Ben's Thursday

The next sentence was hard to admit and even harder to write. In the last week, I have had trouble enjoying my son Ben. He always seems to be doing exactly the wrong thing... opposite of what we ask or tell him to do...deliberately disobeying... doing everything he can to frustrate Allen, me, and his siblings. Since Allen and I had been out of town, I gave him a little bit of time to bounce back to our normal. His preschool teacher told me he was not at all cooperating with her and he had NEVER acted up with her before. That particular day he didn't act up just once for her, it was constant. Over the weekend he said his ear hurt and we thought maybe it was all related. Maybe he just wasn't hearing us. I set up an appointment with the doctor and secretly hoped he had an ear infection. I know that sounds horrible, but, you see... IF it was an ear infection, and he wasn't hearing us, then an antibiotic for a few days would fix a lot of the trouble we've had. At least that's what I was thinking. The news? "No ear infections. No strep throat. He's probably just acting like a three-year old." I was determined to try looking forward to my Thursday with him, but I was having trouble.

Here it is at almost 8:00 PM on Ben's Thursday. Wondering how it went? We had an awesome time!!

I let Ben decide most of the activities for the day. First up on his list was the library. Since we had some time to burn before it opened, we went to Hobby Lobby and I let him pick out some garden decorations. We now have two big, beautiful lizards dancing on our fence. We went to the library for storytime and crafts and he sat and listened to everything without even squirming. We made a paper bag puppet together, and his favorite part was cutting with the scissors all by himself. Ben told me he wanted pancakes for lunch, so we headed to IHOP. He was thrilled when the waitress plotted his pancake face in front of him -- it had a banana mouth, whipped cream nose, strawberry eyes, and he got to squeeze the yogurt out to make the hair. He LOVED his silly pancake and kept telling me he loved it. Next up was the used bookstore for a Diego book. Once he found one he was ready to go. This kid was on a mission. We stopped by Target (that was Mama's choice,) picked up the other three kids, came home, ate dinner, and went to watch Will at baseball practice. I REALLY enjoyed my day with him... and I'm glad it worked out like it did. I have renewed my patience with him (for now anyway,) and I saw that he could, in fact, behave quite nicely, politely, and obediently.

When I tucked Ben in, I told him I had a wonderful time with him today and that I look forward to having even more fun with him. You know what that kid told me? He hugged me really tight, patted my back, and said, "Thank you very much, Mama. I had fun, too." I asked Ben what his favorite thing about the day was. His speech was long but perfect.

"My favorite thing today? Um... I liked the library stories and the scissors and the silly face pancake. I really liked the silly face, Mama... And thank you for getting me a Diego book... My favorite was being with Mama and going with you when Jon and Maddie were at school."

.... how can I not enjoy that?

84 Meals - After the Party

The grocery list included 90 pounds of chicken, 80 pounds of beef, 25 pounds of onions, 11 pounds of baby carrots, 50 large bell peppers, 5 pounds of celery, 15 pounds of potatoes, a gallon-and-a-half of beef stock, and the funny part for our church-based moms group . . .a case of Shiner Bock beer (yes, it all got cooked).


A week and a half ago, my MOPS group came to my house to make dinner. . . or rather 12 dinners . . . for each of us. It was a big project that took lots of planning, lots of shopping, lots of chopping, and lots of cold-space for storage. It was a little intimidating to attack such a big project having never cooked on this big of a scale in such a short time with tons of toddlers underfoot, but I was encouraged by the laid-back, we'll-get-through-it attitude of my friends. Few things make a mom feel on top of the world like taking home happy, tired kids and enough meals for several weeks. We all had such a great time and we're already talking about the next time we do this.

What made it work so well? Primarily, Amarina! She is the one who volunteered to play with the kids outside so we could make meals without interruptions. We had the windows open on the beautiful spring morning and it was fun to hear the kids laughing, and Amarina had a smile every time we checked on her. If you are wondering what the big deal was... she had at least seven (more at times) small kids out there. .  .PAINTING!! But everyone outside had fun and the kids were excited to get messy and wet. And by the end of our day, most of them had on only a diaper or undies.

Simone worked at the kitchen table with her little helper. She assembled mostly dry ingredients that didn't need to have a sink nearby: bread mix, spice mixes, repacking bread and cheese that we bought in bulk and broke up into usable quantities.

We had two teams of two in the kitchen: Ema and Jennifer R., Jennifer W. and me. Each pair worked on all 12 of the same recipe, sometimes assembly-line, sometimes parts were done one bag at a time. With only two people per recipe we didn't get in each other's way or have misunderstandings about who had done what already. We made 14 bags of each of 6 dinner recipes, and each of us went home with two of each recipe. We also each took home a bag of beer bread mix. Not including shopping or chopping peppers and onions, we did it all in four and a half hours. Getting over the exhaustion took all of us a few days, though.

I think another reason this worked so well as that we all were pretty easy-to-please food-wise. No one was especially picky -- sure, we left onions out of some of the bags, or cut back on the red-pepper a bit, but we didn't really have picky-eaters. The other key? Flexibility!

I've had enough requests for the menu and recipes, so I'm putting them all in one place. Here is what we made:

• Beer Bread
• Chicken a la Provencal
• Slow Cooker French Dip
• Asian Flank Steak
• Sunday Pot Roast
• Italian Meat Loaf or Meat Balls
• Roasted Chicken

As soon as my freezer has space, I'm ready to do it all again. ... and yesterday I found a neat cookbook that had the menu, grocery list, recipes, and assembly order all in one book. That may be the way to go next time... multiplied by seven, of course!

Beer Bread

3 cups self-rising flour (NOT all-purpose)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 bottle (or can) of beer
3 Tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. Mix flour and sugar and beer. Pour batter into prepared pan. Cook for 20 minutes. Take pan out of oven and spread melted butter over the top. Cook for 20 more minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Enjoy!

So easy! Different beers make the bread taste different.

Chicken a la Provencal

This is one of family-favorites that we picked out of the Super Suppers cookbook. The kids like the red, yellow, green, and purple veggies and we call it rainbow chicken. It is wonderful to have a recipe that is quick and easy and very healthy, too.

4 servings

4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 ½ pounds)
2 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ C. olive oil
1 C. thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 C. thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
1 C. thinly sliced green bell pepper
1 C. thinly sliced red onion

1 clove garlic, minced
¾ tsp dried basil, crushed
¾ tsp dried oregano, crushed
2 TB balsamic vinegar

1. Season both sides of each chicken breast with 1 tsp salt and pepper.
2. Preheat 2 TB oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet. Cook 5-7 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Removed chicken from skillet and set aside.
3. Add remaining 2 TB oil to skillet along with bell peppers and onion. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add remaining 1tsp salt, garlic, basil, oregano, and sauté for 1 minute more.
4. Return cooked chicken and juices to skillet; drizzle with vinegar. Bring to boiling. Turn heat to low. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes or until heated through.

MAKE AHEAD
Season chicken, put it in a ziptop bag, and seal. In a separate bag, put all sliced peppers and onions. Put both sealed baggies into a 1-gallon ziptop bag and freeze. Thaw completely then follow instructions above to cook.

Slow Cooker French Dip

I don't know of anyone who has made this and didn't love it. I made it for my neighbor and got in a little bit of "trouble" because her son declared it was the best meal she ever cooked. When adult men, small children, and the moms love it, it is definitely a keeper. I tried it because a friend recommended it to me, and I am pretty sure it came from allrecipes.com. Look how easy this one is:

9 Servings - but this is easy to split into two bags for two meals

4 pounds rump roast
1 (10 ½ oz.) can beef broth
1 (10 ½ oz.) can condensed French onion soup
1 (12 oz) can or bottle of beer
9 French rolls
3 TB butter

Trim excess fat from the rump roast, and place in a slow cooker. Add the beef broth, onion soup and beer. Cook on Low setting for 7 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Split French rolls, and spread with butter. Bake 10 minutes, or until heated through.
Slice the meat on the diagonal, and place on the rolls. Serve the sauce for dipping.

MAKE AHEAD
Put meat, broth, soup, and beer in a 1-gallon ziplock bag, seal, then freeze. Thaw completely then follow directions for cooking.

Asian Flank Steak

We first had this meal when we were expecting triplets and visiting Super Suppers monthly. I was thrilled that it was in the Super Suppers cookbook, too. Although the flank steak is not my favorite cut, it is an economical cut of beef that tastes great when it is marinaded for a day, grilled, then cut right. Sometimes, we use the same marinade with a different cut, too, though.

3-4 servings

1 1-1 ½ pound beef flank steak (or similar)
1/4 C. soy sauce
2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 TB finely minced onion
2 TB packed brown sugar
1 TB toasted sesame oil
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Place flank steak in a resealable plastic bad; add soy sauce, lemon juice, onion, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and (if desired) red pepper. Seal bag; turn to coat evenly. Refrigerate 1-24 hours, turning bag occasionally.
2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
3. Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade. Grill steak for 10-16 minutes for medium rare (135 F) turning once halfway through grilling. Meanwhile, simmer marinate over medium heat until reduced by half; keep warm.
4. Let steak stand 5 minutes. To serve, slice meat across grain into very thin slices. Drizzle with reduced marinade.

MAKE AHEAD
Add all ingredients to a freezer bad and freeze up to 6 weeks. Defrost completely in the refrigerator. Continue according to step 2

Sunday Pot Roast with Vegetables and Gravy

This recipe is a combination one from the Super Suppers cookbook and one from my Fix-It-and-Forget-It Light book. One was written with plans of freezing, the other was created for the crockpot. We just figured out how to use the best of both to make it tasty, freezable, and crock-pot-able (what a word!)

3-4 servings

2 TB vegetable oil
1 1-pound boneless beef tri-tip or chuck roast
1 1/2 cups prepared coffee
1 bay leaf
6-8 new potatoes
2 large carrots, sliced
1 1/2 onions, quartered
1/2 C. beef broth
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Preheat oil in a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven. Add roast and brown on both sides. Add coffee, bay leaf, and enough water (or broth) to cover roast. Transfer to a crock-pot (cook on low for 7-8 hours) or, in Dutch oven, cover and simmer about 1 hours or until meat falls apart with a fork. Add potatoes, carrot, and onion. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes more or until vegetables are tender.
2. Transfer roast and vegetables to a serving platter; keep warm. Turn heat to high. Boil juices until reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Remove bay leaf.
3. To make gravy, place 1/2 cup water (or broth) and flour in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Cover and shake to make a smooth slurry, or put water and flour in a bowl and whisk until smooth. With juices boiling, slowly whisk in slurry. Turn heat to medium; whisk until thick. Stir in salt and pepper. Serve gravy with roast and vegetables.

MAKE AHEAD
Prepare through step one. Freeze cooked roast, vegetables, and juices in freezer bag up to 2 months. Defrost completely in refrigerator. Reheat over medium-low heat and continue with step two.

Italian Meat Loaf or Meat Balls

This is a recipe I always double and freeze. It started out as the recipe on the side of the Progresso Bread Crumb container, but I have adjusted it to get some more flavors from it. I love that we can decide at the last minute whether we want meatloaf or meatballs!

4 servings

1 lb lean ground beef (at least 80% lean)
1/2 C. milk
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chopped fresh basil leaves or ½ tsp dried
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 clove garlic, minced, or 1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
1/2 C. Italian style bread crumbs
1 small onion , chopped (1/4 C.)
1/3 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
¼ C. ketchup (for meatloaf)

FOR MEATLOAF
1. Heat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients except ketchup.
2. Spread mixture in ungreased 8x4- or 9x5-inch loaf pan, or shape into loaf in ungreased 9x13-inch pan. Spread ketchup over top.
3. Bake uncovered about 1 hour until center is no longer pink and thermometer reads 160F. Let stand 5 minutes; remove from pan.

FOR MEATBALLS
1.Heat oven to 400°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray.
2.In large bowl, mix all ingredients. Shape mixture into about 35-40 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place 1 inch apart in pan.
3.Bake uncovered 18 to 22 minutes or until no longer pink in center.

MAKE AHEAD
To make ahead and freeze, put all ingredients (except ketchup) in a 1-gallon ziplock bag. Seal bag then knead to mix well. Squeeze all of mixture to the bottom of the bag, remove extra air, then seal bag. Put that baggie into another sealable bag and freeze. Thaw completely then form loaf or meatballs and bake as directed above. Since we were making many meals at once, we just put the ketchup in a small baggie and froze it along with the meatloaf, but if you have it on hand all the time, just add it before baking.

Roasted Chicken in a Bag

This is one of those easy-to-make recipes that is great for company. For my long-time blog followers, this recipe is a repeat. This is one that our MOPS table made last week and, so far, everyone who has tried it has enjoyed it. Since we were all cooking for smaller families, we just used half the amounts of veggies, stock, and spices with a four-pound chicken, and it still turned out great. See the bottom for freezing directions.

 For 6-8 servings

1 5-7 lb. roaster chicken
2 TB. Vegetable oil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. black pepper
1 large oven cooking bag
1 16-oz bag of peeled baby carrots
1 lb. new potatoes (small red potatoes) – use the ones in the produce section, not canned
1 12-oz package of celery sticks
1 large onion, sliced
½ C. chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350 F. Rinse cavity of chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Prepare cooking bag according to manufacturer’s directions. Place chicken in bag. Rub outside of chicken with oil, sprinkle on salt, thyme, and pepper. Surround chicken with carrots, potatoes, celery, and onions. Add stock to bag and close bag according to manufacturer’s directions. ** Place cooking bag with chicken and veggies on large baking sheet. Bake for 1 ½ hours until chicken reaches 160F, the remove from oven. Let chicken rest 10 minutes before cutting.

MAKE AHEAD
**To make ahead, follow recipe up to the point of cooking it. Tie up the cooking bag tightly, then put the entire thing into a 2-gallon ziplock bag before freezing it. Thaw completely in the refrigerator, then cook as instructed above.

Quotable Kiddos

I don't know if they are just talking more (probably) or I'm just listening better, but we have heard a lot of interesting things in the last week. I thought I'd better write them down before I forgot that sometimes I get to giggle at these kids'o'mine.

Will (age 6):
Why isn't "XXXmen" about superheroes? ... seems like there are three X-men, why can't I watch it?
I think this show looks like a good one for kids. "Playboy" is about a boy playing.
Side note: although these channels show up on our list of possible shows, we do have them locked so they won't be viewed in our home.
When we drove past a golf course, Will asked if it was a park. Allen explained that it was a golf course. We hid our giggles when he asked, "Is it the Golf of Mexico?"

Maddie (age 3.5):
Mama, when you were gone, you missed a lot of my hugs.
Mama? Can I bring spring inside or do we leave it outside
As Ben and Jon were running around and giggling, Maddie eavesdropped on the groceries. She held a cup up to the refrigerator door, pressed her ear to the base, listened and concentrated, then declared, "I hear children playing in there!"

Jon (age 3.5):
Today was Jon's day out with me while Ben and Maddie were at mother's day out. I'm glad I had my notebook in my purse to capture his words. When I asked what he wanted to spend the day doing, he told me he wanted to go to the library. We went to the library, had lunch with Daddy, then went to get a book and cookie at Barnes & Noble.

As soon as he saw the big brown library, my little guy proudly proclaimed: "Mama, you're the BEST!!" ...I think I'll keep the title for a few hours anyway.
You and Maddie are FEEE-male. I am a male-man.
I want to take a nap at the bookstore in the big living-room chair.
Why does the milk [container] have a cow on it? Cows don't drink milk, they eat grass! That cow is just silly!
I got a few more chuckles as we stood in line to buy the book he chose. He held the book on his head and shouted from the line, "Ma'am! I'm getting this book!" He said that continuously as we waited our turn and walked up the register.When the lady took it from him to check out, he finally stopped saying it.

Ben (age 3.5):
As we were travelling in the car, we were listening to the stock report on the radio. Ben, whose favorite color is blue, was obviously listening to the report. "BLUE chips? I love blue chips!!"

Lists, Baseball, and 84 Meals

Looking back on the last few entries. It seems that time is crunching me too much lately, and all I have time for is lists. Looking around my house, I have found several more: a list of things to do this weekend, a list of things to do this year, a list of books to read this year, a list of plants I've put in the garden, a list for the grocery store, a list for WalMart, a list of what we have to eat this week, a list of what my friends and I will be making Monday, a list of everything I need to have and do to be ready for when they get here, a list of the baby stuff I need to gather for Jason and Jenn's baby (to come), a list of what to pack for next weekend for me, same type list for the kids, and now, a list of my lists.

It's been a busy week, but one I couldn't tell you much of what we've done since I've already forgotten. I think I've been working on those lists. Allen is working weird turn-around hours, and tasks are being rearranged. Even though I had meals neatly planned and meat thawed, by the end of the day something happens and we end up choosing to eat out. In the last four days, I've eaten out seven times. Ugh!

Last night Will had his first baseball practice. We took the little kids and let them run and play while we kept an eye on what was happening on the field. Ben, Maddie, and Jon were disappointed that they didn't get to play, but Ben and Maddie soon got over it. Jon, on the other hand, was heartbroken. When we told him he couldn't play baseball that night, he spotted a soccer ball by the goal and insisted he would play soccer. When the coaches passed the hats and jerseys out to the players, Jon threw his hat on the ground and held his hand out for a new Texas Rangers cap . . . which he didn't get. He was so frustrated that he marched up to one of the coaches and told the coach he was ready to play, too. Maybe we'll consider letting the little ones play soccer this summer, who knows? Will won't admit he was loving it, but he sure looked happy the whole time. He was first to offer to play outfield while most of the other kids lined up to learn to bat. He happily fetched the ball and took it back to the coach. When it was his turn to bat, he missed all ten times, but he looked so happy to be trying. With the weather perfect and Will so happy to be learning it was almost perfect. The down side was that we didn't get away until nearly seven, and that's when our kids are usually heading to bed. We had dinner and everyone crashed. Yes, everyone of us. I even forgot to make Will's lunch so he got to buy his lunch today.

I hate that we are eating out so often this week, but on the otherhand, when I'm running on empty somethings have to give. I'm trying to be okay with the food. Tonight, I'll have a healthy home-cooked meal on the table, and tomorrow morning I'll start the crock pot and have another. I'll get caught up.

The funny thing is that a lot of what is using my time lately is making and menu and grocery list. The ladies at my MOPS table had asked me how I prepare and freeze meals without making them taste like constant leftovers. I decided to show them how I do it. So bright and early Monday morning six of my friends are coming over with their preschoolers. Two are planning to play with the kids outside, the others will be inside preparing all these meals. Six meals, two of each, for seven families. Eighty four meals and seven loaves of bread. It has been the longest grocery list I've ever made, and it's quite a puzzle trying to figure out how to fit everything in the freezers or fridge. Trip one to the store was done yesterday with Maddie, and the nearly thirty pounds of onions have already been delivered to someone for chopping. This afternoon 30 of the 50 bell peppers are being picked up by someone else who will be chopping. (I still need to buy the other 20). I am having fun, and we all will learn what to do and not do to make this project work.

I've spent long enough writing, that now I need to get back to rearranging the freezer for shopping trip #2.

My Everyday

Everyday I . . .

. . . get up.

. . . shower.

. . . put on moisturizer.

. . . brush my hair.
. . . brush my teeth.
. . . kiss and hug Allen.

. . . hug Will, Ben, Maddie, & Jon.

. . . eat breakfast.

. . . have at least one cup of coffee.
. . . change a lots of diapers.

. . . check my email and Facebook.

. . . read For Better or For Worse.

. . . read my devotional.
. . . walk through my garden.
. . . talk with my children about Jesus and God.

. . . . get the mail.
. . . sit in the office chair

. . . make lunches.

. . . eat lunch.

. . . drink water.

. . . do a lot of laundry.
. . . listen to music.

. . . pray.

. . . wait in a line.

. . . check the menu.

. . . make a homemade dinner (almost everyday).

. . . read part of a novel.

. . . sit in my rocking chair.

. . . tell kids to get back in bed.

. . . read a magazine or browse a catalog.

. . . talk to Allen.

. . . hold my children.

. . . sing lullabies.

. . . clean my sink.

. . . kiss my kids goodnight.

. . . brush my teeth.

. . . kiss my husband goodnight.

. . . get eight hours of sleep.

Everyday, I WISH I would. . .

. . . wake up in a great mood.

. . . enjoy the day.

. . . count my blessings instead of troubles.

. . . snack on broccoli instead of jelly beans.

. . . control my temper.

. . . stay cheerful.

. . . work out.

. . . be creative.

. . . enjoy the day and count its trials as joys.

Happy Easter!!

Today was a wonderful day! After Allen made us all a tasty pancake breakfast, the kids got dressed and hunted for eggs in the backyard. We gave them the rules, which were MUCH different than the other night at the neighborhood hunt. Instead of eating candy till their bellies hurt, this time, they would gather eggs, then we'd put all of them in a bowl to share evenly. On your marks. . . get set. . . GO!

 And they were off! The kids scurried to all corners of the yard, but Maddie quickly burst into tears because someone else picked up a pink egg and she assumed all pinks were hers. After we urged her to continue things went fairly smoothly. She somehow convinced Ben and Jon to cooperate with her and, in the end, neither of the little boys had pink or purple eggs, but Maddie had only those two colors.


Jon and Will were definitely FAST -- they both filled their baskets to overflowing before Maddie even had a handful.  The kids had fun, especially when we let them have one small treat before lunchtime.

Allen and I got some plants put in pots while the kids napped, and I spent a good part of the day cooking. We pulled out the Greek cookbook we got last summer and used the internet to help answer some questions I had about the recipes. Dinner turned out so much better than I ever imagined even though we made a few substitutions to the original Greek instructions. We had moussaka (an eggplant and meat dish) with a Greek country salad with sheep's-milk cheese (feta), and a delicious tzatziki dip and pita that we have often. Allen made homemade lemonade with some Meyer lemons and we felt like we were on vacation again. Delicious!. . . but now I know why Greek women feel like they cook all day. . . they DO!

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures that Allen and I took.

Oh, What a Beautiful Day!

The day started beautifully! The fog settled around our yard, but the sun was shining so brightly. I stepped out onto the porch to take it in and had to go back for the camera. The photo doesn't do justice to the REAL picture, but you can get an idea. . . sadly you can't smell the sweet scent of jasmine and lilacs on the breeze or hear the melody of the avian symphony. It was a beautiful morning!

We ran a few errands, visited the brick and stone store to consider patio options, grabbed a picnic lunch and enjoyed it at the park. The kids played on the playground while Allen and I got a brief bit of quiet. Since the park was crowded, the quiet didn't last too long then we were up and chasing around our crew. On the way "home" we detoured, zigzagging across East Texas for about two hours so the kids would all get some uninterrupted rest. The countryside was painted with the blossoms of trees and wildflowers. Last night I read a passage in Anne of Green Gables that kept coming to mind:  

Spring had come once more. . . the beautiful, capricious, reluctant spring, lingering along . . . in a succession of sweet, fresh, chilly days, with pink sunsets and miracles of resurrection and growth. 

What a perfect way to describe our spring, especially this Easter weekend! It was a beautiful afternoon (and not a bit chilly)!

After dinner all of us played in the backyard. The weather was still perfect and we still had plenty of evergy left to burn off. Allen, Will, and I tossed the football and frisbees. Ben and Jon twisted the swings so they could spin. Maddie picked weeds wildflowers completely oblivious to the ball being thrown over her head. It was a beautiful evening!

Just a couple April giggles (so far)

Yesterday was Ben's day out with me. It wasn't too exciting for him since we ran a lot of errands going by Sam's, the March of Dimes office, a farm feed-store, and WalMart. When I asked him what he wanted for lunch he said he wanted breakfast, so one of the highlights of his day was eating eggs and pancakes with daddy at lunchtime, then we went to the preschool early in the afternoon so he could enjoy the Easter party with his class. We got there just as the kids were getting ready to decorate cookies. The teacher quieted the children and held up a homemade cookie shaped like a cross. She asked the class, "Do you know what this is?" Maddie and Jon were anxious to shout out the answers while the other kids sat in quiet wonder. The both raised there hands and shouted in unison: "A CACTUS!" It would've been silly if just one of them said that, but since both shouted it at the same time, both teachers and I were nearly in tears laughing so hard.

Today, Allen and Will had the day off. All six of us piled in the car to drive across town to get some chicken wire to attach to the fence posts for the vines to climb. Maddie was being quite the stinker saying whatever she could to make her brothers mad. Allen told her to quite teasing her brother and she spoke back, "Daddy, I'm not teasing my brother. I am teasing the window."

A few minutes later, Will boasted, "I know THREE French words." When we asked what they were, he started the list: "Ooh-la-la,. . ." at which point we belted out our laughter thinking that was all three. Big oops on our part because he then added, "Bonjour! and ze, as in look at ze cars." We still kept laughing, but at least he joined in.

The day has been pretty dreary with a few sprinkles but lots of clouds. The kids watched the chicks at the farm-supply store and we did find the wire. We stopped at a patio store for some ideas and plan to go in tomorrow to talk to a designer about some hardscaping. For now we are hoping the rain stays away so the neighborhood kids can have a good time hunting for Easter eggs this evening. Hopefully the flashlight egg hunt will be followed by an open-window evening of living room camping. Now to go grill those hotdogs. . . .

Waiting for the blossoms

I am so excited, and I can wait to see the garden in bloom! So far, lots of last year's plantings are peeking through the dirt, but its too early for the flowers yet. I may have a few others that will come in, so the list may grow. We've also planted a bunch of annuals and herbs, and I had to get a few seeds started just in case I have room later (if something else doesn't survive.) If everything thrives, some of the greehhouse plants will be put in pots for the summer.

Returning attractions (the ones showing up so far):

• Lavender (the purple kind)
• Lantana
• Butterfly bush
• White obedient plant
• Alaska Shasta daisy
• Super Shasta daisy
• Balloon flowers
• Hydrangea
• Daylilies
• Monarda
• Astilbe
• Carnations
• Clustered bellflowers
• Butterfly blue scabiosa
• Asters

New this year

• Hazel trees (they make hazelnuts)
• Cotton lavender (with yellow flowers, seems like they should be called "Yellows" instead of lavender)
• Rosemary
• Cilantro
• Basil
• Oregano
• Marigolds (cream and orange varieties)
• Verbenas
• Petunias
• Cherry tomatoes
• Purple bell peppers
• Phlox
• Lithodora
• Lilac
• Carolina jessamine
• Pink jasmine
• Beauty cross vine
• Bougainvillea (for porch planters)
  

Seeds in the mini-greenhouse:

• Cosmos
• Marigolds
• Morning glories
• Thai basil
• Dill
• Chives
• Onions
• Sweet peas