Happy New Year 2009?!?!

Okay I Love Simple Mom as most of you know so here is her last post idea of reflection on 2008. I was inspired as usual and thought I would pass it on to you, if you have not already read it here are her 20 questions about 2008

Enjoy and have a safe and great night.

Reflection Questions for 2008

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?

5. Pick three words to describe 2008.

6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2008 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).

7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2008 (again, without asking).

8. What were the best books you read this year?

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?

14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?

15. What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home?

16. What was your most challenging area of home management?

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?

19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?

20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2008 for you.

Relaxing After Christmas

Okay, I am still recovering from Christmas so this will be short. I will post with all of the gifts I made for the family, I promise. By the way I stayed up until four a.m. finishing all of the gifts because that is what I do best.

I had to change my music to include Prince, for some reason when I think of New Years Eve it is not complete if I don't hear "1999" and "Let's Go Crazy" is such a great dance song. Yes I am dating myself and my musical up bringing in the 80's but I do not care :)

Another cool thing and reason why I probably will not post until Tuesday night is I am potty training Enzo today, Monday and Tuesday. That is right hopefully in three days, I read "How to Potty Train in Tree Days" (or something like that) and it worked with Kira. So I am doing it with Enzo. Now you may think I am crazy to potty train a 21 month old. but I think that he is ready. He pooped on Saturday and as I was changing him I asked him if he was down and he motioned no. So I sat him on the potty chair and he went!! That is right folks he pooped in the potty with out the slightest hesitation. I knew then if he will go poop on the potty he is ready. That seems to be the biggest problem with all of my girlfriends kids, is the poop issue. I remember when I was potty training Kira she was the same way as most kids and afraid of doing it on the potty. It took her one week and then she was going but we had our fair share of accidents.

I also figure boys are so difficult to potty train because they get used to the comfort of the diaper and I did not want him to get that way. So wish me luck. We only had two accidents today and he stayed dry besides those.

Hope your Christmas was blessed and what are you all doing for

New Years Eve?

I am working...shocker

Does anyone have any resolutions????

I think I have a couple but I need to realistically plan them out or they will die out by the 3rd of January. I am an over achiever and I tend to take on too much and then I just fizzle out from everything.

Gluten free Playdough and Races

Homemade Gluten Free Playdough
Recipe is the same a regular but use rice flour

1 cup Rice Flour
1 cup Water
1/2 cup salt
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Cream of Tartar
Food coloring

Mix in a saucepan on medium heat until pulling away from the sides
Knead dough until desired stickiness

We had every possible spoon and cutter

Enzo did a good job rolling the dough with both hands

He also liked cutting the dough with a plastic knife

Kira made a pizza and she got out the hot pads to take it to the pretend oven


Kira's pizza

It's ready!

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!

On Your Marks!

Get Set!

Go!

Kira is rounding the corner and heading to the finish line


Enzo is bringing up the rear


They had so much fun running races.

A Beautiful Reminder

This was my reading from Our Daily Bread today.

Isaiah 9:1-7

To Us a Child Is Born

1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-

2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death ^[a]
a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, ^[b] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Felt Christmas Trees

The kids loved the gingerbread so much we decided to do trees today

Yes we are still in pj's!



I am so excited that we do not have any appointments, therapy, school until January 6th!!!
I love not having any commitments and being able to enjoy my kids and do crafts with them.

Christmas Cookies

Instead of a regular therapy session on Wednesday, the kids were able to bake cookies.
Enzo and I made gluten free dough (recipe at the end) and
brought our silpat sheet and rolling pins to his class.

Rolling out the dough
It is so much easier with parchment paper!


Even though it was an angel, Enzo kept on saying "Batman"



They decorated their little hearts out


I only helped a little


They got to eat one cookie each and they loved them
Thanks to gluten-free girl for the recipe for sugar cookies!
(I changed it a little too)

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
2 1/2 cups of your favorite gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons of xanthan gum (omit if your gf flour mix already contains this)
1 cup cane sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla (make sure it's gluten-free. Use only pure vanilla, please.)

After you have preheated the oven to 350°, mix all the dry ingredients together and set that bowl aside.

Cream together the shortenings and sugar, preferably with a standing mixer. Then, add the egg and vanilla. Beat these as long as you can. The more airy and whipped they are, the better the cookies will taste.

Add the dry ingredients.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour. This is essential for gluten-free doughs.

When the dough is properly chilled, roll it out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut with your favorite cookie cutters.

Bake on an ungreased baking sheet (preferably with a silpat), for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Fully decked out in rain gear

This is the first time she has played in the rain

Southern California does not get much, so we are happy with what we get

We had to warm up with a little hot cocoa

These copper mugs were my moms when she was little

We had to lick the whipped cream off the mixers , of course:)



***The rain stopped shortly after we came inside***
Told you we do not get much rain

Creativity and Gingerbread

Kira drew this and told Eric it was her friends
Jesse and Suzi and the girls were going to a birthday party

Since it was raining today I thought we would make a
gingerbread man and woman out of felt. Inspired by Chasing Cheerios,
her gingerbread man is a little more perfected though.

How cute are they posing with their artwork.

I think they did a great job!

A Homemade Christmas

Here is my gumdrop wreath

It was so much fun to make

This was so easy

I got the idea from Sew Mama Sew's Hamdmade Holidays

Here is our Jesse Tree that Kira and I did

I made my manger and Kira made hers all by herself.

She is quite the artist

Good Stuff

Kira and Enzo all ready to trim the tree




The kids with the tree all decorated

They loved the little horns and ran around
with them saying Doot doo da do

I love Trader Joe's!!!
They came out with Gluten free Mac n Cheese
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
It is always nice to have a easy dinner for those nights when dinner is not happening!

Warning:
This can contains an addicting substance, which will lead you to eat more and more.


They are soooo good. I bought the canister on Tuesday and it is almost gone, thanks to me mainly and my husband a little.

Trip to the Central Coast

This past weekend we went up to San Luis Obispo to visit family,
friends and go to a wedding too.



Enzo snuggling with Grandpa Wayne watching Shrek

Peggy and Kenya Grace Pottenger on their last day on the Central Coast.

The Pottenger's are moving to Kenya

Enzo sitting so big at the counter at Gigi's (grandma) house

My niece Zoe and I had the same brown coats with furry hoods

Kira got an kitty umbrella for Christmas from Gigi and Grandpa

We took a drive along a little country road and saw some cows no biggy

But this one came right up to our car, it got out of the fenced area

Central Coast at its finest

Me and my hubby

What is it about open space that is so relaxing

Over the mountains is Cambria and the ocean

Love it!