freshly baked....

 ....oh, that heavenly aroma, bread.   Margaret showed me a simple recipe last week, and it's a keeper.  It's from JuicingPeaches, and it's so simple:

Okay, I admit:  it's not very beautiful...but it's good.

3 cups (400 g) flour

2 tsp salt (11g)

1 tsp active dry yeast (4g)

1 1/2 c lukewarm water (350 ml), 95-100F or 36c)

I use and eight cup measure, mix the warm water and yeast, let it bloom, 15 minutes.

in a 4 cup measure, I sift the flour and salt together.

Add flour mixture to yeast and water, stir with a rubber scraper, then cover with a damp towel for two hours.

Dump onto floured piece of parchment paper, shape if wanted, cover with damp towel for half hour...then preheat oven to 425 with Dutch oven in oven, so you're preheating your Dutch oven. After that half hour of the second rise, carefully place dough, parchment and all, into Dutch oven, trim paper if necessary, put lid on, and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove lid and bake for 15 more minutes to brown.  Lift parchment, bread and all, and let rest before slicing, if you can!  Next time I'll sprinkle with salt, rosemary, after removing lid.   It's SO easy, and so good.  

Dinner is bubbling away in the crockpot, and I'm almost drooling here:  a nice piece of  chuck steak, two packets of brown gravy mix, minced onions, rosemary, chopped carrots, quartered red skinned potatoes, coarse ground pepper....with the smell of the bread mixed in, it's absolutely amazing in here.  The anticipation is almost the best part.

It's been a quiet day here.  Sonja is at the hospital, Paul is working on the house, Charlotte Claire is in Washington D.C., and I'm here with Miss Camille, making sure she gets her meds, bringing her food and drinks, and keeping her company.  It's quite pleasant.  The wind is blowing and it's a cold gray day, but we've got the flames of the fake fireplace, and the white twinkle lights on.  

We face timed with Jonny, in Germany, today.  He's got a fever, and doesn't feel well.  He's doing all right, it's nice to talk with him. I miss him!  He misses American food.  :)

The dogs have been fed, the kitties are all fed and comfy, the house has been vacuumed, windows cleaned, clean covers on the couches, counters and tables washed, dishes done...I'm not bored, I'm totally enjoying this quiet uneventful day.  

Soon Paul will be home, and we'll have our yummy dinner....

settling in...

It's a cool gloomy day here in central NY.  Reading other blogs about the wonderful springtime blooms and green grasses makes ME a little bit green, but mostly hopeful, because it's coming soon.

Miss Kathryn came over with the little ones yesterday.  I had a little snowplow for Achilles that I bought at the thrift store, so Kathryn got a pail of snow from outside and put it on a cookie sheet.  A few more cars to drive behind the little plow, and he was happy for a while.  

Some chocolates I made for the kids.  It seemed like such a good idea to bake cupcakes and a cake and make frosting and melt chocolate all at the same time!  ha.

I didn't properly tap the mold, so air bubbles...oops.  Achilles looked at the flowers and said, "That's not Boo's door, Boo's door has flowers on it!"

Happy 25th birthday to Kathryn Grace, now mom of three, holding little Jamison.  

I wasn't going to post these because I look like...an old grandma, but then I AM an old grandma!

(with Jamison and Rhys)

Two weeks old, and so beautiful!

Charlotte and Camille, delighted aunties...

All snuggly for the ride home.

Camille is sound asleep here in the living room, on the futon couch.  She has her mattress topper, and all her bedding, with her water bottle right by her, her next dose of meds close by.  We talked last night and she's okay with me going to the pool this morning.  Paul is here if she needs any help, too.  Sonja is at the hospital for clinical today, Charlotte Claire is in school...I have to pick her up early so she can get her bedding and bags, she's going to Delaware and to Washington D.C. this weekend with Mariel, Margaret, Sam's wife Grace, and a few more friends.  

Yesterday we had take-out Chinese food for Kathryn.  My girls totally appreciated it too, of course.  It's salty and fried and delicious and I'm glad we rarely have it.  It WAS the only meal I ate yesterday, and I only ate a little of the rice...General Tso chicken for me, nice and spicy.  

So off to the pool I go, yay!  I only missed one day this week (it's three days a week).     

I feel like blogging is like this quick over-view of the days...bullet points.  I overlooked some of the minor details, like: one of the dogs, I think Suri, did a little poop on the living room floor, which thankfully I found with my eyes and not my feet yesterday morning. (she's almost eleven, I don't know...rare occurrence).   I got up on time but dawdled too much in the bathroom, and Char's got on the bus before I could greet her this morning, which made me kick myself...she likes to see me in the morning.  I gathered up three of my bras to repair them, the underwires poked through, three bras within a week!  There's nothing like going about your business, and having a wire poking your underarm area...if you're like me, it takes a while to realize exactly what's making you so uncomfortable and cranky, busy doing things and oh,  okay.  I should just wear different bras...  Anyway.  I really have to get up and get moving if I'm going to get in the water in time.  We usually play catch with a big beachball for warm up, which is fun, but if the ball lands in the water in front of you, splash in the face!   I love the older people in the group though...they are all so nice.  bye.

 

a day in the hospital...

 On Tuesday morning, when I woke Camille so we could go get her scripts, and some things for activity club, and a few groceries including some things she wanted after surgery (vanilla pudding cups!), I thought, "Well, this is probably the last good and comfy night's sleep she'll have for a while, poor girl..."

(Have you slept in an immobilizer? I have not. It goes from thigh to ankle, it's pokey for the opposite leg, and heavy. )

Anyway, we went out and about, did what we had to do...one of the older kids was sick, we thought it was appendix but it ended up being something else, then one of the other older kids was sick with something, and it was hard for my heart. No matter how old they are, mama wants to be there.

Activity club last night:  we played with little things (Calico Critters, Little Woodzeez), and made little easter baskets from big plastic cups with pipe cleaner handles, and decorated in stickers, (then filled with a small amount of candy), and...ran around.  They love running around.

This fine morning, my alarm set for 5:55, then oops, when I checked the time in the night I realized I had set it for 4:55, so I changed it...then dang it if I didn't second guess myself and lie there wide awake, wondering if I was tricking myself...I was so tired, didn't know if I was really awake.  Anyway.  Not enough sleep, subsequent headache which fluorescent lighting in the hospital didn't help.  Instead of going to visit and hang out with Grace and the kids, or Marge and the kids, I sat in the car during the surgery...drank my coffee, read a book...then I walked a few blocks to use the bathroom at the gas station/minimart/dairy store, and get a coffee.  The surgeon called me after two + hours, things went well. Back into the hospital I went, to wait for a while more...those lights!  

With this surgery, I requested meds for nausea, so the anesthesiologist put a patch on Cam's neck, like when you're seasick, plus they gave her zofran in the I.V., plus a script of it for at home when the pain meds make her queasy. It's like night and day from the last surgery, no throwing up.  (Last time she did it all the way home, 40 minute drive).

All chipper before the surgery, sweet Miss Camille.  

It was a looooong day.  We got home at five.  Sonja K., also a sweetheart, came home from college, cleaned up the house, washed all the dishes, and had a barbecued chicken with red onions pizza just out of the oven as we arrived home.  She had gone to the pharmacy for me, too, for the zofran.  

What a feeling, to have this finally done. I know for Cam, the days ahead will be challenging before she heals up, but phew...it's done.  No plans tomorrow...but it IS Kathryn's birthday...

oh ho yay!

Random thoughts on a Monday evening...

1. I just ordered new Birkenstocks...on sale...they're not just a want...I don't wear anything else once spring rolls around, until around November.  

2. I got to see little Jamison today...

...with big sister Rhys

...with Aunt Sonja...

Messy, happy house, on 

Saturday...Margaret was baking cakes, with Wulf and Tennyson, Rhys playing.

Cousins: Ophelia and Wulf

Camille holding Rhys...

Sweet new Jamison

Happy birthday to Wulf, with a Sponge bob cake from his mama, Margaret

Cousin Achilles was excited too!

New York...don't like the politics, but it's gorgeous...

My hair, it doesn't grow!

Camille's creampuffs...not filled yet.

Ophelia and Wulf...

Goodnight...tomorrow is a busy day, then the next day is Camille's surgery.  Tomorrow:  library, pharmacy, Aldi...early night, hopefully, as we have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn, in a nicer way to say it, on Wednesday.  

So, goodnight!!!!

 

it's raining it's pouring...

 ...temperamental weather here in central NY state, from snow storm to pouring rain.  It's drumming on the metal roof, and do you think I want to get up, get dressed, and head out the door to the pool?  Absolutely not, but I will anyway.  A key to being successful in anything is to just not listen to your lazy inclinations.

This fine, dark, chilly day, I have plans to spend some time with Lydia, my dear 8 year old granddaughter. I was thinking to take her shopping and to lunch, after the pool.  

Yesterday, Camille had her pre-op appointment.  Her $400 t-scope immobilizer leg brace is missing a piece, we had to get a new one.  The ortho office manager wasn't sure the insurance would cover a new one.  Well, her last surgery, in May of last year, she wore the brace for weeks, but honestly, how were we supposed to know at that point, that she would need a second surgery on the other knee?  I mean, would a used leg brace pass the Marie Kondo?  Yes, the leg brace, all ratty with dog hair in the velcro from both the yellow and black labs, brings me joy.  I shall keep it.  Since we didn't do an actual Marie clean out, we did still have the awful thing, and they asked us to please bring it with us for this visit.  I was almost glad, for Camille's sake, that it WAS missing a piece, because, shabby.  But another $400 or so...and you can buy them on Amazon!  I didn't even consider that!

Anyway.  Never a dull one.  We went to Aldi after her appointment.  Emily, from her vacation in Lisbon, asked me to get a few things for a mentor's weekend at church, she's coming home, then doing the food for around 200 people.   I couldn't find what we needed in Aldi, so to Walmart we went.  Cam was looking for comfy pants for after surgery, with wide legs, we didn't find them.  We stopped at another grocery store, really quickly, because I knew the Diet Coke was buy two, get three free...and the burger was $2.99 a pound.  

Home...Kathryn was over for a visit with the kids, how nice to have a newborn to cuddle!

(Auntie Sonja with little Jamison)

This fine morning, I went to the pool...came home and got Miss Camille, then picked up Lydia.  We went to Kohl's, where the clearance stuff is half off.  I found boots for Lydia, which she loves, and jeans, a few tops...and two winter coats for Camille ($20 and $16), a few $1.80 shirts for me, and some various other bargains.  We went to McDonalds, as per Lydia's request, because of the play area.  Only one cashier, and the ordering screens took your order, but you had to wait in line to pay the one cashier because that function wasn't operational.  It took 45 minutes to get a little snack...Lyd wanted the mint shake, Cam a chocolate one, and iced coffee for me.  

She made a friend on the playground, and also met up with an old neighbor.  

After dropping her off, home...ah home on this chilly, damp, rainy day....no, I did not say damn.

Paul was leaving to go work on the house, so off I went with him...he has the flooring almost finished, the two upstairs bedrooms and the downstairs bedroom, most of the living room...there's the downstairs hall, the bathroom, and the back room to go, as well as the kitchen area.  I painted a few doors, some trim, and washed some windows.  The cabinet doors are still here, need one more coat of paint...

(The nice refrigerator and stove we bought from Marketplace...that's not exactly where they're going...

Anyway...home ahhh home...Paul cooked burgers for dinner, and I cut up some strawberries.  

My back has been bothering me, lower on the left side, radiates around to the front of my thigh, feels like a clicking, a catching, if I lean over.   Try not leaning over. It's almost impossible. I dropped the store ad in the store yesterday, and just walked on like I didn't notice.  Putting on my boots, my socks, oh dear.  Feeding the cat, feeding the dog, not fun.   

Hopefully resting it will make it better soon...:)

snow day!!! chocolate!!!

 

Where do the days go?   I had Wulf and Tennyson on Monday, they spent most of the night...their daddy drove all the way to Philadelphia to pick up their mommy, and Miss Char, as their flight into Syracuse was cancelled.  He dropped Char here, woke up the boys, and drove home to Oswego.

The bag in the back is what they call Booby Ladies...:). the 6 pack are Kvikk Lunsj, (quick lunch), it's like a Norwegian KitKat, only a million times better.  European chocolate, can't go wrong.

Tuesday was a SNOW DAY!  We only have one in public school, but that one is Charlotte Claire, and did she ever need a day after all that traveling!  Sonja K. is on school break too, so it was a fantastic snow day!  Camille made oatmeal raisin cookies, which I LOVE, but have managed to stay away from so far...

I made pumpkin bread with apples and raisins, low carb of course.

I can't say that it was delicious, but it smelled heavenly and was satisfying.

Emily, Mariel, and Evelyn are in Lisbon, Portugal now...looks wonderful, wish I was with them.

Mariel and Evelyn

Evelyn and Mariel

Evelyn's picture...they're having a nice time, I hope they go again next year and I can go too:)

This picture is from a few years back when I spent a day in London with Emily, Suzanne, and Sonja.

Wulf and Tenny, brekky at the coffee table.

Granddaughter Ophelia, wanted to help me make the pot pie...

I don't trim the crust at the edges, just fold it all in because it's the very best part, in my humble, piggy, opinion.  I sprinkle the top with salt and coarse pepper, and rosemary.  I refrained from putting extra butter on the top this time.   I made two, because Adrian was going to be here for dinner Monday, but he ended up leaving to drive to Philly, so we only ate one...there was another whole one, so into the oven it went for dinner last night.  

Now the sun is shining, and I'm itching to get out of the house.  The water aerobics class was cancelled this morning, I wouldn't have made it anyway, as the driveway was full of snow.  Paul went out with the snowblower, so it's all clear now.  The pool is closed until afternoon though.

People, in general, live in a strong delusion that so many things MATTER so MUCH, putting down roots here on the earth as if we're here to stay.  Planning, buying, saving, stocking...maybe necessary, but where our heart is, there our treasures is also.  

Young people don't believe how fast life goes by.  All the years they spend preparing for life, they don't realize that that IS their life.  You have to live fully in the days you have, don't get bogged down worry about tomorrow.  Yeah, maybe the grandkids come over and the toys get strewn, but those children will be teenagers before you blink.  

Nine years ago: my five-girls-in-a-row-in-five-years, out shopping. (Margaret was five and a half when Sonja was born, so it was Margaret 5, Kathryn 4, Evelyn 2 1/2, Suzanne 1, and Sonja newborn).  You can see in the above photo that they were NOT thrilled I took the picture, ha.  Suzanne was 13, Evelyn 14, Sonja 11, Kathryn 15, and Margaret 17...(Sonja would be turning 12 in May, Kathryn 16 in a few weeks)

Only one of those little girls still lives at home, Miss Sonja K., the one in the middle of the pic, the youngest of those five-in-a-row.  All the cat fights and clothes fights and door slamming and singing and silliness and drama..whew, flew right by.  There seemed to be always two of them disagreeing about SOMETHING.  Now just Sonja, Char, and Cam here at home...Sonja and Char fake fight, just for the fun of it, but the three of them get along just fine.  

All right...ran out of profound things to write ha...and my coffee is gone...so goodbye for now.