Sometimes you see something on Pinterest and you think, hey I have something close to that! There's a new outfit for me to try. If you're anything like me you're always looking for new ways to mix and match your older things to have them look like a new outfit.

This week I'm showing my inspiration outfit as well as what I'm actually wearing today.



Inspiration Outfit


And what I'm actually wearing is this:

The nearly fall no make up look

Jacket - Old Navy

Things have been crazy around here the last few weeks, so blog posts have been sporadic at best.  One thing that hasn't though has been the fascination with Time 4 Learning.
The youngest has been at it sporadicly the oldest more frequently, without us really asking them to.  As school is starting up once again we'll be reviewing the syllabus' from the school and filling in with Time 4 Learning for extra review and bolstering the studies they have.

Through this week we'll be working through some of the material with them to see how much it's being retained and see how the quizzes go.

Next week I'll be asking the boys to write a little something about the process themselves.  We'll see what they have to say about it and if they're going to stick with it.  If any of you have questions for them, just et me know.  I'll have the minions do their best to answer them.

The King and I decided that since my parents were stealing our children the last weekend before school starts again, we'd head off on a short adventure ourselves. What better place for a long weekend adventure than the city that never sleeps?

Waiting area of the Amtrak station, Harrisburg

The walk down to the train platform.  Same as it was in 1887.

We're lucky in that Amtrak offers train service between our little part of Pennsyltucky and the big apple, so we took the train. It's about 2 hours faster that way and considerably less worry some than trying to drive into the mad house that is NYC.

We left Friday morning and arrived just after lunch, checked in at our hotel, The Muse, one of the Klimpton properties, just off Times Square. The room was beautifully appointed and spacious for the city. The staff was pleasant and there was a wine reception each evening. What's to complain about there?

The rest of Friday we spent exploring the area and we slipped into Saks on 5th avenue so I could drool over the shoes. Needless to say I didn't feel the need to drop a paycheck into a pair of shoes, regardless of the red on the soles. We hit a few of the other big name flagship stores and ducked into the Lego store as well. They had a huge dragon made from a gazillion Legos that the king was mesmerized by. By Friday evening we both were starving and excited for dinner. We decided on a place called Nizza. They have a GF menu and are soy free. Their food was out of this world and I'll be posting my attempts with socca later this week. For those of you not aware of what socca is, is a type of flatbread made from garbanzo bean flour. It's yummy, filling and goes well with wine.

Dragon made of Legos!

Saturday dawned and we were off by late morning to head over to Hells Kitchen for the flea market. We had brunch at a quaint club spot and ooh'd over the waiters heeled platform boots. Yep, those babies had bigger heels than I wear. I was impressed. Right outside the club, the flea market began and while it wasn't as big as I hoped it made up for in kitsch and things you just don't see at home. I'd never really thought to shop for Versace at a flea market, yet they had it there.

The rest of the day we wandered about the city, window shopping and actual shopping at a few of the shops we don't have at home. One of the biggest trends I saw that I wasn't seeing at home is the amount of hardware on shoes and clothing. Everything has spikes on it. It didn't matter if it was a jacket, shirt, jeans or shoes, all of it had these silly spikes on it. All I can imagine is the number of ER visits this will cause with fashion induced injuries.

Cute mouse shoes, but imagine the damage they will do to your ankles.

Saturday night was a visit to a supper club called Swing 46. While they didn't have a specialized GF menu the staff made sure I had a safe, fabulous meal and incredible service. The band was great and the dancing was more than fun.

The King and I headed out for Dinner and Dancing

Crescent City Maulers at Swing 46.

I'm sitting in Penn Station as I write this, not quite ready to go home. It's been a fun adventure, a growth experience for those of us who hates cities, people, small spaces, smells... You get the idea here. Point being is that we both has fun and will do this again in some shape or form.

Anyone else sneak in a last minute getaway before getting back into the mom routine of school and lunches and driving and...?

In a neighboring kingdom, there is a queen who was in need of some minor surgery today.  We've heard from her king, and the quacks have given back her crown and she is regal once more.  However, this queen of the Keebler Elveses' wasn't sure the neighboring queen's scullery staff was up to snuff.  So I did what any neighboring Queen would do and launched an invasion and took over while the other royals were gone.  I mean, gathered my elves and we baked.  It's what we do.  We are some B.A.M.F. little elves in the kitchen.

On today's menu was a vegan shepherd's pie, (because the other queen is a vegetarian) and some muffins.  Banana chocolate chip muffins to be exact.  Yeah, they're as good as they sound.  I threw some extra magic and love in them today, apparently it's what make them taste so good..  At least that's the king's theory.  He's made them from the same recipe I do and they don't taste the same.  Seriously, it's a Scooby Doo kind of mystery.  Pretty sure Ernie Keebler is behind it all.  He just doesn't want anyone else to gain access to the Hollow tree bakery(which could be in one of the trees in our yard), so through some sort of black magic no one else can bake the same thing and have it taste the same in our house.

Anywho... on to the food.  I use a modified version of the Shepherds Pie from the lovely Karina, over at the Gluten Free Goddess.  I cut out the jalapenos, jam, sage, chili flakes, and cut down by half on the broth.  You can use any white beans you have on hand.  Today we used white kidney beans.  I also used red potatoes and I keep the skin on when I mash them.  I think it looks prettier that way.  Men think it looks like bacon, and hey, who am I to tell them different if they're going to eat veggies?

It's BACON!  No, but still yummy.

The yummy insides

The muffins are also a variation on Karina's goodies.  If you have anyone with a wheat or gluten issue in your life and haven't heard of the Gluten Free Goddess... seriously.  Go there now, you may send your thanks in the form of shoes, size 8 US or 38's if you're European.  The banana muffin recipe is modified thusly: I use applesauce in place of the oil, 2Tbsp flax and water for the eggs, no vinegar, I use Bob's Red Mill GF baking flour in place of the other flours and no salt.  If you have a stand mixer, whip it up on high for a bit at the end, the muffins will get a fluffy texture to them.  Enjoy life makes a chocolate chip free of allergens, for any of you with soy issues like me.  And if you don't have a whiny minion who hates nuts, walnuts go great in these.

My muffins bring all the boys to the yard...

Gluten free baking has a slightly different texture to it than what you're used to.  So don't be alarmed when your baked goods are denser, and not as big as you'd think they should be.

Me - I thought you'd be bigger.   Muffin - That's what she said.

Happy Friday!

This post comes with a disclaimer:
*Time4Learning has invited me to try their online curriculum for 30 days in exchange for an honest review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so come back and read about my experiences. Visit them for information about lesson plans, homeschool portfolios or writing your own curriculum review.*

I don't know how the school system is where you are, but here in Pennsyltucky it's the same thing each year.  The kids go back to school before Labor Day, have a review of last year that lasts until about Christmas, then everything they learn from there on out is to do the best they can for PSSA testing.  That's the standardized test that determines how much funding the schools get.  The school even has little reviews and websites set up so the kids can 'study' for this test that has zero impact on their grades.  It makes me a little crazy how the schools think this is acceptable.

I understand that the school wants the kids to do as well as they can so they stay adequately funded.  But, as a parent, I start to wonder if the school is serving the needs of the students, or itself more.  I also look at the other nations on this planet and see how far behind we are with education.  It's truly sad that in some subjects we are lower than even developing nations.

I started doing some research on different curriculum and what can be used for after school to bolster what is being taught as well as in the summers so they don't forget things they've learned.  I also wanted something to give them the option of moving ahead in some subjects but not others.  I had a fairly tall list and what I found was that time4learning filled them all.

We'll be trying it out for a month and I'll be posting a quick review each week, then a final review from my boys to see what they think of it as well.  With one child being autistic it should be interesting to see how it goes and if they can stay focused on it, or like it enough to want to do it.

If you're using something else with your kids, let me know!  Right now we're just starting to explore our options.

This evening, the King and I went to another fun little class.  It was glass fusing this time.  Not quite as much fun as having a few thousand degrees of fire to play with, but still fun.  

Carefully cutting out the shapes for the pendants.

Like you didn't know I wouldn't do a dragonfly?

This has been a crazy hectic week so far. I think it only gets worse from here so the post is short and mostly sweet. Outfits are polyvore this week.

It's also very hot and humid this week so I'm going with a lot of light airy cottons.  Typically I take sweaters or cardigans with me to work to combat the air-conditioning the guys adore so much.  I prefer things temperate, they like it arctic.  We compromise and I wear sweaters.

I spent my day Sunday luxuriating the day away in bed, napping and watching tv.  In between the napping, I was also reminding myself that eggplant is bad for me, with a capital B.  The nightshade family generally is, and I generally avoid it like a zombie plague.  But as with any food intolerance you feel the need to check it from time to time.  Turns out, still horridly intolerant to it.

Cute old house isn't it?

This coming back from vacation thing has made my week all askew.  Add a little family drama, a birthday party, some stupid medical company drama (the pacer machine showed up today - it only took since April) and a little bit of me getting sick off something some time last week and you get a tired, cranky me.


So instead of talking about food today, which I just want to give up on and never look at again, I'm hooking up with My Little Life and doing 5 question Friday.  




1. What is a must in a hotel room?
A duvet that's been freshly washed, white sheets and a nice tub.  I also require a small fridge and microwave since I can't eat the breakfast that most hotels serve due to allergies.

2. Which Olympic event would you be best at? 
Wine drinking.  Oh, that's not an event?  What about putting together an amazing wardrobe from thrift store finds?  Also not an event?  Well crap.


Once upon a time I played softball, so I'd want to give that a whirl.


I would also like to take this time to ask the Olympic Committee to consider adding wine drinking as an event for 2016.  I would drink some wine like a Boss for that.

3. What's your stance on the Chick-fil-A subject?
Why is this a subject?  Seriously.   That sandwich and fries are gonna go straight to your ass anyway.  There are much bigger issues in this world, pick one and shut up about Chick-fil-A already before I have to quit Facebook.


Just kidding Facebook - I can't quit you.

4. One thing you said you'd never do as a parent, but totally have.
Be as strict with my kids as my parents were.  I couldn't ever do ANYTHING.  Thanks Mom & Dad!  It was the best thing you probably did. 


It's probably the best thing we've done as well.  We have well mannered and well behaved minions who we can take anywhere because of it.

5. What's the weirdest thing you've ever found at a yard sale?
Yard sales in Pennsyltucky are a strange thing.  I've seen everything from stuffed wildlife and not wildlife (jackalope) to adult diapers and potty chairs.  I think the oddest thing I saw though was a jar of teeth and some other unidentifiable debris of dubious origin.  I still hope it wasn't human.


Happy Friday everyone!

Normally I do tutorials of some variety or another on Thursday.  It's been one of those weeks, so I'm doing something different today, and that's Ok.

I hope you sing it all day!

Minion #2 wanted a T-Rex cake for his birthday.  Yeah, riiiiight.  How does one make a T-Rex cake?  I still have no idea and I wracked my brain for a few days trying to figure something out that wouldn't look just hideous by the time I gave up.  
It took a small amount of convincing, but the idea of a volcano cake was pressed upon minion #2.  I had to explain that he could put dinosaurs on it.  There would be smoke and it would light up.  Then he informed me that it had to be chocolate cake with peanut butter icing too.  I swear the kid should work for kitchen impossible.
So, I decided that we could make Mt. Wanna-Hock-A-Loogie from a bundt cake and a freezable ball canning jar.  You'll also need an ionizer, preferably one with LEDs.  I have one from a Halloween decoration, came in a cauldron.  If you can get one of those (find the Christmas stuff in stores, it will be right next to it) you'll be golden.

First thing you want to do is prepare the fondant.  This is much easier than you'd think.  Take one bag of marshmallows, 1 tsp of vanilla and 4 Tbsp of water and nuke them in a glass bowl for about a minute or until the marshmallow starts to get melty.  Dump that whole glop in the Kitchen Aid (don't have one - seriously, get one.  You'll want to run away to Vegas with it) and using the dough hook attachment start mixing it slowly.  Add 2 lbs of confectioners sugar to it.  SLOWLY.  If you don't you will be covered in it.  Just trust me on this one.  Every now and again you'll need to scrape down the sides with a spatula so all the sugar is mixed in.  It does take a bit so don't get impatient.

When that's all mixed in, smear some butter on your hands.  You'll be covered in the stickiest substance known to man otherwise.  Divide your fondant into two halves, wrap it up in cling film and refrigerate a few hours or overnight.

We used a Pamela's chocolate cake, omitting the eggs and using the flax meal alternative.  Bake it according to directions plus the extra time it takes for a bundt cake and you're certain you're burning the darn thing.  Cool it on a rack.

Once it's cool put it on a 12" cake plate or cardboard circle.  Insert the canning jar in the middle. Set aside.

Chocolate bundt cake and Ball jar

 
Get the fondant out of the fridge about 3 hours before you plan on working with it so it comes back up to room temp.  Also, get some butter (or spread, or whatever you use, about 1/4 stick) and let it warm a tad.  You're going to want to coat your hands in it from time to time so it doesn't have to be squishy.  To make your life easier, get a fondant roller and a sheet of plastic to roll it out on.  Have powdered sugar to dust it with.

Insert your ionizer into the ball jar and secure the cord.

The first half of the fondant you're going to tint football brown.  Get the gel colors, don't use the liquid. Work it into the fondant.  It takes some doing so be patient and get it even.  Then, dust it in cocoa powder to get it really brown if you're not satisfied.  Roll it out into a circle big enough to cover Mt. WannaHockALoogie and using the ball jar lid, cut a circle in the middle.  Fold it in half and half again then place it over the cake, unfolding it (kind of like how you put a pie crust on) and smooth it down.  Keep in mind you're making a mountain, so bumps and folds are no big deal.

Starting to take shape

The second half of the fondant cut into thirds.  Tint one red, one orange and one yellow.  I used Red, no taste and Lemon Yellow gels.  Mixing the two for a shade of orange.  Roll them out one color at a time and cut them using a pastry cutter into something resembling lava flows.  You adhere fondant to fondant with water.  So just keep a small dish with water in it handy and dip your fingers as needed.  I started with red and made sure to cover the edge of my jar.

Rawr!  Lava!

Do the same with the orange and yellow.  Again, this doesn't have to be perfect, it's supposed to be lava, so you're going to have glops and such.

Pretty Colors

Add in a few dinosaurs, and some trees.  Make your volcano look a bit more 'natural'.