Thursday, April 22, 2010

Corinne's Blessing

We did Corinne's baby blessing this past Sunday. Nathan did a really good job. It was beautiful. Nathan's parents Dana and BJ and my Mom came down for the Blessing.

It was raining outside so we had limited options for photos after. I will have to take some more of Corinne is her pretty dress and with the beautiful matching blanket my grandma Perkins made. We feel so blessed to have Corinne as a part of our family.


Wheat Bread Recipe

So by request here is Nathan's aunt Merilee's wheat bread recipe which I learned to make while BJ was visiting last week. I like this recipe because you don't have to hand knead the dough. You do it all in the mixer.

2 1/2 cups water
2 tbls yeast
1/2 cup of sugar (or honey)
1/3 cup of potato flakes or pearls (or even leftover mashed potatoes I hear works)
just shy of 2/3 cup of oil (or butter or margarine)
3 cups of wheat flour
2 tsp salt
3 cups white flour
up to one more cup white flour

Heat the water in the microwave 1:30 to 1:45 minutes. Stir the yeast into the water to dissolve it. Add the sugar, oil, potato and wheat flour and mix with dough hook. After that is going add the salt last and mix for 10 minutes. Add the three cups of white flour one cup at a time to incorporate. You may want to scrape the dough down at this point and then add up to one more cup of four until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and the dough is still slightly sticky. I have been using Betty Crocker Potato Buds and I think that is why I don't need to add much if any of this last cup of flour. (Also for those of you without a 1/3 cup measuring cup it is 5 tbls and 1 tsp). With the mixer still running spray the sides of your mixing bowl with cooking spray. Remove the dough hook and let rise covered in the bowl for 45 minutes. Punch down the dough to remove the bubbles. Shape dough into loaves and place into greased pans. For me I get one 8" and one 10" loaf. Merilee does six mini loaves. Cover and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes. You want the loaves to be almost the size you want, they will rise more in the oven. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. My 10" loaf needs just a few more minutes. The loaves should be golden on top and not sound doughy when you rap you finger nails on them. I have only made the recipe three time but it has turned out pretty good every time so far. Now I just need to do it without BJ here. Wish me luck!

Swimming

I think it is kind of funny that we live in Texas and the first time we take Corrine swimming is when we go visit frigid Minnesota in April. The hotel had a swimming pool and my favorite, a hot tub.

Nathan took her in to the pool first and then I spent most of the time with her by the hot tub just splashing her with water. We didn't want to submerse her in the hot water. BJ also held her a lot. We only went at night and Corinne seemed to tolerate the water and the noise for about an hour each night before she was ready to eat and go to bed.

She is making a funny face here. I wonder what she is thinking about?


Grandma Vera's 90th Birthday

The weekend before last we went out to Minnesota to visit Nathan's extended family for Grandma Vera's 90th birthday. Grandma and Grandpa Petersen are both doing surprisingly well health wise for being 90 and 94 respectively.

While in Minnesota we went out to the farm and had egg sandwiches with grandma and grandpa, which despite the name are really good! Dana had fun driving people around on the tractor in between doing odd jobs around the house. We put him to work when he comes and visits us too! In this picture is Carolyn (previousely highlighted on the blog during their visit in February) and her children Alex and Sydney. Their youngest Camryn, joined us later.

And here is more of the tractor. Notice how dark and fertile that dirt looks in the distant plowed field. Nothing like Texas's reddish clay.

This visit was my first time meeting a lot of Nathan's family on his dad's side. Dana is one of twelve children. They are all very nice, tall and have a similar sense of humor to Nathan. It was fun and I would not mind seeing more of them, which is good because I hear there is a reunion in the works for next summer!

Dana's sister Zina posted a video clip of her mother talking at the birthday party on u tube. The link is below. We met at the church house because no one's house was big enough. We did all meet at the local Chinese buffet The Wok'n Roll the night before though, Grandpa Edwin's treat! Thanks again.


Monday, April 5, 2010

Happy Easter

Corinne had a fun first Easter. My parents sent her the Easter Basket with all the ducks and we bought her the little summer dresses.

We went to dinner at the Wirthlin's with the Oliveros's and Corinne enjoyed watching the other children run around and gather eggs. She is pretty social and enjoys other children even if it is just watching them. I'm sure the watching part will not last long though; soon enough she will be up and running around with them.