Going out on the town

I don't think blackmail is always bad...

Lounging

I like bread

Since winter won't last forever I've been trying to get all my baking desires satisfied before it is 80 degrees outside before 10am.

Jared with his apron!

This is my favorite bread recipe right now. This is for anyone who hates the kneading part of bread (and doesn't have a stand mixer) and can sometimes remember to prep for dinner the day before.

No Knead Artisan Bread
3 c white flour
1/2 t yeast
1 3/4 t salt
1 1/2 c water

Mix all ingredients until combined
Cover with foil to rise in a warm place for 12-18 hours
Preheat oven to 450 with cast iron pot (or Cornelle covered dish) when ready for baking
Dump out bread goo and dust with flour. Turn it over a few times until it forms a ball.
Cover with towel while the pot is heating (up to 2 hours)
Place dough in hot pot and bake with lid for 30 minutes and then without lid for 15 minutes more
Bread should sound hollow when tapped


I finally made banana bread without tearing the bottom! Hint: grease and flour the pan!


The only downside to cooking is the mounds of dishes it creates!

Just some reading

Recently, Jared and I have been trying to read more.

Can you see his lips making the horse sound?

More Art

Apparently, a crayon was left on the floor that I didn't notice.
Jared is at that age where big messes are inevitable and learning experiences for everyone. I have accepted it.

Family Home Evening

Every Monday evening, we get together and have some family time. We teach Jared stories from the Bible and then play. This is what we did a few weeks ago.

We had grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner (by Ken's request).

After song (Itsy Bitsy Spider) and prayer we had a post Christmas lesson about Jesus' Birth.

Then we played with animal magnets. Put them on, take them off again and again.

Then a couple of books, a bath and off to bed. It was awesome.
Oh, and for those of you who don't know, this happened on a day when Jared put half a tub of Vaseline in his hair. It was pretty messy, but I have it on good authority that maybe it'll soak into his scalp and give him great hair forever.

The Artist

Jared got to play with some paints at Grandma and Grandpa's. Good messy fun!!!

18 month old Jared

This is my little toddler.

Jared is at a great stage right now. He loves to copy our words and run away from diaper changes. He is very particular about what he wants to do or play with and fortunately he is getting much better about communicating those desires.
He says lots of things- walk, down, up, help, bread, juice, drink, another-one, more, again, grandpa, grandma, play, rain, hot, cold, no (this is a favorite), cookie, apple, cheese, stack, spoon, fork (he pronounces this as "stick"), two, three, poop, dirty, fish, bear, blanket, spin, jump, sit, chair, play, truck, car, hat, eye, uh-oh, fall, hug, bonk, bib, all-gone, all-done, nose, spit, teeth, rub, pants, shoe, jacket, socks, stuck
Of course, the pronunciation on these are approximate, but I'll be your interpreter if you need me.
Jared is definitely a mover and runs from task to task as fast as he can go. He can climb most anywhere he wants to go. Besides hearing the word "STOP" he is quite obedient, which makes me extraordinarily happy.
Jared has almost all of his teeth, except for a pair of canines and the last set of molars. He weighs 23 pounds (30th percentile) and is 33 inches tall (70th percentile).
He loves a lot of things, namely babies, dogs, trucks, helping Mom, climbing, but most of all being silly. This morning we were out on a walk and he slipped a little on the ice (holding my hand). He thought it was the best thing ever. So he had to try out slipping on the dry concrete. When that didn't turn out he searched out every patch of ice and snow to pretend slip on for the rest of our walk.
He is great. I think we'll keep him.