Todays Adventure of The Stay At Home Mom

I'm Pretty Sure That's Poop.

I Don't Want to Know How It Got There.

My children seem to find it more worth their energy spending to do everything in their powers to NOT do what mom tells them to do!
Flushing the toilet, and washing your hands would save you SOOO much more time. I'm not sure how long it takes you to do what ever you do to avoid it but really, trust me. I DO know best sometimes.

How Is It May 20

And The Coat Closet Is Still FULL

of COATS, Hats, Gloves, and Snow Pants?

I have really enjoyed the rain this year!
For me, it can not rain enough. I should live in Washington or Oregon.
Don't think we don't look often!
Our drawers are overflowing at this time. Between the few pairs of shorts I had to get out for the handful of warm days, and the Long Sleeve shirts, and the Short Sleeve shirts, and the Pants we are STILL wearing (although, by the looks of all of those pants, we seem to be a family of capri believers); I have NO more room in the kids drawers and laundry is completely out of control!

I hate packing away the seasons and sizes not in use.
BUT I am so grateful to have boxes of hand-me-downs to go through when needed.

"Use It Up"

Our swing set was on it's last leg.
The poles were rusted, weak, and compromised.
We put off many expenditures in hopes of saving for a new swing set.

D looked into buying fence posts to replace the old posts but they cost $20 each, so after buying 6 we would be better off just buying a new set. Until last week!

We found this bigger stronger frame. . .practically in the dumpster and added our old components to it!

One more summer of outside fun!

Chicken Update

Remember how little they were?

They are getting so big now -

but still not quite laying.

Oh, and to ad to the original 6
(Jump, Jackson, Dallas, Denver, Justy, and Mac)... We got 5 more!
Scarlet, Ruby,
Buffy, Toppy, and
Mrs Dorothy.

Inspirational Food Storage

I DO have a hobby or two, although I seem to forget it at times!

I am a food storage junkie, as you may well come to know.

Tonight we had a Relief Society activity with a guest speaker on Food Storage.

She talked about how she started her food storage and the method she was inspired to take.

I sat through the entire meeting nodding my head in 100% agreement.

If I were to write my experiences with food storage and the method I use it would be her EXACT SAME method.

I didn't get my method from a book. I got it from the Lord.
She didn't get hers from a book, she got it from the Lord.

I'm not saying it's the only way, but I am saying it's a good way, and a truly inspirational approach to it.

Out of the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses...

Teacher Appreciation (part 2)

Remember THIS?

Well, this is what became of it for my Teacher Appreciation Gift.
I was going to use the clips on the frame for notes HOWEVER, my amazing husband made the frame so well, out of such a sturdy strong wood, that the tacks I was using wouldn't penetrate to hold the clips in place!!!!

Our PTA sends out a "Teachers Wish List" a week or two before Teacher Appreciation. It's a list of things the teacher would like to get, that is why I gave her googly eyes and glue sticks!

Mother's Day

I love a good Table-scape. My husband got me these adorable pictures for center pieces!

I sure love my Family!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers I know!

Bread Experiment

White Wheat Bread/Red Wheat Bread

Perhaps I'm clairvoyant.

Perhaps Its just coincidental.

Perhaps I'm just a wee bit insane.

It seems like lately when I do something, within an day or two I find the rest of the blogging world had the same idea.

A few months ago I was on a quest for the perfect chewy choc chip cookie recipe. I spent all day making cookies and altering recipe for perfection and then taking photo after photo to blog about my findings.

Then to my surprise, as I sat down to blog, I found several people had the same idea that week.

Lately I've been making my own bread, have been documenting the different loaves and outcome so that I can blog about the perfect bread. I get online and suddenly everyone is making their own bread now. Even members of my fam are baking bread.

I HAVE noticed that everyone has been adding wheat gluten, and dough enhancers to their recipes. This is the reason their breads have turned out so fabulous. I HAVE NOT BEEN.

The reason I am making my own bread is because I want to know what goes into my food. I am on a quest for the best recipe with clean and pure ingredients.

One of the best breads I have ever tasted has nothing but wheat, water, honey, yeast, salt.

Here is the recipe I have been experimenting with:

Combine and dissolve:

2T water and 1T yeast

Ad to the dissolved yeast:

1 1/3 c Water or Milk

1/3 c Honey

1t Salt

1/4 c Oil

3 3/4 c Freshly ground wheat

(I have used RED or WHITE- they both are fabulous)

Knead for 10-15 minutes

until the dough comes clean from the bowl.

Rise until double.

Squish and knead the ever-living-love out of the dough.

Squash it like you have never squished anything before!

Press it out and roll it up into a log tighter than a mummy bag.

Make it into a very tight loaf size ball of dough.

Place in a greased pan.

Let rise 'til at least double in size

(Once I let it rise in the fridge and got the best texture EVER!)

And I don't know why!

Bake for 35 minutes at 375 deg.

Remove from pan and let cool on a rack.

Other tips:

I originally tried it without oil and the crumb is very big - oil makes a more even texture with a smaller crumb.

I have tried adding an egg - egg makes the crumb moist but it is still big and crumbly.

I substitute 1/4c of the flour with 1/4 rolled grains or cracked grains - yummy, makes it a bit chewier.

I have added raw sunflower seeds. Yummy.

Bee

This was what a frame looked like before we added bees to the box.

BEFORE This is the frame as the bees have built up the wax cells in prep for eggs and honey.

AFTER

The light part is where the honey comb has been added.

Here is the Queen Mother:

Click to enlarge image

And here are disgusting larva that I hate looking at but mean that the hive is progressing.
Click to enlarge image