Easy Rolls

Wanting to make a special supper for the family I was leaving behind last week, I pulled out a recipe thought to be a nice complement to my meal. I "lovingly" gathered all the ingredients, measured, poured and endured my mouth watering as I mixed. What I so heedlessly forgot was the necessity of this bread dough resting in the refrigerator overnight.

Oh my!

We have had these easy rolls now three times since my return. Tonight I pulled out the big glass bowl from the extra refrigerator in the garage ( I honestly do not know what I would do without this overflow refrigerator), rolled out the triangular shapes and formed them into entwined crescents.

Easy Rolls

1 package of yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Add the sugar, eggs, and butter. Add the salt to the flour and blend this together with liquid in mixer. Do not over mix. Place dough in buttered bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator overnight.

The next day, divide the dough into three pieces. Roll out each piece on a floured surface into a circle a little thicker than you would a pie crust. Cut the dough into twelve triangles. Roll each triangle from wide end to narrow end.

Place on parchment paper a few inches apart and form into crescents. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature about 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until light golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.

I put the remaining dough, covered tightly, back into the refrigerator after I get the amount of intended rolls for my meal. Yes, while we could eat the entire batch.....

This way I am able to get about three meals from this recipe. I have kept the dough up to a week with good results.

My family is happily satisfied with my return and these rolls.

Rainy Day Pleasures

A day of darkness and clouds as pelting raindrops and intermittent streams of water ran down my pathways.

A day with a settling in mood which must be relished with total pleasure. We were planning a trip to Michaels this afternoon to buy sundry art items, but it felt too right to stay inside where it was snug and dry.

Charlotte and I made another apple cake, this time with walnuts. The leftover apple peels and a stick of cinnamon were put on the back of the stove top to simmer. My house smelled like apple pie just pulled out of the oven. We all enjoyed tea by candlelight this afternoon. Vivaldi playing in the background ....all around my kitchen table.





Tonight Mr. Putter attends his second class in obedience training. My husband and Rose are the elected handlers. Remember my job is to walk him....he was quite out of shape when I returned home after being gone for three days and therefore, our walk on Monday morning left him with tongue hanging out and lagging behind......several days without exercise makes one quite lax. But I certainly was able to stay in shape in the mountains. I walked up and down, across and over, and I visited the most serene prayer garden Friday morning. A wooden bridge went across a gurgling, singing brook. I was so rueful to have forgotten my camera, it was so absolutely worthless back home on the dining room table.


Since the weather was deliciously cooler, we turned off the AC and opened the windows. I could hear the rainsong even more....so lovely.

And Charlotte wore a tiara to the tea.....all this along with sugar cubes!

A Rose by any other name......

Rose who is twelve.

She makes me smile way down deep.

My blessing of her is indescribable.

Miles to go

Leaving home while my family stays behind is always arduous for me. I plan to have healthy, delicious meals precooked in the refrigerator, all clothes hampers emptied of dirty laundry, pantry shelves filled with favorite foods, and the house spotlessly cleaned and organized. Then the day before departure comes and I am so busy with daily duties there's no time for all the extras. I find myself wondering how in the world I ever thought I would be able to do all those things in the first place!

Today was such a day. I leave tomorrow with a very dear friend for a women's prayer conference in the mountains. I shall be gone for three days and two nights, which seems forever at the present time. I choose to look up and surrender this to His all abiding grace too. I can get overwhelmed and frustrated or I can look to Him who provides for me and orders my every step. I am already refreshed by his goodness to me.

"Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you." Psalms 116:7

A "new" table

One of the first pieces of furniture my husband and I purchased when we got married was this oak table. We used it in our breakfast room until five years ago when I decided to get a rectangular table. Then it was moved from place to place until it finally ended up in the garage; another place to dump books, ice chests, old boxes of clothes, etc. I found myself eyeing that table more intensely until I started wondering about painting it....and why not distressing it....and why not moving it back into the kitchen?

All this is fine and good. But I had to convince my older son and husband to help with this project. That was not the hard part. However, it took quite a bit of convincing for my husband to be willing to sand a newly painted table.....but he obliged.... because he loves me so!

I love my "new" table. Thank you dear heart......

Les Miserables

My husband and I made a quick stop by the video store this weekend. I was hoping to find this movie but was disappointed to discover they did not carry it. The clerk said she hasn't even had anyone request it in years so I don't think my request made any difference on hoping to find it on the shelves in the future.

However, we were able to pick up Les Miserables and last night after church, upon tucking the girls in bed, my husband popped up some old fashioned skillet popcorn and we settled down to watch it. I truly can not believe I have never seen this movie. It was stupendous! Such lingering thoughts have stayed with me all day from this film because it was a true story of redemption that reaches deep into the human soul. The themes of grace, mercy, love and forgiveness were central and the analogies were remarkable.

(A very special thanks goes to Jacqui, who so kindly explained to me how to use the link function on my posts!).

Ticking and Snipping

Simple noises abiding side by side with the silence of early morning - like the gentle ticking of this little clock, a cherished gift from a friend after her visit to Vienna.
The dark and the rain kept me inside this early morning and I reacquainted myself with its steadfast and soothing sound. I find myself enveloped in its whispered rhythm. It will not be heard above the din of activity that my family brings with the beginnings of their day.
Because today was Saturday there were hopes of spending concentrated time on sewing. Several dress projects for Charlotte have been gathering dust and were crying for the creation of intended purposes.



My new Gingher scissors glide across this lovely fabric, a future pinafore which will be adorned with nine of the daintiest pale pink buttons coursing down its front.



I can't help holding my breath as the first sound of snipping begins.

Beach Towel Adieu

I love beach towels. They shout summer to me; brightly colored towels draped over porches at the beach, figure printed towels wrapped around dripping wet children at the pool, and warm, dry towels being pulled out of the clothes dryer. So along with the flow of our day, I packed and stored the beach towels away until next year. I felt as if I was saying goodbye to old friends.

Quintessence

It felt as if Thanksgiving and Christmas were combined together and this day was the gift. Since our homeschooling is now in full swing, Rose had her last morning riding lesson. We will be changing to Monday afternoons starting next week.
So this beautiful morning I walked around the farm and shot pictures of whatever caught my fancy. Many things did..... Rose on Riley of course.

The barn stimulated my nose with its new cut hay smells. I make note of all the necessities for equine.
I can truly appreciate these things when I realize all this has the same appeal for my daughter as a yarn or fabric shop does for me.A raven beauty sits to lay her daily egg. I didn't even ruffle her feathers as I made a stop by the hen house.

And what would a farm be without a cat? This contented one answers to Oreo. He knows he has a bit of heaven.

The cloudless blue sky, the low humidity, and the warm sunshine all contributed to making this a rather quintessential kind of morning.

Full Morning Course

Saturdays and holidays always lend such an air for full breakfast service.
Through the years this has been our custom. My husband truly makes the best breakfasts so he is the main cook. Except the biscuits, that's my part. When the weather is good, eating outside is the added bonus. Such pleasant times we have shared and it is one of the things I hope my children will think back to with fondness.

This morning being a holiday found us gathered around the patio table. Hunger was astir and we were anticipating such bounty and could hardly wait. The appetizing food was all placed on the wrought-iron table, everyone was appropriately seated. Oops! This will not do at all; "someone" had forgotten the plates!

Coffee machine

Woke up yesterday morning and just as I do every single morning, I put the water, coffee filter and coffee grounds into the coffee machine. Ah, the blessing of electricity and simple machines! But the little knob that always blinks on red when I hit it did nothing! I worked that little knob and worked that little knob.....nothing. Just the thought of not having my morning coffee was making me want it even more. My husband was out of town, so I had Alan try it especially since he, like his mother, looks forward to his morning cup of coffee. Nothing! So I did what anyone in their right mind or in this case their caffeine deprived mind would do, I sent him to Hardees to buy us a fresh cup of coffee. I found myself so very thankful to live only a hop, skip and a jump from conveniences such as fast food stores.

When my husband came home last evening I told him our newest dilemma, he proceeded over to the coffee machine, pushed the little knob up......red light. No malfunction whatsoever. So this morning with trepidation I pushed the knob.....viola! The coffee machine seemed to purr as it came on. It seems I wasn't the only one that was missing my husband!