NAILED IT! Pinterest Fail

This trusty ol' blog is good for one thing right now: my Pinterest endeavors. Tonight I post my first Pinterest fail. Pinning etiquette says your pin must link back to the source of your pin, complete with step-by-step instructions. Apparently, the creator of "The Best Potatoes Ever" felt it adequate enough to instruct pinners to simply boil, smash, season, bake. I obviously needed a bit more info. :)

First Pinterest Project: Rain Gutter Bookshelves

And we have success! I'm tellin' ya, I definitely would not consider myself crafty in the artsy department. That's why Pinterest and me have a love-hate relationship. I pin things that look amazing and super easy, then I find myself walking around the Man Store, Goodwill and Michaels like a deer in headlights. I can't help thinking, "What in the world am I looking for again?!"

Thanks to my bestie, Jay Dawg, I was able to get exactly what I needed for the coolest shelves ever: rain gutter bookshelves. And thanks to my wonderful hubster who measured, printed out exactly what I needed and hung these bad boys, my kiddos have their own personal reading nooks.

Chocolate Applesauce Cake: Allergen-Free!

Ever come across someone who is: gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, sugar-free, and wonder what in the world they can eat? I'll be honest, I'm not sure how people do it day in and day out. However, thanks to two wonderful women in my life, my mom-in-love and sis-in-love, I'm entering into that world and loving it.

All of my previous baked goods came from a box. And not a healthy one. I'd go to the store, buy a box, bring it home, mix, bake and serve. To cook from scratch scared me. Not sure why, but wasn't it just easier to open a box, throw in some eggs, water and oil and call it good? Well, it certainly was easy, but once I started reading labels and caring about what I saw, I couldn't buy the poison harmful fake chemicals anymore. Then, this cake entered my life and I was hooked! It's so easy!

So, this is to make all you gluten/sugar/egg/dairy intolerant folks--and anyone who loves chocolate cake happy.

What you'll need:

2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup cacao or cocoa powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup honey
3/4 cup oil; I use organic, expeller pressed canola oil, can use coconut
2 1/4 cup naturally sweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla



Pre-heat oven to 350*



Sift dry ingredients together, or just mix with wire whisk.



In separate bowl, combine wet ingredients.



Combine dry with wet and blend well.



Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Cook's note: I use Demarle flower mold that does not require extra grease, but did increase baking time to approx. 40 minutes.



This cake is delish! It's moist, dense and has been known to cure chocolate cravings.



You can make a yummy ganache using 1 can coconut milk, 3 Tbl cocoa or carob powder, 1/8 tsp Stevia, 1 tsp vanilla. Bring to a boil stirring often, don't overcook. If you put it in the freezer 20 minutes prior to serving, it thickens up and not as soupy.

Though I've had this ganache with this cake and love it, I've yet to make it because I don't think it's a must. I'm not a real saucy kind of gal--contraire to what my husband might say. ;D My hubby, who loves his food drenched, put applesauce on top and, I must admit, it was yummy!

So, there you have it. A yummy, easy, allergen-free cake that doesn't taste like cardboard. :) Enjoy!!



Don't forget to clean up. ;D

And...expect to see this--

World's Biggest Failure

Happy New Year!! I can't believe this blog is still here. Pretty sure I didn't post once last year. Life is full with 4 kiddos and homeschooling three of them. Chasing my youngest should be an Olympic sport. Man, can that kid get into mischief. Just tonight I found a package of toilet paper in their room, a book in the pantry and I still hear him talking in his bed. It's 10pm!! He's our little busy blessing.

So this year I'm hoping to write a little more. I can't tell you how often I think of things to share but time is just not there. I'm doing good to keep clean clothes in the drawers. Or at least off my bed. Anyone else keep a pile of clean clothes on their bed with full intention of folding and putting away before bed; only to shift it back to the laundry basket? yah, me too...(I'm really hoping I'm not the only one)..

Nobody likes feeling like a failure and by this time of the year you might feel like one because you've set out, with good intentions, to keep some New Year's resolution, but have already slipped and caved in. Whether it's giving up a bad habit or starting a good one, it's hard to stay on track. For those of you going strong--way to go!!

One resolution that tends to lose steam and excitement is reading through the Bible. It's no fun going to your checklist and seeing the missed days and soon, you table the idea. It's like those dates mock you, sneer at you and scream failure in your face. Okay, maybe it's just me. Point is, if you're like me and really wanted to make this your year, you haven't even started and it kinda stinks. In the past I might have had good intentions to "just start today" but it's no fun checking a box that reads January 1 and it's January 29.

I'm here to share with you a very cool new Bible reading plan that's for shirkers and slackers. Check this out, it's called Bible Reading Program for Slackers and Shirkers. Love it! Read Margie's story and hope you find some inspiration!

Happy reading and growing in God's amazing grace this new year!

Jolly Gift Ideas

I know some pretty incredible people and they make some pretty amazing things. Need gift ideas? Let me introduce you to some of my very talented friends who can fill your stockings and bless that special someone without the crowds.

Custom boards for home decor can be found here at Corner Barn & Co. Tina says it's not too late to get your custom Christmas order in!

Our new favorite soap comes from Yvonne at Clean Hands Soap Company.

Want to teach your kids who God is in a fun way through music? Check out Dana and her family at Songs for Saplings!

There are two more really cool ladies I know that own shops on Etsy, but they've closed shop for the holidays. Check them out after the new year for unique, hand-made items. Sarah Kate at Cranny and Sarah at The Casual Princess.

Happy Shopping!

Any Readers Left?

I'd be surprised seeing that I haven't posted in like, forever! I don't have to tell you that life is crazy. Busy, busy, busy and this time of year is no exception. In fact, it's this time of year that schedules are packed full of holiday activities. I so wish I had more time in my day.

But, if I had more time, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't guarantee I'd post more-or start using it wisely. Might as well learn to live with my 24 hours God gave me.

It's December 2 and I really don't want to decorate for Christmas. Not because I'm not loving this time of year, quite the opposite. It thrills me to pull out our red bins from storage and hear the kids get excited. It's buggin' a little that I don't see when I can do it and I don't want to decorate two weeks before Christmas. We leave tomorrow for a weekend in Sunriver to attend Oregon's Make it With Wool Contest. I'm looking forward to seeing Doug's sister and family from Sweet Home. Oregon, not Alabama. :) And this is something our family looks forward to as it provides a little vaca for us. Plus, the girls worked really hard on their skirts and we get a kick out of seeing them model them for the judges.

Next weekend we have Doug's company party Friday and then Emily's Piano program Saturday. Guess I'll have to decorate in the middle of the week. Couldn't I just skip this year? It's all for Jesus, right? He doesn't care if we don't put up a tree.

Just kidding. We'll decorate. But, I want to know what your family does this time of year to make the art of decorating for the celebration of our Savior's birth not become a dull task or laborious job.

One more book for my queue?

Just might have to make room for this one.

DugDownDeep_Carnahan.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.

Here's a summary of the book: Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris.
http://www.joshharris.com/bookblog/book-summary.php