Wednesday Wander: Bloglovin

It's Wednesday! And that means it's Wednesday Wander time!  For the 4th Wednesday of the month, we'll be linking up our bloglovin' accounts.

Post your bloglovin page below - I'll follow you!  Please be sure to follow a couple of your friends as well.

Thanks, y'all!  (I promise I'll have a button for this soon)

Valentine's Giveaway!

Valentine's Day is less than a month away. Can you believe it?  I don't know why I get so sentimental over a holiday that we hardly celebrate.  I don't really have any pink or red clothing that I like.  If we're lucky we find a sitter to watch the kids the weekend after Valentine's so we can hit some fast food and go to a cheap second-run movie.  Sometimes my husband remembers to get me a card or flowers or something.  Frankly, I don't really care if he forgets.  I consider married life to be like Valentine's day every day.  But somehow, the very idea of the holiday turns me into school-girl mush.  I love looking at Pinterest boards filled with pink and frills and hearts.  I love buying those silly heart shaped boxes of chocolate (of course, I'd buy chocolate in a box shaped like anything - I'm an addict).  And I'm possibly the only mom in the playgroup who hand-makes all the cards for the kids' Valentine's party (although, this year, I'm thinking we'll let Walmart do the card making). 

ANYway, in the spirit of the holiday AND in honor of launching this fab new blog design (thanks Brooke and Michelle!) we've put together this little giveaway!  Yay!  I hope you're excited to win some new pretties just in time to treat yourself (or someone special) for the holiday.  Here's what you can win:

Marigold Road

Win a $15 shop credit to this adorable store!

blog / facebook

Keely Mae Designs

Valentine's Hair Bow - isn't it gorgeous?

blog / facebook

Finding Michelina

Peacock Feather Wreath - so pretty!

blog / facebook

Mimi Baby Boutique

Shabby-chic Wooden Love Sign

shop / facebook

Just follow the super easy Rafflecopter below and enter as much or little as you like.  Winner will be announced next Friday evening.   And while we're on the topic of love - why not stop by and show some love to these generous ladies :)  Good luck!!






a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gluten Free Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

My oldest has been begging for "breakfast pretzels" for days.  I assumed he didn't want crunchy pretzels and the only soft pretzels I was familiar with were covered in chunky salt for dipping in nacho cheese.  After some browsing on Google, I ran across a bunch of recipes for making Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels.  Perfect!  This isn't my idea of a healthy breakfast, but I didn't mind spoiling my kids on a Saturday.  The best looking recipe was found here - a great site if you want to make your pretzels with regular wheat flour.  However, I can't eat gluten, and prefer to cook without it (especially when I want to taste the treats, too) - so here is my adaptation using gluten-free flours.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

1 packet quick-rise yeast
1 1/2 cups warm (not hot) water
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/3 cup corn starch
1 1/3 cup potato starch
1 1/3 cup rice flour*
2 tsp xanthan gum
3 cups water
2 Tbsp baking soda
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup cinnamon/sugar mixture

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups warm water and yeast.  Stir in yeast and let rest until yeast becomes frothy.  Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved.

In a medium bowl, combine corn starch, potato starch, rice flour and xanthan gum.  Mix well.  Pour into yeast mixture and stir until sticky.

On a well floured surface, turn out dough and knead for several minutes, until dough is tacky but not sticking to your hands (add additional pinches of flour if necessary).

Place dough ball in a well oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Divide dough into 6 even portions.  Roll each section into a long, thin log (no more than 1/2 in. in diameter).  Form into pretzel shape, twisting ends together and attaching them to the middle of the log.

In large saucepan dissolve baking powder in the 3 cups water.  Bring to a boil. Dip pretzels into boiling water and cook 5 seconds.  Pat pretzels dry on a clean towel, then place evenly spaced on a well-greased baking sheet.

Coat pretzels with beaten egg and bake 10 minutes, or until golden.

Remove pretzels from the oven and baste with melted butter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.  If you have a big sweet tooth, coat on both sides.

*I used brown rice flour in my pretzels and they turned out fine.  However, if you want slightly lighter pretzels, use fine white rice flour instead.

** We ate up all our pretzels in one sitting.  If you are storing pretzels, keep in a well sealed container and reheat in microwave for 1-2 seconds to return moistness.  Gluten-free breads can become dense and heavy when allowed to cool and stored.  


Variations: 
1) Add brown sugar and mini chocolate chips for a dessert pretzel
2) Brush with melted butter then top with rock salt to serve with nacho cheese
3) Add your favorite savory herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano, etc) and serve with swiss fondu
4) Mix in finely chopped dried fruits and nuts for a fun snack


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Wednesday Wander: Twitter

It's that time again! It's time for the Wednesday Wander! Today we are linking up our twitter accounts! Let's get a few new followers on our feeds and link up our twitter profiles below. Don't forget to follow a couple of your friends and give them a shout out tweet. Thanks y'all!

Today's Top 5 is about Actresses. Not, however, who you think is the best at acting, but rather who you most envy for some reason or another.  Are they great humanitarians?  Do they have amazing wardrobes?  Do they have the cutest dogs?  Most of mine, I'll confess, are on here because they're gorgeous and thin.  But they're good actresses, too!  Here they are, in no particular order:

Mila Kunis

She's gorgeous, she's thin, and she's a pretty decent actress.  She's had some fun movie rolls and dated some interesting personalities.  And she's got a great sense of style.  I wouldn't mind photographing like this.

Summer Glau

Just about the coolest girl in the 'verse.  She's the geek's dream date - beautiful, talented and she's starred in her fair share of sci-fi hits.  Not to mention, she's a very accomplished ballerina.

Monica Keena

If you ignore the fact that she's a men's magazine favorite (yes, I'm a prude), I do like the fact that she's beautiful and still has curves.  Great to know that you don't have to be a twig to make it in Hollywood.  And she's had some pretty fun roles as well (While You Were Sleeping is one of my all-time faves).

Naya Rivera

If I could sing like her, I'd be a happy gal.  I love her gravely voice and her singing style.  Again, I'm always thrilled when Santana gets a song on Glee.

Angela Kinsey

No, she doesn't play the most glamorous character on tv.  But it's to her credit that she pulls off the role so well, considering that she's a hilarious personality.  And she still manages to be a gorgeous momma despite their efforts to make her bland.  And I wouldn't mind being that itty bitty myself...

So - which celebs make your envy list and why?  Link up below or leave a comment!

Stuff I Love: Melissa and Doug Responsibility Chart

We've been working hard in our house on discipline lately.  We figured that the boys (at 2.5 and almost 4) are old enough to start doing some chores and learning some self-restraint.  We've been trying to use the Love and Logic approach (using natural consequences, showing empathy instead of anger), but sometimes it's a little hard to get through to them without tangible consequences and (especially) rewards.  My kids are very visual and like being able to see their progress. 

For H's birthday last year, a good friend sent him a Melissa and Doug Responsibility Chart.  He wasn't quite ready for it at the time, but when we got F a matching chart for Christmas and hung them up in the boys' rooms - boy did they get excited!  They love the colorful reward buttons and the bright pictures on the chore magnets.  It's easy for them to see and understand, even though they are not yet able to read.  Every night before bed, we take a few moments with their chart to go over their chores.  If they've completed a task (like getting dressed without a fuss, clearing their dishes from the table or brushing their teeth), they get to put a button up on their chart.  We've added a little extra incentive by starting them on an allowance - every night they complete ALL of their buttons, they receive a shiny new quarter for their tiny piggy banks.  F says he's saving up for a candy bar, though H says he's going to spend his money on a tow truck (I'm hoping he'll settle for a plastic 'Mater).

As you can see, they love their charts.  F is even clapping his hands in excitement as he gets ready to put up his buttons.


We have good days and bad days with the charts.  Some days, the kids don't care about the buttons or the quarters.  And some days, we find those little buttons all over the floor (they lose their quarters for that offense).  But in general, the boys are responding really well to the visual queues and work really hard to make sure they have all their buttons up at the end of the day.  When these chores get to be routine, we can trade them out for new ones.  The set even comes with a couple blank chore magnets so you can write up your own chores if what you need is not included. 

If you're looking for a good way to motivate your kids and get them involved in household chores, this is one tool you definitely need to check out!


 

The Abundance Season

Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose

-Janis Joplin

I have been, as of late, in a season of abundance.  This point was brought home to me particularly keenly at the holidays.  As I struggled to put together wish-lists for myself and the kids it occurred to me that not only do we have all the things that we need, we also have just about everything we want as well.  Of course, the kids came up with all kinds of desires for Santa - most of which haven't even been invented yet.  But I became incredibly aware of how abundantly blessed we were. 

This abundance is not limited to the material, however.  While I am very grateful that we are not in a season of physical want, I am more grateful for the emotional contentment which has, sadly, been a very recent acquisition for me.  After my third child was born, I went through a rough period of (self-diagnosed) postpartum depression.  I spent several months in despair.  Another several months struggling to adjust to life with three kids under three.  Only very recently have my eyes been opened to the true joy of parenting my kids.  I have always loved them.  I am just beginning to really enjoy them.  I want nothing more than to stay home to raise them.  No more thoughts of retreat to a world full of adults and grown-up conversations.  I'm learning to relish the imaginative play and the endless conversations about trains and snowmen and "why why why?"  I am finally waking up in the morning with a sense that "all is right in the world."

And the more I thought about it, the more clear it became to me that abundance is not a physical season.  Abundance is a season of the soul.  You can be surrounded by riches, but never live in abundance.  You can achieve every physical or aspirational goal you set and still be impoverished.  Conversely, you can lack every physical comfort, but live with an attitude of abundance. I have divided a life of abundance into four different categories:

1) Material -

Clearly, not lacking in material comforts seems desirable.  And, to some extent, satisfying a desire for material abundance can be a vehicle to acquiring other types of abundance.  If you are not cold, hungry, lonely or in pain it can be easier to "feel" abundant in joy.  But one reaches a point at which material wealth can stand in the way of reaching true contentment.  A point at which our possessions begin to posses us.  The real key to life, is learning to decipher this fine line.  How much is just enough?  Where is the right balance between deprivation which distracts from contentment and avarice which clouds our judgment?  And how do we learn to live in abundance in spite of our material condition?

Ecclesiastes 5:10 says:
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. 

Perhaps the key, then, is recognizing the utility of physical wealth without allowing it to define us.  When we realize that we are defining ourselves based on our possessions (or lack thereof), perhaps it's time to stop and reflect on the other forms of abundance.  

2) Emotional-

Without emotional abundance, all other abundance is meaningless.  If you have a mansion full of riches but you don't feel content, you have nothing.  If you have the genius of Einstein but do not feel blessed, you have nothing.  If you spend your days hungry and cold, but find joy in living - then you have abundance.  Life has hills and valleys.  There will be "good days" and "bad days" for everyone.  The key to finding abundance is learning to weather the storms and cherish the calm.  

 Philippians 4:11-13 says:
For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances may be. I know now how to live when things are difficult and I know how to live when things are prosperous. In general and in particular I have learned the secret of eating well or going hungry of facing either plenty of poverty. I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me.

I spent most of my life as a "glass half empty" type.  I could find the negative in anything. And what did I reap from my attitude?  Depression.  Self-loathing.  Borderline-sociopathic shyness.  A huge, immovable weight on my shoulders.  Somewhere along the line, I learned to seek contentment.  Don't get me wrong - it's a daily struggle.  Some days I see the glass half full.  Some days it's mostly empty.  A lot of days, it's just half a glass.  But I'm learning.  I'm learning to laugh when everything seems to be going wrong.  I'm learning to rejoice in the moments of calm.  I'm learning to praise God for the sink of dirty dishes and the breathtaking sunsets.  I'm learning that most clouds do, in fact, have a silver lining.  The mess on the floor means I've been blessed with beautiful children.  The door that was shut on a dream means I have more time for the people I love most in my life.  The pain I suffered from teasing means I am more compassionate with others.  The more I am able to see contentment - to see abundance in my emotional state - the better equipped I am to find balance in my material state.  I can rejoice in my times of plenty and use my prosperity to benefit others.  I can strengthen myself to manage in times of need and want, without breaking my spirit.  Emotional abundance helps me to see more clearly, whatever my current state.  

3) Aptitudinal -

This past holiday season taught me more about abundance than possibly any other time in my life.  Not only did I experience a holiday of material richness, but I also experienced a holiday filled with a richness of talents.  Not only my own, mind you, but those of so many people I encountered.  Several blogs I came across devoted themselves to linking those who "had" with those who did not.  People listed needs and others fulfilled them.  And I was amazed to discover all the different meanings of "those who had."  Some people were blessed with monetary wealth.  They were able to pay bills for those who had lost incomes and were struggling financially.  Other people were blessed with an abundance of possessions.  They were able to pass along outgrown clothes, unused toys, and other items that fulfilled needs of others.  And some folks, who may have initially seemed to be struggling themselves, were blessed with a richness of talent.  They were not able to contribute money or toys - but they could knit a scarf to keep someone's child warm.  They could fashion a necklace for someone to give as a gift.  They could turn photos into memory books to create a keepsake for under the tree.  And some, who thought they had nothing at all to give, simply offered to pray.  

It dawned on me then - no matter how poor we think we are - no matter what we think we lack - we have all been blessed with an abundance of talent.  You have been given a gift that you can use to benefit others if you only look for a need.  And we all, however talentless we may feel, can get on our knees and intercede. 

4) Spiritual-

I have found true in my life, that spiritual abundance supersedes all other forms. When I am wanting in physical comforts, when my emotional coffers are depleted, when I feel as though I have no worth - spiritual abundance can pull me through.  In high school, when I was tired to the bone and prone to worrying myself sick, I taped this verse to my bedroom mirror.  

Matthew 6:

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?    ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you  

Not only do I love the reminder that worry does nothing but waste away my time, I love the reminder that true joy and abundance is found in simplicity.  Birds don't worry about who has a nicer nest or what the latest fashions are.  Lilies don't care how many people read their blogs, how thin they are, or if they'll make straight As.  And yet they are some of the most majestic creations on Earth.  A field of lilies has an abundant beauty that takes my breath away.  When I quit my worrying, when I wake each day with a prayer of gratitude and an attitude of contentment, my life becomes beautiful - it becomes abundant.  

As I said - cultivating a season of abundance takes work.  It's a daily struggle. Even with my newfound awareness I still have to strive toward contentment.  I still write verses on my mirror.  I still have to pause, take a deep breath, and search for the silver lining.  Sometimes I have to dedicate a weekend to purging some of the material bounty that is threatening to overwhelm me.  But I'm finding the journey a little easier every day.  And I hope that the next time I come to a valley in one area of abundance, I can hold tight to the others and shore myself up.  I hope that I can pass a little abundance along to others.  Because, of course, the most abundant season of all is one that is filled with love.

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