Clare Davis Etheridge

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September 2012 Photo A Day

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.

Day 1. ‘You now’ FMS theme. Untangling a GI Joe so Bodhi can throw him off the lawn!

Day 2. ‘Father’ Making model planes is a top father/son activity in our house.

Day 3. ‘Burn’ This was a ‘Hipstamatic theme. The tree was burned to a crisp in the summer heat.

Day 5. ‘Bright’ Jar of beads

Day 6. ‘Calm’ Hipstamatic theme 6, lovely mushroom we found in the woods.

Day 7. ‘Natural’ Mother of pearl button blanks, beautiful collection of buttons before they were given holes.

Day 8. ‘Unpredictable’ Hipstamatic theme. This is my unpredictable, but still going strong (ish) lawnmower!

Day 10. ‘Trendy’ Hipstamatic theme, what a wonderful and out of date word ‘Trendy’ is. I think these beads might be trendy, but who knows!

Day 10. ‘Black and White’, our French Bulldog, leaping up to grab a tennis ball I was holding.

Day 11. ‘View’ The blue sky and the leaves of the seating area at a local park. We were waiting for the food trucks to set up so we could get dinner!

Day 12. ‘Together’ These doors are local to me and I wonder if the Brain Surgery is a secret door or actual Brain Surgeons…

Day 13. ‘Table’ This is my grandma’s table where we used to eat every meal when we visited. Now I use it to store my creative bits and bobs. Mainly jars of bead mixes and various paraphenelia!

Day 14. ‘Inspire’ Some bead mixes I made for Autumn/Winter jewelry at catseatdogs jewelry design.

Day 15. ‘Journey’ Hot air balloons and Canada geese. I literally saw the geese fly over with the balloons, opened the camera on my phone and this is what I got. I added a couple of finishes in Camera +.

Day 16. ‘Strange’ It is not strange at all to be wearing a Halloween cossie in September in our house!

Day 18. ‘Cool’ Hipstamatic theme. I love the lens and film combinations on Hipstamatic and this picture was a morning walk through the woods.

Day 18. ‘Price’ Fat Mum Slim theme. I love to shop at Trader Joes and what better than chocolate spread.

Day 19. ‘Underneath’ We have two pumpkins growing in our ‘patch’. This one is nestled underneath the umbrella leaves.

Day 20. ‘Man-made’ I bunched a load of my rings together for this theme.

Day 21. ‘Sometimes’ ….. a giant Jilly’s Cupcake is needed!

Day 22. ‘Up’ One of the magnificent Stag sculptures at Tower Grove Park, St Louis. Snapped while we were at the Farmer’s Market.

Day 23. ‘Before Bedtime’ Ok, I took this way before bedtime! Still we did go and see the sea lions at the St Louis Zoo ‘before bedtime’.

Day 24. ‘3 Things’ I was send these three beautiful heads by the amazing Kate McKinnon. I just like to look at them, they are so darn cool!

Day 26. ‘Near’ Pablo likes his tennis ball near, so that he can pounce on it!

Day 27. ‘Love/Hate. My hair is a constant love/hate affair! I sometimes love the colour, sometimes hate the long fringe as it tickles my eyeballs.

Day 28. ‘A Good Thing’ This blueberry smoothie was a very good thing! I whizzed frozen blueberries, milk, ice cream and honey together – ta da!

Day 29. ‘Frame’ Hipstamatic theme. I drew a heart in the sand and put a frame around it!

Day 29. ‘Errand’ We spotted this skeleton running an errand in his truck today when we visited the garden centre.

Day 30. ‘You, Then’ Last one for September! Me in 1972!

I love these themes, both the Fat Mum Slim and the Hipstamatic, ‘Make Beautiful’ ideas. Looking forward to October, Fall, Halloween, leaves and pumpkins galore!

This is a fun project which takes as long as you want to spend on each photo and gets the creativity flowing into every day.

Blooming and fruiting and growing

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

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!

Red red red Geranium in the rain.

Chilli peppers with baby flowers

Beginnings of a Pumpkin

Pumpkin big brother

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

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

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

2 shots of expresso
1 cup of milk
Whipped cream
Caramel

Recipe for Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Pour 1 cup of water into a pot
Add 4 cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves, and 2 tsp. of grated ginger
Let the water boil and extract the flavors from these ingredients (Usually 5 minutes after it starts boiling. You’ll see the water turn brown.)
Filter the water through a strainer and pour water into a saucepan
Add brown sugar while stirring and let the water heat but not boil
Add nutmeg
Add 4 tsp. of ground cinnamon if you did not use the cinnamon sticks
Add pumpkin puree
Add whole vanilla bean (split open) or 2 tsp. of vanilla extract
Stir for 4 minutes while mixture is cooking
Be sure to remove the vanilla bean pod from the saucepan once it is complete
Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes

Recipe for Latte

Brew 2 shots of espresso
Steam 1 cup of milk
Combine milk, espresso, and desired amount of pumpkin syrup

Top with whipped cream, ground cinnamon, and caramel.

I didn’t use any cream or caramel, but I did make a lovely coffee, bit stronger than usual, added 2 dessertspoons of the syrup and frothed the milk with my Bodum milk frother.

With my new fall coffee favourite, I had a Rock Cake which is a British school Home Economics class staple, with good reason, they are delicious and hard to mess up!

Rock Cakes (not made with rocks..)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into chunks
1 large egg beaten
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup raisins (I soaked mine in the juice and rind of a lemon before using)

Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Mix the flour, baking powder and cinnamon (if using) and rub in the cold butter until it all looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.

Mix in the raisins. Add enough egg and milk (go steady here, don’t just dump it all in, a bit at a time) to bring the mix to a stiff dough which is almost crumbly, but will stay together in ‘cakes’.

Make about 10 rough mounds on your prepared tray. I sprinkled mine with brown sugar before baking.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden on the top.

Cool and yum yum!

Rock Cake

‘Where’d you go Bernadette?’ by Maria Semple is one of my new favourite reads. I loved it from beginning to end. The characters are all excellent and I hated and loved a little part of each of them. A thought provoking read without being airy fairy, a good solid story with great people.
I hope this is a book I will remember, I have to confess, I usually don’t remember books very well a few months after I have read them. They stay with me, and a part of it will hang around in my memory, but often times I won’t remember most of it.

10 on the 10th

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

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 white’

A whole bag of kale ready to be crisped. Kale with the stemmy middle removed, then tossed in olive oil and salt. Bake for 20-25 mins, turning every so often at 350 degrees. If you like, grate a litte bit of Parmesan over it whcn it is hot. Crunch crunch crunch!

Kale crisps

Hurricanes and parachutes

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

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.

Up up…

Down down..

Perfect landing

Of course I have the Fat Mum Slim photo of the day challenge to keep me entertained as well. Today’s is ‘hidden’…

Is he hiding….or was he thrown…?

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!

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

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. I take those buttons and wash them one by one and admire their colour and texture as they are revealed as the (old) toothbrush scrubs away the years.

Pink Pop and Late Summer Sunset Wraps together

I love to see and wear lots of bracelets together, mixing colours and designs and piling them on!

Inhaling colour and fabulousness!

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

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!

At the end there was no ticking clock to check your time, just a mass of color, people covered in multi hues and a color party with dance stage!

This is where to get covered from head to foot-I am still digging green powder out of my ear!

Once we were nicely caked, it was time to head back leaving a trail of a prism in our trail.

All of the photos I took were on my iPhone inside a zip loc snack sized bag. I was so pleased I took the phone for photos and I thought the bag worked great as protection and the photos came out ok too!
It was the slowest, running/walking/stopping for photos 5k I have ever done and it was one of the best!
I did it with my 11 year old son and we had a blast!

There be fairies….

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

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.

Little Grey Mushrooms

Beetroot & Chocolate Brownies and Pizza Challenge.

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

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

Beetroot and Chocolate Brownies

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall recipe from The River Cottage

250g/1 cup good, dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
250g/1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for greasing
250g/1 cup caster sugar
3 free-range eggs
150g/1 cup self-raising flour (I used all purpose flour with 1 teaspoon of baking powder added)
250g/1 generous cup beetroot, boiled until tender, peeled and grated

METHOD

How to make chocolate and beetroot brownies

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a baking tin of approximately 20 x 30 x 3cm and line the bottom with baking parchment.

2. Break up the chocolate into pieces, cut the butter into cubes then mix them up a bit in a heatproof bowl. As the oven begins to warm up, put the bowl onto one of the shelves for a few minutes until the chocolate and butter starts to melt. Stir, and put back into the oven for a few more minutes to melt completely.

3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl until combined, then beat in the melted chocolate and butter until smooth. Gently fold in the flour then the beetroot – be careful not to overmix or it will make the brownies tough.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth over the top with a spatula. Bake for about 20 minutes. A knife or skewer pushed into the middle should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Don’t be tempted to overcook them! Remove the tin from the oven and leave on wire rack to cool before cutting into squares.

Next on the list, yes I did have a list of cooking ideas, was Beetroot and Chocolate brownies. These sounded nice as the beets are nice and sweet and should add moisture, but not a veggie taste. I hasten to add that this recipe was in no way followed in order to sneak veg into my family’s tummys. I am a firm believer that vegetables should be presented and eaten as vegetables and not squirreled into some dessert dish just to get kids to eat them. Bearing in mind that these beets were boiled, grated then baked, I would think that the nutritional intake would be minimal anyway. These brownies were a huge hit! There is an alarming amount of butter in them, but everything in moderation is what I think, so, just don’t eat the whole lot. In fact they freeze rather well which should stop any over eating!

Tonight’s challenge was pizza with no tomato sauce, honestly, I just couldn’t be bothered to go and get some. So ‘no sauce’ pizzas were made!
I came up with BBQ sweet potato and rosemary.

BBQ sweet potato and rosemary pizza (uncooked)

And, pesto and olives.

Pesto and olive pizza (uncooked)

By the time I remembered that an ‘after’ or cooked photo was a good idea, they were virtually all gone! Who needs tomato sauce? Not us!

After all this, I forgot all about ‘Food Truck Tuesday’ at Tilles Park in Ladue. I do like me a good food truck, so September’s Food Truck extravaganza is on the calendar!

London’s raining

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

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.