A Testiment to Toughness

Thanks for your sympathies for a crazy week. I'm on Day 3 of antibiotics & feeling MUCH better!!

On another crazy note, Ethan took it upon himself to take out his stitches today. How crazy is that? It seriously hurts me to think about it, but I got him up from his nap & his stitches were all out. He didn't even whimper in his bed when he did it. I guess he just yanked them out. This kid is tough.

Guess What I've Got?

Here are the symptoms:

Fever
Sweats
Chills
Pain when I swallow
Exhaustion
Headache
Lymph Nodes the size of Golf Balls
Loss of Voice

Can you guess?

It's Strep Throat! Yeah! Ding Ding Ding. You're the winner! (And I'm the loser.)

How Sad is THIS?

Here's how my poor little baby boy looked all day Wednesday. I've never seen him more sad & exhausted. This was after a full day of dr. visits & waiting when he busted his lip open (actually the coffee table went through his lip). He actually looks much better here, because he has 4 stitches holding his lip closed. It was terrible holding him down while they gave him stitches. It hurts so bad when they hurt. He did as well as can be expected though. 4 Stitches before 2? I hope it's not a sign of what's to come!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

I'll be taking a break from blogging, so until next time, I wanted to leave you with this cute little photo! Have a great Thanksgiving!

Foot Rubbing

"Did I ever tell you about the time in 3rd grade when I helped my friend rub his dad's feet?" Lance asks me.

I thought this was hilarious. No, Lance. I hadn't heard that story.

Gift Bag Reuse

Do you have gift bags that are just collecting dust? I'm taking all my saved bags to the gym next week for free pickup to someone who will use them. If you, like me, have a big old closet full of gift bags you'll never use, please let me know! It's a good feeling to pass these along, without sending them to the dump. Thanks!

Recipe - Pumpkin Bread, Egg/Dairy-Free

Yum. Tried this recipe last week & it was super-tasty. From the Climb Nashville cookbook, coming out soon!

PUMPKIN BREAD

Sift together and set aside the following:
3½ c. whole wheat flour (or mixture of flours)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. each cinnamon and allspice
2 c. sugar (or 1¼ c. fructose)

Mix together the following; then add to mixed dry ingredients above
½ c. honey
1¾ c. freshly cooked pureed pumpkin (or 15 oz. canned pumpkin)
1/3 c. canola oil
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/3 c. water

Mix wet and dry ingredients just till well blended. Then divide between two sprayed/greased loaf pans. Bake for 60 min. (or until done) at 350°. Let cool in pans for 10 min. before removing. Moist and tasty! You'd never guess it has no eggs and little fat.

Christmas Stockings

I finally ordered Ethan his own Christmas stocking. I've been looking for hand knitted woolen stockings for a year and a half now. They are actually quite hard to find, but I finally found a few I liked. My favorites are these above from Pottery Barn Kids, these below from Warm Biscuit Bedding.

I decided to go with these from these from Annie's Woolens. I like the size and designs. Plus, I spoke with the knitter herself on the phone! I love small businesses.

All His Idea

This was ALL his idea. I promise. He took my glasses & headband & this is the result.

Girly Outfit

I haven't had a ton of time for sewing lately, but I have been working on a few Christmas presents. Also, I have been learning a few new techniques in our sewing group which helped me make this little girly outfit!

I feel like Jessica Seinfeld.

All this talk about sneaking in vegetable purees got me thinking. Jessica Seinfeld and Missy Chase Lapine both recently authored cookbooks on the topic. So, if they can do it, why can't I?

So I decided to sneak in a little carrot puree in these vegan gingerbread men. (Molasses from ging. cookies is full of calcium!)

And I snuck in a little spinach puree into my Pumpkin Black Bean soup! Both were undetected! (And ethan has been walking around all day, saying "Man!...Man!" whenever he's hungry for a little gingerbread man.)

Both authors advocate still encouraging your child to eat vegetables on their own. Of course this is a great idea, and I'll still do that. But in the meantime, I feel like I have a few small victories under my belt today. I cannot get E to eat carrots for the life of me. Yeah!!

Julia Roberts, Modern Housewife

Julia Roberts wants my life. Go figure. She wants to cook & do needlepoint. And all these people want to be movie stars.

Fall Sweets

What's more terrible for your arteries than Krispy Kreme? How about Krispy Kreme bread pudding? Yum. Made it yesterday...weigh 5 more pounds today. We've also enjoyed homemade caramel corn. Yum again. First popping kernels.
Minutes later - Popcorn!Then, making caramel sauce & throwing it all together!

Halloween Festivities

I'm backed up on stuff to share, so here's an overview of some of what our last few weeks have been like. First, their was Ava's birthday partyThen, a "roaring" lion at Trunk or Treat!Check out that cute little tail!Then, trick-or-treating with friends (but we forgot the costume!! oh well, he wore it twice already anyway)

Changing of the Seasons

The changing of the seasons reminds me of the work of artist Andy Goldsworthy. His work is 100% natural. No dyes, no glues - all items from nature. Isn't it gorgeous?

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to us!

CSA - In Conclusion

Fortunately for the 3 people who are tired of my food posts, the CSA is over. (although I'm still not completely done with food posts!) But for those 9 of you who are considering joining a CSA next year, here’s my final thoughts from the last 5 months:

THE GOOD
1) Breaks you out of a cooking rut and forces you to be creative.
2) As a result of #1, you will become a much better cook
3) You learn about all sorts of fruits/vegetables that you never knew existed.
4) You discover things like “I like eggplant after all!” and other disappointing things, like “Turnips are as gross as I thought they’d be.”
5) You learn about your local agriculture and what grows when.
6) As a result of #5, you can buy produce in the grocery cheaper & fresher, because you are more keenly aware of when foods are at their height in taste & production.
7) You’re eating more fruits & veggies! Better for the planet and better for your body.
8) You’re supporting your local farmer.
9) If you play your cards right, the CSA can be much more convenient, since you just pick up your box right from the delivery truck.
10) You learn how to freeze foods. (And some attempt the canning route as well.)
11) Many CSAs are organic.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD: I recognize that a CSA is most certainly not for everyone. Here are a few of the down sides.
1) You’re in it for the long haul. Most (not all) CSAs require a full-season commitment.
2) Price – It may turn out to be cheaper than a grocery, but may not. You pay a per-week price regardless of how full or small your weekly share is. If there is very little rain (like this year), your baskets may be small for a while.
3) Repetition – I must say that I got very sick of okra and cucumbers. You might get a large load of a certain food for several weeks. In our society, we’re used to variety. I try to remind myself that farmers across the world for generations have dealt with this and been just fine.
4) Picky Eaters – Need not apply. There are things that I don’t like for certain, but I’m willing to give it a shot. If you are not interested in trying out some new foods, then you may need to pass on the CSA.

Food Sites of Interest:
Eating Organic on a Food Stamp Budget
Cook's Thesaurus
Slow Food USA
AllRecipes.com
100 Mile Diet

Here are a few of the Local CSAs:
Long Hungry Creek Farm
Delvin Farms
Fresh Harvest Co-op (You pick the vegetables of your choice as needed.)
Avalon Acres

For a CSA near you, click here.