His Special Day!

Happy Birthday to you, sweetheart!

His special day began with breakfast with his two littlest ones, presents scattered throughout the day, golf with his two oldest kiddos, a long nap, a yummy Mexican dinner, new additions to his birthday blessings book and this cheesecake.

And of course, we kicked off the celebration early last night with dinner out, just the two of us. We shared delicious food and delightful conversation. Love those kind of evenings!

I love you Brent! Happy Birthday!

Fresh and New

That's how spring feels around here.

Everything looks green. Everything seems new and warm and full of anticipation.

These were given to me this week...aren't they beautiful?

Hydrangeas are my favorite, though it's no secret that I prefer the blue variety. Alas, our water here doesn't favor blue hydrangeas...but I'll take the pink, especially after living without them at all for several years in northern Texas.

A friend brought these to me last weekend for a farewell brunch I hosted for a friend. They're so delicate (and blue of course!) Does anyone know what they are? My friend wasn't sure.

And I just love my spring wreath. It moves around our house quite a bit during the spring.


What flowers do you enjoy in the spring? I hope each of you are enjoying a bit of spring wherever you may be!

Introductions are in order...

Welcome to our little house on the prairie.

(Isn't that picture priceless in sepia? Doesn't it remind you of the no-nonsense photographs from days gone by? No smiles or anything. And slightly blurry. Perfect.)

Meet Laura:
And 'Manzo:
And Carrie, of course. (Or mean Nellie, as she sometimes decides to be. Hmmm.)
Yes, I answer to Ma around these parts, lately. Seriously. They are role-playing Little House all.the.time. They've even renamed ALL their stuffed animal dogs "Jack".

We've been reading through the stories each afternoon (we're halfway through On the Banks of Plum Creek), and it is such a special time. A couple months ago, we purchased the first season on DVD so our children too will know the joy of growing up watching such a sweet and wholesome show. Watching the series as a child is a special memory of mine. (That and MacGyver.) I have yet to make it through an episode without becoming a little teary-eyed, but no one (who knows me well) would be surprised to hear that. :)

The weather has been perfect for playing in our "backyard prairie"...we will be sad when they start to build homes behind us, so for now, the kids run wild and free!

It is so wonderful to be reminded of the imagination of a child...so playful, carefree, and magical.

Light Lunch (or dinner)

It's that time of year. When hot food seems slightly less appetizing...and things that are light seem so very refreshing.

I am eager for our Farmer's Market to open this summer...eager to pick fresh fruit on a farm...eager to make homemade ice cream. :)

So for my first "light" meal of the season, I pulled out an old favorite. I can't believe I haven't shared it here before.

Chopped Chicken Salad

1 bag of "just lettuce" or a blend of iceberg and spring greens
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can yellow corn, drained
1-2 red or orange bell peppers
3-4 green onions, sliced thinly
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained and diced
3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
crushed tortilla chips (a couple handfuls)
feta cheese, to taste
Girard's Light Champagne Dressing

1. Place lettuce in a large serving bowl. Add chicken, beans, corn, peppers, onions, water chestnuts, and tomatoes to lettuce and toss.
2. Before serving, drizzle dressing over salad and toss until desired flavor is reached. Add crushed tortilla chips and feta and toss again. Garnish with a handful of feta.

I like to use the Light dressing because I think it tastes JUST as good as the original. (I didn't have any black beans on hand, so they're not pictured in the salad above.) Also, I often double the recipe (with the exception of the chicken). And if I don't think we will eat all of it, I'll set aside some of the ingredients from instruction 1 before tossing so that it won't be soggy the next day. Soggy lettuce and chips...shudder.

Hope you enjoy!

The Next Generation

...of scrapbookers, that is. :) Lately, the kids have loved putting my supplies to good use. I have a stack of old papers I no longer want underneath my desk, and the kiddos know they have free access to that pile anytime! They love to cut with paper cutters...

I love Madeleine's face in the picture below...it's as if she's looking for JUST the right placement of that little green rectangle!

They love to use my small stash of punches...the butterfly is a favorite, but so is the average, hand-held holepunch. I think they like the mess it creates the most.

And just so you know, Nathanael is JUST as interested in my supplies. But in a completely different way. As documented here:

My magnetic ruler and cutting mat, when combined with a water bottle and a matchbox car, make an excellent car ramp. Who knew?

(He's also master of destruction when it comes to scissors and the stash of paper. It's quite amusing. And messy.)

He Is Risen!

All this past week, the words to some of my favorite Easter hymns have been on my mind, especially this one:

When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ my God:
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down:
did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
~Isaac Watts

Those final words. That's what is on my mind today as I consider and reflect on Christ's death and resurrection...what is my response to all He gave for me.

I hope your Easter weekend has been a blessed one. We had a wonderful service at church, followed by a yummy dinner and egg hunt:

In their fine Easter clothes! (The tie is a testament that despite the gorgeous day, the Oklahoma wind was ever so active.)
In search of that next egg...
He spotted one!
I could have taken her picture all. day. long. And I did. :)
Helping one another.
Her favorite egg. Purple sparkles, of course.
Love this one especially!
Her favorite of course was pink. (We color coded eggs--pink, blue, and purple--each child to their favorite color and the green and yellow were fair game!)

I think tomorrow I'll show you the outtakes!

So excited!!!

About this game!!!


Sic 'em Bears!

Celebrating spring...

Today, we are enjoying the first day of spring by:

~watching snow blow across Oklahoma. How ironic. We have some three foot drifts in our yard and in others places, the snow barely covers the grass. That's Oklahoma wind for you. (And seriously, yesterday it was in the 60's, as it will be again on Monday. Crazy.)

~building in the land of Legos. It's a family activity. (Though I usually just admire and take the pictures.) I just found out about this Legos game and am anxious to get it. I think it will be a hit!

~cheering on good ol' Baylor U! We're excited about the game this afternoon...hence the whole family decked out in appropriate attire. Sic 'em Bears!

(and, as of today, when you tell Madeleine to smile, this is what we see. She's saying cheese in both pictures. Oh dear.)
~spending some quiet time this afternoon: Madeleine napping, Hadleigh crafting in her room, the boys taking a "golf nap", and as for me, scrapbooking.


Enjoy your first day of spring! Is it springlike where you are today?

Fashion Conscious???

These pictures just crack me up.

In the mind of a two year old, if it somehow matches, it works. Right?

For instance, red striped fourth of July socks match a navy striped dress, yes? Not sure how the jacket fits in...but the baby legs-turned leg warmers. Wow.

(And just in case you're worried. That pic is from Christmas time. We do not currently have our tree up.)
(She has the cutest way of looking out of the corner of her eyes.)

When I told her the jacket didn't go with her outfit, she told me "Look Mommy. Pink jacket match pink flowers. It match."

And glittery shoes go with everything around here.

Treasure Hunting

This past weekend (and yesterday), I had the opportunity to do some treasure hunting, as my children call it! On my own, I explored a couple thrift stores locally, and came upon two things that made it home with me, a sweet apron for Madeleine and a vintage flower frog for me. :)

I was tempted by many other things (typewriters and the occasional painted chair taunted me throughout the day!) but I held my ground. For now.

When I saw the delicate lavender fabric, I immediately thought of my little lover of all things purple. And the double tiered scallops? They sealed the deal. And the ruffled heart pocket made Madeleine so excited! She loves pockets!

Then yesterday, all of us went antiquing, looking for a set of dining chairs for our kitchen. We found these at our first stop, and after exhausting our other possibilities, went back in the end and managed to squeeze all six in the back of the car.

We are 99% sure we will paint these to coordinate with our kitchen, but the old wood really is so lovely. (And I'll recover the seats too.)

Of course, I saw more typewriters, including a very small scale one that would be perfect for crafting, as well as one to-die-for dollhouse. As in, it fulfilled and exceeded every single dollhouse dream of my childhood. Wish I had taken a picture. Four stories, lighted, sunporch, definitely in need of some TLC and a couple little girls to play with (and maybe their mommy?!?) There was no price, and they will be calling me back when they get in touch with the dealer. I have no earthly idea where such an enormous dollhouse would live...but oh, the stories and imagination that would fill it.

But you know, I really don't have to go far to find treasures. All I have to do is look around me to find them right here at home.

Example one:
This little girl would be the one responsible for writing and meticulously folding and stuffing into envelopes sweet little notes to all her family members, immediate and extended.
Example 2: this one is my favorite...and will probably remain in my jewelry box (where she placed it) for a very long time.