I've been making a lot of new recipes lately, you know, just trying to fulfill my role as the little housewife at home with the baby. Some of the recipes have been definite keepers, others have not. Let's start with the good:
Wheat Bread- I had made wheat rolls before, but it was my first time making bread. I planned on using my Bosch mixer because they're great for bread, but I ended up doing it the old fashioned way of mixing it by hand because that's how my mom does it. The kneading was a little intense and I was a little worried at one point (when the entire dough ball was wound around my sticky dough hands! It's a miracle I got myself out of that one!), but it turned out so good. I could have eaten four whole loaves myself. Seriously. I planned on saving one loaf and giving three away, but I only gave two away. It was just too good. (I definitely need to work on the appearance, though. Two of them looked pretty, but the other two looked pretty funny on the top. But taste is what matters!) By the way, bread is so, so cheap to make! Which is a great reason to make it more often!
Banana Walnut Bread-No picture. I only made one loaf and it was eaten too fast to take a picture. Really yummy recipe from the Food Network Kitchens. Loved it.
Homemade Jam-Super easy. Waaaay better than store bought jam. I have never and will never buy store bought jam. We always had homemade jam growing up, but I had never made it before. My mom always stocked us up with homemade jam when we were in Utah, but it would have been tricky for her to mail me more of it in California. I figured I had better learn how to make it. And I'm glad I did. Delicious! Now, for the not-so-good.
Pizookie-Bad. Really bad. It literally makes me sick just thinking about it. A "Pizookie" is basically a chocolate chip cookie baked in a six inch pan, with ice cream over it. We also decided to make my Mom's famous chocolate sauce to put over it (as if we needed any more sweetness!?!) Long story short, it was waaaaaay too much. I usually love sweets, but this was just way too much goodness at once. We only made half the dough and we planned on making the rest of the dough the next night, there's now way we're making a pizookie anytime soon. Or ever! We had heard so much hype about how yummy pizookies are, but it was just pure sugary chocolate overload for us. We'll stick with the wheat bread.
Brynlee is five months old today! She has seemed so grown up lately! She loves to grab things, anything she can get her hands on. Then she puts it in her mouth and sucks on it. When I hold her and walk around the apartment she will grab at picture frames and wall hangings that are in her reach. I used to occasionally hold her on my lap when I ate my lunch, but now she grabs at my food or knocks over my glass of water....which has happened three times this week. (You'd think I would learn!) When Josh or I burp her she turns and looks us right in the eyes, smiles, then grabs onto our face. It's so funny! She's not content to just sit still. She needs to be holding something or reaching for something. We love her so much and are so lucky to be her parents!!!
These monthly pictures are getting harder and harder. All she wanted to do this time was eat the card. 
Showing a little leg.
After months of wearing just socks, Bryn is finally wearing shoes! They're a little large, but she'll grow into them. Seeing her in shoes makes her seem so old to me!
*If you're a perfectionist like me, you'll be bothered that the sign reads "5 month old" instead of "5 months old". I realized that after I was home from Kinko's and I just didn't think it was worth it to drive back and fix it. But now it's driving me crazy!
Bryn was so thrilled to be in the land of her birth. You can see it in her eyes. 
She put up with a lot through the years. (The stinky sock was a real low).
Her karate skills, as demonstrated upon her brother Hal.
And her tremendous upper body strength. Who would've known, right?
