toms = one for one

When I find businesses like this it makes me want to tell everyone I know about them.

atlas hands

filmography 2010

I love montages and this one. is. awesome.

the mountain

Looking at the video I was convinced that the sky and clouds weren't real but added post-production.  After reading this bit, I think I may have been wrong.  I'd love to know how this was done..  equiptment, post-production, etc.  Pretty incredible.  The clouds at 00:44 are my favorite.

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

The music is gorgeous too.  I just found a new Pandora station  :)

critters

One of our biggest amusements was feeding the crabs and laughing gulls from our deck.

Normally, the crabs aren't out much during the day, and if they are out, they stay close to their hole.  This guy, I nearly stepped on.  It was the first one I saw and he scared the life out of me.

Jordan and I first fed the gulls after Rose went to bed one night.  We saw one single gull, threw a piece of bread out to one and in a matter of seconds they were swarming.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  There were SO many, it was quite the spectacle.  People on the beach were stopping to take pictures.  We got a kick out of the gulls catching the bread in mid-air as they circled round and round.

Then we lured them to the hot tub just a few feet from us

Here's Rose feeding them the next day.  She saved her favorite part the "bread crust" (aka the heel) for herself...  nom, nom, nom...

and just for laughs, here's Rose's matter of fact face.  :)

boo boo nation

Count 'em ...  that's 6 bandaids, down from 8.

Yesterday Rose had her 4 year old check up and immunizations, which is where she got the pink band-aids.  Then today she took a tumble in the driveway.  Not a happy camper but Kipper always cheers her up.

windy nation

While we were in the OBX, we went to the Wright Bro museum in Kill Devil Hills, NC.  We nearly got swept away.  I can see why they picked that spot for their adventures.

behind the camera

I love being behind the camera but sometimes I wonder if Rose will look back at the pictures from her childhood and know I was there too.  I keep trying to convince Jordan to learn how to shoot.  No such luck so far.

For how heavy this sucker is, it sure looks small in this picture.

greek yogurt

I discovered Greek yogurt in 2006 through the book, French Women Don't Get Fat, where in she touted off about the many health benefits.  With one taste I was hooked on the creamy goodness.  The thick, creaminess of Greek yogurt makes me feel fuller than American yogurt.  I enjoy the plain with just a touch of honey and fresh berries, sprinkled with wheat germ.

Originally I was buying Oikos but switched to Dannon because it's cheaper.  I have to say I enjoy the flavor of Oikos and the other more expensive brands more than Dannon.  Trying to stay as cost efficient and environmentally friendly as possible I decided to start making my own yogurt.

I recently ordered a yogurt machine (which will arrive by next week).  That got me thinking, should I make Greek yogurt instead of American?  Is it possible?  What is it that makes Greek yogurt better and American yogurt?  Yes, it has more active cultures and protein, but why?

After a little googling I found that the answer is oh so simple.  Greek and American yogurt are made with the same simple process.  The difference is that Greek yogurt is taken one step further.  After preparation, it is hung in muslin (or cheese cloth) for 2-ish hours to drain the whey (lactose), which makes is lower in sugar and carbs.

Having the whey removed makes Greek yogurt more concentrated which explains the creamy consistancy and also gives it more nutritional benefits per unit.  The concentration also means that it takes more milk to make Greek yogurt, which explains the extra cost.

The yogurt machine that I ordered makes the yogurt in individual glass containers.  After researching the Greek yogurt I think it would be better to make a large batch so that I can drain the whey.  I found this machine but it has a plastic bowl (which could be harmful by leaking toxins when heated) so I'm going to see if I can find one with glass bowl.  I'll let you know what I find.

If any of you have any experience making yogurt please share!

Happy Monday!  :)

ETA:  Success!  You can read about it here..   Cheers!

day 1 in OBX

pure heaven.

6:30a ::  rose wakes up from excitement, runs in asking to go out on the beach.  (luckily i was already awake enjoying the view.)  LETS GO!

sand in the toes.. taking it all in..

jockey's ridge.

it was wiiiindy.

 

jordan and i had a common goal..  to try all the seafood we could.  in the end we concluded that we don't like seafood.   but these fish tacos were good.  :)

mac 'n cheese.  the usual for rose.

late night driving

we were able to make it to the coast in one straight shot.  thank you jet lag.  another benefit of jordan's jet lag is that he's always in a talky mood in the middle of the night.  so i'll often wake up with him during these times so we can chat.  i love our chats.

we stopped off in Columbia, NC to check out the marshes.  rose was our guide and insisted she had to be in front so she could do her job.

the draw bridge over alligator river broke, so we did some exploring while we waited. (eventually we turned around and took a detour)

lady bug friend..