Power of the People

I remember learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. as a child.  We watched a short video on his life.  Someone in the video shouted, "Power to the people!"  I remember wondering what that truly meant.

 Undeniably the young man that shouted it wanted the African American people to be endowed with the power that comes with freedom.  The power that comes from being allowed to be who you are.  I remember thinking that Dr. King had that power.  His speech, his presence and his education empowered him to move an entire nation.  He was truly a great man.

 I believe we all are endowed with power, however, when you combine many different people to one purpose, like Dr. King, it has the potential to multiply that power exponentially. So while we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King day this month (on the 19th), let's come together with not only each other, but with God.  With our power combined we are unstoppable.

Our Family Motto for the year was chosen by our children from a list of quotes my husband and I put together.  I believe giving our family a purpose every year endows us with the power and will to accomplish anything.  The motto they chose was perfect.

"As individuals we are strong, together with God we are unstoppable."

~Rosemary M. Wixom

Whatever your resolutions are this year, share them with God, he has a way of making things happen.  Review them every day, then have a good talk with Him at the end of the day, let him know your progress, your let downs, your struggles and triumphs.  Let Him guide your path and you cannot fail.

Then like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. go out and give a good word of encouragement to someone who is trying, a smile to everyone in passing, and a hand up to someone who has fallen or is failing.  Together we can do anything, with love.

I'm back...again....

Yes, I know, huge surprise.  I haven't written in a long time.  I am still alive!  The kids have not managed to tie me up in the basement somewhere.  Here is my topic today.

Potty Training: Necessary? or a Conspiracy?

I am currently potty training my last minion. Madeline is a spirited 2 1/2 year old.  She is ready, according to all the parenting advice I have read.  She shows all the signs of being old enough to potty train.  So here was our day yesterday:

Breakfast:
We wrapped up a package of little girl undies to give her and made a big production of changing her into them.  Then we told her not to get her pretty undies dirty with yucky potty.  We touted the big girl she has become and proceeded to ask her if she needed to go potty every 10 minutes for the rest of our lives....or so it seemed.

10 AM:

We are now proceeding to sit on the potty every 10 minutes, she hasn't had an accident, a promising development, but she has yet to leak a drop in the potty.

11 AM:

Now I'm starting to panic.  Not an accident, not a drop!  And I've pumped a TON of juice into this baby!  She just sits there smirking at me.  I'm beginning to believe that maybe she knows how to use the potty and is just trying to torture me....

12:45:

Nap time!  I put her in a diaper for her nap.  She promptly lets it all go.....now I know it's a conspiracy.

2:45:

Wakes up from her nap. We try again with the underwear.  But now she knows how to pull it on and off.  Now we have a problem.  Again, I offer her as much milk and juice as her heart desires.

3:15:

Still nothing...

4:00:

Still nothing...not a drop

4:45:

I sneak downstairs to change over the laundry.....Screaming Shawn alerts me to progress.  I charge up the stairs to find a puddle in the middle of the kitchen table and a relieved looking baby.....

5:30:  I give in and put a diaper on her....admitting defeat for another day....

5:45:  She runs up to tell me she's stinky and takes off running down the hall.  When I finally grab her I realize it's all down her legs and consequently all over my shirt.

6:00 PM.....I'm holed up in the bathroom changing.  Totally convinced I'm going to find some kind of baby communication device in her crib so she can communicate with the mother ship on how her human mother torture experiment is going....

Conclusion:

Though Potty Training may be a necessary evil....or a conspiracy, the jury's still out...I have come to the realization that my 2 year old is smarter than I am. So to all the mom's out there....

Good Night, and Good Luck.

Recipes part deux

GF Peanut Butter Sheet cake

2 cups sugar

2 cups GF flour

1 tsp xantham gum

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup dairy free sour cream or plain vanilla or applesauce

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup nucoa

1 cup water

For the Glaze

½ cup nucoa

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

6 tbs coconut milk

2 ½ powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a bowl combine the sugar and the flour and xantham gum.  In a separate bowl mix eggs baking soda and sour cream well.  In a small saucepan combine peanut butter, butter and water.  Bring to a boil.  Stir the mixture into the flour mixture then add to the sour cream mixture.  Pour into and ungreased cookie sheet with sides, ie a jelly roll pan.  Bake 20 min or until done.  Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.  Mix the nucoa, peanut butter and coconut milk together in a sauce pan, bring to a boil stirring constantly.  Add powdered sugar and mix well off the heat.  Let it cook for a few minutes then add vanilla pour over cake while still warm.  Cool and serve.  Die in heaven.  

GF 5 star chocolate chip cookies

1 ½ cup sugar

1 ½ cup brown sugar

1 cup nucoa

1 cup coconut shortening

4 eggs

1 TBS vanilla

5 cups GF flour

1 ½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp soda

1 tsp xantham gum

1 pkg chocolate chips

Cream the sugars and butter and shortening with a mixer until light and fluffy, then beat them some more.  Slowly add the eggs, vanilla, salt and baking soda.  Slowly add the flour and xantham gum.  Proceed to eat the cookie dough by the spoonful.  For best results refrigerate overnight before baking.  But it works right away as well.  Bake 375 for 10 min.

Cari’s Amazing pasta/potato salad!

1 cup macaroni noodles , boil and drain, rinse with cold water.

4 hard boiled eggs

2 potatoes

1 can whole olives drained

1 english cucumber, peel and half, take out seeds slice as thin as a fork tine.  Sprinkle with a good TBS of kosher salt and let sit in a bowl for a few hours to get the water out.  Drain the water.  Lay on a stack of 3 paper towels and gently squeeze out excess water. 

Peel and grate one carrot

Mix with helmans mayonnaise to desired consistency.

Enjoy with your eyes closed for best effect…. Then say yum!

Pizza Dough, not GF

3 cups flour

1 TBS yeast

1 cup warm water

1 TBS olive oil

1 TBS sugar

Mix the sugar and water and yeast and let sit until the yeast softens.  Add the flour and olive oil, using the dough hook on your mixer let it knead for a few minutes until elastic.  Then let rest for 15 min.  oil your hands and your rolling pin and roll out.  Good for breadsticks too!

 

GF and egg free Chocolate Cake

3 cups GF flour

2/3 cups oil.

2 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

 6 tbs cocoa

2 tsp Vanilla

2 TBS vinegar

2 cups water

½ cup applesauce or 2 eggs

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xantham gum

Mix everything together except the xantham gum.  When mixed well mix the xantham gum in.  Bake at 3t0 for 25-35 min in a greased pan or 2 9” rounds.