Snow Bunny

Here in North Carolina we do not necessarily get snow every year. The weather station often calls it wrong as well which can lead to massive pileups at the grocery store and school closings with not a drop of snow. It's comical to those who move into our state from other parts but to me, it's part of our charm. A few weeks ago the weather station said we would get 2-4 inches and we had barely a sprinkling of snow. Then this past week they called for 0.25 inches, instead we probably had 5 inches. Here are some pics of my snow bunny enjoying the unexpected snow when it first started and then a day later once it was getting slushier.









- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New Cereal Option

I found this recipe for Grain Free Hot Cereal on my favorite food blog these days. I have made it twice and both times found it surprisingly good. It looks scary, at least to someone new to these ingredients! The only con to it is that it does not stay warm very long and I do not like it as much once it cools so I have to eat it quickly. I took a few pics so you could share in the scary.

This is of the initial ingredients mixed together - chia seeds, ground flax meal and Swerve.





And here it is after mixing in the hot water and letting it sit. The chia seeds get gelatinous which means they are kind of slimy.





Here is how it looks after I add heavy cream and a few pecans. I am looking forward to adding berries when they are back in season.





There are 18 grams of fiber in this so it is a very filling breakfast despite how quickly it goes down the hatch!

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Taco Shells and Dinosaur Eggs

I had some leftover taco meat from our dinner so I decided to experiment with the low carb taco shell alternative I saw on Pinterest. I was pleasantly surprised at how yummy this was (lesson learned, never doubt cheese!) and how much it really was like a taco shell. I don't think it is feasible to make these in bulk on the night we eat but I definitely can see eating a couple of these with leftovers for lunch like I did.



Olivia's preschool class did a unit on dinosaurs recently and she had her first paper mache experience - making a dinosaur egg. When she tore it apart there was a tiny dinosaur eraser inside, like a baby dinosaur. So cute! I love preschool art/crafts!


After my post a couple weeks ago about my frustration with Blogger I decided to invest a few dollars in another app. I read about the various options here and decided to go with BlogPress. Here's hoping for easier blogging going forward!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

In The Kitchen

After receiving my supplies I was eager to get started.  For my second low carb baking experience I decided on the Cranberry Orange Scones from Carolyn Ketchum's All Day I Dream of Food blog.  I love reading food blogs because the pictures are all so pretty but I am not a food blogger so I will keep it real!  Here is what it looks like when I work in the kitchen....

And here are my scones ready for the oven...

While I was busy with the scones Olivia decided to make playdough pancakes.  She really puts her whole body into rolling them out.

Baking Supplies

I mentioned in a previous post that I would be starting a new adventure in low carb baking once my supplies were all here.  I have decided that I still need one additional item, Swerve Confectioner, but in the meantime I have bought everything else I need to get started.  Here is a picture of my investment.  These supplies are an investment in my health and an investment in the true sense of the word.  I think these came to approximately $140.  The almond flour alone was close to $50 for 5 pounds.  Yowzers!!

January Sewing Projects

#1 King size pillow cover - this is one of two that I am making for a new reading nook I am creating in Olivia's room (you can see my sewing companion in this pic!)

#2  I am making small crayon rolls using an in-the-hoop embroidery pattern as Valentine goodies for Olivia's preschool class.  Her class has 6 boys and 6 girls.  I completed 5 boy ones.

#3  Sewing Machine Cover

#4  Cord keepers

Low Carb Baking

Shortly before Christmas I found out that I am moving out of the prediabetic stage I have been in for many years and moving closer to an official diagnosis of diabetes.  I was disappointed by this news but not surprised.  I have put myself 'last' for several years now and not taken care of myself the way that I should.  Since Christmas I have started making changes in my diet and have lost 8 lbs so far.  I hope to continue that trend as I make more changes and eventually reach a healthy weight again. 

As part of these changes I am embarking on the adventure of learning to bake low carb.  I have always enjoyed baking (and eating) so the thought of not having baked goods is just not acceptable.  After researching a great deal I made a list of items I needed to stock up on and placed my order.  In case you are not aware, low carb baking is NOT cheap.  The necessary flours and sugar substitutes are an investment.  Oh, but I digress.  Anyway, while waiting for my supplies to arrive I noticed I had almond meal in my pantry.  Almond meal is not optimal for low carb baking because it has a coarse texture but I read that it can suffice in scones or muffins so I decided to try my hand at my first ever low carb 'bread' item, a savory scone.  I found the recipe here  If you open the link you will see that my scones are nowhere near as pretty as Carolyn's but I think they tasted the way that they should.  I had never had a savory scone before so it was a little odd to me but I made them to go with a soup and they seemed to work perfectly in that capacity.  I am looking forward to my supplies arriving and baking my first low carb sweet treat.