The 50's Are Back!

That is right, the 50's are back!  I say that because this last week, I feel like a mom from the 50's (minus the pearls, skirt, and high heels).  I have decided to cook most everything from scratch.  This, my friends is huge.  I have always had this fear, or mind block when it comes to cooking.  Yes, I can do the basics and a little bit more, but that is all.  Not now.  I can do anything!

My first attempt didn't turn out, but did I give up?  NO!  I was making homemade Wheat Cheese Crackers.  I made them and then realized I had the wrong type of flour.  Oh well.  Try, try, again.  I ended up making a different type of cheese crackers and they tasted really good.  My husband and oldest daughter liked them more than Cheese It's.  Yea, that is success!

The next day I made bread.  Now, I say this casually, but this was no casual occurrence.  I have a fear of breads, rolls, bread sticks.  If it has yeast in it, I fear it.  I have made a few attempts in my married life at some of these items and they always turn out hard and taste like flour.  So I pretty much told myself, I was just not born to cook domestic foods.  Well, I was wrong.  My big problem with cooking is trying to use ingredients that are similar, but not the same.  So when a bread recipe called for bread flour, I used all purpose, thinking it should work because it says it is ALL purpose.  Well, it doesn't.  So I went out and bought the right ingredients.  What a novel idea. 

And as for the yeast, I tested the water on my wrist (like I would a babies bottle) to make sure it wasn't too hot, nor too cold.  When I put the yeast in it didn't do anything.  I thought maybe I didn't have it warm enough, but when I put my finger in, it seemed fine.  So then I gently stirred and something happened.  It came alive! 

By the way, I must mention that my children love to cook with me.  My little guy, who is now 20 months, grunts to be put on the counter, then points to the cupboard where my mixer is, because he wants to help cook.  I love that.  Totally makes me feel like a good mom.

But back at the yeast, when I said it was alive, my girls were so excited.  They couldn't believe it was alive and they were afraid we were going to kill it.  Aren't they sweet.  And tonight at the store, when I put some pasta and flour in the cart they asked if they were alive too?  Gotta love the mind of children.

Well, short story made very long.  I made white bread and it was really good.  I had to let it rise forever, but I was patient and let it do what it needed to do.  My 2nd daughter just loves the homemade bread.  We are almost through it already.  I guess I get to make more soon.

I then went on to make a more complicated waffle, then decided today I wanted to make more waffles to freeze.  It is so nice to have things like that on hand.  So I made a huge stack of wheat waffles and they were really easy and yummy!  We used up most of our syrup, so instead of buying more at the store tonight, I bought maple flavoring to make my own.  My mom used to make syrup when we were little.  I remember thinking it was because we were poor and that might have been the case, but it might have been because she wanted something a little nicer for her family.  I am excited to see how it turns out.

Part of the reason I am cooking up a storm, is to get my family away from everything in a box, to healthy, and quite enjoyable foods.  Also, another reason is, the more I read about food companies the more I realize they do not hold the same values I do.  In fact, some are so far from my values I do not want to support them anymore.  So I have now liberated myself and became self sufficient and sustaining in my ability to cook for my family.  I still have a long way to go, but in one week I have made huge progress.

There have been many benefits to doing this.  One of the 1st and most obvious was that it lifted my spirits.  I was in a major slump almost a depression and knew I had to get out somehow, but didn't know how.  One day I saw a post by a friend of all the good foods she makes and I had this feeling I wanted to be more domestic.  That was really what I felt I wanted.  So I decided to be more domestic and I was so happy.

Another reward, is how much fun, quality time I now have with my kids.  They love to climb up on the counter and cook with me.  One of my favorite things is when the girls grab an egg and put it behind them, then they say "Squawk"  and pull the egg out, like they were hens laying eggs.  I can't help but smile at that.  I feel I am teaching them an important skill as I go and that right there is so good to me.

Then the last reward is the wonderful food and hopefully healthier bodies that come form this.  Even though I started out saying the 50's are back, they really aren't.  This is just the knew me.  I am not looking back any more, I am looking forward.  I know this is something that the Lord has wanted me to learn and embrace and I am happy to finally say, I have.

The Moment That Wasn't

I had been debating whether or not to take my children to see the Angel placed on the new Brigham City Temple.  My oldest daughter told me weeks ago how she wanted to see this happen.  I had thought about how difficult it would be.  I would have to pack a lunch and my little guy would miss his nap that day.  We would have to leave straight from swim lessons and drive to Brigham City.  But I thought, I should do this.  What a wonderful memory for my children. 

Well, that memory would never be.  I woke up that morning to cloud cover, that soon turned into rain.  We went to swim lessons late, because I was trying to pack a lunch, that way we wouldn't spend money at a fast food joint.  The kids swam, then we are on our way.  The rain was coming down and I wondered if this was going to be a miserable trip.  Well, it calmed down by the time we got there.  We found a great parking spot, which I thought meant that we were supposed to be there.  We make our way through the crowed and find a descent spot to watch.

We wait and wait and wait.  We watch the crane go up, then go back down.  We see some men climb in the box and are lifted to the sky.  I thought that must be a good sign, other than the fact that they are blowing a little in the wind.  I certainly wouldn't want to be up in that box being blown by the wind.  But I was glad to be on the ground and the kids seemed to be having a great time finding grasshoppers with all the other kids.  That is, they were happy once that they had finally dried off.  They were pretty cold at first.  But, it was fun to watch them be little kids, fascinated by tiny grasshoppers.

Just at the peek of there grasshopper exploration, the crowed starts to move.  They had just announce that the Angel being placed on the Temple was going to be postponed until the wind calmed down.  I thought, if we just wait a little maybe we will be there for when they place it.  So I let the kids play a little longer, then we went for a little walk closer to the temple to get a good look.  It was beautiful.  I was glad we got to see this wonderful building. 

We then headed home.  I looked back from the freeway and saw now sign of the Angel being placed.  That was at 1:25.  When we were home later, I asked my husband if he knew when they placed it.  He said a friend posted on my comment on Face Book that it had been placed at 1:30.  I thought, no way, we just missed it.  I must admit, I was very mad and frustrated.  I drove all that way and admit was very excited to see this great historical event take place.  And I miss it by 5 minutes.  I missed giving my children a fantastic memory of the Temple.  A memory, that could stick in their minds and help draw them to the Temple when they are older.  I still have hopes that they will be drawn to the Temple despite seeing the Angel placed, but I really thought this might help.

Maybe I take to much stalk in the big moments instead of all the little moments added together.  That is what life is really about.  The small moments.  These are the things that make us who we are.  These large times are great and can definitely help us grow, but they are not the defining moments.  The ones we just can't seem to put our finger on, are the moments that truly count.