Bread Making

Wow! It been busy around here! :) So much to learn and do! Not only for the children but also for me! We don't eat a lot of bread around here but the other day I took dinner to some friends and we baked bread to send along! 

 I used an old favorite recipe using some whole wheat and some white flour. 

It really does taste wonderful! :) 

 I'll include the recipe and if you feel like it, give it a go! :)

Honey Wheat Bread

1 cup warm water

1 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp yeast

2 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)

1 egg

3 cups Whole Wheat flour

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup honey

4 cups warm water

10 to 11 cups unbleached white flour

Put the 1 cup water, sugar and yeast in a lg bowl and let set til bubbly. (10min)

Add all but the white flour and mix well. 

Add the white flour and knead well.

 Oil the bowl, put the bread in and turn dough to coat.

Let rise til double in size. Divide into loaves or buns.

Let rise til just above the pans. 

Bake in a preheated 350* oven til nicely browned.

We made Hamsters out of our rolls since the family receiving them was a young couple with three small children! :) We figured they would like that. 

Chad making what he called a 'dust bunny'.

Cheyenne forming a loaf.

She loved to 'spank' it! lol

Learning how to tuck in the ends.

Chad making mini loaves.

Bread making lessons.

The finished Breads and the dinosaur farm! :)

Our Wellness Journey #5

It used to be that I struggled terribly with extreme exhaustion. It seemed like I could go to bed tired and get up tired. Every day!! It was awful!! :)
Many times I would fall asleep during school and wake up to find my children playing. And I wasn't even rested! It was so discouraging!!
I struggled so much with the inability to be a good wife and mother. Often I was stretched out on the couch crying because I hurt so much and I needed to get up but just had no motivation to face the agony.
I had others tell me that they get tired too; they just pushed through it and they were sure I could too! So I would try that.
BUT.... It never worked for long. And then I thought I was lazy and horrid and stupid. (I know, terrible self talk!)

I don't know if you have ever heard of Fly Lady or not but she is just amazing. With her help I learned to manage my work in little bits rather then in overwhelming chunks! Please, check her out!

Lowering my stress obviously helped me sleep better which in turn lowered my stress! Bingo!! Win,win!! :)

I love Fly Lady!!! 

And I have since learned the importance of  getting my sleep (!!!) so I use a sleep mask or bandanna. I sleep deeper and wake up much more refreshed! Also Steve bought me a 'noise maker' that I can set to play (I like the ocean sound) for 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 hour and then shuts itself off.
We turn everything else off so when we enter the deep sleep, there are no distractions to mess with our subconscious mind.
(Sleep is so important to keeping one's body in good shape and the stress levels lowered!!)
Steve only needs about 6 hrs of sleep at night while I on the other hand need 9-10.
If we are staying up late sometimes I miss out on the party but I usually just try to make up the time the next night or so by going to bed a little earlier. I have learned that most times it really doesn't pay to miss my sleep tho! It pretty much has to be a once in a life time thing before I compromise to much.
My children are so much like Steve and I, with Chad needing much less sleep then Shiny!
Below is a talk given by the nutritionist who's advice I follow. I am sure you will find it interesting!

 Chad and Shiny snuggling with the cats while I lay down for a nap. 

One of the reasons a nap is a big deal for me is because I need to be available for Steve while he is home in the evenings. I am done with pushing myself over the edge during the day and then being to tired to give him the attention he needs. We love to serve him, now that Mommy is well again!! The poor man used to come home to a tearful wife who was crashed on the couch. :(

I have a new goal!! To get the Trim Healthy Mama  book.... It was recommended to me by a friend. Have any of ya'll read this book? How do you like it?

From Sweatshirt to Dress

 Today I decided to take in hand a sweatshirt of mine! Not only does it not fit anymore but it makes me look enormous!! Cheyenne and I both like it SO well tho because we love the fellow on the front of the shirt! Eeyore! :)  As a result, I have been hanging onto it even after my husband expressed a dislike for it. :p 

 Well, today I handed the shirt down to Cheyenne. 

This is the transformation...

I pinned it with safety pins while it was on her to give me a general idea of what I needed for a pattern.

I found a dress from her closet that is just a little big for her and used it as a pattern.

I cut around the whole dress including the sleeves, then turned it inside out.

I pinned up the edges of the sleeves and hemmed them with the zigzag stitch.

Then I pinned the sides and sewed them.

We sewed on some pretty buttons. That is Cheyenne's hands giving the needle a try.

And here it is on her! :) Sorry it is so small! My phone was acting up and I don't have a camera...

She is VERY happy!! 

I decided there really was no sense in hanging onto that thing since I never plan to regain the weight I have lost! :)

Now I am inspired to make over some more of my 'to big' clothes for Cheyenne! And she agrees that it is a really good idea to do more! :) 

Blessings to all! 

There are many things we can not control in life; the one thing we can control is how we choose to take care of ourselves.