My DIY Kitchen ReDesign Part 1

So last night we went on our first pallet picking expedition one of many I am sure. It went ok the quality of the wood really varies so I learned that we will have to shop for the ones for our table and benches for while till we have a enough good quality ones but right now we are just working on our garden boxes so it doesn't matter too much.

We took a little trip though Home Depot last night DH (dear husband) needed some accessories for fence and gate building. I wandered through some of the aisles searching out some ideas for my kitchen reno. I found a couple of wall papers samples to take home and test out see what I think, one is a big bold pattern and the other similar pattern just smaller scale. At first I thought I liked the bigger pattern but now the smaller one is growing on me, what do all of you think? Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know which you prefer remember this is only going on one wall which is only 10-15 ft long. I am also going to be installing wainscoting and chair rail at the bottom of that wall too.

I also spent some time looking at the tiles and flooring. I was looking for a plain white what Nate Berkus called penny tile for my back splash but the closed I could find was a 1" square tile which would work but isn't exactly what I had envisioned. For the floor I think we are going to go with a vinyl plank system at Home Depot and we are thinking tile or cork look for that I didn't really like any of the tile options I looked at last night but found a cork one I am sort of interested in so we will see what I think of it in the coming days I brought home a sample to ponder on.

I also looked at some paint samples didn't really find the colors I had in mind I am still really liking the ones I found on Design Seeds but we will see as I keep looking.

A little family

We just came home from a wonderful long weekend away, it is so nice to have a little break every now and then. We don't do it very often and probably not as often as we should we will be working on that over the summer. I have been starting to stand up for myself when people comment on my little family and on how lucky my Son is to get all the attention etc. I say yes he is and that is the beauty of having only one child. It's hard because sometimes I want to say more or get angry at them but I know most times it is not meant as a dig at me personally it's just once you have struggled as we have you are sensitive to those comments. People don't understand that for me just going out is a struggle that seeing so many people with the family we hoped for, dreamed for, and sacrificed my health for is hard. That a simple thing like taking my Son to a birthday party I dread, I cringe at the idea knowing comments will be made and that DS will see his classmates interacting with their siblings and that will make him say, "Mommy I want to be a big brother too" all he wants is to be like his friends. I have to say though he is getting better it was only just last week that he made a comment about it I hadn't heard it in months, that makes it easier. I had a chance to chat with a good friend while away and she too has only one child it was good to hear that she too has the same struggles and feels the same pressures.

I find it interesting that as mothers we find it appropriate to judge each other on our abilities to parent and raise our families instead of supporting one another and realizing that you do not know the full extent of that person situation and given time you may too experience the same thing. So instead of lifting that mother up and being encouraging we would rather stare and comment. I feel as mothers we should bond together and encourage one another be our own support system because lets face it this is the hardest job we will ever face with the toughest critic. I have been reading the book Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman, I am really enjoying it. I am finding some of things I did or do naturally but some of the history behind the french parenting method is very interesting. I really recommend reading it is worth the price or check it out of the library although very popular so hard to get.

I am setting myself a goal to not be judgmental of other Mothers when I am out and to try and give them a little smile or help them out when faced with a difficult situation. I will remember that I have or could be in their shoes one day too.
Had to add a link to this post by a fellow blog Mommy out there: 10 Days of Intentional Parenting Day Six: Grace by finding joy.

Rayna's Day of Play

I came across this today and I had the honor of meeting this beautiful little angel in my previous work I thought I would share this in her honor!

Rayna's Day of Play - August 26th 2012 

We are now in our planning stages for this years Rayna's Day of Play which will be held on Central Ave in Sutherland (replacing HarvestFest) Noon to 4 p.m. There will be rides, games, a Tea Party, Talent Show, parade, kite making and flying,  Entertainment including a show by Singing with Sylvia, craft stations, Concessions, Teddy Bear Clinic, Man Cave and Mommies Corner and more. A family filled event with family values of fun family time.  Wristbands will be on sale shortly for the cost of $15.00 which will include all rides, crafts and child's lunch, ages are 3 years and up for the wristband. This years event will be a growing stage from a very successful Tea Party we had last year on May 1st which was in honour of Rayna Korte, sadly Rayna passed away the next day on May the 2nd from a long battle with Cancer. Her very last wish was for a 100 days of play when she found out she was terminal and Rayna played for exactly 100 days to the day she passed. To keep her beautiful spirit very alive and in her honour, her Mother Cindy has let us rename the event to Rayna's Day of Play and we shall Play rain or shine. If you are interested in participating in either purchasing a booth space, providing a service, or entertainment please contact Kristy at the Children's Wish Foundation or Leanne at 384-4791 or email raynasdayofplay@hotmail.com

She also has a Facebook page feel to visit and like it! 

What have we been up to?

It has been awhile again since I posted life is keeping us busy as both my husband I are continuing to work on our recoveries. Slowly but surely we can see a light at the end of the tunnel! Our Son turned 6 in March can you believe it, I can't! This year we hosted a Star Wars themed Birthday Party and it was fun, crazy but fun! I purchased a wonderful party kit on Etsy from Delightfulprints it was wonderful and made it so easy!

Shown are just a few of the items included in the kit! We also made for the party a pinata replica of the Death Star from the a soccer ball pinata thanks to pinterest! We also did pretzel light sabers and Star Wars sugar cookies, all and all it was good fun!

After the Birthday I have gotten myself busy crafting here are a few of my latest creations!

So as you can see from the many pictures I have kept myself really busy which has been good for me in many ways. It has helped to keep my mind occupied while we wait for our adoption to move onto the homestudy part of the process we are still waiting for our application to be approved for homestudy. This process is very long and at times feels very frustrating. We have recently come to the conclusion that in 3 years when our mortgage is up for renewal we will see where we are in the process and if we haven't progressed at all then we will pack up and go travel for a year at least! Also once we return from our mini vacation I plan to start a 30 day Hot Yoga challenge and will blog through that for all of you to read. I have a friend who completed one in January and she has Lupus and says it made a huge positive impact on her health. I am hoping to kick off our traveling by taking a one month Yoga Teacher training through Rainbow Kids International at least that is my plan at the moment.
As for the next little while well we are working on putting in our garden soon I have it planned out now we must gather our supplies we plan to build a raised bed garden this year making the containers out of pallet would, find our inspiration here on Pinterest of course! I will post finished photos for all of you once it is complete and planted. After that we are going to start a partial reno of our kitchen, this will be the first time in any of the houses we have owned that we will have done a kitchen and I am really excited. In this house with my daycare and my lifestyle the kitchen is the one room I spend the most time in. I am planning on doing it in mustard yellow with plum, white and black accents. See this color combo on Pinterest it is one of the ones I am considering for the plum and yellow. We are also going to doing our own farmhouse table and benches as well as wood counter tops! So as you can tell from this list we will continue to be busy, I will try and take some before pictures for you all and post our progress as I can. Looking forward to a busy spring and summer!

New Year New Food Choices

Well the New Year for us entered on a bittersweet note, my husband fell on November 11, 2011 while we were walking our dog and shattered is Tibia/Fibula this is his worst fracture to date (he has Osteogenesis Imperfecta). I have been struggling with my digestive issues since September 23, 2011 when we had our most recent pregnancy followed shortly after by another miscarriage. Unfortunately on January 4th things took a turn for the worse for me and ended up taking steroids again to clear things up. We just had another colonoscopy which again showed no issues but we are still waiting on the biopsies to come back. They are now thinking some form of IBD but our having trouble finding evidence other than symptoms and blood work. I am now making some more dietary changes in order to try and control these symptoms, I drink a cup of hot water with fresh lemon and ginger prior to eating anything in the morning I follow this by 1/4 of Gluten free oats with 3Tbs Hemp hearts with a little agave nectar and a 4oz glass of Kefir. This seems to be making a difference as of yesterday I am off all meds and doing ok! I am also trying to focus on eating more whole foods and excluding flours and sugars. I recently picked up this book from the library Simple Food for Busy Families I am finding it very informative.

http://www.amazon.ca/Simple-Food-Busy-Families-Nutrition/dp/1587613352

Last Friday night I  made a treat for my Husband, he used to love Wendy's Bacon Mushroom Melt which they no longer have here but I found a Gluten Free Cheese Recipe and made this for him. It was extremely yummy and unfortunately I forgot to take a picture for you.

Gluten Free Cheese Sauce
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Gluten Free Flour (I used Bob's Redmill All Purpose Flour)
3/4 Rice Milk (personal preference)
1.5 C Sharp Cheddar

1. Melt 2Tbsp butter in a saucepan. 
2. Whisk in the flour and cook until fragrant and light brown in color.
3. Slowly whisk in the rice milk and bring to a boil. Cook while whisking until smooth and thickened to the consistency of gravy.
4. Remove from heat and blend in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted.

I added some mushrooms and kept it on low while the burgers cooked. After which I topped the burgers with bacon and the cheese mushroom sauce, so yummy!

Today I made a Banana Snack Cake for the daycare  for afternoon snack, I have been reading of the importance of kids having protein throughout the day to fuel their growing bodies and minds. So altered the recipe which I found here to be Gluten Free and contain a source of protein.

Gluten Free Banana Snack Cake
1 Large Egg
1/3 C Loosely packed Whole Brown Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 ripe Bananas, mashed
3/4 C Fava/Garbonzo Bean Flour
1/4 C Brown Rice Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray
2. In the mixing  bowl, whisk egg and brown sugar until smooth. 
3. Add in the vanilla and mashed bananas, mixing until combined.
4. Add in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, mixing until the batter comes together.
5. Add in the melted coconut oil and mix until evenly distributed.
6. Pour batter into pan and bake for 20mins or until the center no longer jiggles and the edges are golden.
7. Serve warm.

To finish off our day we did some yoga including several rounds of Om's what a wonderful sound coming from children!

In my opinon the best Yoga Studio in Saskatoon!

I just wanted to share the summer special being offered by my favorite Yoga studio here in Saskatoon for all my local readers. Their teachers are wonderful very knowledgeable about the poses and also how your body needs to move in order to obtain said pose. The classes are wonderful too the students are non-intimidating and supportive. I highly recommend this studio, it has a wonderful community environment!


If you buy one summer special membership (July and August membership)
for the price of $155 (gst included) and bring a friend, you can buy the
second summer special membership for half price! This offer is valid
from July 1st to Aug 29, 2011.

Please note that the studio will be closed from Aug 29 until Sept 6
during which time we will clean equipment and prepare for fall classes.

Please check website for our summer schedule, which will be posted soon.

Namaste,
Sharie

A Chance to bake!

We have been just so busy, with soccer, yoga, gardening, and household duties there just isn't enough time to get to baking. Our days have been so filled with the enjoying the outside! But today has been a bit of a quiet day around here and we needed some cookies for the week so instead of making my usual chocolate chip recipe I decided to try and make one of my old favorites Gluten Free instead! This recipe comes from one of my favorite food blogs 101 Cookbooks by Heidi Swanson she has some really fabulous recipes! This one we had made last year before I became ill and we loved it but haven't made it again since. A week or two ago I decided I was going to try and make it Gluten Free but needed to put some thought into the flour blend I wanted to use. Today however I decided to keep it simple and see how it turned, Yummy is the word used to describe these cookies by my Son. The recipe is called Animal Cracker Cookie and they are just so cute and fun. I found my little cookie cutters at bulk barn they have quite a selection of them. I also found some at a local kitchen store called Peppers. You can go to the above link to see the original recipe and below I will post my Gluten Free version of Animal Cracker Cookie.

Animal Cracker Cookie

Ingredients
1/2 C Brown Rice Flour
1/2 C Sweet White Sorghum Flour
1/2 tsp Xantham Gum
1/4 C Almond Meal
1/2 C Unsweetened Finely Shredded Coconut, very finely minced
1/4 C Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil, softened
1/3 C Fine Grain Natural Cane Sugar
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 Lrg Brown Egg, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce
A few Tbsp Organic Demerara Sugar

1. Whisk together your flours, almond meal, xantham gum, and coconut in separate bowl and set aside.
2. Combine your coconut oil, sugar and salt into your mixing bowl and mix until forms a brown sugar frosting consistancy then add in your egg and beat until uniform.
3. Add your flour mixture and stir until just incorporated and add your apple sauce one Tbsp at a time until the dough sticks together in a ball.
4. Split into 2 balls and place a parchment paper and flatten each one.
5. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
6. Roll out dough on your parchment paper until it is about 1/4" to 1/8" thick depending on how you like them. Cut out your shapes laying them on a parchment lined cookie tray about an inch apart.
7. Sprinkle with your demerara sugar and bake for 7-9 mins just until the edges turn brown.