LIVING WELL

free and easy

I made a decision this weekend to get rid of something in my life that was adding a lot of stress. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I’ll tell you all some more about it when it’s official and details are worked out. But you should be seeing more of me around here again.
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These pictures are from Elizabeth’s new favorite place–the bathroom mirror. If I held her there all day long, she’d be happy. She waves, chatters and sucks on her reflection. I have to watch though, she’s been known to dive in a little too quick and smash her face on the glass.

My sister and brother-in-law and their kids were here for the weekend. We had dinner at my Dad’s Friday night and I tweaked my classic dinner roll recipe to be whole wheat and then I added some flax seed. I didn’t get to try them because I ended up staying home with a sleeping baby and writing a real letter to a friend, but I heard good reports.
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I’m really conquering my fear of making bread without a bread machine. I use my kitchenaid mixer to get the dough started, then I knead it myself and let it rise beside the wood burner. I think you just really need to go for trial and error when it comes to bread baking. I have some vague ideas of what you’re supposed to do, and I just jump in there and figure it out.

I really have nothing earth shattering to share today, but needed to stop in and share that I’m feeling a little more free and easy this morning. Ahhhh. it feels so good. We went for a great walk yesterday with the girls and I wished I had my camera. We found some amazing beaver work around the stream–a huge tree completely felled by the beavers with fresh cuts and beaver chips all around. They completely shaved all the bark off the branches of the tree and left their muddy tracks all over the streambank. I wishing for my camera, but I guess sometimes its just better to be there and not always be documenting everything, right?

Happy Monday friends. I’ll be back soon…..

**oh, and have you noticed I’m having a banner crisis–several of you emailed me and said, "what happened to the trike banner???!!" I thought it was too big? but I liked it. i’ll try to bring it back this morning. it’s kind of happy and spring-y don’t you think?**

I made a decision this weekend to get rid of something in my life that was adding a lot of stress. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I’ll tell you all some more about it when it’s official and details are worked out. But you should be seeing more of me around here again.
P1010005

P1010003

P1010008

These pictures are from Elizabeth’s new favorite place–the bathroom mirror. If I held her there all day long, she’d be happy. She waves, chatters and sucks on her reflection. I have to watch though, she’s been known to dive in a little too quick and smash her face on the glass.

My sister and brother-in-law and their kids were here for the weekend. We had dinner at my Dad’s Friday night and I tweaked my classic dinner roll recipe to be whole wheat and then I added some flax seed. I didn’t get to try them because I ended up staying home with a sleeping baby and writing a real letter to a friend, but I heard good reports.
P1010020

I’m really conquering my fear of making bread without a bread machine. I use my kitchenaid mixer to get the dough started, then I knead it myself and let it rise beside the wood burner. I think you just really need to go for trial and error when it comes to bread baking. I have some vague ideas of what you’re supposed to do, and I just jump in there and figure it out.

I really have nothing earth shattering to share today, but needed to stop in and share that I’m feeling a little more free and easy this morning. Ahhhh. it feels so good. We went for a great walk yesterday with the girls and I wished I had my camera. We found some amazing beaver work around the stream–a huge tree completely felled by the beavers with fresh cuts and beaver chips all around. They completely shaved all the bark off the branches of the tree and left their muddy tracks all over the streambank. I wishing for my camera, but I guess sometimes its just better to be there and not always be documenting everything, right?

Happy Monday friends. I’ll be back soon…..

**oh, and have you noticed I’m having a banner crisis–several of you emailed me and said, "what happened to the trike banner???!!" I thought it was too big? but I liked it. i’ll try to bring it back this morning. it’s kind of happy and spring-y don’t you think?**

15 comments on “free and easy”

  1. It is a wonderful feeling when that happens. I’m happy for you. We all feel stretched so far at times, like that rubberband threatening to snap. And in terms of the banner thingy – mine needs a new lift too.

  2. Making bread is such a funny thing! When i leave the dough to rise i often come back and it looks like alien life forms are all over the worktops! Wow! Some of the shapes and sizes of dough make me wonder what i’m doing..it doesn’t look like that on the tv!Glad things are feeling easier for you….can ONLY be a good thing. take care. xxx

  3. I LOVE making bread!! I have never trusted bread machines. Feels like cheating to me and I am not sure why.

    I have one of these but it is taller.

    http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?select=C74&byCategory=C88&id=4115

    Love love love it!! Would not make bread without it again.

    I also do not use those little packages of yeast. You can buy large amounts of yeast at Sam’s. Just stick in it in the freezer and it will last forever. Always add a tiny bit of sugar to your yeast so it has something to eat.

    And did I just hijack this thing? I will shut up now.

  4. I got some flax seed like six months ago to sneak into stuff and I totally forgot about it. I suspect I know what’s making you feel lighter and I say good for you.

  5. Glad your feeling lighter-love when that happens. Bread is definitely not as scary as I thought it was. I have a made a few loaves already this year, with great results! Oh and watch the mail. =)

  6. I’ve got to try bread without the machine one of these days. My neighbor and I just split a big bag of yeast from a big box store, so I have a lot of loaves in my future. Looking forward to some mail…

  7. i like the pine banner.

    and there is nothing i like more than the feeling of having followed my own heart and made a change that makes my life better. i always feel such a sense of pride – that i was able to listen to myself, and courageous enough to do what was difficult to do. and if you’re talking about what i think you’re talking about, i’m proud of you.

  8. I Loved the trike banner, it felt both vintage and springtime- yay!Baking bread is one of my favorite ways to be in the kitchen too, but then those big tasty loaves sit around begging to be eaten with lots of butter and jam….And- I also have a pretty good idea what is making you feel lighter today, I say good for you! Anything that has such a positive effect on your state of mind can only be a great decision for your whole family!

  9. the bread recipes that ran in the ny times mark bittman column last year and then updated in 2007 were really good and easy- no kneading, pretty foolproof with add-ins like whole wheat flour, oat bran, etc. Here’s the super-easy recipe.

  10. I’m so excited to see you back here on your blog…I don’t see you often enough over at mine either. Hope everything is okay with the family. You have such a sweet girl that plays with the mirror. You should give her a handheld mirror as a gift.

  11. I would never make bread without my machine – I love it! (Although we did have a difference of opinion when I burned my very pregnant belly on it last year!)

    I notice the girls are reading the Laura Ingalls books; we loved those, and have recently found a whole lot of books written about what her mother’s, grandmother’s and great grandmother’s lives might have been like, based on what family history they knew. Enjoyable even for an adult, but written for children!

  12. I can’t wait to hear what you have jettisoned from your life to relieve stress and simplify. BTW, I love the trike banner. I don’t think it is TOO big, just big! That’s ok. Love the Eliz pics babies are so cute at this age. I’m having a hard time typing as I cut the end (no bone, PTL) of my finger off while cutting onions for chili today…and my dd was in a fender bender this morning before school…don’t bad things happen in 3s? I hope not.

  13. Molly,I had to ask my mum about those books. I don’t know the specific titles; but each one is called The Martha/Charlotte/Caroline/Rose Years, then the title. There were several different authors, but Melissa Wiley was one of them. I hope that helps you find them.e

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