Pearl eating her bed

She was trying to use up her 15 min of energy before bed......and then did that teeth chomping at the end I call her "Parana"! hahahahha

is this cute or what!!! happy 4th!

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Update on Pearl

Well here she is almost 3 weeks old. Man the time is flying. Although I still CANT WAIT for her to be in my arms.

p.hawkins

Pearls baby pictures

Well here she is. About 20 hours old.
She is the only girl out of a litter of 4. And she was the first born!!!

I was in tears.

My first sour dough starter adventures...hahah

I have been taking cooking classes at the Co-op the past few months. A few weekends ago I took a class on how to make Artisan breads at home.

Here is how it went...

My cooking classes have been going on for the past few months. Only a few of them were actual hands on classes, the rest were more like something from the food network. I get to watch an accomplished Chef at work, just inches away from them, smell all the wonderful smells as they cook stuff, then eat what they make. So I guess they are observational eating classes??? Hahaha

Well what ever you want to label them, I am learning a ton. I have enjoyed them so much.

I won’t go into all the cooking ADVENTURES I have had as a result of them, but will share my latest.

My last class was on how to make artisan breads at home. The instructor was sweet, bubbly and knowledgeable.(see pic below) Well to be honest it sounded more like algebra then bread baking to me, but I persevered as best as my little brain could.

Now I fancy myself a pretty good cook at times. No not on a consistent basis, but that’s my own opinion. I thought I would not have a problem understanding breads since I have made lots of quick breads before, but this one really was a stretch for me.

We began with a sour dough starter. Yup, here begins the confusion. I dare say I had the hardest time grasping the whole concept. (thank goodness I was not the only one)

How much do you keep? How do you get it? You feed it when? With what? So that was the beginning. To be honest it’s as if every other word of hers was registering, but the full string of information was missing some notes. Hahah (sounds like a bad song)

Then we get into the kneading, of which she does not do. I was happy of that. And her use of baking vessels was remarkable and I was right on top of that. Yesiree. My new cool Le Cruset dutch oven was ready to be used! (although she had a very ingenious way to use a terra cotta clay pot as a cooking vessel....I loved that)

The process is intense. The teacher even let us come up and play with a big ball of dough ourselves to learn how to SLAP IT, roll the back, tuck it in and all that. Was pretty cool too. Then you got to keep that ball of dough you just abused and take it home. THEN you got to keep a little 1 oz container of her sour dough starter. It was a new pet to now keep alive and feed every day. (visions of the TV shows of teenagers in home economics class with a plastic doll baby with a timer inside, having to keep it alive as a class project, and how a few of them KILLED the baby are running through my mind now)

The teacher, after being pummeled with my un-ending questions of I DON’T GET IT YET, gave me two containers of sour dough starter in case I killed one. (the other students only got one) Hahahahahahahaah

So home I go with a baggie of her dough ready to be baked (yes the one I played with in class), and two little plastic containers of starter with 5 pages of instructions.

As of today, I have not killed it. However after the first day, my starter developed a tanish clear liquid on top. (again see photo below) I freaked and thought it was dough bleeding - or dough dying. I went straight to the internet and typed in “sour dough starter help”. Then proceeded to read that if you do not feed your starter sufficient amounts of flour and water on a regular basis, its stops growing and creates this liquid that has a slight alcohol smell. I also find out they call it, affectionately, HOOCH. Yup you read it right, Hooch.

So I run furiously to now FEED AND WATER my starter and now it’s happy. My house is warm so it likes to be fed often. It bubbles and gurgles and is very happy. No I have not named it yet.

Now out of the fear of killing it, I created several clones of my starter. I have two of them on my counter and two in the frig and one in the freezer. I mean if it dies your SOL! However I did find out I can mail order it from San Fransisco. How did the pioneer woman do this stuff back then????

Oh and yes I made some bread! THAT TOOK TWO DAYS….and the first loaf was pretty burnt. (more like a hard hockey puck) The second loaf was kinda flat, sour and dense. The third loaf was not too bad actually! In fact it was rather remarkable in the scheme of bread baking, for me anyways!

Some day, we will be able to take pictures and add a “scratch-n-sniff” feature as easily as can be…I want to be around when that technology is available. I mean just think of the stinky possibilities! ~ p.hawkins

I have to say I had a BLAST! The teacher, who was extremely knowledgable about cooking and bread in general was fantastic! Here she is with HER bread that we were going to eat while she continued to teach.

My sour dough starter with the hooch on it. (yes that scared me)

Here is the bread I did finally make myself. They look pretty good huh?

My first loaf. well this was the teachers loaf. I didnt know I was supposed to tuck the parchment paper inside the dutch oven!

This was the first loaf. My oven runs hotter than usual I found out and the bottom burnt. But that was my first hard hockey puck. It does get better, I promise.

Here is my first loaf that I made all the dough myself and baked myself. A little dence but oh so good!

I still have my starter going strong.....so hopefully I shall make more bread soon! Maybe this weekend. Will see.

p. hawkins

Over-achievement gone wrong

(click to enlarge)

When we create something, we always create it first in a thought form. If we are basically positive in attitude, expecting and envisioning pleasure, satisfaction and happiness, we will attract and create people, situations, and events which conform to our positive expectations. ~ Shakti Gawain


You know, I am the first to admit I am an over-achiever. I want it all. I want to know it all, I want to do it all, and I want to do it well.
Now and then, that quest will simply bite me in the butt!

Case in point, I am trying to avoid using paper clips or having my little photo log, that stays by my desk, split up into more than one pile. So today, after I printed them and cut them all pretty, I wanted to find a solution.

So think, Pam, think. There must be a way! Then I remembered I had my assistant plug in my handy dandy electric stapler the other day. It works great! Its fast, it staples hard and it can staple a lot of papers at one time. Just stick the paper in the slot and shazam....stapled! (or at least I remembered it that way?)

So I take my WHOLE stack in there and SHOVE it in. Its a very tight squeeze but I persevere and keep shoving it. Then I wait. Nothing happens. Now, normally it starts to sense the paper and staple it super fast, but this time -- nope.

Soooooooo I hold the stapler case with my right hand and SHOVE a little harder with my left hand holding the mega stack tight in my fist, trying to keep the papers straight.

WOW IT STAPLED
...AND STAPLED
...AND STAPLED
...AND STAPLED!!!!!

I tried to pull it out and it wouldn’t come out! It just kept stapling! I pulled and tugged and no way it was comin outa there!
So I tried to hit the button to release the staple cage and IT KEPT STAPLING but didnt open.

THEN it started stapling on its own! Holy Crap!

So I hurry and get on my knees, crawl under the table to find the cord and unplug it. Mind you its still stapling away. I get the plug out and it stopped.

Now to fix things...hahahhah.

Well the paper did NOT want to come out of there. (Now here is a visual for you. Remember the movie Jumping Jack flash? It had Whoopi Goldberg in it. She is dressed in this long blue sequined dress and up in a room where she is not supposed to be and the paper shredder comes on….her dress gets sucked in and she is frantically trying to pull it out…while wearing it…well that was me with the paper-eating-stapler)

I finally dislodged it from its staple-captor. What a fight!

Not only did it leave a pile of staples in the paper, it DID hold it all together, but it also left a mangled up mess of twisted staples at the end of the stapler cage. Poor thing is sitting there now with its stapler tongue hanging out looking defeated. ~ p.hawkins

I guess I better find a better way to hold my photo logs together next time!!!

Puppy fencing ideas in progress

Well, I know the puppy Mama "Maggie", has been with the puppy Daddy "Ace", but have no idea if there is a Poodle bump or not. I am still waiting to hear. (sounds like a biker couple don't they!) hahahah

Oh and the Mommie "Maggie", she is a white, toy poodle. Dad "Ace" is the same. ( have a cell phone pic of Maggie someplace......I will find it and post it)

But in the meantime, puppy fencing and gates are now being created in my mind and I took some pics, as you see here, and have been drawing out where the need is to have an "inescapable" back yard for my baby.

I am also right next to a main street. To the right of those big green bushes, its a regular street. Yikolas.

I am sooooooo ready for a baby!

OH and a puppy shower will happen in Milwaukee at the B&B show. How fun is that I tell ya.

p.hawkins

Now this is the thing...if you dont have much MOJO then put it on your license plate and hope for osmosis? Sounds good to me! p.hawkins

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Macro Monday - True Love

I think we all need a little "scratch and sniff" Monday! This is one of my newest roses, and it smells of rose and vanilla and sweet grass.
Lean in.....take a nose full!
See more Macro Monday shots here!

Absolute proof ...

Yes this is absolute PROOF I have been traveling way too much!!!! (poor birdies!)

So bought a new feeder and have cleaned this one out. however I am not sure the new feeder is working well, and with all the rain its soaked to pieces. I need a dryer space for the birds!

p.hawkins

Well CHA is rockin! California is beautiful and friends are plenty!

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Macro Monday - Sun Lit Morning glories

These are straight out of the camera this past summer, the late afternoon as the tail end of the sun lit up the flesh of the flower.

p.hawkins

To see more Macro Monday shots click HERE

Machro Monday - Jan 11, 2010 - RUST

RUST one of those things that fascinate me. I love how it looks!

p. hawkins


for more Machro Monday shots click HERE!

Yummmmmm

There are times in life where the unexpected happens. Granted I love my "habits" and my comfort zones consisting of favorite spoons, morning rituals and work habits, but when the spontanious infusion of love happens, well its just heaven.

Such was the case when I got 3 boxes in the mail. One was from Sue and Julie, one was from Nancy and Jak and one was from my friends at Tierra Cast. (well Alan was the instigator I am told) We had talked about how I love beer and about how I am learning to get past the "sock taste" of the IPA's and brewery type beers. I guess Alan really listened!
Not to mention that everyone there that I know signed this cute card as well. How sweet is that I tell ya.

To my delight each box was brimming with love and care. Now if you know me at all, you know I get passionate about things, and BEER is one of them.

So the last box was full of...........yes BEER-BEER-BEER!!!!

Now I have already consumed a few of htem, I mean come on I had to! A few of them were sorta Christmasy? (well it had red on it and xmas stuff so I drank it!) And it was yummy too.

The one in the middle is so way cool! Lagunitas! I love the label and the alcohol content is HUGE! So I am looking forward to drinking that bad boy! I will give a full report when I do.

In fact I think I will go put them in the frig right this minute!!!! I love my beer super cold!

THANKS YOU GUYS!!!!
p.hawkins

Ok this is a test to see if i can post to my blog??? hahaha p.hawkins

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i heart faces 'logo' contest

This is my sister Sue. We were all just sitting in the sun this past summer and I told her she looked like the Beatles with those glasses adn it had me and her in the picture. (my reflection).

This is my first photo shop attempt at curving any text. Good luck everyone!

p.hawkins

See many more contest entries HERE

“I am submitting this photo into the I Heart Faces logo photo contest. By entering, I am granting I Heart Faces LLC permission to consider my photo for use in the marketing and promotion of their website.”

Chocolate Mud Pies???

The trailing geraniums are looking pretty good so far!

Yes I have a teeny lemon on my little tree!!!!!!




Primroses and Johnny Jumpups (baby pansy?) all in yellows!



Yes I have strawberrys trying to multiply!



More Primrose colors



Its looking pretty good so far.....now that I have handled the gopher damage.



I have this old 'gold panning' pan from my brother that is now dedicated to gardening!



OMG THIS SMELLS SOOOOOOOOO GOOD!



The nursery said that snails and sluggs dont like to travel across the scratchy cocoa shell mulch so perfect for me!



Yellow Tulips and Daffodils!!!

Yes, I planted bulbs and Johnny Jump ups and Primroses this past weekend. (also Millers nursery said that all of these plants were not so yummy to gophers)

(Yes I am trying to keep them little buggers at bay. Short of buying the rabbit pee that is.)

Also most of what I planted is in the yellow color family….and its sunny and delightful to be sure!!!

I also cleaned up the trailing Geraniums in the hanging pots on the porch. I so dearly wish for them to do well through the winter. And be prolific as spring starts to roll in.

I know so many of you are under a sleeping blanket of snow and the ground is frozen, but for me, its just a wee bit cold and wet. I LOVE California for that very reason. I can garden almost 95% of the time. How cool is that.

So I have never planted much in the way of bulbs. I am a Bulb Virgin. Moms Iris’s and Gladiolas got Thripes last year. I never had any success at getting rid of it and they never flowered. I don’t know what to do now.

Any ideas as how to treat the soil or anything now?

So the icing on the cake was when I was done I put down a lovely layer of Chocolate bean hulls for mulch.

OMG IT SMELLS LIKE A BIG FAT CANDY BAR OUTSIDE!!!! Hahahahah

Hmmm dirt and chocolate….now that’s one heck of a mud pie don’t you think?!?!!!

p.hawkins

Macro Monday - 1-4-10

I took this shot of a flower in my garden this past summer. Can you guess what it is???
Doesn't it look like the little curled up pieces are leather???
(hint: its a reather simple flower that bugs do not like)

p.hawkins


To see more Macro Monday shots go HERE.

Todays Flowers #73 - Just Joey

One of the most beautiful Roses I have ever layed my eyes on or smelled. Its called a
JUST JOEY Rose.
It goes from a Peachy orange to a pale peachy yellow and the smell is like a combination of roses-cinnimon, and white powdered sugar.

p. hawkins

for more Today's Flowers #73 go to: