{This Moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ( Inspired by Amanda Soule of SouleMama)

Foray Into Patterns

I am proud to say that stitch by stitch the little overalls that could are coming into being. As I said I never learned how to read a crochet/knitting pattern so recently I have begun learning. My first project was to create a pair of overalls and felt them for my littlest one. Several starts and stops and a mighty search for an overalls pattern later I have learned some things. One, you can not felt yarn that comes from plant fiber; so my yummy bamboo yarn is out of this project. Two, it is harder than it seems to find a good crochet pattern book for childrens items. And three, if you want a pattern done create it yourself...and so that my dears is what I have done. It seems funny that I have finally learned to read patterns and yet I still will be going off of my own imagination! Yay for me!!!

For this  project I am using 100% Peruvian highland wool from Cascade Yarns purchased from Laura at http://www.yarnitudes.com/. Honestly this is one of the sweetest little yarn shops I have ventured into. I'm "hooked" on them! As my home has been super busy these days these little cozy overalls may not be done for a few days more. However, when they are you will know about it!!! Happy Tuesday!

Birthdays, Birthdays, and More Birthdays!

So June and July are very, very exciting and busy months for our home. Not only are we blessed enough to have three beautiful children, but we get to enjoy three wonderful Summertime birthdays! My sweet big boy, Loki, just had his 7th birthday and goodness how time flies. I feel like he should still be nestled against my breast nursing like a hungry little baby bear. Such a beautiful baby with rosy cheeks and a full head of stick straight black hair; he was almost like a doll.

A preciousness beyond words...and as he grows he just gets sweeter and cuter and oh so huggable.

Now at seven I am just so proud to have him in my life, to be able to call him mine, to be able to witness this amazing little person blossom and grow into the person he is meant to be.

So for his birthday Loki requested homemade pizzas and a New York Style Cheescake made from scratch with fresh berries on top. No sweat right?...Let's say that it was definitely a worthy challenge but he is worth every second spent in the kitchen. While the pizzas were good I think I was supremely proud of the Cheesecake that his "papa" made. He used the NY Style Cheesecake recipe from allrecipes.com  "New York Cheesecake III by: Sandy which can be found at the following link- http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/new-york-cheesecake-iii/Detail.aspx -and we modified it to be gluten free using OrGran all purpose plain flour

When it had cooled I covered it in yummy fresh organic blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. It was a sight to behold... and it tasted fantastic. It is officially on our love it recipe list.

The party was great and Loki was thrilled with everything. My sweet step daughter had her 4th birthday on the 29th and it is so exciting to watch her grow and change!

She is a love to have in my life.

The last birthday of the group is our newest addition; sweet itty bitty Bodhi.

He is my bright little light and I am both sad and excited to have him turning one already. Luckily he is still my cuddle buddy; though now that he is mobile his hugs are on the run. So many wonderful celebrations to have. I am just such a lucky gal!

this moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. (thank you SouleMama for this Friday Ritual)

Hmmmm

I have no camera at present and this really bums me out. ~sigh~That said, I have a little secret I wanted to share. While I have been an avid crocheter for nearly 15 years I must admit that I have no idea how to read a crochet pattern. Not even a little bit! I don't know what the abbreviations mean or any of the lingo and I tend to make up all of my patterns as I go along. This can have it's ups and downs...and for the most part it has been a series of creative ups. Yay! A few days ago, though, I was looking around on Ravelry and I noticed all of these great ideas for little ones; overalls, hats, toys, etc.  And "POOF" it hit me! I want to make ALL of these things! All I have to do is purchase and download patterns and these yummies could be mine to create to my hearts content. Oh yeah, did I mention I also need to learn how to "really" crochet! So now I am on a self propelled crash course to learn how to understand crochet patterns. Here is a big plus. There is this really wonderful book I have come across called "The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Crochet" and so far I am doing great. Hopefully I will have something to show by the end of next week (fun baby coveralls maybe ~wink wink~ if all goes well). Wish me luck.

Because I have no new pictures I will leave you with a favorite of mine. Enjoy!

Yummy Yummy



I have come across a bread book that is too wonderful for words! The recipes make yumminess happen and they are pretty easy. Also if you goof a little because you are tired and nursing while making a loaf (or two) of bread (wink wink nudge nudge) the bread still comes out yummy and beautiful! Yay!


This recipe for Buttermilk Honey Bread comes from Beth Hensperger's "The Bread Bible". It's soft delicious and a double loaf yielder!



To make this bread you will need the following ingredients...

~3/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)

~1 tablespoon (1 pkg) active dry yeast

~1 teaspoon sugar

~11/2 cups buttermilk, warmed just to take off the chill (I simply let mine sit at room temperature to get warm)

~2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

~3 tablespoons honey

~1 tablespoon salt

~6 to 61/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

~Rich Egg Glaze

          -1 large egg yolk or 1 large egg at room temperature

          -1 tablespoon milk or cream

1. Pour warm water in a bowl. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the surface. Stir to combine and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl using a whisk (or fork if your whisk has been captured by the fairies) combine the buttermilk, butter, and yeast mixture. Add the salt and 2 cups of flour. Beat hard to combine.

Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition, until a shaggy dough is formed.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and satiny, dusting with flour 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to prevent sticking.

4. Place the dough in a greased bowl. Turn the dough once to grease the top and cover with plastic wrap (or a damp towel). Let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 11/4 hours.

5. Gently deflate the dough. T urn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Grease two 9-by-15-inch loaf pans or grease or parchment line a baking sheet. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Form the portions into standard or round loaves. Place the dough in the pans or on the baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap (or damp towel) and let rise until fully doubled in bulk, 30 to 45 minutes.

6. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees farenheit. Brush the top of the loaves with the egg glaze. Put the pans on the center rack of the oven and bake about 45 minutes, or until loaves are nicely brown, pull away from the sides, and soud hollow when tapped with your finger. Remove the loaves immediately to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.

Ok so I had to add this picture. My newly one year old bubby decided he was going to be like mommy and set up a work station for himself! Too cute for words!

One Quiet Moment

Some days I have so much to say I am like a flock of birds chirping non stop about all that there is to see. Some days I am more meditative and just feel that to look is to see and hear all that needs to be said. Today, I am meditative. This felt yummy to my soul. I hope today was as lovely to you as it was to me.

Helper Monkeys

The kids have been cooking, cooking, cooking and I for one am thrilled. They are proving to be some of the best and most enthusiastic cooks I know.

 I know he's not cooking but he's the best little cheerleader ever. Love for the chefs!

(Sorry so blurry lost my USB cord for the camera; these came from the cell phone.)
What more can a mommy ask for?!