Pumpkins

Now that Halloween is over and Alexa has acquiesced to allow me to cook a pumpkin instead of just carve it, I am looking forward to pumpkin baking.  We still have a few weeks left in November so it must at least be acceptable until the month is over right?  One of my dear friend generously gave me her pumpkins when she was done with them, as the carved pumpkins at our house were long gone due to mold.  Pinterest had some great idea for keeping mold away, but they also meant ruining them for cooking so I opted out on those as well.

We began the roasting process last night...it is going to take a good while as I mentioned, they are large pumpkins and my oven will only hold about 1/2 pumpkin per session.  I know my hubby, who loves all things pumpkin, will be more than thrilled to taste all the dishes I come up with.

Stay tuned...

1000 words

I wanted to do a quick post to share these pictures of Alexa.  Mainly because I can't believe how grown up she seems.  Goodness, where did my chubby cheeked, pudgy belly, roly-poly thighs girl go?  It doesn't make ANY sense, but here we are with a sophisticated, well dressed, beautiful girl on our hands.  I am so proud of who she is becoming and I wouldn't trade her for the world.  Just look at that sweet smile, I have a feeling we are headed for trouble when she is old enough to date...a VERY LONG TIME from now!  

Just one small comment on the straight hair.  First, Alexa prefers her hair straight, and for a long time I have refused to comply with her requests for straight hair...her step-mom Lori has straightened it on occasion as did a friend of ours, but I have held my ground.  Then when she came home from her friend's house on Sunday with straight hair I promised if she got up early Monday I would straighten it for her so she could wear it to school that way.  Second, her hair is SOOO curly that each of these pictures are taken moments after I straightened it, and should you see her any more than 15 minutes later you would understand what I'm talking about, so it requires us to re-straighten it each and every morning.  On Monday I made sure she knew that I wasn't going to do this on a daily basis, but her hair is much less messy when it is straight, so we've been 5 days with straight hair now with no signs of stopping.  Fine that's more than one small comment, but just thought I'd throw it in for good measure.  I do love her curly hair, but it is a beast to deal with, so for now, straight it is.

Am I being chased?

When asked about running, this is my typical response...for a long time this was the only reason I found running acceptable.  After all, who would run for fun?  There are many other torturous activities that I would much rather partake in before I don running shoes and step outside.  I ran track in high school, but I really think it was out of boredom more than anything, and even then it wasn't fun.

Last week during dinner and coffee with the girls somehow the subject of running was broached, and I immediately shared my thoughts on running.  I don't.  Have you seen the picture on someone's car like 26.2 (marathon) or 13.1 (half-marathon)...mine was always likely to be 0.0 (if running, call the cops I'm being chased).  NO. DESIRE.  They all discussed how one race or another would be so fun, a mud run, a color run, and how much fun it would be to run as a group.  My resolve was firm.  I do not run.

Then the strangest thing happened.  I'm not sure if I fell and bumped my head, or what, but Friday CJ and I started discussing a run Saturday morning.  As previously stated I am NOT a morning person.  So the fact that I would even consider rising early on a Saturday let alone run is cause enough for a CT scan.  We made a date to run Saturday, 3 participants, and then it began to happen.  Friday night CJ realized she didn't have the necessary shoes to run so she dropped out and then Saturday when I arrived at the agreed upon location my other running buddy wasn't there.  I had a choice, I could go home and snuggle back in beside Adam, or I could suck it up and run.

I chose RUN!  And run I did, for the majority of 2.5 miles.

I must say, I felt rather accomplished when I got home, especially when you consider it was 36 degrees on Saturday at 8am.  I guess the endorphins  were a little too strong because later that day I convinced Adam to get up at 8am the following day for another run.  Even with the extra hour of sleep, neither of us were excited when the alarm went off, but we got up anyway.  It was 30 degrees that morning, and I'm fairly certain each car that passed us was thinking exactly what I used to think when I passed those poor unfortunate souls on icy mornings, "what are those idiots doing? It's 30 degrees outside!"  Oh well, run we did.

3 miles later we were back in our apartment and that sense of accomplishment came flooding back.  Is it possible?  Am I becoming a runner?  We should probably give it a week or 2 before making any rash decisions, but the possibility is there.  I might be signing up for some fun and interesting runs after all!

Back40Life

If you know me personally then you might be aware that my sister and her husband started their own business several years ago with the desire to leave the hustle and bustle of the corporate world behind.  It was at that time Back40Life was born.  Over the years the business has grown, changed, and blessed their family (of 5 now) to live a very different lifestyle from most people.  One I am not ashamed to admit I have looked upon with slightly green eyes at times.  Not because I think it is easy by any stretch, but because of the extreme closeness it allows them.

Last year when we unveiled our plans to relocate to Indianapolis to be part of Resonate Church we knew things would be greatly different than they were in South Carolina.  One of the greatest changes for us was going from being a 2 income family down to 1.  It was an adjustment, and something we struggled with at times because on paper our budget didn't work at all.  We were doing our best, and if nothing else we were committed to it.  The idea had been thrown around quite a few times that potentially we could do some work for Jodi and Brad, but that was really as far as it went.  At times they thought we were disinterested, and others we thought the same of them.  When we finally all started talking (why is communicating so complicated?) we realized we were all interested in the same thing.  So after lots of thinking, praying, calculating, and talking;  we came up with a plan.

In April we made a trip to South Carolina to pick up a cutter, ok mostly to see my sweet niece who refused to be on time and made her grand entrance the day we were leaving to come home.  Thus began our journey into the world of being partially self-employed, turning our tiny apartment into a work space, and at times working half the night because ultimately the buck stops here.  There have been bumps along the way, and no doubt we haven't seen the last of them, but I think we have both really enjoyed the freedom and flexibility it has given us. It has also been wonderful to work alongside my sister and see what it feels like to walk in her shoes a little.

We are beyond thankful for the business Jesus allows us to see on a daily basis as people buy our products. I have learned to be thankful for each and every order that comes in, even the smaller ones that at times have made me turn my nose up.  I am learning what it means to be a small business owner instead of always acting like an employee.  I have learned a lot in the 6 months we've been on this journey, and know the learning will only continue the further down this path we travel.

You can find out products on our website or our Etsy store.  Thanks for checking out what we have to offer!

Writing

I started this blog several years ago to keep a journal of sorts to look back on when Alexa got older.  Now that I've picked up writing again, it has morphed slightly into a combination of recipes, rants, reviews, and ramblings about my family.  Well, the ramblings and rants are about my family, I don't usually critique them in public or cook them.  At times I struggle to come up with topics to write on, as lots of what goes on in my mind is either boring or much too weird to share on any social media.  All of this to say, if you visit my blog one day and find me talking about cracks in the sidewalk, just bear with me...I'll eventually get it together and come up with something worth reading.  Truth be told, that might not be true either, but stick with me and maybe I'll give you something to laugh about.  After all, who couldn't use a good laugh?

Unprocessed: Granola

I have to admit, I've never been a huge fan of granola.  I know that might seem odd because it can be truly delicious, but my typical experience has been one of two things: 

1. I loved it and could eat my weight in it, but the fat content was so high I would've been mourning the expansion of my waistline at the same time.
2. It was dry and gross...no thank you!

So a few weeks ago when Adam started perusing cereal boxes at Trader Joe's I had to take a 2nd look.  Their granola was not only high in fat (as most are) it was also pretty expensive for a bunch of ingredients I have on hand a good portion of the time.  I was sold, it was time for an experiment.  I gathered my supplies (shown above) and got to work.  I will confess, I'm not always super great at measuring, but I did my best to come up with a recipe that is quite delicious.  I did a little research first and found a similar one at 100 Days of Real Food as Lisa does a great job of feeding her family of 4 unprocessed food.  I took her version and changed it to fit my personal style.

One of the great things about this recipe is the simplicity of it.  You grab a handful of ingredients, throw them together, and end up with something that is delicious!  I'm a big fan of throwing different things together, but I'm sure my husband and daughter would attest to the fact that they are not always delicious.  You can't win all the time right? 

This is my 2nd batch of granola, so I'm gonna say it's a hit.  I have used it each morning as a crunchy addition to my greek yogurt with honey.  It takes an already delicious breakfast to the next level of wonderfulness when you mix creamy, slightly sweet yogurt with the crunch of this goodness.  YUM!  Now, I have to be honest I'm not sure exactly where this falls in the realm of  clean eating because I don't do a good job of following rules.  What I do know is the ingredients in this recipe are all natural and organic.  That's good enough for me. 

Here's the skinny on this treat.  Mix together your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add honey mixture and stir until well coated.  Spread on a piece of parchment paper.  Mine makes about a 3/4" layer on a large baking sheet.  Bake for 1 hour at 250 degrees.  I let mine bake a little bit longer this time and the edges got a little too brown.  To be honest I like burnt stuff, so I liked it, but I think I've eaten the majority of the slightly dark parts.  When you finish let it cool completely, it will harden as it cools.  Then crumble and store in a ziploc bag in the pantry.  It most likely won't last more than a week if it makes it that far.  So far that's been my experience!  

Ingredients:4 cups rolled oats

• 1.5 cups unsweetened coconut (I promise even if you don't like coconut if you buy this kind you will change your mind)
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup millet (small grain used in bird seed, quite delicious and can be used in place of rice in other recipes)
• 1/4 cup flax seeds
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (it's fall after all)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla

Mix first 9 ingredients in a large bowl.  Warm butter & honey in a sauce pan until butter is melted, stir to combine.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and almond extract.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix until well coated.  Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread granola on parchment paper to form an even layer.  Bake at 250 for 1 hour.

What ingredients would you add/change to make this granola something your family will gobble up?

Character

One of my many goals as a parent is to do everything in my power to make sure Alexa becomes a well rounded, contributing member of society, and the person Jesus wants her to be.  At times I struggle with finding balance in this.  I want her to have a fun life, and have and do fun things...but in the end I know that won't always be possible.

Since Adam and I got married just over a year ago, we made the commitment that we wanted to get out of debt and over the past year we have paid off quite a bit of it.  Almost $13k actually.  And while I view this as a great accomplishment, the sad fact is, we weren't consistently being diligent.  A very sad fact, indeed, when I see how far we have to go.  As part of this endeavor we enlisted Alexa's help...no she doesn't sell lemonade on the side of the road to pay bills, and we don't steal her birthday money (ok occasionally when I'm low on cash, but I pay her back!).  I want to pass along a great legacy to my children and grandchildren, and part of the way we're going to do this is by teaching them about money from an early age.

I am fortunate that my parents have always been good with money, and have done a great job of managing it over the years.  Unfortunately for me, it wasn't something they really discussed with us as kids, so when I was out on my own I felt lost at times.  Debt is so easy to get into, and nowhere as easy to get out of so it is a horrible trap too many Americans fall (and by fall I mean willingly walk) into.  Most of them permanently because they believe the lie that this is normal.  I was one of these unsuspecting people who fell jumped with both feet into the trap.  How did this happen?  I never witnessed my dad use anything but cash, and my mom has a credit card, but she is not the monthly minimum kind of girl.  It happened because well quite honestly I'm stupid at times, and because I have no sense of delayed gratification.

One of the ways we share this with her is by discussing our debt freedom plan, and telling her the steps we are taking to get there.  It means we don't go out to eat often ever, and we don't buy all of the things we might have before when we go to the grocery store.  It means if we go to Target to pick up something we need we aren't going to look for a toy while we're there.  On top of these things Alexa also understands that the payoff is big time.  Our goal of debt freedom will be celebrated with a BIG vacation.  Most likely 2 big vacations...a fun one for the family, and a getaway for mommy and daddy!  Come on, what child doesn't want to go on a big vacation???  This is something we remind her of when her consumer mindset takes over (I mean who would've thought that was possible at 6??) to help her keep our goals in site.

We believe God is going to bless these efforts and honestly already has.  It wasn't until we established our first budget and lived by it for a few weeks that the opportunity to partner with my sister and her husband at Back40Life became a reality.  God took our single income family and multiplied it with the blink of an eye.  There have been other blessings along the way, and somehow the money just seems to go further.  Amazing how that happens when you handle money God's way right?

I want to record the remaining steps of our journey here each month with an update on our finances so we have a record to look back on, and see how Jesus has poured out his faithfulness upon us.  We feel this is building not only our character, but our daughter's as well, and that alone is worth it.  When she is my age and possibly married with children, I hope she will be able to look back at the life we lived and be proud of it.  That she will feel like we paved the way for her to have a successful future.  I have no doubt there will be moments along the way where she doesn't see it, but if she appreciates it later that's just fine too.