Sourdough...ugh.

Ok, here we go again. I have tried, several times, to start a sourdough starter. I would love to be able to make my own sourdough bread, pancakes, pizza, etc. Besides the fact that sourdough is my husband's favorite kind of bread, and I think it is totally delicious, it has many health benefits! But try, fail, try, fail, try, fail. So, tonight I was overtaken with sourdough ambition and decided to try again. The starter takes a week to mature before it can be used, so here I am posting on day one of starter. I am hoping I can soon share a sourdough success story!

You can find the instructions I'm following for my starter here.


All you need is flower, water, and a wide-mouth cup to put it in.


Mix 1/4 cup water with 3/8 cup flour...


...and cover!

Now I just wait for the starter to show signs of life (bubbles, change in smell, rising) and then I can start feeding it! I will master you this time, sourdough starter!

Playing Outside

There's just something about being outside. Fresh air, sun, a full view of the mountain... breathe it in. Here's a couple recent pics of Maddox soaking up some Vitamin D.

A Moment of Triumph

Last night was crazy. Well, the entire last month has been crazy, actually. But last night especially, Maddox was really digging deep to find that nerve. You know, the one that makes you want to put your head in the freezer and slam the door shut. He wouldn't go down for his afternoon nap (which we might be forcing at this point, but I'm not ready to surrender yet), so by 6:30 he was slightly (ha) over the edge. Well, instead of putting my head in the freezer (I decided that wouldn't be good for anyone), I took a deep breath, collected myself, and decided to be proactive! That's right, I did not collapse on the couch in exhausted submission, as I often do. Instead, I grabbed the blocks, a box and some freezer paper, and set up camp in the middle of the living room. Now, a month ago Maddox would have dumped out the bucket of blocks and started chucking them across the room, but it seems he's gained some maturity! He sat down and actually started BUILDING! I know, I couldn't believe it either. That lasted a whole ten minutes before he chucked a block at my head and we were done with that activity. Then I took the box top and covered it in freezer paper (which is quickly becoming my new favorite thing; look for a post about it soon)and we had a coloring table! About another ten minutes of sitting still and coloring, before the crayons went in the mouth and the little artist was done. I was beside myself that somehow we had managed to have TWENTY WHOLE MINUTES of calm, quiet, wind-down time with no yelling, kicking, biting, or head-butting! I put Maddox to bed with an audible sigh of relief and overwhelming sense of accomplishment. More adventures tomorrow!