This & That

Well, the best news of the day is that Josh is doing great! He is back to himself, and I am so thankful. He even got a hair cut yesterday! Look, he has been shorn of his curls!
He said when his haircut was over, it looked like a poodle on the floor. I love his hair long or short, curly or not so curly. I can understand people who say if you've got those amazing curls, flaunt them, but I also love his hair short.

I have been on a serious baking kick for the last few weeks. I can't get enough baking done. Of course Josh and I love the products, but I also find a lot of joy and satisfaction in the process of creation. I've made everything from muffins to cookies to cornbread to yeast bread to cakes and back again. The only baked thing I do not attempt under any circumstances is pie. There are wonderful pie makers in both the Haluska/Fisher and Desch families. My Aunt Martha's pies are all prizewinning. My personal favorites are her coconut cream and butterscotch cream pies. YUM! My mom also makes wonderful strawberry pies. We are notorious for cutting very small pieces at many points in the day, which adds up to one giant piece if you're really honest with yourself. My sister Marnie attempted her first pie over the Labor Day holiday last year, and although it was a trying, exceedingly long project, the results were amazing. Mr. & Mrs. Desch made an apple pie for Christmas that even reasonable people would give a limb for. It was amazing. I never cease to admire pie bakers because I think that is an art that I will never master. But fortunately for me, there are plenty of pie bakers in my family, so the need isn't pressing. Here are my favorite things to bake, in no particular order.

1. Cookies. I love making cookies so much. I made oatmeal raisin cookies on Sunday for our neighbors (and of course we ate some too) and then some white chocolate pumpkin dream cookies too. Those are so amazing. They are Josh's favorite cookies. I love baking cookies because it's not difficult but you still get a very satisfying result. It doesn't take long to make the dough for most cookies, and seeing them cooling on cooling racks is wonderful. To me baking is a wonderful experiment to see what will happen. It's the greatest thing when you make something that other people enjoy.

2. Cornbread. Josh and I both love cornbread. I usually make cornbread muffins. They are so good with just a little bit of butter (or a lot of butter). Yum! I like cornbread just a little sweet, so I usually add some sugar.

3. Yeast bread. Yeast bread is a different beast from goodies. Making yeast bread is definitely a labor of love, because it takes a good amount of work. Getting the dry stuff measured out just right, heating up the liquids to just the right temperature range, kneading (or if you're me, mixing in the mixer) until the dough has just enough flour and isn't sticky, hoping and praying that it rises like it should, shaping the dough into the pans, and hoping for a good result. But the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven makes it all worth it!

4. Cakes. Cakes aren't quite as high on my list because I haven't mastered the amazing cake. It seems to me that my cakes are just a tad on the dry side. I'm not sure what I do to make them like that- maybe beat the batter for too long. But I enjoy baking and decorating cakes. My favorite kinds are spice cake and yellow cake. Frosting is a beautiful thing. I love any combination of butter and sugar. WHOO!!

5. Muffins. I love muffins. They are just a little package of goodness. Josh loves bananas but occasionally lets them go a bit long. The sight of brown bananas on the counter is a cause for rejoicing, because I love mashing them up and putting them into muffins. Muffins with a bit of butter (or a lot of butter) is pretty close to heaven. My favorite kind to make is banana oatmeal.
Here you see some baking in process. YUM!!

In other news, we went to see our doctor yesterday and Baby Desch seems to be doing fine! We got to hear his/her swishy little heart beat and ask the doctor a million questions that have come up in our lamaze class. Baby Desch increasingly been making his/her presence known with a lot of kicking! It's fun and also reassuring to feel those little flutters. We continue to pray that the Lord will watch over our baby and govern his/her development and growth! We can't wait to meet this little person!

OK, one more thing. As we've said before, we are 24 fanatics. That show is so amazing. Jack Bauer never ceases to be heroic. My sister Carrie got Josh a 24 calendar for Christmas, and we thought it was definitely blog-worthy.

How about that face, folks? I'd be afraid of crossing that man. Josh is posing with Audrey, Jack's ex-girlfriend who once thought he was dead and now thinks he's locked away forever in a Chinese prison. It's hard to have a relationship with Jack Bauer.

Have a great evening!