Morning. I hope your Sunday is beautiful.
I’m enjoying my coffee with a side of baking fresh sourdough bread. I just popped the first of two loaves in the oven to bake so my house should smell amazing pretty soon!
I baked so much bread around the holidays but haven’t since. My freezer stash was dwindling (which is not good with how much I’m loving all things bread) and my starter was getting pretty sad in the fridge so I pulled it out last week and started bringing it back to life.
I can also tell you that I’ve reached a new level of sourdough craziness. When you want to bake it, you prep the loaves the day before in a process that involves a three-hour proof where you have to fold the dough halfway through. Well, the only way I could make the timing work to get bread dough prepped was to do it yesterday afternoon but I had to go out to teach teacher training so I brought the dough with me so that I could fold it during training and it wouldn’t over-rise. What can I say, I’m committed to my bread. 🙂
Here is my full sourdough bread tutorial. I have been so pleased to see so many of my fellow blog friends and readers try it and also get hooked on baking bread!
A few other “coffee chat” kinda things to share today.
If we were having coffee I’d tell you that I’m loving the Winter Olympics…and that they scare the crap out of me!
I’ve been watching the Winter Olympics each night and I’m just blown away by them. I’ve always been a fan of the Winter Olympics but I feel like this year’s games are at an all-time high level of insanity! I think my jaw was hanging open for most of the men’s snowboarding halfpipe finals. And this skeleton business? NO THANK YOU! And when did “slopestyle” freestyle skiing become a thing? I’m also loving all of my old favorites, especially figure skating. It’s been a nice change of TV pace here lately.
If we were having coffee, I’d excitedly share that baby boy weighs THREE POUNDS!
I had an ultrasound appointment last week to follow up on the echogenic focus of the left ventricle that was on baby’s heart. My US tech also checked tons of other measurements and let me spend some time watching baby boy wiggle around in there. I’ll tell you all about the appointment in my 29 week update on Tuesday BUT I will share that he was measuring exactly one week ahead and she estimated that he weighed right around 3 pounds! I can’t believe he’s getting so big in there. Grow, baby, grow. I’ll share some ultrasound photos in my next pregnancy post!
If we were having coffee and you were a fellow dog mama, I’d tell you about Zoey’s extra velcro-ness and ask for ball suggestions.
I have always jokingly referred to Zoey as a “velcro dog.” She follows you from room to room and always wants to be close. Here she is sleeping under my desk while I worked.
And here she is in the bathroom with me. I rarely have unaccompanied trips to the bathroom…which I hear is good practice for having a toddler…haha.
Lately, she has been EXTRA velcro. Like, wanting to be in my lap and by my side all the time. I don’t know if it’s baby related or anxiety related or what it is but we’ve been spending a lot of time cuddling.
One day she got so out of sorts that she chewed up her favorite green ball. Y’all, she had this ball for years and it was her absolute favorite. It was super bouncy and very squeaky. I’m so sad for her that she destroyed it.
I ordered another one on Amazon but they have changed the way they are made and it wasn’t nearly as bouncy, squeaky or constructed as well. She chewed it up in one day.
So…HELP ME friends! Zoey is the biggest ball freak. I would love your suggestions for durable bouncy, squeaky balls so I can make this girl happy again. 🙂
(In addition to being a little overly passionate about sourdough baking, clearly I am also about my pups…but that’s no secret!)
If we were having coffee, we’d chat about books.
Okay, I had to take a pause on Jodi Picoult’s The Storyteller. I got about three-fourths of the way through it but it was not making for restful or relaxing evening reading material. It’s a great book and I am not in denial of the horrendous things that happened during WWII but it was just to heavy for me at this point in life.
Reading is the only way that I can quiet my mind at night so I swung into Barnes and Noble and picked up something a little lighter. Still Me is Jojo Moyes’ newest book and it’s a continuation of the story of Louisa Clark from her very famous book (and movie) Me Before You. So far, it’s exactly what I was looking for. Much lighter and very easy to read. (Apparently there was another book in between, After You, but I skipped that one!)
Your turn…
Favorite Winter Olympic sport?
Do you have a velcro dog?
Any ball suggestions for Zoey?
What are you reading?
I love your coffee chat updates! I love snowboarding a figure skating! I have one Velcro dog and one very independent dog who loves to “monitor” ?. Our Velcro dog loves bouncy balls without squeakers. His favorite is the ruffwear turnup ball. Again, no squeaker so probably not Zoey’s thing. I’m currently reading The Orphans Tale. Now, I’m going to try to find your old posts on what home remedies you tried when you were sick over the winter. Currently 11 weeks pregnant and fighting a nasty cold/cough. Happy Sunday!
Oh thank you, they’re fun to write! 🙂
I will check out that ball, she likes all balls but does love a good squeaker. 😉
I’m SO sorry you’re sick and pregnant, it’s the worst. Best things that helped me were shots of apple cider vinegar and spoonfuls of honey. Also, the neti pot and using a humidifier in my room.
I’m reading “How Bad Do You Want it” by Matt Fitzgerald (on endurance sports and mind over muscle) and “My Life with the Saints” (various saints and their life stories) two very different reads but depending on the day one is more fitting than the other. I personally love skiing, and I think cross country skiing is the equivalent of the marathon in running…if that makes sense? They are all so strong!
Oh thank you for these unique and interesting reads! And yes, I hear you on the cross country skiing. It looks exhausting!
i love reading 2 different books that are crazy different recently. i used to be a one book at a time girl but now that i listen to books in the car i also want to read something on my kindle so at any given time i have crazy different books going at the same time and i sort of love it !
Happy Sunday! I made a loaf of no-knead bread using active yeast (because I actually hate baking but love homemade bread) to take to friends’ who just purchased and moved into their first home! Along with salt because that is German tradition 😉
Favorite winter Olympic sport is definitely speed skating – it’s so fast! Skeleton makes me ? I don’t have a dog so can’t speak to squeaky balls… I recently finished Gabrielle Union’s memoir, “We’re Going to Need More Wine” and I HIGHLY recommend it!!!!
You are too sweet to bring your friend homemade bread. The salt thing is so interesting! I’ve never heard of that. The Skeleton is terrifying, right!? And thank you for the book recommendation. 🙂
Velcro fur baby is ALL about that baby!! Just wait until he is born. ?
Get her a Kong. Not squeaky, but our big dog adores his. And we still have it after almost 4 years.
I think she’s finally starting to get the baby thing. And we’ve had kong balls before that she’s liked so I’ll grab some more! 🙂
Just finished Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng…I highly recommend:))
I’ve heard a lot about this one. Thank you! I will order it!
I have two terriers and have found Chuck It balls survive the longest.
Awesome, thanks!
Hi Jen!
Random question– I’m looking into getting a golden retriever, and I’m just wondering if there are any major things that you would warn someone about before getting one?
Beware if you don’t love constant cuddling and need for attention! 🙂 Other than that, just the shedding. It’s a lot but they are the sweetest dogs ever and so worth the mess.
Our doodle LOVES the hol-ee roller ball by JW. It’s a nice inside ball because it is light and doesn’t destroy things around the house when being thrown. You can play tug with it and dogs can chew on it without breaking. We love it!
Thank you! I’m checking this out!
I’m a long-time reader and a rare commenter, but I have to tell you — you bringing your dough to work with you is one of my favorite details you’ve ever shared. That is hilarious and delightful. Much love to you.
Your comment made my morning. <3
i love all the olympics ! except curling. i still do not get it.
no dogs for me so no suggestions there. the idea of having a pet follow me into the bathroom and be so clingy is just to much. i guess that’s why im a cat person LOL.
Im reading Shrill on my kindle. im at the beginning but so far love it and its so funny. Im listening in the car to What Happened by HC because i think i am finally ready to try to semi understand what the F happened in our country in 2016 and am interested in her perspective. i’m also reading at lunch the Everytown website and trying to find out how i can get off my a$$ and put some action behind my words regarding gun control, etc.
oh and im having tea instead of coffee right now 🙂
I remember my dog acting the same why as my due date approached. It’s like he knew something was about to change. When i came home from the hospital with the baby it took him a few days for him to get back to his old self. But that first night we got home he did throw up, which i’m certain was nerve related. Poor thing!
The hospital also suggested I give him one of the blankets with the babies scent on it. Just to help get him familiarized with his scent.
Fast forward 2 years later they are best buddies and it is adorable 🙂
I love reading your book reviews and suggestions. Are you on Goodreads?
You should read Sourdough by Robin Sloan if you haven’t. It’s a really fun, quirky, slightly nerdy feel good read 🙂
Thank you for reminding me about this one!
I definitely have a “velcro” dog. Sweet Koba girl has to be around me all.the.time.
Jen – if Zoey doesn’t have them already, check out the purple and orange round balls sold at Harris Teeter! Ernie goes NUTS over them. I think it’s something about the texture. It’s very squeaky and bouncy! It’s also sold in a bone shape. They are only around $2-4 I believe.
THANK YOU!
I have your sourdough tutorials pinned and am chomping at the bit to get started, but I keep debating about whether or not to make my own starter from scratch. King Arthur makes it sound so easy, but I’m imagining wasting a ton of flour and time on a failed science experiment. Any thoughts?
I just finished reading “Little Fires Everywhere”, and it definitely lived up to the reviews. It seems like everything else popular in the fiction world these days is WWII-based, and — as you say — my emotions can only handle so much of that reality. Next up, I’m reading “The Power of Habit” for book club. Not my usual style, so we’ll see how it goes.
Hi Paula – unfortunately, I can’t offer any experience on this as I have never tried it! I feel like it’s worth a go, you could always buy one if it doesn’t work out!
I am definitely going to read Little Fires Everywhere.