FOUR

Italian olive bread. Baking bread is one of my favorite things to do. I love bustling in and out of the kitchen throughout the day to tend to a little bit of flour and water and yeast. When I break open freshly baked bread I just want to swim in its perfume. I pester Matthew to stop whatever he is doing and come smell the bread. It smells of history. Its scent carries the daily rituals of millions of people throughout time. It carries with it farming and cultivation and civilizations. The heady scent ties me and my kitchen to all who came before me and all who perform these same rituals throughout the world. It is my transportive connection to all people. Bread is beautiful.

2017 week four

Texans don't know what to do with winter. One day we're splashing in ice water in the backyard, 

and the next day Mama doesn't even think to grab anyone shoes or jackets when we left the house. Luckily the kids had blankets because it was actually just barely above freezing. 

Saturday morning brioche.

Stomping in my still hibernating garden beds.

Happy Chinese New Year! Sam and Larissa joined us for dinner and brought homemade fortune cookies with funny fortunes. Your fortune is coming true, Sam, you did make it onto the blog. We had chicken broth with tapioca pearls (probably not a repeat recipe for us) "asian" carrot salad (shredded carrots tossed with avocado oil, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, a splash of soy sauce, salt and pepper), chili garlic noodles, and Chinese style ribs. Vera wrote everyone's name on their red envelope and put a penny inside. Theodore ate most of the oranges pictured here. 

Golden baby curls. The last baby curls I will ever snip. I tried not to let sentimentality overcome me. I had to try really hard. 

Quotes:

"Wow, it felt like I just farted in my mouth!" Let's start this week off with a real classy quote.

"Theodore-suh-boy" What Vera calls Theo when she's trying to console him or gently correct him using a very strange baby voice.

 V- "Well maybe that will make my business feel better."
Me- "What is 'your business'?"
V- "My business is my brain."
I guess this is what she thinks I mean when I ask her to mind her own business.

"I want a red basket because it will match all my redness!" Vera was wearing ALL red for Chinese New Year. I suggested wearing one thing red because of the holiday, she came out with every red thing she owned. She doesn't mess around with "This Chiney Day" as she kept calling it.

"Maybe sometime when I'm an astronaut I can get a piece of the clouds for you to hold, Mama."