Thanks for shareing has alot of cute ideas. oddie

Merry Christmas, Donna, I just love my Zo, love, love, LOVE it. It's the only bread machine I've ever owned, but it's a workhorse and I use it several times a week. I make whatever bread recipe suits me, I don't stick to those that are made for bread machines. Liquids in first, then dry, and I don't bake in the machine, I let it go through the dough cycle, form the loaves or rolls or burger buns or cinnamon rolls or whatever, let them rise again and bake them in the oven. I like the crust that way. I've made everything from that Honey Wheat above, one of my favorite recipes (oh, and I've forgotten the egg a couple of times and it still comes out fine, a little less moist, maybe) to Julia Child's french bread, Ann T's Italian, cheddar beer, you name it and it's come out just fine. I do check the dough for hydration after it gets well into the "knead" cycle, so I can add more liquid if necessary. You're gonna love that machine, I know it. Oh, and it's great for Sol's Honey Rolls, although the recipe doesn't call for kneading. Making it in the machine gives me the lightest, softest, puffiest rolls and the kids love them but they take two eggs and a stick of butter! This is a nice honey oatmeal loaf, I cut the recipe in half and make one large or two small loaves or a dozen nice sized dinner rolls: Honey Oatmeal Bread Yield: 3 loaves 2 tablespoons or 2 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast 1/2 cup hot water (105 degrees to 110 degrees) 1-1/2 cups quick oats 3 cups water 1/3 cup butter, melted 1-3/4 tablespoons salt 3/4 cup honey 7-1/2 cups flour 1 egg white, beaten (optional) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, mix together yeast and water; let stand 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, water, butter, salt, and honey. Add the yeast mixture and mix well. Add flour until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Cover with towel and set to rise until double in size. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead. Divide dough into three parts. Shape into three loaves and put into greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Let dough rise again until pans are two-thirds full. If desired, coat top of loaves with egg white and sprinkle with oats before baking. Bake 35 minutes. Merry Christmas! Annie

Greetings ArtsyCraftsy, Hope this is still around when you return after Easter. I've never been much enthused about doing without something that didn't seem to have much intrinsic value on its own merit, just to impose a more or less artificial sacrifice during some short period, e.g. Lent. Self-sacrifice for its own sake, or as an artificial discipline, so to speak. It seems to me to make more sense to implement, after some previous thoughtful consideration, perhaps, some new idea, concept, chore, service to others, etc. that would have a positive, useful emphasis, whether to me or, perhaps preferably, to others. In the Spirit of my Master, one might say. I have a predisposition to prefer positives to negatives, letting newly developed positive values or activities crowd out the negatives. Sounds good in theory, but not so easy to live that way. Good wishes for coming out after Easter more Christ-like than when you entered Lent - whatever the method. For those who have a different allegiance - quite possibly your belief system might recommend a similar plan: likely your life could stand some similar medicine without doing it much harm. Some such ideas put into practice might improve things slightly in the Central African Republic, Northern Ireland, Sudan, Palestine, Zimbabwe and various other areas. Good wishes to each as you plan and implement a more useful, self- and community-building lifestyle. joyful guy

Jannie, she got a new quilting machine for her birthday I think it was. It has lazer something or other. Kind of a big thing I think, as it rolls up the quilt as it stitches on it. I hope I explained that right??? She made my other sister one also. Hers was larger, more pastels, and a different pattern. I love mine. Leslie