Spring

It's spring in Texas and I'm taking full advantage of it because it won't last long.  We worked in the yard both mornings until we couldn't anymore.  I got almost all the dead stuff out of the garden and it's bagged up and on the street.  I also started the composter again with leaves and food scraps and started moving plants out of the greenhouses and gave everything a really good watering.  I've trimmed off any growth that died over winter and it's all looking great!  So far, the only thing I've lost is a little cactus that was too close to the roof in the greenhouse and froze.  At least that's what I think happened to it...  Either way, it didn't make it and everybody else did, so I must have done something right.

I got a little overambitious on Saturday, cutting things back, raking out dead leaves, and yesterday, it was time to bundle and get it ready for the street.  I'm all about making a mess and worrying about the cleanup later.  I did the same thing in the kitchen yesterday, too.

Yesterday afternoon, I baked bread and made a cake.  We enjoy our fresh baked goods.  The recipe made two loaves of bread, so I'll freeze one for next week.  We love home baked bread with our dinner and I'll slice off a couple slices, wrap them in foil and put them in the oven with whatever I'm cooking and it's like it just came out of the oven.  The cake is orange flavored and I found the recipe in a vintage cookbook.  It was supposed to be baked in a 9" tube, but that's too much cake for us, so I put it in a 6" tube and two 6" layers and still had enough for a 6" bundt pan.  I kept the bundt out and we will eat it first, then I'll pull out one of the others and frost it with a different frosting or a drizzle and it will be like a different cake.  

The bread is French bread.  I didn't realize that the first couple of times I made it, but last Sunday, I baked Julia Child's recipe for French bread and realized that the new recipe is just a much (MUCH!) easier version of that.  The kitchenaid does most of the work and you don't build a firm gluten cloak for the crust so it isn't as tough, but that's fine.  Julia's recipe ended up making a great crust, but there was a large air bubble in both loaves, just under the crust and the easy version doesn't end up that way.  And, Julia's recipe took all day. and had multiple long rises.  The new recipe took 3 hours with two shorter rises.  

Saturday, I left the lights on in the greenhouse and looked out after dark.  It looked so nice that I had to take a picture.

I've been inspired to make a shirt for Rob.  He asked for more room in the shoulder and sleeve for this one, more like the cut of a Hawaiian shirt than a fitted shirt.  I needed to muslin that and it took a couple tries, but I think I've got it.  He tried on several shirts that he likes the fit of, and I noticed where he pulled at them and I gave him extra size in all those spots.  I've started taking it apart so I can trace the new pattern pieces and get started.  The muslin will go in the bag with his pattern so the next time I need to make an adjustment, I'll have a muslin already started.  

I saw this and it really spoke to me.  Thought I'd share it.  

Everybody have a great week!  My office has moved to a new location and I need to go in this morning to take a tour.  They want it to be an all day event, with lunch and a walk around the walking trails, but who got time for that?  I'll be there long enough for teacher to take roll call, then I'm headed back home to the peace and quiet where I can actually get some work done.  

Be well!  Lane