A "Free" Party

Last Sunday we threw a birthday party for my 5 year-old.  We had a few guests who have severe allergies...as in, their moms & dads always carry epi-pens in the event of anaphylactic shock due to some hidden ingredient in the food the child has eaten.  Serious stuff.

I imagine how difficult it must be for a family to always have to be on edge, always wondering and worrying if something as simple as a spilled drop of milk or an unassuming sprinkling of soy sauce or worcestershire slipped into a marinade or a little bit of whey/cheese powder on a seasoned snack food...ANYTHING allergenic can result in a trip to the ER.

There is no way I want for my friends to have to worry about that at my home.  So I decided to throw a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, kiwi-free, sesame-free party.  And I did.  And it was a huge success!

I am sharing this information with you because, like me, if you do not have to worry about allergies or food sensitivities in your household, it may seem like an impossible task to plan a meal (or a party!) without wheat, dairy, or eggs.  But it is possible, and it's a lot easier than you think!

Here's what we had:

1) strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries - mixed together
2) pineapple & blueberries & mango - mixed together
3) cantaloupe & honeydew - mixed together
4) carrots, sugar snap peas, celery - mixed together
5) tomatoes & cucumber with cilantro, seasoned with lemon, salt, and garlic powder
6) avocado with onion & cilantro, seasoned with lemon, salt, and garlic powder
7) two "Better Than Cream Cheese" brand pre-prepared tofu spreads (one plain, one with garlic/herb combo) from the supermarket which served as dips
8) organic salad (mixed greens bought from Costco)
9) plain white rice (cooked only with water)
10) teriyaki chicken - marinated, baked chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces (marinade ingredients listed below)
11) pork roast - baked pork roasts, seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
12) pot roast - beef roast braised with onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper, cut into bite-size chunks
13) corn tortilla chips
14) natural potato chips
15) chocolate cupcakes/cake (ingredients below) with frosting (also below)

Marinade for teriyaki chicken:  Tamari Organic Sauce - a wheat/gluten-free soy-sauce, white sugar, brown sugar, onion, garlic (minced), crystallized ginger (usually I would use fresh ginger but I didn't have any on-hand)

Chocolate cupcakes:  This is the only item which required any special ingredients but it was very easy to do.  King Arthur Flour Brand Gluten-free Chocolate Cake Mix...follow the directions (like any typical cake mix) but using EnerG Gluten-free Egg Replacement instead of the eggs (also very easy to do).  For the frosting, I used coconut oil (solid state, not liquid), powdered sugar (aka confectioner's sugar), coconut milk (plain), and vanilla powder (not vanilla extract).  That's it!

I received so many compliments on the food and the variety... and the cupcakes were a big hit...most guests didn't even know it was GF/DF/EF.  It was just GOOD!!!

The food was appetizing for all...most guests did not have a concern one way or the other that the selection was "free" of anything...they just ate!  My greatest joy, though, was from the moms who had never attended a party without fear of having to use the epi-pens... they were able to relax and enjoy and tell their children they could eat ANYTHING on the table without worry.  They truly made me feel appreciated and comforted in knowing that I was able to help them enjoy the day worry-free.  (Of course, I should mention that we have 2 cats and there were a handful of other guests who got itchy eyes, but aside from sequestering the cats to an off-limits room and warning my guests ahead of time, there was not much more I could do to avoid that.)

I hope that this will inspire and encourage us to find foods that ALL our friends and family can eat.  While it's true that my "main" dishes were non-vegetarian, there was enough variety and quantity over the entire spread that I think a vegetarian would have been able to find enough to eat.  In the future, though, if I know I will have a vegetarian guest, I will incorporate a vegetable stew (like beef stew but without the beef) which is filling and satisfying and goes great with rice!

All these things were simple to make and readily available at the store & on-line...the Kings Arthur Flour, the EnerG Egg Replacer, and the Vanilla Powder are available at Whole Foods, maybe at Sprouts (I got the flour there but not the other ingredients), and definitely on-line.

Happy Eating!

Year of Good Things

I started 2012 off ringing in the new year with family at my sister's home.  Next, a fancy dinner at a lovely restaurant with Peter's and my dear friends (adults only).  While enjoying that meal, I realized that we had not yet taken my in-laws out for an equally nice meal.  Instead, our "enjoyable" nights out have included our kids which, in turn, have included mandatory parenting (disciplining the kids in one way or another to curb a tantrum, a pouting session, bickering, boredom complaints, or some other form of action that typically creates stress in what should be a relaxing meal). 

As such, I decided that it was high time Peter & I took his parents out for a truly nice meal sans kids.  Not only was it long-overdue for us to take out his parents, but in our 13 years of marriage, I realized we had also never taken out his grandparents for dinner, either!  Hard to believe!  So, happily, that meal happened tonight and it was, indeed, a truly nice meal.  Three generations breaking bread and enjoying one another's company without unwanted interruptions or childish antics.  Brilliant!

The incredible piece of it is how quickly the years have gone by!  Thirteen years married and not once had we taken his grandparents out to dinner.  Not once had we taken his parents out to dinner without their adorable grandchildren.  How is this possible?!?

I'd like very much to make this year one of positive actions: doing those things which I have intended to do but have not actually gotten around to planning or doing; no longer being a slave to my life and instead being the master of it;  showing my love for the people I love through actions beyond my daily appreciation, to try to let them know how special they really are to me and how much I cherish them.

Action.  Plan.  Making time.  Coming up with a goal and working toward it.  Lists.  Taking specific steps to achieve a goal.  Putting it on the calendar and DOING it. 

I feel good about this evening.  Not only did I enjoy a delicious meal with people I love, I did something I have not yet done before.  How simple it was.

This year is off to a great start!

Cheers!

Year of the Dragon

Gung Hay Fat Choy!  Happy New Year!  I wish you and yours a very healthy, happy, and prosperous new year!

Happy New 2012, Everyone!  Like most adults, I can't believe that 2011 has come and gone and that the new year is upon us.  Shucks!  By the time I finish writing this blog, it'll already be pushing the 3rd!  Yikes!

Today I feel invigorated.  The weight I have been carrying on my shoulders feels to have lightened almost magically overnight and I have no idea why but I am grateful that it has.  I am set to start anew and have decided that this is going to be a banner year.  

My resolutions are not resolutions.  I have, instead, decided to set specific goals lined out with direct steps of action to help me accomplish those goals.  The first one is to sell a song for the purpose of contributing financially to my family's future, so that we may, as a family, reach our shared goals.  This is a key factor in the motivation department because it is a very specific purpose.  My goal is not my own.  It is for my family.  It is for the bigger picture.  I need this in order for me to see it through as I apparently don't take my own needs seriously enough to ever truly follow through on something specifically designed to benefit me.  But for my family, YES.

So this posting, actually, is a step toward that goal because it is getting me away from sitting on the couch, shrinking my brain with mind-numbing, thoughtless TV, and getting my creative juices flowing once again. 

Another specific action is to put makeup on and present myself better.  For the past, oh, 9 years I have totally let myself go in terms of presenting myself as anything other than a harried, tired, overworked mother.  I have worn it proudly like a royal robe and have been known to literally stay in my pajamas day-in & day-out, even when leaving the house in the afternoon to run errands.  I joke about the weight I have gained and have embraced it lovingly as only a person who accepts herself and her flaws can, but smartly, I know that if I continue to let myself get bigger and bigger, my health will really be at risk and that is not something I want to do.  So I have been putting on a fresh face for the past few days and I must say that the prettier reflection I see in the mirror is inspiring me to pretty up the figure hidden below the mirror.  I am back in contact with my trainer at the gym and will be meeting up this week.

Time is being set aside to work on my music and I will write a minimum of one new song each month.  I am not a prolific songwriter - - - I write entirely based on emotions that sock me in my gut - - - so making the commitment to work on and write with discipline instead of only on "the moment" will be new for me. 

And the tasks of streamlining, decluttering, and getting homeschooling running as smoothly & engaging as I envision it  remain priorities as well.

Small projects to complete are:  Christmas quilts with the kids to present to their grandparents (didn't make Christmas 2011, so definitely by Christmas 2012! ha ha ha!) and shoe rack/bench for the living room which presently sits in the garage partially started.

What are your goals this year?  What have you outlined to specifically take you closer to those goals? 

Best wishes to you for success in accomplishing your goals and achieving what you set out to achieve! 

Happy 2012, Everyone! 

 

Hey There

It's been a busy few weeks with nothing in particular taking up my time;  a whole lot of little things have consumed my days, instead, and there's nothing to show for it.

I suppose I could say that Peter and I finally got around to putting up the last of the river rock on our backyard sitting walls.  Those have been on the to-do list for over a month when we managed to put up the river rock on the two front-of-the-house pillars.

But that was just this past weekend and there's nothing else in the weeks between my last post leading up to now.

Nope.  My days have mushed together into...a past that cannot be remembered.  Sigh...


How about you?  Are you finding the days and weeks are zipping by with no clear evidence of what you accomplished in them?

Anybody out there want to chime in?

I'm curious to know who my one or two readers are.  Do you blog, too?  Are you a mom?  A dad?  A curious reader of blogs?

It's late, my time.  I am going to hit the hay.  Good night and be well.

Thanks for reading...maybe I'll have the pleasure of reading your blog, too. 

Still Working On It

I mentioned in my last post that my in-laws are in town.  This is a tremendous treat to my family and to me because I really do have the nicest, most-supportive parents-in-law a woman could possibly have. 

I also mentioned that in preparation for their arrival, I've been working on a number of things around the house to make it more welcoming for them including de-cluttering, re-organizing, changing around, tying up loose ends and completing projects which were outstanding.

I'm very proud of what has been accomplished since learning in September that his parents would be coming this month:
 
- put up the river rocks on the house front pillars;
- landscaped the front yard by digging up grass & putting in new plants;
- re-stuccoed the house;
- transformed the linen close;
- put in curtains in the linen closet/laundry area;
- repaired & put back a kitchen cabinet door which had broken off months ago;
- replaced the majority of burnt out recessed light bulbs (we had a bunch);
- donated a huge quantity of items to charity including clothing, toys, office stuff, kitchen stuff, etc.;
- sorted through kids' clothes;
- cleaned and straightened up the house to make it most welcoming (thank you, Albert!!!);
- decluttered the master bedroom (where my in-laws will stay but where Peter and I usually sleep)
- installed a new dishwasher (icing on the cake, baby!)

And personally, I have been much better with my time management, specifically affecting homeschooling, getting to places on time, and meal-planning which cuts down on hungry kids, frustration, aggravation, and wasted money.

This laundry list has been good for me and I know it has made a big difference in the overall appearance, function, and flow of our home, homelife, and schedule. 

Even with all these improvements, I still feel incomplete.  I still feel apologetic that there remain areas that need to be worked on.  I still feel I need to justify why I homeschool.  I feel I need to drop tidbits of information as to why the way I homeschool is good for my kids versus some other version of education.  And I feel like I'm just not good enough. 

I was telling myself that I do not need to try to explain things or apologize for my lackluster housekeeping skills.  My in-laws have known me and accepted me and loved me for the past 13 years (Peter and I dated for 5 years prior so I think they've loved me longer than just 13).  They never, EVER say anything against me or about me or make comments about my mess, in spite of the fact that they themselves are the epitome of simple yet comfortable living.  They are neat, clean, organized and uncluttered.  They are on-time all of the time.  They are gracious.  They are patient.  They are quiet and do not lose their tempers.  Seriously.  They clean up after every meal, work together, and enjoy one another's company.  And yet amazingly, even though they are the complete package, they're not judgmental. 

So why do I feel judged?  I put it on myself, I know.  It's nothing they do or anyone else does...it's entirely me seeing my flaws and putting a magnifying glass on them.  Comparing myself to them and to my other "together" friends.  A friend has told me I'm being too hard on myself and I'll nod along, but in my head I disagree because I know the truth:  I can do better. 

I can do better.

I CAN DO BETTER.

I just wish I were better at not judging myself in the process and rolling with it.

Hm.  I guess I can be better at accepting myself.

I'm still working on it.

How about you?  Are you cool with yourself?   

I Did It!*

My in-laws have come to visit!  (YAY!) They arrived last night and we are all abuzz with excitement here at the Lepe household to have them!  We learned that they would be coming back in September.  Since then, all the projects that I'd been meaning to get to suddenly got kicked into high gear in preparation for their arrival.  One of them was ordering a new dishwasher.  The "new" one we bought just 3 & a half years ago turned out to not work after many fixings & tweakings;  I decided I would rather just invest in a new one than sink any more money into that clunker.

Well, the brand-spankin' new one came yesterday (YAY!) and I am very proud to say that I installed it myself (YAY MORE!)!!!

I learned a few things.

I learned that not every new appliance comes with an electrical cord and dishwashers are one of them (this enables them to be hard-wired instead of plugged into an outlet).  I had to connect a cord into the dishwasher's electrical box.  Cool!  (I took it off of the "old" washer.)  This was a first for me!  

Here's another thing I learned:  even though it is required, not every part is provided in the box!  When Peter left for the airport to pick up his parents, our 3 kids and I piled into my car and drove to Home Depot to buy a VERY necessary part - - - a 90 degree elbow fitting that connects the water supply hose to the machine.  It only cost a few dollars but seriously, unless you're a plumber...  who knew?!?!?   And really, why not include it in the box?!?!?

And another thing I learned:  when I take on a challenge, I don't want help.  I want to do it all by myself.  I want to have that feeling of accomplishment and the right to say, "I DID IT!!!" with no asterisks.

When Peter returned home with my in-laws, the dishwasher was not yet installed (I needed to adjust the legs & back wheels to slide under the counter better, so it was lying on its back) and my father-in-law graciously offered to help.  Luckily for me, my father-in-law is one mighty nice, awesome man who is not offended by a daughter-in-law who, very much like a curious child, wants to do it all by herself.  And even luckier for me, I have an amazing mother-in-law who had warned him before even landing in L.A. that he needed to let me do my own projects.  Ha ha ha!

How truly thankful I am to have such loving and understanding family!

YIPPEE!!!!  I DID IT!!!!!

But I have a confession to make...  

Installing the dishwasher has taught me a few more things.

Even though I can say "I DID IT!" there IS an asterisk.  Actually, more than one.

*I could not have done it so easily without the setup already in place (drain line to existing air gap, plumbing already plumbed, electrical outlet with correct voltage already in the wall, correct opening in the cabinet space, etc.).  Our contractor & plumber made sure everything was good to go 3-1/2 years ago for the first dishwasher when we remodeled our house.  Changing out the not-so-old with the new was easily accomplished because the connections were all up-to-date and still in excellent condition.  So I owe Jason & Sam my thanks for making this easy for me.  Thank you!

And here's another asterisk.  

*My darling Peter and my fabulous father-in-law did not get in my way.  They let me have at it without meddling or "helping".  Thank you!  (Special thanks to my mother-in-law and kids, too, for their part in giving me space!)

Next is the MOST important asterisk.  I think I'll make it a double.  

 **My dad & mom.  You see, much of the reason why I have the notion to fix things or DIY is because of my parents, especially my dad, who was always wanting to DIY repair rather than just buy or call a professional.  Growing up, they had my siblings and me doing the stuff that needed to be done around the house, so the idea that I could fix, build, repair, and design-for-our-needs seeped into my head and is now a permanent part of who I am.  Even when I was the truculent teenager resentful of having to help, my parents drilled in me that I could accomplish whatever I set my mind out to do and expected me to finish the task at hand.

So I guess you could say that there's one last thing I learned from installing a dishwasher for the first time and here it is:

Even though I am the only one who physically installed that beautiful dishwasher that is quietly washing my dishes as I type this, I did not REALLY do it ALLLLLL by myself.  

The efforts of Jason & Sam before me paved the way;  the support of my loving family gave me the space to try without guilt or hurt feelings;  and my parents inspired me and shaped me into knowing that I can accomplish that which I set out to do.

I installed a dishwasher.

I DID IT!*,*,**