Artisan Crusty Bread

Okay, you have GOT to try this!!!! If you love getting your carbs in bread, this is for you!! My sweet friend, Janice posted this recipe and it looked oh, so good. But it's taken me months to try this. Janice promised me that it was a fool proof recipe so this fool took her up on that challenge. And guess what? It's the most amazing, easy smeasy bread recipe EVER!!! And as Janice said " you'll be addicted and your family will think you are a "bread goddess"! (Yes, Kaitlyn, I need to figure out how to post this on the recipe blog your started). So I'm stealing Janice's picture too because her's turned out nicer than mine ! (Thanks Janice) I need to get a different casserole dish as mine has a lip on it and the bread doesn't want to come out nicely. Oh, and we did eat it warm! I couldn't keep hungry peeps away :D

ARTISAN CRUSTY BREAD

• 1 5/8 c. warm water (just make it the same temp. as your wrist)
• 1 tsp yeast
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 c. flour

In large bowl, stir together water yeast and salt, then add flour. Stir until ingredients are mixed. Place lid on bowl and let rise 6-24 hours (it doesn't raise to be huge). 1-2 hours before baking, scrape dough out onto floured surface (it will be very sticky) and cover with flour and shape into ball. Let sit on counter 1-2 hours. Place glass casserole dish with lid in oven and heat to 450 degrees. The key is in heating up the dish before you put the dough in it. When oven reaches temp, take the dish out and spray w/oil and drop dough into dish, you will hear it sizzle. Put lid on dish and bake 30 min. (still at 450) with lid on. Remove lid and bake another 15 min. The hotter you bake the bread the crustier it is. It is best if you can wait at least 30 min.-1 hr. to eat. It is even better if you can have it done 1-2 hours before - then the crust isn't so hard.

10 days without a post!

Sorry!! It's just been wacky nuts around here. In 10 days we've had me down with a violent and ferocious case of food poisoning, David was sick missing an entire week of school, Rob had a sinus cold, Amber had play performances, and last week she caught the stomach flu that was accompanied by a nice 102.3 fever. She missed 2 days of school and actually missed one of the performances! There was no way the risk could be taken to infect any other members of the cast. Amber's stand-in did a wonderful job on Thursday night but boy was she happy with Amber's return. I will post some photos later from the play. All I have to say it they were "Amazing!!!"

But I have to share a blessing and watchful protection we were given. A week ago Saturday I was up before everyone else for about an hour or so. I went to start a load of laundry and smelled something odd. It smelled like cigarettes. Upon a lengthy investigation, Rob & I discovered this:


Our lint caught on fire!!!! YIKES!!!! So we made a phone call to our appliance repair guy, Scott, from On Call Appliance. He came out first thing on Monday.

He's SO awesome!!! He's so honest and his prices are reasonable as well. He discovered that the hose from the dryer to the wall was never screwed into the back of the dryer as it should have been. And because of the lint that was left over after we clean the filter wasn't going down the hose to the outside vent. It was being sucked in to the area with the motor and pilot light. As Scott put it "The good thing about lint fires is they burn out as quickly as they start. As long as you continue to keep your lint filter cleaned." All I can say is it scared me! He recommends that once a year you take off the plate cover near your motor/pilot light and vacuum the dust out. And best of all, there was no damage to our dryer. Because you all know you just can't buy a dryer without getting the matching washer! Truly a "Tender Mercy" in my book.

I got tickets!!!

But not for the Olympics!!! For this!!!!

They are coming to the Northwest Washington Fair in little old Lynden in August. This will be SO fun!!!!

I don't know, call me weird but would you?

...let SO much personal information be published about you and your family in regards to being a victim of a home invasion? Please, please don't call me heartless, because I am not. Having someone break into your home would be terrifying, especially while you are home with your 2 helpless children. This happened only 4 blocks west and 3 main streets south of me! It's down right frightening for Lynden! For anywhere, really!

Some background for those of you who don't know me very well. I'm a born and raised So. California city girl (and proud of it!). I grew up in the world of the Police Department. My Mom was a dispatcher for 12 years, took part as the secretary in a pilot program called "Neighborhood Watch" for 2 years, and then finished her 18 year working outside of the home career as the secretary of the Detective Bureau. I was a "cop kid" and so no one messed with our family. I was taught A LOT of "street" smarts from the cop side of things. And EVERYTHING in this article is wrong. The name of the victim, her children, AND her husband should not have been published. And we all now know that he works a night shift and she's home alone!!

I also have had some personal experience with the Lynden Tribune a few years back due to being the President of our Homeowners Association. They are not the most responsible or reliable at reporting news. In fact, we cancelled our subscription within 2 years of moving here. I have no respect for them in any way, shape, or form.

So who knows, is this an error of the PD or the Tribune?

For those who "teased" me (and there were MANY) when we moved to Lynden (15 years ago)because I lock my doors to my house and my car AND have a security alarm in our home, THIS is why!!! If someone is going to come inside my home, I want to know they are coming inside. We didn't always have a security alarm either. I grew up without one! It wasn't until our last home in CA that we had one from the previous owners. We fell in love with the security of it. Plus the fact, Miss Amber LOVED trying to go outside on her own when she was a toddler. We called our "ding, ding ding" sound our "Amber alert". :D

So take this article for what it is. Be careful! Be safe! Lock you doors! Even when you are inside!


Police: Lynden woman attacked, beaten
Submitted by the Tribune on February 11, 2009 - 2:27pm. News
Mark ReimersTribune reporter
  LYNDEN -- A Lynden woman was attacked by a man who walked into her family apartment while she was preparing her children’s formula on Saturday, Jan. 31. Lynden Police Chief Jack Foster said Stephanie Brooks, 21, was reportedly beaten by the intruder, causing black eyes and other injuries. The intruder also allegedly tried to pulled the victim’s pants down, but left after she kneed him in the groin. Foster said the woman claims no acquaintance with the attacker, but she described him as white, 20 to 40 years old with an average build and just over six feet tall. The man also had short dark hair, a goatee and a right hoop earring. Police were dispatched around 7:20 p.m. after the woman called her husband, Bob, who works a night shift, who then called police. Dogs used to obtain a track of the assailant failed to find anything, Foster said, which may simply mean the man drove a car to the apartment in the 700 block of Judson St. Police are continuing to investigate the incident. Area media reported in November that the couple has twin 18-month daughters, Halley and Avery, who doctors suspect have a mitochondrial disorder, which affects the body’s ability to convert food into oxygen. Attempts by the Tribune to contact the family have been unsuccessful.

The following article was conveniently published directly underneath.

Lynden business holds fundraiser for Brooks twins
  LYNDEN -- Jeremy’s Watch & Clock Repair is holding a benefit for the Brooks family. Five dollars will be donated to the family for every watch battery changed at the business on Saturday, Feb. 14. The business will also collect items for the twins, including toys, clothes and books. The business is located at 102 Grover St., Suite 104. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  E-mail Mark Reimers at reporter@lyndentribune.com.

No Luck :(

I just can't believe this!!! We (as well as our Olympic veteran friends, the Loveland family) were unable to get tickets for the Olympics! I don't get it, isn't there supposed to be a recession going on? Where are people getting all this money to buy these tickets up SO fast? It's getting frustrating. Really all we want are 4 tickets to the short track speed skating! This round of tickets were the pre-sale before the public sale. Of course, if I wanted to spend $1,200 a piece I wouldn't have a problem getting on of the hospitality packages. Um, I don't think so!! So here's hoping when the public sale opens up we can get some.

Here's the info Lesha ~ http://www.cosport.com/ this is where you get tickets. Here's where you sign up for emails for info in general.
http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/-/32678/q0c15c/index.html

A Quiet Day and Wish Me Luck!!

Way too quiet for my liking!!! And that's because yesterday we put Jessica and Lizzie on an airplane to go back home. Sad, sad, sad!! But happy for them since they get to get back to their own bed, the other Grandma, Auntie Manda and Uncle Jake (comes home from Kuwait on Saturday!). The visit went faster than anyone of us imagined. It was pure fun even when we were doing nothing! I loved sitting around just talking with Jessica. And even changing Lizzie's dirty diapers weren't a bother. I was glad to give Jessica the break. What I miss most is this!!

This is what we would see when we come into the house from the garage! Lizzie SO excited to see ANY ONE of us!! And give us loves and kisses.

So back in November I blogged about putting an order in for Olympic tickets.

We didn't get any tickets in the lottery draw. So now we are going to try and get some tomorrow in the pre-sale "real-time" ordering process. If not, I guess we'll have to be content trying to get tickets for practice sessions and watching it on tv.