Merry Christmas Eve!

i ran around town like a chicken with my head cut off this morning

running last minute errands

picking up groceries

and meeting a good friend for lunch

i've never been the type to be out and about on Christmas eve,

but that's just how it turned out this year

and it actually wasn't bad!

(well, i knew lunch would be wonderful, but the rest was a nice surprise)

now that everything's checked off the list though,

we've got the best part to look forward to:

Chirstmas-ing

Daniel got off work early, so we're all home

and there is nothing left to do but celebrate Christmas:

the coming of the Christ to earth, in a manger as a baby named Jesus

(read the Christmas story here)

our family is kicking off the Christmas celebration by:

- going to a Christmas eve service at our Church tonight

- giving the kids their Christmas jams

- spending time together
- wrapping up the last few presents

- trying to go to sleep, despite all the excitement
(let me tell you, Christmas morning is way more exciting for me as a parent than it ever was before)

- reading scripture, reminding ourselves of the good news and responding with joy!

"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased"

Luke 2:14

may the song of the angels 

be the Gospel song that causes your heart to sing this season, friends

Merry Christmas, from my little family to you and yours!

*photo by green ginger photography

here come ninjabread men!

in my last post, i mentioned making ninjabread men with my girlies
as one of our new Christmas tradtions

well today is the day that i share the recipe with you!
(note:  you should be very excited, this is the best gingerbread recipe i have ever tried...no joke, peeps!)

and it's quite fitting that i broke out the ninjabread man cookie cutters

not just because ninjas make everything more awesome, 

but because these guys are surprisingly both delicious + healthy!

imagine chewy, spicy, perfectly sweetened gingerbread men

that are free of grain, soy, dairy, egg and refined sugar

i wondered if it was too good to be true when i stumbled upon the original recipe

then i figured i'd give it a shot - if they didn't work out, i never had to make them again, right?

let's just say, i will be making these again....and again, and again!

dry ingredients:
2 1/4 cups (packed) almond flour
1/2 cup organic, non-gmo coconut sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp sea salt 

wet ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp organic applesauce
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp blackstrap molasses


directions:

- preheat your oven to 325* then line your biggest baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside

- combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well

- add wet ingredients and stir, stir, stir!
(at first, it'll look really dry, but just keep on stirring - eventually, you'll begin to see a dough forming...we used our favorite spoonula so the girlies could help stir, but i'm sure you could get your hands dirty and knead to help speed it up)

- roll out said dough between two sheets of parchment paper until it is about a 1/4 inch thick, then put your cookie cutters to work! (once again, i used ninjabread cookie cutters, but any will do) 

- repeat until you're all out of dough - try not to eat all the dough in the process (we had to convince the kiddos to save some for baking!)

- place the cookies on your prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes; try to let them cool completely before removing them from your tray
...we may or may not have snuck a couple before that point... 

the cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container
ours only lasted two days (oops), but i can vouch for their freshness that far!

Christmas Traditions

are there certain things that your family does every year during the Christmas season?
growing up, we didn't have many Christmas traditions

but the few we did have are so special to me

if you follow me on instagram, you saw this post last week:

my mom has been baking up a storm lately
she's made a little of this, and a little of that
but mostly she's made batch after batch of these, using my Grandma's secret recipe:

aren't they gorgeous?

they're an Egyptian cookie called "Kahk"

(always a fun word to try and teach someone ;) )

and they don't tend to last long around here...

i've never had the chance to try my hand at making them
(my mom's copy of the recipe is in Arabic - darn, should have paid more attention in Arabic class!)
but i do know that they use up an awful lot of ghee,
they make the house smell amazing,
and they take me back to Christmases past and growing up
most of all, they bring back so many wonderful memories of my grandma

she was an amazing woman, a prayer warrior and the most selfless person i've ever known,
she was also probably the most sarcastic person i've met- the woman was hilarious!
she lost her battle with cancer years ago, but i feel lucky and blessed to have grown up with her around
i'm thrilled that she's pain-free and with Jesus now
and i love thinking back to all those happy times watching her bake and laugh and enjoy life with us

who would have thought that something as simple as Christmas baking could mean so much?
i certainly didn't think much of it growing up
(well, i looked forward to the end product of all that baking, but that was about it!)
but in hindsight, i realize that family traditions mean so much more than simply doing the same things
year after year

so i did some research this weekend,
and made note of some ideas for traditions we can start with the girlies
most will have to wait till next year,
either because it's too late in the season
or because they're just a tad too young to understand / enjoy them this time around

here's what we've already done / started doing this weekend (with our now almost 2 year olds):
- sing Christmas carols together
- give them new Christmas jams on Christmas Eve,
so they can wear them that night and while opening presents the next morning
- baked some awesome ninjabread men
(recipe and pictures coming soon!)
- continued our celebration of Advent at church

and just like that, we've made a step towards creating our own traditions
i'm super excited to make more with my little family
and am really looking forward to being able to explain to them the real meaning of Christmas next year
of Jesus' birth and what that means and why it is such a joyful occasion

i hope you're enjoying the season and feeling festive today,
feel free to share your Christmas traditions in the comments
(or any good ideas for two year olds! ;) )

on going paleo / primal + a handful of recipes (part 2)

hello friends,
happy friday!
what are you up to today?
i spent a couple hours on the phone this morning
tracking down wayward Christmas deliveries,
got creative trying to feed my suddenly-uninterested-in-food toddlers
(anyone else deal with this?  i'd love any ideas / suggestions!)
and spent the entire morning ignoring the to-do list / chores in order to read and play and snuggle
since i gotta make up for all i'm gonna miss tonight
when we leave the girlies with grandma in order to go to Daniel's work party

speaking of which, i have to be ready pretty soon,
and instead i'm sitting on the couch in my jams
hair up in a bun
and not even a hint of makeup on

but yesterday, i listed some grain / gluten free and nutritious meal ideas
and promised to come back with more today,
so this will be short and to the point
(i didn't want to let you down!)

anyway, i hope you give some of them a try - let me know if you do, i'd love to hear your thoughts!

turkey-wich + raw veg

looking for a quick paleo-ish snack / light lunch?  look no further!  i had some cooked and sliced turkey breast in the fridge so i made a cheese "sandwich" using my turkey slices as bread (you could sub the cheese out for some other filling if you don't do dairy) then chopped up some cucumber on the side (carrots or other veggies that don't require cooking would be an easy add-on too)

blueberry scuffins... 'nuff said! 

homemade paleo granola (lots of recipes online...i'm still perfecting mine, but when i do, i'll be sure to share it!) + coconut milk + frozen wild / organic berries (since mid-december isn't really berry season around here)

gluten free "mac n cheese" 

baked spaghetti squash topped with a parmesan and romano blend...it's even the same color as KD, (but way healthier, obviously)!

thanksgiving leftover bowl

another "empty out the fridge" dish - chopped up cooked ham (nitrite free) and peas over a bed of baked spaghetti squash then topped with a guac "sauce" (you can add some parm/romano blend for extra zest)

and that's a wrap!

hope you all have an awesome weekend

on going paleo / primal + a handful of recipes (part 1)

a couple of months ago,
i decided to go paleo / primal for a few weeks
in an effort to try and heal certain issues i've been having with my body

i went in cold turkey
and suffered from some serious "carb flu"
(which i didn't even know existed before!)
but once i got through about a week of that...i actually felt better!

all of a sudden,
i didn't have to eat every 2-3 hours in order to avoid melting down
i didn't go to bed every night with an upset tummy
my energy and blood sugar levels "magically" evened out
my hair got thicker
my skin became less dry
etc

now, i've never been much of a bandwagon jumper,
but i was sold!
i've always eaten pretty well,
but drastically cutting back on grain and sugar
then focusing on eating high quality protein, as many vegetables as i could fit in + healthy fats instead
had made a HUGE difference in my overall well being

but let's be honest, here:  i'm not always great at sticking to it
in fact, i tend to be an all or nothing type of person
so in order to help myself not let this new way of eating take over / stress me out,
i aim for the 80/20 rule
which means that i try and stick to it 80% of the time
and not worry about it the rest of the time
(although sometimes, it's more like 50/50 - hah!  ...moderation, right? ;) )

at any rate, the toughest part of this whole shift
was coming up with grain free, nutrient dense meal ideas,
especially for breakfast
so i thought i'd share some ideas that worked for me
in case you wanted to give it a try!
(or if you just want some delicious / easy / quick / healthy meal ideas)

**note:  having recently spent a lot of time researching meal ideas, i know it can be overwhelming to sort through a sea of recipes, so i decided to split this post into two parts - come by tomorrow for another batch of meal ideas!**

sweet potato hash

shred up sweet potato and fry it up in some bacon grease...i try to avoid constantly stirring so that it gets a bit of that charred flavor to it - delish!  serve with a side of high quality protein (free range / local eggs, nitrite free bacon & nitrite free smokies with no mystery ingredients added are some of my favorites)

eggs + veg

sometimes, i stuff my eggs with vegetables, sometimes i just plop them on top of or beside them.  if i feel like living it up a bit, i sometimes add a bit of goat brie to my eggs + veg...amaze-balls!
also, this is a great way of using up leftover veggies kicking around in the fridge

paleo shepard's pie

speaking of leftovers, this was one of those "lets throw whatever's in the fridge together" meals that worked out just right:  leftover steamed cauliflower + leftover gaps friendly gravy ( both from our thanksgiving menu) + leftover seasoned grass-fed ground beef (from taco night).  just heat and mix everything together for a delicious shepard's pie-ish bowl of comfort

breakfast bowl

this one was inspired by my sister's favorite breakfast, except i subbed out the hash brown base she usually uses with cubed and pan fried acorn squash.  add some eggs, chopped green onions, plus a sprinkling of mozz and you are set!  oh, and s+p, to taste

enjoy!

thankful round up

(source)

so, thanksgiving came late this year
and even later, is this thanksgiving related post
it's been a long week - deadlines, sick kiddos, Christmas shopping, personal struggles, etc
but despite all the delay, i wanted to share one last thanksgiving post
before moving on to more Christmas-y things
deal?

alright, so the first thing i wanted to share was our thanksgiving meal
this year, i made everything but the turkey (thanks mom!),
as well as some dirty rice and a couple pumpkin pies (thanks to my brother and sister in law)

given all the gluten-free / non-inflammatory food research i've done recently,
my portion of the meal was made a little differently this year
so this is what our final menu looked like:

i tried to choose menu items that were gluten / grain free and nutrient dense,
but not sacrifice on taste for my guinea pigs' --i mean, guests' sake
...aaaand most of the recipes were ones i'd never made before
needless to say, i was a bit nervous about how everything would turn out
but you know what?
the dishes worked out so well, and i was super proud to serve the meal to my family!


here are links to some of my favorites + any tweaks i made / comments:
roasted carrot mash
(roasted the carrots in avocado oil instead and subbed out the butter/ghee at the end for coconut oil)
gaps friendly gravy
(i NEVER caramelize anything [too much effort - hah] but this recipe, was worth it...and may have changed my mind on caramelizing!)
coconut "cornbread" muffins
(i totally over baked these + greased instead of lined the muffin tin, and undergreased at that so they came out dark and stuck-on...and they were still gobbled up!)
mulled apple cider
(k, to be honest, i originally made this just to make the house smell amazing, and it totally worked...with the added bonus of being super delicious!  
i cut the recipe in half, replaced the cinnamon sticks with 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and used 1 tsp cloves + 1 tsp allspice for my mulling spices)


alrightee, now that you've gotten a run-down of our meal,
how about a wrap up of my #novemberthanks?

1. for my man, who, despite the cold and fog, skipped out on watching his football to take me and the girls to the beach + a coffee shop breakfast date, complete with bird chasing.

2. to live in a country where i can enjoy the great outdoors and take photos in it, thanks in part to our veterans and their families who have given up so much to keep it that way.

3. for pretty packaging...and the chocolate that it holds

4. for homemade granola + the clear pictures that i can now get on my phone thanks to my hubs fixing it (along with all kinds of other things) for me, and with a smile on his face too!

5. for getting to live out dreams, like my sister and i having kids that would grow up together and be the best of friends - i'd say we're off to a great start

6. for the warmth and shelter of our home and vehicles, especially when the elements aren't so pretty

7. for nourishing food, and how it can help heal our bodies

8. for sunshine, and simple pleasures like trying out new coffeeshops

9. for skillet suppers...'nuf said

10. for mercies that are new every morning

11. for the beautiful seascape we have here on the pacific northwest

12. for coconut "cornbread" muffins, which are evidence of grace in a grain-free life!

13. for found baby dolls and favorite toys

14. for turkey, obviously the kiddos in my life, good food, the anticipation of a big family dinner and Jesus, the source of our joy, who makes all these things possible

and so, with hearts FULL of thanks, we move on to the Christmas season!

blueberry scuffins

what's a scuffin, you ask?

well, it's a scone-turned-muffin

or maybe it's a round mini scone

it doesn't really matter what you choose to call them,

all that matters is you make them

now

i made a dozen of these babies last monday morning

by tuesday morning, there were none left

they're that good

plus they're gluten free, dairy free and only lightly sweetened

extra bonus points:  the girls couldn't get enough of these and they were even daniel approved
(and not in that i-love-you-so-i'll-have-a-thank-you-helping way...he really, truly liked them!)

it all started when i spotted some cashew flour at Trader Joe's
while emptying the shelves stocking up in the nuts and seeds aisle
and since i've been doing a lot of gluten free baking recently
i thought it might be nice to try a different kind of flour
(vs. almond or coconut flour - both of which i love, but i also love variety, if ya know what i mean)

so i threw it in my cart,
made random small talk with the cashier
("oh, that's a new item we're carrying...i love gingersnaps and frozen berries...care to try a dark chocolate peanut butter cup?" etc),
then brought my loot home
and began my search for a cashew-based recipe

after sifting through a few search results,
i decided on this recipe,
and with just a few tweaks i was happily measuring and mixing ingredients
until it came time to pour my batter into my pan
and it hit me that my 9" metal pan was in storage!!!

but i decided not to let something silly like that faze me:

don't have the right sized pan?  just bake them in a muffin tin instead!
and thus, the birth of the scuffin

so, now that i've given you waaaaaaaaaay more background info that you cared for
i'll get to the good part and give you my version of the recipe

grain / dairy free wild blueberry scuffins

ingredients:

- 1 1/3 cup cashew flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 cup frozen wild blueberries

 - 1/4 cup organic coconut oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg (preferably local / free range / organic - they totally taste better!)

instructions:
- preheat oven to 350* and line or grease a muffin tin 
(i was feeling lazy so i lined mine with parchment paper baking cups)

- measure and set out blueberries so they can thaw out a bit while you get everything else ready

- in a medium sized bowl, mix dry ingredients (first "set" above) and put aside

- warm your coconut oil until it's just melted (preferably stove-top, but microwave works too) then add in the maple syrup and vanilla (if you went the stove-top route, remove it from heat first) and set aside while you stir your blueberries into your dry ingredient mixture

- next, add your warm liquids mixture into your dry ingredients
(**note:  you are going to want to move quickly, otherwise the frozen blueberries will harden your coconut oil and it won't mix in as well**)

- lightly beat your egg and add it to the batter

- divide batter into your prepared muffin tin (they won't fill up the way muffins do - think flatter and more dense) and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden on top

- once they're baked, transfer your scuffins to a cooling rack and resist the urge to dig in for 5-10 minutes

enjoy!

dear baby girls, 

this letter is long overdue, and i mean loooooooooooooong overdue.  i've written it time and time again in my head while drifting off to sleep, smiling over the things you said and did that day; while listening to you and daddy giggle and play; while watching you learn new skills; while stepping into your room and tucking you in long after you've fallen asleep...  there are so many little moments that i want to remember so that i can tell your stories back to you when you're older.  

the last time i wrote you a letter was exactly four months plus one day ago.  you had just turned 18 months old and were starting to say a couple of words - and now, four short months later, your vocabulary has grown so much!  i think you ask "what's that" about a hundred times a day, if not more - that's one of my favorite of your phrases.  you love barnyard animals (and making animal sounds!) and your rocking horses are a big hit.  we talk about birds and where they live, apples and the trees they grow on, bugs and fish and caterpillars too.  

you're so curious and it's amazing to watch your eyes fill with wonder as you learn so much each and every day.  you also love to play dress up.  you put on hats and layers of jackets, vests, dresses, socks - whatever you can get your hands on, really.  there's usually lots of giggling involved...and then you applaud yourselves.  it's really cute.  sometimes, if i'm lucky, you'll even pose for me to take a picture or two.  

another new skill you've been working on is using your very own silverware.  daddy and i went out and bought you a bunch of forks, spoons and even little knives made for toddlers (although you've not tried those yet).  you've really started to get the hang of using them though - such speedy learners!  speaking of learning, you've also gotten pretty good at building forts and climbing stairs - two of your favorite things to practice.  

ooooh, and here's another exciting thing that's happened lately:  your hair is kinda/sorta/almost long enough to put in pigtails and ponytails!!!  you have no idea how excited mama is about this...you, on the other hand, aren't so keen on having bows in your hair.  you love the idea and ask me to put them in over and over again, but it never lasts long.  oh well, it's a process, just like everything else about this parenting / growing up thing.  

on that note, i'm really loving being your mama.  as always, there are days and moments when i'm so frustrated, i want to pull my hair out; but they're outweighed by all the fun we're having along the way, all the moments when i feel like my heart would burst if i found a way to love you any more, all the times you say and do sweet things that turn this mama into a gigantic, cheesy puddle of mush.  

i'm nowhere near the mother i thought i'd be, but that's ok - what matters is that i'm your mother, and some of the best advice i've been given for this journey of motherhood is this:  "you are the best mother for your baby."  i can't place when or where i heard it, but it's comforted me in those moments when i wondered if i was "doing it right" or struggled with those insecurities that so many mothers face.  if you have your own babies one day, i hope you remember these words.  i hope you know that the Lord will never give you more than you can handle.  that He will strengthen and sustain and encourage you through His word, through those He's placed in your life, and yes, even through old letters and strangers' advice.  you just have to focus on those things when you're feeling down.

i love you, girlies.  daddy and i both do...so so so much...all the way to the moon and back, in fact!  but seriously, we pray for you all the time and hope so many good things for you. 

until next time, with much love, 
your mama

keepin' it simple

sometimes, simple is best

take for example, the things i've been thankful for these past couple of days:

that these two have each other - usually the best of friends, sometimes the worst of enemies,

but there's no denying they love each other

for spinach and eggs...for reals, guys, this is a combination i couldn't live without!

warm soup + the stillness of naptime - a rare combination, but oh-so-wonderful

you know what else is simple and awesome?

roasted broccoli

3 ingredients, 3 steps - you can't get much simpler than that!

you guys know i'm not one for complicated recipes

and this one is no exception!

i needed something to serve alongside the simple salmon we were having for dinner

and i threw this together using whatever i had on hand

it was so good, we didn't have any leftovers

but if we did, i'm sure they would have been delicious thrown into a salad for lunch the next day...

(that was my original plan)

anyway, try 'em for yourself and see what you think

ingredients:

- 4 cups broccoli (chopped into medium sized florets)

- 1 shallot / small onion (roughly chopped)

- 1-2 tbsp bacon grease

steps:

1) use a large pan to melt the bacon grease on medium heat

2) add onion and broccoli and stir so that everything gets coated nicely

3) transfer to a large cookie sheet and roast them for 20 minutes, pulling them out halfway through to flip them (i decided to be lazy and lined the cookie sheet with foil to help with clean-up)

i made them earlier in the day then gave them a quick pan-fry (no added grease) to heat them up just before dinner

if this is a bit too simple for you

i'm sure you could do all kinds of flavor variations,  

like maybe a sprinkle of parmesan just before serving?

or lemon zest and fresh ground pepper might be good too...

let me know how it turns out if you change it up!

#novemberthanks

one of my favorite blogs

(one of the few that i regularly "follow")

is Sheena's blog

it's full of funny little stories, amazing recipes, gorgeous photography...you get the picture

i stumbled upon it one day 5 or 6 years ago

and just kept coming back day after day

in fact, if you've followed my blog for some time, 

you might have noticed a few links back to her blog from time to time

now, you may be wondering why on earth i'm randomly talking about another blog

and what on earth that has to do with my bizarre hashtag title

...allow me me string it all together for you:

one of the things i love about Sheena is how conversational and interactive she is on her blog

and one way she does that is by inviting her readers to "play along" when she's up to something

last year (at least i think it was last year), 

she came up with the idea to share something you are thankful for everyday of november on instagram

and use the hashtag #novemberthanks

then, if you wanted, you could see what everyone else was thankful for too

i thought it was a fun idea so i played along

and it turned out to be so much more encouraging than i ever expected

i think when we are intentional about being thankful, 

we begin to realize just how blessed we are

...at least i did!

and when november came to an end, 

i actually felt a little sad having to wait till this november to use the hashtag again, for reals!

these have been my #novemberthanks so far

(please excuse the crappy quality...my phone camera is on it's last leg!)

November 1st:  my girlies watching Alice in Wonderland for the first time...this was my favorite movie as a kid, and i am super thankful to have the opportunity to spend my days at home with them, sharing little moments like this one

November 2nd:  i'm thankful that although our saturdays go by in a total blur, that blur includes these two and their daddy

November 3rd:  this was a legit conversation we had in church...so thankful to get to do life with Daniel; he makes me laugh, even when he's not trying to, and you can never have too much laughter in your life, right?

November 4th:  my old, beat-up espresso machine - i got this thing for $2 at an estate sale when we were still in university.  we didn't even know if it worked, but we figured we'd take the chance and it definitely paid off.  the only reason we even pulled over was because they were giving out free hotdogs and when you're in school, free = awesome...actually, that's the case most of the time, but it's especially true when you're a student!  

and now, every time i use this thing, i can't help but smile and think back to garage sale-ing on a sunny afternoon and giggling with Daniel as we perused all they had out, munching on our hot dogs as we went... :)

now it's your turn - what are you thankful for?

feel free to use the hashtag on instagram 

or write up a blog post and share the link in the comments - i'd love to see it!  :)

i'll try and share my #novemberthanks on here as well as my instagram, 

but if you want to follow me there as well, have at 'er!

strength for today

"And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were rancomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable thirngs such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." 

1 Peter 1:17-19

sometimes, you just wake up in a mood

yesterday was one of those days for me

i woke up in a bit of a funk and spent most the day fighting it off

then, as i flipped through my instagram feed before going to bed, 

i ran into not one, but two encouraging posts

(talk about providence!)

the first one (from @whitneydarling) said, 

"Rise and shine sweet things! Many distractions may attempt to steal your joy, so I encourage you to guard it with both your heart and mind. Be alert, today's joy is for you! And it's yours to keep."

it reminded me that the joy of the Lord is my strength

and if i'm not intentional about it, Satan will certainly creep in there and take it

whether by distraction or mood or worry or fear or whatever it is that gets to you

because if you stop and think about it, 

no matter what the problem is, shifting focus to what really matters

to the Lord and what He has done in us and for us

makes everything else that once seemed so enticing or threatening suddenly seem...insignificant

the second post (from @jess_cudzilo's feed) built off of the same concept,

but also gave me a reminder that these kind of days happen to everyone

plus a living example of the best way to deal with them:

"Woke up this morning bummed out... sadness and disappointment and confusion. Clinging to the truth that God is sovereign not just on occasion and not just when things go my way, but in every detail of every minute. Leaning in, asking for Him to draw near and for fresh perspective. It's a new day."

 and just like that, my heart was encouraged

and the Lord reminded me that His mercies are new every morning

and they're there for us to enjoy!

friends, there is reason to rejoice 

in every situation

in every mood

in every new day

if you find yourself struggling to find joy, 

preach the Gospel to yourself

remind yourself of the good news - the great news

spend time in the Word, reminding your heart of the truth

and look around - there is evidence of grace everwhere:

new mornings,

sunshine, 

provision, 

beauty,

redemption...

...you were ransomed and that changes everything.

almost sunday blogging

it's super late on saturday night

and i should be sleeping

but instead here i am, 

whipping together the quickest blog post ever 

because it's already a week overdue (almost a week plus a day!)

anyway, let's keep this short and sweet:

today, Daniel is twenty nine years + one week old

what an old fart, eh?

but he's my old fart, and i wanted to wish him a public happy (albeit belated) birthday

i love you, Daniel

hope this next year's the best one yet!

p.s. guess what else was short and sweet? this birthday cookie's life...oops.

p.p.s. it's already past midnight...but i'm still counting this as a saturday post -it's the thought that counts, right?  ;)