tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31216007906680038632024-03-13T21:51:04.128-06:00A Day in the Life of Shoes: Adventure AboundsSlip on my shoes and walk a ways down the road of life.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-75035101518669952972013-10-04T19:45:00.004-06:002013-10-04T19:45:45.819-06:00Losing One's WayI got a little lost over the past few years, but now I'm back! It's time to start back on the chronicles of my adventures in motherhood and life. I've missed me.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-73342077594451894702011-11-24T22:13:00.001-07:002011-11-24T22:13:45.572-07:00Giving ThanksLife is full of trials, hurt and anguish of all sorts. Despite those hurts, there is so very much to be thankful for.<br />
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Today I am thankful for gluten free/dairy free recipes that turned out so well. This was the best Thanksgiving meal I've had in at least three years!<br />
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My children are amazing people and I'm so thankful for the time I get with them.<br />
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My husband is my favorite person in the world. I am thankful for his dedication to our family and his devotion to me.<br />
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I am stunned that my church leaves the doors unlocked during the day, enabling anyone to walk in and spend a few precious moments with Jesus. I am thankful that my son babysat yesterday so I could run errands and drop by to bask in the Lord's presence for a few minutes.<br />
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I hope today has been special for you as well.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-85827361300427988562011-06-26T13:44:00.001-06:002011-06-26T13:44:13.230-06:00Oh, To Be Smarter Than The Technology!All that effort to figure out how to post brilliant, witty blog messages and what happens? I forget how to send the dratted text.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-14592074645317624912011-06-08T15:35:00.000-06:002011-06-08T15:36:03.538-06:00This is a test of the mobile blog systemThis is only a test.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-25523756327484824662011-01-24T20:13:00.002-07:002011-01-24T20:18:22.299-07:00A Few of My Favorite ThingsMy iPod. Read that: my fully charged, updated by my family (not me!), iPod.<br /><br />Books.<br /><br />Candles.<br /><br />Kids giggling, even (or especially) when they're planning mischief.<br /><br />Music.<br /><br />Iced tea.<br /><br />Smiles.<br /><br />Flip flops. (You knew that had to be there.)Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-28749874107550928182011-01-23T16:18:00.002-07:002011-01-23T16:26:10.776-07:00Shut UP!Today's task: read through the Harmony manuscript as it stands thus far -- NO editing allowed. The Internal Editor needs to take a break and just sit quietly in the background. The story is nowhere near finished -- characters still need defining (some of them are elusive and haven't told me much about themselves), scenes still need to be written, some characters have to die (oh, you know how I love conflict - gulp!). It's just not ready for editing. But I haven't written a word since the end of November and I can honestly say that I can't remember what's happened so far.<br /><br />So I started reading in earnest as my muffins were baking this morning. And that obnoxious voice piped up at the first typo. I shushed her.<br /><br />At lunch I choked on my salad as I read an amusing bit. One character tried to figure out a mystery and ran off, but in the next paragraph was standing still and tying his hair back. The Editor started to say something about how ridiculous... and I told her to shut it.<br /><br />Internal criticism is unproductive. It is not the same thing as thinking critically about a mystery or a challenge. Internal criticism just tears at the fabric of confidence. It's so hard to tune out the nagging, but tune it out I must.<br /><br />Hey, Internal Know-it-all Editor: Shut up, already! Just let me read and write this in peace. You'll get your turn in a few weeks.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-38435252273152441342011-01-22T15:44:00.002-07:002011-01-22T16:00:10.345-07:00Procrastination is a Fancy Word for FearI just printed out 97 pages of a manuscript I started in November. The <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a> is a fun project to tackle. If you like writing, give it a whirl sometime. On October 31st at about 9pm, I decided that the NaNo was my shiny object for the month. (Shiny object = distraction, for those who never have any problem focusing.) The insane goal is to write 1,667 words per day, every day, during November. I ended up around 41,000 words (not too shabby for a working, homeschooling mom), but haven't written a single word on the project since November 30th. Why?<br /><br />I have one word: fear.<br /><br />Fear of success. Fear of failure. Fear that "there just isn't enough time for writing right now." Fear of conflict (in my everyday life, I despise conflict), which you simply must have for a good story. Fear that I'll just be interrupted. (Oh, that's not really a fear. It's a statement of fact. I can't even speak a full sentence without at least three interruptions.) So... I just put it off. There will be more time to write on Saturday. I'll get a couple hours in after the littles get put to bed. I'll get up early (go ahead... just laugh). There's always something in the way of writing.<br /><br />No matter what excuse I throw out, though, the root of the problem is one I've long dealt with and have yet to master: I procrastinate because, while I have great intentions, I am afraid that everyone will find out that I am a complete flake and a fraud.<br /><br />The carefree summer girl who has cute nail polish and snazzy flipflops is not afraid! Remember her? I've written about her <a href="http://adventureabounds.blogspot.com/2011/01/its-tough-to-get-back-into-swing-of.html">before</a>. Ms. Sharkbait, on the other hand, is afraid of all kinds of things. I'm all about the summer girl now. Time to tie the fear to the surfboard and send it out to sea. Time to get busy doing things instead of worrying about them.<br /><br />All 97 pages are sitting right here next to me. Time to read them, let the story start percolating in my mind again. Time to let those characters finish telling me who they are so I can tell their story the right way. I procrastinated yesterday and said, "tomorrow...." Today is yesterday's tomorrow.<br /><br />What are YOU going to do?Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-60650690177442337852011-01-21T17:11:00.002-07:002011-01-21T17:14:03.935-07:00How Do They Know This Stuff?Today my four year old informed her six year old brother:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There is no "i" in the word "team."</span><br /><br />Now this is perfectly true, both in terms of spelling and sentiment, but I am at a loss as to just how she knows this. She can't spell. In fact, I don't think she could identify the letter "i" with any reliability whatsoever.<br /><br />Whoever says the kids aren't learning something while staring at the electronic babysitter has apparently not made said device a part of their household "team."Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-87393852116794428072011-01-19T19:51:00.003-07:002011-01-19T20:04:50.940-07:00It's Tough to Get Back Into the Swing of ThingsWhat's a girl to do when the tsunami known as Life swells up underneath her? Grab a surfboard and ride it out, baby! Of course, about the time that the swell towers above the beachfront buildings, threatening everything in its path, this girl realizes something of rather significant import: she doesn't know how to surf. She also realizes that she's afraid of sharks and begins to question the sanity of being out on the ocean in the first place. And then, she wakes up.<br /><br />Please tell me I'm not the only one who has these moments.<br /><br />I noticed something about my tsunami-like life and the shoes I wear in it -- I've reverted to wearing tennis shoes 99% of the time. The other 1% appears to be spent in socks. It's been a little chilly here, for starters. Also, while Wonder Boy has grown and matured, he hasn't outgrown his uncanny ability to step on me. I like having 10 toes and I like them unbroken -- Things One and Two both have broken toes over the past couple years and I don't want to join the Been There, Done That ranks. So for now, tennies rule.<br /><br />The tennies also indicate a psychological shift from carefree-summer-mom/girl to must-be-responsible-and-save-the-world-mom/girl. Let me just say that the former is kind of fun to be around and the latter is... well... not. The summer girl wears flip-flops and remembers to wear fun nail polish on her toes -- she rides that tsunami like a pro. That other one? Oh, not only is she not fun to be around, she's shark bait. Personally I'm ready to hogtie her to the surfboard, break a bottle of bubbly over the bow and send her off to sea without a life vest.<br /><br />Time to find that summer girl.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-53277660688257670232010-08-10T22:01:00.002-06:002010-08-10T22:10:08.871-06:00KindergartenIt's a big change for us. Preschool is over, Kindergarten is here! Wonder Boy successfully navigated his second day today and just beamed as he paced the living room and retold the story of Jack & Jill with his freshly pasted puppets.<br /><br />I've been thinking about this blog and it's original purpose -- to keep me from losing my grip on reality while somehow bringing up my children -- and I see it's still quite necessary. I was happier when blogging before. I looked for humor in my days, purpose in my suffering, and always looked left-right-left before crossing streets and bike lanes. I miss that.<br /><br />It's time to capture the miles in my shoes again. Let the Adventure begin!Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-67117869781985622932010-01-21T16:14:00.001-07:002010-01-21T16:14:39.068-07:00Glutton for Punishment (Or Gluten for Punishment?)Full on gluten cooking happened here today. I did it for and with my 9yo. It's killing me. I can smell the @#$@# cookies cooling. It's a very good thing that I fear what dairy and gluten together can do to me... because without that, I'd have eaten half the pan of cookies by now.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-39567600171207146832010-01-21T13:45:00.001-07:002010-01-21T13:46:49.151-07:00An Amazing Day in Arizona<p>1 - I has been raining for days. This is amazing in AZ.</p><p>2 - I actually walked out into the garage and found, without searching, the only umbrella we own.</p><p>3 - We own an umbrella.</p><p>All of these are very strange and amazing in their own right. To have all three coincide? Freaky.</p>Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-43629354917733503782009-12-05T10:27:00.002-07:002009-12-05T10:51:59.420-07:00Lost at HomeIs it possible to become so immersed in one's momotony (sorry for the very lame pun - I'm decaffeinated this morning) that all sense of purpose and direction are lost, even in the living room? Surely I am not the only mom who can stand in the living room completely baffled about what she was going to do next.<br /><br />This has been on my mind, what's left of it anyway, for at least 3 minutes. I realized that I am having problems with momotony through several key incidents:<br /><br />1) I am still searching my brain cell for the word that describes the blanket I used last night. I can't remember what it's called - it's warm, fuzzy and not flannel. It's not velour, nor is it .... AH!!!! It's fleece! It just came to me!!! I've been trying to recall the word "fleece" since about 8:30 this morning. The remembering of this lovely, fuzzy word is another reminder that I've lost my direction. What happened to that fabulous memory of mine? I can remember old addresses and phone numbers but I can't remember what fleece is?<br /><br />2) As I covered my finally-producing-pepper plants to protect them from frost last night, it occurred to me that I can (and do) go days without going outside for more than 30 seconds. Putting Wonder Boy on and off the bus doesn't really count in my book. I also thought about the fact that some weeks I do not drive - at all. (Read that: I don't leave my house. And I'm not a shut in.)<br /><br />3) Looking at the same walls and the same toys and dealing with the same tasks every single day, day in and day out, has become so routine that I no longer see a lot of what needs doing. There's a spark missing many days and what should be joyous isn't. I'm limited by too many choices and no choices at all.<br /><br />4) We decided to have a yard sale. Today. Except we didn't do it. Between work, strep throat, doctor appointments, school, dishes, and all the other momotony, it just got forgotten. A lot of things get forgotten. Sometimes, I forget me, and not in the selfless-wrapped-up-in-my-vocation way. I just forget to pay attention to me.<br /><br />I was going somewhere with this. Hang on while I walk back to the living room, where I was when I thought of it (whatever "it" is)... maybe it'll come to me.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-20093421364466116042009-09-09T10:08:00.002-06:002009-09-09T10:24:19.364-06:00How a Couple Watches a WesternSometimes I forget that women and men are inherently different. No, I'm not talking about parts and builds - trust me, I noticed that a long time ago. I'm referring to that whole "Venus/Mars" thing - the being from different universes at times. Pastor TD Jakes was in town once and gave a talk about how women yammer on about how many coupons they use and what colors they were, whereas men just want to know the total on the receipt. We laughed about that and have used "what color was the coupon" as a signal that we aren't on the same page in a conversation.<br /><br />Now you have to understand that one of the Hallmarks of the relationship between the Fearless Leader and me is communication. We talk a lot and always have. Early in our dating, the Fearless Leader worried that he'd bored me out of another date by taking me to a local grocery store's parking lot to chat. (Little did he know at the time, I went home to Mama and gushed on about how perfect this guy was.) Sure, we have our comical, stereotypical email moments: I send an email 3 paragraphs long, riddled with questions only to receive a reply consisting of the word "no" or "yes." Instant messages are similar. Goodness... even the way we type is consistent with that pattern. But overall, we really do talk a lot, often late into the night.<br /><br />That brings me to last night. We decided to throw in a movie - after searching for 15 minutes through the dvds, we settled on a Western. We couldn't remember which one we hadn't seen yet, so we tossed in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Long Riders</span>. As soon as it was in, I knew we'd seen it - but it had been long enough that not all the parts were coming to mind before they happened. After a while, we get to a knife-fight scene - a knife-fight scene, which I remind you, we have seen before. (Here's where the difference between genders pops up.) I, still watching the fight, said to our Fearless Leader that I had signed up for a coupon service and that I'm trying to decide on how to cheaply get a few newspapers for coupons. He just looked at me and asked something about what colors the coupons were. (Yes, this time the conversation actually <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> about coupons! Oh, the irony!) Then I think he asked if I was kidding - this was the knife-fight scene!<br /><br />The whole thing just made me laugh. I knew I'd blog about it. If anyone asks about his evening, I'm betting he says, "We watched a Western."Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-14702229604583950062009-08-15T13:05:00.002-06:002009-08-15T13:09:17.734-06:00Lazy Morning Musings1. If you have something important or fun to do, at least one child will wake up the night before and interrupt your rest.<br /><br />2. If your child finally gets the hang of potty training, you will run out of m&m's at the wrong moment.<br /><br />3. Wonder Boy told his teacher that he was not a big brother - he is a medium brother.<br /><br />4. Little girls wearing piggy pajamas don't necessarily like being called Miss Piggy.<br /><br />5. Two gluten free chocolate muffins may taste excellent, but they don't give a whole lot of energy for the day.<br /><br />6. Always wear clean underwear. (<--- I'm a mom. I have to say that.)Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-26675424807524627782009-07-16T23:25:00.003-06:002009-07-16T23:40:29.846-06:00Ignatian Methods in HomeschoolingIt occurred to my very tired brain that someone just might need a boost in their homeschool, a fresh idea. Old is the new... new. Here's an old idea to consider: Ignatian education. It's fabulous. It stresses self-activity and mastery of content. It's not easy, that's for sure... but it does feel very natural.<br /><br />A fantastic curriculum based on Ignatian principles can be found at <a href="http://www.kolbe.org/">Kolbe Academy</a>. For anyone who wants to know a little more about Ignatian methods, <a href="http://www.geocities.com/willary2000/MultaetMultum.html">this site</a> has well written ideas and summaries from a homeschooling mom who really knows her stuff.<br /><br />I'd love to make a better case for Ignatian education, but honestly I can't this evening. My lone brain cell is screaming for sleep. It's been a day of starting to do one thing, forgetting what I was doing, then starting something else and forgetting about that as well. Every room I walk displays the aftermath of my Reign of Confusion: pullups on the bread counter, a ball of lint on the piano, laundry left in the dryer, something resembling lunch in the dining room corner. As I pick up my daily disasters, I pray that my efforts were enough today: I told the kids what I hoped they'd learn today, I prayed with them, I listened to their efforts and tried to guide them in their studies. Tomorrow we'll start anew and I'll ask what they remember from today, I'll tell them what the learning goal is, we'll pray, and on we'll go.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-20975928063996422412009-07-15T11:38:00.003-06:002009-07-15T11:42:10.735-06:00A Boy and a Quart of StrawberriesThere will probably be a story about this later. For now... the 8yo ate a quart of strawberries. Alone. Read that: without help. (Ok. I admit I cut one strawberry up and put it in Wonder Boy's yogurt. I also sacrificed another for the Ailing Miss M - she ate two bites and called it done.)<br /><br />Now, while I am quite happy to have children that like fresh fruit and are satisfied with said fruit as the sole snack option, I am a bit concerned when they eat a hefty quantity. Fruit is a food of movement, ya know? I haven't been to Costco lately. I'm not sure my t.p. supplies are adequate.<br /><br />I should put Costco on my "to do" list.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-56164075884325856522009-07-14T16:17:00.003-06:002009-07-14T16:30:45.823-06:00Keeping PromisesIt's important to keep promises, especially the ones you make to yourself. You either build yourself up by being trustworthy or you tear yourself down by not being so. You can fool other people. You can make it look like you did a bang up job when you know you cut more corners than a poorly trained carpenter. You can over-commit and look like the person who does it all for everyone. But YOU know if you keep your promises. You know when you don't.<br /><br />We don't tend to like people who fail time after time to keep promises. Failing ourselves leads to self-hate. And if we are hating ourselves, we cannot love God. How, if we are filled with self-loathing and hatred, can we fulfill the greatest commandments? (So you don't have to look it up: Mt. 22:37-40 he said to him, "you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.") Someone who is full of hate cannot truly love and someone full of self-hatred cannot love their neighbor. There's also that pesky business of what we do to the least of our brethren (aka neighbors), we've done unto Jesus. If you are so small, dare I say "the least," and you hate yourself, have you not hated Jesus Himself?<br /><br />Something to ponder today. What will you promise yourself today. Make it something small and something that you WILL do. Will you get up on time for a week instead of hitting the snooze button? Will you plan and cook one week's worth of dinners? Will you read just one story to your kids every day for two weeks, no matter how busy you seem to be? Will you grade just one paper every day for a week? Will you open every piece of mail that comes in your house today? It doesn't have to be "organize a new food pantry for the homeless" huge... it just needs to be something you promise and deliver to yourself. If you do that, you've done it for Jesus.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-68815123924392295312009-07-02T14:10:00.002-06:002009-07-02T14:18:18.561-06:00It's Considered Torture in Some PlacesIsolation<br /><br />We do it to our kids (read that: Time Out).<br /><br />We do it to each other (read that: The Silent Treatment).<br /><br />We do it to ourselves (read that: Hide in Work, Hide Online, Hide in Hobbies, Hide in Busyness).<br /><br />The truth is, we need each other. No one is sufficient to themselves. But where are we hiding our real selves? Are we hiding behind doctrine? Are we hiding behind our children? Are we hiding behind our work? Are we building walls out of those things and people to keep the world out of our hearts?<br /><br />Sometimes a time apart is good and necessary. Children need to learn that hurting others separates them from the community they need. Heck, I can think of quite a few adults who need to learn this. Silent retreats are good for the soul, too. Taking care of our obligations is right and good. But there comes a point when isolation becomes <span style="font-style: italic;">Isolation</span> and renders our interiors desolate.<br /><br />Let's not go there.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-84130064617337079032009-06-22T19:47:00.003-06:002009-06-22T19:55:03.949-06:00Fantastic Gluten Free CookbookI've now made several recipes from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Quick-Easy-Without-Sensitivities/dp/1583332782/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245721676&sr=8-1">this</a> book. It took awhile to find sorghum flour - I searched through at least six groceries stores before finding one that carried it.<br /><br />In any case, I made some chocolate chocolate chip muffins that were divine. My camera card was missing in action thanks to the family ebayers, so thus far I have no pictures of them. I can tell you that the muffins had a wonderful consistency, had a moist crumb, and fantastically high crowns. I made the mistake of letting my kids try them. The remaining muffins are now hidden in a secret location requiring a password, keys and a retinal scan.<br /><br />Tonight's dinner was a turkey tetrazzini (or however you spell it). I used some stunted bell peppers from my pathetic little garden, homemade gluten free bread crumbs (great way to use up those dumb little heels of gf bread) and some homemade turkey broth. Once again, the family loved it and there was much rejoicing. The adults in the household are looking forward to a lunch of leftovers tomorrow.<br /><br />After the littles are in bed, I intend to attemp some cookies. I can't imagine they'll go wrong.<br /><br />Happy eating!Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-45279073739335898192009-06-22T16:58:00.002-06:002009-06-22T17:00:59.536-06:00Why I've Been MIAIn short: my love of the internet.<br /><br />It's not always a healthy love, of that I am sure. Too much time surfing and too little time thinking and living makes for a cranky pair of Shoes.<br /><br />The remedy: more living, more blogging (which means more living... because what else is there to blog about?), more doing, more reading, more baking, more cooking, more... more... MORE!Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-54172531906147624572009-04-23T15:04:00.003-06:002009-04-23T15:11:09.263-06:00Gluten Free Pocket SandwichOh, this was GOOD. I am in love with <a href="http://www.chebe.com/onlineordertable.htm">Chebe</a> bread. The all purpose mix makes some decent rolls and breadsticks, as well as a good thin-crust pizza. I tried making calzones yesterday. Yum! I will definitely spend a Saturday baking up a bunch of these to have on hand.<br /><br />Today's calzones were pepperoni and soy cheese with very light sauce and I used the foccacia mix. I'm not big on sauce and was concerned that they'd get soggy. I made them yesterday, ate one, and froze the rest. Today I pulled out a frozen calzone, popped it (covered with foil) in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes and had a fabulous lunch.<br /><br />Next time, I think I'll try the all purpose and foccacia mixes and make: more pizza calzones, spinach & chicken pockets, philly steak & cheese pockets, Meditteranean veggie pockets. It would totally be worth baking up a bunch of these and freezing. I'm always eating on the go. Plus these would be easy to load up with veggies, thereby helping meet that daily allotment.<br /><br />I had to fend off the children. They were that good. :)Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-78661739490283977162009-04-18T15:54:00.002-06:002009-04-18T15:56:42.317-06:00Gluten Free Heaven, Part IIIf you need gluten free baked goods, absolutely check out <a href="http://www.glutenfreecreations.com/">Gluten Free Creations</a> here in Phoenix. They ship all over, too! I went to a tasting event today and all I can say is WOW! Bread that tastes like bread. Cookies that are to die for... ok, maybe not die, but you'd definitely have to hide them from the non-gluten-free people in your house and/or threaten them with bodily harm if they went near them.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-46668539240683984222009-04-08T18:05:00.002-06:002009-04-08T18:07:50.955-06:00Stretching the DollarOk. This is so simple, I can't believe I never thought of it. I don't have time to make spaghetti sauce sometimes and I buy the jarred stuff. Tonight pizza is on the menu and I only had about 1/3 of a jar of sauce left. The thought occurred to me to open a little can of plain tomato sauce and add it to the jarred spaghetti sauce - score one for me! So my $2.50 jar of spaghetti sauce just got a $.25 addition and gave us a couple more meals. Woot!Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121600790668003863.post-90854563597757101682009-04-07T16:20:00.003-06:002009-04-07T16:33:14.484-06:00GF Tortillas - The First Attempts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIpqU5Iz3YOX9PlfxkqZsZY1k9p0prVpVgyG6JyCj6gSkr_k2ltM9Fs1_zWDytPCyvVXeAWdEnUdM8qSDhxluJO-72PL-BLi_WNUrH1iJEXFqT6XDRm_ymqAtSWaC4AVWkHalvKZ7rH2r/s1600-h/IMG_3429.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIpqU5Iz3YOX9PlfxkqZsZY1k9p0prVpVgyG6JyCj6gSkr_k2ltM9Fs1_zWDytPCyvVXeAWdEnUdM8qSDhxluJO-72PL-BLi_WNUrH1iJEXFqT6XDRm_ymqAtSWaC4AVWkHalvKZ7rH2r/s200/IMG_3429.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322080689287192930" border="0" /></a><br />Eh. I made the first batch with a flour mix containing coconut flour and they were much too... sweet and coconutty. Oh, I ate them, make no mistake about it, but I won't make them this way again.<br /><br />This batch was better... but still not quite right. They're a bit denser than I'd like, they crack a little (but not nearly as much as corn tortillas do), but they'll suffice as a vehicle for getting yummy fillings into my hungry mouth. My 8yo said that if he couldn't have real tortillas, he would totally eat these... not exactly the endorsement I am looking for, but not bad for the beginning of the GF journey.Shoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520357841735224785noreply@blogger.com0