Day 44

Ah, the great Snow Melt of 2011 (which follows the Blizzard of 2011).  Today was so nice outside temp-wise.  After we got home from church, LilCrockett wanted to head outside immediately.  Who could blame him.  This winter has seemed so incredibly LONG.  Mia and I joined him after awhile so that we could build a snowman.  Crockett usually loves doing this with the kids, but the snow was very unstable (it was melting underneath) and not meant for someone who has just had knee surgery.  The great thing about the melting snow was that it packed so nicely (like slushie ice). 

When we were done, I snapped some pics of the kids.  It was incredibly bright outside, so LilCrockett has the dreaded squint even though I consciously had them build the snowman in the shade.  GothGirl had the right idea and wore her shades.   

The temp was so nice that I actually got too warm building the snowman despite only wearing a medium-weight coat.  By late afternoon, the temperature climbed to 50 degrees and it was fabulous, especially coming on the heels of last week’s minus Fahrenheit temps.  Spring is in the air and we are so ready!

Editing: slight exposure increase in ACR, the pioneer woman boost action

• f/13
• 1/80 sec
• 100 ISO
• 53mm

During the afternoon & early evening, I had the kids help me make cake pops. 

Editing: cropping, adjustments in ACR

• f/2.8
• 1/50 sec
• 800 ISO
• 28mm

 

The neighbor girls were over so they got to help as well

Editing: cropping, adjustments in ACR

• f/2.8
• 1/60 sec
• 800 ISO
• 30mm

And finally, the finished product.  See below for the recipe.  Note that my cake pops never come out looking that great.  I can never get the candy melts the right consistency or get the cake batter the right temp.  But, they are yummy nevertheless and the kids enjoy the mess!

Editing: adjustments in ACR

• f/3.5
• 1/100 sec
• 800 ISO
• 28mm

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Cake Pops

• 1 baked cake
• 1 canister of icing
• 2 bags of candy melts

Bake your cake as directed and let cool completely.  Crumble the cake up in a bowl and stir in 1 canister of icing.  Chill mixture in the fridge or freezer.  Roll cake/icing mixture into small balls.  Chill balls in fridge or freezer.  Melt candy melts according to package directions (I melt mine in the microwave).  Dip balls in the melted candy coating and set on waxed paper until the coating hardens.  Insert a sucker stick if desired before the candy hardens, if desired.

Experiment with different flavors.  My favorite is yellow/white cake mix, white icing, and vanilla candy melts.  For professional cake pop inspiration, visit Bakerella.  She puts mine to shame times 10!  I should really study her technique sometime.  

Day 34

Just some pics of Seth playing in the snow today.  Crazy boy would throw himself down belly first into the snow.  It was bitterly cold out, so GothGirl and I stayed indoors where it was warm.  I took these shots from inside from the doorway.

Editing: top photo has cropping and slight adjustments in ACR.

• f/4.5
• 1/2000 – 1/2500 sec
• 200 ISO
• 71mm

Day 33

The blizzard finally hit and we ended up with about 13.7 inches of snow on top of about a quarter inch of ice/sleet.  We typically only see about 3-6 inches of snow at a time here, so we’re a little overwhelmed.  The kids had a Snow Day from school and my work was closed as well.  Crockett is considered “essential emergency personnel” so he had to work, but at least he could do so from home…mainly via email and phone.

Fortunately we never lost power and our neighbor helped us plow our drive with his 4-wheeler.  It took the city quite awhile to get all of the streets plowed.  Most neighborhoods didn’t get plowed until late in the day today and I heard that some are still unplowed.  The unplowed roads are basically impossible to travel if you don’t have 4WD.  We ended up taking the 4-wheeler out through the neighborhood yesterday morning to see all of the snow. 

This is how most of the roads looked.  Our 4-wheeler was barely able to pass through and that was only if we maintained speed.  You could not slow down or you would get stuck.  Nearly everyone was out shoveling or snow-blowing their driveways.  Snowplows finally made it through mid-day. 

Editing: slight adjustments in ACR 

• f/4.5
• 1/3200 sec
• 200 ISO
• 28mm

We get some crazy snow drifts in our yard since we live on the very west side of town and there is merely a field across from us (no trees or other structures to break the wind).  All the snow blows up against and around the back of our house.  Here’s Crockett standing at the edge of one of our deepest snow drifts in our backyard.  He’s not even in the deepest part of the drift, which would be mid-thigh high on his 5’ 9” frame.  There were parts of our yard that had hardly any snow and then sections like this.  Shawn White could nearly train back here if he wanted to.  Crazy!  

Editing: cropping & slights adjustments in ACR

• f/4.5
• 1/1600 sec
• 200 ISO
• 28mm

A shot of GothGirl and LilCrockett in the neighbor’s backyard.  They played outside most of the morning and then again in the afternoon.

Editing: slight adjustments in ACR

• f/4.5
• 1/1250 sec
• 200 ISO
• 44mm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A shot of GothGirl (in blue) and the neighbor girls hanging out between the neighbor’s fence & dog kennel.  Sweet!

Editing: cropping, slight adjustments in ACR, the pioneer woman boost action

• f/4.5
• 1/800 sec
• 200 ISO
• 28mm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And last but not least, a picture of LilCrockett sitting down in the snow in the corner of the neighbor’s yard. 

Editing: slight adjustments in ACR, the pioneer woman boost action

• f/4.5
• 1/1600 sec
• 200 ISO
• 63mm

I have TONS (200+) more pictures from today, but I will stop at these! 

Day 31

Not exactly a stellar photo but I wanted to document the start of the Blizzard of 2011 here in Springfield.  You can see that the sleet has started to accumulate on our patio.  School was dismissed an hour early and the stores were packed with people who were stocking up for the bad weather.  There is much more precipitation to come. 

SOOC shot, no editing

• f/4
• 1/250 sec
• 400 ISO
• 28mm