Painting Easter Eggs

We did our first round of Easter Eggs last week. My girls love any kind of art project, so they thought this great. They ate eggs all week long. Usual for Grace, but quite unusual for Isabelle. I think we will do another round of eggs this week. I wish I had an interesting story to go with these pictures, but I don't. The only notable thing is everyone stayed relatively clean. Whoo hoo!

Hello Sunshine

Like most of you northerners, we are DYING for sunshine. My own personal vitamin D level is dangerously low...making me think about things like vacation and exposing myself to harmful gamma ray's in a tanning bed. But last Sunday we got a summer blast with temperatures close to 90 degrees! Before you start worrying about global warming, no worries...it plummeted back down to the 40's the next day. We took advantage of the sunshine and had a lil' picnic...twice that day, actually!

Bento Thursday

In the top box there is a star, heart, and bear shaped rice ball, made up of lamb Keema, a spicy Indian dish, heavy on corriander...yum. In the bottom bento is carrots and dip, a strawberry, and a babybel cheese, cut out like a ladybug.

Happy 3 Abby

Almost two weeks ago we traveled to Toledo for my neice, Abby's birthday. We had a ton of fun at the zoo and I thought I'd share a few pictures with you.

Living Room Updates

I have been wanting to do make this great faux rosewood wreath for so long and I've been wanting to so something new in our living room, particularly in the fireplace. So I finally figured out what to do. I bought a green foam wreath and also some old paperback books at the thrift store and a ton of hot glue.

Let me say, that I am happy with the way this project turned out..but oh my goodness...it was TEDIOUS. I spent eight nights cutting and gluing paper out of these books onto this wreath and honestly, I'm still not done, the middle and sides need more! Ugg. I hung it from an old mirror that we had. Please note the mirror isn't really a mirror but some kind of wierd plastic mirror...so it's pretty scratched up and...well...wierd. But I'm cheap and didn't see the need to buy another mirror. We're(and by "we" I mean Conrad) not quite finished with it, the fireplace needs it's post winter coat of paint. But all in all, I'm quite pleased with phase one.

Grace on Easter

This conversation happened on the way home from church yesterday. The last few weeks they have been talking about Easter and the crucifiction and they even showed some kind of video of the crucifiction. We have also been talking about WHAT Easter is really about. Although we color eggs and they'll get baskets, I want them to understand the vital importance to our Core Belief in Salvation. So the following conversation ensued (I wish I had it on video!)

Mommy: Grace, what is Easter about?
Grace: It's when the God Jesus hung up on the wock. There was blud. Lot's of blud. Then he died.

She almost always calls God, "the God" but the conversation went on from there. We talked about how he rose again and why he died, but really, she was pretty fixated on the "blud." It must have been a graphic movie. Oh, how I wish I could keep her in this sweet, innocent, and adorable phase for about three more years!

Bento Thursday

This week one day the girls had leftover homeade chicken nuggets and shell pasta. Along with fruit and a cheesestick and two hersey kisses. not too exciting, but popular!


This day was fun! There are two hot dog octopus and an crab hotdog with cheese eyes colored with food marker. Along with pretzels and a star chocolate chip cookie. In the top bento box is a little clementine lady with a bow pick and nori paper face. And an apple toadstool.

I was making a ton of cookies for a student outreach at church and decided to try some cookie cutters when baking the cookies. They turned out great and I was wondering why I'd never heard of doing this before!?

Nope, no super mom's here

The other day I was talking to my friend Natalie and I was lamenting some of my parenting struggles with her. She's not a parent, but she's always a good voice of reason and a great sounding board. While I was whining and complaining, she said, "I'm surprised, Danielle. By reading your blog, I would think you are super mom." I could have almost laughed out loud. Nope. No super mom's here. Most day's I struggle to balance my "To Do List" with the really important items like spending time with my family and having even the smallest of Devotional Times with the Lord. Not to mention, some days I just fall into bed exhausted and disappointed with myself and my very poor parenting job. If I haven't mentioned it before, we have a strong willed child. Who came by it honestly: she has a strong willed mom. So we spend many a days going head to head. I usually win, but sometimes it's at a great cost, and I'm certain it takes years off of my life!!

I think I have said this before, but I would trade all of my "craftiness" for a couple of ounces more of patience. But we get what we get and coming by the rest seems to take some time! So don't be decieved by my blog. It's not my online "journal." I certainly don't share the nitty gritty here. It's only a "highlights" type of thing. We keep the low lights to ourselves and those closest to us. Besides, one day my kids will be able to go back and read this journey of thier childhood, and I don't neccessarily want them to remember the time she and momomy threw down over her refusal to eat dinner/go to bed/put away her toys/fill in the blank.

But overall, most days I have nothin' to complain about, only things to be thankful for!

Spring Posies

I had a bunch of left over material from making the wreath in Grace's room, so I decided to make some more posies for headbands and a spring wreath for the front door. With an 1/8th of a yard of inexpensive fabric, an old headband, a few pearl stickers, and a hot glue gun...beautiful! The same applies to the wreath. I just wrapped material around a styrophome wreath and made a few posies to glue onto one side. Turned out pretty! But my favorite is definitely the posie headbands!