Lots of Random Stuff

Oh, hello there. Today I looked at this blog and realized that the last time I posted on here was, oh, sometime in JUNE?!!! Naughty, naughty blogger. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to write, but there’s just been so much happening around here lately that it’s hard to get myself to write about something. I just want to go on and ramble about all kinds of stuff. So, to shake the cobwebs off I thought I’d give a few brief updates about what’s going on at Casa Flamenco.

Zoe started middle school, and I’m proud to say that I didn’t cry. Go Flamenco Mom! And Zoe’s doing really well. She had a mini-meltdown in P.E. during the second week of school, but she’s been doing really well otherwise.

I submitted my application for my degree last week. Yes, the end is near! Sort of. But I am graduating in December. Next stop, graduate school!

We’ve tested out all the Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Mixes, following the no-butter instructions available on the Betty Crocker website. What do I think of the mixes? Well, here’s a hint: if Betty Crocker were a real person, I’d kiss her full on the mouth as a show of my gratitude. I might even let her get to second base.

I booked our family vacation this week. We’re traveling in October–to Disneyworld. I know, it’s not what I would typically plan for our autumn trip–I usually like to take the family to someplace more remote, a la the woods. But we got a free 3-night stay at a resort in Orlando, so we figured it would be a good time to hit some theme parks. Besides, Ayden’s never been to the Magic Kingdom. I suppose it’s about time we took him: I think it may be a law that if you live in Florida, you must take your child to the House of Mickey at least once.

There Will Be Cooking…Oh Yes, There Will Be Cooking

Lots of good stuff is happening this week. For one, it’s the last week of classes. Hooray! Next week wraps up final exams, then I get a week off before starting summer school. Wanna know what I’ll be doing during that week off?

Well, aside from sleeping in, I’ll be cooking and baking with the kids. I don’t think I’ve used my bread machine in months, and I’m anxious to try some new GFCF bread recipes that I found online. And oh, the cookies! Zoe, Ayden, and my wallet are tired of me buying store-bought GFCF treats…not that there’s anything wrong with them per se, but everyone is facing tough economic times right now, and I can’t justify spending six bucks on a tiny box of cookies right now. Besides, home-baked cookies rock–and it’s a fun way to get the children interested in cooking.

In other FABULOUS news, Zoe tried out for the school talent show yesterday. Flamenco Dad accompanied her on guitar as the sang “Zippity-Do-Dah.” The principal and the school’s Exceptional Student Ed. specialist were among the panelists watching the auditions, and they were so happy to see Zoe out there doing her best. The  kid has absolutely no fear, which certainly helped her when it came to standing up in front of a group of people and performing.

Ayden reached a milestone this week as well…he is now riding a bike on his own. Two wheels, baby! His favorite word lately is “awesome,” and every time he zoomed past me on the bike  he would yell out, “This is so awesome!”

I’d say they both did a pretty awesome job.

2008: A Year In Photos

I thought about writing a year-end retrospective on 2008; instead I chose to do something along the lines of a photo essay (trying to channel some creative juices and share some family photos). So without further ado, may I present the Year In Review 2008:

 

Have a happy and healthy 2009!

The Aftermath

After the Demo Team Got to It

I knew that my gingerbread house would be torn down eventually, but I was still really sad to see it in a heaping pile of rubble on my coffee table. My husband and the kids took turns poking at it with the wooden spoons in the picture until all that was left was the mess in the photo. The good news is that this experiment in edible construction has given rise to a new family tradition: the annual Build-A-Gingerbread-House-From-Scratch-Then-Tear-It-Down-athon. My niece Lisa made me swear that I would build one every year so that the family could bask in the glory of tearing it down on Christmas Eve. I guess you could say the house was a hit!

Mmm, cookies...

And my husband thought it was most delicious!

Merry Christmas, Achoo!!

Merry Christmas from the Flamenco Family

What do obscene amounts of food, wrapping paper “snowball” fights, 103 degree fevers, gingerbread house demolition, and too much sangria have in common? Well, they were all part of our Christmas this year. Oh did I neglect to mention that my daughter is WAY sick? And that my little guy is slowly following in his sister’s stead? Yup, it’s humidifier and Kleenex city in my house this week. Sigh.

In other news, Santa was really good to me this year; to all of us, really. We’re blessed to have been able to spend the holiday with our loved ones (boogers and all), and that all of us are happy, healthy (mostly), and safe. I’ll put up a few photos of my Christmas booty and the demolition of my beautiful gingerbread house. It brought a tear to my eye to see that thing come down, but the gang seemed to have fun playing wrecking crew with it.

Back In Town

We’re back from our vacation, and what a wonderful vacation it was. Once I get around to uploading the photos, I’ll be sure to share a few pictures. We had a blast, and I’m sorry the trip had to end…but alas, it’s time to get back to the real world.

Oh yeah, and there should be some cooking going on on this blog, right? Today I picked up a package of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread Mix (wow, that was a mouthful) to try out. The kids will be home from school soon, and I can’t think of a better thing to come home to than the smell of fresh baked goodness.

This weekend we’re hitting the pumpkin patch and the costume shop. Halloween is just a week away, and this slacker has yet to look for costumes for Ayden and Zoe. Party City here we come!

I’m thinking of making this picture my new profile picture. Thoughts?

With These Kids, I’ll Never Run Out of Blog-able Material

My son wins the prize for the funniest line of the week. This week the school fundraiser began…and Lord help me they are selling cookie dough. I say “Lord help me” because they are difficult to resist; I want to eat them even though I can’t. Zoe can’t go anywhere near them, which means Flamenco Dad, Ayden, and my mother-in-law are going to be getting their cookie on.

Anyway, I digress…

Since Ayden is new to the school thing, naturally he is also new to the school fundraiser thing. He hops into the car and announces that the school is having a cookie-dough fundraiser. The class that sells the most gets an ice cream party. He TOTALLY wants the free ice cream. And he tells me that he’s going to miss out the ice cream party because he can’t sell cookie dough, ’cause he doesn’t even know how to MAKE cookie dough!

Had I been drinking a beverage at the time, it would have shot clear out my nose.

Looking Forward to a Vacation

Well, it’s almost that time of year again…the Flamenco Family is headed on another road trip! I know, I know, I’ve been gone from this blog for so long…everyone probably thought I was taking a permanent vacay from this thing. But no! I’m still here, I’ve just been a slacker.

This weekend we’re renting a cabin in Ellijay, Georgia, which is about an hour away from Atlanta. As luck would have it, the Georgia Apple Festival is this weekend, so we’ll be there at just the right time. Our cabin has internet access (how rustic!); I’m planning to post at least once while away. Our itinerary includes visits to attractions like Amicalola Falls State Park, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, the Tennessee Aquarium, and the Appalachian Trail (we hope), so I’m looking forward to some picturesque views and many photo opportunities.

The familia is in some serious need to time out of town. Flamenco Dad and I have been working hard, and the kiddies–especially Miss Zoe–have been putting in lots of time on school work. Ayden is loving kindergarten, and he already has a group of buddies to call his own. We are also bringing my mother-in-law along. She doesn’t get to travel much, so we thought it would be nice to take her with us.

We’re all really excited about the upcoming trip. I’ll try to post here at least once before we hit the road.

See You In September–I Mean, August

Hello, Internets! I have returned from my self-imposed exile, and I’ve got lots to share. Man, the summer just flew by here at Casa de Flamenco. I wrapped up summer school at the end of last week, and Ayden finished the week before that. My little guy absolutely LOVED pre-K, and is looking forward to starting kindergarten on Monday, and…

And I cannot believe I just typed that. It seems like I just gave birth to the little bugger last week, and now I’m getting ready to send him off to school. I think I’m gonna need a martini.

This summer was particularly challenging for me because I am now a full-time college girl. It was no easy feat, but I made it through the semester with my sanity (relatively) intact. The best part of all is that I kicked hairy a** this semester, with 2 A’s and 1 A+. Can I get a “hell yeah”? I’ve signed up for 4 classes this fall. Wish me luck.

Miss Zoe is starting 5th grade next week, in a mainstream classroom. We’re so proud of her–and we’re on the edge of our seats wondering how she’ll do in her new classroom setting. Tomorrow we’re going to meet her new teacher and give Zoe a tour of the new classroom…best to get the lay of the land before Monday. And in other (read: embarrassing for my daughter) news, I had to take Zoe–gulp–bra shopping recently. I haven’t recovered from that one yet. Could someone please explain to me why it’s so hard to find a non-trampy-looking bra for my pre-teen daughter? I mean, it’s not like we were shopping at Victoria’s Secret or Frederick’s of Hollywood. Since when does a child need a push-up bra? Hello?

Oh, and you know I couldn’t leave out Flamenco Dad. In addition to busting his butt all summer teaching and playing weddings, he was asked to be a part of a book about guitar technique. FD was given the task of demonstrating some chords in photos to appear in the book. So he got to be a model for a day! The picture above is not going to be in the book, but it’s an awfully cute picture, so I thought I’d share it. There’s more to cover, but I’m exhausted. I’ll save the rest for another day.

Be Back Soon

Hello, internets! I’ve been a naughty blogger…few posts, no visiting other blogs…what gives? Well, next week is my last week of summer school; so I’ll soon have plenty of time after that to share lots of gfcf goodness and family fun. I promise!!

I had a bad run of it with wheat and dairy recently; this was partly due to laziness, and partly due to the fact that I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been very well organized in the kitchen and have dined on-the-go more than I care to even think about. Yuck. Folks, it hasn’t been pretty. But I’m determined to get back on the bandwagon. Fear not: Zoe has adhered steadfastly to eating gfcf. I guess I took what precious little time I had to hook Zoe up, but I neglected to do the same for myself. Chalk that one up to a lesson learned.

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed that I do well on my finals!