GLUTEN FREE YUM ALERT!

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

(Picture Shown = Gluten Free Style)

As you can see, these were a HUGE hit. I originally had planned to make them for MK's staff. They turned out SUPER moist and delicious - but were a bit messy to try to get out of the pan in time for the staff meeting. So we gave some to our good friend, Beth, and mostly ate the rest of the pan ourselves. Not the best idea for someone who is training for a half marathon and for someone else who is aiming to loose a little weight.

So it goes.

Rumor has it, these brownies are an excellent breakfast option.

RECIPE HERE.

To make the recipe gluten free friendly,

all I did was buy the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie mix.

SO EASY!!!

For Grace : Kole Christmas

The Kole/Wiley Christmas Guidelines:

(a response to my sister-in-law's recent blog post)

1. Halloween sucks. Just added this year - White Christmas lights may be put up INSIDE the day after Halloween to put everyone in a cheerful mood and create a cozy atmosphere. If the Kole Family ever buys a house, white lights will also be displayed OUTSIDE!

2. The rest of the Christmas decorations should be put up on Thanksgiving Day. Just added this year - if one family member will be away on Thanksgiving Day, it should be permissible to at least put up the Christmas tree prior to the family member leaving.

3. Christmas music is permissible on Thanksgiving Day and after until January 1st.

4. O Holy Night (all versions) must be played at least once a day, if not numerous times a day, during the Christmas music allowance time.

5. Santa is not real. Christ is real. Norah will know both of these facts, and as a result, will know the holy reason for the season. :o) Yes, yes...this probably means Norah will ruin "the joy of Santa" for other kids - you have been warned.

6. Giving should not be limited to Christmas time. Therefore, the family must give to those in need throughout the whole year.

7. Stockings are to be filled mostly with useful and needed items (socks, deodorant, soap, etc.) and a few fun items.

8. An ornament must be made/bought each Christmas and labeled with the year.

9. Snowflake and snow people decorations are a must.

10. One gift can be opened by each family member on Christmas Eve.

11. Church shall be attended on Christmas Eve (whether in-person or via internet due to a little one's bedtime).

11. Stockings can be opened once each family member is awake (non-showered).

12. Presents are to be opened after everyone is showered and ready for the day.

13. The gift of a tattoo session will be given each year to husband and wife.

14. Football must be on for the entire showing.

15. Excessive baking and sweet consumption is unavoidable; increased workout sessions are strongly encouraged.

16. Christmas decorations must come down the first week of January, but snowflake decorations may remain for another month or so.

Talking about all of this makes me realize how very excited I am to once again be spending the precious holiday with my husband and baby.

Love you all.

Dancing. Newspapers. Family Time.

In that order...

The Past Week in Pictures

Norah had a cold:

Naked Slurpees:

Teeth were brushed:

My beard got even more awesome:

NEWSLETTER ARTICLE!
"You May Be Proud to Be an American, but America May Not Be Proud of You."

I feel like I should probably be honest with you about some things before we get too far into the year and things get awkward. Number one - I don’t really consider the Black Eyed Peas to be talented musicians. At all. In fact, I sort of think of them as, like, anti-musicians. Number two - I’d like to tell you that I am a pillar of sobriety and temperance, but the fact is that I am addicted to something that pulls me in without me being able to resist or fight back. In all honesty, I’d do almost anything for a doughnut. They’re like crack to me. And finally, number three - I think Glenn Beck is a raging lunatic. Like, to the max. That dude is straight crazy.

If you’re unfamiliar with Mr. Beck, you really only need to know that he’s a political pundit who has his own TV show which he uses to basically push a political agenda focused on calling Obama a communist. He’s all about tearing down liberals and Democrats while lifting up “truth” and “logic” and the American Way. I don’t really get why he’s so mad. Some people are just like that, I guess.

I don't want to imply that I think Glenn Beck is crazy because he doesn't like Democrats and the President. That's not what this is about. I'm not here to argue for this or that political agenda or to prove any big political point. I just want to talk about Mr. Beck's approach for a moment, and I want to talk about it specifically because I think he's got it almost entirely wrong.

Glenn Beck rarely has anything positive to say. He's a fountain of anger and frustration and has a tendency to erupt whenever he encounters anything even remotely related to the things he doesn’t like. He jumps to conclusions and makes very stark black and white accusations based on selective evidence. He takes things out of context. He yells a lot. He's just not really that nice of a nice guy (I’m guessing, anyway… I’ve never met him personally). Worst of all, he does all of this under the guise of being a good member of society and wanting to help.

I don’t know about you, but I would definitely not be stoked to have Glenn Beck as a resident in the Upper Quad. I wouldn’t want him or anyone like him coming into our community and spouting off all crazy like. He may think that he’s got a lot to say (and that may actually be true), but he’s not really adding much to our social dialogue by erupting the way he does. His criticisms may be valid, but the way he presents them does more harm than good.

So, what can we learn from Glenn Beck? Well, besides the fact that Obama is apparently a socialist traitor who is single-handedly destroying everything pure in America, we can learn a lot about what it means to be a positive community member. If we take the time to look at the UQ, we’ll see a community of 550-ish very different and unique people who are living together under one roof. That’s a wonderful thing, right? What a wonderful opportunity to learn about one another and to develop some great relationships. But a community like this will never be developed or maintained if we communicate poorly and don’t do our best to interact with each other in a positive way.

If you’re upset with your roommate(s), don’t get all pissed off and start calling them names behind their back. If you think your RA isn’t doing their job right or being fair, talk to them (or me) directly. Going around and talking to everyone else about your roommates, floor mates, or the building staff isn’t going to address the problem or do any real good. Doing that makes you no better than Glenn Beck and everyone else like him. We need to be willing to be work with one another to make the UQ a positive community instead of just tearing each other down. Being a community member in the UQ (like in America) means more than just complaining. It means intentionally working together to make things better for everyone who calls this place their home.

Stay Gold!

MMK

For Kelly and Pumpkin Lovers

Do you know what this is?

A piece of Heaven God generously allowed me to create

in a graham cracker crust.

Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Click HERE for recipe.

My alterations included NOT using a springform pan and

instead using two store bought graham cracker crusts.

WAY easier and also allowed us to share with MK's staff

and our church small group.

DELICIOUS!

SPECIAL NOTE - If you decide to use the two pie crusts like I did, the actual baking time will be less (for me, it was roughly 45 min - one hour).

Norah News:

Norah has been SUPER into drawing and painting. It's awesome. Her first painting ever is currently displayed in our bedroom. This sounds ridiculous - but I love waking up and her painting being the first thing I see. She wanted to color so badly today, like wouldn't stop pointing at a pen that was sitting on our table. How could I turn her down? I couldn't help sneaking a few pictures. Too stinkin' cute, and please notice in the second picture how well she is holding the marker!

GO NORAH! Definitely a milestone!