You know those days you look back on and marvel that you got anything done at all?! I had to write my to-do list down because I was getting nowhere fast, and at 2pm congratulated myself for finally getting a sourdough loaf ready for a first prove (ready to bake before bed) – and checked a full single thing off my list.

To give myself credit I’d also made and fitted a ship’s steering wheel for Charley’s submarine, and a compass to stick on to his control panel; and split a bunch of dry logs and brought a barrowful of split logs in from the shed as well as providing two rounds of breakfast (one cold, one cooked) for hungry kiddos and trying to keep the furnace hot.

Pizzadough for homemade pølsehorn might have to wait til tomorrow, but I may yet get a second bread dough made (regular sandwich loaf, which should be proved and baked and cooled before the sourdough is even ready to go in the oven).

And it’s snowing again. -6 when Steve headed out to work, -4 when I got up, and still -1 at lunchtime.

I managed to almost lose the fire this afternoon. The wind has been ripping the heat away faster than I could keep up, and when Erika went for a nap I noticed the temperature drop suddenly as I settled down to finally relax. No relaxing for me. I’d already used up the barrow of wood I’d brought in earlier, so had to go out a second time for wood and as I started to bring it in I piled a load into the furnace – and then realised it was almost out, except for a couple of embers. Cue frantic blowing through the grate with a straw to direct the air at the embers, hacking up a briquette to shove pieces into the embers praying they’d catch, and finally getting flames again just as Steve arrived home! Thank goodness for someone to take over rescuing the fire just then, because Erika sort of woke not long after, crying, and needing a very long snoozy comfort boob before waking up fully.

Of course that all meant I didn’t get a second loaf made and baked at all…

Bedtime has also had its moments. Charley melted down and needed space to let out a LOT of big feelings that have been building up recently, so I put him to bed first without Ben so that he could have mummy time all to himself. He needed that. He’s getting more difficult for me to manoeuvre from our bed into his own these days though so I hope I can fill his love tank enough quickly enough for him to at least not need to fall asleep in my bed for much longer!

Currently waiting on Miss Erika who isn’t very interested in relaxing and going to sleep, even if she is really tired by the sounds of things. Looking forward (in hope) to having some time to work on my new cardigan, having finally managed to create the first sleeve cuff this afternoon before I realised how cold it was getting.

Oh and I mustn’t forget to make a bottle of pancake batter up for tomorrow’s breakfast. The sourdough made it into its tin to prove in the fridge overnight so hopefully it will be ready to bake in the morning. No commercial yeast in it this time so I’m hoping my little bowl of wild yeast culture works as happily as it looks in its bowl! It rose well enough in its first prove today so it’s looking hopeful.

I’ve still only got one thing ticked off my to-do list. Ah well. I shall call it the “what could you do today” list instead and put tomorrow’s date on it in the morning!