A Wonderful Afternoon

My parents and brother came to visit Thursday night and stayed until yesterday morning (we were stop #1 on their Western Wisconsin/Eastern Minnesota family tour). I took advantage of having two extra strapping men around by having them move a couch that had been given to us – out of the garage and into its new home in the basement - and moving a desk from the guest room upstairs into our bedroom. From that description, you’d think moving the couch was the more difficult task – but boy would you be mistaken!

The couch was a simple walk-down-the-outdoor-steps-and-carry-it-into-the-basement job. The desk, however, required disassembly (removing no less than 15 screws, some of which were at impossible angles) and even then it was too large to fit through our 28-inch doorways, so Dad ended up taking two doors off of their hinges and removing part of the door frames! And then of course once the desk was in its new place, everything had to be reassembled (the door frames still aren’t completely back together – we’re waiting to borrow a finish nailer). It’s amazing how a simple, quick task can turn into a lot of work!

After all that, we had a quick lunch and they left for my brother’s house (I wonder who had to drive while the others napped during the trip?) while I put Josiah down for his nap and then lay down, exhausted, myself. Sam decided that he wanted to listen to the Chapter A Day reading of Coop by our favorite local author Michael Perry  (it was over for the day, so we had to listen online in my room -  http://www.wpr.org/webcasting/audioarchives_display.cfm?Code=cad&CFID=43051064&CFTOKEN=35578762) Meanwhile, Hannah played math games on the computer (which had just moved into my bedroom with the desk) and Naomi and Elaina played ponies in the other room.

So you can picture the scene: me, snuggled warm and cozy in my bed, with Sam lounging next to me listening to the story; Hannah playing on the computer next to us, Josiah sleeping peacefully, and the other girls playing quietly in the next room. Everyone quiet, everything peaceful. It was a wonderful weekday afternoon, and a memory I will hold on to in the not-so-quiet-and-peaceful days ahead.

Ahhhh . . .

The Best Waffles Ever!!!

This was our breakfast this morning, and it was so good I had to share!

Belgian Waffles:

6 eggs, separated

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

6 cups milk

1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter

Beat yolks for 3 minutes. Mix dry ingredients. Beat whites until stiff. Add dry ingredients and milk to yolks and mix by hand. Mix in butter, then fold in whites.

Fry in a regular or Belgian waffle maker (we have one of each, and both were awesome!)

Top with strawberries and whipped cream.

(this is a big batch! Makes about 30 waffles – which of course you can freeze and save for future yummy breakfasts; just pop them out and warm them in the toaster. Or, if you want to warm up a bunch at once, put them on a baking sheet and heat in the oven at 350 degrees 5-10 minutes)

Whipped Cream:

1 cup whipping cream (preferably skimmed from the top of your raw milk)

2 Tbsp sugar (I like to use powdered sugar)

1/2 tsp vanilla

In a chilled bowl, combine cream, sugar, and vanilla. Beat on meduim speed until soft peaks form. Makes 2 cups.

(Whipped cream can be frozen, which is actually how we had it this morning – spoon or pipe the extra whipped cream into mounds on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Freeze until firm, then transfer to an airtight container for up to one month.

To thaw, remove the amount you need and let stand at room temperature for five minutes.)

I can now testify that thawed whipped cream tastes just as good as fresh!

This is definitely going to be a family favorite! And I now have a “free” homemade breakfast waiting in the freezer – bonus!

Epiphany!

We had just come home from Bible study, and Peter looked up at me and said, “I think I’m becoming more crunchy, honey,” (meaning crunchy like granola – into healthy food, etc. – not crunchy like an old man who can’t move) “I can’t understand why people don’t jump at the chance to buy your eggs. It’s strange to me now that people just want to save a buck buying eggs at Walmart rather than getting good, healthy food.”

I grinned from ear to ear – I’m converting him to the joys of real food! (This could, of course, have something to do with how yummy fresh eggs from pastured hens are!)

He’s shown other signs, too - like saying we should get raw milk if it’s available, and even going so far as to say (bestill my beating heart!) that I could MAYBE get a non-dairy goat this spring to improve the fertility (read: eat weeds and leave poop) in our meadow!

Whole new worlds of farming joy have opened up before me – worlds where the kids and I frolic with the spring calves, while chickens scratch for worms around our feet, and Peter is in the barn manfully tinkering with an old tractor, Sam handing him a wrench and learning how to fix a carburetor . . .

Ok, maybe not.

But I can dream, can’t I?

Hannah’s Big News

Hannah FINALLY lost her tooth! It’s been hanging on for weeks, but it finally came out!

Not only that, but once she got that one out she was on a roll – and got another one out an hour later! So she lost TWO teeth yesterday (and was having WAY too much fun grossing everyone out with her bloody teeth! That’s my dainty little lady!)

Caught on Film!

For the first time in recorded history, we have conclusive proof of the existence of the elusive “Bunnermoo”

Part butterfly, part bunny, part cow (and all cute!) the Bunnermoo was thought to be just a myth until finally caught on film in this unedited photo.

Another dose of kid cuteness

The kids were full of fun quotes this weekend:

Elaina, walking outside in the unseasonably warm weather, commented sagely: “Boots need puddles.”

Naomi, playing outside with Hannah, where they had just built a snow fort, declared: “We’re not going to waste time throwing snowballs, we’re going to waste time hiding in our fort!”

Sam, irate with Josiah for knocking down his latest lego creation, cried: “Even if you are wearing Star Wars undies, I still don’t like you!!!”

Elaina, watching the last family leave our driveway after church, asked, “Can we have church again?”

Happy Birthday!

Guess who’s birthday was on Sunday?

That’s right, Naomi, it’s you! How did you get to be six years old already????

We love you, big girl!

Peter gives new meaning to the term “casual workwear”

Peter was on call this weekend, so he was taking service calls at odd times (such as this shot, taken as he was interrupted getting ready to go snowblow the driveway):

Note: This is NOT how he dresses for work normally, nor does he endorse any of the call coordinators he supervises dressing this way!

Competitive Blogging

I forgot to post my pictures yesterday (the warm weather left an amazing frosty coat over our back yard) and before I remembered to do it, I found that Kirsten had beaten me to the punch! Oh, well, here’s my favorite photo of the scene anyway:

That’s my boy!

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This morning Sam saw the turkey roasting on the counter and asked, “Mom, where’s that from?”

“Walmart.”

“Oh,” he replied, disappointed. Apparently we’re getting spoiled by having home-raised food from our family and friends!

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Our new physics and chemistry curriculum came in the mail today, and as soon as he saw it Sam was begging to read it.

“No,” I told him, “you can look at the pictures, but don’t read ahead!” (That, boys and girls, is called “Reverse Psychology”)

Sure enough, five minutes later he was paging through his Physics book asking a thousand questions and reading away! Maybe he’ll teach it all to the girls before I get the chance!

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(Yeah, apparently we’re a little more advanced in science than we are in spelling . . .)