7 Quick Takes Friday

** 1 **

In response to all the ladies who left comments about my bread-maker quandary: thank you! I am still deciding what to do. I actually have one of the kitchenaid mixers that several of you mentioned (which I received as a wedding gift) and have used it to make bread in the past. The main problem I’ve had with making bread at home is consistency. I have made great loaves, and loves that turned out like bricks (which I was then severely tempted to throw). I’ve tried active dry yeast proofed with water. I’ve tried proofing with sugar. Both with mixed results.

So I decided to give mixer bread making another chance before buying the maker. I bought “whole wheat bread improver” which is a mix of vital gluten and a few other things, as well as instant yeast, which is *supposed* to be more reliable and doesn’t need to be proofed. My bread is currently in the oven for rise #2. We’ll see what happens!

** 2 **

Tonight Atticus and I are having a sleepover at our new house — woo hoo! We’re going to order pizza, and bring my computer with some dvd’s. We’ll spend the night, hang out, and sleep on an air mattress (sounds like college).

Then Saturday is the beginning of the great painting project of 2010. We have decided, because the living room is large and has a curved ceiling (which means we’d have to paint the whole ceiling too), and because we couldn’t decide on a color for the whole room…that we are going to paint two accent walls (one on either side of the room) a very pretty pink grapefruit/peachy sort of color. It will go nicely with the creamy sort of off-white that is on the walls now. It will also be cheaper and easier.

We are also painting all three bedrooms and the kitchen. We like the kitchen color; it just needs an update. That may be what we do on Saturday, though we may also paint the guest room, which will be blue (Colorado Springs, to be exact).

Most excitingly, we are having our new sink delivered and installed tomorrow! Since there is no dishwasher at the new house (and not really anywhere to put one) we went ahead and splurged on a big, two-bowl granite sink which is supposed to hold heat much better than stainless steel or acrylic. It’s also a really sweet color and will look rockin’ with the white counter tops and b&w checkered floor.

I will, of course, take pictures.

** 3 **

This was my first week working at the Library. Whew! It is not that difficult of a job intellectually (it just requires being detail-oriented), but pushing, loading, and unloading carts of 60-ish books for four hours 3 days per week gives you a good upper-body workout.

It has also proved to be dangerous. In my first week of work, I have checked out 8 books. It’s just so tempting when you are looking at where on the shelf a book belongs, and you notice the books near it. How can you not find interesting things that way??

I’ve recently read the first two books in the “Percy Jackson and The Olympians” series, and I’ll have to post my thoughts on another blog. Basically, they’re entertaining books, but I probably would hesitate much more to let my kids read these than Harry Potter.

I’ve also re-discovered Nancy Drew. 🙂 I liked those books a lot as a kid, and I was shelf-reading part of the Juvenile section and came across Nan. I just had to check one out for old times’ sake. I’m going to need a system, lest my book-mania go unchecked.

** 4 **

I was reading Creative Minority Report this morning when I came across a guest post from Marcel at Aggie Catholics. It’s about masculinity, and it’s completely wonderful!

“Our modern world swings between two extremes that both tear down true masculinity – on the one side is the overly-macho crap and on the other is the emasculated feminization of masculinity.

The answer lies in the root of the problem, which started “in the beginning.”

Adam was given the commission by God to “to cultivate and care for” the Garden of Eden and all that was in it (Gen 2:15). Adam messed up soon after. He fails to protect his wife, because he is a coward. He then blames his wife and in doing so he relinquishes his masculinity. Notice that after giving up his masculinity he quickly falls into lusting after his wife, which is why they have to cover themselves – to protect themselves from the lust of the other.

We still suffer from the same issues.

The modern man has also relinquished his masculinity by failing to have self-control. The modern man is an emasculated macho fool who has given in to his pornified passions and lives a sterile and contracepted life – he bears no fruit, literally and figuratively.” go here to read the rest…

** 5 **

Friends, the sun is shining and its warm enough to have the back door open! As soon as my bread is finished, I am taking the dog for a nice walk. Spring is on the move!

** 6 **

My MIL gave me two Jane Austen novels for my birthday, Northhanger Abbey and Mansfield Park. I hadn’t read either of them before, but I am loving Northhanger Abbey! For those Austen-ites out there, what is your favorite Jane Austen novel (other than Pride and Prejudice, it’s everyone’s favorite!)??

** 7 **

And for your Friday pleasure, my favorite (1) Spring and (2) Beatles song:

Have a blessed weekend!