may all your dreams come true...

 ...I hope not!  I was so relieved, upon waking up this fine morning, that it was only a dream!  Because:  I ate SO many cookies.  There were chocolate mint, and strawberry, and cheesecake cookies, crunchy ones and creamy ones, a huge platter of cookies.  I tried every single one, and believe me when I tell you:  I could taste them.  They were so good, I went back and ate all the ones I had tried.  In my dream. 

There's only one explanation for this:

We're distantly related!

The pool was wonderful and amazing this fine wintery morning.  The drive TO the pool wasn't fun, but it was exciting...trailing a few vehicles behind the snowplow, noticing the other lane was snowy and slippery.  We had all this ice, then some snow on top of it, eeks.  The trees are sparkling now, as the sun has been peeking through the clouds.  It's beyond beautiful.  The wind in the trees is making a million little clanking noises as the ice coated branches dance.  

We finally sold our old minivan yesterday.  It passed inspection in July of 22, but needed the power steering fixed.  Our mechanic didn't think it was a good idea, as he would encounter rust, ect.  It was still fully drivable, but we had my smaller car, and the truck, and decided to sell it. Well, we finally did.  We listed it cheap ($2,200), and sold it to the nicest family for $1500.   The guy knows a mechanic, and also knew what to look for, the van had a brand new exhaust system right before we stopped driving it.  It only has front AC, and the driver's side window will go down but not back up again.  He seemed undaunted. In fact, he was jubilant. He acted like he won the lottery. He kept saying how expensive minivans are, and he couldn't touch one for under five thousand, and he was so glad to find this.  

His fiancé was so excited that the rear hatch closes with the push of a button, she actually jumped for joy like she was on The Price is Right.  The van does have bells and whistles, leather seats and automatic doors, front and rear seat heat, swivel captain chairs for the middle row.  It's 2008 though, with a lot of miles.  I am happy for them, glad we were able to give it to them for a very decent price, and you KNOW I am praying that it lasts for them, and they get plenty of good, safe, use out of it.  (When they left to go to the DMV with the title to get the plates, I filled a bag with goodies for their kids, and left it in there after I cleaned up the van a bit.)

I painted cabinet doors for a few hours yesterday, with primer.  They are ready to sand and paint, this afternoon.  It's relaxing work, I can talk to my sister on the phone, or listen to encouraging stuff.  

Our dinner last night:  the kids had leftover lasagna, I made burgers for Paul and I.  Almond flour/flaxseed muffins with blueberries, for me, for dessert.   I can't say they're delicious, but they're okay.  They were better with chopped apples and cinnamon.  

I tweaked a recipe for Almond flour bread from Allrecipes:

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/3 cup flaxseed

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Separate bowl,

beat 4 large eggs, add

1/4 cup milk, almond milk, or cream (I used heavy cream)

2 tablespoons olive oil

(I added a few tablespoons of monk fruit sweetener, and a tablespoon of brown sugar swerve), put them into muffins (it made 12 mini muffins, and 9 regular cupcake sized muffins).   6 or 8 fresh blueberries in each one, then sprinkled with the cinnamon/sugar shaker.)

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes for minis, aprox. 15 for larger ones.

They're not bad, but I'm wondering if eliminating the flax seed would make them better.  It's not a big sweet bakery muffin, but if you're low carb, it's something satisfying with your coffee.  I've doubled the recipe (with no added sweeteners) and made a nice big loaf of it before, it's nice sliced up with butter.  

The kids, when I bake these things:  Its smells so good, looks so good, and tastes so yucky!

Anyway.  Kathryn will be having her baby in the next few weeks, cannot wait!  A tiny newborn!  

Have a good afternoon, my friends!