Quote of the Day

"Joy comes from within….It does not depend on circumstances, but triumphs over circumstances. It produces a gentleness of spirit and a magnetic personality. "
---Billy Graham

Homemade Bread

Last night I did something I've never done before......I made bread from scratch! (This is the part where you reach down and pick your jaw up off the floor.) I always assumed baking your own bread was ridiculously hard and time consuming, so I never attempted it. However, I came across a fairly simple recipe while looking for something else and decided I'd try it. I had fun kneading the dough, but my arms got tired! It sure made our house smell good too. The recipe made two loaves. The first one came out of the oven and looked beautiful! I was so proud of myself! (obviously, since I took a picture of the bread!) However, I did not let the second loaf rise properly and it came out looking a little funny. I put it in the freezer for later. The first loaf tasted really good. Homemade bread is way better than store-bought bread! Yummy!

There's nothing quite like...

...the smell of clean sheets. Or at least Wilson thinks so! He LOVES clean laundry! I usually dump it all on my bed to fold it and before I can even put it all down, Wilson is rooting around in it, making the perfect little burrow. It is so funny. He has always done that. Luckily, he is a clean dog (most of the time). I caught this cute picture with my new camera my dad gave me for Christmas. I had just washed and dried these soft, flannel sheets and I was about to put them on the bed when I turned around and saw Wilson all snuggled up in them. He was so cute!

My new pantry!

As part of my Christmas present, Jeremy decided to build me a much-needed pantry. Our kitchen is pretty small and is seriously lacking in storage space. Jeremy was worried that a pantry would be a lame Christmas present, but as I told him, a pantry is something I can definitely use and enjoy and I will love it even more because he built for me. It is finished now and I do love it! It's just perfect. I was a little worried at first because I really didn't think there was room in my kitchen for a pantry. But, Jeremy put it in the best place and made it the perfect size. We had a lot of fun filling it a few days after Christmas. This brings me to another part of the story. For the last two Christmases, Jeremy's mom has done something sort of unusual for each of her kids and their families. She buys a ton of shelf-stable food in bulk and gives each family a considerable amount of items such as canned soups, cereal, cake mix, flour, sugar, canned vegetables, etc. To make it more exciting for the little kids, she makes a game out of it and it's pretty fun. It has become a Christmas Eve tradition that we all look forward to. It is so helpful too! I didn't have to buy a single can of cream of chicken soup last year, and I cook with it all the time! So, now, instead of storing it all in a rubbermaid tub in our spare bedroom, I put it all in my new pantry! Jeremy did a great job building it. I am always impressed with his carpentry skills when I see him in action. It's nice to be married to a guy who can build anything!