A *teeny* bit obessed : Pumpkin Recipes : Tuesday Tip

Ah, fall . . . . the time of year when I stop getting crazy looks for buying and/or making pumpkin goodies.  Because, now, I'm not the only one.  Not the only one standing in the produce section or the baking aisle lost in thought about the endless possibilities.  Okay, maybe I am the only one who does *that.*

Ode to a Pumpkin
Pumpkin, pumpkin, shining bright,
I'll see you in my dreams tonight.
Waiting for me, standing tall,
To cut and cook you, skin and all.
Flesh prepared and seeds basted,
Nary a part will be wasted.
Cookies, dips and pancakes - yes!
But it's your muffins I like best.
Pumpkin, pumpkin, shining bright,
I'll see you in my dreams tonight.

Hee hee!  I crack myself up sometimes.  So, yeah, I'm a little obsessed.  To share my obsession and make me feel a little less like a freak show, here are some of my favorite pumpkin recipes!

 The two best Pumpkin Muffin recipes on the planet (yes, I've tried them all...or it seems like I have). Also great for bread. 

Pumpkin Pie Dip : This is amazing with gingersnaps and/or Granny Smith slices

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Nothing else needs to be said.

A different take on pumpkin seeds: Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Not a recipe, but a mix: Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pancake Mix

My friend Elizabeth has a delicious Pumpkin Tea Bread recipe.  Let me know if you're interested, and I'll ask her if it's okay to share.  It might be a prized secret recipe!

I have lots more favorites!  Email or comment if you want more!

Here's a new one I can't wait to try: Pumpkin Cheese Ball

You know what's odd (well, other than writing an ode to a pumpkin)?  I don't care for traditional pumpkin pie.  It's too thick.  Love a whipped version, though.  Hmmm.  Go figure.

Happy Fall!

Remembering : Personal

We're all reflecting...all remembering.

Remembering the nearly 3000 people lost, whether we knew them or not.

Remembering those who, against the human instinct of self-preservation,
went into, not out of the towers.

Remembering the Pentagon and Flight 93..."Let's roll."  I still get chills every time I think about it.   Remembering where we were, what we were doing, who we were with on September 11, 2001.

I was home with a 7 week old baby and a 17 month old toddler, still adjusting to our little family's new normal.  My husband called from his office uptown and said, "You'd better turn on the tv.  A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center."  Like everyone else, I was transfixed by what I saw.  Disbelief and horror set in as the second plane struck and the rest of the tragedy unfolded.
It became clear that this was not a horrible accident.

I wanted my husband home with me right THEN.  Second only to NYC in the banking industry, uptown Charlotte was on the quickly made perceived threat of attack list, and he.was.there.

I felt real fear for the first time that day.  And as scared as I was, I felt even worse for having loved ones to be afraid for.  My family was alive.

Giving blood, the one thing so many people did because it was all we could do, was off the table since I had a transfusion when Sam was born.  So, I held my family close, talked to family I couldn't get to and prayed.  It was natural to pray for the victims, but, each night, I made myself pray for everyone lost that day.  Everyone.  For the families of all lives lost that day.  All of them.
If hate could cause something like this, how could I not?  

Back to School :: Personal :: Mooresville Photographer

It's that time of year! My boys humored me with a little record of the day!
Our neighbor's cat even got in on it!

Hope everyone is enjoying school so far!

8th Birthday Giveaway on 8/8!

What better way to celebrate than with a giveaway!   This one is big.  BIG, I tell you!

(This image of the Fiori di Como by Dale Chihuly has nothing to do with this giveaway,
but it always makes me think of a birthday party!)

So here it is, the chance to win a session and one of my gorgeous 6x12 albums all for yourself!  You will fall in love with these albums.  Proof?  When I get them, I have to deliver them right away or I will keep them.  The next one I get is mine for a while so that I can take some pictures, though!
I promise to give it to its rightful owner!

How do you enter?

Entry #1

Leave a comment on this post to say hello.  Easy peasy!

Entry #2

Make the following your facebook status and then leave a separate comment on this post that you did.  Don't forget the @ in front of Candy Howard Photography.
@Candy Howard Photography is having a birthday giveaway at blog.candyhoward.com!

Entry #3

Tweet the following and then leave a separate comment on this post that you did.  Don't forget the @ in front of Candy Howard Photography.
@Candy Howard Photography is having a birthday giveaway at blog.candyhoward.com!

Bonus Entry!

Like my facebook page and say hello, leave me some love or tell me how your day was :) and then leave a separate comment on this post that you did.  If you already like my page (thank you!), you still get a bonus entry if you leave the comment!

Do one; do all; it's up to you!

Winner will be announced on Thursday, August 11th
and will be drawn by a random number generator.  

The fine print:

Entries will be verified.

Winner's session must take place by August 12, 2012 and within 25 miles of zip code 28117.

Winner receives a 1 hour portrait session for up to 5 immediate family members
and a 6x12 20 page album. 

This contest is not endorsed by Facebook, and liking my page is not necessary to win.  

Mooresville Children's Photographer : So over it

My children are just done being photographer's kids. I think I ruined them when they were little. We went out yesterday, under the guise of needing to test new equipment (don't judge), and they wanted to be anywhere but there.

I'm blaming it on the heat.

I finally let them just be. Those usually end up being my favorites.

Tuesday Tip : Watermelon Granita

When I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman, I knew I had to try it.

(1) I love watermelon.  I mean, I reeeaaalllly love watermelon.

(2) Like Ree said, it is just insanely hot.

So, I followed the easy steps, and oh my, it is perfection.  It tastes, well, it tastes like watermelon (see number 1), and it cools like nobody's business.  I've made this twice in 6 days, and when it's gone, I'll make it again.

Do yourself a favor, and make it today. 

I cut the sugar to 1/4 cup the second time I made it, and I'm going to cut it again the next time.  It's a really small amount, so it's not a big deal, but if it tastes as great without it, then I'll leave it out.

I also put some in a soda glass and added Fresca.  It's a Watermelon Fizz!  

If one so desired, one might add additional liquids to this delicious concoction.

Mooresville Couples Photographer : A treat for me!

Woohoo!!  My sister and co. are here for a visit!
Look at these two!  Not only are they beautiful, but they are so fun, too!
I could do this all day! 

Come back soon!!!

Mooresville Children's Photographer : Mine

Ahhhhh....summer.

Best. Spring Break. Ever.

My family and I went to Washington, DC for Spring Break, and it was fantastic!  I've had lots of people say they are going soon and ask what we'd recommend.  So, we here we go!

We stayed in Arlington (specifically Crystal City) and took the Metro into DC.  The quick walk to the Metro from our hotel was shorter than the walk, cab ride or Metro ride to a hotel in DC from any place we went.  Bonus #1:  The boys loved the Metro.  Bonus #2: I loved The Crystal City Shops.  Not so much for the shopping, but for all the restaurants!  It was great after a long (but fun!) day to have a nice little ride on the Metro to relax and then just be able to walk into a restaurant without the wait that I'm sure we would have had at restaurants closer to the city.  That said, there were a few DC eateries that I wanted to try.  Several friends recommended Ben's Chili Bowl and Oyamel, and I think lunch at the Market would be fun.  You go, and tell me about them!

On the advice of a friend, we went to the Mall at night.  Makes sense when you think about it and I would like to think it would have eventually occurred to us, but it wasn't on the agenda until she said it.  It needs to be on your agenda!  It is really spectacular to see everything all lit up.  We did this on our first night after we arrived that afternoon in Arlington, so it was the first time we saw the Mall.  It really was a beautiful start to our trip.  I thought seeing the lights on the Washington Monument was my favorite until I saw the Lincoln Memorial.  Every word I start to type doesn't do it justice.

On our first full day, we went to the Museum of Natural History.  We started off in the Castle with a video tour by Ben Stiller.  Not necessary, but it was fun, fast and runs on a feed so there's no waiting.  Cause I know you want to jump on over to the Museum of Natural History and get started!  No real standouts, but that's just because it was all great.   Just see everything.

The two (yes, two!) Air and Space Museums are not to be missed.  The first is The National Air and Space Museum on the Mall.  Wouldn't you know, they have so much eye candy that they ran out of room and opened the Udvar-Hazy Center near the Dulles Airport.  Go to both if you can.  We know you'll already be at the Mall, so that one's easy, but the new center is so worth the short drive.  How do you choose between the original Wright Flyer (mall) and the Space Shuttle Enterprise (Dulles)?  Or between the Spirit of St. Louis (mall) and the Enola Gay (Dulles)?  Or (last one) between the Apollo 11 Command Module (mall) or a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (Dulles)?  If you wanted to be an astronaut when you were little like me or if you've ever flown or if you ever made a paper airplane or ever seen a plane, both museums are on the must see list.

My husband and children went to The International Spy Museum while my mother, father, brother-in-law and I went to the National Portrait Gallery across the street.  All I know about the Spy Museum is that it was awesome and my children were given the code names Colin and Billy.  I must not be given any other information for my own safety.  The National Portrait Gallery was just amazing.  If you go for nothing other than the American Presidents Exhibit, then it will be worth it.  The rest of the museum is just as fantastic, though, so plan to spend some time there.  The White House is close, so we walked to it from the Metro and then headed to the museums.  It was great to see the city up close.  Bonus: We came across this great courtyard that was a marble map of the city, complete with the building footprints of the White House and Capital!  Kudos to Ashton for pointing it out! 

Since this is getting long, here is a list of other recommendations:

National Museum of American History : I won't bore you with details.  Everything we saw was great, and there was still so much more that we didn't see!

National Museum of the American Indian : although we didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked

Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden  : there are two Rodins, as well as several other beautiful works.  We did not go into the museum, just the garden. 

War Memorials:

World War II

Vietman Veterans

Korean War Veterans

Presidential Memorials:

Washington

Thomas Jefferson

And my two favorites: Lincoln and FDR.  If you see nothing else while in DC, see these two memorials.

We're all familiar with the Lincoln Memorial.  If you've held a penny or a $5 bill, you've seen it.  That makes it no less amazing to see it in person.  It is really beautiful and even when surrounded by throngs of people, very serene.

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, however, I had not seen.  Our 32rd president is my favorite, so I was beyond excited about going there.  There are four uncovered outdoor rooms, each representing a term of his presidency.  There are varying degrees of water movement, sculptures, engraved quotes and stonework, each laced with symbolism.  A statue of Eleanor Roosevelt is here, and this is the only presidential memorial to include a first lady.  Side note: No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a wonderful read, and one of the best I've read on these two amazing people.

Things we didn't see/do, but wanted to:

National Building Musuem : some members of our party chose the spy museum instead of the Lego Architecture Exhibit

Old Post Office Tower : wonderful views of the city, closed at 4:45, not at 8 like we were told. 

Reflecting Pool : under construction until Spring 2012

Arlington Cemetery :  We just ran out of time.  We saw it from the interstate, though!

Pentagon : closed indefinitely.  We saw it from the interstate, too, and it is massive.

Things we skipped:

Going inside the Washington Monument : tickets either had a fee for ordering in advance online or a long line early in the morning.  We'll do it next time.

Tours of the White House and Capital :We didn't even schedule after looking at everything we wanted to do while we were planning.  Next time for those, too.

National Zoo : As great as it probably is, we have the best zoo I have ever been to, The North Carolina Zoo (over 500 acres of natural habitats!), close to us, so we passed.

Washington National Cathedral : no one mentioned wanting to see this, so I didn't even add it the queue.  It will be next time treat.

It was an amazing trip, and I can't wait to go back!  Neither can my boys.  They started asking on the way home if we could go again for next year's Spring Break!

As a reminder, all images and site content are copyrighted.  Please don't steal. It's not nice.

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day!  My boys worked hard on a surprise all morning, and I was instructed to go in my room for them to set it up.  When it was time to come out, I was greeted with homemade confetti (complete with fan!), a banner, flowers, cards and peppermint patties!  We played cards and then Knockout in the gorgeous sun.  Dinner on the porch rounded out a fantastic day!  

And here is why I get to celebrate Mother's Day:

Mooresville Photographer : Ready for Summer

No words needed...

Spotted :: Yankee Candle Website

I am loving seeing baby LR on the Yankee Candle website! You can find her on the Candle Expressions page.

Get yours today!   Love Yankee Candle!

I Heart Faces : Red!

My boys love legos. Who am I kidding...I love legos as much as they do. I made this lego heart for another submission, and while I was working on it, my eldest wanted to be in the shot (which never happens). I was still at 1.4, but there's a face (sort of)!  Just what I was missing for I heart Faces this week!

Head over to I Heart Faces to see more red!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

These minis have legs!  One of the Very Vintage Valentine images was shown on Inspire Me Baby's Best of Valentine's Day Sessions 2011!  From their site:

Inspire Me Baby’s Best of Valentine’s Day Sessions 2011!!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!



www.candyhoward.com
This image is from this year’s Valentine minis! It was a fun session from set up to processing, and this is one of my favs!


There was sooo much cuteness in the selections!  Loved looking through them!

Valentine Minis Featured!

Have I mentioned that I love this session? It was so fun to see it featured on Inspire Me Baby, a site for baby and child photographers.  From their site:

Inspiration of the Week: Valentine’s Day Inspired

We’re leaving you this week with a Valentine’s Day styled session. If anyone has any Valentine’s day themed sessions this weekend, this session by Candy Howard Photography might inspire you!

Stay tuned next week for Inspire Me Baby’s readers’ best of Valentine’s Day photographs!



From Candy Howard Photography: Styled sessions are one of my favorite things to shoot, and I loved the idea of doing one for this year’s Valentine minis.  A vintage theme just seemed to fit in with Valentine’s Day perfectly!  I had some of the props already (the quilts, the soda shop chair and the penny candy jar) and made some others.  A friend told me about this t-shirt pom poms tutorial (http://diaryofacraftaholic.blogspot.com/2011/01/valentines-day-door-decor.html), and I made the bunting from shirts and baker’s twine.  The children were sooooo cute and had fun with the props.  Everything came together the way I had hoped, and I just love the way it turned out!

// By Candy Howard Photography // Follow on Facebook //

How fun!!  See the whole feature on the Inspire Me Baby site here.

Note to photographers: Don't forget about your kids, family, pets, anyone who makes you smile!

I am a paper planner kind of gal.  I just am.  Don't try to convert me.  This year, I decided to make my own planner and add just what I need and some images, too.  Well, it was so much fun!  I found some gems that I had forgotten about.  I will usually take what I need from a session with my boys and then move on.  For this project, though, I needed 54 images.  Doesn't sound like much when my kids are 10 and 9, right?  I searched all our files and even went all the way back to my film days filing through scans and negatives looking for just the right images.  What I found was the dirt on my eldest's face after a day outside.  The smile on my youngest during a his first time on a tire swing.  For whatever reason, I had passed these by.  Others are forgotten favorites that now live on my computer.  I am ashamed to say that only one of the these images is in my house.  Not for long.  I am going to practice what I preach with these forgotten treats.  I tell clients who purchase files to use them, don't just leave them in their case.  So, photographers, it's not enough to make time to shoot your own loved ones.  You need to enjoy those images, too.  Make them come to life.  I am looking at no less than a few canvases and that sand-heart-shadow-deal is going to be a big print with a metallic palette knife texture

(a-ma-zing!).  And a book.  Definitely a book.

And my planner?  Is awesome.  Pen and all.  Howard out.

A Very Vintage Valentine!

Love, love, love these minis! Thank you so much!

Get ready...there are lots!