalgic, cute, visually stimulating and appetizing. I did.

Here is my collage of images via my iPhone, Instagram and Photoshake. They include nature,
my girlfriend's chickens, food (of course), family, my favorite places, one of my two dachshunds and a Christmas ornament my youngest brother brought me from his travels in Germany.

Let me know what you think if you'd like...I'm interested in your feedback!

My 1st iPhone, Instagram and Photoshake collage!

If you'd like to join the "Finding the Lovely" group, see Jeanne's blog link. There's one more February Friday for us to post together.

It's been a fun week stretching my limits, checking out other "Lovely blogsites" and learning how to use new tools. Here's to finding something that captures your interest and following it, wherever it leads...

Daffodils preparing for their Spring debut via iPhone & Instagram

Chow for now my friends!

CB's Peanutbutter + Martha Stewart= Happy Valentines Cookies

Local nut roasters extraordinaire!

+

Martha Stewart Living Feb 2011 issue

=

EXTRAORDINARY 

VALENTINES DAY COOKIES!

True story! Using CB's Nuts Peanut butter in this recipe puts it over the top!! Great ingredients can really elevate any recipe and this is indeed the case here. Thanks CB's Nuts and Martha Stewart Living teams for creating a match made in heaven.

Start this recipe with CB's organic peanut butter for best results

The recipe can be found on MSL's link; http://www.marthastewart.com/356375/peanut-butter-and-jam-heart-cookies

The cookies at their first baking cycles

The trick I use is to use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough and form the cookie before it's chilled.  I flatten the scooped cookie dough gently with the bottom of a wide juice glass. The heart shape is made by indenting your thumb pointing about 1:00, then pointing 11:00. Chill for about 5-10 minutes in the freezer and then into the pre heated oven for 10 minutes.

Adding raspberry jam into the heart indentations

The choice of jam or jelly filling is yours; current, raspberry or strawberry all are gloriously crimson but the strawberry jam can be rather chunky and challenging to work with.  I prefer raspberry jam or current jelly.

Place back into the oven for the final 5 minutes to set the jam and finish toasting the cookies to perfection.

Toasty, nutty, sweet and adorable Valentines Day cookies cooling

At this point, my husband and son miraculously appeared from another room to inquire about the availability of the cookies. (I'm baking these for my son's class as he's now too cool to make handmade cards with his Mom this year but still wants to give his classmates something).  I smile and allow them to snatch one...it's Valentine's Day tomorrow after all!

Think Reese's Peanut butter cup in cookie form but better

So if jam isn't your thing and your knees weaken for chocolate...then I have the answer to fortify you!  I chopped some dark chocolate finely, melted it in a bowl in the microwave for 45 seconds, stirred and back in for 30 seconds, stir until smooth. Using a teaspoon, finesse the melted chocolate into the heart indentations after the initial 10 minute baking cycle and then bake again for another 5 minutes to set 

chocolate.

Dark Chocolate hearts make me smile!

These chocolate hearts are really my husband's favorite and I let him have one of those too. I can't pass up the opportunity to hear "Oh my goodness! These are great Mama-bear!" That's his term of endeerment and I love the look of contentment on his face while he devours the cookie, carefully holding his other hand underneath the cookie hand so that he doesn't miss a crumb. 

My son kisses me goodnight and thanks me for making all these for his classmates and teachers at his school. He loves to watch the pleased faces of the recipients as he proudly passes them out. It fills his cup to share the joy of good food with others. This is one lucky Mama-bear!

Happy Valentine's Day my friends! May you find big and little things in your day, in your life that puffs your hearts with joy.

Chow for now!