dad in arizona

The Big Move!

Posted on 13. Feb, 2010 by Scott D.

Well, I guess I should let you all know the big news… we are moving soon!  AND, we have moved this blog to a new and final location : DADSPOSTCARDS.COM

Why?  ….well, I had this idea a few years ago that each time we moved, I would change the domain name of our family blog, but that got to be a bit annoying and hard to follow, since we changed our address every 2-4 years.

So, now we are excited to have this great new site (with all the old stuff, too,) and some really big news about where we are headed.  Where are we going next?  Well, you will have to check out the new site for that!  I will not be posting to this site anymore after this post, so if you haven’t visited us in a while, be sure to go here and find out what is new.  The new site has a lot of new and exciting features that this site can’t do…. you really need to go check it out. We will be very busy in the next few months and we will be checking out of Arizona permanently by the end of May.  So, be sure to go to the new site, read the news about our new location in Washington D.C. and leave a comment.  And don’t forget to bookmark the new site!!

We have lots more to tell you, but that will be all announced on the new site.

See you soon!

-Scott, Shana, and the kids.

Continue Reading

Madison’s 4th Birthday

Posted on 25. Jan, 2010 by Scott D.

Well, I can’t find any photos from New Years in Fresno, so lets move on!
Madison had a great birthday this year. We invited some of her friends to have a party for her at “Freedom Station” in Prescott Valley. It’s kind of like a Chucky Cheese, but is smells more like socks than anything else. The kids had a great time, and Madison received a ton of My Little Pony presents. This was the weekend before her birthday, so when she went to school on Tuesday (her actual birthday,) she was confused when they sang her Happy Birthday again.

Her class has a sock monkey named Fred that gets to go home with any kid with a birthday, so Madison got to take Fred home for the night. Only thing is, we got so much snow, that school was canceled for about a week. Fred is still here, but he goes back tomorrow.

Continue Reading

Really wet snow video

Posted on 21. Jan, 2010 by Scott D.

But it was fun!

Continue Reading

My Oasis Naan bread recipe

Posted on 17. Jan, 2010 by Scott D.

OK!  Sorry for the delay, but here is my Naan bread recipe.  It’s really simple and you can have the kids help out.

2 1/2 cups tepid water (about 90 degrees)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
5-6 cups bread flour (I use King Arthur)
1 Tablespoon salt
(sesame seeds)

Put water and yeast in a large bowl and stir to blend.  Add 3 cups of the flour, about a cup at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon.  Beat for about a minute to develop the gluten. Sprinkle the salt over the mixture and slowly add more flower, a cup at a time, and stir until the dough is too stiff to work with.

Note:  you may not have to use all the flour… I never really do.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured work surface and knead it for about 10 minutes until it’s smooth and easy to handle.

Then put dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. (I use Pam.)  Let it sit at room temp for about 2 hours.  If it goes longer, its ok… you can even put it in the refrigerator for up to 18 hours.

Preheat oven to about 500 degrees.  Punch down the dough, and cut it into about 4 or 5 pieces.  Shape them into oval shaped balls 6×8 inches and let them sit for a few minutes to rest the gluten.

Get a bowl of water to use (this is where the kids can help.)  Take one piece and flatten it out by getting your fingers very wet and pressing them into the dough and make lots of deep dimples in it.  If you make small holes, its ok. (It’s actually good for the texture.)  The more wet the dough gets from pushing on it, the better!

The pick the piece up and gently pull it in a long football shape 5 inches wide and about 12-18 inches long.  If there are holes in the dough, its all good.

Put some cornmeal on a peel, or use parchment paper and place on a baking stone in the oven for about 5 minutes.  It cooks quick, so watch it closely… it should start to brown all around the edges.  You can have 2 in the oven at one time if you are comfortable with it.

Before you put these in the oven, you can put sesame seeds on top or olive oil with a few garlic cloves pressed in, or you can put cinnamon and sugar on top after it comes out.

Thats it!

Continue Reading

Last Pictures of 2009 (part 1)

Posted on 11. Jan, 2010 by Scott D.

Well, I have been meaning to get some photos from the last part of the year up, but there has not been a “blogging moment” for me lately. Lazy? Maybe… but my little boy has been sick and I just will use that as an excuse.

So… we had a great Christmas! My family, the Donaldsons, came to visit for the holidays, and we had a wonderful time. My mom, dad, and sister showed up right after the holiday festival thingy that the city hosted downtown, and I cooked some pretty good stuff. There is more to right, but honestly, I want to go watch Glee and veg out. So, here are some photos from the last few weeks of December.

Next post: New Years in Fresno! (I’m not sure if I took photos there, but lets hope I can find a few!)

Continue Reading