A lot of times I feel like I have very little to give when it comes to holidays. I like to give home made gifts, and sometimes they take a lot of thinking about before I come up with something. The Pres is such a thoughtful gift giver. Even right before Valentines' week, I had come up with nothing. It goes without saying I always want to make a card, but what else? I finally thought of reuben sandwiches, which are one of the Pres' favorite things that I almost never make.
This year, part of my Valentine to the Pres and Fidget was ciabatta bread. This word ciabatta comes from the Italian for slipper. So sometimes we call it slipper bread. But the taste is far from shoe-like. And it would be perfect for showcasing the special taste of reubens.
The biga, or starter, has to be prepared a day in advance. It is in the green milk glass bowl, above. It has to be added bit by bit to the ciabatta dough in the mixer. While it takes almost half an hour to add, it makes a wonderfully complex taste, like sourdough. The biga and ciabatta come from this book, The Village Baker, which I highly recommend.
After a little while the dough rose and bubbled like a science experiment. Bread is so exciting!
I wish this had smell-o-vision. There's nothing like the aroma of bread dough, especially the tang of an artisan bread dough.
This recipe makes four loaves, plenty to keep and share. You also have the option while at this stage, of saving some for grissini, that is, Turinese Breadsticks, but I can never make myself do it.
Naturally I forgot to take photos of the reubens on Valentine's Day. These loaves were enough for reubens, as well as served another night with butter and my sister in law's wonderful spiced lentil soup. One morning Fidget had the bread with honey butter for breakfast. And I brought some soup and bread to two friends. I love it when baking works out and there's plenty to share.
Lately I am learning about the sacrifice of praise as God has given me several friends with new babies. I had so longed for another baby, and I thought that desire was settled and put behind me. But I am finding that desire is still there, that my heart can become restless with the thought.
When people ask me how I know God is real, this is how I know: He can fill in where I sorely lack. He has flooded me with joy for others' new babies to the point where it has surprised me. I feel strengthened by praising Him, not only for what He has given me, but for what He hasn't. And because I have had a friend miscarry a baby this week, I also feel sympathetic and able to comfort her in a way I couldn't otherwise. God truly does know what He's doing. And He has been good to me.
Some of the greatest blessings are the unseen joys of the heart.
Our Pooh Bear is a faithful bear. He has seen many hard days of use since he entered the family around 1970. He used to have a wind-up musical feature playing the familiar Winnie the Pooh melody, but I dropped him in the pool when I was still very small and it never worked after that. To comfort myself, I used to wind the key backwards, playing a jangle of notes, and because I did that, when the Pres tried to fix it a few years ago, it was impossible. My back-winding had broken off the fingers or the nubs that made the sound when it was wound.
But Pooh was still loved and happy and our Fidget has loved him for seven years now. In the past few years he has taken to dressing up for Halloween. First he was a giraffe.
Then he was the Cowardly Lion. He liked this one so well that he kept it for two Halloweens. But this week it is being retired.
This week under his costume Fidget felt that one of Pooh's legs was falling off, so we had to do a little bit of surgery. You can see Fidget tried to get into the spirit of it with her little doctor kit. The evening was very traumatic for Fidget. She did cry, but was satisfied she could still hear his heart beat and knew he would be all right.
When a bear is over forty years old, it is hard to put a stitch where it will stay. So I sewed the leg up and then we settled for satin tourniquets for a leg and an arm. The other leg and arm could use them too, but we stopped there. And Pooh seemed happy.
For now, he is back in his cowardly lion suit and his read sweater vest with the Marine Corps rank and insignia. But I am working on his new Captain America suit. Another young upstart Pooh who has lived with us about 5 years is going to try taking over as the carry-around Pooh. If they have matching costumes we expect this should go over reasonably well. The old Pooh does not want to stay home, but he is so fragile we don't want to risk it--
He is one loved bear.
Here's something I'm working on from a photo I took in Belgium in 2000. I have always loved the look of this old post box. The painting, oil on canvas 16" x 20", is a present for a friend who is coming to visit us soon. I can't wait.
Here's something for a little fellow I have yet to meet. Tomorrow, dear friends are adopting a little boy who was just born yesterday. It is so exciting to see God work, so faith-building to pray and see Him answer! What joy that God uses the miracle of birth to bring happiness to a couple far away through adoption. I do hope I get to meet the little baby soon. In the meantime I pray he will stay cozy. I know he is already so loved, he can't even fathom it.
The free pattern for this hooded jacket (made in Plush yarn for their website but I used Classic Elite Sprout in 'Chicory' color) is called Baby Yeti, by the team at www.berroco.com. I got it from my favorite knitting site, www.ravelry.com If you are a knitter check it out!
Happy New Year! It is such fun to goof off during the holidays. The past day or so I've been using up my precious scraps of Cascade 220 Superwash Paints Yarn making a tea mitten for my new Brown Betty tea pot. Colors: Juniper Berries and Celtic which are mixes of blue-greens and greens, are perfect for a cheery morning cuppa.
Antique buttons from my dear friend Moke's Aunt Helen's button stash were the perfect finishing touch.
With such a charming way to start the day, who could resist? I hope to host many friends for tea in the coming year.
