What's new
Hey there. I am still here.
It has been a very busy spring. Among other things and as dstroy mentioned, we went to San Francisco for a week. I attended the Web 2.0 Conference while D and the kids checked out the city. It was interesting to hear talks about social networking and community building and think about what we've done right here and what I should work to improve. Overall, we are doing more right than wrong.
Work has been extremely busy as well. As has been much discussed here, grain prices are up worldwide, which makes life tough for humanitarian aid workers on tight budgets, so we are working very hard on the fundraising side to try to prevent us from having to cut back any of our programs. The economic downturn in the US doesn't help our fundraising any either.
We've also added a blog where we are tracking the impact of rising grain prices worldwide. Some folks might find it interesting. Yes, it is annoying for us at TFL that our raw material costs are up, but that is nothing compared to the economic disruption many people in the world are dealing with.
Baking? I've done some. Mostly the standards: blueberry muffins, honey whole wheat bread, sourdough miches like this one from last night:
My kids are big enough now that they don't take naps reliably. That used to make scheduling baking really simple: whatever we might have scheduled for the day, we could count on being around the house in the mid-afternoon while they dozed. Now it is up in the air. And, as much as I enjoy baking, given the option between having the flexibility to spend the afternoon hiking to a waterfall or out for a bike ride with the kids or needing to be home by 2 so I can shape my loaves, the flexible option is winning out (with positive results: we are having a wonderful time together, and I know there are not going to be many years that they are going to want to spend their weekends with their parents). I need to figure out some other baking routines that both allow me to try new breads and still spend my afternoons out playing with the kids.
Comments
Hi Floyd, good to know you are back at the helm - even though I know you keep an eye on us when you are away. I just want to say that I agree with your choice to spend time with the children. I sometimes sigh (silently!) when I'm asked to entertain the grandgirls when I had thought of spending a day baking. Then I remind myself that at 9 and 7 it won't be too many years before spending time with Nana isn't as exciting as it seems to be right now. There will be plenty more baking days and I would rather have the girls remember the fun times we had together. Good for you, sez I, A.
There will be plenty more baking days and I would rather have the girls remember the fun times we had together.
I agree. Cooking and baking for your family is certainly a wonderful way of expressing one's love, but taking a hike to show them the fields of wildflowers that are in bloom right now is truly the stuff of memories. I'll find another time to bake.
Annie, if your grandgirls are 9 and 7, you can be baking with them. Then you can have the best of both worlds.
Rosalie
Treasure each moment, enjoy your babies, big & little..blink and the moment is gone..really, that fast! How rich we all are.The news and pics from Myanmar make our comments about grain prices and our pictures of baked goods seem obscene.
Be generous of heart, mind and pocket, if possible.
Indeed. I've spent all day keeping up the latest from Myanmar since we now are raising money to help cyclone victims. It is a terrible humanitarian situation over there that may get considerably worse before it gets better.