Today

I was going to put up some words to offset all the silliness below, but I'm tired of staring at this screen and have nothing left to give.  Polka'poose is nearly ready to meet us-- only a little over 2 weeks left.  My birthday is on April 15th, so perhaps then?  Sleep is fitful, life is full, and March marches away.  Snow is in the forecast next week, but, today, spring rises from the earth and flavors the breeze that comes through the open window.  

The words that matter--

He will swallow up death in victory, 

and the LORD GOD will wipe away tears from all of the faces;

and the rebuke of His people shall He take from off all the earth:

for the LORD hath spoken it.

Bolting the Door

Someone's learning to sit on a toilet.

And he likes privacy.

A Baker and a Dozen for You

Every couple of months, I remember to hop on Craigslist and look for a used grain mill.  We bought 2 huge sacks of wheat berries several years back, but our grinder attachment only ground coarse flour, and, besides that, began to burn out our mixer's motor, so I stopped using it, and while we've dipped into the wheat berries occasionally for salads and soups, they've mostly just cluttered the corner of our kitchen.

After more than two years of waiting for a worthy deal to arrive, it finally did.  A hand-crank version of this grain mill ('cause we have lots of hands in this house), never used, with grinder and flaker and an additional set of burrs, was ours for twenty dollars.  

It works like a charm.  Ezekiel was the only one awake the morning after we got it, so he did the inaugural grinding for our breakfast muffins.  I took too many pictures, because I have a working grain mill AND a cute child!  What more do you want from me?

The cute child also cracks eggs.

...and eats the applesauce he's supposed to stir into the batter.

The girls woke up too late to make the muffins, but they were excited to grind flour for the week.  I'm hoping the healthy enthusiasm for hand-cranking flour holds out, but I'm not counting on it.

Looks Belie

Millie curled this girl's hair with a flat iron (thanks to your tutelage, Cassie.).  She requested a picture and was much more pleased than she appears.

Spring is the Season

...when homeschoolers feel pity for their walled-up counterparts.  To be strapped to a desk on a warm day is unthinkable.

Let's Stain Our Hands and the House

Aidan dyed eggs for the first time and was the cutest.



















Everyone else had fun, and I left them to their chaos after snapping a few pictures for posterity.






(Told you he was the cutest.)

Let's Make Some Food

I am so thankful for my big girls.  The day before Easter, they all pitched in (upon my orders), because I was determined to go to bed at a decent hour for once.  Millie had already made cinnamon buns to put in the freezer earlier that week, so she made the challah and a lemon cheesecake.  Annika made bunny rolls and punch, Susannah made deviled eggs, and everyone helped out with cleaning.

For the first time ever, I made the bunny pops and chocolate surprise eggs before supper.  Before supper!  It wasn't even the middle of the night!  I still stayed up later than I intended making the rest of the food for Easter dinner and cleaning up, but I was pretty pleased that my bad habits are starting to be offset by my children's growing skills.


The carrot cake didn't look as classy this year, but that didn't stop me from slicing a large wedge for myself.

The girls wanted me to take a picture of the rabid bunny that kept terrorizing the tulips.  He has two rabid-bunnies-in-training alongside, too.

Even This

I didn't make any favors for the Easter dinner this year, because this girl wanted to.

Let's hear it for yarn and hooks and girls who wield them!

Easter Breakfast

Early Easter morning, Aidan and Annika were the first to meet me in the kitchen.

It didn't take long for the rest to come tromping downstairs.

Even sleepy Millie rolled out of bed.

My favorite part of the morning was when Millie helped Aidan peel his chocolate surprise egg.

He'd already eaten a hardboiled egg and tried to refuse this one several times.

It was only after Annika broke off a small piece and shoved it in his mouth that he changed his tune.







Can't say that I blame him.








After hardboiled eggs and fruit, we broke out Millie's cinnamon buns.








...with frosting, of course.  Gotta make up for a sweetener-free Lent all in one morning, you know.