Sourdough Success

I have to show this off: This is bread that I baked, with my very own sourdough starter. I happened a couple of weeks ago to be talking with one of my two favorite sisters-in-law, and mentioned I had bread rising. She sent me a link giving instructions for a no-knead bread. The site was well-done and interesting, and I will maybe try their method sometime. But, in browsing around the site, I found that they couldn't get their method to work using all whole-grain flour (which I usually use), and they couldn't get their method to work using only sourdough starter and no yeast (which I used to do.) Well, this all got me thinking and motivated to re-start baking sourdough. Since my starter died (long story), I knew I would have to start another one. A quick Google let me to this website. This site is amazing, for anyone who intends to ever bake bread, and especially anyone who wants to bake sourdough. The 3 batches of bread I've baked since I found this site have been the best bread I've ever made, and I have a sourdough starter that will knock your socks off!

One of the advantages of this site, besides the great advice, is the recipes. Notably, there are recipes for what to do with your leftover starter that you would normally be throwing away. Which is how we enjoyed a batch of sourdough blackberry muffins (sounds crazy, but they were really good) a few days ago, and sourdough pizza dough today. I had help with my pizza crust. Two little girls wanted their own pizzas shaped like Mickey Mouse.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go feed my starter.

Halloween???

I believe I mentioned 2 years ago (we didn't celebrate Halloween last year. We had been in our new house for less than a week, and I was 7 months pregnant and didn't have the energy) the difficulties encountered in celebrating Halloween in a country where people aren't expecting random children to ring their doorbells and ask for candy. But, in my attempt to raise my children as good Americans, here we are ready to go out on our trick-or-treating expedition. And, yes, Alina is dressed up as a princess. Again. The girls pose with their loot:

The jack-o-lantern. Alina did the general design, I actually did the carving.

Tassiaisms

TASSIA: Mama, can we go swimming pooling?

(Later, at the table)

ALINA: Mama, can I have more quince sauce?

TASSIA: Mama, can I have more get down?

(We did in fact go to the swimming pool today, and Tassia was allowed to leave the table.)

5 for 5

Alina turned 5 on Monday. Here she is at the breakfast table, with the loot that was waiting for her!Here is the cake we made for her birthday party, which was yesterday. The theme of the party was "Princesses", so we made a cake in the shape of a crown, and then Alina decorated it with candies she chose herself!

Here were all our little princesses!

Blowing out candles!

Posing for the picture!

Here she is modeling some of her new Princess attire:

We celebrate half-birthdays, too!

Yesterday, Tassia turned two and a half. We did not bake a cake, but I wanted to say a little bit about her anyway. Mostly because I'm feeling guilty about not keeping up on the little journals I'm keeping for the 3 girls, and here's a way to catch up on writing down some things I've missed.

When I think of what to say about Tassia, I end up with a smile on my face. She is so full of life, so funny. She still runs around every with her tongue sticking out, concentrating on getting the most out of whatever it is she's doing. She's starting to draw and color more, and is very definitely left-handed. (Thank you to whoever invented ambidextrous children's scissors. This is going to save her from the fate I suffered!) She loves to read books, and as soon as I finish a book, her response is, "More of dat!", which means, "Start over, Mom!" And, if I don't get it, she says, "More of dat book!" She has become my little helper, especially where dishes, sweeping, and baking are concerned. She will go get her "apowin" (ie apron) and ask me to "please buckle me up", meaning, please tie it around me. A few weeks ago, we had a problem with our oven. I had to explain to her that I could not bake Franklin a birthday cake, since our oven was broken. She laid her hand on my arm, looked up at me with her sweet face and, "I could help you fix it, if you want."

She will delight people in the street by randomly bursting into song, often "Jesus loves me". She recently decided that I needed to share my small French bible (that I often take to church) with her. I had put it on the bookcase, and she asked me, "Where is my ting to go Amen, Amen?"

Recently, she keeps asking us if we would like to go to the Tassia Restaurant. When I ask what kind of food it serves, she says, "Da kind you nike, and da kind Papa nike and the kind Nina nike." When asked where it is, she says, "Where dat man give us food." ????? If she really likes something, she may say that it's her "pavowit."

She likes to be like her big sister, look at books, and pick out letters. Usually it's the T for Tata! But sometimes, it's the C for cookie (Thank you, Cookie Monster and Sesame Street!)

Recently, she's gotten in the habit of snuggling up next to me, under my arm, and saying, "I'm cuddling wit you."

Hopefully, she won't grow out of that anytime soon.

The Littlest Princess

Hi, I'm Sybille! What are these bars? Is this a cage?

Hi! Here I am again!

I'd really love for you to pick me up!

No???

Well, then, I'm going to get you, anyway!

Way too cute!

In case you were wondering, our camera and computer are now once more speaking to each other, albeit through a mediator (aka USB card-reader.) Here, to catch up, is a hint of the random cuteness that runs through our house on a daily basis.

Celtic Days

We recently paid a visit to one of our favorite places: Exoudun. They are reconstructing a Gaulish village, and had a Celtic days. It was very back-to-nature: There were many activities, for kids and adults alike. Here Alina and I are practicing our sword-fighting as Tassia looks on.

Here as you can see, Tassia gets in on the action.

Here they go at it against each other (with Franklin as collateral damage).

And here they gang up on me! (As our friends look on and laugh!)

Sickies

Sick Alina. Sick Mama. Sybille seemed like she was a bit snuffly when I was trying to put her to sleep. Sick, sick, sick. And the school year (and the autumn) have barely started!

Sybille's 9th month

Today Sybille is 9 months old.  I would absolutely love to post some pictures, but our camera and our desktop computer are currently not speaking to each other, and our laptop asked me for drivers this afternoon, which I have yet to locate, so all those cute pictures are just going to stay safely tucked away in the camera for awhile.   At 8 and a half months, give or take a few days, Sybille decided that she prefers the upright position.  She now pulls herself up on everything.  She even scooted herself around our living room floor pushing on a kiddy-size wooden chair the other day.  Alina walked at 14 months.  Tassia at 18.  Something tells me Sybille is going to beat them both.  She has also decided that she absolutely needs to reach the top of the stairs under her own power.  Not if I can help it, Sybille!  You can wait awhile on that one!   She's started saying, "Mama."  Whenever she's upset, that is the syllable that comes out of her mouth.  Does it really designate me at this point?  I don't know, but since I'm often the one to come and fix whatever the problem is, it seems highly appropriate.  When she's happy, she belts out contented chains of "Ba Ba Ba" or "Da Da Da."  We could therefore say that she says "Dada" when she's happy, but that would be a bit of a stretch.   The tooth count is up to 5, and if her sleeping pattern for the last 2 days is an indication, another one may be on its way.  She's managed to bite me a few times.  Why, when this happens, do I end up having to comfort her?   She's an expert at picking up lint off the floor.  Pebbles, too.  You know, the ones her sisters collect and bring in the house.  As far as I know, she has yet to ingest anything dangerous.  But, maybe I'm just better off in the dark.   She has a funny way of puffing out her lips and blowing. Practicing for birthday candles already?  Fortunately, we have awhile...

Never

If your 2 and a half year old presses her nose up against the bakery window and begins to pick out which pastry she would like, do not reply, "We don't need to buy those cakes.  We can always make a cake when we get home," unless you actually have the intention of making said cake upon entering the house.