Grandma's English Muffin Bread

Grandma's English Muffiin Bread

3 cups flour
2-1/4 tsp dry yeast
1/2 T sugar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tso baking powder
1 c warm milk
1/4 c water
Cornmeal


Using the mixer bowl, combine all ingredients but cornmeal.

Beat on low speed for 30 seconds.
Beat on medium high for a few minutes.
I use the dough hook.
Dough will be sticky.

Use loaf pan - spray.
Sprinkle pan with cornmeal.

I take the dough out of bowl and put on floured counter.
Just turn it over and form into a loaf.

Put in loaf pan and sprinkle cornmeal on top.
Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from pans to cool.
Bread needs to be toasted.

Ode to the Microwave

The microwave is dead and the home warranty company ordered a new one. I hope it is not like my previous Maytag microwave oven . OMG, it was so nosy. It wanted to know what I was cooking, how much it weighed, what kind of meat it was, etc. Seriously, it had more questions than a toddler or an annoying debit transaction at the grocery store. It drove me crazy. I did like this GE Profile Spacemaker XL 1800. Hopefully, I will get something similiar. . . . .

Nagged and Nagged

The girls have been nagging me to make lasagna. It has to be sort of cold for me to be in the mood for it. But, I did it. Here is a photo of what is left. It went to school in their lunches and Blonde Girl ate some for breakfast. I guess lasagna, like revenge, is best served cold. Blonde Girl said "all we need to have is stuffed shells tomorrow and maybe tacos for a perfect week". They are funny.

Sick Bed

I wanted to take a photo of Miss Brunette. She didn't want her picture taken. But, Sadie did.

She got right in front of the camera and even smiled. Her eyes are not that freaky in real life.

But, they are a light amber. My friend Amy can't look at them . . . . . . but that is another blog.

They're Off

Have I mentioned that Love Man is a huge fan of the state of Montana and the University of Montana Grizzlies? Go Griz! It is his license plate and sadly, a few years ago, a tattoo on his leg. I can't talk about the tat.

The U of M Grizzlies are playing NAU in Flagstaff this weekend. Naturally, we always go. Except, Miss Brunette has not been feeling very well. Yes, it is a shock as we are never sick. Yesterday, I thought I should pick her up after her 3rd period Social Studies test. NO! That would not do as she had so much work to do in her classes. I was not to pick her up. I didn't.

So, I picked her up after school. "Why didn't you pick me up after 3rd period?" "You told me not to". "I felt terrible all day." You can imagine how the rest of the conversation went. She went to bed last night at 7:30.

This morning she has a temperature of a 100 and is congested and coughing. Her throat hurts.

Blonde Girl and Love Man went to Flagstaff. We are home and planning to watch the entire

A & E version of "Pride and Prejudice". We are HUGE fans of Mr. Darcy.

Walking the Walk

This morning I was heating water in my microwave. The dumb thing started making a loud noise and then emitting a gross, plastic smell. Honestly. I called the warranty company, luckily we have kept up our home warranty all of these years. And, we have the ultimate upgrade which includes appliance and ice makers. You know how I feel about ice. . . . . . .



The dogs are fine. Sadie likes to jump into the pool and then run into the house. She was not allowed to ride to take Miss Brunette to school as she was damp. I am not having wet, dog smell permanently in my car. She whimpered and whined, but got over it.



Miss Brunette and I walk Blonde Girl to school, along with the three dogs. Usually our neighbor walks with us with one child walking and another in a stroller. Not since the pilgrimage marking the conversion of Paul from Saul,from Saint Simon and Jude Cathedral to St. Paul's, is there more of a parade. We are a bit of a spectatcle. People laugh, point, honk, wave and sometimes stare. Honestly, you would think some of these people had never seen two women, four children, three dogs and the occassional combo precussion set.

Time and Place

My teaching partner caught a tarantula trying to sneak onto her porch. Naturally, like all good preschool teachers worth their salt, SHE CAUGHT it. It is now in our room and the hit of the preschool. She bought grasshoppers and the spider devoured them. I put water in the terarium and a paper towel roll for hiding. SHE, not me, will be releasing it tomorrow after school.

That is About It

We are all fine. Miss Brunette has two tests and a project due this week. Next week, she has a book report. She is a little stressed. It is not as bad for Blonde Girl, she has a book report due next week.

Miss Brunette is going to have to get used the the ebb and flow of homework. It does seem to happen all at once.

I know, I am taking a two-part class in October. My last one for 2009. I have heard it is great.

Tuesday, Tuesday

Don't you hate the jump into the seasons? I don't mind seeing pumpkins this time of year, in fact it is a welcome sign of fall. However, I do not want to hear Christmas music. I just want to enjoy where I am at this moment.

Lighting Up My Life

I put fairy lights on my twig tree, purchased in Iowa a long time ago. I also hate to admit this. but I have left the village up. I didn't turn it on that much in the summer, but now that it is
a little more fally - it is all lit up. Sure, there are some houses that have Christmas decorations up all year - but don't you find that in the best of neighborhoods?

Sunday Madness

Another busy day. Church, then a birthday party. I STILL have not folded my clothes. Uggh!

Out of the Town

Miss Brunette and I went out last night. We had a great time. We bought her a pair of sun glasses and went to the movies. We saw "Love Happens". It was pretty good, but sad.
Then, we had the best gelato in the world. Seriously. I will take you all there if and when you visit. Happy weekend!

Rainbow Room Drama

You will never guess what happened at school yesterday. I had the children sitting on this long bench in the hallway as we were coming from the bathroom and washing our hands for snack.
We were counting and singing, when all of a sudden a mouse walked right in front of us.
Naturally, the entire class saw the mouse. I yelled for my teaching partner to come and
as I ushered the Rainbows into our room my partner and another teacher caught the mouse.
All through snack, the mouse was the topic of conversation.

One teacher who heard me yelling for Mrs. T. just about passed out. Luckily her partner

got a giant bowl and assisted with the capture. The mouse now resides in the desert mountain area behind our school.

YOU know everyone of those children told their parents all about it. I'll bet the directors had some phone calls. . . . . . I only wish all of the critters would not come in around me and the

lost dogs would find someone else to help them.

Jay Leno

Have you been watching Jay Leno's new show?

It is really great.

Post Bunco

I even won "most losses". I served taco soup and they went crazy for it. It is brainlessly easy.
Here are the ingredients:

1 pound cooked turkey meat seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and finely minced onions
1 15 oz can of corn, drained
1 150z can of pinto beans, drained
1 15oz can of kidney beans, drained
2 large (30 something oz) diced tomatoes
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 packet of ranch dressing mix

Mix and heat.

Garnish with all or some of the following - onions, cheese, olives, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, shredded lettuce, and tortilla chips.

I made mine early in afternoon and let it slowly cook on low. You could make it and serve it in 15 minutes.

Bunco

Tonight I am hosting bunco, otherwise known as drunko.

Monday, Monday

We are back to school.
Hopefully, we can survive another week.
Blonde Girl has a book report and Miss Brunette has a test on the parts of speech.
I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my old English teacher,
Mrs. Nancy Suchy.
To this day,
I can identify all parts of speech - much to the shock of my daughter.
I thought she gave to much homework and did not appreciate her writing the assignment on the board while I was STILL working on her test.
But, thank you Mrs. Suchy.

Back into the Swing

Busy Day

It is going to be a busy day for Miss Brunette.

First, we have to present Miss Brunette with her Bible at church. Then, we are off to NCL. Then, she has a grade level meeting. Busy day! She doesn't know about the third activity. I will break it to her gently. She does not like to be this busy and neither to I.

I am sure Blonde Girl and Love Man will float in the pool this afternoon.

FAQ

Why didn't you go camping with Love Man?

He wanted to get up there early. Blonde Girl was going to miss some of school, but then didn't want to because of percussion practice. Miss Brunette does not get out of school until 3:50 and she really can't miss school. We would have gotten there so late or else we would have had to have left at the crack of dawn on Saturday. We always come home a day early than the holiday because of the massive amount of laundry and the lighter traffic. So, the girls and I decided to stay home. Happily.


Which one is Blonde Girl and which is Miss Brunette?

Blonde Girl is the youngest and is 10. Miss Brunette is the oldest and is 12.


Why do you call "Love Man" Love Man?

God only knows. I think it started out as a joke. I have called him that for years. Maybe I wanted him to get me a coke. My friends, who know me, well know I call him that. I don't call Miss Brunette and Blonde Girl by their handles. I call them by their first names and other nicknames.


How long have you and Love Man been married?

We will have been married 22 years next April. Our marriage has been mostly good.


Why do you have three dogs?

We had been talking about it for a while and then we meet Sadie up for adoption at the PetSmart. I am no longer going in any pet stores that have adoptions or pets for sale. The dogs get along well and everyone is helping with them. So, it is almost easier for me.

And, of course, you know the stocking thing.


Why do you have a blog?

It was really started as an easy way to show my mom, sister and niece pictures and daily progress reports. Later all of my Iowa friends started reading it and now my Phoenix friends read it.

What blogs do you read?

Nie Nie Dialogues, Emily Style, C Jane Enjoy it, Jaimee Rose and Tongue in Cheek. I read them every day.

Why are you not on Facebook?

Okay, stop asking me to be your friend on Facebook. I hate Facebook. People post lame things like "yum, I made muffins this morning" and "oh, what a beautiful morning". I also don't want to take some survey telling me what kind of candy I am like. Hello? It would be Junior Mints.

I am from a small town of 500 people. I have known most of the people in my life for twenty plus years. If am not in contact with lost acquaintances - there might be a reason. ;)

I don't feel the need to reconnect with people I have lost touch with. I just want to stay connected with the ones I am in touch with.

TGIF

That is all I can say. TGIF.

One Month

Much of the country has gone back to school this week.
We have been at it a month.
One month.
No wonder our girls get crabby at times.

I am Bad to the Bone

We purchased this doggy bone at the Old Navy last weekend. It contains bags for cleaning up after your pet while on a walk. Our dogs, being gifted and talented, took advantage of this on our way to school. In fact, we used them twice. I put one bag in the front pocket of Blonde Girl's backpack with the flap open to remind me. I forgot and she was at school in her classroom with a bag of doggy doo-doo. She said, "Mom, I just casually threw that bag of poop away and didn't say anything to anybody".

The Beat Goes On

The Little Drummer Girl practices several times a day. She prefers the sound of the drum rather than the sound of the practice pad. I am only hoping her fish doesn't jump out of the bowl.

It's a Labor

Love Man and the girls are at the pool supply store looking for bargain floaties and rafts. They will come home with some sort of sea horse that is 75 % off. We do have seasons here and our pool days are numbered. Sadie likes to swim. She has been jumping into the pool. We taught her and refreshed the other two on how to get to the steps. Sam and Abby appreciated the tips.

Lost Dog

We were exercising our dogs yesterday and these walkers come along with a chihuahua without a leash. Honestly. It turns out the dog was lost. It was lightning and beginning to rain, the girls and I took the dog to Pet Smart to get scanned for a chip containing her address and/or phone number. No tag or chip or any form of identification was on this dog. Neighbor John and wife were immediately over giving us their opinions. I told him, "this will be your foster dog". He replied, "you need a dog for each of you."

We tried to guess her name. I suggested Lola or Princess. Miss Brunette thought it might be Angel and she did turn her head when we called her Angel. Angel it was.

We put up signs, posted her on some web-sites for lost pets. It was pouring down raining.

We let the dog into the house and she hung in Blonde Girl's room, who had her in a dress in no time. The dog seemed old and was obviously an only dog. She didn't like our three. But, she was super friendly and played with Blonde Girl.

Several hours later the owner came to collect her. Her name - Angel.

He is Back

Love Man, apparently, missed us so much he came back last night. It was also cold and the fish were not biting. However, his return scared the living you know what out of us. We were not expecting him. He was a little taken aback that he freaked us out!

We're Fine

Love Man is camping until Saturday and we are looking forward to the long weekend. Hopefully, I can watch some more DVRed episodes of "It's Me or the Dog". They are really helping. Victoria has become a family friend. We have been using her techniques for the past week and she rocks.

Little Drummer Girl

God help us, but Miss Brunette is playing the drums.

Early Release

Today, I have three early pick-ups, 1 pm, 1:40 pm and 2:20 pm. I won't get anything done

after 1 pm. I am also in terror that I will forget the little-pinked-haired-girl. Although, me forgetting her wouldn't bother her in the least. She'd have a nice chat with the office ladies.

Getting into a Routine

Miss Brunette worked on two projects for school all weekend. Blonde Girl can't wait until her homework is done and I say, "you are free". Thankfully I am done with all of the open houses and curriculum nights for the year.