I follow this blog, and one of the features on it is {pretty, happy, funny, real}. The idea is to show an example of each on your blog and then link back to hers. So I thought I'd try it out...here is my {pretty, happy, funny, real}!

{pretty}

Not much prettier to me than my little girl in her Easter dress hunting for eggs. Each kid had 40 eggs and this year I took a tip from someone and labled each egg with the kids' names so that the finding would be more fair. It was also easier to hide them because of this.

{funny}

Oh yes, if you know Eric, this is very funny! The look of shock of a bit of yellow pollen on his favorite "flat-brim" hat is very genuine!

{happy}

Dennis and I couldn't be more happy with how our new front patio/deck turned out! We had this project in mind for a couple of years now and finally turned it into reality. It as a full weekend to dig out for the footers, lay and level the hanging joists, back fill with gravel for drainage and then put on the decking, but it really opens up the front of the house and gives us a nice place to sit and watch the kids as they play in the front yard. It is also a very happy place to sit with my coffee in the morning if I happen to get up before everyone else!


{real}


Really, this is the state of each of our rooms as I tackle the big seasonal wardrobe changeover. Doing all of the laundry, packing away the winter clothes, getting out the tubs of clothes for spring/summer and sorting, folding, putting away and storing. It is quite a process and I will be glad once I'm done!

Little Musicians

Eric has been taking piano lessons for 4 years now. Bay started taking this year. Leah just can't wait until she gets to take piano lessons. Already, she plays things on the piano that she hears Bay playing. But what has really been neat is to hear her blossom already as a young composer. She loves to sing...sings in the shower always...sings with her CD's, and makes up her own songs. This morning she brought me lyrics she had written for a song that she made up, so we transcribed it before she forgot the melody. So simple, yet so Leah.

Click on the link to open the file. Below are the lyrics...if it doesn't work, I'll work on fixing it!


"I Love Jesus"
I love Jesus, He is my Savior!
I-I-I love Jesus, He is my Savior!
He is my Savior!

Leah turns Six!

or as Leah likes to say, "I've made 6 laps around the sun, Mom" That makes me smile! Both boys made something for her present. Eric freezer paper stenciled a pair of jeans and matching t-shirt. I was quite impressed..

He came up with the designs on his own and did everything except the cutting with the exacto knife. Bay made her a set of star-shaped crayons from recycled bits of crayon. He arranged them in a silicone star-shaped cupcake mold and we melted till they were blended. Then cooled, popped out and now she has a set of 6 cute individual color blended star crayons.

Turning 6 (and indeed the months preceeding) has found Leah spending more time in the kitchen with mom...either helping prepare dinner or making a recipe of her own. She loves to try out new recipes from her Highlights magazine or from the Mini Pages and other sources. Today she made turkey-veggie pinwheels for her lunch. She almost always cuts up the lettuce, tomatoes and other veggies for our salad at dinnertime, sets the table and butters the bread. Some other recipes she has made are Oreo Surprise Cupcakes, Orange Pancakes and Chocolate Caramel Pretzels.

She would like to share the recipe from today's lunch with you.

Spread on 1 tortilla: mayonnaise or cream cheese (she chose cream cheese), 2 slices of deli turkey. Sprinkle with grated cheese and your choice of veggie (grated zucchini, grated carrot or sliced cucumber-Leah chose grated carrot).

Roll up the tortilla.

Have an adult slice the roll into pinwheels. YUM!