In my living room

I have a huge white board and we use it as the quote board. I stole the idea from Mike the Trainer (he is the HR guy from my work.) So from the quote board today... the story of Santa Jubes.

A few weeks ago I got some santa shaped Ju jubes. Schmidt noticed the container lid on my desk (where else would they be??) and was pondering it while playing on his computer.

Santa... or San... that means Saint, but who is Saint Jube? I know Saint Jude. I know Saint Jeub from Morrowind.

oh... SANTA ju jubes.... ohhhhh...

We took the dog to the vet this morning. I don't know if he read the appointment on the calendar or what, but he was freaked out! We did the usual half km. on the treadmill and when he got to .49 kms he sat down and refused to go. So I pressed the stop button and stepped onto the treadmill but it wasn't finished so I slid, the dog slid. It was just all bad my highly flexible foot bent sideways. It hurts.

But anyway! The vet! Does he remember when they did the 'bad thing' to him? They think of him as a highly anxious and high strung animal, but he is only high strung there. As Schmidt would say, "Dude! That's messed up!"

So Darcy the Dog has lost 5 lbs and his Dr is extremely impressed with me. How often do you go to the vet and they are extremely pleased with you? Maybe it happens to you guys, but this is my first time.

So my friend Sarah came to town...

She called her husband and told him I was being" incredibly patient". Yeah, snicker. She doesn't know I bossed her around the whole time! Eg. "hey, Sarah, feel this one. It's FUZZY." In my spare time (between 10 pm and 10 am) I am a support worker and I really am extremly patient. I was just glad she didn't wander off every time I looked away... like my husband does...

Anyway- Sarah asked for clarification on the pseudonyms so here, for re-introduction purposes:

The daughter formerly known as "Don't know/ don't care." She has been renamed Ten-spot. There is not much to say about Ten-spot since she doesn't live at home, anymore. Ten-spot is 20 and lives with her boyfriend. He hasn't been gifted with a name, yet. I TRIED to call him by his name, but every time I did she would roll her eyes and say, "Moooom, don't say his name like that!" So he's Sport, Sparky, Meat, Cowboy, Spud... Boy...

Daughter #2 is Sunshine. Sunshine has waist-length magenta hair. She says that you should just be born with the hair colour that suits you. That way you would be able to just tell who the fun people are and who are the people that you should stay away from. She has discovered that only fun people will approach you when you have magenta hair. She works in the children's library and is an object of fascination for every toddler in the city. Also pre-teen girls bring their mothers in to look at her. The mothers all wonder WHAT kind of mother would allow THAT?! Well, she looks 14, but she is 19 so legally she can have any hair colour she likes AND I am the one who dyed it for her. I thought it was cute.

Son #1 Brown Bear. Brown Bear is 18 and 6'3" last we measured. I'm pretty sure he isn't done growing, though. He likes weight lifting and working out. He is an army cadet, on the drill team and a favourite in the supply room. He likes to hang out back there and put everything away in the right spot. He's still in school and has recently discovered audio books.

Son #2 Schmidt. 16 year old Schmidt (also an army cadet) is fascinated with Germany and writing stories. He needed a German name one time and I gave him Schmidt. For some reason he really liked it so when he got his name tag made up at Camp Vernon he used the name Schmidt. He wore the tag the whole time. No one noticed. I think he took it off before he travelled, though. There is never time for hilarity in an airport. You could end up on the floor with a jack boot on your neck! Schmidt loves the opera and is spending his Christmas money from Grandma Scriber on 'Don Carlo' next week.

So- that is my quirky bunch! Oh, and other stars in my private soap opera- My twenty-something sister, Jamie, who lives in the lower mainland. She is called Jam-Jam or Jam Tart.

She got the name from my brother, Kelly. He calls me "Kim-wit" I have another brother and another sister, but have not received express, written permission form their legal guardian to discuss them so they are but shadowy figures in the background.

And friend Sarah - last, but not least. She often mourns that she is not mentioned in my blog, pictured in my blog with famous people or given a cool nickname. I told her to get her picture taken with a famous person and I was sure I could hook her up. Honestly, though, Jam-Jam is a famous person magnet. I don't know how she does it, but she has run into a lot of famous people.

And now to leave you with a parting thought. The Grinch Advent Calendar. If the Grinch bribed me every day for 24 days I could probably really get into the holiday!

The hilarity continues!

Yesterday we went to the Salvation Army thrift store for records. Sunshine looked through stacks and stacks of them and found quite a few that she thought she might like.

The thing about Sunshine is that she is tiny- 5'4" and about 110 lbs. She also has waist length magenta hair (that is the hair that would match how she feels on the inside... in case you are wondering...) Sunshine has very large, round blue eyes that seem more blue because of the offset magenta. Sunshine is a SWEET girl... but not very good at math and from the time she was a little girl she would get panicky in a store because she might not have enough money at the till.

There is always a little of that in her eyes when she gets to the till and because she is just so little and CUTE, people want to help her. So she arrived at the till with 25 records and was charged $10. Some of them were sets so she was charged less!

She's been lifting weights with her brother, but didn't get any weight lifting in yesterday since we were out. Apparently carrying 25 records is a workout, though!

We stepped out of the store and she stalled - "OH! They won't FREEZE will they?!" She had this look of abject horror on her face. I assured her that they most certainly wouldn't freeze.

Even now she is listening to the Mellow Moods collection from Reader's digest. She came in and read my post then hugged me and thanked me for putting up with her. I hugged her back and thanked her for being blog fodder.

The stereo that she bought, if anyone is interested. She got the one with a little table that goes under it, but it is pretty much the same as this.

Okay, moms... this post is for you...

If your sweet teenager has EVER rolled their eyes at you before plinking the off button on their technology because you couldn't find it... :-) you will enjoy what I'm going to share with you.

Sunshine girl bought a unit from Sears that plays records, tapes, radio and CDs. Dh and I were downstairs watching a movie and when it was over we came up to a quiet main floor. I found the three kids in Sunshine's room all gathered around the new piece of furniture.

Brown Bear was rocking nervously and hugging the Styrofoam that it was packed in. Schmidt had the record cover and Sunshine was reading the instructions.... "33... IS it 33? It is. (Sigh of relief) 33... Then the arm... you LIFT the arm and place it on the record... oh... OH! It MOVES when you lift the arm..." And from Brown bear, "What is that SOUND? That ch-ch ch-ch"

By this time I was hysterical!

You should have seen them when I wiped off the record with a damp, lint-less cloth! They were gathered in a semi-circle around me with these slightly amazed looks on their faces.

Mothers of little kids might still get that look. Mothers of teens will remember the look. It is the look that says - WOW! You know *EVERYTHING*

At this point, I'll take a night like tonight where I see that look in their eyes, "Wow, mom. You know *something.*"

Jam-Jam and Jian Ghomeshi

Jian Ghomeshi! Wouldn't they make pretty babies? She already failed me by not throwing herself on Kurt Russell's son when she had the chance!

"I gave my friend worms"

That is what my good friend wrote on my quote board and she did, in fact, give me worms. Happily they are red wigglers and they are happily eating scraps right now!

Every time I hear 'red wigglers' I can't help but think about WKRP in Cincinnati. :-)

So I had a nightmare...

I fell asleep on the floor- you know- because I have no couch. Anyway... I was drifting off to sleep when I was suddenly gripped by a very real dream image of Sir Sanford Fleming. It wasn't the younger, spry Sanford or the elderly, distinguished Sanford. It was the middle aged, bushy, greying beard half way down his chest, looking like he just walked out of the bush Sanford. He was holding an enormous pocket watch and pinned me with a steely gaze. Then he said in a heavy Scottish brogue, "It's very important not to be late!"

And that is when I woke up in a puddle of my own drool... :-\ I don't know what to tell you. It freaked me out. That was two days ago and I'm still freaked out.

In praise of plantains

At the company picnic I took an African co-worker aside and said - plantains... what do I *DO* with them?

Peel them, slice and fry. That's it! Plantains taste like a very tasty banana with a yam-like flavour. Just fry it in a tablespoon of the fat of your choice. We often use coconut oil because we think it is tasty.

One of the things that we miss from our GF/CF diet is caramel. Put a couple tablespoons of vegan margarine in the frying pan and cook with a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. Add 1/2 cup-1 cup of non-dairy milk and cook until you have caramel (ish. It won't be the SAME) Be careful because it burns.

And speaking of burning- plantains are high in sugar so watch them. They only need a couple minutes each side if they are ripe. If they aren't ripe just fry them longer. :-)

Nutrition information for one cup of plantains:

232 calories
5 grams of fibre
36% of your vitamins A and C

Oh and it is *highly recommended* that you eat it with a tablespoon of non-dairy ice cream, too.

Boy - July has gone whizzing by!

This is the first month that I have less hours at work (9 daytime hours instead of 15 and no weekend nights)- it is wonderful and relaxing, but now I'm doing the same job in 9 hours that I used to do in 15. I have six more hours to get month end done... it might happen... :-) That is the part that is not wonderful and relaxing.

I'm still asking the family what they want for supper only now they say the same thing every day - French fries and moose burgers...

We settled on yam and black bean burritos. Schmidt has requested these vegan burritos *with* ground moose and without yams. Funny boy! Of course they are going to have yams. One cup of raw yams gives you almost half of your requirement of vitamin C and 6 grams of fibre.

I was at the grocery store today- well actually I was at the pharmacy, but it is at the grocery store- and noticing all the packaging. I was kind of sickened by the foil wrapping and lurid colours. I didn't think that would happen. It hasn't been that long since just about everything we bought came out of a package of some kind. Since gluten and dairy are in everything it makes shopping harder, but in a way it makes shopping easier.

We are committed to eating whole food and lower on the food chain. We are eating fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and wild meat. It is cheaper, healthier and we are only making about one large bag/ week of garbage.

I'm having the laziest summer EVER!

I only work until 10 am three days a week and get off at 7 am on Friday morning. I have weekends off for the summer. I have a nice chunk of time over the weekend where I can get some things done like cooking ahead or mending or laundry... NICE!

You would think that my house would be cleaner than it is ... anyway! :-)

Brown Bear is adjusting to new epilepsy meds and that always puts a wrinkle in the day. I hope that we can have a bit of a work party today.

We've been taking turns picking supper so it's been a variety and we are using up things out of the pantry. We plan to eat all the grains that are in there before we do another bulk order.

And the other thing we are thinking about is getting a worm bin. We can't compost outside so we are thinking about Red Wigglers- the composting worms. They aren't cheap, though, my friends! They are worms... just WORMS! =8-o

So that is my Monday- Laundry hanging on the rack, recycling going to the blue bins, cleaning my room and for supper- home made tortilla chips made from home made tortillas with beans, salsa and vegan sour cream. Yumm-o!

Dark insights into what makes Kim tick

We've suspended satellite for the summer. True confession- I love television... sometimes even reality television. No, really! I love watching Chef Ramsey yell at people. I've been a fan of his shows for many years.

It all started when I got a card in the mail for a hospital lottery prize- a shopping trip WITH Chef Ramsey then Chef Ramsey cooks supper for you and the 7 people that will *owe* you for the rest of your life. That was when my Inner Chef Ramsey woke up and began to regularly critique my cooking. Most of the time he likes my food and I get a fairly favourable grade. Last night, however, I made a glazed carrot thing.

They were okay. Everyone in the family agreed they were OKAY, tasty even. I just don't ever put anything on carrots. It came as a little bit of a shock, I'm sure, when they found carrots swimming in a sweet, ginger-chicken sauce. It's just that I bought 15 pounds of carrots for $4.47 so I had about 12 lbs extra...

Anyway- The Inner Chef said... "Hmmm...." thoughtfully formulating his words while he spit the food into a napkin. "It's just a little boring isn't it?! It's not very interesting! It reminds me of the 1980's" I tried to defend myself by pointing out that I had used the *perfect* amount of ginger.

He scoffs and asks, "Can't you do better? Have you given up? Have you GIVEN UP?"

I haven't given up... but I still have 2 unopened 5 lb bags of carrots... and no will to cook or eat anything orange. :-)

Just one more reason I love my kids...

This evening I overheard Schmidt's new swear words - tea and crumpets. I'm not making that up- he really said it. It was said with emphasis, though, so I asked him if he was swearing and he said yes. That is his new mid level swear.

You see... sometimes it's just TEA. The worst swear you can get is tea with SUGAR.... and crumpets!

For the most part, my kids are just really NICE kids. Of course I'm biased. I love them because I made them... ;-)

Canada Day #2

The boys stalled in front of this display... I don't know why. I tried to lure them away to see the albino moose, but no luck.

They had great fun check out the cap brass- hanging on the red felt, left side. Of course they were the most impressed with the Alberta regiments.

I have a lot more to say about this, too, but it's farmer's market day and I have to go talk to my favourite Hutterite about eggs.

Canada Day!

Both of the boys were flag bearers this year- great honour. Well, that, and it was windy so you had to be a certain size... so you didn't blow away. You know that story about Winnie the Pooh and they are flying Roo by his sweater? Yeah, anyway! I digress!

The highlight of the day was when a Japanese tourist asked to have her picture taken with the boys. What the heck. I figure if we went to Japan we'd want our pictures taken with a Samurai soldier, right? ;-P

For supper we are having fried chicken made with gluten free bread crumbs. This post would be longer, but it's ready and I'm hungry!

A week for soup!

This is a busy week coming up. It is my last couple days at my job, month end, Canada Day, team meeting AND family and school...

I've told the family that I'm going to make soup for supper every night until 15% off Tuesday, July 6. No one looked like they would rebel so that's the plan.

If I have any extra time I might perfect GF carrot cake, too. I have a lot of carrots and I'm missing carrot cake.

The whole GF/ CF experience is not bad until you start thinking about something you are never going to have again like Grandma's doughnuts or carrot cake!

Just another 'life lesson' Sunday at Kim's house...

So we went yesterday to pick up Sunshine from a camp out. Sweet Sunshine, Happy Sunshine.... Dyslexic Sunshine. She wasn't given proper instructions before she left (mistake #1) so she and her friend had trouble finding it.

So I called her first thing in the morning so I would catch her in the tent. (Mistake #2) So the instructions I got were turn at Beaver-dam, then drive until you see a sign that says Goodville then drive until you see a sign that says Home-run campsite. Fine.

To make a long, hot driving story short.... I phoned from a gas station courtesy phone and finally narrowed it down to these directions: Drive THROUGH Beaver-dam and VERY SHORTLY you will see a sign for Goodville- ignore that. Then you drive another short amount and you will see 'water towers that are not water towers' (ignore them) then there will be a sign that says Home-run campsite. TURN. It is 1 km off the highway.

Sweet girl and we love her, but she can't give directions! (Lesson #1) GOOD GRIEF! What a hassle that was.

So then she goes into detail about how some of the other kids 'found' stinging nettle and she harvested it for tea. Oh, I said... is THAT why you are covered in a rash? She was camping with a group of paramedics and if they weren't concerned then I'm not either.

It should be noted that she is nearly 19 - old enough to poison herself with wild plants, if she so chooses... :-) (Lesson #2)

I've had a big day today

Slightly daring because it is my first weekend off so it sort of feels like skipping school. I *should* be at work.... but I'm not... :-)

I went to the library and got a few books off their discard shelf. My hope was to turn some of them into bound art journals, but they don't all fit in the Bind it All machine. So I'm going to try an altered book instead.

My first altered book is from a book called Micro aliens and is full of cool pictures from an electron microscope. I should be able to do something fun with that. We'll see.

You may have noticed there is no food blogging lately. Well it's only because there is no food. It's hot and I am SO uninspired about cooking. Sunshine is at a camp out, the Wheat Eaters are ordering pizza and Schmidt and I are going to eat .... :-/ Something...

I got some fresh dill from the Huderittes this morning, though, so I predict there will be dill potatoes tomorrow.

WOW!

I thought I was lost and I'd never see you all again!

In the last three weeks my grandpa died, the homeschool facilitator came, we went to the neurologist in another city, Brown Bear was put on new medication, Brown Bear reacted to the new medication, Brown Bear had to wean off the new medication, Dh got a job and I quit 2 of my 3 jobs.

It seems like a LOT, doesn't it? :-| OH, and DD#1 (Don't know, don't care) moved out and we rearranged all the furniture on the main floor.

My good friend suggested I start art journalling. I guess if a journal and a scrapbook got married - an art journal would be their baby. I went wandering around the internet and found Journal Artista. She is Canadian and I have enjoyed her videos.

In case my American blog readers are wondering what would be the difference if she weren't Canadian. Well... different things are sold in Canada than in the U.S. so when I see something on the internet that I want to attempt and go to the store... only to find that *I CAN'T GET IT* Well, you can see that my stress level is already high enough, right? :-)

It's hard to get excited about spring

when there is snow on the ground. It started yesterday afternoon, snowed most of the night and has stayed all day.

The boys wanted fries, but we were out of potatoes. How does THAT happen? I was sure we had another bag in the basement. We found a bag of apples so maybe I didn't look carefully the last time I was done there.

Anyway - we made sweet potato fries with miso gravy, tofu patties and beans and rice. It was a little eclectic, but a filling supper for a cold day.

Then we gathered around the warm oven and soaked up the heat! :-)

So my head is starting to clear

The canker sore in my mouth isn't gone, yet, though. Also- I don't look all that hot, either. :-/ I ran into someone I know. She said I looked really, REALLY tired. She looked great. You'd never know to look at her that she is recovering from a nervous break down...

But I digress!

I went to the library and got The Simply Raw Living Foods detox manual. I don't think I can do 100% raw. Oh- and I'm going to eat as many avocados as I want and I'm not having ANY colonics.

Dh is going to do the detox with me (he says) and he didn't start to twitch and hyperventilate like "Shaky." That is our new pet name for Schmidt. He heard that you begin your pre-cleanse week by giving meat and coffee. Well that was all he needed to hear.

Brown Bear, however, is trying gluten free and casein free and considering veganism. Now that he is off gluten and casein he says he doesn't even care if he has meat again. How weird is that?

On page 89 she has tips for 'dealing with hunger.' Yeah, here is the thing everyone should know about me... You know that scene from Gone with the Wind where Scarlett says 'I'll never be hungry again. As God is my witness - I'll NEVER BE HUNGRY AGAIN." That really resonates with me. I don't think hunger is all that useful or productive. It is definitely not something I want to distract myself from. EVER.

Shame, Brendan Brazier.... SHAME!

Brendan Brazier is a good BC boy, iron man triathlete, vegan and bestselling author. He also has his face on the back of products that he formulated like the Choc-a-lot shake and go smoothie which is vegan, 65% raw, gluten free and casein free. It was $25 for 10 servings.

I bet his mom is VERY proud of him. Maybe she would be a little less proud if she knew his face is on the back of a product labeled gluten free that is not actually gluten free. Trust me- I know it's not and my intestines know it's not! :-) I went to the company's website this morning to check out the forums and they are all talking about how it is not gluten free.

You can bet that I'm *ANGRY* about this because *I* am sick. The Canadian government is changing the nutrition labeling laws right now. Most manufacturers are doing voluntary compliance, but apparently not all of them. No laws have been broken... but what about the ethics and morality of feeding me POISON and telling me that it is a delicious chocolate smoothie.

Well, live and learn. I guess I will just buy more delicious Taste of Nature bars, instead... They are made in a dedicated facility because they care about contamination. I wrote them a lovely thank you note for it, too!

It's end of the month.... and ...

month end at my new job. :-) I lived through it and had a moment of pride. Then I realized that when I go back to work Monday night it just starts ALL over again. That's a depressing thought!

I've been trying to get some batch cooking done, but I find it *really* hard. I probably just need to dig in and start somewhere. I've just about given up planning meals. I just cook large portions of a variety and throw it on the counter. Everyone behaves like it is a buffet... with a 'make your own egg' station. My Hutterite egg man doesn't even bat an eye when I ask him for 5 dozen eggs a week. His kids probably eat the same amount... :-)

Sunshine and I went to the health food store on the way home from the Farmer's Market. We got soap, the aforementioned eggs and a pumice stone at the market, but I was in the mood to see food in packages...

We got Brewer's yeast. I had some on my popcorn tonight. I don't know if any adult can just eat it on popcorn or if you have to be raised that way. It was definitely a taste from my childhood! I also got soy flakes and textured soy particles. The 'particles' are the secret ingredient in my 'chicken' soup.

Then we looked in the freezer... Friends... I've lately discovered gluten free doughnuts ($5.00/ package of six.) They are expensive, but really quite delicious in that 'it's all I can have' kind of way.

When I'm really stuck for something to make I use SOS Cuisine because they have a handy dandy search on their site and you can search for or exclude anything. I searched for gluten free, vegan and alcohol-free and got three pages of hits.

Well friends...

I had a cheese dream... and it was upsetting... and I'm all messed up from it! =8-o The dream went like this: I was sitting at lunch with people I knew and looked down at my plate. There were two slices of cheese on it that were the size of the plate. Imagine if you cut a 1 Kg block of cheese on the long end... TWICE. My dream self said, " I can't eat that cheese. WHY did I even put that cheese on my plate?" Indeed. Why did my dream self even bring it home from the store? Sigh... Only my subconscious knows.

What is the cheese? Is it a metaphor? I just don't know.

See, this is what happens when a person doesn't get enough sleep! They end up blogging about nap nightmares. Let this be a lesson to all of you... :-/

Vegan chili

I got the idea from here. I decided it would be more meat-like if I processed the vegetables in the food processor. And, let's face it, FASTER! Chopping vegetables for 6 or 7 people is time consuming. The inspiration recipe is more beautiful than mine, but I'm sure it is not tastier...

I fried the onions in my large pot first so they were well cooked, but all the other veggies were tender crisp. I added canned corn, leftover chickpeas and brown rice and served it with unsalted stone ground tortilla chips.

I wasn't sure the meatless chili would be a hit, but Brown Bear is beside me and chowing down on it. It is the spices and texture that make foods familiar, though, not the meat.

Sometimes it is hard finding vegan, gluten free food that the whole family enjoys, but I'm pretty happy with this! Very adaptable. :-)

The highlights of my week

I found out that the Fry's cocoa in the small can is gluten free. Imagine my sorrow when I bought the big can and found out that it WASN'T gluten free?!

And I've been perfecting gingersnaps.

1 cup brown sugar
3/4 margarine - room temperature or soft
1 egg
1/2 cup of tapioca starch
1 1/2 cups white rice flour
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
2Tbsp of ginger*
2 Tbsp of cinnamon*
1/4 cup molasses

Bake in a pre-heated oven, 350 F for about 6 minutes. They need to be soft in the middle when you take them off the pan and you have to cool them on a wire rack.

This makes gingersnaps that are a little crispy on the outside, but still chewy.

*I like it spicy. If you like it less spicy then cut back on the spices. :-)

Hidden sources of gluten

Get a hot drink and clear your schedule- this is a long post! :-P But before I get started I want to state clearly that Celiac disease is NOT an allergy to wheat. It is an auto-immune disease. Your body will literally break itself down trying to digest food and the result is malnutrition no matter how much you eat.

I've been talking to a LOT of people this week about hidden gluten. Finding the hidden sources of gluten is SO important if you need to be on a gluten free diet. Something I just found out this week- non food items do not have to list gluten on the labels. This would include lipstick, lip balm, shampoo, envelope glue and toothpaste. I'm pretty sure I would have a chance of ingesting gluten from any of those, though. Another thing I found out - there is gluten in cleaning products. I can only say, "WHY?"

Not hidden, but something you might not think about - play dough, vitamins and medication. This might be OTC medication or prescription medication. Alternatives do exist if you go looking for them, though. I buy gluten free vitamins at Costco (but they have them at the grocery store, too) and a bright young man has invented Soy-Yer Dough.

Gluten can also be hidden in food. You know those handy packages of pre-grated cheese? They use wheat starch to prevent it from sticking. Same with chewing gum. It is used to keep the gum from sticking to the conveyer belt. I assume that is why it is in chocolate chips, too. I don't really know about that one. Gluten is also in malt... malt vinegar... maltodextrin. Maltodextrin can be made from corn or wheat, but if it doesn't say in brackets after it on the label you can assume it is wheat. And that is how gluten is hidden in things like potato chips and dry roasted nuts.

And now many links if you are interested.

Gluten free cleaning products.

Non-edible sources of gluten.

Hidden gluten list

Gluten in medication

Extensive list of hidden gluten

The week of vacation...

I'm using it to have a Lord of the Rings marathon with the kids and perfect gluten free gingersnaps.

I'm also using the time to clean up all the things that I know need to get done, but I have been putting off or haven't had time for. This whole working thing really cuts into the rest of your life!

I found out a lot about myself this week. I'm not really lazy- I'm tired. I don't get a proper rest at work and I don't get ENOUGH sleep.

I've been off dairy for about a month, now, and I feel like my gut is starting to heal. I have been very careful about any gluten or dairy, too. I threatened to declare war against the leader of the Gluten Eaters. Last time they brought bread into the house I got sick. This time I told them that if I get sick - it's WAR. This is a Mom-archy. The Mom-archy of Kim. The rebel faction was unmoved, but did put the bread into the gluten cupboard.

Now that I've had some normal digestion I want it to continue. :-)

Okay - seriously! You must all feel SO rejected!

Now, for those who don't know I've started another job and am the team leader in the group home where I work. It's a lot to remember and keep on top of. That is where my brain has been!

The rest of me has been here doing school with the boys and trying to get a little food made ahead. The good news is that my vacation (Stay-cation...) starts in .... about ...75 hours... more or less... Not that I'm counting.... =8-P

I think I'm going to have a Lord of the Rings marathon. The kids are also putting on a play for me. I still have to make the costumes for that so no play until the costumes are done.

Today I made delicious imitation deli chicken. I assume it is delicious - it is for Thursday when I don't get home until 4 pm. The method: Take two chickens and pat them very dry. Then rub olive oil all over them and give them a wonderful massage. Then play with a couple lemons until they get very smooshy, cut them in half and squeeze the juice over the tops of the chickens. Stuff the squeezed bits into the cavity along with peeled garlic cloves. I did one bulb for two chickens. Then salt and pepper on top and bake! I did 350 degrees and 20-30 minutes/ lb.

I did about the first 45 minutes uncovered so the skin could get crispy and added a little water when it looked like they might burn to the pan. It's really pretty foolproof, though.

I scraped a little of the crispy stuff off the bottom and it was delicious! You can also add fresh rosemary- if you like it and you can get it.

So I've got one chicken for Thursday and one chicken for the freezer. Very handy. I did have to fight off a very large, hungry boy when he smelled it come out of the oven, though, so be warned.
This chicken may have to be defended against a hungry hoard.

I heard geese!

It's SPRING! :-) There is still snow (and ice!) on the ground, but if you hear geese it is spring. That is the rule.

We aren't doing much on this Sunny Palm Sunday. I'm making 20 cups of rice and hoping to have some left over for soup tonight or tomorrow, but honestly I'm not even counting on it. It will save on disappointment later...

Cauliflower is $2/ head this week so that could be delicious. They are always tiny heads this time of year, but it is better than the middle of winter.

It's my day off so I have to go lay on the couch and ignore my responsibilities now. :-)

So lots going on

My finger is still healing - did I mention that I got cut at work? Well, I did and it's still healing.

We set up the easel in the 'man cave' AKA the computer room and we are going to do a family art project. The men protested strongly, but I told them it wasn't optional.

I'm still digging stuff out of hidden spots to declutter or garbage. I've got about a bag and a half, so far, for Value Village and a couple bags of garbage. I just have to vacuum the living room carpet and it is clean.

Remember at towards the end of Poltergeist the short woman says, "this house is CLEAN"... well it is a little like that at my house. ;-P

:-)

By now you must all know me well enough to know that I've been off cleaning and organizing.

I grew up in a very clean and orderly house. My mother could have taught the Flylady everything she knows. It is not like I grew up in squalor and don't know how to clean something- so what the heck is wrong with me?

Okay- true enough- I don't live by myself! I have many people helping me make this mess and I think they don't have the same standard of cleanliness that I do...

At some point the house should get noticeably better, though, right? I've decluttered every room and every closet, but I think I better start over from the beginning and do it all again. And again and again and again... until I can get more than one room at a time looking clean and organized.

Why is it so hard?!

Well it's a big day...

DD#1 (don't know, don't care) turns the big *2-0*.

The other big news is that I realized that I get holiday pay! I can take 3 or 4 days off with pay and I'm going to next month. I can't wait. Too bad I didn't realize that when my sister was here! :-/ Sorry, Jam Tart!

I read decluttering and organizing books last month, but this month I'm reading stress books. I have one for home and one for work. The one at work was written by an art therapist so she mostly recommends doing crafts... Okay.... If I must... :-)

I want to get the house all clean and organized before I come home and have my de-stress Stay-cation. I don't want to waste my vacation organizing the house, right? I want to waste my Stay-cation IN my organized house. :-)

Well blog fans... I'm out of rice.

I know it doesn't seem like I should be, but I am. We *really* like rice! I thought a forty pound bag would last longer, but apparently not.

I have a lot of oatmeal and a lot of popcorn so I guess we'll have to work on those for a couple weeks to even things out a little. Dh recommends a lot of corn bread. :-)

We cleaned out the pantry and filled all the gallon jars with whole grains and anything that didn't fit in the jar is going into the soup pot for supper. So it will be millet, wild rice, and lentils with garlic and yams... and sourdough corn bread...

Barrier #3- No time.

I understand no time. I really, really do. My life is a tightly controlled chaos with everything neatly categorized into its own time spot. It's a little like Pandora's box- if anything escapes all the evil of the world is unleashed. That is why it is tightly controlled and things don't run over. The only way to get anything extra done is to squeeze something extra between other things.

For example, I got ready for work quickly and 5 extra minutes so I got a bag and picked up the garbage and recycling in my bedroom.

Sometimes you don't have a minute you only have thirty seconds or fifteen seconds. I've found that is usually enough time to clear off the bathroom counter. In fact most jobs around the house take less than five minutes if everything is generally kept up and organized.

I've got a spot where people can put their things to go to charity and it makes it a LOT easier to separate stuff as you find it a piece at a time. When the box is full - out it goes. :-)

So if you have no time and can't cut back on any of your commitments consider the tiny snippets of time because they do add up. :-)

The guilt gift

The guilt gift is anything that you are given with the understanding that you must keep it forever. I am widely known as someone that will take bags of clothes or household things, but I *always* take them with the understanding that I can pass them on if they don't work for me. Most people will say, "sure," but sometimes you will find people who expect you to be a guardian of their junk.

For example- "You can't get rid of THAT painting! Your great aunt Lucy's second husband's stepdaughter from his third marriage painted that for you! You don't remember her? Of course you do! I know it doesn't really "go" in here, but she was *FAMILY*... Until Lucy started taking tennis lessons and George married that floozy of a waitress!"

Sometimes it is better to work without a buddy- especially if the buddy has strong opinions about what you should keep and decorate your home with. :-)

Lately I've seen a lot of older people sending things home with their children who don't have room for it so they bring it to *their* adult children who may or may not have room for it and may or may not WANT it. I bet you can hear it already, can't you? But it was GRANDMA'S!

If something is a precious heirloom (and you want it...) then by all means take it and use it or display it in a beautiful way. Don't take it, though, if it is going to end up on the junk pile at the bottom of your closet! Let's be honest- most things aren't beautiful heirlooms from grandma. They are afghans in 1970's colours. Very retro... May be suitable for your house. I have to tell you, though, I am NOT interested!

So next time someone tries to give you things you don't want or keep things you want to pass on- think about their motivation. Why are they so insistent? Do they want you to become a guardian of 'precious' junk like they are? What do their homes look like... :-)

Another form of guilt gift is something that ties you to the past- photographs of old boyfriends, things you bought for a different time in your life, etc. These things might still be good, but maybe they could be passed on to people who would be happy to have them. This is one of the reasons that decluttering can be so emotional. It brings up a lot of feelings when you are going through things from your past. Maybe you really always MEANT to finish that project and you have a little stab of guilt every time you see it so you just put it back in the box. That colour doesn't really go with anything... but you can't get RID of it.

Trust me - you can and it gets easier every time you do. I don't think it is a good idea to start with the really emotional stuff. It's better to start somewhere that is easy so you can get a little practice and momentum.

OH! And you might need an Oasis of Calm if you are decluttering your whole house and you think it might be very overwhelming. The Oasis of Calm is an area that isn't very large and you can do it first. It might be a cozy chair in the corner of a room. The first time I decluttered I did my bedroom first and it was my oasis. When things get too tough you can go to your oasis and sit quietly for a few minutes. Maybe you can have a cup of tea (because tea fixes everything-according to Sunshine) and be proud of your progress.

This is a two-fer. When you declutter the guilt gifts the guilt goes with them. :-)

Barriers to decluttering

I'm just going to mention a couple barriers of decluttering today. These are the hardest or most memorable to me.

1. I don't want to just 'get rid' of it. I don't want to be wasteful.

2. The guilt gift. Examining the motivation of someone who gives you a gift.

3. I don't have time. I don't have energy.

Let's just talk about #1 for today. Decluttering can be upsetting and overwhelming- particularly if you involve people who aren't motivated to help you. Some of us had (or perhaps still have) depression era parents or grandparents and they firmly believed WASTE NOT. I believe in waste not, as well, but I think we need to be a little more realistic about how life is today.

So some rules that go with barrier #1.

Do you need it? It doesn't matter how fantastic and beautiful it is -if you don't NEED it, it's clutter. The exception to this would be if you need it AND use it. For example, I have a very wonderful warm coat. I use it a couple times a year here. If I lived anywhere else it would hang in the closet forever and I would never use it. Another exception might be jewelery or things that are decorative. You might not need them, but you use them and love them.

I think the things a person surrounds themselves with should be useful *and* beautiful.

It's not wasteful to get rid of things that you aren't using. It is wasteful to KEEP things you aren't using. If something is still good there are many charities and thrift shops that you can support with your still- good stuff. Just check on the rules before you load up your car. Since bedbugs are on the rise you aren't going to be able to donate things like old mattresses anywhere.

Just keep in mind that if things are fit for the landfill then send them to the landfill. Your *HOME* should not be the place where junk goes to die. Your home should be warm and inviting and filled with the things that you love.

Things you can get rid of today:

Recycling
Clothes that are ripped, stained or don't fit.
Shoes that don't fit and ugly purses.
Extra coffee mugs- Mine always seem to multiply.
Anything that reminds you of a really unhappy time in your life.

You can begin with a grocery store bag and stop when it is full! :-)

Okay... I have to say it!

I'm not over the way that nice girl sang the national anthem during the opening of the Olympics. Perhaps I'm jaded, but you know that I am a little more used to something like this. You just can't compete with that... :-)

So we might be having a chinook. The snow isn't really blowing the right direction, but I suspect that we are on the line for one because we went from cold and icy to warm with dry sidewalks overnight. My supervisor informed me that there was a 'strange glow' in the Eastern sky, too. Dh says it is Spring, but I reserve all judgment and continue to believe the weather guy that predicts -40 C temps for March.

I'm going to get back to some decluttering pretty soon so I'm pretty sure I'll be posting about that this month. I'm also planning on doing some baking if I ever get the kitchen organized the way I want.

Jam Tart went home today so it is back to real life now. :-/

Happy March to you all! :-)

It's a big month and we're all still pretty stoked about Canada winning the gold medal game... Sorry, Americans! =8-)

I have to share what I just found out. Apples (and other sources of pectin) are a good detox food. Apparently they are being used with success in the Ukraine in the post Chernobyl detox. I am pretty interested in that!

This month I've got the baby of the family turning 16 and the oldest turning 20. It's a month of changes at my house, I think.

I am feeling a LOT better since I quit dairy. My dairy-free buddies didn't notice a difference, but I *REALLY* did. It took three days of craziness to feel better, but after that food started digesting well and my stomach got flat. I didn't realize that it was bloated, but it was.

You are probably still thinking about apples and how good they are. Lately we've been making personal apple crisps. You chop an apple (or two if you are extra hungry) and top with whatever you like. We chop raisins, crystallized ginger, nuts and seeds then put about 1/4 cup/ apple on top. 1/4 is about a serving size for nuts so I think that is a reasonable amount to use. I also like dried, chopped dates ... BUT you can use brown sugar if you prefer. If you do a little margarine and brown sugar together it will get those delicious crunchy bits. We also like cinnamon so use that according to taste.

Warm everything in the microwave and top with a little cinnamon flavoured cashew cream (same as CHEEZ, but with cinnamon instead of garlic) or non-dairy ice cream or frozen whipped topping.

And so I leave you with a quote: "If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe." Carl Sagan. :-)

Freedom to Read

Well, it's Freedom to Read week in Canada and I know all my favourite Canadians are reading banned and challenged books this week.

Every year I am shocked about the books that are on the list. If you find a book offensive then don't read it. Period. No one is interfering with your right as a Canadian to be offended. :-)

For example- On the Banks of Plum Creek. The author does, in fact, use the word "Indian." She doesn't do it to be offensive. She uses it because it what the North American Indigenous people were called at that time. What a good way to show contrast between what people used to believe and what we believe today. How educational.

Okay, I won't say anymore because you want to get back to your banned book, I'm sure. Either that or you are just on your way to the library! Go! What are you waiting for? Go read!

Today is better... :-)

Just in case you didn't believe me that *Cheese is a Drug*

I talked to Jam Tart yesterday. She is coming for a visit today and wanted to know what she should bring. I told her red rice, black rice, sticky rice. Why can't I get sticky rice here? All the Asian people here must have a secret sticky rice connection.

I told her I was detoxing from dairy and she said, "that isn't going to happen to ME is it?" =8-o Uhhh... Well... What was I supposed to say? No? You'll be fine. In real life we don't call her Jam Tart or Jam-Jam. We call her Cheese-head. Usually we lay in a supply before she arrives.

She borrowed a detox book from her friend and is familiar with the idea of detox. And we have tea. Tea fixes everything. :-)

Okay, I still only half believe that a person has to detox from the Standard American Diet. We've always eaten pretty well. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean organic meat. I followed the food guide and believed the food guide was just that - a guide to food.

I looked at the food guide yesterday because I feared that perhaps I strayed from the path of the holy pyramid . I've heard vegans talking about how the food pyramid is upside down, but I didn't GET it until I started eating a lot more raw food. I am not eating 3 *cups* of whole grains per day. I don't think I eat three cups of whole grains in a week anymore. Well... unless popcorn counts. Sometimes Sunshine and I do popcorn and I eat a few cups at a time. :-P

Anyway- what would WE have to detox from? We were eating 'well'... But I have to ask! If we were eating so well then why were we sick? Wheat is ubiquitous. It is in everything. It is pretty easy to eat healthily because there are few products that we can just pick up off the shelf and eat.

Gluten is hidden in gum, makeup, shampoo, canned food, processed food, tea, anything with 'natural flavours' or 'starch', MSG, maltodextrin (unless specified that it is corn) and the list goes on like that.

It all started when I decided that I wasn't going to take junk and let them tell me it was great anymore. Why do North Americans put up with it? =8-o Honestly?! What is the matter with us? We're probably too whacked out on cheese to put up a fight...

You know what, people?

I am having a major dairy detox. I never really thought I was going to detox from dairy. I was just going to stop eating cheese (my only remaining dairy) and everything would be fine. I had even 'stepped down' to soy cheese. The soy cheese was full of casein, though, so it wasn't really all that soy-ish, was it? :-)

You saw me all blissed out on goat's cheese last time. Of course it was great! I got my drug of choice. When I woke up in the morning, though, things were a little more clear.

When I went off gluten it was a full two weeks of heavy cravings and a month before I started really enjoying it. Now the thought of bread kind of sickens me.

Apparently there is a real *detox* with dairy. One blogger claimed that it was harder for him to quit dairy than cigarettes. I didn't realize that I was craving something, but on my last shopping trip I bought rye ginger cake, malt vinegar and chevre cheese. I can't eat any of those things and I know it! What the HECK!

I haven't had a sinus cold or sinus infection - or really ANY illness - since I quit eating gluten. This is rare for me because I have always had a sinus cold. In the winter the sinus cold often becomes chronic bronchitis and I have to work hard to keep it from becoming pneumonia.

So- just be warned... if you plan on changing your diet there can be a genuine detox. I'm doing the same things that I would do for a sinus cold. I'm forcing hot fluids, adding lemon juice and chopped ginger to my tea and taking vitamins- particularly B and C. I am also taking very hot epsom salt baths.

Epsom salt is magnesium and I've found it helpful for several years. There is the real possibility that I wasn't sick, but trying to process gluten and casein instead. Anyway- I've known for a long time that I will get better after I sweat. After the forced fluids and magnesium bath I will just sweat if I need to.

***Don't try epsom salt baths if you have blood pressure or heart issues***

This morning I got up and I wasn't sure I felt well at ALL, but I got some fluids and blew my nose... several times... and I'm probably OK. :-) I wish someone had TOLD me that this could happen, though, so I'm telling you.

Even though its gross... I do feel better. I can't explain it because I feel SICK, but better.

I'm sick. Siiiiiick... and WHINY....

Last night I got brave and tried chevre cheese. I still feel fine! :-) I found out a week ago that the feta I was buying was NOT made from goat's milk. In fact it has a tiny COW on it! What the HECK?!

That cheese was sharp and delicious! The raw food people can say whatever they want, but when *I* don't feel well I want comfort food. And you know what - a guacamole mixed with raw chocolate is NOT chocolate pudding! It's not! =8-0

I have some raw cookies in the fridge so I'll probably start with them instead of going crazy and making nachos or something... :-)

Of course you want the link so you can make your own raw cookies, today! You probably made peanut butter balls for your kids when they were small, right? These cookies are like that. They are very filling and nutritious. They aren't highly portable for packed lunches, etc. but we do like them for snacks. Just keep in mind that it is a very high calorie snack and to be approached cautiously... :-)

I don't dehydrate mine. I just make the dough stiff and refrigerate to facilitate making balls. I use a half cup measuring cup then roll them in whatever so they aren't sticky. I used ground nuts for the kids and homemade stone ground corn meal for me.

Today is poutine...

It just seemed like a good day for it. I went to the grocery store yesterday and got a lot of vegetables. I convert any root vegetable into fries.

Sunshine and I have vegan cheese that melts - a true miracle. Most soy cheese have casein as the first ingredient. What is the point in eating soy cheese if it is still dairy, right? :-) The other guys have cheese curds so we are all happy.

Sunshine and I are going to have mushroom gravy and we'll make gravy from the drippings of the roast beast that they had the other night.

Poutine is one of the things that we miss and it is the trifecta of gluten intolerance. 1.The fries should have that crispy coating on them to hold on to more gravy. 2. The cheese curd. 3. The gravy should be made from a packaged mix. Of course you could make your own, but it wouldn't be the same...

We are going to eat it with battered deep fried f...sh. Anything that seems like an animal product but has missing letters is plain, extra firm tofu disguised as something you'd want to eat. The kids always get excited when they see chicken in the stirfry. It's not chicken- it's chick'n. ;-)

I can hardly wait for lunch I'm so excited about it! :-)

You'll never believe what happened to me!

I had Saturday night off! And it was GOOD! =8-)

I lost my mind. It might be menopause. :-)

I woke up Sunday morning and I hated all my towels. I hated them! Why do I have burgundy towels? WHEN did I *buy* burgundy towels? Was it when I moved into my last house almost ten years ago. The kids didn't know, but they assured me that they don't remember a time when we didn't have burgundy towels... Yeah....

So I went out with the intention of buying towels. I bought a set of bath maths instead. A chocolate brown bath mat is a promissory note for chocolate brown towels. Also on my list is new bedding. I *do* remember the last time I bought new bedding and it's been a while.

Yesterday, I went out on Family Day (or Sham-ly Day as my supervisor calls it) and bought new dishes. I did! I know people are going to be shocked and I don't care. The plates are small and the bowls are very deep. It is just what I want. Dh and Brown Bear lobbied hard for large plates in a different colour, but I remained firm.

Actually, when dh showed me a lovely set of white dishes I told him, "I don't want to wait until you are DEAD to get what I want. I *will*, but I don't want to." That made him think that I should have whatever colour of green dishes that I want. :-)

The plates are 8 inches and the edges look like the petals of a flower. They are Debbie Travis (if anyone is in Canadian Tire and wants to see them) and the colour of the inside of an avocado. Very pretty!

I want a smaller plate partly for portion control and partly because they take up less room and partly because I'm insane. Did I mention the insanity already?

By the time I'm done ... everything in this house will be CLEAN... and MATCHING. :-)

One more night until my night off...

It's been warm and sunny so things are getting slushy. It is more of a workout to walk in slush at -10C than on packed snow at -30 C. The warm weather does give me hope that the eternal winter will end.

The walking every day hasn't been too bad, but it does get tiring on my long week. I'm looking forward to my night off.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and Monday is family day. We don't have any big plans- just hang around and watch the Olympics. And make some popcorn... :-)

When the Olympics come to California...

Arnold will probably be a very good choice for torch bearer. At the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, however, it was a tacky move. WHAT was he doing there? He's not a proud Canadian. He's not a great Canadian. He is not a loyal Canadian. He is not CANADIAN. We have Canadians, here. In fact Canadians are made here.

While it is true that he was an athlete he is also known to have used performance enhancing drugs. Vanoc proved that B.C. has athletes and former Olympians in abundance. Surely they could have dug up one more. Just one.

Vancouver 2010 is the 'Green Olympics' and the Governor is, apparently, an eco-warrior. Good grief. You are in B.C.! You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a scientist or activist. Maybe David Suzuki was originally booked, but was cut when he gave them a 'bronze.'

Badly done, Vanoc! I am *most* displeased with you! }:-@

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So now the sad news. :-( Wasn't it SAD when the Georginan luger died this afternoon? I feel really badly for his family. There is just no sympathy large enough for people who lose a 21 year old family member.

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I've been watching bits and pieces of the torch relay for a couple of days and recognized a couple of the people. I assumed they were just working two days in a row (poor guys!) but NO! There are members of that security detail that have been with the torch for 106 days. In an interview on CTV one guy said they ran 4 out of 5 days and each day was 20 to 50 kms in two legs. He said he is 'probably in reasonable shape.' Yeah... *probably*! I think I'm a hero for walking 2 kms to work and 2 kms home- most days.

Now don't forget that when the torch went through MY city it was -30 C. The torch passed within an hour of 90% of Canadians and so did the torch's security! Say what you like, but I think that is awfully impressive. What a massive undertaking and logistical nightmare.

Like the Arrogant Worms say, "Canada's really big"

A day for soup

It's been a little warmer outside lately so it is colder inside. I know that doesn't seem right, but that is the way that it is. Brown Bear requested bread for supper and I had a pail of peels in the fridge so it seemed like a good match.

I'm trying a new gluten free bread recipe. Sunshine had to take supper when she left for work and she declared it was good. The land sharks have been circling for a couple hours so they will probably like it, too!

Sometimes it is nice when they are easy to please. :-)

Good morning, blog fans! :-)

I know everyone is waiting with bated breath! Did she keep the microwave?? I did. You should have heard the uproar! Good grief! I did reclaim that section of kitchen real estate, though, and I'm very happy about it.

Now the only thing on the counter is my vegetable bin. It's kind of like a fruit bowl, but it is a vegetable bowl instead. It is very handy for making raw vegetables every day at lunch. It occurred to me lately that they aren't refrigerated in the store so why am *I* refrigerating them?

The other thing is that room temperature veggies taste nicer than cold veggies. I've been eating a raw lunch (Usually vegetables and tahini or Cheez) so I've kind of settled into it. It is a LOT faster and easier. The kids are old enough to do their own thing. Yesterday they made brown rice pasta with tomato sauce. I put some of the sauce on Dh's veggies and they added the extra veggies to their sauce. This is a typical sort of meal around here, but it is usually me accommodating everyone's tastes and allergies. I find it very wearing.

Today I'm trying out raw hummus. Basically it is the same as any other hummus- the beans just aren't cooked. I'm hoping the flavours will blend a little because right now it tastes a lot like raw chickpeas and I don't think I'm quite THERE in my raw food journey. ;-)

Okay, I admit I'm still in a little bit of cheese and yogurt withdrawal, but I feel a LOT better without it so it balances out.

I know there are questions, though, so let me answer them.

Is it more expensive to eat so many fruits and vegetables? It's really not. The food money just goes to cases of healthy food instead of things out of a box. A box of battered fish is $7.

Are you getting enough calories? I AM! My usual breakfast is 2 pieces of fruit (about 150 calories) and a quarter cup of nuts (about 200 calories). It's probably about the same number of calories that you had for breakfast this morning. Don't forget I have 2-3 snacks a day and if I want seconds or dessert I eat them. Last night we had gluten free chocolate chip cookies for dessert, but we often have a personal apple crisp.

Since we are off the oatmeal I blend whatever nuts, raisins and seeds that we want and we have a quarter cup of the mix on a chopped up apple. Each person makes there own and does cinnamon, butter and brown sugar to taste. If you make it with brown sugar and butter it gets a little caramelized and crispy. We usually put a a tablespoon of frozen non-dairy whipped topping on for 'ice cream' too.

Snowed in

I used to get snowed in on a regular basis and I really miss it. Of course the house was always well stocked with food so that was never a problem.

It was a change of routine - we could cancel school and do our own thing. It was a good excuse to bake something nice and not catch up on the cleaning. No one is going to drop in because they are all snowed in, too. :-)

Here in the city, though, there are no snow days! The buses always run and I always go to work.

So- since I have no snow days I must be using the opportunity to catch up on my cleaning, right? Yeah, mostly. I'm doing the kitchen today. I don't know how my kitchen gets SO messy, but it does. I mean- the dog does what he can on the lower cupboards, but he is not that tall AND you probably can't call it 'cleaning' if the dog licks the spill off a cupboard door.

And I've been wondering today if I really NEED a microwave. I have very little counter space and do I really *need* it? I had the mental war- of course I need it. I've always had a microwave since I was 7 years old. We were the first people in our small town to get a microwave. Everyone in town came for coffee that month so they could SEE it and watch something get heated. When the kids came unattended my brother and I would explode eggs for them.

So having a machine that heats coffee AND explodes eggs is pretty good, but is it necessary? I don't know, but I'm going to remove it and see what kind of backlash I get. Stay tuned... :-)

It's the WEEKEND! =8-D

This weekend I'm cleaning the house and trying to get a few things done. Jam- Jam- the - cheese-eater will be here in less than two weeks and I don't want her to know that we live like pigs... :-)

On the weekends everyone usually fends for themselves. I graciously offered to grate vegetables for everyone, though, and found my offer was met with a surprising amount of resistance. Brown Bear has never been a huge fan of vegetables. He eats enough to keep himself alive, but certainly wouldn't seek them out the way the rest of us do.

When the kids were little we would always eat in buffet restaurants when we went out. You can eat immediately and everyone gets what they want. In fact- that was the rule- you can eat what you want without a parent (mom...) leaning over you and suggesting another food group. He is remembered for having said, proudly, "Look! There is no green on my plate!" :-)

So, it is not surprising that he was resistant to the idea of vegetables for lunch... even when I offered them with "Cheez." Just in case you want Vegetables and Cheez here is the recipe:

Cheez

1 1/2 cups cashews (raw and unsalted)
1/4 - 1 cup of water
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced.
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Soak the cashews two hours, blend until smooth with garlic, salt and pepper to taste, refrigerate overnight and keep in a covered container. Lasts one week.

Now- don't be fooled into thinking this is CHEESE (I'm talking to you Jam Tart!) because it is not cheese- it's cheez. If your family has been vegan since before you were born then maybe you would be fooled. You don't know any better! Don't get me wrong- it's good. I wouldn't share the recipe if it wasn't good- it's just not cheese. Why wouldn't I just eat cheese? I just can't digest the casein. AND for some reason that is not entirely my fault we didn't get any cheese at the grocery store last week.

We do have an enormous tub of feta, though, so the cheese eaters aren't suffering. And we'll go to the store again before Cheese-head arrives.

Vegetable 'spaghetti'

I have to give an update on the vegetable spaghetti! It was good!

The consensus was that 5/6 of us liked it and would eat it again. I informed them all that it was raw, vegan and gluten free and asked if they felt good about that. Brown Bear replied, "NO! All I've got for supper is a bowl of vegetables!" There was also sourdough buns on the side before anyone feels too sorry for him! (AND he has free reign in the kitchen to make himself more food or different food.)

I've done a raw diet before and there were some things about it that I didn't like... namely raw onions and raw garlic. Last night I cooked the onions and added them to my tomato sauce. The tomato sauce came out of a can so obviously it wasn't raw, but all the shredded veggies under it were only warm- not cooked.

It was really good and a lot more filling than you would expect.

Well, it's a new month!

And it doesn't matter what any furry, weather predicting rodent says- there is going to be six more weeks of winter and then some.

I don't exactly have cabin fever because I leave the 'cabin' most days, but I think I probably do have the mid-winter blues.

In an effort to combat the blues I'm organizing my craft supplies and making some cards our of scraps and supplies that I have on hand. While I was out today doing 15% off day at the grocery store I stopped at Micheal's on the way home. I got a very large, black stamp pad. It was not frugal, but it was exactly what I wanted and I'm glad that I got it.

The other thing I'm doing is eating all the vegetables that I want. Tonight we are having shredded vegetables with pasta sauce and gluten free sourdough garlic buns. I just really want it and the rest of the family either has to eat what I want or make their own. I gave them fair warning and they decided they didn't want meat badly enough to cook it for themselves.


I'm hanging around Split Coast Stampers and Fat Free Vegan recipes for inspiration. :-)

I've come to the realization...

that I don't cook. I used to think that I made quite a bit. We weren't eating take out and we were getting fed... so I must have been cooking the food.

So here is the the question- if you have dumped a bag of macaroni into the pot and dumped a jar of sauce into another pot have you cooked a meal? Sometimes I would heat up a loaf of pre- buttered garlic bread, too. Not always and I did make quite a bit of our bread and baking, but certainly not 100%.

I don't think I'm the only one, either. I think I am of a generation of people that think they can cook, but really only know how to open a can.

I realize this might sound insulting and I don't mean to be insulting, but just consider what I'm saying for a moment. Go to your pantry and count how many cans and boxes there are.

Until we started eating gluten free food I thought I was preparing quite a bit myself- I would have said 75% or more. Now I know I'm preparing 75% or more.

I am still using canned corn and tomato sauce, but all of our other vegetables are fresh. I am now making all my own flour and cornmeal. Most of our meat is wild or organic, but we are still eating a little boneless skinless chicken breast- maybe two or three times a month. I use one chicken breast per meal.

It makes me vaguely queasy when I reach into a bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It's not really natural, is it? Where are the skin and bones? Where is the REST of the chicken? Of course- I'm like everyone! I don't want to eat the fatty skin! No one wants to eat the fatty skin!

So if I thought it was work before to feed the family it is certainly work now. Everything takes a great deal of planning and forethought. If I want to make bread or something with flour I have make sure that I have the flour or make the flour. The beans have to be soaked and cooked (no more canned beans!) The grains might need to be soaked or toasted and they might need an hour to cook. They might not, depending on the grain, but they might!

I used to be able to cook a meal from start to finish in 20-30 minutes, but now I'm happy if my prep time is 20-30 minutes. Cooking real food takes real time.

I can see how we ended up in this situation because it is a lot of work to have a full time job and still prepare a family's meals from basic ingredients. Working women demanded that life get easier and food manufacturers listened. Perhaps they listened a little too well...

Clean up day

We took a LOT of stuff to Value Village this morning and did the recycling.

It is amazing how clearing out the junk from each room can make such a difference. The house is a lot easier to keep clean and enjoy with there is less stuff in it.

And now a recipe because you are probably hungry for something gluten free!

A basic, but versatile batter

1 cup of stone ground brown rice flour
1/2 cup of stone ground corn meal
2 cups of soy milk + 2 tbsp of lemon juice

Whisk the flour and cornmeal together and add the soymilk and lemon juice mix. Whisk until it is all mixed together.

Since it is gluten free there is no possible way to overmix this. Stirring will only improve it. It will keep in the refrigerator at overnight and probably longer.

This is enough batter to make onion rings from two onions. You can also mix grated vegetables together and make veggie fritters OR if you stir apple chunks into it and fry it you can make an acceptable apple fritter substitute. I sprinkled cinnamon sugar on my apple fritters.

You could probably make this with any milk or flour, but I never have so won't tell you that you can. Sometimes a little comfort food goes a long way when you are living in a gluten free world!

It is just that kind of week...

I thought things were looking up when THREE maintenance men were at my door before 9:00 am to fix the plumbing and stove. Now- I haven't had a working oven in a year and I don't really care. I've done just fine without it. All day they had one person after another trying to figure out what could be wrong.

At 4:00 they replace my stove with one from another unit. The one they brought was MUCH cleaner than the one they took away. Okay- so I'm not much of a housekeeper. It didn't work and I didn't clean it. My mother doesn't know about this blog... and you can be sure there is not a year old french fry in the drawer under HER oven... :-)

So- just in time for supper. It was pretty exciting stuff. We turned on the little button and WOW! There is a LIGHT inside the oven. I guess that is so you can see how clean it is.

That is when things started to fall apart, blog fans! The large, back burner doesn't work. Okay, maybe (MAYBE!) I could deal if a small back burner doesn't work, but not the large one! I *NEED* all the burners so this is a CRISIS. A crisis. I was better off before they 'helped' me and that is the way it usually goes in my life so I wasn't one bit surprised.

This morning the power went off for an hour so that was pretty dramatic. It was -27 C outside so we wrapped up in blankets and tried to get friendly with the furry dog. We did find out that dh didn't have the correct medication in the emergency kit, though. Don't I always tell you to inventory your emergency kit every three months because a lot can happen in three months!

Tomorrow is another day... and hopefully a nice, quiet, warm day...

I'm tired of this winter thing now...

You might think that I'm kidding, but I'm not!

I fell last week *AND* the week before and now I'm a whiny painful lump. I do have a rather small, but spectacular bruise on my upper arm, though, as proof of my inability to walk on ice!

This morning I demanded that my husband end winter. He did not comply. He gently reminded me that winter is at least half over (HA!) and I just had to make it through February. My sister, Jam-Jam is coming in February so that should help pass the month, but I don't think I'm going to make it through long, cold, dark January first.

Ick.

Well I've had a busy week!

First I was working, then my bulk order came in, then the annual suite inspection notice came THEN yesterday I feel on the ice as I was walking home. Tonight is my last night then I have the weekend off and I'm going to lie quietly and recover from it all.

The good news is that I've got a large stock of food (AND 50 lbs of popcorn for snacks...), I passed the inspection yesterday AND the house is still mostly clean.

The kids were a big help and I've told them that I think it should be pretty easy to keep it up if they all help to maintain it.

There is so much food in the house we can't decide what to cook so half the time we end up eat fruit and nuts and or seeds. :-) I'm going to start trying some new things with stone ground cornmeal, though, so maybe I'll have something to report on that soon.

Trying new things

I found a cook book on Sunshine's book shelf- Extending the Table- recipes and stories from Argentina to Zambia in the spirit of More with Less, by Joetta Handrich Schlabach.

I bought this cookbook TWO years ago... and I don't think I've ever used it. I didn't use it because I couldn't find it and it didn't occur to me that she would have it. Anyway!

It is full of wonderful, cheap meals and stories from other countries (which would be wonderful on a country day or in a unit study...)

I learned that if you take corn tortilla shells and heat them up in a dry cast iron pan that they get soft and really tasty. They get soft enough that you can fold them into a quesadilla or to serve for people to make their own tacos. This is HUGE at our house because we are missing wraps.

I never would have found that out, though, if I hadn't opened the new book and read the whole thing and tried some of the ideas that I found. I think that is really the best way to be frugal - try new things!

The treadmill is fixed!

YAY! I walk to and from work most days and it is pretty safe to say that I walk a minimum of about 10 kms/ week so I thought my fitness level wouldn't slip TOO much. HOLY COW - did I embarrass myself. Good thing dh was the only one to see me ...

I did a heart rate interval program... After 10 minutes it automatically shut off because my heart rate was too high and I was at risk of a heart attack. :-/ I wasn't really at risk! Come on! I'm young! I can do 165 bpm no problem!

I reset and did 2 kms uphill- not a lot, but I burned 246 calories so that isn't bad for 20 minutes.

I'm a lot calmer and more relaxed... well... TIRED... so that is good. I'm going to keep exercising because it could save a life... you know... dh's maybe! :-)

January... the longest, coldest, most depressing month of the year...

Why can't there be a stat holiday in the middle of January. We could really use some New Year festivities about 3-4 weeks after Christmas, don't you think?

It's been warmer for a couple days, but it generally isn't a cause for local celebration. School buses are cancelled and people stay home because it's icy.

I've sat here for a while trying to think of something cheery... but no... I've got nothing.

January is cold, gray and depressing.

The great thing about decluttering...

is that you find things! I found a couple inspirational CDs that I don't think I've listened two more than once. The other thing I found was an envelope full of receipts. Is THIS the $500 in receipts that I think I submitted in the the fall? =8-o Whoops!

You wouldn't think a person could lose $500... but there it is. I did.

Decluttering helps you get down to the things that you really need and want. You don't have to re-buy things you've lost.

I like the show Hoarders. Apparently hoarding is increasing because people are unwilling to let go of things if they don't have money to buy more. Of course hoarding is a mental illness and a much further extreme than most of us would ever go to, BUT... it all starts somewhere.

The state of a person's home reflects what is going on in their lives and in their minds. When times are tough it is not the time to start keeping things - it is time to start sharing.

Supporting the Local Economy...

Well holidays are over and it is back to homeschool! January is always the time that I do a skills check and kick things up a notch.

Brown Bear needs to work on writing and spelling and Schmidt needs to work on math. It is a bit of a mutiny every morning, but that is okay. I don't expect anyone to enjoy the subjects they aren't good in - they just have to DO them. I just heard homeschool moms all over North America go, "Ohhhhhh... :-("

TRUST ME- when they get to be teenagers they might not like it AND they still have to do it. :-)

So we walked down to the homeschool store and looked around. A new book never hurts. ;-P Brown Bear sat on the floor of the store and read it for about 10 minutes so he's probably going to remain interested in it.

Then we went to the quirky new and used bookstore across the street and Sunshine got a couple classics. They have two comfy couches and a wide array of interesting (and sometimes strange) merchandaise.

THEN we went to the caring shop and looked around. The caring shop has traditional art and crafts made by local native elders. 90% of the proceeds go to the artists. Sunshine bought three pieces of jewellery and is quietly making plans to go back and buy more some other day.

We are blessed with a vibrant downtown and we support local businesses as much as we can. It is a good time to look after your neighbours. :-)

If ever there were a job that needed a union...

It's motherhood! Boy, is my family lucky there isn't a union because the union rep in my head is yelling STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!

The boys thought that maybe something was wrong this morning when I left in the middle of school, this morning, with a LOOK in my eye. Dh thought something was wrong when he came home and the bedroom door was locked. Sunshine knew something was wrong and offered to sit with me and make tea. :-)

6 hours later if you asked the men in this house what the problem was I'm pretty sure they don't know, but the boys did go clean the basement. I suspected that their father passed on the Ancient Wisdom of Men - "I don't know what the heck is wrong with her, but if you clean your room and stay out of her way it will probably blow over! :-) "

Sigh...

Grandma Olive

There are people in the world that think I'm a little bit frugal. They didn't know my Grandma Olive. Grandma lived through the Great Depression (if ever an era was more aptly named I don't know about it!) and was always poised for another one.

The thing about my Grandma is she was raised on a farm and knew how to do things. *I* was raised in the 70's. We did do a little gardening and my mom did bake bread and make soup, but I never realized until I was in my twenties that maybe mushroom soup didn't have to come out of a red and white can.

I still have these little moments where I realize I don't know how to do things! I've just learned how to pop popcorn on the stove AND convert those popcorn kernels into cornmeal. Honestly! Cornmeal is just ground, dried corn. Why in the world would I pay money for that?!

Since we've gone gluten free I've started thinking about food as being broken down into it's most basic parts. Food is a lot simpler at my house because it takes longer to prepare. Most of the time I don't eat meat (if I'm serving it) but I'm not a restaurant. There might be a couple choices, but they are basic choices.

Which brings me back to - why would I pay money for cornmeal? Or rice flour? Or microwave popcorn? I can tell you now that I am never going to be as frugal as Grandma Olive was... but I'm never going to go back to buying common things, either.

Thoughts on credit cards and all their tricky ways...

Okay - everyone who knows me knows that I have, in the past called Visa the Thieving Rat Bastards Visa. I'm a little more mature now. If they are thieves then I gave them the key to my house and told them where all my money was. They put the credit card application in my hand, but they didn't take it out of the wallet for me. Granted I had help... a lot of HELP from dh, but that isn't Visa's fault either.

But let's talk about their tricky ways...

The interest rate- 6 months ago I phoned them and asked for a credit card that was lower in interest. They did indeed have one for people with a 'small balance' of $20,000 or less. (Holy Cats, Batman!) The interest rate was half and the minimum payment was 2/3. You don't have to be a math genius to figure out that they don't EVER want you to pay off the balance. I did get the lower interest credit card. There is a $20 annual fee and no rewards. I can buy my own rewards with what I'm saving in interest!

The payment holiday- if you start to pay more than usual they 'reward' you with a payment holiday. Don't worry, that interest payment will still be there for you next month. :-)

The minimum payment- when you pay more than usual the minimum payment drops. Of course you've paid off some of your debt so your interest payment has dropped. If they wanted you to pay it off (EVER) they would leave the minimum payment alone while the interest rate dropped. The difference between my interest payment and minimum payment is $10. TEN DOLLARS. It would only take 78 years to pay it off... what a deal!

The payment due date- Have you noticed that your utility bills are often due on the same day every month. Mine are, anyway! Perhaps Visa hopes you will lose track and they will have to charge you a late payment fee *and* more interest.

The credit limit- When you start paying off debt your credit limit suddenly rises. Is it because you are such a good customer and you have such a good credit rating? That nice feeling you have... that is your ego being stroked. You aren't a good customer. You are a BAD customer and that is why they don't want to lose you.

Advertisements- There advertisements on the bill that encourage you to use credit. Be sure to use your credit card on your vacation. Be sure to check out our credit rewards.

Cash advances- So it's not QUITE a payday loan. But come on! What do you need so badly that you would take a cash advance on your credit card for it?! =8-o

Visa cheques- They mail cheques right to your house and encourage you use them for renovation, vehicle or home down payment. Home down payment... the only house you will be buying is a house of cards. :-)

So, yes, they are thieves... but *I* handed them the weapon and now I'm handing over my money one payment at a time.

The cushion

What I've discovered is that I like a nice, fat cushion. The cushion is my term for the money that is left in the bank at the end of the month before your paycheque electronically flies into your account.

The absolute thinnest cushion that I can handle is equal to one month's rent. The money for the rent HAS to be in the account before I get paid. It absolutely MUST because my cheque is not enough to cover the rent and I can't ever have a day where I'm not POSITIVE that I can make the rent.

I am working on building that back up to one month's rent and bills and enough food in the house for a couple months. This is really where the bare minimum should be. A comfortable place for me is three months rent and expenses. (This does not include other, long term savings and retirement money)

Plenty of people have said to me in the last year that they don't have an emergency fund and they can't afford to save for one. I say you can't afford NOT to save for one. Dh did get EI, but it took EI twelve weeks to send him a first cheque. If we hadn't had that money in the bank we would have been homeless. We did have more than we needed in the bank because I was working, but my income only covers about half of our expenses. We really were living on savings for three months.

If your family only has a single income or you are self employed or have seasonal employment then you *NEED* a very fat cushion for times when there is no work. The only money you can count on is already in your bank account- not in future earnings, property, investments or government assisstance.

Balance- a thought for the New Year.

I decided this afternoon that my word for the year is going to be "Balance" The last two years it was "Joy." The second year of trying "Joy" didn't work out so well- though to be fair to "Joy" it was a tough year.

I figure that I probably don't need joy - I probably need balance. This is something I have always struggled with. The sad fact is that I was raised in an all or nothing kind of way and that is how I have always lived.

The fact is that we are probably going to be paying off this debt for another couple of years and the kids will probably all be gone in 3 years. Is this how I really want life to be? I'm not so sure!

I'm going to try a monthly debt repayment of $15% and savings of 10%. I am only including my income and dh's EI (or hopefully future income) not CTB (Child tax benefit), Working family whatever rebate that comes twice a year or rent that I get from the girls. I can not count on those as 'income' and was caught in the summer when my CTB dropped by 3/4. I plan to continue putting any extra money like income tax refund and school refund against the debt.

The 'extra' money should provide a little cushion each month and allow for some fun. I told the boys that they should think of something fun that we could do this month. They are sort of out of practice, I think... It probably helps that everyone we know is in the same boat and broke. They don't feel like it is just US. Oh, yeah, and I raised the food budget to $700. You know what is fun for me? Having enough food in the house! I'll be able to do it for less in a couple months or so, but in January vegetables are just more expensive and there is nothing I can do about it.

I am going to order a Good Food Box for next month and see if they are better shoppers than I am. I have had good feedback about them in other communities, but fresh things are expensive, here, so the amount a person can get for $15 is a lot less.

Now to switch gears back to debt!

My goals for last year were:

1. Graduate both girls in 2009 - Done! In fact, I placed my hand gently on Sunshine's head this week and declared her graduated. Without the official *bop* from mom you are still a student.

2. Pay off the Am. Ex.- Done! Between Am.Ex., Direct Energy and Chrysler Finance we paid off about $15,000 in debt this year.

3. Save for the Olympics- Done, but decided to be an adult and NOT take the time off work. Part of being a responsible adult is giving up your lifelong dream of going to the Olympics and working on your other lifelong dream of being debt free. My sister, Jam-tastic is coming to stay with me for a week so we can watch it on TV.

Goals for 2010

1. Pay off the Visa ($9363 and change.) I can probably do it, but not with a 15% debt repayment schedule if dh doesn't have a job.

2. To save as much as I can every month - with 10% as a goal. Any savings are good savings, though! I want to make it a fixed expense.

3. Improve my fitness level. As a broad goal ... to be able to run 3 kms and do 5 kms in about 35 minutes or less.

So that is how things are shaping up for me in the new year- well balanced... :-)