sneak peek at the chicken coop

We've got a fun weekend ahead including a dance recital, two birthday parties, church, mothers day and finishing the chicken coop. That would be quite the mothers day gift: to see my six sweet chickens find a new home in the great outdoors so I can get my downstairs bathroom back. 

I'll leave you with a picture of Elsie, showing me that chicken feet are not scary and I don't need to fear them. Thank you brave Elsie. I am so proud to be your mama.

this is happening right now...

This is what is happening in my kitchen right now.  It's my dream come true in birthday cakes, half way done. A rainbow cake with rainbow frosting, special request from the birthday girl Sonna. Since the moment Sonna asked me if I'd make her a rainbow cake, my thoughts have been dreaming of this beauty. And now she's coming together. It's tedious and requires a lot of cleaning between each color of the rainbow, but my oh my is it lovely.

You may remember I made my first rainbow cake for Sara and Lisa. And they seemed to love it. I was pregnant with Ivar at the time.

I made my first rainbow cupcakes last year for Sonna's fifth birthday. I was pregnant with Elsie at the time.

This time around I am not pregnant, but while trying to bake all six layers of Roy G. Biv goodness with both kids awake, I sort of realized how much easier this rainbow cake thing is without a two year old helping and a 9 month old crying out for attention. It was a bit more challenging this time, hence the frosting late into the night while the kids are sleeping. A much better idea.

a family picture

Behold. You are looking at the only five pictures we have of the four of us since Elsie was born. Thousands of pictures have been taken, but only five of just the four of us. And none of them are winners. They're decent, but as I told Rory, "if one of us were to die tragically, the real tragedy would be that the other would have to frame one of these five and look at it the rest of their lives..."

Did you notice my side bar? It only took me nine months to update our family picture to include Elsie! Hooray! And I added a few quick links to our chickens, maple syrup, the grovestead and my yearly favorites. It's been a long, long time since I've done any blog updating and it feels good. Enjoy!

spring has come again

Well it is a new week and I am in some euphoric happy place that I like to call the land of lovely weather. For as low as I felt with the snow one week ago, I think I feel just that high now that it is gone. It is unbelievable how these warm days with green grass have helped with moral around here. 

Today I got to drive the truck to Bloomington where I spoke at our old church for their women's bible study. It went really well and was so fun to see lots of friends that I have been missing since we moved. I had lunch with one friend and went to another's to pick through her garage sale items for tomorrow and I was just so grateful to be out and about, reconnecting. Plus, I love driving the truck. It;s fun to drive and it has a tape deck and crank windows. So I cranked those windows down and took in the lovely day. 

Today we are painting the chicken coop because the coop finally could be finished once the snow melted. And let me tell you it is time to move the girls outside. They are a stinkin up the place. And they're so big now. Pictures and an update on the coop to come. 

and it's a new week

I have watched a whole lot of Sound of Music this week and I heard Maria sing the words I most needed to hear. She said she had confidence that spring will come again.

All four of us got the stomach flu this week...Ivar on Monday night, Elsie on Wednesday night, Me on Friday and Rory on Saturday. Between the flu and the snow, we are quite glad to see this week come to an end.

And now, looking outside, I am confident that spring will come again! The snow is melting today. I'm hoping it is all gone by tomorrow. And the best part? The grass that is visible again is BRIGHT green.

Spring has come again. Thank goodness.

***And tell me how awesome that last line is, "despite what you see, I have confidence in me." That is quality writing.