So, I love bread.  I think I have said that before on this blog.  Carbs are my friend.  I love carbs.

That said, I REALLY love crusty bread!  In fact, sometimes for dinner we will just have cut up fresh fruit, veggies or a salad, possibly some cheese,  and crusty bread with olive oil and basalmic vinegar or a cheese spread.  Its beautiful and filling and oh so healthy!  (As long as you dont overdo it on the bread or cheese.) 

BUT…(there is always a but)…a nice loaf of crusty bread can be pretty expensive, usually around $4 for a loaf.  AND…I love making my own bread…SO…

My friend told me about this beautiful idea called “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.” Maybe I am just behind the times and you all already know about it.  But seriously, its fantastic!  The recipe is simple (three or four ingredients), the technique couldn’t be easier (dump, stir, let sit - this bread is so easy your husband could make it!), and the end result tastes just like my favorite crusty bread from the store, only fresher and I control the ingredients.  Something about making this bread in particular is also very romantic.  (Not romantic like, kissy kissy - the other kind of romantic.)  Call me crazy!

Maybe one of these days when I am not in a rush to finish some homework I will post pictures and a step-by-step how to.  Until then, you can find the basic recipe here.

Bon Apetit!

Clint took this amazing picture of Ryan the other day when he was taking those close up shots outside.  I love shots like this that are spontaneous - both on Ryan’s part as well as the photographer’s - and yet so amazing!  Maybe its only amazing to me.  I mean, it is my adorable child staring out at me through the eyes of the man I am in love with.  Anyway…

Here is the original picture that Clint took.

I fell in love with the picture as soon as I saw it.  And I loved it so much that I had to mess with it!  Those eyes were SCREAMING at me to have some selective coloring done to them!  And I caved.  Here is my edit of Clint’s beautiful picture:

If I had a twitter account, I would tweet something like this right now:

Just finished a rousing polka with my son while listening to Handel’s Halleluiah Chorus.  It’s better than a cup of coffee to get you going.

(Technically I can’t really say that last part because I don’t drink coffee, but I would bet that it is!)

Here are some pictures we just shot of our nephews for their fourth and first birthdays respectively.  I was selfish and took the baby because I like shooting them the best.  They aren’t shy in front of the camera yet, and all you have to worry about is keeping up with the or getting them to look at the camera.  Older kids and adults are usually a lot harder, as most of them are awkward in front of the camera.  Its a skill I need to learn - how to make people relax and act natural while getting their pictures taken.  Clint did great with wiggly little Bradley - much better than I did with his sister a while back!

On another note, we are trying to come up with a name for our photography business.  We have gone through Orchard Apple Photography, Gardiner Photography, Whimsy Photos and a few others.  None of them are totally sticking though.  Anybody have any amazing suggestions?  We are looking for classy, professional, and a touch whimsical.  Your suggestions are welcome!

Okay, I have a WONDERFUL cleaning tip for you!  I think my MIL said she got it from the Queen of Clean, but I dont really remember.  You may already know it, but it is new to me, and I am IN LOVE with this cleaning tip!

Who loves toilet rings?  NOT ME!  And it doesnt matter it seems how often you scrub the toilet or what you use, eventually, over a year or so, you will develop a little ring that seems impossible to remove.  But don’t worry, with three simple little things, and a half an hour or so (most of which you are doing nothing), your toilets can look brand new!  (Do I sound like an infomercial?)

Okay, so, here we go.  Take a deep breath.  I am about to show you something VERY PERSONAL!

This is my toilet ring.  (GROSS!  I know!)

Notice how the water is sitting below the ring?  The first step is to flush your toilet and then turn off the water at the back before it starts rising again.  That way you can really get at the ring.  I have been told that this step isn’t totally necessary, but definitely helpful!

Then, you get your cleaning supplies together.

Borax, white vinegar, and drywall mesh.  I actually dont know the technical name for the mesh, but its what they use to patch drywall.  I got some from my MIL, but she got hers from Home Depot.  It scrubs really well, but wont scratch your porcelain.  This little patch of drywall mesh is a MUST.  I didn’t have it at first, so I just tried to do this without it and scrub with my normal scrub brush and IT DIDN’T WORK!  So get the mesh.  Its cheap, you dont need much, and its reusable.  That said…

The next step is to get a bowl and combine enough Borax and vinegar to make a paste.  There arent exact measurements here, just eyeball it.  Make a paste that will stick to your toilet and not just slide down the bowl and into the water.

Next, goop it on!  Fun stuff!  Now, let it sit for about half an hour.  After your half hour, take the mesh, and scrub, scrub away!  I thought that I would have to scrub the paste into it, but actually it works better if you just let the paste fall into the water at this point and scrub the ring with the mesh.  The paste has already broken down the ring enough that you just have to scrub it away with the mesh.

When you are done scrubbing it to a beautiful shine, turn your water back on and flush to get rid of the paste junk now in your toilet.  And then your toilets will look like this:

WHAT A DIFFERENCE!  I am still amazed!  Thanks, Jen, for the tip!  Clint will be thrilled when he sees! 

Does anyone else have a good cleaning tip out there?  Let me know and maybe I can do something like this on a regular basis.  (Oh the things I learned about vinegar this weekend at a workshop I attended!  That will have to be antoher post!)  Enjoy cleaning your toilets!

I didnt grow up with a lot of traditions. If anything our tradition was being non-traditional! This wasnt a bad thing necessarily, but not that I am grown and have my own family, its something that I feel strongly about doing. Having traditions is fun, makes memories, and, hopefully, will be something that binds our family together even more.
This Father’s Day I didn’t go all out, but we did do some nice things, like Dad’s choice breakfast - Whole Wheat, Oatmeal, Banana Pancakes.

And special cookies for Dad AND the Granddad’s.

And of course, the one picture I didn’t get was of Clint and Ryan together!  Go figure!  I love you honey and hope your day was as beautiful as you are.

As mentioned in previous posts, while in Utah we went hiking with our friends up to a place called Doughnut Falls. It was a pretty easy hike and was really beautiful. Here’s a pic I took when we reached the falls. You can kind of tell where the falls are (psst…I’ll give you a hint…look in the lower middle).

Depending on your monitor size, it may be hard to see the full image when you click on the thumbnail below. Click here to view the image without the light box.