Allergy Free Graham Crackers

1 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Flour

1/2 cup Quinoa flour

1 cup Tapioca flour

1 tsp Xanthum Gum

1 tsp Baking powder (for Jaxon I sub this with all baking soda due to the Corn allergy)

1/2 tsp Baking soda

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 cup Brown sugar

1/2 cup Palm Shortening (or Nucoa Margarine or Smart Balance light if you can have soy)

1 tsp Vanilla

2 tbs pure Maple syrup or Honey

4 tbs cold water

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix all dry ingredients first then cut in palm shortening with a fork! Add remainder of the liquids and mix well. Form into a dough ball. Roll out dough as thin as you like, about 1/8 inch works best. Dust counter with GF all purpose flour or tapioca flour to roll out dough. We use star cookie cutters most of the time but round is easiest. Put cinnamon and sugar on top before putting in the oven. They don't grown in shape much so pack the pan full. Bake 11-14 minutes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Flour

1/2 cup Quinoa flour

1/4 cup Sugar

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Xantham Gum

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 quart Vanilla Soy Milk or Water, enough to make the batter thin

1 12 oz can Pumpkin

Mix it all together then put it on a hot griddle. Make sure to spread out the batter to make it thin. Use non stick cooking spray for best results. They are not fluffy like normal pancakes, but still good.

I serve these to Jaxon with soy margarine and Maple syrup. He likes blueberries on top. He would eat them 24/7 if I let him and this recipe makes a TON! We let them cool then throw them in a bag in the refrigerator or freeze some.

Noodles for Jaxon

I always want Jaxon to eat what the family is eating, but honestly we can only eat chicken and broccoli so many times! I found a recipe for buckwheat noodles, but I did not have any buckwheat. Buckwheat is a seed, not at all related to wheat. In case you were wondering. I know you were!

Here is my own version which I changed into Quinoa & Teff noodles. Quinoa is awesome and teff I had never used before, but I had it so why not?

1 cup quinoa flour

1/2 cup teff flour

1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill GF all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup water depending on preference

Extra flour for kneading and rolling it out

I just mixed it up and rolled it out as thin as I could get it without tearing. Then I cut it into strips like fettuccine.

While I was making the dough I put on a pot of water to boil.

I threw it in a pot and let it boil a few minutes too long while I was distracted with the normal immediate needs of my children. We have had some biting issues recently! Jaxon is definitely 2!
The finished noodles were grainy but what do I expect from noodles that are protein and fiber packed! Basically they taste like whole wheat noodles. Jaxon was not too convinced when we put them on his plate but I am used to him turning his nose up to my creations at first. I hope with a little more convincing they will be a new favorite!

I promise to post the recipes I use for graham crackers and pumpkin muffins ASAP. People have been asking for them for months and I keep forgetting! I also promise to post Jaxon's new favorite pumpkin pancake recipe in the next few days.

Christmas Tradition

I always make my boys their own Christmas stocking. It is tradition. My grandmother started it when she made one for me and each of my cousins. I enjoy the challenge and the deadline, which I quite obviously missed.

It took me almost a month to sit down and finally complete the name tag but I did it! Now I am done. Yeah! Check it off my list. I hope he likes fire fighters.

Utah = FREEZING!

We went to Utah to visit friends and family for 8 days. It was a great trip but so extremely cold. We went from my parent's home in Hemet, CA to my friend Jody's home in Enoch, UT. We stayed one night with her family on the way there and back. They enjoy playing games as much as we do so we had a great time with Blokus and Risk.

Our main objective was to visit Johnny's brother James and his family in Logan. It was so great to spend time with them and their 5 kids. Our boys loved playing with their cousins. The food was amazing!

The snow has never been very enticing for me; I am a wimp! It was SOOOOO COLD. The high one day was 4 degrees! When it was a little warmer (as warm as the 30s can be) we went to an outdoor play fort that looked like a castle. It took about 45 minutes to get all the kids bundled and out the door. This was Daniel after less than 5 minutes. Maybe if he would have kept his gloves on his hands would not have been icicles. He spent the rest of the time in the car with his toes on the heater vent. He is just like me!

Jaxon lasted a little longer. Wesley was the most content in his snow suit.

To tell the truth we were home within half an hour!

The next day Johnny and my sister-in-law Becki took some of the kids sledding. I used the excuse that Jaxon was sleeping so I would not have to go out in the cold. Instead my niece Jamayka and I played Mario Brothers on the Wii. It is a good thing we don't have one or I would be addicted!

The stair case at the house there was very steep and I fell down the stairs while holding Wesley. I was able to turn while I fell so he was not hurt, but it was a very scary experience. I am still bruised and sore but there was no serious injury. I was so worried Wesley might be hurt but he was calmer than I was.

It was a great trip but it is nice to be back!

Hulse Family Christmas

Christmas this year was low key. We were at my parent's home. The boys both had Santa call on Christmas Eve and tell them to be good and go to bed early. They both had huge smiles and bright eyes. We watched the Joy to the World DVD sent out by the church and read the Christmas story in Luke. It was nice. The boys were excited to get new PJs. Johnny and I stayed up late putting together a Thomas the Train set and a fire/police station. Johnny put together the new bikes.

Wesley's first Christmas. He slept until almost 9am and missed all the present opening chaos.

Christmas morning started about 5am.

Merry Christmas. We didn't send out a Christmas card this year, I was way too behind. Maybe we should start sending out Valentine's Day cards...

Johnny found out he is 22nd on the Active Apprentice list so we have a few more weeks off before he is assigned to a new location. We are using our time together to visit family. New Years was spent in Bagdad, AZ playing games and visiting Johnny's brother Michael and his family. Now we are heading off to Utah for about 10 days then back to LA to see Riverdance! Yeah.

I LOVE having so much time with Johnny. I sleep in! Johnny gets up early with the boys. Heaven. I get to take long hot showers by myself without little heads popping in and out of the door. I wish it could be like this all the time. Johnny wrestles with the boys and takes them out to ride bikes and drive Daniel's Hummer. We play games after dinner with my parent's and my dad tickles the boys like my grandpa used to tickle me. Johnny and I stay up late talking in whispers and laughing like we were newlyweds. He reads scriptures to me as I fall asleep. Wonderful, that is the best word for it. Wonderful.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Jaxon's new name is trouble!

I give you exhibit A: an economy size container of Desitin. It was brand spankin' new.

Exhibit B: the boy's bedroom at my parent's house. We had just returned from New Years weekend at Johnny's brothers house so we were not even all the way unpacked yet.

I was feeding the baby and thought both boys were outside with my dad. I guess Jaxon decided not to go outside and instead took the opportunity to spend some time alone in his room.

Exhibit C: Our favorite leather chair.Exhibit D: the beds, books, winter jackets, floor, wall, door, etc.

Exhibit E: a very proud 2 year-old in brand new PJs.

The clean-up was not as terrible as expected. First we scraped off the excess with a spatula then cleaned the rest off with Swiffer clothes (my dad's suggestion). Who would have guessed?

I am totally sending this story into Swiffer.


We washed the clothes with vinegar. Miraculously it all came out.

Now we are off to Utah to visit family before Johnny is assigned to a new area.