Author: Clare at CatsEatDogs

September 2012 Photo A Day

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September has been the first month I have done the photo a day ‘challenge’ thrown down by Chantelle at Fat Mum Slim blog.   Each day has a word or phrase and off we go and snap a photo to fit.  I used my iPhone 4 for all of the photos and various apps to take the photo or to add finishes to liven the shots up! As I take the photos, they get popped into Instagram (@catseatdogsmakes) and I post on Twitter (@catseatdogsmake). I have also brought them all together here today! There are a couple missing as I have them on Instagram, but they got lost from my phone camera roll and I am not smart enough to get them from Insta onto my computer and into the blog – doh!  I have put some Fat Mum Slim photos and some Hipstamatic here, for a bit of variety.  I have written with are Hipstamatic and the rest are FMS. September in Pictures. T Day 1. ‘You now’ FMS theme. Untangling a GI Joe …

Blooming and fruiting and growing

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The garden is growing! Well the pots and Bodhi’s pumpkins are growing.  The torrential rain and crashing storms last night along with the humid, greenhouse warm air has helped them along no end. The oven-like summer seemed to stall all growth, but not quite kill it off. The chilli peppers were there, but not in great number.  This month, the plant has not grown any taller but the peppers have multiplied and the flowers pop out daily ready to be metamorphosised into hot red peppers. The little bell pepper plant is now joining the vegetable fun and is growing some lovely green peppers of it’s own. Plants I had given up on are springing out in lovely bright flowers  and the pumpkins are pumping up nicely.  I am sure if I sat and watched, the pumpkins would grow before my eyes!

Where’d you go Rock Cake, Pumpkin Spice Coffee and Bernadette?

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This morning I came across a recipe for Pumkpin Spice Latte. My taste buds were alerted as was my purse because buying the Pumpkin Spice Lattes on a regular basis will render me bankrupt. I was also sceptical as I have had a go at my own before and without much success. This recipe makes a syrup which keeps in the fridge to keep me in coffee exotica all week! I had all of the ingredients except vanilla extract, so I used maple flavouring which worked just fine. I used about 2 dessertspoons of the finished syrup in my mug of coffee and it was fabulous! Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe from Coffee Krave Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Syrup 1 cup of water 4 cinnamon sticks and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon OR 5 tsp. of ground cinnamon 4 dried cloves 2 tsp. of shredded/grated ginger 1 tbsp. of ground nutmeg 1 cup of brown sugar 2 tbsp. of pumpkin puree 1 whole vanilla bean or 2 tsp. of vanilla extract Ingredients for the Pumpkin Spice Latte …

10 on the 10th

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Today being the 10th September, I am taking 10 photos through the day and putting them into a post for today. No plans, so we will see what evolves. Noodles left over from take out from Lu Lu’s express for school lunch, in the Thermos. Preparing to pogo to school Pogo’ing to school! Monday morning of cleaning and washing. Just as I get some beads out to make a little something, I get the e mail which derails me for the near future. A message from that one of the boys lost his mum this weekend. He is seven. His mum has gone. Forever. I didn’t know her very well, but I saw and talked to her last week and I can’t get her face out of my mind. A table full and ready to make a something… I made an Ivory and single Red Pearl bracelet and photo’ed it on a vintage Ladybird book. ‘The Ladybird book of Garden Birds’. Vintage Ladybird Books Pablo Photo of the day challenge – day 10, ‘black and …

Hurricanes and parachutes

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We are all awaiting the tropical depression which Issac has turned into as it is whirling up the country. So far we have had some frankly disappointing rain. So while we wait for the drama weather (I do like extreme weather, but only with no power outages and no lives in danger!), we are enjoying the slightly cooler breezes and chucking a GI Joe dude around on a parachute. Of course I have the Fat Mum Slim photo of the day  challenge to keep me entertained as well. Today’s is ‘hidden’… I love this challenge!  Keeps me observant and creative every day, even when I can’t think of anything, something is always there. September’s list is ready to shoot. Oh my, is it September already, soon be Christmas…! Well, here comes the rain, so it must be almost time to fish out the popcorn and find a movie to watch or some art to create, or both!

It’s a wrap!

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I am updating and filling my Etsy store, so it’s time to take some photos.  Equipment gathered and off to the sand box, yes, I take my photos on top of the (closed) sand box!  Usually it provides a nice, shady spot with enough natural light. Summer is still shining down on us, so those tanned wrists need a colourful gaggle of bracelets.  Even better if one bracelet wraps around, giving four layers of colour and beautiful beads. Morning Rose Wrap Bracelet by catseatdogs The vintage buttons I use to fasten are often found with great excitement in the bottom of a tin full of wonderful haberdashery from years gone by.  Tins which waft out a musty smell and are full of ‘kept until they become useful’ items – buttons, snaps, needles and lots of random bits and bobs. Buttons with part of the original garment attached,  a coat which once kept out the cold with giant buttons or a gown which closed with exquisite shell buttons in a soft grey or a luminescent cream. …

Inhaling colour and fabulousness!

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Actually trying to get into a complete utter mess is not an typical Saturday morning in my life! Having said that The Color Run is no typical morning. We all caught the Metro Link along with a train full of white shirted Color runners. Downtown St Louis for the start. Everyone started the run in ‘waves’ of about a thousand at a time which takes a while waiting, but it keeps everyone spread out and there were no bottle necks along the route. As we passed each color station we were ‘squirted’ with colored corn starch out of giant ketchup bottles. Not much pink at the first color squirt, but in hindsight, I didn’t mind the lack of pink as it was the only color still on my shirt and face after washing! Through each station, the black asphalt was pure color. The air was full of color dust like a rainbow was smoking beneath it. I was glad of my sunglasses but my water bottle was caked like a kids paintbox! Not very tasty! …

There be fairies….

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On the frantic (second morning back to school was not a success) walk to school this morning, we spotted some brand new spindly mushroom clusters in the woods. Their musty colours were lovely and of course I didn’t have my phone with me. So I came home after drop off and got said phone. I only hoped that the little clusters of fungi were still standing and hadn’t been trampled by an enthusiastic, big pawed dog or two. I followed a gaggle of dogs and owners back into the woods, so I willed them to tread carefully and hurry through so I could crouch in peace on the woodland floor and get pictures of the delicate mini mushroom trees.

Beetroot & Chocolate Brownies and Pizza Challenge.

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We recently harvested all of the beetroot from the garden and I decided to investigate different ways to use it. I like pickled beetroot, but I don’t need a whole fridge full! Some were crammed into a jar full of dark pink beetrooty ,vinegary, goodness. Some were swapped for peppers, a cucumber and a handful of hot chillies from my neighbor. There were more! Dig deeper for lovely beetroot ideas. My digging (ok, googling) proved fruitful. We were already planning a firepit, so following Jamie Oliver’s instructions, I wrapped some beetroots in a double layer of silver foil, along with some rosemary. Tucked it all in tight, jabbed in some holes to let the beets smoke as well as cook and onto the coals for about 40 minutes. They turned out really well, let them cool and the skin virtually peels off by itself and a delicious beet salad awaits its dressing. Beetroot and Chocolate Brownies Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall recipe from The River Cottage 250g/1 cup good, dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces …

London’s raining

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The Shard rose above us as we got off the train at London Bridge. Train into London from Brighton to sail the London Eye. It rained and rained all morning and it rained as we cruised the South Bank on the way to the Eye. We missed Damien Hirst in the Turbine Hall, but caught the giant biology statue outside the Tate.