Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll French Toast

 This isn’t my recipe. I found it while searching through Pinterest, looking for something tasty to have on New Year’s Day for Brunch.  And boy, did this recipe deliver! It’s rare to find a gluten free recipe that makes you want to jump up and down and shout from the rooftops how good it is.  And here we are, with a recipe so good that it makes me want to jump up and down and shout from the rooftops just how good it is!

I mostly made the recipe as it is written, but I made several modifications that I wanted to share with you. I used a loaf of the gluten free bread that I had in the house. (I was not in the mood to run to the grocery store to get the loaf the recipe called for. I wanted to stay in my pj’s.)  The loaf of bread that I had only filled an 8 x 8 inch pan once it was toasted, so that was what I used. As a result, I cut the recipe in half.  Until I got to the eggs. Putting in only 3 eggs filled the pan up less than halfway. I ended up using all of the eggs that the recipe called for and I don’t regret it at all.  The resulting product was a tasty, filling casserole.

I did follow the directions for the dairy free option due to the dairy allergies in the house.

We were also wondering if this would work with a flax egg or aquafaba? I think it would. This is something that we will need to explore in the future.

One last note before I link you to the recipe: this is a really sweet dish. We had syrup but didn’t use it because the dish was sweet enough on it’s own, and there were enough eggs to keep the bread from drying out.

https://www.mamaknowsglutenfree.com/cinnamon-roll-french-toast-casserole/

PS - I’m sorry there aren’t any pictures! I honestly didn’t think about it until after we finished it off!

My Resolutions 2022

The beginning of a new year brings all the promises that I make to myself about the things that I will accomplish this year. My goals are lofty! Will I be able to accomplish everything? Join me in this grand adventure of hopes and lofty goals and we’ll find out! Do you want to play along? Let me know what your goals for this coming year are!

 

1) Post 1 book review a month on my YA blog. 

I have kept a YA Book Blog since I was in grad school. Circumstances have prevented me from publishing anything to that blog for the last year or so. My goal is to review at least one book a month this coming year.  There are so many good books out there! 

2) Renovate the Master Bedroom & Bathroom. 

This is a huge goal many years in the making. There have been issues with that bathroom since we bought the house. 16 years later, and we are finally going to get it fixed!

3) Find good homes for the books  

I've been on a committee that has gifted me with thousands of new children's books. While my work on the committee will soon be finished, I need to find a home for all of the books. There are children out there who need good books.

4) Go explore 2 new to me places  

Who doesn't love an adventure? I have a list of places that I want to go see. I'm going to put out a map, and get some darts, and see where we end up.

5) 40 Bags in 40 Days Lenten Challenge

Have you done this challenge before? For the 40 days of Lent, you get one bag of junk out of your house. I've done this challenge before. Sometimes, I don't get the last bag out of the house until June, but wow.... it really does feel good to get 40 bags of junk out of the house. I'm thinking that some of these boxes of books will be counting up in the total count. I've got a lot of books.....

6) Get together with 1 friend each month  

I don't think I should have to write this down, but you know, it's been a weird couple of years. I want to make seeing people we love a priority. Doing this around COVID Restrictions is going to make this an extra special challenge.

7) Another stamp in my National Park Passport

Because exploring the National Parks is a lot of fun!

8) Landscape Front Yard 

This has been on the list for several years now. I really want to get this checked off this year!

9) Clean out the Garage

If you've read the blog for any length of time, you know that we bought this house 16 years ago from my in-laws. And you also know that they were borderline hoarders. We've made progress in the house, and while there is still clutter in the basement, I believe that we will have the last of it out by the end of this year. (See the 40 bags in 40 days challenge.) But the garage is another story. 16 years, and we have not yet been able to park our cars in the garage because of the amount of their stuff. Our goal is to be able to park a car in the garage by the end of the year.

10) Get the kayak out in the water once each month during May, June, July, August, September, and October.

Seriously, we have a kayak.  Why aren't we getting out in the water with the kayak more often? What is our excuse? The kids have moved out. We don't have to worry about finding a sitter or getting an extra kayak for them.

11) Get my Bike fixed and get out for some bike rides.

I bought my bike over 30 years ago. I rode it a lot before the kids got busy in high school. Now that everyone is out of the house, it is time to pull out some of the things I really used to love. The top of that list is riding my bike. In order to do that, I need to get the bike fixed. The tires are dry rotted, and I'm sure it's got a host of other issues going on.

12) Visit My Cousins in Texas (a trip postponed from 2020)

Need I say more? We've got to make this happen.

Other Goals:

I’ve got a couple of other goals I would like to accomplish this year, but I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to get to them. If I do, I’ll be thrilled beyond words. If not? I’ll add them to the list of things I want to get to in 2023.

This is going to be so much fun!

2021 Resolutions - Final Update

I  like to keep a list of resolutions on the blog.  It helps keep me accountable and  helps me keep track of my goals - what I wanted to do and whether or not I actually got them accomplished during the year.  I had a few goals in 2020.  Those all went out the window in March.  I don't even want to talk about those goals anymore.  But, this is 2021, and we are all set for a new series of goals.  So, here they are.  It's a short list this year.  

1) Get away with my husband twice this year. DONE!

We made it to Acadia National Park in June! (Pictures to follow.)

One weekend at the beach in Delaware.

2) Visit middle child in Kansas.

He's been out here to see us thrice now. Once for my Mother in Laws funeral, once in October, and again for Christmas. We will get out there in 2022. 

3) Visit all of the state parks in Maryland.

Calvert Cliffs  

Patapsco Valley 

Soldier's Delight 

Sandy Point 

Rock

I've got a way to go.... 

We received a State Parks pass from one of the kids for Christmas. We are looking forward to using it extensively this coming year!

4) Get one more stamp in my National Parks Passport

Acadia National Park

Gettysburg

Harper's Ferry

C&O Canal

5) Lose 10% of my body weight.

Why are those last 2 pounds the hardest 2 pounds?

I’ve given up on this for this year.  I’ve lost weight, and that’s what matters. It makes me happy that my clothes fit better, and honestly? That’s what matters.

6) Get a storage unit and move stuff there to sort it out.

We had stuff we needed to get out.  And then we cleaned out my Mom's house when we moved her to Assisted Living and then we cleaned out my MIL's condo and apartment and THEN the oldest child moved back in.  AND THEN my Step-Mother's niece called me and gave me BOXES of my Dad's stuff.  You know, my Dad.  Who passed away over 12 years ago.  (There's another story...)  This house looks like a real life episode of Hoarders. 

Update: We have the storage unit. It has been filled. Much of what is in there will be going to the White Elephant Sale at the church in November. And then, we will be moving more stuff over there while we figure out where to put it.

Update 2: No White Elephant sale this year due to COVID. So, the storage unit is still full of stuff we need to deal with. Our local thrift store is now going through the donations in the trunk of the car and only taking what they want.  So, I’m still left with a ton of junk I need to get rid of.

7) Do a minor home improvement project.

There's a lot to choose from.  Which one will we pick?  Fixing the fence line in the back?  Getting the wood trim on the house painted?  Replacing the floor in the utility area in the basement? Hiring the tree guys to come out and get rid of the brush piles in the back? Having someone come out and landscape the front of the house?

Update: nothing visible. The outdoor a/c unit was hit by lightning over the summer during the big heatwave. We had to wait the better part of a week to get that fixed.  

Update #2

I’m counting the installation of the Septic Riser as our minor home improvement project. It’s not a big, showy project, but being able to have the solids sucked out of the tank on a regular basis? That’s a pretty big improvement.

Update #3

Oh, and the pipes in the kitchen sink got clogged. Again. It turns out that when this house was built in 1970, the plumbing code at the time was written by drunk people. (kidding)  Maybe it was just the builders. The pipe leaving the kitchen sink and running down to join the rest of the pipes runs the length of the house. But not the way you'd think.  The pipes run underneath the kitchen floor straight across to the support bean in the middle of the basement and then run the length of the house to the main sewer line. It has a total of 3 turns in the pipes. 

We found a new to us plumber who came in and really fixed the line. He snaked it out to the very end of the sewer line, and he had an assistant down in the basement who verified when the snake got to each turn in the line. After he finished snaking out the lines, he turned the hot water on and then went down to verify that the pipe was hot all the way around just where the sink line joins the line leaving the house. So amazing to have the job done right, and we were thrilled with his work!

Those are minor, but necessary improvements!

8) Visit my cousins in Texas (a trip postponed from 2020.)

Not this year. It's just not going to happen in 2021.

We have a tentative plan to visit them in 2022.

9) Get my kids and all of my sister's kids together in the same place at the same time.

DONE! It’s the first time we’ve had all of them together in 4 years! 

That was harder than we thought it would be!

Glenwood Library

 I stopped by the Glenwood Library in Howard County recently. It has always been one of my favorite libraries. I loved how they integrated the bucolic rural surroundings and used that in the architecture of the building. When I first went there after they opened, I felt like they had taken a farm, and tossed some of the typical architectural pieces you find around a farm and put them in a blender - which helped design this wonderful rural library that was incredibly modern with a bow towards the agricultural surroundings.

Fast forward several years, (has it really been 20 years since it opened?) and Howard County decided to refresh the branch. From new paint, to new ways of interpreting and using the space, the library looks beautiful. Not only did they update the building and add new technology, they did an excellent job of honoring the architecture of the original building and keeping the more iconic parts of the design in place. 

The result is an eye catching space that meets the needs of the community and offers the very latest in technology. They have added a fabulous maker space along the wall that used to house the magazines, and they have everything you could want to use but can’t afford to buy - laser cutters, 3D Printers, a Photo Preservation Station, a large printer that prints out banners, a recording studio, OZ Bots, Lego Mindstorms - the list goes on and on.  The pictures below capture everything. They’ve also included a dedicated space in the middle of the library with a hard floor where people can eat and drink away from the books and electronics.

I’d like to add that you do have to pay for use of consumable materials. That’s how the library can afford to have them. So, if you want to use a laser cutter on Walnut, you are going to have to pay for the wood. BUT - you aren’t paying for the laser cutter, and the prices are posted on the material samples in the Tinker Space.

I’m including the pictures below. I’m not going to add a lot of commentary, because I honestly think that the pictures speak for themselves. If you’d like to see my original post on the Glenwood Library from 2016, you can find it here:

https://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2016/05/glenwood-library.html

A Very Merry Christmas to You!

 This is a little late, but I send you the merriest of Christmas Wishes to you all!

We’ve had a busy week. My kids have all been home for a week now and I have enjoyed every single minute that I have had with them. We’ve played games, watched movies, worked on jigsaw puzzles and stayed up entirely too late talking and laughing. It’s been wonderful!

We spent one day with my Mom. One entire day. We were thoroughly masked the entire time we were together, and we spent several hours laughing and catching up with her. It was a good day filled with great memories!

We have lost so many people we love  this year, and this has been a sorrowful season as we struggle to adapt to a different holiday season.

We are ending on a hopeful note. One of our children is engaged, and another one defended a PhD. The third is hoping to settle on a new house in the next few weeks. Husband and I are getting ready to undertake some extensive home renovations this next year. They are long overdue, and my in-laws, when they owned this house had talked about doing them. They lived here 30 years. We’ve been here for 16. It’s well past time to get them finished. 

I sincerely hope that you have found joy and peace in your memories this season.

Let’s all work to be kind and gentle with each other this season. We’ve had a difficult two years.

Christmas Movie of the Day

 The Santa Claus starring Tim Allen.

This movie was released in 1994. 

My favorite part of the movie? How they explained how Santa got up and down chimneys in the houses without a chimney or a fireplace.

Book Review: My Heart is a Chainsaw

 My Heart is a Chainsaw

Written by Stephen Graham Jones

Fans of slasher movies will enjoy My Heart is a Chainsaw, written by Stephe Graham Jones and set in the lakeside mountain town of Proofrock, Idaho.

As the story opens, we witness an unexpected attack on two tourists in the middle of the night by the lake. This events sets the stage for the horror yet to come. 

Our heroine is 17 year old Jade, a rebel who has an encyclopedic knowledge of every slasher film ever made. She is convinced that the town will eventually become the site of a slasher type massacre, and has done her best to warn everyone but nobody believes her.

Sentenced to community service for “Unauthorized Use of the Town Canoe”, Jade finds herself in the middle of an uncanny set of events that leads her to believe that her prophecy is about to come true and everyone in the town is about to be murdered by someone. But who? One of the rich founders from across the lake? The sheriff with a grudge? The beautiful new girl in school?

The story is interspersed with papers that Jade writes for a school assignment that describe the slasher film genre and also drop very subtle hints about the murderer. Filled with red herrings, the plot offers enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

One warning: If you are squeamish about blood or violence, this is not the book for you.

A note from me:

I felt there were several loose ends that I would love to have seen tied up at the end of the story, but overall this was a good read and well worth the time I put into reading the book.