Whats in a name?

I've been thinking, I don't want to be a ranch, I want to be a farm. Sooooo... What do you all think about....Wait for it.... Wait for it...Slapdash Farms? Misty and Jeff said they liked it and Stef chuckled when I told him. Let me know!

Sleeping outside

The boys have started sleeping outside with the animals. And before you even ask... NO, we are not making them. They are doing it of their own volition. They sleep on a tarp and a sleeping bag on the ground and some of the animals sleep with them.

Woodpecker

I have been trying to get a picture of these woodpeckers all summer. They are wiley suckers though. This is the best I could do tonight ( you can see it's outline at the top of the pole). We think he is an Acorn Woodpecker. They live in families of 15 or so and hoard acorns in trees and utility poles. They are pretty big too. Sometimes they will swoop low in the woods and it looks like a giant squirrel.

Baking

I baked and baked and baked some more today. I baked 3 loaves of bread today. One whole wheat, the other 2 white with oatmeal. The oatmeal bread is the boys favorite, of course it is not as good for them.

Here is the recipe:

3 cups bread flour
1 cup rolled oats
2T butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
3T honey
1 packet active dry yeast
1 1/4C lukewarm milk (goats milk of course)

In a large mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough. I knead dough by hand 10 minutes till it's smooth. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and rest it for 1 hour.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface, and shape it into a log. Place the log in a lightly greased 9x5 in loaf pan, cover the pan with greased plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, til it's crested 1 to 2 inches over the rim of the pan.

Bake the bread in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, until a thermometer in the center reads 190 degrees.

It is really yummy. I don't have the whole wheat down to perfection yet. It is very good with goat cheese for breakfast though. I will post that recipe when I get it down better.

I also made two batches of tortillas for fajitas tomorrow night. One batch was made with goats milk and vegetable oil and one batch with whey from cheese making and shortening. There isn't much of a difference in how they taste at all. The second batch was easier to work with, but I let that dough rest longer than the first and I think that made a big difference. Still trying to find the perfect tortilla recipe for whole wheat tortillas.

I made the beginnings of mozzarella cheese yesterday. Today I tried to finish it but it wasn't quite ready yet. I will try again tomorrow.

I also made spanish rice for fajitas tomorrow. I would usually get Rice a Roni rice, but not any more! It smells super good!

While I did all of my baking and cooking I watched the Design Star that my mom taped for me. I was able to watch the entire series in one setting.

Air Conditioning

I don't think I've mentioned this on here before, but we have not turned the air conditioner on at all this summer yet! It is shocking how easy it is to get used to. At first, Stef and I were eating every meal IN the pool and hanging out in it a lot also. Then one day I found myself in the kitchen cooking at the hottest time of the day and realized it wasn't so bad. Now, the last few days it has been over 100 degrees and, yes, it did get uncomfortably warm in the house, but that was nothing a quick dip in the pool couldn't cure! It can be tough at night trying to sleep, but we all have our own personal fan which helps a lot. Just thought I'd share!

Dish detergent

The Borax/washing soda recipe didn't work so great in the dishwasher. It left a chalky film on everything. I even used a rinsing agent and then some vinegar, but it didn't help. I'm tying one more time. I'm going to use less of the "soap" and see if it helps.

Indiana Jones

Maybe it is because I am a girl, but I believe Indiana Jones is over rated. I am only saying this because I am relatively sure Harrison Ford will not be reading my blog, because I like him. The first one was okay. The second movie, Temple of Doom was just silly. It didn't make sense to me, I just didn't get it. We will be watching the third movie today, hope it gets better.