Week of (imposed) Vacation

I didn't ask for a vacation. It just fell into my lap. My boss is out of town all week leading a mission trip and she suggested I enjoy some down time while she was gone. I have email and phone messages to check on and respond to, but I can do it from home. So... this week stretches before me...

Yesterday was my first official day off... I slept in way way too late! But it was delicious. Bruce was not feeling so great the night before so he was ingesting his airborne and  laying low most of the day. I moved from the bed to the recliner, with coffee and books. Yes books. Knocked out TWO books in one day. I am a voracious reader but even for me, two very fat novels in one day is a record. Especially since my day started rather late. But I had no interruptions... just the magical sounds of rain trickling down my drain pipe, a crackling fire and a purring cat.  And  to make it even more decadent, I spent the entire day in my jammies!

In addition to reading all day, I decided no cooking either. Since hubby wasn't feeling well he had no appetite. So we both sort of fasted all day. Liquids, lots of liquids! Coffee, tea, juice, water, broth, more water....

This morning I woke up refreshed and renewed without the aid of an alarm clock, at 6 am. A day of vegging is rather good for one's self every now and again!

I had it in my head that I was going to attempt to make cinnamon rolls this week and today seemed like a good day for that. I say attempt because baking with yeast has always been a challenge for me. I did a lot of it when my kids were little and got pretty good at it but over the last few years I have failed miserably the few times I have tried to recapture the magic of dough rising. Too much time in between attempts has left me rusty and wary. Add to this, I was also going to try to make them with gluten free flour which would be a first....  well.... the dough was super sticky and finally I ran out of gluten free flour mix and it was still a big gummy mess! I had to choose: toss it out or add some 'real' flour to try and salvage the mess of dough stuck to my counter, my hands and my recipe book.
I chose to add flour and eventually got the ball of elastic dough  I was looking for. It's proofing now but I don't know how this is going to turn out. It doesn't smell like yeast dough... the gluten free flour mix has some interesting flour sources --like fava beans and sorghum -- and so it has a sort of 'off' smell. But I suppose if we fill the dough with enough butter sugar and spices, it will taste-- um-- tasty!! I hope...

So as I wait on the dough, I am alternating this day between writing a little, reading a little and working on a new jigsaw puzzle a little. The latter is not off to a good start either. I got the edges done but this cheap puzzle is so flimsy that each time I try to fit a piece, it pulls the other pieces loose. Grrrr.


I am hopeful that one day this week Bruce n I will "go play" --- a hike, a day trip-- I have no big ideas -- just a day for the 2 of us to escape. Also hoping to connect with a few gal-pals. And catch up on more books and blogging!

this one's gonna take some extra patience!

Nothing earth shattering or deep here.... It's just a week in the life of.....