Italian Quinoa Bowl

This is the other recipe I came up with that is SO SO SO good. Please do try it sometime and let me know what you think. : )

I just cook quinoa in my rice cooker, using the prescribed liquid ration of 1:2. (That's quinoa to water)  I like it best when I use chicken broth for cooking the quinoa, but water is also fine. 

Then in my dutch oven on the stovetop, I saute 1-2 onions (depending upon how big they are) in oil, and then add thickly sliced & quartered zucchini and yellow squash and fresh green beans. I've sometimes added cauliflower too.  Pour in a little chicken broth and let the veggies cook until just done.  Turn off the heat and add lots of fresh chopped tomato, LOTS of fresh torn basil, and at least 2-3 big cloves of garlic, pressed right into the pot.  Yes, that much raw garlic. Trust me.  Stir it all up. Add pepper and sea salt and serve over the quinoa!

Again, it is really easy and it is SO good. Mmmmmm. I could eat it all day. Wait--sometimes I do. ; )

And it's SUPER healthy for you! 

(You can also top it with feta or fresh shredded parmesan. Mmmmm. But the original recipe is vegetarian (easily vegan if use veggie broth), grain and gluten free, and full of anti-oxidants!  And did I mention filling and comforting?)

Super Good (for you) Cabbage Salad

So, one thing I didn't mention yet is that I've been in a healthy crisis for the past couple of months--since Labor Day weekend. I don't want to go into the story now, but the bottom line is that I developed really severe heart palpitations after I eat (among other symptoms, which all seem to be related to insulin, or the adrenal system. . .?  I spent weeks researching and trying to figure out what it could be and decided to start with an elimination diet for candida (which does lead to many of the symptoms I've been having, and which I've suspected I have had for a few years--but not enough to actually stop me from eating sugar ; ). The diet is severe: no grains, no starchy veggies, no beans, no dairy other than plain yogurt and raw butter (both of which I already eat and enjoy), no fruit, no sugar, no processed foods or preserved meats, no tea or chocolate.

Yeah. You're probably thinking what I was thinking.

But I felt so horrible and at least once a day my heart felt like I was having a heart attack and my head felt like I was having a stroke--and when you feel so horrible, you just don't even want to eat anything anymore.

But I also decided to ease into the diet--partly because it would be easier and partly because I wanted to avoid die-off syndrome in my gut (when bad gut bacteria, starved of their normal diet, have a mass die-off and as your body expels all the dead bacteria you end up with symptoms like having the bad stomach flu.) So I figured I'd slowly reduce the colonies of bad bacteria while purposefully introducing plenty of good bacteria back into my gut through probiotics. I'm not going crazy--the probiotics I'm ingesting are through the whole organic yogurt with live cultures, and through these really tasty bottled drinks called KeVita--expensive, but they contain 4 live cultures, are super low in sugar (1g)  and one way I can feel like I am "treating" myself through this process.  Besides, one bottle typically lasts me for 3 servings.

Anyway, since I've been "cheating" on the diet a little, that means I've been eating a little grain, a little fruit. And yes, I've even tried the ocassional cup of black tea with milk. ; )  I even found some dark chocolate with stevia instead of sugar--no sugar added! the label pronounced. But my heart still races afterwards, so clearly I still should not imbibe. But I sometimes sneak a few very small squares. ; )

A typical day's diet might look like this:
Breakfast = bowl organic whole plain yogurt (good) with small serving blueberries (cheating, but super healthy cheat--very low in sugar and very high in antioxidants and vitamins), sprinkled with ground flax seed, hemp seed, chia seed, and cinnamon (all excellent for me).

Lunch = bowl of cabbage salad (very good for me)

Lunch #2 = roasted chicken wing with grilled asparagus (both from a local deli--I sometimes pick up food and that's another way I "treat" myself while on this strict diet)

Dinner = Homemade guacamole with raw garlic, tomato, apple cider vinegar (super good for me)--but with a few organic gluten-free multi-grain tortilla chips (bad for me--but c'mon!) with 1/3 a bottle of KeVita.

See? Not so bad. But the problem is that I've been so busy lately, or not feeling good, and I haven't known what to make for my family that meets my requirements, so I just end up cooking for them and then scrounging for myself, which as you can see is not easy. But when I do get the energy and inspiration to cook, I've come up with a few recipes that were SO AMAZINGLY GOOD that I would make them anyway!  So here's one of them, which is so good and easy that I wanted to share with you.


Super Good (for you) Cabbage Salad

Both red and green cabbage, chopped finely.
Very small amount of red onion, minced (to do taste--a little goes a long way)
Olive oil
Apple cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients above--and sorry, I don't have amounts, since I always just cook by feel. : )  Just look up a recipe for vinegar & oil dressing if you want to know proportions. But be careful--the ACV can pack a punch. If you accidentally get too much, just add more oil. But this will not be a juicy salad)

Sprinkle with a generous helping and then mix in:
Hemp seed
Chia seed
Sunflower seeds (sprouted if you can get them)

Then just sprinkle with a little salt & pepper and make sure all is mixed!  This salad is so easy, and is very yummy--very subtle flavor. Goes really well with roasted chicken and grilled asparagus. ; ) But most of all, it is super healthy and good for you!


I'll share my other favorite recipes in a different post.

Oh, and after eating this way for about 2 months now, I think I have ruled out candida. I might still have it, but I don't think it is making my heart go crazy. There is something else going on, and I wonder if it is connected to all the low-blood-sugar issues I've had for 10 years!  I actually have a doctor's appointment on Monday (the DO I wanted to see had a 4 week wait) and so I'm hoping then I can start the journey to figuring out what is wrong with me. But until then, this diet has really helped my symptoms quiet somewhat, even though they still happen--just not to the degree they did before. (Like I rarely have any head pressure now and some other symptoms went away). So I will keep it up!  And keep trying to make it even healthier. I mean, when I end up eating a few chips with my guac several times a week, that's no longer a cheat--that's a diet.  So thanks for letting me share the recipes I come up with--it might help inspire me to invent more!

Baptism Sunday

Sunny first expressed interest in being baptized this summer, and so when our church announced they were having a Baptism Sunday (happens several times a year), she was eager.  She made a heart commitment to Jesus a couple years back, when she was at the summer houseboat camp with her church youth group, but I never urged her to make it public--I feel strongly that kids should not be coached on taking such faith steps. It should come from them, not from the parents. Then a few weeks back Merry told me she wanted to be baptized too.  Apparently she very recently made her own heart commitment, and wanted to join her sister, who was thrilled. (And that made me happy, that these sisters could share such a moment and neither wanted the spotlight for themselves, you know?)

As a side note--we have been going to the 9 am service as a family (the two older kids join DH and I in the worship gathering while the two younger go to Sunday School), and then taking the two older kids back for youth group/Sunday school in the evening.  I have always wanted my kids to grow up being in the church service. . . but without the support of my husband, and being sleep deprived for so many years with babies and young children. . . it just never happened. But one thing to come out of  the past couple of emotionally and spiritually hard years is a new determination to not let life keep sliding on by--to be much more intentional about how I live and the choices I make. So when our church announced a 10 week long series on Discipleship I knew this was the time--and it was so perfect because I had just started reading the words of Jesus with the kids in our morning Bible time. And lo and behold, I love going to the early service, and I never wish I could have slept in, and I love having Sunny and Merry in the service, and DH has been supportive, and that has been one of the best parts of this whole Fall. I really think the series was part of Merry's heart choice too. With church first thing in the morning and again in the early evening we don't have much time for other things--and that's working out perfectly fine too. There's just enough time for some relaxing without totally wasting the day, or just enough time for a family bike ride or something like that. And my dear Becky often very sweetly helps carpool the girls to their youth group so we have not had to schlep over to Santa Cruz every time. It's all been great.

So this morning was the baptism. Last week pastor Dan texted Doug to ask if he wanted to be in the tank baptizing the girls, and he said yes. The girls were happy about that too. And I thought it was thoughtful that last night Doug asked me if I wanted to be part of it too. I was content to be the photographer on the front row, sitting next to Happy and Smiley.

Mom and Rebecca have already seen these photos because I shared them on facebook for my MIL (who had really wanted to be there for the baptism, and had asked if they couldn't wait until the next time the church did them so she & FIL could be there. . . which was sweet,  but I was also glad the girls said no they wanted to do it now. Let's all be so confident in not allowing other people to dictate how we express our love for God! : ). But I made the photo album on facebook only for family members (starting to be more private about the photos I share there), so I'm sharing here because I wanted whoever of you are still coming by to get to see them too. : )
Sunny making her statement of faith, led by her daddy.

Before the baptism, after they had already all climbed into the tub. The guys both had terrible expressions so I cropped them out--but I liked the girls' peeking out past the strong shoulders of DH and Dan while Dan was making introductions. Let's imagine it's a spiritual metaphor. : )

Sunny making her statement of faith, led by her daddy. 

Merry's turn to declare her faith, led by her daddy. 

New creations, damp and modeling the little gold crosses I gave them as a celebratory present afterwards. 

Dan and my dear Becky's girls celebrating with them. 

As my two girls came dripping out of the tub, Miss C and Miss K came rushing over with their towels (they had been sitting on a pew to the side, awaiting the moment) and there was a general hubbub of teen girl activity while the church body applauded the two new additions to the fold. : )  It totally made me laugh--it was like a handmaiden procession out the side door, full of fuss and excitement, because apparently the two sodden sisters could not dry off and change on their own, so C and K and Happy went out with them.

My girls are turning into young ladies, and I'm looking forward to seeing the women they become. I am praying they are women who seek after God with all their hearts and all their minds and all their strength. : )

Halloween 2015

Never too late for photos, right?

We upgraded our computer to the latest Windows OS and then realized that our camera was no longer supported. So until the company comes out with a software patch, Doug has to get the camera to upload to his laptop, and then from there to our computer. Clearly not something I can just sit down and do at my convenience.

But their costumes this year were really fun, so I think still worth sharing. Hey, I made it before Thanksgiving!

The literary theme this year: Alice in Wonderland

Alice

The Queen of Hearts (teen ballet version)

The Caterpillar

The Mad Hatter

A flower and the White Rabbit

FIL was visiting and even came with a knight costume--so they pretended he was one of the royal guards

This was the first year we actually bought one or two items for their costumes, but most of it was still scrounged from our closets and our friends' dance costume collection. Our friend (the White Rabbit) also is a clever costumer--I have a feeling that's what she is going to do someday for a living. She made the Queen of Hearts crown last year, and the skirt this year. She also made The Mad Hatter's hat and bowtie. We purchased the goggles and the pendant the Mad Hatter is wearing--she was originally not thrilled with the idea of being this character until I suggested a female Steampunk version. Then she was excited, and I was so pleased with the end result--the clothing items she is wearing are mostly all mine, things I regularly wear! (you can't see her boots and tights, also mine--and she borrowed the shirt from her daddy). We cobble together pretty well around here!

There were some really pretty details to their costumes that the camera doesn't really show.  Like Alice's key necklace, and the "drink me" labeled bottle in her basket. Or the functioning gears on the Mad Hatter's pendant (it's like a pocket watch).

Or the nice makeup job our friends did on the Mad Hatter.  The Caterpillar had character-flavored face paint too. 

Or the sweet heart hairdo on the Queen of Hearts. 

The dramatic night scene

HI!

It has clearly been waaaaaayyyyy too long since I've blogged. I don't even remember how to do it anymore!  I know why I slowed down the blogging last year (except for the MIL processing), and why I pretty much stopped this year:
* too much to say--just don't even know where to begin, and it is overwhelming to even think about
* the stuff I would want to say I don't feel like saying, and don't know if I should be saying.
* being a tad anti-social and hiding because of everything swimming around in my head.
* my creative writing urges are being spent on developing my LitWits "Master Classes"
* big struggle with brain fog this past year--so when I have the spare moments of time I usually want to rest my brain, not be creative. It's been a big Netflix year.  Sigh.
* feeling like I have too many things needing my attention pretty much every moment of every day. So my blog, even though a good thing, has become a thing it's ok to let go, without feeling guilty.
* 'cause at the end of the day--one less thing is really, really good.

But here are the reasons I want to blog right at this moment:
* A while ago I saw a blog on my sidebar that had been an adoption blog suddenly show up with a whole different face and people and purpose--and I realized that oh, right Blogger will take unused blogs and either delete them or allow other people to take them over (sometimes if they were blogs with big followings that appear to be abandoned Blogger will sell them!) and I don't even think they give you advance notice. I would be so upset if this blog, or Minnie Zephie's, were abruptly taken away from me.  So I'm going to think about long-term saving of the info (save it to my computer, print it out into books--different people do it different ways and I'll have to think what makes the most sense) but until then I'd better at least be sure they do not appear abandoned!
* I have fallen out of touch with pretty much everyone, even my family, pretty much because of all the things mentioned above. So this is one way to step back out into the social world a little. : )
* I would like to make a concerted effort to celebrate the good. This might be a safe place to do it.
* I am also doing so much processing in my life, and maybe there will be some things that are safe/a good idea to process here. I have been processing more mentally--but I forget things so easily--way too easily!--and that is so discouraging, when it feels like I am learning so much and God shows me things and then I forget them!!!!!  Sheesh!
(I have started writing in paper journals--one for different facets of my life. Trying to write down the good things, the encouraging things, the wise things. The things I need to remember but that are maybe too private for sharing here. But even then, I forget to write things down when they happen or when God shows them to me, and then they are lost forever. So blogging a little more might help me get better about recording in general.)
* I forget that blogging is fun! : )

So I'm not making any promises. I'm just going to post this, and hopefully post in Minnie Zephie, and we'll call it good, until next time whenever that is. : )  I don't want bloggin to be a stressful thing--I have enough stressful things in my life already! So thank you in advance for reading this, for caring, for understanding. : )

And I have to make all that reading worth something, so here are some pics!

Feb-Mar 2015 random happenings:

Happy and Smiley as a nurse and orderly. 

Saturday morning reading in bed. There's DH still attempting sleep at the back. ; )

A Barbie game in the bedroom during quiet time. 

Merry on her 12th birthday.

Happy getting one last portrait in the little apron that she inherited from my mother. She has loved and cherished it. . . 

. . . and has sometimes dressed her little brother in it.

For some reason I don't have many photos of Sunny from that period. It was probably a big buckle-down school period and she was most often doing required school. I don't want to talk about it. This post is supposed to be about the good stuff. ; ) So here's a pretty photo of her from last winter.

OK, so that's not much, but it is a start. I hope you all are doing well and are starting your holiday season with lots of love and no stress.

It being Wednesday, I'm Anti-Procrastinating This Post

; )

Good morning everyone!  This is a post that is looooooong overdue. I've been writing a post to wrap up Christmas--with photos!--but it just seems like my brain is harder to get into blog mode these days.

I still want to write that post-Christmas post, even if its Feb when I do!  I want to share some good--and God--things about our holidays, including the time in Chico.  My scripture when I opened my Bible this morning was from the Psalms, when David was lamenting feeling far removed from God, and so he decided to purposefully look back and reflect upon all that God had done for His people.  I want to be sure to write the God stuff--I want to be able to look back and see His goodness in my life. : )

So, I'll see if I can't finish that later today. After all, it is Wednesday, anti-procrastination day!

Actually, I'm making this Anti-Procrastination Week. I feel like this is just one of those times when the things needing attended to are (literally!) piling up around me. And yet, this is a week when I have a little bit of breather room and can get things done. So, I am!

The skinny:

Things are good.

School.
School has settled down A LOT, all to do with my fabulous ES Terry.  That does not mean things are running as smoothly as they should in the high school department, but at least it's not completely overwhelming like it was last semester. (Which was partly my fault, because I had not quite understood what we were getting into, and partly not my fault, because the school was changing rules even as the semester went on, and even my amazing ES would have to frequently talk to higher-ups to figure out what the heck was required. That's not the school's fault either--since it is a public charter, the State had suddenly decided to be all up in its business and so they were having to scramble to address changes the State was making, from what I understand. But still--one big headache.)

With the other kids, I'm finding myself toying more and more with the idea of unschooling. I would not ever completely unschool--at this point I fear it would be more like just giving up, and research seems to prove that unschooling really only works best when it is a family lifestyle that the kids engage with from the beginning of their "schooling."  But the idea of it--letting go of the need to control what the kids learn, trusting in their own God-given curiosity to inspire them to learn, not really using traditional textbooks or programs to "do school"--has been really helpful for me, after all the stresses of last semester.  When I step back and look at everything they do and learn on a "bare bones school" day, it is so good to see all the learning and brain-growth that happened. They really are taking in what we learn and do, and helping grow their brains is the important thing--not the specific tool/method used to do it.

redwood logging

they built a model of the transcontinental railroad. (that "snow" represents the Sierra Nevadas.)  It was their idea entirely--when learning and play naturally meld together 

(if you look carefully you can see DH and three of our kids)

the kids all made homemade bows & arrows. and spears. 

 and slingshots.

what we imagine public school feels like. 

(just kidding! ; )

math

history

um. . . art? woodshop?

this photo sums it all up perfectly

In other words, its all good.

(exhale)

(And look at that!  I just did a School in Review for the Fall!  I always mean to do those and never remember or get around to it.  Score one for Anti-Procrastination Day!

Also, those photos represent just some of the fun and learning-valuable things we did this past Fall. There are more things recorded in photos still on my phone, or DH's phone, or things we didn't document at all. It is so good to look at these and remember--my kids are doing, and trying, and inventing and imagining, and when they do these things, they learn.


Family.
After Christmas, I told DH that I thought it would be great if I did not have to see his parents for about 6 months. I was just so tired of all the negative and realized I was really angry at my MIL for all she put us through (purposefully or not) this past holiday season.  But of course God. . . instead, they called the very next day and said they wanted to come see us that next weekend. : )  And guess what--it was a perfectly fine visit. Probably the nicest visit we have had in years.  Of course it was still totally stressful for me & DH, because we spend every moment waiting for the proverbial shoe to fall.  But overall it was a very good visit, which of course is good.  We know it won't last, but we should enjoy the good when we get it.

Thanksgiving 2014

Our little family unit is doing great. Not nearly as much teen drama from Sunny now that I'm not her homeschool boss.  I've been noticing how well-bonded our kids are to each other, and that is just such a blessing. I think about the kids who spend most of their lives apart from their siblings, and who then think their siblings are "annoying." My kids understand the reality that everyone is annoying sometimes, but siblings are special. Sharing beds helps too. They rotate who sleeps in what two bunks, always paired up, and that has really helped bond them closely as well. I can't imagine those families in which the adult kids don't really like each other, or even know each other.  Or in which the kids are estranged (or even just emotionally distant from) their parents. We're not doing everything perfectly--FAR from it. And I know something tragic could still happen in our lives to change all this. But right now, I look at my kids cuddling and whispering in bed, or piling on top of their daddy, or saying they miss me when I've been away for a day, and I have Peace about my kids.

The sign reads "The House of Love. Loving Evan."

Health.
We have been really quite healthy so far this winter--only one person had a bad cold so far (Sunny). But, it's January and the acacia trees are in full bloom, so my allergies are too.  Actually, even they have not been too bad--until last night. I don't know if I am getting a cold on top of the allergies or what, but I'm way worse today today than any day so far, and I had a terrible night of sleep. But still--no flu, nothing serious. I'm thankful.

And I'm still breathing with two nostrils, which means I'm good. : : )

OK, let's see. School, family, health.


House.
Um, yeah. That's not all good. But I'm focusing on the good today, so we'll talk about that later.

(Don't worry--the house is still standing, we are still cozy and warm and dry, it just seems like problems are coming faster than we can deal with them. Some little, some big.)

But the good thing about the house being a frustrating, overwhelming dump is that I am in big-time GO mode with cleaning out junk. I mean, I'm letting go of so much stuff. Get it GONE. Of course that's also partly because after Christmas we have even MORE stuff to find room for/make storage bins for.  But also partly because, despite my best efforts and continual purging and organizing, the underside of the house looks like an episode of Hoarders.  I've been cleaning out cupboards and looking at things I have not used for years, and thinking at those objects, "You are dead to me."  And then out it goes.

Anti-procrastination feels GOOD.

So, anyone care to join me this week?  Feel free to share your successes in the comments! : )

That's it for the moment--but more to come!  Until then, have a great Wednesday, everyone!

Christmas--our best efforts at Peace, Peace

When I posted that video the other day (and sorry about the terrible look of the video, everyone--I don't know why blogger and facebook make my videos such poor visual quality when I post them) I did so with such a mixture of loving memories for my children and disappointment at everyone else.  Because, see, there are actually three of those videos my Dear Husband took, and watching them in order tells quite a different story than what just that first video conveys.

That first video (I wish you could see our faces properly!) shows us happy and relaxed. The kids are smiling, and looking at Great-Grandma, who was seated about three feet away from us us in the entry between the kitchen and dining room there at MIL's house.  You can tell how loud we are, as DH was standing in the kitchen filming, with his mother rinsing dishes at the sink (no, she did not watch the performance).  We sounded pretty good, too, given that I taught the girls the song in the car on the way up to Chico, and this was our first time singing it together without me clapping to keep the time. My voice broke at one place, because we had to do this in a hurry (when we heard MIL and FIL discussing taking Great-Grandma back down to her house for the night) and could not even warm up our voices first, but otherwise we sound nice.  We did this as a present for Great-Grandma, because she was musical her whole life (plays harmonica, taught her daughters piano) and we thought she would like it.

I mean, c'mon--cute great-grandchildren singing a pretty little song about Peace they learned just for you? What's not to love?

Well. It was not received at all the way we thought, and the videos DH took show the downward progression. You can hear Great-Grandma start to speak at the very end of that video--she is saying we need to do it again, and this time loud enough to be heard.  She kinda complained for a good minute about how we can't expect to sing for other people if we don't even sing loudly enough to be heard. Ok, sure Great-Grandma, we'll do it again. We understand you might be a little hard of hearing, and after all, this is a present for you.

So we sang it again. And again, DH took a video. This time the video shows us singing very loudly, our efforts to be purposefully as loud as possible making us not sound quite so good, and throwing off our rhythm so our sweet little song has a bit more of a dirge-like quality.  The children are no longer smiling as much, and are looking more at me than at Great-Grandma as they seek leadership and affirmation. My voice and smile are a tad more strained, as I try to lead the kids in volume without drowning them out, while starting to stiffen from the criticism but pretend nothing's wrong. We don't sound as good, and are much stiffer and forced. Halfway through the video you can hear MIL stopping her rattling of dishes to hiss at us to be louder yet.

That second performance of "Peace, Peace" was met with a "That was nice but. . ." and more criticism about needing to sing louder, from both Great-Grandma and MIL.

In the third video, we attempt what was supposed to be the conclusion to our little Christmas gift performance--a blending of "Peace, Peace" with "Silent Night." This video makes me laugh, it is so terrible. By now, the kids and I are quieter again, since a) we are trying to listen to one another and not drown out anyone else's parts, and b) we had unconsciously given up on pleasing others with our volume. The kids are not smiling and are looking solely at me--partly from the need to concentrate and get all three parts to work together nicely, and partly because they are disappointed in the reception of the song.  We are all stiff. For some reason, DH's video is blurry.  It's a terrible video of a mediocre performance--so painful to watch it actually made me laugh our loud, wryly, as it seems to perfectly sum up all of Christmas 2014 in Chico.

Our genuine best efforts to be thoughtful and please others, not received well.

Highly imperfect.  Messy.

Sigh.

I love Great-Grandma, and was really surprised that she was not more gracious.  I don't think she is quite that deaf, so something else must have been happening there. Maybe a bit of ancient family patterns coming out. Otherwise our time spent with her this visit was nice and positive.

Our time with MIL started out--as usual--well but then went very quickly downhill. We had about one unexpected negative altercation a day, and I chose more often to excuse myself from those negative discussions than to engage in them. I spent more time upstairs in our room than ever before, and that was a good thing (we're talking several 10-20 minute breaks, and excusing myself for bed at 9:30, when I could--not hiding out for hours on end, which I would have been sorely tempted to do at times!). Overall it was not a great Christmas. But it is also really good for me to remember that Christmases in the past have been much, much worse. So that's a good to focus on.

Also, God was there throughout. And He talked to me.  So that's a Good to focus on.

I'll share some snippets and God stuff with you later. I just wanted to blog a quick little bit because I didn't want anyone wondering/worrying about how it all went down this year.  : )

It wasn't great. But it wasn't horrible either. : )

I hope you all had really good Christmases!  May God pour out His blessings upon you in this New Year!