More Yardwork

The tulips and daffodils are done, so we planted some new flowers near Mary:

Nathaniel and the boys also did some block work here:

So that's all the block we ordered.  It really does look nice all around the yards.  I've been planting vegetables and flowers, too.  I've got a tomato garden off of the deck, and I just got those all in the ground (29 plants there).  I've got more tomatoes out front, and I have potatoes growing nicely.  I still have plenty of things to get into the ground, but it's all coming along pretty well.  I should have some radishes to harvest in the next week or so, and tonight we ate some of the red leaf lettuce I grew.  

More Block Work

I never posted the flower beds next to the house.  I really like the look of the red.

And, I was telling Mom that the bluebells here have never spread, but this year, I got one new one:

That one in the front is the newbie.  Maybe they will finally start to take over?

Gyunay's Doll

I finished my special project, and Gyunay is so happy:

Here is his new doll, with brown curls and a little arm, just like him.  

He's also wearing the new lion pajamas I made him.  His joy at this is just amazing.  He asked me if I could make him a doll that looked like him.  I'm so glad I was able to get it done.

Soft Pretzels

Lydia has loved making soft pretzels lately.  She has really been spoiling us with them.  They are so delicious.

I make a cheese sauce to go with them, and they disappear rapidly.  We've been using this recipe: https://www.dailydiylife.com/copycat-auntie-annes-pretzels/  although we do use 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose, and reduce the sugar by 1T.  We've also learned to make a triple batch!  Today, she made them, and I served them for lunch along with the cheese sauce, raw veggies, and hard boiled eggs.  Everyone was very happy.

Also today, Elijah wanted chocolate chip cookies.  For the first time, he made cookies by himself (with just a little guidance).  No pictures of that, but they were declicious, too.  I haven't made cookies in quite a while.  I did make chorizo today, though, and that is always a hit with everyone.  Once I've made a big batch of chorizo and froze it in smaller containers, mixing it with scrambled eggs is one of my easy, quick meals that everyone will eat.  (There's often riced cauliflower in the meal, too, but don't tell the kids.)

Outings

Since we've been under the Healthy at Home coronavirus guidelines, we have mostly just been at home together.  That has begun to feel quite claustrophobic, so we planned a couple of outings this week.  Two things still available in Kentucky are golf courses and hiking trails, so first up, we all went golfing:

Our crew is a bit more spirited than most golfers:

And in reality, only 3 of us are golfers: Lydia, Malachi, and of course Nathaniel.  Elijah drove Gyunay and Lydia around in the golf cart.

It was chilly and windy, but we enjoyed getting out of the house.  

Next up, we went to a state park and hit the trail:

We didn't see anyone on the trail at all, so there was no need to worry about social distancing.

I love to walk in the woods, so it was great to get out in them.  It was muddy, and slippery, but fun was had by all.

Sewing Projects

It's been a while since I really sewed much, but I have been really enjoying sewing over the last few days.  I'm working on a very special project, but I don't have all the supplies I need yet.  While I'm waiting on some things to come in the mail, I decided to work with some soft cotton knit.  First up, I made Gyunay some summer pajamas:

The kids love this print with foxes, deer, and hedgehogs.

I think they turned out super cute.  

I used the same fabric to make a summer dress for Lydia:

She told me that models are serious, but I did get her to smile for me:

I asked if she wanted me to try to put pockets in the dress.  She said no, because "you're not that good at sewing, and you might just mess it up."  She is an honest child.

Next on the list are nightgowns for me and Lydia, then maybe some summer pajama shorts for Malachi and Elijah.

Easter

Healthy at Home Easter 2020:
First, we dyed eggs on Saturday, as usual:

Fortunately, the chickens have been laying very well, so we had plenty of eggs.

Then, on Easter Sunday, we set up a little altar and tried to have an at-home Mass:

(All of those lovely flowers are from our yard!)

Then, we enjoyed a good Easter egg hunt in the yard, in the time when it was sunny and not raining:

And we had a feast for dinner, which included this delicious Bulgarian recipe of pitka:

They are basically crescent rolls layered with butter and honey and piled together in a pan to be a pull-apart bread.  So incredibly good!

He is Risen!

Book Review - The Traitor's Pawn by Lisa Harris

Lisa Harris can deliver suspense.  The Traitor's Pawn is mostly fast-paced and had good action scenes.  The premise that Bree would be so involved in the FBI case seemed very unlikely, though.  Although I liked the forgiveness theme, some parts were rather preachy.  I liked the twist of the "traitor" aspect of the plot.  I did like the characters, although I felt I never really got to know Jack very well.  Aubrey was definitely more well-defined as a character.  The case itself was very interesting, and seemed realistic.  Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it is not the author's best book.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher, Revell, for the purpose of writing a review, but all opinions are my own.

Painting Rocks

One of our projects around here that has been really popular is painting rocks.

After they dry, we modpodge them, so they will last in the gardens.

Lydia and I have also enjoyed being in the gazebo several times:

And the guys finished rocking and enlarging my little herb garden.   They pulled out the rotted timbers and moved these gray stones from the front flower beds.  They will replace the front with all red ones, to match the work done out front by the pond.  The herb garden now has gray stone, which matches the fire pit near it:

Now, I get to plant some more things.

More Work

The front flower beds have never looked so good!

The guys have been hard at work, and it shows!

Lydia even helped a little.  

Nathaniel tore out the wood on the front flower beds against the house, so that area is next up for blocks.  He also is replacing the wood around the little herb garden with some of the gray stone we had out front.  Elijah will continue that work today.

Lydia and Gyunay helped me separate the worms from the compost.  We got a lot of black gold!  I added it to the treehouse garden, since that soil is particularly bad. Of course, we set the worms back up in the bin so they can make more compost for us.

And now we are off spring break and back to school work.  

We Gain an Appreciation for Balloon Artists

At some point,someone gave one or more of my kids a kit for making balloon animals.  It got shoved back in the game shelves, and I just rediscovered it this week.  We decided to give it a try.

It quickly became apparent that we couldn't do even the most basic things with the balloons, but they are perfect for sword-fighting, so a brawl ensued:

Meanwhile, Lydia and I discovered the only shape we could make from the balloons:

She calls them her bunnies, and she was very happy with them.  

Also this week, Elijah started working on the landscaping:

As you can see, after Nathaniel rips up all of the old landscaping timbers, Elijah is laying the bricks.  Malachi has done a little helping, too.  It is starting to look really nice.  Nathaniel is actually out working again right now.  The boys haven't quite got up yet, but they are due to help soon.

The chickens enjoy brief field trips to the third yard.  When they start trying to escape, we herd them back into their yards.

March Harvest Totals

Baby carrots - 16
Eggs - 183
Lettuce - 1 cup