Bread Baking

I woke up this morning thinking that I would make just a few more things to put in our freezer and take to my dad. And I did, but it turned into a day-long job. Good thing my freezer is full so I have to stop cooking and baking.

I thought I would include a picture of my food slicer I break out when I have a lot of bread to slice. I bought this probably twenty years ago. The width can be adjusted. It all comes apart pretty easily for cleaning. I've used it for bread, meat and cheese. This is a loaf of English Muffin Bread. I found the recipe on Pinterest. Here's the link if you want to know.

 

 I am thankful for...

...the smell of my mom's Swedish Rye Bread baking

...the recipe card with the Swedish Rye Bread recipe written in my mom's handwriting

...a fun chat session on Facebook this evening with an old college friend. Our chat ranged from bad cooking to weather to geography to the mental struggle of realizing our parents are aging and we are all grown up now.

...a husband who washes the dishes after supper

Homemade

I am thankful for...
...homemade chicken noodle soup
...homemade biscuits
...homemade chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with pecans
...a very loving and accepting husband

I Don't Want to Talk About It

I'm not going to talk about the snow that fell out of the sky today and accumulated a little. I'm not going to talk about how much I don't like winter in Minnesota.

I am thankful for...
...a nice warm house
...prayer time with my sweet husband
...beef and broccoli stir fry I made for supper tonight
...clean sheets for our bed
...warm jammies
...iced tea to drink all year round
...the steel cut oats I made in the slow cooker yesterday and warmed up for breakfast this morning

The Haul

Here's a collage of the fabrics I bought last week when I got lost in the ginormous fabric warehouse.

Most of these are intended to use as baby gifts someday. The piles with polka dots and letters and the pink pastels are all flannel.

I decided to collect some yellows and grays for a someday quilt for me. I am totally into those colors. I see a guest room with yellows and grays in my future.

I am thankful for...
...fabric
...Hubby encouraging me to add to my fabric collection :)
...my mom teaching me to sew when I was 9 years old. I am so thankful for those skills.
...homemade spicy tomato soup and grilled cheese for supper

Sunday

Today we spent the day with my mom. We hadn't been to see her since she moved to a skilled care home. She seems to have a nice room with a decent view. She does physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy five days a week. She has made a lot of progress, but will never ever be the same. I think what breaks my heart the most is Mom's inability to talk. I know she wants to tell me things, but can't. Hubby and I took her to a chapel service in the home this morning. I heard Mom hum along a little bit to the old Swedish hymn Children of the Heavenly Father. (My mom is 100% Swedish.) I cried.

I am thankful for...
...the people who take care of my mom
...my dad's devotion to my mom (I cannot express this enough)
...hugs and kisses and smiles from my mom
...chatting on-line with my son this evening
...a frozen yogurt stop on the way home
...continuing to read Tom Sawyer to Hubby in the car (I have never read this book)

A Family Day

I am thankful for...
...a day with my in-laws in their new apartment
...being able to spend a little time with my sister-in-law
...a nice quiet dinner with my hubby finished off with some glorious aimless roaming around at Target

I Think I Will

The last two Novembers I have posted each day of the month something I was thankful for. Even though I posted something every single day in October I think I will go ahead with my thankful posts this month. It really helps my mindset, you know?

This weekend we are visiting our parents. We stopped at my parents' house (on the way to see the in-laws) to drop off some freezer meals I made for my dad. We had a good quick visit with Dad. And from that comes a few things I am thankful for:

I am thankful for:
...my husband being willing to do the majority (by far) of the driving when we are on road trips
...junk food pit-stops
...being able to witness what the vows: to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part  in action through my dad's devotion to my mom. It's a beautiful thing.