little bits of happiness

As wonderful and peaceful as our Easter celebration was, it left me in "catch-up mode" all of last week. Am I there yet? Perhaps not, but I will take what life is sending my way.

We spent Easter with some very close family-like friends (as is our tradition now) including my parents, grandmother, sister and her family and brother, as well as two other three and four generational families (does this make sense?).These are friends that not only I grew up with, but also my parents grew up with. We're talking some pretty close bonds here!

Grand Nana and her little dumpling NicolasSophia and her most-favorite person in the world- cousin Kayla
We enjoyed an impromptu trip up to New Hampshire to visit with Mike's parents and nieces at the beginning of the week. It always feels so good to have a change of scenery and enjoy the company of (especially) my wonderful mother-in-law.

She took us on our semi-annual outing to Alec's Shoe Store in Nashua and outfitted all three children in some fantastic spring shoes. What a blessing. While Sophia struggled to find a pair that both she and I agreed upon, we did in the end come up with a nice compromise- sandal-like sneakers (this entire shoestore experience reminded us both of her new favorite book- Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day). The boys ended up with some great Keen's.

It seems that nearly a dozen women I know are having babies right now. Friends near and friends afar. This is thrilling to me.My baby gift of choice these days are these great burp cloths. They are simple and I can complete a set of three in about an hour. But they look great. I especially love using the vintage-looking fabrics! Here is a set that I made tonight (the receiver must remain anonymous until after her surprise baby shower tomorrow!).Speaking of sewing... I really got a kick out of Amy Karol's bias tape tutorial. I watched it twice this past week, once with Sophia by my side. She asked why Amy was using stick figures and found the whole piece to be fascinating. I especially liked the real life application/prevention that Amy gives at the end of the video!

I tried my hand at Amy's method and viola!- it worked like a charm. I definitely will be using this technique in the future (I'm already dreaming of the quilt I will make with this old table cloth that I scrapped tonight- it just screams "S P R I N G"!).It was a week of random happenings and strides "in the right direction".

a buttery start to our weekend

Our house smells like butter. I never knew this was possible, but after experiencing it firsthand, I can say with certainty, that it can happen.

Perhaps it has something to do with the massive amount of baking that had been going on here over the last 24 hours.

We started with Spring-themed sugar cookies last night, continued with Mondel Bread and Pear-Walnut Tart (these two are desserts that I am bringing to our Easter celebration tomorrow) today and (yes, there's actually more to come!) will finish off tonight with our annual tradition of making Resurrection Cookies (these are more about meaning and less about taste...).
For those of you who have never baked with three young children alongside, let me tell you, it is one big adventure. It is wonderful, gooey, funny, encouraging, innocent and fun and everyone ends up with flour on their noses (somehow...)!

It is amazing to see how seriously and carefully my 23-month-old is with a rolling pin, cookie cutter AND alas, the finished product- the cookie (or in his words, the "DUKIE"!!).

These are just a few of the shapes we used. My favorite is the lamb. Oh, and there was a big debate between the older pair about whether a certain cookie cutter was the shape of an umbrella or a mushroom. I let them both be right (although I really believe that it was an umbrella, but a mushroom is good too as they naturally grow during this soggy sort of weather).

Decorating- I completely surrendered my control over this portion of the cookie-making process this year. I gave them the small knives, icing, the dusting sugar and the colored sugar and let them create whatever they felt like.

We ended up with bright blue butterflies, soft green rabbits and lots of yellow ducklings.

Again, cookie making is serious business. As Maria Montessori said, "A child's work is PLAY".

Our (well, their) masterpieces! I especially like how you can't really tell which shapes are which after being smothered in icing and sugar!

I would like to say that this was a candid shot, but I think that it's safe to say that we officially have a budding actress on our hands (like anyone who knows our family well doesn't already know this!!!). Sophia has been posing for pictures every time I take out my camera. They do make for great shots!

You have to hand it to her- she is perfectly posed and really looks like she is just about to bite into her cookie. If we ever decide to go into business baking cookies, then I think we have our photo for the front of the package!

I hope that your Easter weekend is turning out to be as sweet as our...

quiet preparations

This past Christmas was a particularly special one for our family. We, as Christians, fully recognize that Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, and the salvation that He brings to humankind.

In addition to keeping "our eyes on the stable", we also took our time to enjoy the season, spend time with friends and family, lay our lessons aside and really take time to decorate our house for Christmas.

I had a vow- I wanted everything that we decorated with to be handmade or (at least) not a generic, store-bought, mass-produced item. Some of the items that really added the cozy-factor to my house were fabric-covered wreaths, stackable fabric "Christmas trees", real pine garland, gingerbread mobiles and dozens of cookies and treats.

I know may seem superficial and, perhaps, a waste of time for some. But to me, it really helped me quiet my spirit, bring my focus on the important parts of life (family, homelife, fellowship and reaching out to others) and make some really unforgettable memories with my children and husband.

Since this is Holy Week and Easter is just a few days away, I wanted to share a few ways that we are planning on recreating the same bonding and peacefulness that we all experienced at Christmas-time this week:

Resurrection Cookies: I made these with Sophia and Nicolas last year for the first time. I wanted to wait until they were old enough to grasp the fullness (will any of us ever be able to fully grasp this truth?) of Jesus' death and resurrection. Amazing experience. We most definitely make this a family tradition.

Reading the "Easter Story" all this week. The children and I have been reading from Matthew for the past several months (yes, at a snail's pace so that we can really take time to focus and remember what we've read), so I decided that we would read Matthew's account of the Crucifixion/Resurrection. {Matthew 26-28}

Coloring Eggs: This year we may try naturally coloring the eggs using things like vegetable peels and fruit juices. One of my favorite "additions" to the eggs is stamping the eggs that each child made with their own fingerprint.
{I use a washable ink pad that is made for rubber stamping}

I just LOVE these Eggshell Votives! Are they a practical centerpiece for a table seated by a six, four and almost-two year old? Probably not. But then again, I am currently sporting a white chair in the corner of my living room. Clearly, I'm not going for the "practical" right now.

What sorts of Easter preparations are you making? Do you have any family traditions surrounding this most-holy day?

bold moves

Short of making the decision to educate my children at home, this was perhaps one of the bravest and boldest decisions I've made as a mother to date.

Yes, these are those gorgeous (in full bloom!) blue hyacinths that I brought indoors in an attempt to "tempt Spring". Doesn't look too daring, right? Okay, take a step back...

Yes, these flowers have been potted and are resting nicely and peacefully on an old mosaic tiled plant stand that I purchased over a decade ago (I saw this stand and just knew that I would use in in my home someday when I was a wife and mother. Yes, I know, very domestic of a nineteen year old).

What did you say- What if the stand gets knocked over and the flowers get crushed and the soil spills onto the carpet? I agree, this is a scary thought. But still, this isn't the brave part.

Take another step back...

YES. Now you see. The flowers are sitting
on a delicate plant stand
next to this white chair!

Now I know what you're thinking- what mother does this? What mother puts a white chair out in her living room knowing full well that it will be (daily) be the receiver of muddy boot prints, chocolate-stained fingerprints and all of the toddler drool that is in such abundance in our home?

Well, let me just say that this chair's original purpose was as a nursing chair for me when Elias was born. My mother purchased it for me and it served me nicely for over 18 months where it sat in the corner of my bedroom. It had begun to collect dust and just made more sense to move the chair into our living room where it would get more use (this, you see, is a big, fat, huge understatement).

{Humor me here. Of course I have done braver things...}

What sorts of "bold moves" have you made lately?

tempting spring

Spring is on my mind. I wish that I could say that "Spring is in the air", but I just can't (at least not for now).

The children and I ventured out to the park on two separate occasions this week simply with the agenda to take in some fresh air, stretch our legs and keep an eye out for signs of spring.

After bundling up in winter jackets, hats and mittens, we took that familiar route that leads us to the backside of Northwest Park. Although we hadn't traveled the route since last Fall (by foot), our feet switched on their "auto pilot" and trotted us directly this wide open space and to all of it's possibilities of free play.

Along the way, Sophia and Nicolas collected things like acorns, mallard duck feathers and shiny rocks. Now I would expect to see these tokens from nature during the Fall, but nowhere did we see any signs of spring. No buds. No crocuses blooming. If you count melted snow (aka mud) then perhaps we did see one cause for hopel.

After an afternoon of exploring the woods- the older pair call this their "fort" and tell me that they have hidden jewels in the trunk of a certain tree- we headed back home to the much-welcomed warmth of our cozy living room.

We would wait.

I have however taken a proactive approach to helping bring SPRING into our lives in several ways. Some ways are quite superficial. Others are simply sentimental. But nevertheless, these are some of the good attempts that we've made in order to tempt Spring...

**Sewing a new table runner with a "picnic/buffet" theme. (I know, I know. It is bold and is a blast-from-the-past print, but it has really brightened up our dining area).

**Blue Hyacinths for the mantle.

**Watching the Sound of Music with my children.

**A new pair of bright blue stud earrings.

**Beginning (okay, devouring!!) what could be my favorite read of the year so far- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. If images of heirloom lettuces, living "off the land", raising a flock of free-range chickens and turkeys and bi-weekly visists to farmer's markets excite you as much as they do me, then this book is for you.

**Throwing open my windows every morning for at least an hour (only after my heat has been turned off).

**Doing a bit of "spring cleaning" (Okay, who am I kidding? I do this type of cleaning throughout the Fall, Winter and Summer, but I'm sure that cleaning in the name of "Spring" is still a worthwhile effort).

**Switching over our book crate from winter-themed books, to Spring-themed books. One of my favorites is The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes (I posted about this book here last Spring).

**Focusing on Good Friday and Easter and how these celebrations remind us of how the hope of mankind has been changed by what Christ did for us.



Has Spring reached you yet? How are you tempting Spring?

michael

Happy Birthday to my dear sweet husband. When I was first getting to know you nearly ten years ago, I said that you were the kindest person I had ever met.
And after eight years of marriage and the birth of three children, I still feel the same way today.

You are an amazing father to your children. Your patience and authentic excitement about their days amazes me. They will surely remember that Dad was "always there" and loving every minute of it!

You have no agenda but to love and serve others. My needs are constantly placed above your own. This blows me away on a daily basis. I am grateful for your priorities.
You are fit and strong and are a good steward of all that you possess. Your family is well taken care of and happy.
You are my claim to fame and I am blessed to call you my husband.

Happy Birthday to the love of my life...