It turns out...

...bread really does need yeast to rise. Ok, I already knew that. But, I did learn that you have to include the yeast before you knead the dough.

The night before Easter, at around 9:00, I remembered that I had planned to serve cinnamon buns for breakfast. I have made them many times before and they are delicious and well worth the super effort to make them. Unfortunately, I took on this project after it was already too late. Being the optimist, though, I decided to just go for it. In the rush to get the dough rising, I forgot a few ingredients. Most importantly, the yeast. At about 10:30, when cleaning up the kitchen mess, I realized my mistake. Really wanting to save the cinnamon buns, I improvised. I mixed the yeast with a little warm water and tried to knead it into the dough, adding a little flour to counteract the extra water. Then, with fingers crossed, I went to bed to allow the dough to rise in privacy.

By morning, nothing had happened. I went ahead and continued the recipe. By the end, they tasted like cinnamon buns, but they were super dense. I suffered through eating more than my share. :)

Lesson learned: Don't take on more than I can reasonably do. And, don't forget the yeast!

First week of April

UPDATED! 3/9/10

Maybe if I make my to-do list public it will actually get done...

For the first week of April:
1. Make 3 diapers (two experimental and one normal)
2. Make more grandma buns for Easter dinner - DONE!
3. Make more tortillas (using new cooking method)
4. Sheatshirt project - DONE!
   I wanted to do this but, I'm not sure I like it yet.

5. Start cutting out denim strips for my blanket project - DONE! (well, started! :))

6. Dye Easter eggs - DONE!

That is probably enough for now, but I will keep adding to it, I'm sure.

New Skills

I was excited (and a little nervous) to teach Olivia how to sew. I have always loved to sew, but I think I learned when I was 12. She's 4. She did great!

My mom bought her a real adult sewing machine. In order to make it a little safer for her, I took apart the foot pedal and fashioned a cardboard tube to just the right height to keep her from pressing the pedal down all the way. The machine is still fully functional, but she just can't send it into hyperspeed.

Her first lesson was just to get her comfortable with the machine and to experiment with the different stitches and stitch lengths. After a few attemps, she got used to going in a straight line and applying the right pressure to the fabric. I was so excited to see her sewing. I really almost cried.

A sample of her work on one of my fabric scraps.