Our Daily Bread: Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Pesto

1-1/2-Pound Loaf

.1 C water

.4-1/2 tsps sugar

.1-1/2 tsps salt

.2 tsps dried basil

.2 Tbsps olive oil

.2 Tbsps toasted wheat germ

.2-3/4 C bread flour

.1/4 C whole wheat flour

.1-1/2 tsps rapid-rise active dry yeast

.1/4 C oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

2-Pound Loaf

.1-1/2 C water

.2 Tbsps sugar

.2 tsps salt

.3 Tbsps olive oil

.3 Tbsps toasted wheat germ

.3-1/2 C bread flour

.1/2 C whole wheat flour

.2 tsps rapid-rise active dry yeast

.1/3 C oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

.2 Tbsps basil pesto

Directions

1.In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, yeast and salt. Add water and oil; beat just until moistened. Stir in the pesto and tomatoes. Use a dough hook and "kneed" until it pulls away from the sides.

2.Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

3.Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into thirds. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place in three greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

4.Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

This makes the most wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches! Try serving with my Fire Roasted Tomato Basil Soup. My kids lapped it up and asked for seconds.

I Have A Shutterbug

I have a touch of the photog in me. Mostly, they are hard won images that I almost mistakenly get. However, if I have time to play, I sometimes surprise myself. My hubby bought me a new camera to replace one I had for seven years and it finally busted. I am just getting to know this new machine and I am just loving it.

Today, the sun was out and flaunting itself, with temps around 60°F in the shade early evening. So, while Chad went off to work, I took the boys to the park for an evening stroll (they biked) and I took pictures. Then, after we got home, the sun was just right for some extreme close ups. I put the camera on mini-macro and held my breath.

Boys seem to be blessed with lovely long lashes that us girls just absolutely envy. So, I took pictures of their eyes with stunning results. I'm no pro, but I was pleased as punch with what I was able to capture. Tell me, what do you think?

Connor has such beautiful eyes. I think this was so stunning when zoomed in (click on picture for enlarged image). Again, the eyelashes are so long!

Again, LONG lashes! In this image, you can see the reflection of the camera in his eye.

Here is Russell's profile. I wish I hadn't cut his nose off, so it looked like Connor's. Oh well. This image reminds me of how his eyelashes would get tangled in the corners when he was a baby. Now THAT is a true sign of long lashes!

I couldn't get Russell to look at the camera like Connor had. I think he was feeling shy. Still, a cool shot I think.

Lachlan was dozing in his wrap, so it wasn't easy to get this shot. Still, again with the long lashes.

I am playing around and having fun. I'm going to post some on my Flickr account and see if anyone likes them. I don't want to pay $25 to share more than the free allotted MB so I can't post these until next month since I exceeded that with a few videos I shared with family through there. I hope to get them up soon though. In the meantime, there are a few shots I thought were neat, up there now.

I can see how it could be an obsession. Kids grow so fast, a parent feels compelled to capture their images often. Somehow, the image never really looks like them. The soul is definately not trapped, because it simply doesn't match the memory. Still, I'll continue to try, in the hopes that I will be able to look back on them and get the full affect, as if in their presence again, when they were small and dependent on me.

Silver Ribbons of Motherhood

In our house, my husband and I have raised our children to love the bodies God made for them. My oldest is tall and muscular. My second son is shorter and a little rounder. From the time they were tiny, we would stroke their bellies and say, "Nice tummy." lovingly to them. To this day, we reinforce the opinion, that whether flat or round, tummies are all nice. We are all made differently and wonderfully ("... for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." Psalm 139:14) and to make fun of someone or hate yourself because the outward appearance is different, would be terribly wrong. Not just for the emotional pain it inflicts, but because it is false. Magazines, movies and television sell us falsehoods that tear down our society one child's confidence at a time. Pregnancy is a wonderful tool to teach our children, that our bodies change and are special in all it's forms, not to be mocked. I came to this conclusion a long time ago. But let me start from the beginning....

I distinctly remember, as a child, playing with my mother and at one point, her shirt was lifted up a little to expose her belly. My mother is so beautiful, with olive skin and in that moment, I immediately noticed light silvery lines on her belly. I remember touching them, they were soft as silk, and asking her what they were, concerned because they looked like "owies". She told me how, when I was growing inside her, and getting bigger and bigger, her skin had to stretch to hold me. I don't remember anymore of the conversation, except that she had this soft loving smile on her face that was heavy with love and her voice was light with emotion. In that moment, I felt so wanted and special without realizing the depth of it all.

Today, as I write this, I have my third son wrapped on my body sleeping peacefully. When my belly began to swell beyond question of my condition, my first two sons were fascinated. My eldest would hug and nuzzle my belly, saying "I love you." first to me, and then into my belly. My second would put his hands on either side of my belly and pat it saying, "I love your tummy!". The growing belly of a woman with child is a magical thing. The ultimate in wonderfully wrapped and mysterious gifts, waiting to be opened to reveal the precious contents inside. Children are in wonder and awe. Even when they don't say anything, children I passed in the grocery store or on the side walk would slow, their eyes grow big and lips slightly part in a silent expression of wonder. It hit me even harder, how beautiful and special pregnancy is, one night at dinner. My eldest turned to me and said, "I love you, and the person inside you." Then my youngest got up, laid his head on my belly and said into it, "I love you, and the person holding you."

After I had my newest bundle, there was a little twang of sorrow right after giving birth, as the belly deflates and is empty. I missed that feeling of fullness. Yet that feeling leaves so quickly, as you hold that tiny squirming bundle. As I healed, I seemed more aware of my belly this time. A few more stretch marks, things that once were firm, now soft. I stood before the mirror, holding a sleeping bundle, gazing at my form. The door opened, it was my second son come to tell me he loves me before he goes to school. He put his hands on my soft belly and said, "No baby in there." then looked up at me with a huge grin, putting his cheek on my belly, "I love your big, not so big tummy, mommy." then skipped out. I never thought I would be okay with my form in it's current state. However, I have come to realize that it is a moving record of our family. Each child has etched the beginning of his life in my skin and as I touch those soft silvery ribbons, I am reminded of the life I've brought into this world and how precious it is, from the very beginning.

Psalm 139:14-16 "Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

Written as a project for "Save Our Daughters" through  The Shape of A Mother website. Check them out!

BEWARE! Hawaiian Tropic Baby Creme Sunscreen SPF 50 Is EVIL!

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT PUT THIS TOXIC CRAP ON YOUR KIDS!!!

Okay, so the weather had been really awesome for the past few days, and having a redhead who burns and the oldest in danger of tanning himself into blackness I was rushed to find a sunscreen because they were begging to go outside. We try to do sunscreen AND coverage to protect their skin. I was at the grocery store already and a new Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen caught my eye. My assumption was that, if it is marketed for babies, it should be gentle and safe. Boy, was I WRONG!

I put it all over their faces, back of the neck, ears (behind the ears too), neck and under the chin. Then, they donned wide brimmed hats and ran outside. Within an hour, their cheeks were looking pink, which had me concerned, but for the wrong reason. I thought they were getting overheated running around. I called them in and had them take a break. Before my eyes, it got worse from there. They would have been better off with no sunscreen, getting a little burned! Russell's ears actually blistered and three days later, his cheeks are still inflamed and his ears are swollen and blistered.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I contacted the company (still have yet to hear from them) and am warning anyone with kids to be careful. If you have used this without incident, lucky you! I wouldn't wish this on anyone, much less any child.

In the meantime, check the right hand side of the screen.... under my "About Me" section, you will see a widget for checking your sunscreen. Currently (5/11/2010), they have the 2010 update still pending, but you can at least see what are safer options. Sunscreens are rated for effectiveness and toxicity. I am definately going to check this site before purchasing again. In the meantime, it's wide brimmed hats and long sleeves here!