Simple Springtime Soliloquy And Some New Stuff

The Springtime Weather Is Beautiful

Although we had to worry about tornadoes this week in Richmond, Virginia, all in all the springtime weather has been beautiful with bright sunshine, crystal clear blue skies and big white puffy clouds. The trees have tons of new growth with bright green leaves and flowers are blooming everywhere.

Every morning Bella and I enjoy listening to the birds singing through the open window while I give myself an encouraging pep talk for the new day.

Sherry don’t give up. It is usually at the point when a person thinks they just can’t take it another second that things change for their good. You are an intelligent woman with MANY marketable skills and you WILL find a job soon. So keep your chin up and don’t lose hope.

Yeah, it goes something like that because I’ve discovered a talk with positive thoughts boosts my self-esteem and feels much better than feel-sorry-for-myself self talk. I’m not saying that I don’t feel sorry for myself because life is NOT fair and never will be for anyone, but I try hard not to dwell on it. LOL

Car Headlight Haze Frustration

Since there was a factory recall on my paint, I just got my car repainted for FREE. Yep, some things in life are actually free. They also repaired the dent in the side that Alyssa put in there when she was first learning to drive, so my car looks brand spanking new. I detailed the inside too, so I’m rocking in the car.

Anyway, the only thing left to do was to get the hazy film off my headlights. The headlights on my car have been getting hazier and hazier. I Googled it to get suggestions of how to clean it off. Yeah, uh huh. Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet. Ever heard that before?

Although I could scrape the film off with my fingernail, I tried all of the following products and NONE of them got the haze off!

• toothpaste
• baking soda
• Windex window cleaner
• Cascade dishwashing detergent
• vinegar
• Dow bathroom cleaner (scrubbing bubbles)
• Comet

Nope. NONE of them worked. None of them! So I called an auto parts store and the dealership for the REAL answer to my dilemma. They both told me the same exact thing. Wet sandpaper needs to be used on the car headlights and then they need to have a new sealant applied. That supposedly is the only way I’m going to get rid of this stuff. I really don’t have any choice at this point because the headlights just don’t really provide enough light at night.

It will take the dealership one hour per headlight to “clean” which means it would probably take me five hours per light. The difference in cost between doing it myself or having it done by someone else is seventy-five dollars. I guess you know what I’m going to do. Car maintenance is not something I like doing. I guess that proves I’m really a woman.

Fresh Slow Cooked Lima Beans

There is a HUGE difference between lima beans that you find in metal cans at the grocery store and fresh lima beans you get from the garden. So before you turn your nose up and say, “Ewwww, I don’t like lima beans,” be sure that you have tried the fresh lima beans first before you pass judgement.

I had some fresh lima beans and cooked them for several hours in water, a little bacon, salt and pepper. Very simple recipe, but the secret was to cook them for a long time at a low temperature. When they were all done, no one wanted to share in my great dish! Everyone turned their nose up at the “yucky” beans. (rolling my eyes)

It didn’t bother me that no one wanted to share my great dish because it left more beans for me. Actually, I ate all the beans as my supper one night this week and they were absolutely delicious. If you’ve never tried FRESH lima beans, be adventurous and cook some for yourself.

Finally Success With Grain Free Bread

Going grain free has not been easy for Alyssa and me. One of the foods that we have missed the most is bread. We both love all kinds of bread ranging from banana bread, garlic bread or just plain toast in the morning.

After I got over the shock of having to give up grain, I started on the journey of trying to make grain free bread. That may sound easy, but there are a billion recipes on the Internet for grain free bread and most of them taste like a cardboard cereal box. I know that the pictures on these people’s blogs look yummy, but their recipes taste gross. We know because I think I have tried all of them!

I have been DETERMINED to create something that would come close to REAL BREAD. It has been non-stop attempt after attempt. Each time I would slice the bread and take a bite, I lost more hope. Sometimes the bread was so bad that I didn’t even let Alyssa see it. No need to have her feeling more depressed at another bombed attempt at grain free bread.

This week all those yucky recipes ended.

This week I created a recipe that KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF! Not only is it GRAIN FREE, but it is also extremely healthy, tastes delicious AND has the texture of REAL bread!

Do you think we are happy?

“Happy” is an understatement. Both of us are thrilled to the gills! This bread totally rocks and I am sooooooooooooooo happy to finally have bread again.

We both had sop chocolate (no I haven’t shared that recipe yet) with bread first, then we both had banana sandwiches. Alyssa just kept smiling and I guess I did too. We have been so excited over being able to have bread!

It is so good that I bet you all would love it too and wouldn’t be able to tell that it wasn’t made with a grain product. Another great thing about the recipe is that it is super easy to make and all the ingredients can be mixed together in less than ten minutes.

Fast. Easy. Delicious.

Happy! Happy! Happy!

Looks great doesn’t it?!

IT IS FANTASTIC!