Entryway, improved

When Liisa was here last weekend she helped me move some of my art around and we put some pictures in the entry. And a mirror! She was in favor of a faux lamp, but I didn't have one to spare.

Easter

We tried for a group photo of the kids and did not have any luck.After church we went to Mimmu and Iso's house for lunch. Before we ate there was time for an Easter egg hunt. The kids found each other's eggs much more quickly than their own.Dessert was a chocolate pavlova.
We hope you had a Happy Easter too!

Easter breakfast

Scrambled eggs

Bacon
Muffins
Fruit salad With Easter candy before and after.

Saturday morning

Inspired by some friends of ours, we tried our first fun run today. Everyone finished the one-mile and had a good time. I think Helena was the smallest participant. She finished in 22 minutes. They ran some and walked some and the crowd was small enough that Mark and I were able to be on the course. The Easter bunny met us at the finish line and, as Helena said, "gave a treat from his purse." The weather was beautiful and it was a pleasant outing.

Spring Challenge : a bathroom

Another spring cleaning challenge from Mystie. You should join! You might win a scarf, but everyone gets a cleaner, prettier house. :)

I picked the master bath to focus on. It is the poor, neglected, ugly stepchild of a bathroom in our house. It isn't ever used by guests and tends to be cleaned one area at a time. This week was different. I started at the top and dusted the light fixture. And I dusted the baseboards. I wiped off the cabinets and washed the floor. The shower was thoroughly scrubbed. I also did all the usual things like cleaning the sink, counters, toilet, and mirror. But they are all done at the same time! I almost quit at "clean enough" but I'm glad I didn't. I didn't do a beautifying touch because a clean bathroom is pretty enough for me.

Eggs

Easter is Sunday so it was time to color our eggs. Helena latched on to the red and used it to color all her eggs. We tried using crayon on them for the first time this year. I think it worked pretty well.

An everyday cake

Last week Nora read Hedgehog Bakes a Cake by Maryann Macdonald. It's a charming story of Hedgehog and his friends. And the recipe for the cake is included. I was given the role of Hedgehog. Helena was Rabbit, Henry was Squirrel, and Nora played Owl. Our cake was delicious. We ate the first half warm with milk as suggested.

Spring Challenge: tidying the entryway

Mystie is hosting a Spring Challenge. I liked having Simple Mom suggest tasks during Project : Simplify (I did them all even though I haven't posted them!) and this is a nice way to continue the momentum. My procrastinated task for the entryway was to glue the felt that I had cut some time ago (years, eek) to protect the shelves from being scratched by the baskets. It makes the whole shelf look neater. I am also working on a better system for the contents of the baskets and drawers. I got rid of more magazines that were there and was able to move some of the drawing supplies to an empty basket which should make them easier to access.
I was hoping my sister would be here to help with the beautifying part of the challenge but she isn't so I changed the tray I had there and cut a spray of lilac from our yard. I'd like to add more art to the wall.I also spent about 15 minutes outside sweeping off the front porch and relocating rocks the children had displayed there. Since we come in from the garage the front door doesn't get as much attention as it used to. Thanks, Mystie, for providing the nudge to get something done!

Henry's Birthday

First thing he opened his presents from Grandma. The box had been sitting in the hall for two days and he could not wait to see what was inside. The jeep he found was much appreciated. Nora drew him a poster this week. She had a hard time waiting to give it to Henry. For breakfast we had cornmeal waffles with peaches and whipped cream as well as bacon.
For lunch he asked for pickles, olives, and chips. Done. With bread, salami, cheese, and pineapple for dessert.
More presents to open after lunch. The matchbox track is very popular. And we have many different cars that need to have their performance evaluated. The weather was beautiful and the kids spent the afternoon outside playing with their new garden tools.
Mimmu and Iso joined us for dinner. They brought a few more presents. Henry's dinner menu was roasted root vegetable soup, bread, crackers, and green beans. A train cake and salted caramel ice cream were dessert. Mark gave him a sword and shield . 'Nelope liked brandishing the sword. It was quite the day.

Train cake : the sequel

For Henry's third birthday I made a train cake. He requested another one this year. If anything, I think my frosting skills have deteriorated. I am still too impatient to wait for the crumb coat to dry completely. But gel dyes in bright colors compensate for a lot. And it tasted fine. Henry was a little worried that the cars were too small but not a single child was able to finish their piece of cake.

Crawling!

Penelope has decided to go the traditional route for mobility and started crawling today. She has been meandering around by shifting her weight from hands to knees or pushing herself backwards for a few weeks, but today she conquered intentional forward motion. Life will be different now.