Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Please ignore the chipped plate.  What?  You didn't even notice, well then forget I mentioned it.  Focus on the cake, it's good.

  So a few things to mention before this post.  Firstly, we have some answers about our van.  It is being written off, which I am really really hoping turns out to be a blessing in disguise.  We are on a really short time frame and budget, so I hope that by this time next week we are all back to normal.  Well our normal anyway.

 Secondly, I had to share a funny comment I got on my last cake pop post.  I deleted it, then I thought about it.  The comment was anonymous, which I am not surprised, people seem to have a lot of nerve behind a computer screen.   I know I say some things I would never have the nerve to say.  Anyway the comment was "These look like crap."  So I just laughed then deleted it.  Then I thought about it, technically there was a picture where the cake balls sort of look like crap, literally.  And then I though " this must mean I have made it, I got a hate mail comment."  So that sort of made me happy, so I promise to publish all the comments I get, even the bad ones, unless they are rude. And if they upset me I will leave a response, but please if you have the "guts" to make those helpful comments, put your name to it.  That is all.

My alien coffee maker, which I use at least once a month, don't tell hubby.

  And lastly, this cake, oh man, it is good! I have read many posts from others showing their gluten free treats and I have been curious about them.  Not curious enough to really make them, because I am super lazy.  But when I was doing that desert table for my friend she requested something Gluten free, and she even sent me a recipe.  She had to go find the special flour mix as I had no idea or time to get it.  As it turns out, this cake is go good, that you could not tell it was gluten free.  It is that good.

This is the flour blend and it is perfect for this as it is 3 cups in the box.

Action shot of my super amazing new mixer.  Too bad it's not a new car right?

  So to start this cake has no butter, which I was surprised at, but the batter was so silky and smooth it was just perfect.   Also another thing this cake uses is coffee.  Now I don't drink hot coffee, but I love me an iced coffee.  But I was making it a la Pioneer Woman and making my own base.  As it turns out, I don't drink it much at home, I love me my Tim Horton's.  So I stopped making it, and we found this coffee maker at a store for under $30.  It uses pods, and it is not one of the super high end ones, but it lets me brew my coffee cold and I like it.  So I used it to make the coffee for this cake, I needed 1 1/2 cups, so I brewed two pods.

All ready to go, please ignore the empty wine bottle that my sister in law left at our house after they were over for diner.  And please ignore the fact I totally didn't notice it in the picture until this very second.

  The recipe is so easy, basically you mix all your dry ingredients together, then you mix all your wet ingredients together.  Then you mix both of those all together.  Super easy people!

 Gluten Free Cake

This makes a bunch, like 36 cupcakes at least

And it was found on a TV show site, which I cannot find as I just copied it, sorry

-3 cups gluten free flour blend *

-1 1/2 cups cocoa powder

-3 cups sugar

-1 TBSP baking soda

-1 1/2 TSP baking powder

-1 1/2 TSP salt

-3 eggs

-1 1/2 cups butter milk **

-1 1/2 cups coffee***

-3/4 cups oil

-1 1/2 TSP vanilla****

Pre heat oven to 325, mix all dry ingredients together, and mix all wet ingredients together and then mix the whole lot together.  Then place in pans or cupcake liners and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  

*My friend got hers at a health food store, but she said you want the flour blend as it helps the cake to be nice and fluffy

**I just added a bit of white vinegar to milk and let sit for 5 minutes

***I used brewed coffee but  I bet instant would work too, the coffee really brings out the chocolate flavor

****I used vanilla bean paste because I was feeling fancy, you don't have to

I just used what I had, bendy straws and left over fudge frosting.

So I wanted to make this for my family for our diner at my parents.  I decided to be brave and make a layer cake.  I was going to make it three layers as I had lots of batter, but I only had two pans and was in a rush.  So I did two layers and the rest as cupcakes.  The cakes bake up nice and flat, so there is no need to level them.  

Oh my gosh, I sort of want to dive into this. Hubby said the best part was the fudge frosting, then tried to cover himself by saying "but the cake was really really good too!"  Smart man. I will share this fudge frosting soon, I need to make it again and put it on brownies as it was intended.

See it was nice and level, I guess since it did not rise very much it was just perfect.

So this is how you cut the straws, put it in where you want it, all the way down. Then pull it up a bit to cut it level and then push it back in.

  After they baked and cooled for about 20 minutes I put them in the fridge, we were running late so I had to rush it.  I had some left over fudge frosting from the brownies I made a few weeks back.  I had kept it in the fridge so it was still great, hard though, so I had to warm it up a bit in the microwave.  Anyway I made a simple butter cream.  I have shared it here many times.  And I set to work assembling it. 

See you cannot even see the straws here.

My "rustic" icing job.

  First I smeared a bit of frosting on the cake plate and placed the bottom layer.  Then I pipped a dam of frosting around it, to hold in the fudge.  I spread the fudge out, not too thick a layer and then put the second layer on.  Now as I hate making cakes, and we had a long drive ahead of us, I had to be smart.  So I used some plastic straws to hold the layers together.  I just took four and put one in the middle and three around the cake.  You push the straw in, pull it up a but and cut it so it will be level.  Then you frost the cake.  

Sprinkles make everything better!

  Now real cake decorators would make a nice smooth cake, but this was for family and I wanted a rustic look.  At least that is what I am telling myself, less disappointment that way.  So I iced it and then sprinkled on some bone sprinkles because nothing says fall like bones right?

And these are the poopy cupcakes my co workers got,  but they ate them anyway.  The just wanted the sugar.

  I also really quickly piped some frosting on my cupcakes, and have made the choice that from now on when using a chocolate frosting I need to use a fluted pipping tip, this poopy looking icing is just wrong.   But it tastes so right.

  So We were in a rush so we headed out and my cake stayed nice and level, and we ate it for desert then we went home and had to lay down, too much food!  But it was good, and I don't know about you, but even if this is gluten free, I will be willing to make it again.  And again.  It was that good.

And I have come to terms that I will never get a really nice cake slice picture, so just be happy with this.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGkVXRcfqdibcZiJKsoYvK92JaoFWr-FRH1wyAdx0HJZCXqveTH1WOVaoJgdp4Iqn13vksXQocLO015g79FoCLOVPgSFy7leqBBNOCDHiyuto8foFwAx2XINmuNwO0LGClO69qvcQ0Ko/s1600/buttonsocial.jpg

School Zone Safety Survey and Insurance Protection

This post brought to you by Insurance Hunter. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

This post is going to be near and dear to my heart.  We recently had an accident as I have shared here.  And when I was offered the opportunity to share some great information from Insurance Hunters, I was all "this is just perfect!"  Because there is no way in the world I would ever drive without insurance, and I want to make sure that my readers know all they can, and find the easiest way to get the best coverage for them.  This post is brought to you by insurance hunters, all opinions are my own.

 

 So I was given a lot to read about, the results of some really in depth surveys.  Basically they asked parents about how they feel about their kids, and how safe they feel while they are on their way to and from school.

 

See that right there is my Pork Chop, and I have fears like any other parent that he could get hurt while on his way to and from school. I know how I drive, but I cannot control how others do.  Look at that face!  I don't know what I would do if he was hurt.

 

  In our accident it was a weekend and the other driver was younger.  But it could have happened any day, and where and with any age driver.  We are so blessed that our insurance is able to be there for us.  And I know that when we were looking for insurance before we did it the old way.  I just renewed with who we had the year before.  Now though, I really think there is a better way. Insurance Hunters is there to help you, give you options and such.

 

  In the survey Insurance Hunter’s survey on driver safety in school zonesInsurance Hunter’s survey on driver safety in school zones Insurance Hunters found that 1/3 of the parents they polled worried about their kids while they were being dropped off or picked up from school.  And an Ontario surveyOntario School Zone Safety SurveyOntario School Zone Safety Survey said of the parents polled more than 3/4 witness unsafe driving in school zones.  I am sure you have, I can tell you on the days I take Pork Chop to school or the bus, there are people doing many stupid things.  Can you say not watching the road, not stopping at stop signs, parking right in the middle of the road to get their kids out to the bus stop.  Those are just a few, and I am not about swearing my head off.  Hubby tells me I need to stop swearing, but seriously, these parents are nuts!

 

 But not only the parents, they also found that over 1/5 of people surveyed said they had to swerve to not hit a student on or near school property.  In the age of phones and i pods, these kids just are not paying attention like they should.  Also 13% stated they them selves, their kids or care givers have been or have almost been hit in a school zone.  That is a very high percentage to me, making me even more nervous.  I may have to put Pork Chop in a plastic bubble. He might even like it!

 

What it basically comes down to is people, whether they are a parent, a teacher, a caregiver, a student or just someone in the area.  They need to obey the rules of the road.

 

  Just some basic statistics from the survey where unsafe driving was seen were:

 

74% reported witnessing speeding in school zones

68% witnessed people on their phones or texting

37% witnessed drivers not stopping at cross walks

20% witnessed drivers not stopping for crossing guards

19% witnessed drivers running red lights.

 

Okay as soon as I am done this post, I am going to start making Pork Chop his bubble, those numbers are really scary to me.

 

  There are so many more facts in this survery that I really think any parent should read.  And if you have a new or young driver, they should be made aware, some of them may be driving to school and they need to know how dangerous it is out there.  

 

  You can find the survey results here and I highly recomend that you read it and share it, I know that Hubby won't be shocked.  He drives Pork Chop 99% of the time, but for those like me that don't go often, it was a real eye opener.

 

  Also take the time to check out Insurance Huntersauto insuranceauto insurance, becasuse no matter how careful you are, there are always going to be bad drivers out there.

Easy Halloween Cake Pops

I think they turned out kind of cute, that little witch on the bucket, she is all "don't you eat those, they are poison!"  Or something like that.

 Right now I am going to pretend that everything is back to normal.  It's not, we are still not sure what is happening with our car.  We are on the fence as to what would be better, will they fix it, will they write it off?  I just don't know, what I do know is that no matter what happens, we are going to be in for some serious payments of some sort.  Sigh.

My cake crumbler thingy, my new bowl is so big I have to hold it, it won't rest across it like my other bowl.

 So to try and get back to life I decided to make some cake pops.  Because nothing says "everything is okay!"  Like cake pops.

  Am I right?  

Hubby made those for me, are you impressed?

  Well fine, maybe not, but at least it is full of sugar, and that always makes me feel better.

  So I promised Pork Chop cake pops for his hockey team, but as the last week was just up in the air, I just got to it.  I decided to use all the fun new things I have gotten in the last few months, because there will be no new fun things for a while.  

See how big this bowl is?  That right there, is two full cakes.  So exciting! 

  I also wanted to make some treats for the neighbour that helped Hubby by offering him a chair from his home when he was in the accident.  I also wanted to make a small treat for our new neighbours.  We have been in our home for almost 10 years, so we have seen many people come and go. And the home that now has our new neighbours was home to the nicest lady and her son, we are going to miss them so much.  But our new neighbours, they are so sweet and they have the cutest dog.  So we are thrilled.

My cake pop mold, and my Halloween nails.

I used an ice cream scoop to try and keep my hands clean.

And there you go, perfect cake pops.

  Anyway back to cake pops.  I have been really lazy as of late.  When I make cake pops I have just been doing the ones where they stand up, not the ones that you put in a display.  Only because they take a bit longer and I am lazy.  Well this time, I went all out.  

  I know, don't expect it all the time.

 So to start I needed lots of these pops, so I got Hubby to make me two cakes.  I also asked him not to use my new mixer, I so wanted to be the first one to use it.  He was all "are you serious?"  And I was all "it's our anniversary week, you have to do what I say!"  And he did, but he grumbled about it, like I was killing him, having to use a hand blender.

I don't really know why I thought this needed a picture, but you know, there are my balls.  (Tee Hee)

See those are my awesome cake pop stands, they each hold 30 cake pops.  And they were made just for me as the sticks I use are not the same as the ones most use apparently.

  So I started by using the cake crumbler that I got in that cute Bakerella kit and crumbled both cakes into my new mixing bowl.  Can you believe it?  Two cakes fit, and I was so excited, no more doing two batches, only one for me now! So once it was crumbled I added just a bit of icing, I find that too much and it's just too soft to work with.

Here is Hubby getting Pork Chop set up to play on my computer.  Because when I asked him if he wanted to help make cake pops, this is how he was going to help.

By making faces at me when I was telling him to smile.  He was all "Bite Me!"  Or maybe I just read that somewhere.

  I wanted these cake pops to be big, because it means less work really.  So I used the mold from My Little Cupcake.  I love the ease of these molds and the size is really generous.  So I used my mold and out of the two cakes got 50 cake balls, I might have gotten a few more, but Hubby might have over baked the cakes a smidgen and I had to take a few toasty edges off.

This is the set up for the second dip and sprinkles.  Coffee filters are great for catching sprinkles and not having them bounce all over the place.  Some still ended up on the floor, don't ask me how.

  Now I usually do cake pops over a few days, but since I was in a rush I had to do these in one night.  So I put the cake pops in the freezer and got to setting up to dip them.  I was so excited to use my new cake pop stands.  I got these a month ago, from KC Bakes.  The company is located in Pennsylvania in the states.  Which just so happens to be where my Mom was going to be going to golf and shop with my Dad.  I had wanted one for a while, but shipping to Canada is crazy and I could not afford it.  The stands are solid wood, so they are very heavy, that is why it cost so much.  Anyway she agreed to drop them with my mom so I could save shipping.  I could not believe how sweet that was.  Anyway they are amazing.  Before this I was using Styrofoam and that stuff is a pain.  These stands are just amazing!

I really love these sprinkles.

But then I love these even more.  And if I had time I would have put some eye balls on them.  But I was too lazy.

  So I melted my candy melts and then working about 4 pops at a time, I dipped the candy stick into the melts, then into the pop.  I then dipped the whole pop and tapped off the extra.  Then into the stand to set.  Now usually my cake pops crack like crazy.  So I plan to dip them twice.  But these ones didn't crack, not a one of them!  So I think it may be due to the low amount of frosting and the short amount of chill time.  Whatever.  

I put the bags on when they are in the stand then they are easy to tie up this way too.

Ta Da!

  So then I got my sprinkles out and a coffee filter.  I then dipped them again, sprinkled them with sprinkles and rolled them around in front of a fan until the chocolate was set enough to make sure the sprinkles did not just drip off.

  Once that was done, I wrapped them in bags and tied them with ribbon.  

See this was all about $5 at the dollar store.

I used 4 or 5 in each bucket.

Just smoosh them in there.

  I just sent them in a box to hockey for Pork Chop and Hubby to hand out.  Hubby hates handing them out, I do too.  I also feel bad when there is not enough.  I mean I send enough for the team and a few extra, it's the brothers and sisters that always want too.  And I cannot afford to make double for all of them.  So he feels bad, but the team is first, and the coaches and if there is extra then the brothers and sisters can have them.  Pork Chop almost always never takes one, but he did actually eat one cake pop.  I know, crazy right?

And this is the garland, I just sort of stuck it in there.

 For the neighbours I wanted to make a small gift, so I hit the dollar store.  I got two little tin buckets, and I wanted some flower foam, but there wasn't any.  So I got some sponges and some glittery garland.  I may have also got some chocolate, but that was for me, not the gift.

  When I was ready, I took the sponges and stuffed them into the bucket to fill it.  Then I planned to just push the pops into them, but the sponges were really thick so I used a skewer to make holes then put the pops in.  Then I sort of wrapped the garland around them to fill it in.  I think they turned out cute.  I also brought some into work, and they were all like "Finally!"  Because they have not had many treats, but now we are back to "normal" they will get their yummies.

  I am going to get started on treats for Pork Chops party soon, I can bake and freeze the sugar cookies and the marshmallows can be made and dipped in chocolate a week or so before, they last perfectly.  So the only real last minute thing will be cake pops and cupcakes.  I refuse the make a cake, well maybe a little one, but not a big one.  

  So there you go, we are getting somewhat back to normal.

All done, and there were six in each bucket, more than enough really, because I wanted to eat the rest.

Getting Ready To Bake!

That right there, that is just some of the stuff I used. Also please ignore the junk on the chairs, I have no room in my house!

 Firstly I wanted to say happy anniversary to my Hubby, he says I can be overly dramatic on my blog.  And yeah; I so said it Hubby, what you going to do now?  That's right, I am dramatic, and very brave on a key board.  But you still love me and I like you, a lot.  So it's all good.  It has not always been easy but it has always been what I wanted, no matter what, I knew it was going to be. 10 years of marriage later, and over 15 years of knowing you, I still get that feeling when I hear your voice or see you make that face you make when you really want to roll your eye when I say something so super smart you just cannot tell me any different.  So I love you, and you are awesome, and now I am going to talk about food.  

  So, a few weeks back I did my first wedding sweet table, and probably my last.  I don't think I realized how much work it would be.  I mean I know how to work a baking schedule, but even with three days and a helper it was not easy.  If I was not working two jobs, or if I was rich, I would so do this again.  But as that is not in the cards, I will stick to the things I can do.  Like little things for friends and family, and for Pork Chop of course.  Hubby, well he won't eat it, so I give up on him.  Sort of, you know I will keep trying right?

  Anyway this wedding was fun, I didn't get lot's of pictures because I was trying to do a lot in a little time.  But I took a few, and I hope to get some professional pictures from her photographer of my desserts, could you imagine?  I real picture on my blog, not you know, crazy blurry ones?   I know, I dream big.

 So for this wedding, the bride, my friend from work, really wanted lots of options.  She is such a foodie, every time I bring something in, she is always telling me she loves it.  This is also the friend that thought whoopie pies were called whoopie cushions.  She will never live that down.  

  When we talked about what she wanted we picked a whole bunch of things, her only really specific requests were that I use the best ingredients, so the best cocoa and vanilla bean paste of course.  And then she also wanted a gluten free option for her friend.  I have never done that so it was a sort of "OMG I hope this tastes good."  And it did.

Just a few of the chocolate pretzel rods, yeah I said it, rods.

Dessert Table Menu:

Double Chocolate and Chocolate Vanilla Cake Pops
Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods
Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Chocolate and Vanilla Whoopie Pies
Hazelnut Donuts
Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mint Chocolate Brownies
Chocolate Fudge Brownies
Vanilla Bean Macarons with Chocolate Ganache
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes


 So I wrote a list of what  I needed.  It was something like 5 dozen eggs, 6 blocks of butter, lots of sugar, flour and milk.  And that was just the beginning.  I set up a day by day baking schedule and asked my mom and sister to each come help me out one day.  It worked out great, and the bride seemed very happy.  Or she could have been drunk, or just happy to be married. I choose to believe it was the sight of all that yummy food that did it, you cannot tell me any different!

  I am not going to share the recipes here with you, yet.  If I have made the things before I will link them in the post, if not I will talk about them, then come back and make them again, because I only did like three new things and they were good, so they deserve to be made again.

This right here is my new favorite thing.  Last month Bakerella released a kids baking set.  And I so wanted it, but Hubby was all "that's for kids"  And I gave him the stink eye and got it anyway.  But I got a picture of Pork Chop holding the box, so I totally get to say it was for him.  He is also not allowed to touch it, well at least until I play with all the things first.  I did pay for it after all.  Anyway this is the cake crumbler thingy doo dah.  It is amazing and I am sort of mad these were not around before.  And I also think there needs to be one made for adults, but I am not above using it for myself, I will now be using it all the time. Love it!

So a few of the things I made and have made  before are:

Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes - Linked Here

Chocolate and Vanilla Whoopie Pies - Linked Here

Chocolate Mint Brownies - Linked Here

Triple Chocolate Cookies - Linked Here, but using lots of different chocolate chips

Vanilla Bean Macarons and Chocolate Ganache - Linked Here

Chocolate Covered Pretzels - Linked Here

Chocolate Cake Pops  - Linked Here

Hazelnut Donuts - Linked Here

  So I will share with you in the near future the Chocolate Fudge Brownies, the Gluten Free Cupcakes and the Chocolate Covered Strawberries.  I tried making the tuxedo strawberries and I was happy with how they turned out.  For a first try anyway.

This is just part of my prep.  I would measure everything out.  Like all the flour and sugar and such, then plastic wrap the bowls, this made it so I could bake 5 or more different recipes really quickly, only stopping to crack eggs and measure the wet ingredients.  Saves a lot of time.

  I was really surprised by how much work this was, I loved it, and seriously would do it again if I had the time, but wow I was tired.  I had dishes like you wouldn't believe and my mom and sister were great about doing them as I worked.  I hate measuring out everything ahead of time for the simple fact it takes up a lot of dishes.  I could measure everything out into plastic bags, but those get costly, so I use the bowls.  I also love that I can use my blog to go back and get my own recipes.  I have a page started for those, but have not had the time to get to it.  I will one day.  I mean you know, I should right?

Sort of lop sided, but they tasted great.  I got some really good strawberries at the farmers market, and the ones on top were perfect.  The ones on the bottom were too small, and ended up going moldy within a few days.  Oh well, these ones looked good.

  So I hope to share the nice pictures with you soon, and also those other recipes, I seriously now want to make that gluten free cake again and again, it was so good!  Also my one year blog anniversary is coming up, but there will be no big give away, sorry, unless we win the lottery.  Also Pork Chop is turning 8 this month, and I had plans for his birthday.  We already booked and paid for the pool and party room, so we will have that and most of the other extras will not happen.  But there will be cupcakes and cookies and cake pops and home made marshmallows, so it won't be all bad.  Also there will be a bunch of friends and family and Pizza.  I will share all the baking too.

  And I also just want you all to know I am way too young to have an 8 year old, I mean have you seen how good I look?  Have you also noticed how immature I am?  It all factors in people.

If We Didn't Have Bad Luck.....

We would have no luck at all I think.  These past two days have been bad.

This picture really has nothing to do with this post, but that is my Pork Chop and he is cute, so it makes me happy to share.

  I think writing about it will help, so sorry it will be a downer, a little good though, so you know, not all bad.  Feel free to skip over it all, really it just helps me to ramble on about it.

  It all started off great, I was so excited for this weekend.  The Red path Show was on this weekend.  And I had taken the day off on Sunday to go with Hubby and my Mom.  It was something I had been looking forward to since Hubby pointed it out on the sugar bag about a month ago.  Hubby is a good egg, he saw that and was all "we are so going!"  I love that man.

  Anyway, we had it all set, my sister was going to take Pork Chop out to the movies and we were going to go and eat all we could and buy lots of fun stuff.  I was really good because I had only brought so much, so I didn't go nuts, I got a huge bottle of vanilla bean paste for a steal and some cookies and really that was it.  The prices of most things were not great, and I either had them or didn't need them.  Can I just say that I never thought I would say those words, but I really didn't feel like I needed anything else.

  But my mom?  She did, she felt that I needed an early Christmas gift.  I have been wanting a larger kitchen aid for a while, like a long while.  I have the 4.5 quart one, the one you may have seen before.  And I loved it, just not when I needed to do larger baking, which is a lot of the time.  This would make it so I had to do multiple batches, when I could do one batch in a larger one.  Anyway, there was a sale on the one I wanted, and she was all "let's get it, Merry Christmas!"  And I felt guilty, because I wanted it so badly, but it was a lot.  She said, no it was my gift, and that I should get it if I wanted.  So we did, and I cannot believe it.  I will not have anything to open on the holidays, but seriously?  I am a very very lucky girl.

I got this one, but in a slightly different colour, I think I would have loved red, but really this works way better in my house anyway.  I just need to find some super hero decals, like I promised Hubby I would.

  So after our wonderful shopping and pigging out we went home.  Mom headed home and we settled in to have a few hours of time to just hang out and watch TV.  My sister still had Pork Chop and I was determined to watch some Netflix and eat Pizza.  So Hubby ordered us some and I got into some ugly sweat pants and got laundry going.  Hubby headed out and that was when I sat down to look through all the stuff I got at the show.

  That is when our lives changed.

  I got a phone call, I could not understand the person on the other line.  They kept saying Hubby's name.  I kept telling them he was not home, the person sounded like they were on a phone far away or something.  Then I hear Hubby say "just tell her I am okay."  And then it hit me, something had happened.  I am not 100% sure what was said, something about come to the intersection. The one behind my house.

  I hung up, and ran out the front door, in my ugly sweat pants, socks only, and the house phone still in my hand.  I ran to the road and then down the block.  I didn't see anything really, the street sort of curves.  Then I figured how bad can it be?  Then I saw him, he was sitting on someones front lawn, surrounded by people. I ran as fast as I could, then I saw the other person.  A motorcyclist, laying face down in the road.  I could not get to Hubby fast enough as soon as I did, I fell down and I went into a bit of shock.  "what happened?" was all I could get out and I was hugging him.  He looked like he was about to pass out, he looked like he was in shock and he couldn't really tell me.  He told me to let him go, he could not breath.  People were crowding him and I had to ask them to get back.

  I won't go into all the details, but there was obviously an accident and at that point we did not know if the other person was dead or alive.  There were people all around him.  It seemed like forever but the ambulances, the police the fire department showed up.  The first to be looked at was the person on the road, he was breathing, but some stander by had taken off his helmet.  Possibly injuring him more, so we were told.  Hubby could hardly breath, I dialed my mom on his cell, and it went to voice mail.  I was so shaken, she called right back.  She had just walked in the door at home.   I screamed "Hubby hit a motorcyclist, please come!"  And then Hubby said "I didn't hit him, he hit me"  He was just devastated.  There were people everywhere, they kept coming up to us and asking Hubby if he was the driver, was he okay.  But they were just being nosy, they were not police they just wanted to know what was going on.  I was calm but as strongly as I could I would tell each and every one of them "he is fine, please give us some space"  We had the few people near by that were witnesses and that was enough help.

 I cannot remember it all perfectly, but the police talked to Hubby, let us know the other man was breathing and then they asked how it happened and such.  A kind neighbour brought out his dining room chair for Hubby, he will be getting some thank you treats as soon as I can.  The police asked if he wanted to go to the hospital and he was saying no.  Typical Hubby, not wanting to admit he could be hurt.  He went, because I would not allow him not to.  He was in shock, and he said his back hurt, I mean the air bag got him so yeah, it was a big hit.

  Once Hubby left, I had to wait to find out what was going on.  Basically they had to make sure the other person would survive and then we could deal with the cars.  My mom showed up as I got back in the house to change.  I frantically called a work friend, not sure what I said, but she knew I would be off the next day.  Mom and I walked back to see if we could get stuff out of our car, they still were not sure but I wanted to get to the hospital.  So we went back to my house, where my sister had returned with Pork Chop.  I could not tell him, I still did not know if everything was going to be okay.  So I told him Hubby was at the doctors as he was not feeling well, so I had to go.  We went and got Hubby, who was just released.  No major injury, his back was very badly tweaked, but he was going to be okay.  The other news?  The motorcyclist would at worst have a few broken bones.  It was something I would never have believed after seeing the accident.

  After we got home I talked to Pork Chop, I asked if he had seen the police.  He said he had, that they were all over.  I told him that it was an accident and that Hubby was in it, but he was fine, Hubby was home at this time, so Pork Chop was not too upset.  He was a little excised actually to think we may get a new car.  What a boy.

  At this time we are waiting for insurance to tell us where we go from here.  We had insurance, and I could never imagine not having it. So for now we sit, we have to hear if our car can be fixed, or if it is a write off.  I am scared, this is going to be a huge issue for us.  And it will be an on going thing for a while.  I know some things we had planned are not going to be able to happen, and who cares.

  I am so thankful that I have Hubby, even though he is really sore.  At least I am just dealing with a car, not a funeral. Our 10 year anniversary is Friday, and I could not imagine having him not be here.  I just don't know.  We are second guessing everything.  What if we had got delivery?  What if we had waited a few minutes?  What if we had gone out to eat?  Hubby is beating himself up, and I can understand that, but it was an accident, and no matter what, he is here.  And the other person will be okay, not even a broken bone so we have been told.

  Yesterday we had to run around and get a rental and sign papers, see the police and the doctor again. It has been crazy.  Hubby is sore, but won't admit it, you can just see it.  I just know we are all here still and that is all that matters.  So I hope to get back to some form of normal soon.  Pork Chop started hockey last week, so we are going to make treats for the team Friday night, and also some for the very kind neighbour who we don't even know.  Who with just the kindness of offering a chair made a big difference.

  And so as to leave it on a positive note. Our rental car is a Ford Edge.  I now feel like my car is nothing.  Seriously this car has everything, and a moon roof. It took me over 5 minutes to just get ready to drive it the first time.  And don't even ask me about how to start the darn thing properly.  Pork Chop is in love and hopes we can get one.  It won't happen.  Our van was in really good shape, but it was 6 years old with a lot of distance on it.  So if it is a write off, well I don't want to think about it.  If you know anyone at Ford who wants to give me a cool SUV, let me know, I mean come on, I can at least blog about it.  And if not, I told Hubby we could get me one of those tiny little electric cars, he was not amused.  Oh well, I still have my Hubby, and no one has to plan any funerals.

 Also Pork Chop told all his friends, he is so like his Mom tells everyone everything.  Hubby, he won't tell anyone.  That is why we work so well, and that is why I keep him around.

  Anyway, life could be so much worse.  Thanks for reading.