L2...The Sketcher

Every so often L2 just needs to express himself with art. You can tell because he gets kinda cranky. Mama has to remind him to get a pencil and a piece of paper.
It really helps him.

This is a collage he made a few months ago from magazine clippings on a canvas board.

His inspiration was 3 different animals. I love how he gets inspired and than makes them his own.

I love my boy!

Love is in the air....still!

My parents, a LONG time ago!

(Cute hair mom!)


Our wedding picture!
We got married in the days before digital cameras were the norm.

This is the only wedding pic we have that is digital.
It's time to start scanning.

I look so young! Bill looks even younger!!

Today I celebrate my LIFE!

Today marks the ONE year anniversary of my contracting Bacterial Meningitis.

I thank my Heavenly Father for His healing power and his amazing preserving grace. It's been a long and sometimes challenging year, but I'm healthy again.

If you know of any adult who has struggled with Bacterial Meningitis, could you point them my way? I would like to have a "support blog" for adults post-meningitis.

Thank you to all of my family and friends for all of your prayers and love and support this past year.

He is good and His love endures forever.

Let it snow...

Piggy back, sledding style

Sledding fun!

I love their imaginations!

Swedish Apple Pie...A Pie that's not a pie...

This is such a good dessert that I can never take a picture of it! We consume it too fast.

It's perfect for low sugar people or no-sugar people.

There is no crust to make, in fact, all you do is make a quick batter to top the sliced apples.

This recipe is adapted from "Swedish Apple Pie" from allrecipes.com

It makes two "pies"

I use about 5ish apples per pie, so you need about 10 medium apples.

Here's the recipe:

2 1/2 cups peeled and sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup spelt flour (or another whole grain flour)
1 egg slightly beaten
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly grease 2 pie plates
Peel and slice the apples right into the pie plates
In medium bowl: Mix agave and melted butter. Mix in flour, cinnamon, egg and salt. Mix well and spread over apples. (It doesn't have to cover the entire thing, spread it thinly)
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes till golden brown and bubbly.

It's enough for about 6-8 people.


Someday I'll get a picture of it, someday.

Fun times in NC

We had great weather visiting Oma and Opa in NC the week after Christmas.


Scootering L4


Biking to their heart's content.


Cousin Camden


Cousin Kinslea.
The rose among the thorns...all those boys!!


L2 and Ryder REALLY hit it off!


Cousin Jalen...mesmerized by the old slides


Opa set up the slide projector so we could view many of our old slides when we were kids.
Part Deux will have to happen next year (there are SO many)


I've come a LONG way baby.
Now my baby is the same age.

Greetings

Merry Christmas everyone!

We have had a nice messy morning of bags, tissue and wrapping paper, playing games, eating waffles with strawberry sauce, bacon, fruit and yummy hot tea! Oh and lots and lots of guitar music and cuddling with soft blankets.

I wish you all a blessed Christmas!

Cocktail Anyone?

We hosted a cocktail party for all of Bill's Financial Advisors last night.

I was delighted with the task of making appetizers for 15 adults (and my 4 little boys with huge appetites)

I chose 6 appetizers and 3 desserts. Chances are, if someone brings something, its usually dessert. I guessed right and Jackie brought yummy frosted brownies.

All the appetizers (not the desserts) are:

dairy free, yeast free, whole grain, and sugar free

These are delicious "Chicken Lollipops"

They are based on an Indonesian recipe that I found on my Dutch blog friend (www.kayotickitchen.com)

I served them with Peanut satay sauce.

Here's my take on tacos.

They are mini "pop in your mouth size" tacos. I used flat round tortilla chips, yellow and black sesame.

I spread some refried beans on them, layered on sliced grape tomatoes, shredded mexican cheese, homemade salsa and a tiny dollop of sour cream (I piped it out of a sandwich baggie with the tip cut off)

Next up we have Sage Turkey Sausage Bites with Balsamic Apricot Dip. I borrowed this one from Rachel Ray (off the Foodnetwork website).

I changed the recipe to Turkey sausage because it's nearly impossible to find sausage without sugar. I found fresh Turkey sausage at the little market near by house! I also used white Balsamic Vinegar instead of Black, it has a much milder taste.

This appetizer tasted much better than it looked. It's a Curry Chicken Pate that I made up. Basically a curried chicken salad that I pureed.

I had roasted 4 chicken legs seasoned with curry a few days before the party. The chicken was SO tender and fell off the bone. I threw the chicken, organic mayo, curry powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper in the food processor (my new best friend) and pureed it. It was SO delicious, fast and easy!

I served it on whole wheat crackers with a slice of cucumber.

Mini Vegetable Frittatas. These went quick (obviously)

These are simply broccoli, eggs, splash of water, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake them in mini muffin tins. Oh, and pecorino romano, sheep's cheese.

Meringues dusted with cocoa powder.

Chocolate snowman, trees and stars drizzled with white chocolate and sprinkled by my boys.

Oh, and my favorite all time, I should really only make it once a year treat...

Trifle!

It's just a trifle too good.

I made a wreath!

Check out this great site! I'm linked up!

If you have sticks and an evergreen on your property, you can do this too!

Gather your greens.

I used greens from 3 different trees on my property. I think those are the only evergreen trees I have on my very wooded lot. Trees don't mind getting trimmed a bit each winter.
(A bit of overlapping of seasons, the pumpkins are still out!)

I also used some wire and a hot glue gun.


I cut some sticks to the size I wanted to make my wreath. I was going for a large rectangular look so I cut them quite big, about 3 feet by 1.5 feet. I didn't measure them with a ruler. Just eyeball it.

Overlap the corners

Take the wire and wrap it around sound it is secure.

Hot glue over the wire to re-inforce it and let it dry. It dries very quickly when it's cold outside.

Finish all the corners so you have a frame. You could also use an old frame if you didn't want to bother with the sticks.

Then take a branch and wrap wire around it to attach it to the frame.

You can also hot glue it, I found that the first branch had to be wired and then the rest could be hot-glued on top.

Mix up the greens if you have a variety.

There is no wrong way to do this.

I snipped pieces off here and there. I could have probably given it more of a haircut!

The wreath looked too big on my front door so....

I hung it on my garage

Precious had to get in the picture.

The next wreath I'm making will be a small square one to fit on the front door. Maybe I'll make two matching ones!

Best of all, it was free!