Another Culminating Year: 2014 Summarized

With winds of change blowing through my whole life and being, keeping track, and writing it all down has been on my mind fairly often. I've had thoughts of creating a new space for this, and I still can't say I've decided on or against it. For whatever reason, I'm not ready to let the dream I had for this space fall to the wayside because my essence has changed. Maybe this space will be reinvented, or maybe I'll bid adieu and let you know where to find me instead. I do feel, however, that MaeLiveFree is as good a place as any to summarize 2014 for those who have may be wondering what's been happening in my life.

As I mentioned the last time I checked in here, a year ago, we bought a house. A lot of stress has surrounded the commitment and the move. When we realized we were locked into a dwelling that couldn't bring us the comfort we'd hoped for, things just spiraled downwards. The first issue with the house was a plumbing nightmare. Within days of moving in there was sewage backed up into our bath tub and we were unable to run much of any water. It was the main line. A full days work for David, his wonderfully helpful supervisor from work, who is also an amazing human and great friend, and another co-worker/friend, and they managed to shop-vac out the clog, only to find issue with the connections of the plumbing, which was brand new but terribly assembled. They say to be prepared for this sort of thing when you buy a house, that everyone has a hard first year, but we were in completely over our heads.

Then there was the cost of heating the place which has been a joke up until a month ago. The house has a brand new electric central heating unit, but it isn't connected to half of the house, and it costs several dollars a day to run. The shock of our first utility bill here has still not worn off. We bought a used pellet stove to try to remedy our heating cost situation, but after a month of running it and having issues with it and still being cold, we opened it up to do a major cleaning and found much to my horror, that a good yearly cleaning had most likely never been done. Especially disgusting and frustrating considering that the stove was at least fifteen years old. So we sold that, and have been running zonal ceramic infrared heaters and keeping cozy for a cost that's still more than we're comfortable with, but better than the alternative.

Maybe out of frustration with the house, that needs a hundred fixes still, we decided that starting our roasting business would be a good investment. What better time than now, right? Wrong. I think we were desperate for some happiness, but this hasn't worked out as merrily as we fantasized either. We started after the deadline for farmer's markets, so we lost out on an entire season of where our best revenue would come from. We also sorely underestimated how hard it would be to obtain all the legal permits and such for a roasting operation. In some states the Cottage Food Act permits home roasted coffee as long as you sell under a certain volume, but Washington doesn't. That left us to obtain a straight up food processors permit, but there are so many hoops for that we would have to roast at someone else's facilities. Without the demand for our product being enough to justify a higher volume roaster and costs that would rob us of any profit, that was also out the window. So the business is stuck in some strange limbo right now. The good news is that we've learned a lot, and David is developing pretty solid roasting skills. Plus the experience really helped me get a good coffee job.

In September-ish, we decided that getting David a motorcycle so that I could have the car, mostly for business purposes, was a good idea. He bought a bike while taking his motorcycle endorsement course, before he knew if he could ride it, and it turned out that the bike he chose was too large of a beast for him. Instead of practicing reason, we decided to go ahead and get one that he could ride before selling the first. As we deserved for being so rash, both bikes stopped running. So we currently have two useless motorcycle's sitting in our garage sucking away precious monetary resources and not being sellable. As if that weren't enough of a strain on our finances, things got worse when David totalled our Focus, with no collision insurance. So, we ended up forking out for another vehicle.

This year we've been chasing down our dreams hard but it's been more of a nightmare than a dream in most regards. The good news is I think it has helped us re-evaluate our life, dreams, and goals in a more realistic light.

With all of the debt accrued we started thinking that maybe it was time for me to get back to work. This of course sparked discussion about what we're doing as far as Lorelei's care and education. We intended to homeschool her, and were pretty resistant to give up that dream. Especially since we are not keen on conventional schooling and the whole "teach to the test" public school mentality. Luckily I stumbled across Waldorf education, and I'm smitten with the ideals of whole child education they foster. It's exactly what I wanted to give her myself, only better because she'll be part of a community of other children, so I am very comforted in the fact that we can send her to one. As far as her care when I'm working and she's not at school, that has worked out well. My father is moving in with us to be her Nanny Papa. This should be an amazing opportunity for our whole family, as he starts the transition for my mother and youngest sister to move from Idaho to Washington too, and makes up for time lost since we moved away when she was just one.

All of the let downs aside, 2014 has been one of those years for growth. You can't do it without the pains right? There are some things that have gone right that should breath happiness and goodness into 2015.

Here are some of the little things that have kept 2014 from being totally glum.

• Making friends and trying to carve out a little place for ourselves in our community.
• Being forced to upgrade to a vehicle that we really love.
• Seeing Ben Gibbard perform live (having an actual date)!
• Getting my middle sister and her hubby to move from Cali to here.
• Bringing Edie home!
• Landing a fantastic job to start the new year with.
• Making it through with everyone in one piece.
• Learning some decent latte art skills.
• New perspective and goals.
• Delicious coffee always at our disposal.

With all of the excess and expenses we've taken a good hard look at what "things" in our life our necessary. We've been purging our belongings and old ideas that no longer fit. We're making more space for what matters, time spent with people we love, doing things that bring us health and vitality, forging new dreams that won't wreck us. Seeking out some zen. I can't say I will miss this year, but nonetheless I am grateful. Bring it on 2015.

2013 In Passing

I would say forgive me for my absense, but I'm not exactly apologizing. Since the last time I shared anything here life got intense! I fully meant to elaborate on what really brought about the change in my frequency here, when it became obvious but I was so wrapped up in it that I never did. You'll understand after I sum up the many ups and not so many downs of this year.

I suppose we'll start with the downs. At least what I can remember, which is not very much.

1. After too many complaints from neighbors of the noise coming from our apartment during our Thursday night grocery trips, we were forced to find a new home for our Miniature Schnauzer Edith, who was our first baby together. **This has an upside that will present later, in the goods part.**

2. At the very beginning of the year David's mom suffered major injuries from falling on ice at work and is STILL having surgeries to recover. **There is an upside to this too. Balance**

3. David's family's dog Obi went out to the backyard, fell asleep, and never woke up.

4. Someone who was very dear to our family and my grandmother in particular was taken from this earth.

Then there were all of these amazingly good things!

1. David's mama was able to quit smoking because of her stay in the hospital. She had been smoking for over thirty years, as I recall. She has also done a lot to get healthy, including eating mostly plant based food.

2.We went to Portland for our third anniversary, an epic first date without our child who was then just over two. This is when I weaned her as well.

3. David received a promotion at work which has made life a bit more comfortable (ie. not living paycheck to paycheck, being able to splurge on hobby stuff, the ability to throw out old holey sheets, etc.)

4. My dad started working a stable job with growth opportunities for Jackson's convenience stores. He's completed manager training and hopes to get a transfer and management position here in Washington sometime in 2014.

5. My sisters and I all got to see each other for Kitty's 20th birthday, in Idaho.

6. Lorelei became more or less potty trained. Accidents still happen every so often in the form of minor leaks and during the night, but she is a little rockstar!

7. My aunt and uncle opened a small family run business in Nampa, Idaho. This is something a lot of my dad's family always dreamed about.

8. We purchased an espresso machine and started our coffee business on the blogging/education/review side of the coffee industry. Our website Purista Coffee Co has been a really rewarding and fun project for us to do together. We've met the most exceptional people through it and feel great about it's future. In 2014 we plan to start selling our home roasted coffee!

9. Edith was taken in by David's dad who has always loved her and is a lonely long-haul truck driver. They are the best companions for each other we could have hoped for and they take such good care of each other as well. In fact, Edie saved his life one night while CO2 leaked into the cabin of his truck and he slept. The girl usually sleeps quietly through the night, but woke him urgently so that he could get them both out. He said when he woke up he had a horrible headache and felt the worst he ever had. We're so happy that she was there for him.

10. We started home roasting coffee, see #7. ;)

11. David's best friend moved into our apartment building (from Idaho) and started working with David as well.

12. My mom started working her dream job as a labor and delivery nurse at the hospital she works at. Next step midwifery, I hope.

13. David and Lorelei got to see the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker for the first time. It was MAGICAL!

14. We got health insurance!!!!!!!! To each their own opinion about the Affordable Care Act, but  we couldn't be more happy. No more worries about whether or not we're falling apart. We'll be choosing a naturopath as our primary care provider and are thrilled about our wellness checks. Weird?

15. We found a house! Closing should be any day now and I can't wait to share our homeownership adventures here.

16. Last night we adopted a four month old Ausky (Australian Shephard/Husky mix) as an early birthday and housewarming present. She's a little not so little dream come true. We're looking forward to playing in our yard, hiking, swimming, and doing all kinds of active stuff with her. Her name is Gesha (pronounced like Geisha, but it's a rare and delightful coffee varietal, not a courtesan).

17. I'm still growing my hair and bangs out, and no-pooing. I'm shocked, really.

18. We have made some great plans and goals for 2014. I'll be back soon to share those.

I hope that you all have a great time saying goodbye to 2013 and ringing in 2014. For Auld Lang Syne...

Thin Crust Cashew "Cheese" Vegan Pizza Mouthgasm

I promised all of my Facebook friends that I would post this recipe today. So whether they want to use it or not, I figured I could use some practice in following through.

I'm a little off the grid right now (or a lot) because I'm working on something pretty big and exciting. As I work on that, I'm trying to sort out some balance for when I don't need to put all of my time into it. I'm pretty excited about the whole thing, and some of you might be too. Hopefully I find some time for a real update before too long. I've got a queue of recipes to share, we went camping (okay we tried), and I want to talk about some other changes. Eventually....now I just need to get this recipe out there.

Last night I wanted to make a pizza. I've made quite a few homemade pizzas, some before we were vegan, lots of different dough and crust experiments, so I felt daring and confident enough to fly by the seat of my pants. Zero recipes, zero Pinterest reference pictures, just my surprisingly intuitive rationing skills. I was expecting it to be just good, but it turned out to be the best pizza I've made yet. High five! I use only whole wheat flour, so if you want to use white/all purpose you will need more. I've struggled with perfect thin wheat crust as long as I've been making pizza. Nailed it this time.

Starting at the beginning, with the sauce:

3 medium vine tomatoes
7 cloves garlic
2-3 tbsp EVOO
Sprinkle of sea salt and pepper.

Roast in a 450 degree oven for about 35 minutes, stirring once in the middle.

While that's roasting away start your dough:
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp EVOO
1 tsp sea salt (fine)
2 cups whole wheat flour.

Place the water in a mixing bowl, sprinkle with yeast and sugar, and whisk it together then let it activate for 5-10 minutes. Before you move on you should have a nice dense foam on top. While that activates prep/slice your preferred toppings. Don't go too heavy on them or you'll have a soggy pizza and your palate will be overloaded.

This is also when you can start quick soaking some cashews in hot water for the "cheese", in a bowl or something (not the blender because you'll need it for the sauce first).
1 cup hot water
1 1/2 cup raw cashews
Pinch of salt
Other seasonings ( I used 2 tbsp nooch and a few dry basil leaves)

Cover it and set aside.

Back to the dough... Add in the oil and salt and mix. Dump in your flour and go to town mixing until you have a completely combined, non sticking ball. Cover the bowl and let it rest about 10 minutes. After that you should mix  a little more and then knead it with a bread hook attachment on a mixer or with your hands until the ball becomes smooth and elastic. Flatten the ball between your hands and stretch from the center, evenly in all directions until it's about 6-8 inches in diameter, then set it on a lightly oiled pizza stone or pan and roll out thin to the edges.

Pull the roasting stuff out and scoop it into your blender or food processor.

Turn up the oven to 500 degrees.

Hydrate the tomatoes and add:
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar
Pinch sea salt

Blend just slightly so it's equally smooth and chunky. Pour it on to the crust and smooth out evenly. Rinse your blender/processor and add soaking cashews with water to it. Blend until very smooth, and distribute like the sauce, with a light hand or it will be a orange mess.

Add your remaining toppings and bake for 9-14 minutes depending on how crisp you like your crust.

Purr a little, ooh and ah, and send me your thanks! Haha. Hope you try it sometime at least.

Prancersize and John Mayer

I'm sure you have already seen or at least heard about Prancersize by now, and whether you think it's hilarious or horrifying, it's like a car wreck, you can not look away! Today John Mayer uploaded a video for his song "Paper Doll", and it's pretty Prancetastic! Here you go. ;P

Idaho Visit and Photo Overload

The 6th through the 10th we were in Southwestern Idaho to see family. It was the first time seeing my middle sister since we moved to Washington in February of 2012. Since then she got married and moved to California, so my immediate family now spans 3 states. I can't imagine how that feels for my parents, who only have one kid left at home.  In some ways being with both of my sisters at my parent's house felt just like home, but the dynamics have changed. We get along now, we love each other more, we don't have things to fight about, we've added brothers to the mix. Side note: I really like my new brother (who can dish out smack and tease with the best of them) and he makes my sister happy, which makes me happy. I miss the heck out of them! When I look at my youngest sister who is going to be a senior this year I still see her as being Lorelei's age, then being 5-10 and a complete pain in my rear, on purpose. I see my middle sister finding her own identity and ideals, and gaining a sense of independence, and I'm surprised and proud that she's managing (she's the one I thought might live at home much longer *chuckles*). 

She just turned 20 a couple days before our visit so the day we went to Boise to treat ourselves we took her with and spoiled her too. We binged on shaved ice and chatted up the owner/operator about the business and costs, he was really cool and answered all of our questions. After that we hung out at David's mom's house for a while and decided we were all tired and needed coffee (the night before we had driven over and then stayed up until 4 am for a total of 23 hours awake and then got up after sleeping 6 hours). We headed to our usual Boise coffee spot Flying M Coffeehouse, but were sidetracked by Guido's Pizzeria that is in the same building. We finally made it to the coffee shop with slices of thin, delicious basil pizza in hand. Guido's is the second best pizza we've eaten, after Ken's in PDX. Somehow, we hadn't finished our food adventures and ended up at Janjou Patisserie where we ate perfect French macaroons, a delightful little plum tart, and ran into one of David's school friends who was the barista there. Our last stop in Boise was Whole Foods, which wasn't there when we moved away so we had to check it out, and buy vegan burgers and cheese for a big barbecue we were having on Sunday. A lot has changed in Boise since we moved away, we miss it a little, aside from the dry heat and lack of foliage and employment.

The next day we lingered around my parent's house and Lorelei played in the yard and sprinkler until we decided to go see my grandma and grandpa. We stayed there pretty late, after having coffee, cheesecake, and pizza and just talking away. My grandma is always so genuinely interested in what we're up to and what our current interests are, so there's lots to talk about. We told her all about our future business plans, which she was tickled with. She told us about her plans to run away with my grandpa to the Oregon coast, which I wholeheartedly hope she does, and soon! Also, Lorelei got to see my grandma's horse Paco for the first time and pet him, I think she was in awe. My grandma sent us off with a stick horse that little miss promptly figured out how to "ride" all on her own. 

Sunday we went to breakfast to catch up with David's best friend. It was nice seeing him in such a good place, and so adult. I'm only bummed that we didn't get to meet his girlfriend who I think I would love. David misses him. I think we both miss our best friends because we haven't made any in Washington, they're kind of hard to make because people are disappointing and people have expectations. After we got back we barbecued and had lots  LOTS of company and lots of pool time (for Lorelei at least, this mama doesn't put on bathing suits, or shorts for that matter). All of my dad's family came, which included my grandparents, 4 aunts, 1 uncle, and 12 cousins, who are all growing/shrinking/changing like crazy. Abby's boyfriend was also there and I think 3 of Kitty and her Mr's friends. Also, 5 Schnauzers, and a guest appearance by a hilarious Chihuahua. Then to my surprise and delight my best friend and her two littles (who I expected) and also her parents and younger brother. When we were in high school her family was like my second family and I love them so I was so happy to see all of them! We had fun reminiscing about our shenanigans (we were um, weird, and we thought hilarious). David may have messed with Cera's dad about how because we were vegan we were part of some weird cult/religion. It was priceless. I'm so glad that even if we live 600 miles away we can still make new memories as adult friends with our own children. 

Below are a lot of the photos that David took. These are just of a few scenes from the trip, as there was so much going on that we wanted to enjoy rather than be behind a camera all the time. Fortunately these photos serve as a reminder of the other things that went on and weren't captured. It was the best kind of trip, much more pleasant than our last one to Idaho! 

All photos courtesy of Photography by David L. Clark.

Father's Daying

All photos courtesy of Photography by David L. Clark

So, not that I haven't been doing lifey stuff a lot lately, but yesterday we celebrated Father's Day and it was kind of perfect so...

1. Breakfasting: For breakfast I made vegan whole wheat and oatmeal belgian waffles and topped them with local raspberries that I pureed with some agave. Pretty, delicious, filling. Oh, and you know, chemex coffee.

2. Housekeeping: It always feels nice to do a little cleaning and care on a day when you know you get to do fun things as well. I did laundry, David tidied and vacuumed, and I cleaned the kitchen.

3. Treat Making: After some cleanup I made these raw lemon bars. They were really quick and simple to make, plus I managed to clean as I went so I had no mess afterwards (that's a huge deal, I make the worst kitchen messes).

4. Lunching: Friday night we were in Tacoma and ended up hanging out at my uncle's house pretty late, so we grabbed some vegetarian pad thai and sweet and sour tofu and veggies. It was a ton of food so we had leftovers for lunch.

5. Hiking: We headed out around 1 o'clock to the Twin Falls trail in North Bend. I did the trail when I was a kid and loved it so I thought it would be a fun, easy, spontaneous hike. Apparently every one else thought so to, it was really crowded but we really enjoyed ourselves anyways. Lorelei is a little pro! We brought our carrier backpack thinking she'd love it as much as last year, but girl's got too much energy and independence going for her, and a HUGE sense of adventure. We hiked about 1.8 miles with her hoofing more than half of it. She took lots of spills, saw a gardener snake, chased a much older ginger boy, tried to befriend a chipmunk, got blisters on her heels, peed on a rock, and made me a nervous wreck. I think she's pretty much the coolest child I could be lucky enough to know, let alone gestate myself and spend every day with ( I love her, my little "very best friend").

6. Coffee Drinking: After our hike I mentioned that we still needed to get Huxdotter coffee sometime, because it was the first coffee stand I ever went to, as a small child, and they have lots of milk choices. So we found ourselves there. David and I opted for iced lattes with hemp milk, him a double shot, me a single, and Lorelei a cake batter frappe. It only cost us $9.00 and it was pretty darn good, so that was worth the detour.

7. Dinner and Movie Watching: For dinner I did what I usually do and pulled some ideas out of my head into a perfectly executed, new favorite dish. It was a cashew cream and rainbow chard lasagna. David said it was restaurant quality and possibly his favorite dish I've ever made. It really was delicious, and EASY and I only dirtied 5 dishes making it! We watched The Company You Keep with Shia Lebeouf (good, good movie) while we ate.

8. Coffee and Desserting: So this is where we eat dessert, with more coffee (this time iced aeropress with coconut milk). The lemon bars were ambrosia! I'm convinced that I would be completely okay with eating all raw. I can't even begin to describe how delicious they were, just, if you like coconut and lemon, you would LOVE them.

So that was our Father's Day. It was just what we needed and we all went to bed pretty contentedly. I hope you're all having a lovely day celebrating the dads in your life, those guys are pretty darn important!