a blog of photography, motherhood, and life.
Well, my blog has anyway : )
Seeking Equipoise is on a new server now, and with a new look!
I also have a new rss feed, so if you were subscribed before or would like to be, add http://seekingequipoise.com to your feed reader again.
See you in the new space!
-h
This morning I made and enjoyed these heart-shaped pancakes with my two funny valentines.
This is my favorite pancake recipe, adapted only slightly from The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook. They’re whole wheat, so they’re better for you and keep you feeling full longer. I usually put chopped bananas in the batter, but they would also be great with blueberries, chocolate chips, or just by themselves with some real maple syrup and butter.
What I love about this recipe is that you make the dry mix ahead of time and store it. It lasts through several pancake mornings, and we get from-scratch pancakes without tired mama having to think too much too early :)
The mix:
4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
Whisk all ingredients together until well combined, and store in an airtight 2-quart container.
Whole Grain Pancakes:
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 cups of the above mix
{optional: chopped bananas, blueberries, chocolate chips, apples, etc.}
Preheat griddle or skillet on medium heat. Beat egg and milk together until smooth, then beat in the oil. Stir the mix into the wet ingredients. If you’re adding bananas or anything else, stir in gently now. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more milk. Batter should spread on griddle but not run. Cook on preheated, lightly oiled griddle or skillet until golden brown on both sides.
One things my mom told me about pancakes, that always stuck in my mind, is that when there are lots of bubbles coming to the surface of side one, it’s about time to flip it over.
To make a heart, drip little by little, starting with one side of the heart, spreading it down, and then dripping the other side of the heart and spreading it down to join the two. Other fun shapes include butterflies, snowmen, and funny faces (with ears and hair, and kids can used fruit for the eyes, nose and mouth).
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I hope you’re having a love-filled Valentine’s day. Seth is going to grandma’s house tonight, and we’re staying to make dinner and watch a movie together. I’m looking forward to a leisurely and uninterrupted evening with my hubby!
If you follow my blog and my work, you know that I seriously love shooting film. The process, the look and feel, the honesty and tangibility of it, just gets me every time.
Suzie Chaney, one of my fellow fPOE team members, is teaching Shooting the Breeze, a unique online workshop on shooting film. It starts on March 7th, and will be an excellent resource for anyone wishing to get started shooting film, or dust off that camera you haven’t used in years, or simply be part of a community of other film shooters. I encourage you to check it out!
xoxo,
h
Yesterday I walked near the beach with Seth in his stroller, napping. I was there to shoot for my 52 weeks project, and since the weather was perfect I just stayed for a little while. I watched the birds- diving, running, flying, dipping, playing. Birds seem happy to me, joyful and free. I love watching them living their simple lives, defying gravity, displaying their amazing designs. I want that lightness of being in my own life.
{the above image is brand new in my art print shop this morning}
Happy Friday, friends. This weekend I am throwing a little party for Seth, piling our immediate families and a couple close friends into our tiny house. It’s going to be awesome. I woke up with a headache and slightly sore throat this morning, so I’m loading up on vitamin C and eating my veggies today :)
This tiny baby is turning two today.
Like many mothers, I am reflecting on a 40ish hour labor and the unspeakable joy it was to look at his face for the first time. I’m thinking about all that has happened since that night- how I fell in love with all 5 pounds 11 ounces of him, and more and more each day since. How he’s changed, and become this smart, funny, spirited little boy.
More than all the memories, I am thinking about who he is, and who he will be, and how this is only the beginning still. I wonder who he will be and what he will do. I hope that I will guide him well on the way.
Right now, he is affectionate and loving, stubborn and full of spirit. He loves to play outside. He has an insanely long attention span for his age. He likes to color and play instruments. His favorite shows are Caillou and Blue’s Clues. He loves to read with us. He adores his dad, grandpa and uncle (me and his grandma too, but you can tell it’s important to him to be one of the guys). His vocabulary grows every day, and he points out every car and airplane. He notices tiny details and points them out- like a crescent moon out in the middle of the day, or a bird high up in the sky. He amazes me.
Happy birthday, Seth my love.
Present-ness in the moment is essential. Lack of momentum is crippling.
There is a delicate balance, a push and pull: strive and push yourself, and yet remember to slow down at times.
Have dreams and chase them. Have goals and work hard for them.
But don’t get so wholly caught up in these things that you miss the present.
Savor the journey.
Pause to smell the flowers.
Look around you and really experience life at this point in your journey, rather than running so single-mindedly toward the goal that you pass over everything in between.
Each day, each moment, is a gift.
{p.s.- The above image is brand new and now available as a fine art print in my Etsy shop :)}
I’m over on The Creative Mama today, with some thoughts on self-love…..
What he looks like… when he’s playing with our son. I love this.
I am taking part in this month-long photography project/class offered by Willette Designs— The Joy of Love. It is all about documenting one person you love deeply, in many different ways. I am participating because I feel that I want to capture the essence of who my husband really is, right now- as a gift to him, myself and our family.
So today’s assignment was to capture what he does. And if you know Manny, you know this captures it well. At work, he’s at a computer, dispatching 911 calls, and at home, he’s often at a computer playing games.
This place.
peace. nature. light.
On this foggy, crisp morning,
I felt so aware, so connected to everything around me…
~
My submission was chosen to be featured on Words to Shoot By this weekend, and I am beyond thrilled. I have admired the work on their site for some time now. Please go see the other submissions they chose- there are some really incredible images there.
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I have nothing particularly exciting to share at the moment.
As usual I have more things to do than time to do them, and I am full of new ideas that tease me with my limited time. I am trying to methodically and calmly move through my lists and tasks without getting overwhelmed. I wish for more sleep and coffee makes up for the lack of it (somewhat).
I am thankful for our little family outing at the zoo this afternoon, for taking a few moments to just watch the golden sunlight peeking through a patch of bamboo, for the sound of Seth and Manny playing upstairs, for warm tea and late-night reading of good books…
And I’m thankful for the relationships in my life- threads weaving through everything else, creating meaning and strength, resilience and the very essence of the fabric of my world. I am so thankful.
Seeking Equipoise 