Shutterfly Fan: Helping to Spread the Love

Stationery card

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It is not a secret. I am a huge fan of Shutterfly. Each year a huge majority of presents to Aunts & Uncles, parents, grandparents, etc. are from Shutterfly. I have a family share site (yes mom I know it needs updating) and Jackie has a family share site (her's needs updating too). I love to order prints, calendars, mugs, magnets, and have been eyeing up the canvas print and the throw blanket. How neat would it be to have a blanket with your favorite photo of all time for each of the kids?

Why am I sharing this? Not a normal blog topic. Yeah. I know. But you know I like taking pictures and so does Jackie. Here is where we get the majority of them printed. I also took the plunge and ordered Christmas cards this year and got 10 FREE. I can't send them to everyone so I thought I would share it here as well. Isn't it lovely?

Special thanks to Jen & Byron for taking the awesome family photos of us. I feel just a little bit trendier now and sometimes that is OK. Why would you like Shutterfly? I think they offer GREAT deals at GREAT prices. Wait for the deals like I do. I won't buy without a very good deal. In in an effort for full disclosure. I get $10 dollars for sharing this with you that will go towards Nana and GiGi's Christmas presents. If you have a blog look into Shutterfly's "help spread the word" program and see if you can't get $10 for sharing your projects on your blog. Best of all it didn't hurt to share how I save money and get great gifts.

Happy shopping. Where ever you shop and for whatever you shop for.

Adorable Baby Bunnies & Blog Business

These cuties will give you your daily "awwww" quota for sure. These little chunkies are the only litter for the 2012 year. If I am right we have two boys and a girl. While I won't have room for both boys, the black and white little boy will definitely stay. The brown boy will most likely find a home as someone's little pet. The little brown girl will stay and make additional babies for our tiny backyard rabbitry.  

As always I have lots and lots planned for the blog but I lack the time actually do something about it! That doesn't mean though you can't stay in touch. I frequently post to our facebook page updates about what is going on behind the scenes, interesting news, photos, recipes, and things I learn. Please take a moment to "like" our page and keep in touch won't you?

Never a dull moment as Jackie and I discuss and move forward on a creative business and I get ready to apply for a twelve week market garden course to start in January. The 2013 growing season will find me at a local farmers market or two and working my way towards being a full time farmer.

Also, don't forget to follow us on Pinterest (using the links to the left). You never know what creative and beautiful things we will pin there! Thanks for following along. We really appreciate you. 

Corn Free Dairy Free Vegan Caramel

There is something about fall that makes certain foods more appealing. You know what I'm talking about... all things apple and/or caramel.  But you throw in a food allergy like dairy or corn and literally half of the most tempting fall deserts are eliminated.  Caramel is by definition butter, sugar and milk.  When planning my daughter's early fall birthday party this year I was determined to figure this one out: a dairy free and corn (syrup) free caramel for caramel chocolate covered apples.

I started with this basic recipe.  The proportions seemed right and I would only need to attempt one major substitution.  When you are playing with specialty ingredients, it can get expensive so you want to do most of the guessing before you actually start.

Please read through instructions a couple times before attempting.  I promise after you make it once, it will all make perfect sense the next time!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic sugar
• 2 cups almond milk
• 1 cup agave 
• 1 cup earth balance or your normal butter substitute

Equipment required:

• large pot, at least 6 quart
• candy thermometer

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in you pot and clip your candy thermometer onto the side.  Warm over low to medium heat.  I hovered around a three or four.  Stir, stir, stir.  The liquid will boil at 212*F and stay at that temperature until the water has evaporated.  Eventually the mixture will begin to rise in temperature again and being to thicken.  Around 230* you will begin to see a significant change, this is about 30 minutes since you started.  The mixture will bubbly continuously.  Keep stirring.  When the mixture reaches 245* the resulting caramel will harden when cooled.  You can test this by spooning some onto a plate and placing it in the freezer for just a minute.  When you take it out it should be very hard, not runny at all.  At this point, you can either pour the hot caramel into a buttered baking pan (8 X 8) and let cool, or you can allow it to cool and thicken slightly in the pot 

and dip clean, dry organic apples into to caramel.

You can see in this picture how my caramel pooled around the base of the apple.  That is just because I am impatient and began dipping my apples in the very hot caramel.  The second tray came out much better!  

After allowing the caramel apples to harden (about 20 minutes) I dipped them again, only halfway this time, in chocolate (corn free and vegan enjoy life chips) mixed with a couple tablespoons of almond milk to thin it.  I then quickly dipped the apples in either chopped almonds (for the adults) or sprinkles (for the kids)!

so festive!

The apples were a huge hit.  It wasn't until later that I realized I served sugar (organic apples) covered in sugar (corn free dairy free caramel) dipped in more sugar (chocolate)!  Wow, maybe next time I'll just make the brownies... but even they are better with caramel! 

(If you want to keep the caramel in a liquid state to use as a sauce for brownies or ice cream or even in a hot fall beverage, heat only to 230*F and keep it in a glass jar with a tight lid and refrigerate.  Yum!)

"I have a kitty..."

This little fuzzy girl showed up one afternoon on our doorstep... 

The random arrival of a kitten is by no means uncommon in the country but she is the first to wander 700 feet from the road up to this blue house. 

 And this little girl could not be happier!

My little one is now the only child at home while the others spend their days making new friends at school.  It can be lonely for her with only a mommy to play with.  Thank you little kitty for being our new friend (and giving mommy a break)!

Kitty has been around for a couple weeks now and sometimes she will exclaim with huge wide eyes at the most random times... "Mommy, I have a kitty..." Oh goodness, how she makes me smile!

Birthday Party for My Littlest Girl

Look who is three...

I know! I can hardly believe it.  For the first time in (what?) twelve years our family is out of diapers and sleeping through the night.  She insists on being called a kid, not a toddler or baby, follows me like a shadow and begins each and every sentence with "mommy?"  I love her so much!  What a fantastic reason for a celebration. Of course it is no secret that  I adore a well planned party.  My fingers crave unique homemade decorations and I tend to get a little worked up the days before, but it is always for the best cause, my family.  Plus I love a challenge.  

This year she voiced her first real birthday party request...OWLS.

Owls?  Really?  Well, okay...

When I picture owls I imagine woodlands. I think I crossed the line between normal party decorations and actually crazy this time when I pinned and taped tree limbs to my walls.  Sticks and branches  became trees and thirty balloons became owls.

A little bit whimsical...

A little bit magical...

 Well, at least it was only thirty balloons.  Last year it was 100...

I did some quick searching for "balloon owls" and came up with this for inspiration.  I wanted a truer owl.  Using a scalloped and circle punch I layered big wide eyes.  Simple half ovals became wings and triangles became beaks and ears.  (I assembled the shapes first then taped them onto the inflated balloons.)

aren't they so adorable...

A couple strings of my favorite bunting and a fun owl tree and our place was set. 

Oh and the entire menu was planned around this deli meat and cheese tray idea.  (Soups, chili, sandwiches, veggies and caramel and chocolate apples for dessert)  Achieved? Eh.. close enough.

So all in all this party cost me two pack of balloons, four sheets of scrapbook paper and adhesives.  Is it silly that I'm completely motivated to put together blog-worthy parties for a couple bucks?  Nah... Now I have yet another "theme" to add to my accomplished list.

And a couple more pics of my owl loving baby...

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Come back on Friday for my recipe for chocolate caramel apples, made with vegan caramel and no corn syrup.  I am as surprised as you are that this one worked!  See you again soon, promise!