Planes, Helicopters, and Roller Coasters… Sort-Of

Happy Hump Day!  I can’t believe that Spring Break is already halfway over!  I’m gonna try not to think about that.  We’re making the most of our week, though!

This morning, we didn’t have bagels, so I had to sub in a flatbread.  I topped it with some of my Veggie Cream Cheese I made yesterday morning.  And… a fried egg.

We ate quickly and got dressed for our day out… at Carowinds!  This was our first trip of the season. 

Sadie was so proud to finally be 36 inches, which gave her lots more ride possibilities! 

It was a fun day and the weather was perfect!  We made it home around 1:30.  I love being so close to Carowinds and having passes because it means that we don’t have to “get our money’s worth” on every trip.  We can make lots of 2-3 hour trips and be home in time for naps and lunch. 

Speaking of lunch… I had some egg salad.  It was delish.  Gotta love egg salad.  So stinky, but so good! :)  And some spicy fries.

Then I headed out to teach Zumba.  When I finished, Ryan called and suggested we have dinner out at McAlister’s.  Yay for no cooking!

I had gumbo and the McAlister’s Club Wrap.  LOVED this wrap!

Now I am watching the season finale of Parenthood.  It’s such a great show.  Amazing writing.

We’re off to see some special people tomorrow… :)

What Would YOU Make with a Cardboard Box?

Guess what… I got my hair did!  Wanna see?

Here’s the work in progress…

and the finished product.  I decided to go a little lighter with some highlights.  Now that it’s spring, I thought it was time to lighten up!

It looks like I am standing in the doorway of Heaven or something here, doesn’t it?

Thank you, Salon Namaan!

Now… any guesses what I made with the cardboard box???

If you guessed it was a light box, you were right!  I have been wanting to make one forever to help me take better food pictures, and today I finally had a few minutes to do it.

I took a box.  I cut a big hole in the top and on the right and left side, leaving the front open.  I covered the holes with white tissue paper.  Then I attached three lamps.  The tissue helps to diffuse the light so it looks natural. 

I wanted to try out a test shot right away, so I used this nice, ripe tomato for my first photo in the light box.

I used 60-watt daylight bulbs.  I think I may try some brighter bulbs later on, just to see which “formula” yields the best results.

But here are a few dinner pics, so you can see the light box in action.

Some fabulous potatoes from Trader Joe’s.  They are sooooooo good! (And this is my favorite dinner photo! Completely un-edited!)

Props to the hubby, who made this meal when I was on the way home from teaching Zumba!  Potatoes and crispy Tilapia!

I think I need to get some nice white and black fabric for the background.  And maybe some other fun backgrounds.  I’ve got a lot of food photography stuff to learn—I am no no means a pro at all!  But I have a great photographer cousin, who has been sending me helpful tips!  (You should check out his blog, Occasional Glimpses to see some of his wonderful photographs!)

OK, friends!  Have a great night!

Homemade Veggie Cream Cheese Mix-Up

Good morning, friends, and happy Tuesday!  It looks like it is going to be another beautiful day!

I’ve got a quick little recipe to share.  Actually, it’s so simple, I don’t know if you can really call this a recipe.  Let’s call it a “Mix-Up.”

I’ve always loved bagels and cream cheese.  In recent years, they have come out with all kinds of cool cream cheese flavors.  My personal favorite is Veggie Cream Cheese.  It’s got the best flavor and is wonderful on top of “Everything Bagels.”

This morning, I had one bagel left in the bag, and I was really craving some veggie cream cheese, but of course, I only had plain.  Boo.  But then I thought, how hard can this be???  And I created this “Mix-Up” in under 5 minutes. 

Veggie Cream Cheese Mix-Up

Ingredients:

1/2 block of light cream cheese

1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped yellow onion

1 1/2 Tbsp chopped cucumber

2 baby carrots, shredded

2 Tbsp chopped tomato

sprinkle of dill and parsley (I used dried, but of course fresh would be even better)

Prep:

Mix it all up and spread over your bagel!  Enjoy!

 

Hope you all have a fabulous day!  Oh, and the hubby is much better!  Now I am just praying that the rest of the household stays well! 

Spring Break Picnics

Oh, glorious spring break… how I love thee…

We’re making the most of the amazing weather we’ve seen the past two days.  You may remember my post yesterday about the Chicken-Margherita Pasta Salad…

(having fun with photo-editing software)

…and how I mentioned that I was making it for a picnic!  Well, last night we got to enjoy the Come See Me 2011 Tailgate Party by the Winthrop Lake.  We were disappointed when it was called off due to impending bad weather on Saturday… but lucky for us… they rescheduled for Sunday!  Yay!

We got together with a group of friends to enjoy the music, wonderful weather, great food, and fireworks!

Skydiving demonstration!

The moon was amazing! 

Unfortunately, my camera battery died, so we didn’t get any fireworks pics.  :(

Now…  for the bad news.  Guess who came down with a yucky stomach bug???  Hubby.  Poor guy.  We had fun plans for today, but we didn’t get to follow through with them because he felt so bad.  So the munchkin and I packed a picnic and headed back to Glancairn Garden for some “girl time.”

On the menu (Sadie chose this menu): PBJ sandwich, banana, chips, pickles, and some pasta salad.  Plus some water.  We enjoyed our lunch and then had fun exploring the garden.

Playing a little game of “peek-a-boo”…

Can you see the smear of peanut butter on her cheeks? 

Hopefully the hubby will feel much better tomorrow.

Now… wish me luck!  I’m teaching DanceOut tonight!  This is my first time solo teaching a class for Queen City DanceOut!  I’m excited!!!