Um... yes, please

I have been browsing some new blogs and came upon the most wonderful giveaway. This blogger is giving away not one, but two Zoe Pawlak originals. They are beautiful mixed media paintings. I think I am in love. Let's hope I win and then I can show them in my home.

The Ever After Frock Halloween Grosgrain Giveaway

The Ever After Frock Halloween Grosgrain Giveaway

Every year our church puts on a "Hallelujah" night as an alternative to halloween. This year's theme is "Knights and Princesses." How great would it be to win this gorgeous costume?! Hope I win!!

What am I doing here?

Well, it's been awhile since my last post. Mostly it's because I spend my computer time drooling over other people's blogs, thus neglecting my own. Another reason is because I don't really know what to post about. More specifically, I don't know how I would categorize my blog, and so I feel like I need a few blogs to post all of my ideas, and end up posting nothing. I don't want to have a craft-only blog, or a food-only blog. I also don't want it to be a "how we spend our days" blog, although that may be more the direction I am heading. I think this is going to be an "all of the above" blog. If I have a cool project to do a tutorial on, I'll post it. If I have a new recipe or homemaking project, I'll post it. Eventually my goal would be to get enough readers to have giveaways. That would be fun. Fun for me and fun for you. Anyway, you should be hearing more from me in the next few weeks. Hopefully :)

I do have some exciting news that I will be posting tomorrow. So stay tuned.

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is awesome! From the looks of it, cooler (and cheaper) than a Cricut! I hope I win!!

Shabby Apple Queensland Swimsuit Giveaway

Shabby Apple Queensland Swimsuit Giveaway:

Another giveaway. Need a swimsuit?

The Oh Dear Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

The Oh Dear Frock Grosgrain Giveaway:

Beautiful. That's all.

Sourdough

I have been wanting to start developing my bread making skills lately. Our family's 5 generation rolls were the extent of my talent until now; well, that and pizza dough. I was reading my favorite blog the other day and she was giving away some of her new sourdough starter. So I entered, being thoroughly frustrated with entering people's giveaways and not winning anything, and patiently waited to hear the results.The whole weekend came and went and finally, she picked (through random.org, of course) a winner... drum roll, please... Lucky number 5... that's me!! Whoo hoo! So I sent my new friend my address [and last name- thats important :)] and a day later, got my sourdough beginnings.The container had exploded inside the package all over the direction, unfortunately. So, I scooped the sticky goop off of the paper and bubble wrap and stuck it a bowl and proceeded to feed my new project, and my new dreams. After it got a little food, what do you know but, IT'S ALIVE! A bubbling sticky mess.

So I waited until today to actually dive headfirst into some new recipes. I tried the Rustic Sourdough recipe that came with it (from King Arthur Flour) and made a pizza crust with one half, and a loaf with the other half. The results? See for yourself:

The pizza was absolutely delicious. It was the best crust I have made so far. And by the way, it was a Kalamata olive and Feta cheese pizza (with green onions and tomatoes). Yum!

The loaf was great too. We tested it out after it had cooled and our bellies had settled. It didn't really have that strong of a sourdough flavor, more like a hint. I think next time I will try the Extra Tangy Sourdough recipe. I was all out of spelt flour, and used whole wheat instead. I think it would be great with spelt, though. So, all in all, I love it. Thank you, Katie! So who wants some starter? I need to give (or throw) away a cup every week.