There's something about baking bread that is profoundly satisfying.   Perhaps it's the complete transformation of the raw materials, which move from powder to muck to goo to dough and then to a delicious loaf that fills the room with a smell that can't possibly be duplicated by an air freshener or scented candle.

 

No, there's no smell in the world like freshly baked bread.

 

And after I shelled out $5 for a mini loaf of cinnamon bread at the farmer's market on Saturday, I remembered just how much cheaper it is to make it myself...

 

So away to the kitchen I went! 

 

Well, away to the computer I went to find the perfect recipe...

 

But everything was too fussy, or didn't look right, or called for ingredients I didn't have (dry milk powder?  Really?)...

And then I remembered!

 

My trusty cookbook!

 

I used the white bread recipe with the alteration for cinnamon swirl, only I omitted the raisins, kneaded in some cinnamon chips, and brushed the top with butter, topping it with cinnamon and sugar before it went into the oven.

 

And behold!

 

 

An $8 loaf of bread for a fraction of the price, and without even leaving the house!

 

"Wait two hours before cutting, allowing bread to reach room temperature."

 

Ha.  As if I could resist warm bread fresh from the oven?

 

And there you have it - the crispy sugary crust, the buttery cinnamon swirl, dotted with cinnamon chips and warm from the oven.  Who needs grocery store bread?

 

Well, the kids do.  Because I'm not sharing.

 

Linking up with Cari at Clan Donaldson for Theme Thursday - I'm so excited to see what everyone else is cooking up!

Five Favorites: Toys for the Under-5 Crowd

If you have more than one child close in age, you've probably realized (as I did after I had #2) that a baby's favorite toy tends to be something that big brother or sister plays with as well.  Granted, there are some really great baby-specific toys out there, but those only last babies so long before they're totally TOTALLY boring.  So here are some of my favorite toys that fulfill the following criteria:

 

1.  Not choking hazards!  Those get banned from the house anytime we have a baby who tends to mouth a lot of things (so, for all but like, 3 months of the past 4 years).

 

2.  Interesting for older kids.

 

3.  Not so annoying that I want to gouge my eyes out.

 

With that in mind, here are 5 of my favorites - links are Amazon affiliate links, so if you buy anything through my links I get pennies and pennies and maybe even enough to buy a candy bar (ok, when did those get so expensive???  I remember when they were 3/$1!)!

 

 

 

ONE

 

Any and all Duplos.  I particularly love the Baby Zoo and often get that and some Building Plates as a 1st or 2nd birthday present.  The babies LOVE chewing on Duplo animals and the heads of the Duplo people, and pretty early on they all started enjoying trying to stick them on to the building plates. 

 

 

 

TWO

Doctor Set

 

Again, every piece is extremely chewable for the babies (and honestly, mine don't seem to enjoy playing with things that *aren't* chewable, so that's the number one thing I look for!).  And the bigger kids LOVE playing doctor with each other and their animals.  A huge bonus is that the kit helps get them ready for check-ups and they're always really excited to get shots because they practice with the syringe all the time.  Like, a 2-year-old John Paul was excited for shots at his 2-year well visit because he had been practicing with the syringe.  Totally worth a purchase!

 

THREE

 

Stacking Cups

 

 

Okay, most people already have a set of these.  BUT, anyone on their 2nd (or 3rd or 8th) child probably doesn't have a complete set.  We have 3 different sets and only one is complete...  But they're AWESOME!  Great bath toys for bigger kids, my babies always love nesting them, and once the babies are rolling or crawling the big kids love stacking the cups so that the babies knock them down.  We stack them and then roll balls toward the tower to go bowling.  There's just so much you can do with a set of stacking cups!

 

FOUR

 

Egg Shakers

 

I like this brand because it's one of the kinds *real* musicians use.  So they produce a pretty good sound, but they're cute colors and have an elephant on them!  They're super-durable, we've had the same set for almost 4 years.  They're great for teaching kids the concept of steady beat, and I particularly like them when paired with the stacking cups - we do lots of "in and out" games with the babies, spin them around on the coffee table to mesmerize them, and hide them under stacking cups to practice object permanence.

 

FIVE

 

I know I've mentioned this one before, but the twins are teething and loooove these screwdrivers right now!

 

 

Green Toys Tool Set

 

I hide the little nuts so that the babies don't try to swallow them.  But the big kids LOVE "fixing" their toys, practicing fine motor skills with the screwdrivers and pliers, hammering the nails, you name it!  And the babies...  Well, they love sucking on the screws and chewing on the tools!

 

It's on sale on Zulily right now - if you're not a member, you can click my link and get $5 off!

 

Linking up with Hallie at Moxie Wife - check out more favorites today!

WIWS - Sick Edition

But first, WSWF (What She Wore Friday):

Friends, this is Cecilia's fashion sense.  I imagine she's in good company with many of your daughters :)

"Cheeeese!"

"POOP!!!"  Yeah, we're clearly mature enough not to laugh... Sadly, Aunt Sister has ended her nice long visit with us :(  We won't see her again until Thanksgiving, maybe not even until Christmas!

We were all dressed and ready to go to Mass, except for John Paul, who was lying on the couch with an untouched graham cracker in his hand,  I had been up late the night before prepping cinnamon rolls (SO good!) and scrambled eggs (modified heavily and also delicious!), so I promised him "big breakfast" after Mass.

And then he ran to the bathroom and puked.

Soooo Andrew stayed home with the babies and John Paul, and I took Cecilia to Mass.  And she was AWESOME.  Said the responses (thanks, short psalm response!), tried very hard to follow along with the prayers, and even went and introduced herself to a big girl after Mass (who smiled and walked away, poor Cecilia...).

 

I keep finding a giggling Mary Claire under the bench where John Paul and Cecilia sit for meals.  I think she has realized that that's where the good crumbs are...  So there you go, if I were a better housekeeper she wouldn't get to have this delicious impromptu snack time!

 

Thankfully Elizabeth hasn't realized the beauty of under the table yet!

 

John Paul and Cecilia have spent much of the morning trying on all their fall clothes from the consignment store.  He BEGGED me to take a picture of him with Mary Claire!

 

Aaaand a terrible picture of what I wore - can't do much with bad lighting!  At least Jesus is poking out of my head :P

Skirt:  Ann Taylor (5+ years ago)

Jacket:  Banana Republic (again, 5+ years ago)

Hat & Shirt:  H&M

Shoes:  DSW

Check out more lovely outfits at Fine Linen & Purple!

7 Quick Takes - Quickety Quick!

--1--

Trying to write these SUPER quick because my sister's about to get back from Mass with the big kids and this is my reward for cleaning the playroom while they were gone...

--2--

This is what Cecilia wore to Mass yesterday - terrible picture, but I think you can see most of it...  Ballerina dress, polka dot cardigan, pink shorts underneath, and she completed the ensemble with striped socks with glitter hearts and pink flower shoes.  Yes, she got MANY compliments on her outfit!

 

 

 

Her outfit today is even better - she came out with a striped dress and plaid skirt, so we reminded her that she needs pants or shorts under a dress, NOT a skirt.  But she REALLY wanted to wear the skirt, too.  So she added white leggings, her polka dot sweater, and her flower shoes.  

Fashion icon, this girl.

--3--

But more importantly, everyone actually did a really good job at Mass!  We went to a noon mass with a ton of other families all sitting in the same section and I was prepared for mayhem...  In our pew alone we had our four kids, me, my sister, Andrew, and a friend of ours and her toddler.  None of the older kids needed to be taken out!  And Elizabeth only had to be walked around a little bit, AND none of the other families had issues either!

It's an Assumption miracle. 

--4-- 

I was really excited to see all those young families but I feel so awkward trying to talk to them after Mass...  I need some ideas for family pickup lines.  What exactly does one say?  

"So...  What's your favorite homeschool curriculum?"

"What type of NFP do YOU practice?"

"Does your minivan seat 7 or 8?"

I don't know...  I need ideas! 

--5--

Look at what I got in the mail!

 

It's my penpal packet from Ashley!  Isn't it the cutest?  I'm working on my first letter :)

--6--

Our tomatoes are out of control!  The yellow pear tomato plant is trying to invade everything else - we've had to tie it onto other cages, stake it all over the place, and brace various branches.  There's one section that has FIFTEEN tomatoes on one branch!  I'm a little concerned that I should pick some off while they're green so that they don't break the branch when they get too heavy...

 

This doesn't even show what a ridiculous mess it is...  

--7-- 

We saw our pastor at Costco yesterday and the kids were pretty excited!  Awkwardly, he didn't know our names and thought that we were a differently family that lived with our grandmother?  So that was a little weird...  

In case you were wondering, apparently priests buy bottled water and eggs at Costco.  So now your curiosity should be satisfied :P

THERE!  Quickest takes ever!  Check out more at Jen's!

PHFR - Wedding-style!

Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter to give you a wedding picture photo dump:

{pretty}

The flower girl in her tiara

Surprisingly, the little girl who refuses to keep hair accessories in her hair EVER actually kept the tiara in her hair all day!  Well, she took it out to admire it many times and then put it back in...  But still, I consider it an important milestone!  She was the flower girl, and threw most of the flower petals on the floor right before walking down the aisle.  But she's so cute that it didn't matter, right?

{happy}

The happy couple and family (photo stolen from my mom)

I can't explain John Paul's expression, except to say that he's John Paul.  And he's 4.  I think that's explanation enough!

{funny}

We bribed her with pickles to get her to take more pictures

{real}

Can you guess who didn't make it through the whole wedding?

John Paul actually did a pretty good job with his ring bearer duties, but he was VERY upset at having to actually wait until everyone was ready for him to walk down the aisle.  And he did really well at the beginning of the wedding, but once it was time for me to play the piano for one of the songs Andrew was singing, he freaked out because HE wanted to be the one playing the piano.  So he got taken out, since the twins didn't even make it through the processional and Cecilia walked right out with them!  To be fair, it was a wedding that took place in my father-in-law's living room, so they weren't exactly used to having to sit still in such a familiar location...

He calmed down later.  Once he got some pickles...

No duties to perform, but the babies may have stolen the show with those dresses and shoes!

Of course, they couldn't pose simultaneously...

Particularly not when there's grass to be eaten!

The kids looooved the bubbles!

And John Paul can actually blow them by himself!

Check out more PHFR links at Like Mother, Like Daughter!