Christmas…

2009… I’ve finally done a scrapbook page.  Christmas last year was such a blur.  We moved into our new house 11 December.  (I can’t believe it’s been almost a year!)  A little over 3 weeks after going under contract on our old house, with a trip to California in the middle of it all for Thanksgiving.  We managed to get the tree up, but only the lights on it.  This year will be much better… I didn’t just jinx myself, did I?

 

Pesto Bread

I made this quite awhile ago and boy is it yummy!

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup skim milk powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 5 -5 1/2 cups bread flour

Filling:

• 2/3 cup pesto (I love the pesto at Costco.  It’s fresh, so if you don’t use it fast it will go bad.  I put a few tablespoons in snack sized bags and freeze it.)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan

 

In a large bowl combine the water, olive oil, sugar, skim milk powder, salt and instant yeast. Mix till well blended. Add in a cup of flour and beat with a wooden spoon till smooth. Add in another cup of flour and do the same. Now, sprinkle a half cup of flour onto a flat surface and pour out the dough on top. Begin to knead and slowly add in more flour till the dough no longer sticks to the table. Knead for about 8 - 10 minutes. Add a little olive oil into a large bowl ( about a tablespoon ). Place dough into the bowl and turn over a few times to lightly coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for an hour or till double in bulk.

Pour out the dough onto a very lightly floured surface. Cut in half. Using your fingers flatten out one of the pieces. Roll out to a 9 x 14 rectangle. Spread half the pesto and 1/4 of a cup Parmesan on top. Bring in the side by a half inch and then roll the dough like a jelly roll. Pinch the seam closed. Take a sharp knife and cut down the center length wise. Open the jelly roll exposing the inside of the roll.

 

Take the two cut pieces and braid them together with the cut side always facing up. Place the bread into a greased 4 1/2 X 8 inch loaf pan. Now, repeat this whole process with the second piece of dough. Then cover both loaves with plastic wrap and allow to rest for an hour or till double in bulk.

 

Sprinkle the tops with the remaining Parmesan cheese and place into a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 - 35 minutes. Check the bread about 10 minutes before they are finished to see if you need to cover with tin foil if they are getting to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

 

So far behind…

I’m not sure where to start.  I’m hoping that 31 for 21 will help me get back into the swing of blogging.  I’m behind in my scrapbooking too.  I’m hoping that will change this month too.  So look for a post every day and hopefully a few pages too.  Here are a couple of funny pictures…  look close at the sign so you know what you are looking at…

      

Join Us!

I have been a horrible blogger lately, but this month that changes.  It's October and that means Down's Syndrome Awareness Month, so join the journey!

Change...

Before...

During...

After!

Time...

There is a saying... "Time heals all wounds."  I think it's true, but some days are better then others.  I'm grateful for the knowledge that we have of a loving Heavenly Father that has enabled us to be with our families for eternity, if we but do what is asked and required of us.

This was taken 1 August, 2010.  I wish I could have captured the whole sky that evening.  It was the smile that my heart needed.  We love you Joseph Patterson Francom.

Health Insurance...

In May we received notice from our health care provider that if we had been with them for more then 2 years, we could reapply and see if we qualified for a lower rate.  We then received a letter from our agent stating the same thing, so I contacted her.  I couldn't remember how long we had been with then.  She told me we had been with them for the allotted 2 years and e-mailed me the reapply form.

As I started to fill out the form, there was a line asking if the policy holder, or anyone on the policy, could be pregnant and a box to check.  We had been trying to have a baby for a couple of years, so it was a possibility, but I was VERY doubtful.

It was day 27 of my cycle, middle of the day.  I had one dip in the cup test strip, so I thought I'll take it and can send the form in and not worry about it.  I took the test (mind you I'm not late and it was the middle of the day) and 2 very faint lines came up.  I couldn't believe it!  I kept looking at the test strip, holding it up in different lights, making sure what I thought I was seeing was really there.  Then I called Rick....  this is how the conversation went...  "I talked to the insurance agent and she sent me the form and it said this and I um took a test and it um has 2 lines."  I asked him to PLEASE stop at the store on his way home and get a 2 pack of the digital pregnancy tests so that we could really be sure.

When he came home that night and looked at the test I had taken earlier in the day, he was a little underwhelmed.  He said, "You can hardly see the lines."  And I said, "Can you see 2 lines?"  "Yes"  "Well, 2 lines are 2 lines, it doesn't matter how dark they are."  When I woke up the next morning I took one of the digital tests... Pregnant popped up within a minute.  I don't think I have EVER had one come back so quickly, especially considering I wasn't even late!  It was only day 28.  I got back in bed, I thought Rick was still asleep, but he rolled over and said, "Well?"  When I told him it was positive, he cried.  (He's not going to like that I just told everyone that, but he doesn't check my blog that often, so shhh... don't tell.)

I still think I'm a little shocked, in denial, holy cow about it all.  Rick's sister, Melanie, is an ultra-sound tech and she is going to scan me in 2 weeks to find out what we are having.  All the boys want a boy and the girls want a girl.  Evelyn has come to terms, and is ok, with the fact that it could be another boy.  She was extremely bitter when we told her Max was a boy (she was only 3), and I didn't want a repeat of that.  I'm glad she's ok with things.  I don't really have a feeling one way or the other.  There are times that this pregnancy reminds me of Evelyn's and other times it reminds me of the boys.

If pattern hold true though, this has to be a girl.  Whatever my Grant & Brittani have, we have and their 4th is a girl.  I'd hate to mess up the pattern.  My mom has already bought 2 girl outfits, I told her she was going to jinx it!  This will be grandbaby #14 for my parents and we are a little heavy on the boys... 8 of the 13 are boys.  I also think my sister is ready to get rid of all the girl clothes!  This is grandbaby #5 for Rick's parents and Evelyn is the only girl.  Which could be nice for her, but I think she really wants a sister.

So Behind...

I realize that it's been awhile... so much has happened.  Trip to California, birthdays, baby....  I'll try and get caught up this week.  To kick things off, I thought I would share some pictures of my new do!