Strawbraries at the Liberry

For many of the past 15 years, I have observed my own solitary New Year's Eve tradition. It started when I was 15 and I decided to write New Year’s resolutions for the first time. I made myself a fancy beverage- the first year it was just a mixture of various juices. Many other years it has been a cup of tea fixed up to be a little festive. This year I'm finally having a cup of Oolong tea which I've been craving for the past few months. (I have never been interested in alcohol, but it could easily be that type of fancy beverage if you so desire.) And I sat down to reflect quietly and write my resolutions, before the prized possession of my teen years: An electric typewriter from the 80s. That thing was LOUD. The whole house could probably hear me type.  I have since, donated the typewriter and write my resolutions in my notebooks at the time.  I have found that goal setting and resolutions have become an important part of maintaining my happiness and directing my li...

Gluten Free Baking in a Non-Gluten Free Kitchen     I've been aware of my gluten sensitivity for 8 years, and I am very sensitive to cross contamination, at least I was at first. I've done my absolute best trying to get healthy and stay healthy, and honestly, I'm probably over-careful at this point. But it seems like I get sick pretty quickly every time I get a little more adventurous, so I tend to stay in my little, very gluten free, comfort zone.  I actually have all my own dishes and utensils that are only for gluten free stuff, no matter if I live with others who are not gluten free. So it's safe to say that I am pretty serious about avoiding cross contamination.    Gluten Free Baking Precautions For a Non-gluten Free Kitchen:   -Clean the kitchen before baking to avoid any crumbs hanging around in the area. If there are a lot of gluteny crumbs, they can accidentally make their way into a gluten free food. -Use well sanitized, or dedicated gluten free e...

Gluten Free Buckeyes     Ingredients Needed:   6 Cups powdered Sugar  16oz jar of Peanut Butter     1/2 Cup crushed gluten free Graham crackers (one could also use crisp GF cookies or rely solely on the powdered sugar if you cannot acquire these easily.)   2 sticks softened Margarine (some gluten free margarines include: Parkay, Imperial. Earth Balance is gluten & dairy free.)   1 Tbsn of Vanilla (Gluten free Vanilla options include: McKormick , Nielsen-Massey.)   15-20 oz chocolate chips or melting chocolate. (I used a bit less than 2 10z bags.) (Enjoy Life chocolate chips are a favorite dairy free option.)     Step 1: Crush the GF graham crackers in a food processor or by putting them in a sandwich bag & hitting them with something to take your frustrations out. (Unless you have too many frustrations. It is always more frustrating to break something.)     Step 2: Cream the margarine, peanut butter, GF graham ...

  DIY Skateboard Card     Backstory:   I'm getting kind of conceptual about my Christmas cards this year, so I made this skateboard card for my brother.  One of his main hobbies is skateboarding. A few years back we went to the beach as a family and we went to a skate shop and bought everything we needed to build a skateboard. We built my skateboard together and it is truly a beautiful sight to behold: Morbid grip tape in the front; batman in the back. It was a really good experience despite the fact I can't ride it.  Listen, I could only manage to keep the good health insurance for 3 months. I can't afford to be hurt. I know I can't fix a broken limb with duck tape and a stick. I'm 31 and know that aches can last a lifetime. But it's a dream I am still hanging onto: Being able to skate with my bro more often.  As for now I skate like I fear death as well as those tiny, seemingly imperceptible rocks that can send me flying off the board and into bloody...