Going going- I’ll be back!

Okay so it is snowing today and I’m feeling a bit humbug.

I will be back though. I’ve got a few ideas/ recipes to share but at the moment they are stuck on the hard drive of a rogue computer. Grrr!

Until then come visit me at Blog Schmog. Submit your adventures in turning lemons into lemonade on Friday for Fu-get ABout it Fridays (F.A.B.)! Fab in the “Fabulous I’m getting another cup of coffee before I tie myself to a rocket headed for the moon” kind of Friday. Is anyone out there that can relate? Its where moms, grandmas, dad’s, grads (anyone really) unite to laugh in the face of permanent marker art and mom jeans!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled program…

 I’m moving!

This blog will remain and I will post food here but for the rest of the random fun please update your readers and blogroll adding www.blogschmogme.wordpress.com

A couple of weeks back I posted the poll “More or less, what should I blog about?”.  Though I put it in the form of a question I did it to confirm a hunch I had.

It boils down to this…

My foodie friends say, “bring on the food.”

My photography friends say, “bring on the pictures.”

You get the picture…

So here’s what I’m going to do:

I will occasionally post recipes here at www.glutenfree4goofs.wordpress.com  and will change the name from Blog Schmog to Gluten Free 4 Goofs to reflect the food emphasis.

Blog Schmog is moving to www.blogschmogme.wordpress.com and we will continue there where I am leaving off here with pictures, stories, gardening, occasional crafting, homeschooling and my journey of faith.

My passion is in encouraging others to follow Christ while looking on the bright side of life.  And when we don’t feel the warmth of the Son because circumstances cloud our perspective, I hope to seek together the promises in God’s word until he has made his glory known. 

In short I am on a joy journey and hope you will find nuggets that will give you hope and peace through our Abba Father.

Romans 5:3-5

We also have joy with our troubles because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. He gave us his love through the holy spirit whom God has given to us.

                          *                *                *                *                 *                *

EPILOGUE:

Thanks are due my little sis Callie for helping me to get over my conspiracy notions and just blog what I love! 🙂  I started out thinking no one would read my blog if they didn’t “get” something.  I also am strange about who might read so if you are a crabby person, don’t give me grief, I might self destruct! Lol! I’m totally kidding, I’m not that easily offended. 

Actually now that I think about it that is outrgeously wierd.  I want to draw readers by providing recipes “a service” but I don’t want people to read? What am I duel enrolled in the oddity club?

What’s a Mom to DO?

I have a dilemma.  There is a neighbor with an eight year old son who is a whirlwind, to put it nicely.  Usually I tend to avoid allowing my boys to spend time with kids that I don’t want them picking up bad habits from, but this boys happens to be the son of our 4-H leader and a good friend of mine. Sigh!

Tonight is the kickoff bbq and I am terrified that my boys, being younger than he is, will come home after spending an hour or so with this kid and be saying things like “Oh god!” and acting maniacal.  Not to mention that for this family money is not an object and they have every toy known to man including all the video game systems and state of the art computer equipment. 

At our house, partly out of necessity ;), we emphasise non-monetary contentment and I struggle big time with Thing Two and his addictive nature toward video games.  That amounts to their dad’s old Nintendo on rare occasions and three days a week he is allowed to earn time at a free online game where a quad goes forward and backward on a two dimensional track.  So nothing fancy at all.

I guess what I’m wondering is how do I prepare them for time with this boy since it is not possible to keep them segregated from every ornery boy on the planet!  I’m sure mine can come up with lots of their own trouble too.

Do I sit them down and have a “talk” about not conforming to other’s standards?

Do I prepare them for the sorts of thing he might say (and that I’ve heard him say) and mention how his disrespect of his mother will not be tolerated by me?

I truly love this family and I dont’ want my boys going in saying, “My mom said….”  But I love my boys more and I want to prepare them in the most Godly but not condescending way. 

Did that make any sense at all?

What are your thoughts?

Don’t you think my “jail” pictures are appropriate?  Hee hee!

I’ve Graduated

So I’ve been a mom for almost eight years now.  I know, it’s more than some, less than others but this morning I had a turning point.  I do believe my mother would be proud. I have to say, I’ve graduated.

I’ve dealt with poo in every imaginable place and some NOT, I can handle throw up (as long as I’m not pregnant and nauseous myself) and I do pretty darn well with blood just ask Thing 2 aka “Roadrash King” and “Scar-funkle”!  My weakness has always been with sink ickies.  You know the stuff, the soggy cereal that is half stuck to the bottom of the sink, the random pieces of fruit that are barely recognizable and also very slimy, then there are often beans or pieces of meat swirling around and  around in the drain too big to slip through the slot and disappear forever. 

The worst is when mom’s been gone and there are stray dishes in the sink disguising the problem.  Mom comes home at midnight from a once in a blue moon girls night/baby shower falls into a fitful sleep and wakes up late (theoreticaly-;)) to find the lurking dinner goodies floating around under a couple plates and a handful of silverware.

You know what I did today?  Instead of my usual freak out; convulsing while fighting my gag reflex, shielding my eyes from the horror of it all then trying to fish out the invaders with a spoon and a paper towel (no I don’t have a disposal) while all the while holding my breath which if it takes too long puts me at further risk of passing out right then and there on the kitchen floor.  Instead of all that I reached my bare hand down into the sink drain and scooped that puppy right out of there.  It’s like a creature out of mad science and I TOUCHED it, grabbed it and threw the whole darn mess away WITHOUT gagging.

I tell ya, I’ve graduated!

Sometimes I Forget

Sometimes I forget to taste my food.

I’ve even forgotten what wheat tastes like.

Sometimes I forget that my children are all very young,

That the oldest is young enough to still fear the dark.

Sometimes I forget to hug my husband,

And that my best weapon is prayer, my shield is the God who sees!

Sometimes I forget that I do a good job,

That the children will not remember a swept floor, a well thought out meal.

Sometimes I forget my manners, my patience, my happy countenance

But my Jesus, my Joy

He is my witness

Sometimes I forget

He never forgets

Please visit the others by clicking the picture below!  There are so many great photographers that participate!

Not so FAST!

Do you know how much you can learn from observation.  “Be still and know that I am God” implores the Lord!

In our instant gratification, fast food, fast paced, speed dating, online chatting, thrill seeking society the noise never stops.  But those who take the time to STOP and look around will find knowledge in the simplest of places.

Did you know you could learn to garden without “Gardening for Dummies” or that you can track an animal without high tech gear?

I met a huge bull moose face to face the other day.  Twenty feet apart we stared at each other, me on my horse, he in his element.   No fear, no aggression he just caulked his velveted rack and stared. Quickly we departed.  But how did I track and sneak up on one of the largest specimen of four legged creatures in our mountains when hunters search for weeks with their ATV’s and GPS, their cell’s and scopes and tree perches? 

It’s because I listened and learned.  I’ve tracked numerous deer and found signs of bears and many other critters. I use my nose, my sight and the sounds that carry on the wind when you are silent.

That’s why I love the woods, they remind me to hear with ears that really listen, see with eyes that search, feel with my whole being and trust my God given senses.

Sometimes in the day to day I begin to feel like one of the machines I load to wash dishes, or type at to communicate with friends or watch to learn something new.  When did we become so one dimensional?

Today will you sit down and listen?  What can you hear beyond the honking cars, the whir of the fan or the droning of the local news anchor?

Summer Slackin’

See I’m silly, do you suspect my serious compulsion?  I have a compulsion for words and I love alliteration! 🙂 

That aside, I spent the time it takes to brew my morning coffee swatting flies!  Why flies you ask?  My darling Thinglets can not resist the great outdoors but since mom doesn’t cook during the summer they also can’t resist multiple trips indoors for a snack.  During the summer I slack in the eating and the cleaning department, I reserve most of my cleaning rampages for the dreary days of winter.  Please pay close attention to the word MOST as I am not good at practicing what I preach! 

The result is a summer slackin’ mamma, several snackin saps and a serious amount of smackin’ stinkin’ segmented sailing suckers!

Since I’ve been a regular participator in Linda’s weekly blog carnival, previously “What’s for Dinner Wednesday” I decided I couldn’t let down the troops so this week I don’t have a recipe but more of a slackers gluten free survival map!

Never fear though, I will be back soon with full tummy recipes since in the Northwest summer is but a passing fancy!  We have guests this week and I plan to bring you my brother in law’s (Lil Sis’ Hubby) “Famous Fish Taco” recipe.  So tune in next week!

In the mean time-

Gluten Free Goof’s Slacker’s Survival Map:

The first stop is my sock drawer!  No I don’t have any science experiments brewing in there just a “treasure map” of sorts that helps me get my head out of the clouds when it comes time to eat!  Food preparation is one area that I am somewhat of a procrastinator.  I am not confident, I am picky and yet I have grand ideas that often flop (unless my hubby is helping- he is an uninhibited cook)!  Sooo, it helps me to have a simple plan to fall back on and yet not be bound to! 

Sounds much too complicated for FOOD!  For crying out loud those six mouths are simply six pie holes!

After I have fished out my treasure map I wistfully make a paper airplane out of it and send it sailing off of the deck, past the pigs, the horses, and the vegetable garden where I am reminded there are numerous summertime treasures we don’t get to enjoy everyday!  Second stop, garden of weedin where we get our veggies fix’!

If there is extra time and I want to impress the rats I might stop by the BBQ on the way back to the house and create a dish for the critics!

When there is no extra time my map ends up as fuel for the barbecue and I whip up my go to summer meal complete with Sweet Baby Ray’s drizzly grin!

Occasionally I forget the whole thing and let my seven year old create his own masterpiece!

So in case there is any question, my treasures are featured all over this page!  No need for maps or compasses my husband and I have been thoroughly blessed with the four adorable children God has trusted us with!

Psalm 127:3-5
3Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
       children a reward from him.

 ⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
       are sons born in one’s youth.

 ⁵ Blessed is the man
       whose quiver is full of them.
       They will not be put to shame
       when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

Aaarg, I hope you’ve enjoyed this treasure hunt, come back next week for a seriously good installment of Linda’s new and improved “What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free” and don’t forget to visit the others this week!

Guest Post- Thing 1’s Apple Cinnamon Grits

Today while I sip daiquiris and relax in my hammock Thing 1 is going to take care of dinner.  There’s no telling what will happen when a seven year old prepares dinner, but no mind I’m going to put my feet up and stare at the sky.

WAIT!

What’s this, who is in my hammock?

You’ve never seen me drink you say?

Whenever my mom comes out to visit she asks, “Do you want me to bring anything? Coffee, chocolate?”

“Nice mom,” I tease but “how about some Whisky?”

Okay, okay! You are right 
“I love Jesus but I drink a little”!  Sorry, that’s a bad inside joke and you’d be in on it if you watched the Ellen Degeneres Show.  That is another thing I don’t make a habit of doing, actually we never got a converter box so we don’t even have TV but my dear Aunt sent me that little tid bit as an email attachment one day a couple months ago.  That’s the way to start your day, let me tell you.  At any rate I don’t drink but I do down quite a bit of caffeine to make it through the day. If you wonder why just ask Thing 2 he is the road rash king! He got a fresh one yesterday playing chicken with his brother on bikes.

If you don’t think Thing 2’s antics are enough or hammock stealing toddlers or a dinner cooking seven year old just ask Pee Wee, she has a few things to say about that…

Then again maybe it’s just the hat!

It looked like a good idea at the time, but now that I think of it who wants a denim tulip plopped on top of her head.  After all she is a girl with some fashion sense  unlike her mother!

 

Thing 1’s Apple Cinnamon Grits:

Ingredients:

1. grits
2. water
3. apple
4. brown sugar
5. cinnamon
6. milk or non-dairy milk (I used Mocha mix)

I thought of a new way to make grits better. 

Here are the directions.

Okay, first make the grits.

First you pick the amount of grits that you want to make.  We make a lot everyday that we have some and we love it.  My brothers and I eat all of it every time.  Today I made six servings.

Start with putting 4 cups of water in a small pan (mom’s note- you’ll need a medium pan).  Then you put it on the front burner and put it on high (mom’s note-if your mom will let you or you can get help with this step).  Point the handle of the pan back so nobody can reach it and spill it.

When the water boils then you put 1 cup of grits in and set your timer for 5 minutes.  Turn the burner on low.

When the timer goes off then the grits is ready.

Oh wait I forgot, when you dump the grits in mix it with a mixing thing; a wisk. 

Then you ask your mom to cut one apple into small pieces without the skin.

Mom’s note- Thing 1 even took his own pictures to go with his recipe! 🙂

Now what mom?

Oh yeah!

Then you put one splash of Mocha Mix in.

Last part of the ingredients is put a little less than a spoon full of cinnamon and a spoonful of brown sugar in.

Mix it and eat it!

This has been another recipe for the “What’s for Dinner Wednesday Blog Carnival” Hosted by the Gluten Free Homemaker. Thanks for stopping and check out more great ideas here. 

Saturday’s Surprise: This little piggies girlie!

I’m a pig farmer now and Pee Wee is a girlie girl!

About the pigs…

I’ve had the wheels turning in my head about raising hogs for a few years now.  Last year I darn near got a couple to raise but wasn’t able to contact a farmer before the 4-H kids had the whole northern territory spoken for; pink, white, black, green… ha… they were gone like the wind before hooves even hit the ground.

This year I knew better and I contacted a farmer (best friend of my cousins husband) shortly after December, still he put me off long enough that I thought I’d been forgotten among the clovers but just Thursday I got the call.  “Jessie, it’s Ian, awh hay-uv yer howgs!”

“You’ve got WHAT?” I ghasped, I didn’t set up the pen or plan to get feed.  I hadn’t recently prepped my husband as such things require a fair bit of prepping.  He breaks out in hives and just about has a self induced anaphalactic meltdown whenever we have to spend any unexpected money.

Okay, so he is really not THAT bad and I am a pretty sorry tight wad myself but spending a couple hundred dollars on another of my “pets” (no I’m not going to tame them and walk them on leashes to market) gets the eyebrows in a bit of a furrow.  When I spring things on him he often bucks and then I humbly submit and we live happily ever after. 😉

The truth?  I throw big fat baby fits and we have heated debate, I plead my case, he pleads his and over closing remarks we realize somehow we ARE speaking the same language, fighting for the same right cause only coming at it from completely different angles.  Still dizzy from my tail spin I get a glimpse of his purpose and realize, he is fighting FOR me not AGAINST me and then we start to make sense.

Besides, what good would a couple 50lb pigs be if we couldn’t get groceries for the week.  To market to market to SELL a SCRAWNY pig!?

The outcome of our friendly debate!

Well, after calling a truce we talked about it like civilized people and in the end we both agreed that it is worth the investment and wasn’t really the last minute thing it seemed to be on Thursday.  Although it begs the question are we “civilized people” if we raise hogs?  What is “civilized” anyway?  Tea and crumpets, cocktails and croquet or simply all those folks with running water and a roof over their head trying to make a living and livelihood as “aliens in the land”.  Actually running water may not always be a necessity, but that’s a different story and we aren’t talking necessity are we!?

Speaking of being civilized my other revelation for the day is that my little Pee Wee is becoming quite a girlie girl! 

It was bound to happen, the fourth of three boys and a tomboy mommy whose least favorite color is pink.  Although I do own two very pink shirts to wear with my cute camo capri’s.  I like to dress up and go on the town just like any girl but my idea of dress up is more like cute jeans, dangly earrings and a walk on the board walk followed by frilly coffee while we check out the classic cars parked at a local diner.  Or of course there’s always desert and swing dancing, or line dancing if I’ve downed enough coffee!  Town to me is home where you know everyone and most things stay the same.  I’m an idealist and I like the way “nostalgia” rolls off the tongue.

My Girlie

Pee Wee is already beginning to turn that all around.  I even found myself day dreaming about shopping with her.  SHOPPING!  I don’t SHOP and pick out cute clothes or cute decorations for entertaining.  Sigh, I’d rather be getting dirty.

She also has decided she really likes chap stick.  The girl is 9mo old and every time she gets a glimpse of someones chap stick she reaches and makes a little grunt sound.  I’m sure that has something to do with the taste but even a sweet tooth proves my point doesn’t it?  What girl isn’t a fan of chocolate and strawberries?  That was truly all I craved when I was pregnant with her?  Coincidence, happenstance?  I think NOT!

Want to know what I craved with the boys?

The one thing I had never liked before.

The one thing that made me shudder at the though of it.

The thing with the most disgusting texture.

The very thing that now, after craving it through three, boy pregnancies I LOVE!

FISH!

I also discovered this week that she is fascinated with getting her hair brushed.  She has no hair but still, she loves to have the fuzz clinging to her little noggin brushed and brushed and brushed.  I’ve known for a while that she likes hair because one of the ways she self soothes is by winding my hair in her fingers or gently pulling at the little patch of hair on the back of her neck that didn’t get rubbed off in the “bald spot” stage so it is longer than the rest.  If you can picture it you might be thinking Joe Dirt!  Yes, my little girl has a mini mullet.  Ack!  I couldn’t cut it, she loves that “tail”!

Furthermore my little Pee Wee has no problem whatsoever allowing anyone and everyone to dote on her.  She has quite dexterous little fingers yet half the time if you try to hand her a piece of cereal she will hold up her hands and lean in while batting her feathery eyelashes and parting her pink little lips, “feed me!”

She loves nothing more than to be held and totted around and she lives for favors from her brothers.  That little girl has three small boys one big boy and a smitten mamma wrapped around two little fingers and that’s just in OUR household! 

Oh dear!  Not my daughter!?  I was going to have four boys!

Thank you Lord for you know best, I would have never guess how fun it is to have a little girl!

Thanks for Summer Two for One Special

Have you ever been in a deep cave or a long tunnel?  I’ve been in both. 

We have old mines in a town not too far from where I grew up that tell a story of the dreams of many ambitious families who hoped to build fortunes by sending there strong men into the dark day after day.  There are countless numbers who didn’t make it out of mines like this one.

I’ve also traveled through what is thought to be the worlds longest underwater tunnel on the Trans Tokyo Bay Highway in Japan though it is traveled by millions I thought I  might not make it out!

If you have ever experienced it you will understand the feeling of awe in the blinding reality at the “end of the tunnel” or at the top of the long climb out of that dark cave.  First, it’s the realization that you were holding your breath and you breathe in the air as if before you had been unable to inhale. 

Next its like the world is new as you experience the sun on your face and the many many colors of nature around you.  How could you forget in those short moments what beauty awaited you?

Emerging from winter this year has been like that for me.  I grew up here in the North so I’m no stranger to hard winters and I’m also quite fond of the clean blanket that is tossed out over all who tarry giving familiar surroundings a sort of ethereal curiosity.  None-the-less, this was an exceptionally long hard winter, both by natural purposes and emotionally, physically etc. 

I’ve never been happier to welcome Spring. It seems to me that the earth was just as ready and practically lept over the normal events of Spring and has puddle stomped it’s way into Summer in a matter of a few short weeks.

The sun is shining, the garden is planted and I’m so thankful for summer! 

Hubby says I’m “dripping with detail”!  I’ll take that as a compliment.  

Finally getting to it.

Here is my “Thanks for Summer Two for One Special”:

Veggie Tray Lunch:

What you will need:

• various yummy veggies
• cheese (if desired)
• dressing or hummus for dipping

I reused a disposable tray and lid I had from somewhere, it was perfect.  To note, DO NOT cut up the sweet pepper in advance it flavors everything in a 2 foot radius. It just so happens that’s almost the entire frig.

I filled this tray each morning and gave the kids free rein to eat from it at will.  It really helped curb the munchies and even took place of lunch one day this week.

My Thinglets had their reservations but when I sliced the sweet pepper and gave each a nice thin “shoestring pepper fry” they were pleasantly surprised.  They were also quite sure that tomatoes were not on the approved list until I sliced a few in half and had them try without the shock of that spurt of juice when you bite into it whole.  You guessed it, no complaints!

The veggies and cheese were such a hit I went one step further.

Summer Pasta Salad:

What you will need:

• BroccoliGF noodles (16oz)- No that’s not a typo I did a little research and though Tinkyada calls this it’s Fussilli Pasta it appears to be truly the Broccoli Pasta shape.  Read the link it’s quite a kick!
• chicken if desired (this is delicious as another use for the bbq chicken left-overs)
• various veggies
• parmesan cheese (if desired)
• garlic
• olive oil

If I can do it you can do it (Recipe):

If you’ve made the veggie tray or have vegetables on hand this dish is a cinch to whip up.

As soon as I got the The Bubba and Pee Wee down for their naps I boiled up the noodles.  The key is to make the noodles according to package directions and allow time to chill before your own clan is pounding down the door for dinner.  I like to rinse and pat dry before serving or chilling GF pastas.

Just before the door came crashing in (not really but you’d be surprised) I prepared my veggies.

I used 2 chicken thighs, 2 dozen cherry tomatoes (some cut in half for the Thinglets), 3-4sm sweet peppers sliced in strips, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and 1 heaping tablespoon of minced garlic.

All you have to do now is drizzle in a little olive oil (just enough to coat the noodles and get the cheese to stick), toss in the vegetables and chicken then pour a glass of lemonade, put up your feet and soak in the sun!

This has been another recipe for the “What’s for Dinner Wednesday Blog Carnival” Hosted by the Gluten Free Homemaker. Thanks for stopping and check out more great ideas here.