Baking bread...

Still Life with Bread, Cereal Ears and Eggs

Today I will be baking some bread for supper. My family loves fresh baked bread and I'm happy to make it for them. I would like to say that we eat 100% whole wheat bread that has been soaked and whatever else you're supposed to do to it to make it healthy, but we don't. We like white bread, so that's what I make. We do like wheat bread and I do make it occasionally, but mostly I make white. Sometimes I add herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or basil. When I make bagels I will put dehydrated onions, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds on top. We like flavor! ;-)

I wanted to mow the yard today since I didn't get to yesterday. We'll see if the rain holds off. Some are complaining about the rain and while I would love to see a pretty day, I can't complain about the rain. Last fall we had a few days where our water was slightly brown. I prayed and prayed that our well wouldn't dry up. So now when I hear the rain it's like God is giving us a gift and I will not complain about it!

Everything is so green and beautiful. A stark contrast to the crunchy brown of last summer. The grass was stiff and crunched when it was walked on. Now it is lush and soft. We have abundant flowers in our yard. Peonies, roses, salvia, marigolds, geraniums, tickseed, and wave petunias are a few of what's blooming right now. I just love flowers. They make me happy.

Our garden is coming along nicely. It won't be long and I'll be having fresh salad each night! We were a little late, due to the rain, in getting everything out so it will still be a little while before we see any produce from the garden.

That's all that's happening hear today. Not very exciting, but oh how I love it!

Light Suppers

Ingredients for Italian Pasta Dish

Warm weather is upon us and we're trying our best to hold of on using the air conditioning. So far, so good! We've been enjoying the lesser electricity bills, so that makes it a little easier to keep the air off.

My husband had to go out of town today so I needed to think of a light supper this evening. I finally decided on a light pasta dish. I'll post the recipe at the bottom of this post.

We've had rain several days each week for several weeks now. The weeds in the yard are beginning to get out of control. We've had time to squeeze in a mowing before the next rain, but weed eating seems to not get finished. I'm hoping to get a few nice days to finish planting some vegetables and flowers and to get some of the weeds under control.

I seem to have more projects than I can keep up with! I think I'll make a list of things I need to do and just work as I can checking them off one at a time. Once I compile my list I'll share it with y'all!

Shrimp Pasta Salad

• 1 lb. of peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1 package pasta of your choice (I used angel hair) cooked to package directions
• 1/4 cup olive oil (you can add/delete to taste)
• 1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 can sliced olives
• 1 lb. fresh spinach leaves
• 2 or 3 chopped green onions
• chopped basil

Put olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add in garlic and sautee a couple of minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Next, add in chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add spinach leaves and shrimp cook until spinach is wilted and shrimp is done, being careful not to over cook the shrimp. Add spinach and shrimp mixture to drained noodles with chopped onion, olives, and chopped basil. This salad can be eaten warm or cold. You may add additional olive oil or chicken stock if the pasta is too dry.

Springtime Days...

Summer Porch

Hello all! I haven't blogged in quite sometime. Again! Recent days have been filled with tilling, raking, and planting. My husband built another raised bed this year and surrounded it with chicken wire in an effort to keep the rabbits at bay! We have purple and green cabbage, several varieties of tomatoes, onions, leaf lettuce, spinach, eggplant, carrots, cantaloupe, and peas. I think that's all. I am also growing rosemary and basil and would like to get some cilantro.

I have pink wave petunias in hanging pots on the deck. I've paired red geraniums and red salvia with yellow marigolds in urns on the front porch. I've been buying a few flowers each week. I still have a few more containers on the deck that I would like to fill.

Decisions are still being made here. We are trying to be sensitive to God's leading. I read a great article at Mom of 9's Place about how to make decisions. If was full of great information.

I doubt I have very many readers here, but to the two or three who visit, I hope to update more often! LOL!!!

It's been a while...

It's been quite some time since I've blogged last. Things here have been quiet, but steady.

We've been plugging along with our kitchen remodel. And, no, we're not finished. Winter came and it turned colder here than it has been in a while so no work was done on the kitchen. Hubby is nearly finished with the cabinet doors. Once they are completed all we have left is painting and replacing the trim!! Yay!! We're close!

Gardening time is upon us, as well. Last year our garden didn't do well. I suspect it was a little to do with location and I know it had a lot to do with rabbits! I'm tempted to turn our dogs loose to control the rabbit population, but I don't have the heart to do it. Anyone have any good humane ways to get rid of pesky rabbits?

I'm still working at the hospital part-time and struggling more and more with it everyday. I originally thought it was a perfect job - if there is such a thing. My boss described it to me as, "Screening, on average, three babies per day and each one takes about 30 minutes." Well, in my world that equals about an hour and a half a day. Not. I'm doing more like five babies per day and it's taking me at least three or 4 hours. Even that's not so bad, except I have to work on Sunday. Again, I thought an hour and a half could easily be accomplished before church on Sunday. But, it isn't an hour and a half. But, does one quit a job in a poor economy? I'm praying about it and waiting on the Lord to direct me.

Well, that's the exciting update from here! Now you see why I haven't blogged in over two months! LOL

I'm still dreaming...

Garden Path

I'm still daydreaming of beautiful summer gardens. I've been looking over seed catalogs online and have even ordered a couple. We'll see what happens! It's so exciting!

I've noticed much about the economy in the news lately. (Who hasn't, right?) And I still don't believe "the sky is falling", but I do believe in preparedness. Another reason I would love a bigger and more successful garden. I don't know where this economy will take us. We could come out smelling like a rose, or it could go even farther down. The one thing I do know is that God will see us through. That's where my hope is.

On another note, I've been doing quite a bit of bread baking since I got my new Kitchen Aid for Christmas. I think my husband had a ploy for the Kitchen Aid to benefit him! LOL I've made white bread, wheat bread, biscuits, cookies, and cake! I don't know that this is especially good for our waist lines, but we sure are enjoying it! My family now says they never want store bought bread again! LOL I want to try my hand at a ciabatta bread and a challah bread.

I need to take more pictures to post on here. But, honestly, I never think to grab the camera and when I do put pictures it takes forever! Maybe I just don't know what I'm doing? I love reading the blogs of others who have step by step instructions for different things, but how in the world do they find time for that? Maybe I'm not doing it right.

I hope this day finds you all doing well and enjoying your homes and families!

Monday musings!

Log Cabin Colorado, USA
No, we don't have snow, but I thought that picture was so peaceful and beautiful! I'm torn between wanting a big snow and wanting spring! LOL I guess I'll take what the Lord gives us!

Today continues to be laid back. I've cleaned in the kitchen some and mopped the floor with lavender Mr. Clean. It smells so good!

I also made some bread earlier. We have umpteen memory cards in this house and I was frantically searching for them while the Kitchen Aid kneaded my dough. Guess when I found it? Yep. When it was finished. Oh well, maybe next time.

We were having chili and corn bread tonight for supper, but I've decided on chicken soup and homemade bread. YUM!

Later I plan to play the wii with hubby and kids, then I hope to be in bed early with a book! I hope you all are having a great day!

Saturday Happenings

I called the hospital this morning and there are 2 ladies in labor, but no babies yet, so I don't have to work today! YAY!! The only downside to that is that my daughter has to work from 10 am to noon, after working yesterday from 6 pm to 1:30 am!

I planned to make some homemade biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast, but I'm going to wait and have it for lunch so we can all eat together.

I'm hoping for a pretty relaxing day. It's supposed to get to 60* here today! If it does I hope to go outside and enjoy some sunshine and read a little lot. LOL

There's some laundry that needs doing. And oh my poor dining room! I've really put off going in there for far too long. Every square inch of surface area from table to hutch to chairs is covered in junk! It was the room we stored everything in while we were (are) remodeling the kitchen. In our remodel we put in an over the stove microwave and my old one is in the dining room, still on the cart, pushed over behind the table! Just thinking about cleaning up that mess makes me tired!


This is what my dining room should look like. Trust me when I say it doesn't look like that now!

I also need to make sure that hubby and I have clothes for church tomorrow. That's one of the things I'm working on for the New Year. Being more prepared. Not waiting until 9:35 (we leave at 9:30) to start looking for something to wear to church!

I hope you are all relaxing today and enjoying your precious families!