deal of the day

sadly, this is the first year in about 13 that we won't be celebrating easter with my brother and his family. secondary sadness, all of our plastic easter eggs are at their house since last year we were basically homeless.

enter the deal of the day. my favorite local mennonite thrift store had them for sale: .03 for large eggs, .02 for medium size.

so i got 107 eggs for $2.21.

and sorting them kept pete occupied for more than an hour.

books vs. movies

which do you think has more impact on a young person's life?

we've had this book for years:



and the boys enjoyed it, and had fun with it. it's been a couple of years since we used it, since it was in storage all last year, so i thought it would be a great way to jump start their imaginations for spring and get them away from screens (tv/computer/video games).

so i opened it and found this:



hm. inquiring minds want to know--what happened? who did it? what was the purpose behind it?

the two oldest brothers started laughing, in a reminiscent/ fond memory sort of way.
that was years ago, mom.
we wanted to hide some batteries.

did you read about that in the book? i ask.

no. we saw it in a movie.

:)

snowdrops seen outside our window this week

you've been warned!

nick got his driver's permit today!

currently enjoying.....

7 things we're currently enjoying:

1.) the smell of spring in the air. even though there's still a good amount of snow on the ground, the robins have arrived and you can smell the promise coming soon. yay for seasons!

2.) dutch blitz

3.) homemade orange julius (nick and jack's specialty). with enough sugar in it to send you into a diabetic coma.. even if you're not diabetic :)

4.) our Bible reading plan. totally realistic, 4 of us have kept up for 2 months now (a record for some!) and we are rewarding whichever kids keep up at the end of the month with candy:) and i totally love that this blog is encouraging the same thing and occasionally boosts your spirit by explaining why reading exodus is important. now if they'd just do the same for numbers....

5.) mike's new birthday video game

6.) sewing (for mom and olivia): foot warmers, quilts (olivia's taking a class in co-op), pajama pants for the littlest boys....

7.) 24. jack bauer is scary and rocks at the same time.

what's on your current enjoyment list?

helping accountant dad brush up on his math skills

granola

another favorite recipe is homemade granola. we make it with tupelo honey, a good blood sugar level honey. the kids like it as cereal, or as a finger food (especially straight out of the oven while it's still warm) or on vanilla ice cream or yogurt. it doesn't last too long around here.
here's the recipe:

melt 1/2 c. butter with 1/2 c. honey until melted. let bubble for a minute or two (the longer you let it boil, the more it will harden the oats).

add to 4 c. of oatmeal with any additives you choose (dried fruit, nuts, etc.)
we like to add dried, unsweetened coconut (from bob's red mill) and pecans or walnuts.

spread on a cookie sheet with a small lip,
bake in a 400* oven for 10 min. stir half way through.
it should be a med/dark brown color, but not smell over-cooked.