The Best Bread Ever....sorry, it's not whole wheat

 
For four loaves of bread...

6 cups very warm water
3 slight T of both yeast and salt
13 scooped and shaken cups of unbleached flour

Mix together in very large bowl that has a lid
Let sit out for a few hours, then  refrigerate

Now you can have fresh bread four times throughout the week.

TO make the bread:
Heat oven to 500
Place cake pan full of water in the oven on bottom rack

Take out dough,  It is sticky. 
(I don't have a peel, nor a stone, so this is how I have learned to do it)

Grease your baking sheet, and sprinkle corn meal where the bread is going to go
Put about 1/4 cup flour in a small circle on your counter
With a wet hand, scoop about 1/4 of the dough, about a small cantaloupe size
Using the flour, shape the dough.  You do not want to work the flour into the dough, you only want to make a "skin" on the dough with the flour.
Making a "boule" or ball, round shape is easiest, but you can pull it long and make a french shaped loaf.
Once shaped, place on baking sheet and let sit for 30 minutes.
After 30 mins, make slices across the top and place into steamy hot oven.
Turn temp down to 450 and set timer for 25-30 minutes.
Should be a nice golden brown, crispy on outside, chewy in the middle
Let cool a little before eating if you can wait.

THis is really simple, but you have to follow the directions perfectly.  Once you learn the routine, you can have great bread everyday for about 45 minutes worth of waiting.

Check out Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day for more great recipes.

What May Really Bless My Life

A little divergence.... I really have no use for stuff. I like one really good knife, and a pan. I prefer sparseness in decorating. I would love uniforms to become acceptable attire. So when people ask me what I would like for Christmas, I have a really hard time answering. Occasionally, I think of something that may really bless my life, but then can seldom remember what that might have been when I am faced with the pressure of suggesting a gift. So for my own sake, when I may have a few extra dollars that are crying to be spent, or for those who may so kindly want to give me something, here I attempt to gather a running list: Food processing implements for my Bosch A Bernina walking-foot Essential Oils Kindle or Nook ( not sure which) Coupon for Photobooks... I have to get these 1000's of pictures on my computer made "real." Shabby Apple.com gift certificate Knee Length Socks Linen napkin set "Ruby" fabric by C.Roskelly for Moda, or a "French General" collection (ok, fabric may be something I gather) A bolt of Warm and Natural batting Tattler reusable canning rings Really good quality gardening tools Bogs

On Point instructions from quiltbug.com

Piecing a Quilt on Point

A quilt that is set on point is almost always more interesting than one done with a straight set.  But it can be tricky to piece, especially if you are creating your own design.  The first question always is: how big do I cut the side and end triangles?
The side setting triangles on the quilt above are in yellow.  To cut them so that the bias is on the inside and the straight of grain along the edge, you must start with an oversize square and cut that one on an X. The diagram to the left illustrates this. The formula for this is: Size of the finished on-point block times 1.414, then add 1 1/4 inches.
The corner setting triangles (the purple ones in the illustration above) are also cut so the bias is on the inside and the straight of grain is along the edges, but since they include a corner of the quilt, they are cut differently.   These start with a square which is cut on the diagonal. The formula for this is: size of the finished block divided by 1.414 plus 7/8 inch (.875 if you are using a calculator.)
Here is a quick reference chart:
(these numbers have been rounded up slightly)

Finished size of block	Size to cut square for setting triangle	Size to cut square for corner triangle
4	7	3 3/4
5	8 1/2	4 1/2
6	9 3/4	5 1/4
7	11 1/4	6
8	12 3/4	6 3/4
9	14	7 1/2
10	15 1/2	8
11	17	8 3/4
12	18 1/4	9 1/2
13	19 3/4	10 1/4
14	21	11
15	22 1/2	11 3/4
16	24	12 1/4
17	25 1/4	13
18	26 3/4	13 3/4
19	28 1/4	14 1/2
20	29 1/2	15 1/4

  Could you use this formula to set a block on point?  Yes, you could use the purple formula, or try this one: Size of the block multiplied by itself divided in two.  The square root of this number would be the size of the square you would need to cut on the diagonal.
Conversions from inches to calculator:

1/8	.12	5/8	.62
1/4	.25	3/4	.75
3/8	.37	7/8	.875
1/2	.5	1	1

Now, how do you actually piece this quilt?  You sew it sideways in rows, like this:

Curriculum of Top Prep Schools Outlined

Is it just my links....or is the blogging world almost dead during the summer?  As for me:  five days of iron IV's, having the baby, and two units of blood to boost my excessively anemic state from Zombie to nearly Functioning has given me the desire to do another post.

Outline from a youtube video by John Tayler Ghatto.  These are 14 elements that he has found to be the basic curriculum of the leading prep schools in this country.  I found the ideas fascinating, especially compared with the lack of them found in most public schools.  I will share them with you, and some of my annotations.

1.  Understanding of Human Nature using philosophy, history, and theology.   Depending upon our value set, this knowledge is used to either gently persuade and motivate others to do right or to manipulate and propagandize.  Better that we understand it, and can use it for good, and avoid it being perpetrated on ourselves.

2.  Solidly skilled in literacy; including the ability to read, write, and speak to persuade.  In Mr. Ghatto's discussion on this point, his opinion was that students become better at all areas of literacy as they have daily practice.  He said that daily practice was more important than critiqued and coached opportunities that happened less often.

3.  Insight into major institutional forms:  government, corporations, military.  How is the power structure set-up.  I think it is so important to understand these, and yet all I could remember from PS was the basics of government, and only how it's "suppose" to operate, not how it actually does.  I think it is important for us to realize the public face of power structure and the reality of how these organizations run is not always the same.

4.  Good manners, politeness, civility, comfort with formality.  Access to all future relationships begin with these.  Consider the decorum in the average, stereotypical High School.  Manners may be a problem for most of these students.

5.  Independent Work.  In prep school, 80% of student work is student directed and self-motivated.  20% of time is spent receiving direct instruction or lecture from the teacher.  This ratio is mostly reversed in your average high school.  My kids have been taking online classes from Williamsburg Academy, and I must say that the school does a good job promoting student led learning.  The majority of their assignments are given a basic skeleton of criteria, but the bulk of the content is left up to the student.  For more thoughts on this topic read:  Executive Command, a link from Keri Tibbet's e-book site called Headgates.

6.  Mastery of an energetic, physical sport to confer grace, discipline, power, and ability to manage pain.  Consider the natural tendency we as people have in being attracted to a willing to follow someone with strong physical attributes.  Ghatto talked of the doors opened to George Washington because of his mastery of horseback riding and ballroom dance.

7.  The Theory of Access:  No person or activity of interest is out of reach.  Go do the real thing, and meet the real people.  Figure out how to make things happen, don't say "I can't," say, "How can I."

8.      Responsibility to Daily Tasks.  I know that some schools are in conjunction with ranches/farms because of the natural consequences that are associated with doing/not doing the associated chores.  These become essential to personal character development.

9.  Arrival at a Personal Code of Standards for production and character.   This one reminded me of "mentor meetings" as per TJED, "running partners" as per Williamsburg Academy, and "laying down the rails" per Charlotte Mason.  I suppose any noteworthy educational philosophy will have this as a core prinicple.   It always includes someone holding you accountable to the personal standards that you are trying to develop.

10.  Complete ease with the arts:  art, music, drama, architecture, etc.  

11.  Ability to accept and overcome challenges.

12.  Habit of Caution in Reasoning to Conclusions

13.  Constant Development and Testing of Judgements.

14.  Power of Accurate Observation and Recording 

Holiness

“We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness….God has only one intended destiny for mankind—holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity–He came to save us because He created us to be holy.” -Oswald Chambers

My life....as compared to others I know

I am married to a cowboy.  He makes our living by farming and he is a great farmer, but in his heart he is a cowboy.  I have friends who are married to professionals:  doctors, CPA's, and the like.  Our lives are completely different.  They schedule their lives, vacations, educational plans, activities atleast a year in advance.  I'm lucky to get to know what we might be doing this afternoon.  You see, at any time, the weather may change, some farming or ranching "emergency" (all the cows getting out) may happen.  Who knows.

Last night was one of those whimsical nights.  Somehow our whole family ended up at a friend's house.  They had some roping calves and some smaller beef calves in their arena (the ones just right for little boys to ride.)  And we had a rodeo of sorts.  The little boys found a rope and a bell and became "bull" riders for the night.  Even after coming off on their heads a few times, they still wanted more.  And the older boys did a little steer wrestling with the roping calves.  If I was a really good mom, I would have taken pictures, but alas I can't find my camera.

The whole thing just sort of makes me laugh.  Our life is whimsical, a little hectic looking, and often unplanned.  But sometimes we just end up doing really fun stuff.

Suburbia Revised  by Ruth Wren from Zero- Waste Home






Finally free


from the grasping gasping needingness


of the constant wanting nothingness


of the endless hunting shoppingness


of suburban modern emptiness






My time


is finally mine to give away


Never more to waste away


on the the endless quest for more to pay


to bring home more to throw away






Wanting less and


Needing less and


Finally having more.