My Baby

My baby turned 9....My youngest is a whopping nine years old. What the freaking hell? Where did my snuggly 3 year old go?

 

So my baby has been giving some freedoms and he is ever so excited. He no longer has to ask for snacks. He just has to live by the rules. Nothing after 7:40pm and nothing after 3:30 pm. This child plays by the rules. he asks for every single snack, he has seen his brothers in trouble for eating after certain times. This child never ever wants to be in trouble. Today he got to use a knife. a dinner knife that is, I'm trying a chocolate recipe and you need a knife to get it out of the mold.

 

Well I'm teaching the kid to fish, so as we go through the year he will be given more freedoms. He is a great kid, does school work no problem. Because he never whines or complains and just does, he might be done in March. Although I will probably push it out a bit. Or finish him up and do some art stuff with him, he is a drawer. I would like to get him going on that.

 

Ever so sad....Long gone are the diapers and late nights, here are the early mornings and Lego's. Sigh

The Best GF Pancakes EVER

Diner Style Pancakes
By Marcie Dingerson

3 cups flour (1 1/2 cup Tapioca Flour and 1 1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder (plus a pinch)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt

Mix together and set aside

1 cup pumpkin (or two eggs)
2 cups butter milk (I use coconut milk and vinegar set aside for a few minutes)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 spoon full butter I use earth balance.

Mix the wet, add in the dry. Now here is where it gets tricky. I often find it too wet even through I cut back on the milk, I will add in more brown rice flour until it's a thick batter, at times up to an extra cup of flour. The thicker the batter the better it will rise up.

Now I use a cast iron pan, it's pretty well seasoned. I find if I use a spray, I have a coconut spray in-between  pancakes. Get your pan nice and hot, do your tester, and turn it down a hair. These cook fast. They often rise after you flip.

I have doubled this recipe just fine.

We often have breakfast for dinner. The boys LOVE this recipe. Apparently if I ever loose this recipe I will be replaced. Well ok then....

Weekly Update

Actually not much to update here. We got the seeding rack up, and I have trays ready. Tomorrow I fill the trays and then get tomatoes, and peppers started. The onions on the bottom shelf are doing great. 

So I've been leaning towards Paleo/Raw diet, well it's time I lean some more. I've been missing biking. Eons ago when I was young, I use to bike, bike all over town anywhere I needed to go, I would bike. To school, but I would take the long way around. But I've been really missing it, and I want to get back on a bike. BUT there is no where to bike around here, let alone get away from the house, with all the kids. So I'll buy a bike and cycle here. See if I can get back up to my 10-30 miles a day I use to do. I still have birthday and Christmas money, so I'll use that.

 

Starting Wednesday I'm aiming to be 90-95% Paleo or raw. Ethan and I Have sat down and re-arranged dinners, and made a list of dinners we can do. Now need to sit down and make a menu so I can plan out my weekly shopping. I'll get back onto my bone broth, I did it this past summer and it has killed some pain I was having. I was having side pain so bad there were days I couldn't move. Bone Broth brought it down so I have maybe one really bad night a week. But I'll do it this time in aiming to loose a few extra pounds that have been hanging around.

 

I've been hanging onto these shorts. I use to wear them before the kids came. I was able to fit into them after I had Tucker. I lost a ton of weight having Tucker. It was Cole that killed me. After you have the third kid, you frankly do not care about weight. But been working on it slowly over the years. Last year during the heat wave, between hot flashes and the heat the pounds melted away. But then it stopped, and I stalled again. But I wasn't trying either.

 

So now I will attempt. But it's more about eating better and getting back into shape. Sigh.

A hint to keep costs down. Borrow Paleo/Raw books from the library, if you like, but it used off Amazon and if you don't, then don't waste your time. I'm in that process now. I'll wait for the used price to come way down, but I do know who not to buy now. 

We are taking a week off of school this week. We've been working so hard it's time for a break. Do a break now, then work hard and take a break in April and then finish strong. I'm a bit worried about getting use to hubby leaving and me not getting back to sleep in the am. And then I'm cranky for the kids and cranky mom and math just doesn't work.

 

Hubby flips over to his new schedule this week. He will actually flip flop for a few weeks it looks like. Frankly I'm grateful each day he has a job. It's retail, he is getting older, they love to push out the older and get younger at cheaper pay.

 

Been out working in the garden this week, as of tomorrow I will have the old herb area killed. I totally lost two mints. And I was able to move four things and remove boxes and such. I have four more herbs left, then tear up the weed block and hope the grass grows back in. We will wait a year on the pear trees and see what happens. But they are so bent up and around and such, looking for sun I don't see how we will have pears this upcoming year?

This is the area of the garden where the neighbor parked her shed on the fence line blocking the sun from some of my garden, it was one of my herb areas, around the pear trees. Luckily they missed the blue berry patch. Because they look amazing, but lost every raspberry and some herbs along the way so far. 

I Birthed A Kangaroo

I tell you, it wasn't easy. But so worth it. What I LOVE about this pattern is it came with a photo tutorial. Because let me tell ya, I was in no mood last week to sew. But I had this pattern staring up at me, calling my name. Begging me to birth a kangaroo, and let me tell you I see why now.

 

I became frustrated last year with another designer, and swore off any more animal patterns. And then I fell in love with a Toucan. Head over heels. And this designer had a sale and after looking at all her designs, I picked a Kangaroo, and thought this was the last chance. And after sewing this little lady I will be back. I have a toucan to buy after all.



I added the pouch, the pouch is NOT in the pattern. It's really easy to do, you just add in the fabric first thing, and as you sew, trim it up a bit. I added the black trim before adding the legs. My boys said it had to have a pouch. 

When I buy a new pattern, I normally practice with scrap fabric or some Muslim fabric. It allows me to practice the pattern. To make any adjustments I need to make for myself. Allows me to fully understand the pattern before diving into my good fabric. Even for as long as I've been sewing I still believe in practicing.

 

Now to name the little lady?

 

You can buy your pattern here...

 

http://www.funkyfriendsfactory.com/products/instant-downloads

 



Job Lose/Change of Job/Change of Position

No matter what you call it, it's utterly depressing. So hubby's work is "claiming" the current position he is in, is being moved to a training only position. Bull Crap. You can't be in that position for more then a year, then you have to move up or down the ladder.

 

For hubby to move up, we are talking boat loads of stress, we are talking about having to move stores, the second you move up the ladder, the company starts to move you from store to store, you have no say in where you go. We know many managers that drive 1-2 hours just to get to work. Odds are our drive will be over an hour. The company doesn't pay extra for gas. They just won't. So there goes any extra money that the position would come with.

 

Or move down the ladder, a lot less stress, he can stay with his current store, a 20 minute drive for us. But it's a pay cut. We will be making two dollars less an hour.

 



Honestly what I think is happening is something we have seen over and over and over again. No matter how good of an employee you are, his company likes to push out the aging employee's. We have seen it so many times. No one retires from his company, well ok one did two years ago, she some how made it to the end. But no one since that we know of has "retired" from the company.

 

This company just loves to treat their employee's like utter crap. I'm so tired of seeing it and now we are feeling it.

 

Yep, ask why does he work for them? well for the last few years we have been putting out applications. But no one wants to hire a middle aged guy. In about 3-4 years of putting out applications, we have yet to receive one call back. Which freaks me out because if they completely push him out we are up a creek.

 

So things are pretty depressing here right now. As we let all the piece's drop. What will be his new days off? what will the paycheck look like now? How much more can I tighten the budget? All the homeschooling will be dumped on me. Have to re-arrange dinner's. Since he will be home for dinner every night. Although now dumping all the night time stuff on me as well. Because odds are he will go to bed when the kids go to bed.

 

Depressing. 

Bear Quilt

Found this guy on pinterest. Blew him up, no really blew him up, about six feet tall. I think the background is too dark for the black, so he really doesn't stand out to me? Although this is one quilt you need to see in person, photos do nothing for it. I like him, he was a challenge. 

Ocean Quilt

It started with a shark. I saw a shark sticker (kid ya not) and thought that would be awesome has a quilt. My first thoughts was to do a block quilt. A shark in one block a whale in another. But then the whale was created and I had a thought on coral, and rocks. Got it all done and then had to create some fish. This currently is not finished it's just the top. I'm going to have to spend a month quilting all these tops I'm creating. 

Is It Spring Yet?

I got the leeks and onions going. I'm hoping with planting early this year they will be ready to harvest on time? I just now, well yesterday harvested my leeks. Part of it is a time issue.

 

The backyard garden is totally under construction. I'm re-arranging bricks and moving dirt around. I shouldn't have to spend a dime. But if I'm here for another year or two I have to have a backyard that works for me. This area drives me up the wall. So I run out in-between rain and I pick one project a day. Once that is done I come in. This way I'm not spending days and days out there in early spring. Hopefully I can take photos soon?

 

Up next I need to pick tomatoes and figure out what I'm growing. Won't be doing 500 tomatoes. Like last year. Should try and keep it under 100. Although so many tomatoes I want to grow. But after last year, I'm not the biggest fan of cherry tomatoes. I'll probably grow matt's folly, it's a great one to slice in half and put on the dehydrator. I have a list going for the neighbor. She came over one day and saw a purple tomato and about freaked out. Tomatoes are only red. Nope. I have every color I can think of. She took a purple tomato and raced home to show her husband. So I will plant blue berries for her. It's a lovely purple cherry tomato. I could talk tomatoes all night long, but won't.

 

Well talk about peppers instead....OK joking. Need to get on peppers too.

 

So basically every moment I can I'm out in the garden. Just waiting for spring. 

Boy's Christmas

These are the gifts the boys gave each other. I think they did really well in thinking, planning and plotting on what to make/give each other. Although mommy did 100% of the sewing. I do not have patterns for any of these.

 

So slug terra is their new thing. IDK. Tucker and I drew these guys out, I blow them up and made them into stuffed animals. Tucker gave these to Cole.



 Cole adopted these monkey's from goodwill for Tucker. Because every monkey needs a good home. 

I noticed Cole getting into drawing, and him and I sat down and worked on drawing out a picture of Buddy, Cole did it all himself, and he was doing great. Well until he added a black beard? Buddy doesn't have a black beard. 

 



Tucker wanted to make stuffed animals for Ethan, but as I reminded Tucker that Ethan has given away all his stuff animals? We decided to do pillows instead. Which worked out well. I used the same pattern I used to make the stuffed animals.

 



I don't know how to explain Ethan's gift to Tucker and Cole? They call it a blaster holder. So now they run around the house blasting (Lego's) at each other. Yeah, can't wait for summer and finding Lego's all over the front yard?

 



I'll do more Christmas coming up. 

2016

I don't know, I can't believe it's 2016 all ready? Got an in box full of all kinds of 2016 stuff today. Sigh. Well I make goals, but really there isn't much this year? Short of trying not to kill my neighbor? But that is another story.

 

My goals seem to be on going. We never buy new (so can't use that one). If we buy new it has to be 50-75% off. Oh we do buy new food. Although I really need to cut back on the food budget. So we have more gas money. I have one kid with braces coming up and that is freaking me out. I have one right behind him, and then I think I have a waiting period before the third. But Tucker is more urgent. He has such an over and under bite that he has so much trouble chewing and I can't tell ya how many times we have had to save him from choking. It's very scary. We should know in a few months if he is facing surgery.

 

I'm going to see if I can semi master my seeding and timing. As you can see I brought in the first light. I'm starting onions first. Going through seeds I don't need to buy seeds. Relief there. I'm just waiting for the dirt to warm up and so hopefully over the weekend get them going? 

Since I'm doing a garden this year, the rack will come in soon. About early Feb I will start tomatoes and peppers. Oh how I love peppers. well you all know my love for tomatoes. Speaking of tomatoes, I got my hands on Big Zac....If you don't know Big Zac he is a world record holder.

 

 

 

I don't know, I keep hoping oh this will be a good year, and it never is. I don't think this will be either. My hopes are not high. Maybe just hope for peace and calm? I'm tired of being so stressed out. I have so many quilt ideas stuck in my head, would love to get them out? But yeah when I'm stressed I'm not sewing. A cheap way to get fabric is buying sheets at goodwill when they are having a half off sale. Tip there. Because craft store solid colors are pricey.....And you can get yards and yards for about 2 dollars.

 

As you can tell, really not looking forward to the year ahead. So the post is a bit down. I do hope something good happens to lift our spirits and keep us going, but my hopes are not high. Hard to have hope when you are in a time frame of hit after hit. Something dies, you can't afford to replace, yet another hit to the budget here or there. Someone who has no clue about your life has a comment and it hurts. You try and shake it off and this something else comes up. Someone is rude or mean so it drags you down yet again. Try to get up and you are hit again. Frankly I'm just tired.

 

OH I know a good goal POST A FREAKING RECIPE! Get on the ball lady! How many minds did I just read?