Be careful what you wish for

Remember me whining about being tired of going places and just wanting a vacation from going places? Well, we did get that big ice and snow storm.

And I've often day dreamed about finding a way to replace my kids' carseats with nice models that are just out of reach from our budget. On Christmas Eve we were rear ended, quite gently actually, just enough to crack the back bumper. The at fault insurance wants to replace our carseats.

I'm starting to worry that if I keep making wishes that they will continue to keep getting answered in really bad ways.

So my New Year's wish is for the health and safety of my family. Try to mess with that one fate (or rather don't. I'm not sure I want to piss fate off).

Things about snow.

I love the look of the houses covered in snow lit with white lights. The trees dipping with the weight of ice.

The man cross country skiing down my road was worth a second look.

The old man down the street scrapping every bit of snow off his driveway but ignoring the sidewalks has me puzzled.

Just don't go over 25mph and its not so bad. I only had to remember how from 7 years ago the last time I drove on snow.

I still like to play in it even though I'm pushing 30.

I love seeing the magic of it through my kids' eyes.

Have a wonderful Christmas.

What did I make for Christmas gifts?

To Do List

for Christmas that is. Being snowed in you'd think I would have made a sizeable dent in my To Do List.

Finish up a few kitchen cloths for relatives
Find the picture ornaments I had made
Wrap and package gifts to be mailed
Wrap gifts for our household and that are local
Go through my checklist once again to make sure I've not forgotten anyone
Make a shopping list and shop
Bake goodies
Make food for Christmas day
Buy mini muffin tins for mini pecan pies
Make a cleaning list for my entire home as my brother is coming to visit
Accomplish said cleaning list

And I still have lofty ideas of sewing fabric wrapping "paper". Its a great idea but it might have to wait till next year.

Pamela

Pamela. She is been there for 2 of the most important and transformative moments of my life.



Through her I've met all of my close friends. Because of her I learned another way and began to trust myself. She's the kind of person you can call at 2am if you need help and you know she will be there. Her sense of humor is dark and rather hilarious. Her sense of style is enviable.

Mostly I'm so glad that I met her and still have her in my life.

Happy Birthday to the only one of my friends that has seen my bits (and still speaks to me).

Gluten Free Molasses cookies

One of my favorite things to make in the Fall and Winter are molasses cookies. A few years ago an old friend shared her grandmother's recipe. I sent some with Shawn to work a couple of months ago and apparently he shared and his co workers continued to talk about them months later. So I made some up for him to take as Christmas gifts. But Amara was sad that she couldn't have any.

I set to work to create a recipe that we could all enjoy. These are close but not quite right (the original are more chewy like a brownie while these are cakey).

(Picture to come, my computer is not cooperating)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup softened butter or coconut oil
1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup Brier Rabbit Full Flavored Molasses
2 eggs

1 cup plus 2-3 Tablespoons rice flour mix (2 parts brown rice flour, 2/3 part potato starch, 1/3 part tapioca flour)
1 cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 Tablespoon egg replacer
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

granulated sugar

In a large bowl, with mixer at low speed beat together butter and 1 cup sugar until creamy. Add molasses and eggs, beating until well blended. In a medium bowl, blend very thoroughly flours, baking soda, xanthan gum, egg replacer, cinnamon, salt, cloves and ginger. Add to molasses mixture, mix well. Cover and chill.
Drop 1 Tablespoon of dough on non stick cookie sheets about 2 inches apart, sprinkle with granulated sugar (these spread so do only 1 T of dough). If you need to do several batches refrigerate the dough and let the cookie sheet cool in between. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 3-5 minute. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool. If you can let them sit out overnight they will continue to firm up and be even better.

Obligatory snow day pictures or how to keep warm

Sleep with your brother/sister for body warmth



Eat yummy GF Eggnog pancakes



Laugh until your stomach hurts



Knit socks



Wear handknit socks




Or give it all up for some double hatted snowball fun.





Followed by some warm cider and naps to get warm again.

Hope you are safe in this icy weather and making the most of it.

I need a vacation

I need a few days in which I don't go anywhere and I don't do anything. Especially the don't go anywhere part. Hauling 3 kids in and out of cars, stores, and various other places is taxing. I thought I might get a day this week in which I didn't go anywhere but it didn't happen.

I'd also love it if during these vacation days I didn't have to do anything at all. If I could just sit and read or watch a movie and not feel a shred of guilt about it. I know that anyone who's been to my place is probably thinking, "Isn't that what you do every day? It sure looks like it." In reality I'm always running laundry, doing dishes, picking up toys and crap off the floor. I'm just not fast enough. Most days the 3 year old resembles that spinning Tasmanian devil. And the 6 year old while willing to pick up doesn't do it without specific direction.

I just want a few simple days of blissful rest. Based on my calculations I've got at minimum 17 years 8 months before I can expect any rest. I'll mark it on my calendar.

Karen

My Karen. At least I feel that way. Karen, is kindness personified. She is there when you need her (even postponing a family outing to take care of one's kids!) and always willing to listen. She can make anyone laugh and always laughs at your jokes too. She's the kind of person that makes one feel special and important.

I am so glad that Karen is my friend. My life is happier, funnier, and just better because she's in it.

Happy Birthday, my dear!

Jacob

There are many things about Jacob which make me jealous. Look at the curls! Very envious of those. The secret family recipe for the the rolls. I'm so jealous of those that I'm secretly (or not so secretly) contemplating finding a way to break into his house and steal it. They are that good.

There are things I appreciate about him too. His biscotti, appetizers, side dishes, main dishes, to-die-for chocolate chip cookies, and mouth watering cupcakes. His dry sense of humor leaves me in stitches. But most of all his sincerity is what I appreciate. No one is as eloquent at telling it the way it is but with generosity and kindness.

Jacob, I hope that by the time you read this you've had an excellent birthday and know how much we all appreciate you.

What's on your Christmas menu?

My mother-in-law is making a beef roast and asked me if I wanted to come up with some unique things to have with dinner, something beyond the usual suspects.

So I'll be making, all gluten free of course, these yummies:

Portabella Mushroom Stuffing

Potato Leek Gratin

Cheesecake, probably with a chocolate crust and perhaps strawberry compote

And I might make this gem but then again I might keep it all to myself.


photo courtesy of ya ma

I grew up in Missouri where these were considered something near weeds!?! I never had a persimmon until moving away from Missouri and I am sad for all the years I missed out.

I'm looking forward to Christmas dinner this year.

Fully Mine

I hold her. I can hold her head to toe in my arms. Not so long ago I held her head to toe inside of me. I hold her cheek to cheek and smell her breath. I inhale deeply to breath her in. I feel every sweet wrinkle on her feet and legs. Her smooth skin and fuzzy hair are intoxicating. I love that right now she is fully mine. I can hold her and kiss her and talk to her all day and she never tires of me. She wants her mama, now.

But I know that soon she will want her independence. She will want to see the world and all the things in it. She will push away from me. She will choose other people over me. She will grow and she won't fit in my arms head to toe.

For now, I'm happy that she's mine. I'm glad to get one more chance for baby rolls, soft skin, smiles, laughs, nurses, snuggles, grunts, and to have that comforting and perfect weight in my arms.

Kefir Sourdough Bread

I've been experimenting. I'm happy with the results.

Ok so here is what I did.

In the evening - ½ cup of kefir mixed well with ½ cup of rice flour. Let it sit overnight for 12 hours or more.

In the morning mix together 1 cup of rice flour, ½ cup millet, ½ cup of tapioca flour with 1 t salt, 1 T egg replacer, and 1 t of xanthan gum.

Put your kefir mix in your mixing bowl and add one beaten egg and an additional 1/2 cup of kefir then add the flour mixture by parts. Put it in a greased bread loaf pan (or I bet you can form it into a ballish shape and flatten on a baking sheet) and then put it in the oven with a pan of water. Turn on oven at 200 degrees for 7ish minutes then turn the oven off. Let it sit in the oven for 3 hours then turn the oven back on to 425 and bake for half an hour (leave the pan of water in the oven).

Its sooo good! Its more a heavy dinner bread than for sandwiches. We are having honey baked lentils tonight and I think this will go very well. It tastes quite sourdoughish. I bet if I added some baking powder and sugar it would rise nicely and become a lighter bread.

I plan to make it again this week but I'll double the recipe and I'll try the baking powder to see if I can get some more rise.

Uh, oh.

The laptop is messed up. Some bad virus. A Trojan, I think he said. The battery is also about to die and he thinks it may need a new motherboard.

On the plus side, if I have to sit in this uncomfortable chair to use the kids' ancient computer I might get a lot more housework done!

He persevering and trying everything he can to fix it. I'm walking around mumbling apologies because I somehow downloaded a horrible virus. At least my files got backed up. I'd be really sad if I lost all my files and photos.