Good thing I decided to go gluten free (ok like 99% I have my slip ups as evidenced by the cupcakes I made last week). Friday night I was overcome with a puffy feeling, I felt really awful, and knew right away what was going on, my blood sugar was high. A few years back I was diagnosed with PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) which basically means many ovarian cysts, causing hormone havoc and possibly chin and upper lip hair (oh the horror) and weight gain, and lots of pain, and irregular periods, weight gain and worst of all insulin resistance (basically pre, pre diabetes). Long story short, I went on medicine (metformin) to regain control over my blood sugar, and got some nasty side effects in return (like the inability to breathe, and constant wheezing). After 18 months on the medicine, I said enough was enough and told my Doctor I would do my best to get my blood sugar down through diet and exercise. It worked, so I went off of it, I still have some remaining health issues from the medicine, but had been fine. My Doctor was proud of me last year when I got my physical; my blood sugar was a beautiful non insulin resistant level.


Flash forward to this past few months, I started gaining weight again, and occasionally felt my blood sugar rise a little too high (I have a blood sugar meter so I can check it myself). Anyway back to last Friday, it was high for no reason, I had eaten a balanced dinner, it only had complex carbs, tons of fiber and protein, but for some reason my blood sugar spiked (I am guessing it is the carb laden rice bread, and othe gluten alternatives). So Saturday morning found me at the store getting a cart load of veggies and lean protein to get my blood sugar and gluten level back under control. I know I feel better when I eat this way, I even lost 50 pounds eating this way about 8 years ago, but for some reason, my body still wants sugary things, and wheat products, so I indulge on occasion. But really I know that I not only have to give up wheat, but most likely rice as well.

I am basically using the zone as a guide, with a few modifications. I have a list that I got about 8 years ago when I started the Zone, it is a simple 2 pages of good carbs, lean protein and good fats. It has been through the ringer, and even got partially shredded once, but I still have it. I was looking at it on Friday evening and noticed for the very first time, that small red potatoes are a favorable carbohydrate. Who knew? Not me for sure, potatoes are usually the thing that have derailed me from eating in a balanced way, they are like crack for me, but the red ones are good and don’t make me want to snort them up my nose.

Today was my first full day of Zonish eating, and so far so good, I had zero sugary things today, even though I have desperately wanted them. I know in a few days I will be craving free, so I just have to hang in till then. Tonight I made Chicken with chorizo (this was my very first chorizo experience, and WOW), tomatoes, and onion. I sautéed everything in a little olive oil, served it with baby red potatoes, and organic Caesar salad (sans the pita chips for me). It was fantastic!

Garland of hearts

I am a sucker for a good garland. And actually change them out with the seasons, and occasionally for the holidays. I blame simple abundance, for the idea that each day we can make our lives just a little more beautiful by doing simple things that bring beauty and joy to our lives. So along with the myriad of things I already was doing, changing out my garland and candles really brings me joy. So when I saw this idea, I just couldn’t help myself, so away I went to creating my hearts.


I had no thought in my head as to what they would turn out like, I thought about just copying their hearts, but came up with my own ideas that I really love. I finished the hearts this morning, and will attach them as soon as I drag out the sewing machine, or I may just sew them on by hand to ecru colored grosgrain. I am suppressing my perfectionist side and not finishing them with a blanket stitch, because then I won’t have them done by February first. They are just fine as is, and really I am pleased with them.

My completed garland. (pardon the kitchen).

I saw a fun idea for transforming a coat closet to a home office here. I already have an armoire for that, but I thought it would be such a great place to keep my sewing machine up at all times. I would sew more if I could keep it up, but as of now, it sits on an upper shelf in my linen closet, and sometimes the idea of trying to wrestle everything, just to sew makes me want to forget the whole thing. More often than not sewing projects just pile up, until the pile grows so large, that it necessitates the machine being out for several days. This of course drives my husband crazy, but he also appreciates that I can sew, just not that I do it at the dining room table. Also, the idea of having my craft/sewing supplies in one place just gets my heart in a flutter. They are currently spread out between one cupboard, ones shelf in the coat closet, and 2 shelves in the linen closet. I brought the craft closet idea up to my husband, he tried to convince me to use our very narrow linen closet for my idea, since it already has power running to it, It was a lovely thought, however the linen closet just has no room to move around in it. I wonder how he would feel if I just converted my bedroom closet? I am guessing not thrilled.


I had a different plan a few years ago, and that was to use an armoire from Ikea to house everything. I schemed, and planned, and even had a little fund started to pay for it (it was very reasonable priced) then I went to IKEA to drool at it once more, and it was sold out! Gone forever! I am still bummed about it, and check each and every time I am there for my beloved cabinet, but it is gone for good. And they didn’t even have the decency to replace it with something better, or worse for that matter.

I am pretty set on the idea of the coat closet transformation, and now just have to convince the hubby to run power to it, and put some shelves in it. Oh and find a place for the coats…

Making cupcakes, crossing off resolutions

Earlier this year, I made resolutions, and one of them was to learn how to make a chocolate cake from scratch that wasn't horrible, that wasn't the consistency and smell of play dough, and that more or less looked like the kind you could get from a store, with the added bonus of being delicious. Well yesterday I accomplished all of those things and more. I went to this blog, and made their homemade "ding dongs".

Another blog I peruse, had mentioned that they tried to make these, and they took all day, that worried me a bit, but after looking over the recipes I realized that these bad boys would maybe take 2 at the most. In reality, from the time I walked in from the grocery store to the time I ate one it was an hour and a half later. That included the cooking and cooling time.

These delectable little treasure, just melt in your mouth with a flavor, laden with chocolate goodness. The filling was absolutely delicious, and the funny thing is, it is basically a Bancroft pudding, whipped into frothy delight and put inside, I think I will use the same technique for my Bancroft pudding the next time I make red velvet cake. It would make it much more portable.

A few notes, however, the cakes took about 25 minutes to cook, not the 15 stated in the recipe, the ganache, should not be doubled. The little amount it has you make would be enough to frost at least 24 cupcakes, probably closer to 30. I doubled everything including the ganache, and frankly it is so rich, we hardly used any, plus it took over 40 minutes to thicken enough, and that included time in both the fridge and freezer. But now I have a lovely ice cream topping, just have to get some more ice cream to put it on.

Cakes filled with vanilla cream, not yet frosted

Also due to the light texture of the cake batter, I had more than enough for 24 cupcakes, some of them overflowed quite a bit, I think you could safely use a small loaf pan to put the excess batter. Or an extra muffin tin. I had enough for about 4 extra cakes. I used a medium sized cookie scoop to fill my molds.

The finished product from the inside, mmmmmm...

The kids loved these so much, that 2 of them requested these as their Birthday treat. I think the secret to wonderful cakes is Buttermilk. Seriously, I used it last week for my sons birthday pancakes, and they were the most amazing ever, then this week in these little cakes,  it has become my new kitchen staple.

Bamboo and Bunk beds

Over Christmas break, I made an appointment with my Doctor to update him on a medical issue I was having. I have been having difficulty swallowing for nearly 2 years. It isn’t every day, but when it happens it is scary. I had tried antacids to treat the symptoms but they caused their own issues. I told him swallowing had become increasingly difficult, and asked if possibly my swallowing issues could be related to stress, he said absolutely, and told me to go home for 6 weeks and do what I could to de-stress. Well my friend happened to call as I was leaving the Doctors, and I told her about all of the stress I was under, our house is very tiny, and the boys are always fighting, there isn’t really a space for anyone to go and decompress, and I was feeling overwhelmed. She suggested trying to find ways to make the house a little more user friendly, and to make it feel bigger. She also suggested that I ask my boys to come up with solutions. So we had a family meeting and I asked the boys what they needed to fight less. They gave me suggestions for bedroom changes, like a different bed configuration, and the living room to be set up differently and maybe for more places that they can call their own. I have spent the last 4 weeks pondering all of this, and putting into action all that I could. We changed around the living room, and everyone absolutely loves the new set up. We had plans to change up the bunk bed and take it from a futon on the bottom to a twin bed (really not that hard, just time consuming and could be a bit pricey). But the bunk bed we had was larger than really worked for our house, and we really wanted something smaller in general, since we have 3 kids on one large bedroom and our teenager in his tiny jail sized room, (not suitable for sharing unfortunately).

Well this past weekend, I found myself in Target and came upon clearance bamboo table runners, they happened to be the right size to make into window coverings for my living room Bow window. We have longed to cover them with something but their placement and size have made it difficult, so I am constantly on the lookout for something to cover them, that won’t get ruined by moisture, and will work hanging from the window ceiling. We had looked into custom blinds but they ran about $50 a pop, too rich for my blood. So we settled for the “temporary” paper or vinyl blinds you can find at Lowes. Well they changed how they were designed in the last few years, and they weren’t compatible with what we needed. So when I found the bamboo runner, my mind immediately went to the idea that I had found my new window coverings. I bought 4 of them.

After tossing around many ideas, like shortening them, adding ribbon, or ribbon and a button or hooks to hang them with, we decided just to drape them over our curtain wire as is. I also found new black, tab top curtains for my living room. (Years ago I found this gorgeous sheer fabric in their after Christmas “Global bizarre” area, and had to have them. It took me a few more years to use them in the living room, and really, they were just too sheer for the room and too gold, but we have been living with them for about 2 years). The new curtains were also on clearance, and I was able to get 4 pairs of curtains for around $22 total. (That is such a steal!)

So on Sunday we were hanging the special curtain wire for our new bamboo finds, and putting up our newer, warmer curtains, when we realized that due to the shape of our Bow window, we had to get one more brackets for our wire hanging system. And the only place to get them is IKEA, Which is 45 minutes away (ugh). So off we went, and, although we weren’t looking officially, we found a new bunk bed frame for $79! It happens to be silver, which is prefect since last summer I spent 2 weeks redecorating the boy’s room; complete with blue paint and silver accents (they have a space themed room). We also have needed to move our youngest from his toddler bed to something larger, but our former room arrangement couldn’t accommodate it. We were able to find a silver daybed for $29! We already had 1 twin mattress, so we just needed to find 2 more, which luckily they had on the cheap.

                                                  Our lovely new bamboo "shade"

                                                             

                                                        Wire curtain rod system

We set everything up late Sunday night, and the boys were so excited they could hardly stand it. We gained so much more space in their room. I feel so lucky to have found the exact items that we needed in one place. And yes my swallowing problems have gotten much better in the last 4 weeks, part of that is giving up Gluten, part of that has been massive organizing efforts on my part, part of it has been me re-reading Simple abundance, and being grateful for what I do have, and part of it has been finding a creative outlet for myself. All of them have contributed to a stress reduction in me.

The bunk bed for the younger boys

The daybed for our resident "Tween"

Happy Birthday little star, do you know how loved you are?

Today is my second oldest son's Birthday. He turned 11, just after midnight. I have always had good intention with Birthdays in the past, making the cake my kids requested, getting them their favorite ice cream, and doing my best to get them their hearts desires, (or at least something cool), but we usually are unable to celebrate the special day until either the Sunday before the Birthday or the Sunday afterwards, due to work and school schedules. This year, I found a cute idea of decorating your child’s bedroom door for their birthday. One particular woman had used various sizes of polka dots and "polka dots a door" for her loved ones birthdays. I thought it was so cute, that I decided to do my own version. I used stars in various sizes, and coordinating alphabet stickers, and "starred" his door this morning, (he actually didn't notice right away).

Last night, my husband was actually home, so we decided to celebrate Z's Birthday then, rather than wait till Sunday. He requested Chinese food, so we ran and got some from our favorite restaurant, which was actually funny, because he didn't like anything but the pot stickers. I asked him a few weeks ago what his favorite breakfast in the world would be, and he said m&m buttermilk pancakes and bacon. So last week I picked up the items to make them, and surprised him this morning with his super special (albeit unhealthy) breakfast.

A tradition I mentioned, is letting the kids choose what cake (or pie as the case may be) they would like to have for their Birthdays. I do my best to make their favorite. Well this year, Z asked for a lemon cake with "some sort of glaze or thin icing in the middle that tastes like orange". I suggested an orange pudding, and then orange butter cream on the top and sides. He agreed. Since this was a new cake for me, and one of my resolutions is to learn to actually make more cakes from scratch (note I can make 3 really amazing cakes from scratch, but it is because of their particular recipes). So I decided to make a sponge cake, since it is pretty much guaranteed success. I even used the bleached or "crap" flour as I have dubbed it. It turned out very well. On to the orange pudding. Now I have only made the lemon version for merengue pies, but all I had to do was switch to orange, it turned out well, who knew the boys would choose this week to actually eat the oranges I buy. So it was missing the orange zest, and sort of tasted soapy to me. I fixed it with some orange extract. It tasted marvelous! Then I poured it (still hot) onto the cake and refrigerated for about 15 minutes while I made the buttercream.

Looks so pretty!

                                                             

  Then I added my top layer, and frosted with white "orange" buttercream. I was a little worried that it was going to be strange tasting, but really it was a delight for my taste buds. I think next time; I would make an orange cake with orange pudding and frosting, and a lemon cake with lemon pudding and frosting. He asked for raspberry Sherbet to go along with his "Citrus cake", and thankfully due to his brother getting a mouth injury last week, and being on a soft diet, we had some in the house. He asked for art supplies in various mediums, so we got him a beading book, many different beads, a new bike helmet, bike gloves, and various drawing tools, some bakable clay, and a sports related video game. He was in absolute heaven.                                 

Merona® Collection Party Dress w/Sash - Ebony : Target

Merona® Collection Party Dress w/Sash - Ebony : Target

I will be an attendant in a wedding in march, and the bridesmaids are supposed to wear black dresses. I ordered this little gem, which so far is my favorite. It is also the closest to the dresses the other ladies are wearing. I got insanely cute black patent mary janes to go with it, and they just don't look good with it, but oh well I can wear them elsewhere. (like with jeans, or long dresses).

Merona® Collection Taffeta Party Dress - Ebony : Target

Merona® Collection Taffeta Party Dress - Ebony : Target

This little number was an online runner up in my quest to match the other bridesmaids (the wedding is happening out of town, and the other ladies all live close to the bride, so I missed out on the dress they all chose). The party dress arrived yesterday and really is lovely, the material is nice and heavy, the problem is that it is sort of an Audrey Hepburn dress, and I am sort of shaped more like a sack of potatoes. It was way big on top and the bottom flares out, but is just not for me. If I ever decide to go as audrey hepburn for Halloween it will be perfect! But most likely it is just going back to the store.

Mossimo® Black: Crossover V-Neck Empire Dress - Ebony : Target

Mossimo® Black: Crossover V-Neck Empire Dress - Ebony : Target

This beauty has yet to arrive, but I think it will be a good choice, and I will at least (probably) keep it for my husbands next black tie work dinner. I have lunch lady arms, so all of these little numbers would be paired either with a fancy cardigan (have 2 of those so far, just waiting to be embellished with beads, or ribbon or both) or a bolerro jacket, of which I have one, but ever the insane perfectionist, I am on the lookout for maybe a satin one. The one I have is made out of some sort of polyester, my guess would be nylon or spandex. And really who thought these were "fancy" fabrics? By those standards I could just wear my slimmer and dress it up with more beads, then wear my sports bra. both a lovely, polyester, black.

I am taking a hiatus from gluten these days. I am trying to figure out if it is contributing to many of my health problems. I have quite a few auto-immune disorders, and all of them list gluten intolerance or Celiac disease as a possible cause. I did the Zone diet many years ago and my ulcers (that had plagued me for about 10 years at that time) went completely away without medicine. Coincidence? I think not.

I have been thinking about the switch for quite some time, but due to my love of baking, and eating, I haven’t been committed. So, although it is not an official resolution, I am giving it a go. And man oh man, are gluten free products expensive! I bought a loaf of bread, made mostly from potato starch tapioca and rice. It weighs a good 2 pounds, and cost over $7! But, if I think of what a Doctor visit costs for my various ailments, $7 is a small price to pay. Rice crackers are $6, and the special gluten free oatmeal I got was twice as expensive as its jury-still-out-counterpart. (It hasn’t been proven whether the gooey glue in oatmeal is indeed gluten) but the stuff I got is Bob’s red mill and they take many preventative measures to ensure the product is gluten free. (Planting in a field that only has oats in it, processing in a plant that only processes gluten free products etc…)

The loaf of many dollars

                                                        

I have been doing this for about a week, and have done fairly well so far, although a few times I just plain forgot and ate a few Joe Joes (traders Joes version of Oreos, that are amazing!) and the other day, the urge to eat an entire sleeve of Ritz crackers overwhelmed me, so I did eat. And they were good. Then the heart burn came, and I remembered my commitment to gluten free as much as possible.

I had plans this year to learn how to make the most scrumptious chocolate cake, and now it will have to be the quest for the best flourless chocolate cake. Many of the products I have tried, in an attempt to replace some of my favorite wheat products, are really awful. They taste burned, or like cardboard, or brittle straw. It looks like I may have to just give up things I like rather than try to replace them.

I have also struggled with the idea of going gluten free, because it goes against the idea in my head, that copious amounts of whole grain fiber will help me lose weight. Although to look at me you would know that it is not helping me lose weight, but my cholesterol is perfect, and my insides are really healthy (good blood pressure, triglycerides are excellent etc…). So we shall see where this takes me, hopefully it takes away some of the inflammation and the disorders start to abate.

                                                The silver lining...

Theres cake!

Super Tot's

These are capes I made for some special toddlers in my life.

The New arrangement

New shoes, and nary a Jane in sight

So yesterday, I asked my husband to help me rearrange the furniture in our living room. Our house is miniscule and our furniture (bought for our previous much larger home) is much too large for the space. So being on a budget, and not having the funds to move... We decided to try to make what we have work for us. So we (mostly him) moved furniture this way and that. We finally ended up with a fantastic configuration, by thinking outside the box. (Pictures will follow soon, well as soon as I figure that part out). Anyhoo, we have large baskets on top of our bookcases to keep our game system components inside, (because I loathe looking at wires, and stuff, it needs to be kept hidden from my view)and with the new living room layout, we desperately needed a new large basket (that matched the other baskets we already have) so we went to Michaels last night, and got the basket, among other things (including more wreath picks for this wreath decorating junkie, all on clearance of 80% off I might add). Anyway the Michaels is located next to a TJ MAXX. I haven't been in one for a while, so we browsed our way through the store, and then we found them, pink Chucks! (that would be Chuck Taylor Converse for all of you playing at home). I saw them on the regular rack and they were pretty comparably priced with other chains sale prices, but then we rounded the corner and saw them on the clearance rack, in my size, for $15! Of course, he insisted I buy them. (he loves to feed my shoe junkie habit) Thanks baby! I can't even pinpoint the exact color. They are darker than salmon, but duller than coral. I had to wear them today, so I am wearing my dusty rose chenille hoodie, no they do not match, but it was the closest thing to pink I own, and really when one is wearing pink chucks, clearly they are all the fancy you need.

My version of "resolutions".

Typically at this time of year, I am busy implementing new changes to finally lose the weight that found me 13 years ago. And typically, I would be wondering if this year would be the year to finally make it happen. Well this year I decided instead to focus on things that I would love to accomplish, rather than make promises to myself that I can’t keep (because when a person doesn’t keep their promise it irks me to no end). So on that note, I will share my list of ambitious endeavors.
For starters, I would like to take a cake decorating class. Yes I have decorated cakes in the past, but most of my “skills” I have done has been self taught. And I am sure I can learn a thing or two from an actual professional. Plus, I have no idea how to make frosting flowers, so learning that would just be icing on the cake. ;)
I would also like to learn how to knit. This does not necessarily have to be done in a class, although there is a neighboring Village that has the quaintest downtown area, and there is a shop called the “Gifted purl”, that teaches knitting. And I would love to join one so I can get some romance ideas. I hear they are in abundant supply at knitting circles these days.
To go along with my number one plan for this year, I would like to learn to make the most divine chocolate cake. My Mother used to make a Black Forest cake that was to die for. I can make one with a mix (which is NOT to die for), but to make it from scratch would make me feel as though I had reached the absolute summit of home making prowess.
I would also like to learn how to make regular old white and yellow cakes as well, as these tend to be more my family’s favorite kind. Yes, technically I can make a cake, but my last attempt was more dense, and gray, and heavy than a cake has a right to be. I have a thing with flour that just won’t let me use the bleached variety. I am willing to get over that to attain cake perfection, but once I master it; I will do my best to find a way to make them with wheat flour.
My elder Brother introduced me to Pho this year, and while it was fantastic, the restaurant was pretty far away. It is unlikely that I would drive that far again for the tasty treat. So… this year I want to try my hand at cracking the recipe, that way, I can have it whenever I desire.
I would like to Read Simple abundance EACH DAY this year, instead of my usual, weekend cramming sessions. I like to ponder each day’s message as a sort of meditation. And if anyone has seen my facebook statuses, you will know that I have the hardest time relaxing. So much so that 2 years ago, I developed swallowing issues. I have tried various medicines, undergone an endoscopy, and numerous Dr Visits with a variety of Docs. The latest hypothesis is that I am too stressed to unwind, and it is causing my esophagus to swell. (Oh my ears too, but that is another story).
This year, I am also practicing patience. We are talking patience like a monk has patience. I think being impatient has contributed to my stress levels. Well so has my perfectionist tendency, but that is a task for another year.
Next is something I am already doing, and that is blogging. I started my own, but thus far have only posted one thing. When Aunt Susan died, I remember thinking (and saying at her funeral, although likely no one could understand me because I was blubbering so much) that I admired her courage and lack of fear when it came to her writing. She wrote things and actually sent them off to publishers. I have written in the privacy of my home for years, but done little with my musings. So this year, at the very least, I will blog. Then we shall see if the dream grows wings.
When I was a child, we had this beautiful piano, I learned (as well as some of my siblings) to play on that piano, and I was fortunate enough as an adult to inherit it. Sadly it is very old, and now about a third of the keys are unplayable. It is old, and people constantly ask me why I don’t get rid of it. The answer is that it is the most beautiful thing I have ever owned (aside from my children, but I don’t really own them either, just borrowing for a while), and I can’t bear to part with it, working or not. SO this year (thanks to my Cousin Rachel’s patience, and pointing me in the right direction) I am going to try my hand at Piano repair. I mean it can’t be much harder than a washer right?
Ok this one sounds silly maybe, but still it is maybe attainable. When I bought my house 6.5 years ago, I was so desperate for a place to call my own (we had been living with my father for 8 months), that we just sort of jumped in with both feet, and bought this house. It sort of escaped us at the time that our fridge was in the dining room, and really it didn’t matter at first. But now, it bothers me every single day. I do not have the efficient “triangle” that you read about in kitchen magazines. I have more like a “Z”. And everyday, I plot and scheme on how to get my fridge into the kitchen. You may ask why I haven’t yet, and I would have to tell you that it is “complicated” We have a half wall, little counter space, and our washer and dryer, as well as breaker box, and laundry cabinets, all in the kitchen, so the poor fridge was exiled to the dining room. This has not stopped my determination to put it in its rightful place, oh no. It is just going to take an act of god (or my tax refund) to do the necessary improvements to move him to his rightful throne. And I think by the summer I will have the flash of genius necessary to do just that. (Well I hope so anyway).
When I was a teenager, I repurposed most of my clothes, because most of them came from thrift stores and the like. I fell out of habit with the practice when I had my second child. Now that my “baby” is 4, I think it is time to look into this very favorite pastime of mine. I plan on embellishing some of my favorite shirts that have developed pinholes. I am even repurposing a dress for a wedding I am in this year.
I saw this amazing scalloped dress on another blog recently, and it really spoke to me. So I am going to try my hand at my own version of a scalloped dress for me this year, and dust off my designing hat.

Getting organized

Nothing gets my heart rate up faster than organizing. Not saying I am always perfect, or even have time for actual organizing every day, but my heart begins to race, as I think of putting things exactly where they go, in pretty containers, or lovely coordinated boxes, or baskets. Don't even get me started on the thrill ride that is 'The container Store'. I spent my New years eve listening to the sounds of Happy Children and husband as they played video games, and laughed at the silliness of it all. Meanwhile I was putting office supplies into stackable, interlocking boxes, and regaining long lost cupboard space. We were invited to a party, but honestly going out into sub-freezing temperature, refereeing children, playing games I would rather not play, and then banging pots at midnight, seemed so 2008. I just wanted a "quiet" evening at home, me and my label maker, and my clutter. It was lovely, I spoke to my Mom o the phone, while I tackled everything. Then rewarded my efforts with a bubble bath and eggnog ice cream.