Sunday, February 22, 2009

Spring is time for change

This is Billie:

And Billie's Hair!

It doesn't ever look this way much past 5 minutes after I comb it.
It is so long and thick that it just tangles and knots and she looks like a girl who doesn't have a mommy who cares.
But care I do.

We would
braid,

comb,

hairspray,
straighten
,
condition
,
de-tangle
,
all in the name of her long long hair.
Daddy loves it!
Billie loves it!
And Mommy had a love/hate relationship with it.
This weekend it was time for a change.

So off to my fabulous hair gal Felicia.
*Here are Billie's fabulous boots she had to wear to get her hair cut!*

And CUT we did.

We will donate her length to Locks of Love.
We talked about what Locks of Love does and
Billie is super excited to help other little girls who aren't as lucky as she is.

Still loving her hair. Even after Daddy threw a man sized fit about her hair
(all in good fun though)

Billie tried to pretend she didn't like her new hair to save her daddies feelings,
but when I woke up this morning and she had already done this:

I knew her cut was a keeper.
She said it was so easy to do all by herself.
^sniff sniff^
My little girl is growing up way to fast.
But I wouldn't trade her for the world!

King Arthur Sandwich Bread

I have been toying around with this new bread recipe.
I love it!
It is easy!
The kids Love it!
Daddy Loves it!
It makes the best toast too!
*If you try it I would love to hear how it worked for you.*


This is the bread out of the oven. Don't you think that fresh bread baking
just makes your house homey and cozy!
Here is the bread mixing in my Kitchenaid. I love that too!
(When I am not in the mood for hand kneading.)


I have been using a mix of half unbleached all purpose flour and half white wheat flour, king arthur brand! I just dump 1 five pound bag of each into my #4 rectangle modular mate from Tup...

and mix it together with a whisk. Now my flour is ready to go and pre mixed in all it's yummy goodness. I use this mix for everything, cookies, bread, pancakes, waffles.
The kids don't even realize that they are eating wheat flour.

Oh and I usually double the recipe with no problem. So without further adieu:

3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
1/2 cup milk (skim, 1%, 2% or whole, your choice)**
1/2 to 2/3 cup hot water, enough to make a soft, smooth dough**
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) melted butter, margarine or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water OR 2 teaspoons instant yeast

*For added whole-grain goodness, substitute great-tasting King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour for up to half of the all-purpose flour in this recipe.

**Mix the cold-from-the-refrigerator milk with 1/2 cup of the hot-from-the-tap water to make a lukewarm combination.

Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine set to the dough or manual cycle). Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 60 minutes, until it’s domed about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.

Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 35 minutes, until it’s light golden brown. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or by measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature. Yield: 1 loaf.

Valentines Day


Our cute new valentines banner. The kids (especially Billie who stuck it out the whole project) were big helpers.

The school had an amazing family Valentines Dance. It was so much fun. Here is Daddy and Billie cutting the rug.

They also had Bean Bag Tosses,
Face Painting (Billie was helping her teacher with this activity)
And Sugar Cookie decorating.

It was so much fun and the kids had a great time.
We laid low on Saturday and just hung out as a family. What a better way to say I love you than to be together with the people who mean the most est to you!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

At long last, an update

I know you have been sitting on the edge of your seat
wondering what is happening down here in the desert southwest.
I guess I can say, notta whole lotta!
We, er the kids and I, have been freezing.
Yup, 4 winters in AZ and our blood has thinned.
Thank goodness we got lots of quilts and blankets for Christmas
because let me tell you we have
snuggled under them,
snored under them,
AND wrapped ourselves up like burritos in them.
Our daddy is no wimp and tells us we need to be tough too.
We are from Wyoming he says, "cold, this is nothing!"
So the heater doesn't come on.
But that is okay cause we like Hot Chocolate and Pancakes for dinner.
With out further adieu, here are a couple of highlights:

Science Fair: How to make butter out of cream. Shake shake shake...

Science Fair: How to make a liquid lens

Science Fair: If Birds can fly, Can I?