afterschool snack

Mmmmm....our favorite afterschool snack!~ shhhhh...don't tell anyone that we all LOVE  peanut butter off a spoon.  (plus this is Daddy's peanut butter which is even better than momma's natural stuff.)
I thought this was cute of Carrigan and Grady having  a snack while Carrigan tells me about her day at school. Grady has to use his "hockey" spoon for everything  these days and its a bit short to get into the bottom of the almost empty PB jar

{week 37} travel adventures...

travelling kids...my kids are the best travellers. We started them young and they do well now all sitting together in the back chatting, reading and of course snacking. We were travelling home late last weekend after Kent's gold medal win at his hockey tourney...so we stopped at drive through for dinner and drove straight thru!~ here is Grady sporting Carrigan's new shades...Good times.

{Friday Favorites!}

if you  discovered it yet...you need to check it out. PINTEREST  its a online type of inspiration board...for when you have lots of spare time to surf. I enjoy that you can "re-pin" the photos and link to your own custom boards. A great way to collect creative ideas and inspiration. above is a few of the photos that I have on my boards. I love that they ususally include links to source so you may find a great blog to follow. 

I have found lots of birthday party ideas on this and some pretty amazing recipes....

What is Pinterest?

Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and "follow" collections created by people with great taste.

People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things -- wedding inspiration, favorite T-shirts, DJ equipment. You name it, people are pinning it.

We know you have great taste in something. Our mission is to make Pinterest the best place for you to share your taste with the world.
 
to see the pictures better you will have to check out pinterest!!!

{Sparks} success by six

this is my third year being the leader of Sparks...this year is Carrigan's first year of sparks~she is sooo excited! I applied for funding by success by six and received money to be able to purchase ten cameras and scrapbook style journals for our special project.  These cameras will be used for many many years by our group. 

During this meeting we were doing some science. Using mini-marshamallows and spaghetti to make towers and creations. It was great. The girls also took some pictures of their projects to be used in their journals. It was great to be able to be outside for our meeting.

I just love this last photo...I had to add it larger for all to see...

If your interested in a photography class for your child. I'm teaching a class through the recreation centre. April 19 and May 5th...call the rec centre for more info.

{mexican cooking} deep fried icecream

this starts mexican cooking segment on my blog...I married into a family that adores mexican food. Kent's granny lived in Arizona for many many years. She moved up here in 1965. Along with her she brought her recipes for mexican food. It has now become a family tradition. She taught her daughters and daughter in law. Kent's momma! We always vote on skipping turkey and going straight to mexican food. 
After spending a month is Arizona this winter, Kent tried deep fried icecream everywhere he could. Auntie Anna phoned me with a great recipe.  I tweaked the recipe just like I always do to suit my style. This is my version and it was a huge hit. Kent is hoping for it every night. I made it for a dinner party we had this past weekend along with our other favourites. I will post recipes/photos of those in the next few weeks. stay tuned. In true Watson fashion I thought I would start with the desert first....

deep fried icecream
this takes some time to prepare so start at least the day before.
icecream; I used breyer french vanilla. I suspose you could use any flavor.
almonds, cornflakes; I blended in food processer to a bit finer consistency. Added some  cinnamon...
Scoop out icecream balls. FREEZE for at least 1 hour. Then roll and squish in the almond cornflake mixture into balls. then FREEZE again for 1 hour. Then wisk a couple of eggs. Dip balls in the egg mixture and then in almond cornflake mixture to coat. Then FREEZE again for an hour.(make sure to use deep freezer to get solid freeze) then do egg/ almond coating again two more times. On last layer I mixed a little white sugar in the almond mixture to change things up a bit. I don't have measurements since I just made a large batch.
Then let these FREEZE~! leave frozen till ready to use.
deepfryer; since we're not a big deepfryer cooking family. I just used a pot with canola oil and my candy thermometer. I heated the oil to 350 degrees. Wowser this is very HOT! Carefully; drop the frozen balls into the hot oil and count to ten. take out and it should be hot and crispy on the outside. I have this amazing mesh strainer style spoon called a skimmer  that I got from pampered chef that works like a charm for this. Serve immediately ....we used smuckers strawberry and chocolate sauce and whip cream to garnish.

{my list}

she is her mother's daughter. I am a list maker. If I'm struggling to sleep I get up and make a list of what is keeping me awake. I have lists all over the house. I was cleaning up and I found this list. I smiled!~ she is such a sweet girl. I love the first one....1. finish megering animals (measuring)  and my favourite is the last one...study:( I only need a day) Hahaha! she is a great girl...and a list maker! my Makenna

{week 36} puddle jumpers

the road is surprisingly dry for this time of year...the kids sprinted to the stream rolling down the road to do some puddle jumping. Grady is sporting his "pink gummy" boots. We were headed over the hill to Grandpa merv's house...we are sad that he is no longer with us. The girls and I  discussed the fun times we had walking to his house and stopping in for licorice. Grady was excited and thought we were going for treats...

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven -
All's right with the world!
~Robert Browning

{welcome spring} thoughts...

www.tammywatsonphotography.com

Welcome Spring....where have you been? I've missed you so much. Warm sunshine kissing our skin, green grass sprigging up beneath the earth a gentle reminder why I love to be outside. (sorry; winter just plain fed up with you this year!) With all things new I've decided to step up some things for 2011...my sort of new year resolutions of sort...
1. blogging; you will find more posts on a variety of topics of things I love....from cooking, kids, creative ideas, go green ideas and of course photography!~
2. health; I've been struggling with my health for a while lately.  Happy to say that I think I will be on the road to more energy.  I'm staying positive that in the next few months my energy levels will be returning! (with the help of weekly blood donations:)
3. strong: while trying to figure out my health I decided that it might be a great idea to get back into an exercise routine. After being a momma and pregnant to three...I haven't made time for this. I started back in October with a great personal trainer. It's a huge time and financial commitment~ 3 times a week for at least 1 1/2 hours. I feel so much stronger and weekly see my progress. I'm thrilled to be able to do "boy" pushups!!! I've only had to miss one appt due to sick kids.
4. family time; after spending a month away together this winter we realize how much we miss our family time together. Kent and I are making a huge effort to "just say no". We both tend to take on too many extra activities...mostly me! But who's counting.  This in turn takes away from the simple life we are yearning for. As I type this I realize my oldest is almost 8 and my baby almost 3!~ times seems to be slipping past us too quickly.
5. creative outlets; I enjoy way too many hobbies. I'm lucky that my girls (and Grady) enjoy them along side me. We have been spending lots more time lately doing these things together. from sewing,cooking,scrapbooking, baking, knitting, soap making and photography.  I plan to take my extra time that I would have spent volunteering to spend doing these things with my girls.
6. photography; I continue to spend time developing this creative outlet. I've been to two great workshops/ conferences this year alone. Photography has always been a huge part of my life. I treasure photos along with the stories they capture... I continue plugging away on the business end of things. I am careful to not let this over-run our busy life and choose to only take on a select amount of clients. In a few years all the kids will be in school and I presume I will have more time to pursue a busy schedule.
7. business; working from home has sooo many challenges. it is so easy to put it off for another day. For 2011 I wish to keep on top of things on this front. I've slightly increased my daycare days for Grady so that I don't have to spend evenings working on things. I feel confident that I will be more organized and set for the busy field season ahead of us. This will make more time for Kent to spend with us if I can keep on top of the bookwork. We have a new system with our accountant which hopefully be more efficient.
8. budget: this is my personal plight to keep on budget in our day to day expenses...it is amazing what our grocery bill has become in the last few years. Of course I could choose to eat crappy food and save money. But we love the good stuff; fresh fruit and vegies along with yummy seafood, fish and healthy baked snacks. These things cost!~ so without forsaking our healthy lifestyle I'm trying to cut down else where. Eating out is a pricey venture for us these days. The girls don't usually eat off the kids menu...they prefer that wrap and salad like I'm having. Kent prefers my cooking to most restaurants....(Unless its for wings and beer!:) So heres to thrifty healthy eating!

wow I think I've covered most of the bases...my sleepiness/fuzzy head is kicking in so I better sign off and head to bed.

The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.
       - Helen Keller

Helping Hearts ~ Fundraiser

Link to facebook page below. Click on fan page and click like for page and then will find link on page for upcoming Auction on facebook event page. Highest bid placed by 7pm April 3 will win the photography package.

Thanks to everyone for their bids...auction is closed and $250 was raised for Helping Hearts   xoxo Tammy

{birthday fun} chocolate fudge cupcakes....

it was Kent's birthday this past week along with the end of spring break. We thought we'd surprise him with one of his favourite meals according to Carrigan; maui ribs from Margetts meats, bbq spuds and ceasar salad.  I think it may be Carrigan favourite meal too~
For dessert I thought we'd keep it simple. While away in Vancouver; my friend tried a tolberone chocolate brownie dessert at Earls. She said it was very yummy. So I copied my making simple brownies and putting in cupcake holders with a section of tolberone chocolate place in the top. Carrigan was happy to help with this baking project. She is becoming quite the little chef and kitchen helper.  We served them warm with a dollop of whip cream. The girls placed candles in them and we did our rendition of Happy birthday to a please daddy...here is Grady serving "daddy's cake" to him...then he grabbed an extra fork and shared.

Helping Hearts~ new promo video

Helping Hearts new promotional video. I love this organization. Please share the link or video with those who you think will benefit good for anyone all across Canada.
www.helping-hearts.ca 





Helping Hearts from brellowproductions on Vimeo.

{Eco friendly} ~ Planet Box

I spotted these "go green" lunch boxes a while back and showed the girls. I've been trying to eliminate the need for "ziploc" bags and plastic containers in our home. You can imagine how many I use with 2 girls with lunches everyday. Just wait till I have three to pack. The best part of these lunch kits is that it encourages a "trashless" lunch and hopefully a healthy non processed one too!
The girls each chose there own color back...Makenna is the navy blue, Carrigan is turquoise and Grady got a red one. They come with a set of magnets that can be changed. We ordered an extra set for next year.   Also includes two little tins for messier things like yogurt or? I love the little spot in the middle for a special treat! The girls understand that this will be their lunch box forever (...although Carrigan stated when she is a teenager she may need a bigger one since she might eat more...always thinking!) Lots more features...be sure to check out their website.
 This is  Makenna's lunch for back to school after spring break. They are excited to try them out and do their part by saving on plastic.
Here is a link to the Planet box.

{week 35} spring picnic

I forgot how much fun my kids love being outside. Lucky for us our entire deck is snow free...it warms up nicely during the day. Today with a high of 9 degrees and sunny the kids spent most of it on the deck. carrigan was shoeless most of the time.  The girl is sooo warm blooded! The table and chairs were brought out so that lunch could be served in the sunshine. I remember how I love the kids eating outside. No mess on the floor in the house! Here hoping the snow melts soon....

Helping Hearts

I'm away at a photography workshop and while here we met up with some of the ladies from www.helping-hearts.ca. We joined in on a special promotional project today. It included getting to shoot this lovely little lady. L'il Miss "F" took a while to warm up to all the lens pointed her way...once she did she had a some great smiles. (I can't wait to see the results of today's project. I will be sure to share!~)

Gummy boot and shades....

Spring is in the air...cleaned out the snow pant, gloves etc and packed away for next year. While going through the spring stuff we found some boots that the girls outgrew...Grady staked claim to them along with Carrigan's tinkerbell sunglasses...he is thrilled with his new finds. He loves loves his new pink "gummy boots"
here he is styling and ready to head to Kamloops for our mini trip:

{week 34} uncles

spring break is upon us...we sneaked out to Kamloops for a couple of jam packed fun day with Uncles...it happened to be St Patty's Day (aka my birthday!~) so I was able to sneak in a little time at Chapters and shopping while the kids did the wildlife zoo and more...
the best part might be that they have many many cool things that we never will have...not sure what this is nintendo or ? not really up on the lingo. but the kids thought it was fun...grady was always winning with his unplugged controller. Also the new kitty "gucci" was in the mix...now that talk at our house it to get a new kitten!~thanks Josh and Brent~hope you got some rest when we left!~

Our family of 5 for 12...

i love love tara whitney photography...I've followed her raw style for a long while. She captures her children sooo very well. She did a project last year that I thought was great: six people twelve times. It is meant to capture the essence of family...(and make sure momma makes it in some of the photos and in my case daddy too!) this is my version of it...."our family of 5 for 12"
the challenge will be getting Kent in a photo!:) only 1 photo per month...with the 5 of us in it!
here is photo one which I thought was suiting...we are in Douglas arizona outside his father's childhood home....stayed posted for more to come! ~wish me luck!

{week 33} hurry up spring...

due to our very long long winter! (even with a month in arizona) we are feeling a bit tired of being inside. Today was finally warm out and things we're melting. Kent and the kids helped the melting along with shovels. The plow on the quad worked well to scrape the top layer of slush and ice off the driveway. And puddles...nothing like jumping in puddles to make it seem like spring. Grady was soaked right thru~ it was a great day! This is a before picture when we first went out first in the am. And the first of Carrigans 5 outfits for the day~a mini skirt and tank top even came out~poor girls loves summer wear!

The next 2 weeks is spring break~ here's to hoping all the snow is gone for back to school!

{Week 32} sleeping beauties....

grady is a lucky little boy...his sister Carrigan will give up her side of the bed and sleep on the end so that he can join in. Movie night and sleepover. I sneaked in and even used flash to capture this candid shot of them all sleeping together in the girls room. Looks like he brought over his camo pillow amongst the pink princess muddle. They are all snuggles with their "blankies"....dora, e i o, and dora blanket!~ sweet dreams.
behind on blogging due to the busy week of play with 101 dalmations last week at the girls school. now two weeks of spring break....bring it on!:)

lovely memories...

this is one of my favorite shots....pretty much captures our lovely days spent together. Good times and lots of fun. The ball was sometimes directed towards me and my camera...I can still hear the giggles. (we were told there were tennis courts...they were basketball courts...it worked!)
Here's to spring to start showing its melting self...