And just like that, Valentine’s mini-sessions are wrapped!
It was so much fun last year, I just have to bring it back!
Here’s how it works: invite 4-6 friends to meet at the park with their kids. I show up with my camera ready to have fun. No posing, no ‘cheeeese,’ just kids being kids. Each family will be presented with an online gallery of images of their child/children from our time at the park. The approach will be photojournalistic…truly showing who they are at this stage of life. This isn’t a time to get all gussied up and take them kicking and screaming to a ‘photo shoot.’ This is a time to play with friends and be a kid!
The details:
You choose the park that your children love to go to…I will stay for approximately one hour photographing the children.
*This is for weekdays only…during the day or after school for children that are school aged.*
Your friends each pay $25 for the session. Your session is free.
Your will receive access to special digital packages if orders are placed within a week of proofing.
**Offer is valid until March 9. Email info@kristineldridge.com or call 562-980-6480 to reserve a date.
Last week I was on twitter and saw someone raving about steel cut oats from Simple Bites. To be honest with you, steel cut oats have always scared me a little. I have a hard time selling oatmeal in my house…but STEEL CUT oatmeal?! I didn’t know how this is going to go down, but I had a feeling, I’d be eating all the steel cut oats in a corner by myself. Sooo, when the tweet about these tasting like apple pie came across my screen, I was in. Oh and waking up to apple pie smell…BONUS.
Here’s how it goes. Head over to Trader Joes and buy the can that looks like it was made a hundred years ago. Then haul that dusty crock pot out.
Dump these ingredients into a glass bowl…3/4 cup oats, 1/2 cup half-and-half, 2 T brown sugar, 1 t cinnamon, 1/4 t nutmeg, 1/4 t salt, 1/2 cup applesauce, 1 grated apple and 2 cups water. Stir it well and place it in a crock pot filled with water. Turn it to low and wake up to the most delicious oatmeal you’ve ever had. It’s not super sweet, so after adding a little more milk, I sprinkled with brown sugar and added some toasted pecans for crunch. It has a custard-y taste and the first time I made it Brent and I both said we skipped lunch because we were still full.
I do want to add that I’ve made it a few times and tried omitting the grated apple because that’s the most time consuming part of the process. It still tasted delicious without, so if you’re feeling lazy…go for it with just the applesauce. Lastly, I typically don’t stay up until midnight and wake at 6am to allow for the 6 hour cooking time, so I made mine at 10pm and we at at 7am. Guess what? Still amazing.
Oh one more thing…I want to make this with strawberries or peaches when they come into season…I’m telling you. Best breakfast evah!
These are all iphone photos by the way. It’s just to early to drag out the big camera at breakfast!!
Nothing says love like handmade. When Valentine’s Day rolls around, I get excited about making little tokens of affection. Sometimes, it’s baking for friends and or sweet written notes, but when it comes to the children, I love using their photos for handmade valentines. This year, pixie sticks were the sweet treat, adorned with a photo and a little flag. It’s a no-fuss project they are thrilled to hand out to all their friends!
Step one: If you own photoshop, take a photo of your child and use the elliptical marquee tool to draw a circle around their face. Then right click and choose ‘select inverse.’ Delete the outside of the circle and use the move tool to move to a blank page. Move as many of these circles to your blank page as you need, then print the page. I printed on regular old card stock.
Step two: Cut out the circles. I chose to leave a white space around the circle because it was easier to cut in a nice rounded line. If you do not own photoshop, print out 4x6s of your child and use a circle template (found at craft stores) to trace around the child’s face. Then simply cut around the line.
Step three: Using a glue stick, attach the circle to the top of the pixie stick.
Step four: Attach a little flag to the pixie stick. I chose to print out strips that said the child’s name, but you could achieve an equally cute result by gluing a little strip of ribbon around. Or tie a bow! The possibilities are endless!
If you’re inspired to get crafty, check out my Valentine’s Day DIY from last year! https://kristineldridge.com/?p=3622
Feb
03
2012
Here’s what I’ve been up to this week!
Working a few months ahead is just all part of the game with my job. While you’re dressing up for Halloween, I’m just wrapping up plans for Christmas photo shoots and while you’re thinking about Valentines, I’ve got Spring and Easter on the brain! Enter Pinterest. I love perusing this website for ideas and inspriation when I’m planning for photo sessions.
Sometimes I’ve got the idea nailed before I even start cutting or painting. Other times the concept comes together while I’m working on it. This is going to be one of those times! I’ve been so inspired by the spring branches and baby blossoms, that I somehow want to incorporate that into my next backdrop, but I’m not exactly how it will all come together. This week I’ll be gathering branches and stocking up on the spray paint. If you want to see the progress, follow me on Twitter and Instagram (username: kristineldridge)!
Oh and in other news, I’ve been loving my new Wacom Bamboo Tablet. There is a bit of a learning curve (hello shaking handwriting) but it’s so much fun to incorporate into blog posts!
I have a slight obsession with leather. Not the new stuff. The oldest, crinkliest, softest leather that’s been aged by time and wear. Or at least a machine that will make me believe that.
These Frye boots are calling my name (okay maybe all Frye boots call my name). Again, with the leather. How do they make these boots look like they’ve been around since JFK, but they do. And this bag, I found on pinterest. Why can’t I stumble across it while thrifting?
I think this is a wallet. If it were mine, it would hold my business cards. I don’t know what it is based on the fact that the website is in chinese. 🙂 Another amazing leather bag by Anthropologie. And this room. I could read forever and a day all cozied up on that leather couch.
What’s even better than old leather? Leather with fabulous hardware. I’m in love with this watch that I found on pinterest and traced by to Convoy’s tumblr page, but can’t seem to find the source. Isn’t it the greatest? So, simple and perfect. Oh and these types of belts (like this one from Anthro) are perfect. They are the best friends of hippy girls like me. I have a few in this style and I love cinching in my oversized tops.
Is this even possible? Can Paula Deen really create a healthy recipe? One that’s not laden with butter and sugar??
I stumbled on this Food Network Recipe when I was looking for a hearty chili that used chicken instead of red meat. I’ve made it again and again with a few changes that make it even simpler, if that’s possible.
One of the things I like about this recipe is the use of dried beans instead of canned. Here’s a little article with the many reasons that dried beans are BETTER!
- 1 pound dried navy beans
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3/4 cup diced onion
- 1 1/2 cups chopped green chiles (about 2 cans)
- diced meat from one whole rotisserie chicken
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 to 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Rinse beans well, cover with cool water, and soak for 2 hours. Drain. Put the beans in large pot with the chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat. I make my own chicken stock by taking the meat off the bones and throwing the bones into a big pot of boiling water for about an hour. I strain the broth and it makes way more than 5 cups. I freeze the extra for future use. I buy my rotisserie chickens at Costco…they are bigger than the grocery store variety (like everything else) and the flavor is great.
In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and chiles and saute for 5 minutes. Add chile mixture to pot with beans. Add the chicken, cumin, oregano, pepper, white pepper, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1/2 hours.
I like to serve this meal with sour cream, shredded cheese and a little cilantro. We also love it with tortilla chips, but they’re not pictured.
Late afternoon light, baby boys showing their muscles, converse and long grass…these are a few of my favorite things.
