For the month of January 2014 I am going to complete the above photo challenge.

The picture of the challenge above is a link to the blog Positively Present, all about mindfulness and the blessing of being present in the moment!  The author talks about how photography is a way to become fully immersed our surroundings.  Combining both being present/mindful and gratitude are two separate and powerful happiness practices.  So, of course I am down with that! 

 

I found this challenge more difficult than I had anticipated.  The first topic is FOOD.  I figured,  photos and gratitude and food!  I can slam this out!  This is my shtick.  Yet, when it came down to it I had a hard time determining what foods I am grateful for - this seems especially ironic when considering the nature of this blog and that to unwind I bake in the kitchen.  I immediately knew my answer: I am the most grateful for cupcakes.  For me, cupcakes are hope in food form.  Cupcakes are the first gluten free sweet I could really take and master for my first grade child diagnosed with celiac disease (CD).  It has been my one treat in my arsenal on the frontlines of a gluten-y world.  I could make any flavor, decorate them professionally and bake from sunup to sundown to bring my child with CD happiness.  Yet, for this challenge I felt I needed to step beyond my defining dessert.  I knew it was time to think up a new food.  Even more to the point - I have taken so many photos of cupcakes over the last few years that it was definitely time to find a different food to photograph.  Or risk getting lazy and using an old one.

 

 

Maybe it was because I was tired from a long New Years Eve night of "my Little Pony Monopoly" (we got to bed at 2am!) or maybe it is because everyone in my house is burnt out from a long couple months of travel and moving.  But, I initially took a photo of coffee (a substance that I am not only grateful for, but might be the only reason I keep up on being a domestic engineer powerhouse). However, my depth of field was too shallow (a problem I struggle with in many of my photos).  I felt this could be symbolic of the blurred hours of the last few days.  Maybe it can be symbolic of a hectic life with three kids and no time to even take a decent photo.  Or simply a symptom of needing to track down my lost tripod.  Either way, I felt unsatisfied and torn on whether to retake the same exact photo... especially since this evening I did not actually feel grateful for coffee.  Sort of goes against the whole point of the challenge.

 

When I am lost... I often get found, by three messy, loud, exuberant children.  And this situation turns out to be no different.  I am relatively excited about taking a photo a day based on a theme, so excited I have extended it to our dinner table (as per usual).  I told my family that I will be taking photos on the theme of gratitude and that each day I will have a different topic.  Tonight the topic is food! 

 

My kiddos had no problem getting into that action.  Beezus says she is grateful for "whip cream, strawberries, mac n cheese and candy, candy, CANDY!"  I believe when we started this her gratitude followed the same line of items.  Ramona, a child more present in the moment, stated "the chicken we are having tonight."  Then she proceeded to eat more than her fair share and got a little scolded for overindulging.  My man proclaims without hesitation "pizza."  Probably the fastest he has ever been grateful for anything at the table.  We are not surprised by that.  I found when I really thought about it, I am the most grateful for foods that are easy, fast, simple to make and healthy to eat.  And, as for the little man...

 

...he is grateful for mashed potatoes and ranch dressing - as long as he can smear it in his hair!  I guess I am grateful for a great photo op, as coffee was a bit of a fall back anyway.

 

Feel free to share anything food related you are grateful for... if you want to. 

 

Happy New Year

May Your 2014 Rock