Troublesome teeth

     I have some unique and troublesome teeth.
     A couple years ago my two front teeth were somehow attached to the ones next to them. I also had a pair of extra teeth in my gums. My front teeth wouldn't fall out, so when I was 10 I had a surgery and had 8 teeth pulled: my two pairs of front teeth which were attached, the extras in my gums and two to the side. My permanent teeth were above the extras, so they were way up there. I waited a year for them to come down, but finally I had to go in this year and have a surgery to attach some chains to my permanent teeth. I got a retainer-like appliance and I can hook the chains to it and it puts pressure on the teeth so that they come in. My dentist says it isn't really a retainer, it's an "active appliance". The teeth are now well in. WooHooo!!! Next month I will probably be able to take off the chains, leave off the appliance and get braces!
     I have braces on my bottom teeth to uncrowd them. I have neon green and purple right now. I can't decide if I like it or not. They remind me of Barney =P Braces are a good way to explore your wild side, though. They're not so noticable.

I'll try to update when I've made more progress.

Swiss chard quiche

You will need:

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 bunch Swiss chard
• 5 cups shredded cheese (I used 2)
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 to taste salt
• 2 to taste pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Wash and dry Swiss chard. Cut off the very ends of the stems. Roughly chop (leaving stems intact) the chard.

3. Add onion and chard to the oil and saute until stems are tender (do not overcook). Add salt & pepper to taste.





4. Meanwhile, grate 2-5 cups of cheese. Use whatever verieties you want/have. I used Chedder.

5. Wisk eggs. Add milk and cheese. Fold in the onion/chard mixture. Add salt & pepper to taste, if necessary.

6. Pour into a greased pie dish.

7. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and no liquid seeps when you poke it with a knife.

I enjoyed this very much, and it was fun and easy to make.

Yuck :-P

I'm really not a picky eater - I eat anything that is served, BUT I don't always like it. Here are my main dislikes:

• Swiss chard
• Zuccini
• Raw broccoli
• Kale (sometimes)

 I'm going to come up with some recipes with these in them and learn to like them. I will start with Swiss chard quiche.

Kittens

 This is Tabby and her kittens, Socks and Fox. I have no idea why B and L named one Fox! Socks is  tame and Fox is getting there. Both are identicle except Fox is a bit darker. Tabby had them in Dad's shop wall.

 Fox

 Socks

 Socks

Socks

Socks is my favorite because she is tame. Fox hisses and spits. He doesn't as much anymore, though. He used to lay there and hiss if I got close and then just stare at me with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open.

How to make whole wheat bread

This is what I did after the dentist today. I've been making bread for my family for several weeks now and thought I'd share some pictures and a recipe.

Combine in large bowl:
8 c. warm water
1 c. honey
Sprinkle over the top:
2 Tbsp. yeast
Let sit for several minutes until yeast dissolves and becomes frothy, like so.

Add:
1 c. oil
2 Tbsp. salt
2 eggs
10 c. WW flour
Mix well then add:
8 to ten cups flour

    Knead by hand or with a mixer until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turn it upside down and cover with sheets of wax paper or a kitchen towel and let it rise. Warm temperatures will make it rise faster, and in cool areas it will take longer.

When the dough has doubled in size (this took a couple of hours today), punch it down kneading the outer edges into the middle, turn it upside down again (so the top is smooth) and let it rise again (1 hour or so).

Shape the loaves next. It just takes practice to get it right. This is the best I've done so far in shaping loaves. Mom thinks I did a good job. Now I let it rise again until it's rounded over the top of the pans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 45 minutes.

Our family of six usually eats about a loaf a day in sandwiches for lunch. We freeze the extra loaves and thaw them as we need them. I enjoy making this every week, especially when I get out of hauling manure for the garden =)

Flowers

I love this time of year when the flowers are just starting to bloom. Here's what it looks like around here.

Marigold

Pots along the sidewalk - the cat's tail, too :-)

Dahlia

Delphinium

Day lilies

Zinnias with galardia in the background

Strawflower

Creeping thyme

Four o'clocks - these should have pink, yellow and white blossoms. They open at four o'clock P.M.

This is in front of the kitchen window. There is lobelia directly in front and celosia on the sides.

Celosia

Nesturtiams with vines on siding

Coleus

Hostas/coleus/I have no idea

Zinnia

I love this kind of flower because of its bright color and also its nectar. If you look closely (in a not blurred picture) you can see there are little flowers for its nectar, and those have nectar.

I have been having problems thinking of things to post. Do you have any ideas? What would be interesting to know about my life?