It's That Time of Year Again!!

Finally!  The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and Spring is starting  to make it's presence known!

The backyard as seen from the bathroom window.  Notice the squirrel on my ladder?

Last year was  a bit of a slight disaster (learning the hard way about black walnut trees and what they do to gardens) as far as gardening went.  We also were just so darned busy that our first spring and summer in this place was spent away from home more than at home!  This year, our goal is to really make the backyard a nice place to hang out and be in (and not just for the pups!)

The bird flower garden (my nickname for it) at the beginning of this week!

The bird flower garden as of today.

We should be back to at least weekly updates with the garden and yard changes (I promise this year we're actually going to do something!)  The above pictures are of what I'm calling my bird flower garden (since it's under my bird feeders). Last year I bought the bulbs for those plants on clearance and they weren't looking good at all, so I really didn't expect them to come up this year, but they did!  I do have seeds planted in the middle there, but I'm not sure they'll come up.  To the ride side (almost covering the flowers) is some type of bulb-ed flower plant that has these little white flowers.  It was here when we moved in (it was just more in the area of the garden we dug up that we're going to reseed for grass this year) and I'm trying to coax it into this garden a little bit more.  I think I'd really like to get it to grow next to the fence for me!  

This is to the side of the little porch in the backyard.  I planted some wildflower seeds here.

Last year this patch was grass and weeds (mostly weeds) so I dug it up and cleared it out (please ignore the pop bottles...Kyokin finds them and leaves them EVERYWHERE!) and I've planted a package of wildflower seeds.  I'm hoping to eventually get wild flowers to grow along the house in the back here as we eventually want to extend the little patio out (it's so tiny it's pointless right now).  

The flowers of the front yard.

To be honest, I had forgotten that there were tulips here!  I have some tulips I had bought last year and put in a pot I might move over here.  Either way, I've tried to pull up all of the ground cover that grows here (it smells terrible and this is right under my bedroom window, so I'd rather get some flowers growing well here) and I've planted an assortment of seeds (we'll see what comes up!).  

The strawberries I just planted.

This will be my first time attempting to grow strawberries.  I used to hate them, but I've started finding ways to enjoy eating them!   I'm both excited and nervous about this attempt. 

The compost heap!

We also started this year a "trash can compost heap".  It's something we've been tossing around for quite a while, but it became a final decision when we were given a good deal of fresh veggies to preserve (I just had seen enough of throwing away the odds and ends when we could be doing something with them!).

Dehydrated onions, potatoes, and cabbage.

So, I started collecting the "odds and ends" (peels, not good parts ect) and over the weekend we got the stuff together to start the heap.  I used the soil from the potatoes we did last year (we experimented with store bought potatoes that were beginning to sprout) to start the compost heap with (as well as with a bag of compost mixed in).  I will say it here.  The store bought potatoes (at least our experience with them compared to with the seeder potatoes) did not grown nearly as well.  We got one or two small potatoes per bucket/bag.  This year we're taking a break from potatoes as far as growing goes and we're going to try some vertical growing methods we've been reading about.  

The Pool Garden from last year!

This year, we're taking our pool garden from last year and planting herbs in it.  There are a few carrot sprouts from last year already growing (it was neat that we found so many sprouts from last year growing already in there this year).  We've already seeded the pool garden and now we're just waiting to see what grows in addition to the things left over from last year!  (The trellis is there because Kyokin doesn't understand not running through the garden if we don't put something up in it.)  We still have to figure out how and where exactly we want to grow our tomatoes (we're leaning towards reusing the buckets from potatoes for them because I've read online that they actually do well in that environment).  As far as seed starters go, it was a sore disappointment.  Even with our little "green house" moved inside there just wasn't enough steady light for them to get strong and start growing.  Mike's talking about wanting to see about putting together a small greenhouse so we can grow outside over the winter.  We haven't decided anything for sure one way or the other yet though.

Tatted beaded necklace.

As far as other news goes, I slightly herniated a disc in my back (doh!) so gardening and a chunk of other tasks I normally enjoy are off the table for a bit.  I've taken this extra time and have spent it crafting (I have two baby sets I'm working on) and reading.  I made this tatted necklace and I think with some more practice I might sell things like this on Etsy (*gasp* I really am considering opening up an etsy store for some of my made goodies!).  I guess that's it for this week.  I feel bad that my post was so to the point, but there was alot of set up to get done here!  I hope everyone has a blessed week!

The Cowgirl Butterfly Astronaut Vest

This particular post has been quite a bit of a process!  I'll start at the beginning though.  My little sister N (I'll shorten her name for now) had just started school and was having a rough time fitting in.  She's in some ways an only child (being the only child living at home and so much younger than myself) so she didn't have a lot of social exposure as she grew.  She was shy and just was struggling with the typical just beginning school problems little ones face!

Little N wearing the finished sweater!

One day while she was at school, the other kids began teasing her over me.  :(  She was made fun of and told that Michigan was not a real place and that I wasn't a real sister!  She took it in stride as all kids do and later that night, my mom called and asked if I could send a Michigan postcard so she could prove to her friends at school that I (and Michigan) weren't figments of her imagination.  My heart went out to this little kiddo (I adore spoiling her rotten anyways and this was just another excuse to!) and I set about not only getting some Michigan gear, but wanting to make her something that would make her feel cool and confident.  I searched long and hard for the perfect pattern. 

The bottom of the vest as I was working it

I didn't want to do a sweater because they're so easy to grow out of (the sleeves get too short, ect) and because it was fall in Texas and there is less super cold time and more of that warmish cold time there.  That is when I found the Cowgirl Butterfly Astronaut Vest.  I didn't think the original colors were quite what I was looking for, but I loved the look to the little vest.  (I will warn you now, if you click the link I can't guarantee anything but a cute pattern...from what I've seen of the creator's personal views...they aren't quite aligned with those of this blog).  I set out to Hobby Lobby and gathered supplies!

Working on the arm holes.

The pattern itself was pretty easy to put together and didn't seem to take much time at all.  The instructions were clearly written (at least I understood them well enough).  The author of the pattern did such a wonderful job catching that elegance of being a little girl and blending the rough tough playing hard with the dainty elegance of being pretty and girly.  I truly loved this pattern and enjoyed making it thoroughly   .

The pre cap sleeve and trim sweater!

That was...until I got to the sleeves.  I'll admit that this is the first sweater pattern (even if it is a kid's vest) that I've knitted and completed.  Normally I stick to socks and small projects for knitting, but this was too dang cute!  You would think that with socks being tricky on the shaping scale, some little ruffled cap sleeves would be nothing, right?  Nope.  Nada.  Never.  My first little knitted sleeve took me 3 whole hours just to finish!  At that point, I couldn't turn back and do something else.  Thankfully the second sleeve didn't take 3 hours, but it did take a long time for such a little piece.  I think if I were ever to make this pattern again, I'd skip the knitted ruffled sleeve and substitute some cute crochet ruffled lace cap sleeves instead, but that's just me.

The monster sleeve that took an epic amount of time to finish!

All in all, this is an adorable sweater vest pattern for little girls.  I wish I had one growing up!  I loved this project and wanted to share it with all of you so that you could make your own Cowgirl Butterfly Astronaut Vest (yes that is a link that will take you to the pattern!)  That's it for today!

BzzAgent Review: Yogurt!

Well, I'll be honest.  Yogurt and I have had a love hate relationship.  I've always suffered from a weaker digestive system and yogurt really makes a huge difference!  The problem had been that from the time I was a kid...I've hated (and I meant HATED) that yogurt taste (or after taste as the case may  be).  From the time I was 9 until last year when I turned 25, I avoided yogurt as though it were a plague of the worst sort.  Finally, Mike convinced me that yogurt would most likely help some of my problems and I bit the bullet and prepared to try to eat it again.  When I was preparing myself for yogurt, I discovered that there was a lot of variety on the market these days.  (Growing up I was used to seeing Yoplait in 5 or 6 different flavors.)  During my yogurt avoidance, I had been diagnosed with insulin resistance and read the book "The Insulin Resistance Diet" to learn how to manage it better just by the  foods I was eating (or to be more precise the order I ate my foods in).  I discovered this new type of yogurt called Greek Yogurt and decided it would be a good try with the higher protein to balance my diet.  With great trepidition, I picked up my first pack of Greek Yogurt that was coconut flavored (I'm still terrified of Vanilla flavors...too many bad memories!).  And, I liked it (the taste reminded me of sour cream!) and that's the only flavor of yogurt I've been eating for a year...until now!  I'll admit it.  I was ready to move into the wide world of more flavors!  The problem that was hindering me was that the type of yogurt I was buying (because I was terrified to try a different brand for fear of hating it again!) only came in 5 flavors in the  greek.  They have coconut (what I've been eating), strawberry (not for me! ick!), blueberry (I've considered trying this one), a honey flavor (I did try one of these...and it was a terrible blast of yogurt flavor.  I had one bite before I handed it to Mike), and a vanilla (my arch nemesis of yogurt!).  So, I was stuck in my fear and complacence...until I got the invite to this campaign.  

My initial response was to decline, but I started thinking about the options.  I would get to try some different yogurts for free (and in the worse case, Mike would get lots of yogurt and I would continue to eat the sour cream tasting coconut!).  I accepted and then panicked about what I had just done until the Bzzkit arrived in the mail!  In side my kit were coupons, a gift card (so I could test  for free), and some really neat information!  For example, the Kroger Greek (or Greek lite) have a whole 16g of protein!  That's pretty awesome!  The Carbmasters yogurt is lower in carbs, calories, and sugar than regular yogurt (and they said without sacrificing the taste...I didn't really believe them.).  I loaded Mike up with me (after a couple of weeks of preparing myself to try new flavors) and we ventured to Kroger to pick out our trial flavors.  We started out with 8 different flavors that we both might like (he helped me test out the yogurt :) ).  They were : Greek Pineapple and Mango, Carbmaster Black Forest Cake, Carbmaster Key Lime, Greek Lemon Creme, Carbmaster Cinnamon roll, Greek Peach, Greek Blueberry, and the Carbmaster Peach.   He really wanted to try a strawberry in the initial test (and has since eaten some), but I wanted to make sure that no matter which one I grabbed from the fridge (my method of randomly selecting which ones I was going to try that day) I would be able to at least try it.  Now, some of the  flavor reviews are from Mike, so as I'm going through the reviews, I'll mention which ones he tried and which ones I did.  I guess I should also say that Mike loves the yogurt taste and yogurt in general.  For him, the flavor testing was more along the lines of "how natural does the fruit taste, does it taste evenly balanced, ect".

Greek Pineapple Mango

This was the first flavor Mike sampled and I'll admit he had to take the first few bites of his before I was brave enough to follow suit.

His first comment was at how thick this Greek yogurt was.  He was also surprised by the strong yogurt taste (see, it was good I didn't try this one!) and by how the fruit flavor tasted like real fruit instead of artificial fruit flavoring.  At first, he thought there was no fruit pieces in the yogurt and he was sad, but then he realized that he could feel the fruit pieces as he was eating it, he just couldn't see them.  

This flavor was rated a 4 out of 5

Carbmaster Black Forest Cake

This was the first flavor I tried.  

When smelling the yogurt (yes, I am strange and yes I was delaying) I could smell yogurt and cherries.  I was excited that I could smell fruit so I tepidly took my first few bites.  There were little pieces of cherries scattered through the yogurt and you could really taste the chocolate taste!  I could taste no hint of a yogurt taste (yea!!!).  About half way through the yogurt, the flavor started almost having a buildup of an artificial fake taste ( I was sad :( ) and it started seeming almost over sweet like fake sugars tend to taste.  I did like that the carbmasters had a pudding like texture to them, and I could probably eat this flavor somewhat often, but it wasn't my favorite.

This flavor was rated a 3.5 out of 5

Carbmaster Key Lime

This was a flavor I tried.

The yogurt itself didn't have much of a scent to it.  Once again, I was very pleased that there was no strong yogurt flavor.  This yogurt was amazing!  It tasted like Lime sherbet (need I say more?)!

This flavor was rated a 5 out of 5

This was an Ashley favorite!

Greek Lemon Creme

This was a flavor I tried.

I was excited about this one (I love lemons and lemon flavored things normally).  When I did my sniff test, it didn't smell like yogurt per say, but it did not smell pleasant either.  I was excited by the little lemon bits I could see as I stirred the yogurt up!  I could very lightly (almost non existentially  taste the lemon creme flavor, but to be honest, the entire time I was eating it, I was reminded of the taste of my home made cheese I make.  The taste and texture was so similar to that home made cheese that once I reached the point of I would never eat this much cheese, I couldn't finish it.  The taste was more on the plain scale of what I would expect (or at least had seen previously in the yogurts).  The redeeming quality for this is that I do think this would be a good cooking flavor (I've used recipes that call for plain yogurt and I think this would be a tasty substitute).

This flavor was rated a 2 out of 5

Carbmaster Cinnamon Roll

This was a flavor Mike tested.

This flavor smelled like a cinnamon roll and tasted like a cinnamon roll.  (Mike even made the comment of "Who ground up the cinnamon roll and put it in here?")  Mike was surprised to find that there was no bad after taste or fake taste to the yogurt.  He complimented the milky after taste.  The final verdict was all that was missing from this was biting into the flaky warm crust (he said the yogurt being cold and tasting like it did was very strange).  

This flavor was rated 4 out of 5

Greek Peach

This was a flavor I tested.

I was turned away at first by the ridiculously strong yogurt smell as I pulled back the cover, but the big chunks of peaches I saw made that easy to look past!  The taste of the yogurt was slightly sour (meaning it reminded me more of store bought can peaches than the home canned ones) but it was still really good.  The yogurt itself isn't really flavored, but there are so many pieces of peaches that it really gives a good fresh flavor!

This flavor was rated 5 out of 5

This is an Ashley favorite!

Greek Blueberry

This was a flavor Mike tested.

The yogurt smelled strongly of blueberries and you couldn't really smell yogurt at all.  Mike said that he could taste the yogurt flavor really strongly.  He also said that it was a really tart flavor and that there was no fruit or jelly, just coloring and flavor (meaning he couldn't see or feel the texture of any fruit).  He said that the overall taste was good (if you like yogurt flavor) and that there was a really strong blueberry after taste.

This flavor was rated 4 out of 5

Carbmaster Peach

This was a flavor I tried.

This yogurt also had big chunks of peaches, but it was also very sweet.  It was almost more along the lines of having a peach dessert (like cobbler) than eating a yogurt.  I enjoyed it, but I had just had the Greek Peach and it was hindered by that.

This flavor was rated 3.5 out of 5

There you have it.  Those are the initial flavors we tested and what we thought of them!  I've already switched to buying the Kroger brand of yogurt (and I have to say that a big portion of the ones I've bought are the Greek Peach).  The worst flavor I've had so far has been the lemon creme and it was bad mostly because it was so bland.  The yogurts are a good price (I can only remember the Greek price at the moment and it is 5/$4.00) and are well flavored.  I encourage you all (yogurt lovers and non lovers alike) to at least give them a try!  If you are anything like me, you won't be disappointed!

Loneliness

First, to start with I want to say ACK!  I had all the best projects and intentions lined up for winter and yet....no posts!  At least this year it wasn't for the lack of content, but rather for the lack of time.  We are currently going through the RCIA course and come Easter, will be members of the Catholic Church (isn't it exciting :) ).  Posts should be flowing soon (I already have some of my starters started...we really want to be able to plant bigger plants when it's finally time!) and I'm really excited to see what a new year is going to bring.  A lot of things have happened since my last post and I will gladly recap them all soon enough but I have different plans for this post!

As our blog subtitle says, not only is this a place for Mike and I to share our day to day adventures, but it's a place we want to share our spiritual ones as well.  For me this latest bit of pondering came late Friday night while I was praying the Sorrowful Mysteries Rosary.  I'd like to share some of the aspects of my contemplation from this with you folks :).

I'll put my reference here:  I was using the scriptural rosary out of my book of Marian Prayers.

The First Mystery:  The Agony of Jesus in the Garden in Gethsemane 

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsem'ane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go yonder and pray."  And taking with him Peter and two sons of Zeb'edee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here and watch with me." And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will,  but as thou wilt."  And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour?  Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?  Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."
(Matthew 26:36-41, 45-46)

So, this one struck me a little hard.  Mike's been having a really hard time lately with crashing out on me.  It's especially a struggle when we'll have company over and he's full of life and as soon as  they close the door on their way out (even if it's not late) he starts to snore.  I know that he doesn't mean to fall asleep like that, but I still find myself feeling hurt and asking him very similar words.  "You can't spend one hour with me?  I can't have one hour of your time?  I'm not worth one hour?"  This can be a very lonely feeling, truth be told.  I'm sure we all have had someone that we really loved that when busy times came we felt this way about.  I suppose one could also relate this to self worth as well because in a sense it does bring those struggles of not being worth this person's time to mind.  This was where my mind turned to the loneliness of Christ during his passion.  He was alienated from his closest friends and felt the loneliness of needing their time and their love, but being denied it (I doubt it was intentional on their part!).  He knew this was the last bit of time he would have with them before his passion.  I'm sure everyone's had a rough day or been in a bad situation and had friends "come to the rescue" even if it was just with fellowship.  We've all known the difference even the small things they do can make to us in those times.  Christ spent this time in a desperate prayer without even the small comfort of his friend's companionship.  If that doesn't sound lonely, I'm not sure what does!

The Second Mystery:  Jesus is Tried, Condemned, and Flogged by Pilate 

And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man whom you call the King of the Jews?"  And they cried out again, "Crucify him."  And Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?"  But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him."  So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barab'bas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
(Mark 15:12-15)

Christ came to die for us to save us from our sins.  He came to make the ultimate sacrifice ..for us.  To me the crowd here was a stand in for each and every one of us.  How lonely if must have felt (even though he knew he had come to die) to have the very people he came to save cry out for his death.  I can't even imagine what it must have been like to stand in front of that crowd as Pilate asked "Why, what evil has he done?" and for the only reply to be shouts calling for his death.  This also brought me to thinking on how often we turn our own backs to him.  How often have you known that what you were planning on doing was wrong, but chosen to do it instead?  I've really been working on this in my life, but I know that it's something that I still struggle with.  Worse yet, I think, is hearing the call to do something (it could be a one time call that needs immediate attention, it could be a long term call, or it could even be a call to change yourself or your life) and making the choice to put it on the back burner or to just flat out ignore it.  Can you imagine offering someone you've known since they were a child $1000 to sit down and have a 10 minute conversation with you, only to have them tell you that they are too busy, maybe another time, or even just ignore you?  How much more lonely it must be to offer someone the world, everything in creation and get the same response.

The Third Mystery:  Jesus is Crowned with Thorns 

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is the praetorium); and they called together the whole battalion.  And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him.  And they began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"  And they struck his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and they knelt down in homage to him.  And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him.  And they led him out to crucify him.
(Mark 15:16-20)

My initial response to this was with my pride (because we often feel lonely when our pride has been wounded).  It made me think back to the times I was bullied or picked on in school (we all have some of those memories).  I know I always felt very alone in that spotlight of attention.  It always felt like I was singled out, the only person who was whatever I was being picked on for, and as if no one cared or else this would stop.  God Incarnate, our King of Kings was mocked with a crown and false homage.  What an insult!  The one who truly deserves both of these was instead mocked with them.  As I pondered this, I started thinking about prisoners of war.  I thought about how acts such as these are taboo because they strip the dignity of the person on the receiving end of them.  The first terrible treatment of prisoners I think of is always the Holocaust.  This makes it a bit easier to grasp the concept for some reason.  The prisoners were beaten, abused, and all at least had the glimmer of hope of rescue.  Christ was beaten and mocked knowing that his death was soon.  He came to die so that even these who would persecute him could reconcile with God.

The Fourth Mystery:  Jesus Walks the Way of the Cross 

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyre'ne, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.  And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who bewailed and lamented him.  But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!'  Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
(Luke 23:26-31)

So, I'll be honest.  My initial thoughts on this turned to infertility (so much so that I was tempted to wake Mike and get his take on the verse when I finished) and how so often we are told that we are lucky we haven't been able to bring a child into "this world".  After I came to terms with this though, I figured that since I had been led to loneliness in each mystery thus far it was most likely here as well.  As I ran the scripture through my thoughts, the fact that Luke used the word seized to describe how Simon came to be the bearer of Christ's cross.  Even with all these people lamenting for him and following him, the guards had to seize someone who was just passing through to carry his cross for him.  I would like to think that if I were in the shoes of these following and wailing for him, I would try to make any burden of his lighter I could.  Seize is just such a strong word for even conscripting Simon into the service of carrying the cross.  They say being a celebrity is one of the loneliest jobs in the world because they are constantly followed and adored, but no one really takes the time to love on them.  What I mean to say is that just as quickly as everyone loves them, their fans can quickly turn and hate them.  These people were mourning for his death, but it was a stranger from out of town who was the one to help carry the cross.  Even through this loneliness though, Christ thinks of them and warns them of the future to come.

The Fifth Mystery:  Jesus is Crucified, Dies on the Cross, and is Buried 

And it was the third hour, when they crucified him.  And the inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews."  And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.  And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads, and saying "Aha!  you who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross!"  So also the chief priests mocked him to one another with the scribes, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe."  Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.  And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the ninth hour,Jesus cried with a loud voice  "E'lo-i, E'lo-i, la'ma sabah-tha'ni?" which means, "My God, my God, why hast though forsaken me?"
(Mark 15:25-34)

Alone on the cross, Christ is mocked, but what struck me more was what comes next.  And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice "My God, my God, why hast though forsaken me?"  My thoughts on this (and some of this understanding comes from my Pentecostalism background) is that the darkness was when God the Father  could no longer stand to watch Christ on the cross.  What remorse I was filled with!  In his darkest hour, Christ was apart from even that which he was a part of.  I can't even begin to understand what it must feel like to be separated from a part of yourself.  All I can say once more is, how lonely!


Now, during my reflecting on this, loneliness was what was laid on my heart.  In all this, Christ did for us.  He suffered all this previous loneliness so that we would never feel the loneliness of being separated from God.    How can you not want to do everything you can to try and comfort him.  For me, it's felt as though I've wronged a dear friend and I want to do everything in my power to make amends!  I was so moved by this, that I want to seal it into my heart so that the next time I'm tempted to sin, I can remind myself of what all he suffered for me.

Mike and I have been going through 33 Days to Morning Glory (A Marian Consecration).  We are currently learning about Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.  She spoke of the thirst of Jesus.  His thirst for souls and for love. I can't help wonder if this didn't play a part in my understanding his thirst a bit more.  How much he must love us and desire our love if he was willing to suffer this all for us.

I should really begin wrapping this up (it is a long post isn't it?  and there aren't any pictures this time!).  I posted the links for the books so that if you are so inspired you can check them out for yourself!  (Although, if there is a local catholic book store near you, I would suggest giving them your business instead of Amazon!)  My point in sharing this was no other than to present an opportunity for the wheels of your minds to begin turning.  So many people suffer from feeling alone in the world (and I know when I'm feeling that way I'm all about misery loving company) that hopefully knowing that God truly does understand the loneliness we're experiencing might make it easier for us to approach him and pray about it.  I hope that this is at least a fraction of the blessing it has been for me for someone else!

Cheap Mario Block Decorations Explained!

I live on a budget and when doing things, if I can make it, I try to.  If I can make it cheaply, that encourages me further!

A picture from last week's blog showing the blocks in action.

These guys were really easy to make and cost about 2.00 for three!  Now, I do warn that this post is going to be picture heavy and text light!  :)

My first step was to pick up these take out container style boxes from dollar tree.  As you can see you get three for a dollar.  I also picked up a black Sharpe marker!  Then I took the stickers off and folded the tops down so that they resembled boxes.

The next step was to draw horizontal lines across the box and on the bottom (since it would be seen by people as well).  Then you make your bricks (I have a video better showing this!)  Many people suggested that I cut the tops off instead of folding them down and fill them with some kind of "filling" (I was thinking foam or something sturdy) and then put chocolate coins inside so that when they are hit from the bottom you can get a reward.  I did not try this with them this time, but I think it's a cool idea!

Once again pardon the poor filming quality!  I don't have a video camera specifically for filming these sorts of things so I use my camera or my phone!

Halloooweeen Fun (I know...super late!)

Well, October was insane because of Halloween and now November is going crazy due to getting gifts made (I really love making people Christmas gifts since that way they have a more personal touch).  This year our annual Halloween party was themed video games.

Mike and I at the party.  He was shy guy from Mario and I was Cooking Mama!

We put a fair amount of time into the party this year (last year we did as well, but a busted toilet and a landlord not wanting to replace it immediately put the kabosh on it) and got some really cool decorations and           snacks going.  We wanted everything to have a video game theme!

The Mario Tree Kitchen

So for each room we decorated, we made a little card that we taped to the wall with the level number and name!  We also tried to make each of our snacks we provided have little tie ins to different video games as well!

Gluten Free Heart cookies based on Legend of Neil based on Zelda

The party was a riot!  We had several "celebrities" and very awesome people show up!  Even Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask (who was a magician!) came and partied with us!

A long view of the "spider cave" dining room the day after!

Our guests list varied from zombie survivor  ninja, geisha  viking, lemmings, the fine folks of castlevania, a ninja turtle, some League of Legends folks, the game master, Link and Navi, and so many more!  I really loved getting to see everyone's creativity and the costumes they put together!

A full view of the snack table about half way through the night!  We had some wonderful snacks brought by our guests as well!

I think my favorite thing about the party was getting to dress up in a costume and hang out with a group of people I really like and love!  Sure, I loved decorating the house up and putting together the goodie bags, but the people are always what makes it worth it!

Pac Man power ball cookies.

It was also really neat that Mike got to participate in the planning of this too.  To be honest, this was more in his field of specialty.  I didn't grow up around video games, but he did.  He helped me tie in a bunch of old school video game references!  (He also helped me really want to make a costume to be Celes from FF6, but I ran out of time :( )  It really was fun to get to have him teach me about this part of his childhood and to hear memories from playing all these games!

First half of baskets with the bottle we were trying to fill!

Now, the best part of the party was being able to raise money for a good cause: a local pregnancy center!  We put together some nifty baskets (some video game themed and some not) and raffled them off for $1.00 tickets.  That little bottle was full by the end of the night and I think a new tradition was born at our parties!  Not only were the baskets fun to plan and put together, but we were able to make a difference and help a good organization while having a night of fun with friends!

The Second half of the gift baskets...these ones were video game themed!

Everyone seemed to love the baskets and the one on the top left of this picture was highly desired for the hand made 8 bit video game magnets!  All in all, we had an awesome party, with awesome people, and were able to do some awesome things!  (Like my use of awesome?)  On actual Halloween night, the weather was kind of icky, so we went to a friends apartment complex and handed out candy with them!  Mike dressed up as a creepy crow creature and I dressed up as an old woman.  I didn't really take a good picture of myself in my full costume but you can see the make up I did to make myself look older :) and my acting was good enough to make a speeding car feel guilty and slow down!  (That was amazing. I even took the opportunity to shake my walking stick at them since there were kids around and they were going way too fast!)

A picture from my phone of old lady me.

We had a fun night of handing out candy, drinking cider, and making sukiyaki (sukiyaki somewhere along the way became our traditional halloween dish :P)!  And that was our Halloween party!  In the next week or so, there will be a tutorial up for making those mario blocks!

Gluten Free Part 2: Fried Chicken

Writing Recipes in my busy busy busy cooking space!

Yes, we all love terrible pictures of me, don't we?  This is what I look like as I'm writing down different notes on what I'm doing to the food.  My kitchen counter sure does look crazy, but this picture was taken in the middle of a cooking/canning non stop marathon (or so it felt like).  I grew up in Texas, so fried chicken is an art form to me.  Each family has their own unique recipe (or so it seems) and each person makes that their own with slight tweaks.  When I moved up to Michigan, I discovered that the art of chicken frying isn't as common place around here.  There's even a really funny story of me serving fried chicken the first time Mike brought home some work friends, but this isn't the post to talk about that!

Ms. Ashley's Gluten Free Frying Batter!  Y'all come 'n get yerselfs a bite, ya hear?

This time the experiment stemmed from menu planning.  That same wonderful friend and her boyfriend were coming over for dinner and I really wanted to wow them.  Fried chicken (since moving to Michigan) has quickly become my "WOW!" dish I serve to guest when I really want to impress them.  Well, that and what else do you serve with fried green tomatoes (something my friend had previously confessed she hadn't eaten since her gluten free life style began)?  Thus, my challenge began!  This time, however, I did some research first.  I knew what fried chicken should taste like and I knew that I didn't like the all purpose flour I used last time, so I turned to my handle friend Google and a website that talked about the different tastes and consistencies of the flours popped up (I tried to find the exact resource but at the moment, it's been slipping through my surfing skills).  I read through all of them and made a short list of ones I was interested in using.

Frying batter....check!

I decided to use the brown rice flour since it has the heavier consistency (I thought this would stick as a nicer breading and fry up a little crispier) as well as since it was described as having a faint nut flavor (something I could cook and compensate for).  The next part was the tricky part to be honest.  I had to figure out the right mixture of flour and seasonings to get it to taste (the only way I was taught to make my family's fried chicken recipe) the way it should.

Green tomatoes soaking....check!

After about an hour, I was successful   Now, in case you've never fried in this manner (something I've come across before since moving up north) I'll share some tips.  I do one of two things with my frying batter.  I either put it in a gallon size zip lock baggie or a Tupperware container that is big enough to hold what ever I am frying in it.  The reason behind this is so that I can just put the article being fried in, close the lid or top, and just shake to evenly coat it.  I've only ever tried the roll to coat method once.  I hated it.  It got everywhere.  My meat didn't have an even coating on it.  It was not a pretty meal!  Now, I guess I should talk about the oil.  I never turn my oil above medium/slightly warmer than medium because it's really easy to accidentally cook the outside of the chicken but not the inside.

Frying away...check!

It is also easy to hurt yourself with popping oil.  So, you are going to want to pre-warm your oil in the pan.  How much oil you say?  Well, I normally try to pour about a half inch of oil into the pan (this is why my chicken fryer isn't huge) so that I don't have to add more oil as I go.  The trick I've always heard to help tell when the oil is ready to be cooked in is to dip your fingers in some water and let one drop fall into the warming oil.  If it bubbles or reacts, you're good to go.  Mike always describes oil that is at the right temperature as having a "dancing" appearance.  I'll be honest.  My first pieces of what ever I'm frying tend to go in before the oil is pre-heated correctly and thus take longer to cook (but no other differences that I've noticed).

Gently putting in some breaded green tomato slices.

My trick to making fried green tomatoes is to slice them up (after washing them of course) and to let them soak in some cold water while I get my batter mixed.  This helps the tomatoes to hold on to the batter when they are coated.  Also, when you put your green tomatoes into the batter, hang them over the bowl of water for just a few seconds so that any excess water will fall back into the bowl and not into the batter to leave you with little batter balls (unless you like extra fried "crunch" as I've heard it called).  When your oil is the correct temperature (so if you're like me, you won't have to worry about this until your second batch), you'll want to be gentle when putting them into the oil.  If you aren't careful, you will learn all about the reaction of water and oil in an unpleasant (not a fire, just a few small oil "spits") way.

What the tomatoes will look like when first put in.

Now, if you have the edge piece (I always end up with sections of tomatoes to fry that are rounded from the end of the tomato), I recommend putting it rounded side down first so that the batter sticks on better.  I've never timed how long it takes to fry, but I always do it by the color.  You want a dark golden brown color before you flip or pull out.  I always line a plate or a bowl (depending on what I'm serving) with a couple of paper towels so that we don't eat "grease soup".  I've also always flipped and removed with a fork.  I'm not sure why, but that's the way I was taught to do it, so that's how I've always done it (Mike prefers longer utensils when frying.  I think my preference is derived slightly from the fact that I feel more agile and less likely to make a mess if I quickly turn/remove with a fork.).

Almost golden enough to eat!

When it truely comes to the color, with the tomatoes, it won't really matter as much.  Nothing in there is going to make you sick.  So, if you are too excited to let it get a dark golden, pull it off and chow down.  (Also, with the gluten free flour, the cooked goods do tend to take longer to brown up.)  The instructions I've given you so far, apply the same to the chicken.  The only real difference is that you really want to either cut open some of the chicken (we tend to fry tenderloins, legs, or cut up breasts in our house since they are easier to tell when they are done) or check it with a meat thermometer.  As you can tell by this Food Network Guide 165 is the normally agreed upon temperature for chicken.  You want to take your reading from the fattiest part of the meat to ensure it's cooked thoroughly.

Mike cutting up some potatoes for a dinner side dish.

It's time for the fun part!  The recipe!

Adventure in True Love's Own Gluten Free Frying Batter Recipe!

(isn't that a long obnoxious title?)

Ingredients:
1 c. brown rice flour
5 Tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

Add all ingredients into a gallon size zip lock bag or container large enough to hold your meat/produce to be fried.  Shake the mix well.  Fry as described above (or as your own preferred method calls for).


And tada!  Another fun (and I know this one was tasty because I tried it) gluten free eating option!  Enjoy!

Leftover Gluten Free Fried Chicken!