My First Loaf of Bread

For a while I've had this book called Artisan Breads at Home. I want to be able to bake my own bread, but have been pretty intimidated by the whole process. My mom makes amazing bread from scratch. She actually grinds her own grains! I don't plan on doing that much work, but I want something more hands on than a bread machine too. Well, I finally just did it. My first loaf of bread was an oatmeal bread. I, of course, ate it right out of the oven. It was filling the house with its wonderful aroma while it was baking. When I took it out, I only let it rest long enough to be able to handle it. Then I cut into it and watched the steam escape. Mmmmm. Doesn't everyone love bread straight from the oven? I know I do!

The baker at work...


The helper helping...


The final product!

Gabe and Tabe

Ever since they were in their mommy's tummies, Gabriel and Tabor have been good friends. Even now, they love to hang out.

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Devastation Comes by the Name of Cutworm

Every morning I go out to my garden to check on the plants. One morning I was shocked to see my precious little tomato plant lying sideways on the ground! It looked like a bug ate right through the stem of the plant.





I am so sad! I did some research, and I think the culprit is a bug called the Cutworm. I read that a way to prevent them from destroying your plants is to put a paper cup around he base of your plant. This prevents them from crawling up and feasting during the night. So now my tomato plants are sporting disposable coffee cups around their base.

Mother's Day Picture

Gabriel dressed up and took me to Mimi's Cafe for lunch. So sweet!

More Garden Beds

Richard and I finished making the other two beds, and planted a few plants in them. I forgot to take a picture after the soil was in, but here they are. Aren't they beautiful?



I am also growing some plants by seed. I know it's late in the season to start seeds, but I wanted to give it a try anyway. I planted all my seeds in this tray, and I'm keeping it wet and placing it in a sunny area. The seeds I planted are for a variety of lettuce, spinach, and onions. I can't wait to get some sprouts!

Prayer for Gabriel

Gabriel has recently gone through a tough time. He would wake during the middle of his nap screaming and crying. At first I thought he was going through a growth spurt and just wanted to eat. I later realized it wasn't hunger, it was pain. He would stiffen up his body and try to grab his stomach. I tried burping him, and I tried giving him gas drops, but neither of those things worked. When I tried to feed him, he would fall asleep because he was so tired from not having full naps. This went on for several days.

I decided to take him to the doctor and weigh him. Since his last doctor visit, which was 15 days prior, he had only gained 6 ounces. The average weight gain for a baby his age is an ounce per day. Since I didn't have an appointment, I couldn't see the doctor, but was able to ask the nurse about it. I explained Gabriel's problems and started crying in the middle of the waiting room. The nurse told me it sounded like I was eating something that was bothering him. Babies often have problems when their moms eat things like onion, cabbage, tomato, broccoli, dairy, or citrus. So now I'm eating a very bland diet. After a couple weeks of eating "safe" foods, I'll start to introduce some of the questionable foods again. This way I'll be able to determine what the problem was.

Gabe is doing much better during his naps now. He sleeps all the way through. In fact, sometimes it's hard to we him up to eat. I guess he's catching up on sleep. I want him to catch up on eating too! I plan to weigh him again in about a week to see how his growth is. We could use your prayers! Please pray for Gabe to be healthy and strong and continue to grow at a steady pace, and for me to have some relief from the stress that comes with an unhappy baby. I'll keep you posted on how he's doing.