Smile Bites

Sometimes it's hard getting our kids to eat my crazy concoctions. My sweet husband compliments me perfectly in his creation of "smile bites." He insists that smiling makes food taste better. Don't know if it'll last, but it helped on this especially tough sell--ground beef with quinoa, raisins and green olives. Yummy...or should I say "yikes"...or maybe I should just smile:)

Heely Clean-up

Heely cleanups are fun and fast and definitely require a helmet. (Notice the future heely clean-uper watching in the background. Hopefully she'll learn by osmosis.)

Apparently Jed's other sister hasn't learned how to clean up while having fun--she just wants to have fun. Forget cleaning up.

I've never seen him move so fast.

One minor problem: it's so fun he wants to take one toy at a time... This speedy clean up could take a while afterall.

Catching Some Sun

This is a little project we did after tearing down the streamers from our last birthday party. We were studying weather and of course it can't be all about wind and rain and storms. We cut the centers out of paper plates and attached laminating paper to one plate. After filling the sticky clear center with scraps of crepe paper we attached the second plate and secured with another piece of laminating paper. Easy, colorful, cheery addition to our breakfast room.

Tulips!!

Here in SW Missouri it is Spring. That means that the buds are coming in on most of the trees. The daffodils and tulips are up. The ice cream man has made several passes down the street. The weather radio is on the counter. The grass has needed one mowing. Ants are showing up one at a time in various places in the house....though the kitchen gets about 75% of them. It also means that there will be several random nights (and days) that you least expect and highly detest of freezing temperatures. So when we had 2 consecutive days forcasted last week....I picked a select handful of tulips, put them in my blue mason jar (Anne gave all of us sisters one) and hoped for the best. Well, the rest of my tulips made it, so no worries. I had SUCH high hopes, that's why I didn't pick them all. My neighbor had similar fears and brought me over a coveted bouquet of lilacs with a single purple tulip in the center...bliss. What IS it about tulips? I don't think it's just that they are the first blast of color after the deadness of winter....I think it is truly because they are rad flowers. I am pretty sure, sisters correct me if I am wrong, that a red tulip is Dad's favorite.
So while I am on the subject, I should mention that I talked with my bro-in-law, Mike, last night about how to preserve tulip bulbs so they continue to produce. Mike is a Schaffitzel of "Schaffitzel Greenhouse" here in town....the man is a down-to-earth plant wizard. Mike said to "idealy" give them one month after the bloom falls to continue to "feed." That means they are still sucking nutrients from the soil, but not spending those nutrients on the bloom any longer. He mentioned that you could probably just wait til May 1st though. Then he said to pull them and hang them. I plan to tie a string across a wall in the garage and use close pins. Then after they dry completely, cut off the foilage and store somewhere dark until the fall when you plant them again. I'll try and post some pics of the tulip drying process.
I am sure I could be more eloquent with this post, but it's late. I was on the road today visiting my grandparents with the girls (and cousin Sam) and I am plum tired. All I can say is let's get one of my Seattle sisters to get on here and post some REAL pics of tulips from the fields they will be visiting this Easter weekend with Dad, Mom et al.

Ten Things I can Do for my Husband

I came across this list from my journal of 4 years ago.  It stemmed from a group study of the book "Created to be a help meet," by Debbie Pearl.  It encouraged and inspired me for today so I thought I'd share:

How to be more precious to my husband:

1. Smile at him whenever I see him

2. Have healthy pupus (appetizers) always on hand

3. When he shares about a hard day walk over and start rubbing his back

How to be a better help meet:

4. Do the errands he asks of me THE DAY HE ASKS

5. Ask him about what he needs (what laundry, errands, phone calls, prayers, etc.)

6. Never let the trash build up outside of the can (a MAJOR pet peeve of his)

How to be an encouragement:

7. Once a day praise something physical about him

8. thank him EVERYDAY for providing 

9. Ask him to pray with me everyday

How can I change my appearance for him:

10. Shave every other day 

I'm so glad I wrote this simple list.  It's obviously not exhaustive, but I can always come back to it--even 4 years later--and come up with something to do for him TODAY.  I realized recently that when I do things for someone it endears them to me.  I've found this so true recently as I've been more proactive in serving John--he has become more dear, even more attractive to me. Thank you Lord for the benefits that come when we love our husbands intentionally.

The dress up corner

In preparing for the arrival of my sis, Mary, and her family I realized that a frothing mess of imagination inspiring attire had taken over my little girl's bedroom.   I knew something needed to be done--quickly and cheaply.  Inspiration came from Amanda Soule's book, The Creative Family (chapter 4) and from a play day at the park after a big storm.  My kids and I collected all the branches we could fit in the back of our Ridgeline and took them home to our handsaw and sandpaper.  We stopped on the side of the road to collect a pallet too.  Two days later our free dress up corner was born--just in time for Mary and her family's two week visit.  After 14 days of Hawaii rain and clouds, I'm so thankful we made the effort--our boys made lifelong memories dressing up as super heros fully outfitted to protect their sisters from dragons and badguys and anything else their imaginations could come up with.  

My one and only diary post--Julie

MaryEllen's girls have discussed the need for introductions.  Trish, the writer among us appropriately posted hers before any of her other posts.  I, on the other hand, dread writing these kinds of things so I'm just now getting to it.

I am Julie, second of MaryEllen's girls.  I was the peacemaker of the group growing up.  Now I mix things up a bit because I have one of the craziest of the grandkids.  Life is sweet for me these days raising two kids as a stay at home mom.  Before that I was a commercial beekeeper for a little honey company here on Oahu; I produced honey and kept the bees "happy" for my employers.  Last year I began organic gardening, which can occur all year round here in Hawaii.  I am so blessed to live just off the beach,  making gardening a bit more complicated with all that alkaline soil.  

I am a helpmeet to a generous and hilarious and spontaneous husband--a work hard/play hard anti-procrastinator who refuses to allow our life to become boring.  Many things about our life are "up in the air" right now, so we're afforded a great opportunity to depend on the LORD instead of our own plan.   

My days include tons of cooking, playing on the floor, watering vegetable beds, and rinsing sand off my children's feet.  Thankfully, I have learned to see the beauty in a messy, and sometimes dirty house, that's full of love and fun and good food.  I have many interests, but some of them have gone on the shelf for a bit while I make the most of the short time I have with kids so fresh and responsive and eager to soak up the world.  

Right now it's naptime at my house.  While I'd love to curl up with a book and watch the passing shower move it's way across the bay and over our house, I'll just have to settle for smelling the fresh rain from my bedroom window while I fold the 3 loads of laundry that just barely made it off the line in time.  At least I'll have my cup of mint chocolate, roobis tea.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot...my favorite thing is afternoon tea.