the reluctant pioneer

So, last year I stumbled on what will surely be an annual tradition: finding the silliest Black Friday "doorbuster."  Clearly this is completely subjective. Please don't be offended if someone else's idea of silly is your idea of a doorbuster home run. Last year's winner: Kmart's hourly doorbuster deal, 3 am Tupperware.  "Set the alarm, I gotta jet to Kmart to get some Tupperware!"  Have you been perusing the sale flyers? Has anything struck you as being just a tad out of place in the  "doorbuster" category? I'd love to hear about it. On a different note, I maintain that I am not crafty, but I did manage to assemble this gorgeous 3d snowflake. Since I hear that no one but no one reads blogs this time of year, I figure I'll let the crickets chirp about it now thereby minimizing the risk of jeopardizing my membership in Un-crafty Anonymous. If you'd like to have a go at it, here's the link .

What is it? Sunflower Seed Tofu Taco-seasoned Dip. I know the hater's gonna hate, but hear me out! It's uber-creamy, flavorful and *does not* taste like sunflower seeds or tofu. It has the same consistency and flavor of any cream cheese/sour cream dip,  perhaps minus the zing that those cultured products impart. I have picky eaters. These two, especially the handsome guy on the left, regularly spend up to an hour avoiding eating at meals. With that in mind, I think the picture speaks for itself. I'm so excited to share this process with you, but alas, no time right now. In the meantime, I'd love suggestions of other things to try with this "cream cheese." I'm thinking some savory, some sweet. The key to this is that it has to have enough flavor to cover a mild/bland sunflower flavor. Perhaps some maple syrup for dipping frut, I bet I could add melted chocolate for a chocolate ganache of sorts, more savory flavors for dips. Oooooo, so mu

1. Whew. What a week. We are flying on through, as usual. First things first, immunity is back up for grabs  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARK! Yesterday, hubby turned 34. And now you know that we're old and clearly watch too much Survivor. Lucy gets her photo op, too Also, a huge shout out to my awesome guy who fixed the formatting issues I was having. Something about adding CSS...I don't speak tech, so no clue here, but thank you! 2. I'd love to see a Myers Briggs test on cooks versus bakers. Cooks have large cushions when it comes to ingredient quantities. Bakers, well, that's more like kitchen chemistry. It needs to be precise. I'm an INFP and I'm  not  a baker. All that measuring? Boring, and too much clean up. I'm definitely a cook. I add, I add more, I adjust, I'm anything but precise. It's all about practice. You start with recipes and get to know look, feel, texture and then when you've got that down, you just start throwing th

This here dern internet thingy is going to be my undoing. Again, I apologize about the formatting issues. Today is supposed to be a Homeschool Wednesday post. I even had a topic all ready to go. In addition, I was going to share what I made for dinner on Monday 'cause it was pretty awesome. But, as happens from time to time, the Holy Spirit came swooping in and changed my plans. I'm sure you've never experienced that for yourself, have you? Just a quick aside before I begin: while I type, I'm enjoying one of our anniversary treats, Cinnamon Almonds from Trader Joe's! After a wonderful dinner last night, I asked if we could drop by TJ's and see if they had them in yet. Low and behold, they arrived yesterday and were waiting on the shelf, just for me! So, a little background is in order... We had a couple of boxes of items waiting to be donated. First they were scheduled for pick-up by the VA. I had the boxes labeled and on our porch waiting for the tru

Note: I'm having problems with this template, but parenthood calls. I'm posting this as-is. Indian. At a restaurant. Today is our eighth wedding anniversary! So, in lieu of sharing what I'm making for dinner tonight, I'd love to... ...Oh fudge, I need to go clean up some spilled milk. Dairy allergies take spilled milk to the next level. Call me haz-mat mommy. ...Ok, back on point. I'd love to spend a minute reflecting on some of the blessings of the past eight years. Four beautiful children. Three of whom surprised us with their red hair! All four of whom fill our lives with experiences of all kinds: the good, the bad, the ugly and the hilarious. Learning how to cook. Thanksgiving on our honeymoon was a disaster brought to you by a wife could only cook pasta, potatoes and eggs. Bought, gutted and renovated the house of our dreams, largely thanks to my hubby who previously swore that if he never entered a home improvement store he would die a happy man

Hi. It's me again. Today I'm going to share how I go about re-creating some basic condiment sauces. Why do I bother with this when the grocery store has aisles filled with this stuff? My daughter, Lydia, is allergic to garlic. Yes, garlic. Did you know garlic is in every savory dish on the planet? Not really, but it sure seems like it, sometimes. Ugh. Garlic. Actually, this was a stomach bug. Garlic just gives her hives. But now you know that I'm that  mom. "Oh, you're not feeling good? So sorry! Let me just snap a picture real quick." This post is going to focus on the principles of working with tomato-based sauces, rather than actual recipes for these items. The first thing I do is read the ingredient list on a store-bought jar of whatever I'm going to attempt to make. If you like the sauce you're holding in your hand, try to gather those ingredients, or healthy alternatives if it has things like corn syrup or soy protein. The beautiful thin

1. We just finished school for the day. My brain hurts. Seriously? After all, we're talking preschool and kindergarten. Not exactly mental gymnastics, folks. Usually I just work on reading with Iain (5) and call it a day. However, for a change of pace, I had Lydia (4) working on the alphabet, identifying vowels, and ordering numbers 1-20. She did great! I love realizing how much my little sponges have absorbed from their older sibling(s). Iain did number ordering 1-50, counting by fives and tens up to 100 and then some clock work. In just a few minutes, he got the hang of the minute hand, as long as I said a time that was a multiple of five. Progress, folks. Daddy's little Cricket player 2. I'm often asked what curriculum I use for school. The quick 'n easy answer is none. That will change next year, if not sooner. I'm hoping to find a Catholic Classical curriculum that's a good fit for us. I know there are a number of options out there. If

SOME TRADER JOE'S ITEMS FROM THE PANTRY Trader Joe's is one of  my stores . I try not to go there more than once a month, so when I do, I buy like a  prepper . I stock up on the essentials: Vanilla Rice Milk, 64 oz. 10 boxes. Chocolate Chips. *Allergen free. Heck yeah they're essential! 5 bags. Sunflower Seed Butter. 4 jars. Coconut Cream in a can. 4 jars. Smoked Salmon, wild-caught, 1 lb filet. Again, definitely essential. 1. Cinnamon Almonds. You got me. These are nonessential. Definitely a splurge. But so  good. 1 bag. Now, tally up those items and picture my shopping cart. I'm used to the weird looks from the cashiers. But lemme tell you, if there's an apocalyptic event in the next month, we'll be eating all sorts of yummy allergen-free goodies. (Note: not all the items pictured are allergen-free.) Back to the weird looks, I give 'em right back...in my mind's eye. I'm not a confrontational person. But seriously, who designed this

We have a cold running through our house. I managed to be the last man standing, but Sunday evening I realized I was unusually cold and tired. After a hot shower I was in bed at the same time as the kiddos. Monday morning found me with a hoarse voice which convinced Iain that I really 'n truly wasn't feeling well. Not an entirely bad deal, since he was instantly very  helpful, all the while explaining that he was going to be very  helpful. And he was. Until my voice recovered. Then he was over it. Wanting to keep the kiddos occupied without a lot of effort on my part, and without resorting to videos, which are my parenting nemesis. I can't stand their behavior after watching anything . I turned to one of my favorite websites: librivox.org  Free audio book versions of books in the public domain. If you have kiddos who love to be read to, you must try it. Most of the morning we listened to Peter Pan.  The kiddos have also enjoyed: Beatrix Potter Just So Stori

Tuesday is our busy day. Being a homeschooling mom, my idea of a busy day is when we leave the house more than once. I know. I'm spoiled. One of these Tuesday outings is for dance lessons that end just as the dinner hour begins. Therefore, dinner must, for the sake of my sanity, be something that is crock-pot-able or otherwise long-cooking. Today's dinner is from Like Mother Like Daughter :  Aunt Leila's Boston Baked Beans  I'm thrilled to say that this recipe is "everyone friendly" i.e., no allergens specific to our family. It's a rare treat to find a mainstream recipe that requires no modifications. In other exciting news, I'm working on creating a dairy-nut-free cheese. This is one of my current obsessions. I feel it is  the  thing that distinguishes our meals from the meals of other families. I can not tell you how I would love to make a dish with cheese in it that our whole family can eat! I am inclined to not share the recipe until I

--- 1 --- You may have noticed that the landscape is a little different in these parts. Mark and I decided to mix things up a bit. What do you think of the improved, or at least new, look? Let me know if you find it challenging to navigate or hard to read. Those are my main concerns. Is it too complex? Do you prefer the other version? Honest but polite opinions are welcome. --- 2 --- One mylar balloon plus one baby. Pure happiness. In this video, Lucy's a little distracted, but I tell ya, this thing keeps her happy for quite a while. Closely observed, of course. Call me momma hawk-eyes. --- 3 --- Do you ever put things away in bizarre places? Me either. Except for that one time, oh, and that other time, and the time I tossed the car keys on a kiddo's bed, walked out the door for our big road trip...and couldn't find the keys for the life of me. Mark found them by retracing my steps. Good thing I'm married to such a smart guy. Well, it seems my li

This morning the kiddos woke to what Annie called, "Baby snow". Despite the small amount, it might as well have been Christmas. They were so excited about playing outside. So, today's homeschool lesson is a hands-on experience of seasonal weather. No doubt the snow will be melted by the time the school kids get home, but Iain has been outside since he woke up. He skipped breakfast and got into his snow gear all by himself. He's growing up! Speaking of breakfast, in an effort to streamline the before-I've-had-coffee-don't-talk-to-me-yet meal, I concocted this stuff. Looks like something you would leap out of bed for, doesn't it? Before you accuse me of feeding my kiddos homemade dog treats, let me explain. It's "The Good Stuff." Really, it is! Ingredients 1/3 cup Coconut Oil, melted 3/4 cup ground Pumpkin Seeds 1/4 - 1/3 cup Brown Sugar *These amounts are approximate, please adjust based on your preferences. Iain ate two bowls

This is a gluten-free recipe.  It contains dairy in the form of cream cheese. Absolutely one of my favorite snacks.  Easy to make, full of protein, omega 3 fats, veggies, and so delish! Cucumber slices act as crackers for this simple dip. Ingredients 4 oz WILD Smoked Salmon, 8 oz Cream Cheese, 3 Green Onions  Simply cut salmon into roughly 4 oz pieces. Freeze individually for later use. Please note I use wild-caught salmon. Farmed salmon is full of things you don't want in your body, trust me. Wild-caught is a bit pricier, which is why I buy a large portion, as it costs less per ounce. Directions 1. Using kitchen shears, cut salmon and green onion into mixing bowl with cream cheese. A good pair of kitchen shears is a mom's best friend. 2. Beat with mixer until well-combined, about 2 minutes. 3. Slice cucumbers and spread with dip. Enjoy! Note: I honestly don't know how long this will last in the fridge.