OMG!!!

HE'S COMING HOME!!
I can't believe its been two years already. Some parts of it felt like they were passing painfully slow. Now that we've reached the end I feel like it went by so fast! I wonder if he is ready to come home. I hope he isn't too weird for too long.... I love you little brother boy.

what my dreams look like pt 2

Someday.
Yesterday my mother was showing me all the magical things she acquired when she and her sisters were cleaning out part of Grandmas sewing room. Zippers, lace, ric rac, fabrics, patterns, buttons, needles, beads, and doo dads of all sorts. My Grandma made everything at home! I know she sewed most of my aunts clothes and taught them how to sew too. I'm so grateful that my mom has tried to pass that on to me. I'm terrible at it but I can do straight lines and I want to learn more! I would love to make my own clothes and be as handy as my mom and her mom are.
Someday.

Want.

This is what my dreams are made of.

this too shall pass

If you followed the link in my last post to my mothers blog then I'm sure you read all about my Grandma Jean passing away. I was feeling too messy to write about it but my mom is stronger and braver and she wrote it all down, honestly and sincerely. The past month has been intense and emotional and overwhelming. But we made it through! I have the most incredible family and friends. I felt so much lighter and peaceful once my sisters got here. I need them so much more than they know. I am extremely fortunate. I miss Jean. She made things so simple, I want to be more like her. I could talk forever about the funeral and all the people who supported us and all my memories of Jean but it's still a little too tender and I'm going to keep it to myself for a while still.

Mom and I at the funeral luncheon.

The cats and I have moved out of my tiny one bedroom apartment at the Oxford Place. We are setting up shop and getting cozy in a big (bigger than I've ever lived in besides my parents) blue house by the capitol. I have my own freaking backyard with space to plant vegetables. The house has great potential and I'm excited to fix it up and make it beautiful. My life long friend Mikayle is going to move in with me pretty soon here. We lived together once before and it seemed to work out pretty well and I think we'll make a good team again. The house needs work but I've got permission to paint pretty much anything I want (turquoise kitchen here I come) and since the landlord is my best friends husband, I think any projects I want to do will be approved. Moving was stressful and emotional (why am I such a baby?) but with my mom and dad and my amazing boyfriends (curtis I adore you) help we got it all done. Lisa is a saint and helped me sanitize the kitchen. I do not know what I would do without her, she is a fabulous friend indeed. Did I mention I have a white picket fence now? Dreamy.

Quinn and Megan- Making my new house possible for me. I love them so much. So blessed to have her as my sister soul mate. You can kinda see the white picket fence way back in the background!

Elton and Coop stepping outside into their new yard. I hope they are brave and earn some street cred.

More to come, hopefully.

words

There are certain things I just can't find words for.
Head on over to my moms blog to read about my Grandma, if you want.

http://pollywog-jensenfamily.blogspot.com/

Caturday

I have a million things to do today.

But first, a nice yummy breakfast with Lisa. Sometimes I call her at 9am and wake her up and make her walk to my house so I can make tofu scramble and not eat it all alone. I won't say I never bribe her.

Green Tea, pancakes, and tofu scramble with bok choy.

Today is going to rule.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. The endless hunt.

The smell of cookies baking is something I was raised on. My mom bakes all the time. I suspect it makes her feel good. She baked for us, for family, for neighbors. All of our friends knew that when they came to play there would be cookies. Paula = baked goods, it's a fact. My dad has one cookie recipe in his head and he bakes them often. I've never seen it written down. He has it memorized. He always burns them, on purpose I think.

I have tried at least ten different vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes and I can't seem to find the right one. These are okay but not my favorite. Recipe comes from Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Ingredients:

1 C margarine

1 1/4 C sugar

1 T molasses

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350

Cream together the margarine and sugar until fluffy. Add the molasses and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

They're ok. Share your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with me! I'm comfortable replacing up to two eggs but not more than that.