Doughy Rising

 

23 February 2021

I'd become very opposed to discarding....read "throwing away" all the extra starter I was getting at every feed.

There had to be something better!

Once again, Sir Google came to the rescue!

There are literally dozens of ways to use what I'd been tossing.  And I was off to the races!

First try:  Scones.  I added glazed ginger and pineapple and a few raisins.

They were really, really good!

Only trouble is, as I've discovered, my oven has no idea how to be hot!

It takes very often up to 20 or more extra minutes for anything I'm baking. An oven thermometer has shown why.  At 450, it never got to 375!

However, I got them done and fortuitously I had had the forethought to order clotted cream and strawberry preserves.

YUM.

That evening, I rigged up a warm nest for Doughy.  Hubby had an extra seed starter warming mat and he thought I might be able to utilize it.  I set the starter jar on the mat and wrapped it up and over a bit.  It seemed to only go up to about 75 degrees Fahrenheit so I felt he'd be comfortable over night.

24 February

Finally getting some actual rise!  As you can see, I was joyful over a small blessing, he'd risen about 1 1/2 inches over the rubber band marker.

After his morning feed, I utilized the discard to make Rosemary and Cracked Black Pepper crackers.  

As usual the oven gave me fits!  I kept raising the temp - which never got to the required temp - and letting them bake.  Finally got a fairly decent bake and I really like them!

Thinking of trying Cinnamon/Sugar ones since hubby not a fan of these.

 25 February
Today I got a big surprise!

Doughy had really grown up!  He had made it to the top of the jar!  That means he'll be strong enough  to raise bread - maybe tomorrow.

Made some really fantastic pancakes for breakfast with yesterday's discard.

New Rising Relationship

 

Just about a week ago I found myself in a new relationship.  It happened in the way so many relationships do.  I saw details on line, thought to myself, “hmmm, looks interesting” and I clicked a button.

I had talked it over with my spouse, and we agreed that I wasn’t being challenged in our current situation.  We’d become bored and stagnated.  And to top it off, the way things were, we often found ourselves feeling less than well.

So I clicked the button.

I was now initiating a relationship, for that is surely what it is, A Relationship, with sourdough starter!

How hard could it be?  Especially since the several initial articles I’d read summed it up as Easy.  And Healthy. And better for gut health.  We’d found that although I’d been baking all our bread for the past year, (we haven’t bought one loaf since March 2020), and while we’ve loved it, our guts had occasionally complained.

So I arranged whole wheat flour, water, several cups, a kitchen scale, some plastic and wooden spoons, (apparently some folks suggest starter may not like metal) and a quart jar.  How hard could this be?

Quick mix and set in a warm corner of the kitchen.  This was day time.  There were lots of warm corners in the kitchen.  Starter needs fairly warm temps.  75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.  No problem.

And then it got to be midnight and our house temp became 67.  Where were there warm little corners?  In our bed?  Nope, this new relationship is not going There!

I wrapped him up, said goodnight and hoped for the best.

Next morning I check up on my new friend.  Wow!  He’d practically filled his jar!  He was almost 3 times his original size!  This was going to be a breeze!  I could almost taste the wonderful sourdough bread I’d soon be baking.

I stirred it down, removed a lot more than half, felt saddened at disposing of the excess and fed the remainder.  113 g of room temp water, 113 g flour. 

Next morning, same thing….almost full quart jar!  Wow!  I was kicking this ancient art. 

Next morning, little sad puddle of dead looking glue.  Barely a bubble.  Reminding me of the texture and smell of the flour paste I’d made as a child.  Poured off 113 g of the sticky mess, tossed the remainder and changed the receptacle.  Nearly resorted to a blow torch to clean the jar.  It WAS the old fashioned paste!  And it had STUCK!

That day it got two feedings.  I was beginning to think I might have to reach out to nearby hospitals for a resuscitator.  This was a victim in a near death situation.

So here I am, 1 week into this new relationship.  We’ve named him Doughy.  Bedtime has become a nightmare! He’s never happy with the temperatures in the house, the microwave with a night light on is “too hot”, the counter at night is “too cold” and I am very near the point of giving him his eviction notice.  But I’m stubborn, if nothing else.  I’ve now read enough stories of foster parents of starters to know mine isn’t all that different from others.  I’ll hang in, giving him some time to wake up and grow.  But I’m still baking the other kind of bread, guts be damned.

Christmas Mail in a Pandemic

 On normal Christmases (is that a proper plural?) I would have been busy accumulating photos of at least our grandkids, if not the whole of the family in order to order something like 200 photo Christmas cards.  Many folks have told me they love watching the progression of the children growing up, etc.  I sure love sharing them.

This year there was to be no gathering in which to get such a photo.  And although I did come up with a creative idea on how to get all the grands onto a card, only one of them complied.  

Our beautiful and selfless Granddaughter J, at work as a student nurse - the only one who remembered.

So I was up a creek with only one photo!

I decided to make as many hand made cards as I could.  After all, I own more accumulated accessories to do so than any living human (probably not, actually) and I can't take it with me!  I had some real fun.  I did take a couple of on line tutorials whereby I learned some new techniques, but for the most part I just cut, glued and inked to my heart's delight.  Below are some of the creations.

This was one of the first new technique I learned.  I didn't get very good at it, but I loved the results!

By attaching the inside feature with a small piece of cardstock, it will swing out when opened. 

Simply stamped and embossed with white embossing powder for the wording in back and cannibalize an old Christmas card for its frame and pine cone! 

Utilize Christmas wrapping paper!

This one might have been my very favorite!


And then there was the Christmas Mouse!  I love mice!  I may have posted in years past that I won a package of these little guys from Scrapbooking Made Simple.  SMS
I didn't really have enough proper markers to color this the way I'd have liked.  Santa made sure I got some for Christmas!!


I didn't get every card made, and it took a while to get them sent since we had very few stamps.  Eventually we got some stamps sent in the mail, and I "think" everyone got a card who was going to.  A limited list this year, but hoping next year will bring me the joy of picture cards again.  And I wouldn't be surprised if I am tempted to hand make some as well.

    

Happy and Safe New Year!

 What a year it has been!

Dearest husband gave me a couple of miserable days doing what I do best, worrying!

During the end of February, he slipped in mud during a lovely walk with youngest Granddaughter, and broke both lower bones in his leg.

The beginning of March, he had repair surgery.

The beginning of May he suffered Bell's Palsy.  

If it taught me nothing else, it taught me how very dear he is to me.  I honestly didn't know I could cry quite so much during the first couple of days...not knowing what was wrong with him, not being able to go to see him...he was hospitalized during the worst time...during a pandemic!  Thankfully, that is all behind us, never to happen again....God willing.

So, we can see the taillights of that miserable year and look forward with hope to the new one.

I'm making great and shiny plans for bettering myself, my environment and my relationships - isn't that what humans do in the first, squeaky clean days of January?

What brought me here today is to document one of my 2021 challenges.  

I've joined the Quilting UFO Challenge by American Patchwork and Quilting.  It's being run locally by one of my favorite quilt shops, The Quilted Nest, Collingswood NJ.  See shop here

For the challenge we list in numerical order, projects we'd like to complete this year.  Any past readers may recall that I have made similar lists most years.  And I've got to brag that in that way, I've gone on to complete a great many projects.

Here's my list for 2021.

1.    Sunbonnet Babies Seasons    Quilt It                  Top finished Dec. 2020

2.    Aunt Mar's Violets                Repair and Quilt (these have been on my lists for several years!)

3.    Stack and Whack                Get the top pieced

4.    Eleanor's Amish Square        Quilt It        

5.    Giraffe                                Finish the collage, Quilt It  

6.    Giraffe continued

7.    Crystal Embroidered            Select threads and get the embroidery done

8.    Picture This                        Take from pattern and fabric to a wall hanging

9.    Stonehenge                        Take from panel to a wall hanging

10.    Fold n stitch                    Take from pattern, template and fabric to table center piece

11.    Eleanor's Yellow                Quilt it    

12.    Lancaster Covered Bridge    Take from kit to wall hanging

I bought these orphan blocks from the husband of a quilter who had passed away.  I decided to address them during the dreaded Covid19 year, put them together and decided they needed something.  Finished embroidering each of the blocks in December.  Now to get it quilted.

There are two twin sized quilts in this container....I've had them for years.  They are featured on every New Year's list to finish, but they have some problems that have to be addressed and it ends up putting me off each year.  This, hopefully, will be their year.  All hand embroidered by my Aunt Martha.

A hand-me-down done by the mother in law of my youngest brother when she died.  I've completed a few of her items - one I did for my nephew, her grandson.  Really want to complete it and do something with it.

I bought this pattern and made, I think 3 center pieces.  Then I bought some gorgeous fabric to make one for Christmas - maybe 3 or 4 years ago.  I'll be Folding and Stitching this year!

Just had to have and make this covered bridge panel for a wall hanging.  Well, I've had it for a few years.  Better get my bridge built.

Just thought I'd throw in a picture of me....don't I look ready and eager to get going on these projects?

Picture This.  Hubby so badly wants me to get this one done.  We think I'll substitute vinyl pockets where the photos are supposed to go so we can change the photos out  from time to time.  We'll see.

I have a few more photos to find and add here....but for today....over and out.  I think I'll be back....Still have a magnificent trip to update.

Thanks for reading.

49 Days of Experiences! Day Two March 25 - 27, 2019

Slept so well last night!
The hotel provides ear plugs, lavender spray and even a white noise machine to counter the airport noises, but I never heard a thing.  In fact, the sound of planes seemed to lull me.
Our flight on American was safely accomplished and the flight crew were amenable.  However, I doubt I could have made it for longer than the 6 hours as it was tight, dark and boring!  No one opened their window screens and there was no TV, no movies, no nothing.  We actually relished the light cast when someone opened the bathroom door!
My handsome young seatmate is an aeronautic engineer who has a fear of flying tho' he is forced to fly often for work.  He cannot sit in the window seat but counts on the ability to see out.  That didn't happen on this flight!  While passing over the Grand Canyon, our window-seat mate cracked the screen up for a few seconds, and then firmly popped it closed, as it remained the rest of the flight!

We caught the shuttle for the hotel and were promptly delivered.  Crown Plaza LAX.  We had a great dinner at the Tap Room (Recommend!) and then enjoyed a good night's sleep.

Breakfast was offered in the dining room (expensive) or room service - small coffee $12, oatmeal $11.00....Instead, we hit the coffee shop - I had yogurt parfait and hot tea - $8.00 - very good.  They even offered raw sugar - my favorite!

We took a walk around the hotel to see the pool and the gym, and later returned to the gym to use some of the facility.  At lunch time we went back to the coffee shop for sandwiches and an apple.

Back to our room, we got our bags ready for a 6 PM departure for the airport.

Morning View from our room

Killing Time....a wander about the hotel.

 When we got on the tram for the airport, we were joined by three flight attendants for American.  That was very fortunate because our driver did not know Qantas' terminal and it was not noted on our tickets.
Once through security, we had several hours to get past...We had a snack of a pizzette to share and I had a glass of wine and Larry had some Spanish beer.  The hours passed fairly quickly.

For Pat and Ian....seen at the airport - LAX

It was finally time for our flight.  It was a different thing all together, finding our seats on Qantas airlines!  There was at least double the leg room for starters....but then, no more than we had taken our seats and an attendant came to us asking "fresh orange juice, or bubbling wine?"  Wow!  We had booked "premium economy" and it was sure feeling like "premium!"
A bit later, it was time for dinner.  Our first clue was an attendant coming around to layer a linen table cloth over our trays and placing a linen napkin on it.  We were then treated to our choice from the menu....I selected roast beef, salad, vegetables and a dinner roll.  There was wine and other drinks aplenty, tho' I stuck with water.
Knowing we had a 15 + hour flight ahead of us had concerned me from the beginning, but I was finding myself much more relaxed than usual and I dozed off several times.  Finally, taking our friend's advice for aligning ourselves to the time of our destination - Australia, when we were about 5 1/2 hours or so into the flight, I dug out our bedtime meds, added an over the counter sleep aid and we both took them. I fell deeply asleep and slept for several hours.  When we awoke we had only few hours of flying to go.
When breakfast was served, it was, again, on white linen!  Larry had a cooked breakfast, eggs, chicken sausage, etc.  I had a small muffin, fresh fruit and muesli with milk.
At the end of the almost 16 hour flight we found we were none the worse for wear.  The process of disembarking and getting through immigration is very automated and was very smooth.
We retrieved our bags and exited the terminal and almost immediately saw our dear friends - he wearing a Phillies cap - coming toward us and it was hugs all around.
We got to the house and had a bit of time to catch up, then we were treated to a delicious lunch of sandwiches on wonderful rolls.  In the evening Jude treated us to a great home cooked meal - lamb, roasted potatoes, squash, carrots and broccoli.  We really enjoyed it and were so grateful for it.  And for their friendship.
By the way - we'd left on the 24th of March from home.  We left California on Monday, March 25th.  We arrived in Australia on Wednesday the 27th...meaning we lost one day...the 26th.

49 Days of Experiences! From the Beginning

My life has truly been so blessed!
On March 16, 2019 my travel journal begins:
"Here we are again, big, big trip coming up and although Larry does all the really important planning - and he does it so well - I am once again choking over the concept of packing for 49 days!  I have spent the day  trying on clothes (a happier concept since I've lost 24 lbs...but still!) and have only a couple of items I still need.  Water shoes (never got them!) bathing suit....hmmm that's about it!
Son and d-i-l left today for a week in Spain!  So happy for them.  Granddaughter to stay here with us - always a delightful time.  "

Next up in the journal...a list of things to include in my take-on bag.  I'll include here...but only for my own edification....probably not of interest to anyone else.
"Water bottle - Pens - Journal - Eye mask - Wrap - Ear buds - Kindle - chargers - Cords - Adapters - Wipes and Sanitizer - Moisturizer - Sunscreen - Sewing kit - Safety pins - Stain remover - My bandaids (allergic to most) and Bag of prescriptions."

And then, day 1.  "California, here we come!  Ready - or not.
Packing!  OMG!  Why isn't there a "packer to hire" - someone who is experienced enough too know what one actually needs.  And someone else to blame when we are caught without undies, or some such. LOL  Anyway, I've hidden some of my "valuables" (meaning things not really worth a lot to anyone but me); I've packed for every possible eventuality and it remains for the "Van of Tranquility" to pick us up."

Holidays are Coming

With assertive Mars presently moving through your money zone and angling toward lucky Jupiter on Monday, you might be tempted to pick up the bill for all your friends, which could be a lot. Before you do, check to make sure that you really can afford it. If you can, great. Your generosity will be rewarded. If you can’t, don’t. Your friendship zone sparkles this week and for some time to come. With the holiday season getting underway this week, it seems you have plenty of invitations and opportunities to mix and mingle. The sun moves into this sector on Thursday for a four-week stay, and this could encourage you to consider how you might make things even better. With a full moon in your leisure zone on Thursday, too, Thanksgiving could be a particularly memorable occasion. If you’re out and about celebrating, there will be a real buzz in the air and a chance to make many new friends.
Above is my horoscope for this coming week.
"the sun moves in.....on Thursday....could encourage you to consider how to make things even better."
Timely, since the work on my sewing room will be completed today and we will be moving things back in.  I've told DH I don't want to rush doing that, even though Thanksgiving is Thursday and we need the dining room back.  Want to make it better!
Next up will be addressing the attic leaks over the dining room and our bedroom.  That will certainly make things better!