My Boys (meaning the Amazing Craig and H) are in the kitchen right now. I have strategically removed myself to let them experience father and son time – and to keep out of the fray. (At least that’s my story) Yikes! They have been scheming for a couple of days and now they are undertaking their great kitchen experiment: they are making ice-cream.
We spent the day hiking around one of our beautiful West Coast Canadian (and lucky for us local) lakes and going for a dip with our sweet labradoodle, Finnegan, at the far side. My guess is we walked at least 10 km.
My feet are sore, but fortunately, I can still write.
From the kitchen I can hear the whirr or the old fashioned crank hand blender – and The Three Stooges humour, that is a part of their schtick, is flying fast and furious. “We have to separate these eggs…. Hahahahahahahah”
At the moment they are struggling with lining up the drum of the ice-cream maker – but that offers a great opportunity for problem solving and collaboration. The process is also a test of Craig’s patience and frustration tolerance – because it is difficult for H to regulate his behaviour and rein in impulse.
“If only they made a locking mechanism”
“Got it – Ya !! We got it”
They are referring and re-referring to the recipe and the instructions. This is very hands on. They have made the base and added chocolate – and now it is in the frozen cylinder and ready for the turning part. They are doing the math to figure out how many times they have to crank the stirring mechanism and the frequency for this.
“Clockwise three times…” When the timer on the stove goes off and then H resets the timer for another 3 minutes to time the next interval.
Today has been a perfect day. Our days are not all perfect – in fact very few of them are, but I am noticing that so much of my perspective is shaped by my attitude.
I am noticing that it is the moments in my life that make it amazing. I used to be waiting
for some big wonderful – but in my experience, there is no big wonderful that will be suddenly arriving. It is the stringing together of all the little wonderfuls, in and amongst the ups and downs, and noticing the sometimes almost imperceptible moments that make my life spectacular.
As I finish off this post by adding the breathtaking photos of today’s adventure, Craig and H are lounging on the couch together and watching the antics of Jimmy Neutron. They are awaiting the final “FREEZE.” The verdict is that their ice-cream tastes very good but it still needs more time.
So while we’re chillin’ (along with the experimental ice-cream) here are a few more photos from our adventures today.
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30 Days of Autism is a project designed to fight stigma, promote civil rights, and increase understanding and acceptance for those who process and experience the world differently.
© Leah Kelley, Thirty Days of Autism, (2011)
Thirty Days of Autism 
yes, I think that in fact, that is the secret to truly enjoying life, one, very precious, moment at a time. Beautiful photos my dear.
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Yes…. so true, so simple, and at the same time complicated…
Thank you also for your sweet comment on my pics! That means so much coming from you, my wonderful photography guru! ❀
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Amazing photos Leah, you have such a wonderful knack for capturing those unbidden moments. Dare I ask what lake you went to? How did the ice cream turn out in the end?
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The lake is on the southwest coast of British Columbia (Canada). The ice-cream turned out surprisingly well. It took much longer to freeze that we had imagined… but I think it is certainly a “do-over”…
Thank you so much for you comment about my photos. I dropped by your site so I had an opportunity to see what a great photographer you are. I loved your black and white shots (of London, I presume) in particular… but all of your photos were terrific, so I am very encouraged by your supportive comments.
I loved your post about the socks!!I laughed so hard – I have lived that one as well 🙂 And the adorable sock characters. (Although, I must admit to feeling a bit of a protective urge developing toward the fringe Alien guy.)
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