I have been having a difficult time making bread. Almost every time that I managed to find the time to create a bread loaf, I would be foiled, and it would not turn out right.
This has been an ongoing problem for years. I realized that my problem lay in the fact that I was not making standard old bread. The bread I was making was always using several grains and was almost always gluten free. Gluten free bread is not bread at all because the whole basis of bread is gluten. Needless to say, I had given up over and over again resigning myself to the idea that I would never be able to make bread properly.
Until now.
I decided to make a standard ol' loaf of white bread with yeast (there was a time Jared couldn't eat yeast either). Believe it or not, I had never done this before.
I spent the day kneading it and then letting it rise and then shaping it and letting it rise. It looked perfect. The only problem was that it was the end of the day, Daphne needed to go to bed and the bread still needed to be baked.
I called on my trusty husband and asked him if he could handle the bread when it was done while I put Daphne to bed. He agreed. I went into great detail telling him how to measure the temperature of the bread to make sure that it was done, apparently I left out one important detail.
When I came out from putting Daphne to bed a few hours later (yes, it can take that long sometimes), I asked Jared if he had taken the bread out of the oven, he said, "no."
Apparently, he had turned off the oven after it was done and left the bread in the oven.
He claims that it had never occurred to him to take the bread out. An argument ensued between he two of us. I was at fault for not being specific, and he was at fault for being dense. We worked it out.
The moral of the story, NEVER assume your husband knows what you are talking about unless you are very, very specific, especially when bread making success was so close.
I must try another day to be successful at bread...
Friday, March 14, 2008
Delphi Adventure
We took Daphne out to Delphi with us for half the day today. It was quite an adventure.
She got to see a lot of people that she doesn't normally see, and we even got to hang out with Robin and Satori for a while!
She now has a lot of practice at "waving on command" and I think it is really cute. If you say "Bye-bye" she will wave, or if you say "wave to ___" she will wave.
She has that skill down now.
She is pooped, and so am I from all that chasing her. Time to go put her in bed.
She got to see a lot of people that she doesn't normally see, and we even got to hang out with Robin and Satori for a while!
She now has a lot of practice at "waving on command" and I think it is really cute. If you say "Bye-bye" she will wave, or if you say "wave to ___" she will wave.
She has that skill down now.
She is pooped, and so am I from all that chasing her. Time to go put her in bed.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Rice Crispy Junkie
Last night, I was determined to make rice crispy treats. I bought a box of Rice Krispies, but can you believe that the recipe is not on the box anymore. I thought it was on EVERY box ever made. I had to look it up online.
However, I found something online that called for adding peanut butter and dipping them in chocolate. I skipped the chocolate part, but I was interested in adding the peanut butter.
Daphne helped me whip up a batch really fast last night. When we were done, I set her down so I could clean up. I needed her to stay occupied, so I gave her the spoon that I had used to make them. I had no idea what I was getting in to.
Daphne was attached to that spoon for about a half hour. I tried to take it away and got nothing but screams.
I took them and put them on the bedside table because I was going to eat one after she fell asleep. While I was trying to put her to sleep, she was thrashing around, and then she was quiet. I thought she had fallen asleep facing away from me, but it turns out that she had grabbed one of the rice crispy treats and was eating it happily while I thought she was asleep.
Jared and I laughed good and hard about her. She must be a fan of the rice crispy.
However, I found something online that called for adding peanut butter and dipping them in chocolate. I skipped the chocolate part, but I was interested in adding the peanut butter.
Daphne helped me whip up a batch really fast last night. When we were done, I set her down so I could clean up. I needed her to stay occupied, so I gave her the spoon that I had used to make them. I had no idea what I was getting in to.
Daphne was attached to that spoon for about a half hour. I tried to take it away and got nothing but screams.
I took them and put them on the bedside table because I was going to eat one after she fell asleep. While I was trying to put her to sleep, she was thrashing around, and then she was quiet. I thought she had fallen asleep facing away from me, but it turns out that she had grabbed one of the rice crispy treats and was eating it happily while I thought she was asleep.
Jared and I laughed good and hard about her. She must be a fan of the rice crispy.
The Keys are Found. My Obsession is Over.
I have been absolutely obsessed with finding my keys. I even spent part of the night laying awake over the whole thing trying to figure out where they were.
Jared went to the doctor today, but after he started the car, he came in and asked if there was a prize for finding the keys. Apparently, they were in the center console of the car. Not a good place to put keys, but I am just glad that they are found.
I'm writing my phone number on them in case I ever actually lose them somewhere though.
Jared went to the doctor today, but after he started the car, he came in and asked if there was a prize for finding the keys. Apparently, they were in the center console of the car. Not a good place to put keys, but I am just glad that they are found.
I'm writing my phone number on them in case I ever actually lose them somewhere though.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
I Lost My Keys (and my mind)
My keys have been missing for almost two weeks now. I figured that I would find them somewhere along the line while I was cleaning, but at this very moment, my inbox has almost nothing in it, and my desk is clear of anything I need to do. No keys.
Jared's credit card has gone missing also. They must be together, but WHERE. I spent the majority of the evening look for them and asking people I know if they have seen them.
I have had no such luck. I am desperately attached to my keys, and I don't know where they are. This makes me very sad.
Jared's credit card has gone missing also. They must be together, but WHERE. I spent the majority of the evening look for them and asking people I know if they have seen them.
I have had no such luck. I am desperately attached to my keys, and I don't know where they are. This makes me very sad.
Asparagus in a Pouch
Asparagus is in season, and it is down to a dollar a pound in some cases.
I LOVE asparagus, and I never really knew how to cook it. I picked up this technique from the food network, and it is the only way I have eaten asparagus since.
Preheat the oven to 400
Take a bunch of asparagus and snap off or cut off the hard ends. The asparagus will snap on its own at the point that it is no longer tough and chewy, and you can use one as a guide to cut them all.
Get out some parchment paper and lay the asparagus in the middle. Drizzle 1-1.5 tablespoons of olive oil 1 teaspoon of salt and the juice of one lemon over the asparagus.
Fold the bag up into a pouch. I use the elastic from the asparagus bunch to rubber band it all together at the top.
Pop it in the oven for 14-16 minutes. (longer if there are other things in the oven)
It is SO yummy I could eat it very day.
I LOVE asparagus, and I never really knew how to cook it. I picked up this technique from the food network, and it is the only way I have eaten asparagus since.
Preheat the oven to 400
Take a bunch of asparagus and snap off or cut off the hard ends. The asparagus will snap on its own at the point that it is no longer tough and chewy, and you can use one as a guide to cut them all.
Get out some parchment paper and lay the asparagus in the middle. Drizzle 1-1.5 tablespoons of olive oil 1 teaspoon of salt and the juice of one lemon over the asparagus.
Fold the bag up into a pouch. I use the elastic from the asparagus bunch to rubber band it all together at the top.
Pop it in the oven for 14-16 minutes. (longer if there are other things in the oven)
It is SO yummy I could eat it very day.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Printer Fix
I discovered why my printer has been "broken" for the past few months.
Daphne shoved two DVD's back in the very back of the printer and was stopping it from feeding properly.
I can't tell you how many frustrated hours I have spent trying to figure out why my printer was being such a pain.
What an easy fix and a devilish child.
Daphne shoved two DVD's back in the very back of the printer and was stopping it from feeding properly.
I can't tell you how many frustrated hours I have spent trying to figure out why my printer was being such a pain.
What an easy fix and a devilish child.
Printer Help
I'm still here printing taxes. Daphne noticed that the printer was out of paper. She walked over to the garbage can, pulled out a piece of paper and went and "loaded" it into the printer.
What a smart cookie.
What a smart cookie.
In a Debt Pickle
We have been working to stay ahead financially for some time now, and after doing the taxes last night, I realize that we are in a huge debt pickle, and I'm wondering how to get out and stay out.
I don't mind paying our taxes as our civic duty. I've come to terms with it, and I'm trying to figure out how to save for it. That doesn't take into account the deductions we have been taking over the past few years to not have to pay our taxes. We have put ourselves in debt, and now in a pickle.
My ultimate goal is to get out of debt. I would like to work hard on paying off our house and owning it 100% free and clear without any mortgage on it or someone else having a claim to it. That would reduce the stress of life down to having to pay for insurance and food, which would leave us at ease to invest in another property that works well for us for retirement or some other form of retirement.
The problem is that we have incurred debt. It is a combination of medical stuff and other deductions we have used to get out of taxes as well as the taxes we have had to pay.
Truth be told, we are in a $46,000 pickle. If we continue to pay $1000 per month, it will take us 3.83 years to pay off. That is almost 4 years. It is a long road ahead for sure. However, we also have to start saving an additional $500 per month to be able to pay our taxes because we are not going to be taking any more educational deductions, like we have been able to in the past.
That makes $1500 per month for "debt" type payments, which is actually more than we pay on our mortgage. Perhaps, I will be able to restructure our lives so that this can become absolutely possible. I plan to live incredibly frugally and start growing a lot of my own food, which is what the laying hens and the meat chicks are all about. I also think that getting a goat would be a good idea because I would save a lot of money on dairy products.
Beyond that, though, it would mean living very frugally until we get out from under the $46,000 debt.
Taxes will continue forever, but at least we can do it without a huge debt overhead.
I just wish I had manged not getting in the pickle in the first place.
The good news is that we will not have many more medical bills for Jared now that he has been cured of UC! As long as I can manage not to have any more c-sections, hospital visits are in our distant past.
I don't mind paying our taxes as our civic duty. I've come to terms with it, and I'm trying to figure out how to save for it. That doesn't take into account the deductions we have been taking over the past few years to not have to pay our taxes. We have put ourselves in debt, and now in a pickle.
My ultimate goal is to get out of debt. I would like to work hard on paying off our house and owning it 100% free and clear without any mortgage on it or someone else having a claim to it. That would reduce the stress of life down to having to pay for insurance and food, which would leave us at ease to invest in another property that works well for us for retirement or some other form of retirement.
The problem is that we have incurred debt. It is a combination of medical stuff and other deductions we have used to get out of taxes as well as the taxes we have had to pay.
Truth be told, we are in a $46,000 pickle. If we continue to pay $1000 per month, it will take us 3.83 years to pay off. That is almost 4 years. It is a long road ahead for sure. However, we also have to start saving an additional $500 per month to be able to pay our taxes because we are not going to be taking any more educational deductions, like we have been able to in the past.
That makes $1500 per month for "debt" type payments, which is actually more than we pay on our mortgage. Perhaps, I will be able to restructure our lives so that this can become absolutely possible. I plan to live incredibly frugally and start growing a lot of my own food, which is what the laying hens and the meat chicks are all about. I also think that getting a goat would be a good idea because I would save a lot of money on dairy products.
Beyond that, though, it would mean living very frugally until we get out from under the $46,000 debt.
Taxes will continue forever, but at least we can do it without a huge debt overhead.
I just wish I had manged not getting in the pickle in the first place.
The good news is that we will not have many more medical bills for Jared now that he has been cured of UC! As long as I can manage not to have any more c-sections, hospital visits are in our distant past.
Taxes, Taxes
Jared and I finally sat down and did the taxes yesterday. This is a big thing that takes us months and months. Truth be told, the federal taxes were 27 pages just by themselves. I have not gotten printing out the Oregon ones yet.
Our taxes came out to us owing $1299 dollars. The lucky thing about it is that we will get a tax rebate this year of $1300, which brings us down to owning nothing really.
We "borrowed" the money from a savings account we set up for Daphne when she was born. We will replace it with the tax rebate money we get.
And thus, we will not be fulfilling the government's purpose with the money, we will be staying out of further debt and fulfilling our own personal goals.
Our taxes came out to us owing $1299 dollars. The lucky thing about it is that we will get a tax rebate this year of $1300, which brings us down to owning nothing really.
We "borrowed" the money from a savings account we set up for Daphne when she was born. We will replace it with the tax rebate money we get.
And thus, we will not be fulfilling the government's purpose with the money, we will be staying out of further debt and fulfilling our own personal goals.
Asparagus
Asparagus is another one of those foods that Daphne likes to eat. It is in season now, and I have been eating an awful lot of it. I give her the ends of them, and she happily eats them up and licks her fingers. She must like them, which is surprising because I drench them in lemon juice!
Charity's Diapers
I have a friend that has a friend that had a baby, and she wanted to cloth diapers. In and among the other things that I was doing with diapers, I managed to make some extra diapers. Julie and I made her 8 diapers of different types and styles to try.
I finished the baby wipes that go with them last night, and they went off in a big box to her. I hope she gets them soon and can find a use for them.
I finished the baby wipes that go with them last night, and they went off in a big box to her. I hope she gets them soon and can find a use for them.
Guarding the Taxes
Jared and I finally sat down to do the taxes yesterday. They ended up being about 27 pages long. Being that I needed 3 copies of them and that my printer is slow, I realize I was going to have to sit there and watch them come off the printer.
You see, Daphne decided to destroy the printer by crumpling up paper and putting it in the printer. The result was that it doesn't work right. Additionally, she is like a fly to honey with the thing. The second it starts to make a noise, she runs over and tries to pull all the paper out and push buttons.
She is a curious little thing. The last set of taxes is coming off the printer now--she is still asleep!
You see, Daphne decided to destroy the printer by crumpling up paper and putting it in the printer. The result was that it doesn't work right. Additionally, she is like a fly to honey with the thing. The second it starts to make a noise, she runs over and tries to pull all the paper out and push buttons.
She is a curious little thing. The last set of taxes is coming off the printer now--she is still asleep!
The Belt
We have an old wood high chair from the 1950's. I really like it, but it does not have a belt in it to keep her in. I didn't think much of it, but she has entered a climbing stage where she tries to get out of everything. Sometimes, I will give her her morning Cheerios and then walk to the kitchen to get food for Jared and I. By the time I turn back around, she is standing on the tray of the high chair. Needless to say, I needed to find another solution.
I rummaged through the closet and found Jared's belt. I not put the belt around her and the chair when I put her down to eat. That way, I can at least ensure that she doesn't go too far.
I have to remember it is there though. Last night, I tried to take her out of the chair, and the whole thing came with me because I had forgotten to undo it. I guess that means the belt is at least working.
I rummaged through the closet and found Jared's belt. I not put the belt around her and the chair when I put her down to eat. That way, I can at least ensure that she doesn't go too far.
I have to remember it is there though. Last night, I tried to take her out of the chair, and the whole thing came with me because I had forgotten to undo it. I guess that means the belt is at least working.
Monday, March 10, 2008
TV Shows Returning
I watch various TV shows online, and I was quite sad when the writer's strike messed this all up. I was happy to read that the TV shows are returning--and soon.
Here are the shows I follow and when they are returning.
Men in Trees: Immediately
Big Bang Theory: March 17
Til Death: March 25
Samantha Who: April 7
Scrubs: April 10
Desperate Housewives: April 13
Brothers and Sisters: April 20
Grey's Anatomy: April 24
House: April 28
Private Practice: Will return next season
Pushing Dasies: Will return next season
Big Shots has been cancelled.
There is good TV in my future. I have a feeling that I will be watching almost none of it.
Here are the shows I follow and when they are returning.
Men in Trees: Immediately
Big Bang Theory: March 17
Til Death: March 25
Samantha Who: April 7
Scrubs: April 10
Desperate Housewives: April 13
Brothers and Sisters: April 20
Grey's Anatomy: April 24
House: April 28
Private Practice: Will return next season
Pushing Dasies: Will return next season
Big Shots has been cancelled.
There is good TV in my future. I have a feeling that I will be watching almost none of it.
Bred Doe or Bread Dough?
I was talking to Jared the other day about needing to find a bred doe that I can start milking soon.
He didn't get it, and he was of course confused because he though I was talking about bread dough!
He didn't get it, and he was of course confused because he though I was talking about bread dough!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
My Little Helper
Tonight, I was letting Daphne run around without a diaper on. I like to let her air out a little bit and to let her run around free.
She came out of the other room holding a baby wipe trying to give it to me. I thanked her for it, but didn't read more into it.
Eventually, she came back out with something all over her hands. I thought it was chicken poop at first, but then I realized that there was no way she could have gotten it on her hands. I looked down the hall on the way to the sink to clean her up, and I saw a nice poop on the floor. I am thankful that her poop is solid rather than mushy.
She had pooped on the floor, and then she had attempted to clean it up with the baby wipe, which I had missed completely.
She is such a cute and adorable little angel.
She came out of the other room holding a baby wipe trying to give it to me. I thanked her for it, but didn't read more into it.
Eventually, she came back out with something all over her hands. I thought it was chicken poop at first, but then I realized that there was no way she could have gotten it on her hands. I looked down the hall on the way to the sink to clean her up, and I saw a nice poop on the floor. I am thankful that her poop is solid rather than mushy.
She had pooped on the floor, and then she had attempted to clean it up with the baby wipe, which I had missed completely.
She is such a cute and adorable little angel.
Chicken Coop
Jared's dad showed up early this morning. Jared and him were planning to be really nice to me and help me cut up a bunch of lumber so that I can make my chicken coop. I am excited to get the chickens outside when they start to feather because they are growing really fast, and now I am dealing with them flying out of the box (not to mention the smell if you wait more than two days to change the bedding).
They were wonderful, and they successfully cut up all the wood I needed to make the coop. I have already built several pieces. I am excited. I will post photos soon.
They were wonderful, and they successfully cut up all the wood I needed to make the coop. I have already built several pieces. I am excited. I will post photos soon.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Giving Blood
I was on my way to meet with a friend about keeping a goat at his house. On my way, I saw a sign at the LDS church that indicated that they were doing a blood drive. I vowed to check in on my way back and give blood if they had some way I could do it with Daphne.
The signs reminded me as I came back that I had vowed to stop by, so I worked up some courage and I really did stop by.
They had childcare, so I was able to take an hour of my day and give blood. The blood was slow in coming. Everyone else was clocking in at 5 minutes or less, and I took almost 12 to give all my blood. I suppose that it wasn't important. I hope that someone will be able to use the blood.
Give blood, save a life. It is a civic duty if you are a healthy person and it can literally save lives.
P.S. This is backdated. Written in the last hours of last night on my way back from a little trip.
The signs reminded me as I came back that I had vowed to stop by, so I worked up some courage and I really did stop by.
They had childcare, so I was able to take an hour of my day and give blood. The blood was slow in coming. Everyone else was clocking in at 5 minutes or less, and I took almost 12 to give all my blood. I suppose that it wasn't important. I hope that someone will be able to use the blood.
Give blood, save a life. It is a civic duty if you are a healthy person and it can literally save lives.
P.S. This is backdated. Written in the last hours of last night on my way back from a little trip.
Friday, March 07, 2008
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