The Life of a Bagel

On a Saturday a few weeks ago I was bored. So I decided to do what I do everytime I get bored---bake. I wanted to bake something that would take a while so that I would be able to enjoy the process. Bagels, which are my favorite breakfast item, are very time consuming, they have four steps. First you mix the ingrediants together,
Then you let them rise and then shape them. I've made them twice now and I still haven't gottten the hang of shaping. I wanted them to be perfectly smooth but they didn't, they still tasted the same!:)
You then broil them in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
You then place them in a dutch oven that has simmering water in it. You let them float in it for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. You then take them out and let them drain on paper towels.
Then you place them on a baking sheet and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes depending on how hot your oven gets.
These are all pictures of the different flavors I made. The original, herb, and (my favorite) cinnamon sugar. These take about three hours in all to make, by the time your through you just want to get out of the kitchen! These are really good, even using whole wheat flour, so if you LOVE bagels give them a try! I realize that I didn't post the actual recipe, no ingrediants or their measurments, but I'm in a bit of a hurry so I will post them at a later time!;) It took me a good while to edit all the pics and download them to the post. Sometimes I feel wierd about editing the pictures I've taken of the food I make because you feel like they look better in the picture than in reality! Is that wierd of me or do others suffer from those strange feelings? LOL :D Anyway, they really were good and looked pretty good too! Don't you love it when something turns out good the first time?
Levi refered to them as "doughnuts", I let him believe they were.:)

I've Been Told That...

I don't know why exactly, but I feel strange posting pictures of myself on my blog. I feel awkward when people take pictures of me. lol. I end up looking "posed" or stupid or something.:D But Lydia was in need of a "model", and as I was the only person available she chose me. Aren't I lucky?:) She didn't pay me a cent though!:( I guess by getting to use the pictures on here she's paying me back

I've been told that I wear too many clothes that are black. It's not that I'm into the "goth" look it's just that I like black clothes.;D I've been told that I don't post enough pics on here. I know I need to post more. So I'll try to do better. It a new resolution!:)
I've been told that avocado is supposed to make hair shiny? I read it in a cookbook by a British cook. Have you ever heard of that? I really like to put avocados on salads. It really is good.:)I've been told I need to write more about what I'm doing day to day and what I'm thinking about and less stating of the facts. Facts are pretty boring.
I've been told that my teeth are straight but I must say, I could use braces on my lower teeth. There just a little crowded. When I was little I wanted braces SO badly! Before I went to the orthodontist I prayed and prayed that they would put braces on me. They didn't. I was disappointed. :)
I've been told that pictures saved on a computer make is run slower. I will be deleting these once their posted.

I've been told that if the quality of your pictures are good than people will more likely visit your blog. I love vibrant pictures. Pictures that bursts with color and vividness. My favorite effect on Picnik is cross process. I love the look that it gives pictures. I put it on all of these.

I've been told that the most interesting blogs are the one's that post everyday. If you want to be awarded for the best blog on the net you need to post very often. I need to work on that too. Is is true that Pioneer Woman posts everyday?:)

I've been told, by Lydia, that I can make some pretty strange faces in pictures. Just look at this one!:D I told her that she had to let me pick which one's ended up on the blogs. Sometimes you have to have a sense of humor when your having pictures of yourself done because some of them are awfully weird. I'm mean, I look so mad in this one! My lesson for the day: DON'T BE AFRAID TO POST PICTURES OF YOURSELF ON YOUR BLOG! I honestly love to see the people behind the computer!

A Brother of Mine

Last Tuesday was Gabe's 10th birthday. He had an apple spice cake with cream cheese frosting because he doesn't like chocolate. I can't fathom that. ;P

I remember Daddy waking Lydia and me up and saying that they were going to the hospital. I was five and Lydia was two then. I remember going to the hospital to see him for the first time. The first time to ever see a brother of mine!

I remember him coming home from the hospital and crying in the car. There's nothing like the cry of a newborn to put your nerves on edge! We brought him home to his beautiful baby blue nursery with the white curtains and white shelf and the blue half moons and stars my mom had painted on the wall.

I remember a few weeks after his birth my grandma was visiting and I went to get my ears pierced. I got tiny gold hoops, I was so proud of myself! Gabe wasn't a very fussy baby from what I can remember. He has always been pretty laid back. He's a sweet boy. I love him even though he can be a grouch! haha.
Gabe loves to play outside
He loves to watch Daniel Boone
He hates mornings
He hates chocolate
He's mellow
He's not big into talking to people he doesn't know
He likes grits
He loves to figure out how things work
He likes to fix things
He likes to go camping
He can't dance
He takes really long showers
He LOVES anything to do with Indians, cowboys, and hunting
His favorite actor is Fess Parker
He likes baseball a lot
He has a temper though he isn't very stubborn
He is very kind

I hope Gabe won't get mad a me for anything I've written about him! ;)

Springtime

I had a little spring party in the back yard the week before Easter. The flowers were blooming and it was really nice weather. Lydia and the boys set the table and the boys wanted to put the the crinkly paper stuffing from Easter baskets on top of the flowers. It was interesting!:)

I made mini Cinnamon buns and refrigerator cookies. I'll post the recipes later, the cookies are so quick to make but I think I like them just as much before they get cold. The warm dough is good.

Titus had bad allergies problems that week so he went inside as soon as he had gotten what he wanted on his plate. He sent Lydia out to get more!

Our Resurrection party was fun but I hate that you spend so much time preparing everything then your over with it in a flash!

Levi really enjoyed himself I think. He likes to do things like that. The chairs were a little low for him so his neck was just about all that came above the table!

Saturdays, Books, and Websites

Today we went to a neat place to celebrate Gabe's 10th birthday. It was sort of like a zoo. We spent the day there and got back around eight tonight. We're all so tired! Levi had his first train ride, we saw a lot of animals (the leopards were my favorite), and we played on a massive playground. It was a fun day.

These are just a few pictures that I took of Lily Kate a few weeks ago. I have a decorative pair of pink pointe shoes that hang on a shelf in my room that she found so entertaining (that's what she's looking down at in the top picture)!

I'm looking for a really good book to read right now. I'm reading Cheaper by the Dozen but I've seen the movie with Myra Loy in it so many times that I know the story completely. I would like to read a book right now that is very entertaining. I don't mean "fluffy" exactly but after reading John Bunyan and Winston Churchill during the week I just want something that's enjoyable. One book that I have loved, loved, loved reading this school year has been Richard Maybury's Whatever Happened to Justice? I really have learned so much from it and it will completely change the way you view law, government, and a lot of other things for that matter. It's really great.

I got a little side tracked with this post but I thought I'd share what I was thinking about tonight. Now I'll go on my daily rounds of all the blogs I check! There's a site that I have gotten hooked on called bakerella.com. My Aunt Karen told me about it and I love it now. It's such a pretty site and the lady who writes it is so creative! It has beautiful photos. She was actually on the Martha Stewart show. And to think that it all started with a blog...

Cake! We've Got Cake!

I looked all over Google images to find the perfect Easter cake to make. I saw so many beautiful cakes but none of them were perfectly right or beyond what I would be able to make. This was the same recipe I made for my New Years day cake, I just used different colored frosting.

I began this cake around one o'clock Friday and worked on it until around 10:30 that night. I just couldn't think of what the top should be like so late at night so I stuck it in the fridge and went to bed. The next morning I got it out and worked on it until noon. I was so sick of the sight of cream cheese frosting! I was glad to be finished!:)

The frosting wasn't working well when I made the roses, the frosting wasn't thick enough. They would fall apart as I moved them from the little tool you use to make them on and onto the cake. I ended up sticking them in the freezer for a little while so they would harden and I could move them easily to the top of the cake. It worked great!

It's always a bit sad to cut into the cake after all the time you spent on it. I like the way the alternating layers look.
I had the last piece of cake this afternoon while I watched I Love Lucy. It may be odd but I like to stick my cake into the fridge so that it gets a little cold. I like it chilled!:)

Easter with Family

We got home from our grandparents house a few hours ago. We had a really good Easter! Our cousins came and we had a good time visiting and playing around. We took tons of pictures so check back for the others that I will be posting! We spent most of the day outside because the weather was beautiful even though the pollen was terrible and Titus and Madeline had a tough time with allergies.

My mom and I went shopping for clothes two weeks ago and this was the first and last thing I tried on. I don't think I've ever been able to buy the first thing I ever saw on the rack for Easter! It's kind of funny, I wear blue for Easter pretty often and this year was no different. It's just such a summery color!

We wanted to get a group picture of us by the swing but as you can see it was a little difficult. Levi would hardly stand still and cooperate!

We took some pictures by a fence until the people that lived in the house across from it came out on the front porch to see what what was going on!

Happy Easter!

I can't wait to change my layout and music, I'm really sick of the pink Valentines day theme on here. I just haven't gotten around to changing it.
I've got several other posts that are going to follow this one with more pictures of this weekend. I apologize if you tried to get on my blog in the last week and couldn't. I had changed the address from athismercyseat.blospot.com to amazed-bygrace.blogspot.com but then I realized that I would have lost all my followers because you didn't know the address so I apologize, it's back to normal now!:)