Eastern Washington Weather

It seems it has always been the saying here that if you don't like the weather, just wait a couple of hours! Less than 2 weeks ago we had snow.


Now today, the kids have decided to be engineers and they built a backyard Grand Coulee Dam complete with water. Of course you can't build a dam and fill it with water without wearing your swimsuits. So here's to life in our backyard!

Blast From The Past

I sorted through the kids' books last month and gave them to Emma's teacher to use for her classroom, for her young son or to see if anyone else at school might like them. Mrs. Steinberger sent this photo home with Emma. Evidently it was in one of the books that we gave away. Wow! It is a photo of the last time that all of my brothers and sisters were together. The year was 1982. It was shortly before my father died - I was a senior in high school. From left to right: Tom, Janice, Helen, Susan, Dan (in back), Marjie, Judy & Dorothy.
Now, compare that to this one. It is the first picture of all of my brothers and sisters together. It was in 1964! From left to right in back row: Susan, Judy, Helen, Marjie - holding Janice. Front Row: Dorothy, Dan & Tom. I was just a couple of months old, my sister Helen had been married for a year!

Just One Word --- Yum!

I found this recipe through a facebook entry from my friend Catherine. We all loved it. Another friend said she was going to try making bread sticks out of it - I think that would also be yummy. So for the weekend, here's a yummy recipe compliments of The Family Homestead. We also love this honey whole wheat bread recipe.

Italian Pizza Crust

2 T yeast
3 cups warm water
1 T honey
¼ cups olive oil
1 t. salt
2 T Italian seasonings
1 t. minced garlic from the jar
1 t. minced onion, dried
½ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup gluten flour
6 cups whole wheat flour (I use hard white wheat)

For the Bosch:
Combine all ingredients in the mixer and when well blended, knead for 4 to 5 minutes.

For other mixers or by hand:
Mix water, yeast, oil, and honey and let sit for 5 minutes. Add seasonings and flours. Knead for 7 to 10 minutes.

Allow the dough to sit for a few minutes and then roll divide into 3 pieces and roll to fit 3 15in pizza pans (if you like thick crust you can make 2 pizza’s instead of 3)

Let the dough rise for 10 to 15 minutes. Pre-bake the crust at 425 for about 6 minuets and then top with your favorite toppings. Return to oven and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes.

If this is more pizza dough than you will use, freeze either the dough or roll the dough out, pre-bake and then freeze.

St Patrick's Day

We got into the spirit of St Patrick's Day and decided that we would try and capture a leprechaun last night. First, we constructed a leprechaun trap. The theory is that the leprechaun would be drawn to the necklace on top of the box - he will climb up the handy ladder and then will fall through the top when he tries to get the necklace. We put some tissue in the bottom of the box to soften his fall - after all we want him to be able to tell us where his gold is.
This morning we found the trap sprung and the wily leprechaun had braided an escape rope from the tissue and had escaped from our trap. He must have been in a hurry to leave our house because he left behind some gold. He also played a few tricks. Everyone (including the puppy) has a green shamrock tattoo & the milk and butter have been turned green.
LOOK ITS SHAMROCKY!!!

Take Down

Ethan started training for Little Guy Wrestling this week. He is really getting into it. I will try and get some better pictures but here are some of practice!

They're Warped

Well, it has finally happened. I have finally managed to completely warp my children. A few of you may know of an evil plot that I thought up while I was in my 20’s. I had a plan to teach my children the wrong names for all of the colors so that when they went to school they would argue with their teachers saying things like – ‘But my Mama told me that was blue!’ – as the teacher holds up a pink balloon. I never really had the nerve to follow through on that evil plot but I did discover a new one.

Whenever the kids and I are in a good sized town and have some time to waste, we find a Goodwill store to peruse. Monday, Ben had a dentist appointment in Spokane so after his appointment, we did some shopping. We started at the Salvation Army store on Division, hit the Goodwill on 3rd, stopped for lunch at Old Country Buffet and then went to the Goodwill on Sprague. On the way home I hear the following conversation in the back of the van. Ben – "I love Goodwill, they have the best clothes!" Bailey – "Ummm…my sweater smells great – just like Goodwill!"

Some New Additions to the Family

Just wanted to put up a couple of photos and introduce a couple new members of the family. No, we didn't go to China again. We now have Rocky the puppy and a new to us white Dodge Caravan. Love the Caravan - not so sure on the puppy! Maybe it will get better when he quits pooping on the floor.