Knights and Maidens Gathering

Rosie dear~

2012-02-10T00:17:00.001-06:00

It’s your first birthday today, February 10th.

Last year when we were waiting for you to arrive it was very cold outside. There was snow on the ground. When we walked outside we would slip and slide on the frozen ice that lined our walkway. Snow had to be cleared off our front porch every morning. All this happening as we eagerly awaited your arrival.

And I was so sure you’d be right on time (right Janie )

My dear friend Donna came to visit us. In fact the night you started your preparations to arrive, Donna told one of your sisters that you would come soon. Did you tell her, I wonder?

When the midwife arrived at our home here in snowy Iowa you and I had been laboring all night long. After 13 hrs into labor I started to worry a bit. You might not have known this Rosie, but I don’t do long labors.

No I guess you wouldn’t have known that, would you? I wonder, what were you doing? It’s a running joke that our babies that take a bit longer (oh yes, Granton was my longest labor – before you – 11 hrs!) that they must be packing their things up, tidying up, leaving notes for the next child – ha ha!)

You must be very organized because it took you a very long time to fully arrive. I was a bit worried and tired. Did I mention I don’t do long labors? After about 16 hrs of laboring with no results I had enough. Off to the hospital I went. Hook me up to drugs I said. Give me LOTS. Let’s get this over with NOW.

But it was neither pain free or quick.

Let’s just say I’ll not be doing that again. The rest of the details are not only painful but gross so I’ll keep those to myself till you’re a bit older.

I’ll tell you something that you don’t know. After laboring all night, then all day, the time had reached about 10pm. That’s when I decided to have you. A little thought occurred to me about you being the 10th baby and it being February 10th and the 10th hour. Funny what can motivate a Mama in labor.

When you were finally placed in my arms…..I cried. Tears of relief. Tears of overflowing joy at having a precious baby girl. Tears of sadness that your Papa was not here to see you fresh from the hands of God.

8lbs 1oz 19 1/2" long

Feb 10, 2011 10:25pm

Now here you are… One year old.

Dressing in cute little outfits.

Walking everywhere.

Keeping us all smiling at your funny faces.

The really funny part of this whole celebration is that your Papa still could not be here for your big day. One whole year later on the very day you were born and for your birth your Papa was gone with the National Guard. But this year we don’t mind as much. We know he’s coming home tomorrow and that makes us all smile really big.

Happy Birthday Rosie ♥ You are soooo loved!

Papa, Mama, Gavin, Gunnar, Grace, Gage, Gladys, Gaela, Gianna & Granton

Hello everyone~

2012-02-08T17:06:00.001-06:00

Shhhh…..my Mama thinks I’m sleeping right now. Actually I’m sitting on her bed relaxing and contemplating sneaking a candy.

Contemplate….that’s a big word for an almost one year old isnt’ ? Mama says I’m pretty smart. Actually she calls me a rascal cause I sneak around under the kitchen table even when she has put chairs in my way to keep me out.

Back to sneaking a candy…..

I know right where she keeps them too. My big brother Granton gets in her drawer all the time. Did you know that after he sneaks a candy he crawls under Mama’s bed and doesn’t make a peep. Not even when Mama is calling him :-0 I learn a lot from watching him.

So I guess you might be wondering why I am on here….right? Well you may not know this but I like to get up a lot at night. What? You do know that? Did my mama reveal my little secret? And I thought I was being so sly. Oh well. The big news is that I guess my Mama decided she needed more than two hours of sleep at night. So do you know what she did? Brace yourself other one year olds who might be reading this it’s not pretty.

My Mama stopped feeding me every time I fussed. Gasp! I know awful right?!

Papa says she’s one smart Mama. I don’t know what is so smart about that. I mean really! I need at least 4 extra feedings at night to keep my belly nice and round.

The first night that I fussed, to my surprise, my Mama did not come running. In fact Papa came. I was not too happy to see him. Especially when he didn’t have Mama with him. But my Papa is a very smart man too ( I like him ) and after he made sure I had a dry diaper, he gave me a bottle filled with my favorite Almond Milk. So now I sleep like a baby. Hey that’s funny. I made my first funny joke :-) Are you laughing?

Good-bye for now. I think my Mama is coming and she might not like that I’m on her computer, sitting on her fluffy pillows, blogging :-0

You won’t tell her will you?

♥ Rosie

A snowy day at home~

2012-02-07T17:27:00.001-06:00

Don’t you love snowy days? Relaxed, unhurried days with hot tea. Or hot cocoa with marshmallows bubbling over for the little ones who have been out playing in the snow. Good friends to stop by (Muh-kar-char aren’t you due for a visit?) hot soup to warm your insides up. Warm blankets, thick books, yummy smelling candles ~mmmmmm~

Today the crock pot is cooking up yummy homemade yogurt. My stove has chicken soup bubbling up for dinner. My BeanPod candle is lit and making the house smell even better.

It has been a wonderfully relaxing day.

Granton wanted me to read him Good and Evil. He loved it. Reading to the children is something I want to do more of….seems when I get busy that is one of the first things to go.

Strong boys hanging around the house remind me that they won’t be here to many more years and I will miss days like these.

I love simple lunch days.

Afternoons sitting around the table with the older ones. My most favorite thing to do.

Ganging up on the computer to beat it at Solitaire.

Cutie-pie

Beautiful Icicles.

They make great popsicles :-)

Cute little boy playing in the snow.

Inside fun can be just as adventurous as being outside.

And me? I got lots of computer time in today.

What did you do today?

~Cinnamon

I have a hero!

2012-02-05T18:29:00.001-06:00

From the next room I heard the song I need a hero by Bonnie Tyler playing. Granton was watching Shrek 2 and this song is in the movie. It made me think of my very own handsome husband. I remember listening to it when I was younger. Dreaming of a hero to come sweep me away. Now that I’m all grown up I don’t have to wait for a hero or dream of a hero. I am married to my hero.

and here he is….

He’s gotta be strong

He’s gotta be fast

He’s gotta be larger than life.

He’s gotta be fresh from the fight

It’s gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet

I love you Green Eyes ♥ You are my hero!

~Cinnamon

Sweet lil’ thing~

2012-02-03T16:51:00.001-06:00

This sweet little dumpling wakes up with the biggest smile. When you go to pick her up out of her crib she reaches for her favorite blankie. She wiggles with giggles and has the happiest countenance.

And that’s after being up at 10:15pm, 12:30am, 2:30am, 5:30 am and then waking up at 7am. Happy, happy, happy :-)

Can you guess how Mama wakes up after being up all night? For many nights in a row? Happy, happy, happy?

Umm….no. Not exactly happy. More like tired, tired, tired.

I was telling John today at lunch, that I didn’t know what I would do if I had to get up with everyone. You see, the little elves that live in my home, get up with Granton and scoop Rosie up so quietly. From my room I hear them ask Granton “would you like some eggs for breakfast?”

I hear Rosie being slipped into her highchair and her food sprinkled onto her tray.

I hear hushed voices come into my room saying “I’m sorry to bother you Mama, I just need to grab a diaper.” Then as quietly as they come in they leave to tend to Rosie.

You see I remember when they were all little and there weren’t any older ones to help out, get up, change diapers, tend to babies or cook a meal. I remember very well being tired, worn out, cranky and in need of a break. I am so thankful for my little elves. Sweet, sweet little elves who make my home run even when Mama can’t be up.

Last night as I was putting Rosie to sleep I had a little chat with her.

“Rosie” I say very sweetly, trying to charm her. “How about we sleep all night tonight? When you get up and it’s all dark and you’re calling for me. Find your blankie and cuddle up and go back to sleep. Whatcha’ think? Let’s try that, okay?”

I guess she didn’t like that idea because not only did she wake up as much but at 4am (yes Laura I was thinking about you!) she decided she wanted to stay up until 6am.

John says I’m more like a grand-mama with her than a Mama. Meaning I’m spoiling her. Me? Spoil one of my babies? Never. ;-)

I know this season will pass all too soon. Rosie will sleep through the night. She’ll stop calling out to me and stop waking me up all night long. I’ll be rested. It will be quiet and my sweet baby will be all grown up.

These are just the reflections of one tired Mama.

~Cinnamon

Ice Skating~

2012-02-01T23:07:00.001-06:00

Last year when John came home on leave from Afghanistan we took the girls and Granton and went Ice Skating. It was January 2011. Guess what we did January 2012? You guessed it….we went Ice Skating. Only this time Rosie wasn’t in my tummy she was in our arms.

See this little guy? This is where 3 yr olds get sent to sit when they grab their little wobbly sister, in an attempt to hug her, and make her fall over and bang her face on a bench. Poor guy he felt so bad but I felt better with him sitting right there.

Gianna had so much fun. Here she is telling me all about what she was learning and how she could skate backwards and stop and…….if you know anything about Gianna you know that she stayed there for quite some time chattering away :-)

In all the busyness that Ice Skating with a car full of children brings I forgot to get pictures of any of them actually skating. I did get to go out on and skate this time. John was so sweet to hold Rosie while I skated around with Granton and the girls. But to be honest after a while I was tired. So I sat with Rosie and let them have their fill which they happily did.

There’s nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby. Don’t you love her cute little hat?!

I told John we needed to make this a yearly tradition, going Ice Skating. He seemed to think we shouldn’t wait that long before going again and everyone agreed. It’s good to have him home to have fun with once again.

~Cinnamon

Friends came to visit~

2012-01-29T17:05:00.001-06:00

Eleven children + our ten children = Lots of great fellowship. We had some bloggy friends drop by. What a treat to have the Munck Family visit.

Laura ♥ Arthur are the cutest couple and they both have the sweetest little southern accent. We enjoyed their short (too short!) visit so much.

I surprised John with their visit as he found out they were coming about 15 minutes before they arrived. He came home from work and I held up their Christmas card and announced “Guess who is coming for dinner?” :-)

Laura & I have been talking about meeting for some time. I was so happy when she emailed me and said they’d be in the neighborhood. We were all so excited!

I met Laura through our blogs. Since then we’ve become pen pals. We actually converse more in letters than we do any other way. That makes it even more special.

Cutie pie Ruth Ella is so adorable with her curls and sweet little voice that said “bye bye Rosie.”

It was fun to see the kids pair up. Grace and Rebekah are pen pals and it was an extra special treat for them to meet in person. Just like their Mama’s :-)

I am always amazed at how many people we can squeeze in our home. I guess in a large family you’re use to squishing in here and there. We were definitely cozy.

You can visit Laura’s three oldest girls over at their blog called Three Sisters Soaking Up the Son.

Here are all the children.

After a quick dinner and lots of visiting they loaded back up in their RV and headed home.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Psalm 133:1

Thank you Arthur for bringing your lovely wife and all your beautiful children to visit us. We enjoyed every minute!

~Cinnamon

Writing & Journals

2012-01-26T15:40:00.001-06:00

Two of my favorite things to do are write letters and keep journals.

I love using my quill and ink to scratch away a letter to a far away friend.

~Making pretty journals~

My desire to do this was re-kindled by looking at Amy’s beautiful journal at Fashioning Hearts and from Girlhood Home Companion, Little Women, Special edition.

Granton recently started calling me ♥ Momma Capri ♥

For those who don’t’ know, Cinnamon-Capri is my first name :-)

I enjoy scribbling daily thoughts in them.

Things I often keep nearby in my room are my husband, my bible, my camera, my favorite writing pens and a few pretty journals.

Today my girlies made journals of their own.

Now my kitchen table is filled with scissors, scraps of paper, sticky spots of glue here and there and pistachios. We were munching on pistachios while we were being creative :-)

Anyone care to join us next time we get creative?

~Cinnamon

Thank you for all your sweet birthday wishes. Each year is a blessing.

Forty-three ♥

2012-01-25T11:16:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was my 43rd birthday. Guess what I did? Nothing! It was a wonderful nothing though. Such as I didn’t do any laundry, dishes, picking up or make any meals. I got to sit right here and cuddle kiddos throughout the day.

I even had a visitor (Hi Janie!) stop by and bring me an amazing smelling candle. I love candles and she knows it.

Gracie and the children decorated the kitchen. Balloons, streamers and a pretty table cloth.

Little people asked me all day “would you like some tea?” and “what would you like to do?” It’s wonderful to be so loved!

Little Rosie was catered to while I slept in a bit on my birthday. You see she was up at 4am, which meant I was up, and she did not want to go back to sleep. So sleeping in was an extra treat.

My Mom called and I was able to visit with her. When I told her about Rosie waking up so early she said “maybe she was trying to wish you a happy birthday since you were born at 2am.” Next year I’ll make sure to NOT remind Rosie what time I was born :-) ha ha!

Me and my girlies. My Mom sent me this beautiful blouse. I love it Mom and it fit perfectly!

I love Rosie’s face.

Still so happy just to have John home ♥

That evening we played a game about that was all about me. I would ask the children questions about me and see if they could answer. No prizes just lots of laughter and fun and getting to know their Mama. I asked questions like:

“what’s my favorite color?” (teal)

“what are the two places I’ve always wanted to go” (Italy & Maine)

“when did the Lord save me?” (25 yrs old)

Then I opened it up for any questions they wanted to ask me. They asked me questions such as:

“did you ever get drunk when you were younger?”

My children find it hard to believe I did. And that I was anything but who I am today. I always tell them I was a brat. I am what I am today because of the Lord plain and simple and most happily :-)

Then we all watched Courageous. LOVED IT! Yes I cried, repeatedly.

All the kiddos said I didn’t look a day past 17 yrs old :-) but I’ve never been one to mind getting older. I love being in my 40’s! I love being married to this handsome man. I love my life.

I kept telling Gavin (teasing him) “this is the last year you will be here for my birthday” to which he assures me that is not true. The other two boys were gone during picture time so I never did get them in any shots. Garrett, our oldest son, called to wish me a happy birthday, along with my daughter-in-love, Sara Hayley. I even got to talk to our grand-dumpling, Addison. I love talking to toddlers, especially mine :-)

My mother in law sent me this beautiful box filled with writing goodies, pens, paper and envelopes, which I am forever running out of. Thank Mom I love them all!

I’m looking forward to a wonderful year. A full year. I am truly blessed with so much.

~Cinnamon

Hunting Season~

2012-01-23T21:43:00.001-06:00

After many times of not getting any deer, this hunting season, John and the boys have finally brought home three deer.

(No Muh-kar-char you weren’t a jinx, it still took them a while after you left to get one)

The nice part about having older boys is this:

and this:

So now our freezer will be full. Our jerky will be dehydrating. Our boys will be all the wiser for when they have families of their own. And that’s why I love hunting season. For what they learn. For the great time John and our children have with him.

I think it’s Gracie’s turn next. Then Gaela’s. Of course Granton is still a bit young but he’s every bit as eager as the rest of them.

Don’t worry Muh-kar-char we’ll be sure to save some jerky for you!

~Cinnamon

Keeping my 3 yr old busy~

2012-01-22T14:05:00.001-06:00

You will love these boxes. I love these boxes! When I put them together Gladys, Gaela and Gianna crowded around to be the first ones to play with Granton. To help him of course <wink> in learning all about his newest Busy Boxes.

These are all made up of simple, inexpensive items. The boxes themselves were under $3. The ice tray I had on hand, an extra one that we didn’t need. The popcorn? I have tons of that laying around. You could use rice instead. The items in the ice tray are miscellaneous tidbits that I found around the house.

How you use the popcorn box:

I gather three of the same items.

I place one in the ice tray and hide the other two in the popcorn.

Then Granton searches with the spoon and has to match up the items.

Simple. Easy. Fun.

These dinosaurs I found at Wal-mart for $3. I put macaroni in the box just for fun. Plus it helps the dinosaurs stand up in the box. Granton sets up his dinosaurs in the macaroni and plays all sorts of creative games all by himself or with a sibling. The only thing I would change about this box is to use rice instead of macaroni. My children seem to like eating the macaroni :-/

Puzzles! Am I the only one that has a ba-zillion puzzles and none of them have all their pieces? So I gathered them all and put them in a box. That makes it easier for the children to do them as they enjoy putting them together.

Paint box. I just threw in some paints and paper (cotton ball and glue added for extra fun) for some easy painting all in one spot. If you have a baby food jar you could clean it out and fill it half way with water and place it in here. It’s makes a for a cute water container and is less likely to fall over.

Beads and pipe cleaners. Granton (and the girls – remember they are *helping* him)loves to put beads on and then twist them all up. My only request is that they all go back in the box when they are done.

Play dough. I put all their tools, cookie cutters and play dough in one box. All Granton has to do is pick which box he would like to play with and take it to the table. It does not get any easier than that.

Now I cannot take credit for thinking of this all by myself. I found this wonderful idea over at Play At Home Mom. Here is the specific link for these Busy Boxes.

Enjoy.

~Cinnamon

How is it going?

2012-01-20T20:29:00.001-06:00

We have gone through FIVE days of eating Gluten, Dairy and Sugar free. How are we doing? Pretty good, I’d say.

By day two of our week I felt better than I have in a long time. After taking a look at my pantry some of you wondered ‘what in the world do you eat?’ Here’s a bit of what we’ve enjoyed this week.

Chicken Zucchini Burgers (yum!)

Spaghetti with zucchini

White Bean and Ham Soup (excellent!)

Egg Casserole with oranges

Chicken Fried Rice

Ham w/green beans and steak fries

Beans, Mexi Rice and Scoops

Split Pea Soup with Ham Sandwiches

Since our diet is so limited I try to make sure everyone has enough to eat and snacks on hand. I am spending more time preparing food but I don’t mind as I normally have a helper in there and we get to spend time visiting.

The biggest craving I’ve seen us all have is for sweets. A little cheesecake, some ice cream after dinner, creamer in our coffee, something to snack on with lots of sugar in it :-) The children and John have been wonderful. Very little moaning as I try to keep them filled up with yummy meals.

Rosie seems to be having a hard week. Awake a lot at night.

Last night she let me rest 4 whole hours! But before that she was up 3 times between 11:30am and 1:30am. So I woke up ready to stay in bed. My husband encouraged me to indulge in a nap with a cute 3yr old by my side. So I did.

If you’ve never napped with a snuggly 3yr old. Do so! It’s a memory you will cherish forever.

I think Rosie is probably being bothered by the yeast die off. Or there is something else she is sensitive to with foods. I am hoping to have her tested soon so I can know for sure what she can and cannot eat.

Kristin asked why I was taking before and after pictures. We all have puffy eyes. Some have dark circles while others have rashes on their cheeks.

So I’m hoping to see those things disappear :-)

As an added bonus to this little diet I have lost four pounds, which makes me very happy. The interesting thing is I am not eating less than I was a week ago. I am just eating the foods that are feeding my body instead of making me sick.

All in all I’d say this diet is not too bad. I definitely think having everyone on it together is a HUGE help for me. I can make one meal and feed everyone. That I like!

~Cinnamon

p.s. I almost forgot to add. Three of our older ones are out at a Christian concert with their youth group. ( Thank you Craig and Janie!! ) The temptation to make them something “easy” was on my mind all day. Especially since today I was tired and not feeling well at all. I prayed for wisdom this morning as I was getting up “Lord I need wisdom for my day and it hasn’t even started!” He gave graciously ♥ But then there was the small fact that the youth group would be stopping for ice cream after the concert. Do I let them stray from the diet? If I do will that ruin all we accomplished this week? Will it cause them to crave it all the more? See why I need wisdom? I decided to let them decide and left if at that. We’ll see how they feel tomorrow :-)

Sisters during school time~

2012-01-19T16:25:00.001-06:00

A warm blanket. A full bottle. A cozy lap. That’s what Rosie enjoys when she’s being cared for by her sisters. Each older child takes a turn with Rosie throughout our school day to allow me time to work with the little girls. Rosie loves spending time with her sister Gladys. Rosie’s favorite movie, okay her only movie, is Baby Einstein.

Gracie’s favorite little brother is Granton. Okay, so he’s her only little brother but she sure does love him. They love to snuggle. Make little bite size snacks. Watch a movie together to warm up cold toesies from playing outside with big brother Gage. :-)

(Mom- Gracie is finding many ways to use her new computer!! Thank you!)

Rosie has grown so much lately. She now plays peek-a-boo. Excitedly waves while saying “hi-ya” but that is probably only understandable to those within our family.

She eats so well too. Today at lunch we had chicken zucchini burger with some kiwi. She started eating the chicken burger then I mistakenly gave her some kiwi which she gobbled and I mean GOBBLED down. Then she would not eat her chicken after that. So I fed her 1/2 of an avocado. She loved it.

Gianna is our resident Rosie holder. She loves to hold Rosie all the time. In fact Gianna can get Rosie to sit still and look at a book while no one else can. Rosie loves Gianna.

Have you noticed a bottle in these pictures? Yes, Rosie officially likes her bottle. She will carry it around and not drink it. But if I take it from her she searches for it and makes a squealing noise till it’s returned to her.

Rosie sitting in on Gianna’s reading lesson. Two snuggly bugs ♥

For reading this year I have Gaela and Gianna doing an online lesson. Then each of them read to me out of their book. They also read out of a different book/workbook combo. All of that takes 1/2 hr for each of them. Then each of them read to an older child later in the day. I find that small amounts done throughout the morning are better then one big lesson that drags on for an hour.

We’ve also found some new fun items to keep Granton busy and happy.

How is your mid-year school going?

~Cinnamon

Hello Muh-kar-char!

2012-01-18T17:09:00.001-06:00

The kids had a good laugh at the fact that you made sure to get your subway sandwich out of the fridge but forget your shoes :-)

For those of you who don’t know our friend. His last name is McKercher. Do you notice how similar it is to our last name? Granton took to calling him Muh-kar-char.

He played “What am I?” with the girls. As you can see the children enjoy having him over.

Muh-Kar-char let Granton play games on his phone.

Granton and him are pals :-)

This is Muh-Kar-char and John in Afghanistan.

Hello Muh-kar-char!! Come back soon because you left your shoes, water bottle, duct tape, gloves and scarf :-)

John, Cinnamon, Gavin, Gunnar, Grace, Gage, Gladys, Gaela, Gianna, Granton and Rosie

My pantry–before/after

2012-01-17T16:16:00.001-06:00

This is my pantry last week before I cleaned it out. Filled up with all the normal things we keep on hand.

The girls and I emptied the entire pantry out and sorted it on the table.

We put all the items that contained gluten, sugar and dairy in it to one side. Then we put all the foods that were left, the ones we’d be able to eat, on the other side. Can you guess which side is which?

Yes, this is what was left. Out of all the food in my pantry this is all we could eat. I had to laugh when I saw this.

I looked at the bigger pile of food. To me, it did not look like a bunch of junk food. Crackers, fruits, canned veggies, peanut butter. Yes those cookies sure look sugar filled, don’t they?! They were for some special company we had over.

So here is my pantry now. Looks pretty sparse doesn’t it!?

Well at least my pantry got a good cleaning and I can start from the bare minimum and only put good things back in.

Of course I did go shopping after this and added some more food to our pantry. But when my son looked in it tonight he asked “What happened to our pantry?” I asked “what do you mean?” he said “It’s empty!” :-)

I have already started on an anti-fungal to start killing off the yeast in me. Within 12 hrs I had a reaction from the die off. The reaction was a lot like hives. But only in two spots. Raised, hot, sore to touch and very itchy. After two days of that I cut back my anti-fungal medicine, took some antihistamines and today was the first day I had some relief.

I’m thrilled to finally be on the road toward better health. The kids didn’t moan too much about what they could or could not eat. I made sure we all had good snacks to eat throughout the day to help keep them filled up.

The only snag I had in our meal last night was the Rice Pudding I made for dessert. I tried a different recipe and only half of the children liked it, plus me. That was okay though because the half that did like it ate so much they nearly finished the entire pot.

It’s a learning process and we’re definitely still learning :-)

~Cinnamon

What I eat–Gluten Free/Dairy Free

2012-01-16T17:13:00.001-06:00

King Arthur has some great mixes. Best muffins I’ve ever had –gluten/dairy free-ever! I use coconut oil instead of butter and rice milk instead of regular milk. Thereby making them dairy free too. Try them. You’ll like them!

This pasta is Grace’s favorite. It tastes just like regular pasta and cooks up great. I can even find it at our local Wal-mart.

We all drink a different milk in this family. We normally have coconut milk on hand as well. It is great for baking with or making smoothies as it’s thicker than Rice or Goat milk. Rosie drinks Almond Milk and loves it!

Rosie and I love Ginger Mini Snapz.

They are crunchy and perfect little ginger snacks.

The Multi Grain Crisps I did not care for but some of the children do. They have a strong taste to them. Otherwise they are a good cracker. The crackers are carried at our local Wal-mart.

If you’re in a hurry these Potato Buds are a yummy substitute. The Rice is what I use to make Rice Cereal or Rice Pudding. Quick and easy. Both found at wal-mart.

Dairy Free Coconut Milk Ice Cream is dreamy! Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter. Yum! Rosie loves the Vanilla Bean and I love that I can share this with her.

Coconut Milk Cherry Amaretto. Another delicious ice cream. Neither is found at Wal-mart so I special order them through another local store.

These pretzels are enjoyed by everyone in the family. They taste great and are perfect bite size pretzels for Rosie.

So far I’m the only one, besides Granton, that has tried these crackers. We smothered peanut butter and jelly on them. Messy, but delicious.

Scoops is a family favorite. They go with salsa, avocado mashed up, home cooked beans….or even just as they are. Found at Wal-mart.

I bought these vanilla crackers mainly for Rosie but I found I liked the Cinnamon Cookies (not shown). They are a perfect little snack for her to munch on.

So now you know what sits on our shelves :-)

Today we started our Dairy, Gluten and Sugar free diet. It’s going really well. Thank you for your prayers!!

Want to know what we ate?

Breakfast: Egg Casserole

Lunch: Ham salad

Dinner: Split Pea Soup

To snack on we’ve been enjoying:

bananas, Scoops with avocado/salsa, popcorn

I did decide to adjust our diet in one small way. I’m adding in a bit of fruit to eat. It’s my goal to cut out as much sugar as we can. Sugar is in everything, either added into or naturally occurring in items. Thankfully now the kiddos are checking labels too :-)

Today has been a fairly good day. I have made a menu for the week, including snacks, as I know preparation is the key to our success. So now I feel ready to face our week in the kitchen.

Tomorrow I will be taking before pictures of the children. Then in a few months I’ll take after pictures. I think we will see a big difference in some of the children and myself. I can’t wait!

~Cinnamon

p.s. Thank you for the suggestions on laundry. I do enjoy gleaning from other Mama’s who have a system that works. I didn’t mean to imply that *I* do all the laundry. I don’t. But in our size family laundry always seems to be overflowing in the baskets, needing to be switched or on the couch waiting to be folded. No matter how much I do it there’s always more. I just needed to change things around a bit so I was not doing it all day long :-)

p.p.s For more gluten free ideas hop over to Amy’s at Fashioning Hearts. Check out her decadent looking brownie recipe. Enjoy~

My most loved Cookbooks~

2012-01-13T15:50:00.001-06:00

These are my most used, most favorite cookbooks (and magazines), for gluten/dairy free cooking.

Living without magazine has a lot of easy, useable recipes. Plus their website has tons more. You can sign up for their free newsletter and they’ll send you new recipes to try out.

My Mom sent me this book recently. While I have not made a lot of the recipes I can tell I am going to like it. Great pictures so you know what your recipe is suppose to look like :-)

(author: Lori Workman)

Here is one recipe I’ve made that I really liked. Baked Rice Pudding. Yum!

Don’t Feed Me is a GREAT cookbook. It taught me about gluten and dairy and where it hides in foods under other names. It is written by a mom who had a dtr with multiple allergies and has lots of kid friendly ideas.

Here’s a list from the book. Look at all those other names for gluten!

I love this cookbook. “From a Mother who knows” don’t you just love hearing other Mama’s tell how they feed their family gluten/dairy free!? I do.

A family favorite from Super Allergy Girl is Chicken Fingers. I just leave the paprika out so it’s not too spicy for the little ones.

I have found tons of great recipes in this cookbook. I love it!

When I make Chicken Fried Rice from the Everything Food Allergy cookbook there are no leftovers. It’s another family favorite!

This one was recommended to me by the Mayo Family. I haven’t used it a lot yet but what I have made I liked. You can order this cookbook by calling 1 (800)852-4482.

From Gluten Free Cooking I made Chocolate Chip cookies. One of our family’s most asked for cookie.

You can always tell which cookbooks I use the most as they are spotted here from having it right next to me as I bake.

Thank you for your sweet comments on my last post Conversations with my laundry – pondering it all. I feel much better. I had a good long talk with my husband. I visited with the children. You see I was overwhelmed with the idea of making food for everyone. Cooking for some children who can’t have diary, other children with no gluten or dairy. This one likes milk, those 4 one can’t have milk. After thinking of all that in my head, looking at a grocery list I was ready to give up. My husband encouraged me not to give up.

In the meantime I had taken Gunnar to be tested for food allergies. We got his results back this week.

We found out that he is allergic to much of the same things I am. In fact he is more overloaded with Candida than I am. We think that will most likely hold true for our entire family. Next to be tested are John, Grace and possibly Rosie dear. In the meantime we decided that, starting Monday, the entire family is going on a no sugar, no gluten, no dairy free diet.

The one thing I asked of the children and John was to not say “Yuck!” or “I don’t want to eat that!” That would be too discouraging for me. I also asked all the older ones and John if they would research it themselves and learn about candida and this type of diet so they would know what they could and could not eat. That way I don’t have 9 little people looking at me all day and asking “what can I eat?”

I am encouraged.

We have been cleaning out the pantry. Ridding it of everything that contains sugar, gluten and dairy. Next will be my refrigerator and freezer. You will laugh when you see what was left that we will be able to eat.

I do have one more post to share with you, coming up next. What products I eat that are gluten/dairy free. Amy from Daily Pleasures (a private blog) posted her favorite gluten free foods over at Fashioning hearts. I really enjoyed her ideas. In fact we eat much of the same foods. So I will be adding to her list of gluten free yummies!

Now I’m off to make dinner and enjoy my littles and bigs and a husband who is HOME :-)

♥Cinnamon

Conversations with my laundry ~ pondering it all

2012-01-10T16:52:00.001-06:00

Our washer/dryer are in our bathroom. Every time I go in there I am painfully aware that the laundry needs to be done. Overflowing baskets, extra full laundry baskets left there waiting, sometimes begging to be cleaned they beckon me. I’ve never heard of anyone’s laundry talking to someone before but mine does. It’s screams …”Clean me now!” “ I’m still here!” “Be more efficient.” it cries out.

Because of that I am always lingering in the bathroom loading, switching loads, and emptying loads. I was assured by one helpful, get organized, get it all done, site that this takes mere minutes to do. Well maybe that is true for families of a small size. Like with two kids. But with mine it’s an all day affair of me being in the bathroom.

It was with this realization that I decided to stop trying to do it all. I decided to stop trying to take a few minutes here and a few minutes there out of my days to squeeze in laundry. Instead I go in to the bathroom and exit without ever touching the laundry. I still hear it calling me but now I tell it no. “NO!” Yes conversations with my laundry….I must need a vacation :-)

Now instead of telling my children “Just a minute I’m doing the laundry” I tell my laundry “You’ll have to wait. I’m tending to my children.” It still feels a bit odd. I have a long standing relationship with my laundry piles. They have been like demanding 2yo’s needing my attention daily, sometimes hourly.

Now with the weather so nice and no huge piles of laundry to fold in the middle of the day I have been able to scoot outside with the girls. John has told me since he returned from Afghanistan that Rosie is an outdoor girl. He was right. She loves to roam, walk, and fall. I’ve taken to calling her tumble weed lately because she keeps flopping over every step or two because of the clumps of grass or leaves in her path.

As I was pondering the letting go of the laundry I realized that I’m a bit overwhelmed lately. Overwhelmed with:

being everything to everyone, purely a self inflicted conundrum

Taking all the vitamins I need to every meal

Detoxing and monitoring not only myself but Rosie too

Managing an very diverse shopping list

Making menu’s for my large family that has different eating needs

eating right for me

still rising and nursing two – three times a night

balancing rest, play, work, alone time

LIke all other times that I am overwhelmed or stressed my diet is the first to go. An oreo cookie here, a piece of candy there, a slice of pizza, a bit of cheese on my taco. It has a snowball effect and before you know it I’ve fallen off the wagon and have plunged knee deep back into bad eating.

I told my husband, in one of my moments of feeling completely unable to show any self control, “I just need to go live on a island and only eat pineapple. I love pineapple.” Then I realized that pineapple is on my no no list :-/ So much for that wonderful idea.

So while I’m still working on putting together the series of post on the changes I’ve made in my diet I am also stepping back a bit for some breathing room in my life. I will still be posting pictures of life here at the nut house :-) but my health posts will not be coming as quickly as I had hoped. But come they will. Failing, succeeding, making headway, new discoveries have been trademarks in my journey to better health. Instead of looking at how I’ve fallen short once again, I choose to step back and rest, while plotting how I shall overcome once again. Stay tuned for my continuing journey….

I thank God for days like these with my oldest girl and my youngest girl. When the household jobs can wait. When the demands of life are put aside. When the sun is shining and we are soaking it up. When Rosie is grinning from ear to ear with the joy of being a wee one free in the great outdoors. Days like these refresh my soul simply because the sun is shining and I’m able to soak it up with two of my favorite girlies ♥

Some of you have encouraged me through email. Asked me questions and shared your stories. I have been so blessed by them. Please keep on writing, asking and sharing. I love hearing from you all.

~Cinnamon

Healing ~ Alternative Dr.

2012-01-06T16:56:00.001-06:00

Then I went to an alternative Dr. to get tested for everything. I love alternative Dr’s because they are sooo different from regular Dr’s. They LISTEN. They wait quietly while you tell them the entire problem. They don’t try to cram your visit into a 5-10 minute time slot. I think I was there 1 1/2 hrs talking, getting blood drawn and visiting afterwards.

The test I had done took a month to get the results. Talk about pins and needles. I was so anxious. I knew something was off with me and was finally going to find out.

Sure enough the first test results came back on my vitamin levels. I was nearly bottomed out with Vit. C, Vit. D and Vit B.

Vit B helps keep the digestive system healthy (no wonder my digestive system was mess)

Vit C is needed for maintaining bones and teeth. (I’ve had problems with my teeth for years)

Vit D promotes calcium absorption in the gut (now it’s making sense)

Then I got the next set of results that said I am overloaded with candida and I’m allergic to everything under the sun.

Egg whites, egg yolks, milk, yogurt, cheese,

bananas (really?! who is allergic to bananas?)

pineapple, gluten, salmon (yippee!- never have liked it) peanuts, pork, beef and YEAST was off the charts.

So after researching Candida diets I’ve come up with this conclusion. I can have no sugar, no gluten, nothing that I’m allergic to and no fruit (it has natural sugars).

I now need to cut out everything that bothers me, eat lots of healthy fats and flood my system with probiotics.

I have ordered Detox+ from Bulk Herb Store. The reason I choose this detox was it is designed to soak up the yeast as it dies off and be carried out of my body. Thereby staying out of my breast milk so Rosie won’t be bothered by it.

**Normally it is not advised to do a cleanse/detox while nursing. I have looked into this extensively and have come to this conclusion based on my needs. Please do your own research. Consult a Dr. before starting anything new while nursing your sweet baby.**

One interesting item I noticed was that all the foods that my body loves and craves are the ones I am allergic to. I had heard long ago that what your body craves it is allergic to. I don’t know if that holds true for everyone but it holds true for me.

I also found out that more than likely Rosie has exactly what I have. A load of Candida that needs to be gotten rid of.

To add to my plate I am also having the older children and John tested. Better to find out now if they need to cut items out of their diet so we can do this all together.

The good news is this – if I can get rid of all the candida and heal my body that I can actually start eating normal again, slowly, but surely. That’s the thought anyway.

Here is a really good article to read up on all this Leaky Gut Syndrome.

Well Tell Me has some great discussions from Mama’s who have done the cleanse. Type in Candida Cleanse for lots of good reading.

A couple great books to read are

The Yeast Connection

The Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook

Want to see if you have candida. You can take a quick test to see:

Dr. William Crook’s Questionnaire

A wonderful site with tons of support is:

Healing Naturally be Bee

Next I’ll be talking about my first detox and how I went from eating what made me sick to eating better. I’m hoping to share a testimony or two. If you have cut out sugar, soda, white flour and are eating better I would love to hear how you went about it.

*Happy New Year*

~ Cinnamon

Healing ~ the results

2012-01-03T20:36:00.001-06:00

First, let me start by saying this: Good health will be different for you than it is for me. Depending on where you’re at in your life whole wheat can be a blessing or a curse. For example:

A friend of mine was working hard at eating healthy. She learned to make homemade bread. Ground her own wheat. Yet she could not lose the weight she wanted to. Then she found out she had Celiac disease. So you see, while whole wheat bread is great to eat, it is not even a possibility if you have Celiac.

Some of you are wanting to eat “healthy” which may mean cutting back on sugar and eating more vegetables. Others need to lose weight and eat less processed foods. Whatever your needs for your body are please remember they will differ from mine. What works for me may not work for you. That’s why getting tested is important. Find out what your body needs so you can begin the road to better health.

Now let’s see what happened when I cut out gluten and dairy from my diet.

I started taking digestion supplements and acidophilus to help my body out. I was amazed at how good it felt to not be bloated and to not be swollen. I went through two pregnancies and saw major changes from my previous 8 pregnancies. First my weight gain decreased by half. Instead of gaining my normal 50 lbs per boy I only gained about half that much. I felt great. Afterwards my weight came off so much quicker than with all the others. But I did notice that my two children also could not tolerate the digestive aides I was taking and they were both born with food sensitivities, like their Mama.

The other big change I noticed was I was a lot happier. I was no longer constantly moody or mad. My husband had begun to notice that when I ate gluten I was extremely cranky. I would have never tied the two together before but now that we were paying attention the reaction was terribly obvious.

I also began to notice that I was not as tired anymore. When I ate gluten I was immediately tired. Like someone had given me a knock out drug. I couldn’t help but fall right to sleep. Have you ever noticed at family gatherings when you eat a big meal or maybe biscuits and gravy (very high in gluten/dairy) that some people are ready for a nap afterwards? It could be a reaction to gluten that’s making them so tired.

I noticed that I was not swollen anymore. At all! Do you know what a relief that is for me!? My wedding ring now slides easily on/off. I don’t need to prop my feet up every time I sit down.

So fast forward ~ Here I was working on being gluten/dairy free. Having to figure out how to bake/cook/shop gluten free without going broke in the process or starving because my attempt at this new type of cooking was disgusting. Thankfully there are a lot of great sites out there that have wonderful recipes. You can check out my side bar for gluten/dairy free blogs.

I’ve found that making Kombucha helped my digestion tremendously while flooding my body with probiotics.

Another happy discovery was that as long as I cut gluten out of my diet I would lose weight. If I ate gluten I would gain weight. Even if I ate less food while eating gluten I’d still gain weight.

I remember exercising when I was younger and being so frustrated that I could not lose weight. I would always gain weight no matter how much I worked out. It was terribly frustrating. Now I see why. I was not feeding my body what it needed. I was feeding my body what I thought was healthy yet it was like a poison in my body.

Weight comes off almost effortlessly if I only eat what my body can digest. Discovering that was a huge motivation for me to eat right.

So where do you begin? What “diet” do you choose?

Some of you have mentioned that you eat too much white sugar/flour and sodas. Removing those items for some would be overwhelming. I understand. I’ve been there.

Thankfully there’s an easy way to transition. One step at a time. Don’t try and take everything away all at once. You will rebel against yourself if you do that.

If I had to do this all over again. I’d be tested first. Tested by an alternative Dr.

( remember the regular dr’s told me I was fine :-/ )

My test was about $700 for three different tests. A huge portion of it was covered by our insurance.

You could start an elimination diet. That will help you figure out what your body is having trouble with. If you cannot do the testing this is the cheapest way to figure out what your body is reacting to. It was a bit frustrating for me though. Probably because I was learning as I went and playing hit and miss with results.

What worked really well for me was eating very bland foods for a few days. Like oatmeal with stevia (instead of honey or sugar), homemade beans (without cheese or any toppings except salt) chicken with brown rice or salad (without dressing). Eating bland allowed my stomach a rest so that when I ate anything that bothered me my reaction was much more noticeable. And anyone can eat bland for a few days, right?

Now what in the world do you drink instead of soda? Here are a few alternatives. I highly suggest having your new drink ready and available before you do without your soda.

Mama’s Red Raspberry Tea

Kombucha

Water

Vitamin C (emergen-C) packets

At first I was not a water drinker so I bought special water. Water that tasted good and was very cold helped me. Now I drink about 3-4 glasses of water (chlorine free) each day plus Kombucha and Vit C.

There are many adjustments to make on the road to good health. Your own bad health is the best motivator. I know it was for me. If you’d like to know more about anything I’ve discussed feel free to email me or ask in the comment section.

Next up I’ll be discussing my visit to the alternative Dr.

~Cinnamon

Healing in the New Year ~ the beginning

2011-12-30T18:04:00.001-06:00

Five years ago I went on a fast. I went ten days without eating. Just drinking a mixture that sustained me. It was during those ten days that changed the way I had felt for as long as I could remember.

During those ten days I was not bloated after every meal. Bloated to the point of looking 9 months pregnant. My legs were not swollen for the first time in a long time. I stopped clearing my throat. Something I had done as long as I could remember. My rash on my arms also went away. In fact I felt wonderful. Happy. Free.

After I began eating again I noticed that ALL my symptoms came right back. That is when I started down the road to finding out why this was happening to me.

The swollen part was easy. I liked to drink Diet Pepsi. In fact, in all my life, I could not remember not drinking it. Water was gross and the only other item I drank was tea. So I cut out the Diet Pepsi but still had occasional swelling. I found that if I drank any drink with over 10mg of sodium in it I would swell. So I stopped. I now drink water (filtered water only so it’s chlorine free) and Mama’s Red Raspberry Tea. The Tea provides me with Calcium and aides my digestion or so I thought.

I would not find out for 5 yrs that all my vitamins and nutrients were barely being absorbed by my body which only led to further problems. Which is caused from having gluten allergies.

In my attempt to diagnose my food problems I went to the Dr. for testing. I had a blood test. I was poked with all those little needles. Do you know what I found out? Nothing! I was allergic to nothing. I had no problems. Talk about frustrating.

That bit of news led me to research this myself. I knew a friend who had been diagnosed with Celiac disease so I talked with her about her symptoms. Even though my tests said I was okay to eat gluten I started cutting it out of my daily diet. Guess what? I started feeling better right away. Right away! The calcium from Mama’s Red Raspberry Tea was being absorbed so quickly that my hair and nails changed from brittle to healthy in a week. I have had weak nails all my life. My hair is a frizz ball most of the time. But not now. Something was different.

I stopped eating all dairy. No more cheese (my absolutely favorite!!) and butter (I loved butter!). No more milk. No more ice cream. I had to now read labels because Gluten and Dairy are in everything!

Now even though I felt better when I didn’t eat these things I often would have something here or there. If we went out to eat I regarded it as a treat. If I was stressed or couldn’t figure out what to make I reverted right back to what was not good for me. I still struggle with this today but I am a far cry from where I was 5 yrs ago. So I can see progress.

The reason I chose to share this is because I know some of you out there have issues too. Maybe it’s an extreme craving for one item. Could it be that one item is overloading your body? I don’t’ know. I’m not a Dr. Maybe you have lots of trouble losing weight and only in your middle parts. Could be you’re bothered by gluten. Maybe you have bags under your eyes or puffy eyes. Could be you’re irritated by dairy. I don’t know. Some of you have issues that run in your family. More than likely they don’t have to. Being bloated, puffy, swollen, extremely emotional is not how we are suppose to be normally. Those are reactions to something.

In the New Year it is my desire, my goal, to bring healing to my body and my family. So I can feed us all what we need to grow stronger and feel healthier.

This is how my story began. It’s as factual as I can remember. Next I will share with you what results I saw.

~Cinnamon

Back to normal~

2011-12-28T14:37:00.001-06:00

Although I did not feel like I was on a merry go round nor was my Christmas busy or stressed I am happy to be enjoying a week (the time between Christmas and the New Year) relaxing. I have already taken down our tree, swept up all the pine needles and put away all the leftover candy canes. Amazing that we had any left over.

John has a wonderful birthday. He said it was the best yet. Thank you for all your birthday wishes to my handsome Green Eyes ♥ Did you know that for .97 cents you can buy the long thin balloons and provide a whole days worth of fun for your children?

When we were shopping for John’s presents we went straight to the gun dept. I had the smallest idea of what he wanted/needed but I knew we were in the right dept :-)

Do you like the sweater I got for Christmas. I like that I can wear it over any blouse I have. Gracie said “Oh Mama I like that. I may have to borrow it.” I love having a dtr that is old enough to share Mama’s clothing and likes what I have.

Did you all have a wonderful Christmas? Do you take note, as I do, of what was really special this Christmas so you can make sure you do it next year? I think the number one activity I like is whatever we do together. Be it playing cards, baking or wrapping presents. It really doesn’t matter what we do because laughter abounds and wonderful memories are made.

Now, here are some more gifts that the children received. Fishing vests for all ages. They were made by my Mom-in-law. The children love them and can’t wait for spring!

Every time Granton puts this vest on he thinks we are going fishing now.

One other wonderful gift we bought for the family was this:

Clearplay DVD player. It cuts out everything bad from your DVD’s….language, nudity, extreme violence. You know writing that makes me think ‘well why would we want to watch something with all that in it’. But then I think of one of my favorite movies ~ Australia. It’s an excellent movie except for two parts. Now I can watch it and not have to quickly grab the remote to skip over bad things. One of John’s favorite movies is 300. That is an excellent movie except for some very inappropriate scenes, which are now automatically deleted. You get the first month free then it’s only $7.99 each month after. For us, that is soo worth it.

Those were just some of the goodies we got this Christmas. More pictures to come soon.

As promised I am working on the Healing post. Lots of information and a bit about why my body needs to heal. Want a sneak peek into what I’ll be talking about? Check out this excellent article over at Bulk Herb Store.

Leaky Gut Syndrome

♥

Now I am going to make Granola Energy Balls with Gianna and Rosie. The sun is shining. It is a warm 47* outside. A little one is napping. Gracie is upstairs on her new laptop. A few other children are out “fishing” (which means they are out playing in the mud!). It is wonderfully quiet. A quick sip of my ginger/cinnamon tea and my afternoon will be complete :-)

Hope you are enjoying your day too!

~Cinnamon

I just have one thing to say….

2011-12-27T16:41:00.001-06:00

I ♥ U John!

(Well okay, maybe more than one thing)

(Do you like the jackets? They were Christmas presents from my Mom. We love them Mom!)

To my handsome Green Eyes~

Happy 16th Birthday!

once again, ha! ha!

~Love~

All your G’s and me ♥

on the eve~

2011-12-25T23:55:00.001-06:00

On the eve of Christmas Eve there was hot cocoa with marshmallows. Cheers all around. Cocoa is a celebrated drink around this house.

Am I the only Mama that has children who eat all their marshmallows and leave all the hot cocoa in their cup?

Gaela said it was easy to get her spoon to stay on her nose. “Why?” we asked? “Because I cheated” she confessed with a smirk, “the spoon was stuck to my chin.” :-)

Cookies were baked and eaten.

“Lolly’s” from a special friend (Thank you Sue Bee!) were distributed for a big boy who is doing a fabulous job staying out of a diaper and staying in big boy undies!

♥ Sweet Rose ♥

Christmas Eve I went on a baking spree. I think all the baking I had not done this season caught up with me and it came bursting out with a new recipe…Blueberry Cheesecake Bars and 2 pumpkin pies.

After going to our church’s Christmas Eve service we came home for some popcorn and a game of Apples to Apples. A family favorite!

Fun memories.

Sweet smiles.

Funny faces.

Everyone was tucked in fairly early except Papa and Mama.

We stayed up doing the last minute wrapping and sorting. Finally about 12:30am we went to sleep. Rosie dear waited a whole 15 minutes before waking me up. I got back to bed about 1:15. Then she woke me up again at 4:30am. Then at 6am a certain, impatient to open her Christmas presents, child came in and woke John and I up :-0

I’m hoping to put up some pictures of the the adorable things our children received. And for those who asked about the Cinnamon Bread recipe. I will work on sharing that soon.

Hoping you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

~Cinnamon

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T21:49:00.001-06:00

From our house to yours…

from boys and girls

to friends and loved ones

(Gavin and his sweetie, Katelyn)

we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

And to let you know that our oldest son and daughter~in~love are blessing us once again, with a grand-dumpling. They are due in August!

The little children are already in bed. The wrapping is done. Rosie has been lulled to sleep. A hot cup of tea is waiting for me. Now for a few other sneaky things to do after everyone is bed and I’ll be all done :-)

Breakfast will be orange juice, eggs, and baked french toast sprinkled with powdered sugar. Doesn’t that sound yummy?

Good night everyone and Merry Christmas!

~Cinnamon

Around the house at the holidays~

2011-12-23T00:04:00.001-06:00

Today was our baking day. And our shopping day. And our do all the laundry day. And our hot cocoa day, with marshmallows :-) After all it’s cold outside!

Gladys was my helper this morning. We made 7 loaves of Cinnamon Bread. We have some very sweet neighbors and throughout the year we like to take them some homemade goodness.

This is such an easy recipe and make so many loaves. Our family can devour 3 loaves straight out of the oven!

Rosie cannot have any but she gets some Coconut Milk Vanilla Bean Ice Cream from time to time and loves it! Gage could eat a whole loaf to himself. I am sure of it! He is at that age where he eat his meal, all the leftovers and then is still hungry :-) Love those growing boys.

And this little sweetie was played with, loved on, carried, tended to, kissed on and coddled to all day long. No, she’s not spoiled one little bit!

It’s almost Christmas Eve. Are you ready? Do you have any fun things you do on Christmas Eve with your family? I love to stay up late wrapping, sipping tea, maybe watch on old movie and sneak around the house, getting presents un-hid to put under the tree.

My children like to put themselves to bed early and they all discuss what time they will get up the next morning. It’s really a lively discussion to listen to as they have varying ideas of what “early” actually means.

Our rule of thumb is if the baby is not awake then Mama is not awake :-)

Well once again, my baby is calling me…..so I will wish you all a goodnight and a very Merry Christmas!

~Cinnamon

The Littlest Angel~

2011-12-21T22:46:00.001-06:00

Rosie dear is our littlest angel. So I decided today we were going to snap some Christmas pictures of her. She looks quite happy there doesn’t she?

I love her great big front teeth, except when they bite. Ouch!

Rosie is 10 months old this Christmas season. She’s not quite tall enough to reach up to the tree this year and still too young to have candy canes. But I did give her a wrapped up one to bribe her to sit still for some pictures :-)

You can tell this is her first Christmas because she never even put the candy cane in her mouth.

After this photo session Rosie went right to sleep. She may not look it here but she was extremely tired. True to Rosie fashion, when she is tired, she’s all wound up.

This was as close as the candy cane got to getting into her mouth. Love those dancing brown eyes.

And one last picture of Rosie and Mama. One day Rosie you’ll look back at say “Wow Mama you were really tall!” ha ha!

Love you Rosie Dear….thank you for bringing us so much joy! And now you are calling me from your bedroom for the third time since I put you to bed a few hrs ago. You go to sleep then wake up crying an hour later. You must have eaten something that did not agree with you today. It’s going to be a long night :-/

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night~

~Cinnamon

Ginger/Cinnamon Tea~

2011-12-20T23:40:00.001-06:00

I have been brewing Ginger/Cinnamon Tea. It’s really easy. You put a few slices of fresh Ginger and a few Cinnamon sticks into a pot of water. Boil. Steep 10-12 minutes. Enjoy. It fills my home with a very Christmas-y aroma. Besides tasting absolutely wonderful it also helps with my digestion. Cinnamon also kills yeast, which apparently, I have an over abundance of. More on healing our bodies in the New Year.

I was browsing through old pictures and organizing them. It’s so fun to look back isn’t it? Last year we had snow on the ground but not this year. Last year the kids spent hours outside building this snow cave.

Last year Rosie dear was still cooking :-)

Last year we cuddled up in my bed and read stories that made our sides ache from laughter. I love doing that. Such simple choices. Simple activities that brand a pleasant memory into our hearts forever.

I remembered when this little bug was born and how she fussed and fussed. I never thought her days of crying and not sleeping would end. I certainly never thought it would take nearly 9 months to get her to sleep 5 hrs through the night. I was reminded that when I’m in the middle of trials they seem as though they will last forever. Forever is a long time when your little baby isn’t happy.

Looking back I can see all the growth that has taken place. Not only is Rosie sleeping better and walking like she needs a pair of Nike running shoes but she is finally signing *more* when she wants more food. Oh she still hollers too but it’s a beginning :-)

I am reminded that *things* are fleeting but time with my little ones is irreplaceable. Do you see that lamp in the background? It was my favorite. It gave off such a gentle glow. It was perfect to turn on early in the morning when Granton wanted to snuggle on the couch or if I was up before anyone and got to sneak in a little reading. It cost a mere $5 at an old shop in town. It was broken last year. A sweet child was dusting it for me when it slipped out of their hands and came crashing down to the ground. Will I miss my lamp? Oh sure but if I didn’t have a picture of it here I would have forgotten all about it. That precious girl next to my lamp….her sweet smile…..her desire to tell me everything that is ready to burst out of her…..that is what I will remember ♥

As I looked back it caused me to look forward. what do I want to spend my time doing? Seeing this cute little bandana reminds me I’d like to sew with my girls more, next year. The little girls are quite ready to open a dress shop for all their dollies and stuffies.

With Christmas only a few more days away….

I know this because my kids tell me every single day how many days are left….

(I love that about them. The anticipation. The count downs. The giddy-ness.)

Our tree is looking pretty bare. More candy canes are needed as we’re down to about 5 on the entire tree. The girls pull out 3 boxes and decorate the tree again. As they do so I notice they also eat a few too :-)

Presents were added to our growing mound under the tree. The kids gather around to see how many each of them have already. It’s like a magic wonderland for a child at Christmas. The hope. The excitement. The innocent anticipation of maybe, just maybe, getting to hear or even see Santa as he delivers a sled load of presents. The belief of a baby in a manger so long ago. The Inn. The donkey. The baby that became a boy and grew into a man that would change my entire life. A wonderful, quite magical wonder.

Wishing each of you a very Merry Christmas!

All because of Jesus~Cinnamon

The Alligator Boy~

2011-12-15T22:46:00.001-06:00

The Alligator Boy. When I found this book I knew I had to buy it. I knew Granton would love it. I knew I would love it. So I snuggled up on the couch, under John’s soft camo blanket and scrunched Granton in next to me. We opened it to page one and his fingers started reaching toward the pages. “Dinosaur Mama!” which seems to be his latest fascination.

We read the book three times. Once never seems to be enough. Each time he wanted to go straight to the dinosaur page.

Love that handsome little boy smile and those dancing eyes.

♥ Papa and Mama Gingerbread ♥

I am loving my Kombucha. I’ve shared it with a few friends and they all say the same thing “oh it doesn’t taste bad.” I did notice that I need to replenish my SCOBY with a new original flavor bottle as it seems to be taking a bit longer to ferment.

A giveaway over at the Munck’s blog. They have 11 different items they are giving away. Click over to check them out and enter.

This is just one of the cute items in their giveaway.

How is everyone doing on their Christmas shopping? We are just about done. Isn’t that a good feeling? When we were shopping the other day a cashier asked me if I had a store Visa card. When I told her no she began to tell me all about it. I explained to her that we like to do our Christmas shopping debt free. She was shocked but said with a smile “That’s great! You and about 4 other people!” :-) We both laughed over that truth.

I have a post brewing in my fingers about some very non Christmas-y items. More healthy thoughts, cleansing the body, yeast overgrowth, food allergies, testing, Kombucha, vitamin deficiencies and books. Sounds quite boring doesn’t it?! I’ve just finished a panel of testing which finally provided some answers to my food problems (gluten and dairy) and gave me a bit more to chew on. It is a new chapter in my life, healing my body.

I’m still researching vitamins, cleanses, healing diets as well as nursing while doing all this. It’s a lot to digest and figure out but I’m so glad to finally have answers which I’ll share with you all soon.

~Merry Christmas~

~Cinnamon

then and now ~ a birthday

2011-12-12T22:29:00.001-06:00

I stumbled upon an old cd of a birthday about 6 yrs ago. Our Gladys, 5yrs old. Here she is with her little sister Gaela, who was 3 yrs old at the time. Such good friends and sweet sisters.

Gladys has always been an easy going child. Quiet. Sweet. Picky. Organized. Proper.

When I showed this picture to her she told me “I still have that card.”

Silly ~ Sweet ~ Sassy

Gianna (1 yr old) ~ Gladys (5 yrs old) ~ Gaela (3 yrs old)

My girlies.

Fly ahead 6 yrs to today, Gladys’ 11th birthday. She is still just as sweet as she was back then and so beautiful.

Thank you Aunt Marilyn for celebrating Gladys’ birthday with us. Gladys said your card was the most sparkly card she got.

Gladys is thee best big sister. She can organize crafts, play games, soothe a hurt child, mend a sad sister and even share, when she has to :-)

One of the fun things we did today was make Gluten Free Gingerbread Men. They came out perfect!

Gladys made the girls and I made the boys.

We also made Cinnamon Ornaments. They are dehydrating down in our basement.

Mid morning Gladys received a birthday package. Oh was she excited!

She loved her new sweater & jacket! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa R.

A perfect fit!

When Papa got home at lunch Gladys opened our gift. She was thrilled. We knew she’d love it!

If you have been around here long you know that Gladys loves rocks, gems and crystals. She loves any gift that has to do with them. Consequently, she has been wanting her birthstone for quite some time.

She was beaming all day!

One happy 11 yr old :-)

We love you Gladys!

If that wasn’t enough wonderfulness for one day there was more. When the mail man came he brought a card from her other Grandma and Grandpa. She has tucked it away, pondering what she’ll do with her birthday money :-) Thank you Grandma and Grandpa K.

Then we had some friends over. I was so busy visiting I didn’t get any pictures but the kids had fun. I don’t think they stayed indoors long as it was a warm 34* today :-) Perfect playing outdoor weather.

Gladys enjoyed pizza for dinner followed by yummy Breyers White Mint Chip Ice Cream. A family favorite.

Her evening ended playing cards with her Papa.

She asked me at her bedtime, “Can I stay up later since I’m older?” I joked with her that the older you get the earlier you go to bed. To prove my point I pointed out that the oldest member of our home was Papa and he went to sleep before anyone :-)

Happy Birthday sweet Gladys. I can’t wait to see you in 6 more years. Oh my that means you’ll be 17 yrs old!! I think I’ll just enjoy you as you are now :-)

We love you~

♥ Papa, Mama, Gavin, Gunnar, Grace, Gage, Gaela, Gianna, Granton & Rosie

O Christmas Tree~

2011-12-11T23:20:00.001-06:00

Before we purchased our tree I had read of two other people who had their tree fall over. That is probably why I was apprehensive when we put our tree up. Not only did we put it up but we put it up on a table to keep Rosie dear out of it. Adding to the teetering factor.

It stayed perfectly in place as long as you didn’t try to pull an ornament off and put it somewhere else on the tree. Lesson learned I guess :-)

Every year we pull out our Christmas bin with all our treasures in it. Some we’ve had for years others are newer but all are loved. The children like to pull the ornaments out and hang them as they find them.

Have I shown you Rosie’s newest toy? Her walker is my best friend. It allows her to roam around all over, following me into the kitchen if she’d like, and yet keeps her out of most (did you catch that? Most! ) of our things. She is speedy fast in that thing too.

Gaela wanted Rosie to be part of the Christmas Tree decorating too :-) Today I bought 12 boxes of tiny candy canes. Yes twelve! I will be amazed if they make it till Christmas day :-)

One of my greatest joys is watching our little ones light up with excitement over Christmas. I told John that I thought Christmas must be very boring without children :-)

Gotta love the tongue poking out as Granton concentrates on getting that snowman to stay on the branch.

Of course that snowman was yanked off long ago and see those candy canes at the bottom? They’re gone!

This year we did very simple decorations. Handmade felt ornaments by my girls. Candy canes. Some lights and treasured ornaments.

After reading Susan’s post at Joyful Mom of Many I will be making some Cinnamon Ornaments to put on the tree and some decorations for my windows.

But before any more Christmas items are made or bought we will pause for one day to celebrate our daughter Gladys’ 11th birthday.

For one day, instead of Red and Green, there will be pink everywhere. We have a fun day planned and can’t wait to celebrate~

Thanks for stopping by and for sharing all your giveaways and fun Christmas ideas through your blog. I love reading them all.

Merry Christmas

~Cinnamon

Sky Beds for the Girls~

2011-12-10T08:47:00.001-06:00

When we got our tree up Christmas seemed that much closer but then it fell over and well then, I just had to laugh (right Kathi? )

Thank you to those who have been wondering about me. I am here :-) I love hearing from you via Facebook, email, the old fashion way - my mail box or through the blog.

Now for my udpate :-)

The girls new SKY BEDS! John and the boys have worked so hard on them and the girls simply love them! I had looked on Pinterest for ideas. I pinned many bunk bed pictures that we liked. In the end we decided on sky beds. What is a sky bed you ask? It’s kind of like a top bunk bed without the bottom bunk.Take a look at the beginning of the girls new room.

Gracie’s bed was first.

We were going to paint first but that didn’t work out. That’s okay though it just gives us longer to decide on what color to paint the whole room.

Everything that was in their room went into the bathroom :-)

Each bed got a railing and a ladder.

This shows the three other beds framed. There are four beds in one room. Putting the beds up gives each child more room under their bed.

I am hoping this will help each girl be a bit more organized with their stuff that is all over the floor :-0

Papa came home after work, ate dinner, then got busy building all week long.

Thankfully he had two helpers, Gunnar (sitting on the beds) and Gage.

Gracie’s bed finished. We just need to paint.

Here is the tip of Gladys’ bed on the far left, Gianna’s in the middle and Gaela’s bed on the right. Gladys and Gianna share a ladder.

Under each bed the girls have their own personal space which includes a closet and a a shelf. John will be building their drawers next week.

If you come over you will surely see saw dust somewhere on the floor because no matter how many times we sweep it up – it’s still there. But it’s a sign of hard work so I’m not bothered by it too much :-)

We did finally put up our tree. It fell over within the first hour. Gianna was pulling an ornament off and swoosh! The whole things fell over :-/ Poor dear she thought she’d be in trouble. But it really was more funny than anything.

By mid-day half of the candy canes we decorated the tree with were gone :-0 Like I said in an earlier post…I buy at least 4 boxes of candy canes PER WEEK for the entire month of December. We have lots of fun eating them :-)

I am on my third batch of Kombucha and it’s turning out so well. Now John and Gracie drink it too so it is going quickly. I can totally tell a difference in my digestion since drinking it and I have more energy.

It’s that time again….gingerbread houses and next week gingerbread cookies :-) Right after the children were done decorating it do you know what they asked me? “Can we eat it now?” What? Now? No. “Let’s at least keep it for a day or two.” Sure enough the next day, they gobbled it up :-)

It has snowed a couple times but not enough for the kids. We need a good snow, lots and lots of inches. That would make for a good December :-)

Last week when the Wissmann Family came to our church to sing I was challenged by their message to get more familiar with the Bible. So the children and I have started reading through Matthew. We read one chapter each morning. Over the years we have been given many different versions of the Bible. We give the little ones the smallest bibles till they can read on their own. Then they can choose from one of the bigger Bibles or we get them their own, brand new Bible. That is as exciting as getting your very own soda when you go out :-)

I am taking this season slowly. Actually the season is lingering. No rushing around just moments, enjoyable moments.

One such moment took me by surprise. I was nursing Rosie, putting her to bed for the evening. A little moon light streaked in through her window and let me peek on her warm, cozy face. She was still, quiet, except for those sweet baby noises that nursing babes make. Suddenly I was in my own little world of peacefulness. I rested back in the chair and did what I do nearly every time I feed Rosie. I prayed for her. Such a fleeting time this is. Having older ones leaving the home makes this reality more and more real to me

and these moments more and more precious.

I could hear the faint noises of children running around downstairs. Doors slamming shut to the bathroom. Children laughing. Familiar noises. Comforting sounds. As I sat there I squeezed Rosie gently. She’s so squishy and sweet. I was thankful that she is doing so much better than when she was first born with the crying, food allergies, and constant wakefulness. It makes me teary just to think of how exhausting her first 6 months were. But now, here she is in my arms, sleeping soundly. Sweet moments ♥

Merry Christmas everyone~

~Cinnamon

At home during the holidays~

2011-12-01T18:53:00.001-06:00

That’s really where I love to be. Like today, the littlest angels were sleeping, the Christmas music was playing, my scented candle was lit, the little girls were making ornaments and I was baking Gluten Free Banana Muffins. Ahhhh~ it was so peaceful. So quiet. So wonderful.

I love being home when the weather is frosty and the cold wind is blowing. Putting on some tea, watching old Christmas movies and having friends over is one of the many delights I enjoy during the holidays.

♥ Aren’t these two the cutest little babies ♥

At our next ornament party we will be stringing popcorn and cran-raisins (they are much easier than cranberries).

Stop by and we’ll suit you up with a needle and some string :-)

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas~

~Cinnamon

Ebb and flow of life~

2011-12-01T00:09:00.001-06:00

If you were to walk in my front door this is what you would see. My hutch that my handsome husband built me over 14 yrs ago. What makes it really special is that he built it with our three boys who were very young at that time. If you look closely at the hutch you might even be able to find where one certain “helper” left a few hammer marks while he was “helping” hammer in a nail :-) Marks and all….I love it!

I love that one of those little boys is much bigger now and has built me a book shelf all on his own. I love that these two works of love sit right next to each other.

These lights are also the only lights I currently have up for Christmas. The children love them. I love them. They make everything sparkly and Christmas-y. They go perfectly with my scented candles that I light up every morning and every evening.

Gianna. She has a knew BFF. A family visiting over the holidays. They met at Awanas. She spent one whole day with her BFF and the two became “bosom friends” (I love Anne of Green Gables). Gianna spent her evening writing a letter to her new friend, who lives in Alaska. Now she wants to go visit. Oh my….she is just like her Mama :-)

And then there’s Rosie-poo. Things I love about Rosie.

1. When she sees me she crawls super duper fast over to me and raises her hands up for me to scoop her up. which I happily do.

2. She has the most beautiful rosy red cheeks.

3. She is sleeping better and allowing her tired Mama some rest at night.

We took these on Thanksgiving. My silly husband. He’s so steady. So reserved. So non-changing. But he’s the funniest man I know!

♥ I do love him so ♥

Some of you sweet bloggy friends have inquired as to where I have been. How quiet it is over here. I know my Mom is probably wondering what I’m up to and waiting for her daily dose of me :-) My evenings have been a bit full. Full with living, children, relaxing, cleaning.

I have been caring for little ones. Rosie and Granton have both been up a bit later than usual lately. I’ve been listening to little girls read to me in the evening from their new books. They would sit and read to me for 2 hrs straight if I let them.

Relieving older children of kitchen duties as they tirelessly assist John with the remodeling of the girls room (pictures to come soon).

Laundry clean up. You know that’s the job that happens after everything has been washed. After it’s been folded. You’ve called all the children to come pick up their laundry. Everyone claims to have gathered all their clothing. There’s still a big pile on the couch. Socks are under the cushions. Under the couch. On the coffee table. Laundry clean up :-)

What about you? Is your tree up? I am hoping to get our wonderful smelling tree this wknd. Granton has been asking me for ever “are we going to get our Christmas tree?” So it’s time. I’ve been contemplating putting the tree up on a corner table to keep little Rosie fingers out of it. But then that raises all those candy canes right up to Granton’s finger grabbing level. When he’s standing on the couch of course :-)

Am I the only one that buys two new boxes of 100 count candy canes every week to replace the ones that have been eaten off the tree?

Merry Christmas everyone~

~Cinnamon

All smiles and giggles~

2011-11-28T00:03:00.001-06:00

Feeding Rosie this morning became a moment to capture a few smiles and some laughter. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her but she makes LOTS of noise. She squawks when she wants more food. Squawks when she is done eating and wants to get down. Squawks when she is happy. She’s a loud little girl.

Don’t be fooled by that happy, rose colored smile, as my husband says I often am. She can be quite demanding.

Granton wanted to help feed Rosie but he didn’t want to eat his own food. I told him he could feed Rosie after he took a bite of his food. Guess who outsmarted who? I know it won’t be long till he figures my sneaky ways out but for now I’m one sneaky Mama :-)

Rosebud has 8 teeth. Four on top. Four on the bottom. She drools like crazy. She might even have more teeth in the back of her mouth but if you even attempt to stick your finger into her mouth she will bite it. Hard!

Granton didn’t want his picture taken. He closed his eyes and turned his head away. I told him “close your eyes but turn your head this way.” Guess who outsmarted who? I told you I was a sneaky Mama :-)

All smiles and giggles? No but it sure is sweet when those moments pop up unexpectedly.

♥ Cinnamon

Give thanks~

2011-11-24T22:33:00.001-06:00

As night falls on our home sleepy children slowly walk upstairs climbing into their beds filled with sweet dreams. Baby and Toddler are sleeping, sweetly wrapped in the hum of love and a promise of adventure in the morning.

Familiar sounds fill the walls in our home. Voices whispering. Laughter flowing out of happy souls. Quiet breathing from a loved one nearby. These are the quiet and familiar sounds of the night.

The richness of being, not only loved, but cherished permeates our very souls. The comfortable bumping into one another as a matter of practice in everyday life. All nestled in under a blanket of love.

I have much to be thankful for this year. I realized once again that thankfulness is not only found in a state of plenty but more profoundly sensed in my moments of need.

Last year when we celebrated Thanksgiving, one seat lay open. One hand went unheld. One hug was left wanting. With John being in Afghanistan last year circumstances made me very thankful for my Green Eyed Soldier.

Very thankful for God’s provision and care over us. Very thankful for all the willing hands to step in and help.

This year, John is home. That is so wonderful to write. We are so grateful to our God for brining him home. Healing him from time being away at war. Making our family whole again. Showing us what it means to trust in God, everyday, for everything.

Ephesians 5:20

Giving thank always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ:…”

~Cinnamon

All squeezed in~

2011-11-24T15:50:00.001-06:00

That’s what it feels like every holiday as we all squeeze in around the table to enjoy our meal. It’s a good kind of squeezing in though :-) We had turkey, ham, stuffing, gravy, Gianna’s green beans (named for her cause she loves them), mashed potatoes. Then Pumpkin and Apple Pie slathered with whip cream. Hands down the potatoes were the best ever. For the first time I made them straight out of a box and I may never go back to regular potatoes. Yum!

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours ♥

John, Cinnamon, Gavin, Gunnar, Grace, Gage, Gladys, Gaela, Gianna, Granton and Geneva a.k.a “rosie”

Kombucha is ready~

2011-11-23T21:59:00.001-06:00

For those who have been following along my Kombucha journey we are all done. First we homemade a SCOBY.

The next step was to make a gallon of sweet tea using 4 small tea bags, bottled water and sugar. To see the instructions I followed go HERE. After the tea had cooled I added the SCOBY to it.

It had gotten nice and thick. Actually one SCOBY came out thick and floating and the other was thin and sinking. So I researched common problems/fixes for SCOBYS and found out they were both fine to use.

After letting the tea sit for a week I started the second phase of fermentation. I had saved the case of Kombucha bottles that I had bought at the store. I added about 1/4 cup of juice to the empty bottle.

Then I filled the rest up with the Kombucha Tea.

I left a little room at the top of each bottle as instructed.

Tonight was the first time I tried my homemade Kombucha. Guess what? It tastes as good, if not better, than the store bought Kombucha. It was certainly a lot less expensive to make at home.

I did make my Kombucha just a smidge different this time. I used these small jars to store the tea. Last time I used quart size canning jars. I also double fermented the Kombucha. I like this way better. My Kombucha came out fizzy. I find the longer it sits the more fizzy it gets. The fizzier the Kombucha, the better tasting it is.

So in review, to begin Make Your Own SCOBY.

Then, make the sweet tea and bottle your Kombucha.

See my questions and answers post.

and enjoy~

The whole process took me about a month. I let some phases sit a bit longer than I needed as I was busy and that was okay. It didn’t hurt the process at all. I have already started my next batch of Kombucha.

Have any of you tried making your own? Tricia, you should do this if you haven’t already. It’s soo easy!

So now when I gobble up turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie tomorrow I will have some homemade Kombucha to help my body absorb the shock of it all.

Happy Thanksgiving

~Cinnamon

He’s home~

2011-11-19T20:15:00.001-06:00

It was only a few days but my handsome soldier is back home. He was finally able to pick up all the bags he shipped home from Afghanistan. This shirt was one of the items he brought home. I love it!

John was handing out all kinds of goodies to the children. Knives to older ones, shampoo, lotion, pens to the younger ones….pure treasures to them. I sat there thinking how thankful I was that GOD brought John home to us.

Now I am off to find a spot on our couch, snuggled in next to my handsome Commando and watch a movie ♥

night all,

~Cinnamon

Fall fun~

2011-11-18T12:23:00.001-06:00

This morning before anyone woke up I was asking God to help me with my day. what could I do to celebrate the season and give my children ♥ love ♥. Gladys, who has been sick for a couple days, loves to have her head rubbed. I mean she really really really loves it. In the two days she has been laying on the couch I have not done it once. So this morning God brought this to my mind. Guess who then got a head rub while she was snuggled up on the couch? It didn’t take long, moments really but she was filled up with love for a good few hours :-)

This picture is for my handsome green eyed soldier. He is gone for a couple days with the National Guard. At first I was a bit edgy posting this picture. I had to remind myself that he is not out of the country. That he will be back soon :-)

And honey….guess what? Rosie poo slept through the night last night :-0 A true miracle ♥

Today after school was done we started on some fall crafts. Sending a note in the mail. Drawing pictures. I love simple crafts.

Making pilgrim hats. She does this every year and I love it.

We’re cutting out leaves to make a colorful wreath for our home.

Do you like his cute little hat? When he saw it he smiled really big and said “ You made me a mailbox!” He’s so silly.

For the past two days Granton has worn his shirt inside out and his pants backwards. I love my 3 yr old’s cuteness ♥

Gunnar, Grace and Gladys are in Art. They have the best teacher. Here are their latest creations.

I am loving this day. Quiet moments. Taking it easy. Tackling small projects. Baking one new gluten free item today and some GF/DF Ginger Snaps and possibly some Snickerdoodles. Yum!

and of course my Cinnamon Apple candle is burning and making everything smell even yummier. If you happen to be in the neighborhood stop by we’ll put on some tea and sample some baked goods :-)

~Cinnamon

p.s. L♥ve you Green Eyes ~Smooch~

After~

2011-11-16T15:32:00.001-06:00

Here is my new hair style! Do you like it? I do. My husband does too. I had it layered, with LONG layers, starting around my shoulder.

Then she trimmed the ends and conditioned it which makes my hair smell yummy :-)

I have it tucked back into a Barrett at the top of my head to keep it out of my eyes. I am happy with it. Now I feel ready to tackle other things on my to-do list :-)

♥

Thank you for your prayers. I am feeling better. Rosie slept well last night but prior to sleeping well she threw up. Poor dear. I still don’t know why. Thankfully she did not develop a fever or any other symptoms and woke up today as perky as ever.

On my plate is to get together outfits for a Christmas picture. I’d love just ONE nice picture of us all. You know where we actually match, everyone is looking at the camera and smiling :-)

My desire for the holidays is simple this year. Here’s how:

simple dinners – please Lord let my crockpot dinners come out yummy!

simple family time – games, read by candle light, card games with young ones in my bed snuggled in, old favorite books to share with Granton,

tea with Gracie, old movies with the children, hot cocoa with marshmallows, stringing popcorn and cranberries, family games, trying out decorating ideas I found on Pinterest.

Home and Garden

Better Homes and Garden

Make some ginger/cinnamon tea (8-10 tsp of grated ginger with 4 cinnamon sticks thrown in with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Let cool a bit then enjoy~)

Take lots of pictures and put together a fun album of our holidays. (shh…that’s a secret from my kiddos)

De-clutter our entry way and the children’s rooms to make way for decorations (which will also be simple….pine cones, garland, white flickering lights).

Make 2 old or new cookies recipes and decide not to try a zillion different delectable recipes.

And if you happen to be in the neighborhood, please stop by, have some hot tea, rest your weary feet and visit. We’d love to see you!

What are you doing to keep things simple this year?

~Cinnamon

After and before~

2011-11-15T22:08:00.001-06:00

Remember I told you I was going to herbalize my hair with the Beautiful Dark treatment? Well I did. I snapped some before pictures and after pictures. NONE of which I was satisfied with. But now I am doing something else to my hair and I need a before picture before I show you my after picture :-)

Tomorrow I am going to have my hair snipped, shaped and conditioned. I am quite excited. It won’t be short. It won’t be wild. It will just be different. I might even re-herbalize my hair with the Beautiful Dark treatment as I have seen the results it gave my dtr, Gladys. For me the difference was not as noticeable so to be fair I want to give it one more try.

As for my annoying headache it was much better that night I posted about it. I know it was all of you praying for me…. thank you ♥

As for me I have just five things to share tonight:

1. I am thankful for my husband who loves me enough to tell me when I’m overdoing it and to point out that I’ve been less than joyful because of it.

2. I grow weary of watching for dairy/gluten in absolutely everything I eat.

3. My sweet baby Rosie screams to communicate :-o

4. I am tired. My husband calls me a zombie.

5. I appreciate each of you that comes here and leaves a note, encourages me and even those that have become treasured friends and pen pals ♥

Next post….my new hair style.

~Cinnamon

A million little things~

2011-11-12T23:22:00.001-06:00

Now it seems to have happened more than once but each time it takes me by surprise. A different plan than what I’ve written down or thought up in my head. God’s plan.

You see I had my week set to bake, enjoy, practice, love. Instead I went down a different path. A harder road.

I got pain. I have had a headache since last week. A throbbing, dull at other times, but all consuming head ache.

And all those yummy comfort soups I planned on making……flopped! The same ones I always make…..that normally turn out fine…..came out burnt or undercooked.

Do you know my husband took me out 3 times last week. THREE times in one week. That’s not happened since we were first married. It was not a good week in my kitchen.

My headache, throbbing day and night, caused me to say things like:

stop whistling!

turn ALL music OFF!

stop bumping into me!

Yes, instead of come closer I said “go away!”

It’s often said that hardship shows who we really are. It brings out the “best” in us. Or worst.

And finally tonight, I could see through my headache that God is showing me something. Something I couldn’t see while my food was turning out yummy and my head felt fine. No, I’m a hard learner. I don’t listen the first time, or the second or the third. I don’t heed warnings. I don’t like to trust or go down unknown paths. But God, my God, knows me so well. HE knows just how to get my attention. Just what I need to focus ALL my attention on HIM and HIM alone.

So here I am Lord. Listening for YOU instead of rushing by. Waiting for YOU instead of charging ahead.

And tonight instead of going over my to-do list I will focus on HIM. Listen to HIM. Fellowship with HIM. And if that’s all I get done then so be it. But I think God has bigger plans for us than that.

Thank you Lord.

Thank you for loving me.

For loving my family.

For blessing us every single day!

For giving me hope when I have none.

For never, ever giving up on me or those I care for.

And that my dear bloggy friends and family is where I have been all week. If you see smoke coming from our house you’ll know that my food is still coming out awful and God is still working on me :-) But for the sake of my family, lets hope I learn this lesson quickly!

♥ Cinnamon

Honoring those who have gone before~

2011-11-11T13:46:00.001-06:00

John was asked to speak at our local High School today. I love hearing my husband speak….about anything….but especially something that is so near his heart.

Here are some snippets of his speech~

“I joined the Army out of High School, was married and served in the Army for 4yrs at Ft. Benning, GA. Then I later joined the reserves and participated in Operation Desert Storm. Just a few months ago I returned from Afghanistan where I served a year with the Iowa National Guard.”

“ If you Google the term debt you will quickly receive 27.8 million search results. Most websites deal with the very serious issues of government overspending and the accumulation of more than two centuries of federal deficits. Yet very few bring up the biggest national debt of them all – that which America owes to her veterans.

I lost a friend over in Afghanistan, Brent Maher. The morning he rolled out on patrol he didn’t know he would not be returning. None of us did. He paid the ultimate sacrifice. To honor him, say thank you to the next veterans you meet.”

“Our debt to those heroes can never be re-paid but our gratitude and respect must last forever.”

“ For many veterans, our nation was important enough to endure long separations from their families, miss the births of their children, which I did, freeze in sub-zero temperatures, bake in wild jungles, lose limbs, and far too often, lose their lives. “

“My wife had to endure a disproportionate share of parental responsibilities. My children often had to do without me being home and the uncertainty of whether or not I would live through this war.”

“You cannot fight a war without veterans and while the utopian idea of a society without war is appealing, let us not forget that wars have liberated slaves, stopped genocide and toppled terrorists.”

“Historians have said that Dwight Eisenhower was prouder of being a soldier than he was of being the president. While relatively few veterans ever reach the rank of general, pride in ones’ military service is a bond shared by nearly all who have served.”

“ Can any CEO or distinguished Ivy League graduate truly claim to have more responsibility than the 21 yr old squad leader walking point on patrol?”

Through their blood, service and sacrifice veterans have given us freedom, security and the greatest nation on earth. It is impossible to put a price on that. We must remember them.”

Quoting Ronald Regan in his speech at Arlington National Cemetery Nov 11, 1985

“It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick.

We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. we see them as something like our founding fathers, grave and gray haired.

But most of them were boys when they died. They gave up two lives: the one they were living and the one they would have lived.

When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for their country, for us.”

All we can do is remember ♥

Thank you to our two veterans: Garrett – you left your baby girl and your young wife to go far away.

Thank you for be willing. For being so brave. We love you!

John- you are amazing. Your love for our country shined in your speech today. You honored those who had gone before you and thanked them. Their service was not forgotten. Thank you for raising your boys to be men of honor.

speaking to all the veterans in the crowd John said:

“I know that the war I fought was nothing compared to the ones you have fought in. It was because you did what needed to be done that I could go. It was remembering your sacrifice that gave me strength to do what I needed to do. Thank you.”

Beautiful dark hair~

2011-11-10T20:44:00.001-06:00

Gladys and I have tried the Beautiful Dark Hair from Bulk Herb Store. Here is her results first, as they were more dramatic than mine.

Before pictures:

After pictures:

Remember this is not a hair dye. The herbal mix just brings out your natural highlights and conditions your hair. Gladys’ hair has some beautiful highlights. I loved them.

Her hair is still a bit wet here but you can see the dramatic difference in her hair. So much lighter than before.

The only reason we ended up doing Gladys’ hair is I made too much and we had leftovers. I didn’t want it to go to waste. It was fun and goopy and drippy and I’m glad it only has to be done once every few months.

Next post I’ll show you mine. Not nearly as dramatic but my hair feels good.

~Cinnamon

Just waking up~

2011-11-10T16:41:00.001-06:00

This is how Rosie dear looks after she gets up from her afternoon nap…

♥ Beautiful ♥

What’s cooking~ Fall yummies!

2011-11-05T23:13:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite winter meals is homemade soup. Last year I found a link over at Camille’s @ Flowers In His Garden on how to make homemade broth on She Looketh Well. So once again, this year I made some yummy broth.

I didn’t make as big a batch this time and it’s already gone. I use a lot of broth in the winter. So I’ll be making this again soon. My house smells so good when this is simmering on the stove throughout the day :-) Have any of you tried making this yourself?

This was a fall craft the girls and I made up one day while we were outside letting Rosie crawl around on a blanket. Our inspiration comes from THIS POST by Analene @ Momma Bug’s Blog.

I love simple fall decorations. This now hangs up over our front door. Thank you Analene for sharing the fun things you do with your beautiful children.

Now onto other yummies. Pretzel dough turned into a yummy pizza!

This is not gluten free but incredibly easy. Gracie is my pretzel maker and now our yummy pizza maker.

Here’s her easy 1-2-3 recipe:

Pretzels

Dissolve 3T yeast in 1 1/2 cups of warm water.

Add 3t honey and 3t salt.

Add 4c flour then KNEAD.

Roll pieces into shapes. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake 10 minutes @ 425*

for Pizza, personal size (about the size of a pie pan)

roll out thin (even thin will give you a thick crust)

add toppings. Bake 15 minutes @425*

~Enjoy~

It tastes as good as it looks!

While all this baking was going on in the kitchen. Gladys was in the other room doing crafts with the little ones. She’s a great crafty girl!

And Rosie was sitting doing what she normally does….eating. She loves to chew on bell peppers :-)

I just love some of those crazy expressions she makes.

Granton and Mama enjoying some lunch together.

Granton thought it would be fun to help Mama chew.

Granton told me, “very good Mama.”

He’s such a sweetie!

Of course all my boys are very sweet. You can often find one of them hugging me throughout the day. I’m sure that is why God gave me so many children :-)

For which I am very grateful.

I am hoping to share our favorite crock pot/gluten/dairy free soups soon.

Do you have a favorite winter meal. I’d love to hear it. I’m always looking for something new to try out. If you have a link feel free to leave it in the comments section.

~Happy Fall~

~Cinnamon

All about Rosie~

2011-11-03T23:07:00.001-05:00

Rosie dear is a source of laughter for us. Can you guess why? The children thought this would be a good picture to show at her wedding :-)

Much of Rosie’s pleasure during bath time comes from sucking on the washcloth. So when I prepare for her bath I grab two cloths. One for her and one for me :-)

I interrupt this Rosie post to send a message to Lil King Samuel from Lil King Granton.

“ Dear Sam. Thank you for the clothes. I really liked them. I think we look like twins now. What do you think? I have been having fun with the bubbles you sent too. Thank you! Your friend, Granton “

** big news on the Rosie home front **

Can you guess what it is?

Yes, Rosie is standing and she is walking…..1 – 2 – 3 steps!

It was a grand time one afternoon out front. The boys were helping Rosie to get a head start on her walking. First they would get her to stand.

All by herself!!

Then they would call her….”Roooooosie”

Since she loves all her brothers she goes right over to Gunnar. He spoils her the most :-)

Yeah Rosie!!

Rosie also crawls at an alarming speed. Speedy fast!

Don’t you just love her cute little hat?!

And those squeezable Rosie cheeks!

Rosie is doing better with food allergies. Which means that most days I’m doing better. She eats her own food as well as nurses still. Gluten free/Dairy free seems easier for her. Probably because she hasn’t had 40+ yrs to cultivate a love for all the things that are bad for her :-/

She loves avocado So do I.

She gobbles up bananas, pears and gluten free pretzels.

She especially loves the Banana/Peanut Butter Ice Cream we made today!

It’s the same Ice Cream I made before only I left out the cocoa powder. Just as yummy :-)

And that’s all for this edition of the Rosie update~

~Cinnamon

Breakfast~ Papa style ~

2011-11-02T15:24:00.001-05:00

Saturday mornings are special days here. Papa gets up and makes breakfast and let’s Mama sleep in a bit. This particular morning was just a glimpse into the fun Papa has in the kitchen with his beauties.

I love Rosie here. She is watching all the excitement.

Each little princess got the full treatment of twirling and dancing.

What fun memories created on Saturday mornings ♥

Add to this music playing in the background of marching and stomping to a quick beat.

♥ it ends with a kiss ♥

~ and a hug ~

This is what John prepared for breakfast. Yummy!

But wait, there’s more dancing. Can you guess with who?

I am really not sure who is sillier. John or Grace.

This is what we missed when John was gone to Afghanistan, his sense of humor. Because I certainly do not dance around the kitchen while making breakfast. I wait till there’s laundry to fold. Doesn’t everybody?

~Cinnamon

It smells yummy here!

2011-10-30T16:27:00.001-05:00

If you walked into my home you would be overwhelmed with fall scents galore! ~Cinnamon and cloves~

Kristin over at Sweet Country Life (hi Kristin!) gave a link to make Pumpkin Pie Spice Playdough and I knew I had to try it.

In one big pot pour in 5 1/2 cups of flour.

Add 2 cups of salt.

8 tsp. of cream of tarter, one container of pumpkin pie spice (1 1/2oz) or you can use cinnamon and cloves.

3/4 cup of oil

I measured it in my big mixing cup and then added it into the pot.

side note: Have any of you heard that you can use dry erase markers ON your refrigerator? I’m trying it out.

Okay back to the yumminess of cinnamon and cloves:

Measure out 4 cups of water. Add in 1 part red food coloring and 2 parts yellow food coloring.

Add to big pot.

Stir over medium heat till all lumps are gone.

It will look like this.

After it was done being mixed up in the big pot I put it in my Bosch to knead it. You can knead it by hand as well. It is still sticky at this point so I added more flour to it. Kind of like when you’re baking bread and you add a cup at a time till it’s workable and not sticky. That’s what I did and this is how it turned out.

To add to all this yumminess I threw a handful of Cinnamon sticks in a different pot, filled with water and boiled it to make a delicious Cinnamon Tea. My house smells soo good!

During most of this I had Gladys by my side making the playdough with me. Then Gianna came in and this is how I finished cleaning up and making the tea, with her in front of me talking a mile a minute ♥

The original recipe is over at Brandy’s Blog, The Marathon Mom.

Enjoy~

~Cinnamon

The writing on the wall~

2011-10-29T16:04:00.001-05:00

I will admit I have been more than inspired by Pinterest. It was on there that I found this simple way to arrange the pictures on our living room wall.

Here is the before picture of our living room wall.

another before picture of our side wall.

The idea is to draw a horizontal line and place pictures above that line and below it.

AFTER :-)

I love how it came out.

Then I noticed something else I could do. See that empty space in the middle of the pictures? I had the perfect fill in for it.

I had a little can of black paint and I gathered my trusty fine tip paint brush.

I penciled in the lettering.

Then I began painting. Do you know this is my absolute favorite thing to do!

Have you guessed what I am writing?

♥ Our beautiful new wall ♥

Do you know this took me under an hour to complete (including switching the pictures, dusting them off and watching Rosie) and under $10 in paint.

I love it!

I have a second project already brewing for another very blank wall.

Happy Fall!

~ Cinnamon

Pinterest inspiration ♥

2011-10-25T20:49:00.001-05:00

I have to first say that I blame Susan over at Joyful Mom of Many for leading me over to her new addiction. It was her inviting post that steered my fingers to type in

Pinterest.

Want to visit me there? Click on over to Cinnamon’s page and see what I’ve pinned on my board. That’s what I did. Innocently I clicked over to see what this Pinterest thing was all about.

There I fell in love with all the pictures, the colors and the creativity!. All those pin-a-ble ideas at my fingertips. It reminded me a bit of my corkboard that I had in high school. I pinned up everything I liked on that board. I had it so full of pictures that you couldn’t see any corkboard. (Remember that Sue Bee?)

What I love about Pinterest is I get so many wonderful ideas. Other people are so creative. I am not. On Pinterest I can peek over at what they like or see their creative finds and pin them on my board. Here’s a few things I have found and done.

We made these Gluten Free Snickerdoodles.

I also made them Dairy Free by using coconut oil for the butter and the shortening.

My ever present helper :-)

I have to say, they turned out wonderfully! They were really easy too.

Inspiration for the home~ for FALL

This simple Fall Garland was so fun and so easy!

We used felt pieces. Fall colors. Prett-i-ness.

There were actually four of us working on cutting out these circles. The littles were sleeping so the girls and I were cutting while listening to A Basket of Flowers (love that story).

Afternoons like these make me so happy.

Gladys stitched the circles together. It was easy peasy!

I haven’t quite decided where to hang the Fall Garland. I put it here to get it off the table. I like how they had it hanging over a mirror as garland in the original post. This will do for now.

Inspiration for the tummy~

and for any peanut butter lovers….this Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream was sooo easy and is soooo yummy!

You only need 3 ingredients. Frozen Bananas chopped up and whiz~whizzed in my Vita-mix (or a food processor will do just fine)

Add in a dollop of peanut butter. I doubled the recipe so I put in two dollops :-)

Next add a tablespoon of Cocoa powder. Of course I tasted it before I put the Cocoa powder in and it tasted perfectly delicious without it. Okay, I’ll admit it, I tasted it at every stage :-)

The finished product. Can you see the slivers of peanut butter in it? Yummy!!

I had a fabulous time making, baking and creating. I’m enjoying Pinterest so much. Maybe I’ll see you there too~

~Cinnamon

Making Gluten Free Apple pies~

2011-10-25T15:14:00.001-05:00

There is never a shortage of little hands to help here. Granton always enjoys making something with Mama or Gracie, our two main bakers :-)

He is such a cute helper too!

The funny part is all the things you cannot see. Granton, like every other 3 yr old, likes to do “it” himself. So when he was pouring the apples in the pie crust he would fill the cup to overflowing. Then he would flip it over. Spilling the apples onto the table. Only a few would make it into the actual pie crust.

So then I tried a different way to get the apples into the pie crust. It worked much better.

Next we made the crumb topping. Granton liked this part. Scrunching down the coconut oil, gluten free flour and brown sugar.

Scrunch, squish, mix, mix, mix.

Pie making is a messy business.

I was using my favorite cook book, The Cook’s Kitchen Bible. It’s worn. The cover is long gone but we use it nearly every week with great results.

You can’t forget the taste testing. Every helper gets to be the taste tester. That is the BEST part :-)

Here Granton is trying to pour ALL the flour everywhere BUT in the bowl. Sweet child. He tries :-)

It came out good for our first Gluten Free/Dairy Free Apple Pie. Instead of butter I used Coconut Oil. The crust I bought was pre-made at Whole Foods store. I added a bit more sugar to the topping, just in case :-)

♥ Another successful day ♥

What’s cooking at your house?

~Cinnamon