Who's Got the Catch-Up?!?!
So, I noticed I have been last and not putting up any real posts recently. So, here are a few to tell you what has been happening with the Holcombs!
Each week I make some fresh wheat bread, and Emily told me I needed to show the pics of How It Is Done...
First, you grind your wheat, barley, 7-grain blend... whatever you may have on hand (if you don't have a grinder/wheat on hand, buy some actual whole wheat flour. Not the wheat flour that is blended with bleached white or anything else. Usually King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour).
Second, combine 5 cups hot water, 2/3 cups canola oil, 2/3 cups honey & 4 teaspoons salt in mixer. Add 6 cups flour and blend thoroughly. Add 2 Tablespoons Dry Active Yeast, blend again. Finally, add the rest of the flour (make sure you have your kneading hook on your mixer from the start by the way), 4 cups, and mix completely. Knead in the mixer (keep it on medium speed) for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 250. Lightly grease 3 loaf pans. Once 10 minutes of kneading has passed pour the dough into the pans as evenly as you can figure. No need for complete accuracy. Be gentle with the dough though, because the yeast is active by now. Don't play with it too much. Place the pans in the oven and turn it off! Yes, turn it off. Set timer for 20 minutes, and DON'T OPEN THE OVEN DOOR!!! When the timer goes off, DON'T OPEN THE OVEN DOOR YET, and turn the oven back on to 350 degrees. Oh, and DON'T OPEN YOUR OVEN DOOR!!!!!
Set timer for 45 minutes, and use your nose for those last 10 minutes or so. But, before they smell like they are baking.... DON'T OPEN THE OVEN DOOR.
In case you haven't guessed, if you open your oven door too early, your bread will drop. It won't taste bad, just look not as pretty.... Like this...
It tasted yummy, but I was disappointed in the shape. I am picky about my bread. Oh, yes... also, when it comes out of the oven, spread a little butter on the crust to keep it soft. When it has set for 10-20 minutes, take it out of the pans and put into plastic bags (I recycle my grocery bags for this purpose), but leave them cracked open still so the steam escapes a bit. You don't want soggy crust! When cooled a bit more, slice and enjoy part of one, and place the other two in the freezer or fridge. (I use Twixit Clips from Pampered Chef to seal my bags before this step.)
Enjoy!!!
Next, we have Ranaoh's first night of Dance. She was so thrilled!! I couldn't take pics of her in the classroom, so I took some before the class. They will have a parents' night when I can take some action pics, but this night it was a 'No-no'.
Labor Day Weekend....
We stayed home and Labored. Seriously... we rearranged a bunch of the bedrooms in the house and Shawn cleaned the garage. Zach got our old Queen size bed (don't you wish you had one at age 7?!?!); Skylah got his twin bed, and we got the dresser out of our room (also into Zach's room since it matched the bed), moved the big desk from Shawn's Star Wars room into Zach's room, and moved Zach's small desk into Ranoah's room. We hate to get rid of furniture, no matter how bad it may look. Nothing matches in our house. And if it does, it is by mere chance, or it was bought as a set, thanks to the generosity of family members or great sales!
Here is Skylah and Ranoah enjoying Skylah's new Big Girl Bed...
My birthday has come and gone, but Shawn didn't let it pass by with the previously purchased and installed Garbage Disposal. Nope... he also purchased a DVD for me which finally arrived today. I didn't know about it, surprise, surprise, but it was a great surprise. I have the first and second of this trilogy, and now, tonight I will be enjoying the last in the series!!!
Now, last but not least, POTTY TRAINING. I hate this. In fact, if anyone wants to come and potty train Skylah, I will bake you a fresh Peach & White Wheat Cobbler. Or anything else. I am not joking. Please call me asap and set up a date. I need your help. I hate this process, especially with Stubborn Holcomb Genes mixed into the process. (Sorry, family, but it is very true. They are stubborn children.) I am pleading for help right now. Today, I threw a fit in front of Skylah. Just after her fit. After an hour of calming down, eating lunch in separate rooms, and me apologizing to her and giving her loads of hugs and such, I decided it was time to decorate...
Yep, we decorated the potty together. These are the foam stickers you can get at Michael's (50% off) for $4.99 a bucket! I love them. Skylah enjoyed making the potty "pretty". She was 50-50 today with accidents and actuals in the potty. Hopefully tomorrow it is closer to 75-25.
Have I mentioned.... I HATE POTTY TRAINING KIDS!!!!
11 comments:
Now, I'm dying for freash bread.
So now let me get this straight, I open the oven door? Just kidding... actually I shouldn't harrass you, I need these detailed instructions. And this is perfect timing, we are going to make sacrament bread for activity day next month. What a beautiful balarina and a pretty potty. Good luck with that!
ooooooh--I'm so excited! I was just going to email you and ask for your bread recipe and here it is--with pictures even! Happy breadmaking for me this week!
Good luck with the potty training--even freshly baked goods can't induce me to pt someone else's children, but good try! :)
Thanks Hope, better than a recipe book! And on the potty training... BEN WAS SO STUBBORN, he was three and a half when he finally gave up the diapers. His final deal--- was his food. You don't mess with Ben's meal... and I had to find something that I had a little leveridge with. I finally told him (after the stickers, snacks, candy, praises, upsets, tantrums, cheers, threats, etc etc etc) that if he was going to act like a baby and go to the bathroom in his pants, that we were going to feed him like a baby. We traded out 2 meals with baby food, and that was it. Some people think I am mean, but it was getting to that point... I was not going to have a 4 year old in diapers.
That looks yummy. But to be honest, I am just too lazy to make my own bread. I admire people who do though. Good luck with the potty training. I too hate that part of parenting.
I love fresh baked goodies...I am also an excellant potty trainer...Katlyn 19months and Ashton 21months...yeah!!! I am talking totally through the night all the way potty trained...give me a call and we can talk more! Jeff is having surgery 9/6 but I will see what I can do...
I should let you all know that it will work best with the heavier red wheat. If you want to add other wheat, make it half and half or something. I made my last batch with 6 cups wheat and 4 cups barley/7-grain. More flavor that way, but it is still very good with the red wheat.
Lisa, today is a lot better, however I am stumped as to how to get to the next stage with her. We have been in the family room with the potty and her half-naked. Today has been clean so far. So, I just put underwear on her this afternoon. So far only a small drip, but then she did the rest on the potty. I want to figure out how to move her from the family room to the bathroom. Any suggestions?? Oh, if you want to come over Friday, I am up for that!! Tomorrow I am having a preschool meeting with my group. I am also affraid of how to get her out of the house without having accidents and not putting a diaper on her. (I really hate potty training... have I mentioned that??)
Thanks for the bread recipe. It does look yummy. But, you know, I might be more tempted to actually bake some myself if I could try some first. You know...to make sure it's to my liking and all...
(suble hint, wasn't it?)
And I have no help to offer as far as potty training. I intentionally waited until mine were almost 3 and able to communicate with me. But GOOD LUCK!
Okay, I meant "subtle" hint.
Hope I hate potty training too but I have learned that if you wait until they are 3, it takes about a day. No kidding. My two youngest both trained in a day. The day after they turned three. I would wait. And I want some bread too.
Heather, sad thing is that Skylah turned 3 on the 11th of August. My two older waited until they were exactly 3 1/2. I am just tired of diapers, and tired of a more than capable little girl coming to me and telling me in very clear English that she needs a diaper change!!!
As for the bread, I need to bake some tomorrow, so if any of you out-of-state gals want a loaf, I need your addy!! Seriously. If you get me your addy, I will mail you some bread! My treat!! holcomb1298@gmail.com
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