first lilacs

 The first lilacs of the spring, brought to me by Estelle. I love lilacs (in their natural form, not artificially scented lilac stuff....) and look forward to their arrival every spring. I always fill the house with them, so glad to have fresh flowers again!

I am now at the point of going crazy without a stove. I am completely uninspired and the fun of cooking has gone. I am still churning out the food, and I am told it is good (the above is curried chicken and potatoes from the crock pot), which is the most important thing. Just really, really, really looking forward to having a stove again! This weekend brings our first road rally (details and pictures to follow) and my eldest's eighteenth birthday! Good thing I have one more (secret) bag of Cadbury Mini-Eggs and a fresh pound of strong coffee to help me get through the business of the weekend!

{phfr} lovely spring edition

 Pretty- My pretty girls! 

 Happy- Blueberry bushes in mid-bloom! We have even had some warm, sunny weather, so the bees are happily pollinating the bushes. So ready for fresh fruit!

 Funny- My mother, hamming it up for the camera. Dementia has not robbed her of her sense of humor, or her sense of fun. She may not be able to hold a conversation, but she can make my girlies go off in to fits of hysterical laughter!

Real- While touring a beautiful, old courthouse in a nearby town we could not get Stuart to come away from the gumball machines. He was not interested in old pictures, beautiful wood-paneled walls, or gorgeous bannisters. When Robert finally bought him a handful of candy to lure him away, he dropped it all over the floor.

Joining Like Mother Like Daughter for a round of Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real, in which we share the ways we have found contentment and joy in the ordinary events of our lives!

Happenings

 One of the first things we did when the stove died was to buy an electric water boiler so we could still make coffee. Best thirty dollars I have ever spent. The mug? Bought at Starbucks with my sisters, because I love the Vespa scooter on it. When we went to Los Angeles a month ago, I realized that we drink a lot of coffee when we are together. Our pattern was Starbucks before boarding the plane, Starbucks upon reaching our layover destination, and Starbucks upon landing at our final destination.

 I am finally getting serious (I know I have said that before...) about losing some weight, and so have been eating a low carb diet for a week now. I have been making eggs with veggies, herbs, cheese, and meat for breakfast each morning. It is not only delicious, but I am not crazy hungry and cross by eight 'o' clock like I was when I just had toast and coffee for breakfast. I have more energy throughout the day as well, which is a grand thing as I have a super busy two weeks coming up. Even if I don't lose a bunch of weight, these two improvements alone are fantastic.

 Just threw this picture in because it spoke to me...the bright colors, the chubby crayons which I love because Stuart simply can't break them no matter how hard he tries, the beautiful little bowl with a happy memory attached to it.

Last but not least, we spotted this little guy in a tree this afternoon. The children and one of our employees spent an hour trying to catch it, as it was obviously someone's pet. They were unsuccessful and the bird flew away in to a neighbor's field. It was fun to watch it, it was such a pretty little bird. It made me start thinking about buying a little bird for a pet....a strong lavender mocha at a favorite cafe brought me back to my senses. I have just been complaining to the farmer that I just can't keep up with all of the demands upon my time!

Easter egg painting

 As funny as it might seem, I have never colored Easter eggs with my children. I am not crafty, (unless it is knitting!) and we usually spend Easter with my the farmer's side of the family at his brother's house. They always throw a fantastic party, with lots of eggs and goodies, good food, and catching up with relatives, all of whom are entirely likeable. I have just never needed to color boiled eggs before. However, this year, we threw a party for a a dear friend who needed a crowd of happy people to celebrate with her. I promised the children we would do an egg hunt, so on Friday we sat down and colored eggs. I bought a kit which had you paint the eggs instead of dipping them in dye, and that sounded like something my children would enjoy more than merely dipping eggs. So, we went to work, and they did indeed color the eggs. I have never seen brighter, shinier Easter eggs.

Love those chubby little hands!

Estelle, trying to paint her whole egg without getting any paint on herself.

This? Reminds me of my father. He always stuck his tongue out while concentrating, and he was a lefty.That little dimple? Also my father!

So, the eggs turned out to be bright and maybe a little garish, but the children were pleased with their work. I put the eggs down in the cooler at our store, because I was always under the impression that eggs should be refrigerated, even after being hard boiled. Turns out, this was a bad idea as the condensation which formed on the eggs caused the paint to run, and so anyone who took an egg also got vividly colored fingers. My friends all quickly pointed out that I should not have refrigerated the eggs. But, honestly, aren't you supposed to? Isn't it bad to eat eggs which have been out of the fridge for 48 hours? I thought my guests would rather not get food poisoning! I have my food handler's license, and have taken plenty of food safety classes, but honestly can't remember the protocol on this one! So, now I have a bunch of drippy, faded, vaguely nasty  looking hard boiled eggs  (which also got dropped as I carried them in to the house at 11:30 last night...) in my fridge, and no one wants to stain their fingers to eat the eggs! At least the party was a blast, the weather was great, and the Captain Morgan's punch my husband made was delicious! Happy Easter!

I am not a bad blogger....

I realize that it has been two weeks since I lasted posted on my poor blog. I started to feel badly about that, like a bad blog slacker. Then I realized that, had I been posting last week, my entries would have read as follows:

Monday-Felt sick but carried on until evening when I had to leave parrish mission service because I couldn't stop coughing. Home and in bed by 8, with the realization that I was indeed sick.

Tuesday- Got out of bed, couldn't stand up straight, showered, went back to bed, couldn't even sit up by afternoon, went to Urgent Care and got medicine.

Wednesday-stayed in bed all day.

Thursday- Stayed in bed all day

Friday- Got out of bed for a few hours at a time, napped most of the afternoon.

Saturday-Stayed out of bed all day, with only a two hour nap. Went to dinner with my sisters, stayed out way too late.

Sunday- Felt great all morning, had coffee and shopped with my sister and then met other sisters and mom for lunch. This was too much, and I got home and collapsed for a few hours. Dear friends brought us a meal, I was in bed by 8:30.

This week I am feeling much better, and am now trying to catch up on all the things I didn't do last week. Things like paying bills before we lose electricity and cell phone service.  Here's to good health, and some warm, sunny weather to go with it. I would love to open the windows wide and blow winter's stale, germy air out, and fill the house with the warmth and freshness of spring. If I did that today, however, I would end up with flooding in my house!

{phfr} Beverly Hills edition

 Pretty- Diamond necklace at Harry Winston's. I have never seen so many diamonds at a time, and can't imagine wearing something worth all of my possessions combined around my neck, but thought the necklace was beautiful nonetheless!

 Happy- Late night tiramisu, coffee, and cribbage with my sisters. The restaurant was right along a busy street in Burbank, so we enjoyed watching people coming and going as we ate. It was pouring rain, which we as Oregonians are used to, but in this area, heavy rains occur once or twice a year.

 Funny- The dress looked like it was made of the non-skid mats we put under our throw rugs to keep them from slipping. Only, instead of being two dollars at Wal-Mart, this dress is offered by Dior for several thousand dollars.

Real- It was fun to wander down Rodeo Drive, but then, a few short miles up the road, we saw a lot of this. People who were sad, down-trodden, mentally ill, or addicts, trying to get a meal and a smile. It reminded me that while there is nothing wrong in luxury items in and of themselves, our real purpose is to be salt and light to those who are hurting and alone.  I was in Los Angeles and it's environs for my uncle's memorial service, and this week's {phfr} comes to you compliments of that trip! The pictures show a few scenes from a fun trip and wonderful time with my family, but the truth is, for real contentment, there is no place like home! Joining Like Mother Like Daughter for another round of {phfr}, visit them for more fun pictures and reminders to find contentment in the everyday!

Home again

Fresh vegetables and undergarments in the Versace store

I loved the collection of shoes these girls were wearing!

Would you be able to walk in these shoes? I might be able to after LOTS of practice...

A Bugati. There was a huge crowd of people taking pictures of this car, and it was worth a second glance. I have never seen one on the road before- it was beautiful!

This young man serenaded me on Hollywood Boulevard for a dollar. I think he was on something, and it was by far the strangest song I have ever heard. But it was an interesting part of the whole adventure!

My uncle's swimming pool. I spent many happy hours there as a child, I hardly left the pool when we were visiting.

I am sitting in my dining room, watching the snow fall gently, blanketing my daffodils and violets with a layer of fluffy white. Although the snow is beautiful and I am usually outside running around in it, I am now officially tired of being cold and seeing grey skies and snow. This marks the fourth snowfall in March this year, and I am ready for warm weather and sunshine. Just saying.

The weekend in Los Angeles was a wonderful get away. My sisters are a blast to be with, and even though the occasion was a sad one, we had a great time. Friday after landing, we immediately set out for Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. It was so much fun window shopping, watching all the luxury cars gliding past, and drinking our afternoon coffee outside with the sun warming us! I didn't buy anything, much to my husband's relief. Next stop was Hollywood, where we walked the sidewalk of stars and enjoyed all of the street performances. It was crowded and vaguely seedy, but we enjoyed being part of the crowd and absorbing all of the colors and sounds and sights.

The service for my Uncle Dick was on Saturday. It was a very nice service, with a lot of laughter as we shared our memories of him. There was no drama or weeping, and the people in his church were very kind and welcoming. After the service, we went to his house and were allowed to take anything we wanted from it. The executor of his estate (LONG, LONG story on that whole situation) called while we were there and urged us to take the beds, T.V., chairs, pictures, and so on. We politely declined on the furniture, and I ended up with a suitcase full of old family photos, which I am enjoying sorting through.

Sunday was a day of travel, and we all hit the ground running as soon as we got back in to town. My youngest sister to finish lesson plans for the week, my older sister to get her kids to a swim team party, and myself to an evening Mass. Fun trip, great weekend, so nice to be home!

The no stove/no oven saga continues, and I am really starting to get used to this. Last night I made pasta with bread crumbs and olive oil (pasta cooked at my mother-in-law's house, sauce made in my electric skillet), a huge salad with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and large crystals of black salt, and sauteed locally foraged mushrooms. It was all delicious, and I am starting to get a kick out of seeing just how fancy I can get without the stove! I know some people may wonder why we don't just buy a stove, but we really, really, really don't want to rack up more debt. We also don't want to just buy a cheap, used stove and end up replacing it a few years down the road. I really like to experiment and be challenged in the kitchen, as I love to cook and enjoy learning new techniques and being creative. This no stove/no oven thing has done that for me in spades! We are managing quite well, with three square meals a day. Roasted vegetables with peanut sauce and rice and quinoa patties on the menu for dinner tonight!