Good morning and happy Monday! It was incredibly wonderful to take time away from the studio for a few days and enjoy our first, but very cold, spring weekend in April. First up, was some time spent in the kitchen baking bread. I haven't been making bread as much as I used to and after looking over my favorite bread cookbooks, I couldn't wait to start again. I love the whole process of bread making - from the smell of the yeast and the rising of the dough, to how incredible it is that a few simple ingredients results in something so absolutely delicious you want to eat the entire loaf.

Fresh out of the oven! The hardest part is waiting for the loaves to cool a bit before you can slice into one. After a wonderful day spent in our warm kitchen, the next morning we headed outdoors. Don't let the cherry blossoms fool you, it was cold!
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Sunday morning we were up bright and early to take the metro downtown. We are in the midst of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in DC and our "Sweet Pea", along with four of her friends, were participating in the annual Cherry Blossom run. (She had to leave the house at 5:45 a.m.)

My husband and I waited at the finish line to cheer her on. She did such a great job and it was so exciting when we spotted her coming up the hill approaching the finish line.

Here they are after the run and ready to head off to a favorite restaurant. My husband and I made our way back to the metro as well and we stopped off in Clarendon to eat breakfast at one of our favorite cafes, Le Pain Quotidien (the daily bread).

It was nice to come in from the cold and enjoy a cozy breakfast accompanied with a pot of hot tea. Enjoying their delicious artisan breads inspired me to try baking those as well. So I came home and ordered some new bread baking supplies which I'll share with you once they arrive.
My Favorite Bread Cookbooks:
The Book of Bread, by Judith & Evan Jones
Baking with Julia, by Julia Childs