tales from the retreat

In case you'd missed the flurry of Tweets, I'm away this weekend... scrapbooking with nine lovely ladies. Most of us have been here since Thursday, getting all sugared-up on Egg Nog Chai Lattes and Special K bars. I've mainly been working on photos (you might remember THIS POST and the fact I've stretched myself a little this fall) and my mom's PicFolio album... the album I gave her two years ago that she hasn't yet pulled out of the bag. Ahem. Despite the fact I've done very little this weekend, I have gained a lot of creative inspiration. And a few good recipes.

As for inspiration, check out these awesome digital albums by clicking HERE. I love Ali Edwards' Celebrating Everyday Life album HERE. She's already designed the album, simply click and drag your images into the template - it's so easy ANYONE could do it! There's a list of everyday photo recommendations HERE. And everyday journaling ideas HERE. Seriously cool.

My very favorite drink - the eggnog chai latte - has been a huge hit this weekend. So huge, it required an emergency run this afternoon for more supplies. Thought I'd share it here as well because it really is THE BEST winter drink. I recommend only one type of chai to achieve the desired yummy results: Pacific Chai - Spice. Here's the recipe:

Egg Nog Chai Latte

8 oz. boiling water

2 Tbsp. Pacific Chai powder

3 oz. egg nog, heated

Reddi-Wip

nutmeg

Heat up your water and pour it into a large mug. Add 2 Tbsp. of chai powder and stir. Heat up 3 oz. of egg nog (watch carefully, it will boil over quickly in the microwave). Slowly stir egg nog into the chai. Spray on a dap of Reddi-Wip and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Serously. THE BEST.

We also sampled a mighty tasty Chicken Pot Pie recipe on Thursday. You'll find that recipe below, courtesy of All Recipes:

Ingredients
1 recipe pastry for a 9-inch double crust pie

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour a 2 quart casserole dish. Place chicken breasts, onion, and poultry seasoning in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover. Simmer over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Drain and dice chicken.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, onions, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, Cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, mixed vegetables, mushrooms, and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Lay one sheet of pastry in bottom of greased and floured pan. Pour chicken mixture over pastry. Cover with second sheet of pastry. Seal edges of top and bottom pastries. Cut steam vents in top.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.

I modified it a bit to serve in an 9x13 pan, rolling out 1-1/2 crusts to line the bottom of my pan and cutting circles out of the other half to put on top of the pot pie. I also used a little more chicken, soup, and the entire bag of mixed veggies to fill the pan. It was very good and something my picky family might even eat.

I'll have a couple more recipes to share later! Right now, I've gotta go wait for the pizza man. Have a super evening.

hint**hint**hint**

A hint for the December Faithbooking Crop:

Our next Faithbooking Crop will be on Saturday, December 12th from 9:00 am-4:00 pm at Hosanna Lutheran Church in Lakeville. The crops are FREE and include snacks, beverages, and make-and-take supplies. Feel free to work the crop around your schedule, just let me know if you plan to attend and I'll be sure to have a spot ready for you.

pretty in pink | Minnesota Newborn Session

I've been waiting a long time for this... my friend Amy had made me some ADORABLE hats last year and I finally had A GIRL to photograph. Okay, so she wasn't as happy about the hat.

Baby M was an amazing newborn model. Newborn sessions are typically scheduled within the first two weeks of baby's birth - they are usually super sleepy, teeny tiny, and can be propped anywhere. Baby M was as content as could be (aside from the hat complaint) and was extremely alert.

This sweet little thing also happens to be my second cousin. Congratulations Jennifer and Jerry! Your daughter is beautiful.

please help w/this special project if you can!

You might remember this lovely family from a session earlier this fall. Their story and need this holiday season is HERE. Please help them as they reach out to others fighting for their children's lives. The Olsons are looking specifically for blankets, $5 Starbucks cards, and $10 donations - the gifts will be used to create care packages to deliver to Children's Hospital - St. Paul. If you could help with a donation this week, it would be greatly appreciated. Let me know if you have any questions!

it was one of those days

I began working on this post yesterday, fully intending to post Thanksgiving Day pics at the end. But when it turned into a rant about every irritation, I decided to call it a night. So here I go again.

At the top of my irritation list is the fact I'm still dealing with a messed up dental issue from last May. A claim for our youngest child was mistakenly submitted under the oldest child's name. The oldest already had said tooth pulled and the insurance company refused to pay for a second extraction of the same tooth. Can't say I blame them.

Did I happen to mention this took place last May? MAY, I tell you.

And that was just the tip of the irritation iceberg. Needless to say, after venting a bit it was sorta difficult making the transition to Thanksgiving Day pics. I wasn't feeling very thankful. Unfortunately, things haven't improved a great deal today. Perhaps a weekend away with the girls will help. And nonstop scrapbooking.

So as promised, a few shots:

And that's that.

finally coming up for air

I'm down to roughly eight sessions left to edit. And a wedding. (At this rate, life will be back to "normal" by the first of the year.) While it's been a blast being able to work with so many different families, kids, and seniors - I've learned a thing or two about scheduling. And workflow. And deadlines.

Needless to say, I'll be making a few changes as to how I do things next year.

In the blur, I nearly forgot to share these:

Ren made his First Communion earlier this month.

After the service, we had family over for a little celebration.

And Ren received his long-sought-after Snuggie.

Life is now complete :)

I hope to post some Thanksgiving Day pictures soon. (As you can see, I'm a bit behind.) Getting ready for a scrapbooking retreat (i.e. eating all of the candy which should be going into the treat bags) and finishing up some order and prize drawing loose ends. Also had a couple of other quick things to share:

1. THIS BOOK. Yes, I know... I share it every year at this time. It's that good.

2. Looking for something different to do over the holidays? Be sure to check out Village Holidays at Dakota City the first two weekends in December. Details are HERE.

3. Perhaps you heard me raving about my latest lens rentals. The place to go is West Photo. (For those outside of the Twin Cities metro area, you might want to look into online lens rental.)

4. Chocolatey Triple Delight... TO DIE FOR.

5. A cute Valentine's Day mini album on clearance for $8.00!

6. Great decorating ideas for the holidays HERE and HERE.

7. This sweet advent calendar made from mismatched little socks.

8. Love these adorable wrist warmers. Know how to knit? Then you could make your own using the pattern HERE. Oh, how I wish I could knit.

9. And my new favorite toy photo prop store... HERE.

10. If I had one of THESE, I might cook a little more.

Have a great night!

Photo Challenge Themes for December

Here are the weekly themes for December:

November 29-December 5, 2009: Windows
December 6-12, 2009: Rough Cuts (unedited images that somehow include the photographer)... after receiving a heads-up from Tilly, I realized that the style of photography I first referenced could be seriously misconstrued.
December 13-19, 2009: Over the Top
December 20-26, 2009: Signs of Christmas
December 27, 2009-January 2, 2010: Young or New

If you'd like to join our Flickr group for ideas and inspiration, just let me know!