Slackin' On The Blog: Some Updates

Sorry about no posts for a while! This blog is one of things that has to go by the wayside when life gets so hectic we cut back to the basics. I was afraid this would happen, but we just have to get back on the horse and try again! I hope to work things out so that I can post regularly once or twice a week, but we'll see how it goes. Life sometimes throws you curve balls.

Christina did a great job in her play in March, and we will be posting the pictures we took as soon as we upload the pictures. We can't post any videos of the play, but you'll get an idea of how fun the play was, and what a cutie she was.

Jeremy continues to grow and be cute! He has melted my heart by learning how to say "Ma ma mahmmm. . .", and he also says "Ba ba ba ba." Daddy can't wait until he learns to say "Da da," of course! He's right on average for weight and height, and he loves to roll around on the floor and play. He's working on sitting, and he tries so hard to balance! He likes to test things out by cramming them in his mouth and by banging on them (hard) with his legs or arms! He had his very first sucker on Tuesday (April 22) when we had an unexpected visit. Christopher tried to pull Jeremy up to sit and gave him a nursemaid's elbow. It was so sad--his little arm hung useless, and I had to be so careful with his arm or he just sobbed. I, unfortunately, figured it out after I'd already laid him on it while he nursed. He nursed and cried at the same time, scaring me a bit! I finally determined the problem (Emily's had it twice, one time courtesy of dear Christopher). After the doctor fixed the problem, he brought in a sucker to see if Jeremy would use his arm. Jeremy grabbed the thing (with the opposite hand) and stuck it right in his mouth, sucking furiously. His eyes got big, and he looked at it like, "Whoa; what is this?!" After a few minutes, he started to use his other hand to handle the sucker, so we were satisfied. I was sitting there thinking, "Gee whiz--his first solid food was supposed to be rice cereal, and he's eating a sucker!" He dropped it in his car seat after a few minutes and didn't really protest, so I just let it go. But he sure enjoyed it while it lasted! I'm such a dork--I have to have a video of the kids eating their first solids, but Justin's never home when I am ready to do it. Maybe I'll have to see if I can video and feed at the same time.

Justin's been working insane hours (though my bro-in-law, JT, would probably say "normal hours") lately because he still doesn't have anyone to replace him in his old position, plus they're still working out the bugs in the new rebate database. For a while, he was leaving at 6:30 A.M. and coming home at 11:00-11:30 P.M. But he was a trooper! It's been hard for him to have so many responsibilities and not enough time. We're hoping for a new employee soon, and for this database to finally be ready!

My bread woes are over! As you probably know, wheat prices shot up, and the availability of it plummeted. I sent Justin down to the Dry Pack Cannery to get me a bag of wheat one week after I called for prices, and he came back telling me that we'd been put on a waiting list because it was all gone. Everyone around here heard about the prices going up, I guess, and turned it into the Apocalypse. Suddenly everywhere you went, the flour shelves were as barren as a dusty desert, and nobody had the kind of wheat I wanted to use (hard red spring). I found out later that one of my neighbors had bought 12 25-lb. bags and was on order for 12 more (and her mom did the same thing)! Holy cow! I had been looking forward to buying a Nutrimill and grinding my own wheat into flour, but I had to put that off. I made some white bread (with a way yummy recipe, by the way) so we actually had some bread, then went to the grocery store to see what my options were. The shelves looked like a hurricane was on the way, but tucked up on a higher shelf were some small bags of King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour. I decided that was my only choice, and I bought it. I thought I'd try the recipe on the back because it called for the kind of yeast I had, called for simple ingredients, and could be made by hand or in a mixer (my three main requirements). Plus the recipe spelled out every step, very helpful when you're still learning what things are supposed to look like and how long things should take. It is amazing! I don't have to use gluten or dough conditioner, and it is moist, chewy, and delicious!! (That is as long as I watch the dough consistency very carefully as I add the flour--a big duh. Don't try to make bread when your 1st grader is counting for her math homework, and the other kids are all trying to talk and move around at once!) I really like the flour, too--it's ground fine and has no unground pieces left in it like the off-brand. And it tastes fairly fresh, too. Plus, it costs the same as the off-brand now! I still want to grind my own wheat, but, for now, this will do!