Personalized Gifts with Walmart Photo

You guys know I used to dabble with semi-professional photography. It seems I’m pulling out my camera less and less these days. But we still have a ton of memories that never make it from computer to print. Slowly, I want to change that. Get albums printed. Do other stuff with all these beautiful photos.

BlogHer recently gave me the opportunity to use some of my photos in a new way. Now, I must explain before I get into the sponsored portion that I use Walmart Photo for much of my own printing needs. It’s convenient and quick. Inexpensive but quality. They don’t do a lot of auto-correcting when I send over my prints.

So, I was thrilled to get the chance to see some of my pictures come to life on gorgeous ornaments that will hang on our Christmas tree this year and for many years to come.

Check them out!


The ornaments come in a variety of materials, designs, and themes. I like these simple metal ones because they go well with our tree’s more rustic theme. We’re doing beeswax and galvanized ornaments, so these blend in well. They are solid, sturdy ornaments, too. Don’t have to worry about the cats knocking them off the tree and breaking them!

Right now, ornaments are $10 each through January 5th.


Walmart Photo has a ton of other holiday photo gifts and promotions if you’re looking for something a little more personal for the people on your list. I’ve ordered canvas prints in the past, and they have come out very nicely. Last year I ordered a canvas of Ada playing in the snow for my grandparents and it’s one of the first things you see when you enter their home because they love it so much.

Just FYI, if you’re interested in canvas prints, they’re running a promotion through January 5th where you can get $5 off your same-day canvas orders and up to 30% off other same-day gifts. Walmart.com/photo is also running a Cyber Week deal that if you order online and pick up in store, 11x14 is $22.47 and 16x20 is $29.97, good through 12/7.

Getting ready to do your annual holiday cards? Walmart has those too. Check out their Card section for more information. In-store 4 x 8 cards start at just 44 cents each and 5 x 7 cards start at 75 cents each. And many of the cards (and other prints, etc.) can be printed in just an hour for those of you who wait till the last minute like I do. Thank goodness.


Walmart Photo offers mugs, calendars, blankets, mounted photos, puzzles, tote bags, photo books, coasters, and more. Seriously, you can slap your image on just about anything these days. It’s a wonderful way to add a special touch to your holiday gift giving. There are over 3,500 photo locations across the US and -- of course -- you can always order online. Walmart is also offering free shipping on all cards and gifts through December 30th this year!

Do you do photo gifts?

I’m thinking about creating a calendar for my family this year featuring old and new family pictures. I just need to figure out what photos will work for what month. Or maybe do a collage or something. Tell me about your favorite photo gift.

And check out Walmart Photo on

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Google+.

Be sure to visit Walmart Photo's brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers' posts.

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DIY Silhouettes // $10

I’ve been slowly transforming our house through cleaning and decor to make it a calmer place to spend time. After all, this is my home and my office, so I spend a ridiculous number of hours under this roof. We’ve always been clean (wiped down counters, scrubbed toilets, steamed floors) . . . but definitely messy (mountains of clean laundry on the floor, toys everywhere, piles of mail).

With all the stuff we’ve been going through, I’ve found cleaning and decluttering to be this weird therapy of sorts. Like, I’d rather spend a couple hours cleaning than reading or watching TV. I even skipped working out on Thursday last week and cleaned for a couple hours instead. And the other night I took a good half hours to wipe down the washer + dryer that were honestly not left in the best condition from our previous owners over a year ago.

Do you think I’m crazy? Maybe I am.

Our decor is making a shift, too. I want cohesiveness. I want simplicity. Neutrals. Country and rustic to remind me of my hometown. Corner by corner, we’ve been doing little projects to make our home a place that feels really cozy and lovely. But as the fall and holidays seasons are approaching, we’ve stopped any heavy lifting (I so badly want to add beams to our living room!) to focus on the light stuff, like art and textiles.

Here’s a fun DIY art project you can make in a weekend for less than $10. There are lots of tutorials you can find online, but it’s a pretty intuitive process. In fact, my second grade teacher made silhouettes of all my classmates way back in the day by shining light on our heads and tracing the outline with pencil. This is that project, just kicked up a notch + improved with some technology.

Here’s my inspiration:

STEP 1: Take Your Photo

Take a selfie or have someone else take a photo of your profile on a plain background. You can use a wall or even fabric backdrop. Some tutorials I came across even suggested using a window, but I found the light made it tricky to get all the right detail.

STEP 2: Edit + Order

Convert your image to black and white and up the contrast using a photo editing site like Pic Monkey. There’s no right or wrong. You just want to make sure you’re clearly able to outline your features. Oh, I took our photos in square cropping, so I had to overlay them onto a 4x6 backdrop with black so they would print out well. Does that make sense?

Then order prints at a place like Walmart. I got a couple in 4x6 and 5x7 because I wasn’t sure which size I wanted. (And they were super cheap per print, so it wasn’t a big deal to have a couple extras.) For our silhouettes, I ended up using the 5x7 of my photo and Stephen’s. We used the 4x6 of Ada so she’d be a bit smaller.

STEP 3: Cut it Out

You can use sharp scissors or an X-Acto knife, but go slowly! Get the divot where your bangs hit your forehead. Keep that stray piece of hair. Don’t chop off where your glasses hit your nose. Basically, cut as closely to the photo as humanly possible because the more little details you get -- the more it will actually look like you.

STEP 4: Spray It Black 

Again, a lot of tutorials had different instructions for making your silhouettes black (or whatever color you want!). I decided to use some matte spray paint we had hanging around in the basement -- and it was SO EASY this way.

Just a few spritzes, dry time, and they were done with an extremely smooth, flat finish.

STEP 5: Mount on Paper

So, you’ll need frames for this next part. Cut out a piece of paper (I used plain white and some paper bag paper) to the size of your frame. Use a bit of glue and stick the photo onto the paper. You can write your name, the date, or anything else, or just leave it plain.

STEP 6: Frame

Stick your artwork in your frame and admire your project! I love the look of oval frames for silhouettes, but I couldn’t find any for instant gratification. So, I ended up picking up a mixed lot of frames because I want to add to our collection in the future, but I don’t want to be limited by the type of frame so they would all match.

The frames I got were around $7 a piece, the paint was free because we already had it, and the prints were like less than a quarter. So, you can easily do this project for $10 or less, depending on what frames you use.


This isn’t how I plan to have them displayed in the long run (see my inspiration, above!). I want them on the wall, but I want to add a bunch more first. So, I’ve put them on the ledge for the time being. I need to mix in some more dark frames, too. But I’d love to do the cats and maybe some full-length silhouettes. We shall see.

Have you tried this project before? 

Please let me know if you do!

Psst: For more cheap DIY decor, check out the 5-Minute Fall Wreath.

More fall essentials:


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Super Cool Canvas Art // Gallery Direct

I spend a lot of time moving furniture and painting rooms to get our house looking more like a home. One area that I haven’t paid much attention to until recently is the art hanging on our walls. I’ve been rocking the same posters and prints we had in our apartments just after college. (Yes. Even the whole “Keep Calm, Carry On” thing -- yikes!)

Slowly, we’ve been adding some fun art pieces to our collection. For example, my parents gave me an awesome vintage map of my home area for my birthday this year. They got it professionally framed and matted -- it was the perfect gift. We also recently picked up a unique wooden art piece for our dining room.

GALLERY DIRECT

Since I’m an amateur photographer, I also love the idea of getting some of my photos printed. We’ve given canvas prints as gifts many times before, but have never snagged anything for our own walls. So, when the folks at Gallery Direct in Austin, TX, contacted me about their fine art and canvas wrap services, I was super excited to check them out.

Here’s my print:


This is a photo I took of the Pine Creek Gorge (a.k.a. Pennsylvania Grand Canyon).

It’s a slice of home right in my living room.


I actually think we’ll be hanging this piece in our family room (with the map of my home area), but the lighting is better in this space, which is why I photographed it here. My piece is a huge 40 inch by 27 inch size that’s awesome for hanging over a couch or other large piece of furniture.

Oh, and here’s how to create your custom print with text!

• Just take the full resolution (biggest) of the photo and put it in an editing program (I used PicMonkey). 
• It’s great if the photo has some good white space and I chose to convert mine to black and white.
• Then find a quote and type it onto the image. 
• Play around with fonts and sizes until you get it just right.

I went from this:


To this:


More info:

You can learn about Gallery Direct on their website. I was particularly impressed with the quality of my canvas print. Like I said, we’ve ordered ours from drug stores and big box stores . . . and the quality is adequate. But this was a huge step beyond. The print even came ready to hang on the wall.

• All pieces are made with love and shipped in Austin, TX.
• Art is printed on state-of-the-art HP printers atop top-of-the-line canvas, paper, birchwood, aluminum, and acrylic.
• The process is completely customizable -- if you dream it, they can print it.
• Turn around (from experience) is extremely fast. No 4 to 6 week turnaround time like with many other companies.
• If you order a print from their site, you’re supporting small artists.
• And check out the amazing reviews on Resellerratings.com.

I personally had a wonderful customer service experience. I wasn’t sure if my photo was high resolution enough to print in such a large format. But they helped me figure it out every step of the way.

INFO + GIVEAWAY [CLOSED]

Think you have something you’d like to print on canvas? 

Visit Gallery Direct’s Photo Upload Page!

The site is running an amazing sale TODAY through MONDAY (8/3) where you can get 75 percent off uploads on canvas gallery wraps and a whopping 45 percent off site-wide!

Better yet, I have a #giveaway for you guys. Leave a comment below telling me what you’d print off for a chance to win a $200 gift card to spend on the site. You can choose a piece from their photography or art galleries or print your own piece. It’s up to you!

This giveaway is open to anyone. And -- this is important -- I need you to leave an email address (or other contact info) so I can send you the code if you win. The winner will be announced on Friday, August 7th.


CONGRATS TO GRACE, commenter #19, for winning the giveaway. 

I’ll be in touch with you soon regarding your prize.


You can also follow Gallery Direct on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest for the latest news, inspiration, and deals.

Thanks to Gallery Direct for sponsoring this post and providing such an awesome giveaway.

Good luck + happy Friday!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Family Photos // 2015 ed.

The last time I took a good number of family photos was way back in 2012! I figured it was about time (OK, well over) to take a few more. So, we got a little dressed up, headed down to the creek, and struck some poses. For those of you who are interested, I used the same tripod method (mine is by Sunpack) as I did the last time I shared family photos with you guys.

Here they are!

We didn’t set out to take photos in the water, but Ada started playing and then fell in (yeah -- that last one is a blooper) . . . so we went with it. I really like how these pictures capture our family’s personality. I think we’ll have to make yearly creek photos a tradition.

Hope you had a great weekend!

(Oh, and if you’re interested -- I’m still shooting my Nikon D90 with the kit lens. But I also have a 30mm lens I use frequently. Like I mention above, my tripod is by Sunpack. I very lightly edited these photos -- lighting, mostly -- in iPhoto.)

RELATED

How To Take Your Own Family Photos
Take Better Beach Photos
Tips for Photographing Baby
$5 Personalized Poster Art
Photoshop Tutorial // Basic Matte-ify
My New Toy, 30mm f/1.4!
All my photography posts . . .

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Phone Photos // LG G4 Sweeps via AT&T

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with AT&T 4K Seconds Blogger Program. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Summer means adventure. We’re often out hiking, biking, and otherwise running around outdoors. I don’t love lugging my bulky DSLR with us to, say, the beach on vacation because it’s a pain. At the same time, I am usually disappointed with the quality of the photos I take with my cell phone. LG’s G4 has definitely improved on this whole experience by including a manual mode (!!!) and a F/1.8 lens.

On a phone.
Seriously.

Here are three simple tips for snapping better summer photos with you phone while you’re out and about. Don’t miss the sweepstakes and contest info at the end of this post for your chance to win one of these guys to try for yourself.

Tip #1: Have Fun

I think the worst thing about my childhood family photos is that we all look so stale. We’re posing in at least 90 percent of the shots. With digital photography, you can really shoot as many photos as you want, so have fun with them. Get a good mix of posed and action shots to remember your moments by.

You want to capture what you were doing, the essence of the experience, versus just what you looked like, who was there, etc.

Tip #2: Look at the Whole Picture

When my friends ask me for suggestions on taking better photos, one of the first tips I give them is to look beyond your subject. For example, if I took this photo from the other direction, there’d be a bunch of piled toys in the background. The person or thing you’re photographing is -- of course -- the most important, but try to keep the focus on them by choosing visually neutral settings. (Unless, of course, the background is the focus, like with a mural.)

In this case, the trees/grass provide a nice green backdrop.

While we’re on background, I’ll mention that it is best to get nice, even lighting whenever possible. But, c’mon. Being outdoors and trying to capture moments, well, IN the moment can be hard sometimes. That’s where manual mode comes in. You can completely control the shutter speed, f-stops, and more. Once you get the hang, you’ll be shooting in all different lighting like a pro!

Tip #3: Get In Your Photos

Don’t pull out the album 20 years down the line and ask “where was I during all this?” I am usually the designated photographer wherever we go. So, I need to remember to hop into the photos so I don’t get cut out of all our memories.

The LG G4 also has this cool Selfie Mode that includes a skin smoother. I set it up pretty high so you can see the effect, but you can do as little or as much as you want. The other Selfie features are pretty neat too! For example, there are different voice commands you can use (like saying “CHEESE!” or “SMILE!” or even “WHISKEY!”) to take your photo without hitting anything. There are even gestures, like opening your hand and then making a fist, that start the photo timer.

In other words: The selfie just got a whole lot easier.

CHEESE!

PHONE INFO

As far as the phone goes, I’ve never owned an Android -- but it’s surprisingly intuitive! The body of the phone itself is large (5.5” display) and curved for better ergonomics. This also means that there’s more viewing area for web browsing and picture taking. I’ll admit it takes some getting used to, but there are more positives than negatives in that regard.


More:

• OS: Android 5.1 (Lollipop) OS Dimensions: 5.86 x 3.0 x 0.38” (min 0.25”) 
• Battery: removable 3,000 mAh that provides up to 21 hours of talk time 
• Camera: Rear: 16MP with F/1.8 lens; Front: 8 MP 
• Memory: Internal 32GB, 3 GB RAM; MicroSD up to 2TB capable (MicroSD card sold separately)
• Processor: 1.8 GHz 64 bit hexa-core processor 
• LG’s first IPS Quantum Display (5.5″ Quad HD) is brighter, more colorful and has excellent contrast 
• LG exclusive Color Spectrum Sensor uses white balance detection to determine accurate colors 
• Broadcast 4K content from P1 to an HDMI enabled TV using a 4K slim port adapter 

SWEEPS + CONTEST

Now’s your turn to see for yourself! The LG G4 4K Seconds Sweepstakes runs through June 20th. And in order to celebrate the awesome 4K capture capability and 2TB of storage, AT&T is giving away one LG G4 every 4K seconds (66 minutes) until June 20th, totaling to an incredible 500 phones!

For a chance to win, you need to:

1. Register at http://4kseconds.att.com/
2. Upload a picture you take on your phone. (This can be done from a mobile device, tablet or computer.) Images need to be .jpg or .png and less than 1 MB.

In addition, there’s a contest component to this program. All submitted photos (deemed eligible by the Official Rules) will also be housed on a gallery on the sweepstakes website. These will be open to public voting in order to determine a public appeal score. The photos will also be judged by a panel of judges. The photo with the highest combination score from the judges and public appeal will be deemed the Grand Prize Winner and will receive a 55” Class Smart Curved 4K OLED 3D TV with webOS 2.0 and a 3D-Blu-Ray Disc Home Theatre System with Smart TV and Wireless Speakers. The second and third highest ranked photos will be deemed the First and Second Prize Winner. These winners will receive a 65” Class IPS 4K UHD Smart LED TV with webOS 2.0 and 3D-Capable Blu-ray Disc Home Theatre System with Smart TV and Wireless Speakers. The winners will be announced upon completion of the Judging Period, which ends July 9th.

Thanks to AT&T for this amazing offer. And good luck!

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Blueberry Jam, Canned

In case you didn't already read -- we went blueberry picking this weekend! It was sort of a spur-of-the-moment decision because we were up early and looking for ways to take the cranky out of a toddler. The fresh air did the trick. We had so much fun, in fact, that we returned home with 14 cups of blueberries.

Far more than I needed to embark on my first canning adventure.

Since I'm no expert, I'm not offering a recipe today. I followed the "Classic Blueberry Jam" recipe + hot water method instructions in one of our favorite books: Put 'Em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook. I can't recommend this book enough. I've seen a few similar titles I'd like to check out, too, so I'll be sure to round out reviewing other modern books on preservation sometime soon.

Anyway, taking the leaves an stems out and cleaning the fruit was tedious. Probably my least favorite part. I enlisted Stephen to finish the rest of the cups of blueberries beyond the eight I needed. I wish there was some sort of magic de-stemming machine. Wouldn't that be grand?


Here's where I made my first mistake. I immediately jumped in and made my jam recipe. It didn't take much more than heating the blueberries, some sugar, and lemon juice on the stove and bringing it to a gel state. The issue? It says several times in the book to get the water in the canning pot going first because it will take a while to bring to a boil.

Oops!


I don't know how I missed these instructions because -- I must have read the canning stuff point by point probably 50 times. It ended up be OK, I just reheated the jam a few times until the canning pot was finally boiling. I never knew that you had to fill the entire pot with glass jars, but it became very apparent to me when I would move one and the rest would float + topple!

While I waited, I laid out all my tools in the exact order the author instructs. I've always been horribly intimidated by the process, so I didn't want any surprises. Since we're short on counter space, I used a TV tray (not pictured) to place down the pot lid, a couple towels, and a pot holder when I wasn't using them.


Here's what I used:

• Canning Pot w/ Rack
• Ball 8-ounce Jelly Jars
• Canning Utensil Set (came with jar funnel + lifter, lid lifter, bubble remover)
• Silicone Ladle
• The small bowl from this mixing bowl set
• Tea towels, lots of them

I don't have photos from the process because I was furiously trying to do everything the "right" way. In the end, I did lose one jar of jam because it tipped over when I was taking it out of the pot. But shortly after taking out these three others, I hear that glorious "POP!" sound of them sealing shut.

This is all a long way of saying if you've been meaning to learn how to can (and many of you have told me you want to), just do it! I was scared or intimidated for years and it really wasn't all that terrible!

What should I can next?!

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Cheesy Old Bay Biscuits

I struggle with my identity as a "food photographer" -- which sounds like a ridiculous statement to make at all (because who really cares?), but it's true.

Do I want my photos to be fun + brightly colored?
Do I want to make quirky doodles all over the place because I'm feeling insecure?
Or how about some simple + moody shots. Food. Is. Serious. Business.

I honestly think it has more to do with the cloud cover on any given day than it does with my mastery of any sort of tone. Or use of props. Or editing. We'll see what things look like tomorrow, next week, etc.

Nothing new here. Just cut up Brussels sprouts, an onion or two, and a couple portabellas. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Roast for about a half hour, stirring every once and again.

Set aside and drop the oven temperature to 350 degrees F to make these!


CHEESY OLD BAY BISCUITS
Just like the ones at Red Lobster, except not at all. Makes 12.

What you'll need . . . 

• 1-1/2 cups white + whole wheat flour 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning 
• Heaping half cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese
• 1 cup almond milk

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard size muffin tin and set aside. Alternatively, you can just make these drop biscuits and bake on a lightly greased baking sheet.
2. Pour your flour into a large bowl, then add the olive oil in the center and mix around with your hands + fingertips. You want the texture to become crumbly, almost as if you're cutting in butter. I just didn't have butter, but this worked well.
3. Then add the baking powder, Old Bay, and cheese and mix. 
4. Stir in the almond milk until everything is juice moistened. Do not over-stir.
5. Divide evenly into muffin tins. I found heaping tablespoons worked well as a measure.
6. Then bake for between 15 - 18 minutes. Or until the tops are golden brown on the edges. The centers may feel a bit soft, but that's OK. There's CHEESE!

We'll definitely be making these again. Baking powder biscuits in general are so easy to throw together. And you can improvise. I usually just stick with around 1 to 1-1/2 cups flour with 1 tablespoon baking powder, and the rest can be fun to play with.

Like even sweet ones! I made Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits for breakfast yesterday. I didn't get good photos and our strawberries are now long gone, but I will share the recipe soon. Ada helped!

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Daily Mom GIVEAWAY

Some of you might have heard of the new online magazine, Daily Mom, that just launched last month. It's an amazing resource of posts and articles for the modern woman and mom. Imagine Pinterest worthy posts with useful information about all aspects of life - from parenting to beauty, fashion, green living, health, fitness, and more. Once you visit Daily Mom, you will be hooked - jumping from one post to another.

I have partnered with Daily Mom to host one of their giveaways as a part of an extensive 50 Days of Giveaways campaign to celebrate their launch. For 50 days, they will be giving away one awesome prize a day to thank their new readers.

/////// \\\\\\\ ////// THE GIVEAWAY DETAILS \\\\\\\ /////// \\\\\\\

So today we're giving an opportunity for one lucky reader to win a large, 80 page, softcover book from Artifact Uprising. Artifact Uprising books have a minimalist design with maximum impact.

For a photo book that really lets your gorgeous images shine, you have got to admire the beauty of Artifact Uprising photo books. Such clean, modern design with an environmentally responsible focus that saturates who they are. These are not just photo books, they are heirloom quality photo story books of your life.

Be sure to check out their products on their website, and follow their Facebook and Twitter for updates. And of course, enter to win it below. You can read Daily Mom's feature on Artifact Uprising and see the beautiful photos that writer, Megan V., took of the book that she designed.


The giveaway will run for a week, and there are only two mandatory entries with many optional ones.

All you have to do is follow the directions below in the Rafflecopter widget. This giveaway is open to legal US residents only. And be sure to visit Daily Mom tomorrow to see what new item they are giving away and to enter previous drawings! The prizes range from strollers to high chairs, monitors, diaper bags, fashion items, baby clothing and photography products. There is something for everyone. a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

After you've entered the giveaway, be sure to browse Daily Mom and check out some of my favorite posts! I'm loving:

Health Benefits of Cherries

Homemade Fruit Snacks

Natural Homemade Lotion

Some of the other giveaway Daily Mom is running this week:

• Fairhaven Health fertility set
• Artifact Uprising 80 page photo book
• AmyKathryn diaper bag gift card
• Svan Signet high chair
• Cocoagraph Photo Chocolate
• Fairhaven Health Pregnancy set
• BabyDeedee sleep sack
• Casetagram custom photo cell phone

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Chocolate Cake. Chocolate Frosting.

I'm switching the order of my posts this week to bring you this beautiful disaster:

I have been dreaming of a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for what seems like weeks now. Cake baking is the sort of thing that takes planning and time, which is probably why I end up mixing together so many cookies instead. (Latest favorites here and here.)

Last night, I had an extra half hour, and I decided to use that that wisely. I mixed the cake batter together while Stephen fed Ada her dinner. I whisked the frosting together during their daddy-daughter play-time. And I let it cool, for like five seconds, and frosted it during her bath.

Now, I'm not a betting man, but I think that's where it all went wrong.


I don't profess to be a master baker of any sort. Cooking + baking are a continual process of learning for me. Having a blog doesn't give me any more skills, credentials, or authority than your garden variety home cook.

Yet -- I get a lot of questions in my inbox starting with "I know this might seem silly/stupid/obvious . . . "

No. I assure you: These questions rarely are any of those things. Keep 'em coming, and I will try my very best to help. Though, after this post, I am sure the flow of emails will slow considerably. You are all now thinking: "She doesn't have the slightest clue what she's doing!"

Sigh. I learned last night when you don't let a cake completely finish baking OR cool properly (uhm, cake baking 101?) AND you make a too-thick frosting by adding a little lot extra powdered sugar, that said cake will fall apart.

When using a knife gets too cumbersome, you'll end up frosting it with your fingers. Taking breaks every now/then to lick off the crumbs. Waves of shame washing over your body. Or is that the sugar rush from the frosting? It will be difficult to distinguish because, after a while, they become one.

The whole thing will become a (delicious) mess.


Truth be told, this is the best cake I've ever eaten. Moist and fluffy, the frosting not too sweet (for my taste). Chocolate upon chocolate. I'd rather wait to share the recipes until the execution can be judged a 10.0. Or perhaps an 8.

Also: Did you know you don't need a light box to take OK-ish photos in complete darkness? 

Just invest in the 3 cheap lamps + daylight bulbs in this post. Set them up in much the same way . . . switch them on . . . and shoot in manual mode. You do lose a bit of control of shadows, the lighting isn't IDEAL, but it works in a pinch.

My settings for these photos were mostly 1/160, f/2.5, ISO250 and I used my very favorite 30mm lens. The 50mm lens would have worked well, too.


SWITCHING GEARS: Later today on Writing Chapter Three, I'll be writing about Ada's first gym daycare experience. Her first daycare experience of any sort, for that matter. As you can see, we had fun working out together.

On a related note . . . and not to sound like a total B . . .

Don't you HATE IT when your treadmill neighbor spies on your workout? I did intervals last night, and the person next to me wouldn't stop gawking and then upping her own pace in response. I wasn't imagining it either. She'd glance over, nudge her MPH up, and eventually bonk/have to walk. Ugh. Then she gave ME a dirty look when I left.

What annoys you most at the gym?

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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