Spring Flings

I don't know about you, but I get excited when I find an unusually large fruit.

We went to Ernie Miller Nature Center yesterday with our small group friends. It was a lovely day and the kids had a nice time walking the trails. Here is our beloved Andy sitting on a bench.

The kids were excited to check out this frog.



I love spring!

What's Up

I recently did a freezer meal exchange and made my mom's recipe for apple pie for part of my dinner. I felt like a true Amish person... except for I have electricity and an electric stove... but still.


This is one thing I've been working on. I'm beginning to redo Zeke and Gwen's bathroom upstairs and I found two frames at a garage sale that I bought. I spray painted them and put burlap in the background to hang as decorations above hooks for their towels. Right now there is a towel bar, but they can't really hang up their own towels on that. So I'm installing hooks so they can be responsible for their own towels. I plan on painting a wooden "Z" and "G" and gluing to the burlap so they know which hook is theirs.

My herb pots are all ready to go. Now I just have to decide what I'd like....

It has been such a warm winter and early spring that I thought I'd take a little chance with this crazy Kansas weather and put some things in the ground early. I'm going to wait a few weeks on tomatoes... but I really hope this year is a better year than last. I want my tomato sandwiches! Last year we had a problem of rabbits getting into our garden and having snacks. Well... Ben took care of that with this little fence. I hope it helps. I put in romaine lettuce, brussels sprouts (my new vegetable obsession), and broccoli. My kids LOVE broccoli and Gwen really likes brussels sprouts. I think Zeke will learn to like them.

I will try to be better about letting you know what is going on. I'm getting lazy when it comes to blogging... but I do enjoy looking back and seeing how blessed we are.

I think everyone should have their babies feet prints to remember how little they are. These are Naomi's. Love baby feet!


We tried shaving foam painting today. It consists of putting shaving foam on a pan and putting paint drizzled through there and letting the kids swirl it and play with it and then putting paper on top and lightly patting it and pulling it off. After it dries a few minutes you scrape it and the paint stays and the foam doesn't. We cut these pieces of paper into egg shapes to give to our friends.

Ben reading to "the gang".

Around Town Continued

First off, let me show you something interesting. This quilt was made by my Great Grandmother and is going on display in Nebraska soon. It actually has my Grandfather's name "Leland" and his birthday sewn onto it. My Great Grandmother had 12 kids and wasn't very educated hence the misspellings and backward "N"s. I must say my relatives had some interesting names. Riller? Codle? If you'll notice that Preston is on there. That's my mom's Uncle and who my brother Preston is named after. Let's just say my ancestors aren't exactly gifted in the quilting department. :)

Saturday mom and I ventured out alone and found ourselves at this little coffee shop. I've seen it before and said outloud, "I'm going to stop there one day" and I finally did. It used to be a gas station back in the early 1900's. I had a chai latte and it was like drinking a gingerbread man.


We also went to Pryde's Old Westport. They specialize in hard to find kitchen gadgets and items. Let's just say I LOVE IT and it is not for the claustrophobic.

I also love these whisk chandeliers in there!

In the back they have a pie shop where it is always "pie o'clock" they say and this stove is back there. We didn't get a piece of pie, but I had to snap a picture of this stove.

Around Town with Grandma

Ben took Thursday off. Thank goodness there was someone else to ride on the carousel with the kids. I get queasy.... and of all things they chose a teacup!


Here they are waiting... and yes, Gwen wants to wear this get up in March.

At the library working with magna tiles. Those things are genius!

Zeke talks about Dairy Queen all of the time. You can see if from our back deck. We hardly go there though, but Grandma took us. The kids were very pleased.