Spending Sunday in the Kitchen

This was such a lovely day.

We decided that Sundays should be spent in the kitchen and we will make pancakes for breakfast, snack plates for lunch and something sweet for the week- today we have been trying to get to these... meringues.

J-cakes learned to finger crochet today. She picked it up so very quickly.

G-pie cleaned the tea kettle.

C-dough made his lunch.

As did J-cakes.

C-dough took out the trash!

We played with egg yolks.

We mixed egg whites.

And added sugar & food coloring.

And tasted it.

And squirted it.

And exploded it. (Science experiment in the microwave gone awry. Tense moments with egg everywhere!)

After hours of wiping down (and behind & underneath) appliances, scrubbing cupboard fronts (love how C-dough calls them "covereds" just like G-pie used to!), unloading, re-loading, un-loading and re-loading the dishwasher, clearing the clutter from the counters, cleaning the teapot and the coffeepot- with a couple breaks for dance parties, hanging our "prayer rags"...

He put on the Scooby footies and fell fast asleep!

An organized schedule

Calendars are cool. It gives me great hope to fill up a calendar with all the exciting things I am going to share with my family and friends. I use Google Calendar for all my various hats, and this allows me to view everything in one place or hide the stuff that clutters up my schedule and add on the go using my phone. You can even have your Facebook Events feed into your Google calendar.  And the color coding... it's enough to make me get up early to start filling in the rainbow!

But yesterday it occurred to me that my frustration with having to remind my family and rush around when I thought they already knew what the plan for the day was... so I re-purposed an old white board. Step 1- let the middles play with it to their hearts' content. We drew and colored and cleaned and re-cleaned together for over an hour. Then set it aside to get snack and clean up a bit.

These Dry Erase Crayons from Crayola are really great and make it easy to color code. They don't wipe off when the side of your hand touches the things you have already written. And they DO wipe off easily when it is time, no matter how long the writing has been there.

A little hand sanitizer works best if it becomes a murky- the special cloth that comes with it is black, so it can tend to leave dark smudges on any sticky parts.

Step 2 was applying tape in a perfect grid. I gave G-pie the dimensions and asked her to do the math for me since my brain is fuzz, while I nursed may. She got it right (I didn't bother checking, just started doing and was very pleased to see how well proportioned it was!!

G-pie also filled in the dates and special occasions for me- then I got to work adding in all the classes, field trips, playdates, book launch parties, meetings, museum tours, park days and other adventures we have coming up.

It took almost all day with all the serious doll playing, dish doing, dinosaur imitating, diaper changing, and of course the costume creating (we actually have all 3 of the kids ready with full costumes- yes, yes we do!!)...

But I am please to report there is now a huge calendar for all to see where we need to be and when... now to get those who can read to look at it and teach those who can't to read! Then add it all into the appropriate Google Calendars, write it in my cute little organizer, update www.learningbarefoot.com and THEN I can relax and never miss anything again! =)

Oh and get Sugar Daddy to actually hang it... this was just a test.

How do you manage your family's time. Digital or in real world? Does it work? Do you feel like a cruise director?

Doing Pinterest

Yesterday we made the DIY Bracelets that we had discovered on Pinterest. G-pie had noticed we had a lot of projects pinned and none done. So after doing the menu board, I created my "completed projects" board and have been inspired to do more (so I can fill that board on Pinterest, LOL!)... so many creative and crafty ideas.

G-pie made the bottom one for her Grandma's 60th birthday gift, while J-cakes and I made the top one, also for Grandma. Then we decided to make this tasty Kiss Gloss as a party favor for the fun celebration we shared with the family.

We made cinnamon flavor. It has a bit of a zing. But the candy melts and paraffin wax give it a nice consistency- it is super easy to make...


We used red candy melts, household paraffin wax, petroleum jelly and cinnamon candy flavoring. Along with the coconut oil, a baggie, a bowl of hot water and 9 sterilized bead containers from the craft store. We doubled the recipe given on Brooke's blog, http://www.cheekykitchen.com/, and next time I would probably cut down the cinnamon flavor. We have plenty left to try out the cherry and peppermint flavors that came with the set of oil based candy flavorings. I would love to try and make this a more natural gloss- replace the paraffin & vaseline with cocoa butter perhaps, and the artificial flavors with natural essential oils.

For this project I did finally get around to opening the new coconut oil that Tropical Traditions sent- and I also used it to make eggs yesterday morning (and to to rub down the potatoes and yams for baking for last night's dinner party). I am only comparing it to the other one I have tried, which we ordered from www.azurestandard.com, from Wilderness Family Naturals.

Both are certified organic- I really need to do some research on the differences in extraction methods- the Tropical Traditions sounds better

"...the pure coconut water from inside the coconut is used to extract the coconut milk using traditional methods. Small scale family businesses [in the Phillipines] produce this oil in small batches, taking great care and pride in their work."

The Wilderness Family Naturals on the other hand is "mechanically expressed without the use of solvents or chemicals and 'super cleaned' using hot water and steam."

For dinner we grilled Tri-tip, fully loaded the baked potatoes, which turned out perfect- the skins were softer than when I have baked potatoes rubbed with other types of oil or fat. The coconut oil worked splendidly. It was also a good choice for the yams- which were terrific with a tiny bit of butter. We also had sour dough bread and a Spring Berry Herb & Feta Salad with TJ's Rosemary Pecans and TJ's Champagne Vinaigrette- wish I had taken a picture of it.

The family enjoyed the evening and my MIL seemed to appreciate the celebration. and look at the dessert my equally creative SIL brought... Sprinkles Cupcakes and cake pops, brownie bites, chocolate dipped marshmallows, Champagne- oh and ice cream from a place in Santa Barbara where the boys and their mom used to stop on road trips.

An abundance of delight and decadence!

crossroads for this mystic

Day 7 of my no'poo attempt, day 2 of my commitment to meditation.

Wow the spirit really moves when you just get out of the way and let it.

My life is never dull (although my hair is right now)! I have been in negotiations with a local school of metaphysical teachings that could provide a new location for a little part of the S.C.H.O.O.L. I started building last spring.

On the flipside, the opportunities involved with the School of Multidimensional Healing Arts and Sciences have their own merit. Perhaps the living of a dream. To be involved in the ascension of the spirit, to connect others who can help each other. Establishing an educational option that is unique and cohesive yet rare and inclusive.

At Unity of Tustin I have found a sacred space. It calls to me, I am compelled to seek my future at this place.

This week includes many opportunities to experience spirit and engage in service to the greater good. I eagerly await the aha moments and synchronicities that will no doubt occur. From the Star Children meeting to the Next Generation Unity Visioning- I see so much potential.

Authenticity.

"...whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things." Philippians 4:8

The power of positive thinking... "the Secret"... the Pollyana principle... new age philosophy... call it whatever you will, it means that humans NEED to see something beyond the (largely physical) first world problems that occupy our conscious minds.

When I was a Bible banger, Philippians was my favorite book of the new testament. Short, to the point, personal and REAL- Peter's letter even addressed an agelessly common problem, by calling out Euodia & Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.

Women.

Why can't we all just get along? (Did you know that is not the actual Rodney King quote- just a Mean Girls interpretation?) What is it that causes us to personally battle each other on things that are not true, worthy of respect, just, pure, lovely.... blah, blah, blah- YKWIM, right? 


The funny part is we all feel that way.

We don't want to disagree, we don't really think that our point of view is untrue, unworthy of respect, unjust, impure, unlovely- but we just can't see past our own shame, fear or pride to connect with the other woman's sense of self. Our own sense of self inflates our image, incites our ego and evokes impressive excuses as to why our POV is more rational, more excellent or more praiseworthy.

Today I visited a Christian based religious organization... yesterday I was entranced by a pagan homeschooling mama blog- can I even reconcile my own life with my belief system? Do I make any sense at all, if taken in my entirety or am I just a paradox of peculiar interests and interesting peculiarities? 

Well, whatever... is true.

Cheese Please

When my hubby and I first got married, we loved having other couples over for dinner. I fancied myself a good cook, after summers spent with my grandmother learning the craft. Sometimes my brialliance shone, other times people were polite. Like the Sesame Turkey Ham incident.

But a favorite that I hit upon early which always pleased my husband (and even his funny friend who had to endure the Sesame Turkey Ham) was Cheesy Chili & Chicken Cornbread Casserole. Nearly 13 years later as fall starts to come on, the darling man starts asking for this hearty, heavy, heavenly hash.

2 packages refrigerated corn bread dough (it comes perforated to make cornbread sticks)
1 can Stag Chicken Chili
1 can Stag Green Pepper Chili
2 cups Colby Jack, Shredded
1 can Swanson Chicken Breast

In a round casserole dish (I use Pampered Chef's deep dish baker) arrange most of one package of cornbread strips to cover the bottom, pressing seams together. Bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes, until just done. Meanwhile warm the cans of chili together in a saucepan. Sprinkle half a cup or so of the shredded cheese over cornbread, pour half the chili over that and then crumble the chicken meat on top of the chili.

Cover the chicken with about half a cup more of the shredded cheese and pour the rest of the chili over that, then- you guessed it- more shredded cheese! Use the second package of cornbread strips to create a latticed top. Bake 25- 30 minutes more. Serve with sour cream, diced onions and extra cheese.

That's the cheesiest post I could come up with.

Prompted by Sunday Scribblings, topic today: "Cheese".
If you are reading this on Facebook, click on "View Original Post" to see my blog's new fall makeover!

Sunday Scribblings

Hungry!

I hunger for focus. I have always been filled with ideas, inspiration, start-ups, springboards- I am a beginner. I love the fresh sparks of something I have imagined can be. It thrills me to plan, propose my intent, fill pages with lists and snippets about the fabulous and original concept I have created.

Then the real work begins.

Something stalls me. Real life gets in the way and I find myself losing a grip on my purpose. It slips through my fingers like sands in the hourglass.

It's like being hungry and imagining a gourmet meal and what it will be like when I eat- the table setting, the mood lighting, the company I will have, the music that will play. I write the menu and the grocery list, I compare recipes, I tell all my friends and family about it. Then I start to have analysis paralysis as I try to choose a cuisine. I hop around, trying to adjust the setting, the lighting, and guest list- and I wear myself out.

Then on the way to the store, I am so hungry I swing through the drive-thru and pick up a cheeseburger with fries- because I simply must eat! All my visions fade as the kids clamor for their "happy" meals and I lose the momentum, the dinner party is delayed- sometimes repeatedly and finally it is lost amidst the adventures of living barefoot.

I hunger for focus- a single, sensational, clarifying, clear headed path to follow on my journey.

[prompted by http://sundayscribblings.blogspot.com/]