It's a big day for the poor pup.

Last night's volleyball session went well - lots of work on hitting, approach, and wrist snap. Fun stuff! :) I love seeing improvement just in a couple hours of time. I made some friendship bread since I received a "starter" for it last week from Eugene's aunt Keri {her picture is here.} Guess it turned out pretty well because I heard lots of Mmm's from Eugene and our usual Thursday guests TJ, Lacy, and Colby. I think next time I'll try applesauce or yogurt instead of the oil because it was a bit greasy for my stomach.

Today is a big day for Espn. Poor thing loses his manhood this morning. I faced the terrible road conditions to get him to the vet. And, as I was driving, I saw two accidents and then on my way back I came to a traffic light. I slowed down because it started to go yellow, and no such luck. I slid through the light with my e-break clenched, until I stopped in the middle of the intersection....just long enough for the red-light ticket camera to flash. Great - now I'm going to get a ticket for not stopping when I honestly couldn't stop because of the ice. Oh well, hopefully they'll figure that out when the pictures shows my Element stopped diagonally in the intersection. Oh, and I realized that I'm going to have a hard time with motherhood because I seriously could have cried if I let myself as I left my puppy on that metal table. Terribly pitiful, I know!

If he only knew where he was headed this morning!

In case you're interested in the bread, here's the recipe.

Cinnamon Friendship Bread

Important tips: do not refrigerate. If air gets in the bag, let it out. It’s normal for the batter to thicken, bubble and ferment.

If you’re making this without a starter, combine 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup flour in a large zip lock bag and mush to mix ingredients.

Day 1 You receive fermented batter in a one gallon zip lock bag. Do nothing.

Day 2 Squeeze the bag several times and let out the air.

Day 3 Squeeze the bag several times and let out the air.

Day 4 Squeeze the bag several times and let out the air.

Day 5 Squeeze the bag several times and let out the air.

Day 6 Add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk, and squeeze bag several times to let out the air.

Day 7 Squeeze the bag several times and let out the air.

Day 8 Squeeze the bag several times and let out the air.

Day 9 Squeeze the bag several times and let out the air.

Day 10 In a large non-metal bowl, combine the batter with 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of milk.

Mix with a wooden or plastic spoon.

Remove four ½ cup scoops and put them into four separate 1 gallon zip lock bags. Give the four starter bags away with these instructions to friends and family. :)

Add to the remaining batter in the bowl:

¾ cup of canola oil (or ½ cup butter)

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3 large eggs

1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder

½ teaspoon of salt

2 cups of flour

½ cup of milk

½ teaspoon of baking soda

2 small boxes of vanilla flavored instant pudding

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Add raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips if desired.

In a separate bowl mix:

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

3 tablespoons of sugar

Sprinkle into 2 well greased loaf pans before pouring in the batter.

Bake at 325 degrees for one hour, or until done.