More ways to wrap it up.

  

Here are a few prototypes.  First, snack and sandwich bags made from a rice bag.  Second a washable version and last a Japanese lunch bag  out of re-purposed fabric(it was my first attempt and I think I messed the handle up).

Wrapping up

lunch.  I have made a few sandwich wraps in the past year.  These are the latest and I think the best so far.  I have another version in my head and will hopefully be able to try making it this week. 

Sorry about the flash but I have been meaning to share these and made myself take these pictures this morning.

I will try to take some better pics and show how we wrap things up around here.  I could only manage one step today, and a baby step at that.

Rise and Shine

Oh, a beautiful first loaf, baked this morning.

We have been baking our own bread for a while now.
I found this great recipe in Mother Earth News:
"The Master Recipe: Boule (Artisan Free-Form Loaf)"
Makes 4 1-pound loaves
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
1 1/2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Mixing and store the dough:
Mix everything together, don't knead, if hand-mixing becomes to difficult, use very wet hands to press it together.  Cover loosely (I leave it the mixing bowl and cover with a dish towel) and allow to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours.  You can bake now or refrigerate (for two weeks, you can also freeze it, just let thaw in the refrigerator for one day before baking).  
Baking:
450 degrees for about 30 minutes.

I just found Mark Bittman's, you tube piece, which looks to be pretty much the same recipe only rises for 12 hours and is baked at 500 degrees for 30 minutes in a cast iron pot.
The loaf above is the result (I split the recipe above into two loaves). I can't wait to cut into it, but that will have to wait until tonight.

Wow and all about my schnaz...

When we were heading home from hiking guess who we saw...


this mama bear and her cub (hiding behind the wall) just popped out of the woods to stroll along the wall. It was cool.
Other than that, I am feeling under the weather but trying to keep moving. It is a funny cold. I only smell pleasant odors. Yesterday afternoon I sprayed perfume in my bedroom (one squirt). Just before falling to sleep the man said, "Wow, a skunk must be walking through the backyard." I did not smell the skunk but could still smell the perfume. And then this morning one of the cats missed the litter box (in the laundry room). I was doing laundry when my daughter walked in to the room and said "Jeeze it stinks in here." I didn't smell the poo but when I cleaned in up I smelled the cleaning solution. Weird, I am a freak. A grateful freak. I am wondering if I can rewire my brain to do this in all area of my life, hmmm. Only the good stuff.

Beautiful

hike.


Really.




Favorite rocks.


And started knitting wrist warmer/decorations/fingerless gloves.

A Birthday Gift

to be proud of...



I think the boys (it's not everyday the man holds something up and says that's really cool, take a picture now) are pleased with the outcome of this book bag. How great, the young one drew the picture and I stitched it and then made it into a bag. Great fun, tonight's bed time book was Town Mouse Country Mouse which will be tucked into the bag and gifted to the lovely little lady tomorrow at her super fun birthday party.

Another blurb, from the young one, when I picked him up from school...he looked at a picture of his ecology teacher and said "she doesn't really teach ecology, she teaches about life, because she loves it so much." Cool deal.

The River