warm hearts

I love the way we love.  Little gestures like:

kisses and nuzzles,

and "pupcakes" made just for me...

they all make it almost unbearable at times.  Do you ever feel like you might just burst with bliss?  I'll be the first to admit that this does not describe every waking moment of my existence, but quite frequently I have to stop and pinch myself.  Maybe it happens in the middle of the night when I share a pillow with Laurel Baby, and her sweet breath warms my shoulder that is sticking out of the covers.  Other times it happens when I am completely encircled by the little arms and loud giggles competing for who can get the most tickles from me. Sometimes it occurs when I see my husband from across the room and I feel that fluttery feeling in my stomach again like I did when we first met.

(taken as part of our engagement photos- 6 months after we met)

These are the flashes of time that stop me and I have to ask, "Is this for real?  Could my life really be so swell?  What did I ever do to deserve all this?"  Basking in sweet, real, deep love all year long.  May you have the same! Happy Valentine's Day.

best bread

I could eat a sandwich for every meal for the rest of my life.  It seems as if I would never tire of them.  Oven roasted turkey breast, pepper jack cheese, tomato, lettuce/spinach, peppers, oil vinegar, salt and pepper, mmmmmm. A few of you chimed in over the weekend and said that you use a bread machine too so I thought I would post our favorite bread recipe.  It came to me via a former student (and friend) and I have been making it 2x/week.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread

3 T molasses (I use honey- maple syrup works too)

1 C boiling water (for my machine I add 3 extra tablespoons to this, you'll have to experiment)

1.5 T butter

*Gently sprinkle the following ingredients over the top of the liquids (in the order listed)

1 1/4 C whole wheat bread flour

1 3/4 C white bread flour (you could try adjusting this ratio so that you have more whole wheat four and less white flour, but I haven't been very successful with that so far.)

3/4 C old fashioned oats

1.5 tsp salt

1 T sugar

1 T vital wheat gluten

2 T powdered milk

2 T ground flax seeds

*Make a shallow well in the center of the flour mixture and add:

2 t active dry yeast (for bread machines)

*I usually select the rapid whole wheat cycle. This makes a 1.5 lb loaf. We have found it to be very yummy! I would love to try your favorite bread recipes if you are so inclined to share them :)

By the way thank you for all the "handmade" encouragement yesterday.  I should like to exchange gifts with you next time!

I made something

My niece turned 11 over the weekend.  For me, this is a tricky age to buy for.  I really struggled with what to get her.  She is at that "in between" stage.  Not quite a teenager, not a little girl anymore. And too, I always go back and forth between gifts that are practical and gifts that are totally frivolous and fun.  I wanted to make her something because that is my thing now, right? Handmade.  A couple of months ago I found Meg's blog  (don't you love it how I use her first name like we are close personal friends) and bought up a few of her patterns.  More recently I snatched up her adorable apron pattern! When I went searching through my patterns for something to make Haley, the pattern for this reading pillow caught me.

I thought it would be fun/easy to make and that she would enjoy it.  I already had all the supplies that I needed so I set out to work.  The pattern calls for making you own cotton cording...I cheated and used a package of ready made.  Attaching this was the trickiest part of the whole deal.  My zipper foot saved me and I made it through just fine.  The rest came together fairly easily,  which is more that I can say for my selection of a book for her.  Do you have any idea what kind of garbage is out there for girls this age?  Maybe I was my selection was limited but it seemed that I had to choose from stories about hooking up with guys (again, she is 11), dragons/magic/witches, or Laura Ingalls Wilder books.  Don't get me wrong, Little House in the Big Woods is our current favorite (along with the show Little House on the Prairie which we rarely miss each day at 4:00pm) but I didn't really think this kind of book was Haley's style.  So, I fell back on good ol' Nancy Drew.  I thought it would at least keep her attention in a wholesome way.

When my girls saw how this pillow works, they immediately started requesting one of their own.  I definitely see more of these in my future.  At the party, this pillow was up against other gifts like a Karaoke machine, American Idol dvds, gift cards galore, a mp3 player, and on and on!  I was proud to offer something so low-tech and heart-felt.  I am not sure that it was received with the same enthusiasm...but that is understandable I guess. When she opened it, Carl was so sweet. He read my mind.  He gave me a little pat on the leg and said, "It was really neat, Honey- you did a really nice job on it." 

I had fun making it.  The pillow turned out cute, and it is the thought that counts right? Happy Monday.