San Francisco Sourdough Starter

While visiting my sister at Thanksgiving I was so excited to find this:





I love Sour Dough and have always wanted to try some from San Francisco. I finally found a moment two weeks ago to get started. The instructions asked for the contents of the package to be mixed with "bread flour" but I used freshly ground whole wheat flour instead. I could not bring myself to use bleached enriched flour on it. I am so pleased with the results. Yesterday was my first trial using it and my family requested their favorite, Sour Dough English Muffins. You can find my recipe for it HERE.

Look how healthy this sourdough starter is.

They turned out absolutely amazing.

The taste was tangy and the texture light.

It had a distinct hearty aroma and they melted in your mouth.

For those of you who live close by

and would like some sourdough

starter give me a call.

I have plenty to share.

Time

I had a funny experience when coming out of surgery last week. Once I was coherent enough to hold a conversation, the attending nurse in the recovery room asked me if I had an appointment later that evening. I told her, "Of course not, I just got out of surgery. Why do you ask?" She then informed me of my first few utterances while coming out from under the anesthesia. "What time is is?" and "Am I going to be late?" Apparently I asked her this several times.



I admit it freely, I have always been obsessed with time. I cannot stand to waste time and I abhor being late; therefore I am always early. It all stems back to my childhood. When going anywhere with my mother, we were ALWAYS late. I don't know if it was because of her seven children or what, but it was difficult. As I got older I realized that in order to be on time to important functions I would have to be give her a much earlier time than required to avoid being late. This worked for a while, but she was smart and soon caught on, especially when we were there before anyone else.



My time is extremely important to me and I try to use it wisely. I often play on the clock. In other words, I will set tasks for the day with time limits attached and then try and beat the time. It is rewarding when I can beat my time, however I allow for emergencies which often arise and change my plans.



When I see my children sitting around I ask them, "Are you being anxiously engaged in a good cause?" They know that that means they had better get up and find something worthwhile to do. Time wasted is gone forever!



I love this quote about time:

"Time is the property

which we inherit from God,

along with the power

to choose what we will do with it."

Henry B. Eyring

Time is a precious gift that each of us enjoy. We each have the same 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week to do with as we desire. However, it passes at a fixed rate and we can’t store it. All we can do is decide what to do with it—or not to do with it. Even a moment’s reflection helps me see that the problem of using my time wisely is not a problem of the mind but of my heart. Where my heart is, there will my time be spent.



My heart is with my family and my God. That is where my time is spent, hour after hour, minute after minute, day after day.



I never want to be responsible for these final words:





My time is even more precious to me now. My lists have even grown a little longer, and while I might not get everything accomplished that I would like, I feel peace in the choices I have made in how I spend my time.

I'm Back....

...and feeling so much better. I am finally ready to start the New Year! It has been a difficult month. I had a bit of a scare when medical problems arose the week of Christmas. My doctor suspected cancer and worked with me to get through the holidays and the wedding. Talk about ultimate stress! Just the word "cancer" has a way of bringing one to their knees. On Monday of this week the pathology reports came back NEGATIVE. We were all so relived. Tuesday I had surgery and now I am back on my feet and ready to go. Of course I am being urged by family to take it easy, but I am not one who has ever been able to just sit back and rest. Too much to do and not enough time.

I was so blessed by my married children during all of this. They were there helping all along the way. They watched children and brought over meals. What a joy is it to have them so close. Thank you for everything!

A special thanks goes to Kendrick and Brigitta. Kendrick held down the fort once I got home. He made sure the house was clean, watched his nieces and even put meals on the table. He was my lifesaver. And then there was Brigitta, she was my personal nurse, always at my side wanting to help in any way she could.

• "Would you like a drink of water?"
• "Can I read you a story?"
• "Would you like to watch a movie?"
• "Can I just sit by you and hold your hand?"
• "I colored this picture for you."
  

And where was my husband during all of this? He was constantly at my side watching over me, and tending to my every need, except when he had to go back to work.

As you can see, I was in the best of care.

What more could anyone wish for?

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Mar-Kell Petty

They couldn't be happier!

The Final Project from Santa's Workshop

This is the final project to come out of Santa's Workshop this year. We have been behind schedule for the past week because I have been spending most of my time working on dresses for the wedding, but felt that things were all under control, until I ended up in the hospital in the wee hours on the morning of Christmas Eve. I was grateful to be released later that day so that I could spend the holidays and upcoming wedding with my family. A special thanks to all of my married children who rushed over to my aid. They wrapped all of the gifts, made our traditional Christmas Eve dinner, helped clean for Christmas Day, and finish up the last of the Christmas gifts. They even helped Santa deliver and set up the gifts under the tree.

Here is the final project to come from Santa's workshop this year, a theatre for Brigitta. We transformed one that we had made for our older children years ago and gave it a complete face lift. This is what we came up with:

We are looking forward to many performances from

Brigitta and her nieces and nephews.

Thanks to everyone who helped save Christmas!

I am now back to sewing to get things finished for the wedding. I will blog later about our Christmas celebration. I have so much to be thankful for.

Birthday Celebration!

Happy Birthday Tati,

We Love You!

The Richest Man in Walnut Grove

As you know, my favorite TV series of all time is Little House on The Prairie. There is an episode entitled The Richest Man in Walnut Grove where Lars Hanson is forced to close the mill due to bankruptcy. This leaves Charles unable to pay his debt at the mercantile. Refusing to grovel to the haughty Harriet Olsen, he takes on three jobs, including digging in the mud and shoveling horse manure. Not only does he work hard, but his entire family pitches in. Mary leaves school to work as a seamstress while Laura takes over and does all of the chores. Caroline and Carrie tend to the house and the farming. When Charles is finally able to pay the bill, he and his family get dressed in their finest clothes and go as a family to the mercantile just to see the look on Mrs. Olsen’s’ face. She is quite surprised but her husband Nels is proud of the Ingalls family and how they sacrificed together, something he feels that his family would have never done. As Charles is carrying his provisions out to the wagon Mr. Olsen comments to Charles, “You are the richest man in Walnut Grove” and he was, however his riches came not in material objects but in love, the love of his family.

Please know that my intention is not to offend anyone, but I just wanted to share how blessed we have been lately.


Right after my piano recital ended last Saturday, I had a few families come up to tell me that they decided to quit while others wanted to take the month off. I was saddened, but understanding. It didn’t end there though, some waited and called the day of their lesson to break the news to me. One or two losses would have been fine, but SEVEN?

I received various excuses from:

• My children aren’t practicing as they should
• The economy is bad and times are hard
• You are very busy with the wedding and such this month, enjoy the time off, we will regroup in January
• I just can’t afford lessons and Christmas, see you next month……
  

These are difficult times for everyone and I understand, but because there was no notice given, it has been challenging news to handle because our family lives on such a tight budget.

BUT WAIT... HERE COMES THE BEST PART…..We did as Brigitta often mentions, "Let's find something to be glad about?" Of course she is glad about the extra time I have to spend with her now, but there is always good in every situation and I feel that we have been greatly blessed. We gathered together as a family and discussed our options a few days ago. The general consensus to alleviate our financial stress during this holiday season was a YARD SALE. Each member of the family went through their possessions and sacrificed what they could to make ends meet. Here is the outcome...

This has ended up being a wonderful experience and I feel that like Charles Ingalls’s, we are rich beyond measure because of our children and their willingness and enthusiasm to sacrifice. It is moments like these that help to draw families closer together. I am grateful for such lessons in life, they are character building.

Shantell and Paige also helped with the yard sale, but requested that NO pictures be posted of them. Teenagers!