Surgery and Cousin Max Visit

The day of the surgery.....April 1, 2001. Grandma Leishman took very good care of us by helping pick who would take care of our little Jaeli. Thanks mom! The surgery was really, really fast......I was happy about that, but it didn't stop the tears. I was so worried about our little 'Pea'. Daddy knew everything would be okay. Cute Jaeli with Grandma. She LOVED the hospital socks! HAHA!

The fam.......Daddy is STILL watching Curious George.

Jaeli watching too.

Cute picture of my little family.

MAXIMUS was here!

My favorite of all favorite pictures!

Cute little ones.

Grandma.....well, all of them have silly faces in this one.

Beautiful babies.

Blog Picture Explanation

I have to make a comment on my new Blog picture, and why I have a new Blog picture.........look how chunky Jaeli was! HAHAHHA! She's sooooooo adorable! Here's my little musician. Now, the reason I changed it was Dan's comment on the last one. He was horrified that I would put that picture of Jaeli helping me make bread on the Blog with the way our kitchen looked in the background! I felt that way at first, but then I thought, "My friends will forgive me....I'm baking!" At least the new picture made me smile too. This was last Spring I believe.

Let's Hear it For the Bread......RECIPE :)

Honey Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups warm water
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey
5 cups bread flour
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup honey (yes, for a second time)
1Tablespoon of salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons melted butter (yes, more butter)

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups of white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

Mix in 3 Tablespoons of melted butter, 1/3 cup of honey and salt. Stir in 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Flour a flast surface and knead wiht whole wheat flour until not real sticky--just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This make take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place the dough in greased 9 X 5 inch loaf pans, and allow the dough to rise until it has topped the pans by one inch.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes; do NOT overbake. Lightly brush the tops of the loaves with 2 Tablespoons of melted butter when done to prevent the crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

Homemaker? I think not.

So, I have NEVER made Homemade Bread without my bread machine. After Dan told me Homemade Bread is soooooo much better than store bought, I decided to try it. I even had the BEST helper anyone could EVER have............ She was so happy to have a measuring glass with a little bit of flour in it. Stirring, stirring....... Like any good cook/chef/baker, she HAD to try her creation....yeah, YUCK!!!!!

Yummy, sticky dough.....

Ready to bake.....

YUMMY!!!!!!!!! I have to say, I am really impressed with the recipe I found. We are already through 2 of the 3 loaves.....well I did deliver one to our friends. I think I'll bake bread from now on. Thanks to Baker Jaeli, it was a success!!!!!

Growing, Growing..... :)

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! My tomatoes are sprouting! I can't believe how quickly they have grown! I just planted them 6 days ago. I guess that's the beauty of a Greenhouse. Yippppeeeeee!!!! Keep growing little plants!

Spring has SPRUNG (In my mind)!!!!!!

Here is my tomato greenhouse Dan bought me for Valentine's Day.......and may I add, BEST present EVER!!!! Anyhow, some shots of the process, Different tomatoes....Dan thinks I'm crazy for trying all of them, but I want to see which ones do the best. Cherry tomatoes are my favorite, so I decided to do a whole row of those.
The pellets are growing after being watered....this made me so excited! :)
My signs for the different types.

See my baby seeds? SOOOO cute! They'll be cuter if they grow.

All ready. I put the lid on and now it's all steamy in there already. CAN'T wait to see if the greenhouse is a success! :)

Sharing a Song is Fun to Do!

This song made me soooo happy today, and I don't know why. Just thought I'd share.

You Sure That's Edible (I can't be sure)?

We FINALLY made Edible Playdough......I say FINALLY, all in CAPS like that, because I was afraid to try it. Payton, my friend's cute little girl I watch after school, begged and begged me to make it. Here is the outcome. Oh yes ma'am......HAD to try it first!
When asked what she was making, her response was "Cookies", EVERY time.
Cute girls creating yummy food made with LESS than appetizing playdough.
Mmmmm, pizza.

Yes, those are carrots, her actual snack.

Thanks for PRESSURING us to try this experiment Payt! Good times! :) They had a blast, but I think I will be searching for a yummier recipe.

LEAVE RECIPES (for Edible Playdough) HERE:

Buzz's Makeover

LPA

My mom and I took Jaeli to the Living Planet Aquarium when Dan was out of town. She loved it! The penguins and the turtle were her favorite. Jaeli was so excited to see the fish! Here we are walking in. Trying to ghet her to pose.

One of the coolest fish EVER!
HUGE lobster....mmmmm.

Checkin' it out.

Grandma trying to make it 'ok' to sit on the frog.

Grandma dashed out....leaving Jae very worried.

Soooo much fun!

Jaeli and me.

Jaeli's "Castle on a Cloud"

This is my girl singing her favorite song! I have sung "Castle on a Cloud" from Les Miserable every night to her since she's been born....and now she can sing it. She sings the LAST word of the phrase the clearest, but you get the idea. Sorry that the video is sideways. I HATE when that happens!

Christmas 2010 (Part 2)

Christmas Morning....and BACKWARDS AGAIN! This first picture is actually of almost EVERYTHING she got for Christmas. Should have been at the end. A big apology goes out to the Zundel Fam. I totally space taking pictures up there for ANYTHING! We had a great time Christmas Day at the Zundels, but not pictures to show for it. Thanks everyone!

Jaeli's haul.....I swear it's bigger than last year's. I forget...."Santa" gets her things, then she goes to Grandma's, then Grandma and Grandpa Zundel's, etc.
Cutest stuffed bunny and cupcake purse from Aunt Becky! She made these!!!!

3 BABIES! What?!

So, we're opening presents, when Jaeli disappears. My mom found her in the bathroom making a scarf out of toilet paper! :)

My sweet Grandparents.

Handmade headband and flower from Aunt Megan.

Checkin out the other flowers.

Dan and his car kit. Now my man is safe! ;)

ANOTHER silky?! AHHHH!!! The joy!

Helping mom.

SISTERS!

At my mom's Christmas morning.

The tree. I look forward to it every year. Sorry for the 6 hours of work mom! :)

Jaeli's Buzz. YES, don't judge my GIRL for having a Buzz.