Excuse for a day of rest.

Sometimes the best plans don't come to fruition. Like today for example. My big plan? Well, to help stack firewood on the deck, clean up outside for the winter (that is supposed to show itself tomorrow), start the Halloween decorating and of course cook an amazing dinner. My, my how life tends to take you in a different direction then you desire. So my fabulous plan for the day ended up laying with me on the recliner. Instead of productivity, I stayed in my pj's, drank Gatorade, blew my nose and reclined all day. Yup, you guessed it, I received a gift courtesy of some unknown individual with bad, bad germs. And like a good girl, I gladly accepted, unbeknownst to my conscience self. Seriously, who has time for this kind of junk? Apparently I do and I am using it for my excuse for a day of rest.

Where is the manual?

As a Mom of one 13 year old boy we have had many times in his short life that have tested everything I have and everything I am to "keep it together, be rational and remember he is just a kid". Sometimes I wonder how many times I have to repeat the same thing. Well, I am finding out that there are some things that you can not repeat enough....like "brush your teeth and wash your face". Questions like "did you feed and water the dogs?, are your chores done - the way they are supposed to be?" Ugggh. That leads me to the "remember he is just a kid" part. As I (we) try to teach basic, but utterly important life responsibilities, there are many times that I have treated him like an adult and have forgotten, he really is just a kid. I know it is not an epiphany, but a gentle nudge to myself to remember he is just a kid and only has a brief amount of time left to be just that. My wish for him is to grow up, be a loving, caring and responsible member of society. I guess if I remember the "big picture" those little reminders really are no big deal.

I am one of the lucky Moms. I have a kind and respectable son. He is loving and he still kisses me and tells me he loves me - everyday! (Don't tell anyone I said so, he is 13 after all and that is totally uncool.) He has great manners and really is learning about the responsibilities of life, even if I sometimes wonder.

Tonight's question. Where is the manual? I think that darn nurse forgot to leave it with me when I was wheeled out of the hospital that day in 1996.

So for all of the Moms (and Dads) that are on the same journey, finding their way along with their kid(s), here is to hoping we don't screw them up too bad as we write our own manual!

Is there ever enough fresh bread?

So lately I have been on a HUGE cooking/baking streak. (I really don't see any weight loss in my near future.) On Saturday morning alone I baked the best sticky buns I think I have ever had. My Dad, son and husband will happily agree, since they ate most of them. Not only did I bake those, I also ventured into the world of baguettes. Not as hard as I had thought, but still very time consuming since they do raise three different times. Turned out pretty darn good for my first try. After that was the homemade jalapeno dip to go with the fresh baguette. Seriously, the bread lasted a whole hour till it was gone! Nobody waited for the dip to be done.....hummmm. Remember that was just Saturday morning.

For the past two weeks I have been baking a ton of different breads. White, wheat, bagels, french bread, more wheat, sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, more white and baguettes. None has gone to waste and I am having a blast and really saving money too! Now just to clarify, I have not eaten all of it, nor has my husband or son. We shared the baguettes and one sticky bun, oh and a slice of french. Ok, so we are complete bread people. What is wrong with that? Really!?

Cool part is I get to trade homemade wheat bread for fresh garden vegetables! Yahoo! What a great deal. Yup, I do eat vegetables too. Lots of them actually. You have to have an accompaniment to go with the bread - right? I am so very excited to see where all this baking will take me, other than the gym.

So my question...Is there ever really enough fresh bread?

If you have the baking bug or any thoughts....please let me know. Send your favorite recipe or post your best advice.