annie blog

Happy Sunday, Y’all

I hope that you’re having a good day. After church and a meal I came home to watch the Cardinals, sew, and to just chill and get organized for the week ahead.

In this little house, this one that I share with a bunch of Barlow males and a dog and a parakeet, I’m just thankful. Reading about the devastation in the south, particularly in Phil Campbell, Alabama, and in Tuscaloosa, just makes me cringe. I personally know people who have been affected severely by the tornados. In fact, my 2nd grade teacher was one of the casualties.

Just a week ago, I bet a lot of those folks were celebrating Easter with their families and friends. They didn’t know what was coming just around the corner.

I know that we all feel blessed to have our lives.

I know that we try not to take living for granted.

I don’t know, just thinking about it all makes me even more motivated to not waste my life. It also makes me want to read Ecclesiastes for some reason. I don’t know.

Peace, y’all.

Happy Sunday, Y’all

I hope that you’re having a good day. After church and a meal I came home to watch the Cardinals, sew, and to just chill and get organized for the week ahead.

In this little house, this one that I share with a bunch of Barlow males and a dog and a parakeet, I’m just thankful. Reading about the devastation in the south, particularly in Phil Campbell, Alabama, and in Tuscaloosa, just makes me cringe. I personally know people who have been affected severely by the tornados. In fact, my 2nd grade teacher was one of the casualties.

Just a week ago, I bet a lot of those folks were celebrating Easter with their families and friends. They didn’t know what was coming just around the corner.

I know that we all feel blessed to have our lives.

I know that we try not to take living for granted.

I don’t know, just thinking about it all makes me even more motivated to not waste my life. It also makes me want to read Ecclesiastes for some reason. I don’t know.

Peace, y’all.

Amy Butler’s House

is cool. They feature it here, on Apartment Therapy.

Have y’all seen her fabric? Well, her house is lovely, too.

I hope y’all have had a pleasant Saturday. I went to a robot competition, ate bar-b-q, went to Sam’s, ironed, went to Target and all the usual stuff.

Saturdays are long, no?

Amy Butler’s House

is cool. They feature it here, on Apartment Therapy.

Have y’all seen her fabric? Well, her house is lovely, too.

I hope y’all have had a pleasant Saturday. I went to a robot competition, ate bar-b-q, went to Sam’s, ironed, went to Target and all the usual stuff.

Saturdays are long, no?

Amy Butler’s House

is cool. They feature it here, on Apartment Therapy.

Have y’all seen her fabric? Well, her house is lovely, too.

I hope y’all have had a pleasant Saturday. I went to a robot competition, ate bar-b-q, went to Sam’s, ironed, went to Target and all the usual stuff.

Saturdays are long, no?

Autism Awareness Month

I don’t know if y’all have heard, but April is Autism Awareness Month.

I have a little Autism awareness related story to share with you…

You might know that many kids with autism don’t actually know that they have it. It’s logical, really, since autism is the lens through which they’ve always viewed the world. After a while, though, when the kids are older, it is helpful for them to know because it helps them to evaluate themselves vs. society and it explains things, sometimes, and helps them to get a bit of a hold on this alien (to them) planet that they inhabit.

The other night, Jon was cutting J’s bangs before Easter. So, during the cutting, Jon decided to gauge how much J knew about his autism.

Jon: J, do you know that you have autism?
J: No. Do I need to go to the hospital?
Jon: No, not at all. It is just something that you have that is the reason that you have a hard time understanding and communicating with people sometimes.
J: So I don’t need to go to the hospital?
Jon: No.
J: Okay, then. Can we talk about the end of Back to the Future II?

And that was it. All but for the laughing, of course. J is such a funny bird.

It feels good to laugh about it, I must say.

If you had told me, 12 and a half years ago that I’d be laughing about autism and my son having it — I would not have believed you.

I wish that I could go back in time and tell myself this. I wish that I could go back and walk up to that just-turned 26 year old, the one who was 8 months pregnant with her 3rd son, who had her just-turned 3 — newly diagnosed son on her lap desperately trying to make a connection with him. I wish that I could tell her that it was going to be okay. I wish that I could go back and tell her that his diagnosis was not a tragedy. You know what, though, she (I) probably wouldn’t have, couldn’t have, listened. It was all too fresh and too painful. Emotionally wrung out folks don’t process things too well — that is why time and grace are so incredibly important.

I’ve got a big autism post coming, y’all, probably sometime next week. It’s not so much about autism as it is about the parenting of a child with autism.

So, tune in if you want.

I hope that you’re having a beautiful Friday!

Autism Awareness Month

I don’t know if y’all have heard, but April is Autism Awareness Month.

I have a little Autism awareness related story to share with you…

You might know that many kids with autism don’t actually know that they have it. It’s logical, really, since autism is the lens through which they’ve always viewed the world. After a while, though, when the kids are older, it is helpful for them to know because it helps them to evaluate themselves vs. society and it explains things, sometimes, and helps them to get a bit of a hold on this alien (to them) planet that they inhabit.

The other night, Jon was cutting J’s bangs before Easter. So, during the cutting, Jon decided to gauge how much J knew about his autism.

Jon: J, do you know that you have autism?
J: No. Do I need to go to the hospital?
Jon: No, not at all. It is just something that you have that is the reason that you have a hard time understanding and communicating with people sometimes.
J: So I don’t need to go to the hospital?
Jon: No.
J: Okay, then. Can we talk about the end of Back to the Future II?

And that was it. All but for the laughing, of course. J is such a funny bird.

It feels good to laugh about it, I must say.

If you had told me, 12 and a half years ago that I’d be laughing about autism and my son having it — I would not have believed you.

I wish that I could go back in time and tell myself this. I wish that I could go back and walk up to that just-turned 26 year old, the one who was 8 months pregnant with her 3rd son, who had her just-turned 3 — newly diagnosed son on her lap desperately trying to make a connection with him. I wish that I could tell her that it was going to be okay. I wish that I could go back and tell her that his diagnosis was not a tragedy. You know what, though, she (I) probably wouldn’t have, couldn’t have, listened. It was all too fresh and too painful. Emotionally wrung out folks don’t process things too well — that is why time and grace are so incredibly important.

I’ve got a big autism post coming, y’all, probably sometime next week. It’s not so much about autism as it is about the parenting of a child with autism.

So, tune in if you want.

I hope that you’re having a beautiful Friday!

Autism Awareness Month

I don’t know if y’all have heard, but April is Autism Awareness Month.

I have a little Autism awareness related story to share with you…

You might know that many kids with autism don’t actually know that they have it. It’s logical, really, since autism is the lens through which they’ve always viewed the world. After a while, though, when the kids are older, it is helpful for them to know because it helps them to evaluate themselves vs. society and it explains things, sometimes, and helps them to get a bit of a hold on this alien (to them) planet that they inhabit.

The other night, Jon was cutting J’s bangs before Easter. So, during the cutting, Jon decided to gauge how much J knew about his autism.

Jon: J, do you know that you have autism?
J: No. Do I need to go to the hospital?
Jon: No, not at all. It is just something that you have that is the reason that you have a hard time understanding and communicating with people sometimes.
J: So I don’t need to go to the hospital?
Jon: No.
J: Okay, then. Can we talk about the end of Back to the Future II?

And that was it. All but for the laughing, of course. J is such a funny bird.

It feels good to laugh about it, I must say.

If you had told me, 12 and a half years ago that I’d be laughing about autism and my son having it — I would not have believed you.

I wish that I could go back in time and tell myself this. I wish that I could go back and walk up to that just-turned 26 year old, the one who was 8 months pregnant with her 3rd son, who had her just-turned 3 — newly diagnosed son on her lap desperately trying to make a connection with him. I wish that I could tell her that it was going to be okay. I wish that I could go back and tell her that his diagnosis was not a tragedy. You know what, though, she (I) probably wouldn’t have, couldn’t have, listened. It was all too fresh and too painful. Emotionally wrung out folks don’t process things too well — that is why time and grace are so incredibly important.

I’ve got a big autism post coming, y’all, probably sometime next week. It’s not so much about autism as it is about the parenting of a child with autism.

So, tune in if you want.

I hope that you’re having a beautiful Friday!

Chocolate Almond Crackers

I feel flustered today, y’all. First the tornados in Alabama, then I mis-scheduled an important meeting, my phone was on the fritz, I’m thinking about the future….etc.

In these times, and on flustered days such as these, I find it useful to talk about and consume food. Which leads me to these crackers.

I made this recipe for the first time yesterday. Primarily, I made it to give to a friend for a little happy. (Are y’all acquainted with the word “happy” to mean little present or gift? It might be a Southern-ism, so I explain, just in case.) I thought that they were good. My second son inhaled some and asked that some be put in his lunch today. But, I knew that I needed to share it with y’all when Jon called me from work to ask me about the dessert that I had put in his lunch.

It is Aldivore. If you love almonds/chocolate/toffee, then you’ll love it.

Almond Chocolate Crackers

I make this in a half-sheet sized stainless steel pan. Those measure 8 3/4 inch X almost 12 inches. If you have a full sheet pan then I think that you could double this recipe to fit your pan with no problems. Doubling is a good idea, anyway, because these are that good.

Ingredients:
saltine crackers
1 stick butter, cut into 4 or so large pieces
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
big pinch sea salt
1t. almond extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds (you could use chopped almonds or slivered, of course, but I like the way sliced look. They’re pretty.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line the baking sheet completely with foil. Then, either spray the bottom foiled surface with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.

You’ll need 26 or saltine crackers, give or take, to line the bottom of the baking pan. Break them in half, if you have to, to fill up the extra space around the edges.

In a heavy small saucepan, melt the butter and sugar together over medium heat. Stir it constantly until it begins to boil. Let it bubble for three more minutes, stir it frequently-constantly. Remove from the heat and add the almond extract and the pinch of sea salt. Quickly pour over the crackers and spread it quickly and carefully as it begins to set immediately.

Bake the crackers and caramel covering for 15 minutes. Watch it carefully, because depending on your oven temperature, it can begin to darken and burn on the edges/corners. So, watch it, and pull it out at the 15 minute mark.

Once it is out of the oven, sprinkle it with chocolate chips and let them stand on there for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes has passed, smooth out the chocolate so that it completely covers the caramel (an offset spatula would be great here, I think, not that I own one, but I’m sure that it would help with the spreading if you do have one). Sprinkle on the almonds.

Allow it to cool and then break into pieces. Will last a week in an airtight container though it’d never get to be that old around here.

Happy scattered Thursday, y’all!

Chocolate Almond Crackers

I feel flustered today, y’all. First the tornados in Alabama, then I mis-scheduled an important meeting, my phone was on the fritz, I’m thinking about the future….etc.

In these times, and on flustered days such as these, I find it useful to talk about and consume food. Which leads me to these crackers.

I made this recipe for the first time yesterday. Primarily, I made it to give to a friend for a little happy. (Are y’all acquainted with the word “happy” to mean little present or gift? It might be a Southern-ism, so I explain, just in case.) I thought that they were good. My second son inhaled some and asked that some be put in his lunch today. But, I knew that I needed to share it with y’all when Jon called me from work to ask me about the dessert that I had put in his lunch.

It is Aldivore. If you love almonds/chocolate/toffee, then you’ll love it.

Almond Chocolate Crackers

I make this in a half-sheet sized stainless steel pan. Those measure 8 3/4 inch X almost 12 inches. If you have a full sheet pan then I think that you could double this recipe to fit your pan with no problems. Doubling is a good idea, anyway, because these are that good.

Ingredients:
saltine crackers
1 stick butter, cut into 4 or so large pieces
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
big pinch sea salt
1t. almond extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds (you could use chopped almonds or slivered, of course, but I like the way sliced look. They’re pretty.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line the baking sheet completely with foil. Then, either spray the bottom foiled surface with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.

You’ll need 26 or saltine crackers, give or take, to line the bottom of the baking pan. Break them in half, if you have to, to fill up the extra space around the edges.

In a heavy small saucepan, melt the butter and sugar together over medium heat. Stir it constantly until it begins to boil. Let it bubble for three more minutes, stir it frequently-constantly. Remove from the heat and add the almond extract and the pinch of sea salt. Quickly pour over the crackers and spread it quickly and carefully as it begins to set immediately.

Bake the crackers and caramel covering for 15 minutes. Watch it carefully, because depending on your oven temperature, it can begin to darken and burn on the edges/corners. So, watch it, and pull it out at the 15 minute mark.

Once it is out of the oven, sprinkle it with chocolate chips and let them stand on there for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes has passed, smooth out the chocolate so that it completely covers the caramel (an offset spatula would be great here, I think, not that I own one, but I’m sure that it would help with the spreading if you do have one). Sprinkle on the almonds.

Allow it to cool and then break into pieces. Will last a week in an airtight container though it’d never get to be that old around here.

Happy scattered Thursday, y’all!