Sourdough French Toast!
Right now, Holly is putting the boys to sleep in the big bed, while I have some down time to blog for a bit. It helps me decompress.
Recently Holly went on a trip from which we are still recovering. First there was the time away, then there’s the grief from the funeral (which wasn’t even a sad funeral, as her Grandmother Margaret Sr. lived a very joyous and full 94 years). But getting back together and getting the house back in line and reconnecting is (while very fun) also, at times at least, somewhat stressful.
While she was gone, I did a pretty good job with the boys, mainly because of all the help from friends and the day-care lady. But there was a lot of stuff that just didn’t get done, the type of stuff that fathers sometimes just take for granted. There’s a lot of creativity, intelligence, talent, and hard work that go into a family. And I don’t show my appreciation the way I should. A masterpiece doesn’t just create itself.
What did I do while she was gone? Well, I took care of the boys and did what I often to when I’m a bit stressed. I decided to get some stuff: a new chair, a bread maker, and a Tablet PC.
Ouch. That kind of hurts the pocketbook.
Tonight was clean up the fridge 
night, so we had a mixed bag of beans, rice, and more beans for dinner and emptied out a number of bowls that needed to be put back into circulation.
Then, as a reward, we had a special treat that Shannon Green gave us: sourdough bread! Holly thought it would be a nice surprise for the boys to get some French Toast, so after cleaning up the house and folding clothes while the two older
boys took a fun bath, she got out the the skillet and the eggs at about 7:45 PM.
John Caleb got a little bit of valuable tummy time on the floor, which might seem like it wouldn’t be too fun for the little guy, but he really seems to enjoy his tummy time for short periods of time.
(John Caleb isn’t really falling for the sleep deal that’s being offered up in the other room). He’s trying to do a mixture of crying and verbalizing–I’m sure Holly would call it the beginnings of communication.)
We also got in our new bread maker today, a Zojirushi (model BBCC-V20) 2 pound model: the pan holds 14 cups. I got it off Ebay for $100 + 35 shipping & handling. Overall, I think that’s a pretty good deal, as it’s the top of the line model of what is commonly held to be the best consumer bread maker on the market and normally goes for over $210 + S and H (not cheap to Alaska, often).
It’s not the newest model, but is the previous model–tired and true.
What really distinguishes it from most other bread makers is the horizontal form factor which causes the bread to look much more like a normal loaf of bread than the bread makers with the tall vertical pans. The kneading is done by two paddles instead of one, although there is only one motor.
Well, I just heard Mark Daniel say to Holly back in the big bed, “Mom, why don’t you just tell daddy to come get him. Then he’d be quiet. Do you want me to start yelling for him for you?”
Holly said, “No, no, no, Mark Daniel. Daddy has done a lot today and he needs a bit time alone to wind down.”
I’m glad I married a good woman. I suppose our family and the three young boys here (Mark, Luke, and John) and our home are her masterpiece.
Make your home a Masterpiece.
I like that.
But, I’d better go help out again.
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