If this doesn't inspire you....I don't know what will!

Check out this beautiful Wedding of my niece's...

 

Aren't they just adorable?
They look like they should be in some
Bride's magazine!

I am so impressed with all my sister

and her beautiful daughter Laurana  (bride) did...

Such a darling couple...

and look at that dress...

Her and her big sis...

How often do you see guys wearing orange ties??

Kuddos to these boys!

What a cutie!

My sweet sis and brother in law

with beautiful bride...

Gotta love the next pic...

aren't these guys just the greatest??

Their whole family...

My mom and dad are on the end in the next picture...

(right side)

Such a darling couple....

Nothing like...

new...

wedded...

bliss...

A SUPER EASY Artisan Bread to Make...(No Kneading!)

Oh my....YUM!!

I told you in a previous post about the amazing book...
Click below to check it out:

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
 

This is my first time to try a recipe.

It really works!!

I just mixed the dough up last night...

just until the flour was incorporated in to the wet ingredients...

No Kneading.....at all...

Put it in the fridge overnight...

and then baked it up for lunch today!

I am SO impressed!

Here's what it looked like right before going in to the oven...

I slashed the top with a knife....

made an egg wash (one egg and about 1 Tbsp of Water)

for the top...

and brushed it on...

then baked it for 40 minutes...

It came out of the oven looking like the above...

Then we sliced into it...

Nothing like a bowl of homemade Vegetable Soup...

with a hot piece of Homemade Bread...

Right from the oven...

on a cold wintry day.

I tweaked one of their recipes a little bit.

Here's what I came up with:

Mix together:

2 3/4 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 Tbsps of yeast

1 1/2 Tbsps of Kosher Salt

1 Tbsp Sugar

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Then add Dry Ingredients:

5 cups White flour

1 1/2 cups Wheat Flour

Stir just until mixed well together.

Cover and let rest on counter top for at least 2 hours.

(The book says you can leave it up to 5 hours)

Put in fridge.

They say the dough is easier to work with

if it has been refrigerated.

Next day, pull some out...

shape into a loaf,

tucking in at the bottom...

put on counter for 1 1/2 to 2 hours rise.

Before baking make an egg wash of 1 egg 

and 1 Tbsp of water...mix together thoroughly 

and brush on top of bread

(After you have slashed it)

Bake at 450 for about 40 minutes.

I used more than half of this recipe for this loaf.

The recipe says it makes 4 loaves...

but to me they must mean tiny loaves.

The rest of the dough can be left in the fridge 

for up to 2 weeks.

When you're ready to make another loaf,

cut off a piece and shape it in an oval,

tucking in the sides...

sprinkle Cornbread on a cooking sheet

and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

A New Look....

Okay gals...

I need your honest opinion ...

on this one...

I'm messing around with the

backgrounds of my blog...

trying to get it to match my website design more.

What do you think?

(You can click on my website to view it's layout right

there on the right side...)

I really loved the other one...

And sometimes when I go to a blog and

they've changed it...

I maybe don't recognize who it is...

or it doesn't feel the same...

and I don't like it as much.

So give me your honest feedback.

I'm going to change it back...

if need be!

Thanks...

             John'aLee

5th Block Complete in Mystery Quilt

 My 'Friends are Like Flowers...

Many Petals... Many Layers...

Block

is finished.

I so wish I could have gotten a better picture.

I was going to put this saying in the last block...

But it didn't work out.

So...I created a block to go on top of it...

and now I will add some small pieced blocks to the sides.

I'm tickled pink about the other project I am working on!

These Postage Stamp Quilts

You know how us quilters are....

always making quilts either for others...

or in my case....

for the business...

I line up the strips on my sewing machine.

I then sewed them together with cream strips in between...

I managed to get 8 panels done...

I decided....

I need to have quilts on my beds.

It has been 6 /1/2 years since I started

this business....

and not one quilt on my own beds.

I am making these two matching twin

Postage Stamp Quilts

for my guest bedroom.

My girlfriend Nancy

and her friend 

are coming next month to spend a weekend

sewing with me...

so that is my goal date.

So how are all your resolutions going ladies????

The Guitar Man and I have decided that this year...

we are going to live more frugally.

Times are tough for everyone...

and so we have sat down to see

where all we could cut back.

It's amazing when you really sit down and do an

accounting...

Tonight we went and spent $51 on groceries...

instead of my usual $150 or more...

Came home...put a chicken on to boil...

I figured I could make a good chicken soup

for one meal...

and some sort of casserole with the meat.

Two meals for the price of one.

We've also decided to incorporate beans

in our diet on a much more regular basis.

Not only are they cheap...

they are so good for you!

And I'm talking about...

the kind that you soak overnight...

and then cook them all day!

Have any of you read the book

Artisan Bread in  5 Minutes a Day?

An awesome concept.

The bread takes no kneading...

and you keep it in your fridge for up to 2 weeks...

and break off dough as you need it for

Artisan Bread.

I made a batch of it too tonight.

I will let you know how it turns out.

When my friend Nancy came to visit me

she brought me a loaf she made...

and I couldn't believe it.

It tasted like an Artisan Bread 

right from a bakery.

One of my resolutions last year

was to lose 30 lbs...

which I accomplished!

Now this year...

I would like to lose at least 15 more!

And I'm trying to spend the evenings...

quilting for 'me' or for 'others'

so as to not get burned out...

always feeling like I have 

to do it for the business.

So I am happy with how this first

new week of the year is going...

How 'bout you?

Let me know....

John'aLee