Thursday, March 31, 2011

the indomitable inkwell: pieces to a puzzle...

the indomitable inkwell: pieces to a puzzle...: "Ever read Revelation? Ever think about how it will all go down? Watching one crisis after another unfold in every part of the wo..." Pin It

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Fast Friendly "Alfredo"

Don't tell my husband what is in this, he'll never let me make it again!

We are on the Daniel Fast and I can only take so many rice and beans before I feel I will turn into a burrito. Money was a bit tight this week, being the tail end of the paycheck week, so I needed something to make that would stretch. Lily can not have tomatoes because of her nightshade sensitivity so we try to make unique pasta dishes anyway.
I found this online and made my own variation to stay true to the Daniel Fast. The original calls for cream, but I trade that out for veggie broth, or soymilk (unsweet)

VEGAN ALFREDO

1 sm head califlower, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 sm shallot, diced
2 Tbs EVOO
1 pound whole wheat linguine (or noodle of choice)
1/4 C veggie broth or soymilk

Cook pasta according to directions. In a skillet heat the EVOO and saute the garlic and shallot until transluscent. Add salt and pepper. Steam Cauliflower until very soft, drain and add to garlicky oil mix. Mash with potato masher or use a mixer until it is creamy, add the broth or soymilk until the consistency of sauce (it does separate a little) S and P to taste. I added red pepper flakes to mine after the kids were served.

Everyone ate it up and no one knew what it was!
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Friday, March 25, 2011

Deny the Flesh and celebrate new life

We are in day 9 of our 40 day Daniel Fast and thus far, it has been going well.

This is not, I repeat, this is NOT a diet. Yes, we are denying ourselves of grease, sugar, simple carbs, coffee, cheese, meats, butter, soda, cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, ice cream etc. But this is more than what we are not allowed to have. We are denying our flesh the satisfaction of eating what feels good in that moment, what satisfies our cravings so God can satisfy our Spirit.

We eat pretty well anyway so adjusting to the Daniel Fast has never been hard for us, with the exception of CHEESE. Rich, creamy, salty, melty cheese...I digress, this is where I honor my Lord by denying myself from cheese (even a Vegan substitute).

However, my birthday was on the 22nd; we are most always fasting around March and April which means I fast for my birthday.
Corey surprised me with dinner at an all vegetarian place: Mother's Garden Cafe.
http://www.motherscafeaustin.com/
The place on the outside looks reminiscent of a 50's diner with the blue and black decor. When you walk in, the front cashier is seated right inside the door, almost like a chinese restaurant. Then you walk to the back room. There are plants and colorful lights adorning most surfaces of the walls, tastefully though- not like they are creating the tropics in Austin. In the middle of the room is a pond with Koi. You can hear the waterfall and there is a quiet serenity that would be lost in the world of surf and turf. I could not bear eating meat with a knife and a fork there in the peace of the garden.


Corey had their "Bueno Burger" Which has been voted the best veggie burger in Austin for 10 years running. This was huge and tasty, with flavor and freshness. The pickles were the thick, crunchy homemade type, the bun was whole grain and toasted with sesame seeds, the patty was a thick veggie mix and it was topped with lettuce, guac and tofu dijon.

I choose the "Mole Enchiladas" Vegan cheese (I substituted this time!) vegan mole, guac, served with rice and beans. I will say the brown rice was a bit chewy for my taste, but everything else was wonderful and I ate more than I have in a long bit.

Lily had quesadillas and a fruit platter. Chloe ate most of the quesadilla and my beans while Lily devoured the fruit and her cup of rich soymilk.

This is a new favorite, fasting or not. We spent $40 with tip, but for the amount of food we got, that was a fair price and we left full, but not heavy and sleepy like if we would have dropped $40 on Jack Daniels Steak and Shrimp or Sizzling Chicken.

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

They say it's your birthday...

And it is!
I turned 28 today. Although people keep pushing it to 30. I told Corey I was hanging on tightly to the last 2 yeas in my 20's.

Do I feel older yet? A little, My hair is a dull color and the roots are hanging out, I have about 20 pounds lingering here and there that need to be dismissed and Chloe keeps me up during the night so I am super tired during the mornings...those are things that make me feel not so much old, but weathered. Those are things that are adjustable though-starting with the body clutter. My Advocare cleanse was delivered today and I was very excited to get on the 10day system. They were out of Citrus, which is my favorite, so I settled for Peaches N Cream which is palpable. I have not cleansed since Lily was born so I am sure there is a good 3 years work of toxin and debris in my gut waiting to be released.
We are fasting at church which goes hand in hand with the 3-4-3 Cleanse-
no junk, fats, fried foods, sweets, dairy, meats etc.
(Annual Easter Fast, which means I am usually fasting for my Birthday each year)

What do I want to do this year and next year while I am still in my 20's? Well, I have my 10 year reunion this July which is a good time to reflect on the last 10 years of my life, which went by so fast I can't believe. What have I done and not done in the last 10 that I can look forward to in my 30's...
This year I want to establish exercise in my life as habit and lifestyle choices.
I want to buy a house.
I want to plant a garden.
I want to enroll in singing lessons or in school for music.
I want to learn to play piano.
I want to keep a shiny sink.
I want to invest in someone other than myself.
I want to teach my girls something new.
I want to be comfortable being me.
I want to go back to blonde (!)
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Monday, March 21, 2011

When you gotta go

My cat has been in the habit of urinating on clothing. It started with the birth of Lily 3.5 years ago. When she was born, he started peeing in her room, her carpet, her carseat, even her crib once. After she started crawling I guess he got used to her and stopped peeing on her items.

Then came Chloe

And here we go again. He pees in their laundry basket, always on the dirty clothing. Recently he peed on a shirt Corey inadvertently left on the living room floor, it was dirty however and there was one of the girl's socks mixed in with it.
Well- the kicker (I say that because that's what he got when we discovered his recent pee pile) came when he peed on our BRAND NEW Ikea mattress on OUR BED!
I am infuriated and so very close to making him an out door cat for good. Of course I can't really do that because we adopted him and signed an agreements saying we could not put him outside or face a fine of $1500!
But come on - the bed...he peed on clean laundry on the bed. Of course it soaked all the way down, we just took off the mattress pad so it went right on to the new mattress itself too.

So this is the adventure of odor removal.
So far, we have:
rubbed baking soda on it: No go.
Step 2: 50/50 vinegar and water dousing. I'll blot it and add more baking soda. I need to put it in the sun to dry but me moving a queen mattress all by myself is silly and I am liable to break something in my path. (Call it a path of destruction)
Step 3: Vacuum with a NEW vac. Our old one was 8 years old and not going to cut it- it sucks, no wait...actually it doesn't.
*update* I got a new vacuum- The Hoover that says it works better than a dyson! WOW- there was loads of old dirt and fuzz in our carpet that the old vac was not getting.
The vinegar solution worked, but the mattress smells a bit sour like vinegar now. When we get a hot sunny day (like tomorrow) I am going to put some water on the spot and put it out to dry and get some UV sterilization.
HE also peed AGAIN and his litterbox was 3 feet from the bed. This time though, the topper was in place so it did not make it to the mattress. But now I don't know what to do to clean the topper, it is memory foam and won't go in the washer. I guess vinegar/sun/baking soda.
I am beginning to hate my cat.
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Friday, March 11, 2011

Encouragement

My blogs are usually random things that are going on in my life, or things I found edible and interesting. I love reading my sister's blog-it is more of a truth searching mom trying to make it in a "modern" society blog. Her links really inspire me to dig deeper as a mother, a wife, a leader, a sister, a daughter, a woman.

http://iguessmylifeisprettygood.blogspot.com/

I love that I am not the only woman out there appalled at the number of women "trying to make it is a man's world". It is encouraging to remember that there are mothers, working out of an in the home that still cherish good old-fashioned values, that make their own bread (even if only a few times a year), that love their husbands no matter what and discipline their children with stern love. In this world of highlights, high heels, acrylic nails and eyeliner (all of which I have or do wear) it is refreshing to see the woman underneath the temporal things.

Thanks Sis for reminding me of those things!
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A little off the top

Or a little off the sides really. Each year in winter, Corey starts his winter "coat". Which meant 2 years of Christmas photos with him in a beard. Not that I am anti-facial hair, but he looks older with the beard and I don't like to feel the scratchy poky facial hair when I want a soft kiss. Even Chloe agrees, crying when he tried to kiss her cheek. (Score 2:0)
This is him taking it off one layer at a time, down to my favorite soul patch. I really want him to go back to the chin-strap, but he said it is impossible without a good trimmer...
"the wrasler"

"the pobber"

"the baron"

" das fuhrer"

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