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Banana Cream Cocoa | Hot Drink Treat Recipe

March 17, 2010 By Laura 5 Comments

If you love chocolate and bananas, you just might love this hot sweet treat, in a cup: Banana Cream Cocoa.

I do love chocolate. Don’t all women? I also love bananas. But somewhere along the way, I saw a pattern, and realized eating raw bananas is not a good idea for me. My stomach goes to hell and back, trying to digest it. Lots of pain involved. (Does anyone else have this issue?). But, I can eat bananas cooked in all other forms: banana bread, banana nut crunch, banana pancakes, Banana Hannah, (just kidding. Wasn’t me. Swear.) And once upon a time, I loved eating chocolate covered bananas. Oh how I loved those. So Banana Cream Cocoa sounded good to me! We made some yesterday.

banana-cream-cocoa-2 Participating Ingredients:

3 cups milk
1 chopped banana
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 oz. chopped milk chocolate*
1 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate*

*This time, we chopped chocolate bars with a serrated blade knife.

Bring 3 cups of milk…..

1 chopped banana….
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2 Tbsp. sugar….
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…and 1 tsp. of cinnamon to a boil, whisking frequently.
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Add 4 oz. chopped milk chocolate, and 1 oz. bittersweet chocolate….
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….and mix some more.

…until all of the chocolate is melted nicely.

Remove from heat, and let sit 1 minute.

Pour mixture into blender….
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….and puree.
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Divide into 4 mugs, and go bananas!

Note: My kids and husband loved it, but a couple of them did think it was very strong in banana, and maybe cinnamon, so you may want to cut those amounts-but of course it’s a personal taste. I found, when it cooled down enough in my mug, it was delicious!

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A Christmas Story | A Custom Christmas Photo Shoot and Card Design | Photography

March 16, 2010 By Laura 5 Comments

Here we are at 2007, for my very first time working with them. My theme, all revolved around the girls, of course, and a beautiful book, called A Christmas Story. The subject of my past couple posts in this photography section, has been on my annual Christmas photo shoots with these 2 beautiful little girls. I first shared my most recent shoot with you of them (2009), then shared 2008‘s.

The girls were only 2 and 4 years old at the time, so I figured it was quite possible, I’d be working my tail off.

And I was only half wrong, and only for a little while. Imagine that.

Here is Big Sister (A), who was quite co-operative from the get-go. And she has been for every photo shoot, ever since. She’s so wonderful to work with. A little lady from head to toe.
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laura-lee-richard-photography-a-christmas-story Here is Little Sister (A), who was ‘another story’, but only for a little while. She looks like she might be sleeping, doesn’t she? But no. She started off throwing a little fit, not wanting to sit on the bench with her sister. Just plopped face down on the couch. Mom was mortified. I was smitten with her already, and took a photo. Little Sister (A) had only met me once before, so she yet didn’t know that I always win in the end! She’d find out though. We were going to develop a wonderful working relationship with each other. I had faith.

Each time we have worked with each other since, she has only been a bit more work than her older sister – but then she remembers all of the fun we end up having. It’s o.k. anyway, because in the end, she always pays me in GOLD!

At one point, mom was beside herself with frustration, so I sent her to the kitchen to hide, and told her to stay in there. I needed to take complete control, which happens sometimes. She didn’t have the faith that I did, yet. (I have to say, Mom was so cute hiding in there too, if you saw her, ducking and everything.)

See? Tantrum over. The dimples alone were worth her fuss!!

I got her over to the bench, with a little helpful coaxing from her Big Sister too!…

…..who was showing and sharing the story with her. With lots expression, which I loved! CLICK!

And then the real magic started to happen…..

Real moments.

Sweet moments. And maybe Christmas Secrets.

Christmas Kisses. Between sisters, who really love each other.

I got lots of beautiful photos, as they shared and enjoyed this book, A Christmas Story, together.

There were so many beautiful shots in the end. But as always, mom had to narrow them down to the ones she wanted me to work with for their Christmas card, and the ones she wanted to order as prints.

Once I had the photos I could design with, my plan was to design a beautiful tri-fold card, with warm, rich tones. If you do not understand what a tri-fold card is, I tried to take just a couple of photos to help you comprehend the structure of it. Closed, it’s a 5×5 square, and it opens twice, with 2 flaps. There is photos and something to see on all sides.

Here it is standing on a table.

Here is the inside full spread, which is the card opened all of the way.

We’ll take a closer look now.

This is the front of the card, closed. For my client’s privacy, I have blurred out their family last name after ‘ from The’. But I can tell you, their last name has such a nice, upscale sound to it.

These were printed on pearl heavy card stock, with a UV coating. They look and feel so beautiful to hold.

This is how a tri-fold card looks when the front flap is opened, revealing two square panels. You first read the left, and just enjoy the photo on the right.

You read the rest of the greeting when it is fully opened. If there is anyone who cannot read it well here, it says,

“With the love that we send…….and from beginning to end…..May you have a Story Book Christmas!”

And then the family’s names, with the girl’s names blurred.

So continuing understanding the structure of a tri-fold card, here is what the whole card looks like as a full panel if you opened it up and flipped it over. On the left square, is the inside panel which is on the right when the reader opens the card. The center square is the back of the card, and the right is the front of the card. It can be a little confusing, I know. I go through a little panic mode, every time I assemble one of these before sending off for printing.

Here is the back of this card, that the family so graciously lets me go all out on. (My name is going to be on my creations, no matter what. But they really are so great about whatever I want to do.)

The card comes with square envelopes, and I prefer the linen ones, in keeping with the tasteful quality.

Mom was SO HAPPY with her cards, that she sent me an e-mail, and told me she took one to bed with her, so she could look at it again when she woke up during the night. Now my clients say a lot of very sweet things to me, and it always touches my heart, and drives me to keep working. But nothing any client has said to me about my work since, has touched me quite as deeply as that one.

Mom ordered LOTS of different prints, INCLUDING this one…..

laura-lee-richard-photography-a-christmas-story ….which she still talks about. She loves it, because it shows Little (A)’s personality.

Along with all of the above ones, here are just a few more of the ones she ordered….

This was ordered too, as a 10×20 ‘Storyboard’, as I call them.

I thought it was perfect as the ‘footer’ of this blog post. : )

I look forward to working with these girls again, come the end of the year. Until then, I’ll be sharing some more recent work now and then.

(sniff- sniff) < Do you smell something?>

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5th Basketball Season, Slam-Dunked!

March 12, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

{A} just finished up her fifth basketball season with the Plymouth Girls Basketball League, and what a season it was!

Last year as a player on the junior league, she had a really great playing year, with all of her acquired skills finally coming together, gelling, and showing out there on the court. This year, she started with the senior league, and she was really looking forward to it. Of course, she really loves this game.

Try-outs were at the end of October, and she did really well there. We heard she was one of the first girls drafted by one of the coaches, who we were not very familiar with because he was a senior coach.

She would be playing for team Liberty, and she realized very quickly though, that this year was going to be different for her. After the year she had last season, it was a tough pill to swallow. If anyone knows {A}, she’s just a happy-go-lucky kind of girl. A very sunny disposition. The kind of person people say to “Do you ever stop smiling?”. She is very sociable, friendly, self-confident, and loves to joke around and have fun with people of all ages. Even her coaches. She’s serious about playing well, but she’s really light-hearted about it all too. She just likes playing hard, but having fun doing it.

Well, it’s safe to say she stopped smiling quite a bit this season. Especially early on in the season. Because she realized at her very first practice, that her coach this year was all business. He’s all about the game, teaching the girls to use their skills properly, and make them better players. He wants certain things done, in certain ways. He’s tough, direct, and not the least bit hesitant about being loudly vocal to anyone who doesn’t follow his exact directions. What a clash for our Little Miss Sunshine!

We knew she had a rough year ahead of her. Unexpectedly rough. But as her parents, we thought it was a great thing for her. Why? For one thing, this guy was an excellent coach, and we knew she’d come out of the year, even a better player. He knew this game well, and he was passionate about defining the skills of any girls on his team. Teaching them proper form, thinking ahead, “looking around”, and “being smart”: terms we heard him shout frequently this season.

It was also an opportunity to build her character. A way for her to experience, how the world is filled with people with very different personalities than her own, and there will be times in her life, when she’ll need to find a way to work with such people in her life, gracefully. To respect authority in certain situations. There was much to learn this year, that would go far beyond the game of basketball. She would grow not only as a player, but as a person. It could only be a good thing.

Coach just passed out shirts at the start of the season, and she was none to pleased to see she was number 1. “No pressure.”, she said.

Practices were a bit of hard work, with a lot of skills drilled, and strategies taught, and {A} never missed one. As tough as Coach was, it was easy to see all season, that he knew what he was doing, just looking at the score boards. They had an excellent season of 10 games, with 8 wins and 2 losses, only by a point or 2. I didn’t take photos all season, but {A} was finding her groove, and learning how to handle Coach, a little more every week. She was out there on that court every game, always sporting her crazy big sneakers, and only sometimes, her smile.

Last weekend was play-offs, and the Championship game, for the teams left standing. Our team, Liberty, won their first play-off game on Friday night, 26-4. Play-off game 2 on Saturday was another win of 12-19. {A} played awesome those 2 games, on offense, defense, and shooting as well. They made it to the Championship game scheduled for noon on Sunday.

Here they are pre-Championship-game on Sunday, huddled down the school hallway, listening to Coach.

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Warm-ups.
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Game time, playing against the Monarchs . . . .

Catching the rebound.
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Coach was all about his marker board. He used it to explain every thing, whether it was a bad call on the girl’s part, or a plan when they got back on the court. It was an excellent tool, that really helped the girls who benefited from a visual to clearly understand.

#2 was one of our boys ‘other’ favorite players, besides their sister.
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It was surprisingly tense game. I am super competitive, and one of ‘those’ moms, cheering, hooting, hollering, or screaming from the sidelines, making a scene. You have no idea. By half-time, the score was 10-8, with Liberty leading. Too close for me.

In the end, the Monarchs won by 6 points, with a final score of 13-19. The other team simply played a better game that day. (That’s me, practicing sounding like a good sport.).

I need the practice, because next year, the boys, {JM} and {S}, start playing basketball too. We’ll be living at the gyms every year during basketball seasons, from then on out.

The crowd was only on one side of the gym – the side I was shooting from. {A} was the first called up, to receive congratulations, and her trophy. They had both learned to appreciate each other, for their strengths and weaknesses, as they both saw it.
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The whole team: Liberty. There she is on the far right, smiling.

There is no shame, in being runner-ups!
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But our girl is still #1, to us.

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The Benefits of Kids Using Their Own Creative Imagination: Making Something Out Of Anything

March 8, 2010 By Laura 9 Comments

Sometimes, I like to plan my kids crafts and art. But whether I plan arts and crafts or not, it still happens in this house, and all over this house, every day! The kids sure don’t need me, to come up with creative ideas. The kids use their own imagination, and it’s awesome! In fact, I’d go so far as to say, that their wild imagination tends to venture further than mine does. And frankly, their are great benefits of kids using their own creative imagination.

While a child following directions (such as to make someone else’s craft idea) is crucial skill to their development, the benefits of a child completely using their very own imagination, far outweighs it. In thinking of and creating their own ideas/crafts/creations, they are:
– developing brainstorming skills
– learning how to think outside of the box
– developing planning skills
– learning how to problem-solve
– developing the abilities of an inventor!
– developing great personal character
– increasing their own self-confidence
– . . . . and so-much-more.

So, I try to keep the school room stocked with art supplies at all times, so that the kids can get creating any time it strikes their fancy to. But to tell you the truth, they often end up using lots of materials I didn’t supply, or would have never even thought of! Every time I turn around in this house, there is some new creation sitting there, or they are playing with one, or someone is suddenly at my side saying, “Mama, look what I made!“. I’m always surprised, over and over, by their creativity. But really, I shouldn’t be anymore.

Here are just a very few things our young triplets have made lately, that I have found around the house, and happened to get photographed.

A robot, made by {JM}. Materials used: a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cup, paint, marker, and a toy car. You should see it travel across the floor.

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Pistachio Shell Art, made by {A}.
Materials used: Pistachio shells, and markers.
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A Tissue Paper Doll, made by {O}.
Materials used: Tissue paper, glue, wooden screw cover buttons, and pencil.

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A Pop-Up Card made by {JM}.
Materials used: Paper, marker, black pen, scissors, and glue.

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A Deck Hang-Out 2-Dimensional Art Piece, made by {JM}. Materials used: Rubber material (the scraps from a kit), ribbon, tape, glue, a pencil, a cupcake tin, and firewood.

*Note: {JM} made this creation for someone we really care about, who suffers from frequent migraines.

The hammock, which is my favorite part, is so she can lie there and relax until she feels better. Since the project is so big and heavy, we decided to just send her photos, which she really appreciated. She used one of the photos, in a blog post of her own, about migraines.
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A Watercolor Painting, made by {S}. Materials used: Paper, Crayola watercolors, pencil, brush and water.

I think I can let go of the guilt I feel sometimes, when I haven’t planned a craft project in awhile. I don’t think they even need me.
And leaving the kids to figure out all of their own creative activities, is a gift of some time to us parents! More time to do what we need or want to do, while they are busy making awesome things!

I encourage you, to encourage your children’s very own imagination! On the next rainy day, or a day they say they are ‘bored’, challenge them to find different kind of materials around the house, or even from outdoors, and make something creative and really unique! And when they do, and show you, make them feel really good about what they created! Because it is their very own imagination and efforts on display, and it has grown them in more positive ways than can meet the eye. And that is something to celebrate!
They may just inspire you too, as my own kids creations inspire me.
Please consider sharing, and spreading the creative inspiration.

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Cocoa Colada | Hot Drink Treat Recipe

March 8, 2010 By Laura 13 Comments

If “sometimes you feel like a nut“, and could go for an Almond Joy, this delicious Cocoa Colada hot drink treat recipe, just might be a quick fix for you!

If you bake quite a bit, you may already have all of the ingredients. Or you may not. But the few things you need are worth running to the store for. Of course, then you could just pick up an Almond Joy, I suppose. But, that’s beside the point.

Here’s a super simple easy recipe, for a little coco-nutty twist on hot cocoa! Like most of my recipes, this one too is ‘kid approved’ by our kids.

Participating Ingredients: 2 14oz. cans of coconut milk, a cup of water, 1/2 cup of sugar, 8 oz. of chopped milk chocolate and coconut flakes, for garnishing. (How easy is this?!)

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We needed to pick up the coconut milk, but we already had milk chocolate chips, and decided to use them. They need to be chopped up pretty well.

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If you have one of these handy choppers, you can use it instead of a knife and cutting board.

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Take a couple handfuls of coconut flakes, spread them out on a pan, and lightly toast them in whatever way is easier for you. We used our toaster oven. * Warning: you really need to keep an eye on it while toasting. Once it starts to toast, it can burn very fast due to the coconut oil of the flakes. (I forgot to take a photo of ours after toasting.)

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Bring the 2 cans of coconut milk and 1 cup of water, to a simmer over low heat.
Whisk now and then to keep from sticking at the bottom.

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Add 1/2 cup of sugar…..

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…and the 8 oz. of chopped milk chocolate….

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…and whisk until melted.

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Divide cocoa evenly into 4 mugs, and garnish with the toasted coconut. (If you didn’t burn it. ; )

You can also spike it with a little coconut rum, if you’d like!

*But in that case, please don’t serve it to the children. 😉

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Our kiddos loved it!! Not much conversation. Lots of sipping.

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There was only enough made for 4 servings, and my kiddos had been playing out in the cold for a long time.

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So I let them have it all.

Because I’m thoughtful like that.

Even with chocolate.

I know. Call me a saint. ; )

My kids all loved me enough, too, to each let me have a sip of each of theirs.

See? Love that goes around, comes around.

I had a plan to make and share a Banana Cream Cocoa recipe as well, with this one. But since it was 60 degrees out today, I thought maybe I should just hurry up and share this one.

Wishing you just one more chilly day, to try it for yourself!

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