Easter Activities

After the egg hunt at Grandma's house. Cousins counting their eggs to see if they found them all. It started to rain so we had the egg hunt inside this year.

Isaac searching for eggs.

Rice Krispy Treat eggs...

and rabbits. They had whiskers made with Fiber One cereal. (At least they were a little bit healthy.)

Isaac's favorite item in his Easter basket. Well... he really liked the candy too.

Artsy eggs.

Being creative.

Working on the Rice Krispy Treats. We were laughing because I got Alissa's elbow all sticky.

Happy 8th Birthday!

Isaac turned 8 today. He is my "baby" and I can't believe that he is 8. The time has flown by. He is even looking more mature. He is such a sweet and special boy. One of his gifts was a magnetic dart set. He has been having lots of fun with it!

His birthday super request was blueberry pancakes, sausage and bacon. Notice the Florida Gators shirt which was a gift from Erica, who is a true fan!

His big pancake on the griddle.


Erica also made him this "beautiful" Star Wars Ewok cake for his party this past Friday. None of us girls really like Star Wars and we thought the Ewoks were probably some of the "cuter"characters.

The guys anticipating a fun evening.

Birthday Blessings and Surprises

My birthday was yesterday. I woke up to surprise birthday streamers in the kitchen.

A surprise box of rolls from our favorite bakery. My Mom and Step-Father dropped these off for my birthday and the two we have next week. They were also a thank-you gift for carrying up many boxes of christmas decorations for them.

A gorgeous surprise! The most beautiful silk flower arrangement delivered to my door. They are from a very dear friend who lives far away.


The girls made a beautiful centerpiece on the kitchen table. They incorporated my floral gift and the birthday dessert. So pretty! The picture doesn't do it justice.

I was spoiled. Now they won't know what to get me for Christmas. A new sweater, earrings and an ornament from the girls. The guys got me an ironing board, steak knives and an egg slicer. Practical gifts that I've been wanting. Have you ever tried ironing on an ironing board that is bent? Needed a new one! Josh broke my last egg slicer so he got me a snazzy new red one.



For supper the girls tried out a new recipe: Tuscan Chicken. It was very good!

A sweet little dessert. Chocolate Peppermint Tassies.

It's the BIG one!!

Today is the BIG game between Ohio State and Michigan. For some reason, my girls really enjoy football. They always plan out a party with lots of goodies. They are so creative! Cut-out sugar cookies, buckeyes, helmet-shaped finger jello, fruit kabobs and nachos. Wow! Can you tell which team they root for? And me, well I plan on sewing. I just got new orders in my shop :)

Try Outs...

I recently added Mennonite Girls Can Cook to my blog list. Since then I've had people ask me if I had tried any of the recipes.

The perfect opportunity arose when I had pork chops to use. I tried the recipe for Pork in Sour Cream Sauce. I also made Oven Mushroom Rice They were both very good! Because the pork chops were cooked in a skillet on the stove top, I used the stove top version of the Mushroom Rice. I cooked the rice even longer than the recipe stated but it wasn't tender. I believe the problem is in the type of rice I used. (This happened previously with another recipe.) The flavor was really good.

I really like it when we can produce our own food. It's nice to know the origins of what we eat. The pork was raised this summer by my seven year old. (Which is why he wouldn't eat any.) The green beans were grown in our garden and home canned. The dinner roll was a left-over made by Sarah. We also tried Strawberry Delight This recipe used strawberries that were picked and frozen this past June.

I would highly recommend Mennonite Girls Can Cook I thought it would be a winner since most of my favorite cookbooks are Amish or Mennonite in origin. They tend to use common ingredients and the results are very family friendly. I can't wait to try out some more of their recipes. There are a lot to choose from and they keep adding more :) Let me know if you try some too.

A Little R, R & R! (Rest, Relaxation & Recipe)

A few nights ago a good friend, who also homeschools, had a little get-together at her house. July is the month that screams "Summer is half over! What are you doing for school next year?" Of course in my early years of homeschooling I had things pretty well figured out in January. No more! There is just too much going on. Sewing, gardening, baseball, graduations, college, and vacations all crowd in for their time also. Look at this gorgeous spread! So thoughtful! Would one's own family appreciate this? Probably not. But any frazzled Mom would find it to be divine.
An extra-special touch-a floating candle in a teacup.
Fun drinks served in stemware. Cream soda and fruit juice. Notice the fruit on a skewer. I felt like I was at a fancy resort.
These parfaits were delicious. Very refreshing, just like the evening. It is so comforting to know that there are others who are experiencing the same feelings and emotions that you are. Thanks ladies for for the "mini-vacation"!!
Here is the parfait recipe:
FRESH FRUIT AND CREAM PARFAITS
Sauce:
1 tsp Knox gelatin
¼ c water
½ c whipping cream
½ c sugar
½ c sour cream
½ tsp vanilla

Fresh Fruit:
1 c blueberries
1 c green grapes, sliced
1 c strawberries, halved
Combine gelatin and water in a saucepan, let stand 1 minute.
Stir over medium heat, until dissolved.
Add cream and cool slightly.
Use a wire whisk to stir in sugar, sour cream and vanilla.
Refrigerate.
Layer Sauce and fruit in parfait glasses or dessert dishes.
Refrigerate.
Serves 6

The recipe for the Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Babies can be found here:
www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/peanut-butter-cheesecake-brownie-112867.aspx