October 26, 2011

Home Projects

(So sorry for the accidental post the other day.  It was supposed to contain words!)

Mattie's room has been in desperate need of a closet makeover since we moved in.  The shelves were unreachable to her and the hanging area took up all of the floor space.

I finally found the setup I wanted at Home Depot recently so we got her all squared away a few weeks ago! The containers were ones we already had, so all we had to buy was the closet setup and 

this shelf.  Her old shelf didn't have solid sides so the books and baskets were constantly falling off in all directions.  This one is easy because the sections are small and therefore manageable.  The coat rack was a gift from a friend of hers and has been needing to be hung up for an embarrassing amount of time.  This is all soooooo much better for her!  I can't say her room has been a whole lot cleaner on her own, but I think that may be a pipe dream for this child of mine.  She just likes little stuff, much of it of seemingly little importance.

And in the living room...
I finished the gallery wall!  I am loving seeing some of my very favorite pictures there.  (Hidden behind the couch is where the kids each have a school spot.)

I had a coupon from a decal store and ordered this quote.  This is my first quote to put up on the wall, and it has brought this positive outlook to my mind many times when I've needed it!  I'm not surprised really, because I'm a very visual person.  I love it, especially right next to the cross.

October 06, 2011

Pumpkin Pancakes (Dairy and Wheat Free)

Wanna know what we had for breakfast this morning?  We're always looking for new breakfast recipes, and this one did not disappoint us!

Wanna know how to make 'em?
Pumpkin Pancakes

Combine in a large bowl:
3 1/2 cups brown rice flour
½ c ground flax**
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 1/2 TBSP baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, stir together with a wire whisk:
3 cups water
2 cups pumpkin (1 can)
3 eggs
1/4 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.  (Not over-stirring pancake batter is the trick to fluffy pancakes!)

I did 1/3 cup at a time on my griddle preheated to 350 degrees.

This made 24 4-5 inch pancakes!  I froze half of them on a cookie sheet. Then I put them in a bag so they won’t be stuck together when I want to use them.

* Based on our egg free years, I think you could easily use 1/2 c flax mixed with 1/3c water and no eggs.

**You can omit this and use ½ c more flour if your prefer.  I find that flax just seems to really do well with brown rice flour.

This recipe is adapted from Elizabeth's recipe over at Yes They're All Ours. I just made it work for our allergies and it worked beautifully!