It's all about the LOVE

Over the weekend, Abby and Elise had a little Valentine's worksheet that involved defining "love" according to the dictionary, their parents, best friend, and on their own. They included Anna in this exercise and her response left us all smiling in agreement: "it just makes your heart feel better". 

You're nodding aren't you? Right?!?!?! Toddler speaks the truth... she also takes great pride in her flamingo pose.

Abby and Elise spent the last several days carefully crafting Valentine's for everyone in the family: Anna's had the little pig characters from some of her fave books drawn on it; John's was decorated with pants and referenced reading Harry Potter together; mine had a ball of yarn and crochet hooks. As I was sitting here typing, John walked in the door with handmade dark chocolates and a cherry sour beer from a local brewery. That is love. 

Happy Valentine's Day from our hearts to yours! May you find/do/be/say/see/make something, just even a little something, today and everyday that you LOVE. And, while you're at it, feed your body a little something it will love, like these super tasty and new favorite breakfast cookies!

Crisp and Delish Breakfast Cookies
Adapted from My Darling Vegan: Gluten Free Breakfast Cookies

- 1 C organic rolled oats
- 1/2 C organic almond flour
- 1/2 C organic unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 local eggs
- 1/4 C melted coconut oil
- 1/3 C organic creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 C maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 C raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 C dried fruit (I used chopped pineapple but cranberries would be great!)
- 1/4 C chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredents; in a separate bowl mix wet ingredients; add wet to dry and then fold in dried fruit, seeds, and nuts.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until browned a bit - I made approximately 18 cookies out of this recipe. 

Dynamic Duos

A & E had their second piano recital on Saturday and this one was twice as special as the last: it was a duet recital and, while the other students' partner was their private instructor, the girls had the special honor of inviting John to be their partner. It comes in handy having a Daddy who plays piano! 

Abby, Elise, and John - it has been such a treat watching the three of you work together. There were moments of frustration followed by moments of celebration! I have enjoyed taking a backseat while you tackle this project without me. And, on Saturday, your hard work more than paid off! It was a show of poise and dedication as well as teamwork and love. Definitely love.

Wordless Wednesday: I Wanna Hold Your Hand...

Make someone else's bed

I believe strongly in the saying "you made your bed, now you have to sleep in it". But how about this one: "make someone else's bed for them"? Ever heard of that one? Nope, me neither - it's not really a saying (as far as I know) but its been stuck in my head all day. And here's why...

This morning is a bit fuzzy because we're a little sleep deprived - Elise has a cold, one of those no-matter-how-hard-I-try-to-breathe-through-my-nose-nothing-moves kind of colds. I spent last night trying to keep her propped, which kept me awake. :) Sidenote: Today is the most sleep-deprived I've been in a long time, yet I didn't cry at all. Not a single tear. Thinking back to the extreme sleep deprivation when the girls were babies - I cried so much. Not kidding - tears were my reaction to EVERYTHING. Anyhow, we all handled it quite well today, which makes me smile. Pat on my back.

Back to someone else's bed... Abby went trotting down to their bedroom and shut the door. She was very quiet, for quite some time. Then suddenly Elise came running to me, shouting: "MOM!!! Abby made my bed for me!". This was followed by a cinema-style embrace between the girls. Abby, tucked her hair behind her ears and put her hands on her hips and said: "Elise, I'd make your bed for you every single day". As I type, I'm wondering how I managed to not tear-up at this scene. It is a moment that goes down in the proud-parent moments. Here were my babies, taking care of each other, supporting each other, embracing one another, and wanting to do it again. And again. And again. 

We may spend a lot of time looking rather silly:

But I tell you what - at the end of the day, we make each other's bed around here. High-five, family. High-five. :)

Valentine's Day!

Nothing says "I love you" like heart-shaped food, heart-shaped bowls and SHINY SHOES! :) Serious Valentine's happiness hiding behind a big heart on a shoe box:

Abby: "Elise! Get in here! Come see what's on the table!"
Elise: "When did you buy these? Abby- what color are yours?"
Abby: "Can you get me some socks? Thank you, Momma! Thank you, Daddy!"
Elise: "Thank you, thank you! Momma, you are so creative!"

Happy heart day to you and yours!

Valentine's Week: Days 2 and 3

Valentine's Week: Day 1

Blueberry Muffins (baked in a heart-shaped donut pan)

• 4 T organic unsalted butter
• 1/4 C organic coconut sugar
• 1/4 C organic pure maple syrup
• 1 local egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 C organic unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 C organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 C organic buttermilk
• 1 C organic frozen blueberries
• Combine butter, coconut sugar, maple syrup, egg, vanilla, applesauce
• Combine (separately) flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon nutmeg
• Mix wet with dry; add buttermilk; fold in blueberries
• Grease muffin/donut pan; bake at 350 degrees: 10-12 minutes for donut pan or mini-muffins; 18-20 minutes for regular sized muffins