The Lazy Baker

Hi, I am Marie & I am a biscotti-aholic.

This is the 3rd time in 2 months that I have made a new biscotti recipe.  I cannot get enough!  While most people are making resolutions to eat less baked goods, I am making resolutions to eat more.  Honestly the better quality of food I eat, the better I look & feel.  That's my reasoning & I am sticking to it.

The thing I should be working on though is not being so lazy in the kitchen.  Examples?  I have plenty:

Sometimes I forget I can't do more than one thing at a time and when I get the itch to bake I can end up juggling 2, 3 or 4 things at once.  Following that many recipes simultaneously can make for a few mistakes.  I guess this isn't so much lazy as delusional.

The first rule of thumb any good cook knows is to read through the whole recipe first.  Of course I admonish everyone to do this.  Do I?  Of course not.  Usually it's not a big deal but on more than one occasion it's come back to bite me in the behind.

Sometimes instead of softening my butter I zap it for 8 or 9 seconds in the microwave.  Bad baker, bad, bad, bad.  I know softened butter creamed with sugar results in a fluffy creamy mixture full of air bubbles and melting even ever so slightly can ruin that.  I have no excuse.  Yeah I do, I am lazy.

Not sure if this qualifies as lazy or a stroke of genius.  I've learned I don't need to wash my measuring cups, teaspoons or cookie sheets.  Just wipe em all off with a dish towel.  It has literally changed my life.   Unless honey or oil is involved, those babies are getting a quick wipe and back in the cupboards they go.

Halfway throug making granola I think, who needs a silly recipe

I can be so busy thinking about when I'll have time to watch my DVR'd  Bachelor and whoops, too much baking soda.

I have about 100 recipes piling up on my cookbook stand even though I claim to be organized.  At least I am not too lazy to make them.

I used all white flour in the Biscotti today because my kids weren't home to grind wheat...........

.............which is ironic seeing that first thing this morning I was on the phone to all the health food stores in Temecula to see if they carried whole dried corn so I could grind my own cornmeal for the biscotti.  They don't.  Frowny face.  (The lazy baker is also lazy with technology and doesn't know how to add in those yellow frowny faces.  Or happy faces for that matter.)

The lazy baker has tons of cute aprons from every goodwill in CA.  I never wear any of them.  Too lazy.

The lazy baker would rather be a lazy baker than a bad baker.

I think I owe my sister $300

Saturday was one of those perfect afternoons you just want to burn into memory.   Emry was spending the day at her friends and the 2 little ones wanted to go to a park across town.  If Emry was putting her two cents in I am sure the Apple Store, the mall, the dog park or going to the movies would have come up.   But it was just Glenn & I and the young ones, so the park it was.

They played non stop with all the new friends they made and when we heard the familiar chimes of the Ice Cream Man, we had to race to it like it was the Pied Piper.

Growing up the Ice Cream Man came by my house a lot.  Of course I never had any money but my older sister Margo did.  She had a big jug filled with coins and almost every day I would "borrow" a quarter  to buy a blowpop promising myself I would pay her back later. 

I am not sure I ever paid her back.  I probably bought hundreds of those suckers, no wonder I have a mouth filled with cavities.

 Ethan chose a Spider Man Ice Cream while Lila opted for a Watermelon confection.

They even shared.

Lila wore these sunglasses all day so we called her 'Hollywood' all day.  She basked in her fanciness.

Doing what kids do best.

Actually this is what kids do best, torturing each other.  Good times.

Since Emry's 11 and "so old" I am realizing it won't be too long before these 2 outgrow the park.

I am happy to go.  To watch them play.  And run.  And make friends instantly.  To "cook and have lunch" in the play structure.  To climb "mountains".  To laugh.

 I just hope they don't become so infatuated with the Ice Cream Man they become thieves.

Better than Jewelry

I can't believe I got through that!  Towards the end I almost lost it as Emry was being super funny with the video camera, but we did it.

I noticed we didn't get a good shot of the actual rollers so I wanted to post some pics of them.  The groats themselves are really soft and roll quite easy.

            view from the top                                                                               view from underneath

Now we know why they're called rolled oats, they are literally rolled.  Look at those ridges!!!!!!  I am so in love. 

Now that I know how to put videos on here, get ready for some serious footage of the Wallwork kids.  Oh yeah, it's coming.  Ready or Not.


additional info - The Daily Grind

Being a Grown Up

Walking the grocery store aisles sometimes I just want to save myself the hassle of baking and grab the cookies off the shelf that won't have me measuring, mixing, sweeping and doing dishes for the next hour.

But then I remind myself 'we' don't eat those foods.  Drat!
(I am sure if you asked my kids they'd say we most definitely DO eat those foods.  They're a brainwashing work in progress)

I actually do love baking.  It's just trying to make time along with everything else. 

I made these Peanut Butter Snack Squares because being a responsible mom I wanted a wholesome treat for the kids when they came home from school.  They fit my checklist of easy, fast, reallyreallygood, and healthy.

Lila & I devoured them.

 I enjoyed them the next day while taking a treat break watching House Hunters International realizing that all Glenn has to do is find a job on the shores of Hawaii, Fiji or Australia and we too could wake up to the sound of the ocean.

  

Cause' that's what grown ups do. 

Believe

This picture speaks volumes about me as a kid.  Aside from my crazy socks, which I think are quite cute,  I am standing off to the side really embarrassed about taking a picture at all.  It's my birthday yet my best friend is front and center while I want to disappear into the background.

This sums up my childhood.  I wish I could understand the psychology of it all, better yet I wish I could go back in time and tell that insecure bundle of nerves to believe in herself.

I think a part of it was the way I was parented.  My mom wanted humble children.  Humble is a wonderful characteristic, but it can be tricky because children NEED to feel cherished, fantastic, capable, brilliant, important, spectacular, special, talented, loved, and on a day to day basis like they are the best thing that's ever happened in your life.

I always knew I was a child of God and that he loved me.  But I was very fearful of the outside world.  Fearful of failure even though I got straight A's, fearful of no one liking me even though I was sweet and kind, fearful of anything and everything.

I remember adults giving my mom compliments on her children and she would hastily dismiss them.  She was uncomfortable with praise and thought it would turn her children into arrogant people too big for their britches.

It's a hard concept to understand for some, but I never felt what I thought or did was enough.  This picture is a perfect example.  I went to the prom with a very cute and popular boy from school.  I told myself he asked me "as a friend" because of course he didn't like me.

 Another interesting thing about this picture is my corsage.  The ribbon is peach, my dress is pink.  When he asked what color my dress was I was too embarrassed to say pink, so I said peach.  Why?  Whatever color I picked I wouldn't have felt comfortable with, because I picked it.

Looking back I think I was cute but if you don't have confidence in yourself you could be the most beautiful girl in the world .............full of insecurities and issues.

We were told we were loved occasionally, but my parents I am sure felt that actions spoke louder than words.  Their actions were definitely heroic, they raised 9 children in a big ol' city and literally gave everything they had to us.

And we took.  We took and took and took because that's the nature of kids.

I wish though I was told by them how special I was.  How much they believed in me and that I could conquer the world.  That the world was lucky to have me and I would make a great contribution.

With age comes wisdom thank goodness.  There are qualities my parents have that I will never be able to achieve, there are others I will duplicate and still others I will go in the opposite direction.

I lavish love, attention and praise on my children.  I push them to go outside their comfort zone and encourage them to try new things.  I let them know I am the luckiest person alive to be able to spend my days with them.  When I see them making good choices I tell them how proud I am.  When I see them working hard I let them know I realize and appreciate their effort.

But................when they don't get a starring part in the choir I don't say "You're the best singer, you were robbed!"  I tell them if it is important to them they need to try harder.    That talent & knowledge do not come overnight and it can take months or even years of hard work to develop the skills and talents they desire. 

I hold them accountable for their actions, good or bad, and make sure they know that as big a cheerleader I can be for them, I will also be the first one to say something when their actions are not in accordance with our expectations or beliefs. 

The first thing I do when I see Ethan in the morning or after school or when he comes home from a friends is give him a big ol' bear hug and kiss his face all over and tell him how much I missed him.  It's very dramatic & over the top.

A few days ago he was gone for maybe an hour and when he came home I was in the middle of something and just said "Hi Ethan".

About 10 minutes later he came up to me and asked "Why didn't you say 'I missed you so much Ethan, I love you, did you have fun'?"

It made me happy.  Happy that he always knows  he can count on me for love.  I didn't know it meant that much to him.  I hoped, but I didn't know until that day how much he appreciated my zealous gestures.

I have so much love for these kids.  I thank God for the opportunity I have every day to encourage them, to root for them, to set expectations high, to listen, to answer, to motivate,  to set them straight and teach them of their responsibilities to our family and the world.

One of my favorite books to read to the children is Max Lucado's 'You Are Special'.  Our book is worn because I have read it for years, hoping to impart the message of God's love for them, to them.  To let them know that as much as the world will eventually and inevitably put them down, God's love, nor Glenn & I's will ever waver.  

 To paraphrase from the book:

"Me, special?  Why?  I'm not very talented and my paint is peeling.  Why do I matter to you?"

"Because you're mine.  That's why you matter to me.  Remember, you are special because I made you.  And I don't make mistakes".

Just a day

 Ethan relaxing with a homemade whole wheat pretzel after a long, hard day at school.  1st grade can really take it out of you.

 I am a total poser.  I am not studying and I never watch football.  But those are my real glasses.

Lila's a natural gymnast.  Too bad there's no money for lessons.  Can you believe she's self-taught?

Ethan makes me feel like a kid again.  Notice he still has his pretzel in his hand.  Notice the permanent bruise on my ankle.  I got it when I was a kid, it comes and goes like a mood ring.   Notice my ever present side-kick Brutus.  That dog is obsessed with me.  Of course I love it.

I say jump, my kids say 'how high'.  Obedient to a fault they are.

Tai Chi, Yoga, Feng Shui?   Lila is usually in her own world.

Yup.   We totally kiss our dog.  Yup.  He's totally part of the family.  Whatcha gonna do?

Practicing to be a baller!

 Ethan got hit by the ball.  He wanted me to take a pic of his war wound, he's totally proud.

Glenn.  Always the good sport taking a lovey dovey pic with me.  I am sure he'd rather be watching football.

Soups on!  Literally.  We had soup for dinner.

Mormon Lingo

After more than a few questions about topics I talk about in conjunction with my religion, I thought I might offer up some explanations.  When you've been immersed in your religion since birth, you take for granted that not everyone knows what the heck you're talking about.

Mormons believe that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are 3 separate Beings.  We also believe that as well as Prophets who lived in Biblical times, we have latter day Prophets who speak with God, who receive council for us today.   You can find out more here Mormon.org

First off  I am Glenn's only wife.  Sometimes it'd be great to have some help around here but NO, NO, NO we as Mormons DO NOT practice polygamy.  We are law-abiding citizens.

In the Book of Mormon there is a section titled 'The Word of Wisdom'.  This is essentially a health code that we are advised to live by.  In a nutshell : no coffee, tea,  alcohol, smoking, tobacco, drugs or anything that would harm the body.  We are advised to eat meat sparingly and eat plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

'Mormon coffee' is my slang for Pero because I love it and drink it a lot.  It is a hot drink that is not sweet but has a good nutty, grainy flavor due to the fact that it is basically milled barley.

We have been advised for decades to keep a Food Storage in case of an emergency such as food shortage, job loss, earthquake or other natural disaster.  We are counseled to be self-sufficient and prepared. This is why if you go into a Mormon's garage most likely you will find something along the lines of this:

Each of those boxes contain about 50 lbs of either Wheat kernels that I grind or dried black beans.  The white bucket on top is 50 lbs of honey, what else?  Did you know honey lasts forever?  True.  My Mother in law gave us this as a Christmas gift years ago and I am actually almost through it.  We use honey a lot.   

I also have in cans: white sugar, dried milk and pasta.  I also make sure to have have peanut butter, canned tuna, water, and a big supply of things like pretzels and top ramen.  Do I like top ramen?  No, but it will last forever and a good thing to have in an emergency.

Mormons are advised to dress modestly.  Skirts and shorts to the knee, no midriff showing and shirts with sleeves.   Some of the youth have coined a term that is so cute, they say "modest is the hottest", I totally agree!

We pay a tithe of 10% to our church.  Heavenly Father obviously does not need our money.  It is an act of sacrifice and faith on our part.

Every single position in our church, from our Prophet to Primary workers are volunteer.  There are no paid positions.  Tithing goes to building Temples across the world, building and maintaining church buildings,  Education, etc.  Our church has their own Welfare system for those in need as well as our own adoption agencies.  Any time Aid is needed, anywhere in the world, the LDS church is more than happy to contribute as much time, money or resources as needed.

All Young Men in our church are advised to go and preach the gospel when they turn 19.   They represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as Missionaries.  If you are worthy you submit papers and wait for your call to come in the mail.  You will be sent where needed to serve the Lord from sun-up to sun-down for a period of 2 years.  And oh yeah, you have to pay for it yourself. 

Glenn served in  Buenos Aires, Argentina from 1992-1994.  As much as he loved his mission, the people and the Lord, Glenn is not one to sugar coat things.  It was HARD work, but the absolute best experience of his life.  He loves the people of Argentina and we hope to all visit one day as a family.

I feel I have only touched the tip of the iceberg, but will end on this note.  Family.

Our religion is centered on the belief that Nothing is more important than your family.  Marriage and children are sacred.  The family unit is most precious. David O. McKay, our Prophet from 1951-1970, quoted in an address to all Latter Day Saints in 1935 said  -

    "No amount of success can compensate for failure in the home".

Happy Lately

Because we get to go swimming in January.  Also knowing that my kids are such good swimmers that if when they're fighting and crying I don't have to jump in.

This cute, sturdy, blue table that I found at the Goodwill for $14 that will go perfectly in Ethan's room.  He needed a place to put his CD player when I am too lazy to read the required 20 books he wants to listen to a book on tape.

Seeing these two eating breakfast before Baseball tryouts.  Glenn's been waiting his whole life for this.  And by the look on his face, Ethan is obviously psyched.

My lovely new tablecloth bought for  $1 at my favorite thrift store.  Of course I have to whip it off every time one of my kids sits down to eat, but it's totally worth it.

Lila starting piano.  So sweet.  Even sweeter is the lessons are taught by my mom who takes payment in the form of a sincere 'thank you'. 

After being discontinued at WalMart, realizing I can find my Mormon coffee at Winco.

Remembering all I have to do to get wavy hair is sleep in braids.  Nothing gets by me.

My new $0.50 laundry bag.  It hides all the shameful  plastic bags I get at the grocery store when I forget my reusable bags. 
 

Baking Chocolate Marble Chunk Cookies.

Emry's new coat.  She has lost at least a dozen since starting school so there is no way I can pay full price.  This gem was $2.00.   Finding a deal like that makes me glad I am alive.

Dinner at my mom's.  I love cooking but I need a break sometimes.  This roast was melt in your mouth.  Usually I could eat about 5x this much.  But because we get out of church so late I had just eaten a big lunch about 21/2 hours prior.  As soon as I took this picture fresh rolls courtesy of my sister Jeannette came out of the oven.  They were perfection.

Seeing the cute things the girls come up with.  The beach room may be set up in the freezer but is creative nonetheless.

Actually being invited to a friends house for dinner and having an opportunity to wear my new jumpsuit.  In my mind I need lots of outfits for my packed social calendar.  In real life this jumpsuit will last me the next 20 years.