Just call me Martha Stewart

Well, I did it! In my efforts of making our own bread I finally attempted something new and different and strayed away from the traditional loaf and made croissant rolls. I even took pics of the finished product.......but as any family with way too many kids, our camera got set in water and now won't download anything. Brad said we might can get a cable and use the port from camera to computer or possibly just get a new dock for it. So, I'm still taking tons of pictures.....they're just all stuck in the camera at this point. I suppose it's a good thing that the memory card holds 150 pics....since seeing as how by the time we do get to download them all 150 pictures will probably be taken and ready to go.

Anyway, so I even went the entire distance this time around and ground up the whole wheat flour from the wheat berries. That was done only out of sheer necessity though and was most definitely unplanned since I just kind of ran out of freakin flour while making the rolls. I've done good so far but haven't really been ready to experiment with the whole grinding of the wheat thing. But, since afterall, necessity is the mother of all invention, I dug out the flour mill and set to work on the grinding of the wheat berries. There has never been a prouder moment in my entire cooking career either, I might add. I felt like a pretty version of Martha Stewart. There I was in my own kitchen with makeup on and my hair coiffed just so and all I really pretty much lacked was an apron to complete the look. I had my little rolling pin out and my little pizza cutter to cut out the triangles before they headed into their predestined croissant shapes. I put in my yeast and let the bread rise and did all of the necessary stuff. It was much more fun than just making plain bread.......though I think the plain bread tastes better than the whole roll thing did. I felt like quite the accomplished wife/mother/cook/health food guru. So, it was quite a step in my making of the bread endeavors. I have become quite the cook these days.

I also received the book "Once a Month Cooking" by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg from Pam, Brad's mom, for my birthday. I have devoured that book in an attempt to get my whole 30 day cooking plan down better. I did pretty well the 1st little while but then I hit the roadbumps. Roadbumps such as not nearly enough dishes and pans to store and freeze all the food in and needing the money to go out and by all the needed grocery items beforehand all at one time. We tend to grocery shop as God provides the money....kind of like the manna plan God had the Israelites on. We definitely don't storehouse food at this point in our lives.....though just as it was a season in the Israelites sojourn so I am sure this is only for a season in our lives. Perhaps maybe a lifelong season????? I am excited to see what other twists and turns there are in our healthier, homemade lifestyle change as we see what all we can grow and raise as part of our food source. Anyway, the croissant endeavor was definitely a step in the right direction.

On a different note, the latest happenings are the cruddy stuff going around. As typical for TX we had no fall. It went from highs of 90 degrees to highs of 30 degrees in 2 days with no in between. Grant has a probable ear infection and Aubrey started telling me this morning that her "ear is broken" and that "it doesn't work anymore". So far no pain complaints but I figure there is fluid of some sort sitting back there clogging up her hearing and we need to get it out before the infection sets in. Grant is now up at night with his ear issues at least 20 times screaming and crying and I am quite certain that even the kindest, most patient, merciful, loving parent would find it hard not to pinch his wailing head off at 2 am and then 3 am and then again at 4 am and then again at 4:30 am and then again at 5 and 6 am. It will definitely try a parent's soul. Last night he started up again and all I could do was look at Brad in exasperation. After more Motrin, ear drops, water and some time in our bed he went back to his bed.....only to start it all up again. So, with as much patience as I could muster, I went back in and got him again. He went straight to the bathroom and got 1/4 of a square of toilet paper and attempted to wipe his butt through his pajamas. Being quite the rainman that he is he got all frustrated with that and sheer exasperation on his part reigned. I went to pull his little pj's down to see if I could wipe him and make him feel better, seeing as how something was obviously not quite right where his butt was concerned, and suddenly I realized he was soaking wet. He's only wet the bed once since he's been sleeping in underwear so it was a surprise. Suddenly overcome with remorse and mercy for him I stripped him down in the 30 below house...as Brad has not quite seen the need to make use of the heater yet.....and cleaned him up. With Grant's side of the bed now all wet I went in and got his pillow, blanket and puppy and made a little bed for him on our floor with the chair/fold out bed. Now dressed in clean dry underwear and warm flannel pj's he fell asleep quickly and I was filled with shame as I thought about all of the medication I had just dumped down him thinking it was yet, once again, his ear.

In my never ending, round the clock care of being Dr Mom, waging war with the runny noses, congestion, watery eyes, ear aches and so on, I too succumbed to some form of feelings of ill health. Ugh. Knowing it definitely was not my allergies responsible for yet another sinus infection I began to feel like quite the bedridden sickling. Sure enough another round of mastitis kicked in. The fever started along with the overall feelings of absolute crap and imminent hours of wanting to be confined to the bed yet having to carry on while Brad works. My entire body began to ache and the all too flu like symptoms carried a certain specific torture with it. So, I began the hot showers and nursing through it all in an effort to try and get through it without meds. Somewhere in Brad's overheated body he found life quite comfy with not turning on the heater and so, as my fever began to rise, the already 3o degrees in the house began to feel like 30 below. After he arrived home I curled up under the comforter, and 2 more massive extra blankets and shivered while my hands, nose and toes all began to go quite numb in my Antarctic state. For 2 days I didn't feel like doing anything except the absolute necessities and finally for the first time last night I actually felt half way normal again. We curled up together in bed after the children were all down for the night and finally turned out the lights. Then the night shift came with Grant's wetting of the bed and then Gavin, who has been sleeping through the night for a little over 2 months now, waking twice. In our 40 below house it didn't take long to come to the realization that he too was quite an ice baby. So, I brought him to bed with us and snuggled his little tiny body up against me as he nursed. He fell asleep all warm and toasty up against me and so we slept the rest of the night quite peacefully.....Gavin and I under no less than 3 blankets. We woke up to the house thermostat reading 64 degrees....which translates to 64 below when fever is accompanied with it.

So, here I sit still running fever as Grayson and Evye gripe about the fact they unwisely chose to watch Cars in the middle of the day instead of responsibly doing the remainder of their school work and chores. After giving 3 well deserved spankings (2 to Grayson and 1 to Evye) and being told that Brad is a kinder parent than I am they are now back chiseling away at their lists that were supposed to be accomplished hours ago. I wish I felt good enough to go to the park and let them run.....but, as it is, I am perfectly at peace with camping out right here and letting them work their little butts off and then releasing them out to their freedom. With the chill autumn wind blowing from the north and already feeling crapped out I'm kind of in the mood just to curl up under some big covers sipping down hot Chicken Noodle soup while watching old reruns of Little House on the Prairie. Pathetic, I know.

Oh.....and here's an odd bit of info. In my feelings of utter crapiness I was tired of feeling bad. So, seeing them all completely wonderfully happy on the trampoline yesterday and having the absolute time of their little lives I went out to take pics of them. They all danced and jumped around it and Grayson and Evye took turns teaching the little ones to do flips. Finally, tired of seeing their vain attempts going nowhere, I got on there with them in an effort to show them how to get the most out of their jumps in order to complete the entire flip. And so, fever and all, I jumped and did flips with them in the afternoon sun. Grayson, ever so lovingly, told me afterwards that while I was doing it he was scared to death that I was going to kill myself. Thank you, Grayson. While my 32 year old 5 foot 7 inch frame may no longer weigh 130 pds and be in quite the bootcamp shape that it was in years gone by I am not quite the walking....or jumping.....hazard that that statement made me out to be. Oh....and I saw Jay Johnson, from our days of bootcamp while living in FW, on TV the other night. He did all the familiar routines with the cheerleaders and it made me miss him so much. I think I might go back and live in FW if for no other reason than just to be a part of bootcamp again. I miss him. Anyway, but yes, I successfully got on there and showed my children, all of whom thought it exceedingly hysterically funny, how to do flips on the trampoline.

Alright, on to take more Tylenol and get down some more hot tea in an effort to warm my continually frozen body up.