You Gotta Own It

I love where we live.
We're in the burbs. We're just far enough to have a driveway, but not so far we can't get to the city at a moments notice...roughly speaking.  There are three Market Baskets within ten minutes, and when I bring a van load of groceries home-->I don't have to walk it up three flights of stairs while yelling at the kids to STAY AWAY FROM THE STREET OR YOU WILL GET RUN OVER!!  B.daddy's commute is easier, and he even has a little nook in our home where he can work when needed.  When I open our windows I don't hear the roar of road noise. I hear a church bell tolling the hours.  We can still walk to the town square to get anything we need, which is usually Brazilian barbecue.

But there are days......

I'd consider selling a kidney or two, along with our house, just so we could live CLOSE to the city.
Then I wonder if I'm just thinking of the greener pastures of my past.  I hated renting.  Hated it.  But I loved being able to hop a bus to Harvard Square, to walk up the street to the Danish Pastry House, living shoulder to shoulder with people who grew up in the North End.  And I did not hate having someone to call when something came up.  That was the only time I appreciated throwing thousands of dollars down the drain.  Because then someone else was responsible if the house caved in on itself.  Now we live in a house that is actually old enough to cave in on itself, and it is our full responsibility.  My husband has on numerous occasions reminded me that since our house was built in 1832 and it is still standing, it's safe to assume it has stood the test of time and will not, in fact, spontaneously fall to the ground.  A girl can worry though.  Against all reason, I worry that everything will come crashing down and we'll be in deep doodoo.

So this whole home-ownership thing has become more of a refining process than I ever thought it would be.  I was so excited to finally have Our Own House.  I understood the responsibilities we'd be adding to our repertoire; we WANTED an old house to fix up and make our own.  But I hadn't actually lived it yet, hadn't stood in the kitchen wondering, What in the world do we do first?  Heck, I hadn't even seen the house yet.  This house has drawn me to prayer like never before.  I prayed my heart out to get us in, and now I pray ceaselessly that we will not be buried beneath it.

 After all this rambling, I don't know that I have any grand take-away.  All I know is that I have to pray constantly so that I won't lose my mind in worry and fear.  In the end it is just a house. And even if we do lose everything through some sad course of events, we will not be alone. The Lord will always provide and care for us, and we have family and friends just crazy enough to let us rely on them in times of need.  So after this recurring cycle of discontent followed by worry I land on, We are blessed.  We are going to be okay, and we are blessed.

Would You Rather

Did you ever play Would You Rather?  It's the best Debbie Downer game on the planet.

"Would you rather burn to death or drown?"

"Would you rather be buried alive or slowly freeze to death in a commercial freezer?"

"Would you rather be mauled by a bear or bitten by a rattlesnake?"

Of course there are much milder ways to play the game.  Questions about vacation choices or possible career paths.  But my high school friends always thought of the worst imaginable ways to die and forced each other to choose between them.

That's how I feel about diet restrictions.

Every once in a while I will have need to bake sans dairy.  It goes against every fiber of my being, and I only attempt such a feat for a friend.*  I. Love. Dairy.  And I've attempted gluten-free baking once, but I do not believe I will ever do that again.  What about the dinner rolls?  What about----Dessert!?  Oy vey!  How can I bake without flour?  I. Love. Flour.  I'll have to stick to meat and produce for those serving hard gluten-free time.

SO, here is a recipe for a diary-free Carrot Cake I made for a friend. Said friend and I were lamenting her temporary dairy-free state, and shuddering at the prospect of ever having to commit to a gluten-free diet.  We love our food, the way we want it, with all the good stuff inside!  I promised other friends I would post this recipe...weeks ago, so here it is.  This cake is yummy, yummy moist, and the layers came out smooth as butter.  The frosting can prove quite shifty, so when layering you might want to employ the use of toothpicks for stability.

Dairy-Free Carrot Cake

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup oil

4 eggs

4 cups grated carrots

1~Mix your dry ingredients.  Grate carrots; prepare wet ingredients including carrots.

2~Throw 'em together and mix well.

3~Pour into 2 greased 9-inch round pans.

4~Bake @ 350 for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely.

Dairy-Free Meringue Frosting

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 egg white

1/3 cup boiling water

1~Combine first 3 ingredients in mixing bowl with wire whisk; mix well.  Add boiling water while whisking.

2~Beat on high for 6-10 minutes until peaks form.

3~Once you reach perfect peak status, just see how awesome it is to slather this on that cake!

*I need to clarify that I do not begrudge my friends for having diet restrictions.  I love a good challenge, and I will never turn down an opportunity to feed someone I love just because I can't use butter or flour. People are more important than food.  I'm just saying, if I had to restrict MY diet for the sake of my health or my kids...  Well.  Call up the prayer chain and put me on the list.