Friday Things
1. Christmas Eve morningโฆ Einstein and Duke were on their best behavior; I told them that Santa was watching :)
2. A few snapshots from our Christmas Eve this week; we had such a wonderful time celebrating our first married Christmas!
3.ย I never take nearly enough photos at holidays; I always have my camera ready, but totally forget about it once we start the festivities! It happened on Thanksgiving, and again at Christmas. Any tips for getting some good candid photos without having a camera up to your face all night?
4. Itโs become tradition on Christmas Eve to eat dinner, clear the table, then make white chocolate steamers to sip while we sit around the living room and exchange gifts. It gives us a chance to digest before diving into dessert, and oh my gosh, these drinks are so good!
If you havenโt tried this yet, you need to come up with whatever excuse is necessary to make it immediately. SO.GOOD.
5. Last week, I tried chocolate-covered bacon for the very first time. I was completely unimpressed. I love bacon and I love chocolate, but the two together didnโt really add much to either flavor. Have you tried it? What did you think?
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6. My Chief Culinary Consultant saw this on Facebook awhile agoโฆ so, so incredibly true!
7. I donโt know how I forgot to talk about the Homeland finale last week. I wonโt spoil it for those of you who havenโt caught up yet, but OH.MY.GOD. Iโm still stunned. Iโm also infuriated that I have to wait 9 months for it to start again!
8. About six weeks ago, my 80-year-old grandma began texting. I was stunned when I left message for my grandparents one afternoon and that evening, my phone lit up and it said I had a text from my grandmother. She has had a cell phone for awhile, but only ever used it when away from home and absolutely necessary. I thought for sure when I opened the text that it would be a bunch of jumbled letters due to her hitting some wrong buttons. Nope! It was a real message, responding to the voicemail I had left on their answering machine! She has since texted me a handful of times, and has even sent me pictures. Iโm so proud!
9. With New Yearโs just around the corner, have you made any resolutions for 2014? I havenโt sat down and made a list, but one of my biggest priorities for next year is making homemade versions of store-bought โstaplesโ โ ketchup, mustard, body cream, lip balm, etc. Iโm excited to try some new things!
10. TGIF! Hereโs to a year of healthy, well-behaved pups :)
I love that your Gram signs her texts as if she were sending you a card or letter. My dad does the same thing with both texts and facebook comments =)
Hereโs a link to some fun and helpful Christmas photography tips: Iโve learned a lot from this site. By the wayโmy kids and I have enjoyed watching Duke โgrow upโ in his pictures every week! Happy New Year!
Love โFriday Thingsโ, itโs always nice to get to know a blogger on a more personal level. Why donโt you ever put a picture of you and your husband though?
Have you ever shared a pic of your CCC??
As far as pictures goโฆI donโt know what kind of camera you have, but if it allows, use the interval timer on the camera to capture days like Christmas. Right before, set up the camera on a tripod, switch to manual (if you donโt use it already), and switch to manual focus. This requires a lovable model to sit for you so you can focus on the area youโll be capturing pics from. :) (Oh, and make sure your aperture is small enough that youโre guaranteed an in focus picture. Focus on the person (or puppy :)) and take a couple trial pics to make sure youโre good to go. Then, when you want to go join the festivities set it to the interval you choose (i.e. 30 seconds) for the amount of time you want it to take pictures (i.e. 30 min) and youโll have in focus pics of your holiday!! :D I personally donโt have this feature on my camera (upgrading this year :)), so I havenโt actually tried it. However, Iโve seen the results of others using this featureโฆand itโs fantastic! Also, I know that at least Canon makes a remote or trigger that can be hooked up to cameras like mine, so even if the camera doesnโt have the capability, you can still purchase a trigger and get your pictures. Hope this helps, and Merry late Christmas! Your furry children are adorable! :D
This is an awesome idea, I never thought of it, thank you! My camera can do the intervals, and I have a remote as well.
Hubby and I are on low sodium diets, and I need to learn to make homemade condiments as well. Hubby says the โno salt addedโ ketchup tastes too sweet.
Looking forward to all your exciting 2014 recipes!! Well itโs your fault I got hubby a Golden for Christmas. I have been showing him pics of your babies and he was on the fence about getting a third one so I pushed him off the fence. Murphy is a great addition to our home although I am not sure Sammy and Chelsea share the sentiment. Have a Happy New Year and love your blog!
I am not sure this would work 100% for you..but at the holidays when a lot of family is getting togetherโฆI go to Walmart or Target, and purchase a large pack of the disposable camerasโฆlay them all around the house so anyone, can pick one up..take a few shots..and whenever you have time..take the cameras to be developedโฆyou will be amazedโฆat what you get to seeโฆor did NOT see! Have done this at weddings also!
I love that your Gram used text! I felt that same pride when I got my first e-mail from my Grandma! Once she started, she couldnโt stop :) I was also disappointed in the Chocolate Baconโฆand I tried Bacon Popcorn-PASS!
Love your pups, mine behaves very wellโฆespecially if a possible treat is involved..haha! Love your blogโฆHappy New Year!
Omg. 2 things. You take THE BEST pictures of the dogs! And I canโt take it that your grandmother texted you. So awesome! Happy and healthy 2014!!!
Thanks Elisa! Although, I canโt take all of the credit, both of the pictures of the dogs in todayโs post were taken by my husband :)
I have no words for Homeland. Completely agree with the whole nine months. I donโt know how I will be able to wait. I am the most inpatient person.
Everyone knows booths are superior in every way! Hope Einstein and Duke had a merry christmas!
Who would ever choose a table over a booth?? Haha! I canโt wait to make my resolutions :)
Chocolate covered bacon is awesome! The key is to use thick cut bacon (super crispy) & high end chocolate. Yummy! Although not a food staple, I discovered homemade sugar scrubs this year. Much cheaper than the ones you buy in the store & super easy to make.
Try Vosges Moโs Milk chocolate bacon bar. It will change your mind and inspire you to find ways to incorporate chocolate and bacon into other recipes (bacon choc chip cookies?). Straight bacon dipped in chocolate though? Meh! Gorgeous pups btw! Happy Holidays!
Ha! That will be the day when my grandma starts texting and she is only 70 something. She has a hard enough time using her cell phone period. And donโt even try to explain the internet to her. I showed her my blog one day but I donโt think she understood.
Chocolate covered baconโฆ did not do it for me. Glad to hear Iโm not the only one that felt it was a waste of good chocolate and yummy bacon. On to the next flavor sensation, I guess.
I agree that Duke and Einstein are just too cute!
Your grandma is proof that you are never too old to learn things:) Sounds like you had a great holiday โฆ..I too forget to take pictures all of the timeโฆ.sigh
Homemade ketchup has been a flop here, but Iโm excited to see if you fine a recipe that works! Iโd suggests whipping up some shae butter lotions, they are super easy and great on your skin.
That is the most precious photo of the side view of the pups! Enjoy and have a happy new year!!!
First, those dogs are the cutest things ever! Second, I would love to try the White Chocolate Steamers but not quite the right time of year as I live in Oz. I did try the link for the white chocolate and found I could order it through Amazon but not sure about the special vodka, maybe just the regular stuff would be OK? Re: HomelandโฆI am not believing the ending, thatโs all Iโm going to say and I hope we donโt have to wait 9 months for the next seasonโฆlove that show. Canโt wait for Revenge to return also. It is so good now that we get those shows fast-tracked from the US to Oz! Hmmmโฆchocolate covered bacon??? Seriously? I am Canadian and love my pancakes with bacon and maple syrup just like anyone else with taste buds but that is going too far. Resolutions? lose weight of course but how when I love food so much?!?!? Iโm so glad I found your blog when looking for a new recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce. Happy New Year!
The final picture of the puppies is too cuteโฆ.Whatever you are doing to capture their undivided attentionโฆjust love it!!
Duke and Einstein are so cute! I lost my Einstein at Halloween due to throat cancer. I miss him so much. Give your babies a hug from me!
Iโm thinking about making a separate New Yearโs resolutions list just for the kitchen. Nr.1 would be to start using my cast iron pan (heavy and afraid to ruin it).
I tried making lingonberry ketchup this year and itโs kept amazingly.
Love that your Grandma is texting. Awesome!
I love making condiments. From mustard to peanut sauce to balsamic reduction, homemade is always best. And I am a huge condiment fan, as in I need double or triple of whatever amount most people may use, so for me, itโs a big money saver, too :) Canโt wait to see what you make!
Ketchup? What kind of Pittsburgh girl snubs Heinz for homemade? ;-)