Coming Home

November 30, 2008
Day 30



We drove home tonight from Knoxville. The traffic on I-40 was horrendous - even without adding in the rain/hail. We decided to take an alternate route. This is the view from when we got off the interstate.

Voila! I am done for this year. You wouldn't think taking one photo a day would be all that hard, but sometimes inspiration doesn't come as easily as others. I am really in awe of the people out there that can do this for a whole year!

Obviously he hates dogs.

November 29, 2008
Day 29



Eric with Bailey.

He hates dogs.
He still hates dogs.

Punkin

November 28, 2008
Day 28



We went Knoxville on Friday afternoon (after I had gotten up to go shopping waaay early). Eric's dad is back in the hospital after having some really bad shoulder pain. We spent a lot of our time Friday evening there, and Eric actually spent the night. They are pretty sure they know why he was having the pain, and are taking steps to aleivate it. This was one of the Thanksgiving decorations in the Radiology waiting room.

Tarte Normande à la Crème

November 27, 2008
Day 27



Tarte Normande à la Crème
(Normandy Apple and Cream Tart)

1 10 1/2-inch Pastry, unbaked
4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into large (approximately 1-inch) cubes *I sliced mine instead. I don't think it made any difference*
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and kept warm
2/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2/3 cup heavy creme
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss the apples with the melted butter until they are well coated, then set aside.
Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar and the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Beat the sugar and eggs together until they are creamy and pale yellow.
Add the cream and the vanilla extract and heat until the ingredients are well blended.
Spread the apples evenly over the bottom of the tart shell.
Pour in the cream mixture so that the apples are evenly covered and the cream fills the tart to just below the rim of the shell.
Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top of the tart. *I also added some cinnamon on the top*
Set the tart on a baking sheet, and bake in the center of the oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until the batter is set, the apples are browned, and the crust is deep golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack.
Remove the side of the pan from the tart, and serve lukewarm or at room temperature.
Serves 6 to 8

I hope everyone had a marvelous Thanksgiving!!

Frosty Morning

November 26, 2008
Day 26



There was really pretty frost on the ground this morning.

My Evenings

November 25, 2008
Day 25



This is what my evenings have looked like lately.

Scottie Hat

November 24, 2008
Day 24



Here is another entry for the I Love That, Please Send group on flickr. I received a faux scottie hat and kilt in the mail the other day, and took a few photos with the hat last night.

Cupcake - FAIL

November 23, 2008
Day 23



So I tried to make some Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes with Apple Butter Frosting today. They were a big, fat FAIL! I don't know what went wrong. The cupcakes were oily or something, and don't taste very good. The frosting is yummy, but I made a HUGE mess trying to make it. Apparently I don't know how to sift powdered sugar without getting it everywhere.

This was made from some leftover batter. I put it in a corning ware ramekin and made a big cupcake with it.

**Edit - So I ate another cupcake this afternoon, and they wern't that bad after all. Not as cupcake-y as I would have liked, but not as bad as they were last night before cooling.**

Sunrise

November 22, 2008
Day 22



Today was the first time I have seen 6:00am in a long time.

Suitcase

November 21, 2008
Day 21



You cannot leave a suitcase sitting open in my house. Someone will quickly decide it is a great place for a nap.

Beads

November 20, 2008
Day 20



An updated version of last year's Day 19. I like this one better.

Eyes

November 19, 2008
Day 19

All you need is...

November 18, 2008
Day 18

Stella

November 17, 2008
Day 17



I was feeling sick last night and was only able to take maybe 4 photos. All of Stella, and all blurry. I tried to salvage this one with textures, but I'm afraid it's not that good. Unfortunately, it's all I've got.

Krispy Kreme

November 16, 2008
Day 16



I. Love. Donuts.

Elvis

November 15, 2008
Day 15



Last week my aunt and uncle got a new beagle puppy! Meet Elvis. He is just adorable!

Candlelight

November 14, 2008
Day 14



The idea for this photo comes from a friend on flickr. Mike B shot this photo for his 365 project. I really liked it and decided I would steal his idea do a tribute photo.

Lace

November 13, 2008
Day 13

Aphrodite

November 12, 2008
Day 12

Night

November 11, 2008
Day 11



I passed by the guest room tonight and thought this looked pretty.

Magnetic Poetry

November 10, 2008
Day 10



winter garden
bare and frantic
go there after storming
& sing beauty

~Niki Cardwell

La Loma

November 9, 2008
Day 9



I love Mexican food. And this is my most favorite Mexican restaurant. There is nothing better than a margarita in one hand and a tortilla chip loaded with salsa in the other hand. mmm...

Red Autumn

November 8, 2008
Day 8



Autumn is my favorite time of year, and this vibrant red is my favorite color the leaves turn. I look forward to this time every year and always think that it doesn't last nearly long enough.

Boba Fett

November 7, 2008
Day 7



There is a group on flickr called I Love That, Please Send. For this group, people offer up things (hats, toys, wigs, etc) to mail to other flickr members. It's a way to liven up your photos without having to buy new props all the time. When I saw that someone had a Boba Fett action figure up for sending, I had to add my name to the list. He arrived on Thursday, and I took him to work with me on Friday and got this shot. Click here to see the shot I took of him when he got to the house on Thursday.

Athena

November 6, 2008
Day 6



Pretty kitty.

Diamond

November 5, 2008
Day 5



Five years ago today, Eric popped the question. I am happy he did. :)

Did you?

November 4, 2008
Day 4



They didn't give me a sticker, so I used a sharpie.

J.D. Robb

November 3, 2008
Day 3



J.D. Robb writes these fantastic futuristic romantic suspense books. This is my most favorite series of books ever. The series has 33 titles (so far), which includes 5 novellas. I don't have all of them, but I always pick them up when I get the chance.

Beau in Black&White

November 2, 2008
Day 2



The woods behind my work were cleared out a couple of weeks ago and there is a sign for free firewood for whoever wants to come and get it. Eric and I went by there today with the dogs to cut some up for a friend. Here is Beau climbing on one of the fallen trees as we walked around waiting for Eric to finish up.

Kitchen Sink Jambalaya

Today is November 1, 2008.

Last year, my good friend Ruth participated in a little thing called NaNoWriMo. I decided to show my support by taking one photo a day for the month of November. Sure, it's no novel, but I am a photographer, not a writer. I successfully completed my project last year. This year, I have decided to play again! I have been tossing around ideas on making my project themed in some way. But in the end, I think I am just going to stick with what I did last year. Just a photo-a-day for an entire month. Please expect to see lots of animals, some nature, my face (and possible Eric's - if I can get him to cooperate), as well as several recipes.

Day 1



Kitchen Sink Jambalaya

Recipe as follows (I don't measure, so everything is just estimated):

One package turkey sausage, sliced then quartered
Half an onion, chopped
A handful or so of baby carrots, chopped
One can diced tomatoes
Half a can corn, drained
One can Pinto beans, drained
One box of Zatarain's Jambalaya Mix
3 Cups of water
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and herb grilling spices

1. Saute the sausage then move to a separate bowl
2. Saute the carrot then move them with the sausage
3. Saute the onion in a little oil with some red pepper flakes
4. Add water and Zatarain's Mix, bring to a boil
5. Add sausage and carrots, as well as the tomatoes, corn, and beans
6. Throw in some herb grilling spices, garlic powder, salt and pepper
7. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes
8. Voila!

Aside from the sausage and onion, I put pretty much anything in this. This particular recipe goes with the photo above, and is just what I had on hand tonight. Sometimes I will add celery, or just a bag of frozen vegetables. Use whatever you have. it's yummy no matter what you throw in!