Total Pageviews


Monday, February 13, 2012

bread making day

I have been learning more about nutrition, and realizing how much I don't know.  One of the things I am trying to understand more about is sprouting grains.  As I understand, grain doesn't digest properly in humans, it is intended for cattle and they have 4 stomachs to digest it.  Grain has been shown to cause humans to gain weight, and their bodies are not as strong and healthy and they should be. My friend Jen told me how to sprout wheat, which will apparently change the entire structure of the grain and make it easier for the body to digest. 
Olivia gets her turn at kneeding
Last weekend I sprouted a batch of wheat and they dried it in my dehydrated.  I froze it so it didn't spoil.   The kids came out Friday night to spend the night. On Saturday The girls and I made bread.  We ground the wheat into flour.  Olivia was amazed that the wheat could change into such a soft great smelling powder.   We talked about yeast, and how it was a living organism.  They were amazed at how yeast will make the bread "poof" up.  I explained how we needed to proof the yeast with sweetener and make it grow.  Ruby listened with so much attention and brightened up suddenly and said "We have to proof it  to prove that it works".  She got it! 

Ruby is the first to kneed the bread

We used the Kitchen Aid to mix the ingredients but the girl worked hard to kneed the dough.  



We are ready to let the dough rise.




The dough has risen twice and now they are shaping ad putting it into the stone bread pan for the final rise of the dough.





Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of the baked bread.  They were to excited to try it!  What a great day.






My new projects

My sister Marg sent us some dish scrubbers several years ago.  She told me someone at the senior center makes and sells them.  They are made from bridal veil lace (what I call tulle) and crouched.  We both love using these to not only wash pots, but for all of our dishes.  I hate to ask her to send me more of them, so I decided to try making them myself. 
I bought a bolt of tulle at a yard sale for $2 years ago.  Marci wanted it for some project so I took it to Maryland went I went to visit (before Shelby and Josef).  I got it back when I wanted to use it for a project in the garden several years ago.  The project never happened so Delana ended up with it to make princess beds for the girls. That also never happened so I got it back last week so I could try making the scrubbies. 
I simply cut 2 - 3 inch strips of the tulle and connected them together

and after chain stitching to make a base circle, then double crochet the rest until I got a circle the size I wanted.  The larger cut makes the pad fuller and a little more difficult to hold. 
But they are great at scrubbing!!!!  I think I will have to make a few more.  It didn't take long and they work SO well. 

My other project is a rag rug made from old jeans.  I ask my family to save all of their old (to worn to pass down)  jeans and will often find them for free at yard sales.  I cut them into 2" strips and connect the strips them roll a big ball  as if it were yarn. 


This is my finished rug.  I am amazed at how bad the ones I made last year are when compared to this one.  We live in the middle of nowhere.  We are outside a LOT and carry a lot of dirt into the house with us.  These rugs take a beating and hold so much dirt.  When I pull them up to sweep the amount of dirt they picked up is amazing.  Last years rugs really need to be treated to the power washer when the weather warms up.  I think it will take a full week to dry them out even if the weather is nice.  I love these rugs because they are so easy on the feet (mine seldom have shoes) and just look good.  Besides, what a nice way to recycle old blue jeans that would normally go to the landfill.