Cooking without White Flour...

Mike has been on this diet (mimicking the south beach diet) where you attempt to cut out as many carbs as possible and eat very healthy. I have since been trying to find ways to still make things I used to and not use the things I used to. CONFUSING, right?! So, tonight I attempted to make these muffins with flax seed meal...big mistake they were gross. So, now as I type the second attempt at a muffin is cooling. I made the muffins this time with almond and coconut flour...hopefully they will taste better than the last attempt. I might even make these into a strawberry shortcake if I like the recipe. So far we have tried almond pancakes, flaxseed crackers with parmesan, and biscuits made with egg and coconut flour (those tasted good...sort of like a bisquit scrambled egg!) I will keep you updated on the many attempts of low carb baking. I am sure that I will have many more...it is a lot of fun to experiment!

Ugghhh...second part of this post is that I have to dress up for stupid Halloween tomorrow. Yes, I said tomorrow (which isn't even Halloween) which is when my work does their dress up day. The highlight of the day (well there are truly two) is that my husband will be wearing a mullet and my son will be dressed like a tiger! Too much fun...Wish me luck!

Noah - Almost Walking

Good Morning to all...and I do mean morning because Mr. Noah does not know what a weekend is any different than what a weekday is. I am sure anyone that is a mom reading this knows what I mean when I say I dream of the days of sleeping in. To those that don't have children yet - don't. Okay, so we know I am joking...but just be aware that you will never sleep in again. Even when your husband says that he will get up with the baby...you will still be listening to see if he is doing everything right. Enough about that.

Noah is about to walk. He has taken random little steps by himself when he doesn't realize I let go, but not enough to say he is walking. He moves so quickly along the edges of things and cannot be trusted in the basement because if you turn around for a second he is up the stairs in a flash. He then turns around and tries to come down them face first...sliding.

He is also now trying to feed himself. We will be feeding him the cereal and his little stubby hand reaches out for the spoon...so cute! Until...he won't let go of the spoon and slams his whole fist into the bowl of rice cereal. It's like he is creating a paper mache casing for himself...that is how it dries! :)

I will try to post some pictures on here of his eating exploits especially for G'ma and Gi after we go to the kids maze today at the U-Pick barn.

I see a monkey!

Finding old friends and making new ones...I suppose it is a natural cycle of life, but often just feels awkward. I was talking to my husband's friends girlfriend (yes, a mouthful) last night and we were talking about the friends that you find, rarely, that understand the good and the bad of you. They love you unconditionally and they are willing to share their truths as well without judging you. Then you have the friends with whom you truly enjoy their company and yet you couldn't just sit and talk about the craving you had last night for a margarita and so you had one.

Basically, what I am saying is that everyone is human. We entered this life innocent and somewhere along the way let life take us in. By allowing that to happen we EXPERIENCED...crazy, happy, wicked, sexy, delightful, tantalizing, troubling, aching, pensive, unchartered, loving, tripping...etc. Once experiencing any and all of those things you don't just return to innocence. You may attempt to return and you may ask God for forgiveness, that however does not mean that you no longer ever dream, wish, long for those same things. It wouldn't be human to say that all things of your former life just disappear...believe you me...don't I wish. There is a quote by Malcom de Chazal that says, "Monkeys are superior to men in this: When a monkey looks into a mirror, he sees a monkey."

I say that we work to be true, honest, loving, kind and the best person that we can be with God's help, but realize that we are human. We will make mistakes, we will fall down and we all need the friends that notice that a listening ear and an outheld hand are our binding agents. I choose to see a monkey.

Painting Over Faults to see Amazing Potential...

When you look at something and see all the faults, dings and black marks, what makes some be able to see the potential and others to walk away? We have been painting my sisters new house and by new house I mean new to her and quite old in many other ways. The basement was so destroyed - dirty carpet, walls paneled in the seventies or eighties, and a cement floor with dings and paint splattered on it. We have been painting it bit by bit and as we leave for a minute to catch a breath of fresh air and return it slowly becomes a whole new place. Tonight we made it to painting the floor and it's a beautiful new basement. Not only does it become a cleansed, brand new basement...it becomes her new home, her way. Not scary, dirty, destroyed, but fresh colorful and full of potential. She didn't walk away. She saw the potential and is taking that opportunity in her hands and not letting go. She isn't only taking the opportunity, but doing something about it. She isn't just walking past it and dreaming of what it could be. She is making it what she wants it to be...she is taking the potential she saw and making it the dream. Isn't it amazing what can happen when you look past the faults and see the beauty?

Rain is respite from a long week...

This morning I woke up to the sound of rain falling (and a squirmy little baby boy in my arms.) There isn't anything quite so comforting as rain to me. Rain inspires, rain creates, rain cleanses, rain refreshes, the sounds of rain tickle every sense. With the front door open I hear cars driving through rain saturated streets and their tires gently splash through puddles. With the kitchen window open I hear the rain falling through the leaves of the apple tree and dripping off the corner of the house. I drove to Fred Meyer this morning because the hubby hadn't let me know we were out of coffee ... much needed coffee to a mom. If we are grinding our coffee at home we really only enjoy Peet's coffee and the only place that sells it is Fred Meyer. I get off track here...the point is that I was out early in the rain, I was in the car that splashed through the puddles. I walked in the drizzle that was at the time and felt the cooling touch. When I came out of Fred Meyer it was coming down so lightly, yet thick so there was this fuzzy, foggy, rain look. I walked out feeling like it was the mornings of my honeymoon in Oregon on the coast. It was this time of year and it rained most of our honeymoon. Our condo was right on the beach and the fog would roll in with drizzling rain and Mike and I would take walks along the beach getting soaked from the rain and from the surf below us. I could keep typing but the baby is now getting a little frustrated with his french toast sticks.