currently happening- abundant life

On Saturday it rained for a few minutes, and then cleared to a nice light for photos. I thought I would take the camera out and capture all that is changing around here.

There is new growth everywhere around our place... The puppy, the plants, the insects... Even the kids are growing at an alarming rate... I cannot keep them full!

Below, one of the many Borage plants that seeded itself from last years single planting....

The theme of this garden bed (above and below) is all shades and textures of green, and a bit of orange and yellow- also know as "always room for one more."

Creeping Jenny streaking through the Woolly Thyme

The strawberries are blooming prolifically...

Artichoke- a repeat performer from last year too.

Three little zucchinis

An organic lettuce mix... looking forward to trying the freckled leaves...

Kale with beautiful magenta stems. At least it looks good- I'll be the only one eating it, chances are...

Lily, keeping us in suspense

Peas, starting their climb

Lupines, spread beyond their plot from last summer...

And below, lovely dogwood blossoms. These always remind me of my Grandma Millie as they are some of her favorite flowers. The first photo was taken a few weeks ago- the second two just last week... I love their transformation- I'm not sure which stage is most beautiful, but the whole show is amazing.

The first rose blossom of the year, on my "Julia Child" rose bush.

A good old standby Rhody- the neighbors say this one used to be as big as a small house!

My herb garden- totally wild this year. Naomi's chives, which she likes to snack on and subsequently torture people with her onion / dragon breath, are nearly squeezed out by the aggressive oregano and thyme. They will have to be moved so she can continue her sinister tradition.

We have been studying invertebrates, and most recently, insects. I ordered Painted lady butterfly caterpillars, and we receive d them in the mail and watched them eat, grow, change into chrysalises, and the emerge butterflies. They whole process was incredible, and awfully fun to watch close up. The children enjoyed it immensely, and had a controlled situation in which to observe what they'd learned first hand. Of course they often find and observe bugs on their own, but having them for such a long period and watching their life cycle was quite different. I would highly recommend this activity for anyone- child or adult!

Two chrysalises are still hanging- three have emerged butterflies.

Time to release the butterflies outside. The kids decided they would like the small herb flowers. They were correct.

Naomi helped one to come out of the container- she was so thrilled to be holding it, ever so gently, a few minutes before it flew away.

Look closely above- you can see the little black proboscis (straw-like tounge) reaching out for a thyme flower.

It would be so exciting to come across Painted Lady caterpillars in the yard somewhere, and to think that perhaps they came from "our" butterflies. Of course it may not be so, but you never know. I know at least three little people who would have no doubts!

a party for our Si guy

Josiah's birthday fifth birthday party was a total blast... He had such a great time running around and being crazy with his buddies- I don't think he remembered that it was his birthday party for most of the time, but he certainly enjoyed himself.

Can you guess what happened to me and my camera right after this picture?!
Fortunately it still works. I guess posing for the picture was just bothersome enough for Josiah that he had to exact a price for his trouble.

A few of the things that made Josiah's birthday party outstanding...
-a hot, super-sunny day
-the six super-soakers Grandma Flavia brought, and her willingness to play with them too!
-loads of friends, cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents
-two big sisters gung-ho to make lil' brother's birthday a hit
-two malte-poos, a pugle and a sweet chocolate lab- all under a year old and happily frisky
-a campfire for a smores buffet- try nutella or peanut butter... Yum!

Josiah was spoiled with all sorts of great gifts, including several pairs of his favorite style of shorts (long basketball) a cool Star Wars coloring book, and his own walking stick from the Cedar River. He was thrilled with every single thing he got, even though he didn't show it right away.

Timmy was the die-hard pool fan... There is no such thing as an inappropriate time, or inappropriate apparel for the pool for this guy. He's a fanatic.

Why aren't pot bellies as cute on everyone as they are on these little guys?
I was concerned that Josiah would be unhappy that his cake was unfrosted- it was a pound cake, and I made strawberry rhubarb sauce to go with it, and had some vanilla ice cream on hand too. Very good, but not as glamorous as the usual food-colored affairs. I waited for him to give a look of dismay when I brought it out, but instead he gave a little smile and said, "My very own cake!" Whew...

He seemed to like it quite a bit, actually.

I'm going to share the recipe because it was awesome... Sadly not healthy, but delicious. (If you want to find it in a better format to print, search on epicurious.com; that is where I found it.)

Elvis Presley's Favorite Pound Cake

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for buttering pan
3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring) plus additional for dusting
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
7 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
Special equipment: a 10-inch tube pan (4 1/2 inches deep; not with a removable bottom) or a 10-inch bundt pan (3 1/4 inches deep; 3-qt capacity)

Preparation
Put oven rack in middle position, but do not preheat oven.
Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess flour.
Sift together sifted flour (3 cups) and salt into a bowl. Repeat sifting into another bowl (flour will have been sifted 3 times total).

Beat together butter (2 sticks) and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or 6 to 8 minutes with a handheld mixer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour, then all of cream, then remaining flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down side of bowl, then beat at medium-high speed 5 minutes. Batter will become creamier and satiny.

Spoon batter into pan and rap pan against work surface once or twice to eliminate air bubbles.

Place pan in (cold) oven and turn oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in middle of cake comes out with a few crumbs adhering, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around inner and outer edges of cake, then invert rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who helped make Josiah's celebration so memorable. As he said when he came outside early in the morning, before any guests even arrived, and saw the balloons hanging all around... "Wow!! I've never had a party like this before!"

saga de la froga

Josiah caught a frog the other day, and kept him in a plastic container (when not cuddling him) overnight.

Selfish love for froggie competed fiercely with concern for froggie's hunger in captivity, and after twenty-four hours and a lot of soul searching and potential home searching (the fountain was ruled out)... froggie was set free in our little entrance garden.

This looks like a peaceful scene, but if you could only hear the soundtrack- much sorrow and wailing from Josiah who kept a 45 minute vigil to see where froggie would go. After he went nowhere, but only rotated around a few times, Josiah was convinced that froggie would make the little garden his home, and was distracted by a large bag of pipe cleaners (thanks Aunt Leslie! :). He went on to create creatures that survive indefinitely under his care- an "old white cobra" and an orange and black fly-catcher. Not nearly so interesting as little froggie, but happily- maintenance free.

turning nine- Eva's bithday

(Let's pretend I'm writing this on) May 1st! Eva's Happy Ninth Birthday. This year was a no-party birthday, :) but a great day for Eva. She was thrilled to have a piano lesson on her birthday, and her teacher, Miss Heather, surprised her by remembering her birthday and setting the "Happy Birthday" music on the piano for her to play. Friends and family called or visited, and she had her friend Hannah over to spend the night. They were so thoughtful to Naomi and Josiah, and included them in playing outside and then, when it got dark, in their Wii play inside. Eva enjoyed her Butterscotch Cake (her request) and a visit from Grammy and Gramps. It is a joy and a blessing to watch her grow and change each year.


Nine phrases that begin to describe Eva as she is now, at age nine...

enthusiastic about all her passions...
ambitious about her future (currently planning to be president)...
inquisitive about the world around her, and the world of human interactions...
thoughtful towards others, young and old...
knowledgeable about a variety of subjects, including babies, gardening, fishing, and much more...
capable of carrying out tasks large and small...
intense in nearly all pursuits...
dramatic when demonstrating her feelings or storytelling, one of her favorite pastimes...
joyful in life's craziest moments, laughing gleefully at anything completely silly, which reassures me that she is still nine and not nineteen. :)

wii, doggies!!

Ok, ok- I've heard your complaints- you few- and I am here, and I remember my blogger password. Forgive my slacking, and read again!!

Lots going on here lately.... Namely- coughing, high fever, nose blowing, etc. (No it's not swine flu- or if it was, they survived it... Just something very nasty and long lived- Easter weekend to just- the past few days!) BUT- unfortunately for you readers, I failed to take pictures of named afflictions, so I'll move on to the other, more pleasant aspects of our lives in April.

Two new and exciting things in our household this month, both from Grandparents! First, from Grandma Flavia, the gift of the Wii. Yes, our little house on the prairie has been brought into modern times with a GAMING SYSTEM. (Still no TV though- just the "monitor") I confess to feeling less than thrilled with the addition initially, but- now I've been won over. It is actually lots of fun, not too addictive, and good to play as a group. (Like I need to convince the world that the Wii is fun...) The kids have had way too much fun making themselves "Miis," changing each other's Miis, competing, etc. They get a kick out of the animated personal trainers, who are a nice shade of grey/white and use overly encouraging language. They named the male trainer "Mutton." Somehow, it suits.

Here is Eva in action- she loves the balance games, and is super competitive. Surprise! :)
Now, as if a new game for all was not enough, we had the pleasure of dog sitting for dear Mattie and Roly while my parents were in New Zealand. Roly was a constant delight to the children- playful and snuggly too. And faithful old Mattie is always good to relax with when you're tired.

Josiah and Roly particularly loved snuggling to sleep- they were always super warm when I'd check on them!

Mattie is also very sweet and tolerant. She put up with the girls dressing her up as some sort of lady. Later Josiah tucked the scarf into her collar and said, "There. Now she's the Queen of England." But when the girls turned to Roly with a gingham skirt in hand, Siah had a crying fit. "They can't put that on him! It's not fair! He won't like it- he's a BOY!!" When I convinced the girls that while it seemed like a non issue, it was just too sad for empathetic Josiah to take. They compromised, put a tie on him, and saved the girly clothes for Colbie- Roly's sister.

Oh, and below? Maybe you all can help me solve this puzzle... Ever since the Wii came, a mysterious phenomenon occurs... Each night as I tuck in the kids, my dear husband disappears, leaving me as lonely as a wiidow with only Roly to snuggle. However, in his absence, a fierce professional boxer appears in my living room for a few hours- completely focused on battering his opponents. He must be a serious athlete, training for an important competition, because when I interrupt him to ask if he has seen my husband, he appears unable to hear or even to sense my presence. Hmmm... Well, let me know if you can ID the guy in the blurry snapshot below. It might give me a clue as to what on earth is going on around here.

to do...

Tonight I went to the white board to take a peek at my to-do list- just to see all the things I didn't do today- and I found yet another item... Written in what looked suspiciously like the printing of an 8 year old was the final bullet: "-take a break mommy!!" Underlined, too. And then, "I love my mommy." Thanks, Eva! What a thoughtful daughter you are.

Well this makes two posts in a row that are somewhat about how my kids love me- how self-serving!- but really it's about their loving personalities and how they are (mostly!:) ) thinking outside themselves- and it's always a joy to see.