Converting Pancake to Waffle Mix

I have looked into how to do this a few times as I had a gluten-free pancake mix, but I really wanted waffles.  Here was the simple solution from Taste of Homes Forums:

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to your preferred batter!!

YES!!  It worked.  You can check the link for more discussion.

Blueberry - Yogurt Muffins - Gluten Free

2 cups + 2 tablespoons gluten free flour mix
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened juice (original: orange, mine: V8Splash)
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 egg
1 cup frozen blueberries and strawberries

Mix, divide into muffin cups (~12), bake 400 degrees for about 18 minutes...I switched to 350 partway through because I had just baked a batch of muffins at 350...you decide.

The original recipe came from my junior high home economics class.  Yep, I saved recipes from back then!  I'm trying to do some baking for 2 things.  A small road trip this coming weekend and a whole lot of new moms with new babies at our church.  Trying to get some meals and things together for them.  So, I even tried out my mini muffin tin so that I could hand the girls a mini muffin and they wouldn't get crumbs all over!  :)  Great idea, right!? 

Sweet Potato Pancakes - Gluten Free

2 cups + 2 Tablespoons gluten free flour mix
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons melted butter

Mix, cook on griddle, enjoy with applesauce and peanut butter!


Original Recipe - not gluten free

Lola's Strawberry Bread - Gluten Free

Strawberry Bread

3 1/4 cups gluten free flour mix
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
~2 1/2 cups strawberries (20 oz. frozen container, add liquid too)
1 1/4 cup oil
4 eggs 
1 teaspoon red food coloring (I used half that and it didn't quite do the trick...I usually don't use any)

Mix.  Bake in 2 loaf pans or 1 bundt pan.  350 degrees for 1 hour.

I would also like to make this Strawberry Salad!  That is why I am posting it...because I don't want to lose the recipe. 

DIY Art Display

My tools: Twine, small clothes pins, wooden spools, drywall screws. I threaded the twine (half the twine) through the wire rings in the clothes pins and tied each end to a wooden spool. My handy husband screwed the spools into the wall in the exact locations that I wanted and here is the result:
Now the girls have an art display in their room. I am planning on putting another underneath this one. And then add them to other rooms as I finish off the thread on the spools. :) I got the idea from a friend here...I can't seem to find if she has a post on it though. At Christmas, she displays her Christmas pictures in this way.

DIY Compost Bin and Grandpa

We have been composting lately and wanted to make an actual bin. Have you seen the prices of those?? ($60 - $100+) Wow, they are expensive. We came across a $6.99 version the other day and decided to try it. My dad was here this weekend and so we decided to take him for a drive in our new van. We don't take drives, just to take drives, so we needed a destination. Off to the local home improvement store... We bought a garbage bin and spent about 10 minutes drilling holes in it (I got to use the drill, I've never used a drill before!), and 10 minutes putting the first layers in and we had ourselves a bin! And it doesn't look too bad from our window. Kj has already claimed the job of filling it, although she'll need some help, I think. And it will be the girls' job to roll it around every week or so. And there solves the problem of what to put in the backyard for the girls to do for fun this summer...haha.

We've also enjoyed some quality "Grandpa-time" this weekend. He came on his own because my mom is out of the country and we enjoyed his company. Here, he built a tower with Kj and below he's helping L take "big steps" across the rocks while Kevin practiced some softball pitching/hitting.

So...

We bought a van. Yep, that's right.

And this is how we are using it. Carpooling. Well, the biggest reason is that we are training to become foster parents, but until that training is complete... This was only the morning after! We decided that it was a good purchase. Look how happy everyone is. It's so nice to ride together.