Silly Sunday Blog Hop 8/14/11

It's Sunday and it's time to link up in the Silly Sunday Hop again.

The rules are simple, you must follow your hosts My Very Own Mommy Blog and A Little Inspiration as well as this weeks guest host via GFC.

And this week's guest co-host MariaS Handmade Love.

Remember! Follow and be followed.

  

Also, please make sure to tweet about the hop. :)

Camera Critters - Dragonfly

Dragonflies fascinate me. They are amazing in not only their beauty but the fact that every culture has some symbolism behind their ability to adapt to their surroundings, their speed (dragonflies can fly up to 90 miles an hour and stop within just a few seconds from that great speed), to their short but meaningful life. 

I was told as a child that if a dragonfly lands on you, it would bring you good luck. Even as an adult, if one is close by, I will stand as still as I can, hoping to be graced by one. Were you ever told the same "myth"?

Link to more Camera Critters

Making Memories - Spencer's Way

I think I have the most adorable boy in the world. I hope all parents feel the same way about their children. I could take pictures of Spencer all day, every day. Spencer however has different ideas on the matter. Having a special needs child has challenged me, in a good way. I had to learn to be creative and relax my high standards on getting the "perfect" photo. I do admit a small tinge of envy here and there when my friends share photos of their kids and they have actual cooperated! It's a small tinge and it fades quickly.

You see, when I ask Spencer to stay where he is or I get out my camera because he is being his adorable self, I immediately get attitude, this attitude.

Isn't he cute all disgruntled like that?

He doesn't understand what a camera means, only that whenever I have it out, it requires something of him possibly. He is not sure what that is, so his reaction is one he has for anything he doesn't understand, slight panic. This post is not so any of you reading feel badly for either of us. It's to help, possibly, to open up your minds a bit to the reality of who your/our children are. That while taking pictures of a special needs child might require more imagination and patience, it is well worth it and in my case SO MUCH FUN. Life should be fun for our children! Don't give up and leave your camera on the shelf. Capture your child's precious memories, have fun doing it and let them be who they are. Special needs or not. 

Here are Spencer's perfect poses. Perfect for him, perfect for us. 

My nephew, Colin used to make this face too!

This is what Spencer says he thinks about "perfect" pictures. Ha! Love this boy.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I made these to go with the Meatloaf Muffins recipe I recently posted. For years I have been making The Pioneer Woman's (Ree Drummond) original mashed potatoes. No matter what I never skimp on potatoes and always hand mash (no boxed here!) because we all love them. This recipe will be a major repeat from now on. So easy and the flavor and texture can't be beat.

Ingredients:

3 cups water

5 Tbls. butter, cubed

1 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 cup milk

3 cups mashed potato flakes

Combine water, butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper in large saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and add milk. Stir in mashed potato flakes with a fork.

My boys like these with gravy (my picky eater ate all his and asked for seconds).

Wordless Wednesday - A Few of My Favorite Things

Meatloaf Muffins

I have come to realization that I absolutely behind a doubt, plain just stink at taking pictures of food. If any of you look at these photos I post with my recipes and actually try them...I took this photo last night with the steam still rising off the muffins, fresh from the oven. *shakes head. They were so good, we ate them all so you are all stuck with this photo.

My picky eater loved these! Plus they are fun to make for the whole family. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean ground beef

2 eggs lightly beaten

1 cup milk

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup crushed corn flakes

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. mustard (prepared or regular both work)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine eggs, milk, ketchup, mustard, corn flakes, onion, salt & pepper in a large bowl.

Add beef and mix well.

Grease muffin tin. Press meat mixture into muffin cups, dividing equally among the 12 cups.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until inside is no longer pink.

Variation for those with kids that won't touch onion. Replace raw onion with 3 Tbls. of dried minced onion or onion salt. We love onion here and I put gravy over the muffins so my picky eater didn't even notice the onion as I chopped it fine.

Macro Monday

Cone Flower ~ Echinacea purpurea

 The beauty and detail on this flower fascinates me.

More Macro Monday