What we've been busy with

Long time between the last post. Life has been busy...just the day to day stuff is enough to wear me down at times! So what have our days been filled with?  Violin lessons and practicing by my 9 year old.  There is a recital coming up soon, so she's needing to be extra diligent!

 Of course there are tons of chores to do around the house-always!  It sometimes feels like no matter how much we clean, it just never seems to get, well, you know,,,"clean".   Oh well, one of those things you accept having life with kiddos!  We do our best, though, and everyone has to help pitch in one way or another.

 The kids have been doing lots of reading-I'm determined to keep their brains from turning to mush.

 And we're trying to wrap up school as best we can.  Some are already done, while others....well, let's just say they're going to have to start doubling up on some of it.  Summer is right around the corner!

We've had some time to do some baking this week.  I love trying out new things.  Some turn out great, others not so great, but that's part of the process.  I made my first marble rye and was quite impressed. The kids were amazed when I sliced it and they saw the design. They loved the taste too. 

We also made another round of biscotti.  This one was a peanut butter chocolate version.  Mmmmmm...quite yummy.

The kids indulged  while sipping tea.  Loved it.  Sorry, we're not coffee drinkers-only dad, so we find alternatives. 

Busy days, full of hustle and bustle in our big family!

A blessed Easter

What a blessed Easter Sunday I had!  It was wonderful from sun up to sun down.  I attended the sunrise (6:30!) service at church, singing hymns and praising the Lord as the sun came up. It was wonderful-my heart was so full after that experience.  Since it was a holiday, the kids and I did plenty of baking and were able to bless several of the neighbors with  the treats. 

Cupcakes....

Cake pops with colorful sprinkles..

 Yummy!

My oldest son came over for Easter dinner, making our family table complete.  I'm still not totally used to him being gone, so it was great to have him back, even for a short time.  Dad made a spiral ham and we had sides of veggies, potatoes, and rolls.  Don't forget apple pie for dessert!  Everyone chowed down and enjoyed it.  Lots of leftovers for ham sandwiches, too!

I hope you had a wonderful Resurrection day also.  Praise the Lord!

Another birthday! This month we had two-my 14 year old last week and yesterday, my 2nd oldest son turned 17!  Amazing how fast he's grown.  He spent the afternoon at the movies and hanging out with friends, then that nite, we celebrated with pizza (thanks Dominos!)

 Then we celebrated with some triple chocolate cupcakes he requested that I made earlier that day-filled with a chocolate ganache and topped with chocolate frosting and chocolate curls.  Hope you like chocolate!

 Here's the happy birthday boy! Doesn't he look thrilled to celebrate?  I suppose that's typical teenage expression, right?



All in all, a great celebration!!