Gift wrapping 101

First, you choose which gift you're going to wrap. 

The stuffed puppy looks like fun.

Then lay it on the wrapping paper Mom spread out.

 Wish it goodbye one last time!

Be very helpful by handing Mama the tape...

...after you've tasted it, of course.

Then get right back to work choosing a label.

When you're all done, kick back and have a snack. That was hard work!

God & the matching M&M's

So tonight Warren made the excellent suggestion that we should make some kind of edible Christmas treat to give to some of our clients and the guy we rent stalls from. Of course, as explained in my previous post, I haven't brought any sugar into my house this season because of treating candida. But, with his suggestion I went to the store and bought supplies to make white chocolate covered pretzels with M&M's. The entire time I was walking up and down the isles I was talking to myself, trying to muster up enough resolve not to eat what I was about to make. 

As I was driving home, I said to God, "Okay, God, I can splurge a little. I'll eat every pretzel that has all three of the M&M's in the same color." Surely I would have at least a few that happened to have all matching M&M's.

Upon arriving at home I proceeded to make my creation. I didn't pay attention to what color of M&M's were going onto the pretzels. When I got done, I searched the two trays.

Can you spot it? That's right: between both trays there was just one pretzel that had all matching M&M's. 

I couldn't believe there was only one! I laughed and could 

hear God chuckling  and saying, "I care about your health too! 

But I want you to have a treat."

Hmmm...you sound very much like my husband. Thanks, God!

Christmas with Candida

Sleet is falling on the windshield of our excessively warm car. Wesley is asleep in his carseat. Warren is doing chores in the freezing cold wind and I can see him blow into his bare hands after moving the water hose to another tank. I'm sitting here waiting on him so we can go into our cozy house and spend the evening together. 

On days like this when a blizzard is coming and its so warm and welcoming inside, I really, really want to bake. I can almost taste banana oatmeal cookies or snickerdoodles or those amazing homemade thin mints I always make with the sisters. I want to make gingerbread houses and cover them in gooey frosting and so much candy you can't see the gingerbread!

This year Christmas baking is different at the Jennings house. I'm aggressively treating candida which means no wheat or sugar. Not just like no desserts...no sugar in any form (bye bye fruit!). I'm kind of having a hard time realizing that Christmas is less than a week away because I haven't allowed a grain of sugar into my house for fear of giving in to one of these terrible cravings for anything but meat and vegetables. I have to admit...Christmas with no Christmas baking is rather un-festive. I've been trying to figure out what I'll be bringing to Christmas get-togethers this year and the first thing that comes to mind is a candida-killing substitute for the Bavarian mint creme cheesecake, pecan pie, peanut squares and decorated sugar cookies: a vegetable tray. That's...colorful, right? Crunchy. Fresh. Full of vitamins. I mean, everyone knows we should choose vegetables instead of sugar, anyway. 

I'm attempting to talk myself into this. It's not really working. 

If I had not been suffering from candida for fifteen years already, I might lose all resolve and call it quits. Instead, as my shivering husband gets into the car and drives us up to the house, I'm thinking up a healthy, sugar-free idea for supper, and I'm going to leave the Christmas recipes in the book til next year. 

Really, though; who in their heart of hearts doesn't wish they could have carrots instead of cheesecake, peppers instead of peanut squares, broccoli instead of Bavarian mints, and squash instead of sugar cookies? 

Yep, still not working...

Five months old!

You may think this is just a picture of Warren and Wesley hanging out on the couch.

Then you'll notice how enthralled Wesley is by the magazine they're looking at.

Then you'll see what's captivating his attention is a horse.

Then you'll realize that this horse is a sorrel.

And Warren is proudly smiling.

I may be losing the battle.