Working My Way Back to You...Erie (Part 2)

Wow! I can't believe we've already been here for only 6 weeks! Maybe it's because we already know the area or maybe it's because we already have friends here but, it just seems like we've been here for months. Of course we love all the extra space we have in our new house but, we sure have filled it up with no problem. The only additional furniture I've acquired are 4 dining sized rattan chairs. Love them because of the style but, also because I purchased them for $10 each when The Thrifty Shopper was having a 50% off sale. The plan is to recover the cushions but, is on hold until I find the perfect fabric. Perhaps I will figure out how to add pictures to these posts and share some before and afters :-)
I was working obsessively to unpack the first month we were here and now have lost that momentum. The house is pretty good but, the office is about 60% unpacked...this is not good for my MK business and I really do need to make some extra $$ to get through these next few months until DrOgg's residency starts (June 28th!). Also, since I've weaned off Strattera my ADHD symptoms have come back in full force. As a result my housekeeping seems to have declined. I'm starting to notice some old piles creeping into our master bedroom and need to figure out a way to break through these old bad habits with out meds. One idea I'm trying right now utilizes a kitchen timer I found at The Christmas Tree Stores (words can't describe my newly discovered love for this superstore). The timer is cheery and yellow with a smiley face with the hope that it can make me feel better about doing tasks I'm not in the mood for. Basically, the idea is that by timing your activities to 45 minutes or less that it will help get you started because you can do almost anything for 15-45 min. Also, for someone like me with severe ADHD I think it will help keep me from wasting time. For example, when I intend to spend 15 minutes checking on some blogs and instead spend 2 hours. Instead I will limit myself like I am doing right now...25 minutes left!!! A side perk I didn't realize is that the timer is quite a bit louder than I expected so it gives a sense of urgency to the task as well. :-) Can I live my life like this? We will see. I know my natural bent is to balk at routine and time management even though I so desperately need it. I suppose "normal" people have an internal timer and/or ticking sound that helps them get things done in a timely manner. Maybe this is how they can actually get things done on schedule and not be 5-15 minutes late to absolutely everything. Must be nice.
Since the ADHD struggles are a separate issue I would say that all in all being back in Erie is good. It's been nice catching up with the girls that I used to spend time with before. And it's been fun meeting other moms in the new playgroup that the Ogglet and I have been going to. Also, we're enjoying watching an unbelievable number of flowers pop out of our new house's flower beds. I am so thankful to the previous owners for their apparent care and love for the outdoors. Hopefully soon the weather will clear so we can also enjoy the covered patio out back. Next, we can put up the picket fence to keep our doggies and babies in the yard...hang a porch swing...make some lemonade...I guess we've made it back.

Coconut Oil: How Do I Love Thee? Let me Count The Ways...

So if you are my friend or family member you already know about my obsession with coconut oil. What I've learned is that it is chock full of healthy fats and without any cholesterol. It's texture makes it an awesome replacement for shortening and also for butter. Since I've been talking about my LOVE for coconut oil some folks have asked me how I've been using it in my cooking and I thought it might be fun to keep a running list of the ways I have used coconut oil. Now, I can tell you that I have tried it in sauteeing twice and was not a huge fan. It hits a smoking temp earlier than olive oil and since I tend to burn things as it is this is not good for me. I have read people online say they use it for this purpose however, I figure olive oil is also a very health oil so it's just easier for me. I've only tried two types of olive oil so far but, really like Nutiva becaue it is more reasonably priced, is expellar pressed (this is important) and it has a more fragrant coconutty flavor than the other brand did. Enough about this...here is my list:

-Spread on bread, bagels, banana bread, corn bread
-Slathered on mixed veggies, and corn on the cob
-Substitution for shortening or butter in yellow cake mix
-Substitution for shortening and butter in buttercream icing
-Substitution for butter in banana bread (yes, the same one I spread it on)
-Substitution for butter in corn bread recipe
-Made a healthier version of rice by replacing the suggested butter with 1 part olive oil and 1 part coconut oil. This makes the rice really yummy (and I do use the suggested salt)
- My favorite has been expirementing with a coconut oil icing recipe. I actually enjoy this more than traditional buttercream frosting. Please try the recipe and let me know what you think. It's on the page "Too Good To Keep To Myself."

From what I've read you can replace shortening (yicky animal fat) in any baking recipe with coconut oil. Soon I plan to try this with oatmeal cookies. It makes me really happy to think of all the cholesteral I have avoided in my family's diet with just this one small change. And I've really come to love coconut oil!! Dr Ogg says if I love it so much why don't I marry it ;-) We're so juvenile hehe Seriosly though, please try it and let me know what you think.