I thought I'd post this recipe since it's just SO easy!  I was always afraid to try baking bread until I tried this recipe - it's SO easy and delicious!  Do try it - believe me, if I can do it, anybody can!    SERIOUSLY!

Here is also a wonderful and easy BUN (called "Bonnie's Buns") recipe.  Again, it's VERY easy - yes, I was scared to try it, but it turned out WONDERFULLY!!!  Give it a go! 

DISCLAIMER:  These are NOT photos of MY baking!  I was in a hurry when I posted this, so I borrowed them from where I got the recipes.  Someone posted a comment about my good job baking, but I cannot take the credit here, unfortunately.  I will, however, be sure to take photos next time I bake! 

Blessings. 

~ Audrey ~

Just finished baking a tray of Cinnamon Buns....the coffee is on now.  We're all going to enjoy them while they're still warm....!    My first attempt EVER, so we shall see!  They certainly LOOK good and SMELL good and they ROSE when they were supposed to!  Perhaps there is a little bit of Suzy Homemaker in me after all.....!

I got the recipe off the web - I made the dough in my bread maker.  I'll have to test them first to see if I should pass the recipe on or not.  Here's a photo of them just after I iced them.....can you smell them yet? 

I'll let you now how they taste....I think the coffee's finished brewing....

~ Audrey ~ 

I've been busy in the kitchen today.  This morning, I cooked up a batch of rice/grain mixture for the birds.  I always freeze enough for a couple of weeks for them.  I mixed a batch of grains and seed for them too.  I still have to soak and cook their beans/legumes and then cook and freeze them tomorrow, since they have to soak for quite a while.

I'm also making a spaghetti sauce for dinner.  It's a good, hearty one with lots of ground beef in it - mmmmm!    Spaghetti is one of my family's favourites.  I'm also making a loaf of the new Light Oat Bread, so it should be ready by the time supper rolls around.  It feels good to get back into the kitchen a bit more. 

It was so very hot for a couple of weeks that the thought of cooking made me want to throw up.  I don't handle the heat too well (even though I LOVED Africa).  Anyways, it's been rainy and overcast for a week now, so it's been a nice break.  My flowers wish the sun would come back out, though.

I'm also thinking about making a cake, but I'm not sure about that one yet.  As I've told you in previous posts, I'm NO Suzy Homemaker.  I wouldn't want to overdo it!!! 

Have a great Sunday! 

~ Audrey ~

I have to admit that I'm no Suzy Homemaker.  I was always sent away from the kitchen when I was growing up, so it's not something that comes naturally to me.  Mum always preferred to do everything herself.  It's been a tough road since I got married 20 years ago (!!!) to try become this domestic queen or at least make it appear that way.  

Today I baked bread!  OK, so it was in the bread maker, but it looks to have turned out wonderfully!  Next time, I'm going to just do the dough in my bread maker and bake it in the oven in the loaf pan.  I prefer that shape to the breadmaker shape.

I need to thank my good friend, Connie, for her inspiration, and for giving me more confidence in domestic (ie. kitchen) matters.  She made this same bread recipe yesterday and we had some with dinner last night (as she invited us over).  It was wonderful!  She is so very talented when it comes to cooking that it's amazing.  She makes everything sound so easy but  I know it's not.  Cooking and baking seems to come naturally to her.  I know that she spent a lot more time in the kitchen growing up than me, though, so perhaps that's part of it and why she seems to enjoy it a lot more than me.  Spending time together, I'm hoping that some of her domestic skills will rub off on me (one can only hope!!). 

Anyways, thanks Connie for being my inspiration to try new things and enjoy my kitchen a bit more - especially since it's just been re-done!

~ Audrey ~

Well, my new (used) stove was finally installed yesterday!!!!!!!  I'm so pleased with it!  I waited 20 years to have this stove - well, not THIS stove, but you know what I mean!    There is only the backsplash and flooring left to do in the kitchen, then it's finished!  I LOVE my new stove.  It's been difficult not having a stove for over a week and then having it in the middle of the kitchen for 3 weeks prior to that.  I'll post one more photo when the backsplash and floor is finished.  For now, here is my stove:

Today I need to get the house back into some semblance of order.  You know what it's like during renovations - everything in boxes and nothing where you can find it.  Today I have NOBODY coming in - no cabinet people, no painters, no stove installers!  YIPPEE!  I can try to get organized again - s l o w l y !!!

I'd like to thank my dear friend, Connie, who saw me through this renovation and helped me tirelessly on stripping that awful wallpaper!  Couldn't have done it without you, dear! 

I'd also like to thank the Lord above for giving me patience and for blessing us in being able to do such a project.  I am so very thankful for our blessings.

Have a great day, everyone! 

OK, so we should have only three more days of really unpleasant house-in-total-upheaval/disaster mode.  The painters are coming on Saturday (oh, that's tomorrow - yippee!).  The new (new to me) stove comes on Monday.

Here's a photo of the cabinets partially finished.  The drawer fronts will be completed today.    I'll be so glad to have my house back - and especially my kitchen!!!!!

What do you think? All this for a new stove - yep - that's what started it all!  Thank goodness new stoves don't happen very often!!! 

Lord, I thank you for giving me patience throughout this project.  Again, I'm so very thankful that we have the means to do this and that we even have a home that is ours to make these changes to.  And, Lord, I thank you for coffee.  Amen.

Have a great day!  I'll update soon when the cupboards are complete.

Well, my kitchen looks like a tornado ripped through it!  The guys are here to re-face the cabinets.  Here are some pics I took a few minutes ago.....  Please pray that I survive this next week or so.    God give me strength, PLEASE!    If you're a woman, you know how difficult it is to have your kitchen turned upside down.....  I have to keep the vision in my mind - the FINISHED product!

"Lord, thank you that I even HAVE a kitchen to have renovated.  I am grateful that we are able to do this to make our home more comfortable.  I am grateful that we live in a free country where we have homes and stoves to cook on and food to cook - lots of food if we want.  I pray that the children in Liberia are not suffering too much and that you will relieve the constant hunger that they feel in their little tummies.  Please remind me of these things when I complain about the inconvenience of having my kitchen torn up for a few weeks.  How very selfish of me - please forgive me.  Thank you for the blessings we have.  In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen."

Have a great day!    I'll post more kitchen updates tomorrow.

Well, the kitchen cupboard man comes tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.  It will be a difficult week as we've had to unload all the cupboards and drawers and remove everything from the countertops so he can work.  It should hopefully only take until Friday. 

NEXT Monday the new (not NEW, but new to me) stove comes and will be installed.  Can't wait!!! 

Now, I just have to try to survive without a kitchen for a week and a half.    It seems like it's taken forever to get to this point, but I'm sure the time will go quickly.  I guess I need to pray for patience this week.

Will post photos of the progress.  Have a great day! 

The wallpaper is all off!  FINALLY!!  It took almost 4 weeks of just doing it when we could - "we" being me and my wonderful friend, Connie!!  I still have to go around and take off the little bits & pieces here and then DH will putty and sand next week.  I can't do the sanding 'cause it's just like nails on a chalkboard to me.  YUCK! 

Quick photo of the stove/fridge area with NO wallpaper....

Hopefully the painting can begin soon....!   

I'll post photos as it happens. 

Well, the kitchen is coming along - SLOWLY!    Boy, will I be grateful when it's painted and the cupboards are finished!  It's such a slow process.  I'm so glad that I got started on stripping the wallpaper when I did - it's been almost a month now.  DH and I have chosen the paint colours, so it should be amazing when it's finished!!!

Here's some more photos of the progress....this is the fridge/stove area:

And from the sink over to the stove......

There is only the last wall behind the stove left to finish up.  Then I have to go back and finish up on small areas where we may have missed some backing or glue and then DH can do the puttying and sanding!!!  Then it's ready for the paint!!!!!!!!!!  The cupboards are being started on June 18th.

The only thing that's kept me going through this is the vision of the finished product.  It's been a daunting task to say the least.  We've lived with this wallpaper for 14 years now and I'm not going to miss it at all!  The kitchen has served us very well, however, it's now outdated and it's time for a facelift (for the kitchen, NOT me...!   ).  Man, I'm going to miss my 24" wide HARVEST GOLD stove - NOT!!!!!!!!!

Have a wonderful day! 

Here is a shot of the wallpaper and what it looked like at the beginning.  Hideous or what (the wallpaper, NOT my gorgeous friend!!!!)??? 

Here is what it looks like now (the job-in-progress):

I will add more as we go along.  The parrots are sure wondering what's going on.  When the painting starts, they'll be moved to the living room.  We also must use Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paint, which has little or no fumes - for the parrots.  Here are another two pics:

The kitchen area....

It's a long, slow process.  Hopefully it will look good when it's finished.

More updates soon.  Have a great day!!