In the Woods with Allie Dean

Way back in June, Allie Dean and I enjoyed going to get our hair cut together. On the way home, she showed me a pretty little wooded area that looked perfect for pictures... and of course we had to go back the next day and test out the lighting with our new 'dos! :)

Her pretty skirt was begging for some spin shots, and she let me try her off-camera flash!

Cameras and converse go together perfectly...

Allie's smile can light up a room (or a forest, in this case). She brings such joy to my own life and to others around her with her servant's heart and her love for Jesus.

Aaand she's a pretty awesome photographer, so if you're ever in need of some family, engagement, baby, or wedding pictures, this is the lady for you.

Allie, it was such fun taking pictures together in the Hundred Acre Wood! Let's do it again, soon!

~ Hannah Jane

Colorado Trip ~ Part 3

On our last day in Colorado, we elevation-deprived Texans took a jaunt up into the mountains! We drove up Lookout Mountain to the Buffalo Bill Museum and gift shop.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present...

...the only horse I rode the whole weekend. :) Only to read the sign behind me afterwards which read, "Please no adults on the horse." Whoops.

A mountaintop selfie.

The view from Lookout Mountain was gorgeous. 

I took a couple pictures but it was so much better in person, so I made a point of enjoying the landscape out from behind the viewfinder... and here is where I would advise those of you who enjoy photography: sometimes, there are moments where you just need to put the camera down, and look with your eyes... and enjoy the moment, so that you will remember it forever. There are things that are so much better remembered by presence than a picture.

 

Grandma Ginny enjoyed every moment she could with Isaiah.

Leah made us a delicious dinner, and we drove over to a nearby park to enjoy our last mountain sunset.

We said our goodbyes that night, and left the next morning at 5 AM.

One more mountain view in New Mexico on the way home...

I hope you enjoyed your virtual trip to Colorado :) See you next week!

~ Hannah Jane

Colorado Trip ~ Part 2

Hi everyone!

So, later in the evening (after stopping at the viewing area) we arrived at my Great-Grandma Ginny's apartment, and she was so excited to meet Isaiah!

After that, we settled in for the night. Mom and I had quite the adventure, which will forever be known in the family history as Lemonade Night. If you ever meet me, ask me about it and I'll tell you the epic tale! :) #adventureswithmom

The next morning, we decided to get a little touristy while we were in Denver, and so we headed to the Downtown Aquarium. Isaiah really enjoyed watching the fish, turtles, and sharks!

We enjoyed a nice lunch at the restaurant inside the aquarium, situated next to some fish tanks. We were even visited by some mermaids during the meal :)

Adorable salt and pepper shakers!

After lunch, Little Man and I went over to the tank to admire the fish, and within 15 minutes he fell asleep. I love it when that happens :)

One of the rare occasions where I'm actually in front of the camera :)

Back at the apartment, we enjoyed several rounds of Chicken Foot with Grandma and Great-Aunt Kathie...

And this week's artsy picture: A pretty view through a bridge in Denver. Without the train, you can see the downtown skyline through it.

The third and final part of this series will be up next week! Stay tuned :)

~ Hannah Jane

Colorado Trip ~ Part 1

Hi everyone! Happy September :)

I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Colorado at the end of August with my Mom, brother, sister-in-law and nephew! So here is Part One of our adventure.

We had not even gotten out of our home state when we had a flat tire, but a very helpful State Trooper was there within 10 minutes and got us on our way again.

Isaiah was a wonderful traveler for most of the trip both ways. He fell in love with my stuffed animal, Snowy/Milou, from The Adventures of TinTin.

The landscape along the road was constantly changing. You could not look at one of those hills or mountains and not think of the One who created them.

Once we made it to Colorado, we stopped at a Viewing Area to admire the mountains.

Selfie with Mom...

Long roads and open sky.

Part 2 to come next week!

~ Hannah

Sharing ~ August

Taken by my friend Allie Dean

Hi everyone! :) This week's post is a compilation of some of my favorite recipes, blogs, books, and other fun stuff! After all, I can't keep good things to myself :)

So... here we go!

Please note as well, I cannot vouch for the content of any other page on these websites except for the links that I share with you.

Recipes and Food Blogs
I do a lot of experimenting in the kitchen. Our family is 2/3 gluten-free, so most recipes need to meet that requirement, or I will substitute certain ingredients.

Some of my favorite recipes (one for each course, of course!) 

• Breakfast: Pannukakku, a.k.a. Finnish Pancake: recipe here
• Lunch: Salmon Patties: recipe here
• Bread: Clever Cornmeal Buns: recipe here
• Dinner: Sweet Potato Bisque: recipe here
• Dessert: Chai Gingerbread Bars: recipe here

Blogs (not necessarily gluten-free):

• Buttered Side Up, by Erica
• Chocolate Covered Katie, by Katie (best cookie dough dip/dessert hummus EVER. Try it!)
• Gluten Free on a Shoestring, by Nicole

Music:

• The Piano Guys: A pianist/cellist team that creates gorgeous music videos!
• John Kraemer: A friend of mine! He composes beautiful, original piano pieces. Here is a sample of his work.

• Jason Gray: A Christian artist, who writes thought-provoking lyrics to accompany his fun, uplifting music.

Books and/or Authors:

• The Lost Art of True Beauty by Leslie Ludy - a thought provoking, convicting and encouraging read for young ladies. Please read with discretion: I do not fully agree with some of her theological views. (for ages 17 and up)
• The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer (wife of Francis Schaeffer) - need some inspiration for how to make your home a more beautiful and biblical place? This is an excellent read. (for ages 17 and up)
• The Hidden Hand by E.D.E.N. Southworth - a hilarious and wonderful book full of plot twists and adventure! (for ages 14 and up)

That's all for now. I hope to post a collection like this once every other month. That will give me time to collect more fun things to share!

Until next time!

~ Hannah

Recipe: Gluten-Free Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I tend to bake in spurts. I'll just wake up one day and decide it's time to bake something!

One morning last week, I woke up with the notion that I should make some sort of breakfast treat. With this in mind, I started window-shopping on Pinterest, and decided to try a coffee cake... and the results were delicious!

And of course, no coffee cake is complete without coffee... (iced, in this case!)

Gluten-Free Sour Cream Coffee Cake

For the brown sugar topping:

• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• For the cake:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups gluten-free baking mix (I used Namaste Perfect Flour Blend)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (my flour blend already had xanthan gum in it, so I reduced this to a 1/4 teaspoon)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting
• Directions:
• In a small bowl, combine the pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside. 
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
• Beat in vanilla. 
• Combine the flour mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream. 
• Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured 10" bunt pan. Sprinkle with half of the pecan mixture. 
• Gently top with remaining batter and pecan mixture. 
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 
• Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Cool completely then dust with confectioner's sugar.

Enjoy! 

Until next time,

~Hannah

Odds & Ends ~ July

Hello, everyone! How is your summer going?

The month of July was full of all kinds of adventures, including:

• a fourth of July gathering, complete with fireworks and patriotic dessert kabobs :)

• enjoying lots of horsey-time, between riding myself and helping with a summer horse camp!

Flash went bobbing for apples!

Sweet Sawyer and his pony, Darla

• my best friend Catrina and I loving on my nephew Isaiah (left) and her niece Bella (right) at a welcome-to-Texas party for a new friend...

Copyright Allie Dean Photography

Aaand just one nephew grin for you to enjoy! What you can't see is that his onesie says, "Wild About Auntie" *hint hint* :)

• a fun photo shoot with friends and their puppies...

Annabelle was a lovely model :)

• cellfies [a highly technical term coined by Steven Sharp Nelson] (noun): a selfie with your cello! 

Actually this cellfie was with my temporary friend Boris. My own cello was at the luthier's for "surgery"...

• and of course no sweltering summer in Texas is complete without yummy frozen custard!

I have been slowly meandering through a couple of books, too, but this list is far too short! 

Do you have any suggestions for me? :)

- Call the Sabbath a Delight by Walter Chantry

- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

In lieu of music, I have currently been enjoying Love Will Have the Final Word by Jason Gray, the score of The King's Speech by Alexandre Desplat, some songs by Peter Hollens, and of course The Piano Guys. What tunes do have you been listening to lately?

Until next time, y'all! :)

~ Hannah