mama. baby. drama: Not Delicious

mama. baby. drama: Not Delicious: I often make our own almond butter. It is ridiculously easy and a fraction of the cost of the stuff at the grocery store. Every once in awhi...

Not Delicious

I often make our own almond butter. It is ridiculously easy and a fraction of the cost of the stuff at the grocery store. Every once in awhile I like to think I am a masterer baker and get a little creative in the kitchen. A master baker is something I can occasionally pull but not often. I should really just leave it to the professionals (read: my sister and sister in law who really and truly are master bakers).

Here are my instructions for a not delicious made up almond and hazelnut butter.

First make sure you underbake your almonds and hazelnuts so they won't release oils properly in the food processor

At this point I should have just taken it out and had a gluten free flour but alas I kept on.

Insert cute baby in a ridiculous outfit because she wants to help. At this point you still think you are doing a good job because the baby calls is "chocolate peanut butters"

Still processing but it's not getting very creamy so you should definitely get creative. Add some coconut oil and honey to cream it up a bit. When that doesn't work go crazy and add in some hemp seeds and chia seeds because hey! they are good for you and if you are already breaking the mold why not go overboard. Finally add some coconut milk for a dash of extra recipe crazy. 

In the morning serve it on toast to your five year old.

When she makes this face you shouldn't be surprised because there is a whole container of some ridiculous made up almond butter stuff that your children and husband will hate...except for the 2 year who is currently asking for more "chocolate toast butters"

mama. baby. drama: Tune My Heart

mama. baby. drama: Tune My Heart: Tune My Heart is a little business I have started with my childhood friend Becky. We named it for our favorite hymn, funny how we shared t...

Tune My Heart

Tune My Heart is a little business I have started with my childhood friend Becky. We named it for our favorite hymn, funny how we shared the same favorite. Becky and I refinish furniture, make wooden signs and recreate old pieces into new and lovely home decor. We are amazed and shocked and unbelievably excited at how well our little business is doing. We have big dreams for the future! For now, I wanted to show off some of my recent pieces...

By far my most popular piece to date. I listed this sign on a few facebook groups and promptly sold 11! It has been ordered in all sorts of color combos and even been turned horizontal. The customers will all receive their pieces next week. My house will be a disaster zone while I finish them all up so don't expect cleanliness or fresh baked goodies if you come to visit. lol

Made for my sister in law from an old thrift store frame this piece was done in my favorite color combo this Christmas. An apple green, black and a deep red. Finished off with a saying from her favorite Christmas movie 'Home Alone'.

Such a lovely sentiment about love. This piece has been reodered in so many colors! I am excited to deliver to all the customers who ordered it. 

This lovely piece started as an old cedar jewelry box. It was lovingly refinished for a Mother in Law to give to her son's girlfriend. The color requested was turquoise but this piece has so many layers of color peeking through. It was refinished with a local bees wax and feels smooth as silk to the touch. I am so in love with the copper hardware! And inside the box is still it's original cedar so it smell delicious.

Made for my Dad. He has been a Nazarene Pastor for 17 years and every sermon is finished with this saying. I am surprised no one thought to give him a sign with these words sooner but I am grateful that I got to be the one to do it. If I am correct he has this piece hanging in the church.

This piece has a bit of a funny story. As I placed the vinyl it peeled and pulled and looked terrible. It was my worst vinyl nightmare come true (that and when the vinyl folds back into itself...ahhhhh!). I thought this piece would be trashed and I was not impressed, I was so in love with the colors of it. After much pouting I decided to do a tan and copper wash over the letters, let it dry and peeled the letters off. It is amazing how mistakes can still be so beautiful. I love this piece now more than I did in it's original state.

This old cupboard door would have been long in the trash but instead it now serves as a lovely little serving tray. 

Isn't the hardware on this old farmhouse window amazeballs! I did nothing to this hardware except for clean it. 

Off and Running

Yesterday marked my first day of training for my first FULL marathon! I am both terrified and excited! I am not sure I can run a whopping 42km's but a year ago I said the same thing about training for my first half marathon and now three of them later I feel like I can and should probably do this.

It is amazing to me the range of emotions I can feel over the course of training for a race. Or even the range of emotions I can feel over a long run. The next six months are going to be quite a journey for me both emotionally and physically. 

The photo below is Evelyn and I just before I ran the Calgary half marathon (my second half marathon). Evelyn ran the kids race that day. I was so very proud of her for working so hard. The kids race is a full marathon that runs over the course of a month. Each day the participant runs so they complete 41km by race day. Then on race day they run the last 1.2km.  This year the Calgary marathon will mark my first full marathon and technically Evelyn's second. 

mama. baby. drama: Trying new things

mama. baby. drama: Trying new things: I love my coffee...or as Mike calls them my "pish posh a lattes". I order my drink with 18 different specifications depending on m...

Trying new things

I love my coffee...or as Mike calls them my "pish posh a lattes". I order my drink with 18 different specifications depending on my mood. I even have been known to make up my own latte at the Starbucks drive thru. I like to order off menu...

In interest of fueling my body better and continuing to lose weight I have decided no more pish posh a lattes for me. I have drastically reduced my sugar intake (amongst other things like dairy and wheat). But I can NOT (read: will not am totally incapable of) giving up my coffee. I love espresso. Despite my best efforts I can not drink it black so I needed to come up with an alternative. I put on my big girl pants, got brave and tried something new. I ordered an Americano Misto. It was delicious! The perfect amount of espresso to milk (or almond milk if the coffee shop has it) to water. It is not terribly strong so I can enjoy it and I get my caffeine which I love so much.

Plus, the little local place by our house makes it look all pretty and if it looks pretty then surely it is delicious.