5.31.2012

And then there were three...


FAQ:

1.  I am about 5 weeks along

2.  Ballerina is thrilled and hoping for a sister

3.  Hipster doesn't get it....

4.  Yes, we are still adopting (update coming soon)

5.  I'm feeling pretty good so far... just a bit more tired than usual

Please keep our growing family and the health of the baby in your prayers.  We're super jazzed!



5.25.2012

Growth


From this:


To this:




And soon... our first squash!  Now.. if I could get the chickens to stop eating my seedlings, maybe I could get some other veggies too.....


5.21.2012

Eggs

We now have two laying hens.  We're just waiting for the one last holdout....


5.18.2012

GAPS noodles


Obligatory warning:  several people have had less than stellar results with my recipe. I made it up myself, I’m not a chef, scientist or chemist, so I can’t explain to you why it seems to have very mixed results. I’d love to have “ah ha” answers, but I just don’t. So I’ll start with this. Do not attempt this recipe if you cannot spare the ingredients and the time needed in case  it doesn’t work out.  It just might not. But if you have some coconut flour (or another flour type) on hand and some eggs to spare and you feel like experimenting a bit to figure out what ratios work for you, then have some fun and go for it.

It is with much excitement that I present the following to you.


I don't know about you, but I kinda miss pasta.  I know there are rice pastas out there, but if you're hoping to avoid grains altogether, you're left with options like this for "pasta".


Now... don't get me wrong.  Spiral sliced veggies are a fantastic alternative!  Oh the things you can make with a spiral slicer.  (I'm in the market for a good one, myself)

I had long desired to find another option though.  Since none is easily available, I decided to put my Suzie Homemaker apron on and give it a go myself.

I was given this beauty by my Uncle.


It's an Al Dente pasta maker.  He is my new friend.  I shall name him Herb.  I put off using Herb for a while because I was intimidated by his complexity.  I wasted that time though, because I came to discover how simple and user friendly he is.  There is a set of rollers and several attachments for different pasta types.  You can do linguine, spaghetti, lasagna... tons.  I can even make ravioli.  Each attachment has a few different pasta options, so there's not tons of parts.  There is the main unit, 2 attachments for pasta, the ravioli attachment, and the crank.  And there's a clamp to hold it to the table so it doesn't move around while you crank.  It's super easy.  


So here is the recipe.

I used the following:

1.5 Cups of coconut flour.  (You could use any Gluten free or wheat flour to make a traditional version.)
2 Eggs
Water
Adorable assistants ;)


That's it!



Mix the flour with the eggs until you get an even color and texture.  If you need to moisten the dough, that's what the water is from.  I found that I needed a bit more water than I thought, because the coconut flour is a bit denser than wheat flour.  It is dairy free, soy free and grain free.  Sprinkle in a pinch of salt if you desire.  I did.  

Next, you'll sprinkle some flour on a cutting board or hard surface.  Knead the dough and form a mound.  Take a moist towel and cover it.  Let it sit like this for 10-15 min.  This allows the ingredients to bond together.  

 Dough mound  :)


Covered with my Totoro towel.  :)

After it's set, you'll start slicing 1/4 inch thick slices from the side.  Roll these in the pasta maker.


After you have cut your noodles, you can dry them on a rack.  I have a pasta rack, but I'm sure you could hang them on whatever you have on hand.  This allows them to dry out nicely before you boil them like you would regular pasta.



Boil as usual, taking care not to overcook them.  They get mushy faster than "regular" pasta, so you don't need to cook them as long.  For richer flavor, use some fresh stock.  :)



And there you have it.  Yummy pasta noodles without Wheat. (or dairy, or soy)  

Prepare your favorite sauce and serve. 

Enjoy



5.17.2012

Berry


I love this little berry.  He is the little berry that could.  It's the only one on that plant so far.  Go little berry! Go!

5.16.2012

Growing bigger

Kandee is getting much bigger these days.  She enjoys running around the yard with her chicken sisters.  They're still getting used to each other, but I think given a bit more time, they'll be great friends.  Kandee is a bit lonely sometimes since we only have the one duck, so she's glad to finally be big enough to mingle with the hens.  She seems to really appreciate their company.  


Her feathers are still coming in... she needs her bum and her head to fill in still.  ;)  

This is her friend Clyde.  He is always on the phone though.. so she spends time with the girls instead.  

Bernie and the spice girls
Bernadette
Ginger 
Nutmeg.

Enjoying the pool on a hot summer day.  Lucky lady!


5.15.2012

Caption this photo:


Those Kirby folks!

So, I agreed to let the kirby folks demonstrate how well their product works on my dining room.  I vaccuumed with my Shark and then they came and vaccuumed after that with their kirby.  Now, to be fair, the Shark works best when it's been emptied, and mine was super full.  It usually works much better than it did, but the kirby still put it to shame.  Can I afford a Kirby?  Heck no, Joe.  Not right now anyway.  Does it work amazingly and make me want one?  You bet, Chet!  Would I recommend you get one if you are able?  Totally.

Here's some flashback fun for ya'll



Here's my living room after Shark and before Kirby:


  And here is my after.  
 This is what my shark left behind.  Ewwwww....

Get a good close look at what we're all breathing in.  

Isn't that lovely?  Get a Kirby peeps.  Maybe someday I will too.  


5.08.2012

Not a baby... just wheat.

People often ask me what happens when I ingest wheat.  Well... let me show you.  Back-story:  I've pulled my kids mostly off gluten.  Now, they don't have documented gluten sensitivities, but I feel like it's best for their health to avoid it.  Because they don't have actual sensitivities, I only have them avoid it though, not completely eliminate it.  What I mean is, I allow the occasional exposure.  Example.  Today I let them split a brownie.  I don't make that stuff, but my brother had some that he made for a bible study and the leftovers were in the house.  I decided to let them have a small treat.  After I served them, I made a boo boo.  Without thinking about it, I licked my fingers clean.  Even then, I didn't think anything of it.  I didn't catch it till much later, when I started to look "puffy".  My stomach swells.  Check it out.  I am not pregnant.  


Yes... that's just from a finger lick.  Imagine how I looked after eating a sandwich before I knew what was up...  It's not super noticeable in the photo, but you can kinda see that the inner corners of my eyes are a bit puffy as well.

Cute right?  Not.  It's super uncomfortable.  So, off to the Benadryl I go.  Sad day.  Oh well.  Could be worse right?  It's not cancer.  

Pray for those people who are dealing with cancer right now while you're thinking about it.  

Did you do it?  Ok, good.  Moving on.  

Moral of the story... Don't let the kids have occasional gluten.  ;)

Awesome Post about nursing beyond infancy.

"Comments like 'are you still going to be feeding him when he's at college?' are fairly standard, but anyone who takes five minutes to research the subject will soon discover that that's not even physically possible.  As children grow their jaw and teeth change and develop in such a way that weaning occurs naturally - they simply lose the ability to latch and nurse effectively.  The immune system of a child continues to develop up until around the same point.  Co-incidence?  I think not.  They're called 'milk teeth' for a reason, people."

~ Excerpt from an amazing article.  Read the whole thing Here.

Have a lovely day.  :)




5.02.2012

30 before 30 update.

I was realizing the other day, that a few things have recently been able to be crossed off my 30 list.  The Lord has been so good to me.  I want to just take a min to give the glory to Him for these things that He has blessed me with.  Every good and perfect gift comes from above... from the Father of Lights.  So to Him, I am grateful.  Also, my husband.... I'm not "high maintenance" at all, but that man loves to bless me with the things that I want if he is able.  He has known that I wanted a backyard homestead for a while.  I don't nag or demand, but he knew how badly I wanted to grow our own food.  He has really poured time and attention into helping me get it up and going this season.  He allowed our kitchen to be turned into a green house to get our seeds started, he leveled the ground for me, he built my beds and used some of his Home Depot money to get garden necessities.  He got me some chicks last year for Mother's day, built me a chicken coop, and recently bought us a duck.  So, through the provision of Jesus and the passion and dedication of my husband, I'm almost ready to cross off

"Set up my backyard homestead"

I pretty much could now, but I'll wait till the seedlings are in the ground to officially cross it off.

One thing that can be crossed off totally though is:

"Obtain an upright piano"

Again, thanks to the provision of the Lord and the heart of my husband, this was my present for my birthday.



The next thing that is cross off ready, is all because the Lord loves me.  Those that know me in person know my heart for Worship ministry.  The Lord put in my heart a love for music from birth.  I think music is one of the few truly beautiful things that humans are capable of creating.  Now the talent comes from the Lord, but music is one thing that the Lord has allowed us the ability to create for ourselves from scratch.  It's this fact that makes me appreciate worship music so much.  It's an opportunity to create something beautiful and offer it back to the Lord.  He has created such beauty for us to enjoy all around us in nature.  Creating and offering worship music to Him is one small way to say thanks.  When I hear the beauty that is in music here on earth, created by our feeble minds and creativity, I truly get excited to hear what worship in heaven will be like.  Can you imagine what treat our ears are in for?  I can't.  It will be amazing.  So, that being said, I've always had a passion for worship.  I've been part of worship ministry in some way or another for as long as I can remember.  But not lately.  The Lord had me in a season of rest.  And then, He blessed me and opened the doors for me to wade back into worship.  I'm so blessed.




So off the list comes

"Participate in worship ministry again"

Oh yea... and this one:

"Win a contest"

I won a photo contest caption contest.  It was fun.  I was rewarded with a t-shirt.  

It's this shirt.

Also, I won a photo contest.

See?

Also in the works are:

"Make a difference in someone's life"  (our adoption)
and 
"Become comfortable on my guitar" (getting better... but not there yet.)

To see the original list, go here.