Child raising... a life-long lesson in generosity

Normally, I had to feed J his breakfast, but this morning marked a special milestone. Before I could go and feed him, J took the spoon, fed and finished by himself the breakfast and later dinner. Today marked the milestone of J (17M17D) compleing the journey for self-feeding.

Life is getting easier and easier each day for me with J getting more and more independent by the day... yet i am getting sentimental... each new day of independence brings joy, but also reminds me that it is 1 more day nearer to the day he will leave home... our baby is growing up so FAST!!!

This evening as I washed the dishes, a tear dropped... someone once told me that children is on loan to us by God... how true... my mother-in-law brought up my Significant Other, and generously gave him to me... to this I am forever grateful.

J will grow up in no time and leave home, and I have to learn to be equally generous and give him away to someone else. May I start praying that I could be as generous as my mother-in-law. May God graciously teach and patiently prepare me for the day to come, that I can greet that day with inward-flowing grace and generosity, just like my mother-in-law.

Walnut Raisin Carrot Bread/Valnød Rosin Gulerod Brød/核桃葡萄干胡萝卜面包[hé táo pú táo gān hú luó bo miàn bāo]

Here is my walnut raisin carrot bread (baked for the first time on 25.4.2010)

Ingredients
- 20 g yeast
- 250 ml buttermilk (optional)
- 600 ml cold water (if using buttermilk, reduce the proportion of water accordingly)
- 600 g Graham flour
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 150 g raisins
- 100 g walnuts
- 4 grated carrots (optional)
- 100 g spelt flakes (optional)
- 75 g ground flax seeds (optional)
- 50 g wheat germ (optional)
- 1.5 tsp salt (optional)
- 1 egg white or 50 ml milk (optional for glazing)

Directions:
1. Mix water and yeast together in a mixing bowl.

2. Stir in carrots, walnuts, raisins, flax seeds, spelt flakes, wheat germ, graham flour and olive oil.

3. Knead it well into dough by hand or using a hand-mixer and leave it overnight (or at least 8 hours) in the fridge.

4. On a baking tray lay with baking paper, use half of the dough to form buns by using a spoon (can make about 24 buns) and the other half of the dough to form into a bread. Then cut a slit in the middle of the bread with a sharp knife.

5. Brush the bread and buns with milk or egg white and sprinkle them with the spelt flakes (optional)

6. Place the tray in the middle of a pre-warmed oven and bake for 12-15 mins. for the buns and 50 min. for the bread at 200°C in a pre-warmed oven.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_flour

http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhealthinformation/a/buttermilkhelth.htm

http://breadmantalking.blogspot.com/2010/06/simple-breads-part-2-whole-wheat-loaf.html