I am SO psyched!!!!

I just finished two entire batches of made from scratch BAGELS!!
Yummy!
(one Batch with garlic olive oil and one plain.


THey were super easy-- used my bread machine for the kneading (my hands arent up to it!!) and first rise.
even found the recipe where you broil before you boil but not so sure its worth the extra work as my broiler is a bit 'so-so'

they are GOOOOOOOD!!
made homemade noodes as well,
not so great.

flavor good but the OLD ronco pasta maker makes more noise than noodles so after the 2nd flopped batch -- out it went!!! El Garbago~!!

i only paid about $5 years ago so am not in the dumps over IT. just about the fact i LIKE homemade noodles but need machine help to make them and now have no machine.


Found what i WANT for noodlemaking BUT its going to be awhile before i can spend $140 on it :(
its the KitchenAid pasta roller set. sigh....... i do like the 'good stuff' dont i!!

october 18
I have just tried my FIRST EVER Successful loaf of homemade sourdough bread-- sigh......of bliss...................
its not perfect mind you, a bit dense and more moist than it ought to be - but considering....
I discovered this WONDERFUL website called Breadtopia

http://www.breadtopia.com/2008/09/16/its-bread-baking-season/

Truly an awesome site teaching breadmaking from scratch INCLUDING making your OWN sourdough starter!! (i used the pineapple juice recipe) and making NO KNEAD Bread!! It is a time consuming (sort of ) recipe, but very very easy one. - I say sort of, because while each step Only takes a few minutes,
there are hours of waiting between steps! so PLANNING is a must!!!

but OH my is it worth it!!

ANY ONE can do this. Eric's videos are awesome (eric is the breadtopia guy) and REALLY help - have fun and TRY THIS!!

Mechanical Olympics-Synchronized Swimming

a good friends daughter having fun and spoofing synchronized swimming

am soooooo much happier today -- GOT PICTURES YEA!!!
my babies are still far away but its not quite so lonesome when i have new pictures= w has TEETH and the biggest grin!! LOVING HIM!!
and S got a hair cut it and its lovely BUT it makes her Look OLDER :( am not sure as "mom" i can dig that), ahhhh well

still, i HAVE PICTURES :) :) :)

missing my babies
its in the wee hours right now and am having empty nest pains... big time
all my 'babies' are somewhere far from home. and am missing them badly.

my first baby is a mama now, her baby is 8months all ready -- my goodness how the time flies. he was only 6 weeks old when they moved to wisconsin. she "seems' to love it there. but i must admit i worry- other family says she hardly goes out -- dont know if its a good thing or not. but then again that time with a new baby is priceless. she's an amazing young woman and i profoundly hope she is happy....... she has so much potential - i hope someday she may go back to school too. she has so much ability that is just waiting to be used.

my youngest 'baby' is visiting her sister for the summer-- that was really hard to let her do. i know, i know,she's 16 and a 'big' girl but still my baby (tho she rolls her eyes at me when i say it LOL!) somehow they never stop being one's baby do they? she's another amazing young woman (how on earth did i rate 2 incredible kids?!!) she drives herself hard, and i worry about her too... i guess worrying is part of my job as mom. i profoundly hope we find a way for her to go to a university that is good enough for her skills/needs - she will go far in any field she wants to go into.

my grand babies - my grandson- i dont have the words for how incredible that is. holding him after he was born was so profound- so much like when i held his mother and his auntie. love just wells out of my soul and i want to surround him with its protection and warmth

my grand daughter- she's not really mine tho i did sweep her into the MY catagorie- shes baby w's cousin - tif's little girl and since tif is to be my dd1's new sister when she and T marry - doesnt that make her my grandbaby too!?!?! she is a delight (and a handful at 2!! LOL!) very loving and huggable- she and her mommy drove to wi day before yesterday to live there too.... so you can see why i am a bit blue....

we are amazingly lucky arent we?? but a bit lonesome just now......
but dd2 will be home in 12 days so i just have to survive in the meantime -- but lordy, the house is way to quiet!!!!

got new PICTURES of my munchkin!!!!

this one is my fav- he is growing so fast and has a new tooth!!

Gramy's baby boy looks so awesome! am not in the LEAST bit biased!! but ya gotta admit he does have an awesome budda belly!!!

Gramy's blue bear snowbunny.. tho he doesnt look too impressed with that COLD stuff! LOL!

Check out the Canadian Geese in the foreground... this is the lighthouse in Kenosha.
they have been getting OOODLES of snow (another 20in says my kid)brrr. but very pretty ==better than here. its in the 80's again =- its already threatening summer :(

Grampa W and young W aren't they adorable?!!!

This year's holiday rant:

Can You BELIEVE how STUPID some people are???? It's the same kind of Ridiculous nonsense that happened (& still is) with Harry Potter! the new Movie The Golden Compass is getting the most irritatingly Stupid reviews by fundimentalist fanatics calling themselves "good Christian" etc. Most of whom have a: never READ the books & b: didnt bother to actually "WATCH" the movie! absolute TWITS!!
The movie is FICTION!!! FANTASY!! sheeeesh! these people need to get a life! And STOP trying to dictate to the rest of the world their NARROW MINDED little box version of the world.

I for myself NEVER take the word of an extremest of ANY Kind- its my RIGHT to make up my own mind and I AM REALLY TIRED of people who do NOT know what they are talking about trying to dictate what i should or should not do or believe!

As for the movie = I love fantasy and Sci Fi and even if i didnt i would go see this JUST BECAUSE idiots out there are telling me i shouldnt. defeats their purpose dont ya know!

China Trip july 2007

Auntie S and Master W - my "baby' and my dd#1's baby!
getting lots of visiting in while we can. - the kids have an offer of jobs/housing in Wisconsin!!! I want to run screaming around them saying NO!! but frankly have nothing better to offer. T hasnt been able to find steady work and L is on maternity leave - if they stay in CA she would HAVE to go back to work. T's uncle is offering her work with the family company that she can do from home or take babykins to work with her. so much better.

sigh.... am just going to have to hold on and not dissolve till after they leave after xmas. i am truly starting to hate december...... :(

another new venture/experiment

Baby William Has Arrived!!!!
Isnt he beautiful!!??!!!
7lbs 12oz and 18/5 inches long his Momma is Doing fine! she did really well with a very long labor we are very proud of her his daddy is already doing the proud papa walk , LOL!!

Tr & I have just begun a new venture- we plan on selling LOTS of different items but we are going to Start with her jewelry and both of our Photographs. should be fun especially as we get established -- our new Store is called "Spring Creek General Store" and it will feature Our "Roosevelt Road" line of Unique jewelry.
please enjoy our first offering at
www.springcreek.etsy.com

I always feel so honored that the dancers let us share their time/beauty/joy - i love to take pictures of faces they show such intensity.