Family and Friends

Family and Friends....the two most important things that I've been blessed to have on this earth.

After all, life is all about relationships isn't it?

We develop and nurture our relationship with God and learn to treat others how He wants us to.

That's it. :)

Anyway, Trinity had her birthday party today.

Several of her friends couldn't make it, but we still had TONS of fun!

Yes, we went rollerskating! I cannot remember the last time I went, but the skillz were still in tact! And the smell of the rink brought back lots of childhood memories. Does every rollerskating rink smell the same?!

Trinity and her buddy Christian. Technically, I think he was her first friend :)

And then there's my family. I look quite tall since I had skates on, and Tyler and Bruce didn't.

Tyler and his 2 buddies actually got on some skates and got out on the rink. Of course Bruce had to bribe him with $20 to do it, but hey, I think he had fun!

I am flippin' exhausted. I forgot how much of a workout skating could be. What fun!

My baby's birthday :)

Well, she's not a "baby," but she'll always be MY baby.

Thanks be to God that she is over her illness and has regained her appetite, her energy, and her voice.

My dad ordered Trinity's birthday cake and it is LOVELY.

I wish I could tell you how it tastes, but of course with my intolerances I will never know.

I'm confident that it's as delicious as it is beautiful.

It even came with the crown.
And here's the birthday princess with her newly adorned cake-some Dora toys. That was her personal touch. Silly girl.

Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes and gifts!

I highly recommend Suzanne from Suzanne's Sweet Artistry out of Belleville, Wisconsin if you want a tasty, unique, and gorgeous cake.

The number is 608-424-1963

Her website is www.sweetsuzannes.com

happy birthday-part one

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRINITY ROSE!!

I've been quite lax on my blog posting lately.....many ideas, just no motivation. I've been dealing with a very ill little girl. Ugh.

After her soccer game last Saturday (at which she scored another goal) she had no appetite and was a bit lethargic.

Late that evening she had no appetite whatsoever and was feverish. On Monday she completely lost her voice :(

So, after 5 days and 2 visits to medical facilities (because I'm a worrier, ahem, I mean very thorough), the fever broke and she regained her voice!

The 4 day fever had me very concerned and the laryngitis had Trinity upset. I think it freaked her out a bit.

In the end, the nasty cold that caused 5 sleepless nights, 5 days of missed school, a loss of one voice, and a nasty fever and cough, was all a distracting prelude to her 6th birthday!!

I don't know what it is about the month of October,but she was very ill this time last year also.

THAT trend better end NOW!

Birthday pics will come later of course.

See you soon!!

NERDS

Quote for the day:

"It's funny how all you food nerds read each others food blogs and look at each others nerd food." by Bruce.

awww....thanks, Honey!

Superfood

Generally, Trinity is not a juice drinker. She's a water girl all the way, all day.

But, when I was shopping yesterday I spotted some Pink Poetry Odwalla juice with no added sugar and thought it might be a nice treat for her. Mostly because it was VERY pink-nearly glowing, and pink is her favorite color.

For 11 ounces of pure juice and a few added plant extracts, it didn't cost too much either. ($1.50)

I wanted to get a shot of how gorgeously pink it was, but that little chica chugged it down so fast, I didn't have a chance!

I was actually surprised she liked it so much, since it was a bit too tart for me.

Ingredients: plums, apples, oranges, banana, cherry, pink guava, hibiscus, cranberry, green tea extract, rose hips, vitamin E, vitamin C and ferrous sulfate(iron).

So, I guess from now on it will be a twice a week treat that can be sent to school in her lunchbox.

Oh Vinnie-How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways....

As in VINEGAR, you sillies....sheesh!

Anyway, This is probably the most versatile liquid known to mankind, aside from water. It is cheap, abundant, and non-toxic.

What other household cleaner can you use in your hair, on your face, in the toilet, and as a salad dressing?

There are literally thousands of uses for vinegar, white, apple cider, balsamic, and many others. Let me share with you the ways in which I use it daily.

(I keep a 70/30 ratio of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Very handy.)

1-disinfect fruits and vegetables.

2-disinfect countertops in bathroom and kitchen(Vinegar has been shown to kill 80 percent of viruses, 82 percent of mold, and 99 percent of bacteria.)

3-clean out lyme-crusted coffee pot (white vinegar only)

4-fabric softener in the rinse cycle of the the wash (white vinegar only)

5-facial astringent. oh my gosh! the first time I used this (sprayed onto a cotton ball) I was like "ewwww, look at that!" Then I was like, "Dang! that really works!!"

6-hair conditioner. spray on. let soak for a few minutes. rinse. happy hair!

7-clean toilet bowl

8-balsamic vinegar and olive oil for salad dressing

9-clean toilet bowl

10-cleaning windows and mirrors

One use I'm super psyched to implement is to use it as an ice preventer on the windshield of the car!! YEAH-I'm sure I'll get to use this soon. NOT psyched about that.

Spray onto windshield the night before the anticipated freeze, and your windshield should be ice free in the morning, saving you time and frustration as you get ready to leave for the day.

A great website with more tips on how to use vinegar can be found

HERE

Leftovers with lentils

It's raining, it's pouring, my husband is snoring

It's cold outside

Leftovers cry,

"I want to make your tummy warm-y"

Lame, I know, but the original version of that song was stuck in my head due to current circumstances. Yes, it's raining. Yes, my husband is snoring. He works nights, so he's allowed to be asleep at 10 in the morning!

Remember all those roasted veggies from a few days ago, well, after the initial big serving, I was snacking on them throughout the past few days and barely made a dent.

How to convert them to leftovers?

A-HA!

Cook up some lentils and throw them in the pot, too. I added even more veggies like tomatoes, onions, and spinach.

What a nutritional powerhouse of a meal, eh?

In the pot with all the veggies

I've got a total of 11 veggies going on here.

Falling for Roasted Veggies

Oooooh, it's an awesome Fall day for letting the oven warm up the house and enjoying the smells coming from therein!

After Trinity's soccer game, (at which she made a GOAL!!!), we came home and

I decided to roast a bunch of veggies and threw in tons of garlic! mmmm hmmm!

I drizzled all these glorious vegetables with olive oil and sprinkled them with some salt and pepper. This is pre-roasting:

This is post-roasting:
This is my personal bowl of earthy goodness.
I've got a bit of broccoli,cauliflower,yellow squash,sweet potato,brussel sprouts,carrots,baby red potatoes, and garlic.
When it was all ready to eat, I topped it off with a little bit of nutritional yeast-a great source of B vitamins for us vegans.
There are a lot more things I was planning on throwing in there(bell peppers, onions,parsnips, &beets,) but ran out of room....my roasting pan is only so big :)
I may just whip up some gluten free pumpkin muffins a little later.
Want one?

A more Beautiful You

I've heard this song alot on the radio lately, and every time I hear it, its message becomes more powerful.
As a mom of a nearly 6 year old daughter, who has already been concerned with "looking pretty" when a picture is taken, I'm very diligent about letting her know she's beautiful the way she is, because of WHO she is.
This world around us bombards us with images of airbrushed unrealistic "perfection." It's sad.
I really wish this song would have been around when I was growing up....I think it would have prevented me from some pretty self-destructive attitudes and behaviors.
I pray that all of you with little girls will listen to this song, WITH your daughter and talk about it, too.
My new plan is to print out these lyrics and tape them to her bedroom door, so that she grows up learning these lyrics and keeping them in her heart.