Adventures in Breadmaking (1)

Last week I struck gold at the Salvation Army store nearby.  I've had several adventures there, one of which included locking the baby in the truck.  In fact, I hadn't been back since November; I guess that particular time was pretty traumatic.

For years I have thought in the back of my mind that it would be wonderful to have a bread machine.  About 20 years ago my parents bought a DAK machine, which is still running, even though the DAK company has been defunct for years. 

image credit DAK Auto Bakery

Nothing could quite compare to walking in the door from a long day of errands, piano lessons, or just being outside, and meeting the aromas of dinner in the crock pot and a golden loaf rising in the bread machine.  My mom is smart; she knows that errand day requires dinner to be made by a machine.

There have been a few times in the near 6 years I've been married that I have attempted to make yeast breads.  The effort was grand, and the results were less than stellar.  The conclusion is, if I want bread, it has to be the quick bread variety (like banana or beer bread), the kind the comes out of a can that pops when you open it, or I have to buy it made already.

But, this all changed when I saw this beast on the floor near the appliances.  And for only $12.99, I nearly squealed!

Really pretty, right?

I opened it, inspected it, took it apart (partially), put it back together again, plugged it in--everything checked out.  I hurried eagerly to the register and bought it before anyone else could see it and take it out from under me. 

When I got it home, it took me hours of searching online for a manual and printing it (seriously, it took me 45 minutes to figure out how to print the pages into a double-sided booklet), and it took me literally several days of prying, scraping, and pounding, using olive oil, two screwdrivers, and a spatula to remove the dough hook from the bowl.  Apparently many yeas of disuse left it nearly fused to its washers.  But I was not to be deterred!  I was at least going to test it out to make sure it worked.  I figure that at this price, if we get a half dozen loaves of decent bread, we'll get our money's worth. 

It takes up as much room on the counter as a microwave, and there's no way that and a crock pot or rice cooker would all fit in the kitchen at the same time.  It has to live on the floor in the garage when it's not being used.  But who cares, if the house can smell like a bakery for a few hours every couple of days?

Bread, glorious bead!

So far, I've made pizza dough, which was a success, and one beautiful loaf of egg bread, which will surely not live long enough to see the light of day tomorrow. 

Gorgeous and perfect egg bread, wouldn't you say?

I can't wait to try out wheat bread, cinnamon rolls, and bagels!

Do you have a bread machine?  What's your favorite thing to make?

Morning Psalms

I have to wonder how those who hold to the belief that one's personal quiet time should be done first thing in the morning don't "backslide" terribly during the infant and toddler stages of motherhood.  Or maybe they just don't have kids.  Having someone in your family who wakes with--or before--the dawn and demands your undivided attention does not typically make for a peaceful and quiet time of early morning communion with your Creator.  Or maybe it's just me.

Truthfully, I have had about 3 mornings in the past 4 months in which I awoke before my daughter and managed to engage in a prayerful and healthy devotional time.  Now that Sam is working and has to be out the door early, and now that I am able to drink coffee again, and now that I am able to make it through my morning without being sick, my mornings have become much more pleasant.  Beautiful, even.

As I've dealt with this reality, I've also been wondering about and praying for a way to incorporate the Word of God into my daily routine in a way that includes my daughter.  She knows what the Bible is (Duh, it's a book that is very big, and covered in leather, with shiny page edges), and she was taught at a very young age the parlor trick of throwing her hands up in the air when we say, "Praise the Lord!"  She has her own board book of "Baby's First Bible" and she points out Jesus.  And the kitten and puppy who are on almost every page.  She often wants to pack her Bible with us in the diaper bag when we go to church.


For a little while, and not with incredible consistency, I have been reading one psalm aloud to my 19-month-old at breakfast.  She loves to hear words she recognizes:  high, strong, house, sky, face, horses, clap, and praise the Lord! 


It is really the most fun I've had reading the Word in a long time.  We laugh and clap and use hand gestures.  It is a very small practice, but if it were more elaborate, there's no way I would be able to keep it up.  Some days, this is pretty much the extent of my spiritual depth.  As it is, it is approachable, it is doable, and it is a lot of fun!


Usually I have to stop every few words to help her with her breakfast.  Yes, it takes us at least 10 minutes to read through about 20 sentences.  But it works for us right now, and it's so worth it.

Easiest Microwave Applesauce for One (or one and a half)

That one bruised apple

Around here, there is always at least one apple that has been thrown or dropped or gnawed on, that you don't want to toss out, but can't quite present it as a lovely specimen of fruit, either.  I almost called this "That One Bruised Apple Applesauce" because that's the true origination of this recipe.  That, and on PBS Kids several times this week Sid the Science Kid was learning about "change" and "irreversible change"--for example, when you cook an apple, you can't change it back to a raw apple.  Like when you make applesauce. 

So, guess who suddenly craved applesauce after watching Sid?  Yep, and Lizzie thought it was a great idea, too.

Total time: 5 minutes.
Cleanup requirements: virtually nothing to clean up
Difficulty level: if you can nuke it, you can make this

Well, you peel the apple.  The easiest way is to lob off the top and bottom, then slice down the sides.

Then you cube it, so each piece is approximately the same size - I did dice-sized cubes.  Throw the cubes in a microwave-safe bowl.

Then you add a dribble of water.  I've done this with and without water, and it works out about the same either way.

Put it in the microwave for 2 minutes on high.

(Or 1:54 minutes, but that's up to you.)

 (Actually, if you use more than one apple, or if it's a big baking apple, like a Granny Smith, for instance, you may need to let it cook a little longer.)

While you wait for the microwave to ding, sing a silly song.  (optional)

Mash the cooked apple cubes with a fork, and add a dash of cinnamon. 

 

Once it's cool enough to handle, serve at once to your young scientist.

Enjoy!

Morning Coffee, How I've Missed You

It's almost a novelty, drinking coffee in the morning.  And when that comes with a bit of quiet, it's even more rare.

Today it is quiet at 9 AM because Sam has already left for work, and Lizzie was up until 11 PM.  Of course, that means I was also up long after that, but as long as she stays in bed a little longer, I can deal with it.  After all, I have my coffee.

Work is still going well for Sam.  He has been working a lot of hours.  A whole lot of hours.  He's secretly going for a week with enough overtime to double his paycheck before they realize what's going on and tell him to knock it off.  He gets to meet a lot of cool people (and a lot of oddballs, but that's what a retail position will give you), and he works in a field that he has a lot of interest in.  His interest makes him an excellent salesperson; yesterday he sold over $1200 worth of product and memberships.  He came home still stoked about that.

With all the extra hours, it's been a little hard for us to adjust.  There are some days that Lizzie barely gets to see Sam.  She misses him, but most evenings she is up late enough to see him.  I actually had a meltdown a few days ago, and said that I needed him to be home for dinner once this week.  Last night we had dinner together for the first time since Sunday.  It was great.  He helped with Lizzie's bedtime routine, and she climbed and played all over him.  Hence, the 11 PM bedtime.

Wednesday morning I had my 16 week appointment, and all is well.  Somewhere in the last few weeks I had gotten ahead of myself and really thought I was 17 weeks along.  But no, 16 weeks.  Baby's heartbeat is swooshing along nicely, and I'm finally starting to actually look pregnant, not just have a little pooch.  (I recently found that I can't tie my robe unless it goes either above or below the belly.)  We scheduled the 20 week ultrasound appointment 4 weeks out, and we'll find out what we're having!  I have a feeling that will be when it all really kicks in and starts to be very real.  And between now and then I'll be feeling the baby more, so I'll have a more constant reminder.  Aside from the general fatigue and loose joints and occasional lightheadedness.

Lizzie is hilarious as always.  She pulls words out of conversation and repeats them often.  She's saying about 3-4 new words every day.  Even while fighting a nasty head cold!  In fact, "boogers" is one of her words.  Yes, I taught my little girl how to say boogers.  And poop.  But hey, they're very useful.

One word that I taught Lizzie to say, purely for my own amusement, is "wonderful."  I've been curious what she thinks is "won-doe-doe."  For the record, everyone in the family--Daddy, Mama, Zizzie (Lizzie), Yay-yee (Lady, the dog), Max, and Leo (there are no phonetic transliterations for the way she says the cats' names)--are all wonderful.  Her Duplos, some foods (particularly blueberries and eggs), and Barney, are also wonderful. 

So that's all the "stuff" of life these days.  My heart has been trying to be heard again lately.  It had been sort of stifled for a while, I think.  There's something about being physically sick that makes it hard for me to make a priority of anything spiritual.  That is, anything beyond, "Oh, God, help," which I do believe is a perfectly valid prayer.  Having time in the mornings again has helped me not feel like I'm starting every day behind, and has allowed me to have a quiet time about half the time.  Today, I admit, I got on the computer first.  I still haven't had a bona fide quiet time, but I will.

Well, I think I've written about all I needed to, and the girl is STILL quiet in her bed.  Now for that quiet time.... And Second Breakfast.

Things I Should Be Doing

The minute I open the "New Post" window, my mind fills with Things I Should Be Doing. 

Never mind that I just spent an hour and a half on the computer, not doing the Things I Should Be Doing.  Facebook, Due In July 2011 forum, blog reading.  I've just exhausted my interest in those particular things normally waste my time, and now I think, "I should write a blog post." 

And here they come, like a flock of starlings, swooping in with their distracting cackles.

I should finish the last dish that's soaking in the sink.  I should clean the bread maker I just bought (at the Salvation Army store for only $13!).  I should track down a stapler and staple together the manual I printed online (double-sided and everything.  That only took me 45 minutes to figure out.).  I should straighten the living room.  Start the laundry.  Or at least sort the laundry.  Clean the bathrooms.  (You remember a week or two ago when I made a chore chart for myself?  Today I should clean the bathrooms and purge the fridge and start the laundry.  Oh, and sweep.)  I should start dinner.  I should get a snack. 

I'm back.  I ate a waffle.  And a glass of milk.  If there's anything I love about being pregnant, it's that I can eat a waffle nearly any time of day and enjoy it thoroughly.  After the first trimester, of course.

It's cold in here; I should turn up the heat.  I should try again to pay that pesky AT&T bill that never seems to accept our credit card the first time I try.  I should research cell phones to replace my dying, broken, taped-together phone.  I should figure out what is required to get my daughter's birth certificate, since she is, after all, 19 months old.  I should download the photos from the camera.  Then I should upload them for the relatives. 

I should just write a blog post.

Then I think, "I don't know what to write." 

Oh, I know!  I can sit down and write a list and a schedule and brainstorm new and fun topics.  And then I can chart them on a calendar and decide when to write which thing. 

No, I'll just go start on the Things I Should Be Doing, and see how far I get.  And before long, the little girl with the runny nose will be awake and wanting me to "hold you" for the rest of the evening.  

Hey, look!  I just wrote a blog post! 

Quick Snippets of January

Her first fashion statement: Red Cowboy Boots.  Every day. Every outing.  With every outfit.

Snow!  And lots of it!

She looks like she's describing something as big; she's not.  She's saying, "holdy! holdy!" (i.e. hold me!)

She's just too much fun.

Weekly Plan - I Finally Have One!

Confession time:
I have laundry that was washed 2 weeks ago that is still not put away.
I have not done a focused cleaning of the bathrooms since we had company over a month ago.
I cannot even remember the last time I mopped the kitchen floor.  
The house is kept to a standard of "sanitary" (after all, no one licks the kitchen floor, right?) but it is certainly not ready for company at a moment's notice.
This is, I believe, part of why "virtual coffee" is such a great idea. :)

About 2 years ago I was home, not working anymore, and pregnant.  Following Rachel Anne's Home Sanctuary blog, I decided to create a real housekeeping schedule.  I went a bit crazy with it, using Excel, and outlining pretty much everything I would ever do to run a tight ship, right down to separating the mirrors and the bathtub from the bathrooms in general.  It was quite successful.  And then, the baby came. 

There was a readjustment period, as you would expect.  But the readjustment period probably shouldn't have lasted a year and a half.  Seriously.

So here I am again: home, not working, and pregnant.  And my house is a shambles.  Part of that has had to do with having Sam at home.  I don't know exactly what that's about, but there's something that paralyzes me when he's not working.  Maybe I think it's a perpetual weekend.  Maybe I feel obligated to keep him company.  Maybe I use it as an excuse to be lazy.  I can't get anything productive done, and if I do, it's in spurts of about 4 minutes at a time.  That, and the kitchen was always a mess because there was another adult making food and not cleaning it up.  A minor complaint, but sometimes in my head it got really major.  Oh, the joys of pregnancy hormones.  But he's working again, and all is right with the kitchen. 

This week I was inspired to get serious about making a schedule again.  It is a very simple one.  It allows for ONE major item per day, and one or two other minor items per day.  Laundry is broken up into 3 categories and takes 3 days.  My Fridays' "major item" is "catch up" - allowing myself plenty of flexibility.  There is nothing written on the weekend days.  I want to consider those my "off" days, even though there are still the daily minimum requirements to making the house function.  This is a schedule I think I will be able to maintain after the next baby comes.

Housekeeping Schedule - 2011

Not listed are those daily things.  They are:
Dinner prepared/cleaned up
Pick Up (Minimum Maintenance - or some variation thereof)
Dishes (sink and counter clear by bedtime)
Sort mail/eliminate junk papers

These things alone will make everything less stressful.  Wanna know why?  Because I haven't even been doing them.  Granted, I was too sick to stand up for a while there, but that's over and we're done with that phase.  (Thank God!)

So I have been slowly but surely making my way to getting things picked up since Wednesday when I drew this schedule out on a piece of paper.  Yep, it's just a large page, no white board, no dates.  Simple as can be.

That's the way it's gotta be to work around here.

Now I'm off to finish watching Sid the Science Kid with Lizzie.  Sid is her latest TV crush.  Oh, she loves him.