Bread Machine Rye Bread

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Veronica

Last week I mentioned my favorite food in the whole world is a cheddar cheese sandwich with tomatoes, lettuce & onion. Unlike other sandwiches, which I like on any bread, this one has to have a particular kind: either Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread or rye bread. We made this sandwich a lot growing up, and we only had Ezekiel bread at home, despite my yearning for white bread. But now Ezekiel is my all-time favorite bread (go figure) and I love this sandwich on it! But I have to say, the flavor of rye goes so nicely with cheddar cheese that I choose it over Ezekiel bread most times.

I got this recipe from my friend, Erin, in 2009 and it’s the only rye bread recipe I’ve ever made because I just love it so much I have no reason to try another. I’ve been making it for several years now so I thought it was about time I shared the recipe!

This loaf was baked in the bread machine and lighter in color, probably because I made my coffee a little too strong in the latest loaf.

A note regarding the molasses: if you use unsulfured/unsulphured blackstrap molasses, it adds a good dose of iron, calcium, and potassium to your bread! (1 tablespoon contains 20% of your daily calcium and iron, and 17% of your potassium.) It has a little bit of a different flavor from regular molasses, but I used it in my most recent loaf and it tastes just as good as ever so you may as well boost your nutrition with the good stuff! I got mine at a health food store but they might even have it at the regular supermarket.

Bread Machine Rye Bread

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 1/3 cups strong coffee
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/3 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 cup rye flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour (I usually use all-purpose)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons rapid-acting bread machine yeast

Fill 2-lb bread machine pan with ingredients in the order listed, and bake according to bread machine manufacturer’s directions. If you wish to bake your bread in the oven, run the dough cycle. Once complete, dump onto a floured surface and shape into a loaf with floured hands, kneading in a bit more flour if the dough is too soft. Place in a 9×5 loaf pan (or two 8×4 1-lb bread pans for small loaves), covering with a towel and allowing to rise again until doubled in size. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when removed from the pan and tapped on the bottom. Remove to cooling rack and rub all over with a cold stick of butter. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Veronica’s note: I’ve always made this bread with the three different flours, but it is probably OK to use another cup of rye in place of the whole wheat.

Recipe source: Erin N.

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22 weeks: the quickening

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Veronica

I was beginning to think I was going to be like one of those “I didn’t know I was pregnant!” women and never feel the baby moving inside me, but at long last, on August 1st at 3 AM when I laid down to go to sleep, Joshua made his presence known! I felt these light pops in my lower abdomen and it only took me a few seconds to realize it was Joshua kicking or boxing in my belly. :)

At first it was a little freaky. Something out of the movie Alien. Another being moving inside me – weird! But by the end of the day, I loved the feeling and it was really hard not to talk to Joshua every time I felt him moving while I was at work. We have a totally silent work environment (we are on a large floor, all stationed at small cubicles and doing our data entry while listening to MP3 or CD players) so I kept mostly silent to avoid strange looks. Though I couldn’t help whispering, “What are you doing in there, Joshua?” once. :)

The kicks come so fast I imagine him kicking his feet like flippers, like he’s practicing to swim, so I keep telling people he’s going to be a swimmer and already training for the Olympics. Kinda fun to imagine him so far down the road, but he’ll probably be a chess enthusiast or a hunter-lol! You never know. But feeling him makes him all the more real and it’s easier to imagine having him in my arms in another 18 weeks.

Yesterday at church, I had my hands folded over my belly and at one point, Joshua moved my hand! That was the first time I felt him from the outside so I’m hopeful that soon Dennis will be able to catch him moving too.

I’ve come to the following conclusions about our son, based on his movements: he is going to be a swimmer, he loves snacks (he’s more active after snacks than bigger meals), and he gets cranky if Mama waits too long between meals. I ate a very late breakfast (3 pm) on Saturday and boy, he was moving more than ever, and probably yanking on the umbilical cord and wondering when I was going to send some food down the line-lol. He finally settled down once I ate.

I have to say feeling him makes me a lot more aware of his comfort level, and I’ve started to worry about going to long without eating, and also what he might experience when I have low blood sugar. Something to ask the doctor at my next appointment. I desperately hope he doesn’t feel the same thing I feel when it happens.

I can still touch my toes! Though it’s not comfortable.

And just so the Daddy-to-be isn’t left out, here he is at 22 weeks, his hair a bit darker thanks to his wife’s meddling ways. I need to learn to leave well enough alone-it’s so weird for him to have brown hair. He’s a natural blonde turned silver, so dark hair just seems a little strange, though not bad. Just not completely right-lol. Still, he’s my sexy beast!

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The Masters Pimento Cheese

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Veronica

Me and pimiento cheese go way back. Although Mom fed us a very healthy diet growing up, cheese (and butter, thank God) was always present in our house and to this day, my favorite food in the whole world is a cheddar cheese sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Mom would occasionally indulge in one of her favorite treats and buy a tub of pimiento cheese, and I was always more than OK with that.

But there’s quite a difference between store bought and homemade! I didn’t try making it at home until a few years ago, and haven’t looked back. I used to follow a Paula Deen recipe that’s quite good, but I have now found an even better recipe. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s the BEST, or at least the best I’ve tried.

This one includes Parmesan cheese, which I never would have thought to put in pimiento cheese, but it makes it so good! You just gotta try it.

The Masters Pimento Cheese

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (4 oz) mayonnaise
1/2 cup (4 oz) sour cream
1/8 tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp minced dried onion
2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (1 ½ oz) shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (4 oz) jar diced pimientos, drained
Salt to taste (I don’t use any)

Using a mixer, whip the cream cheese until creamy, then beat in the remaining ingredients. Beating them will help break down the cheese and pimientos.

Veronica’s note: I used reduced fat cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream and you couldn’t tell – it was so good.

Recipe source: adapted from Plain Chicken

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Posted in Burgers & Sandwiches, Meatless, My Favorites, Snacks & Appetizers and tagged best pimento cheese, easy, pimiento cheese, sandwich. Bookmark the permalink.

Special Egg Salad

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Veronica

I have a couple easy and delicious sandwich fillings for you this week! This one I got from one of my favorite people, Marsha of The Better Baker. And her last name just so happens to be Baker – how cute it that? Anyway, I bought her cookbook several months ago (she has a new one coming out soon, too!) and she made a list of her family’s favorite recipes in it for me. This was one of the first one I picked – her description of it being the “best egg salad” sold me.

Usually I make my egg salad crunchy, with celery, red, green, and yellow or orange peppers mixed in. I just like to have some crunch that boosts the nutrition. But if I made enough for leftovers, it tended to get watery from the veggies and it’s a pretty loose salad to begin with because I only used Miracle Whip as the binder. Although this one has absolutely no vegetables in it, it really is the best egg salad I’ve ever had. It’s got a wonderful, creamy texture (the cream cheese is just brilliant here), and incredible flavor. And if you serve it the way Marsha suggests, on toasted wheat bread with lettuce, you do get a very satisfying crunch. I served mine on multigrain bread and thought it was just over-the-top wonderful.

Photo courtesy of Jaclyn H.

Another tip for this salad – to make easy work of the eggs, you can use a pastry blender as Marsha mentions in her cookbook, or you can try using a cooling rack! My friend, Jaci, introduced me to this idea and at first I thought I’d never try it, because chopping eggs isn’t that hard. But when it came to dicing up six eggs, pushing them through my cooling rack only took a few seconds and was a real time saver. Thanks, Jax!

Special Egg Salad

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 (3 oz) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise or Miracle Whip*
1/2 teaspoon sugar*
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the mayonnaise, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper; fold in the eggs. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving. Will keep for several days in refrigerator.

*You probably won’t need the sugar if you use Miracle Whip since it already has sugar added.

Veronica’s note: Although my method of hard-boiling eggs probably isn’t the best one, it works for me: put eggs in a pan and cover with an inch of water. Add several dashes of salt (I heard this helps with something, maybe peeling them, but can’t remember. I just do it out of habit.) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high and continue to boil for 15 minutes. Carefully drain off water and fill pan with cold tap water. Pour off water and fill again with cold tap water. At this point you can add ice to quickly cool the eggs, or keep the cold tap water running so that the pan is continually being cooled. Once the eggs have cooled to room temperature or lower, which shouldn’t take too long, you can peel them and continue with the recipe.

Recipe source: The Better Baker

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21 weeks: busy week

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Veronica

We had a garage sale last week and let me tell you, I never want to have another one again! We’ve done them twice before, but this one was bigger and more tiring, especially since we did it in the front yard and had to carry out tables and unpack tubs/boxes every morning and then put it all back every night (I continually refilled the tables as they emptied, so there was never less). Not to mention the lack of sleep – there was so much to do we both got only 2-3 hours the first two nights of the sale.

My parents-in-law came the first day and they were a godsend! Phyllis made us lunch, and made extra for me to take to work. I had to go to leave for work at 2 and they helped Dennis pack up that day, and helped us sell a lot of stuff too!

Every physical demand seemed ten times harder than before I was pregnant, and it was frustrating because I’m used to being able to push myself to do what needs to be done, no matter what. I had to let Dennis do more than his fair share of the work involved (lots of heavy lifting, which is what was hardest for me, and what I’m not supposed to be doing anyway), and I hated it. I could always do a my share of hard work before being pregnant and it’s hard to accept I can’t do it now.

The good news is that we both survived, and sold a ton of stuff. The reason we had the sale was to get rid of enough stuff that we could rearrange our house so that we could completely empty out the office and turn it into Joshua’s nursery. The hardest part is now done-hallelujah!

It was also a nice opportunity to see some friends who I haven’t seen in a while (I’m sort of a recluse, don’t tell), and to meet a blogger friend, Melissa of My Recent Favorite Books! I think she found me through another mutual blogger friend, Marsha, The Better Baker, and it wasn’t long before she realized we were both in Wichita. She also delivered a hug from Marsha, who she had told about our meet-up, which was so sweet. It was so nice to meet you, Melissa!!

Now that we’re done with step one of Battle Plan: Getting Ready for Baby, I’m really eager to finish the remaining steps so that we can get the new furniture set up in the nursery. I know we still have 19 weeks (if he comes on time, anyway. Yeah right, right?) to get ready, but I’m so anxious to just have everything done now!

I will definitely be taking pictures of our progress but won’t share them until the nursery is finished because if I showed you the current state of the office/nursery, you would have a heart attack and die, and I would die of shame and embarrassment. I know you’re imagining something really bad, but believe me it’s even worse than that. Now you’ve got an even worse picture, and let me tell you, you’re still nowhere close to how bad it is. I promise I will show you eventually, but only when I have the finished room to show you so you won’t question our ability to raise a child without him being crushed beneath an avalanche of stacked papers and books and laundry.

I know you’ve been eying my shirt, so here’s a closer look:

My friend, Tara, the one who pimped Den’s guitar (and won a 2nd place ribbon at the fair for it) and fixed the stain in my jeans by turning it into art, did this custom artwork for me! I so love it! (I just looked at the old post with Den’s guitar in it, and thought it was funny/cool that I’m wearing the Heart of God bracelet in these pictures (and I think last week’s too) that I also pictured in that post!) I now have a cupcake shirt to deliver cupcakes to my customers in. :) Thanks Tara!

Oh and I’ve been doing good on the temper tantrums, or at least haven’t freaked out to the degree I did last week. In fact, one Friday morning shopper who arrived while we were still setting up and arranging things, asked, “How do you guys get along so well?” After last week’s meltdown, this was incredibly encouraging. I must be on the road to recovery. lol. And the answer to her question? Jesus is our foundation. <3

P.S. I can’t see my feet when I look down any more. I’m not sure how I feel about this.

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20 weeks: hissy fit time

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Veronica

I have always been a bit of a drama Queen, though it has definitely improved with time, so I was prepared to be really out there once pregnant, totally emotional and irrational and unreasonable. I’d heard all the stories from women who were normally level-headed that had turned into all the aforementioned things once pregnant. Surprisingly, pregnancy has been nothing like what I expected. I waited for the nausea and vomiting. It never happened. I waited for the tears and screaming, and they never came. Happy, healthy, and solid, that’s me.

Until yesterday.

It was a long, tiring day. Getting up early for church, cooking sticky sesame chicken legs for lunch, getting ready for our garage sale which is coming up way too soon, meeting Momma Donna to look at baby furniture, becoming overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude when she bought an entire set for us (my first case of emotional tears since becoming pregnant!), hauling it home, helping Dennis unload it, our evening church service, then snapping photos for this post before we lost our sunlight (my camera doesn’t take good indoor pictures and the flash washes everything out if I use it). I felt drained as I looked at the pictures, and when I saw that in every single one my shirt was bunched up, creating a line along my lower belly, I lost it. Like way lost it. I turned into the pregnant woman from hell.

See, it looks like I have a belly button or a pointy baby foot poking out of my belly!

I screamed and yelled and made Dennis feel like the only worse thing he could have done besides not tell me that my shirt was unattractively bunched in all the pictures was kill our baby. We went back outside to try again, but I was so mad I could not smile for the pictures. I got mad all over again, realizing I’d eaten my lipstick off and forgotten to put my earrings back in. I knew I was being ridiculous for being so angry about these superficial things, and hating myself for it made me even angrier.

Thankfully Dennis handled it well and I hope every pregnant woman has a partner as understanding as mine because otherwise, pregnancy might turn into the number one reason for divorce.

The yin to my yang, my laid-back wonderful fella. Still looking pretty trim at 20 weeks. :)

So we survived hissy fit number one, and I will do my best not to have another one until possibly childbirth, in which all bets are off. I will hissy fit it up if it helps me get the baby out without killing someone! In the meantime, please pray for my husband! lol

I’m such a dork. Somebody save me from myself.

And I just wanted to point out I’m half way through my pregnancy now! Wow, time is flying. I’m so glad we’re getting stuff out of here (garage sale-ing it up this weekend) to make room for Joshua, and already have his furniture to put in the room once it’s emptied. *totally crazy amazing* I’m ready to get my nesting on, even if it is a little early. :) If you live in Wichita, I hope you’ll stop by if just to say hi! Email me for my address: vraklis (at) yahoo (dot) com.

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Bread Machine Hamburger (or hot dog) Buns

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Veronica

It’s been so long since I posted the recipe for Rosemary Sage Burgers with Chive Mayo that many of you may not even remember this picture:

Yeah, I posted that over three years ago. I put that delicious burger on a delicious homemade bun, always intending to share the recipe. And didn’t. Then I won a red ribbon for that recipe and still didn’t share the recipe. I guess better late than never, right?

These buns are nice and soft with great flavor. Making the dough in the bread machine makes them fairly easy, too! The only work you really have to do is shaping the buns, the rest is just waiting.

Bread Machine Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons non-fat milk powder
2 tablespoons shortening
2 1/2 – 3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 cups all-purpose & 2 cups white whole wheat or whole wheat flour)
1 packet instant/bread machine yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
Optional: egg white & sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Measure all the ingredients into the bread machine pan in the order given, making a little well in the mound of flour to put the yeast in. Push pan in place, select the dough cycle, and push start.

When cycle finishes, turn out onto a floured board and punch down. Knead 4 or 5 times; add a little more flour as you knead if necessary to keep it from sticking. Cover dough with a clean dishcloth and let rest for about 30 minutes. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal or flour.

For hamburger buns: Press dough into a circle and cut into 8 even wedges; form each wedge into a ball then flatten into a smooth and fairly even circle.

For hot dog buns: Shape these into long somewhat narrow snakes. (Makes about 12 or so.)

Place dough shapes on the baking sheet, cover with parchment paper or a clean dish towel, and let rest for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. If you’d like to add sesame seeds or poppy seeds to the tops, brush them with beaten egg white, then sprinkle the seeds on top.

Bake at 375 for about 17 to 18 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Makes 8 hamburger buns or about 12 hot dog buns.

Recipe source: The Cooking Photographer

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Thankful Thursday #111: forget envy

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Veronica

Earlier this week a Mom expecting her second child ordered beehive cupcakes for her gender reveal party. Yes, just like the ones I pictured in my own gender reveal. I told her that her timing was uncanny, that I had planned the exact same thing, with the “What will it bee?” theme, except I wasn’t having a party, and was revealing through my blog. It was so neat to have the extra motivation to perfect the honey cake recipe I’ll be submitting to the fair this year!

She wanted the cupcakes delivered and told me their property was gated, so I was semi-prepared when I pulled up to it. It turns out the property was so expansive, you couldn’t even see the home from the gate! I called her to be let in and the gates slowly opened for me.

As I followed the path she indicted, turning left at a lake, I was in awe and a little bit of shock. There are people this rich in my area?

She was very nice, gave me a tip on top of the extra she paid for delivery, and we chatted for a bit. She told me they planned to eventually build their “real” home behind the one they were currently living in. The one they were living in had to be the size of at least ten of mine.

After dropping the cupcakes off, I thought about her baby on the way, and how much easier it was for her than me to be having a child. Lots of space, money to buy whatever they might need, and more. I thought about how Jessie would love running around so much acreage. And how we could never give either of our children (yes, Jessie’s the older sister-lol) what that family could give theirs.

Feeling some envy was pretty tempting, but this quote came to mind: “We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” ~ Charles Kingsley.

I have so much to be enthusiastic about, praise God. I have everything I need, and a lot of things I want. I have a gift (baking) that hopefully will allow me to work from home once the baby comes since my job is going away, and it is pretty neat to be able to make money doing something you truly enjoy. Best of all, God has given me the ultimate desire of my heart, a child. I’m growing a baby, people. Incredible.

I don’t have a lot, but I have more than enough. I’m sure people in needier countries would marvel at my small home, income, full shoe rack, and clean water the same way I marveled at the expansive estate I visited. Once the baby comes there will be many trials and hardships, but I trust that God will provide and I know we’ll always have enough. We may not be wealthy, but we can give Joshua the most important things, namely love, and in abundance.

Life is good, and I am happy. Forget envy, I have too much to be enthusiastic about. :)

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Homemade Sloppy Joes (look Ma, no cans!)

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Veronica

I follow a lot of blogs and some of them I rarely comment on (if I commented on every blog I follow it would be my full-time job), but will pin their recipes almost daily. Such as Plain Chicken and Jam Hands. Everything they post is like, “Oh that is the most fattening and delicious thing I’ve ever seen. I must make it!” FYI, I really love fattening recipes, especially right now. (And more and more am not loving sweet stuff! To the point that I almost would have rather died than taste the frosting on the last order of cupcakes I made, though I made myself do it to make sure it was good. I couldn’t tell if it was good, I hated it so much. Oh well, fat is better for you than sugar anyway.) This one isn’t fattening, but I won’t hold that against it because it is family friendly. And maybe that’s a better way to classify Ali’s recipes (she has two little girls). I love family friendly too, even if it doesn’t have a pound of butter in it.

I pinned Ali’s Best Ever Sloppy Joes over a year ago and finally made them recently. I have never made them from scratch so I don’t know if this is the best-ever recipe from personal experience, but it sure beats using a canned sauce! Totally delicious. I ate two sloppy joe’s for dinner the night I made this, and Dennis ate the rest of the pan! I think he had at least four! So I guess you could say this is husband-approved. Like I said, family friendly.

*I didn’t serve these with bakery fresh buns, but her instructions to do so reminded me I have an award-winning buns recipe I need to share! Will do that soon!

Best Ever Sloppy Joes

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped green or red bell peppers (I use a small bell pepper)
1/2 cup chopped celery (I used three stalks)

Cook ground beef and chopped onion. Drain fat off meat. Add back to large pan. Add remaining ingredients. Mix. Reduce heat to low and cook 40 minutes. Serve with fresh bakery buns.

Recipe source: Jam Hands

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19 weeks: what will it bee?

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Veronica

Maybe a boy?

Maybe a girl?

Probably a human, right?

OK, you’ve been patient long enough. Let’s open up one of those cupcakes and see what’s inside…

That’s right, folks! It’s a boy! So excited I could…

~~jump for joy!~~ Stand on one leg!

I really am excited, guys. Truthfully, it did take me some time to adjust, after wanting a girl for so long. Yes, I felt that it was a boy from early on, and I wasn’t surprised to hear it confirmed, but it did take me some time to get over that longing for a girl. I did feel some disappointment, but there was a moment even the first day after finding out when I had an overwhelming thankfulness fill my soul to be having not only a boy, but a healthy, perfect boy. Because during the sonogram, every time she froze the screen to measure something or check things out, they were “great,” “perfect,” “normal,” and “right on track.” That is truly all I ever wanted. A healthy baby. *tears*

Two days later, I woke up and started talking to our baby, calling him by his name that we picked as our “boy favorite” before I was ever pregnant. (I will tell you about his middle name soon too, which we’ve also picked.) “Good morning, baby Joshua,” I said, rubbing my belly, and singing to him (he can hear now, you know!). I haven’t felt any movement yet, but our baby was suddenly so much more real, knowing I have a little boy inside me. And with that communication, I was connected and my happiness complete, with no disappointment left over.

I bought this frame from Family Christian (it’s available online here, and here for a pink one) and mailed it to my in-laws along with a letter to announce we’re having a boy. I also got one for Dennis and he’s proudly displaying it on his desk at work now. :)

Everyone in Den’s immediate family that dared to guess, guessed boy (actually even his extended family guessed boy, except for one) and that’s what they wanted so they’re thrilled! The Miller name lives on! :D My sisters also guessed boy but they didn’t really care either way, they just guessed based on how I’m carrying (kinda low), but my Dad thought I was carrying high so he guessed girl. (I warned him my upper roll of fat was throwing him off but he didn’t believe me-haha!) He was the only one in our immediate families that was wrong, but he doesn’t care, he’s just happy our baby is doing so well!

OK, so I seem to remember promising to draw a name from those who guessed correctly and give them a prize. You’re probably ready to hear who won! There were 110 votes in all, 56 for boy, 54 for girl. I think it’s so cool how split down the middle the votes were, almost like the ratio of boys to girls in the wold. Neat! Anyway, the winner from the boy jar is…

Michelle Clark! Come on dowwwwwwn. Or just check your email and let me know which prize you’d like. That would work too.

Speaking of coming on down, check me out reaching for my toes…

I can still touch them from the front, but barely! When I do my toe nails I kinda have to bend my leg to the side, but it works. And I’m determined I will never not be able to do my toe nails. They will be pretty to the end. So there.

Thanks everyone for playing along – it was so fun to see all your guesses!