a new book, a scruptious dessert and a new bed

Today was an exciting day.  The UPS man brought a package...for me!  Usually my working-from-home husband gets all of the packages but today it was my turn!

I know what you're thinking.  Yes, I already am lucky enough to have received my copy of Let Them Eat Vegan! last week.  But today's copy came officially from the publisher because I'm going to do my first ever book review!  I'm so excited I can barely contain myself...honestly.

So, stay tuned later this week when I'll be doing my official review which will include a never-before-published recipe.  You'll definitely want to check that out.

Here's a sneak peek of something I made for dessert tonight.  It's low in sugar, made without refined flours, and of course it's plant-based.

Onto other important news...

A certain big boy is becoming less and less of a baby.  He'll always be my baby of course...they all will.  Last weekend he spent the last nights in his crib.  This is the way his room looked then:

I thought this was his last night in his crib, but Mother Nature dumped 20 inches of snow on us this night and my husband was busy digging us out and we couldn't get to disassembling the crib and assembling the new furniture.  So this was actually his second to last night sleeping in his crib...the crib that all three boys slept in...don't get me started...

And now the new room!  My niece loves the new setup!  His is her first bed of choice to put her babies in for napping.  She's a good mama to her babies.

This big boy loves his new freedom.  Much to my dismay he's coming downstairs in the mornings all by himself.  But to see the proud look on his face when he does, I can't say no.  Thankfully he doesn't think it's time to wake up at 3am...yet!

playtime and stew

I love days when we get to spend most of our time at home.

Puzzles,

making a "zip line" with cones, 

climbing on Mom.

He saw me making the boy's lunches last night and wanted me to make one for him too.  He brought it with us when we took the boys to school this morning and was very excited to eat it when lunch came around.

We had another sunny day today.  Reading pre-naptime books in the sunshine was lovely.

Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Barton

 I did a first today...I made my own vegan sausages.  I was apprehensive, very apprehensive.  I became vegetarian because I didn't like meat.  So, making a meat substitute was not something I was interested in eating.  But others in my house would be interested in eating something like this.  So, I gave it a shot. 

Stew with homemade vegan sausage.

They were a little spicy but the stew was delicious.  It gave me a good excuse to open up a bottle of red wine.  And I'm a potato girl and the potatoes were fabulous.  I may have to find a milder sausage recipe, but this stew recipe is a keeper.

I'm looking forward to having coffee (tea) with some friends tomorrow morning.  Have a good night.

beauty and paper airplanes

We have some beautiful moments here in my home state.  This was a little of the sunset from the other night.

 This was our beautiful, sunny afternoon we had today. 

The boys are infatuated with paper airplanes now.  Daniel got a book on making paper airplanes for Christmas from a dear Aunt and Uncle.  What a blessing!  They all are perfecting their throwing skills.  And, our sunny, albeit very cold day after school gave them plenty of room to practice their loop de loops.

Even the puppy wanted to come out.

 We're still battling viruses in our house.  I could use a nice, mild day where I could open all the windows and blow those germs right out of here.

This train track is usually is in the basement, because it takes up so much room...but it is now in our foyer.  It's a little bit in the way when I needed to come to the front door this afternoon.  Oh well, anything to keep them occupied and happy when they aren't feeling so well.

Here's to a healthier day tomorrow...

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Soule 
www.soulemama.com

in my kitchen

Today in my kitchen I have:

     ::  a boy who wasn't feeling well, who turned into a boy who was really not feeling well...sparing the details, he's the latest victim of the flu in our house

     ::  a lot of cooking happened - cookies, bread, soup - all making for a delicious dinner

     ::  Laurie Berkner serenading us as we had our lunch today

     ::  a lot of cleaning happened - I managed to clean my floors while Nickel napped, and promptly had to clean them again after his nap (I spared you that photo...right, I didn't even take one)

     ::  dishes done before dinner...the best!


I have a feeling tonight will be not very restful for at least two of us.  I'm heading to bed.  Wish us luck.

a good day

Nickel and I spent the day at home.  It was nice not having anywhere to go besides taking the older boys to school and picking them up.  I started to make some bread but then realized I didn't have enough yeast.  I was going to clean, but didn't feel like it.  So we played with fire trucks, we did puzzles, I chased him around the house, and we watched Sesame Street.  It was a good day.

quiet time and yoga

We had our second quiet weekend in a row.  We didn't go anywhere last weekend.  It was heaven.  This weekend, we stayed home all day Saturday and made one quick into town on Sunday.  Just enough to cure the cabin fever that was beginning to set in for me.

Today was a normal start to our week.  A bit of grocery shopping followed by a much needed haircut for all 3 boys.  I didn't take many pictures today, so I'll have to share their new do's with you later this week.

===============

I've been doing yoga more regularly since the start of the year.  I've done yoga off and on, very irregularly for about 4 years, since training for my first half marathon.  I actually remember doing my first yoga pose during my aerobics class back in 1998...tree pose!  I've wanted to begin learning more about yoga and practice more on a regular basis and finally am doing that with the help of Melissa West.  She is a Thai Massage Thereapist and Yoga Instructor who lives in Canada.  She offers free weekly yoga classes that are available online at www.youtube.com.  You can go directly to her website to see other information as well as linking up with her free weekly yoga classes.  She is so sweet and genuine in her classes, I really love her as an instructor.  I also love that I can do them when I have time, whether that's at 5 am or while my youngest naps in the afternoon...while I have dinner cooking on the stove.

I have joined her member site which allows me access to lectures, DVDs, and a forum where other members and I can communicate about questions, progress, anything really.  I'm reading a book that was recommended, The Power of Yoga by Nischala Joy Devi, and studying the yoga sutras.  I'm excited to learn and it's already opening my eyes to a way of living a life more in touch with my heart than with my head.

 Good night and Namaste.

waffles, snow, and one lazy saturday

I found a vegan waffle recipe that everyone eats, even my toughest critic (my family members will know which boy I'm talking about).  And I can throw them together really fast, along with a blueberry or raspberry sauce that I can no longer live without.  My oldest prefers the blueberry version and I the raspberry.  My youngest will eat both, and did so today.

 

I awoke this morning to beautiful snow flakes adding to our carpet of snow already on the ground.  It was a welcome site since we hadn't gotten much all week.  And what snow we had melted and become my least favorite part of winter...dirty brown snow. Another 4 inches fell last night and this morning.

My oldest is a little under the weather.  He must have caught the bug that I heard was making it's way through school.  It's a lazy Saturday.   Time to take advantage of that myself.

a new family member

A pyramid of piggies.

From the top:  Dar Dar (our new addition), Fur Ball, Darwin, and Fluff Ball.

Ever since my oldest son got a guinnea pig for his birthday last June, our middle son has developed a love for guinnea pigs.  And he hoped that the Tooth Fairy might bring him a guinnea pig last night.

And she did!

bites, bugs and mushrooms

I'm a creature of habit, but I do try new things from time to time.  I got some new teas for Christmas.  We have a wonderful organic tea company not too far from our house.  I discovered them at our local Co-op and happened upon their farm and store one day.  They have a tasting room!  The cinnamon tea was lovely this morning.

We had time to do a little baking this morning.  Only to my surprise, the recipe I wanted to make didn't require any baking.  My favorite vegan cookbook author, Dreena Burton, just revealed this recipe on her blog for Lemon-Kissed Blondie Bites.  They don't have any added sugar, the don't have any added oil.  And, there's a gluten-free option.  They have a delicious hint of lemon that is so fresh and light.  Amazing. 

Someone was very interested in helping me.

And he couldn't help himself from having many tastes.

===============



A project developed this afternoon.  My oldest son found a bug this morning and his paternal instinct kicked in.  After school he decided he needed to construct a habitat for it.  Everyone was involved and the other boys decided that they needed to construct houses for their stuffed animals.

Dewey in the middle...always.

But, tragedy struck.  While I was holding the lid closed so Daniel could tape up the openings, the bug accidentally was squished.  You could have heard a pin drop in my kitchen.  Everyone was devastated, especially me.  We thought he/she might come around, but we weren't so lucky.  His/her final resting place is out on our deck under a blanket of leaves.

===============



On to something more positive...dinner.  Creamy mushroom fettuccine.  Creamy, delicious, and vegan.  Thank you Isa.

 

I didn't get that walk in this afternoon.  What I really want is a walk at twilight.  Hopefully tomorrow night after dinner.