My Package

Mr. Incredible has warned me to not open any packages that came this week.  (Think Christmas)  We have a lot of packages coming this week.  But really.  This package came:

from Estonia?  Stamps I've never seen, words I don't recognize.  Ha.  I opened it.  pandora.

Mr. Incredible was becoming more impressive by the second.  It was tied with a leather string.

Oh wait.  no.  It was my honey spinner!  It is truly one of a kind.  By Nature Design.  On Etsy.

Give This a Whirl

Let's see if I single handedly defeated google:
 

These are the curtains I want for my dining room (of course they don't have the length I need).  I don't know what colors to paint the walls.  (We have crown moulding and a chair rail, so I'm thinking two toned.)  Mr. Incredible tells me to decorate as my heart desires.  Until he sees my curtain selection.  

These are the curtains he likes (cept he like them in blueish silver).  I can deal if I can have them in this color.  Mostly because I want a cold room- maybe gray and/or peacock blue.  But I do want something warm in the room.  


I'm a bit on edge about this whole ordeal because my Mother in Law is coming on Friday to paint the dining room.  I have to choose by Friday.  Help me you design savvy people!  Help!  Opinions on curtains, colors, decor!  helllllppp meeeeee


booya google.  i destroyed you and now i will do as i please

Save Money During the Holidays (1, 2:27) Advent Edition

My friend and I are putting together some "holiday morsels." (k, actually she started it, I joined in.) I'll post two today since yesterday was advent and (clearly) I did not give our first Christmas advice morsel. Expect one for the next 25 days. And/or until I figure out how to make GOOGLE WORK. Please pardon this billion dollar corporation's interruption:


This is Christmas shopping advice morsel 1 of 27: Browse deals, not people. In other words, find good deals and make them match people you know. Saving money is more important than saving friendships.




Morsel 2 of 27: While shopping in the Holiday season, the express lines are flexible up to a 40% increase. In other words, if you are entering a 15 items or less line, it really means you can get through with 15 * .40 items, or 21 items. 7 or less? 9.8 items. Basic stuff, folks.

WHAT THE H

someone please tell me why blogger won't let me do anything? no pictures, no bold, no italics, no links.

i'm pissed.

Thanksgiving Countdown (Fat Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie)

Im not really sure when I got hooked on telling the world fat free vegan recipes. Actually I do know. It's when some of my family decided it was for them. And my world of hosting turned up-side-down. (k, I'm being completely dramatic, but you just can't order a pizza...)

So here's a tried and true Fat Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie. From my sister, who, although sharing her life with a vegan, is a noteworthy meat eater :)

Apparently this pie makes it's own crust:


Impossible Vegan Pumpkin Pie

1 1/2 cups soymilk
1 tbsp. Ener-G egg replacer*
1/4 cup water*
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups pureed or mashed cooked pumpkin (or cushaw or winter squash)
1/2 cup rice flour (or flour of your choice--not whole wheat)
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch deep dish pie pan with cooking spray. (I used a Pyrex pan, and it came out with no sticking.) A deep dish is recommended because this pie will rise a lot during cooking but will fall back down as it cools.

Put the first five ingredients in the blender, and blend well. Add the pumpkin, and puree. Add the remaining ingredients and blend on high for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides a couple of times to make sure everything is thoroughly blended. Pour into a pie pan and bake for about 60 minutes. The top and edges should be brown, but the edges should not be over-done. (Since this is a custardy pie, using the standard toothpick or knife test does not work; it will remain somewhat moist in the center, but it shouldn't be uncooked.)

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the counter. For best results, refrigerate until chilled before eating.

*If you don't have Ener-G egg replacer, you can omit it and the 1/4 cup water and use any other replacement for two eggs. Of course, if you're not vegan, you could use two eggs, but why not give the vegan version a chance?

153 calories, 1g fat, 3g fiber

found on fat free vegan blog

(sorry no picture, no link, no bold, reader friendly post- don't know what's up with blogger right now?)

Thanksgiving Countdown (Cranberry Sauce)

My peeps: I'm gonna let you in a family recipe. Or at least that is what I thought until my mom told me otherwise. For as long as I can remember, we've had this stuff at Thanksgiving dinner. The aroma when you make it is nearly unbearable. You might think you died and made it to heaven. Here goes it:

Cranberry Sauce

1 Large Package of Raspberry Jello

1 large bag of cranberries (usually 12 or 16 oz), sorted

1 orange with rind, seeds removed

1 cup of sugar

1. Make Jello according to package
2. In a food processor or blender, grind the cranberries and orange with rind . Add the sugar and let dissolve.
3. When the Jello starts to congeal, incorporate cranberry mixture into the Jello.
4. Put mixed Jello into a mold (which my mom does not do) or a glass bowl because "the color is absolutely gorgeous."

Enjoy!!

HGTV

Tell me please. Who doesn't love HGTV? And guess what? They are coming to my county, and casting for young families. !!! So guess how we're spending a chunk of our day? Taking family photos outside of our house, of course. I can barely stand it.

They are casting for a Holiday "Battle on the Block." 6 participating families will decorate the outside of their house in competition for the title 'Best Holiday House.'

If we are selected, and even if we're not (we're first time home owners- we've never decorated the outside of our house for Christmas) I'll need your help and suggestions, friends! Do you have any ideas for not over-the-top, tasteful holiday decorating? Please share. (please!)

did i over do it with the italics? i'm so excited i don't care.

Thanksgiving Countdown (Pecan Pie)

via Cooking Light

So the countdown begins. (Clearly I am not hosting Thanksgiving or else my countdown would've begun like 3 months ago)

If you are like me and are going to be an innocent, bystanding guest (in a good way) become more likable and bring this Low(er) Fat Pecan Freakin' Pie. It's amazing, friends. Truly steal-my-heart amazing. I've made it now for three or fours years, and my popularity has grown exponentially. Ja.

Pecan Oatmeal Pie

• 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (or make your own, of course)
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 2/3 cup regular oats
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Roll dough into an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under; flute.
3. Combine brown sugar and remaining ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For 1/12 of the pie, this has 311 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 1 gram of fiber. I'm not going to go look up the nutritional information in a regular pecan pie, but relatively speaking, this pie is like eating broccoli.

Exciting News

Color me crazy, friends. I'm am losing my head with sleepless nights and a messy house. I'm barely keeping it together. I'mstartingajointblog. ach. I said it. TBD when, still, I am starting a blog with her. Want to know the best part of this? We've only met once. And then became facebook friends. And now we're going to start a blog. ok, ok. I stalked her. Whatev. I'm so excited.

Stay tuned, because I can't tell ya much more.

BTW: Aren't those buffalos awesome?!

I Won!

yay, yay, yay! I won this honey spinner from Leigh (it's almost embarrassing how much I've blogged about her in the past week), author of Marvelous Kiddo.

Since we've moved into our house, I've had this idea for the eat in part of our kitchen. I want to have a rectangular, vertical shelf with three shelves. (Am I making sense? I'm terrible at describing.) On one of each of the shelves I want a jar of jam, peanut butter, and honey (because our eat in part is more like a breakfast nook). Somehow hanging next to each respective jar, I want a honey spinner (hurrah!) and two spreaders- I have one with daisies on the top.

I'm so excited because this spinner is so much more tasteful than one you'd find in Target.

Care Packages For Soldiers

There are a lot of people I know who for the Holiday Season give to those in need whether it be by financially donating, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or receiving a name from an organization of a less fortunate person or family with their wish (or need) list. If you are thinking about doing this, don't forget those who are serving our country!! My brother is in Iraq right now and he said so many men and women don't get care packages. That is unbelievable to me! Imagine serving overseas and not getting any sort of pick-me-up. Don't forget our troops!

It used to be that you could get a name, or label a care package "Any Soldier." That has since stopped for security reasons. However, I'm sure you can go to a local church or organization and request someone's name and address via word of mouth. I also found some websites that you can donate money for care packages to be sent.

-Any Soldier

-Treat Any Soldier

If you can get a name and send a package yourself, here are some things to include:

-a letter

-energy bars

-energy drinks

-calling cards

-appropriate entertainment (like a recent movie release, book, cd..)

-the necessities (that we take for granted) like toothbrush, baby wipes (apparently that's a biggie), tylenol.

-Beef jerky

-junk food

Baby Wearing

thinking I'm reallllll cool in mr. incredible's coat.

With three kids three and under, I'm all about baby wearing. Like I've already said. I thought I was really cool and creative by wearing baby in my Moby Wrap, then wearing Mr. Incredible's coat or a maternity coat so I could zip up and keep both me and baby warm. Yea, really cool til I saw this on Capitol Mommy. Stay tuned. I just might give this a whirl.

Fat Free Vegan Lentil Stew

This past Friday, a few of my friends and I had our second annual meal exchange. We each make enough meals for participating families, and so we each receive meals to stock our freezer for the busy holiday season! Last year I made and received 6 frozen meals. This year, three people bailed because of sickness, out of town, and full term pregnancy- but I still made and received 3 meals. That's three nights of not cooking! Woohooo!

My friend who plans and hosts it does a great job. Her house is always clean and inviting, and the dining room table was packed full of treats for the kids and moms.

We put the cooked meals in freezer friendly storage somethings, put instructions on how to reheat and serve, and include a copy of the recipe. Two of my friends and their families follow a fat free vegan diet. I made a Fat Free Vegan Lentil Stew. Mr. Incredible even loved it. And he is alll about the beef:

Easy Lentil Stew

3 cups broth

28. oz can peeled Italian tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 cup dried parsley

3/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 lb. dried lentils, rinsed and drained with stones removed

1 large onion, chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 celery stalks, sliced

4 oz. chopped mushrooms

3 tsp. garlic

Throw everything in your crockpot. Break up the tomatoes if you feel like it. Cover. Cook on high for 2 hours, then low for 4. (Or high for 4. Or low for 10. What every your day can handle.)

Serve on top of rice if you want a starch with your meal. !enjoy!

If I Worked

There are some things that I think I could do pretty well, but there are some things that I knowI could be good at. There are also those things that I know I will never be capable of. Like painting on canvas. Unless abstract, of course. Sometimes I get a little sad that I'm not gifted in that sort of way.

Things that I know I'd be good at and would LOVE to do would be:

1) Name shoes. Or cars. I know exactly what a pair of shoes looks like that could be named Janice or Nicole or Sophia. Or Ruby, Gwendelyn, Kiera. It would be so delightful! (Couldn't the above shoes be Josie?)

2) Name paint colors. Martha Stewart does a great job with this. Maine Morning. Vintage Kitchen. ( I think i want to paint my kitchen this color.) Fishing Line. She (employs someone who?) names so precisely. So. Precisely. (Above is Vintage Kitchen from My Perfect Color.

3) Work at a candle company. Or a soap factory. Somewhere that works with good smells. I have a wicked good olfactory sense. I would put a few basic smells together to create all sorts of delicious scents. And of course, I would name them.

Friends, what would your ideal (something you love and be good at) job be?

I'm Being Accepted into Blogosphere (I think?)

Any of you bloggers out there know that any comment is a good comment. Even if it is a criticism. It means that people know you exist. In a weird, inexplicable, virtual way. That being said, thank you to my wonderful friend(s?) and family who do comment. It's like seeing that you have facebook notifications, magnified by 100.

So really, I've been floating on cloud 9 for a few days now because I received two comments from people that I don't even know. For real. First comment from virtual acquaintance is particularly exciting for me because her blog is literally bookmarked and accessible every time I go on the internet. Marvelous Kiddo. Thanks, Leigh, for giving me a drug free high.

Second virtual acquaintance is Kat, from Kats Corner. I checked out her blog and I love! It's filled with beautiful pictures, crafts ideas, and scrap booking creativity. Actually, Kat's blog has given me a great homemade gift idea that I am so excited to start working on. (I'm not at liberty to say which idea it is because a certain reader just may be reading this).

So anyway, friends. Thanks to everyone who comments, and everyone else who doesn't. It is so motivating to keep it up.

I'm a firm believer in blogging with picture. However, I still can't quite get pictures off the internet like I had hoped. So here's so November Lovin'.

Dress Up

I've always marveled at women who can wear heels and take long, thoughtless strides.

Imagine my surprise today when the girls went through my shoes and found these and were jumping around in them! Literally airborne.

Joy

In all of our house projects that have been going on now for the past 6 months, I think my very favorite thing is the blackboard paint in our eat in area of our kitchen. We used the chair rail that we took down from our family room as a border for the paint. Not only do I love the look, I love it's function! I write lists, love letters, and have taught the girls some letters.

A few days ago I showed Daisy M (I still can't choose what to call her on the blog) a smiley face. How sweet was it when I entered the kitchen this morning and found this little colony of spikey haired, bodiless smiley faces!?!? Mr. Incredible got a little a misty eyed when I showed him the pictures.
are we those parents?!?

Favorite Etsy Cozies

Button Cowl

cowl neck warmer

Cranberry Red Fingerless Gloves

Crocheted Arm Warmers

When I first looked at Etsy, I was completely overwhelmed by it. Where to start with all this fabulous stuff!? I'm finally getting the swing of it and am using all of my might to not break our budget. Literally. These are a few favorites that I think I'm going to save up for. My favorite is the Button Cowl. I have a thing for huge buttons.

I could probably make these things myself, but I wouldn't get to wear them 'til next year. Is purchasing something like these immediate gratification? Or is it worth it and supportive of the creative Etsiers? How much is too much for a scarf!?!?

Simply Amazing.

The human brain is beautiful and mysterious. Take a look at this post from one of my favorite blogs.

Chahlee

I just had to make sure that this was true. That I could actually post things from the internet. Here is one of my favorite little videos. I laugh every time.

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3

My dear, faithful readers: Please excuse this not so brief interruption! I quit blogging for quite sometime because I was overwhelmed with life for a while. Then things settled down and I decided I really wanted to figure out how to blog! I still don't know exactly what I'm doing, but I finally figured out how to legally use a picture from the internet on my blog page. I think. This is the picture I chose to test it out on.

If I wore that outfit I would look alarmingly mentally ill. Why doesn't she? It's the red lipstick, isn't it. ?

Don't give up on me, faithful friends! I'm still learning, and soon I'll be back into the full swing of things.