whole foods day with our friend Jordyn

so jordyn and kyle our our sweet friends who share our love for good food, good music, and So You Think You Can Dance.  they introduced us to Z Grille, a fabulous downtown St. Pete, where i ate the best meal of my adult life (trust me, if you're in the area, order their egg of the day and the Chicken Waffle with cheddar chipotle grits and pink peppercorn butter over a caramelized onion waffle, and life is golden!). 

with a little begging sweet talk , i was able to get jordyn to spend the day with us and prepare some of her favorite recipes with the kids.  it's our goal to get back to healthier eating and more whole foods, and this recipe fits the bill.  i think it will be perfect with some greek yogurt and fresh fruit for a weekday yogurt parfait!

 

delish if eaten warm...

 

it takes much to share.

isn't our friend jordyn pretty?!

Jordyn’s Homemade Granola

(When she and Kyle first got married Kyle would make Jordyn homemade granola every weekend because his recipe ended up being their favorite over hers!)

3-4 Cup Old fashioned oats

Peanut or other nut butter – approximately 2-3 Tbsp (opt.)

*To do this recipe without the peanut butter, use more honey)

¼ cup Honey

Sea Salt to taste

2 Tbsp Coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

Mix in a bowl and spread loosely on a cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until crunchy. Toss occasionally while baking!  To customize your flavor, add ingredients of your choice such as:
toasted nuts
dried fruits
dried coconut

if you'd like a taste of jordyn's excellent food sense and some delish recipes, visit her at her blog, The Healthy Housewife.

curriculum review - Blackbird Poetry Unit

Recently I was asked to do some guest posting for an awesome website I've loved called Curriculum Choice (moms who are educating at home, check out this site - it is a FABULOUS resource!).  The following is an excerpt that will appear soon on their site.  Check it out! 

Blackbird Literature has a poetry unit study that I taught this semester to my 12 year old son, his friend of the same age, and my 10 year old daughter. I thoroughly enjoyed the unit, and at the end, the kids didn’t want to be done. It was perfectly age-appropriate for these kids (who, for what it’s worth, are all reading well above grade level).

From Blackbird’s site description of the unit:

“Reading and writing poetry expands the boundaries of the imagination and intellect. Students who engage in writing poetry will develop confidence in their voice, strengthen their ability to communicate new ideas, and convey observations of their world.”



I love:

The book selection. These selections are both eye-catching and enjoyable to read, both for students and for me as the teacher. In addition, they offer a wide variety of poetry examples combined with words of advice from the poets themselves, without morally objectionable material (important to me as a Christian parent).

I wish:

There were more “hands on” multi-sensory type activities. While the writing exercises are both valuable and applicable, I wish there were more “experiential” activities that incorporated more than “fill-in-the-blank” style response. That said, I did appreciate the opportunity and exhortation to write, write, write. That the advice came from the poets themselves was even better; this approach is not text-book-ish, but draws the student into the heart of the poet who’s just captured their interest through their writing.



Cost: $48 for the set includes the textbook, three poetry books, a set of art cards to use for stimulating creativity, and a student journal. While this is very reasonable for what you get, the curriculum is only written for seven weeks. This would be quite pricey to repeat several times during the school year. That said, the poetry books themselves are books we would keep on our library shelves for repeat pleasure reading. We did not get The Aspiring Poet’s Journal, and on reading the description online, I would purchase it for the next go-round. It is a guided journal designed to help students actively write and practice the ideas and principles addressed in this thorough and enjoyable curriculum.



You can find this and other solid literature studies at http://www.blackbirdandcompany.com/.

For this full review and other useful reviews for home-educating families, visit

http://thecurriculumchoice.com/

if you're local...

...and if you're not, hop in the car and come on down!  we're having a gallery open house for Loving Legacy Photography next Wednesday, March 11, and we'd love for you to come.  there will be special on-site offers, and a gift for anyone who brings a (new) friend!  come hang with us.  can't wait to see you!

didn't there used to be a tuesday traditions blog carnival?  or something like it?  well, i've googled my fingers off and i just don't see it.  so it's thursday and i wanna blog about a tradition.  anyone wanna play?  see the mcklinky below.  leave a comment.  link to your blog post.  let's share!

ours:

friday night is taco night.  it's a ritual.  it began some year or two ago, and our kids made sure it stuck.

now i love to cook, and i am adventurous, but friday nights are my night off (unless my sweetheart invites me into the kitchen to work alongside him.  but he has to invite me, and i have to do it his way.  and his way usually includes a taco bell kit.  :)  ).  i don't care - it's wonderful.  especially when he does double-deckers with nacho cheese.  oh, man i've gotta work out!

once he let me make fish tacos. once he let me do shredded chicken in the slow cooker.  i'm always allowed to make fresh salsa and he indulges my need to have cilantro.

we're working on building more traditions, but this is one that has stuck.  sometimes we pile on the couch afterwards and watch a movie.  sometimes we have friends over.  sometimes that includes sangria.  (well, at least when julie's makin' it!)

it's a family feast and everyone dives in...

and it's a good thing we sometimes play wii to at least burn off a little energy... because with even one extra family, that's a lot of wiggles!

...and sometimes the kids just hang and go for a card game.

thanks to friends like j., there are even sometimes homemade desserts.

it's not spiritual.  it's not deep in educational value.  but it brings us all together and keeps us close.  even the grandparents have adopted this tradition when we share friday nights at their homes!

this is one of our family traditions.  what is one of yours?

tomato help {works-for-me-wednesday}

there's maybe nothing more gross than pale tomatoes.  they're lackluster as far as flavor goes, and as for their texture, sometimes they go straight to grainy... YUCK! 

i almost never buy tomatoes unless i can hold them and smell them, but occasionally we get a great deal through our organic co-op and i risk it and unfortunately they sometimes come looking like this:

sorry, but ain't no way i'm going to eat sad, pale tomatoes like this; neither will we waste good organic produce!  to the rescue: roast them!

slice them in half.  we're going to roast these babies.  drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  super simple.  if you want, sprinkle with dried herbs, but do this before the olive oil or the herbs will possibly burn.  burned herbs do not work-for-me.

into the oven with you, little guys!  a little note here: it's best to use a pan with a bit of a lip to catch those wandering juices.  a happy side effect we accidentally discovered is that the acids do a nice job on all the unwanted "seasoning" built up on our pan.  if you actually have a well-seasoned pan, do not use it for this recipe. 

i've tried doing these under the broiler, which is great if they're fairly  ripe and rich in color.  sprinkle those with parmesan and broil just till the cheese browns.  for these critters, though, a little more help was needed.  with a temperature of around 400 degrees, roast them for 30 minutes or so.  we're not going all the way to sun-dried (which you could, which is also delicious), but just till they're nice and gooey and rich, with a golden crust on top.

there you have it.  delicious, delightful tomatoes - saved from their sad pale previous state.  and that's what works for me this wednesday!  if you love this tip and would like to see more, click here!  (temporarily hosted at rocks in my dryer for march 3rd and march 10th. - thanks!)

enjoy!  and if you like what you see, leave a comment!  hugs.

getting-to-know-you {blog parade!}

just found the cutest, sweetest, richest, most wistful blog as i'm wandering the web working tonight.  it's called rear window, and it just so happens this new one-of-my-favoritest-young-writers is having a blog parade!  wanna join?  i think i will.  so here's the deal: 

answer the questions below if you like, or just talk about you.  let people "meet" your heart-self and invite them back! (and after visiting a few of the adorable posts, i've edited to include some PICTURES. too many words not-as-exciting. :)  to start with, just in case it's your first visit, here's me!

1. What's your favorite time of the day, and why?
mmmmmmmmmmmm... early morning.  it feels so good to be up and about the day, especially before everyone else.  of course i'm struggling with all of me to get back to this favorite time of day; with my current job love of photography i find myself at the computer into the wee hours.  really wanna reverse it, though!

2. If health wasn't an issue, what food could you live off of?
just one?  bread (fresh baked sourdough).  aged cheese (primadonna).  red wine.  deep, dark chocolate.  my husband's lattes.

yes, i realize that's a communion image.  i still love it!

3. If you could have one wish granted (besides wishing for more wishes), what would it be?
one day a week to read.  all day.  with my children snuggled nearby reading.  and my hubby playing guitar and singing.  is that more than one?  oh and here is said handsome hubby.

4. What's one thing that you get teased about a lot?
my forgetfulness.

5. If you could choose one movie, book, or TV show to spend your life in, which would you pick? What type of character would you be?
well, the Bible.  one of the parts about a woman who was faithful and strong... esther maybe, but i don't think i'm nearly the woman.  if not that, then a historical romance novel with a beautful red-haired heroine.  or maybe a suspense novel with a beautiful red-haired heroine.  theme here?

6. If you could have one talent that you don't already have, what would it be?
oh goodness, definitely being an amazing dancer.  swing.  or bollywood.  or lyrical.

7.If money were no object, where would you go on vacation?
italy.  greece.  the holy land.  (just can't seem to follow the whole one-answer theme!)  can i just say "the mediterranean?"

8. If you were an awesome singer, which genre would you sing?
i am an awesome singer.  especially in the shower.  ask my husband.  and what genre is norah jones?

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what would it be?
oooh, anthropologie.  or no, b&h.  did i mention i am also highly distracted?  self-diagnosed.

10. If you could live in any point in time, when would it be?
now.  i can think of a million pros and cons to each era i'd like to explore so i think i'll say the present, and then i can read about all the rest!

11. If every outfit in your wardrobe had to be one color, what would it be?
red.  warm, earthy red.



12. If you were one of the seven dwarves, which one would you be?
(Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, or Dopey)
dang, this is intrusive.  grumpy.

13. What's the last "album" you listened to?
pandora.  jack johnson station.

14. What's something we'd be surprised to know about you?
i'm thinking about it.  how about that i am terrified of frogs?  (well, friends reading this won't be surprised.  but even they might be shocked to know that i am so afraid of them that i once threw my poor pregnant friend in front of one to save myself!  this is a definite issue.)  eew, this pixellated google image is even making me shudder!!

and to join in, add the button below to your blog/post.  on march first through eighth, visit rear window and leave your link so others can find you on the parade.  have fun!






   love and hugs!!

 

friendships with women

true friendship is a privelege, and one not to be taken lightly.  especially woman-friendships... they're tricky, and easy to mess up.  royally.  trust me, i've had my share of broken-heart-friendship moments, and if you're a sistah reading this, i am sure you know just what i mean.



there's something that happens with woman-friends that either builds you as a person or tears you down.  i've been so challenged over the years to work to make sure those friends i commit time to are both building into my family and life-goals, and being built up by my friendship.  sometimes i see God-moments in that, and others i put my head on my pillow at night and wrestle with the knowledge that a conversation just wasn't right, or an issue was left unresolved.

as we've cycled through the seasons, i've often found that there just isn't time to devote to relationships that don't edify, and i have to let that be okay.  nonetheless, it's hard to pull back and not feel left out when others seem to go on just fine without you!  (and if you are a blogger, you may notice that bloggy-world feeds that, huh?  ahh, thoughts for another post...)

i thoroughly and completely soak up the times that it's just working, though... friendship moments and seasons that flow freely, when you sense that both "girls" are benefitting equally from knowing each other.  one such friendship i really value is with the amazing bren.  i am awed by her sensitivity, her passion for life, her security in who she is.  i want to encourage her however i can on her journey of being the woman God created her to be... and i sense that from her, for me.  as i've said to others, i appreciate her for who she is, but i don't wanna be her.  i get the same from her.  and that's vital.

at first our friendship began because of similarities.  we have five kids each.  we use the same curriculum.  we have similar passions for art, and books, and Jesus.  as i got to know her, though, i realized we have so many differences. sometimes that doesn't work well, but in this case, it added richness to our acquaintance.

we can go for weeks without really hanging, and it's okay.  but we can spend hours together and feel refreshed, too.  she's just one of the women God's brought into my life who are a gift.

anywho, i thought i'd pour out all that mush because

one: women friendships have been on my heart and,

two: today i wanted to feature some of her handiwork.  she's built quite a following with her informative helps on the uber-helpful website curriculum choice.  she is connecting women in the homeschool community through the fabulous our lifestyle of learning.  and she shares from her heart in her personal blog, the tie that binds us.  and because this week, brenda's featuring one of my photo tips on her blog.  so check her out, and maybe add a couple new women friends along the way!

if you've had some God-moments in your friendships with women, i'd love to read and share.  leave a comment below or email me at angela@lovinglegacyphotography.com.  hugs!

p.s. - she would KILL me for writing this so shhhhh... don't tell her!