Saturday Mornings

I LOVE! Oh dear. I think that's the single positive thing about working for me (besides the whole money thing), is it makes Saturday mornings sooo blissful.

I can be lazy and take my time, I can make breakfast, I can gather my nice little thoughts (cause Clay sleeps in WAY past me), I open the blinds and let the natural light come through (even though it's cloudy and I would much rather have sunshiney)...it's just nice.

Normally we have our IV treatments in Pocatello....but what do you know? Somehow it was forgotten to make an appointment. Normally, we have to wake up at 6:30 AM and be ready to go as soon as possible, to get down to Pocatello as soon as possible, so we can get our 3ish hour long treatment done as soon as possible, and get home by 1:30 if we are lucky. It makes having lazy mornings pretty impossible. So, though I'm kinda upset we didn't get our IV treatments (since they help a LOT with my energy level), I'm happy to have my Saturday morning.

I have thought about some goals I want to accomplish. My life has kinda become deadish since the whole Lyme disease thing. I feel like I wake up, rush to work, warm up dinner, and collapse on the couch/bed watching tv shows. What a lifeless life right? I used to have a lot more hobbies it seemed. So here are the goals I want to work on starting NOW:

1. Work on being a better people picture taker. I LOVE my camera. I LOVE taking pictures of inanimate objects. Like...pillows and food. ha. When they don't move, or have life...I seem to do okay. Whenever I try to take pictures of people, or anyone that is moving? I seem to have problems. I would REALLY like to get better before I have little kiddos running around. And I like taking pictures, so it'd be nice to work on something specific. Hopefully I can non-awkwardly find random people to take pictures of :) Cause Clay isn't the most willing participant! Unless I want angry looking faces in every pic. No thanks.

2. I pretty much am fearless in the home-decor sewing biz. I in no way think I'm the master...it's just that it's gotten to the point that I see something I like, and I figure out a way to make it. I mess up a lot, but I just dive in and don't care, I've become fearless. One thing I am NOT fearless in...in fact I'm completely a SCAREDY cat- is the clothing arena. I want to become fearless with clothes. So, I want to work on making clothes/altering clothes, etc. I feel like if I just take the leap, and try a few things...pretty soon I'll be fearless at that too. Hopefully :)

3. Reading. I used to read ALL-THE-TIME. Some of my friends that knew the old Danielle who read a lot, always ask "Read anything good lately?" and...unless I want to embarrass myself and say..."uh...yeah, People.com", there's NADA. Seriously- that's the extent of my reading these days. Celebrity gossip! I miss reading. I used to LOVE it, and get so into the story and it just felt a lot better than tv. I hope to start reading more. You know those kindle commercials? They are good. I always say to myself, "I need one of those" after I see one. I am sooo not one of those people who think, "I love the feel of books and highlighting things". Nope. Don't care! I fully love just reading good stories. I don't really care if it's on the computer, hardback, paperback, phone, or anything. As long as I don't want to put it down, I like it. The only thing about the kindle though, anyone know if there's a library connection? Like, you can connect to your local library and rent books or whatever? I need to look into that.

4. My hair. This is something I've never been good at. But I am so sick of just the same ol straight every stinkin day. I have different things I could do with it...I just need to do it. That is another goal I want to work on. Doing different things with my hair.

Well, my Saturday morning is officially spoiled. It's snowing! Maybe another goal I could have is to convince Clay's company he works for to move to California.

Being that I AM limited in the things I do lately...I know I'm not gonna master these things immediately. That's why I said goals I'm going to WORK on. Slow and steady.

Alrighty..till next time!

PS- If you are gluten-free, look on my blog for a gluten-free german pancake recipe. It's purty good.

Gluten Free German Pancakes

My awesome gluten-free brother sent me this recipe. He got it from withasmile.wordpress.com, but we've adjusted it a bit to our liking. For gluten-free, this is quite good! As with all my gluten-free recipes, I still suggest normal white flour/wheat flour if you can tolerate gluten! This doesn't compare to the norm. But it definitely beats no german pancakes:)


INGREDIENTS:

6 large eggs
1/2 cup Gluten Free Flour
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk (this can be substituted with soy, rice, etc)
2 TBS butter, room temp
1 TBS coconut oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9x11 cake pan.

Beat eggs in blender until they are thick and fluffy (a couple minutes). Add flour, salt, and milk and mix until blended. Blend in butter and coconut oil.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned.

*If you don't have coconut oil, you could just add another tablespoon of butter. I try to get as little dairy in as possible, that's why I used coconut oil instead of butter.

My bonding time with Dante

Clay is super good at playing tug-o-war with Dante...and petting him tons and stuff.

I am good at taking him on walks...at least I'm trying to be. Today was decent weather (40 degrees and sunny) so I took Dante on a 35 minute walk. WOAH! Hold the phone- 35 minutes doesn't sound long but HOLY SMOKES it is! My legs feel like rubber! Not even joking! I don't know how people can go for longer!

Dante and I headed out on our usual route, but I decided I wanted to walk for at least 30 minutes. So I went another way...and before I know it, I'm lost! Seriously- I am just walking through this neighborhood thinking how nice and pleasant it is, and then all of a sudden I'm like....uhh...where the heck am I?!

Eventually I stumbled upon a really busy street that I recognized, but I couldn't walk on THAT street cause there's no side walk and it really is super busy...so I turned around. I eventually came upon a road where I was pretty positive was the right way towards my house...and I was right! Thank goodness.

I'm trying to get more exercise in my life these days...cause it's supposed to be good for me- just like everyone else I suppose :) So Tuesday I did Dance Dance Revolution for a half hour...Weds I did this rubber tension thing for my arms, bicycle like motions with my legs in the air while laying down, punches in the air (yep), jumping jacks, and probably some other stuff for a half hour...well actually in 10 minute increments, 3 times. Then tonight was my long walk with Dante. I hope that it's nice weather a lot just cause I like the whole walking dealio. And Dante likes it too.

Another healthy thing...I haven't had a treat since Saturday! I know what you're thinking- Danielle, you're not supposed to have treats. How is this a big deal? Well...ever since I started finding "no cheat" treats...like the no bake cookies...I have kinda always had those on hand for daily consumption. So it's pretty impressive that I haven't had one treat- not even a "no cheat" one- in almost a week! It's amazing to me that I have the power to do that. I have been eating lots more fruit though.

Welp, that's all for now. Cya!

Are the judges deaf?

My fav's:

ABSOLUTELY my number one fav is CASEY!
Seriously love this guy. I have loved every performance. Clay and I were rockin out to his Nirvana performance tonight. LOVE him. And I love that he's goofy! I feel like we'd be friends if we went to the same high school.

Next fav, PAUL!
His voice is SO awesome. And I love the way he smiles and moves while he sings. I know a lot of people DON'T like the way he moves on stage...but I love it! He is super cool and laid back but so good. Clay's thoughts? "I hate his shoes. And his pants. I hate the way he walks around. He sounds the same every time. He's stupid." hah. Oh well. Good thing he doesn't vote!

These next ones are pretty much all even for me...
Haley- i LOVE her. She is so cool too. I felt so embarrassed when I saw her lipstick on her face...but she just laughed it off! I personally LOVE that she does totally random songs that aren't in the same genre. I love all the things she does with her voice. She's got pipes. This is one where I feel like the judges are way off on. She rocks.

James...well, the thing is- I love his personality and I think he's a really sweet guy! And he sings good...but sometimes he sings bad...and sometimes he screeches. He just....really aint no Adam. That's all I'll say about THAT.

Scotty- I think this is the one guy that could be on the radio TODAY and no one would think he came from Idol. He is so good. I love closing my eyes when he sings cause he sounds like a 40 year old country singer...then I open my eyes and he's this awkward teen that leans. LEANS. Have you noticed that? If not, pay attention and he LEANS to the side SO MUCH. Holy smokes it's one of those things where I'm like holding my breath waiting for him to straighten up.

The obvious:
She's just freakin good. But nothing too exciting or anything...

Lauren is good- obviously. I agree with everything the judges say on her...but her personality is a little too much for me! She is always trying to be funny...and she simply...isn't!

As for the others...

-Stefano is way too intense when he sings. I feel like he's in pain and FORCING so much. I find myself feeling really really tense while I watch him.

-Jacob Lusk...I seriously don't get. He always does some horrible note in the middle, and he too- is way too intense and OUT OF CONTROL!

-Speaking of OUT OF CONTROL- Naima is seriously seriously SERIOUSLY crazyspice out of control. And not good. I'm sorry...she's just not.

-Karen...aka Selena worshiper- in Clay's wise words..."It's American Idol..not spanish Idol" the sad thing is...she's a really beautiful singer, she just simply doesn't have the strength. Her voice is too weak, and too normal to go too far.

-Thia Megia- really i LOVE her. She seriously sounds like Michael Jackson to me...and she seems sweet. But she's starting to get boring. I want her to stay though, and prove me wrong.

That's basically it. Loving this season though. Steven Tyler ROCKS. He is like my favorite part of the show. Even though he was wearing an outfit tonight that I could totally see on Paula...

Gluten-free, sugar-free no bake cookies

I got this recipe from an agave cookbook called "Everyday Agave", but tweaked it a bit. These cookies are so tasty! They are perfect for lymies like myself who have an addiction to treats...but can't have sugar or gluten

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cream
1 cup agave
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups quick oats (if you are concerned about the cross-contamination of gluten they sell gluten-free quick oats)

Directions:

In a medium saucepan add cream, agave, butter and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until peanut butter is mostly dissolved. Add quick oats and stir until fully coated.

Spoon mounds onto cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm.

I'm sorry Brad...

But you made the biggest mistake of YOUR LIFE!

I never liked Emily. Yeah, she's pretty...yeah she's sweet...yeah she's that nice lil southern BELLE. Weeeeeeeeell. Sorry to break it to you, but THIS IS NEVER GOING TO LAST!

Aren't couples supposed to be in la la land when they are engaged? Oh, and wait- aren't couples supposed to KNOW if they are engaged?! Aren't couples supposed to know if the other person thinks they are engaged?

Brad had no idea if Emily even thought they were together. How does that happen? And how can he say he's the happiest he's ever been in his entire life...if he has those concerns?

Also- Correct me if I'm wrong Emily...but DID HE NOT SAY HE EXPECTS HIS WOMAN TO MOVE TO AUSTIN, AND IF SHE DOESN'T WANT TO, LEAVE?! And didn't you say you wanted to move to Austin, and you wanted to marry him? Well...it's a little interesting and manipulating that all of a sudden, nope! Don't want to do EITHER?! Here Chantal is saying she would marry him that very day if he wanted to...and Emily all of a sudden has cold feet? I'm sorry Em, but you are kinda supposed to decide if you can see yourself marrying him BEFORE you say yes...not after five minutes of babbling about issues and then hesitantly saying yes, you can see yourself married to him in the future. What?! That was supposed to be an easy answer. Is this not the bachelor?

Emily bugs. Bad. And I just love Chantal. Chantal and Brad actually KNEW eachother. They got along. They had fun. BY THE WAY EMILY- you didn't get fun dates? Need I remind you of the helicopter rides, elephant rides, sexy beaches, etc etc? You're dates were just as good you spoiled little belle.

Emily and Brad seriously don't know each other. I didn't think they did on the show, I DEFINITELY didn't think they did on the after the rose show. It's so awkward. And I feel so bad for Brad...he seems like a lost puppy that isn't sure what to do...so he just says things like "I'm so happy!" and "She takes my breath away!" and "I have a temper." whatev.

A few highlights of the show:

- Brad getting really awkward and weird when his bro asked about Rikki's dad...and him going "gUHHHH....well...UHHHH..."

- Speaking of Rikki's dad...the fact that everytime it comes up Emily has to start with the phrase "He was the love of my life". Seriously. And end with "The plane didn't get there" BLAH. It sucks. It does. I'm sad for her. But she is letting this story DEFINE her. It's annoying.

- Brad's sister-in-laws for some reason thinking that the decision really all came down to who they can relate to better. Since THEY are mom's, Emily is definitely the better choice for BRAD.

- Me looking at Brad's brother thinking, "Man you can definitely tell they are brothers...they look a LOT alike.." and then realizing they are twins :)

- Ashley is the bachelorette! I'm so excited. ONE- I love her new hair. TWO- she is cute and actually has a personality (unlike some people...).

Is she not the cutest?! I love this pic.

Well, that's pretty much it. I'm just waiting for the headlines, "Brad ends up alone...again". Really, I'd give it...1-2 months and we'll be watching Brad on every talk show telling us about his new therapy sessions and how he's an even more changed man. And poor Emily. POOR POOR Emily. Get over yourself.

Flower Pillow Tutorial

I have seen lots of circle flower pillows before, but I kinda decided I love mine best :) Ha..ha...it's soooo super easy, and kinda unique for the flower world. It's also sloppy (kinda like all my stuff) which I tend to like. Here are the steps:

Take a bowl/plate/something round that is about the size you want and trace around the fabric you are using. Cut out two circles.

Draw a line about an inch from the edge all around one circle.

Cut lots and lots of strips and surge the sides in a rolled hem fashion.
Sew all the strips together in a long chain. I just sewed a bunch together, laid it out on the circle like i'd be sewing it, add more, check it, until I felt like the strip was long enough. It all kinda depends on how big you want your pillow.

If you don't have access to a surger, you could always hem the strips, or sew two strips together and turn them inside out. I like the surger look though, I think it gives it kinda an edge.

Next, you start from the outside, and start sewing! The line you made is the starting guide. Once you come full circle, start sewing about a half inch below the previous circle. Like this:

Make sense? You want them to overlap about 1/2 an inch I think.

I seriously just bunched the fabric when i got to a tough corner, and it totally works. If you do this throughout, it makes it look like that's how it's supposed to...and since this is my pillow, I have decided- that is exactly how it should look!

Once you get to the middle you just twist the tail and turn it and sew all over it.

After that you press the entire thing...if you look at mine, you will see some are pressed in, some pressed out, some all weird like- THAT is exactly the reason it looks so cool. It's not perfection, but it looks just as it should.

Next you put right sides together, and sew around leaving an opening for batting.
Stuff batting in.
Pin and sew the opening together!


Walah! A beautiful pillow.

You can also use this method to make a lace pillow like this!

I am also entering my turquoise one at the top in the Blogger's Pillow Party. I probably wont win cause they tend to pick more quilty-like pillows...but I figure I'd give it a shot anyway :)

Did those instructions make sense? I know they aren't the most detailed and I don't have pictures for every step...so if you have a question, ask away! I'll get back to you on it.

New Hair

Got me hair done. All I did was get a trim, and bangs. Guess how long it took!? 2 HOURS. hah. Oh dear. Oh well. She cut my bangs shorter than I'd like...cause typically I like a bit of a curl to them ya know? But this is COMPLETELY straight out of the shower brushed down as far as they could type of thing. So maybe next week I can start culring them without looking like a 3rd grader:) I like it though! I think I'll just like it more next week!

Update

I realize I haven't posted for almost a month! Here's what we've been up to...

Beginning of February- I experienced pain like none other in my stomach and soon realized a smidgen of what Clay had been going through for months...while on pills. To give you an idea...I got through the entire first season of Gilmore Girls in less than a week...basically because I got home from work, ate, and laid in bed till sometimes past midnight cause I couldn't fall asleep cause it hurt so bad! Lyme Disease ROCKS.

We went to our Doc appt around Feb 18th or something...and great news! We have Parvo! Or some sort of parasite. At least that's what we are thinking. Cause we shouldn't be feeling like death, and we were both on an anti-parasitic pill that you would think would get rid of the parasite, but no- it just angers it! So she took us both off that pill, and we are doing just dandy! Woopee!!!

I basically watch a LOT of tv. It's pretty annoying cause I feel like I have no life...but it's kinda all I can muster up the motivation to do.

It's March, which is basically great because that means it's BIRTHDAY MONTH! Yessss! That always makes me happy. I will be turning 23. On March 30th. Feel free to send me gifts or something :)

One thing that basically changed my life, was the non-cheat no bake cookie! Holla! This has been saving my never-ending cravings for chocolate.

Sugar free, gluten free no bake cookies :)

Other than all that exciting business (sarcasm), I've been working. Rah rah rah. Soooooooo fun.

See? This is why I haven't written in almost a month.

One thing also that we started was this chiropractor office in Pocatello that does intravenous vitamin C, hydrogen peroxide, hydrochloric acid, glutathione, and ozone. It's basically to help get our immune system up. Clay has already seen improvement! (He's been more times than me). So that's good. They treat lots of Lyme patients...but we feel like we need our Seattle Doc to fully kill off this thing.

I'm finding that being a sunbeams teacher is probably the hardest calling I've ever had. I've taught 3 different ages in primary, and this is by far the most emotional age group I've experienced. It's insane! One kid is like an escape artist. And I just really love how when I'm in high heels and this kid is bookin it down the hall in church, multiple people from the ward see him, giggle and smile at me. Oh, don't worry- it wouldn't help me at ALL if you grabbed him. Instead, I'll just chase him down until he runs into the PRIESTHOOD room where all the men are. No, I didn't go inside. I waited at the door and after like 5 minutes, some genius finally realized it'd be nice to grab him and bring him to me. Like I was going to chase around a 3 year old boy that is barely potty trained infront of a bunch of men. No thanks. Anyway- then there's the fact that like...2 of the kids for some reason decide that I'm not a very cool person and refuse to look at me or let me do anything for them. And occasionally glare at me. It's weird ya know? Last week they are fine with me, this week...nope? I tell ya, the most DRAMATIC age group I've ever taught. But you know...it's pretty funny when they pray without help. One girl kept trying to bless Thomas and Carl (dunno who they are) and a boy in the class kept interupting her and saying, "No, it's Thomas S MONSON" and she would say, "No it's Thomas and CARL" and they would go back and forth in the middle of her prayer. And last week one of the boys kissed another girl. On the lips, yep. My goodness.

Well...that's about it. Cya.