Love Unchained

Love is beautiful especially when it's unbridled joy of freedom.  This video is dedicated to all of the selfless volunteers in Fences For Fido and the love you give every dog we encounter. I am proud to be with you on the mission to freedom from life on a chain.
Thank you all for making my heart expand larger than I ever thought possible.
Here's to no more dogs on a chain...ever!
Love and Doggy Kisses-
Lori and Murphy

Love Unchained

What a great year! Video Blog 2013

This is dedicated to you.
Yes, you.
Thank you all for one of the best years of my life.
If you are in this video, then you are a huge part of making my world, so much better, and well, happy.

All my love,
Lori

Review for 2013

GF Vegan Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

It has always been my goal to make treats so that everyone can enjoy something delicious.
I first tackled making treats that were vegan, then tried my hand at gluten-free.
Both successful.
But what about those that needed treats that were both?!
There was no way that I could forget about them.
Especially when I can picture their happy, smiling faces chowing down on a cookie.
I LOVE it when people tear right into the cookie boxes and eat one right away.
Best thing to witness for a baker like me.

These cookies are the best of both worlds...vegan and gluten free.

Gluten Free and Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 22-24

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature (8 tablespoons or 1 stick)

½ cup coconut oil

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg equivalent of Flax Meal (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand)
1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand)
1/2 teaspoon xantham gum (if your GF all-purpose flour does not already contain it)
2 cups gluten free whole grain oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chopped into chunks (Dairy-free chocolate)

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Add the vegan butter, coconut oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until combined. Add the flax meal and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the gluten free all-purpose flour, xantham gum (if needed), gluten free oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and beat on medium until combined. Stir in the dark chocolate chunks.
4. Spoon onto the prepared cookie sheet in rounded tablespoons an inch apart. Bake 13-15 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies have browned and the cookies have set.
5. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Even those without a gluten allergy or vegan will love these cookies.
Trust me, I only like things that are delicious and I definitely work to make my treats that way.
Enjoy and share with those you love,
Lori 

Simple Gifts

As you are spending time with family and friends,
exchanging gifts, please remember that the gifts aren't that important.
Sure, they're nice.
Don't get me wrong, I love gifts!
Especially when they're given with
a big heart and love.
But, gifts don't have to cost much,
in fact my favorite ones don't have much monetary value, but they're priceless to me.

Christmas is more about the little simple things.

Like dressing up Murphy is silly hats.

He LOVES it!

Can't you tell?

Actually, he just loves me, so he puts up with it.

 Another simple gift...

The family Christmas tree decorated with ornaments from throughout our lives.

It's a tree filled to the brim with love.

Here are some of my favorites...

 My toy horse and a paper bear that I made in grade school.

 Everyone's favorite UPS man, my dad...

working late to make sure that your family gets their presents.

 My sheep.

Just like Murphy, I adore my sheep.

And every Christmas morning Santa leaves a special gift just for me,

no matter how old I get.

And the best of them all...

Our Ugly Angel.

As a little girl, all I wanted was to have a beautiful angel 

at the top of our tree like all of my friends.

I couldn't understand why our angel had to be so darn ugly.

Then I grew up and I saw her beauty.

Through grown-up eyes I saw that we had the best angel of all,

and I ADORE our beautiful family angel.

Now, the simpliest gift of all...a living memory.

A couple days before Winter Break, 

a student arrived early to school and stopped my as I walked in the front door.

"Ms. Chambers!  I have something for you! A little Christmas gift."

He pulled out of his bag a plate of cookies and a card.

"I tried really hard to make these just like my mom did.  

It was kinda hard, but I did my best.  I hope you like 'em."

I told him that I'm sure they were perfect and that I will definitely eat one for my snack,

while trying not to cry. 

You may think that this is just any plate of cookies, from any kid, but that's not the case.

This is a kid that is just awesome. 

Always the first to help me in the classroom.

First to volunteer with anything to do with Fences For Fido...

and pretty much, always smiling and happy.

Just a nice kid.

See his mom died last year.

A difficult loss for anyone, yet alone a child...

but he helps keep her memory going in little ways,

like cookies and a smile.

As you open gifts today, 

take a moment to appreciate the people around you and not just the presents.

In the end it's not an object that holds the importance of the day, 

it's the people and how they make you feel.

That's what you remember...the feeling you get at the thought of people.

So, take in the love and joy from those who cherish you so 

that you can hold those feelings in your heart long after they've gone.

Love, hope, joy, peace, and happiness,

with a side of cookies and a smile...

That's Christmas to me.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Lori and Murphy

Where's Santa?! Where is that dude?!

My Christmas Pony

Yes, you read that correctly.
And yes, I was that girl...
Very, very lucky.

Every girl wants a pony.
Okay, maybe not every girl, but most.
I grew up with stories of my mom going to her family farm and riding her pony King.
She would ride out into the fields.
Just her and her pony.
Endless summer days wandering around with a four-legged best friend.
Perfection.

Every piece of those moments sounded dreamy to me
and I wanted those memories to be mine.
But we lived in town.
No room for a dog to run freely, let alone a horse.
So I just dreamed of horses, collected horses,
rode fake horses, and talked about horses.

Yes, I was that little girl.
Horse obsessed.
It worked well for me.

Thankfully, my parents didn't like living in the city,
so that found us a house with a barn.
Empty stalls...open to possibilities.
Horse dreaming...

During our first Fall in the house,
my parents took my brother and me to different barns looking at ponies.
I was in Heaven.
Lori Heaven.

While looking at ponies, my parents kept emphasizing that we were JUST LOOKING.
Of course, to me,
I figured that any day a pony would show up on my doorstop.
When November came around,
I hoped and prayed that Christmas morning
would make my dream a reality.

Fast forward....Christmas Morning 1982.
A bright-eyed Lori woke up, expecting to see a pony under the tree.
Nope.
No pony.
But there was hope!
Under the tree was a large box...labelled "To Jeff and Lori."
"Oh boy! Oh boy! It had to be a pony!" I thought.

Throughout the morning, I could hardly wait...
All I thought about was my pony.
But, nope.
No pony.
I tried to hide the disappointment,
but it wasn't easy to hide a girls' heart breaking.
(dramatic, I know...I'm a bit dramatic.)

The morning went on...we played with our new toys.
And yes, they were amazing,
but I couldn't believe that my parents would torture me
by looking at ponies for the last month.
They weren't the torturing type!

Then, a miracle happened.
My mom called us up from the basement,
and there in the tree was a note.
The note was a little scavenger hunt,
leading us eventually to the barn.
And there...YES, THERE!
He. Was.
Spunky.
My pony.

It had snowed that morning,
so the horse trailer wasn't able to get up the hill.
That's why the delivery was late.
I think that the wait made the surprise even better.

Of course Spunky was for "both" of us, but we knew he was really for me.
My brother didn't care about ponies, I did.
Spunky was my pony.
My beautiful Christmas pony.
A little dream come true.

Yes, I know that I was a very lucky little girl.
I really know that.
And I am extremely thankful for all of their sacrifice to make our dreams a reality.
My parents made our childhood memorable,
and filled with nuggets of joy, love, and generosity.
And a pony.
My pony.

So for the 27 Christmases that we spent together,
I would make Spunky a special
Christmas mixture of grain, molasses, carrots, and apples.
A little gift, to the BEST gift of my life.
Now that he's gone, his memory lives on through me,
making treats with molasses,
and sharing a story of a little girls' Christmas dream come true.

Merry Christmas Spunky!

____________________________________________________________
Tidbit-

I have had a gripe with my mom each Christmas for as long as I can remember.
You see, every year she displays a Christmas picture.
Or as I think of it, THE Christmas Picture.
It's the Christmas picture that shows my brother as the appreciative child,
thrilled with their Christmas present, while I am the ungrateful child.
Sigh.
At least that's what you would think looking at it.

But seriously, what little girl would want a ATARI Gaming System?
Ok, some might, but not this little girl!
Does my mom display the picture of me overjoyed at getting my pony?
Nope.
Just the one of me, the ungrateful child,
pouting over video games.
Oh well, it is kind of funny.
So mom, can we at least put out one picture of me with Spunky?
Just one?
Thanks. ;)

Lemon Poppyseed Bread- Vegan Style

Lemon Poppyseed...I'm not sure what I really love most about it.
Is it the lemon?
Is it the crunchy seed?
Is it both?
Or is it that it always reminds me of people that I love?
Yeah...that's it.

One of my favorite places to go on the Oregon Coast is Cannon Beach.
I head there with my favorite girls to hangout and catch-up.
Before we head back to our real lives,
we stop by the local bakery to purchase treats to take home.
Some loaves of haystack bread and lemon poppyseed muffins are always in my bag as I head home.
Both are delicious, but the muffins have a crunchy lemon icing that make it my favorite.

Since I miss my friends, I have decided that I need to make something to help me
Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Bread
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg equivalent with Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer
1 cup sugar
2 tbls vegan butter or vegetable shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract

1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup oil

Lemon Icing Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp lemon extract
water to dissolve and make glaze

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Sift to combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2. Use a mixer to blend together the egg replacer, sugar, vegan butter or vegetable shortening, vanilla, lemon extract and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
3. Pour wet ingredient into the dry ingredients and blend until smooth.
4. Add oil and mix well.
5. Pour batter into a well greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into center of the cake comes out clean.
7. Let the bread cool completely before adding the lemon icing.
8.Let the icing set up before slicing.
Enjoy!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles.
My dad loves these cookies.
And actually it must be a "Joe" thing, because
my nephew, Joe, loves snickerdoodles too.
Actually, he, like me, just loves cookies.
He's awesome like that.

So whenever cookies come out of the oven,
I picture little happy faces waiting a moment to dig into the cooling cookies.
It's difficult to wait.
Especially when snickerdoodle cookies aren't made very often.
And it's true.
I don't make them often enough for some people.
Somehow, taking the extra time to roll the dough in cinnamon and sugar
used to seem like a complicated step.
But after making so many complex cookies,
these are actually a piece of cake...I mean cookie.

Of course, I can't just leave the cookie alone...all traditional-like.
I needed to spice them up for the winter.
And nothing says winter to me like pumpkin and spices.

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodles
Adapted from Budget Gourmet Mom

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup pumpkin
• 2 large eggs (use Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer for a vegan substitution)
• 1/2 cup butter (or vegan butter)
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 2 1/2 cups flour

For Rolling:

• 2 tbls granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a medium bowl mix the pumpkin, eggs (or substitute), sugar, and vanilla.
3. In a small bowl stir together the baking soda, cream of tartar, and the flour. Add to the wet ingredients. and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Now in a small bowl mix the cinnamon and sugar.
5. Form the dough into balls that are tablespoon size. Roll in the cinnamon and sugar and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Flatten cookies by using a glass to flatten the cookies.
7. Bake for 8-9 minutes.
8. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.

If you can't keep little fingers away, go ahead and just give them a cookie or 3.

These cookies are definitely meant to be shared.

Enjoy!

Need Holiday Cheer?

To me, cookies provide cheer and smiles.

Are you ready for the Holidays?

If you're like me, this season seems to sneak up on you 

and pretty soon there are too many things to do.

While I can't helped you out with everything, 

I can help by giving you a little bit of time 

through making treats for your family or holiday parties.  

The best part is that while you eat and share treats, 

you can know that you’re making a difference in the lives of dogs around our community.  

It's a win-win situation.

If you are new to my blog and my bake sales, then you should know a couple things.

• First, I am not a commercial bakery, all items are made in my home. I make baked goods because I LOVE to bake.
• Second, I also ADORE dogs so all of the profits from the pies and treats are donated to Fences for Fido. 
• Thirdly, if there is something that you don't see on this list, it's because I have a modified menu of treats for the holidays. But that doesn't mean that you can't ask...special orders can always be made.  :)  

Cookies:

-Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies with icing (Regular or Vegan)

-Soft Sugar Cookies with holiday sprinkles (Regular or Vegan)

-Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate (Regular Only)

-Chocolate Crinkle (Regular Only)

-Ginger-Molasses (Regular or Vegan)

-Gingerbread (Regular or Vegan)

-Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie (Regular or Vegan)

-Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookie (Regular or Vegan)

-Chambers Family Favorites Mix 

              (A mix of the Chambers’ favorite cookies)

** Cookies can be ordered by

                         - Full Containers will be $12.00

                         - Half Containers will be $6.00

Gluten-Free and Vegan Cookies-available in Full Orders only for $15.00

-Oatmeal and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

-Caveman Cookies (Almond Butter Based)

Holiday Pies- Just a few options

Classic Pie Flavors:

·         Apple Pie

·         Dutch Apple Pie

·         Pecan Pie

·         Chocolate Cream Pie

       PRICES:

       - 9 inch pie $12.00

       - 6 pie $6.00

Breads- $8.00 per loaf

-Pumpkin

-Orange-Cranberry

-Lemon Poppy-seed

-Zucchini

-Lemon-Blueberry

HOMEMADE JAMS

8oz jar = $3.50

Very Limited Flavors remain.

Please contact me for flavors.

Want to place a holiday order while supporting an amazing charity?

Email me your order at livesimplywithsparkle@gmail.com 

or message me through Facebook.

Payment: Cash, checks, or credit card through iSquare.

                            Please make all checks payable to Fences for Fido.

All orders will be available for pick-up on Monday, December 23rd 

at either my home, or at Kraxberger Middle School.

If you need treats at an earlier time, please just let me know. 

Thank you for supporting this amazing cause! –Lori

The Ruby Year

I adore rubies.

Not only is it my birthstone, but I love the color.

Red is a soulful, deep color with so many various connotations.

Today it's all about love.

The deep, connected, for a lifetime committed kind of love.

I've personally never known that strength of love,
but I always hope to find it.

I do know what it looks like though.

It's waking up early to prepare coffee.

Making their favorite meals after a cold December day of work.

It's laughter- hearty, belly laughter.

Or a giggle at their stupid joke, because you think they're adorable.

Supporting their decisions, 

even when it's purchasing an alien or phone booth or
...whatever silly thing they've found.

It's a look, a smile, a way that you talk to one another.

Holding their hand through a crowd, 

taking the front so you can protected them from anything in the path.

It's genuine.

Simple.

Pure.

It's my parents.

40 years ago today, my parents made a committed for life.

Though many, including myself, have severed those ties,

theirs marriage is still strong.

Actually it just gets stronger ever year.

I can see it. 

And it's the most beautiful thing to witness.

December 8, 1973 was not the beginning of this love story.

Nope.

Their story began many, many years before.

My parents met in 8th grade at the
community center in Sellwood, Oregon.

My mom was (still is) a giggly teen running around the center after school.

My dad was a goofy (still is) rough and tumble kid causing mischief with his brothers.

I picture the scene like this...

My dad chasing my mom around the room, trying to get her into a voting booth.

 My mom just laughing and laughing as her best friend Kathy 

tried to "save" her from that crazy Chambers' boy Joe.

Oh those Chambers' boys!

I don't really remember the details of the story, but I just picture love.

And after 50 years together, my dad is still chasing her around and she's still laughing.

I love that.

That's love.

Simple, yet not so simple at all.

I feel so lucky to have parents that genuinely enjoy being together.

They really know how to love.

No matter what happens to or around them, you can always count on one thing...

They will head into every firestorm of life together.

A united front.

Protecting and loving each other through it all.

What a love.

Happy 40th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Thank you for your love.