Winters Day In

King of Breakfasts

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:48:00 +0000

I don't remember when it started--when breakfast became my favourite meal of the day.

As a kid, most breakfasts were cold Shreddies or Cheerios or Shredded Wheat, eaten in a rush and I was lucky if I had time to finish them before racing out the door to school--not really crush-inspiring.

I think it was when I started actually cooking for myself, especially with eggs. (I disliked eggs as a child. Silly me.) Sometime in my early twenties, I discovered that breakfast held so many possibilities, and it became one of my favourite meals to prepare, attend, or go out to a restaurant for.

Given the craziness that tends to be a weekday morning (and even a Sunday before church), at some point Saturday became "the day" for a big breakfast. I used to be quite creative with it, trying new things all the time, planning it several days in advance.

I'm pretty sure that that ended once we had children. Saturday mornings then became my day to catch up on sleep--the sleep I had either been deprived of by children or deprived myself of trying to accomplish more than possible in a 24-hour-stretch. Since I am the night owl, and Jason usually gets up with the light, it was win-win for us--he got to sleep in a couple of hours past his normal wake-up time (assuming we remembered to close the black-out blinds the night before), and I got to sleep in a couple of hours past mine.

I'm not sure when it happened exactly--the transition has been slow, oh-so-slow. However, I realized a few weeks ago that somehow, over the last five years, I have lost my title as the "Queen of Breakfasts". I probably make breakfast (for someone besides myself) once a month, on average. That's right--Jason cooks the porridge on weekdays. He cooks the pancakes on Saturday morning. And lately, he has started doubling the batch so we just toast the leftovers on Sunday--the one day I had still been in front of the stove first thing.

I don't mind--I am happy to relinquish my crown. The King makes really yummy pancakes, after all.

And lately, he's been starting to train a Prince, too.

Not for Lack of Desire... or maybe it is.

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:41:00 +0000

I want to post. Honest. There just seems to be so much else to do right now. Like knit. And sew. (One of the things I want to post about, actually.) And recover from the nasty cold that Jude so generously shared with me. (Almost gone now. Yay!)

So, I will be posting a "real one" soon. But now, after a night of catching up on a back-log of school tracking and prep, I'm tired of sitting in front of this computer... and let's face it: it's 10:30 p.m., and I'm just tired.

However, I did finish Jude's gloves. (He opted to not do a "flip-top" after all, so no glittens this time.)

And he wants to keep the liners separate instead of sewn-in, so as to have more versatility with warmth vs. weather:

Plus, I made a hat for a friend:

And I'm also almost finished some gloves for Noah, and a second hat for Jabin.

See? I toldja I'd been busy! :-)

More updates coming soon!

Three Nights Ago

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:28:00 +0000

The Quest for the Perfect Glove, uh, Mitten, uh.... GLITTEN!!

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:16:00 +0000

Jude has been asking me to make him a new pair of mittens for a while. The lined ones I made him a couple of years ago have worn out beyond repair (and trust me, they were repaired multiple times before reaching that point), and he is now saying that the shearling leather ones we got him last year are becoming less effective because the fleece is wearing out of the inside. Given that he gets them soaking wet fairly often, the leather has seen better days, too.

So, having finally finished yet another pair of socks that I had had on the needles for the last month, I brought it up with Jude on the weekend. "Are new mittens still a high priority for you?"

Yes, they were, he affirmed. "But could you make something more like a glove? I want to be able to do more stuff with them."

Ah, the perpetual winter problem: how to have the warmth of a mitten with the dexterity of a glove. The traditional solution, a fingerless flip-top glove, has its own problems: when it is -40 outside, you don't want your fingers completely exposed for even the few seconds it takes to dig your keys (or, in Jude's case, something like a book or whatever) out of the snow. Another consideration when knitting handwear is that they need to be lined to be effective the majority of the time in our sub-freezing temperatures.

Eventually, I decided to make a full glove, line it with another full glove knit in a finer-gauge wool sock yarn, and make a flip-top for the fingers for the extra layer of warmth. The yarn was an extra ball of the same camouflage yarn I made Jude's existing hat and scarf from, so it will match. And despite never having made a glove before, I am quite happy with how it is turning out. (Last night I finished the shell for the left hand, and up to the fingers on the shell for the right hand.)

I have also discovered that the shell glove, unlined, fits me perfectly. And it is so pretty and cozy. So, not only do the other two boys want their own pairs, now, but so do I! (But I think I'll find me some pink camo yarn, to make it a little girlier!)

Watch for the pattern to be in my store soon!

Why Should We Buy Organic?

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:53:00 +0000

This girl is so adorable, I want to eat her! However, through this video, I learned yet another reason why it is important to buy organic...

Whether you like the application of "organic" as used to denote food that has been naturally raised or not (winking at certain family members of mine), the point remains that how your food is raised affects the food, the environment, and ultimately, you. And sometimes, a simple science experiment is all we need to prove it.

Be well!

Gap-Toothed Boys

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Jabin lost another tooth on Tuesday.

Jason took it out with the pliars, which, despite it's hanging-by-a-thread status, was a little traumatic for the boy. He did eventually get over it, though.

And now he and Noah have smiles that almost match!

Lego Troy

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:44:00 +0000

It seems like the marketing folks at Lego have been busier than ever these days, licensing and creating characters from all sorts of popular franchises. I should know, since as the mother of three boys, we own sets from Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman, and Lego Alien Nation (or Alien Invaders, or something--not so clear on the last one.) They also, mostly through purchases with their own money (and some generous gifts from the grandparents), own video games of Lego Batman, Lego Star Wars, Lego Star Wars II, Lego Indian Jones, and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, unless you have a Lego store near you (or near your brother, who is willing to shop for his nephews! :-D) with those cool "Buy-Lego-bulk bins," it is nigh unto impossible to find a generic Lego set of any sort!

Well, Lego people, you may be raking in the big bucks on your licensing, but here's one you missed when the trend was right: Lego Troy.

Here is an example of the what the set could look like:

However, I recommend making the set larger, or using those little mini-lego guys, since our Trojan Horse was only big enough inside to fit the Lego Batman character The Penguin inside. (His legs are short, so he just squeaked in!) The boys didn't seem to mind, though--they piled Storm Troopers, Robin, and various other miniature men (even a monkey) onto, under, and around the horse.

Jabin was a little fuzzy later on what it was we had actually created, but Noah remembered most of the day's history lesson about the Trojan War. Even I learned something--did you know that after the ten-year war was finally over, Helen actually went back home with Menelaus and "they lived together peacefully for many years?" How would that work, do you think? (Also, Paris died during the war, and she then married Paris' brother--a brother that was left out of the movie, I'm guessing. So, after marrying two other men, she then goes home with her legitimate husband, and they have a peaceful relationship?! I dunno. I really gotta read The Iliad--it's only been on my shelf for ten years!! Ha!)

India, Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:36:00 +0000

I've had a rather long, exhausting, but rewarding day.

Tonight, Amanda had a Jolica Jewellery fundraiser with an Indian theme. The benefit was for a pastor I know in India who runs an orphanage. In keeping with the theme, we went with Indian food as the snacks, which I cooked.

Since visiting India in 2007-2008, I have learned how to cook quite a few Indian dishes. But this is the first time I have made Indian appetizers.

So, I pored over cookbooks and did internet searches, and decided to make vegetable samosas, bhajjia (fritters), cucumber raita and coriander chutney. Everything turned out great, but my inexperience with these dishes meant it all took a LONG time! In fact, I actually started cooking last night, and other than a short trip to town this morning to watch Jude's class lead assembly at school (and run into the grocery store for a few last-minute supplies), managed to cook for most of today, too, guiding my own students through their lessons from my position by the kitchen counter.

The snacks weren't perfect, but they were yummy. There was a great turnout at the party, and the ladies there enjoyed the food (despite it's deep-fried nature) and chai (from scratch), also.

I meant to take photos, as I was rather proud of my made-from-scratch samosas... but I didn't! :-) Oh, well.

Also, I made WAY too many, so I guess I get to take a break from cooking tomorrow! Yay!

And! I even got to wear my sari (a once-every-three-year event these days!)

Happy Wednesday, friends! What have YOU been up to this week?

You Know It's Cold When...

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:18:00 +0000

...the plug of your block heater cable snaps off when you try to use it! (Yes, this happened to my poor van this morning!)

I guess we all (and by "we all," I mean everyone living north of the 49th) knew that winter couldn't be confused with spring for all of January. But the sudden transition from +1 last week to -36 this week has been a bit of a shock to more than just my and my van's systems, I'm sure.

As a result, I have been trying to stay close to home. Well, I haven't had to try that hard, actually, as my van was in the shop all weekend, and Jason took it to work today since the heater in his truck didn't seem to be working.

That's the thing about the cold weather--it points out all the issues you didn't know you had with your vehicle.

I know it looks like I haven't been doing any writing lately, but besides getting my family newsletter put together on Friday (which I am part-way through the mail-out process for), I have written four songs in the past week, and I have also been blogging over on my music website. Go check it out at www.talenawinters.com.

Noah is playing "My Favourite Things" on my Yamaha's pre-recorded demoes behind me. I'm pretty sure that there should be a line in that song about "warm, blazing woodstoves!"

It's too cold for this now! The boys were sledding on our dugout during the holidays--it was warm enough to be hatless!

Stay warm, friends!

Where Did They Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:31:00 +0000

The holidays, I mean. Jude just finished making his lunch for his first day back tomorrow. Can the holidays have passed already?

The only reason is, along with all that "nothing" that I had on my mental "to do list" (Check!), I also had a few "somethings" that have rather empty-looking checkboxes beside them. Sigh.

I didn't even go near the bathroom with a paintbrush. I didn't write a single note on my musical. And there are several outstanding "tea dates" which never got filled.

However, I did almost finish my year's books. I did get quite a LOT of visiting in with certain friends, including Mark and Colleen, who surprised us by coming down to visit from Yellowknife for about a week over New Year's. (Old friends of ours, as well as the Burdicks.) And I am just about to crack the cover on a "learn-how-to-use-my-recording-software" text that I bought last summer.

So, while I don't feel like the holidays were a loss by any stretch, I just wish I could stretch them out a little longer. By about a week.

Hmm... maybe I will... :-)

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:59:00 +0000

Photo taken today by Colleen.

(If the boys look cold, it's cause they are!)

Eureka!

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:02:00 +0000

We have had a busy week, and the last couple of days have been long ones filled with visiting and playing and gallivanting. Also, this week while Jason has been on holidays, we have played a lot of XBox Kinect (active gaming), and the kids have also been playing a few other new games that Jason had downloaded to his Android tablet (inactive gaming!)

So, when I got up with the sun after 9 a.m. this morning, and still beat everyone else in the house to the punch, it was decided that today would be a non-video-game day. We figured that maybe we all needed a break from what we had been doing all week. At first, Noah erupted in an explosion of complaints.

"Why?" he exclaimed, hitting that perfect combination between a kittens mewling, a donkey's bray, and fingernails on a chalkboard--otherwise known as whining. "I can't think of anything else to do! I can only think about video games!"

"That's exactly the problem," said Jason. "You've played video games so much this week, you've forgotten how to play for real." Noah sulked on the couch in silence.

Some time later, Jude, Noah and Jabin had pulled out a toy that's an oldie-but-goody around here--the MegaBloks racetrack. I normally keep it in the SeaCan, as it takes up quite a lot of space (for a toy), but with the amount of small babies that we've been entertaining lately (along with their families, of course), I figured it might be a good idea to bring it and its extra-large, baby-safe components into the house for the holidays.

This toy was a gift to our kids from their Grandma Winters when Jude was about 3. It has, apparently, yet to lose its appeal. After being heavily involved in setting up the track at the highest location possible and shooting cars across the living room from it for about ten minutes, Noah suddenly rushed over to Jason and exclaimed, "Dad! I'm not thinking about video games!" then ran back to play some more.

Jason and I, needless to say, found the situation (and all its attendant irony) completely hilarious!

Festival of Dedication

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:53:00 +0000

We have been celebrating Hanukkah for three or four years, now, but after this year, it holds more meaning than ever. That can be attributed to the wonderful information we found in an eBook I got last year in a newsletter from First Fruits of Zion called "Light in the Darkness". (I'd link to it, but can't seem to find it on the site--must have been a one-time thing.)

As we celebrated the eighth night of Hanukkah tonight, we had all gained a deeper appreciation of how lighting the hanukkiah (the Hanukkah menorah) represented the Light of the World, Jesus Christ--for the Temple menorah was also known as the Light of the World. We understood that we were choosing to rededicate the temples of ourselves to be a light to those around us, and to stand for truth and share God's love with others. And we understood how God had helped his people in the events that led to the Hanukkah festival, and that a Great Miracle Happened There.

And by the end of the week, the kids were almost able to remember the name of Antiochus IV, the Seleucid general who defiled the temple and murdered so many Jews in the first place! (Maybe next year will be better! :-D)

(I accidentally broke our home-made clay hanukkiah on the third night, so we improvised with tea lights for the rest of the week. Oh well, it worked--and was less messy, too!)

Happy Hanukkah, friends!

Coasting

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:08:00 +0000

Wow, how long can I be "meaning to post" and not do it? I'm on holidays right now--you'd think it wouldn't be that hard!

So, yet again, the main activity of my first week off last week was catching up on my year's books. I got to the end of August, so I'm not doing too bad. I probably only have three more days of work on that.

Jude began his holiday on Thursday, and the dynamic between the three boys had to be shifted subtly again. However, Jude being the "ideas man" that he is, they did have an easier time coming up with things to play. The costume box got aired out, the Legos got spread out, and the sleds got dragged out (the last at Mom's behest, but they spent an hour and a half sledding at the dugout anyway).

Jason's holidays began at Friday around noon, and he and I both spent the weekend doing a lot of much-needed NOTHING!! We never really got a break this year, so he and I are both going to use this week to recuperate from our long, exhausting, and busy year. We started by playing a lot of Kinnect sports (my muscles say "ouch" to prove it), a game of Scrabble with Jude, spending an hour or two outside sledding and walking with the kids, playing various other games, and I did some scrapbooking, both paper and digital.

It has been so long since I really scrapbooked, I spent about an hour yesterday getting my bearings. What photos have been done? Where is everything? (I haven't done any since we moved this summer, so I had to figure out what I put where.) What is my highest priority? Then, I "went to town." Over the weekend, I completed 17 pages. Here are a few of the digital ones:

Holiday Time

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:24:00 +0000

As of Friday, I started my holiday break. Not that I will be doing nothing for at least a few more days--I have to finish catching up on my books for the year. While I am not as far behind as I was at this point last year (I have, at least, started them this year, after all), it will likely consume the better part of the rest of my week.

However, to celebrate and get into the spirit of "I-get-a-break" time, I did a little scrapbooking this weekend. First, two layouts using photos I had printed of renovations in 2006, just to get back into the groove. Sorry, haven't scanned 'em, but they weren't anything fancy anyway--basically putting old blog posts on paper. Then, a digital layout of two of my sweet boys:

Expect to see more coming! :-)

It could be an interesting week--we'll see if these same two boys can remember how to play together creatively without Mommy "directing traffic" 24/7, as they will be having to find their own entertainment (which I am adamant will not include any more video games or movies than normal) while I work. Jude will be on holidays starting Thursday, so that gives Jabin and Noah three days to get their creative brains in gear. I guess we'll see how the week goes! :-)

Happy Monday, friends!

Cutest. Ninja. Ever.

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:59:00 +0000

"Look, Mom! I'm Ninja Joel!"

"What?!"

Where on earth did he come up with that name? I wondered. This from the kid whose "superhero name" is "Super Jabin"!

But really, with a ninja this cute, who cares what he calls himself, right? :-)

To Everything There is a Season

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:30:00 +0000

Nearly two months ago, only days before Thanksgiving, I broke one of my favourite and most-used pieces of Pampered Chef Stoneware--my Rectangular Baker. I had received it as a wedding shower present, and it was well worth the investment of the lady that bought it for me! That item had been used in my house nearly every day for the last seven years, since the family grew large enough to require it.

Unfortunately, while I was still getting used to the stove in our new trailer (which was laid out a little backwards from our other one), I set it on a back burner, and turned what I thought was a front burner on high to boil water in a pot. Only a few minutes later, an ear-splitting CRACK was heard and my beloved Baker jumped apart into several jagged pieces.

I nearly wept.

This piece normally goes for somewhere in the $60 range which didn't really fit into our budget in October, but I knew I would need to replace it right away. So, with the help of a few friends (who supported my catalogue show), I was able to get a new one on the November 60% off hostess special from Pampered Chef. And with my Hostess Bucks I got a Rectangular Flat stone, replacing my last one which broke several years ago. Yay!

When it came last week, I couldn't resist photographing my new baker with the Rectangular Baker lid which I earned in 2003 when I was a consultant for the Pampered Chef. It has been used nearly as much as my original Baker was, and therefore has approximately the same amount of "seasoning".

Thing of beauty, isn't it? Believe it or not, all that "ugly" brown look is desirable in this kind of cookware!

As thrilled as Jason was that I replaced these pieces so economically, when he saw that new stoneware sitting there with it's virgin, still-rough surface his reaction was, "Great! More stoneware that I won't want to touch for five years." To him, the effect is akin to the sound of fingernails on a blackboard. I don't understand it, but I love him, anyway! ;-)

Ironically, only days after the Thermal Shock incident, Jason replaced the offending stove with the one from our last trailer because the "new" one's oven (which was actually much older) went kaput. He used its parts to fix some of the issues that the other one had given me trouble with, and so far, it seems to be doing its job admirably.

Chalk up one more for the "parts trailer!"

The Joys of Boys

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:30:00 +0000

"Ow!" yelled Jabin, clutching his eye and looking accusingly at his eldest brother.

"You're just not used to pillow-fighting, Jabin. Here, I'll train you!" volunteered Jude while raising his weapon.

Does anyone else see how this could go from bad to worse, or is it just me?

-------------

"'Jetaport?'" I asked, noting the name Jude had written on the whiteboard to keep track of his UNO points.

"It's my superhero name!" he told me.

"I want to use my superhero name, too!" declared Jabin immediately.

"Okay, what is it?" I asked.

"How do you spell 'Super'?" he replied instead of telling me.

"S, u, p, e, r... What are you writing?"

"Super Jabin!"

"Ah."

Noah, entering the room, said, "I'm going to use my superhero name, too! Super Noah!"

"How original," Jason remarked drily.

At least one of our sons has caught on to the purpose of a superhero name--anonymity.

The other two seem to be following the example of Larryboy.

------------

"Hey!" exclaimed Noah, pointing at the open can of tuna that Jude had on the table to make his sandwich with. "There really are cans of tuna, just like in Calvin and Hobbes!"

"Yep," smiled Jason to himself. It is difficult not to be amused when a child discovers that yes, there are true things in their entertainment forms, too. I chuckled from my chair in the living room, where I was finishing up yet another sock for Jabin.

"I know why they are called 'tunafish'!" piped up Jabin.

"Why?" asked Jason, humouring him.

"Because people catch them and kill them and then we eat them!"

"And that's why they're called 'tunafish'? Really?"

"Yep!"

I wish I was six, just for a day, so I could know everything, too.

Wasn't That a Party?

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:09:00 +0000

Cake is something that doesn't make an appearance here very often, mostly because there is so little to redeem it, as far as nutrients are concerned. As a "recovering sugar addict", I generally don't need to have any more temptation around the house.

However, when birthdays come along, I ask the guest of honour what special dessert they would like to have. More often than not, it is chocolate cake.

Jabin, who turned six on the 21st, seemed to be having a difficult time making up his mind. DQ ice cream? Chocolate cake? Pie? He kept waffling back and forth. I felt bad for the little guy--such a big decision for an almost-six-year-old.

So, this time, I made an exception. On his actual birthday, which was a Monday, I took him and Noah to Dairy Queen for lunch, complete with an ice cream treat (for them) as dessert.

Then, for his party on the following Friday, I made Chocolate Gingerbread cake--served up with even more ice cream!

The Jabin was very pleased.

(And I even snuck in some nutrients, anyway, in the form of pumpkin. Want the recipe?)

I knew it! ;-D

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
(Click to follow link to a PDF 4x6 recipe card.)

olive oil
1 c. butter, softened, divided
1 ¼ c. unpacked whole sugar
1/3 c. molasses
3 eggs
4 1-oz. squares semisweet chocolate
2 c. pureed cooked pumpkin (or 1 14-oz. can)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
2 c. unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. sea salt, ground fine
icing sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray or brush a large Bundt pan with olive oil.
In large mixing bowl, cream ¾ cup butter and sugar. Mix in molasses and then add eggs one at a time, mixing well.
Melt remaining butter with chocolate; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Blend chocolate mixture, pumpkin, and vanilla into the creamed mixture.
Combine flour, spices, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Pour into a Bundt pan.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before inverting on a cake plate and removing pan. Let cool completely, then dust with icing sugar; serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

Note: For a more subtle flavour, the molasses can be left out and the sugar increased to 1 ½ cups.

Copyright 2011 Talena Winters. www.wintersdistributing.ca.

Growing Up is Hard to Do

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:04:00 +0000

Jabin, my ever-sunny youngest child, is about to turn six on Monday.

Right on time, a growth spurt showed up. As a result, this boy that usually eats slightly more than a sparrow and smiles like a Toys R Us commercial from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. has been transformed into a child that is constantly ravenous, often weepy, and perpetually tired.

Fortunately, I think the growth spurt is winding down at last. All affected parties seem to have survived unscathed. However, I will definitely have to revisit his pants selection in the next week or two--I have noticed several pairs that have started to look like floodpants recently.

Despite having an especially tired day yesterday (he ended up falling back to sleep on the couch right after breakfast until about 10 a.m!), he did manage to get some schoolwork done, and even found a smile for the camera.

Nothing like a good, long sleep and a cup of warm herbal tea to make you feel better when you're out of sorts, right, kiddo?

The Joy of Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:09:00 +0000

There are few things in this world better than fresh-baked bread, still warm and dripping with butter...

As I type this post, I am finishing a sampling from the batch of whole-wheat bread I baked this evening. When I bake bread, it is usually in the evening. If I grind the flour the night before, I can sometimes get it done by mid-afternoon, if the school subjects for the morning are not too demanding. However, the baker that gets up at 3 a.m. to provide fresh bread for breakfast I am not. The (uninterrupted) process usually takes about four hours from start to finish. (This includes two hour-long rises.)

It was only in the last couple of years that I have learned how to bake bread at all. I tried and tried as a teenager, but something was always missing. I am now convinced that the "something" was usually either yeast that was not past its expiry date, or a thermometer to make sure I had the proofing liquid in the right temperature range. Decent pans also help. (Love my Pampered Chef stoneware!)

I had to stop baking bread for a while this summer... it's a little tough to bake bread on a barbecue, after all! (Okay, I know there are breads that can be baked in a BBQ, but I didn't really have the time to experiment, either.) In reality, the break was probably from the end of April to mid-September. At one point, Jude bemoaned the fact with, "Mom, are you ever going to start baking bread again?"

Looking around at the hours of renovations and unpacking yet to be done, I flippantly replied, "I'll get right on that."

Once I finally managed to fit bi-weekly batches of bread into my groove again, I then decided it was time to try a sourdough starter again. Which I did. It's a beautiful starter. And I have yet to bake a loaf with it. Hopefully it doesn't die in my fridge from neglect.

I have also been learning a lot about the science of bread-baking this fall from a wonderful website called The Fresh Loaf. I haven't had nearly the time to dive into that I'd like, but I pick up bits here and there as I need to. It also was instrumental in my recent purchase of The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart from Amazon.ca, for which I am anxiously awaiting. There are several other bread-making books on my wishlist, but I figured I could master one new concept at a time, and I have a feeling this book will cover several.

About a month ago, I did a cost analysis on what it costs me to make organic whole-grain bread at home versus the organic sprouted stuff from the store, which still contains ingredients I would rather avoid most of the time (soy flour and canola oil being a couple of frequent offenders, not to mention preservatives.) The result, while approximate (it doesn't account for power consumed) was that the home-made was about half the cost of store-bought.

This was a relief. When I figured out the cost difference on making home-made applesauce versus buying organic cups from No Frills, buying pre-packaged actually came out cheaper! It is good to know that one can actually still save money making something at home. Having organic wheat available locally direct from the farmer certainly helps. (And grinding the flour myself.)

What about that other "hidden" cost of weight gain, though? I mean, it is way more tempting to snack on delicious homemade bread than dry stuff from the store. While I will admit that when I first started making it, we all consumed a little more than necessary, the novelty does wear off after a while. Now we do okay, eating about the same amount as we did when we were buying it--a loaf every day to three days. (Jude takes a sandwich to school most days, which accounts for a fair amount of it.)

Ahem... Okay, normally I exercise pretty decent self-control. But tonight, after all this bread talk? That tasted like another piece...

Uninvited Guests

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:13:00 +0000

Last Wednesday, we had some surprise guests. They just dropped in, unannounced.

Didn't say much. Didn't stay long, either.

Koda wanted to give them a warm welcome. Fortunately, he was tied up, or we wouldn't have seen them for the rest of the night. Momma Moose didn't seem to want to stick around to figure out whether the dog was loose or not. (Sunshine was too chicken to go investigate.)

I love living in the country!

Nine

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:22:00 +0000

Last Thursday, my firstborn turned nine.

As usually happens whenever one of my children has a birthday, I tend to have a bit of emotional wrenching as my memory juxtapositions images of them in my arms on their very first day breathing air on the "big boy" faces that are now before me. However, the advantage of the now is that instead of holding a beautiful, mysterious ball of potential that was in all ways completely selfish and which I adored unconditionally anyway, I now get to see potential in various stages of realization. It is quite exciting, really.

So, to celebrate the start of one more spin around the sun for you, Jude, here are nine things I can see in you right now:

You have a servant's heart. You love to help your dad and me, and you look for ways to serve your friends. I was recently thrilled to hear your teacher praising you in this area, and for you to sheepishly volunteer how you had been cleaning your friend's desk while he was away.
You are so intelligent. You learn quickly, and your visual learning style allows you to excel in school. This strength is a blessing you will appreciate even more as the years go by.
You love to learn. At home, you spend much of your free time researching strange facts or reading books about animals. I still hear phrases that begin with "Mom, did you know...?" fairly frequently. And you know what? Sometimes I didn't know! :-D
You are so creative. You are always coming up with fun little projects to do, although you don't always finish them. However, most of the time you do (I know you'll get that papier maché volcano done one of these days!) and it is so great to see you entertaining yourself and learning at the same time.
You are learning to think--to analyze, check out what's going on, figure out the situation. Sometimes, I get frustrated that you don't do this as well as I'd like, but I need to remind myself that you are only a young boy, and don't have the life experience to always understand what certain things mean.
You show love by spending time. Your dad and I have known this about you for years, but it still touches my heart that even if I only carve out a small part of my day to spend with you, it still means so much to you. You are really enjoying your morning rides to school with Daddy for this reason, too.
You love to read. You went through all 28 "Magic Treehouse" books that I brought out in mid-August in less than two weeks. You love reading fiction and non-fiction alike. You are currently working on Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I recently read that "One cannot open a book without learning something." Keep it up, buddy. No wonder you are so smart!
You love to organize. You regularly organize your room, and I have been thrilled to see that making your bed in the morning is becoming a habit. Just you wait--you'll be organizing your movies alphabetically and your shirts by colour before long, too! (Actually, I would just be happy if you started organizing your shirts at all! How come that part of the character trait hasn't kicked in, yet?)
You can be a bit bossy. However, if you can channel that by learning how to use people skills, and in combination with your many other positive traits such as compassion, creativity, intelligence, and a heart of service, you will become a great leader someday. We all lead by example to someone--and I am so glad to know that you are already spreading an example that is worth following.

I just keep loving you more, ~~little~~ man. I can hardly wait to see what the next year will bring!

Pampered

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:55:00 +0000

On Friday, I hosted a party at my home for the first time in three years. It was a jewellery party fundraiser. The jewellery was Jolica, which my friend Amanda has just started selling. The "company that gives back" concept seems to have been taken many levels above what I have seen any other home-based business do with this one, and I can see why Amanda chose to support it. The fundraiser was to support some family friends, who are going on a missions trip to Jamaica in the New Year. The living room was full of smiling faces, the air was full of the smell of spiced hot apple cider and women laughing, and my home was full of warmth. Thank you, ladies (you know who you are), for helping that to happen.

Last weekend, I started my twelfth pair of knit socks ever. (I only started knitting socks in February 2010.) These are the first ones I've ever made for myself. (I figured it was high time, and my chillified toes agreed.) Since I had just got this fun yarn, whose colours make me swoon (and which has the romantic name of "Tuscany", from which culture's goddess of love my name is derived), I thought I would try something a little different than the 3/1 rib which is my go-to standard for quick socks for my kids.

Branching out is good--I chose this pattern because I was hoping the yarn would stripe. It didn't. Oh, well--it still seems to be complementing the yarn nicely. And I am so thrilled at the idea of having my own pair of hand-knit wool socks!

Tonight, my mother took me to a gala dinner for women put on by one of the local churches. I have never been to the "Crimson and Ice" event before, although I had heard it was lovely. Many of my friends were there, the decorations were amazing, the music was relaxing and inspiring, and it was so nice to have a wonderful dinner in the company of so many beautiful women.

I haven't had this much "girl time" in a long time--and it's been wonderful. It has given me a renewed sense of appreciation for the amazing women in my life. Thank you, ladies--whether I know you well or only a little, your beautiful spirits minister to me, for I see a piece of God in you. I hope that you, too, get to have a little bit of pampering this week.

Abducted by Aliens

noreply@blogger.com (Talena Winters) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:43:00 +0000

We have a Looney Tunes episode where Porky Pig and Sylvester go camping. While they are sleeping in their tent, a Martian lifts up the piece of ground their tent is resting on and takes it to Mars with him on top of his spaceship.

Well, this morning it felt a bit like that had happened to my yard. Things looked vaguely familiar, but in a strange, eery, beautiful and alien way.

Alien landscape.

While I photographed it, the snow held up its monacle to inspect me.

My little garden boy, who already looked a little sad since he lost his umbrella handle, now looked sad and chilly.

So that's what the plants look like on Uranus! Someone should notify NASA.

A few days ago at supper, we were discussing how it seems that nearly every year, we get our first serious "snow" on October 31st. The report we heard wasn't calling for it until Thursday, but Jude has been praying for snow for about two months, now. Jason encouraged him with the thought it might come early by saying, "Yep, you can almost 'set your calendar' by it--happens almost every year on October 31st."

It's good to know that there are some things in this world that are consistent. Even weather.