I Heart Sourdough

It's been awhile since I made sourdough bread and my starter died an early death. Happily, my mom got some new starter and graciously shared with me, so I'm back in business.

Risen dough


Loaves formed



Risen loaves


Final product


Apparently my family likes it. I baked a loaf yesterday and it's gone. It was one loaf out of the same batch, so it was twice the size of the two loaves above.

I'm using a slightly different recipe than in the past, but the nice thing is that it's much quicker than my old method. At this rate, I may be baking a loaf every day or two, so that could come in handy.

50 cubed - week 5

Sometimes life forces your hand. All my lamenting over not drinking enough water has now been addressed in one fell swoop, thankyouverymuch.

I have some dental issues. The kind that involve pain. A lot of pain. And not sleeping. So I made a last-minute trip to the dentist on Tuesday. After x-raying a few teeth, assessing my issues, assigning me rinses and pastes and such, he mentioned that I should stay away from low pH sodas and other sugary drinks.

I assume he was referring to Cherry Dr Pepper.

Well then.

I guess I'll be drinking water, won't I? In fact, I've had no soda of any kind since Monday. I have, however, had a LOT of water. A pretty glass makes it taste better, too. Along with a fun straw.

Yes, it was my WW shot, but it fits. So there you go.

Wordless Wednesday - Summertime

Check out Live From Waterloo and the Wordless Wednesday hub for more wordlessness.

50 cubed - week 4

I almost wussed bailed on posting this week. I mean it's kind of a downer to just hear how much I can't drink water. I do not know what on earth is wrong with me.

{We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post. Dianne just hit some keys that caused a crazy window to show up at the bottom of the screen with all her blog code. What keys did she hit? Where did that come from? Can she do it again? The answer to these and other questions may never be known. So we return you to your in-progress blog post.}

In the past, I've done a MUCH better job of drinking more water. It's almost as if the more I want to drink water, the less I do. It's insane, really. The big water jug? Yeah, that's working out great. NOT. The Mio? Ditto. I still can get a couple of days in with good water consumption and the rest? Not so much.

And it's been HOT here. Like upper 90s! Usually when it's hot, I'm MUCH better about drinking water.

I think I need to ground myself or something. Because I'm really not obeying well. At. All.

So yes, this is a couple days late. Yes, I tried to skip it. But I felt sorta guilty. What kind of accountability is that to myself if I just happen to not post? None. Zip Nada.

So, true confessions. Other than today, I've still been doing poorly with the water. Oh. And while I'm at it? The flaxseed is still sitting on the server. I stopped consuming it, too.

I am my own worst enemy.

One tiny victory, though. While I did have iced chai latte this morning, I went the entire day without soda - as in drinking WATER - until a late dinner tonight. But even then, I didn't have much. It just wasn't cutting it for me. Which is a good thing.

It's the beginning of a new habit. Right? One small step for . . . oh never mind. You get the picture.

Welcome Back Franklin

Many, many year ago, in a land far away (well, maybe just across town), I worked in corporate America. Our company had a Franklin Certified Trainer. As in Franklin day planners. I was fortunate enough to get to attend said training.

It rocked and I was hooked.

I had a very good relationship with my Franklin planner for a long time. But somewhere along the way, life had fallen into a slightly more laid back mode, and Franklin was a little cumbersome for a handful of To Dos and some homeschooling. So he sat on the shelf. Occasionally, I'd feel the need to have a planner, but something smaller, leaner. I tried a variety of options. Each had its benefits and worked for a time. But Franklin was always there, quietly waiting. He knew his replacements could never compete.

And he was right.

While in Denver last week, I stopped off at the Franklin store. Yes, I know it's Franklin-Covey, but I met Franklin when he was solo. None of those helpful or successful or purposeful habits or anything. Just the meat and potatoes of the Franklin system. The system I love. The system I can pick up at any time and be transformed into Organized & Efficient Woman.

But I digress.

I had to wait until July 1 to get back into my Franklin routine. The refills begin either then or January 1. Well, I certainly can't wait around until next year to get my act together.

And now, here we are - July 1, 2011. The first day back together with my Franklin planner. Sigh. Look out all you pieces of my disorganized and fragmented life. I've got a partner this time and together, we're taking names and kicking butt.



Happy sigh.