We Made It!!!!!

I am back!  I made it through my first homeschool graduation!  It wasn't so bad really.  All those years I fretted and worried that I would never make it to that iconic day; the day where, after years of homeschooling, we would reach the end: graduation. 

It was a perfect weekend.  Cinnamon and Paprika had their end-of-the-year recital on Saturday.  It was outstanding.  An Dochas, an Irish band, played for the entire show.  It was beautiful.  They played a lot of songs off their Rise CD.  I just sat back and listened and watched and beamed!  I was so proud.


Cinnamon is second from the left.  Paprika is fourth from the left.

 

 

It was even better because we had so many friends and family visiting for the weekend that they were also able to see them perform!  It was truly a joy to watch.

Sunday was Allspice's turn.  The day was filled with family and friends and about 40 dozen cookies, all gluten-free, and all made by Cinnamon!

There were Orange Chocolate Chip, Mochachinos, Snickerdoodles, Almond Pecan Sugar Cookies, Triple Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Coconut Oatmeal, Mint Chocolate, Cinnamon chip  and Zebra Cookies.  Yum!!!  All gluten free which was awesome.  Imagine a table full of cookies, and you can eat any or all of them if you please!  Delicious!

It was so much fun to see family and friends and share in such a wonderful celebration.  There was volleyball, laughter, hugs, and relaxation. 

The rain even held off until the open house ended.  What a blessing!!!  All I can say is that the day was a gift.  A gift to see so many friends and family.  A gift to celebrate such accomplishment.  A gift to see a little boy I once cradled in my arms reach the end of one journey only to begin a new one into adulthood.  A gift to see my family surrounded by such love.

Blessed By It All

The past week has been flying by, that's for sure.  Around here we are gearing up for the final week before our big dance performance and a graduation party.  Cinnamon and Paprika have been dancing like crazy.  They went to a feis (pronounced "fesh") last weekend.  A feis is an Irish dance competition.  This was a pretty big one with over 500 girls and boys competing.  The dresses were bright and glittery and the hair, well the hair was big.  Yes, we too had big hair.

Those are wigs, by the way.  No way could I have curled their hair like that and left them with any hair at all.  Plus, in a way, you know you have made it to an upper level of dance when you are told you need to break down and buy that wig.  This was the first feis and first wig excursion for the girls.  They were quite excited by it all.

We had a blast.  The feis was in Seattle next to the Space Needle. 



They had a lot of fun and did very well.  They were pretty excited.

Now we are back to reality and less curl.  They are gearing up for a performance next week so there are hours and hours of rehearsal.  Six days of dance this week.  Good thing we car pool!  I can only suspect what next week will bring!  So by next Saturday, I will be ready to just sit back and watch!

Allspice has been keeping the pace with his sisters by throwing in a graduation party and all it entails next Sunday.  Who is in charge of the schedule?  Oh, me, you say.  Well, I was thinking (first mistake) that it would be a good idea to have a graduation party the same weekend as a dance performance so out-of-town grandparents and relatives could do both.  Hmmm.  I will leave you to your thoughts.

Good thing I have help!  Cinnamon, baker extraordinaire, has already made and stocked the freezer with more than 30 dozen cookies with delicious sounding names like Mochachino Chip, Mandarin Orange Chocolate Chip, Triple Chocolate, Snickerdoodle, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Almond Sugar Cookies.  All gluten free!!!  And as the official taster, I can vouch that they are all delicious as well!



While she has been baking, Allspice and I have been taking pictures and getting things ready.  It has been busy, but I have enjoyed seeing my kids reaching and succeeding in their own ways.  I look at them and think, I am so blessed, so very blessed.

So I leave you to head off to bed.  Tomorrow is another busy day.  Starting with the septic tank guys who need to replace the pump that went out.  Why now in the midst of all this chaos?  Well, I am just thankful it wasn't next week!  Thank you God for the little things! 







Crazy Mode

I didn't forget you all!  Really, I didn't.  Things have been crazy here.  Allspice is getting ready to graduate!  I can hardly believe it.  I have been working diligently on preparing for his graduation:  making graduation announcements, taking senior pictures, completing notebooks and transcripts.  The list sometimes seems endless.  It is a crazy, but wonderful time. 

One thing I am so glad I did, looking back now, is to keep good records all along the journey.  I tried to keep up on lists of books read, curriculum used, field trips, test scores etc.  I am so glad I put that work in back then, otherwise I would be scrambling now! 

I find myself amazed that we are at this pivotal point and at the same time, I can't believe we are here already.  It seems too soon.  Next year Cinnamon and Paprika will graduate and my homeschooling days will be done.  There is a kind of emptiness inside.  One I am sure God will fill with new callings, but for now there is a definite sadness.  I can't help but become a bit misty-eyed when the curriculum catalogues reach my mailbox.  I peruse the catalog and think, "Oh, that would have been cool!"

 I have to be careful because I easily fall into that trap of "I should have done more of that!"  I am notorious for beating myself up for not homeschooling perfectly.  There are always lists of books that went unread, maps unfinished,  goals not quite met.  If you dwell on what you didn't accomplish, you diminish your successes.  So I am working hard at changing the conversation in my head.  I look back and realize just how much we have accomplished.  I look through their notebooks with great satisfaction and think, "What a blessing homeschooling has been in our lives."

So, that is where I have been.  I am hoping to post some yummy recipes soon and get back to blogging on a more regular basis.  But, just remember, having a graduate is kind of like having a baby:  it's a lot of hard work trying to get em out!

Salmon Scramble

I am really trying to eat healthier these days.  I am even trying to start the day off right with a good breakfast.  That can be hard to do when you are not overly fond of the usual breakfast fare.  I have been experimenting with other options.  Today I made a salmon scramble which I thoroughly enjoyed.  It was so easy and it left me feeling satisfied and ready to start my day!

Salmon Scramble
serves 2

1 tsp coconut oil
1 clove of garlic minced
1 can of salmon drained (I use Bear and Wolf Pink Salmon and get it at Costco)
4 mushrooms sliced
4 green onions chopped
4 eggs beaten
handfull of grape tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Place the coconut oil in a skillet.  Add minced garlic and green onions and heat until fragrant.  Add mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Add salmon and mix together.  Add eggs and cook until done.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with grape tomatoes.

This could also be served for a quick and wholesome dinner or lunch.  It is definitely quick and easy.

Caribbean Citrus Salmon and Cauliflower Rice

I love baked salmon.  It is so easy, not to mention delicious and good for you.  I usually make it with a brown sugar glaze, but I am trying to cut out sugar.  I decided to try something new and it turned out wonderfully!  I thought I would share it with you.

Caribbean Citrus Salmon

Salmon
Olive Oil
1 lemon
Mrs. Dash Caribbean Citrus Blend
8-10 Cloves of garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and place the fish on top (this makes for an easy clean up).  Drizzle the fish with olive oil.  Rub the fish with the oil, so the entire fish is covered.  Squeeze 1/2 of the lemon over the fish.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Generously cover the fish with the Mrs. Dash seasoning.  Add minced garlic to cover the fish.  Cover fish with a tent of foil making sure it is secure to the baking sheet, but not touching the fish.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  Cut up the remaining lemon to serve with the fish for added flavor.

I served this with cauliflower rice.  If you have never tried "ricing" your cauliflower, you should.  It was great.  I had never tried it before, but decided to give it a try.  I used the cauliflower rice recipe from the Make It Paleo cookbook by Bill Staley and Haley Mason.  There are some great recipes in that cookbook!  I borrowed it from the library, but it is on my wish list to own!  I added basil and oregano to the recipe and was more liberal with the garlic.  I will definitely make it again and look forward to using this recipe when I need rice.

Cabbage Salad With a Mediterranean Style Dressing

The end of the month always poses a bit of a problem for my menu calendar.  What my menu reads and what makes it to the table are often two different things!  Tonight was no exception!  My menu read, “Fried Polenta with Gravy and Roast, Asparagus, and Salad.”   Complications.  First, we had asparagus last night, so that was out.  Second, salad would be a bit tough since I didn’t have any more lettuce.  I decided to forget the asparagus and focus on just a good salad, without lettuce. 

I went to my fridge to see what I could make into some sort of salad.  Carrots.  Jicama.  A half a head of purple cabbage.  Celery.  I could mix that into something, maybe coleslaw?  I started to shred the cabbage, but purple was flying everywhere so I abandoned that idea and finished the head by thinly slicing it.  Cinnamon shredded the carrots while I dealt with the Jicama.  EW!!!  We skipped that thought after I opened the bag.  Celery would have to do.

The colors were pretty and I thought a vinaigrette would work better.  I wanted to try using lemon juice instead of vinegar, so I juiced a lemon into a small bowl and added olive oil.  I will be honest.  I am horrible at measuring.  I just add this and that and then later think, how much was that?  Cinnamon and I guessed that we used about ¼ cup of olive oil or less.  I then threw in some salt and pepper and some basil.  Minced some garlic and tossed it all together. 

It is something I will definitely make again.  Everyone enjoyed it and loved the dressing.  I think lemon will be a new staple in my fridge.  I hope you enjoy!

Cabbage Salad with a Mediterranean Style Dressing

1/2 of a cabbage shredded or thinly sliced

3 carrots shredded
4 stalks of celery thinly sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
The juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil (or less if preferred)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp Basil

Mix cabbage, carrots and celery together.  In a small bowl mix the juice of one lemon, minced garlic, and olive oil together.  Add seasonings to taste.  Mix together until well blended.  Pour over vegetables and toss.

Spring Means One Thing: A Bunny!

Cinnamon has been bugging her dad for the past two years to get a bunny.  We had a bunny, actually two, but they met with an early and tragic demise about two years ago.  Sometimes that happens in the country.  Ever since then she has wanted another bunny.  Dan finally gave in last fall, but managed to convince her to wait until spring.  Well, spring is here and so is our latest addition: Snoopy.

He is a mini rex.  He has got to be the calmest bunny we have ever had.  He loves to be held and there are plenty of people around her lined up for the job!

What can I say.  I have even been caught snuggling the little furball.  It must be contagious.

I think he likes me too!  Either that or I smell like food.  Let's stick with the first one.

Happy Easter!