You spin me right round, baby

I was recently out of town, at a neuroscience conference in Santa Fe. I highly recommend the town for the scenery and the food - check out Bandelier National Park if you've never been.

I also had a chance to have a lesson on the spinning wheel at a spinning and weaving shop in Santa Fe. There's a woman with a lovely Danish accent who owns the shop, and she was kind enough to let me try my hand at the wheel. She was also very patient with my initial lack of coordination. Still, what I was able to do, I loved, and I decided to get my own spinning wheel.

I am very much looking forward to the gentle whir of the wheel, and the feel of wool and angora twisting through my fingers. I suppose I'll have to come up with something to do with the yarn once I'm done - but frankly, I'm just looking forward to some productive meditation time while I hypnotize myself with the spinning of the wheel.

Chick Garden Bread Recipe

I've been baking all of our family's bread for some time now. I have an old breadmaker machine that was given to me some thirteen years ago as a gift. It's still going strong, although it does rattle more than it used to during the knead cycle.

I've had some time to experiment with recipes, and have come up with a basic recipe that my family likes and requires about five minutes to do. I like to use an egg in my recipe, since we have an abundance of eggs from our backyard chickens (and it provides a little extra protein), but it is not really needed. If you decide not to use an egg, increase the amount of water to 1 1/4 cups, and decrease the oil to 2 tablespoons. Egg tends to dry out a loaf, so you won't need as much oil if you don't use the egg. You can also use more whole wheat flour if you like - up to half of the total 3 cups of flour (so, 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, and 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour). I'm just a little lazy about measuring amounts, and like being able to quickly level the one cup measure and get it into the machine. You'll notice all of my amounts are in whole numbers - no messing around with halves or quarters. Also, the granulated sugar can be exchanged for 3 tablespoons of honey, although the sugar is both less expensive and less messy. If you do decide to use honey, put the oil in first, and use the same spoon for the honey. It'll slide off of the spoon much more easily.

Chick Garden Breadmaker Bread

1 cup warm water

1 egg

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons yeast

Instructions: Place ingredients into the breadmaker (put wet ingredients in first, if your manufacturer suggests), select the "normal" or "white bread" cycle, and start.

Enjoy!

Changes

I like changes. I like to feel that my world is new again every so often. Of course, I like my changes to be predictable and positive. I'm not one for surprises.

I'm starting this blog with an eye for the evolution of our home and family, as I try to make choices that are in line with my goals. I want to feel connected to the people I love and to the planet on which we live. I want to know where my food comes from, develop in healthy ways, and savor the simple things.

Currently, I have a garden, and I raise backyard chickens for eggs. I'm also raising three active girls. I want to journal my progress, my failures, and my successes as I try to balance work and home life while striving for a sustainable way of living.

I expect that this blog will be an outlet for my experiments at home, somewhere to share family fun, and somewhere I can explore new ideas. I reserve the right to be flawed, and to change my mind. Welcome.