HEALTH CRUNCH BREAD!

 

A few weeks ago, I made a new bread recipe, I recorded a video on it as well, which I will link below if you are interested in watching it.

I thought it would be a good time to share a recipe with you ( it's been awhile) and this one is so good that it was my first choice.

If you are not into bread making, this is a nice easy recipe, although when I made the recipe on video, I discovered there was a few things left out in the original recipe that came from a 1980's cookbook that I often use.

So here it is Health Crunch Bread... with corrections included!

Health Crunch Bread - Makes 4 loaves

2 c. milk (scalded)

1/2 c. lard ( I used shortening)

1 c. lukewarm water

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 tbsp. salt

2 tbsp. yeast

1/4 c. molasses

3/4 c. oatmeal

1 c. wheat germ or crushed flax seed ( I used flax seed)

3 c. whole wheat flour (+) 4-5 cups more ( will explain below)

1/2 c. sesame seed( Opt.)  ( I included it)

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup of the lukewarm water with 1 tbsp of sugar added, set aside until yeast has risen. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine oatmeal, 3 cups of whole wheat flour, wheat germ and sesame seed.  mix in salt, and brown sugar.  Cut in the 1/2 c lard or shortening into flour mixture. 

In another bowl, mix milk, the remaining cup of water, molasses and yeast mixture.  Make a well into the flour mixture and pour liquid ingredients in.  

Mix well.

Gradually add the additional 4-5 cups of whole wheat flour and mix until dough can be kneaded until it no longer sticks to your hands.

Cover and let rise until double in bulk, punch down and let rise again.

Shape into loaves ( makes 4) and let rise 1 hour more.

Bake in a heated oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

...

I hope  you give this special bread a try.  It is deliciou!

Here is the video I made of me making the bread for the first time.  If I seem a bit confused, its because the original recipe omitted the additional whole wheat flour.  It's a very good thing that I am a seasoned bread maker, or I would have completely wasted a bunch of ingredients.

https://youtu.be/WWxg6USXCjQ

Why are there no Male Angels?

For years I have been making angels from all kinds of mediums.  Here are a few that I have made over the years - some of you will recognize some of these from years ago.

Nothing all that spectacular about any of these creations, but notice that they are all female!  Well mostly all - the one with the little boy and girl, happened because I altered the girl pattern to be a boy.

Every Angel I have seen in photos, in sculpture, handmade or purchased, has been in the female form.

Why is that?

Can't a male be an Angel?

Funny thing is, if we go to the source of where the Angels are first mentioned, and pretty much where we understand the Angels to have actually existed ( The Bible) - Angels are male, not female.  

The Angel Gabriel, is well know because of Christmas songs about him - he was the one who was the messenger about the birth of the Christ Child. Then there is Michael the Archangel, he is reported to be a most powerful Angel who battles Satan and casts Satan out of Heaven - forever!

Nowhere in the Bible is there mention of a female Angel.

So how come the images, reproductions, patterns etc of Angels we humans see, are all of female Angels?

 Why does this bother me?

Well because as a human, I have my own idea as what constitutes an Angel.  For instance - no  one will dissuade me from the notion, that the surgeons and physicians who cared and cured me of cancer, not once but twice, were indeed Angels here on earth. 

 Incidentally - all were male.

When I look at a sleeping male infant - to me that child is just as much an Angel as a female infant.

There have been so many times as a maker,  that I have balked at the presence of patterns for female angels and longed for the pattern to also contain the male counterpart.

It happened again recently.

I really like a little cross-stitch Angel ornament, which I have made several times.  Here is the very first one I did, I  kept her for myself.  She is Joyful Judy, designed by Diane Arthurs - the pattern can be found in the 2001 Edition Christmas Ornaments Just Cross Stitch 2001 Special Issue.

I decided to make a senior version of this Angel...

And the moment I finished her, I knew I wanted to make a Male Senior Angel to go with her.

So, I have started to design one of my own.  I have used the basic outline of Joyful Judy, but completely changed the rest, and I am currently stitching him .  I can't wait to get him finished and show you my creation.  

SO, what do you think?  We should have more Male Angels?

Yes?

I knew you would agree!

Till Next Time!

Returning to Stay!

 I have been thinking about my blogging days of past, remembering how I looked forward to writing my thoughts, sharing my makes, telling stories - all those things, and I wondered why I stopped!

Well I know why I stopped, because I started Vlogging instead.  As nice as that activity is - after all this time away, I have decided that I still love this platform best.

So although I will continue to Vlog,  I am returning to what I love best - writing and sharing!  If this past year taught me anything, it has reminded me that time is moving on, the future is promised to no one, and if we plan to do something  - then now is the time to do it  - especially at my age.

I am working on my "Return Post".  And I'm starting off with a question that has plaqued me for years.  

In the meantime - I have been keeping busy as usual - crafting, gardening, cooking, baking, and enjoying country life.  I have started on my Christmas knitting and making, with the hopes that this year I won't be rushing to finish things at the last minute.

Return Post coming tomorrow!

Till then, stay well every one!

Dale

 How can it possible be February 3rd already?  It seems like it was just Christmas!

I had every intention of posting a couple more blogs in January, even wrote a draft of one, but never got around to finishing it!

January was a weird month.  We had mostly mild temperatures ( for us) and although I had so much to do, I was somewhat restricted in what I should be doing.  I woke up one morning and my vision had drastically changed overnight.   I felt like I was looking through a cloud of black pepper.  Millions of tiny black specks and one large flashing spike covered the vision in my right eye.  I was sure it was a detached retina, and I had experienced this in my other eye several years ago- so off to the eye doctor went I!

I was partially right - It is the retina, but it has not quite detached yet - it's getting close, but it still is intact.  I have a followup in 2 weeks to see if anything has changed, and I am pretty sure I will be sent back to the same specialist who did laser on my other eye, eventually!  In the meantime, I can't drive, which is not great: I can't shovel snow - which is great: and I shouldn't overstrain my eyes - that's a tall order for a crafter like me!

I am trying very hard to comply to all the shouldn'ts!

I set aside the tiny stitching I was doing on my fox from THE YEAR IN THE WOODS, but I have continued my daily stitching journal - and I finished the month of January.

Check it out!

I'm so happy with how this first month turned out!  I love that every day is just randomly stitched with whatever I feel like stitching that particular day.  I have added a few special days on this one,  For instance, January 12 would have been my parents anniversary, so I stitched the day and year they were married.  The 13th was the day my Dad passed away, he loved birds, so I stitched a bird: and the 21st was my brother's 64th birthday so I added that as well, I will continue adding special days or moments on future months as I go, to give the whole project a journal feel.  At the end of the year, when hopefully I have 12 journals stitched, I am thinking about making a quilt with these blocks.  I should add that each month's block is the size of a piece of photocopy paper (8.5x11).

I am also stitching a denim bag I am making out of a pair of blue jeans - but I will share that with you next time.

I have a bit of spring fever, I have ordered my seeds and have been harvesting seeds from flowers I saved last year.  At the end of this video is a beautiful 3minute segment I put together and set to music using beautiful images from my gardens.  The groundhog said we are in for 6 more weeks of winter, but I'm thinking beyond that already - what does a groundhog know anyway!

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/gjEVTl2Vg_4

A Busy, Fun, Creative Week!

 I've had a busy, very creative week!  How has your week gone?  Hope everyone is well and adjusting to the start of a New Year!

Can we talk about the weather?  Wow, this week has been gorgeous.  Much warmer temperatures, bright sunshine, and a feeling like spring can't be far away - even though we know there is not a chance of that any time soon.

Still I have that "feeling" coming over me.  You know the one that happens when you open up a new seed catalogue for the first time.  I get through the vegetable section without a twinge, but then when I hit the flowers section - well, then I want to get out the pots and start planting.  Of course I didn't do that  - but I did haul my seed starting greenhouse up into the south window of my studio.  I did not however put the cover on it - for now I am using it as a drying rack for some pretty crazy fun project I discovered this week.

I am taking a bit of a break from knitting for awhile.  Even though I have some socks on the needles that I should finish, for once I am listening to my body when it tells me (via lymphedema in my arm, and carpal tunnel in my wrist) to stop for awhile.

So stitching and journal making have come to the top of the list for awhile.  

I finished a very simple Gratitude Journal, and have been writing my gratitude of the day, every evening before I head off to bed.  I thought it might be a challenge to think of something positive about the day, every day - but that has not been the case at all.  I could fill a page a day if I let myself, mainly because I am letting the negative go and concentrating on the positive, in the process realizing that there is so much in my day that is truly good!

I started my stitching journal as well, which is another calming activity.  Every day I stitch a tiny block , letting myself just enjoy the stitching, wether it is perfect or not ( usually it's not).  I have stitched a full week now, and it is really pretty. ( I will share a photo next time)

I also started a new cross stitch piece.  I'm doing the Fox from last year's  A YEAR IN THE WOODS, by Cottage Garden Samplings.  I love this piece and making really good progress on it.

 

MY PROGRESS

But the most fun this week, was the new thing I discovered.  Did you know you can make Faux leather from paper?  Oh my gosh, what fun I had using really pretty wrapping paper and turning into a beautiful fibre that I can use to make covers for the journals I am going to be making.  If you are interested in seeing how it's done, check out the video below.

Well that's it for this week.  If you have a few minutes, check out my video ( below).

Stay well, and I will see you next week!

https://youtu.be/NMi_daoHNJY

Happy New Year! 2023

 Happy New Year Everyone!  

It's been way too long since I have been here, but my plan is to get back into the practice of updating my blog on a regular basis.

Since I have started my Youtube channel  (Erndales), I have neglected this platform in order to get that one up and running.  While Vlogging is fun - I still prefer to write my thoughts and stories instead of speaking them.  

So lets catch up - 2022...

Good place to start....

I started the year under another threat of cancer.  I had been to see a new family doctor and she had sent me for some tests that suggested I might have cancer of the Uterus.  That was finally confirmed in early May after some surgery, and I was booked for a Total Hysterectomy.  In the meantime, my oldest brother who had been battling leukemia for over 4 years really started to decline.  He lost his eye sight, then the use of one side of his body, and worse of all - he lost his spirit.

Spring came and went - I started my garden with enthusiasm, but after the surgeries started happening, my garden plans just seemed to vanish.  Summer was eaten up with major surgery - fall disappeared while I recovered from surgery, and the world came to a screeching halt for me when my brother passed away in October.

My brother Wayne and I

To say I am glad to see the end of 2022 - is the understatement of all time!

This Christmas season has been a reset for me.  I didn't put my tree up ( first time ever), I didn't cook a big turkey dinner ( first time ever),  I just allowed myself feel the emotions that I have been storing up all year.  It was overdue, and it was a peaceful resolve to re-invest myself back into the life I have with Gary and Jonathan, our son.  

I challenged myself to do Vlogmas on my Youtube channel during the month of December.  A different video every day for 24 days.  I reached deep within myself and shared so many wonderful Christmas memories, which really helped me find the inner peace I so needed.  Sharing my passions for music, writing, crafting, story-telling and most of all, family - reawakened my own spirit.

I'm ready to take on 2023!

Today I am spending the day, preparing a nice meal for Gary and I.  I am delving into my seed catalogs and making my list of seeds to purchase for the gardens.  

I will be making the first entry into my Gratitude Journal, and filling in the first square of my Stitching Journal... both activities I plan to continue all through 2023.

I have plans - lots of them - but I promised myself my first activity of 2023, would be to write this blog!

Mission accomplished - and it feels so good!

So, I hope you come back to me  - my friends and followers out there in the vast cyber world we call the internet.  Lets get this year going together!

I did a little Video yesterday, on making a Gratitude Journal and a Stitching Journal... Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/iwXWWVr2Vwo