Egg Decorating

This year our egg decorating party included some of the girls from NBI.
It was so much fun! 
Most of us were old egg dying pro's, but one of us had never dyed an Easter egg before in her life!
I won't tell you who it was, but I don't think this will be her last time. 

Because I am a bit thoughtless, I forgot to take a picture of the boys dying eggs too. We were all in this together, even Hunky Hubby.

We really get into our egg dying around here. We made our own dye with food coloring and Vinegar.

We use wax, glue, and crayons to put designs on our eggs.

We dye them once, and then again, and sometimes a third time! 

It's hard to know when to stop.

Dying things is addictive.

Anyway, I love it when the girls come around. 

The boys don't mind it either.

Don't let them convince you otherwise.

God didn't give me a daughter of my own, 

but each year I get one, or a few, to enjoy.

There is always a lot of laughter and fun when these girls are around. And best of all, they are sweet young women who love God and want to serve Him. 

Plus they do their own dishes! 

It doesn't get much better than that.

The Long, Long, Long Winter...

Let's face it, this winter has been cold and long. 

Long and cold.

Did I say cold?

Living in the frozen north woods of Wisconsin, cold can't keep us locked up inside. If it did, we wouldn't ever get to leave our houses.

So on the not quite so cold days, we bundle up and head outside.  One of our favorite winter activities is sledding.  We are fortunate enough to have a fun sized hill in our own backyard.

I like to try and get some action shots of the boys having fun out there.   Here is my favorite sequence from the day.  I like to call it, 

A story in pictures:

Ha! Ha! The boys had a lot of fun tumbling sledding down the hill.

Winter doesn't prevent little boys from climbing trees either:

Or falling out of them:

And of course dogs still do their doggy things.  

They remain mostly unfazed by the temperature change. Although I have noticed that they come in really fast form their potty break when the temps drop below zero/

I hope that if you live where it gets cold, you are finding ways to get outside and have some fun.  It can be easy to let the cold, dreary days get the best of you.  But is is important to look for the beauty that surrounds you and find things to be thankful for.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! 

 We like to celebrate this holiday in our house.  Well, I like to celebrate it. But it isn't hard to get the boys involved. 

So this week I made plans for us to have  a little Valentine celebration.

For just a few dollars you can pick up a few decorations to make a festive and fun table for the family.

The boys also got involved in the decorating by cutting out hearts, and making me some Valentin'e day cards.  

A little crepe paper, some home made heart garland, and it looks like a veritable Valentine extravaganza! 

Don't you just love it?  

I do.  

Especially the home made cards. 

They are so precious.

Let me quote one for you: "P.s. I really, really, really love you.  Thank you for being my teacher, cook, mom, caretaker, adviser  instructor, and thank you for loving me."

Doesn't that make your heart just melt?  

I couldn't share the main message of the card, but trust me, that boy was being real and letting out his raw, true feelings in a sweet and loving way.  

I can just imagine the love letters he'll write to his wife one day.  He's starting out good! 

My personal favorite decoration I picked up at Wal-mart:

Mustache straws!!!

Isn't it crazy that one day my little boy might be able to grow one of these bushy, fuzzy things on his very own lip?  I hope not. I like the fake ones a lot, but the real ones.  Well, let's just say, it takes a special man to pull it off.  And he's usually wearing cowboy boots and dirty dungarees.

My middle son made me a flower vase. I'm sure when it's all done it will be painted up in a glorious fashion! I kinda got it in it's raw undone form.  But it's the thought that counts! 

A jar full of candy makes a festive table centerpiece.  Plus the boys were excited about all they would get to eat.  They are currently rattling the walls upstairs.  They are supposed to be working quietly.

We made Red Velvet Pancakes for breakfast this morning.  To get them in a heart shape, because that's the only shape that would have been acceptable this morning, I used a ziploc bag and a frosting tip.

You may accidentally have pancake batter pooling on your counter top if you are a messy cook like me.  But it all washes up.

Aren't they pretty?

Here's the recipe.  I got it off of Pinterest.  But I don't think it is pinned and now it's lost in cyber space somewhere.  You could probably Google it.

So, I mustache you a question . . . 

How does your family celebrate Valentine's Day?

Lego Bombs

Lego Bomb: a small piece of plastic that is sharpened to a point, usually by small blunt teeth, left inconspicuously on the floor in a common walk way, waiting for an adult to step on it.  

Results in immediate loss of limb use, excruciating pain, and causes voices to reach octaves not hit since puberty. 

I'm sure I'm not the only person that has suspected but never had proof, that our kids leave Lego bombs on the floor with the express intention of causing their loving parents pain.

I now have proof.

Exhibit A:

3 Lego men with their pointy little hands sticking up in the air, placed strategically in front of the basement stairs, waiting patiently for their first unsuspecting victim.

Exhibit B: 

My hidden camera caught an unidentified child filing those plastic hands into super pointy spears of death.

The child who shall not be named will pay for this dastardly deed.  But now I have it:  

Proof that Lego's really are left on the floor for the express purpose of crippling poor unsuspecting parents.  

Who invented these things anyway? 

Fortunately, I was able to avoid a most certain intense and crippling pain in my foot because I saw these guys laying here.  

The children's plan was foiled. 

This time.

But it has happened to me before.  It has happened to all of us before. The worst happens to be when the Lego blends in with the carpet.  You have no chance against that horrible pointy piece of plastic that somehow manages to find the most sensitive spot on the bottom of your foot. Then what happens when you step on it is that instead of taking a full step like you had planned, the sudden searing pain combined with your body's inertia, forces you to crumble to the ground in a floppy garbled mess, shrieking like a banshee or a stuck pig. 

Meanwhile your children try very hard to suppress their grins and laughter at the greatest victory they can achieve when it comes to inflicting pain on their parents.  

I'd consider fighting back, Lego with Lego, but for some reason children seem to be immune to the horrendous, biting, fierce, sharp, intense, horrible, crippling pain that is caused by stepping on a Lego.

I bet they were invented by a kid. 

And to think, I have actually paid money to bring those things into my home. 

No worries, I've got my own ammunition.

I guess they'll be having liver and onions with a sauerkraut and a squash side dish for dinner next time we get a babysitter. 

Hee, hee, hee.

Hiking up to Sanford's Site

One of the other places we hiked to when we were at Canadian Adventure was Sanford's Site.
We climbed uphill pretty much the entire way there, and then sat on the edge of the cliff to look out over the Canadian wilderness.

Yep, all that is preventing anyone from plummeting hundreds of feet down a cliff are those wooden poles and some flimsy rope. 

I'm fairly certain that my boys could have found a way to destroy them both if left unattended for 2.2 seconds.

Which was NOT happening there.

I watched them like a hawk.

Plus Troy was there.

Still, we felt that Wyat would be safer safely ensconced behind these trees.  Seeing as how he was jumping about like a little Mexican jumping bean.  What is it that kids just don't understand about sheer drop off?

Still, if you can relax enough to enjoy it, the view is breathtaking.

I guess if you want to enjoy it, you shouldn't bring 5 year olds.

But it's a site worth seeing and a hike worth hiking.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jana