Forgive me readers but I never got back to you about my gluten free bread experiment.  The bread was… weird.  It didn’t rise much although it did have bubbles and holes in the texture.  It was very yellow in color – probably due to the two eggs and the yellow from the yolks.  Those eggs also made it taste pretty, well, egg-y.  It was strange and not your typical bread.  Ted ate it with no complaints.  (There is little he won’t eat.)  And I gave a loaf to my gluten-free neighbor with apologies about how it might not taste very well.  She loved it – and toasted it for breakfast.  (Ahh … maybe toasting it would make it taste better!)  It made me appreciate how difficult it must be for people on a gluten free diet to find baked goods that are palatable.  And I won’t give up.  I shall happily attempt baking gluten-free again.  I have to give it a second chance.

Speaking of second chances, I gave good ‘ole quinoa another chance today.  For those of you who don’t know what quinoa is (pronounced KEEN-wah) it is usually considered to be a whole grain, but is actually a seed that can be prepared like whole grains such as rice or barley.  It is tiny and round and known for its high source of protein and amino acids.  (It is also gluten-free.)  Many years ago I tried cooking quinoa.  It was gross!  I did not like the taste at all.  Nasty.  Thanks to the pantry fairy I mentioned once upon a time in another blog, I became the owner of a bag of organic quinoa.  Today I gave it another chance and cooked a cup of it.  Then I added chopped colorful mini-peppers, raisins, fresh parsley, chopped pecans, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, turmeric, and a dash of cayenne and – it is simply delicious!  I have more quinoa in the pantry bag so it shall be cooked and used again.  A successful second chance!

As I made my way through the day, I happened to send Amanda a jibjab card that featured her as the Easter Bunny.  I posted it on her Facebook page so she could see herself and have a giggle.  Now for those of you who have read, Amanda, Perfectly Made, you know how   Amanda is absolutely terrified of the Easter Bunny and her reaction to just seeing someone dressed up like the Easter Bunny is to PUKE.  I told Amanda that I know how much she LOVES the Easter Bunny so that I made her one.  She told me she liked the card – that it was cute – but that (and I quote) “It DOESN’T change the way I feel about seeing one.”  I guess we don’t have any second chance here with her making friends with the Easter Bunny. (Here’s the link to the card in case you want to view it:  http://www.jibjab.com/view/SXZjuPwUTdp0sKfctBXn )

Thank goodness for second chances.  They give us a chance to get better at something, to try again, to find out we like something, or to reaffirm a dislike.  We also have the chance every day and every minute to stand sinless before God.  We can botch things up and totally fail, only to ask forgiveness and have the slate wiped clean.  Thank goodness God gives us second chances.  And third … and fourth … and fifth …. His mercies endure forever.

Just Laurel