You've probably been there too
We’ve added some new sounds to our home lately.
The sounds of a violin from Emeline.
And a bursting vocabulary from Tess. I hear new words every day.
“It’s hot!” When I give her food to eat.
Brother and sister’s names, and finally Mama!
She’s a little parrot now. Repeating what she hears. And it’s so darn cute.
A dear friend sent me a surprise gift in the mail last week.
It was a necklace. Do you know how hard it is to take a picture of yourself wearing a necklace. Here’s what it looks like up close.
It says, “I shoot people” and has a picture of a camera on it. It reminds me of all the signage at my dad’s house. Like this one:
The necklace kind of has that sarcastic edge that suits me well. Ruthanne knows me pretty well.
Take a look back up at that first picture and let me tell you a story. A few weeks ago my Canon Rebel started giving me the error 99 message. I took it in and they told me it would have to be sent off to Canon to be repaired (at no cost to me, I had a warranty) and it would take 6 to 8 weeks.
I came home and decided I needed a second camera. 6 to 8 weeks was far too long to be without a camera.
I mulled over what I wanted to do and looked at all the Canon cameras out there. I finally decided on the 40d. I got a used one off Ebay with three batteries and a grip and was able to pay with it from money I made “shooting people.”
I’m having a lot of fun getting to know my new camera. It did not come with a user’s manual. I always read the manual, cover to cover, whenever I get any new gadget. I like to know what all it can do. So, this is frustrating for me. I spent about an hour after I got the camera in the mail just looking at it confused. Though it works a lot like the Rebel, for me, reading always comes before using.
Yesterday evening, I finally picked it up and started practicing. I still feel like I’m missing a huge piece of the camera. I will probably have to find a manual online and order one. I need it in my hands.
Here are some of my practice shots.
And you know there will be more to come.
It’s not often I post a recipe. #1 I don’t like to cook (although I do, every single day because we live miles and miles from fast food) and #2 I don’t feel like what I cook is very original. However, this is one of our favorite meals and I happened to have documented it as I was cooking last night, so here you go.
I start by dumping my can of Rotel into the food processor because I don’t like my tomatoes chunky. Vegetables are best when they are undetectable.
Next add 2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup. If I’m feeling low on my vegetable intake I might add 1 can of Cream of Mushroom and 1 can of Cream of Chicken instead.
Add some crushed tortilla chips and some cooked chicken. I had baked 4 small chicken breasts in butter which I used.
Mix all this up and pour into a casserole dish. Cover with shredded cheese and bake.
It’s ready when the cheese is melted and bubbly. You can make this your whole meal or add some beans if you feel like the all the chips are overwhelming the vegetables. It’s entirely up to you. I completely trust your ability to choose food for your family (unlike the government).
