How do weekends go by so fast? I don’t fully understand it.  I hope some of you out there are enjoying an extra day off. Technically, I should be too since Peter is off work. Sadly, though, he is having to work on his car at his brother’s the entire day. I could use his help around here today. I need some rest after the busy weekend we had. I shared my fun from Friday & Saturday already and the actual 4th was loaded as well.

Sunday morning we woke up and had a red, white, and blue breakfast. It consisted of homemade blueberry pancakes and a strawberry smoothie.

The pancakes are a really basic recipe that we adapted from www.allrecipes.com and always use for our once in a blue moon pancake mornings.

Ingredients

• 1.5 C flour (all-purpose or mix of all-purpose & wheat)
• 3.5 tsp baking powder
• 2T sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 C milk (I like using vanilla almond milk)
• 1 egg
• 3T melted butter
• 4 large handfuls fresh blueberries

Mix the dry ingredients first (flour through salt) and create a well in the center. Pour the wet ingredients (milk, egg, butter) into the well and blend until batter is smooth. Fold in blueberries. Cook on a griddle or pan like any other pancakes. 😀

After breakfast, we headed to church for an excellent service. It was all about the freedoms we have, not only within the country we live but also in our faith. Our pastor discussed how we need to really consider what we are free from and be grateful because none of that freedom came free. All of it came from huge sacrifices. From the many men and women who have fought for the freedom of our country across centuries, but also for the one man who sacrificed himself for each of us to be truly free and the countless others who across time made sacrifices to keep his word and truth flowing to others. The message brought people to their feet at the end and there were many sniffles heard among my fellow church friends.

Later that afternoon we headed to my parents’ place for some July 4th fun. The plan was to hang out for awhile and then gather up a picnic dinner to eat and games to play while waiting for Atlanta’s Lenox Fireworks show. There was a little bit of a glitch in that plan thanks to a “moment” between my father and I. Our relationship has had its fair share of strain and typically we can handle each other for the times we do see each other. Yesterday he was somehow set off and I had to face that look of pure hatred in his eyes and the anger that can come from his lips again. The evening evolved into a much rougher time than I expected and I fought the darkness I could quickly sink into from him the remainder of the night.

However, we persevered and gathered our forces to delight in our time together. My brother would leave in the morning to return to his home in Arizona, so we packed the cars and ate our picnic dinner or Publix chicken with potato chips & salad. We donned our happy faces to laugh and be goofy.

We played some Apples to Apples and adored the darling Makenzie.

And we also dove headfirst into a fabulous dessert – S’mores Brownies. Somehow Jess always gets it right. Always.

Then I viewed the fireworks through Makenzie’s eyes yet again. Believed in the magic of fireworks, instead of the realities of pain that can still infiltrate even after you thought them to be resolved. Now, it is today. A new day. A day where I can sweat out some tension in a spin class; spend time laughing with my daughter; and with any luck have a husband who comes home at a reasonable enough time to give me a break. I have a feeling there will be some prayer in my future on finding a way to let it all go and find a way to forgive (even with no apology present)…again.

I wish you all the best of days! Now, tell me…how was your weekend?

Are you looking for some weekend updates? Find them below:

• Recap of Food Festival
• Thoughts on True Friendship
• I also got the next principle in the Intuitive Eating series up over the weekend. Check it out!

Since I know I like to take the time to skim through things I missed over the weekend (and I secretly hope you do too), I will leave you with an easy reading post this morning. A recipe adapted from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies (adapted from Deceptively Delicious’ Chocolate Chip Cookies)

• 1c firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3/4c soft butter or margarine spread (I used Brummel & Brown with Yogurt)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 15oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 12 oz white chocolate chips
• 3/4c macadamia nuts
• 2 cups flour (I used a mix of all purpose and whole wheat pastry flours)
• 1/2 c old fashioned oats
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and margarine together with a large spoon until smooth.

3. Beat in the two egg whites.

4. Use a food chopper to chop/grind the chickpeas until even consistency. Add the chickpeas, white chocolate chips, and nuts to the sugar/margarine combination and mix well.

5. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt and mix until a thick dough forms.

6. Drop the dough by the spoonful on the baking sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork. Be sure they are spread evenly about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes until a golden brown.

7. Cool and then either eat or store in an airtight container.

How were they? GREAT! When they first came out of the oven they were gooey and delicious. I’m actually sad that suddenly the next day they grossed me out and I couldn’t stomach them. That’s no fault of their own. Purely the joys of pregnancy and sudden food aversions. Peter is still eating them up though and I have to find another sweet treat for the week.

• What is the best “healthified” dessert you have ever made?
• White chocolate, dark chocolate, or milk chocolate? Bring me any and I will eat it!