didn't your mom ever teach you?

I was minding my own business this morning taking pictures of some newly blooming flowers when I felt someone staring at me. Well, I heard someone. I looked up from my camera and there, not two feet from my face was this fuzzy, buzzy little guy. He hovered in front of me for 30 seconds or longer as if to give me a chance to capture his best side. Or maybe he was just trying to intimidate me with his stare so I would back away from the flowers. Either way, it's just not polite to stare. happy wednesday. xo ANG

macro monday

I am enjoying spring. Aren't you? The warmer weather, the birds singing, the weeds grass growing, the flowers blooming. Now, the flowers that the deer managed to miss as they devoured almost every bud in sight are finally blooming and look beautiful. Here is a macro shot of a grape hyacinth. These flowers are so small and close to the ground. I can only imagine what the neighbors thought as I tried to get up close and personal for this picture...crazy!

(f-stop 7.1~exposure time 1/400sec.~iso 200)

I was shocked that these little guys actually bloomed this year because the green parts grew and flourished in late fall. I guess the warm weather lasted too long and they got confused. To our delight they survived the monstrous amounts of snow that we received and have now decided to bloom and fill the air with a sweet grape smell. Mmmmm. happy monday. xo ANG

you don't scare me

...okay, you used to a little...but not anymore!

I have done it! I made bread. Gluten free bread. Delicious, gluten free bread. Made from scratch, delicious, gluten free bread. Me? Yes, me. This may not seem like a huge deal to some of you but for me, the one famous for making disgusting regular bread and biscuits fit to be used by the NHL, yeah, this is huge. First, I found this recipe and I just knew that it would be great. But the ingredients, oh, the long list of intimidating ingredients, they scared me. Bad. I was determined though to find a great recipe and make the best gluten free bread I could possibly make for my family. I've tried mixes for the bread machine and purchased bread already made...some not great, some not good, some down right gross.

Slowly, I started to gather the ingredients. After I had them all I left them on the counter for a few days while I worked up the nerve to actually try it. I followed every detail of the recipe. The room temperature ingredients, the proofing of the yeast, the mixing of the many different flours. The only thing I changed was using my bread machine for the actual mixing of the dry and liquid ingredients.

Then into a nice warm oven it went to rise for nearly an hour. What a beautiful sight. When I saw the dough actually rising I was quite confident that it would bake nicely. The texture and taste were the mysteries now.

Here it is fresh from the oven. Texture...perfect. Taste...wonderful. It tastes like regular bread. There was no grainy, bitter aftertaste. There was no bizarre smell or flavor. It's just great bread. Perfect for a sandwich, crispy toast, or better yet...buttery, syrupy french toast. So, I'll chalk this up to a very good baking day at the Clothesline. Plus, making more great, gluten free foods for my family was one of my goals for the year. I love accomplishing things, don't you? What have you accomplished lately? Do tell. Happy Sunday. xo ANG

you capture: a moment

Time has really flown by this week. I'm not even sure why. We didn't have a busy, out and about kind of week. It's all because of the warmer weather, I suppose. If the sun is shining and it's warm then we'll be outside soaking it up. I love that...spending hours outside. Oh sure, we get our school work done, and even some chores, but then we slide on our flip flops and head for the door. I did manage to capture a few great moments this week and I'd love to share them with you.

The first sprouts of the season. Those are sweet banana peppers..Mmmmm.

While I was folding laundry the other day I left the pile unattended for a moment. When I returned, there was Shadow all cute and snugly taking a nap like he owns the place.

And then there's this moment. My favorite of the week. The big sister encouraging her little sister that she can master those monkey bars.

For more special moments go check out I Should Be Folding Laundry.

you capture::reaching

I can't believe it's Friday already. This has been one busy week here at the Clothesline. I did manage to have a few moments that had me reaching for my camera.

Ah yes, the first daffodil of spring. Okay, so it was in my neighbor's yard...but it counts, right?

And then there were these ferocious lions. Seriously, could they be any cuter?

See more of you capture-reaching at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

macro monday::wishful thinking edition

St. Patrick's Day is on the brain here at the Clothesline. There's excitement brewing because we have an upcoming playdate, which for us is like a pot of gold at the end of our very long snowed-in, cabin fever of a winter. Don't get me wrong, we see our friends often and get together to play as often as we can-barring any illness, virus, or plague. The difference is...my girls don't usually know about any playdates until it's time to walk out the door. This one coming up though they know about, have made a chart to count down the days, and are planning which green things to wear so they don't get pinched, hence the St. Patrick's Day focus. All of that to say, we had several unseasonably warm days recently so the girls were on the hunt for four leaf clovers in our mostly muddy, terribly lumpy, springing back to life back yard. This is what was found by a very optimistic seven year old. Four leaves? Hmmm.

(f-stop 7.1~exposure time 1/100 sec.~iso 200)

So, things here are going well. School is coming along nicely and I really feel like we have accomplished a lot so far. Miss E is reading...and reading well. Miss O is plowing through second grade like it's old hat. It amazes me how much their minds are like sponges. I mean, really. I'm a teacher for crying out loud, I know kids can do way more than we ever give them credit for, but sheesh! Also, we have started receiving our postcards from the swap so the study of our great United States has begun. This swap will take us through the summer and well into the next school year. Some great things I expect to gain from this swap (for me and my girls) are: a greater appreciation for each state, some serious geography skills, an increased love of maps and map-making, and a massive list of must-visit places.

Also, we planted some seeds last week. We've got a variety of peppers, eggplant, and some flowers started in our little indoor greenhouse. I'm really trying to get a jump start this year so I don't have to wait so long to get some fresh veggies. We've got other seeds that have to be planted directly outside so we'll have to wait a few more weeks before we tackle those.

It's overcast and cooler these days but I know the warm days are coming back soon! happy monday! xoANG