61/365 Good-Bye Cable

It's a good thing we're getting rid of our cable soon, because I think my babe is developing a serious TV addiction!  Without realizing it, we've established an evening routine of cuddling in front of old Full House and Alf reruns, when we should be reading bedtime stories.  Gabrielle immediately ran over to the "cuddle chair" after dinner today, demanded that I turn on the TV, and climbed onto my lap.  I love the cuddles (she doesn't sit still on my lap for very long these days) but I think it's high time we establish some new routines around here.

Just for the record, we don't usually turn on the TV until at least 7:00 pm, and Gabrielle does spend a fair amount of time entertaining herself (even on days like today, when she had a very busy day and missed her nap).  The favourite toys of the day were these wooden blocks that she got as a gift from her great-grandmother.

Today's Small Style:
Dress: Gymboree
Tights: Children's Place

60/365 Swinging With Ellie

58/365 If You're Happy And You Know It

Gabrielle started a weekly creative play program today, and I was surprised to realize when we got home that she remembered the songs.  She knew exactly what to do for "The Hokey Pokey", even though we only sang it once.  Later, we had our own private sing-a-long to "If You're Happy And You Know It" in the front yard.

58/365 Little Volleyball Player

A mysterious volleyball  showed up in our yard today and Gabrielle was fascinated by it.  She spent at least 15 minutes carrying it around the yard, kicking it, and examining it, before she discovered something unpleasant on her hands...

 And I discovered that her new favourite toy was covered in dog poo (and we don't have a dog).

And that was the end of that.

57/365 A Typical Afternoon

What did I do this afternoon?

Well, first I commented on all the doggies passing by.

Then I scared the crap out of Mommy climbing on all the furniture.

After that, I was a little tired, so I took a 10 second nap on the floor.

Then I took advantage of Mommy's preoccupation with her macro lens and my eyelashes to get my hands on all the things I'm not supposed to play with.

In other words, I had a great day!

56/365 Manual Focus

Today was all about manual focus.  I've attempted to learn how to focus manually before, but at the end of the day, the only thing I achieved was a headache.  Thanks to some guidance and tips from the wonderful ladies over at Clickin Moms, today went a little better.  These parsley leaves may not be the most interesting of subjects, but they were convenient today for practicing on.  There were a lot of duds, but I did manage to get a few things in focus.

 


I'm not sure how much I'll use manual focus, but I still think that it's a skill I'd like to have.

P.S. Please if you're laughing at me now, please stop.  Believe it or not, this is progress!

55/365 18 Months

I had high hopes of getting some decent 18 month photos of Gabrielle today but she was more interested in puddles than posing for pictures.  In true Gabrielle fashion, she managed to find the ONLY puddle anywhere close to our house and get herself completely soaked.

She did sit still for a few minutes here and there, but by then evidence of the puddle had already ruined her outfit.

Apart from the puddle, the fascination of the day was watching all the parents, kids, and dog walkers who passed by our house.  Each baby got his or her own special greeting, of course (i.e. "Hiya!" or "Beebee!")

She then decided to scare the crap out of me and eat the buds off the bushes in front of our house (I have no idea what type of  bushes these were).  Needless to say, this is where our photo shoot ended, while I decided whether a call to Poison Control or a trip to the hospital was necessary.

Small Style this week:

Shirt: Children's Place

Overalls: Osh Kosh

Shoes: Crocs

P.S. Gabrielle is fine, with no damage done.

54/365 The End Of The Highchair

Today I officially dismantled the highchair and converted it into a booster seat.  Gabrielle was thrilled to sit and eat her peanut-buttered toast at the table like a "big girl.   It's fun watching her grow up and eagerly embracing and then mastering each new skill; I just can't believe it's happening so fast.  The remnants of babyhood are quickly disappearing, leaving a little person with a sweet and affectionate personality, and a definite sense of humour!



53/365 Helping Daddy

52/365 Spaghetti-Stuffed Peppers

51/365 Gabrielle and Grampa

This girl loves her grampa! Well, actually she loves all her grandparents and seems to have a unique and special bond with each one.

Grampa is the one who immediately lifts her up as soon as he comes in the door, who loves taking her to the park, and reads her all the stories she wants.  He's the one to whom she can't wait to show something new.  She remembers all of their special little games, and makes sure that he remembers them too.  I'm so glad that they can share these years together.

P.S. I'm kicking myself for not using a faster shutter speed and smaller aperture here.  I know the focus is off and these pictures are definitely not as crisp as I would like (especially the last one).  Even though there are technical issues, I still loved the interaction between these two.  I just need to make a note of these things so that I remember them for next time.

50/365 Close-Ups And A Flash Diffuser

I've decided to do some experimenting with a flash diffuser before investing in a speedlight.  I wasn't overly impressed with the results that I got today, although it was better than the on-camera flash alone.  It seemed to reduce red-eye quite a bit but it didn't live up to the claim that it reduces the harsh shadows caused by flash.  I'm still curious about whether it can be used for macro photography and I'll try that later in the week.

49/365 Some Scenes From Dinner Of A Girl Who's Not Very Hungry

After some initial tasting of yesterday's leftovers, she considers what to do next...

But apparently something on the ceiling interrupts her contemplation.

She then inspects her dinner before deciding whether she should give it another shot...

And then decides it's worth a few more bites.





48/365 Black Bean And Walnut Croquettes

My husband's loving words about dinner today was that it resembled "giant pucks of dog poo".  Luckily he's had these black bean and walnut croquettes before so he knows they really do taste good.  They also have a nice chewy texture, with toasted sesame seeds on the outside and a warm and soft middle (the recipe says to coat them with bread crumbs, but I like to use sesame seeds for some extra calcium).  I served them with hummus and black rice today, but they're also really good in sandwiches.

People often ask if we feel satiated by our vegan meals and have a hard time imagining a satisfying dinner, without meat as part of the main course.  I still plan our meals to include a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables and fats, just as I would have planned any other type of meal.  These croquettes were packed full of protein as they included a whole can of beans and a 3/4 cup of walnuts.  The carbohydrate requirement was met by the whole-grain black rice we had on the side.  If you've never had black rice before, it may look strange but it's absolutely delicious.  We had hummus on the side and mixed some salsa into the rice to get our vegetables in.  I would normally have included a spinach salad as well but we were out of spinach today.  The nuts in the croquettes and the oil used for cooking these provided a component of fat, which is also important to feel satiated.

On another note, this is how I found my daughter today.

I don't know why she has decided that her shopping cart is now a chair, but I hope she finds something else to amuse herself with soon before she does herself any damage.  I think she's probably just excited about her new found climbing skills but I'll admit that it makes me very nervous.

47/365 Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my new favourite cookies (also from One Thousand Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson), soft in the middle and crispy on the outside.  I made these for a neighbour but I think I'm going to have to make them again for us soon.  These ones aren't completely vegan because there is a tiny bit of whey in the margarine that I used, but they are made without eggs or butter.  I also used the opportunity to get out my tripod and practice taking some close-ups.




46/365 Vegan Pizza

People are always curious when they first find out that my husband and I are vegans; they always want to know why we eat this way, what types of things we eat, and whether it's hard cook this way.  In answer to the first question, we became vegan about four or five months ago because of health reasons.  Regarding the second question, we eat all sorts of things, just like anyone else.  The only difference is that everything is plant-based.  The short answer is that our diet consists of all sorts of whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nut milks and nut butters.  It may sound limiting at first, but the possibilities really are endless.  It does take some getting used to, but no, it's not hard to eat like this.  We had to make the transition rather suddenly but my favourite vegan cookbook, One Thousand Vegan Recipes, made the change a lot easier.  A good cookbook is definitely a big help.  A lot of our old favourites can be altered to easily fit into our new diet, like the vegan pizza we had for dinner today.

45/365 Another Sunday

Gabrielle playing at her Gran's house

44/365 Good-bye

Gabrielle was in heaven today.  First came a play date with Kyle, during which she tried to hug and kiss the poor kid to death.  At 17 months, I think she's in love.

She also thought it was great fun to relive her infancy by trying to climb in and out of his car seat 20 billion times.

After a short nap in the stroller, she got to spend the rest of the day with her grandparents.  They took her to the waterfront, fed her the biggest ice cream she's ever seen, and doted on her all day long.

I think it was bittersweet for all of us, since we won't see them again for a couple of months.  I love my parents and Gabrielle sure loves her grandparents.  We'll miss you, Mom and Dad.  Come back soon.