Great Easter Weekend

We had a great Easter weekend.  We got to see lots of family, and Nathaniel and I enjoyed a date night! We went to my sister's church on Easter morning, and none of my kids misbehaved (YAY!)

Lydia's been quite the Daddy's girl lately.

My parents have the cutest grandkids in the world! :)

We visited with Grandma Betty and her "new knee". 

Tomato Plants

All of my tomato plants are in the garden now.  (You can see our newspaper "mulch in this photo.  It's ugly, but it works well to keep weeds out and decomposes.)  We planted: 16 brandywine (or 15, we might have lost one) in yellow, pink, red and black; 6 Old German; 6 Box Car Willie; 5 "Mystery" Tomato; 6 Amish Paste; 6 Better Boy; and 6 Kentucky Beefsteak, which I think is an orange variety.  We also have some cherry tomato plants coming up, surprisingly in the spot I wanted them to grow this year.  And the zucchini and cucumbers are also in the big garden.  In the pumpkin garden, I've got all the brussel sprouts and broccoli out along with some sage, which is supposed to deter cabbage worms.  We'll see.

 

Playing in the garden

Yesterday Lydia and Elijah helped me transplant tomatoes: 6 better boy, 6 Old German, and 6 Amish Paste.  We still have a dozen to transplant in the sunroom.  (And I had already transplanted the Box Car Willies.)  But it was a good start, and the kids really had fun helping.  (Malachi decided to play in Lydia's new water table instead.  He's in love with that toy!)  Lydia gets so excited over the worms.  She demands to hold any worm we find, and she delights in her "wormies".  She puts them back in the garden (usually still lively) when she's done.  Elijah spent a lot of time playing with the rolly-polies.  We have lots more to do, but I'm loving gardening.

Unexpected Blessings

The other day I ordered another small painting for my kitchen.  I'd been eyeing the shop on etsy; it was full of inexpensive art that I liked.  I finally used the last of my art budget and bought this:

It really fits with the kitchen, and I had a spot for it.  When it arrived in the mail, I was shocked to find a note and cash inside the package.  Maggie had given me money for my adoption fund after reading my shop site on etsy.  I added it to the account, and now I'm telling all of you about her shop.  If you have any need for artwork, consider visiting http://www.maggiepainting.etsy.com/  

Back from the Beach

We had a great Florida vacation.  The kids love playing in the sand.  The weather was nice (low 70s most of the time), and we had a lot of fun.  Here are some pictures:

Lydia loved walking on bridges.

Lydia and the ducks were great friends.

X marks the spot.  Malachi loved making x's in the sand for hidden treasure.

Elijah tries out our surf board.

The boys on the Island at the Pirate Playground

And so our vacation was great.  We got home yesterday evening, and today was work day.  A tree fell down while we were gone, so Nathaniel got out the chainsaw for that.  The boys hauled the logs.  Lydia helped me prepare the garden, and then while she napped, I planted 100 strawberry plants.  That's not a typo: 100!

Hopefully most of them grow great.  I also planted some lettuce, spinach, carrots, and basil outside.  My plants in the sunroom still look great, and I plan to transplant them this week.  Our yard is blooming all over and looking so pretty.  Here is Lydia smelling the flowers:

Happy spring!

Lenten Pretzels

A pretzel before baking

On Ash Wednesday, the boys made pretzels at church.  They brought home a recipe, which I altered somewhat accidentally and somewhat on purpose.  It is so yummy!!  You need:
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c warm water
1/2 tsp sugar
1 pkg dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
3 c white flour
1 1/2 c wheat flour
1 egg

In bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Mix in salt, flour, and egg.  Knead dough for about 5 minutes, then cover and let it rest for one hour.  It will rise some.  Now shape into pretzels, or whatever shape you prefer.  Brush lightly with olive oil on both sides and place on cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with salt, or cinnamon and sugar.  Bake in a preheated 425 oven for 12-15 minutes.  These are soft inside and lightly browned outside.  (I cook them for 12 minutes.)

Shaping the dough

"Mine is a balloon!"

"My pretzel!  Mine!!"

The finished pretzels, salt on the left and sugar/cinnamon on the right.

Busy weekend!

Hi everyone.  We've had a good but busy week.  We celebrated two kids' birthdays yesterday, and we were so happy to have my family here with us!  The kids had a great time.  And then my parents and my sister's family were able to stay overnight and see the boys sing in the church choir this morning, which was really fun.  They both did so well, and the girls enjoyed watching them.  I also was busy working at the church preschool consignment sale this week, and I'm happy to be able to put some money in the adoption fund from that.  All in all, a happy, busy week.