Easy-Peasy Sourdough

This bread is flabbergastingly easy to make. And if you're someone that likes good bread this could literally be a life-changer. And it has saved some friends of mine over forty dollars a month.
You can find a great video on TheStoneSoup
http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2010/10/rustic-sourdough-the-secret-to-making-amazing-bread-at-home-5-ingredients-simple-baking/#
Some notes on variations:
She makes a very wet dough that spreads out into a thinner loaf. This gives you a lot of surface area for a good crusty bread. For sandwiches, though, I add more flour and shape it into a soft oblong loaf that stands up more is a little less pocketed with air holes.
So if you're not sure what you like I would highly recommend giving yourself license to play around with the water to flour ratio. And however you do it, it's soul-soothingly amazing hot with butter.

Wrapping My Hands In Wool...

It's cold, still. It should be cold for another two and a half months at least. I really don't mind, either, as long as I feel like I'm using this time of year differently than other times.
In the summer I don't usually feel like baking sourdough bread in a 500 degree oven for 45 minutes, so I've been doing a lot of that...
In summer I really don't want to spend an hour catching up on the ironing when I could be outdoors, so I'm trying to keep up with the crumbled dress shirts...
And I really don't want to wrap my hands in wool when it's anywhere over 70 degrees, so I've been knitting a sweater for a friend whose baby is due tomorrow.
As you can see, I still have a quarter of the way to go, but it's a little bigger than newborn size (depending on the size of the newborn, I guess), so it can wait a bit. I think I can get it done this week/wkend. Hoping!
So, here's hoping the baby comes hearty and healthy, and when it's a little bit bigger it can be wrapped in raglan wool... hopfully before it's 70 degrees outside.

Old Suitcases Turned Night Stand

This is an example of necessity being the mother of invention. I've had this pile of old suitcases that I use for storage, but no where to store the suitcases that are storing things. My typewriter is in the top, my yarn and knitting/crochet needles are in the next one down, the third one is actually for packing and the bottom holds my seasonal clothes. And, lo and behold, when stacked like this it's the perfect height for me to reach my alarm clock with minimal stretching!

Seeing My Kitchen Through a New Lense

Since I've had my camera I've been so busy I never really got to get to know the settings. Here's some experimentation... Scenes from my kitchen.