Mama Domain » Family Life

I have pics of the first meal made with our solar oven!

Crystal — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:57:44 +0000

I am so excited to report that eating our first meal last night was a wonderful experience. Because it cooks like a slow cooker it was easy easy easy. Just put food in the pots and leave all day. You can either keep track of time for cooking longer or slower recipes or you can face the whole thing South and take off–and though we didn’t actually leave that’s how we did it.

A pic of the oven in use:

This was the stew I made. It had squash and zucchini from our garden, basil from our herb garden, sweet onions, diced tomatoes, and red potatoes and was seasoned with garlic seasoning from Grill Shakers and Sea Salt. You don’t add water as the foods cook in their own juices. YUM

And this is my Cherry Cobbler dessert that was delicious and perfectly bready.

And now I made pumpkin donuts!

Crystal — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 01:11:48 +0000

I got the recipe from this lastest edition of Living Without (in which I am quoted *grin*) and everyone who has tried them as LOVED them! I’ll post my adaptation of the recipe soon

I can’t believe I’m sitting here eating the most amazing granola!

Crystal — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 01:02:32 +0000

I got the recipe from one of the Gluten Free Gourmet books (cooks fast and healthy I think):

3 cups puffed rice
3 cups corn flakes (I used 2 additional cups puffed rice and 1 cup oatmeal)
1 cup Nutty Rice
1 cup mixed nuts (I used crushed walnuts, crushed macademia nuts, sliced almonds and shreded coconut)
1 cup sunflower seeds (didn’t have any so I used pumpkin seeds and more like 1/4 to 1/2 cup)
1 cup mixed dried fruits (I used dried cherries, blueberries and raisins)
1 cup raisins (I didn’t add this extra cuz I am not a big dried fruit person lol)
1/4 cup natural oil
1/4 cup honey

Mix all the cereals in a bowl.
Roast or saute the nuts (I sauted them in some spray oil until they got warm and soft) and then I added the 1/4 cups of oil and honey.
Don’t add the fruit until you take it out–I put it in at the beginning *blush* and it actually tastes great to me, so I may do that again

I poured all the dry ingredients into the stoneware baking pan (that I’d sprayed with oil) and then poured the nuts/oil/honey mixture over it and stirred it together. Like I said, I’d added the fruit already.

Bake 2 hours at 225 degrees and stir every 30 minutes.

It’s yummy!!!

My new favorite dish!

Crystal — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 00:13:54 +0000

I made a whipped topping using coconut milk and almond milk and soybean oil (that was all I had but next time I will use sesame or sunflower) and sweetened with just a smidge of honey and a dash of homemade vanilla and it’s YUMMY! So I cut up some peaches and nectarines, throw in some grapes, add some topping and then toss on some shredded coconut, walnut bits and cashews. Can you say YUM???

DH starts his new career on Monday!

Crystal — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 20:35:35 +0000

And we are thrilled! He has been hired by the high school district to do groundskeeping at one of the campuses here and as soon as he passes a certification class will be the bus driver for the sports teams. In September they are sending him to a turf class where he will learn everything you ever wanted to know about turf care for football and baseball fields. Next year when the new campus opens they want to promote him to turf specialist for the district.

He now has retirement, and an income that we can live on, and job hope for the future.

Praise the Lord!

I made the bedspreads!

Crystal — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 20:32:35 +0000

I’m so proud I used my mom’s sewing machine because mine isn’t fixed yet, but I got the blue sheets from IKEA and then sewed them to their character sheet (Spiderman for Liam and Superman for Aidan) and made a duvet cover and inserted their bedspreads. I need to attach snaps to the bottom, but they are on their beds already and they love them. So I thought I’d show off

I need to get up and motivated

Crystal — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 13:50:42 +0000

*sigh* dh has some things he needs to do today–and some I asked him to do that needs me up and watching the children. But I’ve been so tired the last couple of days and am hurting today. I have been trying to totally go without sugar and got a bit too much the other night at our game night party. And I’m aching. I’m shocked at the immediate reaction. I also got something that did not do well with me–I suspect it was the pineapple juice that was in the glass of juice I drank. It’s frustrating when even otherwise “healthy” things are not healthy for you.

I’m frustrated also because my vegan body is really feeling sick about eating meat again–something I knew would happen. When I needed it for 3 weeks during the pg as soon as I started feeling sick by it I was able to stop eating it and didn’t throw up again. But this time I’ve tried not eating it and if I go more than 2 days I feel run down and tired and sick. So I’m caught between feeling ill in my brain about eating meat and feeling ill in my body if I don’t eat it. NOT a place I want to be! Not sure what’s going on there *scratches head*

But life is good! It’s really good. I don’t want to sound whiny because for the first time in a very long time I don’t feel whiny at all LOL Today we’re going to rearrange the kitchen to move the fridge from the laundry room into the kitchen where I’ve wanted it ever since we moved in! But I finally figured out how to arrange everything to do that. There will be a few more things before we’re done with this whole thing–we’re laying laminate flooring in the laundry room and need to tile a splashguard for the stove where we move it, but it will make my life SO much easier to do!!!

DH is getting a new job

Crystal — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:37:03 +0000

He likes where he is well enough but it’s not paying enough money. He’s been there 2 years and that is good for him to have done! He needed to commit to a job for that time. He’s also gotten really good payraises every time they are up to receive, but it’s also pretty clear that two things are happening: 1)he’s not going to be getting advanced any time soon because there are people ahead of him for advancement and the opportunities are very rare and 2) they are making changes that seem to be trying to replace the current people with temps and new hires (I suspect who will work for less). They recently offered him the position of someone who left and enticed him with a whopping payCUT!

So he has applied at the school district here in town and they are offering him a job at one of the schools a little farther away and then as soon as he passes his CDL permit test they will put him in training to be a bus driver which pays pretty well and with volunteering for sports and field trips is easily over 40 hours a week. At just 30 hours a week he would be making what he makes now for 40 hours and when he isn’t on day trips he’ll be home in the middle of the day! I’m so looking forward to that!

I’m also looking forward to making some advances on our Dave Ramsey baby steps for financial peace The Lord is really blessing us and I’m so humbled and grateful.

Big day of classes

Crystal — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 23:34:02 +0000

Fiona started her Superstar classes. She’s going into the Hot Shots program at the beginning of the year but she’s a little young, needs to work on a few more technique things because she hasn’t been dancing all that long, and is going to have an easier time learning the dances for the Superstar group since she will have 2 chances to perform this year and it’s the things they did for the Spring performance. Today she had her ballet class and learned an entire new dance

And the boys started Karate classes–they are so excited and had a great time and the teacher said that they were great! He said that Aidan’s control and ability to stop his movements is very advanced!

The bubbies had a big day too–they wore their shoes and walked with me without using the stroller They were so proud of themselves

I’m so proud of all my children

We got Liam’s diagnosis

Crystal — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 17:30:56 +0000

I’m going to be building some articles if not an entire section on GBD and autistic children.