All over the place ....

Not sure if it's the state of the world, but for the past two (2) weeks I have not been able to focus ... squirrel!  I seem to be all over the place, not knowing what to work on and continuously wanting to start a new project ... not to mention that I've been on social media (Instagram) way more than I would like.  I feel zoned out .... I'm numbing ..... Sigh! 

On the sourdough front, Bob the Blob is doing well. 

I baked my first loaf of bread.

My oven tends to run 25 degrees hotter and I adjusted the time but not the temperature. It's darker than I would like but tastes yummy.

The recipe that I used is from King Arthur and I had to substitute bread flour (had none on hand) for all purpose. It still turned out lovely. I did notice that their recipe calls for a bit of instant yeast. That is to reduce the bulk rise time. Traditional sourdough can take up to eight (8) hours of bulk rise. This recipe called for (two) hours maximum (always depending on the temperature of your room).

On the home front, I decided to embellish my back porch with flowers, and herbs. I needed more than ever the beauty of nature in my life ... create a little oasis .... 

I may add more .... haven't decided yet ... You'll know in two weeks! I would so love to own a little farm house with at least an acre of land for gardens, as well as chickens, but at this point in time it is not in the financial plan. This will have to do for now. I love daisies!

I do have one grape tomato plant. I have not had much success with vegetables in containers ... I'm hoping the grape tomato plant will be a success.

Well, that's it for now. Today, I'm working on my motivation. Perhaps I will go in my sewing studio and organize some stuff. 

Hope you have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace. Cheers1

A new venture ....

Now that it feels like I have all of this time on my hands .... I've decided to start a sourdough journey. 

Pumpkin and I took a course on Eastern Flatbreads at King Arthur Flour (Vermont) a few weeks ago, and I made the decision to buy a sourdough starter. I could have started my own, however I liked the idea that the starter is from New England and part of decades of nurturing. There's something about feeling like you are a part of something that I enjoy. ;) 

Once home, I did not activate the starter right away, but waited a week. I needed time to think about the commitment and whether I was willing to put the time and effort into it. Truth be known, I've struggled with my body image most of my life ... would bread be a good thing or did I want to continue to deprive myself? This body image thing is a work in progress .... F it! I activated the starter. After 24 hours, that's what it looked like ... smelled so good too.

I continued feeding it every 12 hours for a week. I even bought a new home of it ... Brod & Taylor Sourdough home. I still need to come up with a name .... Bob the blob comes to mind! lol

By this Sunday, I felt it had matured/aged well and I made my first recipe from the discard. The recipe is from King Arthur website, Buttery Sourdough Biscuits. OMG, they were to die for, almost ate the whole thing until the Troll came over and rescued me. 

I kidd you not, it was like eating a sourdough croissant ... so flaky, so flavorful. Yum ... the recipe is a keeper.

That evening, I made a sourdough discard pizza crust for dinner ... another keeper!

I only used half of the dough and froze the other half. 

This week I plan on baking a loaf of bread after which I will probably slow down the fermentation by decreasing the temperature. Don't want to be baking every day ... summer is coming.

Thanks for stopping by. Cheers1

I've graduated ....

 I have completed my new graduate degree, I am now a clinical mental health counselor. It's bittersweet ... a challenging three years .... working full-time, family responsibilities, stress of the world, the death of my mom .... I made it through. Patting myself on the back here .... it's important to remind oneself how resilient we are. Life is not always a piece of cake. Thank you for being on this life journey with me.

On another note, now that I have some free bandwidth, I started a new knitting project. The pattern is called Aristea by Evelyn Siatra. 

I purchased the yarn at Les Laines Biscotte in St Eustache. Love the hand dyed look. The yarn consist of 90% Merino SW and 10% Silk. It's so soft!

It took me forever, like three (3) days to figure out how to properly do a 2 x 2 Tubular cast-on. OMG, what a nightmare ... but persevered and finally got it to look right. I wouldn't get that continuous look from front to back.

It's been pushing my comfort zone ... slowly moving into more complex patterns. I'm enjoying creating new pieced for my wardrobe. 

Thanks for stopping by .... Peace to all! Namaste

Almost done ....

Hello, it's been a while. I'm still here. Just trying to button things up with school. I'm almost done! A bit about a knitting project. 

I started the, The Felix Cardigan, back in September 2023. I had to put it aside to finish my daughter's version for Christmas. Mine is in dark blue. I purchased the yarn at Three Bags full of Yarn Emporium in Moncton, NB on my first trip to Newfoundland. 

Voila!

It's almost a done deal. All I have left to do is sew some buttons on. I don't usually button my cardigan, which made me wonder why I knit a button band. I mean, I could finish it a different way. Oh well, I have the buttons, it's just a matter of doing it. The cardigan is a nice memory of my first trip to Atlantic Canada. 

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Self-care ... immersed in nature

 While in St Luniere cricket, I relaxed ... I even let my hair down .... the vacation look! LOL

Bought some yarn and a book while in Newfoundland and did a lot of knitting. Finished two projects during my stay.

And this pattern ... a gift for my dad.

I was also able to enjoy a daily latte and my favourite treat at Cafe Nymphe - The Dark Tickle Company ... A carrot and partridge berry cake .... OMG .... Yummy! I'd go back just for a piece of cake! lol

My ride home ... what a beauty!

I would recommend visiting Newfoundland. It is such a beautiful and serene place. I will leave you with the sound of the Atlantic ocean ... Enjoy!

Take Care ... and thanks for stopping by. Cheers!