One More Point for MY Team!

Dear Jenny. Yes YOU. Smack-talker to emotional pregnant women;-)
Or namely one.
-Pregnant woman that is.
OK... me. I'm the emotional pregnant woman since you had to ask!

No one in my family has died of sugar yet (I realize there's still time), and I also realize that quality of life due to eating chocolate and sipping Java Chip Frappaccino's and mocha's has an actual duration of one to three hours at best. It's a very NICE three hours, but suffice to say the long-range effects are not the ones I experience in that time period. I admit it. I know the truth, and STILL... I eat sugar, hydrogenated cream, and caffeine. Not only that, but I unblushingly own that I like my Safeway Rocky Road ice cream and will probably continue to eat it (just ask Courtney or Heather).

However... That being said, I am extremely desirous of feeling better, less tired, achy, and grouchy. A combination of things provoke these tendencies perhaps, but I know what I should do, and that is the hard thing.
How come the right thing is usually the hard thing?
Anyway... I digress. There is a personal war here I think many can relate to, and I know that in the joking and grinning we cringe at our own lost battles, and sympathize with the failings of our dear sisters as well.
I cheer for their efforts.
I cry for their losses.
I understand their determination.
I believe in their reasons.
All for the glory of the Lord God as we strive to honor Him with every lovely thing He has blessed us with.
And I raise my overflowing cup with joy and laughter, knowing He WILL be glorified in us as we seek Him over everything else!
-Even if that cup is filled with mocha;-)

That being said, I would LOVE for each to share their victories with ME. I need more practical help - even though I've done this (being pregnant, tired, and emotional) a couple times before.
So tell me, Jenny... how did YOU get through tired groggy pregnancies with grace and mercy?
Tell me Carri...
Tell me Jess...
Tell me Mother Hen...
Tell me Courtney........
How? What? Tell me more...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... . . . ... ... . .. . . .. .. . ..................................

Today I had the most lovely surprise! My sister Molly and her husband Nick dropped in for an afternoon of visiting with their new pup Cali. What a delight! We sat on the porch under the Wisteria and Roses sipping tea and watching children run wild in the yard.
Later in the afternoon we were joined by my Brother Charlie and his family (including two more dogs) and the porch chairs filled, and the yard became even more wild (in a delightful sort of way). Charlie's family and my friend Diane joined us for dinner this evening, which is where I get the point of my post title. The children and I made a Chinese dinner for "school" today since we have been learning a tiny bit about that country, and that included dessert (not actually Chinese that I know of) which was a Coconut milk Custard.
There.
That's what this post was to be about: that custard-that-wasn't-Chinese-but-was-made-for-the-Chinese-dinner-we-did-for-school-etc-etc-etc...
Anyway, the dinner turned out lovely. Edible anyways, and the Coconut dessert we could take or leave, BUT here is the point. Yes "THE" point: IF you like custard, this was a very high protein low sugar dilly that even Jenny would have no need to alter.
The recipe here as follows:

Coconut Milk Custard

Ingredients:

• 5 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons of honey (or 1/3 cup rapadura or sugar if you're not into honey)
• 1 cup coconut milk*
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Options: add a little cinnamon or nutmeg during or after baking. My photo shows a dusting of cinnamon but I usually skip this and let the natural coconut flavor prevail.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place rack in center of oven. Beat eggs, honey, and coconut milk until frothy. A stick blender works perfectly fine as well.

Pour mixture into 8" by 8" baking dish or individual ramekins/containers. Place in larger pan filled with hot water. Water should be halfway up the sides of baking dish. Bake 30-45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake. If serving hot, spoon into dishes; if serving cold, allow mixture to cool before cutting into squares.

Notes from me:
*It was an easy recipe to make.
*We used Honey.
*I doubled it for my family size since four servings wasn't going to cut it!
*AND I was pleased that this is one more high protein food for Carolina and myself because of all the eggs! How cool is that?
So in the interest of preserving my friendship with Miss Jenny in Colorado, I scored me a point today making a healthy-ish treat for my family. Don't you think I earned it?!

Love you Jenny!

To Clear Up Any Misunderstanding...

Clearly some of my recent commenter's are confused about why I bake.
It just so happens that I bake for my pleasure in EATING what I make, but if it would make you feel better, I can move the first ingredient "3 Cups of sugar" down to the bottom of the list where it's less obtrusive.

Now. I know that one can bake richly healthy, (supposedly) satisfying, sweet, and perhaps chocolaty (assuming you don't try to substitute carob) (!) concoctions all while being conscious of ones length and quality of life. But... I ask, what is duration of life without quality? As my husband regularly reminds me:

"You're going to die of SOMETHING..."

So apropos (if lacking finesse).
But if you insist, there's always THIS option: Several spadefuls of rich garden soil mixed liberally with water. It's low carb, low cal, AND high in minerals.












(beware though - it is rather... um. "BLACK" Says Sue)

If you prefer a more classic style recipe, try a few pinches of (organic) grass clippings in your water.


















The trick here is to use only pure, unchlorinated well water. It can be very hard to get, so good luck!
Pour into a recycled Strauss Family yogurt container (only the best!) and VIOLA!
*consume at your own risk.

Now you can't say I'm not conscientious of my cooking. My girls can concoct and whip up these treats in a flash! I must be doing SOMETHING right ;-P

Scrumptious!

I must be pregnant because I find myself craving those things I eat only once in a blue moon.
Things such as... Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread! I tasted my first bite at Great Harvest Bread co. but at seven dollars a loaf, I thought I might find a recipe that would satisfy my taste buds for less.
I was right.
So if you like a very moist chocolaty bread (more of a cake really - though I think "bread" sounds much healthier, and you know? It does have squash in it. And eggs... I think it might just BE healthy!), than you had better get out your mixer and bread tins.

CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN BREAD

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon }I omitted the cinnamon and nutmeg
  
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips }I used two or possibly three times as much, and regular size chocolate chips.
  
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) }I omitted the nuts too.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 1 pound size coffee cans, or three 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Fill cans 1/2 to 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from cans or pans.

Yummmmmm!!!!!!!!! We nibbled away at ours mercilessly until the picture you see is all that was left to photograph:-)
I thought this recipe was equal to the Great Harvest bread I love. It was very moist. Omitting the spices kept it from having a "seasonal" taste, but if you love cinnamon and nutmeg, by all means throw them in!
(Don't forget the extra chocolate though - if a little is good then a LOT is even better!) ;-P

Thank you LORD!

Girlie-Bugs

It's Raining Today...

It's raining today
The sky is gray
The light is dim
The colors muted...

It's raining today
Weather matches my mood
Emotions expressing themselves in wet saltiness
Swollen eyes...









It's raining today
Hear the music in my head
Hushed calm in the house
Turn my eyes outward...

Out...
Outside the window
Outside myself
Out where the water refreshes the earth

The roses look up
The leaves look up
All bend under the weight
And my heart looks up...













Weight of sorrow
Weight of hope
Weight of knowledge (or lack thereof)
Weight of droplets round and clear

The scene transfixes me
Pulling
Tugging
Drawing me out...









I look closer
And closer still
The water gathering
Gathering in pools, puddles, drops...









Takes me deeper to see
The reflections,
The light...
Hope













What first appeared as gray sadness is now seen in
Upside down
Dancing
Color...









My heart leaps!
joy?
Hope?
Ahhh... peace.

The earth rejoices in the rain
It knows
The heavy wetness
Brings growth

It's raining today... And that's good.

I will be content...
To let it rain.


(for you, my dearest Mother... with love, Analene)

And They FIT!

I am super excited! It's only taken me six babies to figure out how to dress myself when I'm bulging at the seams.
Actually I haven't figured it out, but have been finding some things that work for me.

First of all, I am a jeans an T-shirt kind of gal. They are basic pieces that are comfortable and affordable and don't need special laundering or ironing. (Is that considered prudent or lazy?)
I discovered that one can often find better options when NOT looking in the maternity section!

For instance... I was at Target the other day and was thrilled to find a handful of colored T-shirts in the women's section that were very long (Specifically the Mossimo brand). Granted that's the style now, but I want to stock up because those long T-shirts look and feel much nicer to me than the tents in the maternity section!
Not only that, but I can wear them going UP in size and coming back DOWN after the baby is born.

I also found a pair of pants I love at TJ Maxx and want you pregnant gals (who wear pants) to take a look at this site where I found them in another color, because they are not maternity pants either, but are very comfortable and that Bella Band I bought makes up for the low ride. (By the way, that low riding elastic is what makes these work for a growing belly.)


So if you are in need of shirts that cover the belly, Target is the place today - AND at the tune of six to eight dollars a pop. I wore one today, with a long tank top for an under layer (also extra long and found at Target) and love love loved it!
I'm so happy:-)

Seasonal Allergies... O' Glorious Spring!

Such is the price one pays for living where everything grows so happily. I hadn't forgotten exactly, but lets say I am remembering in full force the effects of blooming grass and trees.
My nose is a little raw from non-stop dripping and that's the pits, but the itchy eyes, nose, and throat, along with wheezy, rasping breaths make me truly sorry for sufferers of asthma and other maladies.
There is nothing like the Northern California Springtime though, so I thought the Smiths, Tjaden's, and our other far-away friends might like to see the home we were grown from. We've been wishing you each were here to share it with:-)

This is a drive-by shooting of our last (and very beloved) little home. We stopped in and met the new folks and I am secretly happy to say that they bought the "to-do" list that came with that house and three and a half acres, and it turns out that they are about as "fast" at checking things off it as we were!




































The Sacramento River























This is part of the drive between our place and town. Always been a favorite drive to take along the foothills even before we moved out there. I grew up at the edge of land like this and I love it! I am afraid it's true... I'm a valley girl;-)

Looky Here!

It was a very hormonal, emotional, seasonal allergy day for this woman. I felt that the tear quota was extremely low considering the supply I know I had at the ready!

However.....
This made my heart sing!

Carolina is over seventeen months old, but she is trying with all her might to catch up! This standing up in the crib feat was a long-awaited first, and I can actually grin when I say I doubt there will be much sleeping going on in this bed from now on!!!
That's too bad (tongue in my cheek) ;-P

Way to go baby girl!!

How Come No One Told Me?

I read the pregnancy books.

I threw them out after my first was born.

There are still things I refer to in books, but usually leaning toward baby names (although the list doesn't seem to have changed every time I check) and not so much toward the "how many pounds you should expect to gain" books. I have enough experience at this point to know how many pounds I should expect to gain;-)

You know... there are a LOT of things those pregnancy books don't tell you. Like how important chocolate and coffee are to the growth of your... um... morale! And any woman who's been pregnant will readily agree how important it is to measure the growth of your joy!!

I am not an avid coffee drinker, but I have been known to rely on a jolt of caffeine now and again (such as while cooking dinner with little ones under foot. Caffeine is more desirable than toothpicks to keep your eyelids open) but chocolate, (Safeway Rocky Road ice cream specifically) now that is a staple of an Analene pregnancy (hence the desire to steer clear of pound-counting literature)!

So far my children's brains seem to be fairly normal and the rest of their functions... function. So I assume that a certain amount of chocolate and coffee is probably good for the baby as well.
You know what they say "Whatever makes momma happy, makes the whole family happier!"
(or something like that)
;-)