Where am I, now three-plus years into parenting? I can change diapers, make baby food, clean bottles, clothe a struggling child, and a hundred other skills of extremely limited utility in the outside world. But the list of things I…
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Naturally Leavened
What’s not to like about naturally leavened bread? It uses naturally-occurring yeast in the air and flour, lasts much longer than commercially-yeasted bread, gives a better and more complex flavor, and reduces the number of ingredients. With just water, flour,…
Where Does Milk Come From?
You think you’re ready for the Big Questions when you’re a parent, but you aren’t. Toddler Harbat hasn’t yet begun to ask those questions that will make me pause, blush, and tell her to go ask Mamma. But at least…
What’s for Dinner?
Toddler Harbat has been growing up in our kitchen. She took her first steps there, and quickly learned where the bread was sliced. I’ve always tried to include her in food preparation, and her recent Christmas present shows where her…
Let Them Bake Bread
Hello readers! 2010 was a great year for the Handmade Blog. My readers came from all over the world, coloring my visitor stats with flags as familiar as the red, white, and blue bars of the U.K. and as foreign…
Biking Isn’t Riding
Toddler Harbat is confused. When I suggest we take her tricycle out, she probably envisions sitting in a recliner while the scenery blurs past, preferably with a chocolate milk in one hand and a pony with long Technicolor hair riding…
Home for the Holidays
There’s nothing like family traditions to remind you it’s holiday time. When I was growing up our family would make Christmas bread each December, locating a floury notecard with the recipe my grandmother jotted down in slanting cursive. Every year…
Rain, Gone Away
There’s been some rain here in California—maybe you’ve heard. Our “storm events” here in San Diego are usually either several days of continuous misty rain with the intensity of falling dust or a several-hour sky-purge of Biblical proportions. This storm…
Family at the Holidays
There really is no substitute for family. Good or bad, many or few, family is family. Toddler Harbat is overjoyed to have family in town. Last week it was my sister and future brother-in-law, this week it’s her grandparents. These…
Let’s Dance
David Bowie said it best: “Let’s dance!” Toddler Harbat got an early Christmas present last night: ballet slippers. Having just seen The Nutcracker, she’s in full ballet mode. When I say ballet I mean slam dancing. I’ll grant that the…
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