This Suffices until 2016

I'm only counting on one blossom every seven years.

George Washington's Breakfast

Three small hoecakes and three small cups of tea...

Millie read this book the other day and requested we make George Washington's breakfast. The next morning, she did, and you can, too, by visiting buildabelly's latest episode of Cooking with Mildred. For those who don't frequent buildabelly, I've provided a recap here.

1. Don your chef's hat.




2. Get out ingredients. Measure, mix, and stir.



Three. Pour batter and flip cakes.


Four. Don't forget to check the bottoms.


Five. For reasons known only to yourself, make your hungry guests successfully answer riddles before dishing out the grub. Whoever answers three correctly gets the hoecake with bunny ears!

We've been Due for One

Both Millie and Annika walk somewhere between the poof of girliness and the romp and tumble of tomboys, although Annie falls more on the sword-swinging-pirate side of the line. Millie's heart's wish is to someday be a "Big Mama" and a ballerina. I am glad of this, but neither one of them strikes me as the quintessential girly girl. I wasn't one growing up (and how!), but I know the kind.



Enter the third. As much as Susannah loves bugs and caterpillars, I think she may be our girly girl. She hates to have dirty hands, she oozes melodrama, she sometimes talks in an affected simper when she thinks she's especially fancy, and, most damning, she wanted a princess cake for her birthday. I tried to convince her to choose differently. Anything but a princess would have suited me-- a ladybug, a box elder bug, a cat, a purse, a giraffe, Raggedy Dan, you name it-- but she would have none of it.

To all of my desperate suggestions, she calmly replied, "No, I want a pwincess cake." I finally succumbed because a month ago, I'd at least worked her down to a pwincess cake from her original desire-- a fairy on a horse.

Let it be known that I have nothing against princesses. My girls pretend they're princesses all the time, and I show genuine goodwill toward all the princesses (princessi?) I run across in my travels. I found the thought of making a pwincess cake intimidating, though.

The party was at noon, and I started decorating the cake that morning with no idea of how I could make it. Ribbons, buttons, a glue gun, and fabric saved me from making a complete wreck.


I had fun making it, but, in retrospect, I think she looks a bit scary.

My two favorite parts are the bees on her skirt and the bird charm on her necklace. Becky brought them over while I was up to my elbows in frosting and food coloring. I wanted to steal them forever.




Yup. SCARY!

Presents

I only have a few pictures of the Bird's big day. Debbie, Joel, and Luke were all in town, so they came down with Mom and Dad for the party. Becky and the seven next-door cousins were here, too, and this is the only picture I have that proves anyone but our little family celebrated the Bird. George was a gift from Grandma and Grandpa Owen whose tag said "Try Me." Nine pairs of hands did just that within seconds.



She was very pleased (look at the smug expression) by this greenback and attendent suggestion from Grandma and Grandpa Owen. Fast food, here we come!



Aunt Sarah O. , she loves her book and recites, "XOXOXOXOXOXO" when she sees your inscription.


And she also loves to take pictures of herself when her mother leaves the camera on the couch.

Let Us Eat Cake

I received this look when she discovered me and my pal Camera.

Just Because It Was on the Camera

I need worthier motivation for posting pictures.

(After taking this, I learned how to bypass the orange tint for future pictures. In case you care...)

Daytripper

Winter left for a one-day vacation to the coast, leaving us with temperatures in the 50's. He's back now, but we enjoyed the break from woolens.



Annie readied herself for going out. She still likes stripes.


Millie stockpiled the last of the snow in tidy bundles.


And I have no pictures of the Bird because my toes were freezing.

Dance a Jig with Me

My camera's in a wheelchair.

In other, more worthy news, our Bird turned three today! I am so very tired, but shouting that fact from the rooftop was reason enough to delay sleep.

THREEEEEEE!

p.s. Sarah C.P. Tate-- I really am just tired, if you catch my meaning.

Spare Change

The story of our path to this point is long and boring, so here's the short version.


Before Christmas, God provided us with something very good.

One month ago, we bought either
1. A LARGE Car
or
2. An Itty Bitty Home

Which was it, you ask?


Good question. I haven't seen it myself yet, but, Lord willing, we'll transplant ourselves there in the late spring sunshine. It's about half the size of a standard single-wide trailor, but it has no steering wheel, so my bet's on the itty-bitty home. The only picture I could find that shows something with similar square footage was this. Take out the gigantic boat, and there's a cozy space for our family of six. Plus, our car/home only cost $500, and that included a stove, refrigerator, and a new furnace. (The Boat Tent costs $2,000, without the boat.)

I am excited!

If one counts our month and a half stint of gypsyhood as a home, then this 1965 Pontiac will be our seventh home, and the first one we've ever owned.
I like that.

Once I see it, I'll take a picture, and then we'll have a naming contest.

Sweet TREATS for Pete Feet

(I used the word, the very worst word, just for you.)

John works the 2-10 shift now, which, overall, is good, but which has the unfortunate side effect of an Abigail making meals that aren't blog-worthy. I make homemade mac and cheese, meatless chili, weird pasta, and less palatable things on a regular basis, and the meals that are blog-worthy are savory soups and stews for which I have no recipe.

Sorry.

All I presently have to offer are a few sweet things. Go.
Build your belly, with my blessing.

Wood, Hay, and Stubble

It's official. Nearly this entire batch of posts is devoted to material goods of little consequence. I'm giving you the pictures that my camera holds, though, so forgive the glut of materialism and the lack of...you know....people.

I'll try to post a few back-logged recipes later this week, along with the exciting 10' X 46' reason that all these posts about stuff, stuff, and more stuff are pretty funny.

Until then, here are a few pictures of Piper before you move onto the wood, hay, and stubble.



After she tried turning me into stone, I put the camera away.
You would have done the same.