A Lost Art
While reading the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp I was reminded of the lost art of bread making.  I was introduced to bread making many years ago by long time family friend Chris V.  I lived with her family in the north part of the state for my first semester away from home.  For as long as I have known her, Chris has been making bread the "old fashioned" way.  No bread machine, no kitchen aid mixer... she does it all by hand.  Living under her roof I grew accustomed to the smell of fresh baked bread and savoring crispy toast in the mornings.  When I moved I asked her for her recipe and for the next few years I occasionally indulged in the art of bread making. 
Something about yesterday spurred me to make bread.  Maybe it was the slightly cool and overcast spring day or maybe the desire to see the delight on my husbands face when he got home from his third day at his new job.  Whatever it was, I was compelled to make bread!  It brought back so many memories that I had almost lost... mixing, kneading, rising, shaping, baking, smelling, and savoring the first bite.  The process is beautiful, and I fully enjoyed every step!  I couldn't help but think about all the ways bread making relates to my life, and the work that God is doing in me.  There are so many analogies in this... I will leave them to the imagination...
And needless to say Scott was thrilled when he arrived home and saw the two loaves in the oven baking into the perfectly shaped golden mound of deliciousness.
Beginning to mix:

Still Mixing...

Finally able to knead:

Ready to rise:

Risen!

Shaped into loaves:

Beautifully Golden:

Ready to eat:

Perfectly Simple:

#592: Scott's Face when He saw bread baking
#593: The smell of baking bread
#594: Toast!