Random Goodness

We had a nice, relaxing day at home together, Little Bee and I, and still ended up getting so much done!  Don’t know how that happened… 

We munched on our scrumptious rosemary pain au levain…

This is my starter… it’s going on five months now, and it’s so yummy and sour!  Every time I bake white bread, which is far less often than I bake brown, I throw in my starter with the other ingredients.  After its final rise, I grab a handful of the dough, put it in a clean jar, and let it sit near the stove a few days.  Then it goes in the fridge, awaiting the next time I bake French-style white bread!  Not only does it add depth and flavor, it also keeps the bread from going stale too quickly.  Wonderful!

While Mama Bee (a.k.a. St. George) planted still more seeds (this time, Malabar spinach, sage, parsley, morning glories, and more okra) and transplanted thyme and tomatoes, Little Bee painted St. George’s castle for him.  She carried on an almost continuous conversation with St. George the entire time we were out there.  Then she dug in the dirt some.  Wow, was it hot out there today!  Approaching 90 degrees…  Oh, Florida…

We admired our suncatcher-heart kites, which we started last week…

… and we arranged, rearranged, and played with our latest batch of dragon crafts that Little Bee made with that crafty, crafty mama, Vanessa!  She just keeps coming up with the most creative ideas!

We roasted some butternut squash to use later—mmm… the house smelled so good!

And then we baked one of my favorite Autumn go-to recipes:  butternut squash tea cake with pecans.  It came out of the oven just in time for our afternoon snack–with which I drank tea, of course 🙂  But then, I drink tea pretty much all day long…

And finally, with a little help from Daddy Bee and a swimming pool excursion, I finished Little Bee’s February Girl Sweater (from Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitters’ Almanac).  Yay!!  My first sweater!!  And look how nice it turned out!  Careful and savvy knitters out there will notice that she has it on inside out… But even inside out, it looks so pretty!  And she likes it!  (Deep sigh of relief).   I love that almost her whole outfit here is Mama-made.  She’s still not too keen on wearing the twirly skirt (pictured), but I’ve taken most of her other skirts out of commission (they were getting a bit too short), so she doesn’t have many options left.  More twirly skirts are definitely in the works–maybe if I have her pick the fabrics, she’ll want to wear them!