New Beginnings

I have been inspired this week by a book that was given to me by my dear friend, Rebecca. I have been more focused on my children and the desires that I have for them. I want my children to feel how important they are to me and to know that they are loved every day.

When Joshua woke up this morning he asked for crepes for breakfast - I thought to myself "I can do that," so we enjoyed a lovely breakfast together. Then we baked bread with a recipe found in the above mentioned book (see below). It turned out great. Jason took the bread to a meeting he went to on Four Season Gardening in the Seattle area, and he said everyone was asking for the recipe.

We had our morning devotional. We painted. We ate lunch. We played Blokus. We played Memory. We read stories. We had a pizza and movie night. And then the kids rode bikes outside until it was time for bed.

I don't have much scheduled in my days right now, and I am loving it. We mostly stay close to home and fill our days with being together. I want to cherish this time while my children want to stay close to me.

Wonder Bread
(From mitten Strings For God by Katrina Kenison)

Combine in a very large bowl:
4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
4 Tablespoons Honey
3 Tablespoons Salt

Add:
8 Cups Warm Water
2 Tablespoons Yeast

Stir and wait 5 minutes, until yeast is dissolved and bubbling.

Stir in:
7 Cups White Flour
7+ Cups Whole Wheat Flour (I used at least 2 more cups of wheat flour because it was too sticky)
2 Cups Rolled Oats (Or any combination of oats, soy flour, rice flour, wheat germ, oats, bran)

It is not necessary to knead the dough, but you can if you want to. Divide dough into two oiled bowls. Cover and let rise until doubled. (About 1 1/2 hours) Punch down and divide it into 6 or 7 greased loaf pans and let rise until doubled. (Again, about 1 1/2 hours.)

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.