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New Light, New HOUSE. (We’ve Moved!)

January 16, 2012 By Laura 19 Comments

WELCOME, to the ALL NEW, ~~OUR~~ HOUSE OF JOYFUL NOISE! OH, have I been dying to spill, about all of this! You may have noticed, we’ve barely been posting on the blog, and THIS is why! We have MOVED the blog, switched up our name a little, and started an all new Facebook Page! Generally speaking, we have really just opened up the windows all over the place, and there is a whole lot of freshness coming in!

JANUARY. The name of this month, comes from the Roman god named Janus – /Jay-ness/, the god of doors and gates. The patron of beginnings and endings, and especially of the important events of a person’s life. This roman god has been represented with 2 faces; one which looks back to the past, and one that looks ahead to the future.

I never knew of this roman god, and when I learned of where the name of January derives from recently, here at the beginning of this new year, and particularly at this point in my life, really resonated with me. Because it spoke to me, personally. The imaginary vision of this door of light, for me, beautifully depicts not only the leaving behind of the year behind me and the one ahead, but all of the changes I am making in my life, and with our blog here, at the start of this year.

WHAT CHANGES, YOU ASK?

Well that’s what I’m about to tell you about. But where to start?

BIG CHANGE IN BUSINESS, FOR ME.

This was a huge decision for me. But after 13 years, I have decided to put my business, Laura Lee Richard Photography, on serious and indefinite hiatus. I have felt this desire to do this, coming, for awhile. Last year, I limited the clients I took. In doing that, it made me realize what I really needed and wanted to do. And that is, to just let it go for now. I have many reasons, but here are some, in order of importance:

I want to put even more, into raising and homeschooling my awesome kids, and be completely available for all of their various schedules, commitments, lessons, games, activities and fun. I love, love, love homeschooling them! Still! Plus, I am prepping our oldest for college now, and that’s serious business! I love this life style of ours. I love these years with my kids growing up, so very much, and I don’t want to miss any of it!

I know I am known as a professional photographer, and I’ll always still be one. (Just not in business right now.) But, did you know, I was once known as an illustrator? I really, really have a deep longing, to get back to my creative roots. I want to draw more, paint more, for me and with my kids! Just get back to more of my hand-skill art, and enjoying that process again. I truly have many, many creative outlets that I want to indulge in, actually, as time allows. Including some graphic designing, which you could very well benefit from, on occasion. ; ) I have an art education in these things, as well as photography. There is no pressure on me, to create art for anyone but me now. So it will come as it does. But I do look forward to sharing it all, with you, right here on the blog, along the way.

Throughout my years in photography, I have seen the photography industry gradually change. More than ever, it is really going down paths I am not interested in battling. As much as I have loved doing all of the portrait photography I have done for my clients over the past 13 years, I have a real drive to really nurture other business endeavors, that I can sanely and happily do on my time. While focusing on the things that bring me such joy. Such as my family, and of course…..

THIS BLOG!!!

IT LOOKS DIFFERENT. BUT WHAT ELSE WILL BE NEW HERE?

Yes, it does look very different! So how do you like the new place? I really went through the gamut, deciding on a design for the new header. I wanted a logo icon out of it, but I wanted it to express so much more. I was all over the place with this one, literally lying awake most nights, brainstorming, and sketching out thoughts during the day. Then I had too many ideas. I prayed on it, and finally I came up with and designed this, myself. It conveys everything, I wanted it too. I love the clean and simplicity of it. Window = House. Window = New Experiences. Window=LIGHT=Truth=God. Windows especially represent light, for me. I do, and have always loved natural light! Light is a necessity, for me. Because 1) I am an artist. 2) I am a photographer, always working it. 3) I used to struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (before I filled my house with windows!), and 4) Because God is the light of our life, and our rock! I love colors too, as they represent all of life and creativity, that we can only truly see, with light. ; ) The header/logo flat out makes me happy when I see it. We hope you love the new digs too!

NEW NAME.

Just a slight change there. It was just easier. We’ll leave it at that.

ONE FEED!

This one is one of the big deciding factors, for an all new blog. For those of you who have been following us, with the crazy aggregate feeds and changes, you know what I am talking about, People! No more!! One feed for all, and all for one! BUT THIS MEANS YOU PROBABLY NEED TO RE-SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG! But no crazy explanations or directions. Just subscribe as you normally do, and perhaps remove our former blog feed (the one with the word OUR in it) from your subscriptions. (No more posts will be coming to you through that.) You’ll really want to re-subscribe, subscribe for the first time, or follow us on our all new Facebook Page! (See the pretty social buttons at the top of the page! 🙂 While subscribing will notify you of our new posts, liking our new Facebook Page will add a whole new element of fun for you! We’ll be sharing what we are working on, all kinds of little things, be able to better interact with you, share great links to other blogger’s projects and ideas we think you’d love, as well as some things we’ve shared before that you may have missed. And….my random thoughts, which can be rather interesting all by themselves sometimes! That, and so much more. The activity on our all new Facebook Page is going to be really kicked up a notch! So if you are on Facebook, LIKE us today, and join the fun with us! We’d hate for you to miss out on all of that, and it’s such a great place to connect, with YOU!

WHY? WHAT IS COMING UP AT THE NEW HOUSE?

Well, a lot of the same kind content we’ve been sharing, with lots of photos as always. But more of it! Perhaps some different presentation, and style to my blogging. We will be all over the social networks now, and we’re sure you’re going to love all that is coming:

Tasty recipes for you and your family to try.
Farmhouse / Home decor that may inspire you.
Our unique home improvements and furniture projects that make farmhouse-style house a home!
What’s being created in our art studio!
New fun crafts with step by step directions, for you or your kids.
Homeschooling chit-chat.
Chickens!
Our occasional personal celebrations and fun.
Thoughts on parenting, self, life & faith.
. . . . . . and more.

All in all, we are planning on a whole lot of content that we invite you to just enjoy reading about, sharing, or using as an inspirational spring-board, for yourself!

And don’t forget! We have nearly 4 years of archives on all of these topics, to look back through as well!

BUT WAIT!! THERE’S MORE!!
(I always wanted to say that. lol)

I have really been on a journey of personal growth. It has been a challenging experience at times, but also such beautiful thing. For all of the joy we have felt in our life, I feel it all blossoming even more. God is never done with us, is He? I am growing, and seeking growth, in many ways. And while this is in many areas of my life, I am positive it will all carry over and be reflected in our blog. I am also positive, you will all help me along, with your words of wisdom, and encouragement, that I am certain you will share. In fact, I am counting on it! Because, although I am still contemplating how I want to go about this, I believe I’ll be venturing into new territories, in some topic content. A series, so t0 speak, with deeper personal topics, that I am sure many out there will be able to relate to, in some way. Not too heavy. It’ll be a good thing. I don’t want to say too much, because I am still a little scared! It’s QUITE out of my personal comfort zone. But, I am thinking it through, praying on it, and I hope you’ll stick around to encourage me, if I dip my toe in the water! ; )

ONE THING IS FOR SURE, FRIENDS! . . . . . .

It’s going to be a ride at the HOUSE!! You are going to see things changing and growing, all of the time! And we sincerely invite you all, to come along with us! Share in it with us, and bring your own special touches with you! Invite your friends, to the HOUSE too! YOU are why we have grown so much! YOU are why we have felt so encouraged to keep making (Our) House Of Joyful Noise be all that it can be! So be sure to stay with us, or join us starting today!! Please go hit those pretty buttons at the top in the header of the blog, and subscribe to this all new blog, and/or follow us on our all new Facebook Page! It’s a new blog here, so most of those subscribed before must subscribe again, to stay with us! It depends on how you subscribe, but why take the chance to miss us? ; ) We’ll see you around! But before you go, please say hello and let us know how you like the new House Of Joyful Noise! (We’d love your honest feedback!)

-Laura & our the Richard Family!)

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French Toast, My Way. (The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread.) | Recipe

September 15, 2011 By Laura 8 Comments

Recently, a very special breakfast was in order. It was our triplets’ 9th Birthday, and we always have a special breakfast on birthdays in our house. Usually, it is my husband’s specialty of ‘Birthday Number Pancakes’, which we have blogged about many times. But this time, I had plans. I really wanted to make French Toast, and just like the kind I had had so many times growing up, at a particular restaurant. The crazy thing is, I cannot for the life of me (yet) remember, what restaurant that was! It’s one of those questions I’d love to ask my Mom, but can’t, because she is gone now. : ( I know she would know. I have searched recipes all over the net, trying to find a recipe even close to the kind I had had, to no avail. Alas….I decided, “What do I need a recipe to follow for? I can figure this out as I go!” I decided I believed in me.

And what became of that fearless leap, is the best French Toast, we have ever had. (Quite equal to the mystery restaurant’s French Toast, if I do say so myself. Except their’s was like, a 1.5 inch thick slice of bread, cut corner to corner into a triangle. The crust sides were the best.)

It’s important to note, I am pretty health conscience, for my family. But this French Toast was to be deep fried, which of course is why it is SO good. And it’s a treat! On special occasions, one needs to indulge. Still, I wanted to make this recipe as healthy as I possibly could, while still making it taste exactly like I wanted. So, while we never really have white bread, we did for this. The oil I was deep frying in, was the healthiest possible (I think): Canola Oil. It’s what we always use to make donuts and such as well in the Fall. And as you read the few steps here you’ll find I had a few other tricks that made me feel better about the whole health thing in my mind. You are going to need a deep fryer, for this particular how-to recipe. Ready?

Participating Ingredients, to have on hand:

(*Amounts depending…)

Bread Slices (I used thickest white slices I could find.)
Corn Flakes Cereal
Eggs
Milk
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Canola Oil

For Table:

Butter
Confectionery Sugar
Syrup

***

*I say amounts depending, because it really depends on how many French Toast you need to make. If you need more of a batch of anything, you just get a little more as you go. No big deal. Also, to keep things moving and producing quickly, it’s helpful to have a helper. {A} and I were a great team in the kitchen this particular morning. (And will be a gain soon. ; ). So, the following is stations you want to have prepared before you actually begin cooking.

Dipping Mixture: In a shallow dish, crack 3 eggs. Add 3/4 cup of milk, a few drops of Vanilla Extract, and a dash or 2 of cinnamon. Whip it up with a fork.

Bread/Toast: A key ‘trick’ here, to making your French Toast as good as it can be, is to pre-toast your bread. Trust me, it makes all the difference, as to not soak-up the mixture into the bread, but rather coat it as intended. So for us 6, I covered 2 cookie sheets with tin foil, and put the bread slices in the oven at the lowest setting. Just watch them, until they are toasted a bit. Flip them if you’d like. Both sides don’t need to ‘look’ toasted, but just feel toasted on the surface. Once they are all toasted, pile them all onto one sheet and cover the emptied sheet with a layer of paper towel.

Deep Fryer: Fill fryer with Canola Oil to recommended level. Heat to 350 degrees.

Crunch Coating: In a shallow dish also, have Corn Flakes cereal crushed up. Little flakes are fine. Don’t crush it to dust.

Now…..here goes the assembly line routine, which you can sort of see in the 2 photos coming up:

001 1) Put a piece of toast into the egg mixture, flip it over quickly with a fork to coat the other side, and take it out right away using a forl. Let it drip off as it hangs from the fork, and then lay it in crushed Corn Flakes dish.

2) Press the toast slice down a little into the flakes, flip over, and press again. Neither side has to be completely covered with the flakes. You just want some on there.

3) Move the coated slice from the flakes, and lay it in one end of the deep fryer basket. Then do a 2nd piece the same way: Quickly coat both sides in egg, let drip, coat both sides in flakes, and lay in free area of basket.

4) Now lower basket into oil, and immediately start counting to 1o. The toast will float. So when you get to 10, flip them both over, and count to 10 again. Bring the basket up, and hook on the side.

Enter Trick # 1: I had to stand both pieces up after each set, as shown above. In my mind, it best helps any excess oil drip off, instead of soaking into the toast. And ultimately, makes it crispier. Then….I would put onto the paper-towel covered cookie sheet in the still warm oven.

Repeat sets of toast until you are done. We only had to make a little more egg mixture once, and crush up some more Cornflakes a few times.

Now, this was our Trio’s Birthday Breakfast, and so we had traditions to stick to. I managed to cut 9’s out of the top French Toast on each of their plates, and put it on the side. Of course, this was before we added the wonderful toppings! (Coming up.)

fried-french-toast-recipe-2 The Happy & Hungry, 9 Year Old Triplets!!

For topping, I just lightly butter, sift a little confectionery sugar on, and then drizzle on the syrup.

I can’t even explain how delicious this French Toast is. My family was loving every bite. It’s filling, for sure. But it’s not heavy in your mouth or stomach, in the oily ‘ugh’ kind of way. It tastes light, and sweet, and it’s nicely crispy on the outside. Add some sausage or bacon on the side, with juice or coffee, and it’s a special breakfast, that’s worth the little production effort for sure. Consider trying it this weekend, and letting us know how you liked it!

I think we might be having it again ourselves. 😛

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Striped Cucumber Salad | Recipe

August 26, 2011 By Laura 4 Comments

It’s a wonder, that our children have not turned into cucumbers, this summer. They love them, and our gardens have been so generous with them, that the kids have happily eaten them many days for lunch, dinner, and sometimes even as a snack. They’ve had them as spears, sliced the long way and added to their tomato sandwiches, chopped up in a garden salad, and as this Cucumber Salad, which we are sharing with you today.

We know. It’s not the most inventive recipe, if we can even call it that. The ‘recipe’ is actually more about the dressing it’s in. It’s one that I imagine has been around a long time, as my mother used to make it while I was growing up. Recently we were at our friend’s house, getting our families together, and they made us the most de-li-cious dinner. Part of that meal was a simple romaine salad with sliced fresh strawberries, and a dressing very similar to this one. So as you take note of this dressing, keep in mind the various or creative ways you can use it for, too. This dressing, and this salad, is a perfect summer-side, to a light meal.

Striped Cucumber Salad

cucumber-salad-recipe Our Cucumber Salad begins with a fresh organic cucumber, from our own gardens.

I have always, peeled cucumbers in stripes. But there have been 2 separate reasons I have done so.

In the off-season, I have peeled the grocery-store bought cucumbers this way because, as we all know, the majority of the vitamins & minerals are in the skin, and I want to get all I can into my kids/family. But also, before we ate organic, the cucumbers from the store were usually waxed. Man I hated that! I couldn’t stand the feel of it trying to wash them, (the wax never came off), and the funny feeling it left on my hands too. Also, we just weren’t partial to eating wax. You? 😕 So, peeling the skin in stripes, was a compromise, of sorts.

But even when the cucumbers are organically right from our gardens, I think the stripes just make them fancy & pretty. So I chop off the ends, and stripe peel them.

And then I slice it.

And maybe I’ll have fun taking photos of it. It’s a cucumber caterpillar!!

So much for not playing with my food.

Now I know this is silly, but, I didn’t take photos of making the dressing. It would have been boring, and unnecessary. It’s so simple though, and there isn’t actually ‘correct’ amounts of any one ingredient. It just matters more of how thick you want the dressing, and how much you like this or that ingredient. All to your preferred taste. But this is generally my winged recipe, I mix in a bowl well, with a fork.

Cucumber/(Salad) Dressing

1/2 c. mayonnaise (Hellman’s Real, for us)
1/4 c. white sugar
4 tsp. distilled vinegar

dashes of:

dill weed
seasoned salt
black pepper

Of course….all of these amounts will vary with how many cucumbers you cut up. I like it to just coat the cucumbers. My mother made enough, that it was more of a soup, that the cucumbers sat in. She made a lot! LOL

In my antique blue Pyrex dish (missing the handle), that was once my grandmothers, I arrange all of the cucumber slices, and drizzle the dressing right over it. Then I throw another dash of dillweed on top. This dish is light, tangy, sweet, with a tad of salty. All at once. More importantly, it’s FRESH, light, delicious, easy, and well……COOL! It’s a perfect side for summer grilled dinners, etc.

I’ll warn you, with the same wise words my mother-in-law once warned me with, and of which I shared with my kids recently, and they have found absolutely hysterical, and love to say it now every time they have cucumbers:

“Be careful now. Cucumbers tend to repeat on you, later.”

From what I can tell, no one minds repeating around here, except me. ; )

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Frozen Banana Bites – Such a treat! | Recipe

August 22, 2011 By Laura 2 Comments

I don’t remember exactly the last time I had a frozen chocolate covered banana, but I do know that I had one or 2 when I was a kid, and I loved them. I thought of making them many times since I’ve had kids of my own, but never quite got to that. So when a reader linked us up with this simple recipe for ‘Frozen Banana Bites’, I knew we had to try them. Not exactly the same as frozen chocolate covered bananas, but close enough. They were absolutely delectable!

*The actual recipe called for peanut butter, but with one of our kids having a severe peanut allergy, we substitute everything that calls for peanut butter, with Sunbutter.

Participating Ingredients: Bananas, Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, & Peanut Butter or *Sunbutter

Naturally, you can make as many Frozen Banana Bites as you would like. But for the sake of giving you a recipe to follow, just use the following measurements per 2 bananas, and then make as many batches as you would like. We made 2 batches, 1 at a time, considering not wanting the slices bananas to brown, or the sauce to cool too much as we worked.

2 bananas
1/4 Hershey’s Chocolate Chips
1/4 Peanut Butter or Sunbutter

Cover a cookie sheet with some waxed or parchment paper.

Slice the bananas into bite sized pieces.

We have big mouths. 😀

Put the measured chocolate chips and Sunbutter in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 20 seconds or so, mix, and keep putting back in for 10-15 second interval until it’s all melted, combined & smooth.

Tip: I stir with a wooden spoon handle, and I stir rapidly, just as you would tempering chocolate.

With your sauce all warmed and ready, take each chunk of banana, and dip the top of it into the sauce. Let it drip off as much as possible.

Place on the cookie sheet, sauce side up.

Optional: If desired, you also can roll the chocolatey side in chopped nuts as well, and then place on sheet.

Repeat until they are all done.

~ It’s a bit of a messy process, and there isn’t much way around it. ~

Place the sheet of Banana Bites into the freezer, and let freeze completely.

Note: Freezing time varies, depending on how many times ~~you~~ your kids open the freezer door, to see if they are frozen enough to eat, yet. : )

Once our first sheet was frozen, the kids and I just took them out, and had at them right away. 😛

These guys’ expressions and sound effects are always so animated, when it comes to food.

Especially treats.

Any frozen leftovers, can be thrown in a ziplock-style freezer bag, for later enjoyment.

Hope you find them worth the small mess. ; ) We did!

***

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7 Layer Salad, with Sides – Summer Light & Just Right | Recipe

July 18, 2011 By Laura 3 Comments

If you live in a climate where summers can be hot & humid, than you probably have days like me when you can’t even think of cooking dinner, in a hot kitchen. You’re looking for a meal that is cool, light, and delicious. We probably all have our regular stand-bys, but I just discovered a new favorite, and I’m here to share it with you!

One of the best parts of having link-up party on Tuesdays, has not only been the simple home decor or craft ideas, but the recipes shared! This ‘7 Layer Salad’ was a link-up, and I thought it was so enticing, we made it right away, and then featured it! > Because our whole family loved it! As I said in the feature, even the kids were ‘scoffin’ & commentin’ through the whole meal, and were thrilled to have leftovers the next night. (Honestly, they cheered.)

7-seven-layer-salad-recipe I think the name alone, 7 Layer Salad, is FUN, and sound enticing. And the great thing is, if you don’t care for one of the ingredients/layers, you can substitute it with something you prefer, and still call it 7 Layer Salad! But we made it just like the recipe called for, and it was a hit in our mouths, and our bellies.

Here’s the recipe, layer-by-cool & easy-layer:

7-seven-layer-salad-recipe-1 7 Layer Salad

*In order that ingredients are put into the bowl, building bottom to top:

6 cups fresh, washed Spinach
2 cups Grape Tomatoes, halved (Cherry Tomatoes would work too.)
1 cup Red Onion, chopped
1-1/4 cup frozen Peas, thawed & drained
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
6 slices Bacon, cooked & chopped*
3 Hard-Boiled Eggs, quartered or sliced

* Use microwavable bacon! Remember, we not cooking tonight! ; )

Then, I added a few perfect sides, still keeping the meal cool & light:

Some fresh and cold rolled-up Turkey meat & Apple slices.

Serve with a tall glass of cold lemonade, and you have yourself a perfect and light summer meal! Lunch or dinner!

(OK, that particular glass in the photo, happened to be my Mike’s Hard Lemonade. But, you know, can do Country Time if you’d like!)

As a salad dressing, consider Balsamic Vinegar, or a Raspberry Vinaigrette. My kids love both, but yours may prefer their regular favorite.

As if this meal wasn’t perfect enough to me, I added my favorite topping. Most every salad is ‘betta, with Feta’.

Scrum-de-licious!

Of course, you have the option of swapping out any ingredient layer you don’t care for, and swapping in one you do!
What changes might you make to your layer salad?

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