Winter is...

Christmas (obviously).

a season that seems to start at least two weeks be for it actually does.

watching snow fall and hoping it'll stick.

sledding down the hill into the pasture and getting sopping wet.

hot chocolate.

mornings when you just want to stay in your warm pajamas.

longing for spring (unfortunately this has already started for me).

What else can I add?

Coming up for air

Christmas Break...is...here!

After weeks and weeks of school, due dates, projects, stress, and fun, I have a breather (sorta. Exam studying will happen somehow). I think I shall be ensconced in the kitchen most of the time, testing out two recipes. I'll tell you how that goes. ;) I also want to read something, but need some suggestions. Anyone? 

This school year's been super busy, but super great too. I (thankfully) enjoy all my classes and am learning things that don't even involve school directly. Number one is that I can easily be sucked into the vortex of blogs or Pinterest or instagram and then I remember I should probably be working on a paper or something. It is very easy to just keep going from blog to blog to blog, and then twenty minutes have past and I've got nothing productive done. Number two is connected to number one, and it's that school comes first. It's okay if I don't get around to working out or replying to those letters. As long as I get my school done and get it done well, it's all fine. It gets rid of a lot of stress and makes school more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, with all the busyness, I haven't had time to get into the "Christmas spirit", let alone think about it's true meaning. We have Advent devotions on Sundays, but sometimes my mind wonders, so I don't really have an excuse besides being busy. :) I want to squish a lot of things into the next two weeks, but I need to make some time to sit and remember. 

Anyways, on to yummy stuff. Today I made these, but replaced the sunflower butter with tahini (weird, I know, but delicious!) and used coconut sugar instead of maple syrup. They don't have really strange or unusual ingredients, so anyone could make them. I also made this chocolate a few days ago. I want to make all sorts of other sweet stuff, but I'll probably stick with these and just eat a bunch to make up for variety. ;)

Merry Christmas one and all! Enjoy your time with loved ones and celebrating the birth of our Savior!

 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." --John 1:14

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.'" --Luke 2:13-14

Update #9

Greetings from the North Pole! Today it was absolutely freezing and windy, and I felt like Laura Ingalls going out all bundled up to open the coop. At first I didn't wear gloves and my hands became quite numb. No frostbite though! :)

We've been getting ten eggs a day on average, though today it was only eight. I think that's probably what it'll be like in the winter. We have had several humongous eggs (all double yolkers), which are so big the carton can't be shut!

The pictures below are from last week, when there was a surprise dusting of snow. When I let the girls out they were very quiet and peered about curiously.

See that one in the very front, with the teeny comb? That's Winnifred.

A salad for fall

What? Salad and fall? That's practically an oxymoron. Salads go with summer, girl. Get with the picture.

Cold-season Salad
1 1/2 c. chopped cabbage
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 small apple, chopped
1/2 c. chopped yellow squash*
1/2 c. roasted beets* 

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/3-1/2 c. olive oil
2 t. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
Pinch of black pepper
1/2 t. each thyme and basil

Oil, grease, or butter a frying pan. Saute cabbage and onion on medium to medium-high heat until cabbage cooks through (some of the leaves may turn golden and crispy). Add the apple, beets, and squash. Continue to saute until everything is warmed through to your liking.

For the vinaigrette, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl or pitcher. Drizzle as much as you like over the salad. Enjoy!  

*I threw this salad together yesterday. I looked in the fridge and there was yellow squash and beets. Into the frying pan they flew! Feel free to sub butternut squash or whatever other goodies you may have.

Fall is...

"brrrrrr" worthy mornings.

watching the trees on The Hill out front turn color (there's already a lonely little red waiting for the rest to catch up).

darkness at 7:30.

pumpkin everything...duh.

sunshine on cool days.

trying to stay on top of school.

dreaming of Thanksgiving dinner.

comfort food: soup, stews, roasted anything, warm baked goods.

pulling out scarves, sweaters, and fuzzy socks. Sometimes a little prematurely. :)

raking leaf piles.

wind rustling through the trees.

damp days.

What can I add?

'fessing up

For the past month, I've been eating like a cave-girl.

That's right, I've been eating Paleo. And not just Paleo, Autoimmune Protocol Paleo (AIP). It's not that I have an autoimmune disease (that I know of), but the hows and whys behind it made sense to me. So after my last bowl of homemade yogurt, I was off!

I'm calling this "'fessing up", because I was a little afraid to write it after this post. I had just said I didn't have any serious health problems and was happy to eat rice casserole. Well, I guess that wasn't strictly true. I did have some health problems (though maybe not as terrible as the ones I'd mentioned) that I sorta brushed aside or didn't want to admit to. I had some digestive issues and felt tired a lot. 

I'm not denying that God sent me peace. He did and I still agree with what I said in my post. There is not a perfect diet out there that is going to make me feel like Supergirl all the time. I will always have bad days and good days. But eating AIP has helped me. I don't feel tired anymore and my digestive stuff is much better. 

This post isn't to make you all eat like I do. It was just to spill the beans, so to speak (or berries, since I can't have beans, haha). It will obviously cause changes on the blog, since my recipes will now be AIP or Paleo. Also, I felt like I should write it just to clear up any confusion about the other post.

So anyways, that was my little "confession". :) I hope you didn't start wagging your finger at me. I must admit, I felt rather silly after switching over to AIP. I thought I had decided against grain-free, let alone dairy-, nut-, egg-, legume-, and nightshade-free! But things happen....

Note: I am not eating Paleo because I believe our Paleolithic ancestors ate this way and therefore I should. I am basing my decision off information from this book, blogs like these, and personal experience. 

Oh, and thanks, Wondermark. Why eat Paleo if you can't make fun of it too?

Links: Waiting for fall

"Get Your Latte Off My Late Summer" from The Art in Life. Guilty as charged. The beginning of the week was cooler, so I was quite happily sporting a light cardigan and then I whipped up a loaf of pumpkin bread Tuesday evening. :)

Another pumpkin recipe: fudge. Must try!

Why I don't use almond flour when baking (+ it is crazy expensive). Though I would probably not say no to, say, a small piece of almond flour gingerbread cake or a cookie. :)

Wow. This girl's story is amazing!

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Soooo, about that "coming soon" post. Apparently high school is a lot more time consuming then one would think! Don't worry, it's nothing too terribly exciting, just something I think is worth writing about. :)