Easy Pizza Crust

This dough is so awesome! It only takes a few minutes to make, no kneading or rising necessary. It works well as a crisp, thin crust or a soft, chewy crust. I even started making homemade pizza for our lunches this school year to use up some of the fresh basil and banana peppers that are growing like crazy. Lunchtime is usually a bit rushed around here, but after figuring out this recipe I don't think I can touch a frozen pizza again!

Easy Pizza Crust

1 package active dry yeast

1 t white sugar

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

2 1/2 cups bread flour

2 T olive oil

1 t salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes. (This is when I send one kid out to pick the basil, one sets the table, and one chops up the peppers, tomatoes, olives, etc.)

Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth (by hand, or I toss it all in my KitchenAid and let her rip.) Let rest in bowl 5 minutes.

Turn out dough onto greased pizza pan, or onto a Silpat baking mat on a cookie sheet. Use a little flour or olive oil on your hands to keep it from sticking while you pat it into shape. It will rise slightly during cooking, so make it as thin or thick as you like.

Prebake crust for 6 minutes. Assemble toppings. Top the prebaked crust with sauce and toppings, then return to bake for about 12-16 minutes until crust edges are golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before cutting.

Note: if you use fresh Basil, don't add it to the pizza until after the baking~ that way it stays fresh and green.

Precious in Pink

At Least He's Got Manners

I saw the light shining from under the bathroom door

as my youngest son raced past me down the hall.

I started to call him back to turn it off,

then decided to just do it for him.

I reached for the switch, then

this Post-It across the room caught my eye:

It was neatly placed here:

I laughed until I cried.

Is there anything in the world funnier than 7 year old boys?

Almost Two Weeks Under Our Belts

School has been going well. I continue to tweak the schedule a bit, or rather, I continue to discipline myself and the kidlets to adhere to the schedule better each day. The only one who is not entirely cooperative is Miss Baby Cakes, and we totally give her a pass. If she doesn't sleep as long as usual then she just joins us for school. So far all is going well, and I'm good and tired at the end of the day.

Right now the big kids are preparing to kayak on the stock tank again (that's the pond, for you northerners.). They did so yesterday and had a muddy blast, so they worked fast and furious on chores and books this morning so they would have extra time on the water today. There is even a stiff breeze blowing, causing a great rippling effect on our "little sea."

I love to see how God puts things in our lives exactly when we need them. This week we were discussing the ecology of creeks and streams. We read a fascinating book on the subject, then the kids promptly found a crayfish that we can keep and study for a while. They are not hard to find, but it seems like this little guy was just waiting to be caught, since our lessons included him. It's always very cool to notice those little gifts from above that encourage the children in their learning.

ChorePacks continue to be so helpful. Yes, it takes persistence on my part to inspect daily chores. No, I don't always get inspection done properly. No, chores done by children are not necessarily done to an adult's exacting standards. But the good news is, I am spending far less time nagging, and I love that. Also, things are getting done on a regular basis that just always seemed to slip through the cracks before. The water dispenser on the fridge gets wiped out every day. The bathrooms get a quick wipe-down each day. The stray stuff in the hall is put away. The kitchen gets a swipe with the broom. The car gets cleaned out. The laundry is hauled to the mudroom and sorted into the bins, so that when I'm ready to stuff a load in the machine it is a breeze. I am sold on ChorePacks. And no, I don't work for the company.

I have some great and hilarious photos to share, but the cord for our camera mysteriously disappeared. Hopefully it will show up soon and we can let you peek at what's been going on around Pecan Bluff. And you won't believe how much Sweet Baby has grown!

New School Year!

We jumped in with both feet yesterday and had a very good first day of school. With a sixth grader, two second graders and a baby I've put lots of planning into this year's schedule to make sure it all works. It did ~ yay!

We tweaked and played with Managers of Their Homes and ChorePacks all summer long so we could break them in and get used to them. Though I am very flexible in making those programs work for our family, having a good schedule and chore program really made the transition from summer break to autumn semester a smoother one. I'm hooked.

We still have a few kinks worked out. The kitchen was a mess by the end of the day. And a few important chores were skipped over because the kids ran out of time before school. Also, it's always a challenge to find time to update my online organizer at the end of the school day. Ideally I would like to get my grading and planning done before hubby gets home, but somehow I usually find myself catching up around midnight, instead. It seems like no matter what acrobatics I try with my schedule, I just can't get it all done and get myself to bed on time. Oh, well. We will see how today unfolds.

We have a challenging year mapped out with the kids, and I'm looking forward to learning with them.

Journey of Hope

Holt International's Journey of Hope campaign

needs to find adoptive families

for some very special children waiting in China.

Could God be calling you to make a difference in the life of an orphan?

Too Cute!