Amazing

We had a 4D ultrasound today. These pictures are just amazing to me, I almost cried when the image came on the screen. It just makes me that more anxious to get my hands on her and post pictures like the one on my friend Tara's blog. Just a few more weeks........

Right now she weighs about 2 lbs. 7 ounces.

Looks like she was getting tired of all of that poking!

Daily Bread

I wanted to share my recipe for homemade bread using freshly milled grains. I have to admit that lately during this pregnancy I have been buying store bought rolls and bread out of convenience but with the cost of food seemingly going up every week I decided that I better get to baking. We were consuming at least one loaf of bread and a dozen dinner rolls every day.

This makes 2 loaves of bread or 24-36 dinner rolls. I did one loaf and 12 Large rolls. I also use this same recipe to make hamburger buns.

First:
Mill 2 cups spelt & 4 cups of hard white wheat

Into mixer place:
3 cups very warm water (115-130 degrees)
1/4 cup dry buttermilk powder
1/4 lecithin powder
3/8 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup raw honey
21/2 TBS SAF instant yeast
5 cups of the flour mixture

Mix just a moment, until all is moistened and cover and let set for 10-15 minutes. ( Don't forget this and get too busy, it will come over the sides of the bowl)

Then add:
1 1/2 TBS Realsalt (sea salt)
1 1/2 TBS dough enhancer
1/4 cup gluten

Add remaining flour, cover and turn on the mixer. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl, mine usually does not at this point so I slowly add unbleached all purpose flour until it does. Knead on low or med. speed for 5-7 minutes trying to insure the gluten is developed.
Cover and let rise until double in size.

To shape into rolls I roll dough into a rope and tie it in a knot. Place on greased pan.
For bread just shape into loaf and place in greased loaf pan.
Let rise until double in a warm place. (I have the oven preheating and I sit the pans on top of the stove for the dough to rise.)

Rolls: Bake 10-12 minutes or until brown.
Bread: Bake 25-30 minutes or until brown.

This is delicious straight out of the oven with honey on it.
You can also make a big batch of smaller rolls and freeze them for another day. Just place in freezer after shaping. (Do not let them rise before freezing)

The Beach Bums

So Jenna just had her first trip to the beach and that is all she talks about. If you even say the words ocean or sand you will get a response from her. This is what she told my Dad in church Wednesday night, "When we get done singing this song we are going to the beach" : )



After supper it is either Putt-Putt or go carts.


Thanks to my parents for taking them and my brother and his wife for helping to watch over them. ( I am a little obsessive over them being watched, constantly!) I just don't do sand and heat very well while pregnant. : )

I am never surprised...

...at the ideas my children come up with. Josh wanted to bring a little outdoors in.




and another thing that never shocks me anymore is where Jenna can go to sleep.



Please know that I DO NOT leave her like this. I have always had to rock and sing my children to sleep so this has been new to me.

So this post is nothing but a little bit of our normal days, nothing special. Well, I take that back, they are all special.

Have a blessed day,

Girls Will Be Girls.

Here are some fun pictures of Jessie and her friend WF playing dress up. I love that they still do this, I have pictures of them doing this 5 years ago and if I could find them I would post it too :)



and a silly pose........


Speaking of girls. Our new baby is a GIRL!!! So, the kids were really expecting a boy and they are insisting that the ultrasound was wrong. In the meantime I am having a hard time coming up with names. As you know our children names all begin with the letter "J" (Jessica, Joshua & Jenna)
Please give me your best suggestions and also tell me would you stick with the "J" theme? Some people are just taken aback when I even suggest that I will NOT do another "J" name? Is it going to be that big of a deal? What do you think?