Blow, North Wind, Blow
All the leaves are falling;
Cold, frost and snow
Winter comes a-calling.
Mother Nature sleeps now,
All the earth is bare;
Deep in the ground
She guards her treasures rare.
-Margaret Morgan
Happy Winter!
Cheryl
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Book Nook - The Shortest Day
DH and I both come from families that celebrate Christmas and now that we have our own little family, we continue to celebrate the holiday. But lately, we've been re-evaluating our traditions and have tried to incorporate things that are important to us. One of those new traditions (for us, at least) that we are going to try to include in the season is the recognition and celebration of the Winter Solstice.
The Shortest Day by Wendy Pfeffer is a great introduction to Winter Solstice. The science behind the solstice is explained, as well as the history of many Solstice celebrations in different parts of the world. The text informs without being too complex or lengthy for its intended audience - children being read a picture book. There's a lot in here that grown-ups might not have known. For example, I didn't know that the Incas of Peru used a reflective surface to light a fire from the rising Winter Solstice sun & kept it burning all year. I also find it so interesting how we continue to hold onto some traditions - such as decorating with evergreens, putting lights on a tree - that are thousands of years old. Interestingly, these traditions are associated with Christmas, but they're really a combination of different cultures all celebrating the same thing - a celebration of light and the joy of knowing that warmer, longer days are just ahead.
At the end of the story, there are a few pages with "Solstice facts" and activities. These are really interesting, science-based observations and activities that kids can do. I also love the pages on "have a Winter Solstice party" and "have a Winter Solstice party for the birds." These are all great ideas for kids to explore the topic even further. The pictures are lovely and colorful while at the same time invoking the subtle colors & soft light of Winter.
I've been thinking a lot about how our family can celebrate the solstice & what kinds of activities we might do. It's really like a blank canvas & we can choose to celebrate it however is the best fit for the Bachs. I'm sure it will take a little trial & error, but I really think it will be a lot of fun! DH and I are true nature lovers & we are hoping to instill that into our children. Solstice is a perfect celebration because it's all about nature and the rhythm and cycles of our world.
I'll blog later this week about our first Solstice Celebration!
Cheryl
The Shortest Day by Wendy Pfeffer is a great introduction to Winter Solstice. The science behind the solstice is explained, as well as the history of many Solstice celebrations in different parts of the world. The text informs without being too complex or lengthy for its intended audience - children being read a picture book. There's a lot in here that grown-ups might not have known. For example, I didn't know that the Incas of Peru used a reflective surface to light a fire from the rising Winter Solstice sun & kept it burning all year. I also find it so interesting how we continue to hold onto some traditions - such as decorating with evergreens, putting lights on a tree - that are thousands of years old. Interestingly, these traditions are associated with Christmas, but they're really a combination of different cultures all celebrating the same thing - a celebration of light and the joy of knowing that warmer, longer days are just ahead.
At the end of the story, there are a few pages with "Solstice facts" and activities. These are really interesting, science-based observations and activities that kids can do. I also love the pages on "have a Winter Solstice party" and "have a Winter Solstice party for the birds." These are all great ideas for kids to explore the topic even further. The pictures are lovely and colorful while at the same time invoking the subtle colors & soft light of Winter.
I've been thinking a lot about how our family can celebrate the solstice & what kinds of activities we might do. It's really like a blank canvas & we can choose to celebrate it however is the best fit for the Bachs. I'm sure it will take a little trial & error, but I really think it will be a lot of fun! DH and I are true nature lovers & we are hoping to instill that into our children. Solstice is a perfect celebration because it's all about nature and the rhythm and cycles of our world.
I'll blog later this week about our first Solstice Celebration!
Cheryl
Monday, December 13, 2010
Book Nook - When It Starts to Snow
It is currently about 11 degrees here in Central Ohio, and we have a bunch of snow from yesterday's storm. It was so pretty, but very cold, this morning & Little Dude and I just sat on the couch and watched the beautiful soft light of a mid-December sunrise. Tiny snowflakes were gently falling & it was so cozy & wintry. He & I were just chatting & he asked about "Crawly," his woolly bear. Did I blog about our woolly bears? I can't remember, but in case I didn't, we currently have 2 woolly bear caterpillars hibernating at our residence. I explained to Little Dude that Crawly is hibernating, and I couldn't help but think of this week's Book Nook book.
When It Starts to Snow by Phillis Gershator is a sweet book about what various animals do when the snow starts to fall. Throughout the book, there is a very catchy phrase that keeps repeating: "what if it starts to snow? What do you do? Where do you go?" And then each animal tells us how/where it hibernates. Or maybe not - some animals (like the barnyard animals featured) just hang out in a warm place. Did you know that turtles and frogs go deep into the mud to hibernate? I didn't know that & had never really thought about what they do in the Winter. Or how about stoats? What's a stoat, you ask....check out this link. There's lots of great information in this book, so even adults can learn a thing or two here - I did!
There is a little boy we catch glimpses of throughout the book & at the end, he gets a chance to tell us what he does when it snows.
I just love the illustrations, done by Martin Matje. All of his animals are interesting to look at & cute, but not over-the-top cute. I like the fact that there's a great deal of browns & grays, along with the white snow. It feels just like a cold, snowy day. Just like the one we experienced yesterday, as a matter of fact!
This is a very timely read about animals in the Winter. I really like how the book approaches the subject - the rhyming words and variety of animals in it are just right for little ones. Read it to your child on a cold, blustery day (while all the woolly bears snooze away)!
Cheryl
When It Starts to Snow by Phillis Gershator is a sweet book about what various animals do when the snow starts to fall. Throughout the book, there is a very catchy phrase that keeps repeating: "what if it starts to snow? What do you do? Where do you go?" And then each animal tells us how/where it hibernates. Or maybe not - some animals (like the barnyard animals featured) just hang out in a warm place. Did you know that turtles and frogs go deep into the mud to hibernate? I didn't know that & had never really thought about what they do in the Winter. Or how about stoats? What's a stoat, you ask....check out this link. There's lots of great information in this book, so even adults can learn a thing or two here - I did!
There is a little boy we catch glimpses of throughout the book & at the end, he gets a chance to tell us what he does when it snows.
I just love the illustrations, done by Martin Matje. All of his animals are interesting to look at & cute, but not over-the-top cute. I like the fact that there's a great deal of browns & grays, along with the white snow. It feels just like a cold, snowy day. Just like the one we experienced yesterday, as a matter of fact!
This is a very timely read about animals in the Winter. I really like how the book approaches the subject - the rhyming words and variety of animals in it are just right for little ones. Read it to your child on a cold, blustery day (while all the woolly bears snooze away)!
Cheryl
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Snowy pics and a special gift
When I woke up this morning (around 9:30, an absolute treat), it was raining. By noon, it was a complete blizzard! I was amazed at how quickly it was coming down (the snow and the temperature). I thought I'd share a few snowy pics from our winter wonderland:
Obviously, it was just starting to snow when I took the pic of the Christmas lights. And then it just kept going and going and going!
I also wanted to share a very cool gift that I recently received. My camera club gave me my Best of Show picture framed, with an engraved title. It was such a thoughtful, completely unexpected gift and was so sweet! Thanks again, Lens & Leaves - I love it!
I hope you are all staying warm & cozy on this cold, blizzard-like evening!
Cheryl
Obviously, it was just starting to snow when I took the pic of the Christmas lights. And then it just kept going and going and going!
I also wanted to share a very cool gift that I recently received. My camera club gave me my Best of Show picture framed, with an engraved title. It was such a thoughtful, completely unexpected gift and was so sweet! Thanks again, Lens & Leaves - I love it!
I hope you are all staying warm & cozy on this cold, blizzard-like evening!
Cheryl
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Buckeye Balls
Today, we made buckeye balls for a holiday potluck at my camera club meeting. When I was rolling the buckeyes, Little Dude came into the kitchen and asked me if I was making a "yes-cipe." He laughed, but if you think about it, if ever a food should be deemed a "yes-cipe," buckeye balls are indeed that food. Oh yes!
It's been a long time since I made buckeyes, as I purposely do not want them lingering in my house (they don't linger too long - that's the problem). Little Dude asked, "eye balls?" No, buckeye balls! He was so cute, I need to write his little quotes down on my "cute kid quotes" page I have hanging on the fridge.
Anyway, here are a few pics of the buckeye balls, in all their glory. And, we have some extras, hanging out in the fridge. Not for long, of course!
Do you have any yes-cipes?
Cheryl
It's been a long time since I made buckeyes, as I purposely do not want them lingering in my house (they don't linger too long - that's the problem). Little Dude asked, "eye balls?" No, buckeye balls! He was so cute, I need to write his little quotes down on my "cute kid quotes" page I have hanging on the fridge.
Anyway, here are a few pics of the buckeye balls, in all their glory. And, we have some extras, hanging out in the fridge. Not for long, of course!
Do you have any yes-cipes?
Cheryl
Monday, December 6, 2010
Book Nook - The Best Recipe
I suspect that most people who cook homemade meals on a regular basis have some sort of tried & true cookbook that they refer to over & over for some of their favorite recipes. Probaby more than one cookbook, really. I am no exception. The following is one of my go-to cookbooks:
I love The Best Recipe because it provides tons of basic recipes that you're going to need if you cook regularly. This would be the perfect gift to give someone just starting out on their own, or maybe a bride-to-be at her wedding shower (or, you could give it as a gift for the happy couple, along with a gift certificate to a cookware store). But this book is not for newbies-only. More established cooks would probably appreciate the book's take on all the standards.
When I say "take on all the standards," this is what I'm referring to: each recipe comes with a lengthy introduction that explains how the cookbook authors took a bunch of recipes for any given subject (say, mashed potatoes) and broke down what works, what doesn't work & why. So, for mashed potatoes, they explain first of all which kind of potatoes work best for mashed potatoes (high starch potatoes) & the science behind this ("the full starch cells of high starch potatoes are most likely to maintain their integrity and stay separate when mashed"). They go on to explain the best methods to cook the potatoes & what happens when you don't follow those methods! That's what makes this book so great: instead of just giving you a recipe, they provide a recipe with explanation - why this works best, why you should do this or not do that, etc. They are arming the home cook with knowledge, so you'll know the hows & whys behind the recipe. They do this all throughout the book, for every recipe!
Here are some of my favorites, recipes that I go to again & again: the mashed potatoes, (as previously mentioned) are great! This is a really yummy, basic recipe that every cook should probably have up their sleeve. I know it sounds silly, but not everyone knows by instinct how to hardboil an egg! I love the egg salad recipe because they give you the instructions on how to do it right. I use the master recipe for pizza dough every time I make homemade pizza - it couldn't be easier! The banana bread recipe is really sweet & yummy. It's perfect for when you have a bunch of over-ripe bananas demanding your attention! The Quiche Lorraine recipe is great & could easily be made vegetarian if one chooses. The rich & creamy cheesecake is wonderful!!! Beware if you make it, you won't be able to stop eating it. I purposely don't make it very much because of this, but when I do make a plain cheesecake, this is the one I make (and devour)! One of my favorite recipes here is the creme brulee recipe: it's my dorky little tradition to make "creme brulee on New Year's Day" every year! So that's coming up & I'm really looking forward to it! It's a very easy recipe & the authors give almost a whole spread of discussion on all their creme brulee trials - again, making it all the easier for the reader to learn from their mistakes!
There are more recipes that I've tried from the book, but these are the ones that I have post-it-notes marking the pages, or that pull open to that page easily from all the use it's gotten over the years. I should mention that this version is the older one - the Cook's Illustrated people came out with an updated version a couple of years after I purchased my book. I checked it out at the library once & there are lots more recipes in it. The one for oatmeal is really good, I've used it so much that I don't need to refer to the actual recipe anymore! But the older version is great in its own right (and it's cheaper now, I think)! The only complaint I can give is that there aren't photos of the recipes. But since many of them are standard recipes, you probably don't need a photo to know how it should look (like the mashed potatoes). There are excellent black & white illustrations given when there's a technique that needs to be enhanced by a visual.
All in all, this is a really excellent cookbook. I highly recommend it!
Cheryl
I love The Best Recipe because it provides tons of basic recipes that you're going to need if you cook regularly. This would be the perfect gift to give someone just starting out on their own, or maybe a bride-to-be at her wedding shower (or, you could give it as a gift for the happy couple, along with a gift certificate to a cookware store). But this book is not for newbies-only. More established cooks would probably appreciate the book's take on all the standards.
When I say "take on all the standards," this is what I'm referring to: each recipe comes with a lengthy introduction that explains how the cookbook authors took a bunch of recipes for any given subject (say, mashed potatoes) and broke down what works, what doesn't work & why. So, for mashed potatoes, they explain first of all which kind of potatoes work best for mashed potatoes (high starch potatoes) & the science behind this ("the full starch cells of high starch potatoes are most likely to maintain their integrity and stay separate when mashed"). They go on to explain the best methods to cook the potatoes & what happens when you don't follow those methods! That's what makes this book so great: instead of just giving you a recipe, they provide a recipe with explanation - why this works best, why you should do this or not do that, etc. They are arming the home cook with knowledge, so you'll know the hows & whys behind the recipe. They do this all throughout the book, for every recipe!
Here are some of my favorites, recipes that I go to again & again: the mashed potatoes, (as previously mentioned) are great! This is a really yummy, basic recipe that every cook should probably have up their sleeve. I know it sounds silly, but not everyone knows by instinct how to hardboil an egg! I love the egg salad recipe because they give you the instructions on how to do it right. I use the master recipe for pizza dough every time I make homemade pizza - it couldn't be easier! The banana bread recipe is really sweet & yummy. It's perfect for when you have a bunch of over-ripe bananas demanding your attention! The Quiche Lorraine recipe is great & could easily be made vegetarian if one chooses. The rich & creamy cheesecake is wonderful!!! Beware if you make it, you won't be able to stop eating it. I purposely don't make it very much because of this, but when I do make a plain cheesecake, this is the one I make (and devour)! One of my favorite recipes here is the creme brulee recipe: it's my dorky little tradition to make "creme brulee on New Year's Day" every year! So that's coming up & I'm really looking forward to it! It's a very easy recipe & the authors give almost a whole spread of discussion on all their creme brulee trials - again, making it all the easier for the reader to learn from their mistakes!
There are more recipes that I've tried from the book, but these are the ones that I have post-it-notes marking the pages, or that pull open to that page easily from all the use it's gotten over the years. I should mention that this version is the older one - the Cook's Illustrated people came out with an updated version a couple of years after I purchased my book. I checked it out at the library once & there are lots more recipes in it. The one for oatmeal is really good, I've used it so much that I don't need to refer to the actual recipe anymore! But the older version is great in its own right (and it's cheaper now, I think)! The only complaint I can give is that there aren't photos of the recipes. But since many of them are standard recipes, you probably don't need a photo to know how it should look (like the mashed potatoes). There are excellent black & white illustrations given when there's a technique that needs to be enhanced by a visual.
All in all, this is a really excellent cookbook. I highly recommend it!
Cheryl
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Best of Show!
I can't believe it's taken me so long to share my good news - but between our computer being down for a couple of weeks & then the craziness around Thanksgiving, it's been nutty. So, here I am, finally sharing what is definitely the best news I've had in a long time:
I got Best of Show in the annual Columbus Metro Parks photo contest!
There were a record number of entries this year: 275 entries from 63 photographers. I am thrilled that the judges chose my photo as their #1 pick out of 275! The photo that won is a photo I took while we were at Hocking Hills in July. We were hiking the lower trail of Conkle's Hollow and the light was beaming down from above. I stopped to take a pic of a damselfly and right beside that area was a spider web, fairly horizontal. My daughter actually pointed it out. I hunched down to get a shot from underneath, capturing the light, the web & its resident (who had the coolest yellow body with green legs). I tried to get a second shot (I usually take several, really), but the Bachsters had started walking ahead & I just couldn't get a good focus again. I was pleased with the shot I got, so I moved on at that point. The picture is SOOC (straight out of camera). In fact, I don't even think I sharpened it!
Anyway, here it is, displayed at Blacklick Woods Metro Park in November, along with the other entries:
DH & the Bachsters were so sweet about my win that they told everybody: his boss, the girls' play friends, etc. It really warmed my heart that they were so proud of their Mama! My oldest made a homemade blue ribbon, that is proudly displayed with my other one (apparently, I dropped my placing, though - now I'm #10):
See her soccer trophy peeking out from behind? How cute!
Anyway, I just wanted to share my good news! I am so thrilled! This win has really re-energized my desire to create the best nature photography I can. And it also reaffirms my belief that you don't need the highest-end professional equipment to produce images that others appreciate.
I'll definitely be getting out there this Winter to get some shots (hopefully good ones), so you'll be seeing more nature photography from me in the near future. Last year, I was lazy & didn't get out much when it was cold. I'll make sure this season is a productive one!
Take care!
Cheryl
I got Best of Show in the annual Columbus Metro Parks photo contest!
There were a record number of entries this year: 275 entries from 63 photographers. I am thrilled that the judges chose my photo as their #1 pick out of 275! The photo that won is a photo I took while we were at Hocking Hills in July. We were hiking the lower trail of Conkle's Hollow and the light was beaming down from above. I stopped to take a pic of a damselfly and right beside that area was a spider web, fairly horizontal. My daughter actually pointed it out. I hunched down to get a shot from underneath, capturing the light, the web & its resident (who had the coolest yellow body with green legs). I tried to get a second shot (I usually take several, really), but the Bachsters had started walking ahead & I just couldn't get a good focus again. I was pleased with the shot I got, so I moved on at that point. The picture is SOOC (straight out of camera). In fact, I don't even think I sharpened it!
Anyway, here it is, displayed at Blacklick Woods Metro Park in November, along with the other entries:
DH & the Bachsters were so sweet about my win that they told everybody: his boss, the girls' play friends, etc. It really warmed my heart that they were so proud of their Mama! My oldest made a homemade blue ribbon, that is proudly displayed with my other one (apparently, I dropped my placing, though - now I'm #10):
See her soccer trophy peeking out from behind? How cute!
Anyway, I just wanted to share my good news! I am so thrilled! This win has really re-energized my desire to create the best nature photography I can. And it also reaffirms my belief that you don't need the highest-end professional equipment to produce images that others appreciate.
I'll definitely be getting out there this Winter to get some shots (hopefully good ones), so you'll be seeing more nature photography from me in the near future. Last year, I was lazy & didn't get out much when it was cold. I'll make sure this season is a productive one!
Take care!
Cheryl
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