Moving forward and some Pictures from the past

Hello lovely readers,
It's been a busy week trying to get my head around the new homeschooling year and doing my daily what-not's as well. I hope you are all enjoying the precious moments that are left before we all dig into our school year. I'm thankful that I get to experience most of it with my kids...but it's always so bittersweet to bring Vander to his special-ed preschool at first...even though he loves it and I know they are really good at what they do with him.  I'm definitely trying to snuggle in between chores.

I was fumbling through some files on my computer and found a few shots from this summer. These are taken at the Women's Club of Norfolk where we had my sister-in-law's wedding reception. We had been there a few times before this, but I remember I was excited because even though she had chosen this venue, she had only seen the pictures we had sent her of it. I remember feeling giddy to watch her enjoy it for the first time up close.

Have a great day!

Beach Hour

Beach Day- it was a little too cool and windy for our crew to stick it out the whole day...but an hour was enough to enjoy some surf....then we all caravaned home to have some hot coffee and popcorn to warm up. All in all, not a bad day.

elf love

Every once in awhile a parent gets told they're doing a good job. Sometimes it's even from the kids...those are good moments.

Gluten-Free Pancakes

It's hard switching to gluten-free when you see crazy stuff like sorghum flour and tapioca starch muddled into already-unsavory seeming recipes. It's downright debilitating and makes you want to run screaming for the nearest expensive-store-bought mix.

Since becoming gluten-free I have taken it upon myself to re-create and repurpose old favorite recipes using easy to find, simple ingredients. I will be posting them on here as I create them to make this whole GF thing less frustrating for everyone...we gotta stick together, right?

Here is the gluten-free pancake recipe that I came up with based on the one I used pre-gluten-free. It works great for pancakes or waffles.

Gluten Free Pancakes (or Waffles)

2 cups oat flour (yes, you can mill your own in a food processor or blender)

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1/2 cup rice flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. guar gum depending on how thick you like the batter

2 eggs

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil

In a medium bowl put oat flour, milk, and water. Let sit while you add the rest (if you use coconut oil add it last just before you mix). Whisk it all together. Oil your skillet and toss em down for a few minutes...then flip. You know the method, right? I don't need to tell you how to cook a pancake. Enjoy!!!!

New Item

Just a side note: new item in the Etsy shop. :) Have a great eve.

Runaway Train

Somedays you've just got to get outta the house or you'll all explode! Today was feeling like that kind of day so the kids and I got online and purchased tickets (did you know it costs less to purchase them online here?!) to the Tide that runs pretty close to our abode, and plowed out of the house. We hopped on the train (to Vander's ultimate bliss) and rode to MacArthur Mall to enjoy a different space, a few treats, and a whole lot of books. What a relief. 

Everyone needs a runaway train once in awhile. What do you do when you need to run away just for the day?

Dreamish-y Day

I've spent the last few weeks pondering many things, and I'll admit- worrying about some of them. In so many ways and through so many people I heard God tell me to stop worrying, stop trying to control everything- just let Him deal with it...hands free. But I couldn't quiet my own thoughts for long...so my busy mind led me around  in circles a number of times.

Today I set aside all morning and early afternoon to really pour my heart out, and listen to God instead of my noisy noisy thoughts. It's not often I am so very intentional about my time with God. I rarely take the chance to spend a whole morning to really let it all out and then listen to God's responses, feel Him move, and allow myself to be renewed. I tend to find all the important things I have to do...being dragged around by my need to achieve or perhaps if I'm honest, my chance to waylay having to hash out things with God- or myself. Looking at it now I have to wonder why I choose to be dragged around by desires (working to fill the emptiness), rather than being led calmly by God (living out of fullness).

By this afternoon everything inside me felt calmer than they have in months. As I watched my son play in the sprinkler in the quiet, hot, late afternoon haze of Virginia summer I walked barefoot through the wet grass next to the pond Vander created under the tire swing...big restful sighs...finally allowing myself to be led beside still waters.

10 things you may not know about me

1) When listening to Double Fantasy I fast forward past the John Lennon songs to get to the Yoko Ono
tunes.

2) Every morning I run in place for 15 minutes while watching the Muppets YouTube channel.

3) My husband and I never really dated before we decided we wanted to get married.

4) Each of my 3 kids have 2 middle names.

5) When eating Reese's peanut butter cups I eat all the chocolate first so I can taste the peanut butter reeeaaally well.

6) I HATE the feeling of ketchup on my skin.

7) I have always felt called to be a healer.

8) If you add up the amount I have spent on all the furniture in our entire 2 story house the cost would be around $100.

9) Peace signs make me wince.

10) I love the smell of Philadelphia pavement, gasoline being pumped, freshly lit cigarettes, and the fumes that sometimes sneak out of our neighbors surfboard repair studio.

2 little things

The two most important things I did today:

1) Had coffee and conversation with a friend.

2) Contemplated how little of reality I actually see/understand vs. the fullness of what God sees/understands...and thus decided to trust Him even just a little more.

.

Faking a Garden

One of the things I had to let go of in my life in order to pursue more time with family and art was doing less in my gardens. Okay, who am I kidding, I never did much with my gardens! I have many a green thumbed friend and when we daydream of banding together and becoming a commune, I remind them that I will be the one that provides freshly spun wool and sweaters, hot cups of store bought coffee always, and gluten-free cupcakes (just not so much fruits and veggies). I figure we'll need someone with a backyard free of food-growth in order to have playspace, a fit pit, and maybe a hammock or two. For now a few Costco sized cans that I tossed some seeds in and an upcycled beer bottle with the only sunflower that sprouted. Color me happy. We all have seeds to sow, some literal and some proverbial. 

(Disclaimer: I do have some tomatoes that are growing nicely without much attention.)

Proof that Selfies attract Elfies...

I was trying to get a shot of myself in my new more-on-the-orange-side-red lipstick, freshly pinned maiden braids, and my Vintage Jane birthday necklace...when the elves attacked! Like a cat to the sound of a can opener they came running! I look better covered in children and kisses anyways. :)

My sweet little monkeys. Happy Monday!

Postin a Letter

In an email-centered world I did the unthinkable...I sent a letter to my cousin.

 I was so inspired to do something tactile and beautiful. It used to be a pretty common thing for me to do in high school...write a letter in a ridiculously artistic fashion, sometimes a painting would serve as stationery, sometimes a magazine cut out...or even candy wrappers if I was in that mood.  

Now it's few and far between that I do this so it was fun to go fancy.

To make the envelope I used some back issues of Martha Stewart magazine (you can't go wrong using the pictures in that publication for artistic projects...always so meticulous and lovely) and I taped together the envelope in the following fashion:

(Here's a small tip: use glossy tape for glossy papers and matte tape for matte papers so it's not so noticeable.)

I used masking tape cut with pinking shears to make the labels...and Voila!

Now go send someone a smile!

(More posts on writing letters.)