Sugar Sugar…

I don’t know why I’ve spent the great part of this year, {ha ha ha} using cheesy song titles of bad references to head my blog. I want to be sorry, but truthfully whenever I see that empty title line- these are the only things that come to mind… 
anyway, moving on. 
In December my best friend was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Dealing with debilitating migraines for the whole of her life, and a strange iron issue which left her nearly fighting for her life a couple of years back, this was a major shock. My biological father is a diabetic so this is something I keep a close eye on. My glucose levels remain fine, as do cholesterol and everything else, but I knew this was going to mean some big changes for her and I promised to journey along side her as she changed her life. 
Life has a funny sense of humor though, because unbeknownst to me- a week later Chw was routinely tested for insurance purposes at work and is borderline Type 2. 
So, now I’ve got no choice… 
Any tips? 
We eat pretty healthy already… Chw has a major sweet tooth though and loves things like TJ’s JOJOs, oreos, and girl scout cookies… He has been known to spend more evenings than not with a bowl of them and a glass of ice cold milk… 
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One…

I can’t even believe it, and yet- I absolutely can… 
Another month, another year. Fresh start. Fresh breath. 
Beginning… 
While I feel content, mostly… Perhaps not as much as i would hope but far more than i was before- i find fingers crossed and hopes high at this thing known as january one. 
first… first of something. 
first of everything. 
one. number one month, number one day to this newness that is not really anything very new at all- except for a clean calendar slate and well- let’s face it- we all know what the Mayans said about that… 
Leave it to me to get my junk figured out right before the timer dings… 
Oh well.
I don’t really subscribe to that anyway… 
Me– 
– I want, no scratch that… i NEED to read at least two books for me. Work aside… for me. I am a better me, a better woman and a far better writer when I read. 
– I need to create. i have a list of paper projects, gift projects and a few slightly more daring furniture projects to work towards. Wish me luck? 
– I plan to see. See the world through the lens of my canon. See films. See people. See life. 
– live life. 
– breathe. Through affirmations. through prayer. through yoga. through calming. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. {Please remind me, should I need it.} 
– and of course- the obvious: WRITE. I must write. there is no “like to” or option here. 
Capture– 
– bowls of soup
– new drink and the year’s first book
– icicles
– winter bundled children
– Kaileigh’s bday
– the tree
– Chw’s smooth newness
– our first meal, this year, as a family
– first snow of the year. (one way, or another)
– snuggles
Us– 
– back to educating… Bittersweet. I’ll look to sweet. I am blessed. I choose cherish. 
– We’ll think on Ecology and Conservation. 
– We’ll strive to manage. Manage time. Manage Money. Manage Goals and possessions. 
– We are starting a new allowance system. I’m excited. Gen’s excited. We’re all excited really. 
– Weekend away. 
– Family dinners. Conversing. Love. Support. 
– We delve into classic literature, again, together. 
– We step out and make friends. We try new things. We journey. We cherish. We breathe. {Must continue remembering…}
– focus locally. local shops. local restaurants. businesses owned by people, who work in love for real people. 
– community. outreach. volunteer. serve. 
Heart– 
– i forgive. Me. Others. Life. 2011. Me. Me. Me… Always me, me who damages the most. 
– breathe. 
– pray. 
– read. 
– love. 
– community. outreach. volunteer. serve. {rinse and repeat…}
– sleep. 
Home– 
– organize for schooling. Creative, practical and simple spaces. 
– stock up our tea supply. We’ve dwindled it down. 
– discard the excessive. 
– restock and organize pantry for better feeding of loved family.
– dance in the kitchen, laugh at the table. We need this, everyday. 
– cook together. 
– loosen the kitchen reins. 
Health
– no soda. none. I’ve done it before. I’m doing this again. 
– cut back on wheat. a lot. 
– swim. 
– move. move in ways which help me love myself, not in ways in which I dread. 
– sleep. 
– breathe. {this is feeling repetitive.}
Love– 
– hold hands. 
– respect him. Consciously. Authentically. 
– kiss. 
– cook for him. 
– fold his socks. {which i hate to do.} 
– date him, and when we are dating- see him genuinely. 
– listen to him. 
– listen to him breathe. 
– recognize, remember and respect that he needs him time too. not for work, not with us in tow. 
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Twenty Five…

For seven days this blog has been blank. 
For seven days i have played and have loved. 
I’ve no excuse for such absence so to help you feel included- 
snippets and tidbits of 25 Wagner Christmas moments… 
1} Genny’s peppermint truffles… 

 2} Amazing hot cocoa stirrers…

 3} An array of homemade barks. {pictured is chocolate mint}

 4} Snacks, and pumpkin chocolate chip bread…

 5} Twirling in the kitchen at…

 6} An impromptu Genny “hosted” kid little kid party..
 7} With homemade pizza…

 8} And delicious, real milk cocoa… {face paint optional}

 9} Toys exploding everywhere…

 10} a beyond amazing Ray Charles impersonator!

 11} Wild and Crazy Genny led games. {Nearly neck breaking, literally, at times!}

 12} Somehow making glittery leg warmers seem ultra bad ass…

 13} Silly photo moments…

 14} Super cute adorableness…

 15} Forced puppy snuggling…

 16} Patiently waiting for friends to stop by on Christmas Eve so we could open gifts…

 17} Present time finally arriving…

18} Christmas morning pretty… 

19} Christmas morning stockings… 

 20} The only thing I asked for… {and SWOON!}

 21} Christmas brunch, (sadly, unphotographed) 
 22} Family tradition of seeing a movie… We saw this: 
WE LOVED IT!!!!! 

 23} Christmas afternoon sleeping beauties… {Note the pepsi can}

 {She counts… she just woke up. Ultra grumpy. Plus she’s in a 
sleeping beauty dress, so there.}
 So, remember the Pepsi can? She moved, Pepsi did not spill BUT 
Genny took it from her, and her hand stayed just as though 
she were still holding it. 
That Amanda, she’s cute… 

 24} Major quality togetherness… {Can you believe Ky and Gen are less than a year apart???}

 25} New pajamas all around…

 AND ADDED BONUS:
A new bike!

So, how was your Christmas? 
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Cookies…

So, maybe I had a half a dozen, or so, people disappointed to learn that I’m not technically a food blogger when they became acquainted with me through the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. I’m sorry if that’s you… I heard about the swap, initially, on another (non-food) blog and my youngest daughter Genny emphatically felt that we should take on this challenge together. 
Did you read that last word??? 
TOGETHER… 
I am not a big fan of baking. I LOVE to cook, and I hear I do it well. I especially love to have people over and cook for them. Baking though, I don’t know. I can make some beautiful coffee cakes and about 45 different (and equally perfect) cheesecakes. My baking confidence ends there though… i get nervous, and impatient. 
Two things though, about this swap, intrigued me. 
1} spending torturous time in the kitchen, baking a batch of cookies and ending up with three different kinds. 
2} doing it with Gen. 
It was not until after I received my first update email, from the swap, that it even dawned on me that it was a food blogger swap. 
if there is anyway i can clause in as an honorary food blogger for the sheer reason that I subscribe to more food blogs than any other type- that would be swell. 
Moving on… 
Due to many unforeseeable events- our cookie making morning was not only pushed off until the last possible minute- BUT it also became MY cookie making morning. Genny was sick. I became depressed. It was all ugly and sad, but I survived and have lived to tell the tale- complete with photos and the recipe. 
Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies… 
  • 1/2 cup, plus 6 T. unsalted butter, softened. 
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1/2 t. salt 
  • 3 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 c. chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
  • 1/2 c. white chocolate peppermint morsels
  • 1/4 c. chopped candy canes
Heat the oven to 350. 
in a large bowl/mixer, cream butter and sugars. 
Add eggs, one at a time, beating each until blended. 
Mix in Vanilla.
  
 Gently wisk dry ingredients (except oats and mix ins) together in a seperate bowl and then add to creamed mixture.
{this is when i checked on her and she was pasty, grey and deeply sad that she- who loves to bake- was in bed reading while I slaved away over tasty cookie dough in the kitchen. Life truly is not fair.} 
 Stir in the oats. 
 When the dough is well blended, add in the chocolate and candy pieces. 
Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls on to ungreased cookie sheets. 
Bake 8-10 minutes, or until golden. 
 While they baked and cooled, I made up little Christmas cards to accompany the cookies. 
 Ta da! Not so bad… Actually, this recipe is one of our family’s FAVORITE Christmas cookies. I am not sure how fresh they stayed, or how well they shipped, but we love them here at home… 

Also thought i’d share with you the blogs of the three amazing bakers who sent us DELICIOUS cookies! Kathy Can Cook, Girls Can Tell and My Fiance Likes it…… 
And the three bloggers who I sent to… CakeFYI, Urban Sacred Garden, and Azucar Means Sugar. {and yes, all things considered- I really was intimidated and sure my humble little cookies were far inferior to anything they make!}

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While browsing do you ever just stumble across something that absolutely changes or challenges the way you currently do things? I am a big meal planner. I’ve talked about that before. I love the process of it, love the recipe searches, etc. 
What I haven’t really talked about though, is life. How life kind of complicates meal planning sometimes. How unexpected plans result in take out, or a migraine of mine inspires my husband to make something completely different and simple- and honestly after a day full of working I don’t blame him. What happens though, is that things inevitably waste. 
It’s sad. 
It isn’t prudent. It certainly is not practical… 
And then, one afternoon last week I came across this post in my reader. It’s amazing… 
Call me naive but I feel like this is the post that could change the entire way that my days function. The amount of time it frees up almost gave me chills. 
Yes, I am dead serious… 
After Thanksgiving- (because I am the girl who needs time to change- time to adapt to such things… And because I ordered the book and I need it to arrive) or maybe before, if the copy i requested through the Library comes in… 
I am excited though, because it is flexible… 
It will waste less. 
It sounds like the perfect compromise between cooking, and not… 
It sounds simple.
God knows my life needs a lot more simple… 
What are your thoughts on the plan? 
If you were to adapt a similar domestic strategy, what staple items would you always have on hand, in the freezer/pantry? 
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