Still more snow...

I was able to return home today after spending two days in Dayton. I had to work two nights in a row in the roads were too bad to travel home in between. So glad to be home now! :) I am about to play in all this white stuff with the kids on their 3rd snow day in a row this week. Interesting...they are wishing to get away from home while am so grateful to be here.

"Because you had a bad day..."

I am dealing with a disillusioned day filled with too little sleep and too much coffee. My car is being targeted by local wildlife. Good news...steps to the connector door! Good job, Kris. I am about to go watch movie #3 with the kids. Pass the popcorn...

Addendum: Elliptical, dinner, and housework seemed to be a better choice for all then movie #3. I am thankful that tomorrow is a brand new day. Enjoy your Sunday.

Connector progress

Mile marker

Before and After

Bread

I have adapted a recipe utilizing my bread maker and whole wheat flour. The surprising thing is that the kids like it and it is healthy! The secret is this particular flour.
I use the whole wheat large dough settings on my bread maker.
3 Tbs. butter (cold)
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup of powdered milk
3 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. salt
3 cups of white whole wheat flour (pictured above)
2 cups of bread flour
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
I place the the ingredients in this order into the pan. Once the dough setting is complete (2 hours 5 min. for my machine) I divide the dough into 2 greased bread pans. I spray the tops with Pam, cover with a towel, and let them rise in a warm place for an hour. Bake at 400*F for about 30 min. I put a little butter on the tops, allow to cool, then slice. It really is quite easy and very tasty.
Kristianna told me the other day that most people don't make their own bread. I told her that most people don't build their own houses either. This bread is so easy it doesn't seem right to group the two together. I do hope you get a chance to try some.

This week in pictures

Please check out Betsy's post re: cold. Amazing! :) Not at all like FL.

A forced stop

I am grateful today for the snow. Not only is it beautiful but it is also an opportunity to stop and enjoy life at home. Growing up in the Adirondacks probably made me appreciate times like these when a busy schedule is suddenly preempted by the stillness of softly falling snow. I fondly recall enjoying warm, freshly baked bread with tea and sitting around the table with my family. Today was supposed to be a crazy night but now plans have been changed. I may be getting out the tea pot soon! :)

I am also posting updates on our projects. Enjoy your day.

The challenge

I am too busy to adequately post right now. I should be posting photos of the building update. It is hard to do now that the view I need is through the girl's window and it has a screen on it. 2.5 layers of the roof are done. It is looking nice! Honestly, however, Kris has challenged me and our competitive natures are at work.

I have begun to reupholster our plaid recliner and then our different colored plaid sofa. Kris mentioned the other day that the connector may be done before I finished my project. My reaction was the same as when he told me that his goal was to finish the whole marathon before I finished my half marathon 3 years ago.

Bring it on! :)

Quick snapshots before work...

Snow

Tea and scones

Wesley has loved reading the Redwall series and has been intrigued with Badgers and tea and scones. Isabel helped me make Wes's afternoon after school treat. :0

Lessons learned at the rink

Our kids were very excited to go try out new skate guards, winter atire, and to skate as well. Heidi and I took them this past week. Each time we have gone skating they all have improved. Wesley's goal was to skate around the hockey-sized rink 100 times. I think his total was 132 and he figured out he was skating about 2 laps a minute. Kristianna would love to be taking figure skating lessons and she was thrilled to be able to watch a lesson in progress and pick up pointers. Isabel seemed content at first to skate with us and then decided that she would like to do this on her own. She wouldn't let anyone help her or even skate next to her. She wanted us all to leave her be. It is a little hard to leave a shuffling 4-year-old in a crowd and skate away but let me assure you she would have it no other way! It took her 14 minutes to complete a lap and she "skated" 2.5 laps without holding onto the walls or us (of course!). By the time she was finished she was falling asleep as I took off her skates! It was a lesson for me as well in giving growing kids space to accomplish their own goals.

Connector/Main Entry update

Birthday notes

I have so many pictures to post but I need to retell a story before the day ends. It actually is from a few years ago but I thought of it last night on my way to work. When I was working in FL on my birthday, there was a patient who had my first name, my birthday, and delivered her baby on our birthday. It was SO cool! It would have been even cooler had she been my patient, but my friend Steph (who always remembers birthdays) called me in to introduce me to them. There wasn't any cool stories like that this morning at work but I got to tell a brand new baby that he picked a great day to be born! :)

Happy New Year!!

This was a start of a new life for our Christmas tree! It got planted today on the spot where the logs were once stored. The connector floor is taking shape. The kids are using it now instead of going "the LONG way" around. Thanks, Heidi, for braving the cold and getting these pictures for me.